19 Dec 2016

Minutes: 12th December 2016


­­­­­­­­­DRAFT MINUTES

CHEARSLEY PARISH COUNCIL

DRAFT MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY 12th DECEMBER 2016 IN THE VILLAGE HALL AT 7.30PM

PRESENT

Councillors:                                         Nic Brown (NB), John Lewis (JL), John Howard (JH), Julia Witcher (JW), Michael Heybrook (MH)

Parish Clerk:                                       Helen Spurgeon

Responsible Finance Officer:      Robert Parkes (RP)

Parishioners:                                      There were no Parishioners

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no interests declared. 

PARISHIONERS QUESTION TIME

A question was raised regarding the new noticeboard and the fact that it is wet through and there is condensation on the outside of the glass. It was concluded that this is due to the current weather conditions. The lock on the noticeboard is not closing properly. ACTION: NB to organise repair.

1.        APOLOGIES

Michael Edmonds (ME), Paul Bown (PAB).



2.       APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 2016 MINUTES

Minutes were agreed as a true record and signed by Chairman, Nic Brown.



3.       MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

·         Building work at The Boot, Watts Green. NB and Sue Jones PCSO spoke to the owners/builders and the parking situation has now improved.

·         Dog Bins. It was decided not to order the dog bag dispensers due to the high cost.

·         AVDC planning portal. Councillors are recommended to register to receive planning alerts.

·         AVDC and BCC Councillors. ACTION: ME to invite Michael Hawkett and Margaret Aston to future meetings.

·         Provision of Welcome to Chearsley signs. ACTION: NB to present cost and options of sign wording at next meeting.

·         Bank Mandate forms. Only one form outstanding (ME). ACTION: JL to submit forms  to bank.

·         Parish website. Work will commence on the new website in February.

·         Kerbing and Verges. MH has contacted J Morris who has provided a quote. JW has heard from FJ Morris who is interested in doing the work. ACTION: JW to send all relevant correspondence to JL.

·         Speed in Village. JH is in the process of arranging a feasibility study for traffic calming measures in Chearsley with Bucks CC for April 2017. ACTION: JH to obtain final quote.

·         Trees in Village. There is no list of public owned trees in Chearsley. ACTION: ME to identify on a map trees the Parish Council are responsible for.

·         Grass Cutting. Chearsley should have 4 cuts within the urban area and 2 outside the village limits. Councillors questioned whether 4 cuts were actually done this year. ACTION: CLERK to email Bucks CC and request the dates for the 2017 cuts.

·         War Memorial repair and conservation. The CLERK has emailed the War Memorials Trust. ACTION: CLERK to complete a Grants Pre-application form.

·         Flagpole. The new flags (Union Jack and St George’s cross) have arrived.

·         Defibrillator. NB is working on the plan to locate the defibrillator in a new red phone box but BT are proving unhelpful. ACTION: NB to chase BT.

·         Bollards and Signage for Village Green. The ‘No Parking’ signs need to be put up. ACTION: PAB to ask his contractors to contact NB. ACTION: CLERK to agenda bollards for next meeting.

·         Future of Local Government and Vale of Aylesbury Update Meeting (14.11.16). ACTION: ME to update at next meeting.



4.       PLANNING

·         16/04170/COUAR – Chearsley Barn, Chilton Rd, Chearsley HP18 0DN

Councillors would like ME to comment on this Planning Application given his expertise in this area. ACTION: CLERK to email ME the planning document.

·         16/04294/AOP – Grove Farm, Chearsley Rd, Long Crendon

ACTION: Councillors to attend site visit on 16/12/16 at 11am.



5.       CORRESPONDENCE

There was no correspondence outside the Agenda items.



6.       CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AVDC AND BCC COUNCILLORS

There were no AVDC or BCC councillors present.



7.       FINANCE

·         Orders for Payment – ACTION: JW to raise receipt for the Christmas tree.

·         Budget and Precept for 2017/18

o   The RFO, Chairman and Vice-Chairman had met on 6/12/16 to produce a finance report, spending out-turn spreadsheet and budget proposals for 2017/18.

o   The PC considered these reports and discussed essential regular spend for next year and various potential projects to improve the village, these included traffic calming, further kerbing, bus shelters, car parking bays, war memorial refurbishment and protection of the Village Green. They also noted the importance of completing current projects for which reserves are being held, in particular kerbing in Dark Lane.

o   The PC noted the impact on precept that completing all these projects next year would have and the need to balance this against the desire to carry out overdue village infrastructure improvement work. It was agreed to set the Precept for 2017/18 at £32,000. ACTION: CLERK to return precept request of £32,000 and minute resolution as Item 7 on Agenda to AVDC (deadline Friday 20th January 2017).

o   ACTION: RP to write up the agreed budget for next year for approval at the January PC meeting.

o   Bus shelter works approved for January at an estimated cost of £1500 +VAT for the 2 bus shelters.



8.       REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS ATTENDING MEETINGS AND OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS

·         The CLERK attended the Town and Parish Clerks Workshop which concentrated on local government reorganisation, what clerks would want from a new council and what would excellent look like.

·         Councillor JH attended workshops on modernising local government and the role of parish councils in delivering unitary council services. JH reported that BCC are hoping for a decision in January on moving to a unitary authority. This would lead to less support from central government. There would be an opportunity for a new way of doing things as services are devolved.



9.       PARISHIONERS QUESTION TIME

There were no questions.



10.   ITEMS FOR INFORMATION

There were none.



11.   DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING in Chearsley Village Hall

·         Monday 16th January 2017 at 7.30pm

7 Dec 2016

Agenda: CPC Meeting 12th December 2016


CHEARSLEY PARISH COUNCIL

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE NEXT MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL WILL BE HELD ON:

Monday 12th December 2016 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall

Councillors are summoned to attend.

AGENDA

Declarations of Interest, in accordance with Sections 30(3) and 235(2) of the Localism Act 2011 Councillors to declare any personal, prejudicial or pecuniary interests pertaining to the Agenda.

Parishioners Question Time, 15 minutes will be set aside to receive representations from members of the public.

1.    Apologies for Absence

2.    Approval of Minutes – Monday 21st November 2016

3.    Matters Arising from previous Minutes

4.    Planning

·         16/04170/COUAR – Chearsley Barn, Chilton Rd, Chearsley HP18 0DN

Proposed change of use of agricultural building to a dwellinghouse

·         16/04294/AOP – Grove Farm, Chearsley Rd, Long Crendon

Provision of a permanent agricultural worker’s dwelling

5.    Correspondence, any outside Agenda items

6.    Contributions from AVDC and BCC Cllrs

7.    Finance

a.    Orders for Payment

b.    Precept, to note Parish Tax Base figure for 2017/18 as £286.92 and precept request submission date as Friday 20th January 2017.

c.    Budget for 2017/18

8.    Report from Councillors attending meetings and outside organisations including

·         Town and Parish Clerks Workshop (12/12/16), Clerk

·         Working Together for Buckinghamshire Town and Parish Council Conference (12/12/16), JH

9.    Parishioners Question Time – 15 minutes will be set aside to receive representations from members of the public.

10. Items for Information

11. Date and Time of Next Meeting in Chearlsey Village Hall

·         Monday 16th January at 7.30pm – Parish Council Meeting

The Minutes and Agenda of the Parish Council can also be viewed at chearsley.blogspot.co.uk

Helen Spurgeon

Clerk

29 Nov 2016

Minutes: 21st November 2016


­­­­­­­­­DRAFT MINUTES

CHEARSLEY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY 21st NOVEMBER 2016 IN THE VILLAGE HALL AT 7.30PM

PRESENT

Councillors:                                         Nic Brown (NB), John Lewis (JL), Paul Bown (PAB), John Howard (JH), Julia Witcher (JW), Michael Heybrook (MH), Michael Edmonds (ME)

Parish Clerk:                                       Helen Spurgeon

Responsible Finance Officer:      Robert Parkes (RP)

Parishioners:                                      There were 4 Parishioners

PARISHIONERS QUESTION TIME

A resident spoke about the building work at The Boot in Watts Green. The parking of related vehicles and lorries has led to the road being blocked on several occasions. Advanced warning by means of a sign would prevent cars from going down there and then getting stuck. ACTION: NB to speak to property owners. CLERK to contact Sue Jones PCSO.

1.        APOLOGIES

None.



2.       APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 2016 MINUTES

Minutes were agreed as a true record and signed by Chairman, Nic Brown.



3.       APPROVAL OF EXTRAORDINARY MINUTES

Minutes were agreed as a true record and signed by Chairman, Nic Brown.



4.       DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no interests declared.  It was requested this item go at the start on future Agendas before Parishioners Question Time.  ACTION: CLERK to note.



5.       MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES excluding Village Projects including Highways

·         Overhanging hedge. This has now been cut back.

·         Dog Bins. These have been ordered. We are still awaiting confirmation of the cost of dog bag dispensers and bags from AVDC before ordering. ACTION: CLERK to inform Councillors of cost.

·         AVDC planning portal. Clerk and some Councillors have registered to receive planning alerts. ACTION: remaining Councillors to register.

·         AVDC Councillor. ACTION: ME to invite Michael Hawkett to future meetings.

·         Village Walkaround. White lines around Village Green have been remarked.

·         Provision of Welcome to Chearsley sign. White gates at village entrances have been repainted. ACTION: NB to arrange ordering of new signs.

·         Painting of Post Box. Royal Mail will repaint Q1 of the new financial year.

·         Pension auto enrolment obligations. ACTION: JL to respond to JE Accountants.

·         Bank Mandate forms. ACTION: JH, ME, MH, JW to return to JL.



6.       PLANNING

·         Planning process at Committee Meetings. ME ran through the planning process and explained that written reports, verbal reports and speakers all contribute to the decision making process. He assured everyone that the decisions are made by very experienced people. PAB suggested comments be submitted early, well before the Committee Meeting.

·         16/03855/APP – The Old Chapel, Winchendon Road, Chearsley HP18 0DW

Parish Council has submitted no objections to AVDC.

·         16/04170/COUAR – Chearsley Barn, Chilton Rd, Chearsley HP18 0DN

Proposed change of use of agricultural building to a dwellinghouse. JL informed councillors of this new application. ACTION: Councillors to review application and channel comments through NB to report back at next meeting.



7.       CORRESPONDENCE

·         Correspondence from Fenella Tillier requesting Parishioners Question Time at the start and end of meetings and that Correspondence be on the Agenda has been actioned. The Parish Council will not be having a proposer and seconder of proposals as this is not usual practice.

·         NB received acknowledgment of his letter to John Bercow MP opposing possible capping of local councils precept increases (at 2% maximum) or a referendum if above.



8.       CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AVDC AND BCC COUNCILLORS

It was agreed to invite Margaret Aston (Bucks County Councillor) to future meetings. ACTION: CLERK and ME.



UPDATE ON THE NEW VILLAGE HALL

Antonia Stratford, Chair of Chearsley Village Hall, provided a progress update on the new village hall.  She indicated good progress and said that almost £500k has been raised in grants and donations, towards an expected total cost of around £550k. She said that further fund raising will be required to achieve the remaining funds, assisted by a promise of possible additional contributions from Rectory Homes and the Heybrook family dependent on the final revenues secured from the sale of houses.



9.       PC GOVERNANCE

Following a meeting with Leif Hytten, it was proposed that a new transparency code compliant Parish website should be created using Hugo Fox. Councillors agreed to this. ACTION: CLERKS to circulate details and agree time schedule.



10.   VILLAGE PROJECTS


·         Speed in Village and HGVs. 3rd HGV Traffic Watch 25th November 2016. JH reported that he presented the findings of the recent HGV traffic surveys at the TfB Autumn/Winter Conference. JH reported that he is in discussions with Bucks CC regarding a feasibility study for traffic calming measures in Chearsley. The earliest this can be done is April 2017. ACTION: JH to arrange study for April and confirm cost for budget.

·         Trees in Village. There is no list of public owned trees in Chearsley. ACTION: ME to identify on a map trees the Parish Council are responsible for. JL to put in the budget for tree surgeons to carry out the work recommended in the report on the wellbeing of the horse chestnut tree.

·         Village Green Footpath. It was agreed to let it grow over.

·         Grass Cutting. ACTION: CLERK to write to Bucks CC and ask what its responsibility is re. grass verge cutting in Chearsley.

·         War Memorial. Councillors agreed to make a pre application to the war memorial trust who will fund up to 75% of the cost (estimated at around £3-4k) of preserving and caring for the war memorial. ACTION: CLERKS to make pre application and report back on cost.

·         Village Noticeboard. Installed, locked part of noticeboard is for Parish Council and Church notices. Only drawing pins to be used, no staples.

·         Flagpole. New flagpole is now up. Old one to be removed shortly. ACTION: RP to order new flags (Union Jack and St George’s cross).

·         Bus Shelter roofs. Need replacing. One option is to replace like for like with felt and baton roof at a cost of £950 + VAT. Second option is to lay new tile batons and slate tiles which have greater longevity at a cost of £1479 + VAT. Councillors are in favour of option 2, subject to funds. This project is on hold until the December budget meeting.

·         Railings by bus stop need replacing. ACTION: PAB to explore options and obtain cost estimate for budget.

·         Defibrillator. PAB has registered Chearsley PC with the British Heart Foundation who supply grants to cover the cost of a defibrillator. NB is working on the plan to locate the defibrillator in a new red phone box. ACTION: NB to chase BT. JH to contact Angela Gray and Claire Lazaruk with an update. 

·         Bollards and Signage for Village Green. ACTION: NB to collect ‘No Parking’ signs. CLERK to put bollards on Agenda for next meeting.

11.   CHRISTMAS TREE

The Christmas tree arrives 25/11/16, is being erected 26/11/16 and will be lit from 1/12/16. The official lighting up is on 9/12/16 at 6.45pm.



12.   FINANCE

·         Orders for Payment - Cheques were issued for those items listed on the Agenda.

·         Other - Ideas were discussed for the budget meeting and it was agreed that procurement is the way forward.



13.   BCC WORKSHOP COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY AND SECTION 106 AGREEMENTS

JH has produced a list of Chearsley’s current infrastructure priorities. ACTION: CLERK to submit to BCC. 



14.   REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS ATTENDING MEETINGS AND OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS

·         JH had already updated the meeting on TfB Autumn/Winter conference under Village Projects, HGVs.

·         Future of Local Government and Vale of Aylesbury Update Meeting (14.11.16). ACTION: ME to update at next meeting.



15.   PARISHIONERS QUESTION TIME

There were no questions.



16.   ITEMS FOR INFORMATION

·         Town and Parish Clerks Workshop. ACTION: CLERK to attend.

·         Working Together for Buckinghamshire Town and Parish Council Conference. No attendance from Councillors.



17.   DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING in Chearsley Village Hall

·         Monday 12th December 2016 at 7.30pm (Budget Meeting)

·         Monday 16th January 2017 at 7.30pm (Parish Council Meeting)
.

16 Nov 2016

Agenda: CPC Meeting 21st November 2016


CHEARSLEY PARISH COUNCIL

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE NEXT MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL WILL BE HELD ON:

Monday 21st November 2016 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall

Councillors are summoned to attend.

AGENDA

Parishioners Question Time

15 minutes will be set aside to receive representations from members of the public.

1.    Apologies for Absence

2.    Approval of Minutes – Monday 17th October 2016

3.    Approval of Extraordinary Minutes – Wednesday 2nd November 2016

4.    Declarations of Interest, in accordance with Sections 30(3) and 235(2) of the Localism Act 2011 Councillors to declare any personal, prejudicial or pecuniary interests pertaining to the Agenda.

5.    Matters Arising from previous Minutes

6.    Planning:

·         Planning process at Committee Meetings, Cllr ME

·         16/03855/APP – The Old Chapel, Winchendon Rd, Chearsley HP18 0DW

Two storey side extension and single storey rear extension and erection of front porch.

7.    Correspondence, any outside Agenda items including correspondence from Fenella Tillier and from Nic Brown to John Bercow MP opposing possible capping of local councils precept increases (at 2% maximum) or a referendum if above.

8.    Contributions from AVDC and BCC Cllrs

9.    PC Governance, to receive a proposal from Clerks for a new PC website (to comply with Transparency Code).

10.  Village Projects

·         Kerbing and Verges, Cllr JW

·         Speed in village, Cllr JH,

·         Trees in Village, Clerk

·         Village Green Footpath, all

·         Grass Cutting, Cllr PAB

·         War Memorial, to consider applying for a grant for the care and preservation of the war memorial

11.  Christmas Tree, Cllr JW

12.  Finance

a.    Orders for Payment

·         Society of Local Council Clerks - £82.00 (membership)

·         Parish Mowing - £1,250.00 (11 cuts 23.03.16 to 25.10.16 £1100.00 and Parish footpath mowing 19.05.16 and 27.09.16 £150.00)

·         BALC (Bucks Association of Local Councils) - £23.50 (copies of Good Councillors Guide 2016)

·         BALC - £33.83 (membership)

·         BALC - £31.85 (Councillor Induction Training)

·         Nic Brown - £156.42 (£130.35 + £26.07 VAT) (Impact Signs)

·         Mazars - £60.00 (Audit fee)

b.    Audit, Notice of conclusion of the audit and right to inspect the Annual Return for year ended 31st March 2016 received

c.    Precept, to note Parish Tax Base figure for 2017/18 as £286.92 and precept request submission date as Friday 20th January 2017.

13.  BCC workshop Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 Agreements, to agree Chearsley’s current infrastructure priorities, Cllr JH.

14.  Report from Councillors attending meetings and outside organisations including

·         TfB Autumn/Winter conference (01.11.16) including HGV Working Traffic Group, Cllr JH

·         Future of Local Government and Vale of Aylesbury Plan Update Meeting (14.11.16), Cllr ME

15. Parishioners Question Time – 15 minutes will be set aside to receive representations from members of the public.

16. Items for Information

·         Representatives of Bucks County Council to note attendance at Cuddington Parish Council meeting (12/12/16) to discuss proposals for streamlining/modernising local government in Buckinghamshire – CANCELLED.

·         Town and Parish Clerks Workshop – 12/12/16 12:00 to 13:30, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Clerk to attend.

·         Working Together for Buckinghamshire Town and Parish Council Conference - 12/12/16 14:30 to 19:00, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Cllr to confirm attendance.

·         3rd HGV Traffic Watch, 25th November  2016 - 8am-4pm

17. Date and Time of Next Meeting in Chearlsey Village Hall

·         Monday 12th December at 7.30pm – Budget Meeting

·         Monday 19th December at 7.30pm – Parish Council Meeting



The Minutes and Agenda of the Parish Council can also be viewed at chearsley.blogspot.co.uk

Helen Spurgeon

Clerk