Good Evening
Today we had the sadness and the privilege of saying thank you and goodbye to our hard working Clerk Vanessa Oliveri. Vanessa has been with the Parish for 2 years and 4 months and over that time has overseen a large number of changes and developments. We wish her luck for the future
Now that Vanessa has departed we have two interim Clerks Ruth Waller and Jules Owen who will continue to manage the business of the Parish.
- Ruth will look after the day to day business and can be contacted on clerk@upperrissington-pc.gov.uk – whilst she is acting as our Locum Clerk, she has all the authorities required and is very experienced.
- Jules will look after the Public Open Space transfer and any Parish communications with Vistry. She can be contacted on Jules@upperrissington-pc.gov.uk. Jules will also be looking after the recruitment process for a new Clerk and more details on the process that will be followed will be available at the next Council Meeting.
As you will understand, change comes with a certain amount of risk and I would ask you to bear with the Parish Council as it resets itself with new personnel who are becoming familiar with processes. The Council have asked Ruth to prioritise getting on top of these processes and this will include an element of training. August is, historically, a quieter period for the Council. For this reason the Parish Clerk’s office will not be regularly occupied during this month. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes and the subject of opening times will be discussed at the Council meeting on 14 August.
One thing we have noted is that some correspondence has not been answered in as timely a manner as would have been expected. The Parish Council apologises for this and we will try and do better but we can only do what is within our available capacity. If you have not had a response to an inquiry sent over the last month then please resend it. Communications should be sent to one of the Clerks above. However, if you don’t get a timely response, please email the Parish Councillors who will do their best to seek a resolution if an urgent response is required.
On the subject of completing actions, the Parish Council can only do something about the things of which we are aware. We do not monitor Facebook and other Social Media outlets routinely and, when we do, it would be wrong of the Council to enter in extended discussions on that media. Please could I ask that any issues that are important to you are bought to the Parish Council meetings which are held on a monthly basis. This is the best forum for us to hear you, make a note of an issue and formulate a plan.
Whilst we get closer to the adoption of our Public Open Spaces, we are as disappointed as you will be that we have not yet been able to open the Tennis Courts. Risk assessments are now agreed but there is still the need to put in place a robust booking system. You will understand that we must prioritise the critical elements of running the Parish and I will not make you false promises. However, at the same time, we intend to get them open as soon as opportunity and capacity allows.
Finally, we are all shocked and saddened at the increasing levels of rubbish, fly-tipping and vandalism that is taking place in the Village. There are some areas which have been targeted on multiple occasions and I assure you that the appropriate authorities are taking all actions within their power to prevent situations getting worse. If you see an issue please report it to the Police, to Vistry, to the County Council or if necessary to the Parish Council. However, if you do choose to report it to the Parish Council, please understand that we have very little authority and influence in getting things done quickly in the near term. Once we own our own Public Open Spaces things will become a little easier but in the meantime I would ask that the wonderful community spirit that exists within Upper Rissington shines through to assist in solving any problems.
