Cllr Pope drew the council's attention to the practice of playing "chicken" across the A1101 at Upwell.

A group of youngsters had been seen daring each other to run across the road in front of traffic at the war memorial in Upwell and with the ongoing problems of speeding vehicles in exactly the same location, it was a concern that a serious accident is only a matter of time.

Although the council agreed that there was very little it could do to prevent youngsters carrying out this practice, it was hoped that by reporting the problem to the local Police and by highlighting the dangers in the forthcoming parish council Newsletter, the practice could be curtailed.

The agenda also covered subjects ranging from allotment provision, performance of the Home Watch and Community Speedwatch schemes, the cutting of the riverbanks and the possible reorganisation of local government in the county.

Councillor Neil Morgan welcomed the public to the meeting, which was held at Lakes End village hall. The parish covers Upwell, Three Holes and Lakes End and the Council tries to include all the villages in its monthly meeting schedule. The public from all three villages are welcome to attend any meeting at any location.

Cllr Morgan reported on the uptake of the Home Watch scheme around Upwell. There are in excess of 140 members and co-ordinators are still being sought for some areas. The scheme was initially launched by the council at the beginning of the year but it is hoped that control can soon be passed to the area administrator, who will maintain the running of the scheme and help locals with crime prevention information.

The Community Speedwatch team also reported positive news. Some 250 vehicle details have now been passed to the scheme administrators to receive warning letters about their speed through the villages. More volunteers are still sought for help in running the project. If you are interested, please contact the clerk at the number below.

Cllr David Pope raised the poor quality cut of the river banks in Upwell as an issue at the meeting. The grass cutting had chewed up the soil in places and damaged the root system which helps to hold the river bank in place.

As a result there has already been some slippage of the banks into the river and with the recent poor weather, the condition of the banks can only deteriorate.

There had also been damage caused to boards around moorings, a memorial bench on the bank at Church Bridge and there had been a large amount of rubbish left on the banks after the cut, in July. The council agreed to write to The Middle Level Commissioners, who are responsible for cutting the banks, asking for an explanation and reparation for the damage caused.

There were reports from the clerk and two councillors on meetings regarding the possible reorganisation of local government in Norfolk. The Government has instructed The Boundary Committee to look into replacing Norfolk County Council and West Norfolk Council with a new local government structure.

Parish councils would not be affected but it is thought that there may well be more powers delegated to Parish and Town Councils to carry out service provision such as minor highways work, control of markets, car parking provision and a more powerful input into planning decisions.

There are a number of options available including a single unitary structure for the whole county, an east/west split of the county and a "doughnut" effect with Norwich being managed by one authority and the rest of the county being governed by a separate authority. The parish council is part of a consulting group and it was decided to debate the issue fully at the next meeting in September before putting forward its preferred option.

The next meeting of the council is scheduled for Monday, September 8, at 6.45pm at Upwell village hall. These are open meetings and the press and public are welcome. There will be an opportunity for residents to address a councillor with any concerns they may have (in confidence) from 6 to 6.30pm before the meeting or address the full council during the main meeting. Any queries or concerns should be addressed to the clerk either at upwellpc@googlemail.com or by telephoning 01945 772260 (10.30am–3.30pm Tuesday-Thursday).