Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 20.09.12
in the Village Hall, Castle Combe
Cllr’s: F. Winup (Chairman)
A. Bishop (Vice Chairman)
b. Harvey
J Mackelden
G. Ruggles
D. Ryall (Clerk)
3 Parishioners
1. Apologies for absence:
Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Mrs J. Halliday & District Cllr Mrs J. Scott.
2. Declarations of interest:
There were no declarations of interest
3. Minutes of the meeting held on 19.07.12
These were accepted as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
4. Matters Arising:
A. Area Board Meeting
The Chairman said the meeting was not attended as there was nothing on the agenda affecting the village.
B. Traffic Calming and Speed Checks
Cllr Winup said that the proposed 30mph speed limit on the B4039 has now been extended as requested to the start of the existing 40 limit sign before Circuit Motors. Cllr Harvey suggested that Wiltshire Council be approached to install a footpath from Whitegates to the car park as the road along this stretch is a hazard to pedestrians. The Chairman said this had been requested some years ago but rejected on the grounds of cost. He asked the Clerk to make enquiries about the possibility.
C. Parking Review
The Chairman said there had been 7 bookings and 35 visits in August, the highest to date.
D. Neighbourhood Policing
The Clerk said he had received no information from PC Hannam and had written to her about the vandalism in the car park.
E. Waste Collection
Cllr Bishop said that there was no longer a problem with the provision of plastic bags for garden waste.
The Chairman asked the Council for their opinion about the Devizes Textiles scheme to provide a plain textile and shoe recycling bin (4 x 5feet) and pay the Council £120 per year for allowing it to be sited on Council land. An alternative was a bin with a Wiltshire Air Ambulance logo with £167 then being donated to the charity. The meeting voted in favour of the principle of such a scheme but concluded that neither of the two possible sites would be suitable in practice.
F. Council Vacancy
The Chairman said the possible candidate from Whitegates had not come forward and the meeting agreed to advertise the vacancy in the village newsletter.
G. Section 137 Donations
Cllr Harvey said he had asked for this to be placed on the agenda as he was concerned that tax payers’ money was being given away to charities. However after discussing it with the Chairman and Clerk he now understood how and why the donations were made and that they were fully in accordance with Section 137 of the 1972Government Act. He hoped it might be possible for donations to be made to organisations that used the money to generate more cash like the recent Whitegates Jubilee celebration. The Chairman agreed but said such opportunities were limited.
5. Finance- £
Income
Nil
Expenditure
The Councillors checked and reviewed and approved the following invoices:
D. Ryall – auditor’s gratuity 28.19
Community First – subscription 36.00
C.P.R.E. – subscription 29.00
Youth Action Wilts – donation 20.00
Bobby Van appeal – donation 20.00
Southern Electric – quarterly bill 65.85
Wilts Wood Recycling – repair play equipment 181.20
Cllr Winup – newsletter printing 27.00
6. Correspondence.
A. Wessex Water – half yearly bill
The Clerk confirmed that the amount was £73.37.
B. Letter from Peter Loader ref: Westway Lane
The Chairman said Mr Loader was concerned about speeding on Westway Lane and had written to Cllr Scott suggesting that the layout of the junction with the B4039 should be reviewed. The Chairman has spoken to Mr Loader and explained the revisions that had been considered previously and that these had been opposed by local residents. The Clerk said he had approached the College and told there had been no students for the past three months
C. MAZARS – audit bill (£162.00).
The Clerk reported that the external audit had been successful with the usual comment made that the Council has excessive funds and that capital costs should no longer be escalated. He said that MAZARS would not be carrying out future audits as the Audit Commission has negotiated a lower charge with a number of other companies. Cllr Bishop said that at the recent Chippenham Forum a Clerk from a local Parish had said that external audits can be carried out by groups of Parish Clerks thereby eliminating the charge. The Clerk said he would check this with the Audit Commission.( Since the meeting the Audit Commission have said this is incorrect and that such audits must be carried out by an external independent body.)
D. Halifax Account
The Clerk said he had received notification of the closure of the Treasurers Account containing £7353.43 in two months. The alternative offered was to transfer the account to Lloyds. The Chairman proposed waiting until the end of the closure period which was agreed by the meeting.
7. Planning applications
P.C. Approved:
Reading Room Cottage – conservatory.
Upper Manor house – tree surgery
Ford Bridge A420 – tree removal
P.C. Under Consideration:
The old courthouse – structural repairs
P.C. Rejected:
The Cottage UCC – extension, resubmission of 11/3700/FUL
Wilts Council Granted:
Upper Manor House – tree surgery
Wilts Council Rejected:
The Cottage UCC – extension, resubmission of 11/3700/FUL
8. Unitary Councillor
No comments received
9. Playing Field and Circuit Reports
Cllr Mackelden said the C.C.Colts had not progressed any further with proposals to repair the playing field fences etc.
He said he had received complaints from Westway Close residents about speeding on the recent Ford track day which he had reported to the CC Circuit management.
Cllr Winup said he would be attending a further Japfest meeting in early October
10. Play Areas Report
The Chairman asked Cllr Harvey to take over the responsibility for the play areas which he agreed to do. The Clerk said the ROSPA audit of both areas should take place before the end of the month.
11. Highways Report
Cllr.Bishop said the wall opposite Castle House had again been damaged by cars and repaired by the Cotswold Wardens. The meeting agreed to donate £50 to the Wardens and asked the Clerk to send a letter of thanks.
12. The Village Environment
Cllr Ruggles said he continued to remove rubbish from the Hill and that damage was still occurring to cars in the car park. He thought fitting gates to the entrance would prevent some of the vandalism happening. The Chairman said that this idea had recently been rejected in Chippenham due to the problems in arranging for the gates to be opened and closed.
13. Whitegates
Cllr Harvey said there was nothing to report.
14. The Village Hall
The Chairman said that the grant for the replacement kitchen windows had been approved and he was trying to get a start date from Mr Brookman.
15. Date of Next Meeting
This was confirmed as Thursday 21st November 2012 at 7.30 p.m. in the Village Hall.