HAMBRIDGE & WESTPORT PARISH COUNCIL

Transcription

1 HAMBRIDGE & WESTPORT PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 9 th MAY 8pm IN THE VILLAGE HALL PRESENT: Cllrs Simon Denley (Chairman), David Cload, Mike Evans, Brian Flack and Paul Masters. County Cllr Christopher Le Hardy and District Cllr Sue Steele were also in attendance. 138). ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN Nominations were requested for the post of Chairman. Cllr Paul Masters proposed Cllr Simon Denley and this was seconded by Cllr Brian Flack. There being no other nominations, Cllr Simon Denley was duly elected as Chairman for the ensuing year. A Declaration of Acceptance of Office was duly signed 139). ELECTION FOR VICE-CHAIRMAN The Chairman invited nominations for the post of Vice-Chairman. Cllr Simon Denley proposed Cllr Paul Masters and this was seconded by Cllr Brian Flack. There being no other nominations, Cllr Paul Masters was duly elected as Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year. A Declaration of Acceptance of Office was duly signed 140). DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest. 141). APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE There were no apologies for absence. 142). MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON THE 11 TH APRIL 2016 The Minutes of this meeting, having been circulated, were approved and signed by the Chairman on the proposition of Cllr Paul Masters, seconded by Cllr Brian Flack. 143). RESIGNATION OF CLLR MIKE EVANS Cllr Mike Evans wished to record his decision to resign from the Parish Council from the end of this evening s meeting. 144). REPORT FROM COUNTY CLLR CHRISTOPHER LE HARDY A written report had been received from County Cllr Le Hardy but, he wished to add some further comments. He said what we are seeing in Hambridge Primary School is becoming pretty well standard around the County and 92% of our schools are good or above and our education levels are rising at the various key stages. They are really doing very well with the support situation. Children s services are also getting much better. Last month we saw the first Syrian refugee families coming into Somerset. There were six families and they are settling in very well. There has been an amazing reaction in the County. Cllr Paul Masters, referring to Hambridge Primary School, said it was all very well saying that they are all doing a very good job but, the buildings are not being looked after and they are becoming very shabby. He was of the opinion that they were disgusting. Year on year we have tried to get the Elliott buildings replaced and we are told that they are fine. He felt that one day there could be an accident. County Cllr Le Harding said that now Hambridge School was an Academy, they should receive direct funding. He appreciated the concern of the Parish Council and would take the matter up with the relevant authorities. 1

2 Cllr Simon Denley said that Hambridge had been offered the Elliott Buildings from Barrington very cheaply but, there was a problem when it came to transporting them. New buildings could be purchased for the price of moving them. 145). REPORT FROM DISTRICT CLLR SUE STEELE District Cllr Sue Steele reported that there had been a disturbing incident on Friday and it was reassuring to know that the suspects were within custody before the end of Friday. Chief Constable Andy Marsh had been in touch with her on Friday afternoon and said that he felt that the communication was there. He assured her that the police, dog handlers and helicopters would continue to monitor the site over the weekend. 146). MATTERS ARISING a). Footpath from the Primary School to the Church update County Cllr Christopher Le-Hardy said that the scheme had been authorised with a budget of 100,000. He asked whether the Parish Council had any other comments they would like him to feed in before it gets to the design stage. He had picked up on one or two comments concerning whether it was on the right side of the road. Cllr Paul Masters said we had previously been under the impression that everyone was happy for it to go down passed the School but, it would appear that some of the residents are not quite so happy. County Cllr Le Hardy said that the two people who had questioned it wished to see the plan to ascertain exactly where it would go. Cllr Mike Evans said that if you go back through the Minutes you will see that John Alford had represented their views. County Cllr Le Hardy said that it had been questioned as whether it would be worth him writing to the residents saying that the project had been authorised and asking if they had any points they wished to raise. He felt that there were a couple of entrances which were close to the road. What Highways could do about that he was not sure and that would come in their detailed plans. It was felt that if it went on the other side of the road this would mean that the children would have to cross twice and that could result in an accident waiting to happen. Cllr Paul Masters felt that we should wait until the detailed plans come out because the County Highways will know the best way around any problems. b). c). Dog & Litter Bins update The Clerk advised that she had received two demands for payment in respect of our order for bins, although we had not yet received an invoice or the bins. Cllr Mike Evans had been advised that it was the intention to install the bins this week and he had suggested that they should leave the installation until we had decided exactly where they were going at tonight s meeting. The Clerk would be contacting Richard Combe to see if he was happy with the location on the Green and Cllr Mike Evans had taken a couple of photographs of the two areas proposed. Once the locations are approved he would mark them with a wooden stake to indicate where the bins should be installed. The siting of the dog bins was agreed based upon the discussions and photographs of the proposed sites provided by Cllr Mike Evans at the meeting. Provision of a Defibrillator update Cllr Simon Denley advised that the Defibrillator was now on order. He understood that all the grants for Parish Councils had now been over-subscribed. However, the Primary School can obtain some kit directly from the HS Supply Chain at a very good discount and the defibrillator had cost about 500. For the Parish Council to buy one would cost in the region of 1,100 and that was not the model that we were particularly interested in. The Primary School will purchase the defibrillator itself which they will pay for and obtain a refund of the vat. We will order the cabinet and arrange for it to be installed on the site agreed with the Recreation Committee. He was also making enquiries to see if we could also obtain a discount. Cllr Mike Evans enquired whether we would need power or a phone line. Cllr Simon Denley said that we do not require a phone line. The cabinet does have a heater in it which just runs off a 13 amp socket. We can bring a supply into the building and he would have to discuss this with the Recreation Committee. Cllr Mike Evans said he had spoken to three people who had offered to become first responders which included Kate Hallett. She had offered to run some training courses. Cllr Simon Denley said that we needed to train about 2

3 twelve people and you can lock it if required with a key entry sequence. However, the recommendation is to not have it locked. Once it was fitted, the Clerk would include it on our insurance policy. d). e). f). g). h). i). Westmoor Lane update The Clerk had ascertained that the maintenance work was included in this year s finances and there would be some major works carried out. It might mean that the road will have to be temporarily closed whilst this is done. Concern was expressed about when in the year this would happen and the Clerk would try to establish exactly when it was hoped to carry out this work. In our correspondence we had recommended more permanent signage should be provided and that the speed limit should be reduced. To identify someone to co-ordinate the arrangements for the afternoon teas update Cllr Mike Evans said that the next one would take place on Wednesday week. He would not be there but, he would get it publicised and try to get someone there. It would be necessary to identify someone to ensure that the cakes are made and whether or not there would be entertainment available. Cllr Simon Denley might be available. Allotments update Yarlington Homes have said that it will be available but not until about August/September time. He had identified two people who were interested in having an allotment. He asked if anyone had a suggestion for a possible site. He had looked at a map and the bit that did strike him as being a possibility is the strip of land that runs up alongside the War Memorial which is owned by the Church Commissioners. Cllr David Cload agreed to speak to Gareth. Footpaths L.9/22 and L.9/24 update The Parish path man has written to the owner of the definitive map to identify that there is no way through and what are they going to do about it. When we started talking about possibly re-routing the path, it was pointed out that it was not down to the Parish Council to deal with this and we needed to establish the proper process to do this. Cllr Simon Denley said it would be better if it could be re-routed but, it would need to be accessible. War Memorial Maintenance Grant update Cllr Mike Evans had sent a DVD with all the information together with photographs which they had received and were now looking at. He did not think we would hear anything for a couple of months but, the application was in the pipeline. Transparency Fund Cllr Mike Evans said that he had to submit our application within the next two weeks and it was necessary to get the Council s approval to submit it. The application is for an internet connection, computer, printer and a Website. We are only allowed a grant for the items that are essential for transparency. We have to be careful because we have said we are compliant but, you are only compliant because he had built the Website and you only have to pay for the hosting of it. If he should say that you cannot use it anymore, then you are not compliant. As part of this he thought we ought to draw up a proper contract that allows the Parish Council to have use of that Website and it is maintained. As such you can put some costs in for doing this and it is the same for the other items. We also talked about the fact that the files on the Clerk s computer should be backed up away from her home. He had worked out that we can apply for 120 to put in a telephone line. We can say there are benefits to the Council but, there are also benefits for the community and the Village Hall. We then have to sign up for an internet connection and that is going to cost 300 a year. We can claim this year and next year. During that time it would give us unlimited access. At that point we would have a telephone line in here and we have broadband for everybody and it has not cost us anything. However, if they wanted a telephone you could get a cheap one for about 20/ 30 and there is a feature that you can put on which costs about 36 you would have a pin number to dial out on it. It is blocked at the exchange. He felt that was not a problem for us but, if the Village Hall want 3

4 to do that then that this is a cost that they should bear. Cllr Simon Denley said that when this was last discussed the Village Hall did not seem very keen on it. Cllr Mike Evans said that it was up to them to decide whether they wanted this additional option. To have a router that is a bit more intelligent than the usual router you have. You can monitor who has access to it and change the passwords. You can issue individual tokens to people; you can have a Router for about 100; 36 for call baring and 30 for the telephone which would mean 155 in the first year. Next year it would only cost them 36 if they had the telephone with the call baring. By year three our funding would go and so at the end of year two that would be the time to review whether the Recreation Trust wanted to contribute half of the cost, which would be 150. The contract does not have to last beyond that period but, you still have to have transparency with an internet access somewhere. We do not want to get the money and in two years time find you have spent it and that his Website was no longer available. You would have to pay someone to build you a Website and host it. On the proposal of Cllr Paul Masters, seconded by Cllr Brian Flack it was unanimously agreed that Cllr Mike Evans should submit an application for a Transparency Grant based on the information he had provided to the Parish Council. 147). FINANCE REPORT a). Accounts for Payment The following accounts were approved for payment on the proposition of Cllr Paul Master, seconded by Cllr Brian Flack. Aon UK Ltd Annual Insurance Premium Somerset Association of Local Councils Affiliation Fee Max von Tyszka Grass cutting Clerk s Wages - Month b). Draft Statement of Income & Expenditure 2015/2016 The Clerk had prepared the following draft Statement of Income & Expenditure which had been circulated to the members. HAMBRIDGE & WESTPORT PARISH COUNCIL DRAFT STATEMENT FROM 1ST APRIL 2015 TO 31ST MARCH 2016 INCOME EXPENDITURE Precept 11, Clerk's Salary Interest Clerk's HMRC PAYE Grant Clerk's Expenses 2014/ Temporary loan Chalmers & Co (SW) Ltd - Audit Fee Grant Thornton Grass & Hedge Cutting 3, Insurance Premium Bank charge Refund of temporary loan Grants Litter Bins SALC subscription VAT Excess of Income over Expenditure 4,737.56

5 12, , Bank balances Bonus Saver Account 26, Current Account 1, Total 27, Opening Balance 23, Expenditure 7, Income 12, Closing Balance 27, , , Copies of the set of documents to be submitted to Chalmers & Co., the Internal Auditors, for the year end were also circulated to the members for information. The accounts prepared by the Internal Auditors would then come back to the Parish Council for approval and submission to Grant Thornton, the External Auditors. It would also be necessary to review the following documents:- Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Code of Conduct. Adjournment to Allow Public Comment Cllr Simon Denley read out an Rachel Moffett had sent to the SSDC Dog Warden concerning an incident which had happened whilst walking her two spaniels on leads along the footpath next to Hambridge Church. A German Shepherd dog had come out of a property, which is open at the side of this footpath and attacked one of her spaniels. The owner had come out and thrown something at her dog which had then released her spaniel. She had been advised by the Dog Warden that if she is informed of any further incidents, she can give the owner a Community Protection Notice which can lead to a fine or prosecution. It was agreed that the Parish Council should contact the Dog Warden to back up the concerns which had been expressed by other residents using this footpath. 148). LAW & ORDER a). Police UK March 2016 ASBO on or near B3168 Two violence and sexual offences on or near Copse Lane Two ASBOs on or near Ruskway Lane b). PC Toni Lines Report for April 2016 On the Avon and Somerset system for Area North, we have had 136 investigated crimes reported for the month of April 2016 and there were 23 arrests. There have been 21 reports of ASB for Area North. 149). PLANNING REPORT a). Application refused No. 16/00785/FUL Proposed church car park and erection of a dwelling. Land adjoining Church Hambridge, Langport. John Millar, the Planning Officer, advised that the application had been recommended for refusal as it was considered that to have an unacceptable impact on the setting and character of the adjoining listed buildings and also to represent unjustified development in open countryside. As the case officer s recommendations did not accord with the views of the Parish Council, this application was referred to the local Ward Member under the scheme of delegation procedure. 5

6 Following referral to the Ward Member, he had advised that the application has been refused for the reasons stated in the decision notice. 150). CORRESPONDENCE ed to members a). River Parrett: New Dredge April Northmoor Pumping Station to Linden Farm. b). Road Safety Team about a great free event for the senior drivers in your parish. 151). Approach to the Parish Council for support in the setting up of a Youth Café Ruth Evans said that what they would like to do is to set up a Youth Café; a drop-in centre for teenagers. This would give them a chance to chat, play table-tennis, socialise etc., rather than hanging around in the park. They were trying to find some initial money to set up, obtain games equipment suitable for teenagers and a coffee machine. Cllr Simon Denley asked how much they would be looking for and advised that the amount was not important but, it needed to show that they had the backing of the Parish Council. It would be held in the Village Hall once a month to start with, possibly the first Tuesday in the month. They wanted to see how it goes and what demand there was for it. Cllr Simon Denley asked the members whether, in principle, the Parish Council would be agreeable to support such a project and this was unanimously agreed. 152). FILLING VACANCY ON THE PARISH COUNCIL A Public Notice has been posted onto the Notice Board advising that a vacancy has occurred on the Parish Council and that unless a request for an election to be held is submitted in writing to the Proper Officer at the Council Offices in Yeovil by Thursday 9 th June by 10 electors for the Parish of Hambridge & Westport, the Parish Council will proceed to fill the vacancy by way of co-option. Cllr Simon Denley expressed thanks on behalf of the members for all the hard work Cllr Mike Evans had put in during the period he had served on the Parish Council. 153). ITEMS FOR A FUTURE AGENDA a). Filling of vacancy on the Parish Council b). Footpath from the Primary School to the Church update c). Dog & Litter Bins update d). Provision of a Defibrillator update e). Westmoor Lane update f). Allotments update g). Footpaths L.9/22 and L.9/24 update CHAIRMAN DATE 6

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