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An Ordinary meeting of Odstock Parish
Council was held on 11 February 2009 in The Radnor Hall at Bodenham.
Present: Rod Poynting (Chairman), Cliff Whitley (Vice-Chairman), Stephen Stapley, Colin Berry, Nigel Start, Ray Martin, David Williamson-Jones, Richard Parsons (Clerk), WC Cllr Julian Johnson and two members of the public.
Apologies: SD Cllr Bryan Rycroft.
1/09 Open Public Forum: The Radnor Hall committee is planning a new project to replace the stage with a less cumbersome version. Some funds have already been raised and the committee is confident of raising the full amount needed from a variety of sources. They are also proposing to seek accreditation for their standard of community engagement. This is likely to lead to a request to the Parish Council for the appointment of a Council member to represent the PC on the Radnor Hall Committee.
2/09 Declaration of Interest: None.
3/09 Minutes of the Ordinary PC meeting held on 10 December were agreed and signed by the Chairman.
4/09 Matters Arising:
a) Skips: Whilst there were some reservations, it was agreed that a skip would be provided in the Nunton field towards the end of March. This will be publicised, with the appropriate warnings, in News and Notes.
b) Shepherds Close: Cllr Berry reported that he was negotiating with a Wiltshire Council officer to reach a resolution to the long-standing maintenance issues in and around Shepherds Close.
5/09 Nunton Field:
a) Grass Cutting: It was agreed that grass would need to be cut with greater frequency than in previous years.
b) Football: With only limited communication from the Five Bells Saturday League Football Club, the Chairman had been unable to ascertain the intentions of local football enthusiasts.
c) Pavilion Maintenance: The Chairman reported that new locks would be needed on the toilet doors.
d) Play Area Maintenance: Cllr Whitley reported that the manufacturer had been unable to discover a reason for the premature deterioration of the wooden legs although they had accepted responsibility. Five of the eight supporting legs have now been replaced.
e) Play Area Safety Inspection: The play equipment manufacturer is able to provide a liability safety report with a recommendation which will ensure that all of the current safety regulations are being complied with. The cost of the report and recommendation will be £195 plus VAT. This was agreed unanimously.
f) Play Area Safety Surface: Over time, the safety surface bark will degrade and more material will need to be added. The cost of this is about £53 per cubic meter. Cllr Whitley has been researching alternative materials which might be longer lasting. This will be discussed at a future meeting.
g) Signage: New laminated notices will be replaced as required.
6/09 Community Initiatives:
a) The Parish Councils (Power to Promote Well-being)(Prescribed Conditions) Order 2008: This Central Government legislation came into force on 31 December 2008 and prescribes the following:
1) The clerk to the parish council must have obtained either a) the Certificate in Local Council Administration; b) the Certificate of Higher Education in Local Policy; or c) the Certificate of Higher Education in Local Council Administration; and must also have completed the relevant training in the exercise of the power under section 2(1) of the Local Government Act 2000;
2) At least 80% of the members of the council must have completed the relevant training.
3) The council must have published a statement of intent as to community engagement which must include those matters referred to in any guidance issued by the Secretary of State as to the engagement of interested persons in the exercise of the power under section 2(1) of the Local Government Act 2000.
b) Parish Boundary Walk: The Chairman proposed a PC organised walk around the 12-15 mile Parish boundary. 'Beating the bounds' was a popular annual affair during the eighteenth century and it was agreed that the PC should proceed with obtaining landowners' permissions. The walk will then be publicised in News and Notes.
c) Section 106 Administration: Cllr Whitley had drafted a letter to Wiltshire County Council regarding the future allocation of R2 funding when the new Unitary Authority comes into force on 1 April 2009. The concern is that rural areas with low levels of development will be less likely to benefit from the accumulated R2 funding than more densely populated areas. It was agreed that the Clerk should arrange for the letter to be delivered.
7/09 Transport, Roads and Footpaths:
a) WCC Parish Steward Report: The inclement weather has led to a proliferation of potholes which have been reported to the Parish Steward. Parishioners and Council members should both be encouraged to use the 'Clarence' freephone number, 0800 23 23 23 and/or the website at Wiltshire.gov.uk to report Highways defects.
b) Overhanging Branches: The Chairman reported that had needed to purchase a 'high limb chain saw' to remove the low hanging branches on the copper beech tree at Nunton. It was agreed that the PC should pay for the equipment which had cost less than £50, including delivery.
c) Parking at the Hospital: Cllr Berry observed that parking on the road outside the Hospital continues to obstruct the smooth flow of traffic along the Odstock road.
8/09 Planning: a) There were no planning applications to consider.
b) Community Partnership: The Clerk reported that he had attended the Southern Area Committee meeting at the Trafalgar School, Downton on the previous evening where a presentation had been delivered explaining how the local area boards would work in conjunction with the Community Partnerships. The presentation was well-received by the current Salisbury District Councillors
9/09 Reports and Correspondence:
a) 2008 Rural Facilities Survey: The Chairman confirmed that he had provided Wiltshire County Council with the required information.
b) Wiltshire County Council: A series of road-shows is being organised to reassure electors across the County how to access services from the new Unitary Authority.
10/09 Finance:
a) Payments: The following were approved:
HAC Joynt - Ground Maintenance - 298 -- £56.00p
R Parsons - Clerk's fee on account - 299 - £386.00p
11/09 The Annual Parish Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, 13 May 2009, following the Annual Parish Meeting which will commence at 7:00pm.
The meeting closed at 8:54pm
Signed without amendment by the PC Chairman, Cllr Rod Poynting, on 13
May 2009.
Download here as a .pdf file.
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