YAPTON PARISH COUNCIL
11 May 2004
- At a meeting of the Parish Council held at the Yapton & Ford
Village Hall.
Present: Mr
Andrews, Mrs Barnes, Mr Caiger, Mr Coe, Mr Faulkner, Mr Haymes, Mr Taft and Mr
Tompsett.
Also
present: County Councillor Mrs Freeman, Mr Tansley
(Clerk of the Council) and 9 members of the public.
Apologies for absence were received and
accepted from Parish Councillors Mr Fellows and Mr Jones and from District
Councillor Mr Matthews.
CHAIRMAN
92. Resolved - That Mr Fellows be re-elected Chairman of the
Parish Council for the ensuing year.
VICE-CHAIRMAN
93. Resolved - That Mr Haymes be re-elected Vice-Chairman of the
Parish Council for the ensuing year.
94. In
the absence of Mr Fellows, the meeting was chaired by Mr Haymes.
DECLARATIONS
OF INTEREST
95. Members were reminded to make any declarations of personal and/or
prejudicial interest that they may have in relation to items on the
agenda. Mr Haymes declared an interest
in agenda item 18 (a) Planning Committee.
APPOINTMENT
OF COMMITTEES
96. Resolved - That the membership of the
committees for the ensuing year be as follows:
Playing
Field: Mr Caiger,
Mr Coe, Mr Tompsett
Planning:
Mr Faulkner, Mrs Barnes, Mr Jones, Mr Tompsett.
Allotments:
Mr Caiger.
(The Chairman was an ex-officio member of
each Committee)
VILLAGE
HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES
97. Resolved - That Mr Andrews, Mr Coe and Mr
Faulkner be appointed as the Council's representatives on the Village Hall
Management Committee for the ensuing year.
REPRESENTATIVE
ON JOINT DOWNLAND AREA COMMITTEE
98. Resolved - That Mr Taft be re-appointed
as the Council's representative on the Joint Downland Area Committee for the
ensuing year.
REPRESENTATIVE
ON JOINT MEETING OF BOGNOR REGIS & DISTRICT LOCAL COUNCILS (KNOWN AS
“UNITY” COMMITTEE)
99. Resolved - That Mr Taft be confirmed as
the Council's representative on the “Unity” Committee for the ensuing
year.
MINUTES
100. Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 March
2004 be approved as a correct
record and that they be signed by the Chairman.
MATTERS
ARISING
Felling of diseased elms in Church Road (minute 42/2004)
101. The Clerk reported on an estimate received from M H Kennedy
& Sons Ltd for the proposed post and rail fencing works. The Council agreed in the circumstances not
to proceed for the time being but asked the Clerk to explore the possibility of
funding from the SITA Environmental Trust for a landscaping/replanting project
which would embrace this area and the area which adjoined the large car park
where similarly there were a number of diseased elms which would need to be
taken down. County Councillor Mrs
Freeman suggested contact should also be made with Neil Mitchell in the County
Council’s Environment and Development Department for advice.
Vandalised Play Equipment (minutes 43-44/2004)
102. The Clerk reported that all the repairs had since been
satisfactorily completed.
Traffic Calming Measures in North End Road (minute 47/2004)
103. The Clerk reported that Mike Egleton had been promoted and Bob
Mander had recently taken over as the Local Highways Manager. Contact would be made with Mr Mander about
this outstanding matter.
Insurance Cover for Skateboard Facility (minute 49/2004)
104. The Clerk advised that he had successfully negotiated a reduction
to £157.50 in the premium for public liability insurance for the new equipment.
Closure of Lake Lane, Barnham (minute 53/2004)
105. The Clerk advised that details of the closure had been posted on
the Parish Council’s noticeboard.
Proposed Materials Recycling Plant at Ford/Increase in HGVs on rural
roads (minutes 54 and 82(a)/2004)
106. The Council had before and received a copy of the response
received from Steve Waight, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning &
Environment at WSCC (copy attached to
minute book). The Council asked
the Clerk to reply seeking an assurance that the Parish Council would be
included as part of the consultation process when the planning application for
the Materials Recycling Plant at Ford was submitted.
Lopping of trees on playing field adjacent Downview Close (minute
55(i)/2004)
107. The Clerk reported that the lower of the two estimates amounting
to £290.00 from RS Landscapes had been accepted and the work had since been
completed.
Grants to Voluntary Organisations (minutes 59 – 61/2004)
108. The Clerk reported that 4 applications for grant-aid had so far
been received since the introduction of the new arrangements. These would be brought forward for consideration
at the next meeting.
Village Sign (minute 68/2004)
109. The Clerk reported that he had obtained two provisional estimates
from companies specialising in provision of village signs. The estimates ranged in price from £1000 to £1700
dependent on the material used for the sign.
110. The Council agreed in the circumstances not to take any further
action for the time being.
Provision of gas-fired central heating/hot water system for Village Hall
(minute 80/2004)
111. The Clerk reported that following consultation with the Village
Hall Management Committee, Richard
Harris of Felina Ltd., had been engaged as a heating consultant to undertake
the design, tender arrangements and project management for the installation. The original estimate submitted by Transco
plc for the provision of a gas supply was deemed to be out of date and a fresh
application for a quote would have to be submitted to the company.
Re-building of Warmere Court (minutes 85-87/2004)
112. The Clerk referred to replies received from the Director of
Social and Caring Services at WSCC concerning the arrangements being made for
(a) the re-building works and (b) the replacement of the conservatory.
COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
113. County Councillor Mrs Freeman updated the Council on the
following matters:
a) a response to a letter she had
sent requesting a meeting with the management of Southern Water concerning the sewerage problem on the Downview
Estate was still awaited;
b) a letter she had recently sent to the local press
recording her concern about the likely impact of the proposed materials
recycling plant at Ford and the effect the resulting increase in HGV movements
would have on the quality of life for local residents. The Council shared Mrs Freeman’s misgivings
and urged local residents to write to the County Council objecting to the
development and to resist any further HGV traffic on the already congested
village roads.
c) an Access Ranger from WSCC would
shortly be visiting Yapton to arrange
routine maintenance work to Public Rights of Ways in the village;
d) the recent decision of the Arun
District Council to approve the
planning application for a Youth Centre at Ford was to be commended.
CORRESPONDENCE
114. Receipt of the following correspondence was reported by the Clerk
and action agreed as indicated:-
a) West Sussex Health and Social
Care NHS Trust – enclosing a briefing document on the Trust’s goals for the
coming year to support the development of its specialist mental health,
learning disability and substance abuse services.
b) Environment Agency – advising that the agency had recently produced a
new resource (FloodPACT -a CD-rom) to help parishes and communities prepare for
flooding vents and the risks they bring. The Council agreed that the
Clerk should obtain a copy of the CD and resource material.
c) Arun District Council – consultation on the future on Arun in Bloom
and Arun Towns in Bloom Competitions. The Council noted that the
District Council was intending to discontinue the promotion of these competitions.
d) Resident of Hoe Lane, Flansham –
enclosing a copy of a letter to the Chief Executive of Arun District Council
concerning the proposed cycle path into the western aspect of Hoe Lane.
“DESIGN-A-FLAG FOR YAPTON” COMPETITION
115. Following further consideration of all the entries received, the
Council decided that three entries stood out, two in the “under 16 years of age
category” and one in the “over 16 years” category. As it was difficult to choose between them, it was decided that
these three should be chosen as joint winners and each awarded a £25.00 voucher
for their entries:
Under 16 years: Melissa Cox (aged 8) and Annabel Mossop
(aged 7), both pupils at Yapton CE
Primary School.
Over 16 years: David Day, The Limes, Yapton
116. The Council also decided that as Yapton CE Primary School had
submitted the most entries, a special award of a £25.00 book token should be
sent to the Headteacher to purchase books for the school.
117. The Council recorded their
congratulations to Melissa Cox, Annabel Mossop and David Day and extended their
thanks to everyone else who took part in the competition.
TACK LEE ROAD AND FOUNDRY ROAD, YAPTON
PROVISION FOR PARKING
118. The Council noted the concerns of local residents. It was agreed that the Clerk should write to
West Sussex County Council to ask that they review the provision for parking on
the Loveys Estate with a view to easing the present problems of congestion with
cars parked in these two roads.
APPLICATION FOR QUALITY PARISH COUNCIL STATUS
119. With reference to minute 57/2004, the Clerk stated that it was
necessary to satisfy the Accreditation Panel that the Council met all the
required criteria for Quality Parish Status.
He showed members a portfolio of evidence which he had just started and
which, when completed, would form part of the Council’s submission to the
Panel. It was noted that there was
still a considerable amount of work needed to finalise the submission but the
Clerk hoped that it would be completed by the end of May. A fee of £58.75 was payable to accompany
the application.
120. Resolved – That the
Chairman be authorised to approve the completed portfolio of evidence prepared
by the Clerk and to sign the Application for Quality Status on behalf of the
Council.
PARISH COUNCIL NEWSLETTER (YAPTON VILLAGE NEWS & VIEWS)
121. The Council had before them and approved a draft of the May 2004
edition of the newsletter which had been drafted by the Clerk and which he
hoped would be available for distribution by the end of the week. The newsletter would include a copy of the
Chairman’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting as an insert.
122. The Council noted that following the May 2004 issue there would
have been 6 editions of the newsletter published, at a nominal cost for
printing of just £60 per issue.
However this did not include the “hidden costs” for which no provision
had been made. This included the
Clerk’s time for compiling, drafting and typing the text and for preparing the
first draft for approval by the Council (approx
6 hours per issue); for updating the draft copy and arranging the printing
and collection from Westergate School of the final copy (2 hours); and for dealing with the distribution arrangements to
the various outlets in the village (1.5
hours).
123. The Clerk hoped that volunteers would come forward to assist with
future editions of the newsletter.
LITTER COLLECTION CONTRACT
124. Resolved – That the
Chairman’s action in agreeing the appointment of M H Kennedy & Son Ltd to
take over the weekly litter collection and scavenging contract at a cost of £40
per week following the withdrawal of Verdant Group plc at the end of March 2004
be confirmed.
125. It was agreed that Mr Kennedy should be asked to undertake the
weekly litter collection on Mondays
rather than Fridays as at present.
PLANNING COMMITTEE
126. Mr Haymes declared an interest
because of his membership of the District Council’s Development Control
Committee and took no part in the discussion on the Planning Committee’s
report.
127. The Council had before them and received (a) the minutes of the
meeting of the Planning Committee held on 4 May 2004 and (b) details of
planning decisions made by Arun District Council in March/April 2004 (copies attached to minute book).
128. The Council noted that the outline planning application for the
Site 6 Housing Development at Felpham had recently been submitted by the
developer, Hallam Land Management. The
closing date for comments was 24 June 2004.
PLAYING FIELD
129. Some concern was expressed about the quality of the grass
cutting undertaken by the contractor this season. The Clerk undertook to talk to Mr Kennedy about the matter.
130. It was understood that the Arundel Devils Girls’ Football team
may not be requiring the use of a pitch
on the playing field next season.
131. The Council discussed the paintwork graffiti which had recently
appeared on the wall of the Sports Equipment Store. The name of one of the alleged culprits had been reported to a
Parish Councillor. It was agreed that
the Police should be notified and a request made that the person named should
be interviewed and appropriate action taken.
ALLOTMENTS
132. Mr Caiger reported that the two allotment plots were currently
vacant.
VILLAGE HALL
133. Concern was expressed about continuing problems with
vandalism. The Clerk tabled a
quotation which Philip Acton, the Buildings Maintenance Surveyor, had obtained
for carrying out a programme of external maintenance works on the
building. It was agreed that this
should be passed to the Village Hall Management Committee with a request that
they prioritise the items listed.
REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES
134. The Council had before them and received notes of meetings of the
Bognor Regis & District Local Councils “Unity Committee” held on 23 March
and 15 April 2004 which Mr Taft had attended (copies attached to minute book).
135. Mr Taft reported on his attendance at meetings of the Joint
Downland Area Committee held on 8 March and 10 May 2004. Mr Taft stated that the Committee shared
the concerns which had been expressed about the numbers of heavy lorries
already using the network of village roads in the Downland area and any
increase arising from the proposed Recycling Unit at Ford was deemed
unacceptable. The Committee would be
pressing the County Council to come forward with the right answers.
FINANCE
Audit of Accounts for the year
ended 31 March 2004.
136. The Council were reminded that
in connection with the audit arrangements, an Annual Return had to be completed
by the Parish Council. This included (i) a report by the Internal Auditor
(audit to be undertaken shortly by WSCC Management Audit Section) (ii) an
explanation of variances between 2002/03 and 2003/04 financial years and a bank
reconciliation statement and (iii) a Statement of Assurance to be signed by the
Chairman on behalf of the members.
137. Resolved – That the
Statement of Accounts prepared by the Responsible Financial Officer for the
year ended 31 March 2004 together with the accompanying Statement of Assurance,
as completed and signed by the Chairman, be approved (copies attached to minute book).
Financial Statements
138. Resolved –
(a) That the financial statement
showing the payments and receipts covering the period 1 March – 31 March 2004
be adopted (copy attached to minute
book);
(b) That the summary of income and
expenditure over the various budget heads for the financial year 2003/2004 be
received (copy attached to minute book).
Bank Account Signatories
139. Resolved – That
Barclays Bank plc continue as the Council’s bankers and that Mr Fellows, Mrs
Barnes and Mr Caiger (any two of three to sign cheques) be appointed as the
bank account signatories for the ensuing year.
Schedule of Assets
140. The Council had before them and received a schedule prepared by
the Responsible Financial Officer showing the value of the current assets owned
by the Council (copy attached to minute
book).
PAYE returns
141. The Council noted that the Responsible Financial Officer had made
arrangements for the future online submission of PAYE end of year returns. As an incentive to submit returns online the
Inland Revenue was offering employers tax-free payments totalling £825 over 5
years starting with the 2004/05 end of year return.
CLERK’S CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT
142. With reference to minute 89/2004, the Council were advised that
the revised Contract of Employment approved at the last meeting included on
page 2 a statement concerning the clerk’s hours of work. The breakdown of the hours shown added up to
25 hours per week whereas the clerk was employed for only 20 hours per
week. A revised page 2 had
accordingly been prepared showing the correct breakdown of hours (copy attached to minute book).
143. Resolved – That the
revised page 2 be approved by the Parish Council and incorporated in the
Clerk’s Contract of Employment.
144. The Council had before them and received a Joint Guidance Note
from NALC/SLCC covering Employment Issues arising from the Quality Parish and
Town Council Scheme (copy attached to
minute book).
PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
145.
The following matters/concerns were raised by members of the public
present at the meeting:-
a) it
appeared that there was preliminary development taking place on of a parcel of
land at the end of Cinders Lane possibly for use as a caravan park. The Chairman undertook to check the position
with the Planning Department at the District Council.
b) local residents were pleased to hear of the
developer’s plans and design for the re-building of Warmere Court.
c) the installation of CCTV cameras were
suggested as a means of combating vandalism to the village hall.
d) the WSCC road sign sited opposite to Drove
Lane was twisted and facing in the wrong direction.
CHAIRMAN