It has been a turbulent year for Kirkland Parish Council. As many of you will be aware the plans for the new wind turbine at Dewlay have been passed by the planning inspector. Whilst this will be disappointing for many of you, there have been some positives along the way. It was good to see the Parish united and work together as a community. It is heartening indeed when one considers what greater challenges may yet prevail upon us, namely the "credit crunch" and "swine flu". Good to know that we live in a village where people will still root for one another.

The speed limit on The Avenue continues to remain high on the Council’s agenda with the issue being raised at both local and county level through the appropriate forums. Alas we have been unable to achieve little more than a flashing sign and ‘SLOW’ written on the road to try and improve pedestrian safety. Short of lying down on the road I’m not sure how else we can get local government to act on our concerns, but we will continue to persist in making our cause heard.

Again this has been on the Council’s agenda for the last year and we have had some agreement on the need for it to be improved. As yet we are waiting for an allocation of funding which we are hopeful will occur in 2009-10. I’m aware that locally this is something many would like to see and we will continue to pursue this further.

The Council has also been investigating the possibility of a riverside path connecting the village and the Memorial Hall, to allow pedestrians to avoid the path alongside the busy A586. In particular this would have been most advantageous for our school children. Unfortunately we have not been able to secure consent from the landowners and so are unable to proceed with this matter further.

No Annual report would be complete without thanks to our two employees. On your behalf I would like to thank Mrs Gillian Benson, who keeps us all organised and has been an incredible support to me during my time of office. Also, to Mr Tim Hoyles who does a splendid job often in inclement weather keeping the village clean and tidy.

I’d like to welcome Mr Keith Ellin our latest Parish Councillor, who has not lost any time getting going with the lovely sunflower competition. I’m looking forward to seeing them dotted around the village – should be quite a sight. You should even be able to see lovely bright sunflowers arising from school as you walk along the path. In addition, I’d like to thank Councillors for their time, integrity and dedication whilst they have gone about the business of the parish. The Councillors give up their time freely, for no reward other than a sense of giving something back to the community. They have also been a huge support to me whilst I have tried to reconcile demanding professional responsibilities, a young family and life in the hot seat of KPC. Thank you all. It is in the thought of trying to wear too many hats that I am resigning as Chair and Councillor of the Council. I hope that out there, somewhere is a dedicated and enthusiastic individual willing to take my place. Mrs Catherine Towers has been appointed Chair of the Parish Council and I wish her and you all a happy, sunny summer with especially good sunflower growing conditions!

Dr Alison E Sykes

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The Parish Council is responsible for the proper accounting records, safeguarding the assets and taking steps to prevent fraud and other irregularities. There are accounting policies and procedures in place to mitigate exposure to major risk, which are reviewed annually. The Councillors believe they make reasonable and prudent judgements and estimates. The accounts are a matter of public information and can be viewed at any time.

This financial statement is scheduled for auditing in June 2009

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As residents of Kirkland we are privileged to live in a Parish that includes much farm land and that this land supports sheep and cattle. The Councillors would like to remind residents that when walking through this land dogs must be kept on a lead. There have been a number of reports of dogs worrying sheep and this reflects badly on the many responsible dog owners.

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