June 2008 Parish Council Minutes

Minutes of Great Oakley Parish Council Meeting

Held at the Village Hall 7:30pm Tuesday 17th June 2008

Present: Mr S Huk – Chairman, Mr T Spurge – Vice-Chairman, Mr N Daniels, Mr B Harrington, Mr J Tierney, Cllr T Ferguson, Police Representative, Press

Under Standing Order 16, Chairman requested the addition of “Bus Shelter” to the Agenda as the information arrived too late for inclusion but needs to be discussed so the grant application can be sent as a matter of urgency, seconded Mr Daniels, carried unanimously – item 6a.

Chairman opened meeting with prayer at 7:31pm.

Apologies: Mrs J Mason, Mrs J Hylton, Mr B Eaton.

Declaration of Interest: None

Public Participation: There was one parishioner present. Mrs P Ling reminded us about the dog show on the 20th July and asked if the details could be posted on the website. Mr Daniels will update the website.

Mrs J Rawlings was unable to stay for the meeting but called in to express her happiness with the restoration of the war memorial.

Minutes of meeting held on Tuesday 20th May 2008 were confirmed as a true record with one spelling amendment. Proposed Mr Spurge, seconded Mr Tierney, carried unanimously.

Police Report: There were 15 reported incidents in the Parish during May which included an intruder alarm, an assault, 2 broken down vehicles, 1 criminal damage, 1 nuisance, 1 theft of a cycle, 1 theft of a vehicle.

Mr Harrington brought to Council’s attention a teenage girl who has been seen riding a trial bike through the village with no helmet on in the early evening. She has been seen riding around Back Lane and Pesthouse Lane. People are advised to phone the police.

The police brought to Council’s attention the open day they will be holding on 26th July at 10am – 4pm. A road closure will be in place and it is hoped a helicopter will land. People will be able to take a tour of Historic Harwich Police Station if they wish.

Progress Report

Dog Bin
Contractors have previously been contacted for a quotation to erect the new dog bin which was recently purchased. After receiving no responses, Mr Hiles has offered to do the work for £80 if there are no problems. Proposed for him to go ahead by Mr Daniels, seconded Mr Spurge, carried unanimously.

Princes Trust
The Princes Trust, who we have previously contacted regarding their possible participation in the restoration of the triangle at Stones Green have now replied requesting a site visit. Clerk to contact Mrs Mason.

Village Seat
Having decided to proceed, the Clerk circulated a catalogue of available options. After discussion, it was decided to order the “Stanford” with Enviroplus slats at an approximate cost of £ 837 (plus base and installation) once the funds are in place.

A meeting will be arranged with Highways to discuss the location; all Councillors to be informed. Proposed Mr Daniels, seconded Mr Harrington, carried unanimously.

Sparrows Corner Sign
The sign for Sparrows Corner has been ordered and we are still waiting for confirmation this is complete. Clerk to chase.

Recycling
After a request for a recycling facility at the Village Hall, Clerk met with Bill Smith from Tendring District Council to discuss a possible location. He feels the area on the grass verge in the car park near the entrance would be most suitable as it has access and is not overlooked by neighbouring properties. Two of the three neighbouring householders, Mr Brooker and Mrs Chlivers, have confirmed they have no objection to the proposed location. Clerk to write to Millview to see if they have any objections to the proposal. If there are none, the work could commence in 6-8 weeks.

Village Hall Boundary Fencing
The residents of Mandalay have been sent a second letter requesting their fencing be repaired. This has now been completed and Clerk will send a letter of thanks.

Tendring District Council
Tendring District Council have been made aware of our new Councillors.

Sign in Queen Street
The sign in Queen Street was reported to Tendring District Council. Mr Daniels had repaired the sign.

Wooden Great Oakley Village Sign
The wooden village sign is leaning over and is in need of repair so Clerk contacted 3 carpenters. One can’t quote as he doesn’t have a workshop, one hasn’t been in touch and the other one said he will quote for the new notice boards and will have a look at the Great Oakley sign and be in touch. No response to date so Clerk will chase.

Stile at Pesthouse Lane
The stile has been reported as being in need of repair and the area around is overgrown. Clerk has contacted Essex County Council and will monitor the situation.

High Barn Farm
It was reported that a large pot hole and overgrown hedging were in the vicinity of High Barn Farm. Clerk contacted Essex County Council to report. This area will be checked before the next meeting.

Crime Prevention Panel
With the basketball hoop being completed a letter has been sent expressing our appreciation.

Potential Grass Cutting Contractor
A couple from Wix who have expressed an interest in quoting for the grass cutting in the village when next tendered were asked to provide details of their level of insurance cover and the type of machinery they have. As yet there has been no response.

The Villager
The Villager magazine publishes local news and information from Parish Councils and other organisations. There is no charge for village/parish news. They like to promote forthcoming events and will give as much space as possible if we would like to publicise. The next deadline is 5th July for the mid July issue. Mr Tierney offered to write articles for inclusion in the magazine on Council’s behalf.

Dog Show
Having been approached by the Primary School PTA regarding the possibility of running a licensed bar at this year’s Dog Show, the Chairman wrote on Council’s behalf agreeing but requesting a donation to the Village Hall funds from the proceeds as the bar would be run on a commercial basis.

Bus Shelters
Cllr Ferguson had contacted Cllr Lines asking about bus shelter grants. Cllr Lines said we should approach Essex County Council, which Clerk has done. We have received an application form and the names of two Essex County Council approved suppliers. One company supplies wooden shelters; the other glass and steel ones. The maximum grant available is for £6,000. The bus shelter price guide was circulated and the C90; 3 Section; C/C 1400; fully glazed; not lit, in black with a seat was chosen at a cost of £4,958 (excluding base and installation). As there is no suitable location in the centre of the village, it is proposed to locate the shelter at the new bus stop at Partridge Close as we own the land there. Clerk to seek clarification on some of the items in the catalogue and then submit the application form for funding. Total application cost to include a sum for the concrete base and installation. Proposed Mr Spurge, seconded Mr Harrington, carried unanimously.

Highways
Cllr Ferguson had offered to contact Essex County Council on our behalf regarding the quality of the recent resurfacing at The Soils and asking why this was given priority over Wix Road or the B1414 Harwich Road when Essex County Council had previously commented there were no funds available for these areas. Cllr Ferguson said she had spoken to Steve Mason who is under the impression they have done a wonderful job on the resurfacing. Cllr Ferguson has requested a site meeting to discuss further, but has had no response to date.

Mr Tierney brought to Council’s attention the condition of the road in Red Barn Lane, Stones Green Road and the end of The Avenue which all need attention. Mr Daniels will report to Essex County Council and attach photos.

A parishioner has complained to a Councillor about the road sweeping, saying that Back Lane and Queen Street have not been swept since February. Sweeping schedules are on the village notice boards and any complaints should be addressed to Tendring District Council.

We have received a letter from Essex County Council to inform us that the waiting restrictions in Farm Road will be carried out. They had received objections to the proposal and these have been given careful consideration, however the implementation of the restriction will go ahead. Arrangements will be made to bring the order into operation as soon as possible.

Fingerposts: Mr Daniels has sent another letter to Mr Terry Knights at Essex County Council to obtain written confirmation that we may proceed with the replacement of the Fingerposts, as had previously been verbally agreed. There has been no response to date.

New Village Hall: Mr Daniels reported that he has been told there will be a ten week wait for any planning advice from Tendring District Council. Mr Daniels will wait for two more weeks and will then contact them again. Cllr Lines is aware of all correspondence in this matter.

War Memorial Dedication: The installation of the new plaques was duly completed on 6th June. We now need to consider what we want to do for a re-dedication ceremony. Chairman has spoken to Mr Tony Askew who represents the British Legion. A suggestion has been made to have a meeting with representatives from the Parish Council, the British Legion and the Vicar to discuss the arrangements, possibly on a Saturday morning. The Vicar is away until the end of June so nothing can be done until then. It was suggested we try to include the school and possibly any serving personnel from the village. Everyone is to be kept up to date and any suggestions are welcome.

Feedback regarding the work on the War Memorial restoration has been mainly positive.

Village Design Statement: Our Chairman and a number of other local Council Chairmen had a meeting with Cllr Lines on 30th May to discuss any issues we may have. One area of discussion was the scant regard that Tendring District Councils Local Plan seemed to have given to our views as expressed in the Village Plan we produced a couple of years ago. It was announced that the Local Plan would be reviewed in 2011 and that we should submit a Village Design Statement to have our views included.

After discussion, the general feeling was that we should update the current Village Plan over the next six months, renaming it a Village Design Statement and revising the format as appropriate. We will need to resubmit the document with a forceful approach to limited development/growth in the parish in the future.

Clerk’s Office Equipment: With the ever growing amount of paperwork, the Clerk is running out of space. Furthermore, she is currently using a personal printer for Council paperwork. Clerk needs more storage so has had to buy a desk with shelving and archive boxes for the old paperwork, currently in the filing cabinet. This will mean a more efficient and workable office space. The expenditure was as follows:

Desk £79.99
50 Suspension Files £11.99
Archive Storage Boxes £37.00
TOTAL £128.95

After discussion it was decided this was a reasonable cost for a home office and Council will reimburse these costs. Proposed Mr Harrington, seconded Mr Daniels, carried unanimously.

Clerk has had a brief look at a number of printers. Dell has a home office printer for approximately £185.00 + VAT + delivery. After discussion, this seemed a reasonable printer. Clerk to check the cost of ink cartridges before making any final decision. If the cost of consumables are reasonable, the printer is to be purchased. Proposed Mr Harrington, seconded Mr Tierney, carried unanimously.

Planning
There was a planning meeting on 27th May to discuss the following application:

Application No: 08/00479/FUL
Proposal: Erection of first floor rear extension
Location: Forge Cottage High Street Great Oakley Harwich

As no one other than the Chairman attended, clearly there was no great strength of feeling in the village and therefore the outcome was No Objection.

Planning Outcomes
Application No: 08/00465/DETAIL
Proposal: Erection of four dwellings
Location: Deeks Yard Farm Road
Outcome: Reserved Matters – Approved

Chairman read out conditions imposed on the approval by Tendring District Council mostly relating to Highway and access issues. A final decision of materials has been reserved.

Recent changes in Planning Policy have resulting in Tendring District Council applying Policy COM6 – “Provision of Recreational Open Space for New Residential Development” to all new housing developments. As a consequence of this policy, there is a charge levied for amenities, amounting to several thousand pounds from developments such as this. After discussion it was felt that the village should benefit from this money, as was the intention when the policy was developed. The money goes directly to Tendring District Council, but hopefully it will ultimately be a source of funding for projects in the Parish.

Public Rights of Way: It has been reported that a Footpath sign has been removed at the end of the footpath in Back Lane adjacent to The Ancorage and Meadow Cottage, apparently by the landowner on the basis that they own the footpath. Chairman responded by saying that even if you do own land over which a footpath passes, this does not stop people being allowed to use the footpath. This particular path has been the subject of discussion in the past. Clerk is to check the minutes from 2000 onwards for any information. The missing sign is also to be reported to Essex County Council.

Feedback of sub committees

Village Hall
The Village Hall AGM was held on 8th April in front of a disappointing turnout from the general public – 2 people, one of which, Tom Mallenson joined the Committee. The Post Office has notified us that they have reduced their opening hours from 09:15 to 14:45 on a Monday and a Thursday.

A contractor has been found to box in the electricity meters and it is hoped this will take place shortly. Four new tables have been purchased. As previously identified, the hall floors are in need of attention. We still need to get some white lines painted on the car park so we need to contact Mr Wilby again.

The AGM was followed by the regular committee meeting where Mrs Chilvers was re-elected as Chair of the Committee; Mrs Tierney is the Secretary; Mr Lawrence the Treasurer. The Treasurer confirmed that the committee has £825 in the bank.

The manner in which the Caretaker is employed was discussed. Despite being directed and paid by the Village Hall Committee for a number of years, it appears that the Caretaker was traditionally employed by the Parish Council. Consequently, we need to go back through the Parish Council records to understand how the apparent separation has happened and ultimately re-formalise the job role, terms and conditions.

There will be a special closed committee meeting on Friday 25th July, specifically to review the operating policies and procedures of the Hall Committee. The next regular committee meeting will be held on Friday 5th September.

The recent scheduling of Village Hall Committee meetings on Friday evening is not convenient for a number of the Parish Council members of that committee and therefore it is to be requested that the day is changed so they are able to attend.

Crime Prevention Panel
The Crime Prevention Panel met on 12th June. Leaflets on Criminal Damage targeted at children to explain the potential consequences of this sort of activity, have been produced and are ready for circulation. A bundle is to be provided for All Saints School, Great Oakley.

It was reported that All Saints School, Great Oakley are taking part in the gardening competition.

The Police Community Phone – 07711 147176 is available for contact in the event of low level nuisance activities – the sort of behaviour that will always be given a low priority by a 999 call. If this number is called, there is a good chance of a rapid response by one of the PCSO’s in the area.

The police are also trying to arrange a five a side football tournament for children aged 13-16 years, during the summer holidays – for details about how and where to enter teams, contact PCSO’s Ray or Bradley.

The next crime prevention panel meeting is on 10th July.

Accounts for Payment

Essex Air Ambulance	Donation	700754	£20.00
The Green Gardener	Old Burial Ground	700755	£70.00
A & J Lighting Solutions	Street Light Maintenance	D/D	£37.94
E-On	Village Hall Lighting	D/D	£25.00
Jobsihate	Grass Cutting	700756	£349.83
E-On	Street Lighting	D/D	£80.91
Playground Facilities	Basketball Hoop	700753	£3126.86
Tendring District Council	Sparrows Corner Lease	700757	£100.00
Miss J Bootyman	Clerks Wages & Expenses	700750	£285.25
TOTAL: £4002.02

After being circulated, accounts proposed as correct by Mr Daniels, seconded Mr Harrington, carried unanimously.

Our membership for the Rural Community Council of Essex is due, at the same cost as last year, for £55. After discussion, it was decided to renew. Proposed Mr Spurge, seconded Mr Daniels, carried unanimously.

Our street light maintenance contract is up for renewal and they have sent details of a 3 year and a 5 year contract. The 3 year contract will be fixed for 1 year at a cost of £42.90 per month + VAT. The 5 year contract will be fixed for 1 year at a cost of £36.20 + VAT. They will charge a fixed fee of £52.00 + VAT for a call out which covers the first 15 minutes on site. £12.00 + VAT per 15 minutes thereafter.

After discussion, Clerk to contact the company to ask if we have the option to get out of the contract if we are not happy with the cost after the first year, or alternatively will they fix the cost for 5 years. If they are willing to do this we will be bound to their contract. There is some concern that the overall cost of this contract could rise over the next 5 years. Clerk was requested to review how much we paid last year and estimate how much it would have cost under the new contract. Clerk was also asked to contact Little Oakley to see which contractor they use and if they pay a similar amount to us.

Correspondence: We have received a letter from the churchwarden advising us of the felling of dead and dying trees in the churchyard.

Tendring District Council – Local Plan 2007
EALC – County Update No55
Advanced Councillor Training Day 1
The Essex Design Initiative

There being no other business, Chairman closed meeting at 21:36.

None