Draft Minutes

Gaydon Parish Council

Tuesday 12th March at 19:30

Present Apologies
J Davies - Chairman
J Chitty
A Claxton
E Leadbetter
M Lewis
M Bourne
Cllr C Kettle

11 members of the public
Cllr C Williams

In Attendance Absence
Joanna Wain – Clerk

The meeting was quorate

Item: Action:
1 Welcome and Apologies:

The meeting opened at 19:35 and JD welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr Williams

JD confirmed that due to elections from 19th March GPC is in purdah.
2 Declarations of Interest:

There were no interests declared.
3 Questions from the Public (maximum 10 minutes)

A member of the public informed Councillors that it was newt spawning season and that he had signs created to try to slow down drivers and make them aware of the newts, the member of the public asked GPC’s permission to put these signs on posts by the side of the roads where the newt population was high.
Councillors briefly discussed the newts and the signage and agreed the signs could be erected.

A member of the public asked Councillors if the Website would be up and running soon as they would like to submit articles to be uploaded.
Councillors confirmed that this would be going live very soon and reminded members of the public that the Facebook page and gaydon.org were still available for information in the meantime.

A member of the public raised an issue with the lighting in Victor Close and confirmed he had previously raised these issues to December and February but felt nothing had been done to rectify his issues concerning the angle of the bollard lighting. Councillors confirmed that in February they had asked Cllr Kettle to follow this up and Councillors believed that Cllr Kettle would be attending the meeting and asked the resident to raise this when he arrived.

Some members of the public commented on the street lighting and expressed their view that they felt fewer lights in the village would be best. Cllr Bourne confirmed that the current style of lighting in the village is now obsolete so as they fail the decision would need to be made whether to replace with LED lights or removing completely. Councillors suggested it would be a good idea to gain the residents opinion on this and add it to the Neighbourhood Plan survey if possible.

A member of the public asked if the pub had requested permission to place a large advertisement regarding Mother’s Day on the side of the village shop wall. The member of the public expressed her opinion that she did not believe it fitting in the village and would like it taken down. Councillors confirmed that as the advert was on a private wall GPC had no power over this but agreed to convey the residents’ concerns to the pub landlords.
4 Acceptance of the minutes of the previous meeting (February):

The minutes were accepted and signed as a true and accurate record.
5 Matters arising from the minutes of the previous meetings

Councillors discussed the election due in May and confirmed that nominations would have to be received by April. Councillors queried if information regarding the elections could be put on the notice board and it was confirmed they could.
6 County Council Matters :
To receive report

The Chairman read the report from Cllr Williams which has been attached to the end of the minutes.

Cllr Kettle arrived 19:55

A Councillor commented on the dragons teeth had been installed and expressed his concern that these may not be of value to Gaydon; Cllr Lewis confirmed that there was Government money available for potholes if anyone knew of any and informed to report this.
7 District Council Matters:
To receive report

Cllr Kettle informed Councillors that SDC had adopted a supplementary part of the planning guidance of a Design Guide in their Core Strategy; Cllr Kettle confirmed that this enables the LA to ensure that new developments are built to fit in with the local village aesthetic.

Cllr Kettle updated Councillors on the current application for the Garage on the Banbury Road and explained that there had been some confusion regarding whether highways had expressed any issues, Cllr Kettle had provided further information which he highlighted to the Councillors and expressed his belief that the application would be rejected and on what grounds. Cllr Kettle noted that there had been a number of applications before this and all had been appealed so it was his belief that this decision would also be appealed so he requested that any data or evidence the Councillors had from the speed watch group be recorded and passed on to back up any objections.

Cllr Kettle noted the application for 3 houses to be built adjacent to Ferndale had been refused and a new application for 2 houses had been received and granted. Cllr Kettle confirmed that an application for another dwelling had been received which would take the site back to 3 houses Cllr Kettle expressed his belief that this application would be rejected and his views why.

Cllr Kettle informed Councillors that he had attended a meeting in Banbury regarding the Maternity Services at the Horeton General Hospital and that there seemed to be a genuine wish from the Oxfordshire Health committee to review and revisit the need for a consultant lead obstetrics unit however this would inevitably require more services for example special care baby units. Cllr Kettle noted that they were taking a more diligent approach to these decisions than before.

Cllr Kettle reminded residents that if any Orbit tenants were having problems and unable to get a reasonable response from Orbit they were to contact him as he had been informed of a few issues recently. Cllr Kettle also informed Councillors that SDC are investigating the sale of bungalows / smaller properties by Orbit.

Cllr Kettle commented that he was aware of a number of villages where Orbit were holding land that was redundant to Orbit with a lot being run by Parish Councils or where the properties were sold under the “Right to Buy” scheme and noted this was similar to St Giles Road in Gaydon.

Cllr Kettle commented that HS2 roadworks had begun including road closures around Ufton some of which had not been reported to the LA. Councillors discussed the increased pressure on the roads surrounding Gaydon when roadworks or repairs are carried out and the negative impact this has on the traffic. Councillors discussed how the increase in traffic from the new houses and the 18 months of roadworks expected from HS2 included the busier roads in the county which would cause significant traffic problems. Cllr Kettle informed Councillors that the LA were aware and had arranged meetings to discuss the specific issues regarding this.
A Councillor asked when the main roadworks would be starting.
Cllr Kettle confirmed that these were due to start in Summer.

Cllr Davies asked Cllr Kettle if he had any further update regarding the lights in Victor Close in relation to the query raised by a resident earlier in the meeting. The resident reminded Cllr Kettle and the Councillors of his concerns. Cllr Kettle confirmed that he had read the most recent planning application and believed the bollards were in accordance with this, the resident disagreed stating the angle of the lights were incorrect. Cllr Kettle requested that the resident copy him in to any emails to the planning department.

Cllr Davies thanked Cllr Kettle for his report.
8 To receive planning applications:

18/03793/FUL Cattery, The Stables, Village Farm, Pimple Lane

Cllrs discussed the planning application for a Cattery in detail and looked at the application and map provided.

The applicant was present at the meeting and requested any questions from the Councillors and explained the plans in more detail.

A Councillor questioned how many units the application was for?
The applicant confirmed that the building would have 14 units and each unit could house 4 cats from the same family.

A Councillor questioned the height of the build.
The resident explained that due to the lay of the land the building would be lower than that of the existing bungalow.

A Councillor questioned if there would be enough parking and space for customers?
The applicant confirmed the plans for 4 car parking spaces and a space to turn around.

The applicant noted that they would be trying to style the buildings in keeping with the local aesthetic.

Cllrs studied the planning application and the applicant talked through the design and highlighted the key areas.

A Councillor asked what would be done with the used litter.
The applicant confirmed that a specialist contractor would collect the bins containing the litter once a month.

A Councillor raised his concerns on the impact on the highways and the increase of traffic on Pimple Lane.
The applicant informed Councillors that they had carried out a survey to identify the peak traffic times and would ensure these times were avoided by any construction traffic.

Councillors discussed the size of the application area and noted it would be replacing dilapidated buildings.

Councillors agreed it would be positive to encourage new enterprise within the community. The applicant informed Councillors that it would also create jobs.

Councillors agreed they were happy to support his application.


19/00253/FUL 4 bedroom house, adjacent to Ferndale

Councillors agreed to recommend objecting this application based on the information provided by Cllr Kettle earlier in the meeting.

19/00429/TEL JLR, remove 3 antennae, replace with 3 antennae

A Councillor questioned whether the antennae were being replaced like for like and Councillor Davies confirmed he believed they were. Councillors agreed they had no objections and would support the application.

9 Traffic Calming

Cllr Davies confirmed that the total cost of the traffic calming plans would be £16,440 and £10,000 of this would be covered by funding from WCC if the order is placed before April.

A Councillor commented that they would not want the white gates on the Banbury Road removed.
Cllr Davies confirmed that as permission was not gained from Highways for these they would have to be removed. Councillors also discussed that the verges on the Kineton Road were not wide enough to allow for larger gates to be placed.

Councillors discussed the Dragons teeth and noted there would be 103 in total split across the 3 entrances to the village.

Councillor Davies confirmed he had secured a donation of £3500 and this had been offered no strings attached.

Councillors questioned whether they could accept this donation and the process of accepting this.

Cllr Kettle recommended that they obtain this donation upfront to ensure it and that Councillors should formally accept and record this.

Cllr Chitty proposed and Cllr Bourne seconded the proposal to accept the donation, subject to the relevant documentation confirming the ex gratia nature of the donation following the recommendation by Cllr Kettle.

A member of the public questioned if the electronic signs of the Kineton road would be moved or remain in the same position.
Councillors confirmed that they would be repairing the current signs so there would be no change to the location.

Councillors confirmed the traffic calming plans and Cllr Bourne proposed, Cllr Chitty seconded and all Councillors agreed the proposal.
10 Review of Play Area and Orbit Land ownership

The Chairman summarised the position regarding the lease that Orbit has offered for the play area and other land around St Giles. The draft lease had been circulated to all Councillors prior to the meeting. Councillors discussed the lease and agreed that the draft terms being offered were not acceptable and therefore they would not be signing the lease.

Councillor Lewis informed Councillors that the legal advice from the SDC Estates Surveyor was that the s.106 funds would cover the surfacing works, and also any planning costs the might be required in establishing another play area in the recently acquired field. 

The council unanimously decided to not invest any s.106 funds on the existing play area at this time as they would need to know more about the lease terms that would be agreed with Orbitand noted that if Orbit were to take the land back the money would be wasted. Councillors agreed that if the land were to be gifted to GPC then they would use s.106 funds to resurface the play area.

A Councillor raised concerns that with the school holidays approaching there was no facility for play within the village and suggested the Council apply for Change of Use for the recently acquired Parish field.

Councillors discussed this recommendation and believed there were no issues with starting this application. Councillors discussed the cost of the application and the possibility of using the s.106 funds for this project. Councillors agreed they would be happy to deal with the accounting for this and to bring the money from s.106.

Cllr Leadbetter proposed and Cllr Claxton seconded the proposal to apply for Change of Use for the field. Councillors unanimously agreed.

Addendum – Following the meeting, procedural concerns were raised and as a result this decision was frozen until ratification could be sought at the next Council meeting.

11 Councillors Reports
Cemetery, -
Cllr Davies confirmed that they had had an enquiry for 2 new grave plots and that he would be contacting the people interested.

Defibrillator -

Cllr Davies confirmed there had been problems with installation and details have been sent to electrician regarding this and he was waiting for a response.

Street lighting/litter/street furniture
LED costings / savings

Cllr Bourne informed Councillors that changing the village lights to LED and assuming discounted maintenance costs the pay back term would be approximately 6 years. Cllr Bourne noted that he had not seen any pictures of the LED units so would want to see pictures and ensure they would be fitting with the village.

A Councillor questioned if a Parish Council could apply for a loan.
Councillors discussed that to do this they would need a Certificate of Competency which would only be obtainable by having 7 elected members, as GPC was mainly made of co-opted Councillors this was not possible.

Drains

Councillors noted that a Manhole cover had fallen in but had been replaced.

Footpaths/Footways

Cllr Bourne confirmed that the Stiles had been reported on the website, Fix my Street. Cllrs discussed the stiles and which stiles were reported as broken. Cllr Bourne notes that he had an email confirmation to state that they would be looked at.


Neighbourhood Watch
Nothing to report

Website

Cllr Lewis confirmed that the website would be up and running shortly

Neighbourhood plan

Cllr Leadbetter confirmed that she had researched the grant process and informed Councillors that this had now closed until the next financial year so they would be unable to start the application now however they could start to decide what they wanted to achieve.

Cllr Leadbetter expressed her reservations of using expensive consultants to write the neighbourhood plan and had researched local Neighbourhood Plans. Cllr Leadbetter confirmed that she had created survey relevant to Gaydon using her research as a guide. Cllr Leadbetter had circulated her draft survey to the Councillors prior to the meeting.

Cllr Leadbetter informed Councillors that no volunteers had come forward to form a Neighbourhood plan committee so suggested the council invite members of local groups and businesses to a general meeting to provide information and request feedback on the plan.

Councillors discussed ideas on the best way to distribute and collect the surveys noting that it had previously been delivered alongside the parish magazine. Councillors suggested that when the survey was due to be collected Councillors could collect them in person or they could set up a post-box in the shop and pub.

Councillors discussed whether the analysis should be done by the Parish Council or a 3rd party and agreed that the 3rd party would be the best option.

Councillors discussed how to anonymise the survey while still being able to note any high areas of non-returns; Councillors suggested a number system by road would be an easier way to identify this.

Cllr Kettle suggested that the Parish Council use their Annual Parish Meeting as a launch point as they should invite local organisations and businesses to this event.

A Councillor questioned when the Annual Parish Meeting should be held.
Cllr Davies confirmed it had to be held between 1st March and 31st May and that it was a meeting organised by the Parish Council but was not a Parish Council meeting. Councillors discussed what the Annual Parish Meeting was and Cllr Davies highlighted the items on the 2018 agenda.

Councillors agreed that it would be beneficial for the newly elected council to be in place before the annual parish meeting so it should be held after the election and agreed the Annual Parish meeting would be held Tuesday 7th May in Gaydon Village Hall at 19:30.

Councillors agreed that they should advertise the annual parish meeting in the parish magazine – Action












Financial Report/Administration:
Bank balances

£11775.70 as of 28/2/19

£13169.73 as of 27/2/19





Passing of any accounts for payment:

Clerk £112.22 (approved at last meeting in principal)

Clerk TBC (From contract date) based on hours worked from 4/2/19 to 4/3/19 and hourly rate, wages calculated at £179.52

Old clerk - £109.53 – 2 x cheques

Purchase of 3 handbooks from WALC £15.00 and manual

Chris Pickering invoice for £105 – mowing and maintenance

Warwickshire County Council

All payments were proposed by Cllr Bourne and seconded by Cllr Chitty and approved by all Councillors.
Correspondence:
Email of thanks

Councillors acknowledged the email and thanked Cllr Claxton for carrying out the work.

Risk assessment

Councillors discussed the risk register and agreed that if this is the format the auditors approved then they are happy with this.

Insurance due 1st April
Councillors agreed to authorise clerk to get quotes from the 3 companies WALC recommend and decide the insurance company to go with based on standards as well as price and not just the cheapest. Cllr Davies confirmed that for small parish insurance the companies were judged by WALC to be suitable. Councillors discussed insurance and their public liability and what this covers.


Date of next meeting

Tuesday 9th April

The meeting closed at: 21:55

Gaydon Parish Council 12th March 2019

County Councillor’s Report

Administration – After the excitement of the Budget debate it has been quiet at the County Council. Five senior Officers are retiring from the County Council before the end of April and with Brexit uncertainties and the political purdah as a result of the forthcoming the District Council elections in four of the five County’s District Councils in May is making major decision making difficult at the present time.

The Fire Service – The County Council is the Fire Authority for Warwickshire and the recent inspection report is being assessed and an Action Plan will go to Cabinet. Most of the areas of concern relate to administrative and HR areas. The fire prevention and operations are rated good. A new Chief Fire Officer is joining in April. Over the past years there have been initiatives to link up our Fire Service provision with adjacent authorities. Any merger is complex and this one has proved difficult. We are presently looking at a form of collaboration with West Midlands Fire Service. At present there is a national debate regarding a combined Blue Light service.

Public Health and Adult Care – The County Council held a Public Interest Debate recently on the subject of combined working between Health and Adult Services. This topic has been on the national agenda since Public Health was transferred back to local government nearly 10 years ago. It was clear that one of the major problems is communicating between authorities and the conflict between sharing information and breaching personal privacy (Human Rights). There are moves towards integrated working which will need support and legislation from the government. The Director of Public Health retires next month and an interim appointment has been made until a permanent position has been filled.

Finances - The County’s revenue finances are in a healthy state with sufficient contingency reserves to cover any foreseen events. Future income streams are unknown as the movement away from Government Grants towards Business Rates as a source of funding is continuing with pilot schemes in some authorities. Council Tax continues to be capped although ring-fenced increases are allowed to meet specific budgets. There is an interim Director in post until a permanent replacement has been appointed. The capital budget is mainly allocated to Schools and Highway projects to meet the population increase.

Schools - The County Council’s responsibility with respect to education, has been diluted since the introduction of Academies and Free Schools. It is the County’s responsibility to ensure there are sufficient school places to meet the needs, that pupils can access their local school and that there is sufficient provision of “Good” education for those with Special Education Needs. There are only two Secondary Schools in the County that are not Academies.

Highways - It is noticeable that a number of road closures and traffic disruptions are currently taking place. There are a large number of housing developments, all requiring additional utility services and road improvements, which are adding to the congestion.

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

Cllr Chris Williams

Member for Kineton and Red Horse Division

10.03.2019