BISHAMPTON AND THROCKMORTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on Monday 2nd July 2007 at the Villages Hall, Bishampton

Members and Officers present: Mr D Cheetham (chairman), Mrs B Lammas, Mr M Argyle, Mr J Morrison, Mr C Tucker, Mr E Beever (from 8.00pm) Mr J Mills, Mr D Baldwin, Mr D Burtoft and Mrs C Morris (Clerk).

Also present from 9pm was County and District Councillor Liz Tucker.

The meeting opened at 7.36pm.

07.07.01 To receive apologies and approve the reason for absence:
There were no apologies

07.07.02 To consider the adoption of the revised Code of Conduct:
The council decided to wait until it had received advice from NALC about the adoption of the new Code and so deferred the matter until September.

07.07.03 To record: a) Declarations of Interest (Personal & Prejudicial) and b) Any changes to be notified to the Register of Interest and Gifts & Hospitability:
Cllr Burtoft declared a personal interest in item 9. Cllrs Argyle, Lammas and Baldwin declared personal and prejudicial interests in item 7.

07.07.04 To approve the minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting held on June 4th 2007:
The minutes were approved and signed by the chairman as a true record.

07.07.05 Finance:

07.07.05.01 To note any receipts:
The council noted that it had received the £500 grant from Wychavon DC for carrying out the village litter pick. Clerk to bank. Action Clerk

07.07.05.02 To approve the statemet of cash reconciliation for June 2007 and clerk’s quarterly budget report:
The statement of cash reconciliation for June 2007 showed that there was no income and £1,113.79 expenditure in the current account, leaving a total of £9,471.18. The savings account earned £82.56 interest, which brought its total to £33,342.82. Allowing for an unpresented cheque for £14.98, the council’s total cash assets stood at £42,814.00. The council noted the clerk’s report and all members received a copy of the clerk’s budget report for the first quarter.

07.07.05.03 To approve outstanding invoices for payment:
The following invoices were approved for payment:

• CALC Whole Council Training £229.13
• West Midlands Ambulance Service Defibrillator £2032.70

07.07.05.04 To approve claims for expenses/overtime:
Clerk’s expenses of £25.54 were approved:

07.07.05.05 To consider any action necessary regarding the External Audit:
The council noted that the annual return was with the External Auditor and agreed to adopt and approve the accounts and annual return subject to there being no issues raised by the EA. Clerk to call meeting before August 31st if necessary. Action Clerk

07.07.06 Planning:

07.07.06.01 To note the council’s response to planning applications between meetings:
There were none.

07.07.06.02 Current Planning Applications:
The council considered the following planning applications:

• W/07/00985 - Change of use of land from agricultural to keeping horses and construction of stables, ménage and access track. Babylon Lane, Bishampton.
  No Objection

07.07.06.03 Reports on planning decisions:
There were none.

07.07.07 Play Areas:

(Cllr Baldwin had declared his interest as chairman of the play area committee and also chairman of the BATVMC/ Cllr Lammas and Cllr Argyle had declared their interests as members of the play area committee)

07.07.07.01 To hear any update from the BATVH Play Area Committee:
Cllr Baldwin said there was no news to report, other than the fact that the committee was continuing in its efforts to secure grants for the project.

07.07.07.02 To consider any action necessary to continue work on the Junior Play Area project:
Following questions from members of the Bishampton Tiddlers group as to when the groundworks might be completed at the junior play area, the clerk reported that she had consulted with the contractor who said he had not started due to the extremely wet weather conditions. He advised against starting because a digger on the site would damage the ground and the access verge, the holes would fill with water and it would be impossible to fill them and level the site. He assured the clerk he would start as soon as conditions allowed. The council agreed to follow his advice. Clerk to write to the Tiddlers group to let them know the situation – also to ask them to remind their members that they should not be using the site which was in an unsafe condition at present. Action Clerk

07.07.07.03 To consider any other matters relating to the village play areas:
It was noted that the overspill car park at the village hall had not been included on the mowing schedule and councillors agreed that it should be added. Clerk to organise. It was also agreed that it would be a good idea to give any mowing contractor a schedule of major village hall events so they could arrange their schedules to ensure mowing was carried out at the best times. Action Clerk/Cllr Baldwin.
The Chairman and Cllr Argyle had inspected the play area to consider the points raised in the RoSPA inspection. The only point which they felt needed action was the issue of barbed wire along the far side of a boundary fence. It was agreed that Cllr Baldwin should talk to the neighbour about the wire. Action Cllr Baldwin
The council agreed to go ahead and ask the lengthsman to carry out the weekly inspections of the play equipment and to report any defects he can see to the clerk. Clerk to liaise and provide him with check sheets. Action Clerk

07.07.08 Footpaths:
Cllr Morrison reported that as footpath representative, he had met with Edward Chadwick to talk about his responsibilities.

07.07.08.01 To consider a request for the reinstatement of the finger post by the war memorial:
Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, Mrs Jesson, had asked at the annual meeting that the footpath finger post pointing down Babylon Lane be reinstated – it was knocked down by a car a few years ago.
Cllr Morrison said he would look into the matter. Action Clerk/Cllr Morrison

07.07.08.02 To consider the clearance of the Badgers Walk footpath:
The clerk wrote to the county co-ordinator (Fiona Argyle) to ask that the CC pays for the clearance which would be costly for the parish, considering the reduced size of its footpath grant this year. Although there had been some delay because of the weather, Ms Argyle was due to meet with Peter Averis (Parish Paths Warden) when they will inspect the path and see what needs to be done.

07.07.09 To consider the latest situation regarding the proposed mobile phone mast, hear progress regarding the letter to the MP and consider correspondence with T-Mobile:

(Cllr Burtoft had declared his interest as a neighbour of the site and member of the BAM action group)

Cllr Beever arrived at 8pm

The clerk had prepared a list of questions for the Government, as agreed at the last meeting and sent them to MP Peter Luff. He had sent a reply from Rt Hon Margaret Hodge, Minister of State for Industry and the Regions, which the clerk read at the meeting. Mr Luff had sent the questions to two other Government departments and was awaiting replies from them. The councillors agreed they needed more time to digest the content of the letter and agreed to read it and send their comments to the clerk to formulate a response to each of the departments separately.
Cllr Burtoft had asked the council to consider sending another letter to T-Mobile, asking for further talks, and had circulated a draft for consideration. It was agreed, however, that the council would not write to T-Mobile at present - the council felt it could not contribute anything more than the BAM group was already achieving and members hoped to preserve their lines of communication with T-Mobile for the future. The council would continue its path of investigating the wider issues with the Government, leaving BAM to continue its own separate path of action. Cllr Butoft agreed to take the council view back to the BAM committee and act as liaison between the two parties.

07.07.10 To hear any issues regarding the sewer/roadworks in Bishampton:
C Cllr Liz Tucker had provided the clerk with a list of jobs due to be carried out by Severn Trent to repair verges etc after the work.
The chairman also reported that he spoke to Severn Trent about the reinstatement of the fence at the site entrance in Abberton Road and was assured fencing would be restored in its original position. He also asked about the ‘slow bend’ sign by the bad corner past the fishery on the Rous Lench road and he was told this would be removed.

07.07.11 To consider progress on the Affordable Housing Survey:
The clerk had distributed minutes etc regarding the survey for members’ information and they agreed to continue with the project, and to send off the clerk’s covering letter to Wychavon, which made it clear it was a Wychavon-led project. Action Clerk

07.07.12 To consider any action necessary to continue with the Parish Lengthsman Scheme:
The Lengthsman and the clerk had attended training sessions to learn more about the scheme and the clerk had spoken to the insurance company. Dean Gibson had agreed to the terms of contract and was ready to be appointed. The council agreed that the clerk should go ahead and appoint Dean, subject to his insurance being in order.
Councillors will report any area they feel need attention to the clerk who will liaise with Dean and with the CC.
The council also unanimously agreed that the clerk should have delegated authority to approve lengthsman work/payment/administration between meetings, in consultation with the chairman and vice chairman. Action Clerk

07.07.13 To consider plans to close rural Post Office branches:
Cllr Burtoft suggested organising a survey to provide evidence of the need for Bishampton Post Office and stores, in case the village shop was earmarked for closure under the national scheme of cuts. He will liaise with the shop owner and consider survey questions which could be included as part of the council’s next newsletter in the Autumn. Action Cllr Burtoft/Clerk

07.07.14 To hear a request for funding assistance from the parish church:
Mr W S Dobie wrote on behalf of the Parochial Church Council, to ask for a contribution from the parish council towards maintenance of the churchyard. He said the church has had to employ a contractor to mow the ground at a cost of about £1,500 per year.
The council agreed to donate £750 from its budget towards the cost for the current year and to investigate whether it would be more cost-effective to include the churchyard in the village mowing rota from next year. Clerk to write to Mr Dobie and to talk to PC contractor. Action Clerk

07.07.15 To hear progress on the review and adoption of council policies:

• Risk Management Schedule:
  The council reviewed the risk management schedule and agreed courses of action where necessary. Action Clerk
• Scheme of Delegation:
  Defer until September. Continue with current arrangements. Clerk to circulate information. Action Clerk
• Standing Orders:
  All members received an electronic copy of the NALC model standing orders. The council agreed to adopt them as they stand.
• Financial Regulations:
  The clerk and the chairman had reviewed the standing orders and the council agreed to adopt them again in their current form. The chairman and clerk had also reviewed the system of internal audit and found it to be adequate for the council’s needs (chairman to carry out audit of clerk’s book-keeping in September). Action Clerk/Chairman.
• Complaints Procedure:
  Deferred until September. Action Cllrs Lammas/Beever
• Councillors’ Areas of Responsibility:
  Defer until September. Action Clerk

07.07.16 To hear a report regarding progress on the Parish Plan:
Clerk to circulate a report for consideration in September. Action Clerk

07.07.17 To receive reports from councillors and items for future agendas:

• County and District Cllr Liz Tucker gave her report. She spoke about the bus stop in Abberton Rd which had been moved after complaints from the person in whose drive the Flyford Flavell School children waited. Parents, however, did not believe the new site was safe and had asked for help reinstating it. They had contacted the PC chairman, who had visited the site, and Cllr Tucker and the police were due to visit. Cllr Tucker said she was disappointed the county transport department had taken action without consulting the parents.
  She also mentioned some cases of vandalism of cars in the village and the chairman said he had been the victim of thieves. It was agreed that the clerk should write to the local police inspector asking for more support in the villages following the increase in petty crime. Action Clerk
• Cllr Charles Tucker said he had been contacted by a resident in College Row, Throckmorton, who was concerned about speeding traffic. Cllr Tucker said he would visit the person and talk further with him. Clerk to write to the CC to ask if a speed check could be set up in that area to monitor the speeds of traffic. Action Cllr Tucker/ Clerk

Cllr Lammas left the meeting at 9.50pm

07.07.18 To consider any further items of correspondence:

• Air Ambulance – thanked the council for its £200 donation.
• After an approach from Cllr Mills, Hark Developments Ltd sent a letter to the council (previously circulated) regarding the state of the footpath in Broad Lane. It informs the council that the path was deteriorated mainly by the broken storm drain which flooded the area. But the developers say they will be ‘reinstating the pathway to the required standard’.
• CALC – The PC was awarded the training bursary which means councillors/clerk can attend certain training sessions throughout the year for a fixed price. A condition of the grant is that a CALC member meets with council representatives to undertake a Quality Parish Status audit. They will be in touch. It was agreed that the clerk, chairman & vice-chairman could meet with the CALC representative.
• Clerk asked Peter Charlesworth about distributing a quarterly newsletter (with a mind to a slightly increased donation to production costs) and he said it could be done. The council agreed to aim for its next newsletter in October.
• Eric Carter says he has at his home a zip drive which the council bought some years ago. The council agreed that the clerk should dispose of it. Action Clerk
• Library Service – the CC is reviewing the library service and is inviting PCs to give their views. An external review was commissioned and it is recommending changes. Cllr Tucker agreed to look at the report and try to attend the meeting. Action Cllr Tucker.
• Wychavon Building Design Awards. Cllrs to inform clerk of any developments they would like to nominate.
• Clerk reminded councillors again that they must send in their expenses returns forms straight away if they had not done so already.

Circulation:
Local Council Review/ Policing West Mercia (NWorcs version!)/ Environmental Services structure/ ArtWorks

07.07.19 To affirm the date of the next meeting of the Parish Council:
Monday September 3rd Throckmorton.

The meting closed at 10.05pm

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Chairman Date

Clerk to the Council Mrs C. Morris