Parish Council meeting
June 12, 2006
Belmont Community Centre
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BELMONT
RURAL PARISH COUNCIL INFO Parish Council meeting June 12, 2006 Belmont Community Centre |
Jun06 |
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Mrs. V. Robinson (Chair) Apologies: Mrs. V. Gummer In attendance: Mrs. E. Kelso (Clerk)
There were no declarations of interest. 52/06 Minutes of the previous meetings (a) Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held 2nd May 2006 The Minutes of the meeting held on 2nd May had been previously circulated. It was unanimously agreed that the Chairman be authorised to sign the Minutes as a true record of proceedings at that meeting. (b) Minutes of the Annual Parish Council meeting held on 2nd May 2006 The Minutes of the meeting held on 2nd May had been previously circulated. It was unanimously agreed that the Chairman be authorised to sign the Minutes as a true record of proceedings at that meeting. 53/06 Matters arising (a) Heartstart Training With less interest being shown in this event than anticipated, the date for this training has been re-arranged for Saturday 23rd September so that the course can be promoted at the Summer Event. A copy of the poster designed to promote this event was handed to Members. (b) Litter Pick Equipment Litter pick equipment and gloves were handed to those who had expressed an interest in collecting litter on a voluntary basis. A copy of the risk assessment carried out by Councillor Ian Robinson was given to all Members and those who have expressed an interest in litter picking were asked to ensure they had read the risk assessment. (c) Kerb repairs These repairs have now been completed. (d) Vehicles parking on grass verge Clerk reported that she has had several conversations/e-mails with Herefordshire Council officers, who were already aware of the issues in Dorchester Way. It was noted that there was some doubt as to whether the existing bye laws covering the Hereford City area would apply within the Parish. Herefordshire Council’s Highways Department has written to the owners of numbers 1 – 9 Dorchester Way to highlight the problems of parking on the verge, and it was agreed to wait to see the results of this letter before taking any further action. In the meantime, the Clerk was instructed to write to Herefordshire Council to request that the damaged areas be repaired and to suggest that those responsible for causing the damage by parking their cars on the verges, be charged for the cost of repair. (e) Landfill The Clerk has requested an update on the current situation regarding the landfill and its proposed acquisition but has yet to receive a reply. (f) Additional shrub planting Clerk has yet to receive a reply from the various bodies (Highways Agency, Herefordshire Council, Police) regarding the proposal to plant additional shrubs on the junction between Northolme Road and the A465. (g) Grass cutting As instructed, Clerk has written to Herefordshire Council’s Parks and Countryside Department to express the Parish Council’s dissatisfaction with the standard and frequency of grass cutting. A reply has been received from Tony Featherstone which was read at the meeting. Although Members expressed dissatisfaction with the response, it was agreed to reconsider the situation when the next grass cut takes place. (h) Remedial work – Barratt/Westbury Development Some work has been completed adjacent to the roundabout at the end of Abbotsmead Road. The Keep Left bollard appears now to be bolted to the ground. (i) Sydwall Road Litter bin The Clerk reported that although she had originally suggested to Contractors, Lovells, the litter bin which was removed during their construction works be replaced by the Parish Council at Lovells expense, they have chosen to refer this matter to Herefordshire Housing. There now seems to be some confusion as to who is replacing the bin and therefore the Clerk has reaffirmed the Parish Council’s offer to undertake this work at Lovells expense. To date there has been no response to this offer. (j) Letter from the occupants of 30 Dorchester Way This has not yet been responded to as the Clerk has yet to receive a copy of the letter. 54/06 Report from West Mercia Police PC Greenwood gave brief details of several minor incidents within the Parish since the last meeting, including: · Lights stolen from a garden in Silver Fir Close An update on local policing was promised for the next meeting. Councillor Phil Edwards presented an update from Neighbourhood Watch, highlighting: · A potentially bogus caller in Field Farm Mews
The Chairman adjourned the meeting for a brief period of public participation during which time the following items were discussed: · It was noted that a request was made to include Parish Council meeting details on the website. It was also reported that the website can now be accessed through Google. · Mr. R. Rose requested an update on progress towards adoption of the roads etc. within the former Barratt/Westbury development. The Clerk was instructed to seek further advice from Andy Byng · Councillor Glenda Powell advised that following complaints from residents of Coppin Rise, Herefordshire Council officers have written to residents regarding use of the open space within the immediate area. It was noted that no consultation had been received by the Parish Council on this correspondence and the Clerk was instructed to seek further advice from the officer concerned, Mr. Tony Featherstone. 56/06 Correspondence Two items of correspondence other than the routine items previously circulated, or items discussed elsewhere on the agenda, have been received: · Letter from Citizens Advice Bureau thanking us for our donation. · An invitation to the South Wye Community Association’s Annual General Meeting which will be held on Monday 10th July at 7pm. A number of members indicated a willingness to attend and the Chairman was appointed a formal representative on behalf of the Parish Councill 57/06 Payments/Receipts (a) Payments Authority given to make the following payments: Allianz Cornhill SHARP West Mercia Supplies South Wye Community Association The Balloon Display Company J. Sneed Mrs. E. Kelso Inland Revenue Petty Cash reimbursement £37.12 Mr.R. Rose (b) Receipts The following amounts have been received since the last meeting: Repayment of VAT for 2005/6 £596.36 (c) Balances Current account: £272.27 (d) Other Financial Matters Both the Annual VAT Return and Annual PAYE return have been completed n time. The latter was completed online which should generate a grant payment of £250 from the Inland Revenue as the Parish Council is considered a small employer. 58/06 Planning Matters (a) Applications received since the last meeting Ref: DCCW2006/1238F Ref: DCCW2006/1299/F
Ref: DCCW2006/1115/F Ref: DCCW2006/1127/F (c) Notification of planning decisions received since the last meeting. None other than those noted above. (d) Other Planning Matters (i) Planning Appeal Notification has been received that an appeal has been
sent to the Planning Inspectorate in respect of application reference
DCCW2005/1602/F which refers to a new boundary fence at (ii) Document circulation With the holiday season approaching, Members attention was drawn to the signature sheet accompanying planning applications where the absence of some Members would be noted. Members were asked to ensure planning applications were not delivered to any Parish Councillor who had indicated that they would be away from home. (iii) Photocopying of documents Members were asked to check with the Clerk before photocopying planning documents for their own use. The Clerk highlighted issues arising from the use of Parish Council documents by Members and in particular noted Freedom of Information Act implications if Members routinely photocopying documents whilst in circulation. If in doubt, Members were asked to check with the Clerk if they require a copy of any Parish Council document. 59/06 Internal Audit Report Mr. Ray Rose as internal auditor confirmed that he has signed the internal audit report without adverse comment. He also congratulated the Parish Council for the clear and concise nature of the accounts as prepared by the Clerk.
A written progress report from the Northolme Community Centre Association, as attached to these Minutes, was received by Members. 7106 Summer Event Minutes of the recent meeting of the working party for this event were noted, together with a risk assessment, prepared by Councillor Ian Robinson. Members noted that the Parish Council insurer has been advised of the summer event but any indication of additional premium to provide cover was awaited. It was further noted that the Parish Council insurance policy would not provide cover for the activities of other organisations taking part in the event. The risk assessment undertaken by Councillor Ian Robinson, a safety expert, indicated that risks associated with the event were thought to be low. After some discussion, it was proposed by Councillor Phil Edwards and seconded by Councillor Ian Robinson that no additional insurance cover be purchased for this event. The Chairman declared the resolution carried with 6 votes for a one vote against. The Clerk requested that as Responsible Financial Officer it be minuted that she did not support this resolution. 62/06 Youth Activities – Progress Report The Clerk presented a report from Youth Worker, Sarah Melia on the results of the youth work undertaken within the Parish. It was noted that there had been a low turnout at the sessions by local young people although the timing, 4pm on a Tuesday evening, was not ideal. This, coupled with lack of available staff within Youth Services, had led to the conclusion that at this stage, there is no value in continuing with these sessions. Sarah hoped to reinstate the sessions later in the year. 63/06 Parish Matters (a) Councillor Joyce Clare noted that incidents of golf practice amongst children on the landfill had reduced but now cricket appears to be the popular game. (b) Councillor David Cook noted that contractors Jarvis were seen collecting Tesco rubbish. It was reported, however, that Tesco were paying for this service! (c) Councillor Phil Edwards gave a report on his actions as District Councillor since the last meeting, including: · Encouraging Herefordshire Council to press for
the reinstatement of the grass verge in Sydwall Road, damaged by the Herefordshire
Council contractors, Lovells, whilst building in Golden Post (d) Brian Hubbard reported that he has been encouraging those who live adjacent to newly planted trees to water the trees until they are established. (e) It was noted that some of the shrubs which appear to be on public open space in Abbotsmead Road have been cut back. The clerk was instructed to ascertain whether the land was adopted open space or in private ownership. (f) Councillor Brian Hubbard reported that he has reported graffiti on a bollard at the entrance of Northolme Road to Streetscene several weeks ago but to date there has been no action. The Clerk was instructed to contact Shirley Mackay at Herefordshire Council to request action. (g) It was noted that a letter from the occupant of 30 Dorchester Way, as reported at the last meeting, has not been responded to as a result of the letter being addressed to the former Chairman. (h) The Chairman noted that shrubs have become overgrown along Stanbrook Road adjacent to the post box so that those with wheelchairs or pushchairs were finding it difficult to walk along the pavement at that location. The Clerk was instructed to contact Geoff Tarring at Herefordshire Council to request that the shrubs be cut back. 64/06 Date of next meeting A list of proposed meeting dates was briefly discussed and it was noted that the proposed date in December would need to be changed. A list of meeting dates would be sent out with the Minutes of this meeting. 65/06 Public Participation During the final period of public participation, Members noted that the Hereford Times would be carrying a short article publicising the summer event.
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