Hook Norton Parish Council

HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT THE MEMORIAL HALL ON THURSDAY 8th JULY 2004 AT 8pm
Present: Councillors: Williams [Chairman], Clay, Fry, Hayward, Jelf, Walsham and Young, Mr Porter [Parish Clerk] and two members of the public.

1 Apologies For Absence

Were received from Cllrs Peter Millar, Clive Timms and District Cllr Gasson [business commitments], and Cllr Mike Terry [holiday].

2 Chairman’s Announcements

The Chairman announced with regret that Cllr Withey had decided to tender her resignation from the Parish Council due to pressures of trying to balance her business with looking after her home. He expressed his sincere thanks for her commitment over the past fourteen months and will write separately.

3 Minutes of previous meeting, 10th June 2004, and matters arising

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed as a true and accurate record, proposed by Cllr Williams, seconded by Cllr Young, and passed unanimously. One matter arising related to the post and rail fence erected at HN Manor. Having had time to look at the fence it was proposed by Cllr Young that a further letter should be sent to Mr Twittey expressing the view that the fence is out of keeping and suggesting that it be re-located against the original hedge. This was passed by 5 votes to 1 with 1 abstention.

4 Declarations of Interest

None.

5 Report by Planning Co-ordinator on planning applications received

In the absence of both Cllrs Millar and Timms the Chairman referred to the planning schedule which accompanied the agenda and reported that an objection was to be lodged in respect of the application by Mr Willis of Lodge Farm for change of use of units. Other outstanding matters will be discussed at a planning meeting. Cllr Walsham expressed concern that, despite the PC’s objection, planning permission had been granted in respect of the erection of a new dwelling on the land south of Birch Tree House, Bourne Lane. It was agreed to ask District Cllr Gasson to make further enquiries of the planning committee. Cllr Jelf proposed that, if it is decided to write to CDC seeking information relating to planning applications which have been sanctioned despite the PC’s objections, those letters should be signed by the Chairman in future. Agreed.

6 To invite members of the public to comment on planning applications

There were no comments from those members of the public present.

7 Report of Committees

Recreation Committee – Cllr Young informed the meeting that the RoSPA inspection is due to take place later this month and Mr Marshall is co-ordinating. There are still problems with older children wanting to use the area for football and Cllr Young said that he would like to propose that the PC make a donation to the Sports and Social Club if it would agree to the over 12s having use of the Multi-Use Games Area when teams are not training there. The clerk will make enquiries of Peter Rooke, at CDC, to ensure that such a donation is permissible. Cllr Young reminded the PC that major investment in new equipment will be necessary shortly to maintain the facility. Whilst the committee has been exploring the possibilities of raising money there is a view that the unused land running alongside Watery Lane could possibly provide a site for affordable housing. At present, if the PC wishes to sell the land, it must be offered back to OCC, but it is felt that County might be amenable if offered a share of such a sale with a proviso that some of the proceeds be ring-fenced for new play equipment. Cllr Jelf will speak to Mr Monaghan, Chief Property Manager at OCC.

Environment and Open Spaces Committee – Cllr Hayward reported that the tree survey is hampered by the lack of a good quality map of the village and he proposed that the PC invests in a CD-ROM version, which will cost to the order of £350, but provide a flexible solution for any plans of the village or locations in the future. This was seconded by Cllr Williams and passed unanimously. Grass-cutting remains an issue and Cllr Hayward wondered if the longer serving members of the PC could remember why we had taken over responsibility for cutting verges from OCC. Cllr Jelf stated that this preceded even his time on the PC. It is acknowledged that grass-cutting costs the PC in excess of £8000 p.a. and consideration should be given to reduce this expenditure in the future. Cllr Hayward also referred to three quotes obtained for cutting the trees in the cemetery and proposed that we accept that provided by John Whitworth of Bodicote, as this was significantly cheaper than the others obtained. This was seconded by Cllr Williams and passed unanimously.

8 Hook Norton War Memorial Hall

Cllr Fry had circulated minutes of a meeting held on 1st July and reported that the main issue relates to a possible extension of the Hall to provide a new kitchen and storage area. However the fees quoted by a local architect of £40 per hour, with no limit as to time which may have to be spent, seems too high at present. Subsequently he has spoken with somebody involved in the extensive work carried out at Spelsbury Memorial Hall and obtained information relating to possible sources of grant aid together with names of professionals who may be able to assist. Cllr Fry will also look back at previous work to see how much was paid to CDC. Cllr Clay expressed concern that the Memorial Hall accounts for the previous year showed that the outgoings are significantly greater than income. Cllr Jelf stated that covering outlay would be impossible but agreed that costs must be contained.

9 Report of Finance Committee

Cllr Clay reported that a meeting had been held on 1st July and committee chairmen had covered items of expenditure in their own reports above. At this stage there are no unexpected problems with cash flow.

10 Schedule of Receipts and Payments for Authorisation by the Council

Mr Porter presented the attached schedules of receipts and payments for authorisation and reported that the PC insurance had been paid as per the schedule received from Allianz Cornhill. He had subsequently contacted them to delete cover for certain items of street furniture, such as litter-bins and salt-bins, which had resulted in a rebate of £182.39. Cllr Williams proposed acceptance of the payments detailed and this was seconded by Cllr Jelf and passed unanimously.

11 Norman Matthews Community Hall

Cllr Clay reported that the partition separating the reading room from the main body of the Hall has now been erected and whilst payment of £2435 has now to be made this has been offset by a donation from the Friends of the Library of £2072 [the balance being VAT which is reclaimable]. Cllr Jelf as Chairman of the Management Committee recorded his sincere thanks for this generous donation.

12 Report on District Council Matters

In the absence of Cllr Gasson there was nothing to report.

13 Report on County Council Matters

Cllr Jelf had nothing new to report on this occasion.

14 SpeedWatch

The clerk referred to a letter from Steve Wood, the County Safer Roads Officer, who stated that, as Hook Norton is not currently a member of SpeedWatch, we do not qualify for regular visits from the Speed Indicator Device or other traffic data machines. Cllr Jelf expressed the view that it was unacceptable for parishes to have to be formally members to obtain the services of devices that should be available to all parishes. However after debate it was decided that, if it is necessary to join Speedwatch to have the benefit of SID, the PC should do so, although this will also mean a mail drop of leaflets to every household. Passed by 5 votes to 1.

15 Broadband

Cllr Hayward told the PC that the goalposts have moved several times since his last report. An alliance had been formed with Oxfordshire Rural Broadband but subsequently BT had a change of policy, which has cut off any grant funding. BT have now announced that Hook Norton will now be switched on to Broadband on 20th October 2004. A company has been formed as a co-operative, which may have other purposes at a later date, but it is unlikely that providing a broadband service will be viable in the face of BTs monopoly. Some people have invested money in the project and it is unlikely that they will recover their investment. However the overall campaign has proved successful, if not in the way originally conceived.

16 Venue for PC Meetings

Cllr Young expressed the view that the June meeting held at the Norman Matthews Community Hall had been successful largely because the acoustics are better and it is generally a more congenial place in which to meet. As such he proposed that future PC meetings should take place there rather than in the Memorial Hall. Cllr Clay pointed out that the PC did not own the NMCH and, despite having subsidised it in the early stages, if we are to use it for meetings we would probably have to pay to do so. After discussion it was noted that tables and chairs would have to be transferred from the Memorial Hall for each meeting making the idea impracticable at this stage. Cllr Fry proposed that the idea be considered again once the NMCH is running properly and this was agreed.

17 St Peter’s Churchyard

Cllr Fry referred to two emails he had received from Mrs Wisniewski complaining that groups of teenagers are congregating at the bottom of the churchyard creating litter and making the area untidy. Cllr Hayward commented that Hook Norton does not have an obvious place where teenagers can gather and noted that other villages are starting to provide youth shelters for this purpose. It was felt that nothing can be done to prevent people using the churchyard but the Recreation committee will be asked to consider whether a youth shelter could be erected in the Play Area, or if there is another suitable site in the village.

18 Correspondence

(a) CDC – application made for one-off Public Entertainment Licence for the Annual Beer Festival on 17 July. No comments to make;
(b) CDC – Local Code of Conduct - information re Applying for Referred Decision;
(c) West Oxfordshire Citizens Advice Bureau – seeking donation. Decided to adhere to policy of only donating to local charities;
(d) CDC: What’s On Guide for October to March – no events for inclusion;
(e) Cherwell Vale Primary Care Trust – June newsletter;
(f) CDC: Standards Committee – agendas for committee meetings 15 July 2004 and annual report. The clerk reminded councillors of the need to keep their Register of Interests up to date and also declare any Gifts or Hospitality.

19 Questions and Comments from Members of the Public

There were no questions from the public on this occasion.

20 Date and Time of Next Meeting

Thursday 12th August 2004 at 7.30pm, to be preceded by presentation on Affordable Housing by James Alcock, the Rural Housing Enabler, at 7pm.

There being no further business the Chairman everyone for attending and declared the meeting closed at 9.31pm.