Chairman’s Letter February 2023


Clare Escombe

Hello!

This month I would like to introduce you to Bryony and Katie who you may encounter in your dealings with the Parish Council. Bryony provides our administrative support. She is based in the Parish Office, so if you phone us or pop into the office, it will be Bryony who is there to help you. Katie is our Locum Clerk, providing cover while Anita, our Clerk, is unfortunately unwell. I am delighted they have joined us, and I am sure you will find them extremely helpful.

You may be aware that we had to cancel our February Council meeting while we got our interim staffing in place. Now that we have this organised, our next Full Council will take place as planned on 20th March.

Parish Council meetings are public meetings, so you are more than welcome to attend them. There is an opportunity for members of the public to speak at the start of our meetings. This can be used to draw the Parish Council’s attention to a matter of concern, share information, or ask questions. HPC’s standing orders allow up to 21 minutes for public participation, so it is helpful to let the Parish Office know that you want to speak before the meeting to ensure a slot. However, this is not a requirement. Our Full Council meetings take place at 7:15pm at the Copt Hall on the third Monday of the month.

Whilst I am on the subject of meetings, HCSG/F4F Hawkhurst Foodbank will be holding its AGM on Thursday 23rd March at 7pm in Hawkhurst Baptist Church’s Hall. Again, we would love to see anyone who would like to hear what we have been up to.

Some of you may have noticed our shiny new play equipment at the KGV playground. Thank you for bearing with us after we had to decommission the old one when it was vandalised. Hopefully, once your children have had the chance to test it out, you will agree it was worth the wait.

All the best,

Clare Escombe
Chairman, Hawkhurst Parish Council