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South Marston Parish Council

Draft Minutes of the meeting held on 17th July 2012

Present: Mr S Young (Chairman) Mr B Thunder

Mr K Millard Mrs H Jones

Mr C McEwen Mrs G Cheal (Clerk)

Mrs S Brown

NB: All Councillor names will be shown as initials

89/12 APOLOGIES

CM and HJ arrived late to the meeting.

90/12 OPEN 10 MINUTES

No members of the public present.

91/12 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

- Members are requested at the start of the meeting to declare any known interests in any matter to be

considered, and are reminded that any such interest should be declared at the start of the item or during any

discussion of the matter concerned

SB declared an interest in item 94/12 reference Community First.

92/12 TO APPROVE AND SIGN THE MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 19TH

JUNE

2012, THE EXTRAORDINARY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES HELD ON 28TH

JUNE 2012 AND

FORMALLY CLOSE ACTION POINTS

Minutes were approved and signed.

The following outstanding action was noted:

SY to write letter to Hannah Jones. With the agreement of HJ, SY agreed to email response.

SY reported that he had inspected footpath 17 as previously actioned. There is no sign of where footpath

might have been. The ground is churned up and impassable. It looks as though no attempt has been made

to reinstate anything.

ACTION: Clerk to write to AEE Renewables with a copy to SBC planning and SBC Rights of Way Officer. SY

to email photos to Clerk.

93/12 CLERKS REPORT

Parish Council Vacancy Update Vacancy advertised in T&T, on website and notice boards. 2 applications received. Interview date and time TBC.

Code of Conduct A copy of the South Marston Code of Conduct as agreed at the Parish Council Extraordinary Meeting on 28th June 2012 has been submitted to Stephen Taylor, SBC.

Allotment Update 2 new tenants for plot 5 and 5A (originally one plot). Tenancy agreements and invoices have been sent.

Planning Responses Received Application Number: S/LDP/12/0758/EDSN Proposal: Certificate of lawfulness for the proposed erection of a conservatory to rear. Site address: 5 Church Farm Lane, South Marston, SN3 4SR Status: CERTIFICATE OF LAWFUL DEVELOPMENT Application Number: S/12/0440/HECO Proposal: Erection of a single storey rear extension and detached garage and conversion of existing garage into habitable space. Site address: 18 Church Ground, South Marston, SN3 4FL Status: GRANT PLANNING PERMISSION

Audit Update Signed annual return has been submitted to External Auditor. Internal audit report as read out at June PC meeting included in July correspondence.

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VAT Refund Refund received dated 3rd July 2012 for amount of £1294.87

MATTERS OUTSTANDING REGISTER

Issue Comments STATUS

HGV’s through village

PC Jackson has set up a database to log complaints. Villagers encouraged to send photographs of HGVs to PC Jackson. Adverts have been placed in the T&T.

On-going

Super-fast Broadband for the village

Will go to tender April 2012. Contract to be awarded in July with first roll out this year.

On-going

Speed-Watch SBC are currently looking at data previously collected in order to see if we qualify. Police Community Support has noted our interest. June 2012: Jill Quadri has asked SBC Officer to make contact with the Parish Council. Criteria are that speed strips are put down and results have to show at least 15% of vehicles are travelling over 36mph. This has been set by national guidelines.

On-going

No Cold Calling Zone

June 2012: Jill Quadri is awaiting response from Police who currently have heavy workload. Jill to provide an update. July 2012: Jill Quadri has sent an email to PC Jackson asking for an update.

On-going

94/12 CORRESPONDENCE Received to 12th

July 2012

No. Received From Reference Action Required

1 Mark Pritchard, SBC AGENDA ITEM 9, North East Locality Meeting 18th

July 2012

2 Community First Community First AGM 12th

September 2012

3 Accounts & Audit Services Ltd

Internal audit report for 2011/12 Clerk to respond

4 Richard Bell, SBC Neighbourhood Planning Front Runners (Vanguard) Funding Clerk to respond

5 Pre-planning application

enquiry

Marston Farm, Shrivenham Road, South Marston, SN3 4RS Comments to SBC by 26th

July 2012

6 Bob Feal-Martinez Supplementary Plan Noted

7 Kimberly Corps, SBC Revised Residential Parking Standards Consultation (and draft

response)

Comments to SBC by 20th

July 2012

8 Paul Russell, Stratton St

Margaret PC

Community Governance Review and Neighbourhood Planning Meeting requested with

Stratton

9 Oxfordshire County Council AGENDA ITEM 10, Publication of Oxfordshire Minerals &

Waste Plan

Comments by 16th

July

2012

Letters Sent

Accounts & Audit Services

Ltd

Cover letter for annual return and payment for invoice

received

Mrs Phillips Letter of condolence

Paul Russell, Stratton St

Margaret PC

Cover letter for dog waste contract

Mr Hands Response to letter received

ACTIONS:

1. CM to try and attend the North East Locality Meeting. Clerk to email 3 Ward councillors to ask who will

be the lead councillor for South Marston. SY to sign letter. Clerk to ask for job descriptions of Locality

Leads.

2. SB proposed for Community First membership renewal. This was seconded by HJ. Motion carried.

5. Clerk to raise concerns about access on to A420.

6. Addition correspondence received from Mr Feal-Martinez reference ditches: SY and CM investigated

standing water in the ditch by Carpenters Arms. Clerk to contact SBC again about ditches. PC will not

ignore this issue.

7. CM to respond.

8. Clerk to contact Stratton St Margaret Parish Council with suggested meeting dates. Boundary map to be

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circulated to members.

95/12 FINANCE: FIRST QUARTER STATEMENT & CHEQUES FOR APPROVAL AND SIGNATURE

Finance Statement and Cheques for Approval and Signature – 17th

July 2012

1. Bank Accounts

RBS High interest Account as at 4 July 2012 18623.87

RBS Business Account as at 29 June 2012 1055.12

United Trust Bank Account as at 02 July 2012 41517.46

Total: 61196.45

NB: Includes £159.82 bank interest from UTB, £75 from T&T advert and £12.50 from allotment rent.

2. Cheques for Approval and Signature

Cheque

Number

Payment Amount VAT

1696 Mrs G Cheal – June salary 370.12

1697 Mrs G Cheal – Expenses for June/July 20.42 2.07

1698 Stratton Garden Contractors – June grass cutting 314.00

1699 Wiltshire Association Local Councils Swindon Area Committee 14.00

1700 Bobby Van Trust 50.00

1701 Stratton St Margaret Parish Council – June dog waste service 96.00 16.00

1702 Sandover Associates Limited (Ref. Event 12th

June 2012) 588.00

1703 Barry Thunder – Expenses for July 44.00

1704 Brian McGlone – Expenses from Conservation Site Funds 3.38 0.56

1705 South Marston C of E Primary School – Meeting Room Hire 15.00

TOTAL 1514.92 18.63

Members received first quarter finance information from Clerk.

ACTION: Clerk to ask United Trust Bank for current interest rate.

96/12 PLANNING

No new planning applications received to date.

97/12 DISCUSS NORTH EAST LOCALITY MEETINGS

Discussed under Correspondence Item 1. CM to try and attend the forthcoming North East Locality meeting

scheduled for 18th July 2012.

98/12 OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL PUBLICATION OF OXFORDSHIRE MINERALS AND WASTE PLAN

SY reviewed the waste plan via the Oxfordshire County Council website. The nearest proposed development

to South Marston is Faringdon. Members therefore felt that it was not relevant to comment on this

publication.

99/12 REQUIREMENT FOR NON-COUNCILLOR MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH MARSTON PARISH COUNCIL

EXPANSION WORKING PARTY TO SIGN THE CODE OF CONDUCT / REGISTER OF MEMBERS’

INTERESTS

Clerk informed members that Stephen Taylor, Director of Law and Democratic Services, SBC had received

amended Code of Conduct for South Marston and had no issues with amendment.

ACTION: Clerk to re-send register of interests to Parish Council.

Because the South Marston Parish Council Expansion Working Party is a Working Party of the Parish

Council with external members, non-parish councillors should sign the Register of Interests. The Working

Party need to abide by the Parish Council Code of Conduct.

ACTION: Copy of Code of Conduct and Register of Members’ Interest to go to external members of Working

Party.

100/12 REVIEW WORKING PARTY MEMBERSHIP

BT raised approval of conservation expenditure, as raised in SMAWL notes handed over by Brian McGlone.

Members noted that as the budget has already been approved, any 3 parish councillors can authorise

expenditure. Members resolved to leave working party membership for the time being. A recruitment drive

will be needed for future appointments.

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The Parish Council have received two applications for one official vacancy. Interview to be arranged for

Monday 23rd

July, 7.30pm and 8pm at the South Marston Hotel. KM, HJ and SY to interview.

ACTION: Clerk to invite candidates and circulate interview questions to panel.

The Parish Council now have two additional vacancies (currently awaiting formal resignation from JL). Clerk

to contact SBC Electoral Services and to advertise vacancies on the website and in Tower & Tap in due

course.

101/12 VILLAGE EXPANSION UPDATE

Clerk has received minutes of South Marston Parish Council Expansion Working Party meetings. KM

confirmed that he has read the minutes. The Working Party is currently concentrating on the format of the

SPD. Meeting scheduled with SBC next week. BT to forward updated email to the Parish Council.

102/12 REPORTS FROM WORKING PARTIES AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUTSIDE BODIES

Allotment update from BT: At the last Parish Council meeting, BT put forward a proposal for some additional

grass cutting and maintenance to be carried out now that the allotment income has increased. BT pointed

out that the Parish Council are not supposed to create surplus from income. BT asked if parking facilities

could be improved, to include trimming the previously disbanded allotment plot to allow for car parking.

Clerk received quote from current grass cutting contractor. Cost would be £50 for this year to cut back

disbanded plot and £80 for next year (to include 4 cuts a year) to keep grass down.

SB commented that the allotments ran at a loss for a number of years. Bills have exceeded £1000 in

previous years. The Parish Council would be prudent to create a surplus for allotments; however it is

important to show something for the additional rent charged. SB proposed spending £50 on additional grass

cutting. This was seconded by HJ. Motion carried.

SMAWL (South Marston Assisting Wildlife) update from BT: Currently in discussions with the Wiltshire

Wildlife Trust, the current trustees of St Julians Woodland about criteria for hand over to membership body.

Volunteer warden appointed for the woodland. Pushing forward for management plans. SB commented that

the SMAWL is a real success story which should be published in the Tower and Tap.

SB commented that there is Borough/Parish meeting coming up.

CM reported that he spoke with Ward Councillors Russell Holland and Colin Lovell at the recent village

event. It would be helpful to have a meeting to discuss their roles and interaction with the Parish Council and

Expansion Working Party. It would be good to have one point of contact.

CIL update from CM: Cabinet report identified minimum of 850 dwellings as a strategic development that

would not be covered by Section 106 contributions. South Marston expansion is under 850 and would be

covered by CIL. Not clear how this will relate the village situation. Big concern that it may affect South

Marston.

103/12 MATTERS BROUGHT FORWARD BY OR WITH CONSENT OF THE CHAIRMAN

Members noted correspondence received from Brian McGlone and were grateful for the hand over notes.

ACTION: Highworth United Charities and Footpaths to be discussed at the October Parish Council meeting.

Members had received verbal complaints about the noise levels late in the evening at the recent party in the

park. In future years, the music should be turned off by 11.30pm. Noise particularly loud after midnight.

ACTION: Clerk to draft letter to the event organiser. Clerk to circulate letter prior to sending.

Members expressed their sadness and sorrow upon hearing the news about Malcolm Phillips. Malcolm was

a great colleague and a good friend to all of us.

Meeting closed at 21:46.