Almondsbury Parish Council Councillors Present: Minutes of the Meeting of Almondsbury Parish Council Old School Hall 4 th March 2014 7.30pm Almondsbury Ward Compton Ward Hallen Ward Cllr C Hilliker (Chair) Cllr Mrs Fulton Cllr P Hall Cllr R Jones 1 Vacancy Cllr Mrs E Rowe Cllr Mrs Stooke Cribbs Causeway Ward Clerk 3 Vacancies Cllr Dr A Tubb Ms J Gregory Cllr Hilliker briefed everyone on the evacuation procedure and opened the meeting; 46/14 Present/Press No members of the press were present. 47/14 Apologies Apologies were received from Cllr Burchell and also from Cllr Mrs Wilson who was unwell. Cllr Hilliker asked Cllr Mrs Stooke to convey the Council s best wishes to Cllr Mrs Wilson. 48/14 Declarations of Interest as required by the Almondsbury Parish Council Code of Conduct and the Localism Act 2011 No declarations were made. 49/14 Confirm the Minutes of the meeting held 4 th February 2014 These were unanimously agreed to be a true and accurate record of the meeting. 50/14 Confirm the Minutes of the Extraordinary meeting held 17 th February 2014 These were agreed to be a true and accurate record of the meeting. 51/14 Matters Arising The comments on the Supplementary Planning Document for the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood had been submitted and acknowledged. Officers will seek to address APC s comments in reporting to the South Glos Council Planning, Transportation and Strategic Environment Committee on the 26 th March. With regard to the boundary review request by Patchway Town Council, APC are advised to consider the potential impact of the change and submit comments by 12 th May 2014. A response has been received to the letter sent to Ibstock with regard to the number of lorries and the drivers failure to use the agreed one way system. The response stated that there was no increase in the number of lorries. Drivers for Evans Transport are all said to be aware of the one way system and risk disciplinary action if not adhered to. They are also claimed to have recording cameras on board, providing the company with a record of movements. Finally, no knowledge was claimed of Squires lorries. The councillors will now start recording registration numbers of the offending vehicles. The Clerk is to send Rob Wiltsher s reply regarding the possible investigations into traffic calming on the B4055 to Cllr Dr Tubb. Cllr Hilliker referred to the minutes of the Extraordinary meeting and congratulated Mr Robert Graham on becoming part of the Council as a Researcher/Technical Advisor. He reported that since the meeting, Cllr Hall had offered to mentor Mr Graham in some aspects of the Council and Cllr Jones had also offered mentoring on the articles submitted to the Lich Gate and In View, though the deadlines were tight.
52/14 Chairman s Remarks The Chairman had nothing further to report. 53/14 Clerk s Report The Clerk had nothing to report. 54/14 Items from the Public Mrs Wendy Roberts, Almondsbury requested more clearance on The Hill. Cllr Mrs Rowe informed Mrs Roberts that the matter was, among others, on the agenda for an Open Spaces Committee meeting scheduled for 12 th March. Mrs Roberts was specifically concerned about the area which branched off the middle path which has been eroded by water. Cllr Mrs Rowe explained that South Glos were aware and that feedback was awaited. APC had contacted South Glos about the large dip in The Hill. This is being monitored. The amount left in the budget will be discussed at the meeting and also the disposal of remaining branches and brambles. Mrs Roberts then requested that the question of who owns The Hill be finally resolved. Cllr Hilliker replied that the current parish solicitor had only been used by APC for a year or so and that while APC will keep an eye on The Hill, there were other, more pressing issues to be addressed first. Janine Clephan asked APC to pass onto South Glos that fly tipping had increased. Cllr Hilliker voiced his concerns that with the forthcoming charges for South Glos to remove garden waste, fly tipping may increase further. Nothing further could be done he claimed, APC s protests had fallen on deaf ears, the fact that precepts may have to rise did not concern South Glos, they were focussed solely on saving money themselves. Cllr Jones reminded everyone to check for birdlife in the brambles. Cllr Dr Tubb suggested a community compost heap though it would have to be manned by volunteers. A suggestion was made that Ruth Robison who organises community clean ups may be interested. 55/14 Items from Members Cllr Hall reported that a letter had been issued through the local Hallen newletter asking for any interested people to volunteer as a member on a new committee for the Hallen Centre. There are bookings taken by the resigning committee including a wedding reception in July. Cllr Hall then enquired about the possibility of street lighting in the narrow lane behind 7 10 Severn Road. It is used as a service road and for vehicle access. Cllr Hall received contact details of Mark King, the appropriate person at South Glos. Cllr Hilliker reported having had a long chat with the Chairman of the Saracens rugby team. Saracens had yet to decide what to do as although they own their ground with 2 pitches, the land housing their 3 rd pitch did not belong to them and had been sold as part of the Skanska development. Clifton Rugby Club will probably stay and Cllr Hilliker has accepted an invitation to a meeting with the clubs to discuss their futures. The discussion returned to the bookings taken by the resigning committee at the Hallen Centre. Concern was expressed, especially for the three wedding receptions and the community event which had been booked. A debate over who should take responsibility ensued. Some APC members on the Hallen Committee recalled that the resigning members had said they would honour their commitments. However the Hallen committee had failed to include the statement in the minutes. Clarification would be sought at the forthcoming Hallen Committee meeting. Cllr Mrs Fulton spoke of the agreeable meeting with Hallen Football Club. Security and alarm calls were an issue when the committee left but when asked, the members of the football club happily confirmed that several of them held keys. Several suggestions were then discussed; to review the heating and lighting, managing the forthcoming bookings, employing a part time manager, working on the dilapidated tennis courts and a remark that no-one wished to take any custom from the King Billy pub. Cllr Mrs Fulton informed the meeting that the football club were eager for another meeting and it was commented that dealing with the football club was like a breath of fresh air. Cllr Mrs Stooke then spoke about an article in the Lich Gate, that views were being sought on a location for the new Avon Fire and Rescue centre. It is understood that the centre will be located on the airfield and Cllr Mrs Stooke encouraged fellow members to make their views known. A copy of the comments
should be sent to South Glos. Cllr Mrs Fulton confirmed that it had been requested to allow the helicopter to remain. Cllr Hilliker explained that there were several instances where developers did not want a necessary facility on their patch and so gave a sum of money towards the provision of the facility elsewhere. He went on to explain about the trigger points for building schools and raised the question of where do the children go until their new school is ready. The answer is other local schools if they are not already at capacity. Cllr Jones then thanked Cllr Dr Tubb for his work expressing the comments of APC on the SPD for Cribbs-Patchway New Neighbourhood and remarked that these matters had been repeatedly discussed over several meetings. The Clerk is to write to South Glos reiterating the points above. Cllr Mrs Stooke then enquired of the length of contract with South Glos auditors to which the answer was 3 years with this being the third year. The matter will then go to the Finance Committee for consideration but that it was likely APC would remain with South Glos as they have knowledge of how we operate as a local authority. Cllr Mrs Fulton reported that the pavements at Main Road, Easter Compton had been partially completed. She described the job as quite neat but there was one which could not be rectified sue to the steep angle of the drive. If the pavement at the end of the drive been flattened out, the car would be scraped with every use. 56/14 Any items which the Chair decides are important or urgent The Chair had nothing to report under this item. 57/14Receive Minutes and consider recommendations of those Committees and Outside Bodies which have held meetings in the last month Almondsbury Joint Burial Committee The minutes of this meeting are yet to be received but when the AJBC last met, Cllr Dr Tubb was voted in as Chairman. As members are aware, a couple of weeks earlier, the AJBC Clerk, Ian Foulner, had given notice of his resignation. Cllr Hilliker had written his response and copies are available should any member wish to have one. The forthcoming vacancy had been advertised in the Gazette and to date, 6 replies had been received which would be considered. As one of the issues highlighted in the audit report, comprehensive minutes were not received by APC and as Chairman, Cllr Dr Tubb had asked Mr Foulner to reproduce the minutes from the last 12 months. Cllr Mrs Stooke requested at this point, copies of letters sent in response to Cllr Hilliker s article in the Lich Gate several months earlier. Cllr Dr Tubb echoed the request and both were answered that copies would be provided to them but all details of the authors would be withheld. Finally, a member asked about the new bank mandate which Mr Foulner was to have arranged. Whether this had been carried out was unknown but Cllr Dr Tubb had arranged a visit to Mr Foulner for the following week and would ask then. At this point, a member asked if there had been any developments with the Financial Ombudsman and was answered that APC had been offered 150. As the offer seemed extremely unlikely to improve, it was thought it should be accepted. Almondsbury Parish Hall and Recreation Centre The APC representative, Cllr Burchell was unfortunately not present and therefore unable to provide an update. Cllr Hilliker had taken a look at the cracks which were a cause of concern incase they were due to subsidence. Cllr Hilliker stated his firm belief that they were settlement cracks. On the instructions of the insurance company, Cllr Burchell is arranging a specialist builder to give an opinion. Hallen Football Club This matter had been discussed earlier in the meeting. Planning Committee The minutes of the previous meeting were received. Cllr Hilliker reported on the decision on the application for 12 The Pound. Permission, with no conditions, had been granted to the general disbelief of all those involved. The detailed objections of APC had been ignored, the application had been called in and there had been many objections at the site meeting. Cllr Jones pointed out that although he had genuine sympathy for the area s South Glos councillor, if we had a South Glos member
able to work on our behalf, the decision may have been different. The Clerk was then asked to contact the Westgate developer to ask if another meeting could be arranged. 58/14 Consider recruitment of an assistant to the Clerk Cllr Jones suggested that if the new AJBC Clerk was office based, under the direction of the Clerk, their prime duty would be to manage the cemetery but they could assist the Clerk when busy. He also suggested that the gardener could be employed on work around the parish as well as the cemetery. Cllr Hilliker summarised the situation; following a complaint it had become clear that the employer of AJBC staff had to be ascertained without doubt. This proved to be a long job but was now established to be APC. Ms Gregory, the Clerk, was line manager to AJBC staff. Mr Foulner had worked from his home for many years but his replacement would work from the Parish Office. A lengthy discussion ensued with many suggestions including combining the two roles of AJBC Clerk and Assistant to the Clerk, the financing of a dual role Clerk and the long term view of the role. The discussion was brought to a conclusion by Cllr Hilliker who stated that the Clerk s opinion must be invited and that the Personnel Committee will return to full Council with it s recommendation. 59/14 Accounts to pay The following payments were sanctioned; TO PAY DESCRIPTION AMOUNT VAT TOTAL Mr N Jones Contracted 911 Non -con 1194.50 2,105.50-2,105.50 Ms J Gregory February pay 1,869.91-1,869.91 HR Dept. personnel assistance 180.00 36.00 216.00 HR Dept. personnel assistance 250.00 50.00 300.00 Alan Hodge Law Hallen centre advice and Legal agmnt 595.00 119.00 714.00 HMRC PAYE & NIC 860.80-860.80 Bristol Water Homefarm Troughs 56.98-56.98 Avon Pension Fund Feb-14 435.88-435.88 Ms J Gregory Reimbursement 1,439.05 138.80 1,577.85 HR Dept. personnel assistance 180.00 36.00 216.00 Almondsbury Old School Hall MC Room hire 27.50-27.50 TOTAL 8,380.42 60/14 Continued discussion on PV installations Cllr Dr Tubb had unfortunately not had time to prepare any further information for the Council s consideration. Cllr Jones however reported that Easter Compton Village Hall were enthusiastic about the potential project. It was confirmed that only two buildings could be currently considered; Easter Compton Village Hall and the Scout Hall as with the current uncertain circumstances, it would be premature to consider the Hallen Centre. Cllr Hall also queried the particular roof which had been suggested as the most appropriate for the panels. A brief discussion followed and the Clerk was asked to check with the auditor that capital funds could indeed be used for the project. 61/14 Correspondence Correspondence had been received through the Safer Stronger Group stating that cars were once again parking on The Hill, opposite Over Lane. APC has dealt with this issue previously and were asked if they could do so again. It was agreed that a letter would be sent to each resident. Secondly members were informed of an invitation to a presentation of the findings of the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment on Tuesday 25 March, 2pm 3.30pm at Kingswood. Anyone wishing to attend was asked to notify the Clerk. 62/14 Confirmation of Councillors Approve to attend next Planning Committee Meeting Members to attend the forthcoming Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday 18th March 2014 at Almondsbury Old School Hall at 7.30pm are; Cllrs Hall, Jones, Mrs Rowe, Mrs Stooke and Dr Tubb.
63/14 Venue of Council Meeting The next full Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 1 st April 2014 at Old School Hall and is the ANNUAL ASSEMBLY with an earlier start at 7pm 64/14 Move to a closed session The meeting now moved to a closed session and the members of the public left. 65/14 Update from the Personnel Committee It was agreed that all necessary matters had been covered earlier in the meeting. 66/14 Close The meeting closed at 21.45 Chair Date