Parish Council
Parish Council minutes May 2012
KING’S SOMBORNE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council Annual General Meeting
held in the Village Hall
commencing at 7.00pm on Monday 14 May 2012
Present: Cllr J Werrett (Chairman) Cllr A Brock Cllr R Curtis Cllr F Fahy Cllr D Harrison Cllr R Harwood Cllr G Herbert Cllr G Pearson Cllr A Reynolds
In Attendance: Mr P J Storey (Clerk to King’s Somborne Parish Council)
Public Session Borough Cllr Ward, PC Beecroft and 7 members of the public were present for part of the meeting. Mr Mercer raised the issue of signage for the bottle banks and questioned the need for an adjacent hard surface. He also pointed out that people were still leaving their bottles at the old site and commented that the clothing banks presented an ugly sight to users of the recreation ground. Cllr Ward responded that scalpings were the preferred surface covering around the bottle bank enclave and that suitable signs would be installed. The matter of the location of the non-bottle banks was a later agenda item. PC Beecroft explained the reorganisation of policing areas and that he was now part of the Northern Division centred on Basingstoke. This reorganisation would affect the reported crime statistics. However, in our local area, crime was down 17% year on year and more crime was being detected. He emphasised that we remained a low crime area and that using modern technology the public could now access live crime data on www.crimereports.co.uk with more information being available on Facebook and Twitter. Cllr Herbert questioned the frequency of speed checks in the Parish and it was confirmed that the plan was to undertake them twice monthly, if resources were available.
Dr Mackintosh, as Chairman of the Village Hall management committee, introduced supporting information to the bid by the Village Hall for capital grant funding. Borough Cllr Ward introduced the concept of a village design statement within a broader based documentincorporating a register of our key community assets and local green spaces with an action plan to improve our local facilities and wellbeing. He had volunteered to lead and would be inviting residents to a public consultation meeting to be held in the Village Hall at 10.00am on Saturday 30 June 2012 to take the concept forward.
Mr Lane pointed out the effect long verge grass was having on drivers’ sight lines when using the Strawberry Lane junction with Winchester Road and asked if remedial action could be taken.
(Clerk’s note – coincidentally the grass was cut the next day).
70. Apologies for absence.
70.1 County Cllr Gibson
71. Election of Chairman
71.1 Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Herbert, RESOLVED unanimously that Cllr Werrett be elected as Chairman of King’s Somborne Parish Council. 7
2. Election of Vice-Chairman
72.1 Proposed Cllr Werrett, Seconded Cllr Curtis, RESOLVED unanimously that Cllr Harwood be elected as Vice-Chairman of Kling’s Somborne Parish Council.
73. Election of Chairman of the Planning Committee
73.1 Proposed Cllr Pearson, Seconded Cllr Brock, RESOLVED unanimously that Cllr Harwood be elected as Chairman of the Planning Committee.
74. Appointments
74.1 Planning Committee Chairman – Cllr Harwood
Members – Cllrs Curtis, Fahy, Harrison and Herbert
Communications Strategy Group
Chairman – Cllr Brock Members – Cllrs Harrison, Herbert, Reynolds and others as required
Lead Councillor
a. Village Hall Management Committee Cllr Fahy
b. Council for the Protection of Rural England Cllr Fahy c. Neighbourhood Watch Cllr Brock d. Flood Watch Cllr Werrett e. Schools and Scouts liaison Cllr Curtis f. Test Valley Assn of Local Councils Cllr Werrett g. Farming community liaison Cllr Brock h. Sports facilities Cllrs Harwood and Fahy
i. Young people Cllr Curtis j. Transport matters Cllr Herbert (pro tem) k. Up Somborne liaison Cllr Brock (pro tem) l. Biodiversity Cllr Reynolds
m. Highways and road safety Cllr Fahy n. Horsebridge liaison Cllr Harrison
Volunteers
o. Footpath Wardens Mrs Alison Seymour and Mr David Hayden
p. Tree Warden Mr Colin Matthews q. Open Space Wardens Mr Richard Dyke Mr Ron Bevan Mr Roy Pidgeon
Clerk Mr Peter Storey
Cemetery interments, records and maintenance
Play equipment
Parish notice boards
75. Chairman’s announcements and Councillors’ questions
75.1 The Chairman extended a warm welcome to Cllr Alistair Reynolds who was attending his first meeting and welcomed everyone to the 2012 AGM.
76. To approve the Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 2 April 2012
76.1 Proposed Cllr Brock, Seconded Cllr Harwood RESOLVED unanimously that the minutes of the meeting held on 2 April 2012 be accepted as a true record.
77. To consider any Matters Arising from those Minutes
77.1 Para 54.1 Forest Extra. TVBC enforcement officers had confirmed they were actively considering their next step following the refusal by the Borough Council to issue a Certificate of Lawful Use for the Forest Extra complex.
77.2 Para 54.3 Road markings. Cllr Fahy conceded that further action was unlikely given the stance taken by Hampshire Highways to his request for additional road markings in the area of Eldon Road junctions and it was agreed the matter should be referred to the county councillor.
Action: Clerk
77.3 Para 63.1 Flower and Embroidery Festival. Details had now been received on the forthcoming Flower and Embroidery Festival in the Church and Cllr Brock, as Chairman of the Communications Working Group, would liaise with Penny Ward over the Parish Council’s involvement and slide show.
Action: Cllr Brock
78. Declarations of Interest
78.1 Cllrs Fahy and Harwood declared their interest in the grant application from the Cricket Club and Cllr Fahy his interest in the application from the Village Hall.
79. To consider Correspondence Received and determine any action required
79.1 Correspondence had been received from Romsey Town Council, Test Valley Borough Council and Unison on the proposed closure of the Borough offices in Romsey. No further action was thought necessary at this time.
80. To note the Planning Committee minutes as tabled
80.1 Minutes of the meeting held on 16 April 2012 had been circulated with the agenda papers.
80.2 Proposed Cllr Pearson, Seconded Cllr Brock, RESOLVED unanimously that the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 16 April 2012 be noted.
81. To receive Councillors’ reports, as appropriate, on actions taken and other matters
81.1 Cllr Pearson commented on the detritus on the local pavements and the Clerk would follow up with the recently appointed Lengthsman.
Action: Clerk
81.2 Cllr Brock, on behalf of Neighbourhood Watch, commented on the increasing trend in oil and garden outbuildings thefts and his Group’s disappointment at the abolition of police reports from which trends could be identified and further action determined. He thought it appropriate for the usefulness of these reports to be highlighted to the Police and would draft appropriate comments for the Clerk to submit.
Action: Cllr Brock
81.3 Cllr Harrison reported there was a meeting being held to determine ways of minimising noise levels from entertainment provided at Horsebridge Station to the benefit of neighbours.
81.4 Cllr Fahy reported the success of the first table tennis Sunday in the Village Hall when eleven players had turned up and the following Sunday when two further players had joined in. Following the unsatisfactory remedial action taken to prevent static water on the A39057 road surface from splashing adjacent windows and doors of Kingsdown Cottages opposite Barker and Geary Ltd, he would follow up with Hampshire Highways in an attempt to procure a more efficient repair.
Action: Cllr Fahy
81.5 Cllr Herbert congratulated the Communications Working Group on the very informative feedback paper produced on the Annual Assembly.
82. To receive the RFO’s Report and Budget Monitoring
82.1 A budget monitoring report showing income and expenditure to date had been circulated with the agenda and was noted. The current bank balance stood at £47,906.23. Cllr Brock sought confirmation of the basis for valuing fixed assets and the Clerk confirmed valuation was based upon replacement cost.
83. To adopt the Financial Accounts and approval of the Statement of Assurance for the year ended 31 March 2012
83.1 The Balanced Sheet for the year ended 31 March 2012 had been circulated with the agenda papers. The Clerk explained the format of the Annual Return which was to be submitted to the Audit Commission drawing particular attention to the requirements in the Statement of Assurance. He confirmed the internal auditor was satisfied with the accounting records and policies in place.
83.2 Proposed Cllr Brock, Seconded Cllr Harwood, RESOLVED unanimously that the Balance Sheet and Annual Return for the year ended 31 March 2012 be approved and that the Chairman and Clerk be authorised to sign accordingly.
84. To re-appoint the Internal Auditor
84.1 Proposed Cllr Werrett, Seconded Cllr Harwood, RESOLVED unanimously that Mr P Reynolds be re-appointed as the Internal Auditor for 2012 – 13.
85. To determine Grant Aid applications from King’s Somborne Village Hall and the Cricket Club
85.1 King’s Somborne Village Hall management committee had applied for £1,748 to attract related funding from TVBC and HCC to enable further improvements to the Hall entrance and vestibule.
85.2 Proposed Cllr Werrett, Seconded Cllr Harrison, RESOLVED with Cllr Fahy abstaining that £1,748 be granted to the Village Hall to enable further improvements to be completed.
85.3 The Cricket Club was seeking funds to repair the run ups to the practice nets by laying a concrete slab.
85.4 Proposed Cllr Brock, Seconded Cllr Herbert, RESOLVED with Cllrs Fahy and Harwood abstaining that £400 be granted to the Cricket Club provided no objection was raised by Fields in Trust.
(Clerk’s note. Fields in Trust subsequently confirmed no objection provided the Parish Council was in support)
86. Payment of Accounts
86.1 Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Brock, RESOLVED unanimously that the following accounts for April be approved for payment:
To For Net VAT Gross Chq/Internet Mr P Storey Salary/expenses 1130.26 46.65 1176.91 BACs BPC Shared costs 53.49 53.49 BACs
Mr M Rebbeck Grounds maint 689.00 689.00 1772
Mr P Reynolds Internal audit 215.00 215.00 1773
Sarsen Press Newsletter 65.00 65.00 BACs
TVBC Dog bins 261.04 52.21 313.25 BACs
Mr J Griggs Fence repairs 120.00 120.00 1774
KSVH Hire charge 8.00 8.00 1775
M J Ellis Sign post 45.00 9.00 54.00 1776 Totals 2586.79 107.86 2694.65
87. To determine the proposal for additional sport and leisure activities in King’s Somborne
87.1 Cllr Curtis had circulated costings for the provision of a multi-use games area (MUGA) before the meeting. Since the three quotations circulated were based upon slightly different proposals, he agreed to obtain three quotes against a single specification and table further proposals at the June meeting.
Action: Cllr Curtis
88. To review the Annual Assembly outcomes and action as necessary
88.1 All agreed it had been a successful Annual Assembly but the points raised in the public session required further debate.
88.2 Relocation of non-bottle banks. Possible options were (1) leave where they are (2) have them all removed (3) relocate further along rear fencing of properties (4) relocate to behind BT hut (5) relocate to grassed area to right of Scout Hut entrance (6) further extend the fenced enclave to accommodate all or some. It was agreed the waste paper bin and the alufoil bin could go into the bottle bank enclave although further expansion of this area was thought to be too expensive. Cllrs noted the 50% increase in value of paper collected in the Alresford bank as compared to paper collected through the domestic brown lid bins because this was not soiled by other recyclables.
88.3. Proposed Cllr Harwood, Seconded Cllr Herbert, RESOLVED with Cllrs Brock and Curtis abstaining, that Standing Orders, which precluded further debate on a topic previously determined within the previous six months, be set aside to enable debate and a decision on the matter.
88.4 Cllr Reynolds commented on how well used all the recycling facilities were and their easy accessibility and all agreed every effort should be made to retain them. The various pros and cons of the options were then considered.
88.5 Proposed Cllr Curtis, Seconded Cllr Brock, RESOLVED with Cllrs Harrison and Pearson against and Cllr Harwood abstaining that the two clothing banks be relocated to the rear of Mr Knight’s garage to the right of their current location.
88.6 Winchester Road safety. A suggestion had been made that every effort should be made to encourage walkers to use Old Vicarage Lane instead of walking along Winchester Road around the bend to reduce the risk of traffic accidents. Whilst supporting the concept in principle, there were no firm proposals tabled as to how this could be achieved.
88.7 Proposed Cllr Werrett, Seconded Cllr Herbert, RESOLVED unanimously that no further action be taken on the proposal to encourage walkers to use Old Vicarage Lane for their personal safety.
88.8 Village Hall slip road lighting. Mr Reeve, the adjacent property owner, would be requested to cut back his overgrown hedge and the idea of solar powered piller lights was suggested.
88.9 Proposed Cllr Fahy, Seconded Cllr Reynolds, RESOLVED unanimously that the costs of providing solar powered piller lights for the Village Hall slip road be investigated.
Action: Clerk
88.10 Parish street lights. A wish was expressed that when street lights were replaced in the conservation area, and elsewhere if appropriate, the new ones be in keeping with such an area.
88.11 Proposed Cllr Werrett, Seconded Cllr Brock, RESOLVED unanimously that every effort be made when street lights were replaced in the conservation and other areas to have new lights in keeping with those areas.
88.12 C/Cllr Gibson had indicated there were funds available for community transport. It was agreed Cllr Herbert should liaise with local communities operating a form of community transport and report to the next meeting.
Action: Cllr Herbert
89. Jubilee Strategy progress report
89.1 Our work on Workstream 3, the TV Core Strategy, was complete and the next round of consultation was awaited.
89.2 Proposed Cllr Werrett, Seconded Cllr Brock, RESOLVED with Cllr Pearson abstaining that Borough Cllr Ward’s offer to lead on producing a visionary document for the community incorporating a village design statement (Workstream 4) be accepted since such an initiative would be of considerable benefit to us locally.
89.3 Cllr Harrison confirmed she was starting work on Workstream 5, the planning process.
90. To consider the continuing use of the HCC website
90.1 Discussion on this was deferred to the next meeting.
91. To receive the Clerk’s monthly report
91.1 The application to Awards for All for funds to upgrade the Up Somborne play equipment had been conditionally agreed and, subject to the Chairman signing the offer document, would be paid to enable to work to proceed.
91.2 The Clerk confirmed that the new storage facility in the Village Hall for Parish records was now complete but he was having to purchase a new filing cabinet to file the statutory and other documents held in hard copy.
91.3 The formal agreement with Stockbridge Council had been signed by both parties enabling the newly recruited Lengthsman to start work on 25 May 2012. As schedule of suitable work of benefit to the community had been agreed and would be overseen by the Clerk.
92. Date, time and place of next meeting
92.1 The next meeting will on Monday 11 June 2012 at 7.00pm in the Epworth Hall, Winchester Road, King’s Somborne.
Action: All
At this point, Cllr Pearson resigned from the Parish Council and was thanked and wished well for the future by the Chairman on behalf of all Councillors. There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.50pm