KING’S SOMBORNE PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting

held in the Epworth Hall commencing at 7.00pm on Monday 6 August 2018

Present:      Cllr A Brock (Chairman)

Cllr R Curtis

Cllr S Dack

Cllr H Griffith

Cllr R Harwood

Cllr A Townsend

Cllr H Townsend

Cllr R Webb

Cllr S Whitehead

In Attendance:   Mr P J Storey (Clerk to King’s Somborne Parish Council)

   Public Session

   Mr R Dyke (Open Spaces Warden) was present for part of the meeting and one member of the public.

  1. Apologies for Absence

 124.1   Cllr Hughes; also received from C/Cllr Gibson and B/Cllr Ward.

 125.    Chair’s announcements and Councillors’ questions

 125.1   In discussing plans to relocate the football pitch, Cllr Harwood expressed his strongly held view that public funds should not be used to relocate the ‘wedding tree’ when relocating the pitch. The Clerk explained that non-public funds would likely be available from external grant providers for general ground works when the pitch was relocated as part of the overall Village Hall business plan to accommodate the proposed Community building/Pre-School. This would not now be before the end of the 2018/9 season.

126.     To accept the Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 2 July 2018

 126.1   Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Griffith, RESOLVED with Cllrs Curtis, A Townsend, H Townsend and Webb abstaining (absent) that the minutes of the meeting held on 2 July 2018 and circulated with the agenda be accepted as a true record.

  1.    To consider any Matters Arising from those Minutes

 127.1   Para 109.2        The signed agreement from the Scouts had now been received and forwarded to SSE for execution and then scheduling of the undergrounding of the electricity supply cables.

127.2   Para 109.3        The Church included a short welcoming card in The Gauntlet delivered to new arrivals in the Parish. Councillors thought something more substantial could be sent and the Clerk would table a draft for consideration at the next meeting.

Action: Clerk

127.3   Para 113.3        The increasing amount of graffiti on seats and play equipment gave rise for concern. The Clerk had obtained some graffiti remover and would apply to the affected items in an attempt to remove it.

Action: Clerk

127.4   Para 116.2        Discussion took place on the proposed frequency of rent review for the new community building/preschool but eventually it was confirmed that reviews should be 5 yearly as previous agreed. The Clerk would now seek advice on the Heads of Terms appropriate for the new community building/preschool lease and table for determination.

Action: Clerk

127.5   Para 117.1        The Diocese was not responding to a request for a meeting to discuss their proposed sale of the allotment site. Both the Clerk and Chairman would continue to seek such a meeting. Councillors noted the Clerk had given interviews to the press and radio on the concern held by allotmenteers at the planned loss of their sites when the site was sold.

Action: Clerk

127.6   Para 118.1        The Clerk had replied on behalf of the Council to the HCC consultation on public transport and street lighting; councillors had been invited to respond individually.

127.7   Para 120.1        On behalf of the Council, the Clerk had formally thanked the Community Speedwatch volunteers for their efforts to reduce speeding vehicles in the Parish. It was suggested that a page be dedicated to Community Speedwatch on the Council’s website; the Clerk would arrange. Posters were on display seeking more volunteers and the neighbourhood policing team had been approached to provide a speed detector van presence in the Parish.

Action: Clerk

127.8   Para 121.1        Adult fitness equipment had now been installed in both the Up Somborne and main recreation grounds.

  1. Declarations of Interest and Requests for Dispensations

128.1   None declared or sought.

  1. To consider Correspondence Received and determine any action required

 129.1   Two parishioners had taken legal advice on the validity of the sequence of events surrounding the publication of documentation leading to the public consultation on the Neighbourhood Development Plan. The Clerk was obtaining legal opinion before replying formally and it was understood that TVBC were likewise seeking legal opinion

Action: Clerk

 129.2   Test Valley School had written seeking a representative from the Council to invite to their Annual Presentation Evening to be held on 20 November 2018. Cllr Curtis agreed to attend. The School had also requested a contribution towards their prizes for pupil achievement. In past years, the Council had granted £75 and this was again thought appropriate.

 130.    To receive minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 23 July 2018

 130.1   The minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 23 July 2018 had been circulated with the agenda.

130.2   Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Webb, RESOLVED unanimously that the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 23 July 2018 be received and accepted.

  1. Councillors’ Reports

131.1   As Chair of Planning, Cllr Harwood reported on the two applications considered earlier in the evening, each of which had been objected to, and drew Councillors’ attention to the permission granted to the Carlton site to expand with a probable increase in traffic flow to/from the A3057 when an earlier proposal to develop part of the field to the south of the same road with entry to/exit from the A3057 had been refused.  This was noted, and it was agreed to ask TVBC for their reasoning.

Action: Cllr Brock

131.2   Cllr Curtis reported that the Scouts had been successful in reducing their annual insurance premiums by half which would help them financially. He also sought clarification on whether the Council or the Scouts should pay the building insurance premium. The Clerk was able to confirm that the lease clearly stated that all and any outgoings fell to the Scouts as lessee.

  1. To receive the RFO’s Report and Budget Monitoring

 132.1   A budget monitoring report had been circulated with the agenda papers. This was noted including the apparent high spend to date on Cemetery and other grounds maintenance. The Clerk explained that the unusual Spring weather had encouraged faster than normal grass and hedge growth necessitating more frequent cuts. He saw no reason at this stage to expect an overspend at the yearend.

132.2   As RFO, the Clerk was pleased to report that the bid to TVBC for £25k from the Community Assets Fund (CAF) towards the new community building/preschool had been successful. The outcomes of the HCC grant and the CIL applications were awaited and a submission was still being put together for a grant from the LoddenTest Fund.

Action: Clerk

132.4   The bid for a grant of £150 from the Borough Councillor’s community fund to help offset the costs of the Fun Day (net cost to the Council £100) and the bid for £150 towards the costs of mounting the very successful Open Gardens Day had both been successful but the bid to help fund the costs of the Steady and Strong exercise classes had not (see para 136.1 below) as no funds remained.

132.5   TVBC had confirmed the award from S106 funds held at TVBC of £5246 towards the cost of additional toddlers play equipment to be installed on the main recreation ground; the Clerk would now place the order.

Action: Clerk

  1. Payment of Accounts

 133.1   Proposed Cllr Curtis, Seconded Cllr A Townsend, RESOLVED unanimously that the following accounts for July 2018 be approved for payment:

 To                               For                                 Net          VAT       Gross    Chq/Internet

Mr P Storey                 Salary/expenses          801.58       5.20         806.78             Bacs

HMRC                         Tax/NIC                        454.63                          454.63             Bacs

KS Village Hall          IT hire                            32.00                             32.00             Bacs

Steve Welford             Juggling Jake              300.00                       300.00             Bacs

Mr M Rebbeck            Grounds maint          1443.00                      1443.00             Bacs

Totals                                                            3031.21       5.20       3036.41

 134.   To approve the purchase of an SSL certificate

 134.1   Cllr Whitehead sought agreement to purchase a secure socket layer certificate to enable a defined link between the Parish and community websites to continue. However, Cllr Webb thought self-certification would be sufficient and cheaper, which Cllr Whitehead upon investigation believed would work and additionally provide security for the on-line MUGA bookings.

134.2   Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Curtis, RESOLVED unanimously that self-certification be selected to maintain the link between the Parish and community websites.

Action: Cllr Whitehead

  1. To accept NatWest Bank’s terms and conditions

 135.1   To complete the transfer of Council bank accounts from TSB to NatWest, it was necessary to formally accept the NatWest Bank’s terms and conditions.

 135.2   Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Griffith, RESOLVED unanimously that the NatWest Bank’s terms and conditions be accepted.

 136.   To consider a grant in support of the Steady and Strong initiative

 136.1   Under the auspices of Mrs Jackson, an initiative had been set up with a qualified instructor to help the elderly improve their balance and thereby their ability to remain longer in their own homes; to date, this had been funded by a grant from B/Cllr Ward’s community fund. The grant paid for the hire of the Epworth Hall and mileage for the instructor. Numbers of elderly attending varied between 5 and 10 and each paid £5 per session which lasted one hour. However, with no further funds available until the new financial year, and the need for classes to continue because they were deemed successful, an alternative source of funding was being sought. The venue was changing to the Village Hall for which a charge of £8 per session would be made. Up to a further £200 would be necessary to meet the hire costs to the financial yearend with the small balance remaining in the account helping towards travel or other costs, as necessary.

136.2   Proposed Cllr Dack, Seconded Cllr Whitehead, RESOLVED unanimously that £200 be granted towards the costs of the Steady and Strong initiative with the Clerk raising a grant aid application for the record.

Action: Clerk

  1. To consider paying allowances to parish councillors

 137.1   As part of TVBC’s review of borough councillors’ allowances, an offer had been made, should any parish council wish to accept, of advising parish councils on the introduction of parish allowances; this topic was raised periodically by parishes nationally. The advice would cost £500 with a further fee for producing a report. Councillors agreed unanimously that the volunteer nature of the position should be preserved although the view was expressed that if it became particularly difficult to recruit the matter should be revisited.

137.2   Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Webb, RESOLVED unanimously that no further action be taken for the time being on the introduction of parish councillor allowances. The Clerk would advise TVBC accordingly.

Action: Clerk

  1. To note the new system for booking the MUGA tennis court

 138.1   The computerised booking system was now available via the Council website for booking one-hour slots on the MUGA tennis court. The code to the tennis store padlock would be released when booking the slot and this would be changed periodically. A revised notice was on the MUGA notice board explaining the new system and a note would be printed in The Gauntlet.

Action: Clerk

 139.  To note Winchester City Council’s preparation of a Local Plan to 2036

 139.1   Note was taken of Winchester City Council’s intention to produce a Local Plan to 2036 and their wish to hear from interested parties. At this time, it was not thought necessary to take any further action.

 140.   To determine a future use for the redundant horse trough on the John O’Gaunt field

 140.1   Previously used when the John O’Gaunt field was made available for cattle grazing, the horse trough was now redundant and ideas for its future use were being explored. No-one was quite certain of the origins of the trough but given it had been part of the Parish scene for many years, thought was given to its alternative use. The suggestion that it should be offered to the School for the children to manage as a plant depository was adopted and the Clerk would follow this through. If not the School, then the Scouts or the Horticultural Society would be asked.

Action: Clerk

 141.    Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) progress

 141.1     Cllr Brock reported that work continued on responses to the points raised at the public consultation. Work was already underway for an additional flood study following the NDP pre-submission consultation and a proportionate Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) as also advised was now being undertaken externally. The proportionate Strategic Environmental Assessment however could only be undertaken once the HRA was completed. It was intended to outsource these assessments. It was also intended that the professional completion of the Plan and modified associated policies reflecting the outcomes of the studies and the feedback from the NDP pre-submission consultation process would also be outsourced and the Plan reviewed by a local examiner on our behalf before formal submission to TVBC These additional works would cost and the Clerk would look to bid for funds from Locality who made grants of up to £9k towards NDP costs. However, in the event of an unsuccessful bid, it was thought prudent to agree that costs should fall to the Council given we were so near to completion.

141.2   Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Curtis, RESOLVED unanimously that should the bid to Locality for NDP funding to complete the NDP process be unsuccessful, all remaining costs, estimated to be up around £5000, should be met from Council reserves.

Action: Clerk

  1. Clerk’s monthly report

142.1   Councillors noted with sympathy the recent death from cancer of the Chief Executive Officer of HALC.

142.2   A Certificate of Lawful Use had been issued by TVBC enabling the installation of recreational facilities on Top Field which was currently leased to the Council.

142.3   Our application to have eight assets of community value re-registered had been approved by TVBC giving the Council the right of preferred bidder should any of these assets come to the market for sale. (Note: this right had already been exercised for the allotments).

142.4   The public seats and notice boards around the Parish were being repaired/repainted as necessary whilst the good weather lasted.

  1. Date, time and place of next meeting

143.1   The next meeting would be on Monday 3 September 2018 at 7.00pm in the Epworth Hall, Winchester Road, King’s Somborne.

There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.00pm