Badgers Mount village website

Road Fund History | Constitution

Road Maintenance Fund

For the unadopted/private roads in Badgers Mount.

Local garage supporting the village website
Central Auto Centre - Green Street Green MOT
Central Auto Centre, Green Street Green - Orpington Tyres - Orpington MOT

The roads within the maintenance fund are:

Badgers Road
Highland Road
Johnsons Avenue
Milton Avenue

The current contributions to the
Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund:

Basic for household: £40.00
Additional payment for each regularly used vehicle: £30.00

Repairs to Highland Road - July 2002
Repairs underway in Highland Road
Picture July 2002

Officers of the fund

Chairman David Masters
davidmasters510@gmail.com
Treasurer Gordon Plumb (Tel 534279)
Secretary Dianne Wills

20mph Badgers Mount private roads speed
THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE UNADOPTED/PRIVATE ROADS WITHIN BADGERS MOUNT IS 20MPH

NOTE
We would remind residents of the recommended 20 mph speed limit on our roads. This is because the roads are shared with pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders etc. It is the accepted practice that if you approach the narrower sections of road and there is already a vehicle coming the other way, the second vehicle waits at an appropriate passing place to allow the first one into the section to pass. You should not expect someone’s drive beyond their boundary to be used as a passing place.

2019 AGM Minutes (PDF)

Winter Report and Newsletter December 2023

Time has flown by since the AGM in April and since then, I am pleased to say that monitoring of the roads has been maintained, with no significant repairs to report, although no doubt the upcoming months will be a test for the Committee and for all of us.

I took over the role of Chairman at the last AGM in succession to the role of Gordon Plumb as our Acting Chairman, following the earlier departure of Roger King, our last Chairman from Badgers Mount. In the last 2 years, there have been many incoming new owners, as well as sad departures and at this stage, I thought it worthwhile to provide an overview on the roads, since I arrived in Badgers Mount in 1953.

In the days since my arrival, the internal roads have been progressively transformed from no more than cart tracks, with many deep ruts and generally unsafe surfaces, compared to that seen today, with substantial sub-surface foundations and metalled surfaces fit for both car and lorries, as well as pedestrians. A far cry from the past. The Committee since the inception of the Road Maintenance Fund in circa 1965, has overseen a vast improvement in the roads since the days of old. I am not suggesting that the roads, comprising Badgers Road. Highland Road, Milton Avenue and Johnsons Avenue, are perfect but compared to the past they are in remarkably good condition, with the Committee always minded to upgrade where and when needed. The early financing of the roads was down to an agreement with owners to pay an annual sum based on their actual road frontage and gradually over time, the Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund was built up, keeping a watchful eye on our inheritance.

Private roads - Please drive slowly
Today, there are 121 owners that are eligible to be Members of the Road Maintenance Fund, the great majority paying their dues voluntarily. The contribution rates are reviewed each year by the Committee, much dependant on the need for forthcoming road maintenance. Those Fund members who voluntarily pay into the Fund, help keep the roads in a satisfactory condition enabling all to enjoy the benefits of the modern-day age.

It is essential that the Fund is kept in a positive cash flow position to enable the Committee to draw down Funds to instigate maintenance work as and when required, without which the surfaces would fall back into a state of disrepair and potentially a return to the dark days of the past.

You are reminded that the rates agreed at the 2023 AGM for both 2022 and 2023 were the same as the rates last changed in 2018 – £40.00 per dwelling plus £30.00 for each vehicle in regular use. Residents were not asked to pay contributions for 2021 due to Covid but were asked for 2022 contributions. Those who paid in 2021 without being asked are not asked to pay for 2022. Some people seem to have been confused by the layout of the form sent earlier this year and only paid part of the amount due, so a few changes have been made which hopefully make it clearer. You will see overleaf whether you have paid in full, in part or not yet paid at all for the two years.

At 10th December, the income from the contributions so far in the current accounting year is £6400, which is wonderful but still below the level of the pre Covid years. The Committee recognise that life is not much fun today and potentially getting more problematical, but I do urge those committed to Badgers Mount, and maintaining its standards to pay their outstanding voluntary contributions. I might add that were the roads to fall into serious disrepair with the Fund unable to cover any emergency works the effect on property values may suffer the consequences.

On behalf of the Committee, may I wish all Residents of Badgers Mount a Happy Christmas and a Healthy 2024,
David Masters.

Surface dressing Highland Road - July 2015
Highland Road - Marchants surface dressing July 2015

Road Fund History

Early in the 1960s, following the building of some houses and bungalows in Highland Road, a few residents held a meeting to discuss the possibility of funding a scheme to lay a surface to Highland Road. The road then was nothing more than a cart track of flints and large pot holes. Footwear during the winter months was definitely gumboots with thick soles!

The meeting successfully raised a sum of money to make a start on filling pot holes with tarmacadam. Under the name Highland Association, the group called upon all residents in the road to contribute into a fund so that more work could be carried out in successive years.

However, after the worst section of Highland Road had been treated (in 1965), residents in Milton Avenue and Badgers Road were impressed and following a meeting of all residents of the three roads, the Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund was born. Johnsons Avenue joined the fund on the 1st January 1988.

Albert Thomas

BADGERS MOUNT ROAD MAINTENANCE FUND CONSTITUTION

Constitution of the Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund as adopted at the Annual General Meeting on 14th April 1983, with subsequent amendments made at Annual General Meetings.

NAME
1. The name of the organisation shall be “Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund” (hereafter referred to as “the Fund”).

AIMS
2. The aim of the Fund shall be to maintain in a reasonable condition the surfaces of unadopted roads in Badgers Mount, the majority of whose frontagers undertake to make voluntary contributions to the Fund, and where such roads have been made up to a reasonable standard prior to the fund accepting responsibility for maintenance.

MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
3. Members shall be those occupiers (over the age of 18) of properties who have paid the subscription for the current year, or for the calendar year preceding the Annual General Meeting. If property ownership changes during the year and the subscription has been paid, the membership stays with the property and will be transferred to the new occupier.
4. The amount of subscriptions shall be decided by the Annual General Meeting or any other specially convened General Meeting, after receiving a recommendation from the committee.
5. Residents in roads which are not maintained by the Fund but use the maintained roads to access their property may pay a reduced subscription based on the number of vehicles in regular use.

OFFICERS, COMMITTEE AND ADVISERS
6. The Fund shall be managed by a committee comprising Chair, Deputy Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and a minimum of three members. There shall be at least one committee member who resides in each of the roads maintained by the Fund.
7. The committee may appoint an adviser to provide recommendations for works to the roads. The adviser may attend committee meetings but shall not vote.
8. All officers and committee members shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting and shall be eligible for re-election. Any casual vacancies shall be filled by the committee for the period up to the next Annual General Meeting. All officers and committee members must be members of the Fund.
9. The committee may enter into contracts on behalf of the Fund in furtherance of its aims.

MEETINGS
10. There shall be an Annual General Meeting of the members not later than 30th April. The quorum shall be eight members, who may include members of the committee.
11. A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the committee or by the request of at least eight members submitted in writing to the secretary.
12. Only members may vote at any General Meeting, each member being entitled to one vote. In the event of equality of votes the Chair shall have a casting vote.
13. Not less than fourteen days notice of every General Meeting shall be sent to every house. Accidental omission to give notice to a member shall not invalidate the proceedings of any meeting.
14. The committee shall meet to scrutinise the annual accounts and to prepare the business for the Annual General Meeting and on other occasions as necessary.

FINANCE
15. The financial year shall be the calendar year, ending on 31st December.
16. The Treasurer shall keep proper account records and prepare annual accounts and statements for each financial year and submit them to the auditor and the Annual General Meeting.
17. The Annual General Meeting shall elect an auditor to inspect the accounts and provide a signed report for presentation at the Annual General Meeting. No member of the committee or an adviser is eligible to be the auditor.
18. A bank account shall be kept in the name of the Fund. The committee may invest accumulated subscriptions at their discretion.
19. Three officers shall be signatories for the bank account(s), with any two required for all transactions.
20. Adequate reserves shall be maintained to allow for any emergency works to be carried out without the bank accounts going overdrawn. Overdrafts shall not be used.

INSURANCE
21. The fund shall take out an insurance policy to cover any public liability claims arising from the maintenance of the roads.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
22. The constitution may be amended at the Annual General Meeting providing that notice of the proposed amendment(s) has been circulated to members at least ten days before the meeting.
23. The constitution and any subsequent amendments shall come into operation on the day following the Annual General Meeting at which they were approved.
[Revised March 2023]

Note
The Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund and the Residents' Association are separate bodies.

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