Parish Council Minutes

Little Milton Parish Council

Minutes of Council Meeting held on Wednesday 12th September  2007 at 8.00pm

in Pine Lodge, Little Milton 

 

 

Present:                                                   

                                                                Cllr. Barry Coward (Vice Chairman)

                                                                Cllr. Mabel Wood               

                                                                Cllr. Alison Shelton

                                                                 Mr Raymond Fergusson (Parish Clerk)

 

                                                                Mr David Turner ( County Councillor )

                                                                    Mr John Nowell Smith (District Councillor)

 

                                                                One member of the public

 

Cllr. Barry Coward chaired the meeting.

 

01/09/07     Apologies for Absence: Cllr. Stuart McGill , Cllr. Tim Robinson, Cllr. David Wakeling

   

02/09/07     Declaration of any personal or prejudicial interests of members

None

03/09/07     Approval of Minutes

 

The Parish Council RESOLVED that the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting, held on 11th July 2007 and 15th August 2007 as a true record of the meetings and the Chairman signed them.

 

04/09/07     Matters Arising.

  OCC Highways

Mr David Turner briefed the meeting on the outstanding issues following a discussion that he had had with Mr Peter Ronald of OCC Highways .

 

The speed survey/traffic counts outside Willowbrook Cottage and the Doctors House have been ordered and it believed that the work was done two weeks ago. However OCC Highways have not yet received a report on the surveys.

 

The Slow marking on the Haseley Road is still outstanding although the work has been ordered.

 

The drain on the Haseley Road has been marked for repair within the next four weeks.

 

Mr Peter Ronald of OCC has stated that there is no funding available to support the possible closure of the slip road from Haseley Road into Gold Street . The cost is estimated at £4,000.  

 

The problem of surface water on the slip road from Haseley Road into Gold has not yet been addressed and the Clerk expressed the concerns of a local resident that the road surface could be extremely hazardous in the winter if the problem is not corrected. Mr David Turner stated that he would take the matter up again with OCC Highways .

 

HGV Survey on A329

Mr David Turner reported that the survey that had taken place in June 2007 indicated a similar level of vehicles to that in 2001. A meeting of the Five Parishes plus Marsh Baldon and Toot Baldon has been arranged for Thursday 11 October 2007 to review the data and consider what the next steps of action should be. Mr Peter Ronald of OCC Highways will also attend the meeting.

 

No Cold Calling

The Clerk informed the meeting that each house in the village would receive a pack of information on Thursday 13th September. This was being coordinated by Lesley Nesbitt, Crime Reduction Advisor.

 

Planning for a Sustainable Future

The Chairman informed the meeting of a letter that the Council had received from Mr Boris Johnson MP expressing his support of the concerns expressed by the Council on the Bill before Parliament.

 

05/09/07     Youth Shelter Follow Up

 

The Chairman welcomed Mr Kevin Brophy of OCC Youth Service and Mr Eddy Lofthouse of Active 10/20. The Chairman gave a brief background on the recent survey that had been conducted in respect of the Youth Shelter. He explained that the Council were seeking other options to support the youth of the village.

 

Mr Kevin Brophy explained that the Youth Service supported Rural Youth facilities although funding and resources were very limited. Mr Eddie Lofthouse highlighted the role of Active 10/20 within Youth Service as it is a voluntary organisation. Mr Lofthouse stated that a double-decker bus was available to support rural communities as a way of engaging young people in informal surroundings. The Council RESOLVED to invite Active 10/20 to bring their bus to the village on an agreed date to help determine the best way forward in supporting the youth of the village. The Clerk was asked to liaise with Action 10/20. (Action Clerk)

               

06/09/07     Recreation Ground

 

The Chairman briefed the Council on the annual ROSPA Inspection report. He expressed his gratitude to the Recreation Ground Committee for their hard work and dedication. The report was passed to Mr Mark Willis as there were a few minor points that required attention.

 

Mr Mark Willis reported on the recent work that had been done in respect of mole activity in the recreation ground.

 

07/09/07     Finance

 

                    1. The Council RESOLVED that the following expenditure should be paid:

                                   

                                    Colourplus – August Newsletter 2007                                             £196.38

         Colourplus – September Newsletter 2007                                        £236.55                  

                                                                                                                                                    £432.93

         BDO Stoy Hayward – Audit fee                                                                                              £158.63

                                    Isis Accord – grass cutting July 2007                                              £221.37

                                    Isis Accord – grass cutting August 2007                                          £276.71

         Isis Accord – mole treatment                                                           £94.00            

                                                                                                                                                    £592.08

          Neil Marriott – line marking aerosol                                                                                          £30.47

          Mark Willis – repairs to meter box                                                                                           £25.97

Playsafety Ltd – ROSPA inspection                                                                                                 £141.00

                                    S O’Donnell – repair to meter box                                                                                            £45.00

 

The Council noted the instalment payment of £1,843.92 to the Public Loans Board.                              

 

The Council RESOLVED to make a donation of £60.00 to Thame Citizens Advice Bureau but declined to make any financial contribution to Starlight.

 

The Chairman read out a letter from the Oxfordshire Association for the Blind that thanked the Council for their financial donation.

 

The Chairman presented to the Council of the issues arising from the audit for 2006/07. The audit report highlighted the need for the Council to consider the level of fidelity guarantee insurance cover. The Council RESOLVED to maintain its current level of cover as it considered the additional cost of cover disproportionate to the risk involved. It also RESOLVED to accept the Annual Return for 2006-07.

 

The clerk circulated a projected cash flow for the year ending 31st March 2008. The projected cash flow showed reserves increasing by £3,115. The clerk drew attention to the demands on the reserves in 2008-09 due to the expiry of the lease on the Post Office and the possible extension to the Village Hall

                                                                               

08/09/07     Planning

 

      P07/W0914: 14 Milton Manor Drive : erection of conservatory

The Council RESOLVED that this planning application should be approved by South Oxfordshire District Council.

 

P07/W0699: The Old Cottage Stadhampton Road : Enlarge conservatory and integrate with kitchen

This application has been granted planning permission by South Oxfordshire District Council.

 

P07/W0073: Revelmead: creation of family room within existing barn

This application has been granted planning permission by South Oxfordshire District Council.

 

P07/W0839 & 0838 LB: The Lamb

The Council note the amended plans that had been sent for information only

 

09/09/07     Correspondence

 

SODC: Planning Training for Councillors

The chairman reminded Councillors of the Planning training organised by SODC and encouraged Council members to attend.

 

SODC: Land at Chiltern View

The Chairman outlined a letter from SODC in which they suggested the transfer of the amenity land in Chiltern View to the Parish Council. This matter had been considered before and after further discussion the Council RESOLVED to decline the offer. The members took the view that there would be no advantage to the Council if they had the land transferred to them but the Council would be required to maintain the ground.

 

Thame Valley Police

The Chairman informed the Council of a request by Thames Valley Police to nominate a Councillor to act as champion for the parish on neighbourhood policing. The Council RESOLVED to appoint Cllr. Alison Shelton as the point of contact with Thames Valley Police on Neighbourhood Policing.

 

SODC: Performance Plan 2007-08

The Council noted the contents of SODC’s Performance Plan for 2007-08.

 

Government for the South East

The Chairman informed the meeting of the publication of the Panel Report on the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East. The Clerk pointed out that the Panel had recommended a relaxation in the Green Belt policy south of Grenoble Road .

 

OCC Minerals and Waste Development Framework

The Council noted that a new minerals and waste plan for Oxfordshire was being prepared following the consultation on three documents in 2007.

 

ORCC – Annual General Meeting

The Council noted that the Annual General Meeting would be held in the Pine Lodge on Wednesday 3 October 2007.

 

Oxfordshire Playing Fields Association

The Council noted that the Annual General Meeting would be held at Chalgrove on Monday 1 October 2007. He passed the relevant paper to Mr Mark Willis of the Recreation Ground Committee.

 

10/09/07     Village Hall

 

The Chairman informed the meeting on the recent meeting with representatives of the village hall and the Post Office steering group. He highlighted the need to update the lease with the site plan that delineated the area occupied by the village. He also informed the meeting that the chairman of the village hall had written to the Charities Commission and that it would appear that the village hall could allow a shop/post office to operate within the charities premises. The Chairman referred to the existing level of rent in the current lease between the Parish Council and the Village Hall. The Council RESOLVED to discuss this matter at a future a future council meeting.

 

11/09/07     Village Shop/Post Office

 

The Chairman informed the meeting that Stuart McGill had applied to the Lotteries Board for a grant of £45,000 on behalf of the Village Hall.

 

12/09/07     Exchange of Information

 

Cllr. Mabel Wood expressed her appreciation of the work done by OCC Highways in maintaining the verges in the village as this year it appears that we have had four cuts.

 

 

13/09/07    Date of Next Meeting

 

The Parish Council will meet on Tuesday 9th October 2007 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 9.45 p.m.

 

                Parish Forum

                There were no matters raised

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signed by Chairman…………………………………………………Date