KING’S SOMBORNE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
held in the Epworth Hall commencing at 7.00pm on Monday 7 August 2017
Present: Cllr R Lane (Chairman)
Cllr A Brock
Cllr Curtis
Cllr R Harwood
Cllr K Hughes
Cllr R Sutton
Cllr A Townsend
Cllr S Whitehead
In Attendance: Mr P J Storey (Clerk to King’s Somborne Parish Council)
Public Session
B/Cllr Ward, Mr Dyke (Open Spaces Warden), Mr Gould (Footpath Warden) and one member of the public were present.
B/Cllr Ward drew attention to an application from Gladman Developments to develop in North Baddesley and also to the establishment of a fulltime warden for Fishlake Meadows. The warden and the plans to develop the Meadows would transform the attractiveness of this wildlife area for the future. TVBC had also been awarded three more Green Flag awards under the national scheme for identifying excellent management of green spaces.
Mr Dyke recommended an alternative method be found to secure the swings in Up Somborne to the cross member to prevent the current bolts from working loose. The Clerk would investigate.
Action: Clerk
Mr Gould, the Footpath Warden, highlighted the number of walkers joining the monthly walks and those areas of footpaths requiring attention. The Clerk noted those falling within the Parish with a view to adding them to the Lengthsman’s work schedule. Mr Gould would also advertise the monthly walk programme on the Parish website to attract more walkers; in addition to the advert in The Gauntlet.
Action: Clerk/Mr Gould
122. Apologies for Absence
122.1 Cllr Griffith.
123. Chairman’s announcements and Councillors’ questions
123.1 None.
124. To accept the Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 3 July 2017
124.1 Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Sutton, RESOLVED with Cllr Curtis abstaining (not present) that the minutes of the meeting held on 3 July 2017 be accepted as a true record.
125. To consider any Matters Arising from those Minutes
125.1 Para 110.1 Cllr Whitehead had obtained details from two website providers which would be tabled at a future meeting.
Action: Cllr Whitehead
125.2 Para 115.2 The Clerk would review the biographical information on the website for all councillors.
Action: Clerk
125.3 Para 115.5 The wording of the recently approved Traffic Order relating to the roads around Up Somborne was flawed and being reconsidered by Test Valley Legal. Cllr Brock would continue to monitor
Action: Cllr Brock
125.4 Para 115.7 The bid to B/Cllr Ward for a contribution towards the cost of a higher specification CCTV system on the recreation ground had been put on hold pending more detailed consideration of the overall requirement.
126. Declarations of Interest and Requests for Dispensations
126.1 None declared or sought.
127. Co-option
127.1 Mr Richard Webb had put himself forward for co-option to fill the remaining vacancy on the Council and a short biographical note had been circulated before the meeting.
127.2 Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Hughes, RESOLVED unanimously that Mr Richard Webb be co-opted onto the Parish Council.
128. To consider Correspondence Received and determine any action required
128.1 None.
129. To receive minutes of the Planning Committee meetings held on 3 July 2017
129.1 The minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 3 July 2017 had been circulated with the agenda.
129.2 Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Sutton, RESOLVED unanimously that the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 3 July 2017 be received and accepted.
130. Councillors’ Reports
130.1 Cllr Brock reported on the Neighbourhood Development Plan public consultation held in the Village Hall on 27 July 2017 at which those present had given their support to the direction the planning was taking in terms of the key principles and potential sites for future development. Liaison with landowners would now take place. A full set of meeting notes was on the Parish Council website and an abridged version would be published in the next issue of The Gauntlet. Cllr Brock was congratulated on his presentation and the detail it contained.
130.2 Cllr Brock and the Clerk had visited the Scouts to introduce themselves as representatives of the Parish Council who now owned the land occupied by the Scouts and to confirm that the terms of the Scouts’ current lease had been transferred from Fields in Trust to the Council. On legal advice, it was deemed unnecessary to redraw the lease until its due renewal date in 2025.
130.3 Cllr Brock and the Clerk had also met with the solicitors holding the Parish Council’s legal documents with a view to instructing them to register land which the Council owned but for which title was not registered at the Land Registry.
130.4 Cllr Hughes proposed that a community asset list be prepared identifying who held assets which might be made available to other user organisations in the community. This idea was supported and it was agreed that the Council’s PA system and projector could be made available subject to insurance cover and user capability.
Action: Cllr Hughes/Clerk
130.5 Thanks were expressed to Cllr Hughes for her organisation of the recent Fun Day on the recreation ground which despite the appalling weather had been very successful.
130.6 Cllr Curtis had attended the Scouts’ AGM and all noted the efforts being made by the movement to attract more young members and, in particular, a new treasurer. The Parish Council was welcomed as the new landlord and a badge award ceremony took place during the meeting.
130.7 Cllr Harwood reported on the Planning Committee meeting which had preceded the full Council meeting at which nine applications had been considered and all supported. There was a need to co-opt another member to the Planning Committee to avoid meetings not being quorate due to members’ absence.
130.8 Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Brock, RESOLVED unanimously that Cllr Webb to co-opted on to the Planning Committee.
130.9 Finally, Cllr Harwood expressed his concern that someone had stolen the new rope placed around the cricket square for the second time and that he would report this theft to the Police on 101.
130.10 Cllr Sutton reported that the local communities had met the target required by Virgin Media to enable them to install superfast broadband in the area. The company was anticipating starting its installation towards the yearend.
131. To receive the RFO’s Report and Budget Monitoring
131.1 The Clerk was relieved to report that the external auditors had completed their annual audit of the Council’s finances and associated records and had signed them off without comment. A copy of the statutory notice advertising the public’s right to inspect was on public display.
131.2 A budget monitoring report had been circulated with the agenda papers. This was noted.
132. Payment of Accounts
132.1 Proposed Cllr Curtis, Seconded Cllr Brock, RESOLVED unanimously that the following accounts for July 2017 be approved for payment:
To For Net VAT Gross Chq/Internet
Mr P Storey Salary/expenses 891.89 15.63 907.52 Int HMRC Tax/NIC 429.66 429.66 Int
Legal & General Staff pension 58.39 58.39 DD
Crown Inn NDP refreshments 473.00 473.00 Int
Bruno Construction Wall repairs 405.00 81.00 486.00 Int
Barker & Geary New seat 167.22 33.44 200.66 Int
Circus Allstars Fun Day 275.00 275.00 1818
Stockbridge Marquees Fun day 200.00 200.00 Int
KSVH Hall hire 32.00 32.00 Int
BDO External audit fee 300.00 60.00 360.00 Int
Mr M Rebbeck Grounds maint 1085.50 1085.50 Int
Totals 4038.84 174.44 4213.28
133. To adopt the need for an annual review of the Neighbourhood Development Plan
133.1 Current policy dictated a regular review of Neighbourhood Development Plans and the NDP Steering Group had recommended that this review be undertaken by the Parish Council on an annual basis to determine if an update should be produced.
133.2 Proposed Cllr Hughes, Seconded Cllr Townsend, RESOLVED unanimously that the Neighbourhood Development Plan, when adopted, be reviewed on an annual basis to determine if any updating was appropriate.
134. To consider a response to the Police and Crime Panel’s scrutiny of traffic related crime.
134.1 The Hampshire Police and Crime Panel were seeking public comments on the effectiveness of the Police and Crime Commissioner in reacting to traffic related crime and nuisance. The Clerk would respond mentioning the effectiveness of our Community Speedwatch volunteers.
Action: Clerk
135. To consider a response to HCC’s ‘Balancing the Budget’ consultation
135.1 The County Council anticipated a budget shortfall of £140m by April 2019 and was seeking residents’ views on a range of options for balancing its budget with any proposals being subject to more detailed public engagement. A detailed information pack was on the HCC website. Cllr Curtis raised his concern at the management of the new roads maintenance contract and queried the need for spending millions on contactless payment. He expressed his hope that C/Cllr Gibson would be at the next Council meeting to respond to these issues. However, it was thought more appropriate to await the further public engagement on this matter before any response was made.
136. To consider a response to TVBC’s Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report
136.1 TVBC had a statutory responsibility to appraise the sustainability of certain planning policy documents and would soon be publishing its draft Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report for consultation. More information was available on the TVBC website but no further action was thought necessary at this time.
137. Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) progress
137.1 Cllr Brock reported that Steering Group members continued with drafting and editing the NDP.
138. Clerk’s monthly report
138.1 The Clerk had replaced the seat in memory of Mike Woodcock located at the junction of Furzedown Road and the road to Hoplands which had been demolished by persons/vehicle unknown.
138.2 The Sombornes Society, in the person of Mr Pearson with some help from the Clerk, had renewed the photos on the information board attached to The Crown Inn for the public benefit.
139. Date, time and place of next meeting
139.1 The next meeting would be held on Monday 4 September 2017 at 7.00pm in the Epworth Hall, Winchester Road, King’s Somborne.
There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 8.25pm