HATCH BEAUCHAMP PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Hatch Beauchamp Parish Council held in the Village Hall on Wednesday 12 May 2004 at 7.30pm. 

Present:- M/s H Hooper, Mrs P Kent, Messrs Buck, Downie, Fowler, Graham, Holt, Hounsell and Parsons.

Apologies:- Mr J Williams

In Attendance:- Mr R Watson (SCC) Mr Crossley (Clerk)

Mr Hounsell in the Chair

1049 Election of Chairman

RESOLVED That Mr Hounsell be elected Chairman of the Council for the ensuing year

Mr Hounsell signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office of Chairman and took the chair

1050 Declarations of interest

            Messrs Buck and Downie declared a prejudicial interest in Minute No 1064 (Request from Hatch Beauchamp Playgroup for grant) and left the meeting whilst this item was being discussed.

1051 Appointment of Vice Chairman

RESOLVED That Mr Fowler be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Council for the ensuing year.

1052 Appointment of representatives on outside bodies

RESOLVED (1) That the following appointments be made

a)      West Area Committee of SALC – Chairman and J Holt

b)      Village Hall Committee – J Holt

c)      SALC – Chairman and J Holt

d)      Footpaths Liaison – R Fowler

(2) That the Clerk be given authority (after consultation with the Chairman) to make any further nominations required before the next meeting

1053 Appointment of Planning Committee

RESOLVED That

1) Messrs Fowler, Hounsell, Holt and M/s Hooper be appointed to the Planning Committee, that the membership be revised to 4, and that the quorum be set at 3

2) Copies of agendas be circulated to all members of the Council for information

1054 Payment of annual subscriptions

RESOLVED That the annual subscriptions to Salc (£107.23) and SPFA (£10) be renewed

1055 Minutes

            The minutes of the meeting held on 10 March 2004 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman

1056 Questions from Members

            Members asked questions regarding the use of the Beekeepers Cottage in Marsh Lane, and the construction of a new gravel access to a field on the road to the A358 by Woodlands, which would be considered at the next meeting after further enquiries had been made

1057 Disused highway on the road to Ashill by the bus shelter (minute 1033)

            The Clerk reported that following representations it appeared that brambles had been cleared and weedkiller applied.  Some indiscriminate tipping was, however, still taking place

RESOLVED That the Clerk enquire of the local residents their preference for erecting a barrier across the entrance to supplement the existing obstruction.

1058 Highway chipping site on A358 (minute 1034)

            The Clerk reported that whilst there had been no response from TDBC, Somerset CC had replied to the effect that the site was a licensed transit site for highway waste, that the site had recently been cleared and that this would be done on a regular basis, that a new gate had been ordered and that the boundary would be reinforced.  Any concerns about objects observed on the site should be raised with the authority who would arrange for their safe removal.

1059 Footpath near Village Hall (minute 1029)

            A response had been received from Mr Durman to the letter setting out the Council’s position, in which he had queried why after such a long time the barbed wire was now considered to be dangerous.  Whilst he acknowledged that the footpath was now being extensively used, he had referred to a number of improvements with which he had co-operated.  A report which he had had prepared was circulated to members.

RESOLVED That given the continuing concerns the statutory authorities be asked to carry out an inspection.

1060 Report of the Planning Committee of 30 March 2004

            Copies of the minutes had been circulated to members.  The Committee had considered an application to carry out alterations to Hatch Green Cottage

1061 Planning Application 19/2004/006 – change of use from stables to Horse Chiropractice at Bottlebridge, Hatch Green

RESOLVED  That TDBC be informed that the Council has no objection to this application

1062 Annual Parish Meeting

            Copies of the minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 14 April 2004 together with a copy of the Chairman’s report had been circulated with the agenda.  Mr Holt drew attention to the reference to the Bridge Club and indicated that it should have stated that as the Club was oversubscribed a waiting list for members was being maintained.

1063 Report of Clerk on Risk Assessment

            Members considered a report prepared by the Clerk reviewing the arrangements made by the Council to address various aspects of “risk”. 

RESOLVED That (1) with the exception of the proposals relating to fidelity guarantee the report be approved

                               (2) given the overall arrangements made by the Council on financial matters the limit on the fidelity guarantee insurance this year be retained at £3000

                               (3) the proposals for making records available to the County Archivist, retaining financial records in a safe, and making back up copies of computer records be approved

1064 Request from Hatch Beauchamp Playgroup for grant aid

            Following on the discussions last year (minute 985) members considered a further application from this group for financial assistance.

RESOLVED That the group be asked to provide a breakdown of how its resources are allocated and how this grant will improve the provision of facilities.

1065 Parish Play Area Grant Scheme

            The Clerk drew attention to a letter from TDBC changing the priority for grant aid to one supporting sites for the secondary school age group of 11+ onward, and with effect from next year reducing the contribution to 33% of total cost

1066 Somerset Rural Youth Project

            A letter had been received from the Somerset Rural Youth Project indicating an intention to try and develop a short term project in the area

RESOLVED That the group be invited to make a presentation to the next meeting.

1067 Annual Renewal of Insurance Policies

RESOLVED That the invitation from Allianz Cornhill to renew the Council’s insurance policies at an annual premium of £359 be accepted

1068 Requests for donations

RESOLVED That no action be taken on the requests from the Winged Fellowship Trust and the Community Council for Somerset for a donation, but the Village Hall Management Committee be asked to confirm that it is still in membership of the Community Council

1070 Annual Statement of Receipts and Payments 2003/4

RESOLVED That the Annual Statement submitted by the Clerk, together with the Bank Reconciliation Statement as at 31 March 2004, showing a total credit balance at the end of the year of £2361.86 be approved

1071 Audit of Accounts

The Clerk reported that the Moore Stephens as the Council's external auditors had nominated 30 June 2004 as the appointed day for electors to question the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2004. He had arranged for the publication of the relevant notices.

The regulations required the Council to complete a form of Annual Return that incorporated a Statement of Accounts and a Statement of Assurance. A copy of the proposed Return was available for inspection by members at the meeting.

RESOLVED that the Annual Return which incorporates the Statement of Accounts and Statement of Assurance as submitted to the Council be approved and that the Chairman be authorised to sign it on behalf of the Council

1072 Accounts

            The Clerk submitted a Statement of Account and Bank Reconciliation Statement showing a balance of £2925.76 in the Current A/c and £2236.10 in the Business Reserve A/c.

RESOLVED That payment of the following expenses and accounts be approved

a)      Clerk’s salary - £223.16

b)      Clerk’s expenses - £13.60

c)      Clerk’s office and admin costs - £23.24

d)      Parsons Landscapes (playing fields) - £121.35

e)      Salc (subscription) - £107.23

f)        SPFA (subscription) - £10

g)      Allianz Cornhill (insurances) - £359.00

1073 Items of report

            The Clerk reported for information receipt of the following matters:-

a)   Response from A Flook MP on Members Allowances and Expenses

b)   Note from TDBC on availability of internet connections for community and voluntary groups from BT Community Connections

c)   Notification from SCC on A358/A303 Improvements

d)   Self Build in rural areas – notice of seminar displayed on notice board

e)      Items of Interest Report from SALC –April 2004

f)        Appointment of new “beat” manager – PC Gary Pethick

g)      TDBC Comprehensive Performance Assessment 2004

1074 Items for next meeting

     1) The Chairman reported receipt of a letter from the Claylands Corner Awareness Group, which would be considered at the next meeting when further information would be available.

     2) Mr Buck asked that the Council give further consideration to re-cycling given the interest from the local school.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 9.15pm.  The date of the next meeting is 14 July 2004

P Hounsell

Chairman