Parish Councillor:
- Rob Morgan (Chairman)
- Bridgette Crundwell (Vice)
- Philippa Carter
- Laurence Mellor
- Pauline Marshall
County Councillor:
- Rodney Rose
Members of the public:
- Nigel Braithwaite and Paul White
Parish Clerk:
- Angela Barnes
1. APOLOGIES:
- DCllr Hilary Hibbert-Biles
2. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
The minutes of the meeting held on Monday 13 February 2012 were agreed and duly signed, dated and filed.
3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:
None
4. FINANCIAL REPORT:
Payments:
- £43.00 100800 Philippa Carter (Mulled Wine)
- £133.07 100801 OALC Annual Subscription
- £142.31 100802 A Barnes Clerks Quarterly expenses
- £53.00 100803 Zurich Insurance (mid-term adjustment for Gritter)
- £149.21 100804 Post Office (HMRC PAYE)
- £516.75 100805 A Barnes Clerks Quarterly salary
Income:
- £8625.00 OCC Big Society Fund Project Snowstorm
- £7.50 Allotment Rent Stuart Fox Plot No. 6
- £7.50 Allotment Rent Alan Woods Plot No. 7
- £7.50 Allotment Rent Bill Prewett Plot No. 8
- £10.00 Allotment Rent Annie Holden Plot No. 10
Bank Balance:
- £12,746.19 gross, allocated as follows:
- £2,000.00 Railway Enhancement fund
- £4,100.00 Big Society Project Snowstorm
- £6,646.19 General fund
The expenditure excludes VAT, which will be recovered from HMRC in April.
5. COUNTY COUNCILLORS REPORT:
CCllr Rose reported that the leader of the Conservative Group, Keith Mitchell, was retiring. He reported on a new review on the bus survey which was being carried out by Alan Field. CCllr Rose reported that he had been invited to join the Wiltshire & Berkshire Canal restoration team. This restoration process will run from Abingdon to Melksham. He reported that the minimum waste plan was due to formalised.
CCllr Rose reported that the Area Steward Fund had been renamed the County Councillor Highways & Transport Fund, he explained that this would be split between all parishes and that Ascott-under-Wychwood would receive £3k in total, which would need to be spent by March 2013.
Cllr Morgan asked CCllr Rose to clarify the procedure and criteria for this funding. CCllr Rose explained that any Highway works deemed necessary by the PC should be requested in writing and OCC would endeavour to use their contractors to complete the works.
6. DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORT:
No Report
7. GRAPEVINE DONATION:
This was discussed by the PC and Cllr Crundwell proposed an increase to the annual donation to £400. Cllr Mellor seconded this. The Clerk was asked to write and advise the Grapevine committee accordingly.
8. QUEENS DIAMOND JUBILEE:
(a) Commemorative Mugs; this was discussed and Cllr Morgan proposed the PC pay £307 towards the mugs. This was seconded by Cllr Crundwell. Cllr Morgan agreed to reply to Debra Cull and advise Stuart Fox accordingly.
(b) Jubilee Tree; this was discussed, but CCllr Rodney Rose thought that the offer had been shelved by OCC. He agreed to check and report back to the PC.
(c) Cleaning of the Plaque; Ongoing.
9. PUBLIC TIME:
Cllr Morgan welcomed Nigel Braithwaite and Paul White and invited them to address the meeting. Nigel explained that he and Paul White were attending in connection to the Swan Public House and asked if the PC had reached a decision on forming a sub-committee. He explained that a small action group had been formed and that there was a lot of free professional expertise on offer to the PC should they decide to form a sub-committee. Cllr Morgan thanked Nigel and Paul for coming to the meeting and explained that the PC would need to discuss this further. Nigel and Paul left the meeting.
This was discussed further and it was proposed by Cllr Morgan to form a sub-committee, which would include Cllr Morgan, Cllr Crundwell and Cllr Marshall. This was agreed unanimously and Cllr Morgan agreed to draft Terms of Reference and once agreed would contact Nigel Braithwaite.
10. PLANNING:
New
The clerk reported that there were no new planning applications for consideration.
Ongoing
11/1870/P/OP Removal of existing outbuilding and erection of new dwelling at The Swan 4 Shipton Road Ascott-under-Wychwood – this application has now been deferred to April by WODC. Please refer to Item No. 9 above.
11. HELPERS OF ASCOTT-UNDER-WYCHWOOD:
Cllr Carter reported that the last session on Monday 27 February was attended by around 12 ‘Helpers’ who cut back the ivy along the outside of the Church wall. This was a big job which had to be done very carefully so as not to weaken the wall any more than it already is.
The next session will be on Saturday 31 March from 9am to 12noon, to meet on the Green at 9am. Anyone from the Village is welcome. The job will be to complete the Church wall and then move on to cutting back the ivy and brambles on the Shipton Road opposite Station Place. Anyone arriving late can find the group there.
Contractors will be on site at the station this week to build a retaining wall around the bank between the disabled ramp and the car park. This is being funded by Network Rail who are keen to encourage the community to enhance the appearance of the station with planting. Weeds will then be sprayed and the soil prepared. The planting will be funded by takings from the Gardens Open weekend last summer.
Complaints have been received about the amount of bird muck on the Ascott Martyrs’ seats on the Green. Whilst the PC agreed that we could not ask one single person to undertake this job on a regular basis, we have agreed to consider carefully the best way to deal with this problem, particularly given the important significance of the seats.
12. VILLAGE PLAN:
Ongoing
13. ASCOTT-UNDER-WYCHWOOD RECREATION GROUND:
Improvement of current playground;
New swing seats will be ordered this week. Costings of picnic benches will be investigated.
Future Recreation Field project;
Meetings have been arranged with 3 suppliers next week to discuss possibilities. Meetings have been requested from Windrush Valley School and Ascott Pre-School to discuss their views. Once all advice has been gathered it will be time to develop the group working on this project. It was proposed to form a Parish Council sub-committee and to call its introductory meeting soon after the Easter break. Philippa will contact the residents who had offered help in the questionnaire. Concerns have been raised by residents about the cost of improving the recreation ground. It was explained that the amount of funds raised will be completely dependent on the support of residents. The scope of the project will therefore be determined by the local community.
14. ASCOTT-UNDER-WYCHWOOD SPORTS CLUB:
Problems with molehills will have to be dealt with by Pestakers. There has been a request from pre-school parents to hold a fundraising evening at the Pavilion, showing a European Cup match on TV. This was discussed but it was regrettably decided that the costs would be too high.
Following the recent PC walkabout a request was made for the ivy along the stone wall (inside and out) to be trimmed back and all dead ivy to be removed.
15. COMMUNITY EMERGENCY PLAN:
It was reported that fly tipping had been seen on the riverbank opposite Manor Farm land. Cllrs Morgan and Mellor removed the rubbish and arranged for WODC Street Scene to collect it. Discussions are ongoing as to the best way to reduce the growth of reeds just upstream of the Chipping Norton road bridge.
Cllr Mellor reported that the gritter had been used 5 times during the cold snap and asked the Clerk to record the Parish Council’s appreciation and gratitude to Chris Badger and Jacob for their help and support.
16. ALLOTMENTS:
Nothing to report.
17. VILLAGE WALKABOUT/ RISK ASSESSMENT
Cllr Morgan reported that the Walkabout was held on Saturday 10 March covering London Lane, Heritage Lane and High Street. He reported that 7 bird boxes had been put up on the barns at the end of High Street. During the Walkabout it was evident that dog fouling had become a major problem once again, in particular by Heritage Lane. The corner of Heritage Lane was looked at where the corner was being eroded by heavy vehicles mounting it and the possibility of posts being erected to protect this, similar to those erected along the side of the Village Green, was discussed.
Cllr Morgan reported that the final Walkabout completed the risk assessment to 31 March 2012 and confirmed he would present the final document for approval at the April meeting.
County Councillor Highways & Transport Fund (formerly Area Steward Fund) – when walking about the Village this funding was going to be considered for necessary highways works. Please refer to Item No. 5.
18. MATTERS ARISING:
Oxfordshire Highways:
OCC Reference No. PEM390333 (to be carried out this calendar year)
Replacement (FOC) the Salt Bin in the Tiddy Hall car park . Cllr Morgan agreed to chase OCC again on the progress of this Ongoing
Village Shop:
Nothing to report.
Natural History Project:
Cllr Morgan agreed to investigate the conditions of the original grant.
18. MATTERS ARISING Cont’d:
Dog Fouling Heritage Lane:
Cllr Morgan reported that a parishioner had brought to his attention the problem of dog fouling in Heritage Lane. This was discussed and agreed that it had become a major problem throughout the Village. The Clerk agreed to include this in the next edition of the Grapevine. Cllr Morgan asked all Cllrs to remain vigilant and report any evidence to WODC.
Village Charity:
Cllr Marshall reported that the Charity had met in February and that a Fun Run had been organised for October. She reported that the ditch had now been cleared by WODC. Cllr Marshall reported that there were still funds available for flood relief and that the amount of £669.95 would need using up. She finally reported that there were also funds available to spend on planting of £724.
19. CORRESPONDENCE:
- Clerks & Councils Direct
- WODC Notice of Council Tax (the Clerk has displayed these on the Tiddy Hall notice board)
- Thames Valley Primary Care Agency – letter re determination of rurality of Chipping Norton and surrounding Towns, Villages and Hamlets.
20. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
- The Clerk confirmed the dates for the April meetings; 16 April (ordinary meeting) and 30 April (Annual Village Meeting).
- The Clerk confirmed the changed date for the May meeting, this being the Annual General Meeting – this will now be held on Monday 21 May
- Cllr Crundwell reported that a parishioner had brought to her attention the bird mess on the Martrys benches on the Village Green. This was discussed at length and a conclusion met that this was an issue the PC were unable to resolve.
There being no further business Cllr Morgan declared the meeting closed at 9.50pm and confirmed the next meeting would be Monday 16 April and the Annual Village Meeting will be held on Monday 30 April.