Residents were invited to attend the Annual Town Meeting for Wilmslow which was held at the Parish Hall on Thursday, 25th April.
Approximately 50 residents were present to hear reports from the councillors, put forward questions and express their views about issues affecting the town.
The meeting commenced with the following report from Jim Crockatt Chairman of the Town Council.
Chairman's Speech
2012 -13 was the first full year of operation for Wilmslow Town Council and brought about the Council's first major piece of strategic work in the form of the Wilmslow Vision.
The formulation of a new Local Plan by Cheshire East Council has thrown down the gauntlet to local communities to speak up for their own neighbourhoods. For the first time in many years Wilmslow has an elected council in place and it took a central role in the process, putting its weight behind the concerns of residents.
As with all elected bodies that have a desire to get involved, the Town Council wasn't without its critics during the consultation process, especially in the early months when our motives were questioned, however a level of trust in the council, I believe, was developed over time. The council continues to fight for the benefit of Wilmslow residents whilst recognising that resident's opinions vary greatly and that all views deserve to be heard.
The Local Plan process goes on and the Town Council hope to continue to work with Cheshire East Council, and the Residents of Wilmslow group to get the best possible outcome for Wilmslow.
I would personally like to thank Cllr Keith Purdom, closely supported by Cllrs Brooks, Dodson and Bradley for his work in this area and also the Residents of Wilmslow group leaders who have and continue to contribute significantly to the process.
The Town Council continues to try to position itself at the centre of the community and whilst it is taking a while to take on services that will inevitably increase the visible exposure of the Council we have recognised that supporting what is already happening in our community is as important as changing how things are done.
With this in mind the Town Council has been far more active in the past twelve months in issuing grants and donations to worthy local projects, some of which reflect the value placed on the fabulous places in and around our town such as Lindow Common and the Carrs whilst others grants reflect the difficult economic times in which we live such as the support of Food Friends and most significantly the grant that facilitated the return of the Citizen's Advice Bureau back to Wilmslow.
The Town Council has organised two major town events since the last Annual Town Meeting.
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Picnic in the Park held on 4th June 2012 – was a community event that enabled the people of Wilmslow to come together and join in the national celebrations. This event was very well received and attended and it was the existence of the Town Council that enabled such a celebration to be free to all residents on the day.
The Jubilee Gate – installed at the Carrs, near the Parish Hall, and featuring winning designs from 4 local schoolchildren will provide memories of the event for years to come.
Wilmslow Town Council has invested extensively in Christmas since it was formed, completely renewing the Christmas lights in its first year and enhancing further last year. It is in everyone's interest that the town centre flourishes in these difficult economic times and we must do all we can to encourage visitors from Wilmslow and our surrounding area to visit the town centre at such an important time of year and ensure that other towns don't gain a commercial edge.
Our first Christmas event brought huge numbers of Wilmslow people into the town centre, the challenge for our businesses is to work with us to convert visitors in to customers that chose Wilmslow as their place to shop.
The Town Council continues to work with the police in terms of speed awareness and inappropriate parking, two issues that residents bring to our attention on a regular basis. One of our tasks in coming months will be to decide if we wish to formalise our current ad-hoc arrangements with the police.
Residents are very conscious of the way streets and pavements are maintained. Whilst responsibility to maintain lies with Cheshire East Council the Town Council is very aware that many residents would welcome an enhanced service. Whilst it is possible that Wilmslow Town Council may have a role to play in the future in delivering part of this service it is keen to use its organisational capabilities in taking action now. Next week will see the Wilmslow Spring Clean event and we hope that many more volunteers will participate in this its second year.
On a more permanent basis, the Town Council recently met with the Sandbach Clean Team, an independent volunteer group with significant organisation and motivation to enhance their town. We would love to hear from anybody here tonight or any other Wilmslow resident who would be interested in setting up a Wilmslow Clean Team.
The Town Council continues with other initiatives including the Wilmslow Job Club and you will soon see enhanced 'welcome to Wilmslow' signage at our gateways and more noticeboards to advise of community activities and Town Council initiatives.
Whilst my period of Chairmanship is almost at an end the Town Council will be moving forward under new Chairmanship and that will lead to us taking on more functions over the next 12 months. Whilst we are still in discussions over the allotments, most noticeable we hope will be the enhancement of town centre planters which we hope, with the help of a local plant nursery business, to give the town a real lift.
I would like to thank the residents and my fellow councillors for their support over the past 12 months.
