The village green, playing field and roadside grass verges have been cut regularly and flower beds maintained.

The Cage was open for visitors from April to September some Wednesday and Sunday afternoons and is available for small exhibitions and group meetings. Volunteers are needed to man the Cage during this year, please contact the Clerk if you can help.

A new streetlight has been erected along Main Road near to Sealeys Lane and we are now waiting for EDF Energy to install the electricity supply.

Wooden posts have been installed on some parts of the village green to try and prevent further erosion of the grass. This is an ongoing project and further posts will be installed at the other end of the village green in the future.

Parson Drove Street Pride Group have undertaken projects during the year including litter picks through the village, clearing weeds and improving the Gateways to the village by replacing the Parson Drove signs and planting shrubs around the new signs. We are very grateful to the group and the village volunteers for their efforts to improve and enhance our parish environment.

The Section 106 Leisure Working Group has worked hard during the year to try and obtain sufficient grant funding to progress the proposed extension to the Pavilion. Unfortunately sufficient grant funding could not be obtained and therefore the alternative project of a Multi Use Games Area and Tennis Court has been submitted to Fenland District Council for their approval. The Parish Council thank the group for all their hard work during the year.

Summary of the Council's Accounts for year ending 31 st March 2010

INCOME

Parish Precept                                                           £10,650
Concurrent Functions Grant from District Counci     £  5,460
Grass cutting grant from County Council                      £ 833
Recycling Credits                                                          £ 466
Allotments & Gardens Rent                                        £ 1,470
Bank Interest                                                                   £ 16
Donation from Friends of The Cage                              £ 500
Sale of Land at Short Drove, Murrow Bank               £ 1,000
Fenland District Council grant for posts on
village green                                                                 £ 800

The total income for the year excluding VAT was £21,620.16

A copy of the full accounts is available upon request to the Clerk.

In addition to the general administration costs, professional fees and salary costs of approximately £12,830 expenditure on the following areas has also been incurred:-

The total expenditure for the year was £26,291 excluding VAT

What we did during 2009/2010

During the last year there have been 16 Parish Council Meetings and all Councillors have attended on a regular basis.

Councillors have attended various meetings, events and information sessions on your behalf organised by Cambridgeshire ACRE, Cambridgeshire Association of Local Councils, Fenland District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Neighbourhood Policing and Neighbourhood Management Panels. They have attended meetings of the John Bends United Charities, Leverington Feofees, Friends of the Cage, Amenities 95 Management Committee, Section 106 Working Group and Payne School Safer Routes to School Scheme.

The Council has made recommendations on 23 planning applications, and responded to various consultation documents from Local and Central Government.

Councillors have held regular open surgeries for Parishioners in the Cage, attended the Community Fairs in Parson Drove and Wisbech St Mary and quarterly newsletters have been produced and delivered to each household.

We have continued to provide 17.75 acres of allotments and 24 garden allotments.

A public meeting was organised in conjunction with Fenland District Council on the Green Communities Initiative on 30th March and we hope to progress this further during the coming year with the next meeting being held on the Thursday 27th May..

Committed Future Expenditure and Planned Projects

The Parish Council will continue to press the County Council for schemes to tackle speeding traffic and the provision of footpaths to improve pedestrian safety.

An application was made again this year under the Minor Highways Improvements scheme for the extension of the public footpath along the Main Road near to John Bends Way. Our application for funding from the County Council was successful and this work should be completed during the coming year.

A petition for improvements to the Swan Bridge junction was presented to the Area Joint Highways Committee in April 2010. We hope to hear from the County Council later in the year with positive suggestions for improvements to this junction.

Members of the Council are currently working with the Payne School and Cambridgeshire County Council on a Safer Routes to School Scheme.

In March the Parish Council in conjunction with Wisbech St Mary Parish Council applied under the Future Jobs Scheme for a Grounds Maintenance Operative funded by Central Government. Our application was approved and subsequently we have some free labour from April to early October 2010. We hope to improve the public open spaces in the village and help the Street Pride group in their application for the Anglia in Bloom competition.

We are working closely with Fenland District Council on trying to obtain an Exception Site to provide Affordable Housing. A site at Sealeys Lane is being considered for the scheme and if it is to be progressed a public meeting will be held later in the year with full details of the scheme.