WHEATLEY PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
HELD ON MONDAY 16th MAY 2011 IN THE MERRY BELLS AT 7.30PM
PRESENT: Councillors: E.M. Stacey (Chairman), J Reilly (Retiring Chairman), J. M. Carr, C .M. Dalton, G. Birks, R. T .Bell, P Willmott , M Fyffe , E J Coveley, S Coleridge, R Old, J Anderson, D Lamont, G Stephens & A Knapp (from 8.00pm)
OFFICER: Gareth Morris Clerk to the Parish Council
ALSO PRESENT: County Councillor Anne Purse
The Retiring Chairman welcomed all to the meeting especially the new Councillors. He then asked all councillors to introduce themselves to the new councillors. He also thanked all the Councillors for their support he had received from them during his year in office.
WELCOME & HEALTH & SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENTS
1 ELECTION of Chairman for 2011 – 12 and Signing of the Acceptance of Office
Cllr E Stacey was proposed by Cllr Reilly and Seconded by Cllr Carr
There being no other nominations, Cllr Stacey was duly elected Chairman. She then signed the Acceptance of Office and took the Chair.
She thanked the meeting for electing her Chairman and paid tribute to the work that the Retiring Chairman had done during his period of office.
2 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE – None
3 ELECTION of Vice-chairman
Cllr Reilly was proposed by Gwendolen Birks and seconded by Cllr Carr
There being no other nominations, Cllr Reilly was declared Vice-Chairman
4 FORMAL ADOPTION OF STANDING ORDERS (INCLUDING CODE OF CONDUCT)
Proposed by Cllr Dalton and Seconded by Cllr Stephens – Agreed nem con
5 APPOINTMENT of Committees;
i.) Standing Committees
a) Finance & General Purposes
Cllrs Anderson, Bell, Birks, Carr, Coleridge, Fyffe and Old
b) Planning Committee
Cllrs Coveley, Dalton, Lamont, Stephens and Willmott
The chairman and vice-chairman are ex-officio members of each committee.
b) Advisory Committees and Working Groups
i) Traffic and Roads Advisory Committee (TRAC)
Anderson, Bell, Birks, Carr, Coveley, Dalton, Fyffe, Stacey & Reilly
ii) Recreation Areas Working Group
Deferred until item 15
6 CONFIRMATION of representatives to outside bodies: current appointees, 2010 to 2011, are as indicated below and will normally be confirmed unless they wish to resign.
i Merry Bells Management Committee; Cllr Janet Carr
ii Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils; Janet Carr. Ellie Stacey
iii Wheatley Sports Field Management Committee; Messrs Peter Bayliss, Steve Kemp, and Paul Edson, and Cllrs Roger Bell, Douglas Lamont & Paul Willmott
iv Howe Trust; Cllrs Caroline Dalton and Gwendolen Birks and Maggie Fyffe
v Park Sports Centre Advisory Committee; Cllr Douglas Lamont
vi Wheatley Charities; Mr Peter Targett, (until 2013) and Mr Graham Colverson (until 2015)
vii Public Transport Representative; Mr James Dalton – A letter of thanks to be sent to Mr Dalton expressing the gratitude for all the hard work he puts into this role.
viii Wheatley Windmill Preservation Society; Cllr Caroline Dalton
FIRST STATUTORY MEETING OF WHEATLEY PARISH COUNCIL
for council year 2011 – 12
7 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE – None
8. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – None
9. CO-OPTION OF NEW PARISH COUNCILLOR
Mrs Angela Knapp was proposed by Cllr Bell and seconded by Cllr Reilly. Mrs Knapp was duly co-opted on to the council.
10. MINUTES of the meeting of the Parish Council of Monday 7th March 2011 which had been circulated previously were signed as a correct and accurate record with the addition of Cllrs Old and Carr and the deletion of Cllr Coleridge to those present.
11. MATTERS ARISING from the meeting held on Monday 7th March 2011 – None
12. THE MINUTES of the meetings of the Planning Committee held on the following dates were received:
i.) Wednesday 9th March 2011 – circulated with the Agenda
ii.) Wednesday 13th April 2011 – circulated with the Agenda
13. THE MINUTES of the meetings of the F&GP Committee meetings held on the following dates were received:
i) Monday 21st March 2011 which had been circulated previously
ii) Monday 18th April 2011 – circulated with the Agenda
a) Minute 161(i) Section 106 Funding for Pedestrian Safety Measures (Brookes University) – To agree a formal response to Brookes’ Proposals. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond the control of the councillors’ control a draft letter was not available. It was agreed to take this to F&GP and ask Brookes for a week’s grace in sending the response.
Cllr Birks reported that she had attended Holton Parish Council
b) Minute 161(ii) – ‘Big Society’ Funding and Youth Provision in Wheatley. No information was yet forthcoming about the amount of money that might be needed from the Parish Council.
14. THE MINUTES OF THE TRANSPORT AND ROADS ADVISORY COMMITTEE HELD 31ST MARCH 2011 which had been circulated with this Agenda were received and adopted.
Minute
The Clerk reported that he had received a telephone call from Mr Francis of OCC Highways who said that he would be taking another look at the proposals for Church Road and would get back to the parish council
15. TO CONSIDER WHETHER TO RE-INTRODUCE THE OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE AS ONE OF THE COUNCIL’S STANDING COMMITTEES.
Cllr Bell spoke to his paper which had been circulated with the Agenda (copy in Minute Book). One way of meeting his concerns could be to ‘beef up’ the Recreation Areas Working Group, if councillors were not happy with establishing a further committee and this would obviate the necessity of changing Standing Orders.
The general feeling was that there was no need for a further committee but councillors should be asked at the end of meetings for items of concern on the understanding that these could not be debated or resolutions proposed etc. These would be noted.
The remit of the Recreation Areas Working Group to be be discussed at the next F&GP meeting.
Recreation Areas Working Group – Appointment of members – deferred from the AGM
Cllrs: Fyffe, Dalton and Reilly
8.35pm The Chairman declared the Council out of session and invited the County and District Councillors to give their reports
County Cllr Anne Purse – she encouraged the Parish Council to liaise with Holton Parish Council over the proposed new entrance to Brookes University. She further reported that she would be putting in a bid to the County Council to fund some form of Youth service within the village. There was to be a meeting of interested parties in the next ten days
The Chairman then congratulated Cllrs Carr and Bell on their re-election and election to the District Council respectively.
Cllr Carr reported that the District Council’s AGM would take place on the 19th May. A pay freeze had been agreed with the staff, that monies would be taken from the reserves rather than cut services and that the sharing services with the Vale District Council had produced savings.
8.43pm The Chairman declared the Council back in session.
16. TO CONSIDER A PARISH COUNCIL REPLY TO THE Wheatley SOCIETY’S LEAFLET DISTRIBUTED TO HOUSEHOLDS IN MARCH 2011 (See Minute 168 F&GP Minutes 18.04.11)
Cllrs Reilly, Carr, Birks, Dalton and Fyffe had been requested by the Finance and General Purposes Committee to draft a reply, on behalf of the Parish Council, to the above leaflet.
The draft reply (copy in Minute Book) had been tabled.
After discussion Cllr Reilly proposed and Cllr Dalton seconded that “the letter be adopted in its entirety and sent to the Wheatley Society”.
This Agreed by 11 votes in favour to 2 votes against and 2 abstensions.
17. TO CONSIDER A REQUEST FROM NICOLE MEROLA, OCC, CHILDREN’S CENTRE OUTREACH WORKER TO USE CHURCH ROAD RECREATION AREA FOR A STAY AND PLAY EVENT (WHERE CHILDREN AND PARENTS CAN PLAY TOGETHER) ON JUNE 1ST
AGREED – The clerk to seek clarification as to whether or not the organisation has Public Liability Insurance
18. REPORTS FROM OUTSIDE BODIES
i) The Merry Bells Management Committee – Cllr Carr reported that Thames Valley Police had at last signed the new lease for the police office in the stable block. New heating for the hall and the refurbishment of the steps would be discussed by the committee
ii) The Howe Trust – Cllr Dalton reported that David Mancey had been helping the trustees establish a wildflower meadow but that his efforts had been hampered by lack of rain, so that germination of seeds had been delayed.
iii) The Park Sports Centre Joint User Group (Minutes of meeting held 29th March have been received*) The refurbishment of the centre was now complete. There was some concern at the Centre about the loss of parking and subsequent loss of business when the parking in front of the centre is lost when the new Brookes entrance is built.
19. TO CONSIDER MATTERS RELATING TO WHEATLEY PARK SPORTSFIELD MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
i) Cllr Bell reported that there had not been a meeting since the last Parish Council.
At the next committee meeting answers to the questions put to it by the Sportsfield Planning Consultant would formulated.
The Clerk read out Mr Cosier’s letter of resignation as a Parish Council representative to the committee was read out. It was Agreed to write a letter to Mr Cosier thanking him for his many years of service as a Council representative and that he would be solely missed.
20. CORRESPONDENCE
i) SODC – Examination of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy
Exploratory meeting + Pre Hearing meeting Tuesday 17th May 10.00am
Hearing to start on July 12th with Review of the Green Belt timetabled for 28th July
Cllr Birks reported that she had been in contact with Martin Harris (Horspath Parish Council) and had advised that a representative from the Parish Council attend on 17th May and if allowed and it was appropriate give a statement on behalf of the Parish Council. (Copy in Minute book) Cllr Birks said that Cllr Carr was prepared to attend and give the statement. She (Cllr Birks) then read out the statement. She said that nothing in the statement went against current Parish Council policy but that it would be putting down a pointer to the Inspector of the Parish Council’s position.
Cllr Reilly proposed and Cllr Coveley seconded that “Cllr Carr attends the pre-hearing on behalf of the Parish Council and if allowed and it is appropriate she reads the statement as outlined”. This was Agreed by 11 votes in favour with non-against and 4 abstentions.
21. CALENDAR OF MEETINGS – NOTED
i) Planning Committee – Wednesday 25th May 2011 – 7.30pm
ii) F&GP Committee – 23rd May 2011 – 7.30pm
iii) Planning Committee – Wednesday 8th June 2011 – 7.30pm
iv) F&GP Committee – Monday 20th June 2011 – 7.30pm
v) Parish Council Meeting – Monday 4th July 2011– 7.30 pm
22. RESOLUTION TO EXCLUDE THE PUBLIC
Cllr Reilly Proposed and Cllr Carr Seconded “that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph X of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act, namely private contractual and employment matters.”
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23. THE MINUTES OF THE CONFIDENTIAL SESSIONS OF THE FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES MEETING OF 15th MARCH & 19th APRIL 2011 were received
The meeting closed at 9 37pm at the conclusion of the Confidential session
Items raised by Councillors
- The amount of graffiti that has appeared around the village
- An Enforcement Notice had been served on the land below the windmill. However the owner had made an appeal against the order and it was now with the Planning Inspectors. There had been some tidying up of the land subsequent to the order.
- The sandpit at Cullum Road recreation area being used as a ‘cat litter tray’