The Parish Council is pleased to report that the hand-over from Mike Howard, the retiring clerk, to Denise Draper has taken place smoothly and that the office has remained fully functional throughout the transition period. This was achieved by Denise and Mike working together during December and by Mike continuing to give his support during January.

Denise can be reached at Fairways, Hermitage Lane on 537009 or through the Parish Office at the Village Hall on 535825.

At its December meeting, the Parish Council approved its budget for 2006/2007 resulting in the precept remaining unchanged at £28,000. The precept is the contribution to the council tax which Residents are required to donate for Parish projects but this is again equivalent to just 60 pence per household per week.

When you receive your council tax bill, therefore, please be aware that any increase is that imposed by the Borough and the County Councils and not by the Parish Council.

Residents will be aware that an important requirement identified in the Village Appraisal, and therefore part of t he Parish Plan, was the need for traffic calming in the Village. To this end therefore, the Parish Council is pleased to report that it has made a contribution to the Congleton Community Safety Partnership who are responsible for organising traffic calming initiatives in Cheshire villages.

The contribution is made towards the purchase and administration of a traffic speed indicator which can be located at various points in the Village. A number of volunteers to operate this equipment are undergoing the appropriate training and it is hoped that there will be positive news on this to report shortly.

Whilst the dark mornings and evenings are still with us, the Parish Council makes no apologies for yet again reminding cyclists, particularly the younger ones, that lights on their bikes could quite simply save their lives. Even the most careful driver well within the speed limit risks harming a cyclist who is riding without lights and, as is usually the case, wearing dark clothing.

The Parish Council asks all parents to please make sure that their child's bike has good lights both front and rear which are clean and in working order as not to have them is a real danger on the roads of the Village which can so easily be avoided. Also, for pedestrians as well, remember the old slogan - wear something white at night. Be seen!