BELMONT RURAL PARISH COUNCIL
Annual
Parish Meeting
Chairman's report
,
Minutes
Monday May 14 2007
Belmont Community Centre
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BELMONT RURAL PARISH COUNCIL Annual
Parish Meeting
Monday May 14 2007 |
| I am pleased to have the opportunity to report on your Parish Council’s activities during the past year. In the time available it is only possible to include some of the significant items at this meeting. The Parish Council is keen to encourage the work of groups providing facilities for the community. Funds have been supplied to the South Wye Community Association (who run the Belmont Community Centre) to continue refurbishing the centre building. There has also been considerable progress in developing Northolme Community Centre. The Northolme Community Centre Assocation have been successful in obtaining funds from external sources and are on target to open the centre with a community fete in August. The Parish Council has provided several sums of cash for this work, and it is hoped that support for both centres will continue during the coming year. There has been an increase in anti-social behaviour in the parish, partly because both Community Support Officers have been on sick leave for some time. Another reason is the reorganisation of police resources. The Parish Council has worked with both West Mercia police and Herefordshire Council to try and resolve this problem. One reason for the problem may be the lack of facilities for young people. The Parish Council has worked directly with youngsters and with Herefordshire Council in a project to establish a BMX track, as well as updating existing play areas and the possible provision of others. Herefordshire Council’s recent adoption of Abbey View Park (the former landfill) and the triangle of land behind Dorchester Way should enable such plans to proceed more quickly. The Parish Council continues to be involved in environmental matters, from tree care to litter prevention. Larger bins have been provided in some sites, new bins in others. The Parish Council’s concerns about litter generated via Tesco have been made clear to Herefordshire Council. Planning matters are of considerable importance. Planning applications ranging from new conservatories to the enlargement of the Tesco car wash were studied by councillors and a consensus sent to Hfd Planning Department. The Parish Council co-operated with the Northolme Community Centre Association in holding a successful fete in June to provide a fun day for residents and to publicise, and raise funds for, the Northolme Centre. The costs of printing and distributing the quarterly newsletters, summarising Parish Council activities, are met by the council. There is evidence that the parish website, now over a year old, is finally attracting residents’ attention. Both the newsletters and the website are designed and maintained without cost to the council by Roderick Robinson and I would like to thank him formally for this work. With the emergence of a new Parish Council, the following now become former councillors: Beryl Brown, Joyce Clare, Brian Hubbard, Ian Robinson and Veronica Robinson. All were active in council affairs and the council thanks them for their efforts. The new council has our best wishes for the future. Veronica
Robinson
Belmont Rural Parish Council minutes Present: Mrs. V.
Robinson (Chairman – agenda items 1 & 2 only) Apologies: Mr. D. Cook In attendance: Mrs.
E. Kelso Clerk 51/07 Declarations of Acceptance of Office The Clerk confirmed that those present who had been elected as Parish Councillors at the elections held on 3rd May had signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office and were therefore eligible to take part in the meeting. 52/07 Election of Chairman It was unanimously resolved that Councillor Phil Edwards be elected Chairman of the Parish Council for the forthcoming year. Councillor Edwards signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office and took his seat as Chairman. The new Chairman then thanked Veronica Robinson for her work as Chairman of the Parish Council for the last year. 53/07 Election of Vice Chairman Having confirmed that Councillor David Cook who was absent from this meeting on holiday had indicated his willingness to act, it was unanimously resolved that Councillor David Cook be elected Vice Chairman of the Parish Council for the forthcoming year. 54/07 Adjournment for Annual Parish Meeting The Chairman adjourned the meeting so that the Annual Parish Meeting for 2007 could take place. 55/07 Co-option of New Parish Councillors Upon resumption of the Parish Council meeting, it was unanimously resolved that Mr. John Newman be co-opted to the Parish Council to hold office until the next election or until his resignation, whichever comes soonest. Councillor Newman signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office and took his seat on the Parish Council. The Chairman welcomed Councillor Newman to the Parish Council. The Clerk reported that there remains three vacancies on the Parish Council which, if they remain vacant after the next meeting, may require a formal statutory notice period before any further co-option. In the meantime the Clerk was instructed to put notices on notice boards inviting volunteers for co-option at the next meeting. 56/07 Election of Officers It was resolved that the following officers/representatives be elected: · Footpaths
Officer – Councillor Phil Edwards
The Minutes of the meeting held on 16th April had been previously circulated. It was agreed that the Chairman be authorised to sign these Minutes as a true record of proceedings at that meeting.
(a) Painting of lampposts and tree thinning on roundabout Nothing further to report. (b) Litter bins Herefordshire Jarvis Services has been asked to complete installation of the litter bin at the end of Hartland Close and installation of the new bin by the notice board in Abbotsmead Road. (c) Parking on Grass Verge Work is continuing with Herefordshire Council officers to identify those drivers who park on the grass verge. Some repair work has been carried out but of a poor quality and in at least one case a vehicle has parked over the newly seeded area (Dorchester Way). (d) Fly Tipping – Sydwall Road Shortly after the last meeting the items believed dumped in Sydwall Road were removed so there has been no further action on this point. (e) Kerb Weedspray Former Chairman Veronica Robinson reported that she had witnessed a kerb weedspray being carried out by Herefordshire Council shortly after the last meeting. Clerk has asked Highways Department if it is intended that a sweep and/or spray is intended in those areas where walls adjoin pavements.
Other than routine items of correspondence, or items addressed elsewhere on the agenda, the following item of correspondence has been received since the last meeting: · Letter from South Wye Community Association expressing concern at the use of the Belmont Centre’s car park by the Parish Freighter. SWCA feel that the vehicles used are damaging the kerbs of the car park and has found that some people are leaving their items in the car park before the freighter vehicles arrive with the result that the site has to be cleared. They have requested that the Parish Council considers making a contribution towards the cost of repairing the car park and that a site supervisor be provided on the days when the freighter is due. Members noted that the damage appears to be at the entrance to the shared car park and the Clerk was instructed to seek advice from Herefordshire Council on the ownership of this land with a view to requesting that the kerbs be repaired by Herefordshire Council as part of their routine Highways maintenance work on the basis that identifying the vehicle(s) responsible for the damage to this well-used car park would be difficult. On the issue of fly tipping, the Clerk was instructed to re-issue the notice for this service stressing that items cannot be left on site before the arrival of the freighter and anyone doing so may be committing an offence which could lead to prosecution.
(a) Payments Authority was given to make the following payments: Northolme Community
Centre Association Allianz Cornhill HALC MA Edwards South Wye Community
Association E A Kelso Inland Revenue Cash (b) Receipts As noted at the last meeting, £12,500, being the first instalment of the annual precept for 2007-8 was received on 17th April. (c) Balances Current account:
£500.00 (a) Applications received since last meeting As District Councillors, Councillor Phil Edwards and Councillor Glenda Powell declared a personal interest in all matters relating to planning applications and noted that comments expressed are preliminary views taking account of information currently available to BRPC whilst reserving final views for decision taking by District Council Planning Committee where all relevant and final facts can be available prior to making a decision. Two planning applications have been received since the last meeting and were discussed in details as follows: Ref: DCCW2007/1238/F Ref: DCCW2007/1229/F (b) Observations passed to Herefordshire Council since last meeting None (c) Notification of planning decisions received since last meeting None.
The Clerk explained that the Parish Council is now required to conduct an annual review of its Internal Audit Procedures and a summary of these requirements had been included in Members Agenda pack. She explained the current internal audit procedures and suggested that a working party be formed to conduct an annual review into the Council’s internal audit procedures and report back to the next meeting. After some discussion, Members felt they were not qualified to undertake such a review and instructed the Clerk to seek further guidance from the Herefordshire Association of Local Councils, noting that this would require a “qualifying statement” on this year’s Annual Return.
Draft accounts for the year to 31st March 2007 had been previously circulated to Members, who raised no questions. It was resolved that the accounts for the year to 31st March 2007 as presented to the meeting be accepted and that the Chairman and Clerk be authorised to sign the accounts on behalf of the Parish Council.
As the internal audit review and internal audit of the accounts for the year to 31st March 2007 had not yet taken place, this item was deferred to the next Parish Council meeting.
Members were pleased to note that Herefordshire Council has now formally acquired those areas of land known as Landfill A and Landfill B plus land north of Dorchester Way, enabling plans for upgrading play equipment at Northolme and the potential provision of a BMX cycle track to be considered. Mrs. Fran White had partially completed an expression of interest form for a Lottery Grant for £200,000 which is the first stage of a full application. After some discussion it was agreed that the expression of interest would be submitted by the Parish Council for the sum of £200,000 for various play and leisure facilities within the vicinity of the Northolme Centre, the detail of which would be agreed at a later date. Members noted that if the grant is awarded, Herefordshire Council would co-ordinate the work but that there would be an increased audit fee as a result of the funds being received in Parish Council accounts.
The Clerk explained that a new Code of Conduct has been issued by the Standards Board following consultation last year and must be formally adopted by Parish Councils no later than 1st October this year at which date it will be automatically applied to Parish Councils. The new Code now relates to all tiers of local authority rather than being specific to Parish Councils and in particular there is an optional clause 12(2) which the Parish Council may wish to opt into. Paragraph 12(2) permits a member who might otherwise be disbarred from speaking on any proposal for which he would be considered to have a prejudicial interest (e.g. a planning application adjacent to the Members property), to speak on the item in the same manner as a member of the public would be permitted to speak before leaving the room in accordance with the Code of Conduct. However, adopting 12(2) does not automatically confer this right if the Parish Council’s standing orders do not permit members of the public to speak on such matters in general. The Clerk reported that this Parish Council’s Standing Orders are silent on the question of members of the public speaking during the course of a meeting. It was agreed that this agenda item be deferred to the next meeting to enable the Clerk to investigate whether the Standing Orders require amendment.
Members noted that it has now been some time since the Parish Plan was put together. There have been updates provided to electors over the past two years to advise on progress against the plan but no review of the plan to consider whether the action points suggested are still relevant. Furthermore, those originally responsible for putting together the plan have now moved on from the Parish Council. Councillor Edwards expressed some concern that a new Parish Plan would not now be able to be adopted by Planners as Planning guidance and he therefore recommended that a review of the existing plan take place rather than the development of a new plan, although it was also noted that an up to date plan was required if funding opportunities are to be taken advantage of in future. Finally it was resolved that a Parish Plan review be conducted, using the Open Day for the Northolme Centre as an opportunity to seek public opinion on the plan. Members noted that a two day Parish Plan Training Course is to be held in June by The Herefordshire Partnership but unfortunately no member was able to attend this event in full.
The Clerk reported that a new bank mandate is now required following the Parish Council elections and presented a mandate in the bank’s normal form, a copy of which is attached to these Minutes. It was resolved that the mandate as presented to the meeting be formally adopted and that the existing requirement for two members or one member and the Clerk to be authorised to sign cheques or payment requests be maintained in accordance with Financial Regulations. Members also noted that new signatories on the accounts would need to present themselves to the Royal Bank of Scotland with proof of identity before the new Mandate could take effect.
Members were delighted to learn that Roderick Robinson, who has produced and maintained the Belmont Rural website and prepared and published the quarterly newsletter, had volunteered to continue to do so in the future. It was agreed that the Clerk and Chairman be authorised to work with Mr. Robinson with regard to the production of the newsletter advising residents of the work of the Parish Council.
The following dates for meetings in the forthcoming year were agreed: Monday 25th June All meetings will take place at Belmont Community Centre commencing at 7pm unless otherwise agreed.
(a) Members noted that three litter bin tops have gone missing: from Whitefriars Road, Flaxley Drive and Yarlington Mill although it was noted that the Yarlington Mill litter bin is now in a garden. The Chairman agreed to retrieve the litter bin from Yarlington Mill and to refit it, and the two replacement bin tops for those missing. (b) It was noted that District Councillors have received notification of an application for a temporary licence for the Belmont Abbey summer fete on 16th June. (c) Members noted that a number of residents have received letters from the Environment Agency suggesting that their homes are at risk from flooding. Councillor Loft has contacted the Environment Agency pointing out that the Parish is some considerable height above the river level and that some people have been unnecessarily worried by these letters.
The next meeting will be held on Monday 25th June 2007 at Belmont Community Centre, Eastholme Avenue, Belmont, commencing at 7pm.
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