Foreword from Roger Atfield – Chair Levens Parish Council:
When you read this we will already be two months into 2022 and the pandemic will have been with us for almost two years. Whilst restrictions are easing, some of us are still taking precautions and are cautious as to where and how we go, but hopefully things will continue to improve for the benefit of us all.
Your Parish Council has continued to meet on a monthly basis and elsewhere in this Newsletter is more detailed information on some recently considered items. Work is progressing on the creation of the new village website which among other considerations will be more suitable to access from mobile devices. We do not yet know the full ramifications to us of the proposed local government changes to Cumbria however there will be elections in May - though they will not be for our Parish Council. We have submitted our Precept requirement for 2022/23 and it is a tad higher than last year but still prudent. The old Carpet Shop is ‘under offer’ as you will possibly have noticed and we hope that there will be a result acceptable to all. Plans have been submitted to SLDC regarding a footpath down Levens Lane but I must emphasise that this is a very early step and nothing can be taken for granted. The new village hall project continues to move on and a lot of groundwork has recently taken place at the site of the four homes at Underhill.
This year is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – a first for our country. It is intended to light a beacon at Hyning in the evening of 2nd June as part of a country-wide celebration. We also hope to plant an orchard on Parish land adjacent to the new houses on Underhill by the bridge. It has been registered as part of the national Green Canopy plan to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. If you have any thoughts about how we as a village could celebrate this unique milestone e.g. a giant bring your own picnic etc. then please let us know. All contributions gratefully received and if your neighbourhood has something planned, then please let us know as well.
It is a legal requirement to hold a Village Meeting once a year. The last ‘usual style’ meeting we had was in 2019. The 2020 meeting in March was cancelled at the last moment and the 2021 meeting was held via Zoom. Since May last year we must hold our meetings face to face and not remotely. Because of the considerations mentioned in my first paragraph, we have decided to hold this year’s Annual Meeting before the March Parish Council Meeting. It will commence at 7pm on Tuesday 8th March at the Methodist Church - but will be much reduced; dealing only with the legal requirements. In time, we will consider whether we can all get together later in the year to ‘catch up’ on what our village organisations have been doing and perhaps link it with something else.
Please take care, stay safe and do not hesitate to contact any member of the Parish Council if you have any concerns or suggestions about our village.