Hook Norton Parish Council

HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT THE NORMAN MATTHEWS COMMUNITY HALL ON THURSDAY 12th OCTOBER 2006 AT 7.30pm
Present: Councillors: Timms [Chairman], Walsham [Vice-Chairman] Brotherston, Clay, Riley, Swainbank and Young, together with Mr Porter [Parish Clerk] and five members of the public.

1. Apologies For Absence

were received from Cllr Jelf and District Cllr Gasson who both had other meetings to attend and Cllrs Hayward and Millar who were both in France. Before the meeting started Jonathan Leader, who had been co-opted at the August meeting, completed the Declaration of Office and took his place with the other councillors.

2.Chairman’s Announcements

Cllr Timms announced that Joyce, the wife of former parish councillor, Les Humphries, had died suddenly and that Cllr Jelf’s father-in-law had also passed away and he asked that condolences to both be entered in the minutes.

3. Minutes of previous meeting, 17th August 2006, and matters arising

It was proposed by Cllr Young, and seconded by Cllr Riley, that the minutes of the previous meeting be passed as a true and accurate record and this was approved unanimously. There were no matters arising not covered elsewhere on the agenda.

4. Declarations of Interest

There were no declarations on this occasion.

5. Report by Planning Co-ordinator on planning applications received

Cllr Walsham reported that there had been three planning meetings since the PC last convened in which some thirteen new applications had been considered. There had been no objections to eight of these, of which five have subsequently been approved by CDC. Objections were submitted in respect of those at Beanacre Cottage, 9 The Glebe, Brook Cottage Park Road, 26 Well Bank and Orchard Barn High Street. Applications to which we had objected: The Old Bakery Bell Hill, The Retreat East End and Long Thatch The Green had all received approval from CDC. The application for a side extension at Brookside, Bell Hill, which we had opposed, and which had been rejected by CDC, was overturned on appeal. However the application for a two-storey dwelling at 26 The Bourne, which also went to appeal, was refused. Having mentioned Beanacre Cottage the Chairmen referred to a letter from Mr Luxton itemising various refurbishments he is carrying out on the property and seeking permission to sink a trench across the common land to a depth of 50cm, which would be restored on completion of the work. The Chairman reminded the PC that, in the past, any application to dig or disturb the common land has been refused. The application was debated and it was unanimously decided to turn down Mr Luxton’s request. The clerk will respond to him.
(i)Attendance at Planning Meetings Cllr Walsham commented that attendance at recent meetings has been poor and during his time as Co-ordinator there had been several occasions when fewer than six people were present. As such he considered it appropriate to seek approval to reduce the quorum to four. The Chairman commented that it does seem anomalous that four constitute a forum of the PC but that planning meetings require six. There was a discussion on why a figure of six had been decided but it was accepted that our response to applications must be sent in within a deadline and, on the basis that Cllr Walsham continues to provide at least four days notice of a meeting, and supplies details of those applications known to him at the time, this was the practicable way forward. The motion was seconded by Cllr Brotherston and carried by six votes with one abstention.
(ii)SouthEast Plan/Provision for Gypsy/Traveller Caravan Sites Cllr Walsham informed the meeting that he had received Partial Review documents and Consultation Drafts from SEERA on the provision of sites. Having read them carefully and satisfied himself that these were consultation documents, with no proposals for sites specified, he answered the questionnaire on behalf of the PC.
(iii)Affordable Housing [Exception sites] The clerk reported that he had attended a seminar on this matter at Bodicote House on 4 October and, while there was little new to hear, he had been impressed by a presentation by the representative from Oxford Citizens Housing Association showing the standard of properties being built. Robert Brown, the officer at CDC responsible for this matter, has subsequently left the authority and it is currently being handled by Mike Buxton, who would like to meet with councillors to discuss the way forward in Hook Norton. James Alcock, the Rural Housing Enabler, is to liaise with the clerk to offer some dates.

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

There were no comments on this occasion.

7. Report of Working Groups

(a)Recreation Group – Cllr Young informed the meeting that arrangements are in hand for the RoSPA inspection to be carried out. Some boards have come off the aerial runway and Doug Marshall is dealing with this. There are now nine dead trees in the area; David Randall will be replacing those he planted which have died [3/4] in the near future. Also we have been told by CDC that children are throwing apples at houses in the area but we have established that these are not from trees owned by the PC. Finally Cllr Young told the meeting that he had looked the wall in Watery Lane, which some councillors had considered should be taken down to provide stone for the cemetery wall, as constant repair could be a drain on the PC. However Cllr Young believes this can be repaired for comparatively little cost and, after some discussion, it was agreed he would obtain an estimate.
(b)Environment & Open Spaces – Cllr Riley reported that work on the cemetery wall is progressing, although a little behind schedule, and closure of Tite Lane has been extended to 3 November. There is a need to salvage some stone if possible. Fencing at the allotments is now complete and the clerk has written to various names on the waiting list and now has takers for all six and a half plots. Cllr Riley also reported we are now in a position to let the paddock and it remains to decide how much to charge. There was a general agreement that this should be put out to tender amongst those interested and the clerk asked that this be left until a further notice had been put in the next Newsletter. Cllr Riley also informed the meeting that an application for a grant from Central Networks for tree planting will be submitted by early December and Cllr Brotherston is still pursuing a grant to improve the path across the grass area at Ironstone Hollow, although we are unlikely to have a decision until early next year.

8. Hook Norton War Memorial Hall

In the absence of Cllr Jelf Cllr Clay informed the meeting that, while committed to the kitchen extension, it had originally been planned to utilise the existing fittings. However it has now become obvious that they are in a poor condition and need to be replaced. Originally the re-build was to cost £12K and grants of £11.5K have been promised. However the additional units and a need for electrical works will extend the cost to £18682 or £19649 if better quality units are bought. There was some discussion on the estimate for electrical work and it was generally felt that this was too low. On this basis it might be necessary to take the cheaper option for units. However Cllr Clay was able to reassure the PC that, on the basis of the revised costings, we should still be left with a reserve of £10K at the end of the financial year. Cllr Riley suggested that quotations be obtained for the electrical work then, depending upon the size of these, a decision can be taken on which units to purchase. This was agreed. Cllr Young wished it to be recorded that he only supported the original project on the basis that a significant proportion would be covered by grants and had he been aware of the additional costs at the outset he would have voted against the project. The clerk reported that Peter Hibberd has now completed the sundry jobs including laying concrete by the path at the front of the hall and laying a path round the back.

9 . Report of Finance Working Group

Cllr Clay referred to our application for a loan of £20K and sought PC approval for a fixed rate loan to be repaid by the annuity method, that is equal instalments of interest and principal each half year. The clerk explained the options and, as the Responsible Financial Officer, he agreed with Cllr Clay’s view that we should take out a fixed rate loan repaid by the annuity method. The Chairman referred to the probability that interest rates will increase, making an option to repay on maturity a possibility, but Cllr Clay expressed the view that we should not leave a legacy for the PC of the future. The proposal was seconded by Cllr Young and passed unanimously. Cllr Clay then referred to a draft budget for 2007/8 and asked councillors to consider this for discussion at the November meeting as we will need to decide upon the precept to be sought very shortly. He stated that, while we will be left with a reserve of £10K at the end of the current financial year, this is not adequate to meet emergencies in the future and we should be working to re-build a reserve equal to at least one year’s precept.

10. Schedule of Receipts and Payments for authorisation by the Council

Mr Porter presented the schedules of receipts and payments and sought approval to pay cheques totalling £42055.50 for the PC and £779.75 for the Memorial Hall. Within the figure for the PC however there is a payment for £497.80 for six years water supply at the cemetery, the bill for which had arrived while he was on holiday. He is in correspondence with Thames Water about this but they have threatened to issue proceedings, hence its inclusion on the list. The Chairman expressed the view that we should not settle this account until we are satisfied that it is accurate and he questioned the inclusion of waste water [and probably surface water], wished to know who had given permission for the fitting of the water meter and wanted a detailed explanation of the charges over the six year period. On this basis it was unanimously agreed not to settle with Thames Water until they have satisfied us that the bill is accurate. Mr Porter then sought approval for payment of the other items on the schedules and this was proposed by Cllr Clay, seconded by Cllr Riley, and approved unanimously.

11. Norman Matthews Community Hall

Cllr Walsham informed the PC that he has nothing new to report as he is still awaiting information from OCC as to whether the library might take up some of the space. The hall is still being cleaned regularly and filing cabinets have been installed in the back room for the use of the clerk.

12. Report on District Council Matters

In the absence of District Cllr Gasson there was nothing to report on this occasion.

13. Report on County Council Matters

In the absence of Cllr Jelf there was nothing to report on this occasion.

14.Pedestrian Crossing at Hook Norton Primary School

Cllr Walsham informed the meeting that we had received a letter from Jacobs Babtie, acting on behalf of OCC, suggesting that a new crossing, with flashing lights, be installed in Sibford Road, together with appropriate road markings. On behalf of the PC he had responded expressing support for any initiative to improve road safety but stating that more time was required to view alternative proposals. He also suggested that a meeting should take place on site, with all interested parties, to understand the timescale and budget available. He has had no reply or acknowledgment. The Chairman then referred to the members of the public who were present to ask if they had come to express views on this issue and as such he sought and obtained permission from the PC to allow them to speak. The PC was told that the car park at the school had been closed, resulting in more cars parking on Sibford Road, and that the lollipop lady has now resigned, and the road is generally much more dangerous. It was suggested that part of the grassed area opposite the school might be removed and more space for car parking created instead, there was a call for chicanes to slow down traffic on the road and yellow lines to be laid down. There was also discussion about imposing a 20 mph speed limit in the village, but this has been discussed in the past and the county council will not support the proposal as such a limit cannot be policed. After further discussion it was suggested that parents should also write to Jacobs Babtie to express their views on the issue while Cllr Walsham will contact them for a response to his letter.

15.Mailing List

On behalf of Cllr Hayward, who could not be present, the clerk asked members whether they used the mailing list and wanted it to be up-dated. Most agreed they did not make use of it and the clerk will inform Cllr Hayward accordingly.

16. Correspondence

(i) CDC – Annual Parish Liaison Meeting, 9 November – as this date clashes with the next PC meeting there was discussion about attendance and it was agreed that the clerk will go and the PC meeting be put back to Wednesday 15 November;
(ii) CDC – Play Provision in Cherwell – Cllr Young will complete questionnaire;
(i)Central Networks – Christmas Lights – grants available for lights;
(iv) Cherwell Ramblers Committee – Footpath Challenge – Dorcas Wedmore to liaise on behalf of HN;
(v) ORCC – AGM 18 October;
(vi) OPFA – AGM 31 October;
(i)West Oxfordshire CAB – seeking donation, policy only to consider local organisations;
(viii) Thames Valley & Chilterns Air Ambulance – seeking donation – ditto;
(ix) CDC Joint Seniors Forum 7 November;
(i)OCC Newsletter – September – changes in fire safety legislation.

17. Questions and Comments from Members of the Public

There was nothing else raised on this occasion.

18. Date and Time of Next Meeting

As decided above [Item 16 (i)] the next meeting will now take place on Wednesday 15th November 2006 in the Norman Matthews Community Hall at 7.30pm.

There being no further business the Chairman everyone for attending and declared the public meeting closed at 9.34pm.