Baydon Village News

By Barbara Furber

The Baydon Parish Council Meeting of Monday 27th July 2009

At the Parish Council meeting on Monday 27^th July the Chairman Mr Tony Prior announced that the Clerk, Mrs Elizabeth Carmichael was absent due to illness. She had also, he added, tendered her resignation just before the meeting and would cease her employment on 24^th August 2009.

It was agreed that the chairman would minute the meeting.

Councillor Michael Edmonds passed on village resident’s congratulations at the impressive speed of the action taken by the Council in dealing with a very deep hole in the road that appeared in Finches Lane. Mr Edmonds asked that the matter be minuted.

Planning:-   The councillors studied the St. Nicholas School planned extension and alterations and agreed overwhelmingly to support the application.

Wiltshire County Councillor Chris Humphries said that as the school was in a conservation area, the planners had voiced concerns that the old Victorian building would be obscured. Cllr Edmonds said that the interests of the children should take precedence over the concern of conservationists, as the old building was already obscured by a very ugly extension. Cllr Prior added that he had sympathy with the conservationists but felt that it had a lower priority. The new building, he said, would have a direct impact on staff and on the well-being, safety and education of the pupils. Also the hedge that surrounds the school means that the buildings cannot be easily seen anyway.

The Parish Council agreed to fully support the Governing Body of St. Nicholas School in their plans.

Cllr Tamsin Witt presented the proposed changes to the Terms of Reference of the Traffic Calming Working Group (TCWG).

It was not necessary for the Clerk, she said, to attend all the group’s meetings especially as it uses up her valuable time. Any contact should be made through the Clerk, but members of the group carry out the actions. Correspondence and authority should still come from the Parish Council but the group gather the information. The proposal was approved.

Approval was sought for the next step of the TCWG consisting of five letters concerning Road Review, Traffic Speed, Police/Community Speed Check, a Foliage licence for the White Gates and a Local Transport Plan Scheme asking the Assessment Officer about match funding. All were information-gathering letters, explained Cllr Witt.

The Clerk had also been requested to email the Parish Steward a map of all 30mph signs to ensure that any foliage is kept clear. Draft letters were then approved.

Cllr Witt then reminded the Parish Council that the Police Surgery would be held on Monday 7^th September 2009 at 7pm and urged residents to voice their concerns about speeding in particular.

County Cllr Humphries said that Community Speed Watch Checkers were being trailed and maybe used more widely if proved to be successful. However Community Checkers could not enforce fines.

Cllr Witt said that she had received a quote for £525 +VAT for six gates at the entrances to the village. Highways would install them for free. The chairman said that 3 written quotes would be needed.

It was noted that the BYPA fitted the criteria needed for funding from the Wessex Down Grants. It was agreed that the Parish Council would support an application if the BYPA Chair, Ms Venice Marriott, required it.

The Clerk’s timesheet was requested in March, and it was noted that it still had not been completed.

It was also noted that the Village Plan had been held aloft at the Marlborough Area Board meeting and received an external accolade. County Cllr Humphries added that the Planning Department also thought it was an excellent document.

The Councillors agreed to support the document fully and added the timeframes from it into their own calendar.

Finances:-   The Councillors then considered the Internal Auditors report. The report was disappointing, said Mr Prior, as it had not been as rigorous as it should have been.

Several points were raised where it was felt that the report was contradictory. Cllr Prior said he was not pleased, as the report was very superficial. County Cllr Humphries said that the District Auditor should also have seen the accounts. He agreed to help the Parish Council with formal involvement with the District Auditor.

It was agreed not to approve Section 1 of the Annual Return as the document still had fundamental errors. Section 2 is to be considered at the next meeting. The Bank Reconciliation Report and Statement for 2008/2009 were approved.

The Asset Register was agreed at £1,803 and the Quarterly Monitoring Budget report was also approved.

Cllr Edmonds agreed to be the additional signatory on the Parish Council’s cheques.

£250.61 for the Clerk’s salary until 31st July was approved, as was the payments of £205.85 for maintenance of the Church clock and £115 for the auditor’s fee.

Cllr Prior asked the meeting to note a complaint from a resident of Fiveways concerning children skate-boarding in the Close. It was agreed that residents should politely request the children to stop. Cllr Witt added that no damage was being done, but thought that litter was more of a problem.

In a letter the Clerk confirmed that £852 had been received as a result of VAT returns and that the £5,000 s106 monies earmarked for the playground area had been received.

The meeting closed at 10pm, and the next meeting is on Monday 7th September.

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