Cheshire East Council has confirmed that the sole nomination for the vacant councillor position on Pickmere Parish Council was Sarah Carson (see this link). As the election was unopposed, Sarah Carson has been duly elected and will formally take up her position at the next Parish Council meeting on 4th May 2021.
As a result there will be no election for the Parish Councillor position on 6th May.
The Parish Council would like to welcome the recent election of Sarah Carson as parish councillor. Sarah has strong local connections – extending back many years – and knows Pickmere well. Council members look forward to the opportunity to working with Sarah to bring about further improvements in Pickmere’s community life and environment.
The Parish Council is saddened to hear of the passing of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh and extends its deepest sympathies to Her Majesty the Queen and to his children and grandchildren.
A condolence book will be opened at Knutsford Town Council Offices on Monday 12th April. Those who do not wish to visit the offices but wish to have their condolences recorded in the Town’s record can email them to hrh@knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk. Floral tributes may be laid at the front of the Town Council Offices near the flagpole. The Government and Royal Family Condolence Book can be found using this link.
The Town Council asks that where possible no plastic/cellophane is used. The flowers will be collected after the funeral and composted; the compost will be used to fertilise a tree which will be planted by the Town Council in his memory.
We all know that there is an issue around parking in Pickmere particularly when large numbers of visitors appear on the sunny days.
The Parish Council has spent the last year trying to secure measures to help deal with this issue. Councillors have liaised with the groups involved in this area, including Cheshire Police, Cheshire East highways, our MP and district councillor. However, there is no simple solution as the Council explained in its bulletin last year (see this link) .
The Parish Council has done the following to try to mitigate the potential problems;
• Reset the cones around the main areas of congestion.
• Constantly petitioned Cheshire East highways to revisit the road lineage situation.
• Liaised with the district councillor (Councillor Parkinson) with regard to the possibility of a discussion about adding further restricted yellow lines in the village, and other road issues.
• Spoken and met with the Cheshire Police about regular checks on unlawful parking in and around the roads in Pickmere.
• Spoken to and liaised with Cheshire East highways about making checks on parking in and around the roads in Pickmere at busy times – although they will not be able to intervene until 1st May when the restrictions on the yellow lines come into force for the summer.
• Added a light at the lower IROS car park to improve security and enable the gate to be opened.
• Liaised with Wincham PC to find a combined approach.
We are continuing to liaise with the various authorities to try and minimise any problems but please remember that the Parish Council itself does not have any rights to enforce parking restrictions, prevent obstructions on the highway, or deal with anti-social behaviour. Our few powers are restricted just to the land we own.
If specific problems arise in relation to parked cars obstructing the highway or footway, or anti-social behaviour, contact the Police on 101. Once the yellow line parking restrictions come into force on 1st May (weekends and Bank Holidays), the yellow line areas are the responsibility of Cheshire East’s traffic wardens. For any such problems, ring 0300 123 5020.
We would also like your support in maintaining the area and would like you to report any damage or breakages to us. Please email the Parish Clerk on clerk@pickmereparishcouncil.com. If you can include your name and phone number it would be helpful.
Following consideration of the Council’s budget for 2021-22 and other financial matters, we are looking at carrying out a number of maintenance/replacement jobs on various parts of the Council’s property. The biggest of these is the Clover Drive play area. A working group of the Council is now looking into the options for refurbishing or replacing the play equipment, benches, etc., where additional funding might be sourced, and which seem the best companies to quote to do the job. The sub-group hopes to report back to Council in the New Year with some results! In the meantime, if anyone has any suggestions as to the type of play equipment or facility that might be desirable, feel free to email the Parish Clerk at clerk@pickmereparishcouncil.com .
The Council has also considered a number of other projects and will be proceeding shortly with the erection of a new lamppost inside the ‘black gates’, which will allow the Council to reopen the gates and bring the lower parking spaces back into use. In addition the Council has commissioned the replacement of the small wooden platform on the lakeside, and is investigating various other improvements.