On the 17th of September Donald Burton, chair of Coddenham Parish Council, resigned for personal reasons, along with Councillor Isabel Burgess. This followed the recent resignation of Councillor Colin Hardy.
Further details, we expect, will be available from the Parish Council website (See Link) but we felt we should include this in News for the Parish.
All three councillors have provided long service for the community and we particularly wanted to thank Isabel Burgess on behalf of the CCRG, for her role and support to the group and this website. Colin Hardy has also been a supporter, encourager and supplier of some excellent photographs.
However, whatever the circumstances, we think the community would like to record their particular appreciation of Donald Burton’s astonishing service, in excess of 30 years, of which nine have been as Chairman of our Parish Council.
Donald has been a contributor to Coddenham in many ways and we would like to make reference to just some of the highlights.
Not exclusively and, as he would say himself, but with the support of many volunteers, he has been responsible for, or contributed significantly to;
- The waymarking of footpaths in the parish
- Rationalising and improving those community footpaths through a diversion package with local landowners.
- Building a mound and children’s slide in the recreation ground
- Improving the churchyard through ivy removal and wall repairs and establishing the Churchyard Management Group in partnership with the Parochial Church Council.
- Maintaining Broomhill as a nature reserve and pocket park
- Purchasing and clearance of Mill Hill.
- Actively supporting events such as the Village Fete and Open Gardens
- Persistently and successfully seeking a 20-mph speed limit for the village from SCC
- Supporting the project that created the new village hall, now the Coddenham Centre
Donald and Anne will continue to be residents and familiar faces in our community, but we wish them both well and, again, would like to record our thanks on behalf of the parish.
A card and collection will be available from this week for both Donald and Isabel, in the Coddenham Community Shop for those who would like to show their appreciation.
Please do add your own comments and recollections below!
Really sorry to lose Donald and Isobel and, before them, Colin, from the Council. We may not always have agreed, but I have immense respect for them for their principles and dedication to the welfare of Coddenham. The village has benefitted hugely from Donald’s 33 years of service.
Donald and Isobel made full statements giving their reasons for resigning at the council meeting on 17th September. They are in the public domain and I am sure villagers would be interested in seeing the full text of these published on the Council website before the next Parish Council meeting.
The resignations of Donald and Isabel came as an immense shock to the Parish Council – their departure has been a great loss to the Council and their community.
In response to your comment that the statements they made at the Council meeting of 17 September 2020, “are in the public domain ……. the full text of these published on the Council website”, I have to let the parishioners of Coddenham know that having applied the rules of data protection regulations, the resignation statements made by Isabel and Donald cannot be released as public documents. Although the statements were made within a public forum the culminating resignation therein makes them personally confidential documents and as such cannot be published by the Council.
Statement made for and on behalf of Coddenham Parish Council by Mrs Susan Frankis, Clerk to the Parish of Coddenham and Proper Officer of Coddenham Parish Council
Colin’s photography has been a valued addition to the website – long may it continue
We should add that we mustn’t overlook Colin Hardy’s environmental campaigns. His ‘Quiet Lanes’ initiative is set to continue, hopefully with Colin’s voluntary support!