Widmer End Residents’ Association

BULLETIN, April 2020

WELCOME to the first issue of a monthly bulletin that is intended to replace the minutes
of our regular meetings until the coronavirus lockdown is over and we can resume them.

We all have our own stories of how we are coping with the unprecedented restrictions on
movement, shopping, social and family visits, sporting activities and so on. As far as
Widmer End as a community is concerned, many things have had to be cancelled or
postponed indefinitely – the GAT quiz, church services, the Best Kept Village competition,
garden waste collections, to name but a few. Fortunately, there appears to be no risk to the
electricity supply or the telecommunications network, and we can keep in touch by
telephone, email and other media without much difficulty.

Right at the start of the lockdown period, around March 16th, some of our enterprising
residents formed the Widmer End Neighbours Support Group, designed to reach out to the
more 'vulnerable' members of our community and reassure them that their needs would not
be overlooked. To help those who were either unable to do their own shopping or had been
cautioned against doing so, they compiled and circulated a list of 21 local businesses
offering collection and delivery services. The list gives contact details and information on
what foods are on offer and whether home delivery services are available. This list must
have taken a long time to put together and the group must be congratulated on their
achievements, with special mention of Marianne Tyler and Helen Carmody.

Other villages in Hughenden Parish have formed similar groups. They are now now linked
to the county-wide COVID-19 Mutual Aid Group.

Other developments in the last month are listed below, many of them under the same
headings as in our usual minutes.

Finance – The financial position of WERA as on 31 March 2020 was:

Current account £7,163.10

Deposit account £3,134.42
Total £10,297.52

The figures include a grant of £500 from Hughenden Parish Council (HPC).

WERA Constitution – Further discussion on the proposed revision has been put on the back
burner for the time being.

Grange Road bridleway – Some consternation has been caused by the action of the tenant
of Grange Farm to close off a short section of the bridleway and direct walkers along a stony
path in a nearby field to rejoin the main path at the point where the paved road peters out.
The diversion skirts the entrance to the farm.

Our Parish Clerk, Shona Hadwen, has passed on a complaint from several residents to the
Rights of Way officer at Buckinghamshire Council (BC), who has asked the tenant to
remove the obstruction as soon as possible The tenant claims the diversion is necessary
during the current lockdown in order to protect his farm, family and livestock, but his action
is seen by BC as an unlawful obstruction of a public right of way and a breach of his lease.

This is now a matter between BC and the tenant, so WERA as such is not getting involved.
We will keep you updated on the outcome.
A unitary council – Almost unnoticed amid the coronavirus scare has been the transition in
our county from one county council and four district councils to one unitary authority. The
Buckinghamshire Council (BC) is now the local authority for the whole of the county except
for Milton Keynes.

Martin Tett, BC's leader, has issued a series of bulletins giving an update on the measures
taken to fight the coronavirus pandemic in Buckinghamshire.

Hughenden Parish Council – The office is closed and the staff are working from home.

Roads and traffic – We have used Transport for Buckinghamshire's 'Fix my street' service
to tell BC about three jobs that need urgent attention: (1) uneven pavement surface along
North Road; (2) collapsed footpath joining Honeysuckle Road to Cowslip Road (this has
been fenced off for many months!); and (3) '40' sign on Cryers Hill Lane facing the wrong
way. In all three cases we have been assured that the projects are on TfB's list of jobs, but in
the present situation it is anybody's guess when they are likely to be attended to.

There has been some progress with making good use of the S106 money at our disposal.
The Parish Council has been able to pass on our request for rumble strips along North Road
to Ringway Jacobs, who will carry out the work for a total of £5713.00. This still leaves
about £1100 in the S106 chest, but whether this will be enough for any more road
improvement schemes is unknown.

We have had to stop our Community Speedwatch programme for fear of infringing the social
distancing guidelines. We also stopped changing the batteries on vehicle-activated signs for
a week or so, but have now been allowed to resume this activity on a single-operator basis. It
is apparent that speeding has increased as traffic volume has decreased.

Planning – No further information is available on Terriers Farm or, to my knowledge, any

other local developments.

Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) – A group is now in the process of formation at the top end
of Brimmers Hill and extending a little way along North Road and Windmill Lane.

Street Association – This has been an important factor in the growth of groups that will
keep an eye on the needs of vulnerable people. Hilda Stearn is issuing a series of Guidance
Notes giving Hughenden Parish's response to problems arising from the coronavirus
outbreak as well as other useful advice.

Crime and security – During this time of reduced capacity the Police are focusing their
efforts to support the most vulnerable in our communities. They are maintaining patrols to
deter people from contravening the government’s rules, issuing fines where necessary.
However, they report that the vast majority of people are following the rules and also
looking out for each other.

Crime has been significantly reduced during the lockdown but there are increased reports of
speeding vehicles. Probably the most worrying crimes are cons and scams, particularly
those using COVID-19 as a cover. On-line and telephone scams have intensified and
everyone needs to be vigilant and stick with e-mails and phone messages you know and
trust. More insidious are those calling door to door to 'help' people self-isolating, such as
offering to do the shopping. Various schemes exist to help these people, and Street
Association and NHW coordinators are there to give advice and help any vulnerable people.

Thanks to Sgt James Benfield of Thames Valley Police for supplying the above information.

Widmer End News – Despite the lockdown, the Summer 2020 issue is going ahead.
Contributions are still needed and should be sent to the editor at cawetherell37@gmail.com .

Future events – A three-week extension of the lockdown period was announced on 16 April.
There can be no reliable indication of when things will return to normal – but we know they
will, 'some sunny day' as the song goes.

In the meantime, keep well and stay safe!

Ian Guy,
Secretary, Widmer End Residents' Association.