The Council met on the 19 January 2009. The Chairman welcomed Councillor Peter Johnson to his first meeting, following his co-option onto the Council.

P.C. Mark Ayre also attended the meeting and gave members statistics of crime and detections for 2008 with comparisons for 2007. He gave details of a number of incidents over the past year and highlighted the continuing theft of paving and walling, and theft from sheds and outbuildings.

A precept of £4,200 was agreed for 2009/10 which includes £900 towards the fund which has been established to meet the cost of resurfacing / fencing of the tennis courts in the long term future. It was also decided to provide an oak seat to commemorate the life of the late Peter Darlington, who was for many years a member and chairman of the Parish Council and much involved with many of the village’s activities.

An application has been made to the County Council, through County Councillor Cliff Trotter, for a grant towards funding of equipment for communal use in the church.

It was reported that there had been no objections to the proposed 30 mph speed limit through Dunkeswick and it was expected that the traffic order would be confirmed in the near future. A renewed effort is also being made to persuade the County Council to bring forward the scheme to construct a footway on the south side of the village street, but a decision is still awaited.

Residents are reminded that they are welcome to attend meetings of the Council which are held on the third Monday of alternate months starting at 8.00pm in the school hall. The next meeting is on 16 May. This will be the Annual General Meeting of the Council and which will be preceded by the Village Meeting at which residents have the right to speak on issues affecting the villages.