Minutes of the meeting of the Full Council held on Monday 2nd March at 7 pm in the Corn Exchange Complex, Hungerford.
Present: Cllrs Peter Harries, Elizabeth Cardwell, Richard Hudson, William Acworth, Anthony Buckwell, David Liddiard, Margaret Wilson, Jenny Booth, Gwynneth Bullock, Rod Desmeules, Dianne Pope, Tanya Werrell, Shelagh Parry and District Councillors Paul Hewer and David Holtby
The meeting began with a presentation by Mr Tony Fletcher, Regional Corporate Affairs Manager of Tesco Stores. The present Somerfield store has been bought by Tesco and was due to close for refurbishment on 9th March, but clearance has not been received from the Office of Fair Trading, so is now due to close (for 6 weeks) on 28th March. Planning application has been made for new signage and altered car parking. Existing staff will be transferred and will undergo re-training during the closure. The existing Co-op and the shop at the petrol station are not included in the sale. Mr Fletcher said he would take any suggestions from councillors back to head office and these included including a good range of children’s clothing, locally produced food and rotisserie chickens. Mr Fletcher was thanked for giving the presentation and left at 7.20 pm
Jeanette Kersey from the surgery expressed her concern over West Berkshire Council’s withdrawal of travel tokens, saying that the surgery had been inundated with visits from frightened and vulnerable people seeking help with their WBC forms. She said that the surgery had had no warning whatsoever from WBC, and only heard about this from a visit by Cllr Harries. Voluntary organisations such as CHAIN rely on the receipt of tokens in part-payment for taking elderly patients to hospital, etc. In answer to this, Cllr Holtby said that voluntary groups were to be funded directly from WBC, but could only guarantee this funding for the duration of the present Council. He couldn’t say why there had been no consultation. West Berkshire is one of the last remaining counties to offer tokens and said that there was no government grant for tokens so the system was unsustainable. He agreed that WBC should insert a notice into the Newbury Weekly News. Cllr Harries thanked the District Councillors for their help on this issue but reiterated that it had been done badly: Dist Councillors will take these concerns back to Council. It was pointed out that not everyone lives on a bus route and that the Dial-A-Ride service needs to provide a better service. Mrs Kersey left at 7.35 pm.
District Councillors’ Report
Ragwort and grass cutting is to be discussed on 9th March with Stewart Sowden at the Library. (The time of 9.30 am was not convenient to HTC members so Cllr Holtby will try to change it to afternoon.)
6 Bridge Street: the owner has until 22nd March to attend to the remedial works; if he doesn’t then legal proceedings will begin on 23rd March.
Speed limit review: speed limits are now in force.
Parking strategy: decriminalisation comes into force on 6th April. HTC is first in queue for review.
Canal footbridge: Someone has been appointed to do detailed plans for high level versions. Meeting is arranged on 1st April with English Heritage whose support is needed before any further progress is made. Miles Roberts is to attend the Town Meeting on 17th March.
JoG: meeting at 3.30 on 5th March where their ideas will be shown to District Councillors.
The District Councillors left at 7.50 pm
1. Apologies for absence: Denise Gaines (ill).
2. Declarations of interest: none
3. Minutes from meeting held on 9th February 2009: proposed as a true record by Cllr Booth, seconded by Cllr Wilson, 4 abstentions, 9 in favour.
4. Finance. Authorisation of payments: Proposed by Cllr Bullock, seconded by Cllr Liddiard, 1 abstention, 12 in favour. Totals for February: income £6,149.47; expenditure £8,648.10; balance at bank £164,911.31.
5. Year to date accounts: were presented.
6. Auditor’s report – presented by Claire Barnes: Copies of auditor’s recommendations are in councillors’ pigeon holes. In view of the very few recommendations, Cllr Bullock and Claire Barnes were congratulated on their excellent work. Salary increases in line with NALC are to be added to next Council agenda. Action: Clerk
7. Triangle Field: The building work has been signed off by WBC. However, there is still some work to be finished. Roger Ballard has been recruited as cleaner. The paperwork for the Seeda funding is in progress. The change of use issue will be put to Council in due course.
8. Fund-raising Councillor: There are many sources of funding available if one knows where to look and councillors were asked to think about whether they could either take on the task of searching for opportunities – not fund-raising per se, or think of any other option. Action: Clerk to add to May agenda.
9. Leisure Centre report: Cllr Cardwell reported on the meeting last week when she and Cllr Werrell attended. Hungerford Town Council puts in £21,000 each year to the Centre and the Joint Management Council (JMC) is thinking of changing its title and moving decisions to WBC. Cllr Cardwell expressed concern that HTC should have some influence, but this year HTC has not been presented with figures, nor consulted about fees which have simply gone up in line with inflation. They are also proposing to bring in a membership card (similar to a library card). Is this Council happy for WBC to take over control? It was suggested that Cllr Cardwell goes back to the committee to say that HTC requires to be consulted. Whether to pay the £21,000 in two half-yearly instalments was discussed and this will be put on the agenda for the next F&GP meeting. Action: to add to agenda. Cllr Bullock proposed that this Council supports the JMC with two councillors, seconded by Cllr Buckwell, all in favour.
10. Library opening report: the garden opening ceremony on 28th February went well. The garden received a tidy-up on 21st February. 2010 are to maintain the garden with volunteers but if none is forthcoming, then WBC will take on the task of tidying the garden. The Library has asked for a third bench (from our lock-up store), which will take the total benches to 4. These will come under HTC's bench maintenance programme.
11. Town meeting on 19th March 2009 – agenda to be posted 10th March: The Police are to give a presentation. Action: Clerk to send draft agenda to all councillors as soon as possible.
12. Mayor's report
Concessionary fares and Tesco have already been discussed. Attended the Mayor’s Reception in Marlborough on Saturday. Has been busy with the concessionary fares issue, and also the Triangle Field which is causing problems.
13. Committee reports
R&A – Cllr Cardwell: The community pay-back people were due to paint the railings at the Memorial but the weather was too cold (for the paint), but they returned on Sunday and have done a good job. They will resume at St Saviour’s in April. Will be painting the benches in the Memorial gardens. The Save our Skatepark group has all the funding it needs for the shelter and are due to meet on Wednesday 4th March. The mole-man has been asked to work on St Lawrence’s, and the cricket club will also have a visit from him.
E&P – Cllr Booth: WBC has approved the sale of the land for the Exception site, and plans should be going through the system in April/May this year. The LDF sub-committee has had its first meeting but the figures for housing in Hungerford will not be released until May. Chilton Estates gave the E&P committee a 15-minute presentation on their proposals for 84 houses on two sites. The Tesco planning application is in the HTC office if anyone wishes to look at it, in particular E&P committee members.
H&T – Cllr Hudson: Expenditure for the Christmas lights has been just about on budget. West Berkshire footpath consultation papers have been received – response required by end of April. The speed limits at Eddington, Charnham Park and the Common have been approved.
F&GP – Cllr Bullock: Cllr Bullock suggested that a three-year forecast be implemented from next year. The bankers are to meet Cllrs Bullock, Buckwell, Harries and Claire in the HTC office on Friday.
Allotments – Cllr Harries/Acworth: Cllr Harries reported that the Town and Manor were approached about land behind the Skatepark, but they have said that allotments would not be possible there. A meeting was held with Ramsbury Estates regarding the Strongrove Hill site. However, they would require a financial income. The Triangle Field is still under consideration. The Catholic Church will not consider re-opening the Priory Road site. Cllr Acworth said that some people have found alternative allotment sites behind the surgery. Mr Clothier and Donnington Homes have agreed to cap their legal fees and a cheque for their fees has been drawn. Volunteers did some clearing work on the Marsh Lane site at the weekend. Cllr Acworth requested the Clerk to send him the list of addresses of prospective allotment holders. The cost of renting an allotment was discussed and Cllr Booth said that an allotment in Newbury might cost £4.74/rod. Funding needs to be looked into.
Newsletter – Cllr Parry: A sub-committee meeting was held on 19th February. The deadline for submission to next edition is 10th April. Future editions this year will be printed in August and December.
LDF report – Cllr Gaines: Cllr Gaines was not present.
HEAT – Cllr Acworth: The funding for the thermal imaging camera has been received. The walks (first Sunday of the month) are popular. Working party on the allotment was good. Suggest courses on the new allotment, eg hedge-laying.
The meeting closed at 8.52 pm.