Nash Parish Council
In
Attendance: Mrs
M S Hedges (Clerk)
No-one
had volunteered to serve on the Parish Council.
The Clerk was asked to advertise the vacancy again in the Newsletter,
making it a standalone item, rather than a single item amongst the Parish
Council entry.
The Minutes of the meeting on 20 November 2008 were
approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
(i)
Planting
of Trees on the path to the Pond (Minute 50(i)): The
Council noted that the proposed meeting had still to be arranged.
(ii)
Motocross
activities at Barnhill Farm (Minute 50 (ii)): The Clerk reminded the Council that she had
circulated a note after the last meeting about her conversation with Philip
Dales of AVDC following the discussion at the last meeting of his email of 12
November. In a further conversation
that afternoon, she had been told that the information received from the Lowes
had been discussed by planning and legal officers of AVDC and the Council would
receive a letter shortly. Mrs Hedges did not know the contents of the letter but
understood that conclusions were unlikely to be welcomed by Nash Parish Council.
The Council agreed that they would await receipt of the letter before
taking the matter further and agreed that a special meeting of the Council might
be necessary.
Cllrs
Southby and Taylor reported that, according to their records, there had only
been ten motocross events in 2008. There
had also appeared to be less than fourteen 4x4 events, but they might not have
recorded all of them.
Mrs Hedges reported that she had spoken to Mr Lowe who had told her that
motocross events had been organised for the following dates in 2009:
18 January, 15 February, 1 March, 15 March, 26 April, 10 May, 20 June
(when it would start early), 13 September; 11 October
As
the number of dates was less than fourteen, more events might be organised.
(iii) Emergency Planning Officer (Minute 51(ii)): Mrs Hedges reported that Greg Davies was not willing to be an Emergency Planning Officer. His wife Sue, however, was willing to be a joint Emergency Planning Officer and was willing to be appointed joint Emergency Planning Officer with Mrs Hedges. The Council approved these appointments and thanked Mrs Davies and Mrs Hedges for agreeing to take on this role.
(iv) Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator/membership of the Neighbourhood Action Group: The Clerk reported that Mrs Chaplin was willing to take on this role. Accordingly, the Council agreed to appoint Mrs Chaplin as Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator/member of the Neighbourhood Action Group.
(i)
Payments
authorised/approved: The following payments were
authorised/approved:
a)
Eon: Electricity
Supply, November 08
£29.12
b)
Eon:
Electricity Supply, December 08
£29.12
c)
G Broderick: Removal of tree in
Recreation Ground
£200.00
d)
Society of Local Council Clerks:
Annual Subscription
£61.00
The
Clerk reported that she had been assured by the unmetered supplies section of
Eon that the Council was benefitting from the more efficient lights that had
been installed in the summer.
(ii)
Financial position: Cllr
Current
Account
£361.93
General
Reserve
£4,056.10
Recreation
Ground Reserve
£3,149.98
Total
£7,568.01
(iii)
Requests
for donations:
Cllr
(iv)
Precept:
Cllr
(v)
Annual Accounts of village
societies:
Cllr Taylor reported that he had not yet received the latest
audited/inspected accounts from the Youth Club.
(vi)
Annual Donations: The Council discussed the
annual donations to Village Societies and agreed the following:
Village
Hall Committee
£250 less £35 for website, i.e £215
Youth
Club
£75, subject to receipt of the accounts
All
Saints Church Burial Ground
£50
Mrs
Hedges was asked to contact Mrs Firth to explain that, since the Council was
responsible for taxpayers’ moneys, it felt obliged to have sight of the
accounts before making its annual grant.
(i) New Applications: The Council noted that there had been no new applications since the last meeting.
(ii)
Causter
Farm (Minute 39(v) (b) of 18 September 2008):
Mrs Hedges reported that, in a letter dated 16 December, AVDC had said that no
breach of planning control had been detected when the site was visited.
(iii)
“Greenway”:
(Cllr Watts declared an interest) The
Council noted that an application (08/02944/AOP) to develop the former Little
Horwood Airfield and Adjacent Land to the north of Winslow had been submitted on
29 December 2008. The development included proposals for 3300 new dwellings and
a range of facilities and services. This
development was not currently part of either the Aylesbury Vale Plan or of the
SE Plan. The Council noted that it was not being formally consulted about this
planning application because it was not on land adjacent to Nash Parish.
However, a development of this scale so close to Nash, albeit on the
other side of the A421, could not but affect the village.
The Council agreed to publicise the proposal in the Newsletter so that
residents could make personal representation if they wished.
Cllr Culverhouse, as Secretary of NBPPC, was in contact with
representatives of the villages affected and would advise on any response that
NPC should make. It was likely that
our most direct interest would be in the additional traffic trough Nash from the
proposed new houses which might come north through Nash from the A421 Great
Horwood roundabout rather than turning east onto the A421.
(iv)
Extract from the Sunday Times about
rural housing: The Council noted with
interest the recent extract from the Sunday Times about the Government forcing
through developments in rural areas.
Cllr
Culverhouse reported that the Government’s response on the SE Plan was
expected some-time in the spring. On
the proposal by Greenway, the NBPPC would be meeting in early February.
(i)
Safety
Surfaces in the Play Area (Minute 57(i)): Cllr Southby report that he
had received two estimates for the work on the play surfaces: one from £1664
(ex VAT) from Associated Surfaces & Materials Ltd and a second from
Playground Facilities Ltd for £1616.91 (ex VAT).
A representative from Wicksteed would be visiting the following week and
would provide a third estimate. The
Council agreed that the work needed to be done and agreed to authorise Cllr
Southby, Cllr Taylor and the Clerk to accept the best value for money estimate,
on the understanding that it would be in the region of £1,600.
(ii)
Additional
equipment for older people:
The Council discussed the possibility previously suggested by Mrs
Shadbolt that there should also be some equipment for older people to use to
keep them fit and active. Some
Councillors expressed reservations about how much such equipment would be used.
Cllr Southby reported that one firm had suggested that the Council would
need to spend £3,000 to get anything worthwhile.
The Council agreed that support from residents for such an investments
should be canvassed in the April edition of the Newsletter before taking the
matter further.
(iii)
Grass Cutting arrangements
for 2009: The Council
considered the summary of the four quotations that had been received for
grass-cutting for 2009. The Council
agreed to accept the quotation from N J Blackwell services.
(iv)
Moles in the Recreation
Ground: The Council noted
that there was considerable mole activity in the Recreation Ground.
The Clerk reported that she had discussed the position with the “mole
man” who had advised that it would be better to wait a month until the nesting
season. Moles were territorial and
killing the existing moles would be likely to result in the area being
re-inhabited as moles sought territories in which to breed.
In view of this advice, the Council agreed not to employ the “mole
man” immediately. The Council
agreed that he should be employed as soon as he thought it appropriate to deal
with the moles in a way that would minimise the likelihood of re-infestation
during the spring and summer. Mrs
Hedges said that she expected that the PCC would discuss the question of moles
in the Churchyard at its meeting on 19 January.
(v)
Ducks on the Pond:
The Council noted with pleasure the donation of ducks for the Duck Pond
by Mrs and Mrs Cersel. Cllr
Culverhouse said that a thank you article would appear in the next issue of the
Newsletter. Cllr Gillow said that he would make a new platform so that any
ducklings born in the spring/summer would have a better chance of survival.
(vi)
Ladies Walk:
Cllr
(vii)
Chapel Lane: The Council noted that the hedges either side of
(viii) Recreation Ground Gate: The Council noted that Mr Johnson had still not removed his lock from the Recreation Ground Gate, despite reminders to do so and being given a deadline of 31 December 2008. The Council agreed to authorise its removal and Cllr Watts agreed to do this with his bolt cutters.
(ix)
Waste Bin in the
Recreation Ground: The bin liner was liable to fall down whenever anything heavy was put in
the bin. Cllr Watts agreed to cut a
circle from an old tyre/inner tube which could be used to hold the bin liner in
place.
(x)
Pump on the Village Green:
Cllr Southby reported that this
pump needed repair as there seemed to be a leak underground.
He and David Weatherhead proposed to do the work when the weather was
warmer. There might be a small
expense involved.
(i)
Local Area Forum: 4
December 2008:
The Council discussed Cllr Gillow’s report on what Cllr Gillow regarded
as a useful meeting.
a)
“On
the road”: The Council shared Cllr
Gillow’s concern that several of these events had been advertised as taking
place in Nash without any formal booking of the facilities that they intended to
use. The Council agreed that that
the Clerk should write to the organisers in AVDC to say that, in future, the
Parish Council wished to be consulted to ensure that the correct formalities
were followed, namely that the facilities were not booked for other events, that
the correct insurance arrangements were in place, and that the relevant people
in the village were consulted to see whether there was likely to be a demand for
the event, and to discuss the appropriate publicity.
b)
Parish
Gang Sheets/highway maintenance: The
Council agreed that the list prepared in the spring should be updated and
re-submitted.
c)
Speeding
Review: The Council noted with
pleasure that the Area 14 Speeding Review that covered Nash had been brought
forward to 2009.
(ii)
Police Survey:
The Council authorised the Clerk to complete the police survey “Together we
can” mentioned in Cllr Gillow’s report.
(iii)
Buckinghamshire in 2026:
How will it shape up? The
Council authorised the Clerk to respond to this consultative document on its
behalf. It noted that BCA had
prepared a document Sustainable Rural Communities – A rural perspective that
highlighted issues that might be included in the response.
(iv)
Delegated Budget Scheme:
Mrs Hedges reported that the bid had been submitted by the due date of 31
December.
(v)
Temporary Speed Indicator
Device (Minute 58(iii)): Mrs
Hedges said that she now had the application form to install a TSID.
She said that a TSID would only be situated within a 30 or 40mph speed
limit and at least 200 yards from the start of the limit.
The Council confirmed that the areas currently giving most concern about
speeding were the areas within the village only covered by the national 60mph
limit. Given the good news that the
speed limit review was now imminent, the Council agreed to wait and install the
TSID when new areas of the village were speed restricted following the review.
(vi)
Aylesbury Area Plan:
The Council noted that BCC was reviewing education provision based on seven area
plans. The first area being reviewed
was Aylesbury and details were available at www.buckscc.gov.tk/aylesburyplan.
The other areas would be reviewed in due course.
(i)
Electoral Register:
The Council noted the latest electoral register.
(ii)
AVDC
Arts Development Plan: The
Council noted that, in a letter dated 6 January 2008, the Council had been
invited to comment, by 30 January on this development plan.
The Clerk was asked to respond on behalf of the Council if she thought it
appropriate to do so.
(iii)
Refuse
Freighter: The Council noted
that the Refuse Freighter will be in Nash from 7.30am to 11am on Thursday 22
January 2009. The Clerk would open
the Recreation Ground gate.
(iv)
Operation
Accurist: The Council noted
that AVDC and Thames Valley Police were running an anti-burglary operation,
encouraging householders to leave lights on when their house was empty.
AVDC was providing free timer switches, property marking kits and energy
efficient light bulbs. Mrs Hedges
agreed to advertise this in the next Newsletter.
(v)
AVDC Standards Committee:
The Council noted that, at its meeting on 12 January, the Committee had
discussed a programme of training in 2009 for town and parish councillors on the
code of conduct and standards issues (and possibly including other topical
issues).
(i) Communities in Control: Real people, real power Codes of conduct for local authority members and employees: Cllr Taylor reported that no reply had been made to this consultative document.
(ii)
Communities in Control:
Real people, real power Code of recommended practice on local authority
publicity. The Council noted
that it had been invited to comment on the consultative document for which the
closing date for comments was Thursday 12 March.
The Clerk agreed to read the document and see if the Council could make
any useful comments.
The Council discussed the
letter dated 19 December from Vicky
Weatherell, Green Infrastructure Officer of the Buckinghamshire Green
Infrastructure Consortium. After noting that Ms Weatherell wished to meet with
the Parish Council, the Council agreed to invite her to come to the meeting on
19 March and to give her a twenty minute slot at the beginning of the meeting.
The
Council noted that next meeting was on Thursday 19 March 2009 and that the dates
of meetings for 2009/10 were set out in Minute 62 of the last meeting.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.20 p.m.
MH
22.01.2009