Minutes of the meeting of Westwood Parish Council held in the Parish Rooms, Westwood at 7.30 pm on Monday 2 April 2012.
Present
Cllr. J Johnston (Vice Chairman) and Chairman for the meeting.
Cllr. T Biles
Cllr. G Edwards
Cllr. S Harding
Cllr. S Higgs
Cllr. R Howard-Evans
Mr. R Coleman Clerk
There were no members of the public present.
1. Welcome and Introductions.
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2. Apologies.
Apologies for non-attendance were received from Parish Councillors J Bishop, A Parker (Chairman) and I Richardson.
3. Minutes of the Ordinary Parish Council Meeting held on 5 March 2012.
The minutes of this meeting were signed as a true and accurate record.
4. Adjournment.
There were no members of the public present and the meeting continued without an adjournment.
5. Westwood Road Safety.
a. In the absence of Cllrs. Bishop and Richardson no report was given.
Clerk’s Note.
Cllr. Richardson sent the Clerk the following update on a number of road safety issues to be read out at the Parish Council meeting. Although it was sent prior to the meeting it was not received by the Clerk in time for the meeting. It is reproduced below (in italics) for information.
Questions asked and issues raised by Cllr. Richardson:
1. One [large] area of Westwood which has hitherto received no material attention, is the residential highway network.
2. Review what can be done to stop pavement mounting at the pinch point [narrow section at the junction of Orchard Close to the Westwood Social Club] on the C217, and the repair of the damaged pavement along that stretch.
3. Review what traffic calming can be done on the C217 on the exit from the village in the direction of Freshford, on the sharp bend and junction to Iford.
4. Reoccurrence of potholes due to water damage at various places on the C217.
5. Condition, visibility and position of signage.
6. Further traffic calming measures in Lower and Upper Westwood which compel self-enforcement without policing.
Responses to the above from Stuart Renfrew, Wiltshire Council :
(1) You are correct in your assumption that, unlike most of my parishes, Westwood is benefitting from a number of current interventions primarily along the main C217. The residential areas may suffer weed growth and minor loss of footway or road surfacing, all of which can be assessed against our intervention criteria with repairs scheduled accordingly. Other areas for consideration could be storm water drainage blockages, faded lining, dirty signage, overgrown highway trees and grassed areas etc. I can work through a list of Parish or Parishioner concerns independently for these areas and report back by mail once inspected if that would be easier.
(2) I would like to look at this with you as I remember the pinch point as being a give and take affair without recourse to mounting and damaging the footway. Additionally, only very minor ‘patch up’ repairs could be undertaken here without a full road closure, which it is always better to avoid.
(3) As a maintenance office we would not be involved in any new traffic calming proposals which should be routed through the CATG element of your Area Board having first secured Parish Council approval.
(4) As you are aware the route is to be surface dressed this summer and larger areas of damaged surface have already been patched in readiness for the overlay. In the week prior to the dressing, advance crews will be filling minor potholes and encroaching overruns along the road so as to create a level surface for the tar and chipping treatment. I will take a drive through to ensure that there are no serious holes in the meantime.
(5) We can wash existing signage or arrange for it to be renewed if it has lost its effectiveness through fading or damage. We can either look at such signs together or, as with the residential areas, I can work through a supplied list of sites. New signage requests or the re-positioning of existing signs can be dealt with by Dave Thomas’s team who’s contact details you already have.
(6) As point (3).
End of Report.
In his report, Cllr. Richardson stated that the village walkabout with Stuart Renfrew is now proposed to take place on 18th May.
b. The Clerk tabled the questionnaire proposed by Wiltshire Council and gave copies to councillors for them to examine.
Cllrs. Harding and Biles commented that the questionnaire did not invite the respondent to state whether he or she supported the permanent implementation of the 20 mph limit throughout the village. Both councillors commented that this particular question was promised by Wiltshire Council and its absence from the questionnaire is counter to the agreement and understanding that the Parish Council had with Wiltshire Council. Cllr. Harding stated that Wiltshire Council had reneged on the deal agreed with the Parish Council at the outset of this 20 mph speed limit trial. Cllr. Biles insisted that this question must be put to the parishioners as promised otherwise it would be necessary for the Parish Council to promote a referendum in the village to gauge opinion because the parishioners also were expecting to be able to express their views about its permanent implementation. Councillors commented that the original ‘sample’ questionnaire had contained such a question.
The Clerk advised councillors of the content of an exchange of e-mails between Cllr. Richardson and Martin Rose (Wiltshire Council) in which Mr Rose has stated that his Service Director had specifically requested that this question be omitted fearing that the response from respondents would be for the permanent implementation of the new speed limit without them giving deeper thought to the matter that would be exposed by other less direct, but equally relevant, questions that the proposed questionnaire contained.
Councillors also expressed concern that there was an invitation on the questionnaire for respondents to reply online and that there would be no check as whether the online respondent was actually a parishioner or someone from without the parish or whether multiple online responses came from a single respondent. Councillors observed that such an abuse could greatly skew the results and be unrepresentative of parishioner’s views.
A lengthy discussion took place, and following a proposal by Cllr. Biles, the Council resolved that the omission of a simple ‘YES/NO’ question is raised as a matter of urgency and that Cllr. Richardson as the Parish Council’s delegated representative on the CATG is requested to take the matter up with Wiltshire Council as soon as possible. The prevailing view of the Council was that a simple ‘YES/NO’ question regarding the permanent implementation of the 20 mph speed limit in Westwood must be included on the questionnaire.
6. Neighbourhood Policing.
a. In the absence of a member of the Neighbourhood Policing Team, no report was given’
b. There were no other matters reported.
7. Bradford on Avon Community Area Board.
a. The Clerk stated that he had still not yet received a reply from the Area Board Chairman to the Council’s invitation to address the Parish Council on the role of the Area Board and that a further letter had been sent.
Councillors expressed the view that it was discourteous of Cllr. Hewson not to reply, even if such a reply was an acknowledgement of the original correspondence.
b. In the absence of a Parish Councillor attending the Area Board meeting on 14 March there were no matters to be reported to the Council.
8. Sub-Committees - Sub-Committee Reports.
Footpaths.
a. Cllr. Johnston reported on behalf of the Footpath Sub-Committee. She stated that substantial work had been undertaken on Path WW19 in cutting down the hedges/trees on one side of the path. She added that she was aware of the concern of a parishioner regarding this matter but it would appear that the landowner was acting lawfully.
Cllr. Johnston also reported that a new ‘Footpath’ sign is required for the cemetery path because the original one had been broken and displaced.
Cllr. Edwards commented that he had taken photographs of a particular bad stretch of a bridleway, Path 20, that had potholes and was subsiding and had posted these on the website. He added that he will contact Wiltshire Council directly to request that immediate remedial action is taken.
Planning.
a. The Council noted the status of extant planning applications thus:
W/11/02742/LBC 48 Lower Westwood Replace Garden Room Pending
W/11/03318/CLE Magdalen Farm. Cert. of Lawfulness Lawful
W/11/03319/FUL Magdalen Farm. Temp. Worker’s Dwelling Permitted
W/12/00306/TCA Ancliff Square Tree Works No TPO
b. The Council considered the following planning applications and resolved that Cllr. Bishop be delegated responsibility for providing comments to be sent to Wiltshire Council:
W/12/00426/FUL Hudd’s Farm Stationing of mobile home for a temporary period NEW
W/12/00427/FUL Hudd’s Farm Erection of equestrian worker’s dwelling NEW
c. There were no planning applications received after 27 March 2012.
d. There were no other planning matters raised.
Cemetery.
a. There was nothing reported from the Cemetery sub-Committee.
Cllr. Higgs reported that there were gaps in the hedge that runs alongside the path to the cemetery and the effect of this is that it disrupts the privacy and solitude hitherto provided to mourners and other visitors walking to the cemetery. She suggested that planting of additional laurel bushes would restore the hedge to its original condition. The Council resolved that this action be taken and asked the Clerk to obtain three quotations for this work to be undertaken and to present these to the Parish Council at the next meeting for a decision to be taken.
Cllr. Harding commented that the compost heap in the far corner of the cemetery is an eyesore and some thought should be given to removing or shielding it.
b. The Clerk stated that there had been an recent exchange of correspondence between Mr Azis, a churchwarden and Wiltshire Council on the subject of the responsibility for the closed churchyard but that the main issue of restoring the grant had not been resolved.
c. The Clerk stated that he had approved an application for an interment in the Remembrance Garden and that the appropriate fee – in this case a ‘double fee’ because the deceased had no connection with Westwood – would be remitted to the Parish Council.
Finance.
a. The Clerk reported the current financial position – details of which are appended to these minutes.
The Clerk stated that he had completed the Annual Return for FY2011/12 and that everything was in order with the accounts balancing and full reconciliation of the bank accounts with the Cash Book. He added that the Internal Auditor will be invited to undertake the Internal Audit and thereafter the Annual Return will be presented to the Parish Council for approval.
b. The Council resolved to make the payments shown under ‘Payments to be authorised’ above.
Open Spaces.
a. Cllr. Edwards reported on behalf of the Open Spaces Sub-Committee and commented that there was nothing significant to report. Cllr. Harding reported that he had inspected Westwood Park and can confirm that the palings are still missing from the Play area fence, although in a discussion with Mr Say, Mr Say had confirmed that he will be replacing the missing palings in the near future. Cllr. Edwards stated that he has still to find a source for the security bolts for the play equipment.
b. Cllr. Edwards stated that there was nothing to report with respect to the Play Area.
Environment.
a. In the absence of Cllr. Richardson there was nothing significant to report from the Environmental Sub-Committee.
b. Cllr. Johnson asked if there had been any further news regarding the ‘unauthorised’ parking bay that had been created near to Staples Hill. The Clerk stated that he had received confirmation from Wiltshire Council that the person involved had been told to restore the area to its original condition but that nothing further had been heard.
Cllr. Johnston reminded the Clerk that he had been requested to obtain ‘No Dogs’ signs for the Westwood Park Play Area.
Cllr. Biles enquired whether Wiltshire Council had replied to the enquiry made by the Parish Council regarding the drainage ditches along Lyefield Lane. The Clerk stated that he had not received a reply and would contact Wiltshire Council.
The Clerk reported that he had been in regular contact with Norman Burgess, Wiltshire Council regarding the installation of a new waste bin, also suitable for dog waste, near to Westwood Manor. He added that he was hopeful that the bin would be installed soon.
Cllr. Edwards confirmed that he had received the report on the work undertaken by the Parish Steward from Denise Grech, Wiltshire Council. He added that some of the work that he had requested had not been undertaken and that he had repeated the request for the next visit of the Steward.
Cllr. Biles reported that weed spraying at The Pastures had still not been undertaken despite several assurances from Wiltshire Council that it would be done.
9. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration 2012.
Cllr. Biles tabled the programme for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration
Saturday 2nd June - Safari Supper - Contact Caroline 863430
Sunday 3rd June - Church Service 11.00 at St. Mary the Virgin
Special Lunch - New Inn - Contact David 863123
Village Walks - From 2pm. short and long walks around the village
Contact Jeannie 864559
Cream Teas - Parish Rooms from 3pm.
(Tickets must be purchased in advance - Contact Monica 861167
Monday 4th June - Village Picnic - Village Park from 12.30pm. Contact Terry 866513
Lighting of Church Beacon/drinks 9.30pm. Contact David 866734
Cllr. Biles confirmed that ninety-five Jubilee Mugs had been ordered for the children at Westwood School and at the Nursery School and he invited the Parish Council to consider purchasing them at a cost of £332.50p. The Council resolved unanimously to purchase these mugs for the children at a cost of £332.50p.
10. Mobile Library.
The Council had no comments to make in respect of this consultation by Wiltshire Council.
11. Valley Parishes Alliance (VPA).
In the absence of Cllr. Parker there was no report.
12. Date of Parish Council Meeting.
a. The Council noted the date of the next Meetings:
Annual Parish Council Meeting: Tuesday 8 May 2012 at 7.30pm.
Ordinary Parish Council Meeting: Tuesday 8 May 2012 at 8.00pm (Approx).
b. The date for the Annual Parish Meeting was agreed – Tuesday 24 April 2012.
15. Any Other Business.
Exchange of views on matters not requiring a decision.
The Clerk drew the attention of the Parish Council to the following:
· WC – Review of Polling Stations.
· The date of the Annual Parish Meeting: Tuesday 24 April 2012. There ensued a brief discussion on the proposed speakers.
Cllr. Howard-Evans stated that the current edition of the Westwood Update is No. 96 and noting that the 100th edition is likely to be around Christmas, he suggested that some form of celebration for those involved in its production and distribution may be appropriate. The Clerk was asked to place this subject on the Agenda for the next meeting.
Cllr. Harding observed that vehicle drivers appeared to be having difficulty dealing with the appearance of a Virtual Pavement and he had met vehicles head-on that were treating the Virtual Pavement as a ‘no-go’ zone even in the absence of pedestrians using it.
Cllr. Johnston confirmed that she shared Cllr. Higg’s view that some form of guidance to road users was necessary in respect of the use of a Virtual Pavement.
There was no other business.
The meeting concluded at 9.10 pm.
Chairman 8 May 2012.
Westwood Parish Council
ACTION LIST – Meeting 2 April 2012
Action 1 (2/4/12) Clerk.
To contact Cllr. Richardson – Questionnaire (Yes/No Question).
Action 2 (2/4/12) Clerk.
To obtain new Footpath sign (Cemetery).
Action 3 (2/4/12) Clerk.
To write to WC – Planning Applications
Action 4 (2/4/12) Clerk.
To make agreed payments.
Action 5 (2/4/12) Clerk.
To obtain quotations for restoring the Cemetery hedge.
Action 6 (2/4/12) Clerk.
To contact Wiltshire Council – Lyefield Lane drainage ditches ownership.
Action 7 (2/4/12) Clerk.
To obtain ’No Dogs’ signs for the Play Area.
NB. Details of the actions above are contained in the minutes.