Approved minutes 17th Jan 2017 @ 27 Mar 2017

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 17 January 2017

Present:

Cllrs. K Noble (Chairman), S Carey, D Jackson (Vice Chairman), J. Jones, E Pomeroy, D West, and L Karas (Clerk). Some 70+ members of the public were present initially; some 15 remaining after the Open Forum.

  1. Welcome and Introductions.

The Chairman opened the Parish Council (PC) meeting and made an announcement, attached as Appendix A. The Chairman then adjourned the meeting for the Open Forum to begin.

  1. Apologies.

Written apologies were received from Wiltshire Council (WC) Councillor Prickett and Ellie Porter of the CPT team. Verbal apologies were given to the Chairman before the meeting by Cllrs. Masters, Doel, and Morland.

  1. Declaration of Interests.

No interests were declared.

  1. Minutes of the ordinary PC Meeting held on 15 November 2016.

No change to the minutes was proposed. The PC resolved that the minutes of 15 November 2016 be signed by the Chairman as a true and accurate record.

  1. Community Policing Team (CPT).
  1. Report from CPT.

The Chairman invited the Clerk to present the CPT report, attached as Appendix B of these minutes.

  1. Report on Action 2 Minute 1318c.

PC Hough had emailed that he was unable to separate resolution statistics specifically for Southwick.

  1. Any other CPT Questions.

The Chairman reported that she was attending a routine meeting with CPT on Thursday 19 January 2017.

  1. Highways/Environment.
  1. To report on Action 4 minute 1318c.

The response from Cllr. Prickett was read by the Clerk. The PC resolved to make another attempt to get the missing light re-installed.

  1. Cllr. Prickett to provide a report.

Cllr. Prickett had written to the Clerk to report progress on each of his actions, as reported in these minutes.

  1. Casual Vacancy.

The PC resolved not to fill the vacancy by co-option but to leave any Councillor appointment to be filled at the elections in May 2017.

  1. Standing Orders Update.

The PC resolved to postpone any discussion of standing order amendments until the first PC meeting in May 2017 when the newly elected Parish Council would be in situ.

  1. Freedom of Information Requests (FOI).

The PC resolved that all FOI requests and their responses from the Clerk should be published on the Village web site.

  1. Monthly Report from SOS.

The Clerk had received no report from SOS.

  1. Highways/Environment.
  1. To report on Action 6, minute 1320f.

There had been no CATG meeting so there was nothing to report.

  1. To report on action 12, minute 1324a.

Request for the kerbs and drain gutter in Church Lane to be cleared of debris. The pavement opposite Pound Farm, Frome Road, is in a terrible state. The wall outside the bed shop on Frome Road is causing obstruction on the pavement. The line markings on the mini roundabout on Frome Road/Wynsome Road junction need re-instating. The Clerk was actioned to add a Service Request to the WC web site.

  1. Progress Report on Lambrok Brook.

The Clerk stated that he had received a report from Cllr. Prickett  and had updated the Service Request on the WC web site to reflect this report.

  1. To report on progress regarding the Operational Flood Working Group.

The next meeting takes place on 19 January 2017 so there was nothing report.

  1. Councillors’ reports.

A new fence erected at 2 Frome Road was encroaching onto and narrowing the public highway. The Chairman agreed to take appropriate action.

  1. Community Matters.

Cllr. Noble reported that she and Cllr. West had attended the last meeting but as yet they had not received the official feedback report from the organiser, which she would chase up. The meeting mainly focussed on law & order and drug abuse issues.

  1. Finance.
  1. Clerk’s Report.

The Clerk reported that the Financial Statements for November and December in the Agenda, were again compiled without sight of the Bank statements. Having now seen the Bank statements, the Clerk reported that there had been no movement on the Current account, and only minor change on the Savings account. The updated Financial Statements are attached as Appendix C and D. The analysis of the split between the three parts of the total funds had subsequently been updated, and the updated figures are included in Appendix D.

  1. Proposed FY2017/8 Budget.

The PC resolved to accept the proposed budget drawn up by the Clerk except that the Village Gateway allocation should be changed from £1000 to £0 as this had been a one-off allocation last year. A copy of the agreed budget is attached as Appendix E.

  1. Precept for 2017/8.

The PC resolved to accept the Precept proposal shown on the proposed 2017/8 budget which would be the same figure as last year. The Clerk was asked to submit the Precept Form to WC Finance.

  1. Authorising of Grant Application Payments from the Solar Farm Fund.

The PC resolved that the following payments should be made:

  1. Southwick Entertainers - £1000
  2. SW Ambulance for the Defibrillator - £1200

The Clerk pointed out that the figure shown on the Financial Monthly Statement for December was incorrect because VAT had been added, when it actually included VAT.

  1. Sing-A-Long Group - £100

The Clerk pointed out that the Group had requested £146.30 for the Folders. The PC resolved that it should not alter the figures it had already agreed and that any monies left over from the Fund will be carried forward to next year.

  1. Southwick Village Hall New Partition Doors - £6741.60

The Chairman declared an interest (non-pecuniary) in this item so did not vote on it. The Clerk pointed out that the value on the cheque had been omitted as he has not had sight of the latest invoice. The Chairman handed the Clerk the latest invoice for £6741.60 which included £1123.60 VAT. The Clerk stated he would update the figures in the minutes.

  1. Late grant payment applications.

There were no late requests for grant payments from the remaining two approved grants. Cllr. Noble reported that the Village Hall Management Committee had been successful in receiving a grant of £10,000 for other improvements to the Village Hall from the other Solar Farm (Solafield). The Chairman temporarily adjourned the meeting as a number of Parishioners indicated they wanted to ask questions. After a few minutes, the Chairman resumed the meeting.

  1. New grant applications.

None had been received.

  1. To agree all payments to be paid.

Subject to the corrections listed above, the PC resolved to make the payments under ‘Accounts due for Payment – JANUARY 2017’ shown in Appendix D.

  1. The Clerk to report on Action 14, minute 1325a.

The Clerk reported that he had not had sufficient time, with all the extra work, to prepare a proposal to satisfy the Auditor’s request to financially manage the Playing Field monies separately. The PC resolved that the Clerk should contact the Auditor again for further discussions so that a simpler solution might be forthcoming.

  1. Planning.
  1. Current Planning Application Status.

The Clerk reported that there was no further movement on 16/06058/FUL.

  1. New Applications.

The Clerk confirmed that there were no new planning applications received up to 9 January 2017.

  1. Handling of new Applications.

See item d).

  1. To decide what action to take regarding the Redrow Homes Outline Planning Application.

The Clerk confirmed that the formal notification of this application (now identified as 16/12279/OUT) had been released on the WC website on 11 January 2017 and a document pack from WC had been delivered to his home on 12 January 2017. He also stated that there was some confusion regarding the dating references on the WC website and he had written to WC for clarification. The PC resolved that the Clerk should write to WC Planning and request an extension to the Consultation Expiry date currently specified as 10 February 2017.

The Parish Council resolved to hold a Parish Meeting on 7 February to hear the views and reasoned arguments for and against this Outline Application.

The Parish Council also resolved to ask WC Cllr. Prickett to call-in this Outline Application so that the decision is made by the Planning Committee rather than delegated to officers. This would allow The PC and members of the public to present their objections in person to the Planning Committee who will then make the decision.

  1. To decide what action to take re. Mr. David King’s email w.r.t Neighbourhood Planning.

The PC resolved to request that Mr. King makes a presentation on the subject at the May PC meeting when the newly formed PC should be in situ following the elections in early May.

  1. To re-visit minute 1227 (Planning representatives).

The Chairman stated that the original intention was to nominate two Councillors who would receive planning applications from WC, deliver them to other Council members and help visit the site locations, as necessary. Cllr. Pomeroy stated that this had worked well for many years. Cllr. Doel will not be involved with application 16/12279/OUT.

  1. A question from Mr. R. Wright w.r.t. large housing developments.

The Chairman invited Cllr. Carey to respond to this question. Stephen Carey stated that the Parish Council’s response to the question was ‘Yes’ because last year we agreed not to support the extension of village limits as we did not wish to see large housing developments encircling Southwick.

  1. Other planning related matters.

It was reported that a Farm Shop had opened up on Brokerswood Road and it appeared that there had been no planning application for the change of use of a building. The PC resolved that the Clerk should make enquiries. Cllr. Jones asked Councillors if they were aware of an outline plan being prepared by Savills. The Clerk advised that a letter had just been received and he would be sending it out to Councillors.

  1. Website.

The PC resolved that details of the proposed Planning Meeting to be held on 7 February should be displayed on the web site, when available, and that details of the forthcoming elections in May should also be posted there, when available.

  1. Members Reports.

Reference anonymous letters being included in the Village News magazine. The PC resolved that the Editor should be advised that no letters must be posted without including the Parishioner’s name, and that this point should be made clear when requesting letters to the Editor.

  1. Clerk’s Report.
  1. Documents Received List.

The Clerk drew councillors’ attention to Documents Received List attached to the Agenda and asked the PC to note that not every single email was included in the list. A reference to an email usually meant an ‘email chain’ consisting of many emails sent to and fro on the same subject. The Clerk also pointed out that since 10 January he had already received some 40 emails and on a number of them he had deferred making any responses until after this meeting.

  1. Great British Spring Clean.

The Clerk drew attention to the Great British Spring Clean. The Chairman stated that she may be able to find some volunteers to help.

  1. Date of Next meeting.

The PC noted the date of the next Ordinary PC meeting: 17 February 2017 at 7.30pm.

  1. Confidential Matters.

The PC resolved to hold a confidential session to discuss third party confidential matters. The Chairman requested members of the public to vacate the room. The PC resolved to request the Clerk to remain in office.

The Chairman closed the meeting at approx. 9.30pm.

Chairman

Southwick Parish Council

Chairman’s Signature:___________________________

Date: ________________________________________

ACTION LIST – Meeting 17 January 2017

Minute 1331a The Clerk to make another attempt to get the missing light re-installed.

Minute 1334    The Clerk to arrange for FOI requests and responses be published on the web site.

Minute 1336b  The Clerk to add a service request for the mini roundabout re-instatement.

Minute 1336e  The Chairman to take appropriate action re. the new fence encroaching the highway.

Minute 1337    The Chairman to chase up the feedback report from Community Matters.

Minute 1338c  The Clerk to submit the Precept proposal to WC.

Minute 1338g  The Clerk to make all the approved payments.

Minute 1338h  The Clerk to have discussions with the Auditor re. Playing Field accounts.

Minute 1339d  The Clerk, with the Chairman, to make arrangements for the Planning Meeting on 7

February.

Minute 1339d  The Clerk to request Cllr. Prickett to call-in the 16/12279/OUT application.

Minute 1339e  The Clerk to invite Mr. King to the May 2017 PC meeting to make a presentation.

Minute 1339h  The Clerk to make enquiries w.r.t. planning applications for the Farm Shop.

Minute 1340    The Clerk to ensure that details of the Parish Meeting and Elections go onto the website.

Minute 1341    The Clerk to advise the Village Magazine editor re. anonymous letters.

Minute 1342    The Chairman to seek for volunteers for the Great British Spring Clean day.

Details of the Actions are contained in the minutes.

 

APPENDIX A - Chairman’s Special Announcement

Before the Open Forum starts it is important for me to say a few words about the purpose of this Parish Council meeting tonight because you may have been drawn to attend this meeting by some misleading information.

This is a normal monthly Parish Council meeting routinely set up by law to enable the Parish Council to carry out its lawful business as detailed on the Agenda.

It is NOT a Planning Meeting at which we can devote all the time hearing Parishioners views and reasoned arguments about development applications.

You will hear later in the meeting under item 14d that there will be such a Planning Meeting devoted to hearing the views of all Parishioners about the Redrow Homes Outline Planning Application delivered to us by Wiltshire Council on 12 January 2017.

I apologise if any of you thought that this was a Planning Meeting but it was not of our doing.

The Parish Council also wishes to point out that it is NOT the duty of a Parish Council to STOP any or all planning applications. A Parish Council’s duty is to seek out the wishes of the majority of Parishioners, particularly for possibly contentious planning applications, as well as ensuring that the application makes sense, is sustainable to the Parish, and that the Parish Council comments passed back to Wiltshire Council about the application would satisfy the majority of Parishioners.

The Parish Council in this respect has a difficult task to do as it will NOT be able to please everyone, but we do need to hear your views with reasoned arguments regarding potentially contentious applications, and the Parish Meeting is one of the places where we can do this.

We appreciate that there is not a great deal of time set by Wiltshire Council to respond to this Redrow application and we have already requested from the Senior Planning Officer for an extension of the Consultation Expiry Date to 28th February and I can confirm that the Planning Officer has agreed to this request.

As tonight’s Agenda includes a lot of Parish Council Business, I will be restricting the Open Forum to 15 minutes as per the Agenda, but I would urge all of you to write to the Clerk as soon as possible if you have strong views about the Redrow application stating your reasoned argument for those views, as well as making those views and arguments known to Wiltshire Council.

Can I also draw your attention to the Wiltshire Council web site where there is a page devoted to “How do I comment on planning applications?” This page contains two important sections about what issues will be considered, and what will not be considered. Significantly,  you cannot bring matters that are not material to the application such as ‘loss of value’ and ‘loss of view’ as these are outside the boundaries of the planning process and are more civil matters between parties. There is also a link to the online system where you can post your comments.

Thank you for listening and I now adjourn the Parish Council Meeting to start the Open Forum for a maximum of 15 minutes.

END

APPENDIX B – COMMUNITY POLICING TEAM(CPT) REPORT

We have seen a recent series of acquisitive crimes with garages, shed and cars having been targeted in the Trowbridge area. We have made arrests in relation to some of these offences and a number of local youths are currently on police bail pending further enquiries. The last two weeks have been much quieter.

LOCAL CRIMES

Burglary

17/12/2016, Frome Road- Unknown suspect used a broom handle and a house brick to smash the front pane of glass in the door at the location, then entered the premises and stole cigarettes, tobacco and cash. They have also caused damage to the till.

Animal related incidents

25-26/12/2016, Hoopers Pool- Six alpacas attacked and injured and five have died as a result of their injuries. The reporting person believes a dog to be responsible due to the size and depth of incisions and width between the incisors.

Road related offences

27/12/2016, Chantry Gardens- A vehicle hit a parked vehicle causing damage to the driver’s side wheel trim, front bumper and wing mirror.

30/12/2016, Brokerswood Road- Fail to stop RTC; no injuries.

05/01/2017, Frome Road- Unknown person has gained entry to parked vehicle using unknown means. They carried out a search of the car; an Apple blue tooth ear piece and the locking wheel nut key have been taken.

Violence against the person

30/12/2016, Orchard Drive- Neighbourhood dispute resulting in a physical altercation.

Fraud

09/01/2017, Wynsome Street- Unknown suspect has defrauded the aggrieved by purchasing a necklace and cosmetics.

END

APPENDIX C

SOUTHWICK PARISH COUNCIL - FINANCIAL MONTHLY STATEMENT FOR NOVEMBER 2016

 
           

Business Current Account(No. 317648) - Balance as at 11/11/2016

   

£3,138.15

           

RECEIPTS

         
   

TOTAL

   

£0.00

PAYMENTS

       
           

Cheques Presented

   

VAT incl.

 

1440

Greenacres (Sept) - 675 P Field Maintenance

 

£282.68

£47.11

 

1446

L Karas Clerks Expenses (Oct)

 

£39.54

   

1446

L Karas Clerk's Salary (Nov)

 

£315.81

   

1447

PA Slade 26 Iron Slats

 

£144.00

£24.00

 

1448

JT Jackson 180 Hedge Cutting

 

£108.00

£18.00

 

1449

Raye Johnson Plants

 

£27.90

   

1450

Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal Wreath

 

£20.00

   

1451

HMRC LK HMRC Month 7

 

£126.00

   

1451

HMRC LK HMRC Month 8

 

£63.20

   

SO

RP Coleman Clerk's Salary(Nov) paid in error

 

£307.83

   
   

TOTALS

£1,434.96

£89.11

£1,434.96

           

Unpresented Cheques

   

VAT incl.

 
           
   

TOTALS

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

           

STATEMENT BALANCE as at 30/11/2016

     

£1,703.19

           

Accounts due for Payment - DECEMBER 2016

   

VAT incl.

 
           
   

TOTALS

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

           

Business Savings Account(No. 7005390) - Balance as at 05/11/2016

   

£51,108.43

           

RECEIPTS

         
 

Interest

 

£2.09

   
 

HMRC PAYE Month 7 & 8

 

£189.20

   
 

Return of Salary paid in error

 

£307.83

   
   

TOTAL

   

£499.12

PAYMENTS

       
           

Cheques Presented

   

VAT incl.

 
           
   

TOTALS

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

           

STATEMENT BALANCE as at 30/11/2016

     

£51,607.55

           

Total Funds held by Southwick Parish Council as at 30/11/2016

   

£53,310.74

 

APPENDIX D

SOUTHWICK PARISH COUNCIL - FINANCIAL MONTHLY STATEMENT FOR DECEMBER 2016

N.B. * indicates a Playing Field entry, ** a Solar Farm entry.

     
           

Business Current Account(No. 317648) - Balance as at 01/12/2016

 

£1,703.19

( Current Account - Statement start/end dates 01/12/2016-31/12/2016 )

   
           

RECEIPTS (Current)

       
           
   

TOTAL

   

£0.00

           

PAYMENTS (Current)

       
           

Cheques Presented (Current)

   

VAT incl.

 
           
   

TOTALS

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

           

Unpresented Cheques (Current)

   

VAT incl.

 
           
   

TOTALS

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

           
           

STATEMENT BALANCE (Current) as at 31/12/2016

     

£1,703.19

           
           

Accounts due for Payment (Current) - JANUARY 2016

   

VAT incl.

 
           

1452*

Greenacres(Oct)  Inv 690 P Field Maintenance

 

£282.68

£47.11

 

1453

LKaras Clerk's Expenses (Nov)

 

£60.43

   

1453

LKaras Clerk's Expenses (Dec)

 

£15.36

   

1453

LKaras Clerk's Salary(Dec)

 

£315.81

   
 

LKaras Clerk's Salary(Jan)

 

£315.81

   

1454

HMRC LK HMRC Month 10

 

£315.81

   

1455

Grant Thornton Audit fee inv 8613893

 

£240.00

£40.00

 

1456

W Fox Honorarium

 

£50.00

   

1456

W Fox Stamps

 

£3.84

   

1457

Doveton Press (390797) Southwick Village News

£300.00

   

1458

Village Hall Room Hire

 

£138.00

   

1459

Kath Noble Chairman's Expenses

 

£25.00

   

1460**

Southwick Entertainers Solar Farm Fund

 

£1,000.00

   

1461**

SW Ambulance - Defibrillator Solar Farm Fund

 

£1,200.00

£200.00

 

1462**

Village Hall Man. Comm. Solar Farm Fund

 

£6,741.60

£1,123.60

 

1463**

Sing-A-Long Group Solar Farm Fund

 

£100.00

   
   

TOTALS

£11,104.34

£1,410.71

£11,104.34

           
           

Business (Savings) Account(No. 7005390) - Balance as at 05/12/2016

 

£51,609.53

Account (Savings) - Statement start/end dates 05/12/2016-04/01/2017 )

   
           

RECEIPTS (Savings)

       

INT

Interest

 

£2.11

   

001339

Brokerswood Farm Shop

 

£18.00

   

001338

Alan Baker

 

£16.00

   
           
   

TOTAL

   

£36.11

           

PAYMENTS (Savings)

       
           

Cheques Presented (Savings)

   

VAT incl.

 
           
   

TOTALS

£0.00

£0.00

£0.00

           

STATEMENT BALANCE  (Savings) as at 04/01/2017

     

£51,645.64

           
           

Total Funds held by Southwick Parish Council as at 04/01/2017

 

£53,348.83

           
 

Current Status of Funds

 

Spend to date

 

DEC 16

 

Parish Council Funds

 

£11,351.12

 

£24,020.26

 

Solar Farm Community Funds(Entries=0, Posted=0)

£0.00

 

£19,993.00

 

Playing Field Man. Comm. Funds(Entries=11, Posted=11)

£10,102.51

 

£9,335.57

   

TOTAL

   

£53,348.83

 

APPENDIX E – AGREED BUDGET 2017/2018

 

Agreed
Budget
FY2016/17

Forecast
31/03/17

Agreed
Budget
FY2017/18

Payments:

     

Clerk's Salary

£3,790

£4,106

£3,800

Clerk's Expenses

£550

£707

£800

Editor's Honorarium

£360

£300

£300

Income Tax Paid to be returned

£0

£1,692

£1,692

Web Site

£250

£341

£400

Insurance

£3,350

£3,403

£3,500

Hall Hire

£300

£0

£300

Internal Audit

£95

£95

£100

External Audit

£240

£240

£250

Caretaking

£1,000

£423

£450

Donations

£750

£132

£250

Poppy Wreath

£25

£25

£25

Subscriptions

£75

£100

£100

SV News Printing Costs

£1,745

£2,197

£2,300

Playing Field Maintenance

£5,000

£2,974

£3,100

Sodexho (grass cutting)

£0

£0

£0

Maintenance of Blind House Site

£475

£0

£475

Other Playing Field work

£0

£4,683

£0

Playing Field Equip & Path

£0

£0

£0

Play Equipment (s106)

£0

£3,471

£0

Stationary

£0

£19

£100

Use of room as office

£150

£0

£0

PCLG Project Officer

£0

£0

£100

Repairs to Old School

£0

£0

£0

Other (Village Hall Maintenance)

£0

£15

£0

Improvements to Baptistry

£0

£0

£0

School House (Thermoglaze)

£0

£0

£0

VAT refund to Scouts

£0

£0

£0

Notice Boards

£0

£15

£0

Elections

£0

£0

£2,000

Village Gateway Scheme

£1,000

£800

£0

Village Plants

£0

£28

£100

Ex-WC Functions

£2,500

£0

£0

Payments from Solar Farm Fund

£19,993

£13,200

£7,793

Totals

£41,648

£38,966

£27,935

Receipts:

     

Precept

£19,000

£19,000

£19,000

Insurance from Scouts

£0

£0

£0

VAT Refund

£0

£4,083

£4,500

SV News Advertisers

£500

£749

£750

Bank Interest

£6

£25

£25

Rent from Scouts

£1

£1

£1

Playing Field

£0

£0

£0

Clerk's Wage Rebate

£0

£0

£0

Income Tax returned

£0

£1,692

£1,692

Yearly Solar Farm Fund

£0

£0

£1,000

Totals

£19,507

£25,550

£26,968

       

Balance Carried Forward at 31 March 2016

£52,412

 

Forecast Net Balance Carried Forward at 31 March 2017

£38,996

 

Forecast Net Balance Carried Forward at 31 March 2018

£38,029

 

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