At the start of the year we have lost one of our Councillors to the call of the wild north. David Rose only moved into Binham from Wells in 2002. But in that short time he and his family had made many friends in the village and he had become a member of the Parish Council. Amongst other services to Binham, he built the base and erected the new village sign. As if we haven't had enough cold weather here this winter, he has moved to northern Scotland. He will not have been under any illusions before he went, as a trip to his new house just before Christmas had to be abandoned when even the local Scottish snow plough couldn't get through to it! We all hope he will be very happy, and are grateful for the time he spent with us.
Three times in the last two years I have written about Local Government Reorganisation and the possibility of an abandonment of the current three-tier system (County, District, Parish) in Norfolk and its replacement by the two-tier model (Unitary, Parish) that is gradually becoming the norm across the country. The plans have been held up by various delaying tactics used by the existing authorities and it certainly looked as if it (on this occasion) the process had stalled. However, central Government is pushing ahead and an announcement is likely either just before, or just after the publication of this magazine. So along with the possibility of a new central Government this year (an election has to be held before 3rd June), we may also have a new local government structure in Norfolk from 2011 or 2012. But the bedrock of the whole system – the Parish – will remain!
Keith Leesmith, Parish Clerk Tel 01328 710261 email: keith@leesmith.co.uk
