14.5.12

Further to the item below, the Council has agreed in principle, pending the outcome of talks with the County Council, to the enhancement of the Memorial gates at the entrance to the Rectory field on Nottingham Road, rather than a new memorial in the square.

23.4.12:

Further to the item below, Notts County Council has provisionally agreed to a Local Improvement Scheme grant. No amount has been specified, but the situation will no doubt become clearer after Parish Councillors have met with a County Council project officer towards the end of May.

Extract from Full Council minutes dated 16.1.12:

12/8155 War Memorial

• A letter received from the owner of 2 Bunny Lane and a draft letter of response had been included in the briefing notes for the meeting.
• Cllr Grice quoted as follows from the letter received: "I have no intentions whatsoever of giving you and your Council an escape clause, by me giving you an assurance that the memorial will be accessible to all, in any given future period. The sole reason for this is the fact that I have never denied anyone access in the past."
• Cllr Grice suggested that this was ambiguous to say the least, and did not give the Council the unequivocal assurance that it required.
• Cllr Pinder queried whether a memorial was needed in the square, given that the memorial gate provided an alternative to the memorial at 2 Bunny Lane.
• Cllr Grice responded that using the memorial gates, perhaps with certain enhancements, might well be an option; no final decision had been made at this stage.
• Cllr Cottee confirmed that, subject to approval, funds available by way of grant would simply be ring-fenced pending further details, and approval would not commit the Parish Council to spending a specific amount.
• The letter of response was APPROVED, subject to a minor amendment, for signature by Cllr Grice.

The letter of response from Cllr Tony Grice:

WAR MEMORIAL – 2 BUNNY LANE

I refer to your letter dated 16th December 2011 (acknowledged 19th December), and can confirm that this was discussed by the Parish Council (which approved this response) at a meeting last night.

Your comments have been noted, but the Council does not believe that your letter provides an unequivocal assurance regarding the future accessibility of the war memorial at 2 Bunny Lane, and will accordingly continue to pursue the idea of establishing a memorial elsewhere in the village.

The Council also believes that there is little to be gained from further protracted correspondence on this issue. I would, however, be prepared, as I always have been, to discuss the matter with you in person if you so wish, in which case please contact me as soon as possible, so that we can arrange a mutually convenient time and place.

Tony Grice Council Chairman

17.1.12

Following his open letter to the residents of Keyworth, the Council chairman, Tony Grice, has written to the owner of 2 Bunny Lane (the site of the current war memorial) as follows:

WAR MEMORIAL – 2 BUNNY LANE

Further to my letter dated 28 June 2011, the Parish Council has been considering the situation in the light of events on Remembrance Day and comments subsequently received from members of the public, and this letter was approved by the Council at a meeting last night. As you know, the Council has decided to pursue the idea of establishing a new war memorial in the centre of the village; a suitable site has been identified, and an application has been submitted for a grant to cover the cost.

The Council appreciates that a new memorial not far from the one outside your premises at 2 Bunny Lane might seem incongruous and could cause confusion. It also understands concerns regarding the cost of a new memorial, albeit that the intention is to raise the money by way of a grant rather than using Parish Council funds. It does, however, believe that Keyworth should have a memorial which is accessible to everyone and, in particular, to anyone, without exception, who wishes to lay a wreath, and this is the overriding principle behind the Council's thinking on this matter.

Having said that, all options, as I pointed out in my previous letter, are still open at this stage, and, if you were prepared to give the Council your assurance that the memorial at 2 Bunny Lane would be accessible to all in future, that would, in all probability, render a new memorial unnecessary. If you are not disposed to give such an assurance, then the Council will continue to pursue the idea of a new memorial. If, however, you feel that there might be another way forward, you are, as I have said before, welcome to contact me.

29.11.11

(response to be considered at the next Full Council meeting)

Click on the link below to see the open letter referred to above: