Parish Council Minutes
1/ PRESENT
Cllr G Harper (Chairman)
Cllrs I Walker, Mrs J Rogers, Mrs V McPherson Cllr Mrs D Brock and G O'Neill.
Mrs S Griffiths (Clerk)
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received and accepted from Mrs. P Priestley
2/ MINUTES
The Minutes of the previous meetings of the Parish Council, having been circulated were approved by the Meeting and signed by the Chairman.
3/ DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members were asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting.
None were declared.
4/ MATTERS ARISING NOT OTHERWISE ON THE AGENDA
a) The lamp outside the shop on the telegraph pole still needs to be repaired. This has been reported to the Bucks C. C. under ref number 256142. The Clerk is negotiations with the BCC as the ownership and responsibility for the maintenance is unclear.
b) Cllr I Walker has met with Sarah Guppy the Local Area Technician concerning the overgrown path to the scout hut. Sarah Guppy has agreed that she will try and get the trees cut back in the next financial year and at the same time will get the ditch cleared out so there is a bigger impact.
c The Clerk contacted the B.C.C. for a progress report on the initial audit for the pedestrian refuge planned for the Thame end of Longwick that was due to take place in June. Ken Maloughney had visited the site with a colleague from the audit team and for various reasons the site was found to be unsuitable and therefore the pedestrian refuge will not be installed.
d. The parish newsletter has been added to the website.
e. The Village Carol Service will be held at 6pm on the 15th December 2009. Cllr J Rogers agreed to organise the refreshments. Cllr G Harper agreed to organise the tree. Cllr G O'Neill agreed to liaise with the school. JR/GON/GH
5/ FINANCE
Accounts for Payment:
| Cheque | Payee / Description | Net | VAT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 336 | C Putnam & Sons – supply of concrete | 600.00 | 90.00 | £690.00 |
| 337 | K Dobson – risk assessment report | 14.10 | 0.00 | £14.10 |
| 338 | M H P – load newsletter on website | 15.00 | 2.25 | £17.25 |
| 339 | Manor Estates - Grounds Maintenance in October | 395.89 | 59.73 | £455.27 |
Receipts: NONE RECEIVED
Bank Balance £15,772.04 (allowing for the above entries). The income and expenditure for November was examined by the Council. All present agreed that the necessary cheques be signed.
6/CAPITAL ITEMS AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES
A. Playing Field
Graffiti on the skate park was highlighted as a medium risk in the Risk Inspection report. Cllr G Harper agreed to remove the graffiti. GH
Cllrs I Walker and V McPherson have both received reports of a large dog that was not being properly supervised in the playing field. The dog warden has been contacted but is unable to do anything unless they witness an incident. All present agreed that although the situation is unsatisfactory, the Parish Council is unable to take any action to ban the dog from the park.
Cllr Mrs D Brock agreed to purchase three trees for the playing field in advance of the work to be undertaken by the Playing Field Working Group on Saturday. DB
B. Children's Play Area
The Risk Inspection report has highlighted a broken bench slat on the Golden Jubilee Seat. Cllr G O'Neill has agreed to inspect the damage and if necessary contact Briants to organise the repair. GON
7/ ROADS, VERGES AND RIGHTS OF WAY
The members were informed of another accident involving a car exiting Bar Lane. The members are concerned that the siting of the "Give Way" sign is too close to the junction to give sufficient notice to the cars that are travelling along Bar Lane. Cllr Mrs V McPherson agreed to contact the police to obtain a report on the accident. VM
The Clerk is requested to contact BCC in relation to the Parish Council's request for a "weight restriction" sign to be placed before the entry to Bar Lane to prevent their entry as once the vehicles have entered the lane it is difficult for them to turn around. SG
8/ CORRESPONDENCE:
To be discussed
- An invitation to the Wheels to Work initiative on 27th November. Noted.
- Notification of changes to the bus services in the Parish. The Clerk is requested to place a laminated copy of the relevant times on the notice board.
- A request from BCC for the Parish Council to organise walks along local Public Rights of Way. No further action required as Longwick-cum-Ilmer Parish Council already operates a system whereby the local Public Rights of Way are walked on a regular basis and maintenance issues reported monthly.
- A letter from Transport for Buckinghamshire advising they are currently developing the third Local Transport Plan for Buckinghamshire (LTP3). They are seeking engagement at an early stage in the project to ensure that the Plan tackles local issues with localised options. They have requested that the Parish Councils discuss the pack, suggest if the stated objectives can be improved; review the problems and issues listed; prioritise strategic options for the County, with reference to the needs of the local area and post the comments, on the website by the 31st December 2009.
To enable the Parish Council to give an informed response, all present agreed to defer this item until the next meeting. SG
Items of general interest on table.
9/ REPORTS
School Governors
Cllr G Harper thanked the school for the laying of a wreath on Remembrance Day and hoped that it would become an annual event for the school.
Cllr G O'Neill presented a summary of the recent Ofsted report.
Local Community Partnership
Nothing to report. The next meeting is on the 25th November 2009.
WDALC
Nothing to report. The next meeting is on the 17th December 2009.
Neighbourhood Action Group
Cllr Mrs V McPherson presented the following report from the Neighbourhood Policing Team
Speed enforcement operation have been carried out involving the local Neighbourhood Policing team, the Thames Valley safer roads partnership and road safety officers from Transport for Buckinghamshire in the following areas: Chinnor Road- Bledlow Ridge, Ellesborough Road- Butlers Cross, Thame Road- Longwick along with Lower Icknield Road- Great Kimble. 16 Motorists were dealt with for exceeding the 30 mph speed limit. These results support the continued use of such speed enforcement operations in the area over the coming months.
The criteria for permanent speed indication devices or traffic calming measures to be fitted in villages is based on a priority basis using injury collision statistics to ensure the funds are spent where they are most needed.
Within the month of October there has been 2 burglaries reported in the Parish.
The next bear surgery in Longwick is on Thursday 26th November between 0830-0930am at the Longwick Post Office.
The next Neighbourhood action group meeting is at 7.30pm on Monday 30th November at Bradenham Cricket Club.
Newsletter
Nothing to report.
10/ A REPORT FROM THE WEBSITE WORKING GROUP
The Clerk confirmed that the newsletter had been loaded on to the website.
The Clerk apologised for not contacting the webmaster concerning the Parish Council's request to ascertain if all four of the photographs could be used and will have the information for the next meeting. The Clerk is requested to obtain a quotation for "Live News" SG
11/ MEETING DATES FOR 2010
All present agreed to continue meeting on the third Tuesday of the month throughout the year. The Clerk is requested to book the dates with the Longwick Village Hall Committee. SG
12/ THE EVIDENCE TO SUBMIT WITH THE BID FOR FUNDING FOR A VEHICLE ACTIVATED SIGN TO REDUCE SPEEDING IN THE VILLAGE AND THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROJECT BY THE PARISH COUNCIL.
The Clerk is requested to contact the local police for information on the recent accidents in the village to support the bid for funding for a Vehicle Activated Sign to reduce speeding in the village. SG
All present agreed for the Parish Council to contribute £350 towards the cost of supply and installation of the VAS if the bid is successful.
13/ PLANNING APPLICATIONS
A/ Progress on applications already considered:
09/06708/FUL: Decision: Application Permitted Address: Hill View Longwick Road Longwick Proposal: Householder application for the construction of a two storey side and rear extension.
09/06702/FUL: Decision Application Permitted Address: Poplars Farm, Meadle Village Road Meadle Proposal: Householder application for the erection of detached timber double garage
09/06547/LBC: Decision: Application Permitted The Corn Barn Longwick Mill Lower Icknield Way Longwick Proposal: Listed building consent for the construction of a single storey side extension and external alterations to include a new front entrance door
B/ New Applications to be considered
09/07098/FUL: Horsenden Manor Horsenden Lane Princes Risborough. Proposed: Erection of storage building to house equipment and machinery. All present agreed to visit the site of the proposed application on 23rd November before making a decision.
09/07037/CTREE: Meadle Cottage Meadle Village Road Meadle. Proposed: Fell 1 Lime tree. The Parish Council has no objection.
09/06903/TPO: 1 Innkeepers Court Longwick. Proposed: Reduce branch from over verge by 3.5m, side lateral reduction from over garden and garage by 3.5m, crown thin a portion of the crown by 30% to the section of crown that overhangs the garden to 1 Ash tree. The Parish Council has no objection.
09/06858/FUL: Orchard Cottage Thame Road Longwick. Proposed: Householder application for construction of side extensions to property. The Parish Council has no objection.
14/ AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
To decide on the budgets for the financial year 2010/2011 and the setting of the precept.
To decide on the expenditure allowed under L.G.A. 1972 Section 137.
To consider whether to include "Live News" on the Website
To decide on a response to the B.C.C.'s request for feedback on the third Local Transport Plan for Buckinghamshire.
15/ The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on Tuesday 15th December 2009 in Longwick Village Hall.
There being no further business to discuss the Meeting closed at 9.25pm
Chairman………………………………………… Date……………..