Brailes Parish Council

Minutes of the May meeting of the Parish Council

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY May 29th 2007 at 7.30pm in the Methodist Room.

Election of Chair:
Mr C Righton proposed Mr R Cheney, 2nd Mrs Foster, all in favour
Election of Vice Chair:
Mrs Foster proposed Mr N Drury, 2nd Mrs B Manley all in favour
Apologies for Absence:
Mr N Drury and Mr A Jervis.
Present:
Minutes:
of the last Meeting were approved and signed.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC:
None this month.
MATTERS ARISING:
Lighting:
A picture of an embellished street light was on hand and considered for the new light in The Park.After discussion it was felt that the cost was too high and that the Council would just agree to a timing switch. The cost of fitting low energy bulbs was £122.00 each and it was proposed by Mrs Woods and seconded by Mrs Manley that 10 street lights would have these fitted Locations to be decided. The replacement light for Friars Lane was then considered and it was agreed that Councillors would meet on June 6th at 9.p.m in Friars Lane and the residents would be invited to come along and express their opinions.The Clerk was to write to each household and advise them of the meeting. Lamp No 4 in Upper Brailes is still unresolved.
Burial ground:
Mrs Woods reported that she and Mrs Manley had spent some time considering the fees and any regulations they felt reasonable.It was agreed that a grave should cost £160 and that a further £160 would be asked for if a second person was buried in the plot. This only applied to residents or past residents of long standing. Guidelines were to be sent to C Locke and he would be asked to hand these out to any one seeking a burial along with the new Grants Certificates that the Clerk now had. The Clerk asked permission to purchase a Register of Burials as she felt it was important that we kept a tidy Register so that anyone seeking information in the future would find it readily available. Mr Righton proposed and 2nd Mrs Woods, all in favour. A request had been received for the purchase of a grave space by a Mr Shurmer who was a past resident of Brailes and Mr Righton confirmed that he had been a long standing resident and would fall into the right category for a purchase at £160.
Web Site:
The Clerk once again expressed concern regarding the web site. She felt that the Council should have had a clearer definition of the costs, particularly of the maintenance. Cllr Seccombe said that the Clerk could easily maintain the site with a little tuition. Cllr Seccombe also asked for his name and Cllr Saints name and e-mail and telephone number should be added to the site.
First Responders:
The Clerk had a letter from Mrs Turner asking the Council to re-imburse them for the money paid to top up the mobile phones. Mrs Woods proposed payment, 2nd Mr Righton all in favour. Cherington and Stourton Parish Council had responded to a request from the Clerk to make a donation towards the cost of the First Responders. In their reply they said they acknowledged the work that was being done and asked for Brailes to set an amount. It was decided that £50.00 would be a kind gesture.
Code of Conduct:
Literature had been circulated and the Clerk spoke of all the advice etc she had received. It would seem Councils have until October 1st to accept the new Code and in doing so must show they include the new Clause 12(2). Having accepted the Code its acceptance must be advertised and the Clerk felt the District Council was considering an overall advertisement rather than each Council advertising separately.
Band D:
Mr Cheney said he had prepared a brief statement for insertion in the July copy of the Feldon News and asked Mrs Woods if she wanted it included. Councillors agreed it should go ahead.
NEW ITEMS:
Year End Accounts:
The Clerk had sent everyone a copy of the Accounts for the year ending March 31st 2007. Mr Cheney asked for approval and Mr C Righton proposed, 2nd Mrs Woods all in favour that the Accounts should be approved and the Chairman signed them. The Clerk explained why the General Fund seemed so high and pointed out the monies that although budgeted for had not as yet been spent, making a significant difference to the actual money on hand.
MAINTENANCE:
Hedge Cutting:
A number of complaints were received regarding hedges that needed cutting back. There is an overgrown hedge on the path from 1649 Cottage and the Hibberds. Blew Gates hedge needs cutting back and this is the responsibility of the County Council. The path at the back of the houses in Rectory Lane leading to the Old Rectory needs some clearing. (Mr John Walton, Underhill Farm Winderton) Mrs Manley said the Tcheur off Castle Hill needed work and this was felt to be the responsibly of the riparian owners.
Pot Hole:
Castle Hill Lane near the coppice needs attention.
Castle Hill:
Mrs Foster spoke of a complaint regarding vehicles coming round the bend near Caution Corner at too great a speed so that walkers felt threatened. Cllr Seccombe advised that moving the 30mph sign would be difficult. It was agreed to try and get a No Footway sign put up by the Old Brickyard.
Grass etc.:
The Clerk spoke of the grass and hedge at Blakes Close and felt they needed attention. It was agreed to contact Sth Warwickshire Housing.
REPORTS OF OTHER MEETINGS/COMMITTEES:
Meeting with Shipston Town Council. Re 2 additional Police Cars:
Mr Cheney reported. 51 Parishes in the area around Shipston had been invited to discuss the possibility of providing funding for an additional 1 or 2 police cars for the Shipston Area. There is now an additional 2 more officers and 5 new Community Support Officers, bringing the Force up to 7 Police Officers and 5 Community Support Officers. It is recognised that there is a need to improve the 'neighbourhood policing' and get the Support and Police Officers out into the villages, complete with bicycles. Sponsorship for a new car will hopefully be forthcoming but there is no money in the budget for running costs - annual £3,800. The cost of a bicycle is £1,200. The purpose of the meeting was to see if there was scope for the villages to make a contribution. After discussion it was agreed that Mr Cheney should attend a further meeting before Brailes made any commitment.
Parish Council Planning training session:
Mr Cheney reported. He had been accompanied by Mrs Manley and Mrs Foster. Pat Reid the Chief Planning Officer took people through the various planning issues, in particular on responding to Planning Applications. 90% of Applications are now decided by a Planning Officer unless the Ward Member and Parish Council are of a different opinion. Mr Cheney commented that it was important when replying to an Application that the District Plan was used and stated.
Meeting at the Pavilion re sporting activities in the Village:
Chris Cox,the Action Plan Chairman attended with various members of the Parish Council. There was a poor response, however, there were offers of help that could prove useful.
CORRESPONDENCE:
Street Name:
A resident had written regarding the confusion over her address and felt the Clerk could go to the appropriate authorities and have her address changed officially.Councillors felt that it was up to the resident herself to get the changes made.
Enforcement:
The Officer had written regarding a complaint about the roof lights that had appeared at No 2 Lower Green and said that he would be looking into this.
Village Hall:
A letter from the Management Committee was on hand asking for financial help with an invoice form Greyhound Leisure who had installed the guards around the swings in the play area at a cost of £1012.00 plus VAT. Further the Hall wanted to replace the old fluorescent tubes in the main Hall at a cost of £1,680.20 The Clerk pointed out that there was an amount of £1,400 in the Accounts under Creditors that was owing to the Hall from the past and this would cover the cost of the Guards. The cost of the Lighting would come from the £2,000 budgeted for the Hall this year.
MEMBERS REPORTS:
Estate Agents Signs:
Mrs Woods spoke of a sign in Upper Brailes near The Fountain and asked if it was permissible to put up a For Sale Sign for a house that was some distance away. Cllr Seccombe spoke and said that signs should be on the property that is for sale although you did see signs with arrows pointing even though they were not legal. It was agreed that the Clerk would ask that the sign should be removed. A further sign on Bridge Cottage was also presenting a hazard to pedestrians and it was further agreed that the Clerk would ask for this to be turned around.
PLANNING:
  • 07/01310/LDE. High Russett Upper Brailes for use of former orchard and barn as domestic garden and store. No objections.
  • 07/01144/FUL. Installation of 3 no GSM and 3 no UMTS on the existing tower with 3 associated equipment cabinets and feeder gantry. No objections but concern has been raised about the health implications. We would ask the District Council to consider these before granting permission. We would also request that the site should be screened by a hedge.

Permission granted to:-

  • 07/0535/TREE for work to trees on Lower Green.
  • 07/00801/FUL. October House. Proposed rear extension.

Withdrawn:-

  • 07/00661/FUL. 34 Jeffs Close for extension.
FINANCE:
Cheques:
No 100890. Alianz Cornhill Insurance. £ 499.83
No 100891. Petty Cash £50.07
No 100892. Greyhound Leisure £1,189.10
No 100893. Mrs Turner 1st Responders £20.00
Meeting closed at 9.35pm. Next Meeting June 25th.