PC Meeting Report 7 March 2017

Table of Contents

Report of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 7 March 2017 in the Compton Room, Shawford Parish Hall.

Casual Vacancies

The chairman, Councillor Southgate, noted that Councillor Stevens had resigned on 17 January 2017, which he had acknowledged. He wanted to record the parish and council’s thanks for her service to the community over the past nine years, of which four had been as chairman. He added that her drive and commitment had ensured that The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 had been a great success. Councillor Southgate was pleased to say that Joanna Lockett, Frances Strange and Jonathan Brant had volunteered to fill the three vacant positions on the council. He moved that all three should be co-opted onto the council. The council agreed unanimously.

Mayor’s Award

The chairman noted that the council’s two nominations for the Mayor’s Award, Robert and Terenia James had been successful. They would receive their awards on 29 March 2017. Councillor Wilkinson will represent the council and Mrs Stevens will also be in attendance.

Register of Interests

The chairman advised the council that the clerk had written to Winchester City Council’s senior legal adviser, expressing concern about the requirement to publish the register of interests on the city and parish websites. The response had been disappointing: the legal adviser stating that he had no choice but to abide by the letter of the law. The chairman recommended that the council should write to Steve Brine MP, seeking a view from the Secretary of State for the Communities and Local Government. There were no dissenters.

Finance and Administration

The clerk advised that the council was heading for a surplus of around £5000 in the current financial year. This was due to the receipt of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds, of which £5,277.46 had still to be allocated. There were three projects, for which planning permissions are expected/have been obtained, that could generate additional CIL funds of around £18,000, once construction begins.

The chairman noted that the Parochial Church Council (PCC) had made a request for a grant of £450 ‘to assist with the maintenance of the churchyard and for the facility of regular reporting in the church magazine’. The clerk advised that this sum had been included in the budget for 2016/17 and was annual request. Following a short discussion, during which Councillor Wilkinson declared that she was a member of the PCC, the council agreed to award the PCC a grant of £450.

SOCCT

The chairman, in his capacity as chair of Sparrowgrove and Oakwood Copse Conservation Trust (SOCCT), outlined the difficulties the organisation was encountering maintaining Sparrowgrove and Oakwood copse. He then left the room to enable the council to discuss the organisation’s request for a grant.

The clerk confirmed that a provision for a grant of £500 for SOCCT had been included in the budget for the current financial year. Councillor Jordan advised that, having walked the copse with Councillor Southgate, it was necessary to keep it safe for the public to enjoy. A five-year maintenance plan should be considered. Following discussion, the council agreed to provide SOCCT with a grant of £500. Councillor Southgate re-joined the meeting.

Meeting frequency

The council discussed the current frequency of meetings and agreed that, since there was a provision under standing orders to call an additional meeting at any time, there was no need to increase the current frequency.

Playing Fields Management

Councillor Wilkinson advised the council that she had received three quotations for the replacement of AstroTurf around the goal mouths at the QEII Field. She recommended that the council accept the lowest tender of £4100 submitted by Greenspan, a company that had provided good service to the council in the past. The council agreed. She also advised that five quotations had been received for the project to re-stain the pavilion and maintenance shed. She recommended that the council accept the lowest quotation of £2229 submitted by Mike Fyall Design & Co. The council agreed.

Councillor Wilkinson added that she had purchased a slate plaque at a cost of £110.70 (+VAT) to identify the oak tree planted during The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Highways and Public Transport

Councillor Bell reported on his meeting with the relatives of a walker who had died following injuries sustained on one of the parish footpaths. The relatives had offered to refurbish the bench near Field Way and to add a memorial plaque. The council agreed to the proposal.

The council noted that there had been a road traffic accident on Shawford Road, Twyford, and that District Councillor Jan Warwick was progressing the request for white lines to be painted on Hurdle Way, next to the junction with Otterbourne Road. Councillor Brant thought that there was need for a meaningful debate within the parish on parking problems in Shawford village. The chairman advised that discussions had taken place with Winchester City Council, the Shawford Village Residents’ Association and representatives of the rail users group but progress on this issue would be best left until after the South West rail franchise had been awarded.

BT Telephone Boxes

The council discussed Councillor Webster’s proposals to purchase the BT kiosks in Shawford and Compton villages. The chairman expressed concern that, if purchased by the PC, no assurances had been received from the two residents’ associations that they would accept responsibility for the future maintenance of the kiosks. It was agreed that the council should:

commence the process of purchasing the BT telephone kiosks in Compton and Shawford villages;
investigate the possibility of obtaining lottery funding to purchase two defibrillators and associated equipment from the Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT), at a total cost of £4847;
establish a formal working party, including members of the Compton and Shawford village residents’ associations, to produce proposals for the future maintenance of the two telephone kiosks.

Councillor Webster agreed to lead the project, assisted by the clerk, where necessary.

Planning

Councillor Jordan reported that he had attended a recent presentation on Neighbourhood Plans. Following discussion, it was agreed that Councillors Jordan and Bell would prepare a note, to be discussed at the next council meeting in May, on whether it would be in the council’s interest to produce such a plan. Councillor Jordan also briefed the council on the proposed amendment to the Southgate development: one of the dwellings to be changed from detached to two semi-detached. He understood that the proposal would be referred to the WCC Planning Committee. He agreed to attend that meeting.

Annual Parish meeting (APM)

The council agreed that Councillor Bell should produce a ‘flyer’ describing the council’s activities (both in the past year and going forward), to which all portfolio holders would make contributions. He would produce a timetable for the production and distribution of the flyer, which should take place in early May, since the preferred date for the APM was Thursday 18 May 2017.

Date and Venue of Next Meeting

7.30pm Tuesday 2 May 2017 in the Compton Room, Shawford Parish Hall.

David Drake, Clerk

Links

See the Minutes page for minutes of the 7 March 2017 meeting (available as draft until approved by the Council)

PC Meeting Report 7 March 2017