BISHAMPTON AND THROCKMORTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on Monday, 1st June 2009 at the Parish Room, Throckmorton

Members and Officers present: Mr C Tucker, Mr J Mills, Mr D Baldwin, Mr G Day and Mrs C Morris (Clerk).

In attendance: Cllr Liz Tucker (WDC, WCC). PC Stuart Toms.

The meeting opened at 7.55pm (following the Annual Parish Meeting) and was adjourned to hear from PC Stuart Toms. See attached note.
Vice Chairman Cllr Charles Tucker took the chair in the absence of the chairman.

ADMIN

1. To receive apologies and to approve the reason for absence
Cllr Cheetham and Cllr Morrison’s apologies were received and accepted. They were both on holiday abroad. Cllr Beever was working and his apologies were also accepted.

2. To record: a) Declarations of Interest (Personal & Prejudicial) and b) Any changes to be notified to the Register of Interest and Gifts & Hospitability
Cllr Baldwin declared his interests as chairman of the Village Hall Committee and the Community First responder scheme. Cllr Tucker declared his interest as a member of the Throckmorton Village Charity.

3. To approve the minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting held on May 11th 2009
The minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting on May 11th were signed as a true record of proceedings.

4. To note and approve the council’s financial regulations, standing orders, code of conduct
The council agreed to continue with the current policies and to review the standing orders after the upcoming NALC review.

5. To review the council’s scheme of delegation and councillor areas of responsibility
It was agreed that the clerk would circulate the above items for discussion at the next meeting. Action Clerk

6. To review the council’s risk assessment and insurance requirements
It was agreed that the chairman and clerk would review the risk assessment and report back to the council. The clerk gave details of an insurance quote from another company which gave matching or better cover for £788.36, compared to the renewal cost of £1,272.75. the council agreed to accept the quote and enter into a three-year agreement, which further reduced the cost to £748.94 per year. Action Clerk

NEW ITEMS

7. To consider grant requests from: Wychavon Citizens Advice Bureau/ the Bobby Club
Councillors heard about the Bobby Club magazine – run by volunteers from West Mercia police in the Wychavon area to give road safety advice and tips about general safety to children in the Wychavon area. Members agreed a donation of £100.
Wychavon Citizens Advice Bureau made its annual request for funds. The council agreed it was an important service particularly in the difficult financial times and agreed to donate £250. Action Clerk

8. To consider matters arising from the parish meeting: Dog fouling/ Jubilee Walk gates
The council agreed there was little which could be done about dog fouling other than continuing to publicise the issue.
The difficulties with opening gates along Jubilee Walk were referred to Mr Kingston (Parish Paths Warden) who was in the process of investigating how they could be improved.

9. To consider a quote for drainage repairs, to be mostly reclaimed from a Wychavon grant
Councillors accepted the quote from Mr Redman to improve drains to relieve water gathering in Main Street on the condition that it was acceptable with Wychavon District Council. Clerk to discuss with the officers when confirmation of the grant was received. Action Clerk

REGULAR ITEMS

10. Finance

10.1. To note any receipts
£1.06 in savings interest had been received by the council.

10.2. To approve the statement of cash reconciliation for May 2009
The bank reconciliation showed that in the current account, there had been no income but cheques had been written for £2,043.99. The account at the end of the month totalled £20,177.55, although one cheque for £20 had not yet been presented. The savings account had accrued interest of £1.06, bringing its total to £22,724.02. This meant that the council’s total cash assets at the end of the month (allowing for the unpresented cheque) stood at £42,881.57.

10.3. To approve outstanding invoices for payment
The council approved the following invoices for payment:

• Limebridge Rural Services footpath mowing £34.50

10.4. To approve claims for expenses/overtime
The clerk’s expenses of £4 (mileage) were approved.

10.5. To approve the annual statement of accounts
The council approved the Annual Governance Statement and approved the annual accounts and reconciliation, agreeing that the clerk and chairman should sign the annual return and send it to the external auditor, providing no issues were raised by the internal auditor. Action Clerk and Chairman

BREAK FOR CHEQUE SIGNING

11. Planning

11.1. Council’s response to planning applications between meetings
None

11.2. Current planning applications

• W/09/00902/CU – Churchfields, Church End, Bishampton. Change of use of agricultural land to domestic and replacement store for purposes of domestic use (retrospective)
  Members had no objection to the application. Action Clerk

11.3. Reports on planning decisions

• W/09/2700 Willow Bank Residential Home- single-storey extension
  Allowed on appeal.

12. Play Areas - To consider any matters relating to the parish play areas/village hall grounds
Rospa Inspection/play area notices/safety procedure.
Cllr Cheetham was reviewing issues raised by the recent rospa report.

13. Footpaths: To consider footpath issues and spending of the footpath grant
A resident from Broad Lane had written to say that where the Jubilee footpath runs adjacent to their side garden, trees overhang into their garden. Councillors thought that the trees were growing from a neighbouring garden, rather than the path. Cllr Argyle to investigate. Action Cllr Argyle

14. To consider any parish Lengthsman issues/jobs: New lengthsman appointment
The council heard how Cllr Cheetham, Cllr Tucker and the clerk had held a meeting with the Hill & Moor Lengthsman Nick Winter. He had agreed to be the new lengthsman and the council approved his appointment, on the same basis as before. Clerk to supply him with maps of the parish and of the areas to be inspected in time for a predicted start next month. Action Clerk

15. To consider any newsletter/website issues
It was agreed that the clerk should write a newsletter after the Qinetiq meeting in July so that parishioners could be informed of the plans.
Dog fouling to be included again. Action Clerk

UPDATES

16. To consider any matters regarding ongoing issues:

• Wind Turbine plans – The council heard that there had been meetings between the parishes (at which BAT PC had been represented by Cllr Argyle/Cheetham) and with district councillors and the MP and that the wind monitoring mast was now in place standing half as high as a wind turbine would be – it was visible from Broad Lane. Noise monitoring equipment was also in place in the Lenches to gather data.
• War Memorial refurbishment – Cllrs Argyle and Morrison to tackle further pruning when they able to dispose of cuttings.
• Speed Activated signs- No news.
• Moat Farm Lane Conservation Area- Cllrs Argyle/Cheetham to arrange a meeting with the Wychavon officer to see what was to be done about the reserve ditch once the neighbouring ditch was clear.
• Housing – See Cllr Liz Tucker’s comments, below.
• Newsletter – See above
• Community First Responder Scheme – Cllr Baldwin gave an update on the situation which has meant a few problems in terms of central control systems and cover for Pershore.
• Flooding/drainage issues – grant money. See above.

REPORTS/CORRESPONDENCE

17. PACT news
None

18. CALC/ training matters
None

19. County and district councillor report
Cllr Tucker spoke about Qinetiq’s housing scheme for the airfield, a plan for which has been produced showing where homes would be built on Qinetiq, Drummonds and Marshalls’ land, either side of the airfield road. She said an information meeting scheduled for June had been postponed until July but said those who were coming to the June meeting could still turn up and she would display the plans for them to see.

20. To receive reports from councillors and items for future agendas

21. To consider any further items of correspondenc

• A complaint had been received about the earliness of the verge cutting, which had been referred to highways by the clerk.
• Carol singing request: The PCC wrote to ask if there was any objection to the church providing a crib scene in the village centre for the focus of the carol singing on Christmas Eve. Members said they had no objection but referred the church to the organiser, Mr Peter Averis.
• Resources list, Wychavon rural reach.
• Sustainable Rural Communities Seminar invite- June 26th Braintree – Rural Services Network.
  Sustainable Funding workshops (community First) in Hereford on July 2nd and Worcester on July 14th.
• Caring News/ CPRE Newsletter including annual Wychavon report and report on Wind Turbines

22. To affirm the dates of the next meeting of the Parish Council
The date of the next meeting was confirmed as July 6th at Bishampton Villages Hall.

The meeting closed at 9.33pm

………………………………………………… …………………………..
Chairman Date

Clerk to the Council Mrs C. Morris

Notes from the public session

PC Stuart Toms spoke about the year’s crime figures.
There had been five recorded crimes in Throckmorton, increased from two the previous year. Three of them had been vehicle crimes, one an assault and one a minor theft.
In Bishampton, there had been nine crimes reported in 2008-9, compared to 19 in 2007-8. There had been one house burglary, one non-dwelling burglary, three vehicle crimes, one assault and three ‘other’ crimes.
He was thanked by the chairman and asked to continue a presence in the villages.
Mr Kingston asked about the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in Bishampton and it was suggested that it could be time for a revival. PC Toms also spoke about changes to the management team in the force’s Worcestershire division.