Little Milton Parish Council
Minutes of Council Meeting held on Wednesday 14th September 2005
Present:
Mr Stuart McGill (Chairman)
Mr Simon Oddie
Mrs Mabel Wood
Mrs Alison Shelton
Mr Raymond Fergusson (Parish Clerk)
Mr
John Nowell-Smith (District Councillor)
1
member of the public
01/08/05
Apologies for Absence: Mr Barry Coward, Mrs Isabel Fox and Mr
David Turner, County Councillor
02/08/05
Declaration of any personal or
prejudicial interests of members
Mr Stuart
McGill declared a prejudicial interest in the Village Hall agenda item.
03/08/05
Approval of Minutes
The
Parish Council approved the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 9th
August 2005 as a true record of the meeting and the Chairman signed them.
04/08/05
Matters Arising
Footpath in front of SOHA
The
Clerk reported that he had spoken to Mr Peter Ronald of OCC concerning the
footpath in front of the new SOHA houses. Mr Ronald has indicated that a
feasibility study will be carried out by the County engineers in due course. The
Clerk will keep the matter under review. (Action
Clerk)
Triangle
of land adjacent to Wells Farmhouse
The Clerk
reported that he had received a reply from the Chief Solicitor of OCC in
response to the Council’s application to register the Triangle of Land
adjacent to Wells Farmhouse as a Village Green. As a result a number of changes
have been made to the application and this will be re-submitted to OCC. Mrs
Mabel Wood has supplied a list of residents who have lived in the village for
more than fifty years as it may be necessary to obtain statements to support the
application. (Action Clerk)
BT
Telephone Box
The Clerk
informed the meeting that he had sent an e-mail with two photographs to English
Heritage requesting that consideration is give to Listing the current British
Telecom telephone kiosk. The Clerk will keep the matter under review. (Action
Clerk)
05/08/05
A329 Advisory Group
Mrs
Alison Shelton informed the meeting that OCC had informed the A329 Advisory
Group that any works to modify the footways on Church Hill is unlikely to be
successful in its bid for funding as part of the Community Safety Programme.
However the introduction of a buildout on the corner of Haseley Road with the
High Street would have more chance for funding.
06/08/05
Recreation Ground
Mr
Stuart McGill reported that the siren, that goes off to notify users of the MUGA
that the lights are about to go off, has caused some concern to adjoining
neighbours to the Recreation Ground. The Council supported a proposal to have an
alternative system within the MUGA Courts to ensure that any inconvenience was
minimised. (Action Mr Stuart McGill)
07/08/05
Finance
The Council
approved the following expenditure:
Colourplus
September Newsletter
£227.01
Playground
Management Ltd – ROSPA Inspection
£79.90
Chubb Fire Ltd
extinguishers for hall
£299.21
OALC – Training
course
£23.50
Retrospective
Approval
SODC 100 Green
Refuse bags
£65.00
SODC 100 ECO
sacks
£65.00
A R Co-op Society
– Curtains for Village Hall (deposit)
£1,328.86
A R Co-op Society - Curtains
for Village Hall final payment £1,328.86
Little Milton
Village Hall – grant towards new hall
£25,807.00
The
Clerk reported that he had placed the following orders in connection with the
new hall:-
C Putnam & Sons – additional ground works
£2,570+VAT
Dr Andrew Atkinson – Professional fees
estimated
£3,000 +VAT
Style Seating Ltd – chairs
£3198.20 + VAT
The Council approved retrospectively the orders.
The
Clerk informed the meeting that the Council had received the £35,000 loan from
the Public Loans Board.
The
Clerk explained that Council could only spend Council money if it had the power
to do so. A payment under Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 allows
the Council to incur expenditure if it is not covered under any other Section.
The clerk stated that he would review the finances to ensure that the Council
meets the conditions of section 137. (Action
Clerk)
08/08/05
Planning
P05/W0736
– Wells Farm Cottage:
The
Clerk informed the meeting that SODC had refused planning permission for this
application.
P05/W0699
– Watergate, Haseley Road
The
Clerk informed the meeting that SODC had granted planning permission for this
application.
P05/W0786 – Manor
Rise: Church Hill
The
Clerk informed the meeting that SODC had granted planning permission for this
application.
Stopping Up Order re
Church Hill Cottage
The Chairman reported on the recent communication between OCC and the owner of Church Hill Cottage regarding the proposed works to restore the current wall. OCC have not accepted the proposed structure and are asking for full design details for the proposed outer wall. OCC have concerns about an adjacent manhole/underground chamber.
Communication with
SODC Planning
The Clerk reported that he had written to Mr
Adrian Duffield, Head of Planning and Building Control at SODC, about the
concerns that were expressed at the August meeting in respect of the
communication between SODC Planning and local residents. Mr Duffield will
investigate the concerns being raised and reply to the Council in due course. The
Clerk will keep the matter under review. (Action Clerk)
09/08/05
Correspondence
SODC – Review of Concessionary Fares
SODC are seeking are currently reviewing their
transport role and as a result are asking Parish Councils for their views on
eligibility of bus tokens, the routes that people with free bus passes should be
allowed use them on, and whether SODC should fund a Dial-a-Ride scheme in South
Oxfordshire. A copy of the letter has been circulated to Council members
requesting that they reply to the clerk. (Action
Clerk)
SODC – Town and Parish Council Forum
Mr Stuart McGill agreed to attend the Forum organised for Tuesday 20th September 2005.
OCC Scrutiny Referral Form
The Clerk reported that the Council’s response had been well received by OCC and they will be invited to participate in any Scrutiny of the Highways Department if it decided by OCC to carry out a review.
ORCC – Oxfordshire Village Shop of the Year
The Council decided not to enter for the Oxfordshire Village Shop of the Year Competition this year.
ORCC – Rural Social and Community Programme
The Clerk will attend a public consultation on proposals by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for a new Rural and Social Community Programme.
The Sustainable Communities Bill
The Council agreed to support the Sustainable Communities Bill. It was agreed that a letter should be sent to our local Member of Parliament asking him to sign a Parliamentary Early Day Motion.
10/08/05 Village
Hall
Mr
Simon Oddie chaired this agenda item as Mr Stuart McGill had declared a
prejudicial interest.
Mr
Richard Alliston reported that the new hall was now completed. He reported on
the need to spend additional money on the car park as although the contractor
would have fulfilled their obligations, the resulting car park would have been
unsatisfactory. The Council agreed the additional spend of £2,570 + VAT. The
additional work should ensure that the village has a good foundation for any
future car park project and in the meantime provide an adequate parking surface.
He
reported that the opening day celebrations had gone off very well and that there
would be no requirement on the Council to make any grant towards the operating
cost of the hall.
The
overall cost of the project had increased by a net £1,306. The clerk expressed
his concern as the Council Cash Flow projections had assumed that the figures
presented at the August meeting were very close to final figures. A significant
element of the increase was being challenged and Mr Alliston hoped that he could
reduce the increase in costs. It was hoped that the final figures will be
available at the October meeting.
The
Clerk presented the Council with a summary that showed how the Public Loans
Board loan had been used in the project.
The
Clerk highlighted the need for the Council to consider how the future
maintenance of the car park should be managed. It was agreed that the clerk
should make contact with The Orchard Pre-School and the Village Hall Management
Committee to set up a future meeting to consider that issue and any other issues
connected with the use of the Recreation Ground. (Action
Clerk)
11/08/05
Any Other Business
There were no items raised.
12/08/05
Date of Next Meeting
The
Parish Council will meet on Wednesday
12th October 2005 at 8.00 p.m. in The
Pine Lodge Little Milton unless
there is a need to convene any planning or other meetings.
The
meeting finished at 10.05 p.m.
Parish Forum
Mr Richard
Alliston raised the possibility of having a bottle bank in the car park.
Although there was agreement on the environmental benefits it was not supported
as there was concern that it would increase the risk of broken glass and would
be subject to significant external use or possible misuse.