Minutes of the MEETING OF LYTCHETT MATRAVERS PARISH COUNCIL
Held on Monday June 15th 2015 at 7:00 in the Village Hall, Lytchett Matravers.
PRESENT were Cllrs: M Colvey, R Carswell, A Cottman, A Huggins, K Norris, E Wilson, P Webb, C Wood and Mr T Watton (Parish Clerk).
County Cllr F Drane and two members of the public were also present.
1. REceipt of apologies for absence – Cllrs A Bush and J Taylor, and Dist Cllr W Meaden.
2. CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS.
3. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST; AND CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR SPECIAL DISPENSATIONS UNDER SECTION 33 OF THE LOCALISM ACT 2011.
There were none.
4. Receipt of Chairman’s acceptance of office.
The Chairman signed this and passed it to the Parish Clerk.
5. Receipt of Vice Chairman’s acceptance of office.
The Parish Clerk advised he had received this.
6. Consideration of applicants for Council Vacancy and appointment of new member.
It was noted that there were two applicants for this post – Mrs Julia Gracey and Mr David Bevan. Consideration of this appointment was due to be made “in camera” so non-council members were asked to leave the room for this item. After some discussion a vote was taken which decided 5/3 in favour of Mr Bevan. It was therefore RESOLVED to appoint him to this vacancy.
7. Acceptance of office of new council member.
As Mr Bevan was not present at the meeting the Parish Clerk advised that he would sent Mr Bevan a copy of the Acceptance of Office and Declaration of Pecuniary Interests forms. Action: Parish Clerk to forward the forms to Mr Bevan accordingly.
8. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SESSION
Mrs Hampshire wished to clarify who is responsible for cutting the grass verges along Huntick Rd, as this work has been started, but left incomplete. The Parish Clerk confirmed that this work is the responsibility of the DCC Highways contractors.
9. THE MINUTES of the Council meeting on May 18th 2015 were approved as a true record of the meeting, and signed by the Chairman.
10. MATTERS ARISING & UPDATE ON ACTION POINTS.
- Minute 13, 18th August 2014. Establishment of Google Diary. Cllr Carswell had previously commented that he would develop and circulate some instructions to guide members in how to link their diaries to the online calendar on the Council’s website; and also how to add items to the website calendar. Action: Cllr Carswell to prepare and email this briefing – CARRIED FORWARD.
- Minute 10, 15th September 2014. Litter bin for MUGA. Awaiting installation by the Village Handyman. CARRIED FORWARD.
- Minute 17, 15th December 2014 – correspondence with a resident regarding poor mobile phone signal. Cllr Colvey had indicated that he had written to Ofcom, but had not yet received a response. In the meantime Mr Gracey had suggested that it may be best to await the introduction of 4G, which will include extra masts. DISCHARGED.
- Minute 10, 19th January 2015 – Dog control signage. The Parish Clerk reported that due to the length of time it had taken to identify and obtain a quotation from a third supplier, the quotation from the initial prospective supplier was no longer valid. However, given the significant likely cost (around £800-£1000) of this project as presently specified, an alternative time-bound awareness / education approach was suggested, to be backed up with a smaller number of permanent signs to ensure communication of the by-law and the boundaries of the area it covers. This alternative approach involves obtaining two large banners. One is intended to be positioned in the middle of the main sports playing area (i.e. on the defunct cricket wicket) indicating that it is a “No Dogs” area, whilst the other is positioned on the southern part of the rec field indicating the dogs are welcome there. It was agreed to refer this matter to the Environment & Amenities Committee to explore the practicalities of this approach. Action: Parish Clerk to add this matter to the draft agenda of the next E&A Cttee meeting.
v. Minute 22, 19th January 2015 –Venues for Council meetings. As discussed previously, Cllr Wood reported that she had approached the Methodist Church about using their church building for Council meetings. They have no objections, the building is available on all regular council meeting evenings, they have their own tables, and the space can be quickly rearranged to accommodate such meetings. Cllr Wood agreed to set up a meeting with the Methodists to explore this matter further. It was noted that the Council’s formal bookings of the Village Hall end with the July meetings. Action: Cllr Wood to set up the necessary meeting with the Methodists and report back in due course.
vi. Minute 8v, 16th February 2015 – DCC Members divisional budget. The youth / community element (£1000) requires a relevant group (or groups) to be prompted to approach Cllr Drane with the details of their project(s). It was noted that the Scouts have been in touch with Cllr Drane. Cllr Cottman is to chase up the Sports Club. Action: Cllr Cottman to contact the Sports Club again accordingly. CARRIED FORWARD.
- Minute 13, 16th February 2015 – Primrose donation to Village Hall toilets refurbishment project. It was agreed at the April meeting that, as no response had been received from Primrose, Cllr Colvey would write to them. He reported that the letter had not yet been sent; but would be by 20th June.
- Minute 21, 18th May 2015 – Risk Assessments. The risk assessments for the Allotments and the Recreation Ground had previously been forwarded the Parish Clerk. However there were difficulties with the file formatting of both, and so the Parish Clerk had asked if the two Councillors concerned would review these, put them on to the templates he had originally sent out, and then forward them to him again. These are still awaited. Action: Cllrs Carswell and Cottman to review and re-send accordingly.
11. District Cllrs report.
District Cllr Webb provided the following report drawn from the proceedings of Purbeck District Council:
- Membership of the Purbeck Local Plan Partial Review Advisory Group was established. The Chairman is Dist Cllr Peter Wharf. Their meetings will be well attended as all Councillors will be able to make contributions and keep an eye on the progress of the partial review. The next meeting is on 18th. June.
- Alternative proposals have been put forward for the County Council ward boundaries currently proposed by the Boundary Commission in their review. PDC has put forward proposals that lump Upton, Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers in with half of Wareham; thus creating a two-member ward. Dist Council members were not confident of any success in getting this and other changes made. They intended to enlist the support of the two local MPs.
12. County Councillor’s report
County Cllr Drane reported on the following matters;
He had attended the Dorset Police and Crime Panel DCC.at County Hall .Dorchester. He explained that the purpose of this meeting is to scrutinise the work of Police Commissioner, Martyn Underhill. Consequently this involves review and scrutiny of decisions made or of other actions taken. Cllr Drane reported that he had raised a number of complaints put forward from Upton Town Council, such as the lack of Police presence in that area, and communication shortfalls with the Council. Cllr Drane referred to one of the stated aims of the Commissioner to increase peoples satisfaction with policing in Dorset. Mr Underhill had stated that in national and local surveys Dorset seems to achieve high levels of public confidence. Mr Underhill is scheduled to carry out a visit to Lytchett Minster & Upton in July, and it is hoped that this will be productive and provide a grass roots view – which Cllr Drane anticipates will demonstrate the source of a number of complaints he has put forward to Mr Underhill. In the same meeting Cllr Drane pointed out that the 101 phone number was the only contact the public had with the Police – and yet and there were still complaints about promptness on answering such calls. Mr Underhill had suggested that this may due to the number being used by the pubic for non-police matters.
Turning to the draft recommendation for Dorset County Council by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, at the recent DCC meeting Cllr Drane objected to Lytchett Minster Lytchett Matravers and Upton being separated from Lytchett Matravers. He had argued that Lytchett Matravers should remain with Lytchett Minster and Upton. The deadline for public comments is 6 July 2015.
Cllr Drane observed that there had been a number of reports in the local evening paper (Echo) about the (LATC), now known as Tricure. This is the Local Authority Trading Company. For Council members or the public seeking further information, enquiries should be directed to DCC Cabinet Member Cllr Jill Haynes (for Adult Social Care). The lead Director at DCC is Catherine Driscoll, Director of Adult and Community Services, DCC.
In response to the above, Dist Cllr Webb encouraged the development of a formal response to the boundary change proposals by stressing the need for Lytchett Matravers to continue to be grouped with Lytchett Minster and Upton. Courtesy copes of any response should also go to the leaders of DCC and PDC.
13. REPORTS FROM SUB-COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS
Neighbourhood Planning Group.
Cllr wood expressed concerns at the lack of members of the public attending the consultation sessions in the library. She raised a particular concern about the possible need to provide evidence of public consultation, as part of the Neighbourhood Plan development process. Lack of attendees at the consultation sessions (or a record thereof) may undermine this. During the discussion it was established that the flyer for the sessions has not yet been printed and distributed. It was suggested that it may be appropriate to give a communication push before Lytchett link is published. Cllr Colvey agreed to send copies of the flyer to all members to display.
14. Recommendations from Committees:
(a) Planning Committee – meeting 4th June 2015:
There were no recommendations to bring forward.
(b) Finance & Policy Committee – meeting 8th June 2015:
Cllr Norris reported on two recommendations to full council:
1. The adoption by Full Council of the Person Specification for Full Council Membership, as attached at as an appendix to the minutes of the Finance & Policy Committee meeting on 8th June. It was RESOLVED to approve this and for it to be published on the Council’s website.
2. That the council approves the placing an order with the supplier who provided the cheaper of the two quotes to supply a noticeboard. His noticeboard is to replace the current dilapidated and damaged noticeboard on Wareham Rd adjacent to the school. It was RESOLVED to approve this.
It was RESOLVED to receive the minutes of both of the above meetings.
15. Consideration and approval of 2014/15 Annual Return, including governance statements.
The council considered each of the Governance statements as listed in section two of the Annual Return form, and noted that the answers are “yes” in each case. It was RESOLVED to complete the submission on this basis.
It was RESOLVED to accept the recommendation from the Finance and Policy committee that the section 1 submission is completed using the numbers prepared by Mrs White; but to be supported by an explanatory note drawing attention of the BDO officers to the effects of a discrepancy in a previous year – which they had been made aware of in previous submissions. By so doing, the Council achieves the submission timetable, demonstrates an open approach to this problem, and highlights the points of concern raised by Cllr Bush regarding the carried forward error. A copy of the approved submission is attached at appendix one to these minutes.
16. Proposal arising from review of use of Council land at northern end of the Allotments.
The following proposal was considered and APPROVED:
For the benefit of allotment holders – the land to north of the Allotment field be licensed for the sum of £25 per year (to be reviewed annually) for the keeping of bees. No other livestock to be placed in this field without the express agreement of the full Parish Council who would consider this request in the light of any regulations prevailing.
For 2015-16 this would be solely for the keeping of bees.
Action: Parish Clerk to write to the Bee Keeper and advise him accordingly.
17. Receipt of remaining Risk assessments.
It was noted that in addition to those mentioned in a minute 10 viii above, the risk assessment due to be prepared by Cllr Wood is also outstanding.
18. Update on arrangements for naming ceremony for Foxhills-Deans Drove path.
It was reported that the opening ceremony will take place at 15:45 on Friday 19th June and will involve children from the Primary school. The Parish Clerk reported that he had received a project report request from the grant funders, Viridor. The returned project report will include details of the opening ceremony.
19. Report of any training activity undertaken in the past month.
Cllrs Carswell and Cottman reported that they had attended the first session in this year’s series of planning training provided by Purbeck District Council.
20. Reports of Representatives (by exception):-
| Village Hall | DAPTC | Footpaths | School Liaison |
| Youth Organisations | Sports Club |
Village Hall: It was observed that there is a coffee morning in the village hall on the same day as the next litter pick.
A letter had been sent to the Sports Club and the Council on behalf of the Village Hall committee regarding a recent event on a Saturday which had restricted the use of the Council’s car park. It is understood that the Sports Club were charging for parking, and that there was some rudeness and tension created on the day. Evidently people wishing to use the car park were told that it belongs to the Sports Club and they have every right to block it off if they wish to. This is incorrect, as the car park belongs to the Parish Council. Cllr Cottman’s suggestion to invite the Sports Club Secretary to the next Environment and Amenities committee meeting was approved. Cllr Wilson will reply to the Village Hall Committee.
21. Council to approve the following payments already made: –
| Inv | To Whom | For What | Net | VAT | Total |
| 3460 | T Watton | Reimbursement of personal payment made to Novatech for replacement laptop | 560.00 | 112.00 | 672.00 |
22. COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING PAYMENTS DUE: –
| Inv | To Whom | For What | Net | VAT | Total |
| 3461 | T Watton | Clerk’s salary – June (12 equal monthly payments by standing order) | 905.05 | 0.00 | 905.05 |
| 3462 | T Homer | Handyman duties – May. | 243.00 | 0.00 | 243.00 |
| 3462 | Continental Landscapes | Grass Cutting, Southern end of Rec – April | 20.00 | 4.00 | 24.00 |
| 3463 | The Landscape Group | Cemetery maintenance – April | 303.49 | 60.70 | 364.19 |
| 3464 | Purbeck Dist Council | Fee for planning training | 50.00 | 0.00 | 50.00 |
| 3465 | M Colvey | Chairmans Allowance 2015/15 | 250.00 | 0.00 | 250.00 |
| 3466 | M Coley | Reimbursement of expenditure on Councils behalf | 297.27 | 57.88 | 355.15 |
| 3467 | Zurich Municipal | Insurance Premium + Ins prem tax | 1825.87 | 0.00 | 1825.87 |
| 3468 | Village Hall | Hire of hall for council meetings | 325.00 | 0.00 | 325.00 |
| 3469 | BT Payment Services | Parish Office phone and Broadband | 107.99 | 21.59 | 129.58 |
| 3470 | Paul Fay | Repairs to Foxhills Open Space bridge. | 450.00 | 0.00 | 450.00 |
Some discussion took place about the chairman’s allowance. It was noted that there is a need to review this next year. Payment 3466 is for the printing of Neighbourhood Plans, pending receipt of a grant. It was RESOLVED to approve all the payments listed in minutes 21 and 22 above.
23. “Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014”, Part 3, Paragraphs 6-10, Record of Decisions and Access to Documents – record of decisions taken by Parish Clerk.
The Parish Clerk had no decisions to report. However, he sought the approval of the Parish Council, on an emergency basis, for the purchase of a printer to replace council’s existing one which had now stopped working and seems to be beyond repair. This is on the understanding that the purchase will be below the de-minimus limit. The council approved this.
24. CORRESPONDENCE.
It was reported that a letter had been received from the Village Hall committee expressing concerns about the construction of a bund around the sports pitches at the Recreation Ground, which they fear may also cross and affect their land.
25. MATTERS OF INTEREST AND INFORMATION
Cllr Wood wished to know how the letter to County Cllr Finney will be followed-up. She felt it important that the matter is not left. It was noted that follow-up will be broken into separate sub-sections for individual Council members to tackle.
The meeting closed at 9:00pm.
Annotated by/on …………………………….. Signed by……………………