DANBURY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the meeting
held on Wednesday 29 November 2006
in
the Parish Office
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Present: Cllrs |
S Berlyn
(Chairman) A Allen D Hawkins A Keeler D Powell |
J Thomson D Whiteing J Wells M Wood |
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In attendance: |
Mrs M Saunders,
Clerk Mrs E Blyth,
Assistant Clerk Mrs M Moss,
Assistant Clerk Cllr C Kingsley,
Chelmsford Borough Council (to 8.35pm) |
Public Question Time
Mr D Bolwell, Mr J
Langley and Mr A Wells were present in connection with their applications for
co-option as members of the Council.
77 Apologies
for absence
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllrs J Brooks and M Telling.
78 Declarations of Interest
Members were
reminded that they were required to declare any personal or prejudicial
interests they know they may have in items of business on the meeting’s
agenda. Mrs Wells declared an interest
in the co-option of councillors by virtue of being acquainted with one of the
candidates.
79 Minutes
RESOLVED: that the
Minutes of the meeting held on 27th September 2006 be approved and
signed as a correct record. There were
no matters arising.
80 Parish
Councillor vacancies
80.1 Co-options:
Chelmsford Borough Council had confirmed that there had been no request for an
election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mrs Creak. The vacancy could therefore be filled by co-option
along with the two existing vacancies. Three applications had been received, from
Mr D Bolwell, Mr J Langley and Mr A Wells. Resumés from the applicants
had been circulated.
The Chairman thanked the candidates for putting themselves forward for
co-option. He explained the procedures
to be followed. Voting would take place
in the confidential part of the meeting which was closed to press and public,
but the candidates were welcome to remain up to that point. Each of the candidates then spoke briefly
about himself and his reasons for wishing to join the Council, and answered
questions from members.
80.2 Resignation of Cllr Matthews: The Chairman announced that
Ron Matthews had submitted his resignation from the Council because of his
other commitments. It was agreed that he
be sent a letter of thanks for his service to the Council. Cllr Matthews had represented the Council at
meetings of the DCA Committee, and any Councillor who could attend the
forthcoming meeting on 14th December was asked to contact the Clerk.
81 Precept for
2007/08
81.1 Grants request
for 2007/08 Budget: Cllr Wood presented the recommendations of Resources
Committee regarding the award of grants, details of which were circulated, and
the recommendations were discussed.
RESOLVED: that the award of grants totalling £4,869 to local
organisations be approved as shown below:
81.2 Precept request
for 2007/08: Cllr Whiteing presented the report and recommendation of the
Resources Committee that next year’s Precept be set at £163,000, an increase of
8% on the current year. The increase was
mainly in the Facilities budget, and reflected the need to carry out essential
work to trees on Council land following a tree survey and additional funds
towards the drainage project. Cllr
Whiteing proposed that the Precept request be approved.
Cllr Powell proposed an amendment to remove £5,000 from the drainage
project budget, reducing the Precept amount to £158,000, an increase on the
current year of around 4.6%. He argued
that the £5,000 would not be needed for the drainage project in the next
financial year, and that the smaller increase was closer to the rate of
inflation and to the maximum recommended increase for Council Tax. The amendment was seconded by Cllr Keeler.
Cllr Powell requested a recorded vote on the amendment and the results were as follows:
In favour of the amendment: Cllrs Allen, Keeler, Powell, Thomson,
Wells, Whiteing.
Against the
amendment: Cllrs Berlyn, Hawkins and Wood. The amendment was therefore carried.
Council then voted on the amended proposal, which was put by Cllr
Whiteing and seconded by Cllr Allen. The
proposal was carried by 7 votes to 1, with 1 abstention.
RESOLVED: that the budget for the 2007/08 financial year as recommended
by Resources Committee be accepted with the exception that the Facilities
budget be reduced by £5,000 so that the total Precept for 2007/08 be set at
£158,000 (Appendix 1).
Cllr Kingsley and Mr Wells left the meeting at this point.
82 Grants
Working Party
Council considered
changes to the grants procedure proposed by the Grants Working Party and
Resources Committee in the light of two years’ experience. The proposals were as follows:-
a)
that
the Grants process be advertised in the Spring edition of Danbury Times;
b)
that
the closing date for applications be brought forward to 30th September in any year (from 31st October);
c)
that Cllr
Allen review the Guidance Notes and present any changes to Parish Council at
its meeting on 31st January 2007;
d)
that where
grants are made for on-going costs the money be sent at the end of May, and
these grants be made only in exceptional circumstances; and that where grants
are made for projects or the purchase of equipment the money be paid when
receipts are presented to Parish Council (from late May onwards).
After discussion the Council: RESOLVED: that the recommendations of the
Grants Working party be approved.
83 Danbury
Planning Framework
Cllr Allen
reported that Mr Derek Stebbing, Planning Policy Manager at CBC, had approved
the content of the Planning Framework. In order for the Framework to be recommended to CBC Cabinet for approval
as Supplementary Planning Guidance, a Sustainability Appraisal must be carried
out. The appraisal must be done by an
independent consultant, and Mr Stebbing was negotiating with the Chelmsford
Environment Partnership on behalf of Danbury and other parish councils. The fee was likely to be several hundred
pounds, and the Planning Committee, at its meeting on 20th November,
had requested that Parish Council agree to spend up to £1000 from the Parish
Plan budget for this purpose.
RESOLVED: that a sum not exceeding £1,000 be authorised to be paid from
the earmarked reserve for the Parish Plan to complete the Danbury Planning
Framework sustainability appraisal.
84 Charters
Members noted that
the Charter process had been delayed by Chelmsford Borough Council pending
publication of the Local Government White Paper. The White Paper had now been published.
RESOLVED: that the Clerk write to CBC urging it to make progress with the preparation of Parish Council Charters.
85 Annual
Return for Financial Year 2005/06
The Clerk reported
that the External Auditor had now approved and ratified the accounts for the
last financial year.
RESOLVED: that the Conclusion of Audit notice be published.
86 Drainage &
Car Parking Project – Appointment of consultant
It was reported that, in order to qualify for a grant from the Football Association, a Consultant must be appointed to manage the project. Four consultants had been invited to tender and three had submitted quotations. Facilities Committee on 8th November (minute 60.3) had made a number of recommendations to Council on the procedure to be followed in appointing a consultant, and a provisional timetable had been set for the process. There was a full debate on the proposed procedure and some changes were
suggested and discussed. In answer to
points raised, the Cllr Berlyn, Cllr Hawkins, the Clerk and the Assistant Clerk
Facilities explained the background to decisions already made and described how
the consultants had been chosen to tender for the project. Cllr Hawkins stressed that the Facilities
Committee and all involved had learned a great deal over the past year about
the needs and processes of the project. He stressed the assistance and support
given by Mr Brian Royden-Hall of Chelmsford Borough Council. After further discussion, the following
resolution was made:
RESOLVED: that the following procedure be adopted in the appointment of
a consultant for the drainage and car parks project:
a) that a working group be appointed to carry out the interviews and
make a recommendation to Parish Council;
b) that the working group consist of Cllrs Allen, Brooks, Hawkins,
Keeler, Powell and Thomson, together with Mr Royden-Hall;
c) that the members of the group be provided with the project
specification and the information provided by the consultants, but not the
quoted prices;
d) that all councillors may submit questions for the consultants in
advance, to be collated by the Assistant Clerk Facilities, and that the final
date for submitting questions be 13th December 2006;
e) that the questions be sent to the consultants with the request that
answers be submitted before the interview date;
f) that, at the interviews, additional questions be permitted only if
they arise directly from the presentation;
g) that 30 minutes be allocated to each interview (15 minutes for the
presentation and 15 minutes of questions) with a 5 minute break between
interviews;
h) that the interviews be held at the Bowling Club on Wednesday 17th January 2007 commencing at 7.30pm;
i) that a donation of £25 be made to the Bowling Club from the Drainage
Fund for the use of its premises.
87 Leases
87.1 Bowling
Club Lease: Cllrs Berlyn, Brooks,
Hawkins, and Wood had met on Wednesday 22nd November 2006 to discuss
the Lease and a draft had been sent to the Club. Cllr Wood raised the question of the Club’s
policy on non-members using the bowling green, and this was discussed.
RESOLVED: that a letter be sent to the Bowling Club’s solicitor
requesting the addition to the lease of a clause stating that non-members might
use the green provided that a member was present.
87.2 Lingwood Common: Council had been informed that Essex
County Council had forwarded copies of documents showing that Lingwood Common
was registered as village green to the solicitor of the member of the public
who had disputed ownership. A response was
awaited.
88 ‘Corporate
Identity’ for the Parish Council
Sample logos and
letter-head formats had been circulated to members for their views. It was agreed to defer further consideration
to a future meeting.
89 Danbury
Medical Centre – new site proposals
Members noted that
an Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting had been arranged for 8pm on Monday 11th December 2006 at Danbury Mission. There
would be a presentation by the doctors on their proposals, followed by councillor
and public questions. The Council would then
consider whether to support the Medical Centre’s favoured development option in
the light of the public response.
90 Publicity
Cllr Wood reported
that the Autumn edition of Danbury Times had now been delivered to the
village. He asked that letters of thanks
be sent to those who had assisted councillors with the distribution. It was noted that supplies of the Danbury
leaflet, which was issued to Tourist Offices etc, were nearly exhausted.
RESOLVED: that further leaflets be printed up to a maximum cost of £500.
91 Community
Decline & Charter 88’s Campaign for a modern democracy – empowering
citizens and local councils
The reply from
John Whittingdale MP to the Council’s letter requesting support for the
Sustainable Communities Bill was noted.
92 Reports from
Village Organisations
92.1 Landisdale
Charity: The minutes of meeting of the Trustees held on 8th November 2006 were noted. There were no
further reports.
93 NALC Local
Democracy Week (16th – 20th October, 2006)
Cllrs Allen and
Wood had attended Danbury Park School and addressed pupils during Local
Democracy Week regarding the work of Parish Councils. The Council had also been invited to send councillors
to speak to Heathcote School in January 2007.
94 NHS Family
Health Services – ‘Rurality’ of Danbury
The reply received
from the Manager of NHS Family Health Services to the Clerk’s letter was noted
(minute 71 of meeting on 27th September 2006 refers).
95 Rural Post
Offices
The Countryside
Alliance had written to Parish Councils promoting a letter-writing campaign in
support of local Post Offices, letters to be sent to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary
of State for Employment Relations & Postal Services. Members discussed the importance of the
service to residents in Danbury, and agreed to support the campaign.
RESOLVED: that the Clerk write to the Under-Secretary of State (with
copies to the local MP and the Countryside Alliance) stressing the importance
of maintaining local Post Offices and describing the significant role played by
the Danbury Post Office in the local community. .
96 Scout
Jamboree – Summer 2007
Correspondence had
been received from the organisers of the Scout Jamboree which was to be held
from 27th July to 8th August 2007, at Hylands Park,
Chelmsford. As part of the programme, work
projects suitable for the 14–18 years age group were being sought. Members were asked to notify the Clerk if
they were aware of any possible projects in the village, and it was also agreed
that the local Scout Group be consulted.
RESOLVED: that members inform the Clerk of any possible projects within
the next 7 days, and that the letter also be referred to the Leader of the 1st Danbury Scout Group for consideration.
97 Chelmsford
Borough Council – Agendas for meetings
Council noted
that, from January 2007, CBC would send agendas for its meetings to Parish
Clerks as email attachments. Paper
copies would no longer be supplied, and CBC had requested that members of the
public be permitted to view papers on-line at Parish offices. This would also apply to planning
applications from January. In
discussion, members felt that offering an on-line viewing facility could cause
problems in a small office such as in Danbury. It was noted that internet
facilities were available for public use at the local Library.
98 NALC ‘Shaping
Communities’ Event
On Tuesday 13th February 2007 NALC was to hold an event for members of larger local councils
wanting to learn more about the Lyons Report and the Local Government White
Paper. The cost was £129.75, including
VAT. Any councillor wishing to attend
was asked to notify the Clerk.
99 Reports from
Committees
99.1 Facilities:
Cllr Hawkins invited the councillors who would be involved in the presentations
by consultants in January to attend the December meeting of Facilities
Committee;
99.2 Planning: Cllr Allen reported that the planning application
for a takeaway outlet at the former Unwins store in Maldon Road had been
refused. The approval for a betting
office in that location still stood. The
Committee had agreed to submit comments in response to CBC’s Core Strategy consultation
document stressing the importance of maintaining the ‘green wedges’ in the
countryside and avoiding development outside defined settlements.
100 Exclusion
of Press and Public
RESOLVED: in accordance with S.1 of the Public Bodies
(Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, that in view of the nature of the business to
be discussed it was in the opinion of the Council advisable that the Public and
Press be excluded and asked to withdraw from the meeting.
Mr Bolwell and Mr Langley withdrew at this point.
101 Co-option
of Councillors
After brief
discussion a secret ballot was held on the co-options of Mr D Bolwell, Mr J
Langley and Mr A Wells as members of the Council. All three applications were approved.
RESOLVED: that Messrs D Bolwell, J Langley and A Wells be co-opted to membership
of the Parish Council.
102 Forthcoming
meetings
Parish Council: 31st January and 28th March 2007
Annual Parish Meeting: 2nd May
2007
Annual Parish Council Meeting: 9th May 2007
Business having
been concluded, the Chairman thanked all members and staff for their work over
the past year and wished everyone the compliments of the season. He then closed the meeting.
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