annual report of the council

april 2023/ april 2024

First presented at the Annual Meeting of the Parish - 4th April 2024.

As always it has been a busy year for the Parish Council, and we continue to put on our community events which are always well supported. In July we hosted our Fair in the Square and although it started off a bit soggy, the sun soon appeared and we were blessed with good weather again and as always, it was well supported. In September Music in the Square was the busiest I have ever seen it, with three amazing local bands it was a fabulous evening, and plans are in full swing for this year’s events.

In May we celebrated the Kings Coronation with a bring your own picnic at the community centre and again it was a wonderful event with plenty of residents joining together to mark the occasion. Many of us have never witnessed a coronation so it was a new experience and one that will not be forgotten in a hurry.

In November we held our remembrance service and wreath laying ceremony on Amnesty Sunday and of course in December we welcomed Father Christmas to the square with carols and the Aylesbury Concert Band. The lights again with the Christmas tree make the square look wonderful and my thanks as always go to our Maintenance Team who really work so hard to make it magical.

Because of the Parishes’s close working relationship with the Town Council, we always support the Mayor wherever possible. This year has been a little bit special as the Mayor of Aylesbury is Steve Lambert who many of you know was the Chairman of the Parish for many years and lives on Fairford Leys. So, it has been a delight to represent the Parish Council and residents at the Aylesbury Town Mayor’s events, including the Mayor making ceremony in May and the Civic Remembrance and Christmas services held at St Mary’s Church.

The Council continues to work on matters that directly affect our community. We continue to meet monthly with HS2 and their contractors, discussing and questioning whenever possible their works and impacts on us and the surrounding areas. The Council has also been successful in bidding for funding from the Aylesbury Community Board, as well as reviewing our playparks with a view to updating some of them and creating more green spaces.

We continue to use our Facebook Page to keep residents informed and encourage them to respond to consultations that affect the village and make sure their voices are heard. You may have noticed that the yellow lines have been refreshed and some more added around the village, this was partly influenced by the consultation that residents replied to (we continue to chase up those planned but not yet painted).

We are in the final process of having the riverine land transferred to the Parish Council and we continue to manage the land areas around Fairford Leys. A lot of work goes into the management of the land and we have to make certain decisions on tree management, that might not always be understood by residents – especially when we are felling trees. We cannot let the land grow totally wild but we must manage it as professionally as we can which includes tree surveys, riverine water clearance where possible and lots of grass cutting.

We also work closely with Aylesbury Town Council under the Buckinghamshire Council Devolved Services Agreement. We continue to work closely with the Ernest Cook Trust where needed and we manage the Ernest Cook Trust Covenant on all properties in Fairford Leys relating to planning applications – this is to ensure that Fairford Leys remains as close to the original Master Plan as possible and keeps Fairford Leys the best it can possibly be. Our close working with local businesses where able helps keep the village centre vibrant and it’s good for our community to have the services we have, all within walking distance.

The Parish Council continues to meet every first Thursday at 8pm in the Community Centre to deal with monthly business such as Planning Applications, Riverine Corridor Adoption, and questions from the residents.

All this work could not happen without the support of the Clerk, fellow Councillors, Maintenance team and our Centre Staff and I must say a massive thank you to them all for the hard work that they put in behind the scenes to make this such a wonderful place to live.

It is with pleasure that I submit this report on behalf of the Parish Council.

Andrew Cole

Cllr Andrew Cole

Chairman of the Council