🗓️ The basics
The Council has met twice this autumn — 13 October and 10 November — both at the Community Centre.
Each meeting ran through long agendas packed with projects, grant bids, and financial approvals.
Taken together, they show a small council that’s busy but scattered, approving more new spending than visible results.
🔹 Where the Money’s Going
| Project / Topic | Latest Decision (Oct – Nov) | Estimated Cost / Grant | Notes & Concerns |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕ Community Café – Plovers Rise Pavilion | Oct: Approved up to £14,500 refurbishment spend. Nov: Clerk authorised to sign £7,321 grant with Malvern Hills DC. | Total around £21,800 (half grant-funded) | Big outlay before confirming business plan; unclear if café will pay for itself. |
| 🏞️ “Rocky” Bridge Project | Oct: Apply for £20k grant to Severn Waste. | £20,000 (grant-dependent) | Still stuck in paperwork stage months after first proposed. |
| 🚴 Pump Track (Old Road South / Pixham Ferry Lane) | Nov: Plan to buy crushed stone for groundwork. | Unknown (materials in-kind) | No construction date; more prep spending without delivery. |
| 🔆 Youth Centre Solar Panels | Nov: Pay for licence to sell power back to the Grid. | Small admin cost now; long-term unclear | Technically useful, but another fragment of unfinished “green” upgrades. |
| 🎨 Art / History / Nature Trail | New Nov project seeking Severn Arts grant. | Grant bid pending | Adds yet another initiative while others remain incomplete. |
| 📹 Extra CCTV – Plovers Rise | Nov: Accept quotation to install more cameras. | Cost not stated | No cost/benefit info; reactive rather than planned security. |
| 🌿 Hedge Cutting & Maintenance | Routine approval (Nov). | Minor local cost | Regular job but keeps returning for ad-hoc spending. |
| 📞 Digital Phone System | Nov: Approve new contract ahead of BT analogue switch-off. | Unknown | Necessary upgrade but cost not disclosed. |
| 👩💼 Staffing Changes | Nov: Confidential change to Deputy Clerk’s hours. | Not public | Could increase salary bill; no transparency. |
| 🧑🤝🧑 Community Builder Role | Extended again in autumn. | £6,500 grant-funded | Still no clear impact report. |
| 🚮 Fly Tipping & Food Waste Issues | Repeated complaints both months. | — | Ongoing local nuisance; no sustained solution. |
💡 Patterns Residents Should Notice
- Projects Keep Multiplying
- Café, pump track, bridge, art trail, youth cabin, solar panels…
- Each has meetings, paperwork, and spending but few completions.
- Grant Chasing Over Groundwork
- Applications sent before planning or cost checks are done.
- Leads to rejections or endless revisions — wasting time and admin money.
- Rising Administrative Costs
- £6,000 annual insurance renewal, new phone system, extra CCTV, more staff hours.
- Very little discussion of savings or efficiency.
- Volunteer Reliance Continues
- Council still using unpaid residents to tidy fly-tipping areas and run events.
- Cheaper short-term, risky long-term if goodwill runs out.
- Transparency Gaps
- Confidential staffing and event deals (e.g. “Kempsey Live”) hide key cost details.
- No public updates on whether past spending produced results.
- Councillor Turnover
- Another resignation (Cllr Anstey) announced in October.
- Recruitment campaign now needed just to keep seats filled.
📊 Snapshot of New Spending Approved / In Motion
(Autumn 2025 total – approximate figures)
| Category | Local Money At Risk | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Community Café works | ≈ £7,000 (after £7.3k grant) | Major refurbishment without proof of demand |
| CCTV & Security | Est. £2–3k ? | Cost not published |
| Digital phone system | Est. £1–2k ? | Needed upgrade |
| Admin / Staff changes | Unknown | Contracted hours increasing |
| Misc. project prep (stone, solar licence, signage etc.) | ≈ £2–4k ? | Piecemeal spending |
➡️ Total identifiable new commitments: at least £12–16 thousand of local funds, not counting volunteer time or future maintenance.
⚠️ The Overall Picture
Kempsey Parish Council continues to spend heavily on preparation and administration, with very little visible progress on the ground.
Residents are paying for plans, reports, and refurbishments that may or may not deliver the promised community benefits.
Meanwhile, everyday issues — litter, fly-tipping, road safety — remain on repeat at every meeting.
🗣️ What Residents Can Do
- Attend meetings: Public questions come first — even a 3-minute comment gets recorded.
- Ask for progress reports: e.g. “When will the café open?” or “How much has the pump track cost so far?”
- Request transparency: The council should publish spending totals for each major project.
- Volunteer carefully: Ensure roles are safe and insured if asked to fill service gaps.
🧩 Bottom Line
Autumn 2025 has been another season of big talk and bigger budgets.
Unless Kempsey Parish Council starts finishing projects — not just funding them — residents risk seeing more public money vanish into endless planning.
