Tarvin Parish Council Chairman's Report – 2021/22

I am pleased to deliver my first Chairman's Report for Tarvin Parish Council ('the Council'), covering the year ended 31st March 2022.

The year began with the Council continuing to meet virtually on Zoom due to Covid restrictions. However, this means of communication no longer became an option after the April meeting, as central government declined to allow virtual meetings to continue. As a consequence, the Council felt unable to meet physically until July, when the remaining
restrictions in force at that time were lifted.

During the year, four councillors resigned due to a variety of personal reasons and we
welcomed three new councillors. The Council had one vacancy at the end of March and
residents are being encouraged to take this opportunity to become involved and support
our activities. This current financial year is the last in the four-year cycle and all councillors
are required to retire in March 2023. However, all will be able to stand for re-election at
that point.

The activities of the Council continued to be many and varied, ranging from the routine (for
example, maintenance of the King George V Playing Field and maintenance of certain parish infrastructure) to the one-off. A number of items of play equipment were repaired or
replaced and the Council-owned street lights were fitted with more efficient long-life bulbs.
Our relationship with Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council (CWaC) can be frustrating at times, but was used to good effect to resolve issues with resident parking on the A54 Bye Pass Road and drainage issues on Tarporley Road. The Council continues to regularly remind CWaC on their grass cutting responsibilities.

Each year, the Council identifies one or more 'special projects' aimed at addressing a
specific issue or improving facilities and 2021/22 was no exception. The Council has
recently completed the 'cut-through' from The Ridgeway to the A54 road, which provides
residents from that part of the village with easier access to the Co-op and the village centre. In 2022/23 the Council are looking to similarly progress initiatives to improve villagefootpaths and to invest in vehicle speed monitoring equipment.

The Council was able to continue making grants to Tarvin-based charitable and volunteer led organisations which contribute to the well-being of residents. Grants were made to Tarvin Community Woodland Trust, 2nd Tarvin Guides, Tarvin Online, Ashton Hayes &
Tarvin Flower Club and the Tarvin Christmas Festival.

The Council also took the opportunity to earmark additional funds to assist other local
organisations based in the village in their recovery from Covid, which has decimated their
ability to attract support due to the restrictions put in place on physical meetings. These one-off grants were made to Ashton Hayes Theatre Club, Tarvin Athletic FC, Tarvin PreSchool and Day Nursery and Tarvin Methodist Church.

The Council has a key role in helping to keep the parish a pleasant place to live. Regular
reminders regarding hedge maintenance and dog fouling are made via the Council Facebook page and the quarterly Tarvin Times newsletter. Litter picking is regularly performed on the playing field and two Parish Clean Ups were carried out during the year.

Another important aspect of the Council's work is commenting on planning applications.
The majority of these are reviewed without further comment but objections or suggested
changes are passed on to the local planning authority where necessary. Applications which
did give rise to comments included plans to replace the primary school fencing, a reapplication for a travellers' site on the A51 and a change of use application for Greenacre
Garage to a Budgens food shop.

Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow councillors and the parish
clerk for their hard work and commitment to the Council during the past year. I look
forward to working with them in 2022/23.