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BLEWBURY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes
Of the Parish Council meeting of Blewbury Parish Council.
Held on Wednesday, 9 April in the Vale Room
Councillors present: Mr C Whatmore (Chairman), Mr A Cooper, Ms Jane Gibson, Dr P Whitehead, Mr R Farrell, Ms C Duckett, Ms E Austin, Ms Abi Barclay-Watt
Also present: Elaine Smit (Parish Clerk), Mr C Lamont (County Councillor, 4 members of the public
Matters resolved:
Actions arising from the meeting:
1. Clerk and councillors to draft reply to Mr Lamont re proposed incineration plant.
2. Clerk to give AB-W Mr Bond’s number.
3. Clerk to ask lengthman to renovate seat when appropriate and to make safe the stone
4. Clerk to print copy of OCC questionnaire on schools and pass on the CD
5. Clerk to contact local sign maker and ask for suggestions
6. Clerk to follow up with VWHDC about Watts Lane
7. RF to draft a letter to the VWHDC expressing the Parish Council’s concern about Ladycroft Park, and to circulate for comment to councillors.
8. Clerk & CW to review village assets & insurance renewal.
9. Clerk to contact Toby Warren at the VWHDC to clarify if and how the Parish can claim for work on drains
10. Clerk to clarify if the parish Council can approve consultancy without quotes
11. Clerk to write to OCC with formal offer to contribute £400 for the improvement of Bridus Way
12. CW to get details of new decoration and samples of new carpet and pass on to CD
13. Clerk to get a key for the scout hut and to investigate the lease of the Scout hut.
14. CW & clerk to send out Open Gardens letter
15. Clerk to reply to Malthus trust
16. Clerk to let VWHDC know the Tennis Courts have been sold
17. CW to publish new mobile library times in the Bulletin. Clerk to display new time tables on the notice boards
18. Clerk to circulate OCC newsletter
19. Clerk to ask OCC to inspect Playclose bridges.
20. Clerk to ask lengthman to fix the chain and to remove loose bricks
Actions carried forward from prior meetings:
1. Clerk to follow up with the Lengthman if he is able to remove the motorbike from the Chalk pits and if he needs help
1. Apologies for absence: Mr M Brassell, PCSO Mike Clayden
2. Declarations of interest. AC declared an interest in Bridus Way.
3. Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Wednesday 12 March 2008 were accepted and signed as a true record.
4. Police liaison. No Police liaison present.
5. County Councillor’s report. As there was no report from the County Council, Mr Lamont reported on the County Council new waste disposal plans, including “Energy from Waste” incinerators for Oxfordshire. The 2 sites being considered are Ardley and Sutton Courtney. Mr Lamont asked the Parish Councillors to raise their concerns which he hoped to address. PW mentioned air pollution standards. Mr Lamont replied that he visited a similar incinerator plant and could not see any pollution. He was also reassured that the air coming from the incinerator is cleaner than the air we breathe at street level. JG mentioned that increased traffic, pollution, efficiency and the impact on local residents would be the most pressing concerns. Mr Lamont responded that the residents in Sutton Courtney have raised concerns about the possibility of increased activity for instance that waste from outside the county might also be disposed of there. Mr Lamont further reported that the possible incinerator would be for Oxfordshire only and that any other county will be unlikely to get planning permission to build another incinerator in this county. The gain of a site at Sutton Courtney would be that the new civic amenities site will be easily accessible from Blewbury. CW asked about the energy and Mr Lamont reported that they already generate 3 Megawatt from methane, and the contribution from incineration would be considerable. PW asked about landfill tax to which Mr Lamont replied that it will go up to punitive levels unless the targets for reducing landfill is met. CW requested that the Parish Council be given a few weeks to draft a reply. Action: Clerk and councillors to draft reply to Mr Lamont re proposed incineration plant.
6. Matters arising.
6.1. 12/09/07 Church Moor. CW reported that he spoke to Mike Edmunds about this and that despite giving Mr Bond a few weeks every time to respond to our letters we have not had any. CW suggested that the clerk write to Mr Bond to say that we assume that he is not interested in selling. AB-W volunteered to ring Mr Bond before any further action is taken. Action: clerk to give AB-W Mr Bond’s number.
6.2. 12/12/07 Future Didcot cycle links. AB-W reported that she and PW had a positive meeting with Mr Kauntze. Mr Kauntze is unhappy with the proposed cycle path going through the field, as is Mr Rogers who owns some of the land, but they proposed that the path go alongside the road and up Frog Alley linking up with the cycle way. The next step would be to meet with Upton Parish Council, Police, Traffic Police and SUSTRANS.
6.3. 14/11/07 BVS Village days– green day – litter & gravel spreading. AB-W mentioned that the 2 areas previously proposed for graveling are the churchyard and Watery Lane. Since then path from the Methodist Church to Spring Cottage has been brought to her attention. The budget for the gravel was discussed later under point 11.3. AB-W asked if the Parish Council would pay for the Vale Room where volunteers would meet, as well as refreshments. CW suggested that the Village Hall should invoice the clerk direct. AB-W will invoice the clerk for refreshments.
6.4. 13/02/08 Motorcycle in chalk pit. The Clerk reported that the Lengthman will be dismantling the motorcycle and will let the Council know if he needs volunteers. Action: Clerk to follow up with lengthman.
6.5. 13/02/08 Memorial seat and stone. The clerk reported that the lengthman proposed to renovate the seat during the late summer when the building work has been completed. The lengthman also reported that the stone could be protected with some suitable material until the final layout has been settled. Action: Clerk to ask lengthman to renovate seat when appropriate and to make safe the stone.
6.6. 12/03/08 OCC review of primary school provision. CW reported on the Chief Executive of the OCC’s recent newsletter, wherein he stressed that no rural school closures are planned. Furthermore in response to the Parish Council’s submission a reply was sent and the Parish Council was asked to fill in a questionnaire. The questions on this questionnaire relates more to capital spending policy and the Parish Council felt unable to answer these questions. A copy of this questionnaire will be passed on to Ms Mills for completion. Action: clerk to print copy and pass on the CD.
6.7. 12/03/08 “No Motorcycles” signs at chalk pit. The clerk reported that no standard “no motorcycles” sign exists but that it is possible to have one made. The Council suggested the clerk also contact the local sign maker. Action: clerk to contact local sign maker and ask for suggestions.
7. Open Forum. Three items were discussed:
7.1. Watts Lane: The clerk reported that she has spoken to the VWHDC and the different departments are not clear who is responsible for the upkeep. Mandy Bell did however promise to inspect the lane. Mandy Bell also suggested to the clerk that obstruction should first be taken up with the residents on the lane and if no good response comes from that, the local police should be contacted. A member of the public reported that contractors are blocking the lane further along and only becomes clear to the pedestrian once you are already walking down. A sign would solve that problem. CW asked if some gravel would solve the problem of the deep and muddy holes at the end of the lane where it becomes a footpath. JG suggested that it is really important that it is established who at the VWHDC is responsible. CW suggested some temporary patchwork with gravel could be carried out until such time as the VWHDC does more permanent repairs. Action: clerk to follow up with VWHDC
7.2. Footpath barriers: A member of the public enquired about the barriers at the footpaths in the village as they do not appear to be wheelchair friendly. CW replied that the barriers have been widened previously to allow wheelchair users through and asked the gentleman to let the Council know if he has any difficulty with a specific set of barriers.
7.3. Ladycroft Park. The Ladycroft Residents Association (LRA) reported to the Council that it has been a year since Mr Best took over the park. The entrance and first row of houses have been tidied but the rest of the park is still in need of attention. New homes are being erected but there are still 9 homes for rent even though assurances were given that this would not continue. Rubble is being left and the roads are in need of repair. The LRA sent a solicitor’s letter to Mr Best asking him about his future plans for the Park but the reply was not helpful as it did not contain any details and did not tally with what is happening in the Park itself. Car parking spaces will be a huge problem as there are not enough. The LRA further reported that they do not understand why no site licence conditions have been enforced. The VWHDC has been waiting for the new guidelines but the LRA is concerned that work is currently carried out in the park contravening the new proposed licence which will leave the residents vulnerable if the Park is taken over by someone else as it may be used as a reason to evict or move residents. The LRA expressed their concern about the VWHDC’s response in this regard as the reply was that they will do a “risk assessment” when site licence agreements have been breached. The LRA asked the question what the point is of a site licence with very specific points if it will not be enforced, and also asked why the manager of the site had not been given a copy of the site licence. The LRA’s further concern is that the court order has been rendered invalid by the recent change of ownership, and that its conditions have not been adhered to = e.g. the electric work has been carried out by unlicensed workers. The LRA would like the Parish Council to get involved again. RF (district councillor) reported that he spoke to the VWHDC the previous week and said that some of the issues raised could be made conditions in the new site licence. RF suggested the Parish Council should write to the VWHDC expressing its concern about state of the site. RF also suggested that a meeting with Paul Staines might be helpful in getting something done. Mr Ed Vaizey MP was scheduled to visit on the 18th of April. Action: RF to draft a letter to the VWHDC and circulate to councillors.
8. Risk Management.
8.1. 11/07/07 Tree register. Nothing to report.
8.2. 12/03/08 Village Hall risk assessment. Received. Item closed.
8.3. 09/04/08 Recreation Ground risk assessment. Due in May.
8.4. 09/04/08 Register of physical assets and liability to be reviewed. Action: clerk & CW to review.
8.5. 09/04/08 Allianz Insurance renewal: Action: Clerk & CW to review.
9. Planning & Housing.
9.1. 02/02/06 Planning Committee Report: CW reported the Westbrook Green application was refused.
9.2. 02/02/06 Exception Site: CW reported that he wrote to them enquiring about the Exception Site, but has not heard anything.
10. Ladycroft Park. Discussed during open forum.
11. Finance & Administration
11.1. Small grants committee.
11.1.1. Root & Branch. The small grants committee was asked to make a recommendation about a possible donation as the new financial year has started.
11.2. Payments for approval to be made under ancillary powers and within budgeted amounts. All payments were approved. Proposed by RF, seconded by PW. All agreed.
11.3. Projects with carried over reserves. The clerk reported that the following projects have been carried over from the previous year: cemetery development, recreation ground maintenance, path maintenance, gravel, TFF car park, remedial work to trees.
11.4. Spending policy for the interest earned on the Tennis Court sale. The draft policy was amended and adopted as follows:
§ The interest is a temporary source of income, and the policy is to spend as much of the interest as possible to preserving, maintaining and enhancing assets and amenities which are the responsibility of the Parish Council to reduce future maintenance and expense.
§ The amount might be up to £25,000 for 2008/9.
§ Suggestions include the cemetery development plan, footpaths (including BVS village days), TFF car park, village hall, village hall car park, KAP and drains.
The “drains” suggestion was clarified by RF who reported that the VWHDC tops up in certain instances what the Parish Council is spending. Action: clerk to contact Toby Warren at the VWHDC to clarify if and how the Parish can claim for work on drains. CW proposed to adopt the policy, JG seconded, all agreed. Seeing that Village Hall Management Committee is currently renovating the hall, JG suggested that CW asked them if they have any more projects they did not have enough money for. CD mentioned that the Village Hall kitchen is very impractical to use and if it was improved it might generate a better income. Agenda item 13.4 was also discussed. CD suggested that it would be very difficult to do fund raising for the cemetery development plan and that this would be an excellent way of spending the interest. CW reported that Anthony Stiff suggested and offered to act as a project manager on the cemetery development project, overseeing the quotes and implementation of the plans. The clerk reported that Mr Stiff only asked for his expenses to be covered. RF suggested that the clerk clarify if the council needs quotes for consultancy services. CW suggested that the financial regulations might allow it but the clerk needs to clarify this. Action: clerk to clarify if the parish Council can approve consultancy without quotes
11.5. Tennis Court sale proceed: Capital projects
11.5.1. Landscaping Tickers Folly
JG explained that she asked for this item to be included in the agenda as it was becoming clear that the Church Moor proposal might not come to fruition and wanted to know if the village should be consulted again. RF pointed out that there is no urgency to get more proposals in the near future as there are several projects which might require a contribution e.g. the cycle way to Didcot, and that care should be taken not to rush to get proposals in order to spend the money. CD & JG expressed a concern that the Recreation Ground project might spiral out of control if no clear limit is set. RF pointed out the BVS EG will probably approach the Council with more ideas if the Church Moor project does not happen, and that a further special meeting might be appropriate. Item closed.
11.6. Resolution: to make a formal offer to the OCC highways to contribute £400 from general reserves for the improvement of Bridus Way. PW proposed JG seconded. Action: clerk to write to OCC with formal offer to contribute £400 for the improvement of Bridus Way
11.7. Contribution towards village hall: CW reported that the Parish Council as a regular user of the Vale Room to contribute towards the cost of the new carpet. CD asked if the Parish Council can have some say in the choice of carpet. CD volunteered to speak to the Village Hall committee regarding the choice of carpet and requested CW to ask the committee to make available carpets samples and details of other decorative finishes. Action: CW to get details of new decoration and samples of new carpet and pass on to CD. CW proposed to donate £300 towards the cost of the carpet for the Vale Room (to be paid from Tennis Court interest.), AC seconded, all agreed.
11.8. Contribution towards BVS village days gravel & refreshments. AB-W wanted clarification on the available budget. The clerk reported that a total of £800 is available RF suggested that “up to £800” (excluding VAT) can be spent on gravel and any other materials. AC asked if there were any deep holes in the footpaths as gravel will only aggravate this. CD asked that some expert needed to look at the footpaths and holes to make suggestions on the type of material to be used. ABW proposed that up to £800 can be made available to be spent on gravel and other suitable material, JG seconded, all agreed.
11.9. Access to fire proof cupboard and scout hut. RF reported that he has a meeting with Elizabeth Farr, who has a key to the Scout Hut. She is an assistant commissioner of the Scouts, and she agreed to speak to the commissioner. RF suggested that the clerk investigate the lease.
11.10. PC chairmanship for new term. CW reported that he has come to the end of his term and will need someone at the next meeting to take over.
11.11. Re-appointment of Derek Buck as Trustee of the Malthus Trust. CW proposed. RD seconded, all agreed. Action: clerk to reply to Malthus trust.
11.12. Annual parish meeting date: 21st of May 2008 at 8pm in the Vale Room.
12. Correspondence.
12.1. Items requesting a reply
12.1.1. Phil Rogers – request to use TFF as over flow car park for NGS Open Gardens. Permitted. CD asked about a standard letter to be sent to residents with Open gardens. CW replied that he has a copy of the letter and is happy to send it out. Action: Copy of Open Gardens letters to be sent.
12.1.2. VWHDC rates for London Rd Tennis Court. CW reported that an invoice of zero was received for London Rd Tennis Court. Action: clerk to let VWHDC know the Tennis Courts have been sold.
12.2. Items for information
12.2.1. Thank you from Blewbury Pre-School. Noted
12.2.2. Mobile Library – new timetable. Action: CW will publish this in the Bulletin
12.2.3. Oxfordshire Playing Fields Association events. Noted
12.2.4. Communities changing places drop-in event. Noted
12.2.5. North Wessex Downs AONB Forum. Noted
12.2.6. OCC newsletter. Action: Clerk to circulate.
13. Cemetery Development Plan. Cemetery Development Plan
13.1. Grave digging & removal of soil. The clerk reported that this has been part of the regulations which have been reviewed by the committee. Item closed.
13.2. New cremation plots & path. The clerk reported that the new cremation plots and path has been clarified with the help of the committee. Item closed
13.3. Review of regulations. Reviewed and updated by committee.
13.4. Quotes and project management. Discussed under item 11.4.
14. Parish Plan
14.1. Calor Village of the year competition. The Clerk reported that Calor Village of the year competition’s entry form has been downloaded. Entry is free. The entry form was given to AB-W to pass on BVS EG.
15. Recreation Ground
15.1. 28/11/06 Management Committee Structure CW reported that a meeting took place which was attended by PW and it seems as if progress has been made. PW reported that due to constrictions on car parks and the tennis court, the Tennis Club offered to move the tennis courts to TFF with a small pavilion of their own and to give up the top 2 tennis courts for a 5 a-side-football area, which leaves the lower 2 tennis courts for the new pavilion, or it could be placed in the south corner or around the corner and to move the football pitch, but the willingness of the Tennis Club to move freed up the options where to move the pavilion. The size of the pavilion was also discussed and the point was made that a smaller pavilion would not be too expensive and would be easier to manage. PW reported that 2 people from each club would form the committee to manage the pavilion. PW reported that WREN has money available for capital projects up to £500,000 but applications need to be in by the end of May. PW volunteered to complete the application form if agreement is reached at the next RGMC meeting. CD suggested that it would be prudent for the Parish Council to review the application. RF pointed out that it would need to be clarified in who’s name the application will be made. He furthermore pointed out that a consultation with the village might have to be sought, and as the Parish Council contributes towards the Recreation Ground it will have to decide if they continue to contribute. RF also pointed out that the financial projections for the pavilion relies on it being let out which need to be considered in context.
16. Allotments
Nothing to report.
17. Footways, Footpaths and rights of way
17.1. 02/09/05 Village upkeep review. The clerk reported that the lengthman informed her that the lawnmower has broken down.
17.2. 03/03/07 Bridus way. In response to a question from AC about Bridus Way road, RF reported that Bridus Way Rd was not subject to any section 106 agreement with the VWHDC, but there might have been an agreement between the County and the developer. AC asked the Council’s backing if he could speak to the Chief Executive of the OCC, and there were no objections.
17.3. 02/04/07 Cob Walls. Nothing reported.
17.4. 14/06/07 Path behind Savages and path from Ladycroft to stables. Nothing to report.
17.5. 12/12/07 Footpath 24. nothing to report.
17.6. 13/02/07 Parking on footways. Nothing reported.
17.7. 13/02/07 Rabbit cull. The clerk confirmed that a response to the concerned resident has been sent. Item closed.
17.8. 12/03/07 Watts Lane. Discussed during Open Forum.
17.9. 09/04/08 Bridges to the stream adjacent to the Playclose. CD reported that a resident spoke to her minutes prior to the Easter Duck Race, voicing his concern about the safety of the bridges leading to the Playclose. The Council noted that there has been no suggestion that the bridges are unsafe prior to this. Action: clerk to ask OCC to inspect.
17.10. 09/04/08 Dibleys Footpath. The clerk reported that a hole in the Dibleys footpath has been promptly fixed. Item closed.
18. Roads, Road safety and public transport
18.1. Traffic calming measures. Nothing to report.
19. Village Hall Management Committee report: Nothing to report as there was no meeting since the last Parish Council meeting.
19.1. Staging outside village hall. CD reported that the staging was removed but rubbish was left . CW volunteered to remove the litter if it is still there.
20. Environment
20.1. 16/01/08 Trees at Church End. The clerk reported that a copy of the letter and TPO’s from Mr George Reade from the VWHDC to the owners of Church Moor, was received by the Council.
21. District Councillors report. RF reported on the bus passes and the problems it had with the photographs on passes. RF reported that the specifications from the government were only issued in September last year which did not leave enough time for the passes to be made. RF reported that the VWHDC is only allowing bus passes to be used from 9.30am and that is the only part the government is funding. He explained further that a large number of bus pass users live in areas with excellent bus routes into Oxford. The government promised to help Councils with this kind of problem but no funding has yet been received, therefore the 9.30am start. CW mentioned that other councils are allowing bus pass users from 9am. RF confirmed that the VWHDC is not allowing this due to the situation explained above and therefore the cost. The practical implication for Blewbury is that bus pass users cannot use the 9.03 bus into Didcot. RF explained that the VWHDC need £653,000 to cover the cost of the bus passes, but that the government’s contribution to the Council is £696,000 in total, which leaves the question if there is any funding from the government for this scheme. RF said he was happy to speak to anyone unhappy about this to explain the Vale’s financial situation.
22. Any Other Business: CD mentioned that chain at the recreation ground has not yet been fixed. Action: clerk to ask lengthman to fix the chain and to remove loose bricks.
23. Details of the next meeting. The next Parish Council Meeting will be on the 14th of May 2008 in the Vale Room at 19:30.
The meeting closed at 21.56