AT their recent meeting parish councillors elected Tony Geeson as the deputy chairman which was surely a reflection of the hard work he has done for the parish council since his election in May.

Phil Eyles of the Breinton Charities gave a talk on the history and role of the Breinton Charities. There are four local trustees and they collect money from rent of a small area of land as well as from some other investments. The trustees then donate money to help Breinton residents with education (irrespective of age), or who are in need.

Parish councillors heard from Rebecca Semple and Mary Burton from the Ecohere Project, who spoke about helping to set up a local sustainability action plan (SAP). The SAP depends on the needs, wants and individual circumstances of the community. By way of example it can offer advice and help with energy saving ideas, a reduction in car use and more sharing of journeys, recycling and making use of the local resources within the community. The parish councillors agreed to take advantage of the support offered by Ecohere and hope to develop a SAP with help from local residents. Councillors also want to update what has previously been called the parish plan into a community led plan (CLP) and to incorporate the SAP into this. Both the CLP and SAP will be on the agenda at the next parish council meeting on August 31.

Councillors expressed concern at the raft of consultation documents recently released by Herefordshire Council (HC). These include the charter, localities, engagement and the compact. The parish councillors agreed that a letter would be sent to HC calling for a proper briefing meeting for all parish councils so that HC officers can provide a full explanation of each of these initiatives.

Councillors were advised that HC will be sending out a housing needs survey to all households in Breinton over the coming months. It is important that everyone responds to this survey so that HC can build up an accurate picture of the local housing needs in the area. Parish councillors were further dismayed by the proposed revised strategy of HC’s local development framework which includes the relief road and additional housing. Councillors will be attending the cabinet meeting at the end of July to see what further developments emerge.

Finally although it is early days Breinton Parish Council is developing a website at breintonparish.co.uk.