Page 27 - Frittenden Parish Mag - November 2021

Council Birds

Tales from the Town Hall pre-pandemic levels. We are therefore looking at ways to bird-feeder, but also burying acorns and nuts in

Andy Fairweather balance the budget for 2021-22 - the annual shortfall is Autumn grassland, which often means, in our lawns! In our
presently estimated to be about £1.7 million.
garden, they favour the mossy grass underneath
a huge oak to cache as many acorns as they can
Encouragingly, the local economy is emerging from the
Afghan Refugees. 3 Afghans who worked as translators pandemic. Unemployment is down and there are many and Acorns before the supply runs out. If you have a chestnut
for the British Army were housed with their immediate signs of labour shortages in the rural economy, in the tree, you will also see them burying chestnuts too.
families in Tunbridge Wells in 2013. The Council employs hospitality sector and for HGV drivers. It is the inflationary In both cases, they usually remember to bite off
them on parking enforcement and they send money each pressures of those shortages which is potentially more Rebecca Warren the future ‘growing tip’ of the acorn or chestnut,
month to their wider families in Afghanistan. Sadly these concerning before tucking it into a little hole in the earth.
families have been coming under significant threat from This doesn’t always stop it from germinating in
the Taliban – that is being killed unless the translators here Climate Emergency. It is the Council’s target to be carbon Autumn is the time for preserving abundant the spring, of course, but in most cases it ensures
give themselves up. We have pulled every political string to neutral by 2030. Carbon emissions have been cut by 43% food supplies for the long cold days of winter. that the seed remains dormant, to be rediscovered
try to help get these families out – but this is proving very up to the last carbon audit in 2019 – much of this reduction For people that used to mean jamming and eaten during the lean months ahead.
difficult. resulting from electricity now being significantly greener, fruit and salting meat, but for animals the
The Amelia Scott building has been converted to ensure Jays also cache acorns. These stunningly beautiful
On Housing we are seeking houses from private landlords maximum energy efficiency – the 91 solar panels on the options are, not surprisingly, fewer. birds are the most colourful members of the crow
to house the Afghans brought to the UK – we have roof will power the building with surpluses being fed into One of the highlights of October and November for family (Corvidae), their pink body-plumage
identified one 3 bed house and other offers are being the grid. The 6 flats in Crescent Road converted in the the nature-watcher is seeing how different animals and offset by a black ‘moustache’ and striking black
assessed. We have had many offers of rooms but these do early summer, for homeless persons to be housed pending birds prepare for the tough days to come. Frittenden is and white feathers on their tails and wings.
not qualify under the Afghan Resettlement Scheme. long term placement have also been prepared to a high Their most distinctive feature, however, is a
specification with air-source heat pumps. The re-roofing blessed with hundreds of beautiful mature oak trees,
The Private Sector Housing Team has a list of empty of the Town Hall will include significant insulation and an and these provide a really important harvest for a very natty turquoise and black striped patch
properties and is writing to the owners to see if any will application is being prepared for submission in October range of creatures. Perhaps the most easily-observed halfway down the wing. Who hasn’t picked up
make available their properties for Afghans. They will also for a grant to finance solar panels, secondary glazing and of these are the grey squirrel and the jay. Everyone and admired one of these discarded feathers?
make another targeted approach to Letting Agents to see if improved window insulation. knows the antics of squirrels, usually raiding the
the Government incentives for Afghan resettlement might The jay’s nature is ably reflected in its Latin name –
unlock any additional housing. Social housing is also not an EV charging points. We are planning to install EV Garrulus glandarius: ‘garrulus’ meaning ‘chattering’
option as social housing providers have long waiting lists. charging points in our car parks and KCC have said that and ‘glandarius’ meaning ‘of acorns’ … Alongside
Government funding may also be available for Village their usual grating screech, they are also gifted
Currently we don’t have any families allocated to us to be Halls. mimics and will cheerfully reproduce the calls of
rehomed. other birds around them - not a helpful thought,
High Weald Academy. I was very shocked to be advised
Waste Collection. The shortage of HGV drivers and crews on Monday about the plans to close the High Weald when you are struggling to identify a bird you
had been impacting on the waste collection service long Academy in Cranbrook. The new £12 million facilities have just heard but not seen in the undergrowth!
before is affected deliveries to the petrol stations. Last for the school were only opened about 2 years ago but Jays have a passion for acorns too, and as they do
week of the 47 crews needed between Tunbridge Wells and the pupil roll has consistently fallen now to under 300 in not nip out the growing tip before burying them,
Tonbridge & Malling, they had just 22 drivers and were a school which has capacity for 1200. That will leave the and will cache many hundreds in one year, their
covering the other vehicles with agency drivers (if they town of Cranbrook with no non-selective secondary school behaviour is believed to have been a significant
could get them). We have had to suspend the garden waste which is a very unsatisfactory outcome for Cranbrook factor in the re-establishment oak woodland in
collection service to ensure the continuation of the waste and also the surrounding parishes. Helen Grant MP has Britain after the last Ice Age. They are, however,
and recycling service. Presently we are addressing with our been aware of the threat to close the school for a few weeks also partial to insects, fruit and even baby birds
partners at Tonbridge & Malling how to collect the backlog but despite encouraging a very determined offer to help and animals if they can find them, a reminder that
of garden waste and when it might be possible to restart from Cranbrook School she has not been able to change despite their beautiful colouring, they are crows
collections again. We will not be charging residents for any the minds of the Department of Education or the Leigh at heart. And like all the crows, jays are intelligent
of the time the service is suspended. Academy Trust which took over the High Weald Academy birds. In order to increase their chances during
Finance. Thanks to support from Government the outturn earlier this year. Cranbrook & Sissinghurst is now making courtship, they are able to learn the favourite
for the 2020-21 financial year and also the first quarter of further representations to try to secure the continuation of foods of their would-be mates, which they then
the current financial year (ie to the end of June) was better non-selective education in the immediate area.. use to tempt them to accept their advances.
than had been expected. The Council’s main source of Well, I suppose, since jays mate for life, it’s worth
income, however, is from fees and charges and with the Very best learning the foibles and preferences of one’s
likely change in working practices with fewer staff coming Andy Fairweather intended before tying the knot, rather than after!
to work daily to offices in Tunbridge Wells or commuting Ward Member for Frittenden and Sissinghurst TWBC
daily to London, our income is not going to recover to andrew.fairweather@tunbridgewells.gov.uk

26 Frittenden Parish Magazine November 2021 Frittenden Parish Magazine November 2021 27