MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 12 MAY, 2003 AT 7.30PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL, AMPNEY CRUCIS.
Present: 20 electors, 5 children
Presiding: Councillor P Kelly
Clerk: Mrs H E Tonks
1. Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 13 May, 2002
The Minutes of the meeting were posted in the village. There were no objections to the factual record. Councillor Grazebrook proposed, Councillor Dear seconded and the meeting agreed that the minutes be approved and signed.
2. Annual Report of Ampney Crucis Parish Council
Councillor Kelly gave the following report:
The Parish Council has had another busy year. Fran Huckle who served, unstintingly, as a Parish Councillor for over 4 years has moved from the village and resigned from the council. We thank her for all her efforts on behalf of the community. Following the uncontested Parish Council election on 1st May, six Councillors (myself, Gerald Gaden, Adrian Grazebrook, Sally Hebbs, David Vessey and John Dear) will now begin a new term of Office
Councillor Bruce Evans has given continual valued support to the Parish Council, for which the Council are grateful, but stepped down as District Councillor at the elections in May. Councillor Horsfall is the new District Councillor for the Ampney/Coln Ward. Raymond Theodoulou has continued to work as our County Councillor, giving support and advice when necessary.
Janet Campbell has continued to act as the Parish Council’s Tree Warden, and comments on all tree works applications.
Meetings
The Parish Council has had seven meetings during the year. These comprised the regular meetings held every other month, and an extra meeting to discuss the Parish Council’s response to the first deposit of the Cotswold District Local Plan 2001 - 2011. Ten members of the Public attended the meetings during the year.
This year we have received and commented on 38 different applications – of these, 3 were for Listed Building consents, 5 minor amendments, 3 outline planning applications,15 full planning applications and12 were for tree works.
The Parish Council objected to 5 applications on policy grounds, Orchard Hill, Waterton Farm, 17 Ampney Crucis, Stonelea and amended plans for the new houses on School Lane.
The Council responds to every planning application, even if there are no objections in principle, constraints can be attached to the approval. If you should have any concerns about a local planning matter, please contact the Chairman or your local Parish Councillor.
This year, the Parish Council also commented on the First Deposit of the District Local Plan.
The grass-cutting contract for 2003/04 has been awarded to a local contractor, Tony Williams. Your views on the performance of the contractor would be welcomed.
A successful clean up day was held in the Burial Ground during the summer - thanks should go to Don Underwood who moved countless trailer loads of debris, and to the (regrettably few) other volunteers who turned out to help.
A further clear up was held in April as part of the District Council’s ‘Spring Clean’ initiative. The burial ground, verges and hedgerows were cleared despite a disappointing turn out and it is hoped there will be a better response in future!
The precept for the year ending 31 March 2003 was set at £5000.
The Council were obliged to adhere to the new audit regime for the year ending March 2002. The Audit was carried out during the summer of 2002. In theory the Audit should have been simpler and cheaper. In practice, the audit was no simpler, and was more expensive. The Parish Council have already written to the local press, our MP, the National Association of Local Councils and the County Association, expressing concern about the increased fees. There was little positive response, so the Council agreed that copies of the letters should be sent to the national press in an effort to make the situation more widely known.
Part of the new audit regime requires a ‘two part’ audit: the first part of the audit was an internal audit. In previous years one of the Councillors has internally audited the accounts. This is no longer allowed - the internal audit must be done by someone not directly connected to the Council. We were fortunate, in that Neil Holt agreed to undertake the audit for us. However many Councils have been forced to pay up to £80 for the internal audit alone. Following the internal audit, an external audit must take place, using a specified contractor, for this the Council were charged £120, excluding VAT.
The Council has continued to make donations to specific organisations that benefit the residents of Ampney Crucis thus £50 has been donated to the Citizens Advice Bureau.
The precept for the forthcoming year has been increased to £5300 to take account of vastly increased insurance premiums and to bring the Clerk’s salary in line with that recommended by the National association of Local Councils.
New Government Legislation.
The ‘red tape’ surrounding local government even at this level has increased enormously this year. The Council have complied with recent legislation by implementing the new code of conduct for all Councillors, completing the register of interests, and implementing the Freedom of Information Act. There are new statutory requirements laid down by the Commission for racial equality as well as voluntary ones. The new audit regime was implemented, along with the need to carry out a risk assessment of the Council.
Councillors walk the footpaths throughout the village to ensure that they are open to the public, and they will continue to ensure that they are clearly marked out where they have been disturbed as a result of ploughing
Residents had raised concerns that vehicles were speeding along the eastern end of the Village Street. Residents were contacted, and most were not in favour of any overt traffic calming measures. A speed check was carried out in the area, and found that most cars adhered to the current speed limit. There have also been complaints of excessive noise from both cars, low powered motor cycles and quad vehicles. Those involved are requested to have consideration for the community. The Council will continue to monitor the situation.
An enormously successful celebration weekend was held in June to celebrate the Golden Jubilee. Many thanks to Sally Hebbs and the rest of the Committee for all their hard work.
The Ampney Crucis Times continues to provide valuable and up to date information to the whole village. Our thanks must go to the editors: Elizabeth Gerber, David Vessey and Christine Cridford.
There is also a village Website run by Frank Skinner. The Parish Council post their agendas and minutes on the site as an additional means of notification. More use could be made of it by village organisations, see the flyer on the home page or contact Frank Skinner.
The 2001 Village Directory continues to be available from any of the Councillors, or from the Parochial Church Council at a cost of £1.
Neighbourhood Watch continues to operate throughout the village. It can be very effective, and the Council ask you to be as vigilant as possible.
Fly tipping is still a problem in places – if you see it happening, please notify the District Council.
County Council finance for highway repairs is very limited, but the Parish Council continues to lobby for further repair work to footpaths in Ampney Crucis. There has been some resurfacing on Hunts Hill, and it is hoped that more will be done. However the drains on the hill, and the rest of the footpaths in this area still require substantial repair.
The County Council have agreed that new white lines will be painted on the A417 near Ampney Park. Hopefully this will make this stretch of road safer.
This subject will be dealt with under Item 6.
Finally the Parish Council would like to thank all those who have contributed in any way to the life of the village in the last year - without their help the village would not be such a pleasant place to live in. Thanks go also to those present for attending tonight’s meeting.
q Whilst appreciating that copies of the Parish Council’s objections to planning decisions are displayed on the notice board it was requested that details of decisions by the District Council are similarly displayed. The Chairman explained that this information was given in the minutes of Parish council meetings, but the Council would discuss the matter further in the Annual Parish Council meeting later in the evening.
q The Village Directory was appreciated by those who owned a copy, however it is now becoming out of date. Were there any plans to re-issue an up to date copy? Councillor Vessey explained that the sales of the directory did not merit the amount of time it would take to produce it. This matter however would be discussed further in the Annual Parish Council meeting later in the evening.
3. Parish Council accounts for the year ending 31 March, 2003
Copies of the summary accounts, which had been drawn up in the format required by the Accounts and Audit regulations, 1996, as amended, were distributed to those present. Detailed accounts will be found with the Annual Parish Council minutes.
These accounts will be adopted at the Annual Parish Council meeting.
4. Accounts of the Village Hall Charity and the Robert Pleydell Educational Charity.
These were presented to the meeting. It was noted that the Robert Pleydell Trust had continued to provide financial help to organisations in the village and the school. The Village Hall Management Committee had increased the events in the hall and the Chairman thanked them for their efforts.
5. Reports, if any, from other Village organisations and District and County Councillors.
None
6. Discussion on the proposals for a Village Playground
Kim Hartshorne, from the Ampney Crucis playground Association gave the following report:
q The Playground association had been working for 12 –18 months to come up with a scheme for a playground in the village. Parents were wary of letting their children play unsupervised as would have happened 20-30 years ago, and there was demand for a facility where children could play together in safety. This play area would be a focal point in the village – with no village shop or similar meeting place it would be an area where new residents would meet existing residents, building up a stronger community.
q Parents with access to cars would drive their children to neighbouring villages to use play areas, but many residents do not have a car.
q There are many facilities for older people in the village, but little for the younger children.
q A questionnaire was circulated in the village, which identified 74 children who would use the playground more than once a week. There were other responses that showed that grandparents would also use the playground when grandchildren visited.
Anthony Bursey presented a financial breakdown of the projected costs, displayed below:
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Rate |
Total |
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Swings (2.45m high, 2 x flat seats) |
1 |
no. |
1000 |
£1,000 |
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Toddler swings (1.85m high, 2 x baby seats) |
1 |
no. |
1100 |
£1,100 |
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Climbing Frame (large unit with slide) |
1 |
no. |
8000 |
£8,000 |
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Bouncer (2 seats) |
1 |
no. |
500 |
£500 |
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Spinner |
2 |
no. |
400 |
£800 |
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Skate ramp |
1 |
no. |
1200 |
£1,200 |
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Grind rails |
2 |
no. |
110 |
£220 |
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Safety surfacing - for heights more than 1.2m |
77 |
m2 |
50 |
£3,850 |
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Safety surfacing - for heights up to 1.2m |
46 |
m2 |
31 |
£1,426 |
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Skateboard surfacing |
120 |
m2 |
30 |
£3,600 |
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Fencing |
0 |
m |
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£0 |
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Gate (large for vehicle access + small pedestrian) |
1 |
item |
1000 |
£1,000 |
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Signs |
2 |
no. |
100 |
£200 |
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Litter bin |
2 |
no. |
260 |
£520 |
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Benches |
3 |
no. |
400 |
£1,200 |
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Installation |
1 |
item |
4000 |
£4,000 |
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Sub-total |
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£28,616 |
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Contingency |
5% |
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£1,431 |
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Inspection/certification |
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£500 |
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GCC fees/charges |
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£700 |
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Grand total |
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£31,247 |
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Notes: |
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VAT excluded |
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Prices assume Wicksteed equipment |
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The Chairman explained that there would be a five minute break to allow those present the opportunity to look at the display.
Following the break, the Chairman explained that during the past year, the Parish Council have been discussing whether to support the playground committee’s proposals for a play area in the village. A site has been identified in Allotment Lane, the playground committee have identified the types of equipment that will be required, and the costs that will be incurred in providing this equipment. The playground committee would be responsible for the daily/weekly inspections of the site.
If the Parish Council were to support the proposal, they would probably have to pay for the initial legal fees, estimated at £1400, and become the organisation responsible for maintaining the licence with the County Council, insurance and maintenance of the site and the annual inspections. A reserve would have to be placed into the accounts to provide for maintenance and other unexpected costs. The Gloucestershire County Playing Fields Association suggest that up to £200 per year is placed in the reserves. Cirencester Town Council suggest that £500 is placed in the reserves. However, this seems underestimated, as the replacement of one swing seat could cost up to £200 once call out fees, materials and labour have been taken into account. Any increase in the Council Tax can be worked out by dividing the precept by the property base for AC of 302.1. Thus the current precept request of £5300 resulted in a precept for the village of £17.54 for a Band D house. An increase in the precept of £1000 would lead to an increase for a Band D house of £3.31.
Public liability insurance for the playground would be covered in the Council’s own insurance. However if the Council wished to take out insurance against accident or damage to the equipment, the costs average at approximately £100 for every £10,000 of equipment.
A number of issues were raised:
q The design was quite ‘urban’. Would a wood built play area be more suitable for the village? Kim Hartshorne replied explaining that wooden play equipment was not as long lasting, and tended to become slimy over time. There are also over 25 paint finishes for the equipment, therefore the design can be made to blend in to the site.
q Some residents of the village had not received the questionnaire. Kim Hartshorne explained that the village had been split into groups to circulate the questionnaire, and the playground association assumed that the entire village had been sent a questionnaire.
q What ages would the play area be targeted at? The area will be targeted from the young children up to young teenagers. The skate ramp for the teenagers may be sited away from the smaller children’s play area. Very few play areas are supervised, and it was unlikely that this one would be supervised, unless by parents with children playing there.
q How would VAT affect the project and could it be reclaimed?
q How long would fundraising take? Kim Hartshorne explained that the majority of the funds would come from grants, and the rest from other fundraising ventures. Down Ampney had raised their funds in 7 – 8 months. There were concerns that fundraising for this would take money away from the Village Hall, Church and school.
q There is a £75 excess on the Council’s Insurance policy.
q How much would have to be placed into reserves for future maintenance? It was anticipated that up to £2000 per year could be required, to cover insurance, inspections and maintenance.
q The Parish Council are required, in the interests of continuity, to be the organisation for the lease. Should the play area be unsuccessful, the Parish Council will have to pay for the removal of the equipment.
q A previous application for a play area failed as a suitable site could not be found, and there was not enough support in the village for the scheme. It is hoped that this application, having found the site and the volunteers to start the project would be more successful
q One third of all households in Ampney Crucis have children under 16.
q Although the field currently affords the opportunity for games such as football and cricket, a play area will provide a much needed focal point.
q A list of over 30 names had been gathered from people who were unable to attend the meeting, but wished to support the play area.
The Chairman thanked all those who had put effort into presenting the scheme and those who attended the meeting. The Parish Council would discuss the proposal at a later meeting.
The meeting closed at 8.55 pm.