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The Parish Council meeting in the BYPA Hall on Monday 16th March began with the Chairman Mr Tony Prior making a welcome speech to the new councillor Mr Tony Routledge. He was pleased also, said Mr Prior, that Mr Michael Edmonds from Aldbourne had declared an interest in joining the Parish Council, and would be co-opted at the next meeting. Therefore, he added, there was a need now for just one more councillor to bring the council up to full strength.
The chairman also apologised on behalf of the council for the late posting of the minutes, which had missed the target date. It was important, he added, for residents to know when information could be accessed.
Apologies were received from Cllr Ian Timms.
The minutes of the last meeting were amended and approved but couldn’t be signed because the clerk had forgotten to bring them.
In public time the street light at the
top of
The Planning Policy was discussed but as the councillors had not had time to fully read the documents it was deferred to the next meeting.
The planning application for an extension to the swimming pool building at Heddons Cottage was returned with no objections.
Cllr Alison Tomkins asked the clerk why plans dated 17th February 2009 had only been circulated at the very last minute. Ms Tomkins said they had arrived to her on the Friday before the meeting. She added that she was not happy that the councillors had to rush around checking on the plans at the last minute when the clerk had been sitting on them for a month. Cllr Tony Routledge agreed and suggested that all planning be circulated within 24 hours of receipt. It was finally agreed that within a week was adequate and Mr Routledge asked that the Admin Procedure reflect this agreement.
Mr Prior asked if the clerk had checked that the s106 monies from Kennet District Council had been sent to the Parish Council’s bank account, as it was important that they were received before the end of the financial year.
The clerk said that she had not and that she wasn’t sure if the council had telephone banking, but the statement would be out within a week or so. The clerk however was instructed to try and phone.
Cllr Tamsin Witt said that she had received complaints from Fiveways residents about children playing football, riding bicycles and leaving litter on the Village green. Apart from the nuisance factor such activities could be dangerous so close to the main road.
Cllr Witt also said that both she and Cllr Ian Timms were unhappy that the clerk had made a decision not to co-opt Mr Edmonds at this meeting. It was, she felt, the councillors’ place to make such decisions. The clerk replied that the council had agreed in their policy to co-opt at the end of a meeting, but that this was not a proper meeting and therefore did not count.
Cllr Witt said that there was nothing in the policy to indicate this, to which the clerk replied that as she, the clerk, had written the policy she knew what it meant.
The clerk added that she had only just received Mr Edmonds letter and had to check if an Aldbourne resident could apply. Cllr Tomkins pointed out that the letter was dated 3rd March. The rest of the councillors agreed that Cllr Witt had a valid point and that none of them interpreted a meeting as anything other than just that.
There was much discussion about emails from the clerk containing draft agendas and attachments, as yet again the chairman felt he had not received all the updated information before the meeting. It was agreed that the clerk send the final approved agenda complete with the clerk’s report and correspondence information each time to ensure the councillors were able to print off all the documents together.
Chairman Tony Prior suggested he write to all the Village groups concerning the forthcoming Parish Assembly, but the clerk insisted that she would find time to do so. The chairman requested that the letters be out by 24th March.
Cllr Witt reported the broken Russley Green sign, and asked also when the “Welcome to Wiltshire” sign is to be replaced.
Cllr Routledge asked when a response would be made to a letter from the Allotment Society. The clerk replied that it would be an agenda item at the next meeting.
Cllr Witt suggested that in order to get all Allotment issues moving it was important to consider having an extra meeting in April. It was agreed to put the suggestion on to the next agenda.
The meeting closed at 9pm.
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