The Appraisal form which was distributed last year contained two kinds of questions; firstly, questions chosen by the Working Group which were aimed at specific issues to do with Copplestone; secondly, questions asked by Community Council of Devon to give their planners certain information to help their planning processes.
In the following pages we shall lay the greatest emphasis on the "Copplestone questions" and the answers to them and the comments upon them. If you wish to see the full response sheet rather than this summary, please contact the parish clerk, Fred White [84162]. We thank those of you - sixty six percent in fact - who took the trouble to fill in the questionnaire.
Particular thanks are due also to the working group of parish councillors and representatives of parish organisations who gave up so much time to prepare the questions, distribute the forms, collect them, and analyse the retums.
The editing is down to me. So any comments on the final document to me, please, rather than the working group.
Gerry Stait
Chairman, Copplestone Parish Council
The purpose of the Appraisal has been to see how the people of the parish of Copplestone see the future: what are their needs and their wants in terms of facilities and services?
The people's answers to questions and responses in the open section provide the parish council, our district councillor and our county councillor with ammunition to argue our case for facilities and services with the relevant providers. We shall not get these things overnight; we shall have to fight for our slice of the cake, and wait our turn. But at least we will have told the authorities what we need and made them aware of the shortcomings of provision in the parish. No one will come along and offer us facilities. We have to ask. We have to prove the need. We are doing that and we shall keep on asking.
There needs to be a clarification of who does what over the next months and years. A few people seem to assume that as there has been a stated interest in playing football, for example, or playing tennis, that the parish council will organise a football team or a tennis club.
Not so. The role of the parish, district and county councillors is to try to provide facilities, amenities and services for those who live in the parish. It is then up to those who want to play football or tennis or whatever, to get together and form their own organisation. The councillors will support such organisations in every way they can, but it is up to individuals to volunteer to set up clubs and societies and interest groups.
How do I as an individual get an interest group formed?
Come and talk to the parish council or an individual councillor and we will help kick-start your project.