Little
Milton Parish Council
Minutes of Council Meeting held on Wednesday 9th May 2007
Present:
Mr Stuart McGill
Mr Tim Robinson
Mrs Mabel Wood
Mrs Alison Shelton
Mr Barry Coward
Mr David Wakeling
Mr Raymond Fergusson (Parish Clerk)
Mr
John Nowell-Smith (District Council
Member)
No
members of the public
ANNUAL
MEETING
Mr Stuart McGill chaired the meeting until a new chairperson was elected by the Council.
01/05/07
Acceptance of Office by Council
Members
The Council members elected at the election on May 3 duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office form and the form was also signed by the Parish Clerk as a Proper Officer of the Council.
02/05/07
Election of Chairman
Mr Barry Coward proposed Mr Stuart McGill as Chairman and this was seconded by Mrs Alison Shelton. There were no other nominations for chairperson. Mr Stuart McGill was elected as chairman until the 2008 Annual Meeting.
03/05/07
Acceptance of Office
Mr Stuart McGill signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office as Chairman.
04/05/07
Election of Vice Chairman
Mr Tim Robinson proposed Mr Barry Coward as vice-chairman and this was seconded by Mr Stuart McGill. Mr Barry Coward was elected as vice chairman until the 2008 Annual Meeting.
ORDINARY
MEETING
05//05/07
Apologies
for Absence: Mr David Turner
06/05/07
Declaration of any personal or
prejudicial interests of members
Mr
Stuart McGill declared a personal interest in the Recreation Ground, Village
Hall and Village Shop/Post Office agenda items. Mrs Alison Shelton declared
personal interest in the Post Office agenda item.
07/05/07
Approval of Minutes
The
Parish Council approved the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 11th
April 2007 as a true record of the meeting and the Chairman signed them.
08/05/07
Matters Arising.
OCC
Highways
The
Clerk reported that he had not managed to obtain an update from Mr Peter Ronald
since the last meeting. A summary of the outstanding items is as follows:-
To
carry a speed survey/traffic count outside Willowbrook Cottage.
To
mark the
Subject
to ownership cut back any overhanging vegetation that restricts the visibility
of the 30 mph signs as you approach the road from Rofford.
Speed
survey adjacent to Doctor’s House on the High Street
Repairs
to areas surrounding drains on the High Street, opposite the Lamb and the
Slip
road from
To
re-mark the build-outs as the previous markings had been shown on the incorrect
side
Foul Drainage system at Cremar Cottages/Old Field
The
Clerk stated that as far as he could establish the work carried out by OPC on
behalf of the residents of Cremar Cottages and SOHA had produced a favourable
result. The Council has requested a copy of the final report.
Model
contract of Employment for Clerk
The
Council agreed that the document issued by the National Association of Local
Councils should be considered by Mr Barry Coward in conjunction with the Clerk
and any changes to the existing contract of the Clerk should be approved by the
Council. (Action Mr Barry Coward/Clerk)
Village
Green
The Clerk informed the meeting that he had followed up with OCC the
registration of the land adjacent to
the Post Office as a Village Green. Although there had been changes to the
personnel dealing with the application it
is very likely that it will be approved by OCC in July 2007.
09/05/07
Briefing by Clerk
The
Clerk stated that he thought it would be beneficial to outline the key processes
in the conduct of the Council meetings as well as to outline the main
responsibilities and roles within the Council. A paper was circulated to all
Council members.
10/05/07
A329 Advisory Group
The
Council briefly discussed the future role of the A329 Advisory committee. The
Council agreed that the Clerk should write to Mr Mark Platts, the current
chairman of the committee, inviting him to attend the Council meeting in July to
share with the Council the best way forward for the A329 Committee. (Action Clerk)
10/05/07
Youth Shelter
The
Clerk circulated an analysis of the questionnaires as well as the comments made
by villagers.
A
summary of the results is as follows:-
Forms returned to date
54 (27%)
Individual residents included on forms
116
Approval
of the principle of a youth shelter
44%
Disapproval
of the principle of a youth shelter
52%
Unsure
4%
Should
Parish Council investigate CCTV camera around Village Hall
Agree
66%
Disagree
25%
Unsure
9%
Use
of shelter by teenagers
Yes
2
No
12
The
Clerk informed the meeting that Lesley Nesbitt the Crime Prevention Advisor
would attend the June meeting and would be available to comment upon any issues
raised by the results of the questionnaire. The Council agreed to defer this
matter until the June meeting. (Action
All Councillors)
11/05/07
Recreation Ground
The
Clerk briefed the meeting on information received from Mr Mark Willis. He stated
that new bark had been deposited in the play area and that a new refuse bin had
been purchased that had been affixed to the MUGA boarding. The Clerk also
informed the meeting that a quote had been received in respect of mole trapping
as well as the area of grass by the telephone box. The quote appeared to be
excessive and a decision will be taken after further consultation with the
recreation ground committee.
12/05/07
Finance
The
Council approved the following expenditure:
Colourplus -
May Newsletter 2007
£207.73
OPC – Survey of drains at Cremar cottages/Old Field
£246.75
Glasdon
SLCC – registration fee in respect of qualification re Quality Council
£70.00
Country Supplies – Bark for play area
£753.18
The
Council resolved that in accordance with its powers under Section 137 of the LGA
1972 to incur the following
expenditure which in the opinion of Little Milton Parish Council is in the
interests of the area or the inhabitants and will benefit them in a manner
commensurate with the expenditure:-
ORCC – renewal of annual membership
£20.00
The
Council agreed to accept a proposal from Smith of Derby that offered a discount
on the future cost of services for a period of five years if the payment was
made in advance. The Clerk advised the Council that the five year fixed price
less the 15% discount exceeded the loss of interest on the payment in advance.
The Clerk estimated a benefit in excess of £100.
The
Council did not support the financial appeal from Victim Support Oxfordshire
& Buckinghamshire.
The
Chairman read out a letter from Home-Start
The
Clerk issued a paper detailing the final cash flow outcome for 2006-07.
13/05/07
Planning
P07/W0419: The Thatched House;
garden room to ancillary accommodation
This
planning application was recommended for approval by South Oxfordshire District
Council.
P07/W0054 & P07/W0065/LB: The
Lamb Inn, High Street
The
Clerk updated the Council on the recent meeting that took place between SODC
Planning and representatives of Punch Taverns following the withdrawal of their
planning application to extend The Lamb. It would appear that the proposals to
date have been too wide and bulky and that Punch Taverns have been asked to give
consideration to a minimum size that is viable for their needs and submit
informal drawings for comment. The
Chairman requested that, due to its importance to the Village, it was now
essential that the Parish Council take a pro-active stance to ensure that the
next plans for the Lamb should be successful.
The Clerk also reported that he had invited Mr Paul Thomas of Punch Taverns to
attend the Parish Council meeting that will consider the re-submitted plans. The
Council agreed that it was important for them to be able to review the proposals
before a new planning application was submitted. The Clerk was asked to contact
SODC Planning as well as to involve the Ward member on this matter. (Action
Clerk)
The
South Lodge.
The Clerk informed the meeting that the SODC Planning
Enforcement Team were carrying out an initial assessment into a possible breach
of the planning rules as a result of the barn having both a bathroom and kitchen
facility.
14/05/07
Correspondence
Standards
Board: New Code of Conduct
The
Chairman informed the meeting that a new Code of Conduct for members will come
into force from 3 May 2007. There is a Model Code for Parish Councils and Parish
Councils will have until 1 October 2007 to adopt the revised Code. There is a
particular paragraph that allows members with a prejudicial interest the same
rights as members of the public to speak to a meeting on an issue and then leave
before the main discussion and vote. The Council needs to pass a resolution
adopting the Model Code of Conduct including paragraph 12(2). The Council will
consider the adoption of the new Code at the next Parish Council meeting.
OALC
The
Chairman informed the meeting that the Annual General Meeting of OALC will take
place at Exeter Hall Kidlington on 11 June commencing at 7.30 p.m. The Council
did not nominate any representatives to the Executive Committee
OCC
The
Council noted the decision of OCC not to pursue a simplified bus fare-scale as
the results of the consultation had identified many issues.
15/05/07
Village Hall
The Clerk reported that a
formal request had been received from the Village Hall Management Committee to
extend the village hall. The letter referred to “purposes to be determined”
by the Village Hall Management Committee. Mr Barry Coward requested that details
of the lease should be made available to Council members before the Council
accepted the request. It was agreed that the Clerk would provide Council members
with the necessary information. There was a brief exchange on the wider issues
of the future relationship between the Village Hall and the Parish Council in
respect of the overall site maintenance and management. This matter will be
tabled a future Council meeting. (Action
Clerk)
16/05/07
Village Shop/Post Office
The
Chairman gave a brief progress report on the status of the grant applications.
The future of the current Post Office is still to be determined. A fuller review
of the proposed business plan and funding will take place at a future Council
meeting. The Clerk emphasised the need to identify any financial implications
for the Council.
17/05/07
Any Other Business
Mr
Barry Coward requested that the Council discuss the Quality Parish Council
scheme including a Parish Plan.
Mrs
Alison Shelton highlighted the overhanging shrubbery from Revelmead on the
The
Clerk reported that he had received an approach from Lesley Nesbitt, the Crime
Prevention Advisor, in connection with making Little Milton a “No cold caller
zone”. The Clerk stated that an article will be included in the June
Newsletter and will invite villagers to the June Council meeting when Lesley
Nesbitt will be in attendance.
18/05/07
Date of Next Meeting
The
Parish Council will meet on Wednesday
13th June 2007 at 8.00 p.m. in The
Pine Lodge Little
The
meeting finished at 10.40 p.m.
Parish Forum
There were no matters raised