Odstock Parish Council

An Ordinary meeting of Odstock Parish Council was held on 10 December 2008 in The Radnor Hall, Bodenham.

Present: Rod Poynting (Chairman), Cliff Whitley (Vice-Chairman), Stephen Stapley, Richard Parsons (Clerk), SD Cllr Bryan Rycroft, and two members of the public.
Apologies: 
Colin Berry, David Williamson-Jones, Nigel Start, Ray Martin and WC Cllr Julian Johnson.

37/08 Open Public Forum: There were no matters for discussion raised by members of the public.

38/08 Declaration of Interest: None.

39/08 Minutes of the Ordinary PC meeting held on 10 September were agreed and the Chairman signed both these and the approved minutes of the Annual PC meeting held on 14 May 2008 as a correct record. 

40/08 Matters Arising:
a) Fencing behind the Goalpost: Cllr Whitley reported that the fence had now been erected and application had been made for the R2 funds from SDC.
b) Shepherds Close: In the absence of Cllr Berry, progress on a resolution to this issue had to be deferred.

41/08 Nunton Field:
a) Grass Cutting: The Clerk reported that the field had been cut twice since September. 
b) Football: The Chairman will seek advice from SDC about making the pitch available to other teams.
c) Pavilion Maintenance: The Chairman reported that the donated kitchen units had still not been delivered.
d) Play Area Maintenance: Cllr Whitley reported that the manufacturer had replaced the wooden legs on some items of play equipment and that the removed wooden legs were being tested to discover the reason for the degradation. It may be necessary to replace more of the legs and hopefully, the cause of the premature deterioration will soon be established.
e) Play Area Safety Surface: The cost of repair and replenishment of the safety surface will need to be accommodated within the PC's budget. The manufacturer of the play equipment will be asked to advise on a suitable maintenance regime. 
f) Play Area Safety Inspection: A qualified inspector will be asked to carry out an annual inspection of the Play Equipment in March or April.
g) Signage: The Chairman had replaced the laminated signs and will monitor their effectiveness going forward.

42/08 Community Initiatives:
a) Radnor Hall: It was reported that R2 contributions of nearly £2,300, attributable to the neighbouring Parish of Britford under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, will be made available to the Radnor Hall Committee to continue with the planned upgrading of facilities. Britford Parish is unable to spend this money within the timeframe required by the Section 106 agreement.
b) Waste Management: Between 3rd and 14th October, one large skip placed in the Nunton Field had been filled and removed. The cost of £225 plus VAT will be met from the skip grant provided by SDC. There followed a debate about the provision of a second skip as agreed under minute number 30/08(b) and it was decided to defer a resolution until the next PC meeting in February. There remains £165 of unspent grant.
c) Community Partnership: SD Cllr Bryan Rycroft reported that the meeting on 27 November had been well attended and that he had been able to stay for nearly the whole meeting, having been to an earlier similar meeting in Salisbury. A concern is that minority issues might receive a disproportionate amount of attention. 
d) Section 106 Administration: Concern was voiced at the Community Partnership meeting about how Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 was likely to be interpreted by the new Wiltshire Council. Following a debate, it was agreed that Cllr Whitley should draft a letter to the new Unitary Council seeking clarification about how accumulated R2 funding would be allocated.

43/08 Transport, Roads and Footpaths:
a) WCC Parish Steward Report: The Village Coordinator reported that the WCC Parish Steward continues to make monthly visits and provides status reports to the Wiltshire County Council Highways Department.
b) Overhanging Branches: WCC Highways had alerted the PC to trees where branches were overhanging the road. The Copper Beech tree near the Nunton Rectory and a tree near the Radnor Hall both have branches which are lower than the 5.1 meter limit. The Chairman undertook to arrange for remedial attention. 

44/08 Planning: There were no planning applications to consider. 

45/08 Reports and Correspondence:
a) 2008 Rural Facilities Survey: The Chairman agreed to respond to WCC's request for information. 
b) Wiltshire Police Authority: The Independent member of the Authority who was present, was advised that Odstock PC had developed a good working relationship with the Downton Neighbourhood Policing Team. 

46/08 Finance:
a) PCC - Grass Cutting: A grant of £500 was approved.
b) Precept: It was agreed to issue a precept of £9,000 for the 2009-10 financial year.
c) Payments: The following were approved:
                HAC Joynt - Ground Maintenance ------------ 290 --- £168.00p
                Earl of Radnor 1989 Settlement - Rent -------- 291 ---- £10.50p
                R V Maidment Ltd - Skip Hire ---------------- 292 --- £264.38p
                Woodford Forest & Landscape Ltd - Fencing - 293 - £1,201.77p
                PCC - Grass Cutting -------------------------- 294 --- £500.00p
                Society of Local Council Clerks - Subscription - 295 ---- £61.00p
                Sodexo Land Technology Ltd - Grass Cutting - 296 --- £841.73p
                R Parsons - Clerk's fee on account ------------ 297 --- £620.00p

47/08 The next Ordinary Parish Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, 11 February 2009. 

The meeting closed at 8:54pm

Signed without amendment by the PC Chairman, Cllr Rod Poynting, on 11 February 2009.

Return to Archive