Sutton St Edmund Parish Council welcomes two new members, but loses another

Two new members have boosted the numbers on Sutton St Edmund Parish Council so that it is "almost at full strength".

Gary Masters and Jason Wardill were both co-opted, or accepted, as members during the council's first-ever virtual meeting on Wednesday.

Coun Masters, who is married and works as an operational excellence manager for a healthcare technology business in Peterborough, has lived in Sutton St Edmund for about 14 months.

A former design and technology in Peterborough, Coun Wardill lives in Throckenholt and now works as an area sector manager in the health and safety industry.

Before his co-option, Coun Wardill said: "After a 12-week spell in self-isolation, I spoke to the clerk about getting food parcels out around the village.

"Then we talked about a vacancy on the parish council and I found that no one was representing Throckenholt which I why I thought about applying."

Coun Masters said: "A few months ago, I invited myself to a couple of parish council meetings because, initially, I had concerns about speeding traffic through the village.

"Having been to the meetings, I thought that the parish councillors were capable people and a good bunch.

"I'd been on a parish council before in Peterborough and because my main job is to get things done, I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring and help out where I could on the parish council."

During the meeting, it was confirmed that Katie Bowman had resigned after nearly two and a half years as a parish councillor due to personal reasons.

Coun Michael Coleman, parish council chairman, said: "We're very sad to have Katie leave, she's really been an excellent councillor, very supportive and very proactive.

"So it's really good to have both Jason and Gary on board and it means that we're almost at full strength."

. The return of Community Speed Watch (CSW) patrols in Sutton St Edmund has coincided with a bid to cut the speed limit on the village's main road.

Checks on traffic speeds by CSW volunteers from the village resumed on Monday, including along Broadgate where parish councillors want the current 40mph limit lowered to 30mph.

During a virtual parish council meeting on Wednesday, county councillor Nigel Pepper said: "I was contacted a few weeks ago about reducing the maximum speed limit to 30mph.

"But there's quite a strict policy for it so that county councillors can't ask to reduce speed limits on a wim.

"Also, the problem with a speed limit is enforcing it."

Parish councillors were then told that evidence of speeding along Broadgate would be needed from the CSW team, now coordinated by new parish councillor Gary Masters, along with a traffic survey done by Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.