AVENING PARISH
COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON
THURSDAY 17th
May, 2012 AT 7.30 PM
The following Councillors were
in attendance:
Cllr Williamson, Cllr J Parsons, Cllr Mitchell, Cllr Catterall, Cllr G Parsons,
Cllr Conway.
Apologies and reasons for
absence were received from: Cllr
T Slater, Cllr Beardsell, Cllr Reid
Also in attendance: Julie Wickham, Clerk to the
Parish Council, District Cllr Mr Tony Hicks, Katie Tew – Avening Conservation
Group
The meeting opened at 7.30pm
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14/12 |
ELECTION OF
CHAIR |
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It
was RESOLVED unanimously to elect
Cllr M Williamson as Chairman. |
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15/12 |
ELECTION OF
VICE CHAIR |
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It
was RESOLVED unanimously to elect
Cllr T Slater as Vice Chairman. Cllr Slater was happy to take up the position
but had given apologies and reasons for absence. |
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16/12 |
DECLARATION
OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE OF CHAIR |
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Cllr
Williamson signed his declaration of acceptance of office and undertaking
form. |
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17/12 |
TO APPROVE
THE LATER SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION AND UNDERTAKING BY CLLR TONY SLATER ON
OR BEFORE 21ST June 2012 (s83(4)(c)LGA 1972) |
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It
was noted that no further forms need completion by Cllr Slater. |
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18/12 |
PUBLIC
QUESTION TIME |
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Katie
Tew from the Avening Conservation group was in attendance. She spoke of her interest in planning
issues and was interested to hear Cllr J Parson’s update (see later in the
meeting). |
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19/12 |
APOLOGIES
AND REASONS FOR ABSENCE |
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Apologies
and reasons for absence were accepted from Cllrs Reid, Slater and Beardsell. |
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20/12 |
ACCEPTANCE
AND SIGNING OF MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD IN MAY
2011 AND MINUTES FROM THE MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 19TH APRIL 2012
and THURSDAY 15th MARCH 2012. |
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It
was RESOLVED to accept and sign
the minutes of the Annual Council Meeting held in May 2011, the meeting held
on Thursday 19th April 2012
and the meeting held on Thursday 15th March 2012. |
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21/12 |
DECLARATIONS
OF INTEREST |
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Cllr
J Parsons declared an interest in all Planning matters because of his
position as District Councillor sitting on the Planning Regulatory Committee
at CDC. He did not vote. Cllrs Catterall and Conway Declared an
interest in one particular planning application. The register is available for inspection. |
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22/12 |
MATTERS
ARISING FROM THE MINUTES |
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Councillors
noted that decisions should not be taken under this item. The
Avening sign was a matter arising but was on the agenda and was discussed
later. In
the April minutes it should be noted that Cllrs Slater and Catterall (of the
Finance Committee) inspected the accounts.
The Clerk penned the amendment. |
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23/12 |
ACTION
POINTS FOR REVIEW |
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06/12
b Highways – the Clerk will follow up about the gas smell on the B4014 next
month. The
Highways meeting on 18th May will take action on points raised in
April about the Crossing at the Cross Public House.. 07/12
a) The Youth Club said that they would be interested in helping with the
village clean-up on Saturday 9th June. 07/12
b) The Dog Control Order will be followed up next month. 07/12
f )The Clerk had requested a copy of the Public Liability Insurance document
for the PCC for the Jubilee event. 07/12
g) Cllr J Parsons had spoken to Cllr Nick Parsons at CDC and the National
Planning Policy Framework was on the agenda. |
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24/12 |
TO RECEIVE
COUNTY COUNCILLORS REPORTS CLLR TONY HICKS |
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Cllr
Tony Hicks provided his report which is distributed with the minutes. Councillors were very interested and took
the opportunity to ask Cllr Hicks many questions which he answered. Council thanked Cllr Hicks for attending
and congratulated him on his appointment as Chair of Gloucestershire County
Council. |
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25/12 |
TO RECEIVE
PROGRESS REPORTS FOR INFORMATION a)
Clerk’s (verbal) The
Clerk had found every month very busy and this month in particular had been
exceptionally busy. b)
Planning (verbal) To receive an update from Cllr J Parsons (Member
of Planning Regulatory Committee at Cotswolds District Council) on the National
Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). ·
Cllr Parsons gave the meeting an update on the
NPPF. He was of the opinion that it
would take 18months before we knew how the NPPF would shape up. CDC are looking to work with clusters of
parishes/towns e.g Tetbury,
Cherington, Nailsworth,
Minchinhampton. Other geographical areas were discussed. Cllr Parsons had received a very useful
summary taken from the Maiden database and he kindly made this available to
Councillors and the Clerk. ACTION Clerk
to locate a map of the Parish. ·
Council RESOLVED
to add NPPF to the next and subsequent agendas if there was information
to report. It was hoped that Parishioners
would take the opportunity to speak with Councillors at the Annual Parish
meeting. ·
Cllr Parsons also imparted information from his
role as District Councillor: There was a ‘Go Partnership’ which had enabled
the sharing of high level staff from Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Cotswold DC and
Forest of Dean. They were sharing
Human Resources for example. CDC would be using a company called UBECO to collect
doorstep plastics from September.
Councillors were pleased that this would take place. |
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26/12 |
TO RECEIVE A
REPORT FROM THE VILLAGE HALL COMMITTEE WHO WERE IN RECEIPT OF A GRANT FOR
2011/12 |
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a)
Simon Wheatley – Village Hall Committee b)
To hear the response about the Reading room from
the Village Hall Committee and agree next steps. This
item was postponed until the Annual Parish Meeting or a later Council
meeting. |
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27/12 |
FINANCE |
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At
the request of the Chair this item was taken out of order as there was a lot
of end of year business. a)
Budget Status and Balance at Bank The
current balance at bank was £23,669.10 with £10,067 in the Deposit account. Outline matters were raised for discussion
relating to the precept. No firm decisions could be made and the item will be
added to the next agenda. b)
To approve bills for payment It
was RESOLVED to approve the
following bills for payment: ·
Clerks’ Salary less incometax/NI plus expenses £
961.97 ·
HMRC to be paid in June along with cheque from
April ·
Avendale Garden Services £420 ·
Finance training Jan Cordon Tiddenham Clerk £30 ·
Eagle Plant Cost of Public Toilets for Jubilee
Event £296.40 ·
Practitioners Guide SLCC £22.00 ·
Cheques
written since the last meeting ·
James and Owen for stationery and dog posters
£42.93 ·
£14.40 J Wickham for postage ·
Bunting, flags, hats for Jubilee celebrations
from Running IMP 137.98. (A credit note is awaited.) c)
To finalise Budget arrangements for 2012/13. An
amended sheet to reflect last month’s decision re: the increased budget reserves
will be distributed at the June meeting. d)
To report on the annual review of effectiveness of
internal control and internal audit (finance committee) The internal
audit had taken place and the auditor was satisfied with the accounts. e)
To advise of receipt of the first instalment of the
precept in the sum of £18,165 The Clerk
advised that the first instalment of the precept in the sum of £18,165 been
received. f)
To approve the accounts for the year 2011/2012 It was RESOLVED to approve the accounts for
the year 2011/12 and the annual governance statement, and the Chairman signed
the same. g)
Chairman’s financial review form The Chairman
reviewed and signed the annual financial review form for 2011/12. h)
Financial Risk assessment for 2012/13 and current
banking issues The internal
auditor was satisfied that APC have enough reserves to meet their needs. Council RESOLVED to leave banking arrangements as they are. i)
To review asset register for 2012/13 The asset
register was distributed and checked and updates were noted. It was suggested that four items were added
to the list: Two
commemorative plaques, the fountain at The Cross, and Calcutt Pumps. Council RESOLVED that the Clerk should take the necessary steps in order
to investigate this further and examine the cost implications of such a move. j)
To review Council’s and employee’s membership of other
bodies Council RESOLVED to keep their membership of
other bodies the same as for last year. k)
To approve insurance quotation from Came and
Company/Aviva for another year and to RESOLVE
to delay the insurance provider review to 2013. Council RESOLVED to renew the Came and
Company/Aviva policy for another year at a cost of £371.40. |
28/12 |
COMMUNITY
PROJECTS |
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Traffic and
Highways a)
To discuss the action to be taken in contacting
the Wales and West Utilities about the gas smell on the B4014. This
item will be progressed as soon as possible. b)
To note the progress with the Bus Shelter on
Hampton Hill. The Clerk had instructed Peter
Savage to begin work on this bus shelter, his quote being the one Councillors
had accepted. The costs will be met by
the lorry company who damaged it.
Council wish to thank the public spirited citizen who reported it and
took photographs, and the police for following it up successfully. c)
To note vandalism to the May’s Lane Bus Shelter
and agree the next steps. The bus shelter in May’s Lane had
been vandalised. Two windows had been
broken and the back of the bench wrenched off. The Clerk had asked two contractors to
quote for the work in order to progress the insurance claim. There was discussion about the bus shelters
in general. It was felt that both bus
shelters needed maintenance, in particular the clearing of the drain at May’s
Lane and preserving the wood. ACTION Clerk will draft the scope of
the work and bring back to the next meeting. Note: (Since the meeting it has
been suggested that the third bus shelter be included, too). Community
Projects a)
To note the arrangements for ‘The Village Clean
Up’ set for Saturday June 9th, to hear progress on action points
from previous meeting and agree next steps. The
Youth club were interested in getting involved. The Clerk had put them in touch with Cllr
Beardsell. b)
To discuss and agree next steps for implementing
the Dog Control Order at the Recreation Ground This will be dealt with as soon as possible.
(Note: CDC Dog Warden Team have kindly agreed to attend the Annual Parish
Meeting). c)
To agree the
action to be taken for the Annual Parish Meeting and the work to be shared The hall will be open from 6.15pm Council RESOLVED to ask the WI for their help
in pouring the wine. ACTION Cllr Williamson to get the
wine and glasses. ACTION Clerk to get post-it notes for people to write comments if
they so wish. Council were very pleased
with the number of tables booked. d)
To decide the action to be taken in order to
repair the Avening Sign by the school and agree next steps Cllr
Mitchell had spoken with Roger Newton.
The work on the sign as it stands at the moment (carved in a soft wood
and injected with epoxy resin) will cost approx. £200 every 5 years. A more long term solution would be to find
a wood carver who would carve the sign out of hardwood. Roger Newton had kindly offered to obtain
three quotes from wood carvers for the new sign. This will ensure that the gilding will stay
on the sign and it will last for many more years (100/150 years). Council
RESOLVED to accept Mr Newton’s
offer and award the work following receipt of three quotes for carving the
Avening Sign. e)
To consider action regarding the collapsed wall
by the stream of the memorial hall and agree next steps if appropriate. This
item was not discussed and will be discussed at the next meeting. f)
To discuss allotment provision in Avening and
agree next steps if appropriate. Cllr Conway had been asked by a
resident whether there were any allotments in Avening. It is understood that Avening has
allotments behind the Avening Cross Inn.
Council RESOLVED to ascertain
how many allotments there were at the Cross Inn, and whether there was a
waiting list. g)
To discuss Avening Volunteer of the year and
consider asking people to nominate at the Annual Parish Meeting. A
volunteer of the year was selected so it was not necessary to ask for
nominations at the Annual Parish Meeting.
Council RESOLVED that a
certificate would be presented at the Annual Parish Meeting along with a
cheque to be made out to a charity of the nominee’s choice. ACTION Clerk to make a certificate. |
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29/12 |
OFFICE
MATTERS |
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a)
To approve purchase of stamps (one large stamp
per week plus envelopes up to £19.50)
to be given to Mrs Cook until the end of the temporary post if needed. Stamps
were purchased at a cost of £14.40.
The Clerk was reimbursed by cheque. b)
To note the Clerk’s workload at this time of
year Councillors
were asked to be aware of the usual high workload at this time of year. c)
To discuss arrangements for minute taking The arrangements for minute taking
agreed at the last meeting had not proved successful for the Chair or the
Clerk and had involved them both in additional work. The Clerk is obliged to note the resolution
and the action. If there are any
problems with the minutes they should be brought back to the corporate
body. Minutes remain draft until they
are signed by Council. |
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30/12 |
PLANNING |
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12/01461/ TCONR 12/01748/ FUL 12/01553/ FUL 12/01568/ FUL |
Ward: Avening WITHDRAWN Ward: Avening No objections. Ward: Avening Council received a letter from Mr N Parker. ACTION letter to be distributed. Concern was expressed
over the use of the insulated barn but otherwise, no objections. Ward: Avening Council hoped that the extension would be built
in sympathetic materials but otherwise, no objections. |
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31/12 |
TO AGREE/NOTE A RESPONSE TO THE CORRESPONDENCE
LISTED WITH THE AGENDA PLUS ANY OTHER URGENT CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED SINCE
THE PUBLICATION OF THE AGENDA There was no urgent correspondence. Correspondence that had been
received this month will be listed in June. |
The meeting closed at 9.45pm.
The
Next Meeting of Avening Parish Council will be the Annual Parish Meeting which
will be held on Thursday, 31st May 2012 in Avening Memorial Hall at 7.30 p.m. The next Council meeting will be held on
Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 7.30pm in Avening Memorial Hall. All
welcome.