£50 ‘rise’ for council chairman

By a resolution passed at its meeting on Wednesday evening, Rushden Urban Council increased the annual allowance to its chairman from £100 to £150. There was no discussion of the point after Mr. E. E. Newell, for the Finance Committee, had said the present allowance, fixed seven years ago, was out of step with present – day costs.

The council, added Mr. Newell, did not want any chairman to be embarrassed by his position.

The present chairman, Mr. F. E. Brown, received a vote of thanks for his work during the past 12 months and replied that the duties had brought him and his wife an abundance of friends.

Although the year had not seemed spectacular, the council had committed itself to the spending of a lot of money on a new sewer, and this would be a very big thing in the interests of the town.

Successor

Mr. Charles Ginns, who succeeds to the chair next Wednesday, was thanked for his services as vice-chairman. It is expected that Mrs. G. Marriott will take his place in that office.

During the meeting, Dr. P. X. Bermingham, the medical officer, asked the public not to forget precautions against whooping cough and diphtheria. He emphasised that whooping cough, not poliomyelitis, was at present the greatest killer of infants.

The chairman of the Housing Committee, Mr. J. E. Wills, reported that four people who had been living alone in clearance areas had in turn refused the offer of a one-bedroom flat.

Protest

Mr. A. H. Bailey made a strong protest against the parking of vehicles near the junction of Duck Street and High Street and in Victoria Road, where, he said, it was a common thing for vehicles to have to back out after getting half way down the hill. The parking of cars in these areas he described as “unnecessary and selfish.”

The chairman congratulated Station Officer M. F. Hollis on his commendation for bravery at an Irthlingborough tannery fire.

A contract was arranged with F. and R. Windsor Ltd., for the erection of eight houses in Rose Avenue, at a cost of £11,340.

The Housing Committee mentioned proposals for the development of the Grafton Road site by the erection of 62 dwellings, these including ten bungalows and 16 flats.

It was agreed to provide Higham Ferrers Town Council with assistance from the Surveyor’s department for the development of a housing estate.

Because of access difficulties, the idea of using land near Dell Place as a site for old people’s dwellings has been abandoned.

A contract was placed for completing the Duck Street (Pung’s Lane) improvement at a cost of £500.

It was agreed to apply for sanction of a £2,400 loan to cover the completion of a car park in the same neighbourhood.

The surveyor (Mr. W. J. Anker) reported that the council’s men would work a five-day week during the summer months.

Electric street lighting costs have risen from £3,300 to £3,500 a year. It may be extended in the Sanders’ Lodge area next year.

Portions of Talbot Road, Park Avenue and Hillary Road were adopted as public streets. Following a resident’s letter of complaint the making-up of Morris Avenue with a view to public adoption is to be considered as soon as possible.

Eight clubs have booked cricket pitches in Spencer Park and Jubilee Park for a total of 52 matches.

Further damage to windows at Rushden Hall has been reported to the police.

Greenhouses at Rushden Hall can be inspected by the public on Sunday afternoons.

Following a letter from Mr. L. G. Roberts, of Knuston Spinney, the provision of additional seats in Irchester Road will be considered. Mr. Roberts had suggested extra playing fields and a reading room for old people, but the Parks’ Committee pointed out that recent attempts to purchase a playing field in Irchester Road had been unsuccessful.

A Health Committee paragraph was headed “Burial in wrong grave space.” The committee “did not consider that any further action was required.”

26th June 1959

‘Go Ahead’ For Second Duck St. Car Park
Rushden Urban Council, meeting on Monday, learned that a loan of £2,400 for the provision of a car park off Duck Street had been sanctioned, and it was agreed to go ahead with the project.

Mrs. W. M. Lean reminded her colleagues that there will now be two car parks in Duck Street, but her suggestion to call this one the Pung’s Lane park, was greeted with cries of “No”. Another member suggested Baths Park, but this too was turned down. It was finally agreed to wait for further ideas.

Invited by the road safety committee to consider the desirability of a no waiting order for part of Washbrook Road, the council decided as a first step to ask proprietors of two businesses near the junction with Higham Road to cooperate in keeping the road clear. The police will be asked to deal with obstructions in Spencer Road.

In spite of opposition by the Divisional Road Engineer of the Ministry of Transport, the council decided by ten votes to eight to renew its proposal for a “T” pedestrian crossing at the Washbrook Road – Higham Road junction.

The engineer had urged that in view of impending changes including the construction of a bus bay, a decision should be deferred until the future pedestrian movement can be studied.

Mr. F. E. Brown said he agreed to a crossing at the foot of Washbrook Road, but said the A6 crossing should be a separate one at a point nearer “Risdene.”

Mr. R. R. Griffiths supported this plan, but Mr. J. E. Wills, as a pedestrian, said he wanted the “T” crossing.

In connection with the town’s new traffic scheme, the Highways Committee has reported in favour of limiting parking in the Rectory Road street car park to a period of two hours.

In spite of opposition by Mr. Griffiths and others it was agreed to construct the new car park in Duck Street.

Cycling on foot paths was described by Mr. R. H. S. Greenwood as “a very bad Rushden habit.” The police will be asked to watch it in the Highfield Road area. But the council, with perambulators in mind, would not adopt the suggestion of Rushden and District Trades Council, that a double row of posts should be erected to keep the cyclists out of certain paths.

It was agreed to lodge an objection to bus service alterations which have followed the closing of the railway line. The council thinks the changes will not provide an adequate and convenient service.

Prompted by a similar offer from the County Council, the council agreed to contribute 6d a meal towards the WVS meal-on-wheels service.

A minute of the general purposes committee appeared to approve the local arrangements for the registration of births and deaths as explained by Mr. E. E. Newell, who said that in fact the committee was not satisfied with the Rushden registrar’s premises. There was an understanding however, that when Rushden had its own health centre the registrar’s office would be moved there.

Under a new Act of Parliament loans of 100 per cent can be made for house purchase, but by a small majority the council decided to maintain its limit at 90 per cent.

Programme
The council’s programme of 70 new houses for the coming year has been approved by the Ministry of Housing. A block containing ten one-bedroom flats and two two-bedroom flats with three garages is to be built at the junction of Rose Avenue and Talbot Road. The Spinney Field allotments may be required as a housing site during the next five years.

Mrs. A. Muxlow was told that the Robinson Road lighting for which she has asked is allowed for on this year’s estimates.

Gardens belonging to the homes of old people in Cherry Orchard and Spinney Close are in a disgraceful condition, complained Mr. Griffiths. He added that chickweed and kek were all that could be seen in the Cherry Orchard gardens. Mrs. A. Perkins, for the housing committee, promised to see what could be done.

The parks committee thinks that a spot near The Crescent in Irchester Road would be a suitable position for additional public seats, but these will not be provided this year.

Committee chairmen are as follows: housing, Mrs. A. Perkins; library, Mrs. D. E. Shrive; allotments, Mr. D. Dickens; parks, Mr. B. Gramshaw; boundaries, Mr. F. E. Brown; health, Mrs. W. M. Lean; highways, Mr. R. H. S. Greenwood; finance, Mr. C. G. Faulkner.

Rushden Urban Council
Bus Services: ‘Tell Us’ Plea

Railway and bus services, parking, a road development dispute and a spate of smells were just a few of the subjects discussed on Wednesday by Rushden Urban Council, whose members now go on “holiday” until September.

Mr. Cyril Faulkner asked for evidence from the public so that the council – still “far from assured” about the adequacy of the bus services to and from Wellingborough railway station – can go to the company with constructive proposals.

Mr. Faulkner said the council had been anxious about tomorrow’s bus facilities, but had been told by the company that a normal service would be run. They had also been concerned about return trains for holidaymakers who would leave Rushden on the special holiday trains, but after inquires British Railways had sent a list of several trains which would run from Wellingborough to Rushden on August 8 and 15.

Mr. R. H. Marriott and Mrs. A. Muxlow complained strongly about bus services from Northampton, alleging that it took hours to get back to Rushden. Mr. Marriott suggested that a public meeting might have to be held in order to voice local complaints.

The clerk, (Mr. A. G. Crowdy) emphasised the importance of “actual dates and details.”

Mr. R. H. S. Greenwood referred to a letter sent by the council to the police drawing attention to alleged obstruction caused by vehicles parked in the Spencer Road area. With the letter was a petition signed by 92 Spencer Road residents. He said he thought nothing had been done about it, because the position seemed as bad as before.

Mr. J. E. Wills opposed a resolution to sewer Alpine Road under the Private Street Works Act, stating that opinion was equally divided among the plot holders, many of whom had bought their plots for use as allotments only.

Mrs. D. Shrive retorted: “If we don’t have sewers we shall have cesspools.”

Offensive smells from premises at Wymington were mentioned by Mr. R. R. Griffiths who quoted a letter in which Bedford rural council stated that the burning of a huge pile of greasy sacks had now virtually ceased. The firm, said the letter, had spent thousands of pounds in an endeavour to avoid making a nuisance.

Mr. J. E. Wills reported a smell from the Rushden sewage farm for some weeks and said he had been told the residents of Oakley Road were to send in a complaint.

The surveyor (Mr. W. J. Anker) said he had taken action against certain odours from the works due to an accidental over-burning of sludge.

Public Has Remedy

Litter in the neighbourhood of a mobile fish and chip shop in College Street were described by Mr. E. F. Mawson as “disgraceful,” and Mr. Griffiths replied that the remedy rested with the public, who should use the litter bins, which were not far off.

Mrs. A. Perkins reported that the housing committee had been admiring some old people’s bungalows at Northampton. These have welfare services toward which the county council has contributed.

Complaints from residents alleging annoyance from the operation of a dairy in Station Road have been forwarded to the county planning officer.

Sixteen houses in Sartoris Road have been offered for purchase by the council. The housing committee thinks they are suitable for acquisition and the District Valuer has been asked to suggest terms.

In connection with a new system of improvement grants the housing committee has declared larders under the stairs – “a common feature in terraced houses in Rushden” – to be satisfactory.

The council sealed a £5,819 contract with Mr. R. B. Freeman for improvements to bathrooms and the provision of hot water services in 63 houses on the Irchester Road estate.

A further reference to the plan for a supermarket in High Street noted the condition that the building must be set back to a specified road improvement line.

Supporting the policy of the Institution of Municipal Engineers, the council adopted a resolution – to be sent to the Ministry of Transport – urging that in view of increasing congestion and accidents, the present road programme should be increased on a scale limited only by the nation’s resources.

Because of the proposal to build an ambulance depot in Station Road it was decided to give notice that parking of motor vehicles will be transferred from the north to the south side of this road.