A Call for Perspective and Support in Our Village
It’s important that, as a village, we take a step back and think carefully about how we respond — especially on social media — to recent developments within the Parish Council and the ongoing situation with the Paddling Pool. In our frustration, there’s a real danger that we end up criticising the very people who have stepped forward to try to fix what has, for the past 15 months, been a deeply troubling situation.
We now have newly co-opted councillors who appear to be working hard to bring order and transparency to a council that has struggled with basic governance: missing minutes, absent reports, and a worrying lack of response to legitimate questions raised by residents. These new members deserve our support, not condemnation. Without it, we risk isolating them and allowing the main council to continue unchecked — comfortably entrenched while those trying to make a difference are left exposed.
We must ask ourselves: who is truly at fault here? The new councillors, who are doing their best to understand the issues and represent the village’s interests? Or the main council, which has presided over significant financial mismanagement — including the £60,000 spent on the pool, the £70,000 spent on the MUGA that has remained closed since late 2024, and the £200,000 drawn from reserves, which they can effectively spend without recourse, to pursue what appears to be a lost cause?
The September 2025 draft Parish Council minutes even show that the council was aware of the need to address the paddling pool’s future but failed to act promptly. When they finally did, the responsibility was handed to two new councillors — both of whom joined in the last couple of months of 2025, with little background on the issue and virtually no visual support. That was hardly a recipe for success.
As a community, we must channel our energy into constructive engagement, not division. The village deserves better — and that begins with supporting those who are genuinely trying to make things right.
Our focus now should be on ensuring that the current main council is held accountable and that the village has the opportunity in May to elect a team committed to transparency, responsibility, and genuine progress.
Yes, this may delay the reopening of the pool for the summer, but a new, motivated council could prioritise it properly and pull out all the stops to at least try and give it at least one more year— ensuring that any reopening is safe, sustainable, and based on a professional assessment. The village deserves leadership that listens, acts, and plans for the long-term good of the community.