Map of the Parish of Leigh	Inside front cover
Introduction	2
History of Leigh	4
Leigh People Today	7
Young People in Leigh	9
Leisure and Social	11
Education	13
Environment	15
Local Government	20
Shops and Services	22
Houses and Planning	24
Crime	25
Transport and Travel	27
St Bartholomew’s Church	29
Information and Communication	30
Conclusions	32
Recommendations	33
Organisations and Acknowledgements	35
Bus Timetables	36

Leigh Parish Plan Steering Committee

John Couling

Eva Crossley

David Hall

Lee Johnson

Claire Potier

Paul Wilkinson (Chair)

L

eigh Parish Council, in June 2002, decided to take advantage of a scheme introduced by the Countryside Agency whereby the Agency would provide financial support to villages for research and production of a plan for the future benefit of local people. This scheme emerged from the Government White Paper on Rural Affairs that sought to encourage opportunities for local opinion to influence village development, and for residents to take the initiative in planning and implementing constructive change. It is intended that the Parish Plan will help the Parish to identify the main issues affecting its community.

With the support of The Countryside Agency and help from the Surrey Community Action, Leigh Parish Council set up a small steering committee to prepare the Parish Plan. Two meetings were held, the first meeting invited all the parish groups, organisations and businesses; and the second was an open meeting to which all parishioners were invited.  At these meetings volunteers were sought to form the steering group.

A publicity campaign was organised using flyers delivered to each household as well as articles in the Leigh Post.  The views of parishioners were sought initially to form the basis of the questionnaire that was to be used to provide the raw data for the development of the plan.  Using a software package provided by The Countryside and Community Foundation the steering group set about designing and developing a questionnaire.  The group recognised the overriding problem of obtaining as much information as possible without making the questionnaire too lengthy and difficult to complete.  There were many issues that, given an infinite amount of space, we would have wished to include but it was necessary to be selective and aim to meet the wishes of the community and the needs of the Parish Plan.

Using the electoral register as a guide, 351 households were identified.  Of these 15 were unoccupied and 22 did not wish to complete the survey. Therefore 314 surveys were delivered, of these 264 were returned providing details of 682 people.  There were 12 surveys returned not completed. This represents a response rate of 83%; an excellent figure. The steering group would like to thank everyone who took the time to fill in the survey and thereby expressed an interest and concern in the Parish of Leigh. This success was due in no small part to the hard work of the delivery and collection team, our grateful thanks goes to them.

The comments within the report are those of the Steering Committee, and The Parish Council has not yet agreed to accept or reject those recommendations attributed to it that are contained at the end of each section nor has any action been taken on those recommendations either by the Parish Council or other interested organisations.  Most sections of the report contain recommendations and, in italics, parishioners’ comments.

When making representations to various authorities, it is becoming increasingly common to be required to prove and demonstrate a need for change.  This Parish Plan will be available to every organisation and individual in the Parish to provide evidence of need or support from the community, especially when seeking grants or financial assistance.  There are many opportunities to seek such grants but the application process is often extremely rigorous and it is hoped that the data contained in the Plan will help the process.

Many parishioners commented that the issue of the additional runways at Gatwick should have been included. The steering group considered that this issue was a far larger one and rightly deserved its own platform that indeed it did receive.  The key part of the campaign organised by GACC was that individuals should express their views personally to the Government and this would not have been achieved by introducing questions into the questionnaire.

Leigh has had various spellings throughout history – Leye, Ladeghe (12^th century), Legh, Leygh (14^th century), Ley (16^th century), but all these names describe a clearing in the wood. 

Leigh is on the weald between the chalk limestone of the North and South Downs.  Fossil remains can still be found of marine creatures and dinosaur bones in the clay and evidence of a Stone Age habitation has been found at Flanchford and a Roman Farm at Betchworth.

People have been living and working here for centuries however Leigh is not mentioned in the Doomsday Book.  The largest part of the parish was Shellwood where the manor house stood, but the manors of Reigate, Betchworth and Charlwood all had land in Leigh.

Leigh was part of the estates of the Earls of Warren but in the time of King Richard I it was given to the Prior and Convent of St Mary Southwark.  After the dissolution of the religious houses in 1539 Henry VIII granted the manor of Shellwood to Sir Thomas Nevil for the payment of service, one knights fee.

Leigh has always been a small agricultural based community with a church that had a priest to officiate for the four main Christian festivals.  In 1324 two nuns were appointed “so that no prejudice was done to the mother church”.

Despite its remoteness, events in the larger world of politics and court life did have its effect on life here.  Henry VIII used Leigh oak trees to build the towers of Nonsuch Palace. Families caught up in the political and religious troubles of Henry VIII, Mary I and Elizabeth I had their lands confiscated and some went into exile.  When William and Mary came to the throne in 1641, the men of the parish 18 years old and over, had to swear an oath of allegiance.  Ninety one names appear and a note was made of those who refused – or who had reservations about upholding the doctrine of the Church of England.

During Tudor and Stuart times there was a great demand for iron.  The bloomeries for smelting the iron ore and charcoal burning were a large source of employment.  Footpaths were in constant use as ways to work for the charcoal burners, foresters, sawyers and carpenters, lime burners and farm workers.  Lime was important as farmers used it to lighten the heavy wealden clay; two hundred bushels per acre were needed every 5-6 years.

Chalk was brought by horse and cart to Leigh where water to slake the lime and wood for fuel was available.  Kilns were always near to a road or common and a stream.

Field names are all that is left of the iron working – Pitfield, Blackhole Furnace Field, in fact slag can still be found.  Leigh had the charcoal for smelting and waterpower to work the crushing hammers and the bellows of the forges.

At this time, life continued without a great deal of change.  Families stayed in the village, intermarrying with neighbouring village families.  Repeated family names are found in church records and census returns.  Transport was by horse and cart or people walked.  However job opportunities started to change, by the 18^th and 19^th centuries girls could be employed in the nearby large houses as house servants, laundry maids, dressmakers,

kitchen maids, dairy work, nurse maids and shop assistants.  Young men became carters, hostlers, farriers, game keepers, millers, carpenters, kennel men, outdoor farm workers, blacksmith assistants and gardeners.

Roads before the advent of the car were very bad, extremely muddy and potholed and were flooded in winter and dusty in summer.  .

In 1845 a school was built using funds from a grant from the National Society for Education, the council, a donation from the Dowager Queen Adelaide and other private contributions.  The school provided education for 40 boys and 40 girls.  Fees were 2 pence (2d) a week.  The estimated expenses for maintenance, including a master and a mistress, were £50 per annum. The school was supported by subscriptions amounting to £20 per annum.  Later in 1885, the school was enlarged, and in 1914 it moved to its present site with space for 150 boys, girls and infants.

During the war years 1939-1945 the school was used as the HQ for the Leigh Home Guard and the ARP Post. Many thousands of Canadian soldiers were billeted locally with officers’ quarters located at Mynthurst, Sweet Briar and Burys Court.  The Americans came later, although fewer in number and they were billeted on a more permanent basis in log cabins along Smallshill Road.  These cabins were used also as radar stations. After the war the cabins were used as homes until the bungalows in Harrington Close were built.

At the end of the war the schoolhouse served as a working mans club with a full size snooker table, table tennis and darts. It was also the venue for the cubs and scouts and a meeting place for the football and cricket clubs.  The building also housed a small library that opened on Fridays.

Although Leigh boasted three shops: the post office, garage and a general store only two were ever operating at one time.  The general store, incorporating a bakery was sited opposite the Seven Stars.  The post office, which incorporated a small store, was sited on the village green in Orchard Cottage.  There was also a small café on Flanchford Road that mainly catered for cyclists and ramblers.

In 1952 the centre of the village changed dramatically when 36 houses were built in what is now The Glebe.  The objective was to provide rented accommodation for local families, which brought new life to the village.  This was a controversial concept at the time.  However the design was to lead the way from the then standard council house estates, in fact the Dorking and Horley Rural District Council were so proud of the development that for many years The Glebe was the only location to have a road-name sign.  As part of this development a piece of land, which is now the village green, was given to the parish.

Although farming was the major industry, with majority of the farm land owned by the Charrington, Harrington and Cooper families, work opportunities were also provided by Beechams the research laboratories, Gatwick Airport, Schermuly rocket and fireworks factory, Silvermist sheds and garden centres.

The pleasant rural setting attracted actors, musicians, racing drivers, city businessmen and scientists to set up home here at a time when Leigh was self supporting with its shops, post mistress, blacksmith, sexton, publicans, nurse and bakers. Now the services in the village are more limited and no longer can we rely on meat and bread to be delivered to the door 2 or 3 times a week, but the daily chores of oil lamps, earth closets and wells have thankfully gone.

The latest National Census figures available (2001) indicated that there were 856 people resident in the Parish of Leigh. The 1991 Census registered 850.

This survey received data on 682 people.  The survey therefore represents 80% of the population of Leigh.

Households

Using the MVDC Property Report, 351 households were identified. Of these 15 houses were unoccupied and 22 households did not wish to complete the survey. Therefore 314 surveys were delivered, of these 264 were returned indicating a population of 682 people.

Profile

Table 1 shows the distribution of the population of Leigh by age and gender. In summary the age ranges 0 – 17 represents 21% of the population, 18 – 64 represents 58% and 65+ represents 21%.

Table 1

  

Table 2

The figures in Tables 1 & 2 when compared to the national average and the average of Mole Valley, demonstrate that Leigh has a slightly older population.  Unfortunately, as this is the first survey of its kind in Leigh we are unable to comment on any trends.

Table 3

These facts must be considered when addressing and planning such issues as future housing policy, transport and social services needs.

Status

Table 4 indicates the status of individuals.  The immediate observations are the number of retired people compared to the national average (see Table 3) and the high number of self employed people.  The most popular work location is Redhill/Reigate, however 44 people work in Leigh; further analysis shows that of these, at least 28 are self-employed.  An assumption can be made that many people work from home.  The formation of an association of self-employed home workers could investigate opportunities for centralisation and sharing of certain services. In addition it could lobby for the introduction of services to the Parish, for example that there is sufficient demand to commercially justify the provision of an Internet ‘broadband’ service.

Table 4

There is a diverse range of businesses in Leigh; some will have been recorded in the survey by way of the owner or proprietor being resident. There are a number of other businesses that operate from premises within the parish without anyone involved being resident.  The details of these will not have been recorded in the survey.  The advertisements in the Leigh Post demonstrate this diverse range.

There are 31 children between the ages of 0 and 4, 51 between 5 and 10 and 47 between 11 and 15 in Leigh Parish.  Although 79% deemed Acorns Leigh Base Primary School to be important or very important only 15 children from the parish attend the school.

Leigh Lollipops provide a term time nursery for under 5’s and the Brownies and Cubs provide facilities for 7 to 10 year olds.

Other activities have been organised by enthusiastic individuals and have been successful in engaging young people; the Young Peoples Gardening Club meeting on Saturday mornings, and the bell ringers on Thursday evenings.  But there is a demand for other activities such as creative arts, drama etc.

The facilities provided in the children's playground were generally only considered reasonable.  The area in which the playground is situated is without doubt a great asset to the Parish; however there may be opportunities to expand the facilities offered. There were comments on the need for improvement of the playground, including gates for security. 

 Whilst convenient for the Leigh Lollipops, the playground is not geographically central, a common feature of a Parish so widespread as Leigh.

There were several comments relating to the need for somewhere for young people to go with activities that have a degree of structure, a youth club or the involvement with a youth worker were suggested.

‘We have 4 children and our neighbour has 3 and another 1. There is a lack of things for children to do in the summer holidays, therefore resulting in boredom. ….  A play-scheme run in the village designed for the needs of these and many other children would be a great idea. Also it would be good if we had a local youth worker in the area as they could talk to the teenagers that hang around the area and perhaps think of evening schemes to alleviate bored kids syndrome.’

‘I am 14 and me and my friends who ride our bikes would like some dirt jumps or somewhere to build some.’

‘The playground at Leigh is a lovely large area but needs improvement to encourage more people to use it. These could include gates for security, the updating/adding of equipment and a bench or picnic table.’

‘Can’t let children go to the playground as it is too far away. Need some sort of activity in the centre.’

Recommendations

1)                       There is a demand for a youth club or a formal meeting place and activities for young people. The Parish Council should seek advice from MVDC Youth Development.

2)                       C opportunities presented by community transport grants to introduce affordable transport for young people into local towns or youth clubs in conjunction with other villages in the area.

3)                       Parish Council to make contact with Forum of Local Councils to request (2) above is placed on the next agenda.

Clubs and Societies. 

Whilst there is currently a wide range of clubs and societies within the village the survey asked if there were any other activities that respondents would like to see introduced. Before any new activity can be introduced there needs to be a core of enthusiastic individuals who are prepared to organise, recruit and run such activities. Many indicated the willingness to do this and a high percentage gave their names on the survey.

Table 5 below demonstrates responses and suggests that, with the right organisation, leadership, and, above all, communication within the village, the activities within the Parish could be considerably increased.

Table 5

Additional comments were made regarding football for young children.

Leigh Recreation Ground

The Parish Council owns the Leigh Recreational Ground, and currently permits cricket, softball and stool ball to take place there.  The major part of the facility is leased to Leigh Cricket Club who maintains the cricket ground and pavilion.  However, opportunities may exist for further use to be made of the facility to engage parishioners in a wider diversification of activities.  We feel that any additional activities should be complementary to those of the Cricket Club who have responsibility on behalf of the Parish Council through a lease.

Asked for their views on local social facilities, nearly half expressed “no opinion”.  On the other hand, the over 60s appeared more satisfied than the younger age groups.

Other Events

An additional question sought the views of existing Parish events, the attendance at these events confirms the high opinion expressed about their importance. (See Table 6).  However there may be a communication issue with regard to the ‘Meet The Village’ evening as the high ‘no opinion’ count was supported by a number of comments that indicated a lack of knowledge of the event.

Table 6

A major issue emerging from the survey is the village way of life and that a central, focussed community spirit is important to the people of Leigh.

Recommendations:

4)                       The Parish Council reviews the facilities of the playground area.

5)                       The Parish Council to ensure that the opportunities to introduce new activities within the Parish are grasped and those willing to organise them be encouraged to do so.

6)                       The Parish Council should look into the possibility of increasing the number of activities that could use the Recreation Ground.

 

A school in Leigh first started educating young people in 1845 in what is now the Old School House at the crossroads in the centre of the village. In 1907 the school moved to its present location. It became a Federal School in 1994 and was at the time the only Federal County First School in Surrey.  The Acorns First School Leigh Base is now federated with the Acorns Base in Betchworth.  The Leigh Base provides education for approximately 47 young people aged between ‘rising’ 5 year olds and 8 years of age.  At age 8 children progress to other primary schools.  However from 2004 the top age will be reduced to 7 years.

79% of respondents thought Acorns to be important or very important. However only 15 children who are eligible to attend the Acorns do so. 19 children attend primary schools outside the Parish. Similarly, only 5 children in the village attend Leigh Lollipops, whilst there are 31 children aged between 0 and 4 who may be eligible to attend. Although attendance is not low in either the Acorns or Leigh Lollipops, we may achieve a greater community feel if more local children were to attend. Perhaps the Acorns school and Leigh Lollipops could promote the strengths, advantages and benefits of an education within the local community.

In addition, 25 children attend Middle school (which may include Brockham Base, but this was not asked specifically) and of those children who are under 16, 35 attend secondary school.

Burys Court School off the Flanchford Road is an independent pre-prep and prep school catering for children from the ages of 3 to 12 years. There are approximately 100 pupils some of which are resident in Leigh.

When asked what additional educational facilities are required in Leigh 299 respondents replied. The results in Table 7 clearly indicate that there is a wish for more educational provision of a varied nature, and suggests that there would be support if an individual or organisation decided to set up a group. With 19% of Leigh’s population being under the age of 18 (129 children), there would clearly be scope to set up some of the facilities mentioned below. However further research would need to be done on Adult Education evening classes to identify which classes the population would wish for, in order to see if a class would be viable.  

Table 7

Recommendations

7)                       Acorns County First School and Leigh Lollipops should seek ways to increase awareness of the facilities and opportunities offered by both

8)                       The Parish Council to assist anyone who wishes to introduce adult education classes by facilitating contact with the Surrey Education Authority.

Keeping Leigh clean

When asked which methods parishioners thought would help to keep Leigh clean, there was enormous support for a number of initiatives.

          Table 8

Interestingly, 259 villagers supported having a Spring Clean Day twice a year. This is currently held once a year, but there is very little support. The organisers should perhaps review the way that this is carried out and promoted, in the light of the clear support indicated in the questionnaire.

Whilst we do have some waste bins, the Parish Council need to review the quantity and the other suggestions that received the support of villagers, to see how these can be taken forward.

The Parish Council has already taken forward the placement of dog mess bins and installation is planned before the end of the year.

Among some of the other comments received, there were suggestions that there should be notices aimed at drivers who dispose of their rubbish as they drive through the village.

Recommendations

9)                       The Parish Council should appoint a co-ordinator for the Spring Clean Day to plan and identify volunteers and ensure that the day is effectively communicated.

10)                   The Parish Council should consider the value of entering the ‘Best Village Competition’.

Flooding

When asked about flooding problems with surface water or storm drainage, 6.8% reported having many problems, 35% had few problems and 46% had no problems.

When asked about flooding problems with sewage water drainage 1.5% reported having many problems, 6.1% had few problems and 59.3% had no problems.  There is not any specific area within the Parish that suffers more problems than any other.

Although the numbers experiencing flooding problems are low, it does demonstrate there are some problems, which in time could impact on a greater number of houses. The Parish Council should review these figures and consider them when dealing with issues within the village, including planning applications.

‘Ditches either side of Dean Oak Lane are not professionally maintained. After the floods in 1968 much work carried out and the problems were solved nothing has been done since.’

Recommendations

11)                   Residents should report any flood issues to the Parish Council in order that the authorities may be immediately informed.

Disturbances

Table 9 below shows the percentage of people who suffer from the types of disturbances shown.

Table 9      

The ‘top three’ disturbances are low-flying aircraft (53.1%), traffic noise (48.8%) and traffic pollution ( 33.1%).

In addition to those mentioned above, others that noticeably cause concern are fireworks within the village, smoke from dung heaps, refuse burning and bird scarers. 

Footpaths and Roads

The table below shows the percentage of people and their views on the state of the following:

Table 10  

The majority of people feel that the state of the roads, pavements, verges and footpaths/waymarks are reasonable. However a significant number believe them to be poor, and the Parish Council should use this information to encourage the Highways Department of Surrey County Council to improve them.

Traffic

Speeding traffic has been a problem in Leigh for many years. In 1994 Surrey County Council initiated the STAR project in response to complaints relating to speed of traffic in the Parish.  With the co-operation of MVDC the ‘Dorking Rural Box’ was defined, incorporating the villages of Brockham, Betchworth, Buckland, Capel, Charlwood, Newdigate and Leigh. A number of solutions have been presented and rejected by various Parish Councils and residents.  The only manifestation of the STAR scheme has been the traffic calming solution delivered in Charlwood. The key to an effective solution will require the agreement of every parish in the ‘Box’. There are however currently budget issues at

County and District level that will require resolution before the STAR scheme can be fully resurrected.

It is impossible to put facts to the speeding problems in Leigh because of the reluctance of the police to provide speed-recording equipment; it is therefore only possible to rely on opinion and anecdote. Over 81% of the respondents believe there is a speeding traffic problem in Leigh.

Table 11

   Table 12

The general consensus was that speeding traffic, using Leigh as a short cut route, and rush hour traffic were the main traffic problems in Leigh.

Although many respondents thought that ‘danger-spots’ existed throughout Leigh there were a number of areas that caused particular concern. Notably the crossroads by The Plough, the junction of Deanoak and Smallshill Road, Bunce Common Road, the junction by the Seven Stars, Flanchford Road and generally through the centre of the village.

‘Traffic calming is needed along the whole ‘rat-run’ not just in the centre of the village’

‘Leigh has clearly become a ‘rat run’ for traffic with the growth of Gatwick and increased commuting, the community has become vulnerable because of high speed vehicles failing to observe ‘non enforceable’ speed limits.’

‘School buses are driven with a cavalier attitude within Leigh’

Recommendations

12)                   The Parish Council should undertake a survey of traffic and obtain if possible monitoring equipment to prepare a factual report on the speeding problem in Leigh rather than rely on anecdotal reports.

13)                   In liaison with other parishes in the ’Dorking box’ the Parish Council should bring pressure to bear on the Highway authority to address the speeding and through traffic problems experienced in this area.

Pavements

Over 46% consider the pavements to be in poor condition particularly for people with disabilities, wheelchair users and people using pushchairs. This would account for 223 people wanting environmentally sensitive streetlights. Environmentally sensitive streetlights refer to low-level lights that illuminate only as pedestrians approach and pass.

The facilities for pedestrians in the area of Leigh were considered to be poor by over half the respondents and 257 people wanted more pavements.

Table 13

‘Leigh is a rural setting – if I had wanted to live in an urban area with speed humps streetlights I would have moved to Sutton.’

‘Because of the lack of pavements people are forced to use their cars for short journeys thus increasing the traffic problem.’

‘We are in a rural location and it should stay that way, street lighting is for urban areas, we need traffic control for the rat run each day.’

‘Lights at the end of the Glebe, Harrington Close and near school, greatly appreciated.’

‘I do not wish to have verges sacrificed for pavements … Verges should be left for wild life, i.e. native plants and insects which feed birds.’

Recommendations

14)                   The Parish Council should approach the Highways authority regarding the poor state of the existing pavements

Recycling

It is clear from the responses that the residents in Leigh are environmentally conscious, 86% were willing to keep items to be collected for recycling.  They also demonstrated a good awareness of the local waste disposal facilities. With regard to ‘wheelie-bins’ however 52.3% were against with 47.7% for.

‘Wheelie bins are a good idea if you are young and fit. What allowances/provisions are made for the elderly and disabled?’

The Parish Council is a corporate body that has been granted powers by Parliament including the important authority to raise money through taxation, called the precept.

The Parish Council is an elected tier of local government.  Other tiers, known as principal authorities, have a legal duty to deliver services such as education, town and country planning, environmental health and social services.  Parish Councils have the legal power to take action, but have fewer duties and greater freedom to choose what action to take. The Council plays a vital part in representing the interests of the community it serves and improving the quality of life and the local environment.

There are many issues that concern parish government, and the Government are encouraging parish councils to deliver more services and play a greater part in their communities.

All Parish Council meetings are open to the public and are held every other month in the Acorns School.

From the responses to the questionnaire, 24.6% of villagers indicated that they had attended a meeting of the Leigh Parish Council. Whilst not being an insignificant number, the Parish Council could do more to encourage villagers to attend.

Table 14 indicates how well villagers feel that Leigh Parish Council publicise its decisions and activities.

Table 14

The majority of people 34% had no opinion and 31% thought they publicised its decisions and activities poorly. Clearly, members of the Parish Council need to take note of these figures and improve the way they communicate with the village.

Table 15 shows how villagers feel their elected representatives in local government are sufficiently aware of local concerns and feelings.

   Table 15

Whilst there is a wide and varied response, the Parish Council need to take note that only 21.2% of villagers feel that they are sufficiently aware of local concerns and feelings. This figure may be low because the Parish Council is not communicating as it should with the Parish. As the Parish Council is made up of people who live in the Parish, it should be of concern to the Parish Council that a high percentage of residents do not believe them to be fully aware of local concerns and feelings. Once again, a significant percentage of villagers have no opinion on this issue.

Recommendations

15)                   The Parish Council should do more to encourage parishioners to attend the council meetings.

16)                   The Parish Council should make greater efforts to communicate their decisions and activities.

17)                   The Parish Council should take action to demonstrate their awareness of local issues and concerns on an individual and parish basis.

Table 16                                    

With 305 people saying they would use a community shop and 320 a post office, this might be a viable proposition if volunteers and a venue could be found. It could provide a much needed centre in Leigh for people to meet and communicate. However past experience suggests that any such venture would struggle to be viable.  One family commented:

‘When people are able to bump into one another by going to school, shop, church, and post office a tight knit community is encouraged. All of the above are what makes a village come to life.’

Whilst 86 people said they would support a coffee shop only 21 are likely to be around during the day to use it. The same situation exists for the post office and the mobile library; the latter would certainly only be available during the working day.

The criteria laid down by the Post Office indicate that the granting of a license for a post office to re-open in Leigh is remote in the extreme.  However it was felt that the survey should ask the question whether certain facilities would receive support from the community.

Voluntary Car Service

As previously mentioned in the report, the majority of residents are self-sufficient in transport requirements.  It is therefore not surprising that few people would regularly make use of a voluntary car service scheme.  This can be confirmed by two schemes set up in the parish.  The first was established as a result of the closure of the post office, to take regular users who did not have transport to another local post office.  This scheme was never used.  The second scheme, still available, will take prescriptions to the local chemist; this service has rarely been used.

Table 17

For which of the following would you use a voluntary car service as a passenger?

The response from residents to offer their services in a voluntary car scheme however was very positive with nearly 60 people volunteering their services.

Good Neighbour Scheme

A Good Neighbour Scheme is a group of volunteers who get together in their community to provide residents of any age with help they either cannot get elsewhere or cannot afford to pay for, e.g. form filling, dog walking, small DIY jobs, pension and medicine collection, shopping.  This activity exists at present on an informal basis, typically watering a neighbour’s plants while they are on holiday and generally ‘keeping an eye’ on things.

Over 190 people said that they would be prepared to help out occasionally whilst 15 and 28 would help weekly or monthly respectively. Understandably some people perhaps are reluctant to commit to regular, formal support but would very often willingly lend a hand when called upon to do so.  The solution may be to promote the Voluntary Car Service and the Good Neighbour Scheme more proactively, and encourage all residents to be a more aware of their neighbours’ needs particularly if they are elderly and unable to carry out certain tasks.

‘I am elderly and infirm but fortunate to have a supporting family and friends. If I lived alone,    as some people do, I would feel very isolated in Leigh. No one from the Church or other organisations seem to be concerned!!!’

Recommendations

18)                   The Parish Council to encourage all those prepared to help with the Voluntary Car Scheme and the Good Neighbour Scheme to help set up a steering group for each service.

19)                   The editor should promote and raise awareness of the Good Neighbour Scheme in the Leigh Post and secretaries of the organisations within the Parish might consider raising it during meetings.

There is no doubt that houses in Leigh are relatively expensive.  Land Registry figures indicate that the average price of a semi-detached house in Leigh (Postal Code RH2), as at January - March 2003, was £206,320, compared to the National average of £130,093.  Detached houses during the same period were £524,666 in RH2 and £230,709 nationally.

The majority of responses (38.3%) of those with an opinion felt that the number of houses built in Leigh over the last ten years was “about right”, and only 5.7% felt there had been too much new housing in the period.  47.7% felt the houses were too expensive or too big.

Of the future, while 30% thought that no further homes are needed, the majority (58.8%) clearly indicated that there is a need for small family homes and low cost housing.  36.4% felt that Leigh needs homes for young people.  <