MINUTES – PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – 13th JANUARY 2020
PRESENT: Mrs R Jess (Chairman), Mr D Broad, Mr G Broad, Mr A Kingsley, Mr A McLellan,
Mr I Morgan and Mrs E Broad (Clerk)
District Councillor Jenny Forde
APOLOGIES: Were received from County Councillor Paul Hodgkinson
VACANCY ON CHEDWORTH PARISH COUNCIL: To note the resignation of Mrs Susie Moore and that CDC have been informed and the statutory notice displayed,
CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES: Parish Council Meeting 9th December 2019 were agreed and signed as a true record
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS: The Chairman to remind Councillors of the need to declare interests as necessary.
OPEN SESSION FOR THE PUBLIC: Cllr. Forde spoke about the new waste collection, due to be introduced in March, and also the current CDC budget consultation and urged people to respond on-line. Mr Selway spoke about the water leaks at the top and bottom of Gallows Lane he also spoke on behalf of the Village Hall, presenting a list of capital projects for.
The Chairman brought the Village Hall items forward on the agenda.
The Village Hall:
a) To note any applications received by the Parish Council for financial help in the coming financial year and consider if any further information is required in advance of the budget meeting on January 27th: The Council discussed the Village Hall list of capital projects which had been circulated prior to the meeting. After some discussion it was agreed to ask the Village Hall to provide information in advance of the budget meeting: Councillors requested a financial forecast for the current financial year and their projections for 2020/21. The Parish Council also asked the Village Hall to identify which items were at the top of their wish list why the Village Hall considered these to be important, also, to what extent had they been able to look at other grant giving bodies at this stage.
a) To note Mr George Broad’s resignation from the Village Hall Committee and to consider appointing a replacement trustee: Mr George Broad was thanked by the Council for representing the Parish Council on the Village Hall Committee. After some discussion it was established that no one currently wished to represent the Parish Council on the Committee. It was felt that being a trustee, and therefore being excluded from discussions on Village Hall matters was unworkable. This situation had become more difficult because the Parish Council was being asked to consider making large donations to the Village Hall of up to one half of its total budget. It was suggested that the Village Hall Committee should be asked to reconsider inviting the Parish Council’s nominated Councillor to their meetings. The delegate would not be a trustee and would not be able to vote, but would have the right to speak and report back to the Parish Council. The alternative, as seen by the Parish Council, would be to hold regular liaison group meetings which had proved difficult to schedule.
b) To note that the screen has been installed and consider the request for payment: It had been the intention of the Parish Council to place the order for the equipment to enable VAT to be reclaimed but this had not been followed because Martin Spooner had been able to obtain the best price for the equipment. The Chairman reiterated the need for Martin Spooner to invoice the Parish Council to enable the cheque to be paid.
c) The ACRE Parish Council Help for Village Halls Information Sheet: This had been circulated prior to the meeting. Concern was expressed that some of the advice contained in this document was not accurate. After some discussion it was felt that further advice and more detail could be obtained if it was relevant, but it was not required currently.
d) Custodian Trustee: Currently the Parish Council is the Custodian Trustee but the Village Hall committee wished to change this to an ‘official’ custodian. As the Custodian Trustee the Parish Council had been advised that there was no reason to exclude Councillors from being Village Hall trustees should they wish to be. It was felt that changing the custodian would inevitably require some legal work and have significant cost implications. The deeds are presently in the name of Chedworth Parish Council. It was agreed to obtain further advice regarding any restrictions placed on Parish Councillors by the Parish Council being Custodian Trustee.
PLANNING:
19/04474/FUL Land Parcel adjacent to Ashwell Cottage – Change of use of area for exercise of dogs – Objection was raised on traffic grounds but it was agreed to expand on their objections to the dog walking area. Along with worries about extra traffic councillors also felt that the dog walking area would have a harmful effect on the wildlife which is currently found on this quiet and undisturbed area of AONB.
19/04419/FUL Hartshill – Tennis Court – It was agreed to raise no objection subject to there being no external lighting.
19/04656/TCONR Laurieston – Tree Works
19/03964/FUL Umona – Additional Details – No objection
19/03213/FUL Pippins – Temporary Access – A letter to CDC from Graham Simmons regarding the unsuitability of the temporary access had been copied to the Parish Council and a reply had been subsequently received from Mike Napper at CDC. These were noted.
MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION:
Traffic in Village and Road Matters:
a) Traffic Speed on Fields Road: Nothing further.
b) Roadside Vegetation: Mr Morgan confirmed that there was still some clearance left to do, it was hoped it would be done soon. He also reported that he was awaiting a map from Danny Taylor showing which verges were cut by GCC Highways to enable him to obtain a price from Brian Brazington to carry out the same work
c) Grit Bin: An additional grit bin had been purchased to be sited in Green Lane. Gloucestershire Highways need be informed and bin and also the one on Tuns Hill added to list for refilling. Mr McLellan agreed to speak to Matt Fulford to ascertain how the bin numbering is done.
d) Hedges on roadside in Middle Chedworth: Nothing further.
e) The lower part of Cooks Hill: Nothing further had been heard from GCC Highways, it was agreed to chase this up.
f) Water leak/spring at top of Gallows Lane: As nothing further had been heard from GCC Highways regarding the water. The Chairman had contacted Thames Water who visited the site and established that it the water which is running down Gallows Lane is not from the water main but from a spring. There was also a similar problem at the bottom of the same lane. Now that the cause of the problem had been identified it was agreed to write to Danny Taylor asking him to arrange for the necessary works to resolve the issue.
Footpaths:
a) Footpath KCH 22 opposite the Seven Tuns to Church Row: The path has been resurfaced and was thought to be an excellent job. The Chairman thanked Mr Kingsley for all of his work in managing the project.
The Grass Keep Field:
a) Drama Group Storage: Mr D Broad reported that he had not made any progress as he felt there was very little enthusiasm from the Drama Group. After some discussion Mr Kingsley agreed to speak to the Drama Group to see if they still wished to use the facility. Meanwhile it was agreed to proceed with submitting the planning application.
Chapel Graveyard:
a) Fallen wall in Graveyard: Three quotations had been received for the repair of the wall. Two of the contractors have suggested that because of the condition of part of the wall it would be sensible to do a 10m stretch rather than just repair the 2m piece which has already fallen down. It was agreed to contact Andy Chapple again and ask his advice on this and invite him to quote to repair the 10 metres of wall as well.
The Emergency Plan: The winter plan leaflet had been updated. The Chairman had circulated the leaflet and asked for comments. It was agreed to put this on the website, along with the updated list of wardens.
The Parish Council Website: Mr G Broad would include a direct link to the winter plan leaflet on the navigation bar at the top of the website.
Seven Tuns Defibrillator: The Chairman had spoken to the Community Heartbeat Trust and established that there was no urgency to change the battery because of the date stamp. The green lights on the battery would indicate when it needed changing. It was agreed to follow their advice and monitor the defibrillator more regularly to check the state of the battery. The Heartbeat Trust said that once the battery was showing as empty there would still be sufficient charge for one use.
FINANCE:
D Broad (Website hosting Nov/Dec/Jan) £15.60, prop. R Jess, sec. G Broad
R Jess (Grit Bin for Green Lane) (£62.89 + VAT) £75.47, prop. G Broad, sec. A Kingsley
Viking (Stamps, Copier Paper, Ink) (£56.55 + VAT) £64.93, prop. R Jess, sec. A McLellan
Cottage Garden Services (P/F Cutting June & July outstanding invoices) (£200.00 + VAT) £240.00, prop. R Jess, sec. A Kingsley
GRCC Membership Renewal Invitation £25.00, prop. I Morgan, sec. D Broad
2020/21 Precept to be returned to CDC by 31st January 2020
Appointment of Internal Auditor for the 2019/20 Audit – It was proposed from the Chair and seconded by G Broad to appoint Mr Selkirk as independent internal auditor for the 2019/20 audit. He had written and confirmed his fee will remain at £100.00.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Hill and Valley News: Several items were agreed to be included in the February edition which would be written by the Chairman.
The meeting concluded at 9.51pm.
NEXT MEETING: Budget Meeting – Monday 27th January 2020 at 7.30pm.
Chairman………………………
Date……………………………