November 2014 PC Meeting Report

Report of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 4 November 2014 in the Compton Room Shawford Parish Hall.

Police Report

The council noted PCSO Wilkinson’s report. There had been six reported crimes: the theft of a pedal cycle from Shawford railway station; burglaries in Southdown Road and Park View; electrical equipment stolen from an unlocked vehicle in Grove Road and two attempted burglaries in Bridge Terrace.

District Councillor’s Report

Councillor Southgate advised the council that the City Council intended to discuss its proposed recommendations to the Local Boundary Commission later in the week. The chairman, Councillor Walmsley, noted that the Parish Council had already submitted its comments to the commission, which gave support to the retention of the current parish boundaries.

Councillor Southgate confirmed that South West Trains would continue with the enhanced Sunday hourly summer service in 2015. The company had also approached Winchester City Council (WCC) and Hampshire County Council (HCC) about a ‘matched funding’ proposal to provide better cycle access and storage across the Winchester district. Shawford had been specifically identified for a grant to provide up to a further 6 cycle hoops. The Parish Council had offered ‘matched funding’ of up to £750: WCC had agreed to provide a similar sum.

Planning

The council discussed the Winchester District Local Plan Part 2 and noted that the deadline for consultation was 5 December 2014. Councillor Stevens agreed to alert the chairmen of the various residents’ associations and to advise them that the document could be viewed online at www.winchester.gov.uk/planning-policy/local-plan-part-2. Councillor Stevens added that she would aim to provide the council with a draft planning policy statement in January.

Neighbourhood Services Officer

Lesley Bridger briefed the council on the role of the Neighbourhood Services Officer. She explained that the Neighbourhood Services team is an integral part of the Community Safety Partnership working towards creating a cleaner, safer, and greener Winchester. The team’s responsibilities include the removal of graffiti (from WCC and HCC property), fly tipping and anti-social behavior. Fly tipping can be reported by telephone on 0300 300 0013 and online via the Winchester City Council Website: www.winchester.gov.uk. For all other issues parishioners should contact the team by telephone 01962 840222 or by email: .

Highways & Byways

Councillor Cordery was pleased to say that the problems with the newly installed street lighting in Martins Fields had been resolved. She added that the council had been advised by HCC that, due to errors in calculating the burning hours, the parish council had been undercharged by £132.05: an invoice for that amount would soon be forthcoming. The clerk confirmed that this additional cost could be met from within the existing budget. Councillor Southgate noted that there had not been a great deal of interest in the proposal to install a street light near the junction of Southdown and Otterbourne Roads. Given that the cost (circa £4000-£6000), he suggested that the council should not actively pursue the proposal. No-one dissented.

Councillor Cordery reported that the potholes in Martins Fields had not yet been filled. However, she had been in contact with the HCC highways department and been advised that they had been added to the engineers’ worksheets and should receive attention in the near future. She had also received a request, from a resident of the Malms, for the council to coordinate action towards filling the potholes in the road that provides access to those properties. Both Councillor Southgate and the clerk noted that, since it was a private road, responsibility for repairs most probably fell upon the Malms residents.
The council noted that the chairman had submitted written evidence to the Select Committee Inquiry on Litter. The evidence described recent problems at Compton Lock.

Finance & Administration

The council agreed to ‘rollover’ its six-month deposit with Lloyds Bank until 30 October 2015 at an annual rate of 1.15%. The clerk had obtained quotes from the other major banks but none had offered a rate in excess of 0.75%. The council also approved the draft budget for 2015/16 ‘in principle’ but decided that, since a formal decision was not required until January, the four councillors who had not been able to attend the meeting should be allowed time to comment. The council was pleased to note that the budget did not require an increase in the precept. The figure of £27,170 had been maintained for the past five years without any reduction in the services provided by the council.

Councillor Jeffrey noted that the council had delegated responsibility for insuring the Jubilee pavilion and village hall to the Sports Club and CASCA respectively. She felt that the council needed to be more involved in this process to ensure that both facilities are sufficiently covered. She had obtained a copy the CASCA insurance policy document and would speak to the secretary of the Sports Club to obtain copy of its document.
The council agreed that, as part of the review of standing orders by the F&A committee later in the month, it would amend the orders in accordance with the recent legal ruling on photographing, recording, broadcasting or the transmission of council meetings.

Future Election of Chairmen

The council discussed the chairman’s guidance note on the future election of chairmen and agreed that ‘Annual Council Meeting (ACM)’ should become a standard agenda item for the final council meeting of the council year (usually in March). This would help to remind councillors that the first item on the agenda for the ACM is the election of the chairman, followed by the appointment of convenors and committees.
[Note: The Annual Council Meeting (ACM) should not be confused with the Annual Parish Meeting (APM), which is an open meeting of parishioners and usually held in April.]

Civic Service

The chairman noted that the Sports Club is hoping to organise a summer ball in 2015. If that were to be the case, then the council could investigate the possibility of retaining the marquee for a second day for community events, which might include some form of service.

Playing Fields Management

The council noted Councillor Wilkinson’s report. The chairman reported that the Sports Club had agreed to meet the future costs of maintaining the outdoor gymnasium, which is due to be installed at the Memorial Playing Field (MPF) in the week beginning 17 November. Councillor Southgate advised the council that Veolia had agreed to provide funding for the MeGA in Otterbourne and that, following Compton and Shawford PC’s agreement to transfer £15,000 from its Open Spaces Fund allocation towards the project, construction was expected to proceed shortly. Otterbourne Parish Council was extremely grateful for the council’s support. The council also discussed the chairman’s timetable for a decision on the proposed fourth tennis court. It was agreed that it would not be appropriate to consider this proposal before the Playing Fields Management Committee had produced its report on the future development of the MPF.

CASCA

The clerk noted that CASCA Christmas party would take place at 7.00pm on 5 December 2014.

Date of the next meeting

7.30pm Tuesday 6 January 2015 in the Compton Room, Shawford Parish Hall.

David Drake
Clerk