SOUTHWICK PARISH COUNCIL

Chairman – Cllr. K Noble

Minutes of the meeting of Southwick Parish Council held in the Village Hall, Southwick at 7.30pm on Tuesday 21 June 2016

Present

Cllr. K Noble             (Chairman)

Cllr. S Carey

Cllr A Doel

Cllr. D Jackson

Cllr. J Jones

Cllr. S Jones

Cllr. G Masters

Cllr. F Morland

Cllr. E Pomeroy

Cllr. D West

Roger Coleman (Clerk)

Wiltshire Council Cllr. H Prickett attended.

There were eight members of the public present initially.

1252    Welcome and Introductions.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1253.   New member.

a.         The Council noted that two candidates had indicated their interest in being co-opted on to the Parish Council and a vote was taken. In the absence of the candidate who had secured the higher number of votes the Council resolved to defer the decision whether to co-opt a new member until the next meeting in order to obtain confirmation from this candidate of his continued candidacy and interest.

b.         The Declaration Form was unsigned.

1254    Apologies.

Apologies for non-attendance were received from the Community Policing Team.

1255.   Declaration of Interests.

Cllr. Doel declared an interest in Agenda items 11d and 11e (Planning – Southwick Neighbourhood Area and Redrow Homes).

There were other interests declared.

1256.   Minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting held on 17 May 2016.

The Parish Council resolved that the minutes of this meeting were a true and accurate record.  The Chairman signed the minutes.

1257.   Minutes of the Ordinary Parish Council Meeting held on 17 May 2016.

The Parish Council resolved that the minutes of this meeting were a true and accurate record.  The Chairman signed the minutes.

1258.   Community Policing Team (NPT).

a.         PCSO Ellie Porter had sent a written report to the Clerk prior to the meeting. The Clerk stated that he had sent the full report to all councillors before the meeting. The Clerk read out the part of the report relating to ‘local issues’ as shown below, in italics:

CURRENT SECTOR SERIES

Bradford on Avon is currently suffering from a series of Thefts from vehicles particularly in the rural area. Please make sure that your cars are secure and report any suspicious activity.

Trowbridge is still seeing a higher than normal number of cycles stolen. Some of these are being taken from shed or garages but others are taken when they are left insecure. Please secure your cycles appropriately and remember to keep a record of the serial numbers.

LOCAL CRIMES

01/06, Bradley Road: Unknown female has assaulted female whilst on a dog walk by pushing with open palms after a verbal altercation.

02/06, Southwick: Female was stopped as a result of speeding and a defective lamp, and was found to be over the legal limit with a roadside breath test. She was later released from custody when she blew under the legal limit, with words of advice given.

15/06, Hoggington Lane: Unknown suspects have broken fencing on a field occupied by horses. They have also left gates open, both of which meaning that the horses have escaped into different fields.

06/06, Southwick Country Park: Indecent exposure by a male aged 17-19 years, towards a female in her 60s while out walking. A press release resulted in two similar reports being made by females who had been out walking in the park. A male suspect has been identified and is due to be interviewed.

For a detailed breakdown of the crime in your area visit…

https://www.police.uk/wiltshire/

Community Coordinator Pc 1140 Hough : mark.hough@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk

Deputy Sector Head Ps 1801 Louis McCoy : louis.mccoy@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk           

Sector Head Insp 2517 Brain : james.brain@wiltshire.pnn.police.uk

Please continue to leave your feedback at feedback@wiltshire.police.uk

End of Report.

In response to a questionnaire issued by the Community Policing Coordinator, the Parish Council resolved to send the following response to Wiltshire Police:

The Parish Council wishes to see only the PC or PCSO who covers the Southwick area but failing this, the Parish Council wishes to see any PC or PCSO attend the meeting.

b.         There were no matters of concern raised.

1259.   Wiltshire Council Report.

Cllr. Prickett gave a brief report on the following topics:

• Wiltshire Council Public Transport Consultation – Some 11,500 replies to the questionnaire had been received and these responses had now been analysed. He added that a report had now been prepared by Wiltshire Council and this is available for the public to access on the Wiltshire Council website. He commented that there were few surprises in the report and that there were unlikely to be any changes in the bus services for at least a year and thereafter it was likely that evening and Sunday services were the most vulnerable to cuts.

• Speed Indicator Device (SID) – West Ashton Parish Council was taking the lead in respect of this subject and it was currently determining the modus operandi. Following a discussion on the proposed scheme, Southwick Parish Council resolved to withdraw from the scheme.

• Community Governance – The review was in progress but there was no effect on the Civil Parish of Southwick.

• Strategic Housing Land Allocation Assessment (SHLAA) – A decision in respect of this assessment was likely at the end of the year.

1260.     Highways/Environment.

a.         The Chairman reported that no correspondence or further information had been received from Selwood Housing in respect of Arnold Noad Corner/Hoggington Lane since the site meeting. The Chairman stated that she had been unable to prompt Selwood Housing into providing a response and she asked the Clerk contact Selwood Housing (Mr Newman) and to pursue this matter.

            Cllr. Carey stated that the following matters had been reported to him:

• Path SWCK37/10 was blocked by a cereal crop.
• Path SWCK37/10 and SWCK36/10 (at the junction) – Stile has been removed, signpost from the road is missing and the gate is sometimes locked.
• Path SWCK18/30 – the stile is blocked.

Cllr. S Jones reported that the fly-tipping that he had reported to Wiltshire Council some eight weeks ago remained uncollected.

The following matters were reported:

Cllr. Doel – The milestone had been relocated alongside the gateway scheme.

Cllr. Pomeroy – Wiltshire Council is now not removing weeds and other growth in the gutters and pavements.

Cllr. Jackson – The road at Lamberts Marsh is in a poor state.

Cllr. J Jones – The path at the school (Path SWCK17/10) has now been restored to its original condition.

1261.   Finance

a.         The current financial position at 31 May 2016 was reported as follows:

The Chairman tabled the letter from the Internal Auditor regarding the relationship between the Parish Council accounts and those of the Playing Field Management Committee. She asked that this subject is an Agenda item at the next Parish Council meeting.

b.       In respect of the disbursement of the financial contribution made by theSolar Farm developer, Cllr Carey proposed that a ‘grant application’ form be devised to allow community groups to apply to the Parish Council for a donation from the Solar Farm fund. The Parish Council resolved to adopt this proposal. Cllr. Carey stated that he would write an article explaining the proposed method of disbursement for the Southwick Village News and for the website. The Clerk was asked to place this subject on the Agenda for the next meeting.

Cllr. Morland stated that the disbursement of these funds must recognize the legitimate interest of North Bradley and that appropriate applications from North Bradley should also be considered.

c.       The Council resolved to make the payments shown under ‘Accounts due for payment’ above including payments of £565.36 to Greenacres (April & May invoices) and £14 to Cllr. Noble for Parish Council stationery.

The Chairman tabled two letters; the first from the Rainbows, the second from the Girl Guides. In respect of the former, the Council agreed that the Rainbows can plant some bedding plants at the Old Blind House Jubilee Garden but discussion on the latter and a possible donation was deferred until the next Parish Council meeting.

1262. Planning

a.       The Clerk reported that the current status of extant planning applications was as follows:

b.         The Council examined the following planning application that was received after 14 June 2016 and resolved to send comments to Wiltshire Council as shown (in italics):

The Parish Council supports this proposed development.

c.         The Council examined the following planning application that was received after 14 June 2016 and resolved to send comments to Wiltshire Council as shown (in italics):

The Parish Council supports this proposed development.

d.         The Clerk confirmed that Wiltshire Council had approved the designation of Southwick Neighbourhood Area on 31 May 2016 following the application that was made on 10 February 2016.

There ensued a discussion regarding the development of a Neighbourhood Plan for Southwick. The Chairman invited all members to brief themselves fully on the process to produce a Neighbourhood Plan and the approval process including possible costs. She requested that this subject including a decision whether to develop such a plan is placed on the Agenda for the next meeting. Cllr. Prickett was requested to invite Judy Rowe who had first-hand experience of Neighbourhood Plans to the next meeting.

e.         There was nothing further to report in respect of Redrow Homes.

f.          Cllr. Morland reported that the appeal in respect of planning application 15/06694/PNCOU (Barn at Hoopers Pool) had been allowed.

1263.   Website.

There were no matters raised.

1264.   Members Reports.

Cllr. Jackson stated that the tractor that was stated on the Playing Field Insurance Schedule should be insured for £3000.

Cllr. Carey commented that whilst the Open Forum is to be welcomed and encouraged, it was obvious from the events tonight that some form of control needs to be exercised. It was resolved that in future individual contributions by members of the public will be restricted (as had been the case previously) to three minutes and the total length of the Open Forum would not exceed thirty minutes. The Clerk was asked to show these restrictions on the Agenda in future.

Cllr. Pomeroy expressed an apology from the Editor of the Southwick Village News in that a line of text was missing from the publication where thanks were being expressed to those involved in the Celebration Tea.

There were no other reports.

1265.   Clerk’s Report.

a.         The Clerk stated that he had decided to resign as Clerk to the Parish Council with effect from 31 October 2016. He explained that over the years that he had been Clerk to the Parish Council the nature of the job had changed dramatically. He commented that a job that once relied on direct personal contact, the development of personal relationships and the gaining of mutual respect  had been surrendered to one characterised now by impersonal e-mails, pdf files and anonymity – and an expectation that responses to electronic communication will be answered instantly. The ease and accelerated pace of communication, whilst laudable in many cases, had prompted a significant increase in the work of a Clerk and the need to devote most of the working time to sitting behind a computer screen. He added that e-mails, text messages, phone calls etc had no respect for normal working hours.

He commented that whilst he had always been willing to embrace new ways of working, the plethora of modern communication devices, the increasing use of social media and the expectations that arise from their use is for others to exploit, not him.

He recorded his thanks to the Chairman and councillors for their support and friendship over the years.

Cllr. Morland, on behalf of the Parish Council, thanked the Clerk for his conscientiousness and professionalism over the years and wished him well for the future.

Cllr. Carey commented that it would now be necessary to advertise for a new Clerk without too much delay and he requested the current Clerk to update his extant Job Description/Contract to reflect the changed ways of working now required for a Parish Council.

b.         The Council noted the date of the next meeting:

• 19 July 2016 - Ordinary Parish Council meeting at 7.30pm.

There was no other business and the meeting concluded at 21.40pm.

Chairman

Southwick Parish Council        

19 July 2016  

ACTION LIST – Meeting 21 June 2016

Action 1                       Clerk.

Min 1260                     To contact Selwood Housing for a reply.

Action 2                       Clerk/Cllr. Carey.

Min 1261                     To devise grant application Form.

Action 3                       Cllr. Carey.

Min 1261                     To write article for SVN/Website – Grant applications.

Action 4                       Clerk.

Min1261                      To make payments.

Action 5                       Clerk.

Min 1262                     To send planning comments to WC.

Action 6                       All Cllrs.

Min 1262                     To examine/understand Neighbourhood Plan process and approval.

Action 7                       Clerk.

Min 1264                     To add Open Forum details to website.

Action 8                       Clerk.

Min 1265                     To update Job Description/Contract.

Details of the Actions are contained in the minutes.