Nash Parish Council
Present:
Cllr C G Tomkins, Cllr G F Culverhouse, Cllr Dewhurst, Cllr Sir John
Southby Bt, Cllr A Taylor, Cllr E Watts.
Cllr Tomkins chaired the meeting for item 1(i), Cllr Taylor, on being
elected Chairman, chaired the rest of the meeting.
Apologies:
Cllr D Gillow
1
Appointment of
officers
(i)
Chairman:
Cllr Tomkins said
that he did not wish to stand for re-election as Chairman although he intended
to remain as a councillor. It was proposed by Cllr Southby, seconded by Cllr
Tomkins, that Cllr Taylor be elected as Chairman.
There were no other nominations and Cllr Taylor was elected unanimously.
Cllr Taylor then signed the Declaration
of Acceptance of Office Form.
Cllr
Taylor paid tribute to Cllr Tomkins’ long service as Chairman of Nash Parish
Council, having been elected Chair on 20 May 1970.
The village had many reasons to be grateful for his long and
distinguished record as chairman and for the many ways in which he had
represented the village’s interests. The
Council would hope to record its appreciation in a tangible way at a future
date.
(ii)
Vice
Chairman: The
Council agreed to defer electing a Vice-Chairman.
(iii)
Responsible
Financial Officer:
In view of his election as Chairman, Cllr Taylor said that he did not wish to
continue as Responsible Financial Officer and it was agreed that the Clerk would
take over those duties.
A
review of Mrs Hedges’ salary and of the financial regulations in the light of
this change would take place in due course.
The three signatories of the bank account would continue to be Cllr
Taylor, the Clerk, and Cllr Tomkins.
Cllr
Tomkins would sign the 2008-09 accounts as Chairman as he had been Chair during
the financial year and Cllr Taylor and the Clerk would sign them, in any case,
in their respective roles as Responsible Financial Officer and Clerk for
2008-09.
(iv)
Internal
Auditor: Cllr Taylor
proposed that Mr Roy Kelsey be re-appointed Internal Auditor.
This was seconded by Cllr Watts and agreed unanimously.
(v)
Emergency Planning Officer: Cllr Taylor proposed and Cllr Southby seconded that Mrs
Hedges and Mrs Davies continue as joint Emergency Planning Officers.
Members
were advised to check with the providers of their car insurance that their cover
defined as “use for social domestic and pleasure purposes” included cover
when travelling on Nash Parish Council business including driving other members
of the Council to meetings.
The
Council agreed to continue the existing arrangements whereby the Chairman plus
two other Councillors approve the comments made to AVDC on planning
applications.
These were approved and signed by the Chairman.
(i)
Parish
Council Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009: These
were tabled. Cllr Taylor explained that installation of the new Play Equipment
in the Recreation Ground was the biggest variation from 2007/08. The balance on
the general fund at 31 March 2009 was £2,759, a small decrease on the balance
of £3,191 in 2008. Cllr Taylor pointed out that the community assets listed in
the supplementary statement now included a figure for the safety surfaces in the
Recreation Ground. After noting these points, on a proposal by Cllr Tomkins,
seconded by Cllr Southby, the Council agreed unanimously to approve the accounts
for 2008/09.
Cllr
Tomkins said that he was willing to donate the three filing cabinets that
contained old planning applications to the Parish Council.
Cllr
Dewhurst reported that, at the course she had attended, she had been informed
that precepts were likely to be capped in the near future and so it was
important to ensure that the precept was at the correct level to cover all
continuing expenses. Some councils
had found themselves in difficulty when they had to pay, for example, for
sickness cover for their clerk. Cllr
Taylor reported that the deadline for informing AVDC of the amount of the
precept had been brought forward to 31 December from late January so the Council
would have to review its budget for 2010/11 at its November meeting.
(ii)
Audit 2008/2009: The
Council noted the different format of the forms that had to be submitted to the
external Auditor, and the need to make the accounts available to residents. The
Council approved unanimously the submission that had been signed by Mr Kelsey.
Cllr Taylor was thanked for his work as Responsible Financial Officer.
(iii)
Payments authorised: The following payments were authorised/ approved:
a)
NJ Blackwell
Garden Services: Grass-cutting, March 09 £138.62
b)
NJ Blackwell
Garden Services: Grass-cutting, April 09
£220.62
c)
E-on public
lighting maintenance (1/07/08 to 31/03/09)
£119.25
d)
Alan Driver: food
for ducks on Pond
£8.29
e)
E-on (electricity
supply March 09)
£29.12
f)
E-on
(electricity supply April 09)
£29.12
g)
Playground
Facilities Ltd: Improvement to
Safety Surfaces
Recreation Ground – final payment
£1131.84
h)
Broker network
Ltd (for Came & Co) Annual Insurance
Due 1.06.09
£889.45
(iv)
Financial position: The
Council had received the first part of the precept (£4,500) and the total funds
in the Parish Council accounts at 21 May before the payment of the insurance
were:
Current
Account
£220.34
General
Reserve
£5,057.07
Recreation
Ground Reserve
£2,650.75
Total
£7,928.16
(v)
Insurance
renewal: The Council
agreed that the bench donated by Graham White should be insured for £500.
The insurance renewal was due on 1 June.
(vi)
Requests for donations: None.
(i)
New
Applications: The
Council noted the following new applications and confirmed the comments already
made by the Council:
a)
09/00512/APP 2 Cromwell Court,
Thornborough Road Single Storey Side
Extension NPC Comment: No
objection
b)
09/00622/APP & 09/00656/ALB
Little Acre, 11 Winslow Road Erection of
two storey side extension, porch and detached garage- amendment to planning
approval 06/02134/APP NPC
Comment: No objection
c)
09/00647/AGD Land west of Stratford
Road, Nash Erection of agricultural
building and area of hard standing. This was a replacement application for
08/02889/AGN, but the original site plan and the drawings had been inconsistent.
Revised drawings had just been received.
d)
09/00812/ALB Church Farm 4
Stratford Road Removal of render to expose existing building: This application
had just been received.
(ii)
Applications
approved: The
Council noted that AVDC had approved the following applications:
a)
09/00022/APP 45 High Street Single
storey side extension, conversion of garage to habitable room and new oil tank
b)
09/00296/APP Westbury 23B Winslow
Road Enclosure of porch and conversion of
garage for residential use
c)
09/00512/APP 2 Cromwell Court,
Thornborough Road Single Storey Side
Extension
(iii)
Application withdrawn: The Council noted that the following application had been
withdrawn:
a)
09/00293/APP
Church Farm 4 Stratford Road: Erection
of 10 dwellings with garages and new access road and alterations to existing
access to Church Farm.
(i)
Other planning
matters:
a)
Winslow Green (Minute
80): The Council noted that AVDC had refused this application, but the
developer had six months in which to lodge an appeal.
b)
Local Development
Framework: AVDC had approved the
core strategy and the period for submitting comments would run from 10 June to
22 July 2009.
Cllr
Culverhouse reported that the final version of the SE Plan had now been
published.
The
main element that was relevant for Nash was that there was no increase in the
number of houses in the development near Newton Longville.
Further, all references to the proposed numbers of houses being minima
had been removed. There was no
reference in the plan to any development east of the M1, though that might be
revisited in the future. The details
of the transport and highway infrastructure for the proposed Newton Longville
development were still being worked out but it was expected that there would be
ring roads round the development. NBPPC
would meet to discuss the AVDC Local Development Framework.
Cllr Culverhouse was asked to advise NPC on its response.
Cllr
Culverhouse reported that CPRE was encouraging people to write to their MP about
local democracy. It was possible to
do this from their website.
Copies
of the unconfirmed Minutes of this meeting had been circulated.
Minute 5: Possible pavement at the north end of the High Street: The
Council noted that the view of the Annual Parish Meeting had been that the
disadvantages of a pavement outweighed the benefits.
Accordingly the Council agreed not to proceed with the project to install
a pavement at the north end of the High Street.
The Council concurred with the view of the Annual Parish Meeting that a
key contributory factor to pedestrians having to walk well out into the middle
of the road was the mud on the outside of the bend in the road where the kerb
was largely missing and so the edge of the road was missed by the road sweeper.
Accordingly, the Council agreed to submit the alternative, smaller, project of
getting a kerb installed the full length of the east of the High Street so that
the road could be swept and, effectively, widened by a couple of feet.
Minute 7(i): Bollards in Thornborough Road:
Mrs Hedges reported that the bollards had been installed by
BCC at the request of the police to reduce damage to the verge.
The Parish Council took the view that, while it was pleased that the
verges would be protected, the bollards detracted from the rural nature of Nash.
The Council was concerned that it had not been consulted about the
installation of the bollards. Before
the three new houses had been built, the 30mph sign had been in the road, but
now it was located in one of the gardens. Further,
at the time the houses had been built, NPC had raised concerns about the
planting of one of the hedges as it would encroach on the road.
Minute 7(iii) Parking outside the Village Hall: Cllr
Southby reported that the Village Hall Committee had taken the view that it did
not, and should not have, responsibility in relation to parking on the road.
However, it was willing to advise hirers of the Hall that they should
seek to avoid any cars being parked close to the bend, where it caused a safety
hazard, and warning cones would be available for them to put out and take in.
Minute 7(vi) Signposts: Mrs Hedges reported that she had chased BCC about the two
cases that she had already reported (in January and March).
111
Recreation Ground and other maintenance
(i)
Safety
Surfaces in the Play Area: Cllr Southby reported that the work had been done to
his and Cllr Gillow’s satisfaction. The
Council had been advised to have the moss scraped off the surface by the swings
and by the climbing frame. Blackwell’s
would be asked to provide an estimate.
(ii)
Notices
in the Recreation Ground/Play Area: Cllr Southby and Mrs Hedges were
authorised to visit the playground and decide whether any additional notices
were required.
(iii)
Play
Inspection Report: This had not yet been received.
(iv)
Recreation Ground Gate (Minute 88(iv)) & Waste Bin in the Recreation
Ground (Minute 88(v)): The Council thanked Cllr Watts
for completing these two tasks.
(v)
Ivy
on outside of churchyard and old schoolhouse wall: The
Council agreed to get a quote from Blackwell’s to remove the ivy from the
Recreation Ground side of the Old School House garden wall.
Mrs Hedges said she would remove the ivy from the outside of the
churchyard wall.
(vi) Hedge on west side of Recreation Ground: The Council agreed to consider the cutting of the hedge when the nesting season was over.
112
Buckinghamshire County Council
(i)
Local
Area Committee Meeting 26 March 2009:
Cllr Culverhouse reported on this meeting (he had circulated an email
dated 27 March with details). He
tabled a briefing note about seeking provision from developers for physical and
social infrastructure when significant developments were planned (Section 106
issues).
(ii)
Transport
for Buckinghamshire: The Council noted that BCC had awarded the contract
to Ringway Jacobs for an eight year period with a possible extension to fifteen
years. The contracts with
Fitzpatrick and Jacobs had ended on 31 March.
113
Aylesbury Vale District Council
(i)
Village Freighter
Service:
The Council noted that the next visit of the Freighter Service would be
on Thursday 9 July from 7.30am to 11am. (The
subsequent visit would be 28 January 2010)
(ii)
Children’s
Entertainment:
The Council noted that, after consultation by email, the offer of the
Children’s entertainment in the Village Hall on Thursday 13 August had been
accepted. Cllr Gillow had agreed to be the responsible adult.
Mrs Hedges would ask him to prepare a risk assessment.
(iii)
Celebration of
Community Chest Grants Fund: 6 to 7.30pm on Wednesday 3 June in Stewkley Village
Hall: Mrs
Hedges reported that Nash had been invited as a recipient of such a grant. No
councillor was able to attend.
114
Whaddon Chase Green Infrastructure Plan
The Council had received a copy of the note that had been prepared for the next edition of the Newsletter. Cllr Watts and Cllr Dewhurst spoke about the meeting with the officers running the project. The Council agreed that it was important that Nash was well represented at the consultative meetings that would be held on 2 and 4 July.
115
Elmers
School Charity
The Council agreed to reappoint Mrs
Mander as a Trustee for three years and to appoint Mr John Hamilton (29 High
Street) as a trustee for three years from May 2009.
116
Dates of meetings: The Council noted the dates of the
remaining meetings in 2009/10:
16 July; 17
September; 19 November 2009; 21 January 2010; 18 March 2010
Annual
Parish Meeting: 13 May 2010.
117
Heavy Goods Vehicles
Cllr
Taylor reported on a letter that had been received from Ivinghoe Parish Council
seeking support for their campaign to prevent excessive HGV traffic on village
and other unsuitable rural roads by monitoring the traffic through the village.
The Council did not believe that this was a serious problem for Nash but
asked Mrs Hedges to discuss the request with Mrs Chaplin with a view to an
article in a future newsletter.
118
Training Course (Minute
94): Cllr Dewhurst
reported that she had found the training course very useful. It had helped her
understand the issues and procedures faster.
She said that Wendover had a comprehensive set of policies on its
web-site if NPC wished to develop its written policies. In connection with the
Data Protection Act, Mrs Hedges said that the Parish Council was not registered
because she believed that the only personal data she held on her computer
related to herself, but she would investigate.
There being
no further business the meeting closed at 9.15 p.m.
MH/27.05.09