LINTON PARISH COUNCIL

Bromsash Gorsley and Linton

Minutes Of The Meeting Held On 12^th May 2003

In Linton Village Hall At 7:30 p.m.

Present:

Cllr Richard Smith, Chairman

Cllr Jean Foley, Vice Chairman

Cllr Ken Downham

Cllr Audrey Duke

Cllr John Foley

Cllr Keith Summers

Brian Atherton (Clerk)

4 Parishioners attended.

Minute Item			Action
1		Election of Chairman for the period 2003 to 2004
	1.1	Proposed by Cllr John Foley, seconded by Cllr Ken Downham and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED that Cllr Richard Smith be elected and he duly signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

2		All Councillors to Sign Declarations of Acceptance of Office
	2.1	Done.
	2.2	Cllrs Richard Smith, Jean Foley and Keith Summers also completed and signed their Notifications of Financial and Other Interests.

3		Co-Option of Councillors
	3.1	Three parishioners who had applied to be nominated for election to the council but had unfortunately made technical errors in their nomination papers presented themselves for co-option, namely John Wheble, Robert Crawford and Gary Woodman.
	3.2	Proposed by Cllr Richard Smith, seconded by Cllr Jean Foley and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED that all three be elected to the Council.
	3.3	Each duly signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
	3.4	The Clerk reminded all councillors that outstanding Notifications of Financial and Other Interests must be returned to him within 2 weeks.

4		Election of Vice Chairman for the period 2003 to 2004
	4.1	Proposed by Cllr Audrey Duke, seconded by Cllr Ken Downham and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED that Cllr Jean Foley be elected.

5		To fix the amount of the chairman’s allowance (Section 15.5, Local Government Act 1972)
	5.1	Proposed by Cllr Richard Smith, seconded by Cllr Jean Foley and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED that this be zero.

6		To Appoint Members of Working Parties
	6.1	Planning Cllrs Ken Downham, Audrey Duke, Jean Foley John Foley, and John Wheble.
	6.2	Allotments Cllrs Audrey Duke and Keith Summers.
	6.3	Footpaths & Trees Cllrs Ken Downham, John Foley and Keith Summers.
	6.4	Highways Cllrs Robert Crawford, Ken Downham, Jean Foley, John Foley, Richard Smith and Gary Woodman.
	6.5	Finance Cllrs Robert Crawford, Jean Foley and Richard Smith,
	6.6	Community Planning Days Cllrs Robert Crawford, Audrey Duke, Ken Downham, Jean Foley, John Foley, Richard Smith, Keith Summers, John Wheble and Gary Woodman.

7		To appoint representatives to other organisations
	7.1	Linton Village Hall Committee Cllrs Robert Crawford and Ken Downham.
	7.2	Gorsley Village Hall Committee Cllr Richard Smith.
	7.3	Gorsley & Kilcot Millennium Committee Cllr Audrey Duke.

8		Apologies
	8.1	None.

9		Declarations of Interest
	9.1	Cllr Richard Smith declared his interest for the year in the Allotments and duly signed the book.
	9.2	Cllrs Robert Crawford and John Wheble declared their respective interests in two planning applications to be considered later in the meeting and duly signed the book.

10		Minutes of the Meeting Held on 14^th April 2003
	10.1	Proposed by Cllr Jean Foley, seconded by Cllr Audrey Duke and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED that these be adopted without change and they were duly signed by the Chairman.

11		Matters arising therefrom not covered in the Agenda
	11.1	The Clerk reported that he has asked the Ross TIC about tourist leaflets including Linton but has been told that there are none.
	11.2	CHDC have surveyed Linton Quarry, Gorsley Common, Sugar Tump, Ivy House Lane and Talbot’s Well for inclusion in the Dog Anti-Fouling By-Laws. Their initial thoughts are that Linton Quarry should not be included as it is not open to the public. They will have to check the “Commons Status” of Gorsley Common before making a decision. Ivy House Lane should be included as it is within a 40mph area. Sugar Tump should be included as it is an identifiable, public, open area and Talbot’s Well can probably be included. Mike Higgins of CHDC will check all of the above and then respond formally.	The Clerk.

12		Roadmaker Inn
	12.1	The Clerk reported a conversation with Dawn Evans of CHDC’s Planning Enforcement who has been trying to secure a ruling from Robert King in Environmental Health. The gist is that Robert King considers the existing odour filter to meet regulations but, as neighbouring parishioners are still reporting a problem he must first experience that for himself and he is waiting for a warm sunny evening for that. In any event, if the odour is unacceptable then he considers the only solution to be the re-instatement of the chimney. Dawn Evans explained that she can do nothing until Robert King makes a ruling and suggested that Parishioner Sue Matthews telephone Robert King to urge that he makes the visit. Parishioner Sue Matthews explained the difficulty in arranging a visit at a time when the problem is evident. Parishioner Gwynne Rowley suggested that the new Penyard Councillor, Harry Bramer be asked to intervene. After further discussion, Council instructed the Clerk to write to Robert King; (copy to CHDC’s Chief Executive and Cllr Harry Bramer), clearly setting out the history and the frustrations to the parishioners of the lengthy time that this whole episode has taken and expressing Council’s displeasure that still there is no resolution in sight.	The Clerk

13		Jubilee Oak Tree
	13.1	The Clerk has written to the Tree Warden, thanking him for his time and generosity in replacing the dead tree.

14		Lengthsman Project
	14.1	The Clerk reported that the Project is now underway. Grass cutting has been done in both parishes (Lea and Linton), the displaced finger post on Sugar Tump has been straightened and a ditch in Woodside Lane dug out. The Lengthsman, together with the administrator, has attended a CHDC training course on Health and Safety. A survey of all roads in both parishes has been conducted jointly by the Administrator and the Lengthsman and a report sent to CHDC, establishing a “baseline” for the activity. A copy of that report is attached to these minutes.
	14.2	The Lengthsman has presented his first invoice (see 15.5 below) and associated Time Sheets. The Administrator finds those time sheets inadequate as they only report the direct work and not the preparatory activities (training, survey, etc.) He has written to the Lengthsman accordingly.
	14.3	At this point, Cllr Harry Bramer joined the public, together with a colleague.
	14.4	The Chairman reported on the events leading up to another set of draft contracts prepared by CHDC, which had been circulated with the agenda. Proposed by Cllr Richard Smith, seconded by Cllr John Foley and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED to accept these and they were duly signed by the Chairman, the Vice Chairman and the Administrator. The Administrator will now present those contracts to Lea Parish Council and the Lengthsman for signing and return them to CHDC for their signature.	The Clerk
	14.5	Cllr Jean Foley asked if the Lengthsman had provided evidence of his insurance cover, as required in the contracts. The Clerk replied that he has not as yet, as the other signatures are not yet in effect. Cllr. Jean Foley also asked the Clerk if the Lengthsman and the Administrator were confident that all relevant statutory requirements, including Health & Safety at Work legislation would be complied with at all times. The Clerk replied that he as the Administrator and the Lengthsman had attended CHDC’s training course.

15		Accounts, Treasurer’s Report and Authorisation of Payment of Accounts. Working Party Reports.
	15.1	Proposed by Cllr Richard Smith, seconded by Cllr Ken Downham and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED to subscribe to Community First for the current year, at a cost of £30. The Clerk will present the payment for approval at the next meeting.	The Clerk
	15.2	The Internal Auditor’s report for the year 2002/2003 was tabled, containing no objections.
	15.3	The accounts for the year 2002/2003 were tabled and the Clerk explained that these need to be approved, so that he can complete the formal returns to the external auditors and present those to the next meeting, for approval. Proposed by Cllr Richard Smith, seconded by Cllr John Wheble and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED that these accounts be adopted. They were then duly signed by the Chairman and the Clerk, as Responsible Financial Officer.
	15.4	Allianz Cornhill has proposed a renewal of Council’s insurance at £270.25 as opposed to £216.55 for last year. The Chairman remarked that, as Treasurer of the Gorsley Village Hall, he had been advised of a similar increase for the Hall’s insurance. The Clerk had, prior to receiving this proposal, submitted a draft of the Lengthsman contract to Allianz Cornhill. Their reply was taken by Council to give assurances that the proposed insurance will cover the Council’s Lengthsman risks. A copy of the reply is attached to these minutes. The Clerk will submit the cheque for signing at the next meeting.	The Clerk
	15.5	The following amounts were tabled for payment:

AP99	Lengthsman for April	01-May-03	284.00
AP100	Patrick Goodland for Parish Plan Map Materials	13-Mar-03	28.10
AP101	John Foley for Parish Plan Map Materials	28-Mar-03	3.89
AP102	Parish Plan Photocopying	24-Apr-03	8.75
AP103	Clerk's Salary for April2003	12-May-03	180.00
AP104	Clerk's Expenses for April 2003	12-May-03	5.28

15.5.1	Proposed by Cllr Richard Smith, seconded by Cllr Jean Foley and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED to pay AP99, AP100, AP101, AP103 and AP104.
15.5.2	Proposed by Cllr Jean Foley, seconded by Cllr Keith Summers and approved by majority, IT WAS AGREED to pay AP102. Cllr Richard Smith abstained as he had incurred the expenditure.
15.5.3	The cheques were then duly signed.
15.6	Council extended their thanks to parishioner Richard Delahay for his work on the internal audit and expressed the hope that he would agree to continue for the current year. The Clerk will email accordingly.	The Clerk
15.7	Planning
15.7.1	P83. SE2003/1255/F. Demolition of some farm buildings, conversion of barn to dwelling with extensions to form domestic accommodation. Former grain barn at Eccleswall Court, Bromsash, HR9 7PP. Proposed by Cllr Richard Smith, seconded by Cllr John Foley and approved unanimously, IT WAS AGREED that Cllrs. Jean Foley, John Foley, Ken Downham & Audrey Duke will make a site visit and comment on behalf of Linton Parish Council to Herefordshire Council, Planning Dept., through the Clerk.	Names Councillors/The Clerk
15.7.2	P79. SE2003/1081/F. Two storey extension. Highcroft, Bromsash, HR9 7PJ. Council supported.
15.7.3	P84. SE2003/1222/F. Proposed detached single garage. Cross Keys Cottage, HR9 7SF. Council supported.