Gaydon Parish Council

p Minutes

Monday 4^th February 2019 at 19:30

Present	Apologies
J Davies - Chairman J Chitty E Leadbetter M Lewis M Bourne Cllr C Williams Cllr C Kettle 17 members of the public	A Claxton
In Attendance	Absence
Joanna Wain – Parish Clerk

The meeting was quorate throughout

The meeting opened at: 19:36

Item:		Action:
1	Welcome and Apologies: JD welcomed everyone to the meeting and apologies were received and accepted from A Claxton.
2	Declarations of Interest: ML and EL – due to their involvement with Kids of Gaydon (KoG) had prior to the meeting requested dispensation to vote on items regarding the play area. JD declared that the clerk – JW is his daughter so therefore would not participate in the next agenda item.
3	To consider appointing Joanna Wain for position of Clerk JD handed over the meeting to JC for this agenda item, JC confirmed he was happy with the appointment of JW as clerk and councillors agreed.
4	Questions from the Public: A resident questioned the bus shelter mentioned in section 106 and asked where the bus shelter was going to be? Councillors were unsure but believe it would be on the Banbury road. A resident questioned how many buses would be using the bus shelter? Councillors believed the 77a bus may use that route but the bus routes may have changed. Councillors also noted that school buses would use that route and the bus shelter provided. Councillors briefly discussed where they believed the bus shelter would be placed and the use it would get. Cllr Williams confirmed that the Spitfire housing development were obliged to provide the bus shelter and the earliest this would happen would be September. Cllr Williams confirmed it is a County Council matter and not Parish Council and he will report the residents’ concerns back. JD confirmed that this was outside the Parish council remit so it should be raised to County Council and apologised that parish cannot do anything about it. A resident informed Councillors that they had raised an issue with the lighting in Victor Close previously and the District Council still had not rectified the issue. The resident also confirmed that AC had been to a meeting which had been satisfactory but since then the District Council are saying there is no issue; Cllr Kettle confirmed he would take the concerns back to the officers concerned. A resident questioned when the play area would be reopened? JD confirmed that this is not known at the moment and they would be discussing the play area later in the meeting. A resident raised their concerns regarding a neighbourhood plan and the time it would take to do this. A resident raised their concerns regarding the Haywood Development, stating that Gaydon had met their Housing Quota until 2031 and feels a housing needs survey would be needed as they believe more housing would be for investment purposes rather than Gaydon need. A resident asked who was paying for the fence replacement. JD confirmed it would be the Parish Council. A resident stated their surprise at the AOB at the end of the last meeting as this is not allowed. JD confirmed that this was not AOB and as stated in the minutes was a continuation of an earlier item as Councillors noted a decision needed to be made. A resident asked JC as the Parish council representative for Community liaison whether he intended to find out about the structure of Kids Of Gaydon (KoG). JC confirmed that he would and it was confirmed that KOG had previously presented to GPC on the nature of their group. A resident expressed their concerns that a Neighbourhood plan takes a lot of time and thought and feels this could be ambitious. A resident wanted to echo the previous comments regarding the Haywood development. JD acknowledged their concerns and stated would take them into account, he also confirmed that Haywood homes would be holding an open meeting for residents to attend and express their concerns. County Council Matters item was taken at this point in the meeting to allow Cllr Williams to leave the meeting. Cllr Williams reported back and read his report aloud; the report is included at the end of the minutes. Councillors thanked Cllr Williams and wished him the best with his recovery.
5	Acceptance of the minutes of the previous meeting (December): The minutes were approved and signed.
6	Matters arising from the minutes of the previous meetings Review of Play Area: costing/finance source/actions: Councillors discussed the play area and discussed that the repair of the existing equipment will cost around £2100 which would cover the mats and additional groundwork. JD confirmed that if they were to replace the equipment they can use funds from S106 to cover the costs. EL asked the clerk for confirmation regarding dispensation to vote on items regarding the play area due to involvement in KOG. Clerk advised that they can vote as they have no financial interest in the project. Councillors discussed that 3 quotes would need to be obtained; JD confirmed he would be meeting with Creative Play to discuss a quote. Advised to leave making a decision until the March meeting when quotes had been obtained. Action – Clerk to add Play Area to agenda Councillors discussed the need to ensure value for money while also making sure the best decision is made for Gaydon and the residents. Councillors discussed whether S106 could be used to repair the surfacing, JD confirmed he did not think so but would seek clarification for the March meeting. Councillors discussed that it may be beneficial for the companies providing quotes to also provide a brief to show what they want to achieve. A resident questioned when the S106 money expires JD confirmed it would no longer be available from 2023. Councillors discussed that quotes for equipment renewal were previously obtained and whether the new council would be taking these into account. Some councillors believed it would be better to wait until after the May election. Councillors discussed the previous comments made by residents and acknowledged these should be taken into account when making the final decision. JD confirmed that the quotes that were previously attained would not be used as things had changed since then. There was also too much friction and a need for a fresh look at everything. JD confirmed that they would look into the finances available and what needs to be done over the whole village. It was also agreed that decisions to spend parish funds should be evidence-based and there is a need to gather fresh evidence about what the people of the parish want. Replacement of removed fence section Councillors confirmed this had been completed. Parish/Neighbourhood plan inc email from resident JD read an email from a resident giving their concerns regarding the neighbourhood and parish plan. JD expressed his view that both plans are good ideas and that in his opinion it would be of greater benefit to do the neighbourhood plan. GPC can seek to obtain funding for this whereas this may not be possible for a parish plan. JD also noted that they could use the neighbourhood plan as a way of getting the information they wanted. EL commented that she wanted to speak with the LA representative with regard to Parish / Neighbourhood plans and believed Neighbourhood plans are all about planning issues where the Parish Plan would include other valuable information. Cllr Kettle explained the differences between the Neighbourhood and Parish plans highlighting that a neighbourhood plan holds more weight especially regarding protection and planning and would be as important to Gaydon as the core strategy is to SDC, whereas a parish plan holds no weight outside of the community. Cllr Kettle noted that neighbourhood plans are hard work to put together and they would need to have dedicated team of people putting their time and effort in; Cllr Kettle informed Councillors that it does not have to be solely the work of Councillors but that residents could also get involved. ML explained to Cllr Kettle the rationale behind enquiring about a Parish Plan; MB explained that because of the events of the previous 12 months it is important for the councillors to understand more about the village and their demographic so they can make informed decisions. Cllr Kettle acknowledged this and confirmed that collecting data in this way would be a useful and key starting point for a neighbourhood plan and agreed with JD that the information they need could be gained by doing the Neighbourhood plan. Grants for neighbourhood planning can support parish councils with the cost of consultants. Councillors questioned whether the grant is obtained at the start of the plan or once it had been completed. A member of the public who had been involved in a neighbourhood plan before confirmed that you apply for funding at various stages throughout the process and have to use this money by a specific date. Councillors agreed it would be a good option to carry out the initial survey for the Neighbourhood plan and then borrow the results of this survey to also develop a “Parish Strategy” rather than a separate parish plan. The grant application process should be investigated.	Clerk to add play area to agenda JD to find out if S106 funds can be used for repairs EL to find out about neighbourhood plan grants
7	County Council Matters Report received from Councillor Williams and taken before the minutes Traffic calming scheme update – this item was taken later in the meeting due to the movement of Councillor Williams report.
8	District Council Matters: To receive report Cllr Kettle informed Councillors that SDC were in the process of putting together their budget and are currently proposing a 1.5% increase in Council Tax which is within the legislative limit. Cllr Kettle informed Councillors of the factors being taken into account when making this decision. Cllr Kettle gave a brief update of the district councils budget, finances and reserves. Cllr Kettle noted that this is a significant council tax increase this year but it is required to ensure the same level of services are provided throughout the district. Cllr Kettle believes this is an achievable budget proposal. Cllr Kettle informed councillors regarding a planning appeal within the village relating to the proposed development of 3 houses behind Manor Farm. Cllr Kettle confirmed that the inspector had rejected this application and gave a brief overview of the grounds for refusal. The Parish Council should be aware that the land owner had indicated they would be taking the decision to judicial review, Cllr Kettle explained the process of this and noted the District Council officers and the inspector are acting on behalf of the community. Cllr Kettle gave a brief overview of the 2 appeals regarding the proposed significant development of the Gaydon garage; there is currently a 5^th application outstanding that is being considered. Cllr Kettle reported that there were no repeat illegal traveller camps over the Christmas Period in Gaydon as previously threatened; he confirmed that the LA will continue to do their best to support Gaydon. Cllr Kettle informed councillors that it is a legal requirement for the LA to provide places with the correct facilities for travellers to stop on a temporary basis. A resident questioned when will a gate be in place on the old Warwick Road Councillors confirmed that the gate is due to be installed shortly and hopefully within the next 2 weeks as it is currently in manufacturing. Councillors and residents had a brief discussion about traveling communities and the need for the LA to provide adequate provisions. Cllr Kettle reported back from his meeting with Orbit regarding the sale of 2 bungalows in Bishops Itchington through their disposal programme. Cllr Kettle explained his concerns to Councillors about the sale of these properties and others like them and emphasised that there is a lack of accessible accommodation within the smaller villages. Cllr Kettle informed councillors and residents that he will be having more meetings with Orbit but if anyone hears of any Orbit properties for sale please let him know. Cllr Kettle noted that a number of Orbit tenants are having serious issues and gave councillors some examples of these. Cllr Kettle asked that if anyone knows of any residents having problems with Orbit to let him know. Cllr Kettle gave an overview of the Health Services at Banbury regarding the maternity unit at the Horton General Hospital, and that there are major concerns as the lives of mothers and babies are being put at risk by the lack of maternity services at Banbury. Cllr Kettle believed some councillors with an interest in the health care review are being left out of the process and will be seeking legal advice regarding this. Cllr Kettle questioned the land belonging to Orbit. JD provided an update from Orbit and showed councillors Maps detailing the ownership of the grassed areas. JD informed councillors that Orbit are producing a second draft agreement to lease the land in St Giles / Play area to Gaydon parish council for 2 to 3 years with the option to extend. JD confirmed that Orbit only own half the grass area by the play area and the County Council own the other half. Councillors questioned whether Orbit are intending to sell the garages adjacent to this area? JD confirmed that the lease on the garages are coming to an end and they do still belong to Orbit but he does not know what Orbit plan to do with these. Councillors questioned why a 2 to 3 year lease and not ownership? JD confirmed that Orbit do not want to transfer the land until they know more about the GLH development. Cllr Kettle gave a brief update on the HS2 project and how there would be considerable road closures because of this; he also confirmed that no other road works would be approved once HS2 is underway. Councillors questioned whether roadworks would include traffic calming Cllr Kettle is unsure but is hopeful they could go ahead
9	Community Governance Review: JD confirmed that the parish boundary had now moved and GLH is no longer within the Gaydon Parish. Councillors discussed the development may now change its name.
10	May elections: JD informed everyone that the May elections were coming up and advised if anyone wanted to stand they would need to submit their nominations soon.
11	To receive planning applications: Amendment Application 18/03307/REM Land West Of B4100 200 Bellway homes – consulting as a neighbouring parish. No impact to Gaydon so councillors do not have any objections
12	Councillors Reports Cemetery JD confirmed that there is a need to move some earth in the cemetery which needs to be done before the 22^nd February as there is a burial on this date. Street lighting/litter/street furniture; JD confirmed a quote and maintenance proposal had been received and that the councillors needed to look at the costs around this. Action – Bring the proposal back to the March meeting detailing the savings A resident informed the councillors that they believed the savings on running LED lights would not offset the cost of changing. Councillors all agreed to remove PB1 so this can be actioned and JD confirmed they would not be replacing this. Drains Nothing to report Footpaths/Footways Nothing to report from Councillors A resident informed the Councillors that the stiles are in a bad state of repair and are decaying; they asked councillors if this could be looked into. MB asked resident which stiles were in need of repair and stated he will look into this and question with the County Council. Neighbourhood Watch Nothing to report at the meeting as there was a report in parish magazine	JD to bring proposal to March meeting
13	Financial Report/Administration: To approve the Budget and the Precept so it can be set JD confirmed that copies of the budget had been sent to councillors prior to the meeting and asked for questions relating to the budget. Councillors questioned the increase in the grass cutting. JD and JC confirmed that this was to cover the increase grass cutting St Giles and the field; Councillors discussed the grass cutting costs at length and decided the figure was too high and agreed to lower this figure to £1000. A resident asked if they would be keeping the same contractor for the grass cutting. JD confirmed that would be keeping the same contactor and there was no requirement to go to tender. JD and JC confirmed that the figure for electric is reserved for contingency. EL expressed her concern that they are planning for a deficit and this does not leave any room for contingency. Councillors questioned whether it was acceptable for a Parish Council to plan for a deficit. Cllr Kettle confirmed it is not and that it would be unlikely to get approval for this. Councillors discussed the reserves and ensuring that the budget is balanced, councillors noted that to plan for a deficit would make it difficult for those in post in May. Cllr Kettle noted that the number of houses is Gaydon has increased so the precept may go up because of this. Councillors noted that the budget was around £3000 in deficit and discussed the options and what could be done to maintain the budget. From the budget presented councillors discussed the possibility to lower legal fees to £200 (removing £600), Training to £500 (removing £300), Grass cutting reduce to £1000 (removing £700) and field to £1000 (removing £500) and increase the precept to cover the remaining deficit. Councillors agreed this was the best course of action. JD confirmed the budget will be published on the website and Councillors confirmed the precept will increase and the budget will show why. Amended Budget, proposed by JC seconded by MB, all in agreement. Bank balances £13,169.73 as of 29/1/19 £10,627.59 as of 27/1/19 Website administration ML confirmed that they now have an administrator running and updating the website. ML confirmed that the GPC already pay for the domain name and hosting and the work was done for free so there is no additional cost. A resident queried the amount of webpages the council had Councillors confirmed that they have one official parish council website and that any Facebook pages are completely separate from this. .
	7 a. Traffic calming JD confirmed the estimate for traffic calming costs was £17,000 Councillors discussed that £10,000 had been secured and GPC had to find the additional £7000. Councillors noted that the work needed to be done soon or the £10,000 funding would be lost. JC confirmed that the previous budget allocated £5000 towards traffic calming. A resident questioned if £6000 grant was secured from the developer JD confirmed that they refused the £6000 as to have this funding they would have needed in extend the 30mph limit which could not be done. A resident questioned whether Gaydon could get their own speedwatch camera as believed it would need to be returned to Bishops Itchington. Councillors confirmed that this was a shared resource and there were no plans to return the camera. Councillors noted that any traffic calming measure need to be completed before the start of HS2.
14	Passing of any accounts for payment: J.Wain Clerk salary – SCB 22 (changing to 12) e.on – street lighting - £412.56 Agreed and accepted C. Pickering – for clearing excess soil £250.00 Agreed and accepted C. Pickering – grass maintenance £105 Agreed and accepted C. Pickering – play area fence £220 Agreed and accepted Gaydon Village Hall – annual rent £800 Agreed and accepted after discussion Lighthorne Parish Council for printing costs - £32 Confirmed previous costs and Agreed and accepted Estimated costs of £425 plus VAT to arrange disconnection and removal of PB1, Church Road, Gaydon. (split lighting pole on safety grounds) Agreed and accepted All figures were proposed by MB and seconded by ML
15	Correspondence: WALC Stratford; 13^th February 2019 Councillors agreed that there was nothing to discuss.
16	Date of next meeting : 13^th March 2019

The meeting closed at: 22:15

Gaydon Parish Council 4^th February 2019

County Councillor’s Report

Please accept my apologies for not being with you over the past few months I still have some 20 weekly chemotherapy treatments to undergo but hopefully I will be able to attend future meetings.

I would like to thank the Parish Council for their good wishes for my recovery. It is much appreciated and please feel free to contact me by email should there be any issues requiring my attention.

Administration – December and January were quiet months at the County Council. The mild weather at the end of the year meant that the gritting teams were able to enjoy their Christmas at home. However, the recent spell of very cold weather has meant that the Highways team have now been fully utilised ensuring that the roads have been kept clear and the stock of grit salt is sufficient to meet any future demand. The recruitment of senior staff is in the process of being implemented and posts are slowly being filled. The long-awaited report on the County’s Fire & Rescue service has at last been released and generally our Fire Service meets all required standards although there is room for improvement in some areas (predominately back office). Work is well advanced for next year’s Budget and 3 year plan. The Budget will be set on 7^th February 2019. It is proposed that this year we will continue with a 5% Council Tax rise which includes an additional 2% for the main pressures on the council of Adult Social Services and Children in Care. I do not expect there will be any controversial reductions in services.

HS2 - Road closures will continue around the proposed route for the first part of 2019. Kineton School and Stagecoach are liaising over School bus disruption. To date WCC is paying for extra buses when needed. Under the terms of the Hybrid Bill, HS2 and the contractors are responsible for keeping us all informed of their plans and they will continue to hold drop-in and information meetings during this period.

Buses – Stagecoach’s revised timetable has been published and although it does not suit everyone at least the village has a service. Any new route takes time for the operators to iron out problems and for the drivers to learn that route. I will ensure that the County Council Officers are liaising with the operators to minimise any inconvenience caused.

Highways -Major works as well as HS2 around our district, particularly on the A423, will create major disruptions over the next few weeks. A programme for utilising the extra government money for pothole repairs is being prepared. Please report significant potholes as soon as possible as they will be repaired on a priority basis and the money spent in this financial year.

I will keep the Parish Council informed if there are any decisions that will have an affect on the Parish Council.

Cllr Chris Williams

Member for Kineton and Red Horse Division

04.02.2019