HELD ON TUESDAY 23rd MARCH 2004
IN EAST WOODHAY VILLAGE HALL
AT 7.30 P.M.
APOLOGIES: Councillors J. Maxwell and M. Ross.
ALSO PRESENT: Ms. J. Meredith, Newbury Weekly News.
CLERK: Mrs. A. Davidson.
IN THE ABSENCE OF COUNCILLOR MAXWELL, PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRMAN, THE MEETING WAS CHAIRED BY COUNCILLOR PRESTON, PARISH COUNCIL VICE-CHAIRMAN.
ITEM 1: MINUTES OF LAST MEETING.
Approval of the February Minutes was proposed by Cllr Elsden and seconded by Cllr Kyle-Lawrence. All agreed.
ITEM 2: MATTERS ARISING.
Cllr Preston has not yet spoken to ROSPA with regard to obtaining details of playground equipment suppliers.
2nd April at 10.00 a.m. has been confirmed as the date and time for a meeting to take place to discuss the proposed Mast at North End.
Cllr Preston has not been able to speak to County Cllr Wall to request his support for the Parish Council’s application to develop the area opposite Masons Court.
Posts are now in place at Woolton Hill Recreation Ground to prevent anyone accessing the Rec by car. Cllr Holdcroft thought he had noticed that a post had been loosened and removed.*
*ACTION: CLLR PRESTON TO CHECK POST HAS NOT BEEN REMOVED.
The Clerk has sent off application for Rural Infrastructure Grant to provide a footpath between the two Schools in Woolton Hill.*
*ACTION: CLERK TO CHASE UP RESPONSE TO APPLICATION.
Cllr Heather has been quoted £107.64, plus VAT, plus Carriage, for a Litter Bin. There is currently a spare one, which will probably be put next to the teen shelter at Copnor when it is in place.*
ACTION: CLERK TO CONTACT LADY WHO REQUESTED BIN BY HER HOUSE AND EXPLAIN THE SITUATION.
Cllr Powell has not been able to speak to the lady who was unhappy about notice given prior to closure of the Ball Hill Road to carry out repair work. The meeting agreed that this matter should not be taken any further.
Cllr Elsden has checked with St. Martin’s School with regard to the need for re-election of a Minority Governor there, and confirmed that this is not currently necessary.
The tennis net at Woolton Hill has now been repaired.
The disappearing stile at Alma Farm has now re-appeared.
The Clerk has written to Mrs. Goldsmith with regard to her being Guest Speaker at the Annual Parish Meeting.
The Clerk has put a notice in Spectrum stressing the need for more leaders for the Youth Club.
ITEM 3: PLANNING.
Cllr Elsden has written to AWA with a list of questions concerning the proposed Mast at North End. It was acknowledged that the agents had not acted properly in their dealings with the community regarding this proposal. Cllr Elsden asked that, when the meeting takes place on 2nd April to discuss this mast, no Councillors express a personal opinion as this may be mistakenly understood as the view of the Parish Council as a whole. Once the site has been visited, a meeting will take place at East Woodhay Village Hall to discuss the way forward. Consequent reports will be made in writing. Councillors Elsden, Farmer, Johnson, Maxwell and Kyle-Lawrence all hope to attend.
Cllr Elsden and the Clerk have received copies of a letter from Penny Mankowitz and Sarah Ede concerning the mast issue. They have compiled a list of alternative sites in the Parish where a mast could be situated, but state that, unfortunately, the landowners of these sites have all said they would not allow a mast to be erected there. Cllr Elsden stressed that they and others have put a lot of work into collating and collecting information, and they should be admired for doing so. Cllr Preston commented that they probably provide a very good representation for their community.
Cllr Elsden went on to deal with other planning matters. The application at Hayes at North End has now been approved, with all the Parish Council’s observations having been considered and included.
Retrospective planning permission has been received for the ‘sculptures’ at Burley House.
An objection has been lodged to the proposed development at Gore End Road, but as yet there is no news on this application.
ITEM 4: AMENITIES.
Cllr Preston reported that Steve Batt is still unwell, but assures him he will get outstanding work done by contractors as soon as possible.
He has no news as yet on the Council’s application for funding to improve the area opposite Masons Court.*
*ACTION: CLLR PRESTON TO SPEAK TO CLLR ROSS FOR UPDATE.
The Litter Warden is still not in place, but the Clerk and Cllr Preston continue to chase Basingstoke and Deane. It is hoped she will be starting on 1st April now.
Cllr Preston has repaired the Tennis Court at Woolton Hill, which unfortunately is in poor condition due to continued vandalism. Ways in which this could be prevented from happening are being considered.
Cllrs Heather and Ross visited Basingstoke and Deane to discuss the Council’s future proposals in terms of replacement skateboard ramp, CCTV and Teen Shelter. They went armed with the ‘Funding Matrix’. All the key issues were discussed, and Basingstoke were impressed with the Council’s approach. They intend to allocate a ‘case officer’ to the Council’s proposals, who will help ‘unlock doors’ to potential funding. Cllrs Heather and Ross felt the meeting was very positive, with Basingstoke agreeing that East Woodhay has not, in the past, proved to be a large drain on resources. Money is available, the issue is knowing where to find it. For example, funding was set aside for provision of a Skateboard Park at Brighton Hill in Basingstoke, but this Park did not materialise. However, the funding still needs to be used on a youth project, something which has not yet happened. It will soon be being re-allocated, and Cllr Ross will obtain details when it is known what is available. Other possible sources are Lottery Awards, Biffawards and S106 Developers Contributions.
ITEM 5: HIGHWAYS.
Upgrading of signing and lining around the white bridge at the county boundary on the Ball Hill road is to take place. A more substantial barrier is already in place. Large potholes have been identified on the Ball Hill to Heath End road, with repairs also necessary on Church Road in Woolton Hill and between St. Martin’s church and North End. Cllr Preston asked if Cllr Johnson could annotate his schedule of works to include when repairs will be done. Cllr Elsden also felt that he should include dates by which time action should be taken.*
*ACTION: CLLR JOHNSON TO ADD ‘COMPLETION DATE’ BOXES AND REQUEST HIGHWAYS TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WORK BEING DONE WITHIN ACCEPTABLE TIMESCALES.
It has also been noted that the surface of Hollington Lane is again breaking up, despite having recently been repaired.
Cllr Johnson confirmed he will be attending the Parish Co-ordinators meeting on 6th April.
Cllr Farmer said she felt there was a need to look at the ditches around the Parish to identify which are the responsibility of Highways and which belong to private individuals. She will contact councillors in the near future to gain information on areas prone to flooding. Of particular concern is the area around Harwood Paddock, where parishioners are worried that development there will create flooding problems in Harwood Rise and Greenways. This has also been highlighted as a potential problem by the Village Design Team. Cllr Johnson felt that, if there is a potential problem there, it should be dealt with now, rather than wait until development of the site takes place. Cllr Preston felt that Basingstoke and Deane should be made aware of the situation now for fear that it will be exacerbated by development of Harwood Paddock.
ITEM 6: FINANCE.
A list of income and expenditure was presented and cheques were signed. A letter of thanks has been received from Kit Cahill thanking the Council for cheque for his work as Internal Auditor, and also giving an update on his health. The Council is grateful for all Kit has done in his capacity as Internal Auditor over the last two years. At the HAPTC Annual Clerks Conference at the beginning of February the Clerk spoke to John Murray, who used to be Clerk to two Parish Councils but now looks after only one. He is a qualified accountant, and is currently Internal Auditor to quite a few Parish Councils. He feels he has capacity to take on one or two more, and would be happy to do East Woodhay’s Internal Audit for a fee of £200-250. Included in the Parishes he currently audits is Highclere, who are very happy with his work. Also, being a Clerk himself, which he has been for quite a few years, is an advantage. The Clerk asked if Councillors were happy to appoint John as East Woodhay’s Internal Auditor, and all agreed.
A letter has been received from Allianz Cornhill informing that the current excess of £75 on the Council’s insurance will, with effect from renewal in June, increase to £250. The Clerk has queried this large jump with them, and has been informed that excesses are being increased uniformly across the board for all Parish Councils, but that our larger increase is due to the recent claims made.*
*ACTION: CLERK TO OBTAIN QUOTES FROM OTHER INSURERS WHEN RENEWAL IS DUE.
ITEM 7: VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT.
The teams have got together to go through comments received as a result of recent exhibitions. They are currently putting together the final version for presentation to Basingstoke and Deane for approval.
ITEM 8: YOUTH CLUB.
The Youth Club is now up and running with a committee of 7, comprising 3 adults and 4 young people. The Club is registering for Charity status, and the Child Protection Policy, Insurance and Constitution are now in place. 7 young people attended the first meeting, but it is believed this will increase. £350 has been received in monetary donations, with goods also being donated. Refreshments will be sold and a leaflet drop is soon to take place advertising the Club.
ITEM 9: ANNUAL PARISH MEETING.
The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on 27th April in East Woodhay Village Hall. The Clerk will, in the next week or so, contact local organisations to ask if they wish to provide a display. She will also contact Councillors regarding provision of refreshments. Cllr Elsden has agreed to produce posters and Marj Goldsmith has agreed to be guest speaker. Norman Powers will produce a note updating on footpaths, and the local schools and nurseries will be contacted to do likewise.
ITEM 10: MEMBERS REPORTS.
Cllr Johnson.
Changes have been made to the Cango bus route to enable it to go from Woolton Hill to Penwood. All journeys must now be booked unless getting on at a timed stop.
Cllr Kyle-Lawrence.
A hedge running alongside the Ball Hill Road at Hatt Common has disappeared.*
*ACTION: CLLR ELSDEN TO SPEAK TO BASINGSTOKE AND DEANE TO FIND OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING.
Also, the hedge around the Parish Field appears not to have been cut, and is looking untidy.*
ACTION: CLERK TO CONTACT MR. WINCHCOME ABOUT THIS.
NOTES: ANNUAL PARISH MEETING: 27TH APRIL
MAY MEETING: 18TH MAY
INTER PARISH QUIZ: 19TH APRIL