Minutes OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF LYTCHETT MATRAVERS PARISH COUNCIL
Held on Monday June 2nd 2014 at 7:30 in the Sports Club Pavilion, High Street Car Park.
PRESENT were Cllrs: M Colvey, I Maitland, K Norris, J Taylor, E Wilson, Mr T Watton (Parish Clerk)
Also present was County Councillor F Drane.
As the 2013/14 Chairman Cllr Miller opened the meeting and chaired the first two items.
1. RECEIPT OF COUNCIL MEMBERS’ ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE, AND DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST. These were received from Cllrs Bush, Norris, Taylor, and Wilson. The remaining members were reminded that submission of these documents to the Parish Clerk to enable him to forward them to the Monitoring Officer at PDC within 28 days of the election is a pre-requisite of Council membership.
2. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN OF THE PARISH COUNCIL FOR 2014/15
Nomination was received and seconded for Cllr Colvey, who was duly ELECTED. Cllr Colvey then took the chair for the remainder of the meeting. The Chairman’s Chain of Office was handed to Cllr Colvey.
3. Receipt of Chairman’s acceptance of office
Cllr Colvey signed this and it was witnessed by the Parish Clerk.
4. RECEIPT OF APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE – Cllrs A Bush, and C Wood.
5. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE PARISH COUNCIL FOR 2014/15
Nomination was received and seconded for Cllr Bush, who had previously indicated his willingness to stand. In his absence he was duly ELECTED.
6. RECEIPT OF VICE CHAIRMAN’S ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE
As Cllr Bush was absent from the meeting, this matter was deferred to the July meeting.
7. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SESSION (STANDING ORDERS SUSPENDED)
There was none.
8. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST; AND CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR SPECIAL DISPENSATIONS UNDER SECTION 33 OF THE LOCALISM ACT 2011. There were none.
9. CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS.
There were none.
10. THE MINUTES of the Council meeting on May 19th 2014 were approved and signed by the Chairman.
11. APPOINTMENTS TO COUNCIL COMMITTEES:
Environment & Amenities Committee
Finance & Policy Committee
Planning Committee
It was RESOLVED that until the present Council vacancies are filled, all Councillors will be members of all three Committees.
12. APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES TO REPRESENTATIVE ROLES:
The following appointments were AGREED.
Village Fayre – Cllr Maitland
DAPTC, Purbeck Area – Cllrs Norris and Wilson
Village Hall – Cllr Wilson
School Liaison – Cllr Bush
Youth Organisations – Cllr Wood
Sports Club – Cllr Colvey
Appointment of Footpaths Officer – Cllr Taylor
Appointment of Editor of Lytchett Link – considered at F&P Committee meeting on 9th June.
13. MATTERS ARISING & UPDATE ON ACTION POINTS.
· Minute 20, 20th January 2014 School Liaison – Letter to Chairman of DCC Roads and Rights of Way Committee of Dorset County Council. It was noted that this site meeting was due to take place within a few days.
· Minute 24, 20th January 2014. Condition of Cypress Leylandii trees on southern side of Recreation Ground. The Parish Clerk reported that this work will take place during June.
- Minute 10a, 17th March 2014, bullet point 2 – possible top surface after backfilling of removed rubble area of allotments. It was noted that a quote for this was still awaited. Action: Parish Clerk to chase this matter.
- Minute 18, 19th May 2014, point 2 – Query about a “new” waste bin appearing on the Recreation Ground. The members visited the site to view the bin. It was confirmed that this bin belongs neither to the Parish Council nor the Sports Club. It was noted that it has not been “installed” in the sense of being affixed securely to the ground, and also that it is identical to bins outside the Tesco shop. Action: Cllr Colvey to ascertain if it belongs to Tesco, and if so to ask them to remove it and to deal with the rubbish spilling from it.
- Minute 18, 19th May 2014, point 3 – Inaccurate account holder name on bank statement from Santander. This matter has been taken up with Santander bank. A further letter is being sent, as the previous response from the bank has missed the point being made.
- Minute 18, 19th May 2014, point 4 – investment transaction with Prudential. It was noted that the final documents confirming the investment have still not been received from Mark Pincott. Action: Parish Clerk to chase this.
14. COUNCIL VACANCIES
It was noted that the Council has four vacancies. The Parish Clerk explained that these may be filled by co-option. It was RESOLVED to advertise these on the noticeboards and on the website with a closing date of 14th July, so that they may be considered at the Full Council meeting on 21st July.
15. DISTRICT CLLRS REPORT.
There was none.
16. COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
County Cllr Drane reported on the following:
Cllr Drane reiterated that the £5000 for projects in his area must not be used to pay for items or projects DCC have reduced or discontinued.
DCC continues to be under pressure to spend on maintenance matters, but budgets are very tight. However, funding is available via a central government source for repair of pot-holes. Cllr Drane advised that he would take up any requests, if local reporting was not successful.
He has raised a number of questions with Dorset Waste Partnership regarding rumours of reductions to the services they offer for waste and dog bin clearances.
17. REPORTS FROM SUB-COMMITTEES AND WORKING GROUPS
There were none.
18. RECEIPT OF REMAINING RISK ASSESSMENT.
Deferred until Full Council meeting on 21st July.
19. UPDATE – FOOTPATH BETWEEN FOXHILLS OPEN SPACE AND DEANS DROVE.
The Parish Clerk reported on a complaint he had dealt with from a resident living in a property adjacent to the line of the new footpath. It seems that some of the material for the surface of the path had been used by youths as a ramp for their bicycles and that there had been some confrontations between the resident and these youths. Cllr Dyball had approached the contractor regarding this material and confirmed the timetable for completion of the path and therefore the removal of the pile of material. This information was fed back to the resident, together with advice that any anti-social behaviour is a matter for the police.
20. CAMBORNE ENERGY – COMMUNITY SUPPORT FUNDING.
The Parish Clerk reported that a Mr Chris Kelly had written to the Council to explain that he is acting as General Counsel to the Primrose Solar group of companies. Primrose have agreed in principle to provide some funding to refurbish the toilet facilities and the Village Hall. Mr Kelly’s role is to ensure that appropriate governance is in place before Primrose is able to disperse this funding. To progress this, he asked to be provided with more detail on the project and what progress has been made towards it. The Parish Clerk had responded with an outline statement of the state of the project so far (i.e. obtaining quotes for the works) and had asked for an indication of the “Governance Requirements” Primrose will need. Mr Kelly has provided the following list for consideration:
- The Council has conducted a tender process to get good value from a local supplier;
- The Council is satisfied, having made reasonable enquiry, that there has been no collusion or conflicts of interest associated with the tender or the Council’s preferred supplier;
- The Council takes full responsibility for managing the contract and for disbursing Primrose’s funds;
- The Council will only use Primrose’s funds for the purposes of this contract;
- The Council accepts that Primrose has no responsibility for ensuring that the solar system supplied by the contractor will be fit for purpose, installed properly, or will produce the results which the Parish Council hopes for;
- The Council accepts that Primrose has not been involved in selecting the preferred supplier and takes no responsibility for their suitability or otherwise;
- The Council will send Primrose a copy of the signed building contract; and
- The Council will let Primrose know when the money has been spent and the building is complete.
Mr Kelly will tailor this list to reflect the details of the procurement which is underway once he is provided with the details. He has indicated that Primrose will also need to seek some assurance on there being agreement between the Parish Council and the Village Hall Trustees. Finally, he also raised a point about the on-going maintenance of the toilets, as their view is that that this sort of facility is notorious for costly maintenance and other upkeep issues. He therefore wishes to know how the funding for this is to be addressed as the on-going appearance of the facilities is likely to reflect on the donors.
In consideration of the above, it was AGREED that Cllr Wilson would appraise the Village Hall Committee of the requirements at their meeting on 3rd June and invite representatives to attend the Finance & Policy Committee meeting on 9th June
21. REPORTS OF TRAINING ACTIVITY UNDERTAKEN IN THE PAST MONTH
There was none.
22. REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES (by exception)
Village Fayre | DAPTC | Footpaths | Village Hall |
School Liaison | Youth Organisations | Sports Club |
No reports were made; however it was suggested that a further litter picking event be held in the village in the Autumn.
23. COUNCIL TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING PAYMENTS DUE: –
Inv | To Whom | For What | Net | VAT | Total |
3326 | T Watton | Clerk’s salary – June (12 equal monthly payments by sanding order) | 878.20 | 0.00 | 878.20 |
3327 | T Homer | Handyman duties – May | 207.00 | 0.00 | 207.00 |
3328 | Continental Landscapes | Grass Cutting, Southern end of Rec – May | 20.00 | 4.00 | 24.00 |
3329 | The Landscape Group | Cemetery Maintenance – May 14 | 303.49 | 60.70 | 364.19 |
3321 | DAPTC | Annual membership subscription | 750.25 | 0.00 | 750.25 |
3322 | J Dyball | Reimbursement of councillor’s expenses incurred | 27.84 | 0.00 | 27.84 |
3323 | Paul Fay | Repairs to Bridge Handrails – Foxhills Open Space | 450.00 | 00.0 | 450.00 |
3333 | Lytchett Matravers Primary School | Hire of room for Neighbourhood Planning meeting 15th May. | 26.00 | 0.00 | 26.00 |
It was noted that invoices from Mr Homer and Continental Landscapes had not yet been received for this month. It was RESOLVED to approve all other payments listed above.
24. CORRESPONDENCE.
The Parish Clerk reported on the following correspondence received:
A letter from Mr. A-J Monro of Simmonds and Sampson LLP, 5 West Street, Wimborne, concerning the British Legion Hall and land at Blaneys Corner. This letter refers to a telephone conversation Mr. Monro evidently had with Mr. Tapscott of Purbeck District Council. The letter also refers to the Lytchett Matravers Neighbourhood Plan. The letter reports that Mr. Monro had been asked by a client to approach the Parish Council in respect of land at Blaneys Corner and the site of the British Legion Hall to see whether it could be included within land identified for development. The letter notes that the British Legion Hall is now vacant; – and the letter expresses the hope that there might be potential for it to become a community asset for the benefit of the parish. It was noted by the Council that this letter and the ideas its it expresses are unsolicited but that the idea of the former British Legion Hall being used for community purposes is something that the council had already given some thought to and, indeed, already had some preliminary action in hand to explore. It is a community project being led by former council chairman Bob Miller. A copy of the letter is to be forwarded to Mr. Miller. It was also agreed that Cllr Colvey would approach Mr. Tapscott to discuss the letter and gain an understanding of the context in which it had been written, and under which Mr. Tapscott and Mr. Munro had evidently had some conversation on this matter which led to the letter. It was agreed that these matters would be reported back to the finance and policy committee on 9 June. Action: The Parish Clerk and Cllr Colvey to act accordingly.
A letter from Age Concern Dorset requesting that the Council give consideration of a grant award for its work locally. This matter is to be considered alongside other grant requests in July.
25. MATTERS OF INTEREST AND INFORMATION
The Parish Clerk reported that the Annual Internal Accounting statements have now been received from Pam White.
County Cllr Drane suggested inviting Ms V Slade to a council meeting. She is the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for the next general election.
Cllr Maitland suggested that when the next Council members are co-opted it would be helpful to undertake a visit to all Council physical assets with them.
Cllr Wilson reported that a party will be visiting Lytchett Matravers from Les Pieux as part of the twinning relationship. There will be a reception in the Village Hall on Saturday 7th of June. Cllr Colvey agreed to attend and greet the party.
Cllr Taylor asked what plans were in hand for a “thank you” event for the council members who have recently stood down.
The meeting closed at 9:35pm.