Welcome to the Annual Report which has retained the format of last year and we hope allows us to provide much more information which you may find of interest.
Overview by the Town Mayor
My second year as Mayor has been even more enjoyable than my first. Mrs B and I have had lots of pleasure representing Buntingford across the county and sometimes further afield. Everyone continues to be affected by the economic climate and it is therefore pleasing to report that the Town Council has managed once again not to increase the precept. Unfortunately we cannot control those elements from Herts. CC, East Herts. DC and the Police Authority which has meant an increase on last year. Through our grants we have managed to keep the Citizens’ Advice Service operating on three days every week. On Monday they are open from 10am until 4pm and Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am until 1pm. As you will see overleaf, we have supported a number of local organisations in their grant requests. The Town has been without a solicitor for some time and it is pleasing to have joined with Limbach Banham of Royston to provide 4 free 15 minute consultation periods twice a month. Please contact the Office if you would like to take advantage of this service. This year has seen an initiative by the Police called Community Pride and it has proved a great success. A number of projects have been undertaken including linking with the Civic Society for the river clean up, the Town Youth Council for afternoon tea sessions, a community garden and the now annual Challenge Match between the Emergency Services and a Youth team. We must thank our Town Clerk, Jill Jones for the work she put in organising the boxes for our Troops. Thanks to you, the residents of the town, over 200 boxes were sent to the Royal Anglian Regiment in Afghanistan. Jill is even talking of doing it again! Jill continues to strive to improve the professional service she provides as Town Clerk. The past year or so has seen her spend many hours, even days, of her own time in obtaining the Higher Certificate of Education in Local Policy. This has involved numerous examinations and we can now congratulations her on achieving a very high mark. All Councillors benefit from the breadth of knowledge of our Clerk. We must congratulate Stan Bull on being the Chairman of East Herts. District Council for the year 2009/10 and hope he had an enjoyable time. It would be remiss of me not to mention the Heritage Group. This has been under the stewardship of Jenny Dingley and Ashley Cantor with help from a number of others. For quite a few years the Centre occupied rooms at the back of the Manor House and was open some Sundays. In 2009 we adopted an “open front door” policy which allowed people to visit the Centre whenever the Clerk’s Office was open and there were no meetings in the Chamber. Despite this, the number of visitors still did not grow sufficiently and it was with regret that they took the decision to close the doors. We must thank the Heritage Group for keeping the history of Buntingford to the fore over so many years. We have retained some display cabinets with a selection of items. One is in the Reception and a further two in the Chamber itself. Finally I would like to thank all of those who have supported Satwantt and me over the past two years. Unexpectedly, I have just been elected for a third term and look forward to representing the Town again. Surjit Singh Basra, Town Mayor

What land does the Town own ?
Many believe that Common Land belongs to “the people” but this is not necessarily the case. Indeed, in Buntingford none of the Common land is owned by the Town Council. It is also in very small parcels. The largest single piece is between the river and Aspenden Road just before the Industrial Estate. There are a few small strips beyond Layston School going towards the old church, at the top of Owles Lane, a small triangle by the Folly and one at River Green Most of the grass verges and green areas on housing estates are maintained by East Herts. District Council on behalf of Herts. Highways or the Housing Association. The Town Council own and are responsible for the upkeep of the three Recreation Grounds and the playgrounds at Norfolk Road, Hare Street Road and the Seth Ward Community Centre. In addition, we have two small greens on Monks Walk, the rear of Rowland’s Court also on Monks Walk, the small triangle in front of the toilets in Bowling Green Lane Car Park and the Cage at the bottom of Church Street, As a result of the Bovis development, we acquired Riverside Walk which stretches from Luynes Rise along the footpath to the start of Millfield School grounds. This also includes the land along the river. The Town Council maintains Layston Court Gardens which is owned by East Herts. District Council. EHDC pays us over £7,000 per annum for this maintenance. One anomaly is the footway between Edwinstree and Freman College which runs along the recreation ground but is the responsibility of HCC Education. People often complain to us about the state of the grass, overhanging shrubs, over grown trees, etc. As you can see from the above, we need to know exactly where the problem is before we can try and help. If it’s ours then we will action as quickly as possible, If it’s not, then we can only pass on the complaint to the appropriate body to carry out any actions.

Accounts for 2009/2010
The following information is extracted from the Annual Accounts and Annual Return for the Financial Year ending 31^st March 2010. It is anticipated that by the time you receive this, the accounts will have been fully audited and available for inspection. The presentation of these accounts is controlled by government legislation and they are not always user-friendly. Hopefully this extract will be self-explanatory and put matters into context.
Where the money went:
The main areas of expenditure are shown in the tables below: 

After many years of very limited maintenance, the past year has seen new carpets and redecoration of Reception, the Council Chamber and the main stairwell. The new furniture for the Chamber was nearly self-financing as we sold the old tables and chairs to an antique dealer. We also installed radiators connected to the existing heating system. This should result in money being saved as the old electric heating was expensive. In addition, some changes in our tenants has caused us to redecorate a number of offices ahead of new people taking over. Our oldest tenant, Andrew Davies, unfortunately ceased trading and the whole of the second floor became vacant. As we go to press, we have an interested party and look forward to full-occupancy of the Manor House in the very near future.
The Heritage Group decided to call it a day and close down at the end of June. In order to make better use of this space, it was decided to combine two of the small rooms into one. This proved very desirable and a new tenant was quickly found. This office will generate income and reduce our rates bill as the Town Council has supported the Heritage Centre by providing the rooms at no cost. The old main room will be redecorated and retained by the Town Council as an ante-room. It will also provide access to the rear gardens from the Council Chamber whenever we hold functions. The ante-room would be necessary should the Manor House become licensed for Civil Ceremonies.
Who got the grants:
Each year the Town Council budgets a reasonable amount for grants. All organisations serving Buntingford are entitled to apply (see website for application form or call at the Clerk’s Office). Most grants are for capital expenditure and the amount funded will depend on the funds of the organisation and the items to be purchased. This year were the following:
1,932      E.H. Citizen’s Advice Service
2,100      Heritage Group (rent and rates)
250         U3A
1,500      Christmas Lights
450          Swimming Club
500          Town Twinning
350         Carnival
750         Senior Citizens
270         Tuesday Toddlers
100         R.A.T.S
100         Freman College
50           Young Countrysiders

Where the money came from:
The main areas of revenue are shown in the table below:

 The Precept is that element of the Council Tax attributable to Buntingford. For 2009/10 it was a few percentage points lower than the previous year. The 2010/11 amount will be a few pounds lower that shown above. The EHDC income is for Layston Court Gardens which they own but we maintain. This money is used to offset the cost of a gardener and annual planting. The majority of the reserves are placed in interest bearing bank accounts. These are limited to Barclays and the National Savings and Investment bank. Using these holding banks, limit any exposure and risk. Due to the economic situation, bank interest has been exceptionally low this year. Market stall rental is modest given the size of Market Hill. Our beadle is always on the lookout for additional stalls. It is virtually impossible to get grants due to the government policy that basically restrict such funds to “ethnic minorities” and “deprived areas”. This includes sources such as the Lottery, Awards for All and the Sport foundations.

Snippets:
Community Service Award: Every now and then, someone comes along and stands for services rendered above and beyond. This year David Mitchell was quick off the mark and did not hesitate in rescuing a car driver when the vehicle hung perilously above the river. The Mayor has great pleasure in recognising this heroism and presented David with a Community Service Award certificate at the recent Civic Reception.

Local Organisations: Are you involved in one of these? If so, please check out our website to make sure that the details are correct. If they are wrong or missing then we will not be able to invite you to the Civic Reception, etc.

Local Council Elections: These will be held May 2011 when you will be able to stand for and vote for both Town and District councils. Why not consider standing and actively participate in the running of your council? Details can be obtained from the Clerk’s Office.

Bye, Bye Tree: Many will have noticed the Copper Beech in the Manor House car park has been taken down. After around 140 years, pollution, compacted roots and fungus had taken their toll. Although it may have looked healthy, the advice from the experts was to take it down before it fell down. A new tree will be planted at the appropriate time.

Looking for a venue? The Council Chamber at The Manor House is available for hire. It can be used for meetings, seminars, exhibitions and presentations. It will hold around 30 seated and 60 standing. There is a drop-down screen for projection. You can even hire a projector and laptop or simply a NOBO board. Refreshment making facilities are available with cups, saucers, thermal jugs for tea/coffee, glasses and water jugs. Ample car parking is available for weekend hires. During the week, free parking is only a few hundred metres away. If you are interested, contact the Clerk’s Office to arrange a visit.