Odstock Parish Council

The Annual meeting of Odstock Parish Council was held on 13 May 2009 in The Barker Room at Nunton.

Present: Rod Poynting (Chairman), Cliff Whitley (Vice-Chairman), Stephen Stapley, Colin Berry, Nigel Start, Ray Martin, David Williamson-Jones, Richard Parsons (Clerk) and four members of the public.

12/09 Annual Parish Meeting:  
1. The minutes of the Annual Parish meeting held on 14 May 2008, ref:OPC min no.12/08, were read and approved.
2. The OPC Chairman reported the primary concern for the Parish Council is currently the ongoing management of the Nunton Playing Field and the maintenance of the Pavilion. The arrival of the Unitary Authority on 1 April had barely been noticed and until the elections in June, there was not likely to be any significant change to service delivery. The forward planning issues raised by the Strategic Land Availability Assessment which had been topical in April 2008, will now feed into the Wiltshire Council Local Development Framework.
3. The Parish Clerk reported a 'carry forward' of £16,069 after expenditure of £8,436 and income of £11,461 which included £778 of developer's funds towards the safety fencing in the playing field and the skip grant of £398.
4. There being no other matters for discussion, the Chairman closed the 2009 Annual Parish Meeting at 7:12pm. 

13/09 Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman: Cllr Whitley proposed and Cllr Start seconded, Cllr Poynting as Chairman. The Chairman proposed and Cllr Williamson-Jones seconded, Cllr Whitley as Vice-chairman.

14/09 Declaration of Interest: None.

15/09 Delegation of Functions: LGA 1972 s101 allows for the functions of a statutory authority to be discharged through a committee, sub-committee, officer or any other local authority. It was unanimously agree that when necessary, statutory functions would be delegated to the Parish Clerk as Proper Officer of Odstock Parish Council. 

16/09 Meeting Dates: a) Due to a booking error, the 2009 AGM had been relocated to the Barker Room at Nunton, from the Radnor Hall. Since availability of the Radnor Hall for Parish Council meetings on a Wednesday evening cannot be guaranteed, it was unanimously agreed to hold future scheduled PC meetings in the Barker Room.
b) Members resolved that ordinary meetings of Odstock Parish Council should take place on the following dates: 9 September, 9 December, 10 February 2010 and the 2010 Annual meeting would be held on 12 May. In accordance with LGA72 sch.12 s.9(1), Extraordinary PC meetings can be called by the Chairman at any time and may be subject to LGA72 sch.12 s.10(2) requiring three clear days notice.

17/09 Minutes of the Ordinary PC meetings held on 11 February were agreed and signed by the Chairman. 

18/09 Matters Arising:
a) Skip in the Nunton Field: The skip delivered on Friday, 27 March, was filled quickly and when removed on Wednesday, 1 April, there was several cubic feet of rubbish left behind which had to be removed to the recycling facility at Churchfields. The risks posed by the provision of the skip service are excessive. 
b) Shepherds Close: Cllr Berry believes he is making progress through liaison with Wiltshire Council. 
c) Pavilion Refurbishment: The promised s/h kitchen units have not materialised and there was a debate about an alternative course of action. This will again be discussed at a future meeting. At the 2008 Annual PC meeting, OPC Min No.18/08(d), it was resolved to allocate £1,000pa to Pavilion Refurbishment, excluding donations. 

19/09 Nunton Field:
a) Grass Cutting: It was unanimously agreed to accept the quotations for grass cutting as presented by the usual contactor. It will cost £103.80 each time the grass in the Nunton field is cut and the cost of cutting the grass in the Odstock Playing Field will be £552.30 for the year. The contractor will be asked to provide details of the number of times the Odstock Playing Field is cut during 2009/10.
b) Play Area Safety Inspection: This was carried out on 29 April and has identified some minor repairs. 
c) Play Area Safety Surface: Cllr Whitley produced a report indicating two options for the refurbishment of the Safety surface: 1. Top-up the existing bark requiring 68 cubic meters of material at £2,680 (£39.41x68cu.m). 2. Replace surface with rubber chippings requiring 55 cubic meters of material at £2,895 (£52.64x55cu.m). This does not take into account installation costs or the purchase and the laying of a membrane.
d) Signage: It is becoming apparent that the laminated notices will last about six months. The Play area inspection did not comment on the signage which has been observed to be effective. It was agreed that the Clerk would provide Cllr Berry with revised wording which he would then laminate and display. Cllr Start believed he would be able to obtain some more durable signs at a low price. 

20/09 Community Initiatives:
a) Village Hall Committee Report: The Audited accounts for the year to 31 March 2009 show a smaller operating loss than the previous year. Operating Income of £6330 was 29% higher than 2007/08 and Operating Expenditure of £6375 gave rise to a small loss of £45. Grants and donations amounted to about £70,000 during the course of the year which has funded the programme of improvements. The Hall is being used six times per week and the extra land occupied by the new play area has been included in the lease at no extra cost. There are plans to install a new stage and curtains. Cllr Whitley agreed to be the PC appointed representative on the Village Hall Committee.
b) Power to Promote Well-being: members at a future meeting will review this new PC power.
c) Parish Boundary Walk: The Chairman reported that about 30 people had registered their interest in this event. The walk will commence from the Pavilion in the Nunton Field at 9:00am on Saturday, 16 May and it is expected to end at the Radnor Arms during the course of the afternoon. The Chairman has produced some notes and instructions to help with the observance of Health and Safety issues. 

21/09 Transport, Roads and Footpaths:
d) Wiltshire Council Parish Steward: The Parish Coordinator has recommended some improvements to the traffic priorities and road markings at the bridges on the Odstock Road in the interests of increased safety. These will be evaluated by the Highways Department of Wiltshire Council and implemented if appropriate. Repairs to potholes throughout the Villages are ongoing.
e) Speed Limit through the Villages: The Chairman advised that a direct approach to the police by concerned villagers is the most effective method for registering voter dissatisfaction with existing arrangements. 
f) Parking at Salisbury District Hospital: The Wiltshire Council is aware of the parking problems at the Hospital which lead to vehicles being parked on the highway close to the Hospital entrance. 

22/09 Finance:
a) Community First: Members resolved to accept the invitation to renew the PC's Zurich Municipal insurance policy for 2009/10 at a premium of £369.54p. A review of the amount of coverage is advisable.
b) Wiltshire Association of Local Councils: A subscription of £169.65p was approved for 2008/09.
c) Chairman's Allowance: A Chairman allowance of £100 was approved for 2009/10.
d) PC Accounts for y/e March 2009: Members approved the accounts as presented.
e) Risk Assessment as at April 2009: Members noted the assessment of risks.
f) Annual Return - Governance Statement: Members answered all questions in the affirmative.
g) Internal Auditor: Members agreed to the re-appointment of OPC's Internal Auditor. 
h) Payments: The following were approved:
R V Maidment Ltd - Skip Hire ---------------- 300 - £281.75p
Mazars - Audit Fee 2007-2008 --------------- 301 - £155.25p
R Poynting - Cash Purchase Reimbursement -- 302 --- £54.00p
Community First - Insurance Premium --------- 303 - £369.54p
R Parsons - Clerk's fee on account ------------ 304 - £670.00p
Sodexo Land Technology Ltd - Grass Cutting - 305 - £477.48p
WALC - Annual Subscription ----------------- 306 - £169.56p
Playdale Playgrounds Ltd - Safety Inspection -- 307 - £224.25p

23/09 Planning:
a) S/2009/0525 - Convert first floor of existing garage into habitable accommodation ancillary to the existing house at 112 High Street, Bodenham, Salisbury, SP5 4EU - No Objections.
b) S/2009/0540 - Full Planning - Erection of single-storey side and rear extensions following removal of rear conservatory at 2 Clearbury Close, Odstock, Salisbury, SP5 4NX - No Objections. 

24/09 Reports and Correspondence:
a) Cranbourne Chase & West Wilts Downs AONB: The Chairman will review the April Newsletter.
b) Southern Wiltshire Area Board: Structuring the Wiltshire Council Area Boards is ongoing. 

25/09 The next Ordinary Parish Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, 9 September. 

The meeting closed at 9:44pm 

Signed without amendment by the PC Chairman, Cllr Rod Poynting, on 9 September 2009.
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