Vacancies for Parish Councillors
Councillor Mark Packard was co-opted on 22nd September at Full Council. That means we still have one vacancy. If you’d like to find out more information please get in touch or contact the office. I have spoken to one person who seems keen & I am awaiting email confirmation. If anybody else wants to join us then please let me know.
Vacancies for Parish Clerk & Assistant Clerk
Due to the promotion of the Assistant Clerk to the position of Clerk, Melton Parish Council is now seeking a replacement Assistant Clerk, starting January 2022. The role, which is mainly office based at 17 Riduna Park in Melton, is for 20 hours a week and will include some Wednesday evening meetings.
We are seeking an organised and community focused individual to proactively assist in the development, promotion and implementation of the Council’s work. Knowledge of financial systems, planning and/or local government would be advantageous. Candidates must be IT literate, self-motivated with good organisational and communication skills and enjoy working as part of a small team. Working under the guidance and supervision of the Clerk, duties will include completing monthly accounts, updating the website and social media, clerking meetings, writing and researching reports, managing projects and liaising with contractors and members of the public. There will be opportunities for training and development in the role.
Further information including a full job description and details on how to apply can be found on the website – www.melton-suffolk-pc.gov.uk/job-vacancy-asstclerk/
Hall Farm Road Sports Ground
We held an open session on Saturday 25th September at the sports ground to show local people our plans and listen to any suggestions. It was a lovely afternoon with warm sunny weather. A good number of people turned up and were impressed that at last some money was to be invested in the Hall Farm area. We now have to sift all the gathered information and it will be discussed at the Recreation meeting on the 10th November. You can see the latest information at www.melton-suffolk-pc.gov.uk/recreation/hallfarmroad
Crossing points in Melton Road
A meeting has been held with SCC Highways so hopefully this is moving forwards. They are very understaffed and overloaded with work so it’s no surprise that things don’t happen at the speed we would like. They are doing their best to help us. We believe that a number of new yellow lines will be painted at road junctions along Melton Road including the park entrance which somebody mentioned on Facebook recently and Fayrefield Road.
The Pavilion
We received quotes for the demolition of the old pavilion and Mixbrow Construction Ltd have been appointed to carry out the work. We hope they will start in November, dependent on UK Power Networks moving the power to the new temporary building. In the meantime we have erected a small metal shed to house the mains water and provide temporary storage. The instructions said 2 people could do assemble it in a day. It took Phil and I the best part of 3 days to put it together. In fact the instructions were a bit of a joke; it was probably the most frustrating thing I have ever worked on. At least we had warm dry weather to do the job. We will find a use for it after its temporary role.
Melton Fete
We are still working on plans for the fete which will be held on June 4th next year.
Boundary Changes
Despite MPC raising objections to the Boundaries commission, Melton is to be split into two for Suffolk County Council elections from 2025, so this will make us a warded parish. Our 15 Councillors will comprise 8 from the north of Melton & 7 from the south. The north will be in Wilford division and the south Woodbridge. This sorry state of affairs is now set in stone so there is no more we can do about it. Melton will be represented by two SCC councillors as we will be in two SCC county council areas. Below is a map showing the boundary split. Clearly it is a massive compromise all round and I don’t envy their task as it’s a difficult nut to crack. We just have to get on with it.
Map showing boundary changes
Alan Porter
