Minutes of the Wardington Parish Council Meeting  

Location:  Wardington Memorial Hall

Date: Tuesday, 24th May, 2016 (7:30pm)

In Attendance: Mr G Page (Chair), Mr M Patterson, Mr I Franklin, Mr A Crossley,              Ms A Pasco, Mr G Martin, Mr K Atack (District Councillor), Mr B Jarrett (Clerk),

Parishioners: Mr C Hunt, Ms S Merry, Mrs R Page, Ms H Page, Ms J Funnell, Mrs C Merry, Mr P Mason, Mr R Anson, Mr S Reynolds, Mrs K Reynolds.

Apologies: Mr N Bankes, Mr K Atack (for early departure)

 

  1. Minutes of previous meeting.(19th April, 2016) Approved and signed.

 

2. Matters arising from previous minutes.

HS2 Update

Mr Page reported that we had sent our petition to the House of Lords with a list of demands. We are in communication with both OCC and HS2 and any developments or updates will be placed on the Wardington website. Victoria Prentis (MP), has written directly to the Secretary of State for Transport regarding the unsuitability of A361 through Wardington and asking for comments in respect of a by-pass. We have received a reply explaining the situation, how we can proceed with the campaign, and what funds may be available for such a project. An Action Group meeting will be arranged soon to decide next steps. Mr Crossley pointed out that the figure of 500 lorries a day in each direction could not realistically be confirmed until contracts for the work had been assigned. Following a question from Mr Hunt, regarding the control of the traffic volumes, Mr Page stated that in our petition to the Lords we had requested that an independent adjudicator be appointed to monitor the numbers of HGVs..

3. Planning.

  1. Planning Appl. 16/00699/F – Mr & Mrs Aylmer, Bridge Lake Farm, Chacombe Road for the erection of vehicle shelter and wood store: garage conversion to habitable accommodation. Revision from 2012. – NO OBJECTIONS

2.       Planning Appl. 16/00109/TCA – Mr N Forbes, Sundial House,  Upper Wardington    for work on trees. –    NO OBJECTIONS

3.     The Plough Inn – On the 20th May planning had been approved for the change of use to a private dwelling.

 

4. Finance.

4.1       Budget for 2016-2017

            This was deferred until next meeting.

4.2        Parish Insurance

A favourable quotation for the parish insurance has been received from AON for £472.32 based on the same schedule as our current insurers, Zurich who quoted £980.15. The Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils (OALC) were consulted and confirmed that AON like Zurich is a main player in Council Insurance and there is nothing in the small print to be concerned with. OALC were insured with AON until recently. It was agreed to accept the AON quotation and appoint them as our insurers for 2016-17.               

4.3       Invoices – Cheques for authorization:-

100827            Clerk’s pay for April                                                                277.47

100828            PAYE April                                                                                69.20

100829            Wardington Memorial Hall (Hire of Hall)                                160.00

100830            Roger Gooding Printing Services (Warbler)                           132.78

100831            Annette Reed, Internal Audit                                                   100.00

100832            Clerk’s pay for May                                                                277.27

100833            PAYE May                                                                                69.40

100834            AON Insurance (Parish Insurance)                                        472.32

We have been notified that the grant awarded to the Memorial Hall of £350, for the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebration, has by error been paid to WPC. Permission was granted to transfer this money to the Memorial Hall as soon as the proof of payment is confirmed.

4.4 Donation received for the Playground.

A donation of £100 has been received from Mr C Hunt. This was in lieu of a payment due to Rob and Jeanette Brown, who requested the donation to the Playground. Council would like to thank all those concerned for a much appreciated gift. 

4.5 Playground 200 Club draw.

100625            £20      Mr P Worthington

100626            £10      Mr A Wilkins

Mr Page announced that the first section of replacement fencing around the Playground had been completed.

5. New Business. 

5.1 Parking in Chelmscote Row.

An e-mail has been received from Sanctuary Housing Services stating that they had a number of complaints, from the residents of Chelmscote Row, regarding continued use of Sanctuary parking area and pathways by non-residents. They are asking if the parish council  can assist with appealing to non Chelmscote Row vehicle owners to find alternative parking.

Discussion followed regarding the problem of parking for residents in that specific area of the village. It was agreed that we invite Sanctuary House to attend a site meeting where we can review the situation, with the intent to resolve the problem for all residents.

 

5.2 Request for the Pond opposite Chapel Cottages to be registered  as an Asset of Community Value (ACV)

For this topic Mr Page stood down as Chairperson, as he was directly involved, and he was replaced by Mr Patterson.

The request for the ‘Pond’ to be registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) has come about as a response to public comments regarding the fence which Mr Page had erected in front of the ‘Pond’. Although the Parish Council had recommended that Mr Page take down the fence, Mr Page had not done so, having stated that he had only replaced a fence which had been there before. The WPC have limited powers to enforce their recommendation. Mr Page explained that as he had cared and maintained the pond for over  20 years, and if there was an accident, for example, a child falling into the pond, he would be responsible. This was one reason why he had not taken down the fence.

Lively discussion followed and at times Mr Patterson had to call the meeting to order. Comments were made that other villages have ponds without fences; the pond now looks like Mr Page’s property; and the pond should be regarded as a ‘village feature’. The general opinion was that the fence was disliked by parishioners. However, Mr Page said that he had replaced the fence with an identical fence and the old one was still there rolled up to one side.

Mr Jarrett read out the definition of ‘what is an ACV’ and ‘who can nominate an ACV’.  Although the matter of who actually owns the pond is still open, Mr Page said that he has a claim to it, having looked after it for so long. Irrespective of who owns the pond, it was agreed that the Parish Council take steps to protect the pond from any adverse changes, by seeking to nominate the pond as an ACV or similar status.

 

6. A.O.B.

6.1 Correspondence

Mr Jarrett said that he has received a letter from Victoria Prentis (MP) with details regarding the national commemoration of the centenary of the First World War. This year the UK will remember the Battle of the Somme. In addition the government is encouraging communities to conserve their local war memorials and funding is available for the occasion. It was agreed that we get a quotation for the cleaning of the War Memorial and apply for funding.

6.2 The Notice board by the Plough Inn.

Mr Crossley asked what was happening about replacing the notice board by the Plough Inn. Mr Page said that we were still trying to contact Ken Baker, who had made one for us before. and assured him that it was being handled.

6.3  Potholes and footpath.

Mr Franklin reported that there was a pothole and lose manhole cover opposite Taylor’s Cottage. This was to be reported to OCC Highways. He also asked what was happening about cutting back the vegetation along the footpath below Taylor’s Cottage. Mr Jarrett said he had reported this to Mr George Tuthill but as yet had had no response.

The meeting closed 8:25pm

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 21th June, 2016 at 7:30pm in the village hall.