Parish Council - Meetings minutes

10 September 2009 - 7.30pm

Minutes of the Meeting of the Council   held at 7.30pm on the 10 September 2009

in the Small Village Hall.

Present:           Chairman:         Anthony Sheppard

Councillors:     Ken Huddart, Audrey Cartwright, David Parks, Jimmy Cartwright, Geoff Herbert

              In attendance: Parish Clerk:            Freda Collins

                                                            1 member of the public

54. Apologies for Absence

Carol Manley who was on holiday.

Shirley Round who was on holiday.

Alan Charlwood who was unwell.

The apologies were accepted.

55. Declarations of Interest in Items on the Agenda

Cllr Cartwright declared that he is a Borough Councillor and a Trustee of the Village Hall.

Cllr Huddart declared that he is Chairman of the Trustees of Claygate Village Hall Association, President of the CVA and Acting-Chairman of the Claygate Conservation Areas Advisory Committee.

Cllr Parks declared that he is a member of the Group Council for the Scouts, a member of Claygate Recreation Ground Trust, a member of the YC Committee and a Governor of Claygate School.

Cllr Sheppard declared a personal interest in those items on the HGS as he employs the contractor in a personal capacity.

Cllr Herbert declared that he is Chairman of the Youth Club Committee.

56. Confirmation of the Minutes

The minutes of the meeting of the meeting of 9 July 2009 were confirmed and signed.

57. To report on the actioning of items from the last meeting

Re AP7- Cllr Herbert to contact the Police about the perimeter fence of the old Wyevales site-Cllr Herbert has spoken to the Police who have contacted the owners.

Re AP15- St George’s day celebrations –The Clerk spoke to Richard Catling who will talk with other shopkeepers about this matter.

Re A17- statement of intent for Communications Working Party and Youth.–ongoing

All other action points have been carried out or are agenda items.

The Chairman changed the order with the agreement of the meeting.

Number 74. Item 21

Cllr Jehan Master resigned in August due to ill-health. He was thanked for all his support and hard work on the Courier and other projects for Claygate.

A statutory notice of vacancy for the post of Parish Councillor has been posted. The notice states that an election to fill the post will be held if ten electors request it. No notification of such a request has been received, so the post can be filled by co-option.

No nominations for a co-opted member have been received, so it was agreed to advertise the vacancy.

AP22 The Clerk to action.

The Chairman again changed the order with the agreement of the meeting.

Number 76. Item 23

Cllr Huddart circulated a written report prior to the meeting.

The Committee met on 20 August and the minutes have been circulated. This report covers matters that have arisen after the minutes of the PC meeting. Significant matters covered in the 25 June meeting, which are not updated in this report, include the possibility of SWT “adopting” the station, Coverts Road/Foxwarren tree planting programme, and a consolidated policy statement for on and off street parking control .

Geoff Herbert was appointed as Vice Chairman, following Jehan Masters resignation as a Parish Councillor. An additional Councillor is needed to join the H&T Committee.

76.1 Dalmore Avenue parking. Cllr Huddart progressed the request for Elmbridge to allow free parking at the Hare Lane (Old Village) car park for parents picking up children using the rear entrance to Claygate Primary School. Cllr Michael Courtney had already made this request, and it is likely to be agreed. Parents will have to register their vehicles with EBC wardens.

76.2 Following a discussion with David Parks and Malcolm Mackenzie, Cllr Huddart has contacted Margaret Hicks, Chair of the Surrey (Elmbridge) Local Committee, to support the proposal for a 20mph zone covering most of Claygate. She responded, indicating that negotiations could take some time.

76.3 The Chairman and Clerk have created a letter of representation regarding street lighting maintenance for the Surrey (Elmbridge) Local Committee. Cllr Huddart provided a list of current fault history.

76.4 A local resident has asked for the alleyway to Torrington Lodge car park to be re-opened, now that the recycling and youths have been removed. We could consider asking for this as a trial, since it would be easy to close it promptly if necessary. A discussion on this matter took place and the meeting was informed that the Police do not want this alleyway opened and it is believed that youths would again cause problems, so this matter will not be pursued.

76.5 The Green fountain light is back in lighting. On SCC advice, Cllr Huddart contacted Balfour Beatty. On Tuesday, the arrangement was that it would quote for the maintenance, but he has not received such documentation.

76.6 Woodstock Lane has been substantially repaired, but not resurfaced.

76.7 Cllr Parks telephoned SCC about the missing white lines on The Causeway. He was informed that SCC will re-instate the order to paint these lines.

76. 8 Foley Road red brick footway replacement. Cllr Mike Bennison alerted Cllr Huddart to SCC’s intention to replace the Foley Road red bricks with black asphalt. The intention was to start work from 1 October, but this is on hold as some trees may have to be felled before work to the footway is carried out. As this is Capital Maintenance, SCC sees no need to consult. Cllr Bennison has been very helpful providing information and producing a contact at SCC called Amanda Richards. She is the author of a report about red brick footways. During the last three years there have been some several complaints and two valid claims. The skid resistance is below SCC’s standard of 36%. SCC’s policy is to replace with black asphalt; this policy was confirmed at the last meeting of the Transportation Select Committee.

Jenny Isaacs, the SCC Officer, noted the relevance of the Conservation Area, but EBC considered it irrelevant, as not being related to architecture.

Cllr Huddart has insisted to Mike Bennison and to the SCC officer, that consultation with the residents is essential. He indicated that the strong views are divided, so the consultation results could be taken to justify SCC’s proposed action. He suggested that there could be a strong request for red asphalt.

Cllr Parks brought a copy of a survey on Red Brick Footways, which he compiled in 2003, to the meeting. The survey found that many people living in the roads with the bricks found them dangerous as they become slippery when wet. Generally residents not living in these roads wanted to keep the red brick pavements.

The pavements are one issue; the other issue is the proposed felling of the trees in Foley Road. There is no doubt that the roots cause problems, but the trees are part of the street scene. SCC have a policy not to replace trees, so CPC may have to promote a tree planting programme using species which do not cause disruption to the footways.

It was AGREED that a consultation letter to Foley Road residents and a public meeting about both trees and footways are required. It was agreed to invite SCC to the meeting in order to put their point of view. Cllr Huddart will draft the consultation letter. Cllr Sheppard will draft a letter to SCC and Cllr Mike Bennison reminding them that trees and red brick pavements are sensitive subjects. The Clerk to book the hall.

AP23 Cllrs Huddart & Sheppard and the Clerk to action.

Thanks were given to Cllr Bennsion for informing us of these matters.

The correct order of the agenda was resumed.

58. Report from the Chairman

Cllr Sheppard drafted and submitted the comments from CPC on the LDF Core Strategy Consultation. Cllr Courtney noted that the numbers for Claygate were incorrect and these have now been corrected.

59. Report from the Parish Clerk

59.1 A request has been received from SCAPTC for councillors to put themselves forward for the Management Team. Cllr J Cartwright is willing to submit his name. This was agreed by the meeting.

AP24 The Clerk to action.

59.2 The SCAPTC AGM will be held jointly with Surrey CA on 6 Oct at East Horsley Village Hall between

10am-4pm. Workshops will be available.

60. Finance Report

60.1 A copy of all receipts and payments from the last meeting for both accounts, all payments made since the last meeting and a detailed Income & Expenditure by budget were circulated prior to the meeting. No questions were raised on the accounts.

60.2 Bank Reconciliations for all months since the start of the financial year have been prepared by the Clerk and signed by the Chairman.

60.3 All payments made since the last meeting were APPROVED.

60.4 The interest rate received from BOI is now very low. At the last meeting a discussion took place about moving all the money from BOI to another account. Investec are offering a ‘High 5’ account with a better rate, but this would mean all CPC funds would be with one bank and in these uncertain times it may be better to spread the funds between 3 accounts. The Clerk spoke to Andy Cooper at EBC to ask his advice. He reports that, as far as he is aware, as far as the Irish banks are concerned, the £50,000 guarantee only applies to personal accounts and not to businesses. In the current climate he suggests looking to one of the big banks for the Current Account, and opening a deposit account with one of the major Building Societies .While the interest would not be very good, the chance of not losing the funds is good. He attached a copy of the EBC approved counterparty list. He states that in the current market there can be no guarantees but recommends that we can reduce the risk by going for the bigger institutions. He recommends reviewing the situation in a year’s time, as hopefully by then the market will have settled down.
It was agreed that a multi-bucket system is preferred and that we should stick to a bank regulated by the UK Authorities. Part of the money currently in BOI could be moved to the Investec High 5 account and the rest put in an easy transfer account. It was agreed that further advice would be obtained from the Village Hall Financial Officer, Mike Park, and the recommendations brought to the next meeting.

AP25 The Clerk to action.

61. To Review Expenditure for the Year

A comparison of actual income/expenditure against budgeted income/expenditure for the Council and each Committee was carried out.

It was noted that some grants have not yet been taken up, such as Neighbourhood Watch, and some large bills for Environment have not been received.

A great deal of expenditure is covered by resolutions at this meeting.

It was agreed that now is the time to start thinking about projects in time for the budget meeting in November. An article was placed in the Courier which gave advice about applying for a grant from the Council.

It was noted that we have on-going Environment projects which add to the village.

Two suggestions were put forward:-

i. Painting of highway railings in the village. SCC will not carry out this task, so this is not double taxation.

ii. Maintenance of the path at the back of Station Road.

Post meeting note:

Cllr Courtney pursued the issue of the ownership of the path behind the properties in Station Road, and therefore riparian ownership of and responsibility for the stream, with Elmbridge Borough Council. It seems that there is no recorded owner of that land. Elmbridge Borough Council do not therefore have responsibility either for the stream and its banks or for the state of the footpath.

However flooding due to the stream being blocked and/or failure of the banks is believed to be a community problem. He received agreement that for the benefit of the community, the Countryside Estates officer will arrange to keep the stream and its banks in good condition. David Page, the Countryside Estates officer has agreed to inspect the stream in the next week or so and decide what needs to be done. He will instruct contractors to carry out the work in the winter probably soon after Christmas, so that this years leaf fall will also be removed.

The repair and maintenance of the access path at the rear of the properties is a different matter. The benefit is solely for the householders of the road so there is no help from the Council. He suggests that the appropriate solution is for all the house owners to join together and arrange for the necessary repairs on a shared cost basis.

62. Revised SCAPTC fees

The way that SCAPTC fees are calculated has been revised. A list has been sent out to all Surrey Town and Parish Councils which shows that some Council have increases and some have decreases. Claygate has one of the largest increases. We accept that the new system is fairer, but we would not expect to see a further increase next year.

It is no longer calculated as a flat rate on the number of electors, but on a scale which decreases with increasing size of electorate. It was noted that this is actually a fairer relationship between Parish size and subscription level. The new method of calculation means that there will be a reduction in SCAPTC's income of over one thousand pounds. It was noted that Farnham TC will be paying over one thousand, two hundred pounds less. It was agreed to suggest an additional rate of 7p per elector, for 10000 - 15000 electors, with the 5p rate for electors in excess of 15000 in order to smooth out this inconsistency. Cllr Sheppard will write to Christine Swan about this matter.

AP26 Cllr Sheppard to action.

63. Draft VDS

The draft VDS has gone out for consultation. There has not been a huge amount of feedback, but the boxes have not yet been emptied.

Highways & Transportation and Environment Committees have looked at their input and made minimal changes which have been forwarded to Noel.

64. Retention & Disposal Scheme

A Retention and Disposal system was recently agreed for Council documents, but there is a problem, the Clerk has run out of storage space, particularly with regard to plans.

This item was re-agendaed from the previous meeting in order to ask EBC how they store their plans and what their Retention and Disposal system is. It has been discovered that EBC now store all of their data electronically and no longer keep hard copy.

It was AGREED to amend the policy so that refused plans are kept for 5 years, but other applications are disposed of as soon as they are permitted or withdrawn.

It was also agreed to include a reference to the keeping of independent back up for that information which is stored electronically.

AP27 The Clerk to action.

65. Day Event for Local Clubs & Organisations

A proposal for a ‘living ‘version of the CPC leaflet ‘What to do in Claygate’ has been proposed by Vanessa Relleen. The village hall would be booked for a day and then village clubs and organisations invited to have stands to advertise themselves to residents.

It was noted that:-

i. Prior to one of the village meetings, village clubs and organisations were invited to provide displays.

ii. Many clubs in Claygate are very successful and already have waiting lists.

iii. There is already good communication about events in the village with the ‘What’s on leaflet’ and the website.

iv. CPC can provide funding but not human resources.

It was agreed to contact Vanessa and ask her to contact the clubs and organisation and ask if they want such an event. If they do, if CVA or another local body can organise, CPC will pay for the hall hire.

66. Heritage Trail leaflet

The supplies of the leaflet have almost run out and the leaflet contains inaccuracies. It was agreed that, depending on cost, CPC would pay for another print run of 4,500. Cllr Carol Manley and Vanessa Relleen will be asked to update the leaflet and find out how much another run will cost.

67. Renewal of Insurance

The Council is currently insured by Zurich. Five years ago, the Clerk attempted to get quotes for insurance from other companies, but no-one other than AON would quote as this is a specialised market. AON was not pursued as they wanted detailed medical histories of councillors. A new company, Came & Co, who are underwritten by Norwich Union, have now entered the field. They ask for an opportunity to look at the current insurance schedule and will give a quote. It was agreed that the Clerk should also obtain another quote from AON

AP28 The Clerk to action.

68. The Flower Show Review

The Council asked the Clerk to congratulate the Flower Show Committee on another successful show. It was generally agreed that the new site lay-out of the stands at the Flower Show was not advantageous to CPC.

The site last year, taken this year by Garson Farm, was preferred. It was agreed to communicate this to the Flower Show Committee.

The marquee was a success, once it was known how to put it up.

69. The way the Council works

Members have raised a number of issues about the way we do business through formal meetings. Cllr Sheppard drafted a paper on the subject and circulated it to all councillors.

The issues may be summarised as follows:-

i. A high proportion of full Council meetings is devoted to formal or routine business, leading to lack of time to discuss Council strategy and major policy issues;

ii. Poor level of information on work of Committees.

iii. Possibly reduced requirement for separate Planning Committee meetings because of changes to permitted development rules.

Currently, less then 10% of Council Agenda items relate to policy or strategy, as opposed to necessary spending decisions and formal or routine items.

69.1 After a discussion it was AGREED to hold bi-annual meetings of full Council as a Strategy Working Group; the decisions to be ratified at next formal Council meeting. One of these meetings will be the budget meeting in November, the other a general meeting where village-wide concerns can be addressed to be held in late May/early June.

69.2 A discussion took place as to whether it was necessary to highlight one Committee's work at each Council meeting. It was agreed that the Committee minutes are very full and that the Chair of the Committee should highlight any areas that need discussing at the Council meetings.

69.3 A discussion took place about reducing the number of planning meetings to one per month and then having more full Council meetings. It was AGREED that it would be difficult to get comments to EBC in time as they work on a 3 week cycle and more full Council meetings is not desirable. So there will be no change to planning meetings.

69.4 A discussion took place as to whether occasional informal public surgery meetings should be held, but it was AGREED that this would not serve any real purpose as the Clerk and at least one Councillor are always available half an hour prior to a meeting. If any contentious matters affecting the village arise, a public meeting can be called.

69.5 It was noted that some residents regard the Parish Council as officious and bureaucratic. The Council tries not to be, but a measure of formality is unavoidable, because of the Council's status as a Local Authority and the requirements for transparency in the handling of public money. Cllr Sheppard is willing to speak informally to anyone deterred from putting their name forward for cooption because of this issue.

70. Council Direct Debits

Financial regulations allow for payment for utility supplies to be made by variable amount Direct Debit provided that the instructions are signed by two members and any payments are reported to council as made. The use of a Direct Debit needs to be renewed by resolution of the council at least once every two years. CPC currently pays for broadband and telephone by DD.

Resolution 1

It is RESOLVED that the Parish Council continues to pay BT and Tiscali by Direct Debit.

PROPOSED by Anthony Sheppard

LGA 1972 s111

SECONDED by Ken Huddart

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY

It was agreed to look at the amount the Council pays for broadband. Sometimes it is possible to find a cheaper quote, and then negotiate a new deal with the current provider. Cllr Sheppard has information on providers.

AP29 The Clerk to action.

71. Music Festival 2010

Cllr Parks reported on this item. The previous two Music Festivals have been very successful and have a made a profit. As the festivals improve, the organisers want to book better, more expensive acts, but need the assurance of being underwritten. The Rosebriars Trust also underwrites this event.

Resolution 2

It is RESOLVED that the Parish Council underwrite to the maximum sum of £3000 any loss incurred by the 2010 music festival. This underwriting to be subordinate to any other offers of underwriting.

PROPOSED by David Parks

LGA 1972 s145

SECONDED by Jimmy Cartwright

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY

The meeting thanked Jehan Master for continuing his work with the Music Festival.

72. SE Regional Assemble Consultation on Gypsy Sites

Cllr Ken Huddart put the following comments forward

The document on circulation is very difficult to read, with the information spread around. It was difficult to remember where specific information was.

In the main (purple) document sections 2.2 note, and seek to redress, under provision of sites for gypsies, based on a wish list (probably white document Table 1, p7, but this might be restricted to sustainability) of their requirements, and local assessments (section 5.3-5.8). Somewhere it says that only a third of the recommended provision would attract grants. Section 5.8 notes that residents think the provisions are too high and the gypsies think they are too low. Whilst it is fashionable to seek to fully meet the aspirations of every sector of society, we should question the extent to which a group of people has the right to choose a lifestyle that can be satisfied only at the expense of others. In this context, we find that the stakeholder event (Annex C, page 27) has had too great an impact on the policy.

Hence Policy H7 (page 8), which sets the overall level of provision, should continue to be subject to debate.

Policy H7a is about locating the extra pitches, offering (section 5.12) A (meet need where it arises, B (redistribution only locally), C (50% of sites regionally redistributed), D (25% of sites regionally redistributed). CPC (in common with other similar groups) asked for C, since we saw problems of ghetto-creation if the site local to Claygate (the only one in Elmbridge), had to shoulder all the burden. Since (section 5.13) this was the majority option choice, it is interesting that the Stakeholder event (page 27) went for the less distributive D. It is believed that many of the stakeholders were authorities, so the few opinions expressed were attempting to duck out of responsibilities.

However, the options related to REGIONAL redistribution, whereas our concerns are local. Since Surrey is mid-range in provision, the regional redistribution might not affect us greatly. What we want is local redistribution. In particular, we should emphasise that our gypsies are remote from services, particularly public transport. Notably, the stakeholder event (page 27) explicitly ducked the transit issue.

Extra provision should be made at sites with good services, and particularly with good existing public transport.

These comments were ratified by the meeting and it was agreed to submit them

AP30 The Clerk to action

It was noted that the CPC's comments on the LDF did not support the increase of the Woodstock Lane site as it is not near facilities and is on a dangerous junction.

73. Assistance of Local Shops

Cllr Steve Wells requested financial help from CPC for enhancement of the local shops and circulated a paper on this project.-

A Request to Claygate Parish Council for Funding of two Projects designed to enhance ‘The Claygate Shopping Experience’

The context:

Recessionary pressures have threatened the survival of many retail businesses: who would have predicted the demise of Woolworths? Small independent businesses, lacking significant financial resources to see them through difficult trading conditions, are particularly vulnerable.

Claygate is blessed with a range of attractive retail outlets and other businesses, arguably unmatched by villages of comparable size in Surrey, and probably by those further afield. Our shops represent a huge and distinctive local asset: which our community cannot afford to lose.

When the depth of the current recession was appreciated this time last year, a group of local business people came together, representing almost all the local retail and other enterprises, to identify how they could support each other in order to survive, ideally to flourish, in these difficult times. It was decided to launch ‘The Claygate Shopping Experience’: an over-arching retail branding designed to harness, and focus, the distinctive appeal of our range of shops, and to encourage people from Claygate, and from neighbouring areas, less blessed with good shops, to shop locally.

A CSE logo was developed by an internationally renowned graphic designer, free of charge. Claygate Parish Council generously provided publicity via the Claygate Courier, for the 23 businesses involved in a successful loyalty card scheme (each business contributing £50 to fund 12 monthly prizes of £100 worth of vouchers redeemable in participating outlets). This scheme has received considerable, borough-wide, publicity, and has demonstrated the commitment which local shops have to the community It has, in turn, encouraged local residents to view our local shops as an attractive, rewarding, ecologically desirable alternative to supermarket and city/town centre shopping. That the Claygate ‘bag for life’ was an immediate, self-funding, sell-out, is proof of local residents’ desire to support our shops.

Buoyed by this success, the 23 participants in ‘The Claygate Shopping Experience’ initiative have identified two more ways in which the shopping experience can be enhanced, and the corporate branding of our distinctive Claygate offering strengthened.

Primary funding of these initiatives will be sought from the recently established Elmbridge Civic Improvement Fund. (ECIF)

The Schemes:

1. Visual enhancement of The Parade/Hare Lane shopping by complementary ‘gibbet style’ hanging shop signs

..with the following features:

· Located at c12 selected businesses

· Consistent, traditional, design and colour scheme (likely to green and cream) whilst incorporating distinctive features as appropriate for each business

· All sporting ‘The Claygate Shopping Experience’ logo in order to generate, and reinforce, corporate branding

· Dimensions of the signs restricted to 680 x 380 mm, with brackets of 1220 x 500 mm, in order to obviate the requirement for planning permission

Cost: Circa £9000 plus VAT

2. Family entertainment…

…taking the form of peripatetic clowns, face painters and jugglers etc, who would perform in The Parade/ environs for around 3 hours on each of 8 consecutive Saturday mornings in March and April 2010; as part of a campaign designed to promote a springtime ‘fresh look at family friendly shopping in Claygate’.

Cost: (including some local advertising) circa £2500

Our request…

… Is for £3000, which represents c. 25% of the total cost of the 2 projects. The balance would be forthcoming from a successful application to the Elmbridge Civic Improvement Fund. It is planned to make this application in mid September 2009, and as the ECIF will fund a maximum of 75% of the cost of any initiative, this application will only be made if the Parish Council agrees, in principle, to this request.

A discussion took place about this matter. EBC have a fund of money to support local traders, a great deal has been spent on the Walton Centre. EBC will help Claygate, but there needs to be an element of joint funding; 75% EBC, 25% elsewhere. The Council is aware that this funding will be to assist commercial enterprise, but it was agreed that the shops are a part of the community and have always been helpful. It is not assistance for any one particular business, but for the general business environment. There is no wish to interfere with trade and competition. Cllr Cartwright has been to the meetings with Cllr Wells and the shopkeepers, many shopkeepers are participating and are trying to assist.

Resolution 5

It is RESOLVED that a grant of £3000 be made available to help fund the activities of the ‘Claygate Shopping Experience’ Full supporting documentation is attached. Any grant from the Parish Council to be conditional on funding being made available by Elbridge Borough Council.

PROPOSED by David Parks

LGA 1972 s144

SECONDED by Jimmy Cartwright

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY

AP31 The Clerk to inform Cllr Wells

74. Resignation of Cllr Master

Already dealt with

The Chairman again changed the order of the meeting with the agreement of the members, to take Item 27, number 80

80. Youth Liaison Report

Cllr Parks circulated a written report prior to the meeting.

Outlined below are the key points relating to youth activities in Claygate. As we have just come out of the summer school holiday period comments are fairly brief.

Claygate Primary School.

i. During the summer break two additional mobile classrooms have been erected. Having done a site visit, although they have been supplied by portacabin, they are not what one usually associates with portacabin buildings. The quality of the construction is of the highest standard and both classrooms are extremely well equipped. At the same time the existing mobile classroom erected some years ago has been refurbished.

ii. The schools published admission number (PAN) for the new academic year is 90. The last figure of actual pupils was in the high 70’s. Whilst funding is largely related to pupil headcount the Governors took a very strong stance with SCC and successfully negotiated a funding of the extra class not on a per pupil basis but on a total cost basis. This means that the school would not be at any risk if the whole 30 additional places were not taken up. The school suffered last time round when they helped out by going to a 60 pupil entry level.

The school is still awaiting an answer from the schools adjudicator in respect of the admissions policy covering our year of 75 pupils due to leave summer 2010. SCC has known about this problem for 6 years and done nothing about it until just recently. It justly deserves its poor rating.

iii. The total refurbishment of the swimming pool is now complete and is available for use.

iv. Unfortunately problems are being experienced due to some parents who insist on driving down Dalmore Avenue to drop their children off so that they can use the new pathway into school via the recreation ground.

Claygate Recreation Ground Trust.

i. An application has been submitted for funding for the new gates at Dalmore Ave entrance.

ii. EBC organised two picnics on the ground during the school holidays. Both events were poorly advertised. Cllr Parks met the official organising these events and offered the P C involvement if there are any areas we could work together.

iii. A clean up day for the woodland area is being organised for early October.

iv. The latest accounts for the CRGT have been circulated by Cllr Parks. The CRGT are having problems getting funding for the multi-sports area as they are unable to get a grant from Veolia. Various requests for other grants have been made but without success. Two applications still remain outstanding. They have funding of £5k from SCC, £10k from a s106 and £5k from their own funds. The original estimate for the multi-sports area was £45k, but a durable scheme could be put together for £35k; which means that they are £15k short. Whilst ideally the Trust would like a facility costing around £45,000, it is felt that with a grant of £15,000 from the P C together with the other funds available a perfectly acceptable improved facility could be erected.

Previously, CPC offered £10k. If we increase this offer to £15k, then the multi-sports area can go ahead. The original facility was cheap and is now an eyesore, but the ground is still usable, so renewal will be welcomed. Two schools now use the ground. It was noted that the funding is for a multi-sports area and not a skatepark; it will be for an enhancement of the existing facility.

A discussion took place and it was agreed that we do have the reserves to scope with the extra amount needed. But the Trust should be made aware that if we help with this project, then the Council will probably not be able to help with the new Pavilion. It was noted that this is the sort of project that Parish councils undertake, so we should be supporting it.

The Resolution was tabled to fund a multi sports facility.

Resolution 4

It is RESOLVED that a grant of £15,000 be made available to the CRGT for the installation of an improved multi sports facility. The grant to be made on the condition that the necessary work is commissioned within 12 months of the funds being made available.

PROPOSED by David Parks

Local Govt Misc Provisions Act 1976 s 19

SECONDED by Jimmy Cartwright

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY

Scouts.

A request has been received from the Scouts for a grant towards their centenary garden. The garden cost more than expected. It was agreed that the Scout group does very well and it is realised that a great deal of effort goes into fundraising to keep the group going. It was agreed that this Council should be cautious about awarding post-event grants and if this resolution is passed, it should not set a precedent.

Resolution 3

It is RESOLVED that this council makes a contribution of £500 towards the Scouts Centenary garden

PROPOSED by Geoff Herbert.

Highways Act 1980 s 96

SECONDED by David Parks

AGREED UNANIMOUSLY

Youth Club.

Cllr Herbert circulated a report prior to the meeting.

i. The Youth Club continues to have problems with minor damage being done to vehicles in Elm Road; usually leaders and youth club committee members are the biggest sufferers. The problem seems to be a lack of facilities; the YC did not claim the entire grant from the Parish Council as they were trying to make clear to the youths the negative effects of their actions.

ii. The Youth Club is making grant requests to Surrey and Elmbridge.

iii. The Youth Club is also negotiating with Surrey to try and secure a peppercorn rent to reduce their cost base.

iv. There are several long term projects underway to try and engage with the youngsters; the most visible one is the request for a skate park. A young Claygate resident sent an email to CPC requesting their help with the building of a skateboard park. A petition has been placed at Johnston's and a meeting will be held shortly at the youth club with the youths that are most interested and the people from Cobham that helped organise their skate park. It is estimated that a skateboard park could cost in the order of £90,000, so SCC and EBC will be asked to be the primary funders. It was agreed that this is an excellent initiative and thanks were given to Cllr Herbert for facilitating it.

The Clerk will reply to the young resident.

75. The Planning Committee Report

Cllr Herbert circulated a written report prior to the meeting.

All minutes of the Planning Committee have been circulated.

75.1 There seems to be signs of recovery in the new build sector, although the focus since the last meeting has been mainly on procedures.

75.2 We have submitted a response to the Local Development Framework, which covered issues raised at the public meeting, including the discovery by Michael Courtney of the numbers of houses required being wrong!

75.3The Village Design Statement is now available to comment on; please let us have your comments as soon as possible. With the changes proposed within the planning system, the chances of it becoming statutory guidance are improving. Thanks were given to Noël, Shirley and everyone else that has contributed.

75.4 We have had a mix of applications through the committee, from extensions to the Foley Arms Hotel conversion. A recent trend has been for more backland development, which we oppose when it is out of keeping with the area and unsustainable.

75.5 We have a meeting scheduled for just before our next planning meeting to talk to Michael Wooldridge, Managing Agent for the Crown Estates re his intensions in the Green Belt. This is a private meeting to which the Borough Councillors and County Councillor have also been invited.

A discussion took place about the advisability of meeting with the Crown Estates. Every Councillor has been sent a brochure outlining the future of the Crown Estates. It was agreed that the meeting will be useful so that CPC can ascertain if the Crown Estates has any plans for the village. It was also agreed that we must not enter into negotiations about specifics. The role of CPC will be to listen and make no formal comment. All communication must come through the Chairman. It must be made known to Mr Wooldridge that the contents and existence of the meeting cannot be kept confidential.

The Ground rules for the meeting were agreed and will be made explicit at the start of the meeting:-

A. we will not enter into negotiation about specifics.

b. The role of CPC will be to listen and make no formal comment in the absence of a formal planning application.

c. All communication must come through the Chairman, though Members may be invited to ask factual questions.

d. Although the Notes of the meeting will not form part of the formal public record of the Council's business, the contents and existence of the meeting cannot be kept confidential.

76. The Highways & Transportation Committee Report

Already dealt with

77. The Environment Committee Report

All minutes of the Environment Committee have been circulated.

There was no report as Cllr Manley was not at the meeting.

771. Cllr J Cartwright spoke to the EHT about trees in Foxwarren and awaits a reply. He will purse this matter. Cllr Huddart now has the tree planting programme for Coverts Road & Foxwarren. He will amend it if necessary when information is received from EHT.

77.2 The Clerk was asked to congratulate CIB on their wonderful effort and impressive award.

78. Communications Report

78.1 We have produced and distributed a Courier in rather difficult circumstances. Special thanks are owed to Shirley Round for stepping into the breach when Jehan was taken ill and Cllr Sheppard was on holiday. Also to David Parks for sharing the task of the primary distribution. Distribution was a problem as several distributors were short changed and Cllr Sheppard had to go round with extra copies.

78.2 We also distributed with the Courier, the householder packs for the No Cold Calling Zone. Only one distributor objected to the extra item.

78.3 Josette Lesser is keen to get involved on the editorial side.

78.4 Now that Jehan Master has had to resign from the Council on health grounds, Shirley Round has agreed to take on Chair of Communications WG.

78.5 There are vacancies for a Distribution Manager, an Assistant Distribution Manager (to help with bundling up the Couriers and taking round the distributors) and a distributor to replace Chris Ingram. Unless the above vacancies are filled, we cannot produce the next Courier which is planned for before the Christmas Lights event. In these circumstances, Claygate Life cannot go ahead.

78.6 Printing was delayed by staff absences in early August.

79. Website Report

The webmaster, Jim Collins, sent a report.

No great news to report, very few people submit information for inclusion but there is little more that can be done to encourage them, so I have decided to stop worrying about it.

80. Youth Report

Already dealt with

81. Neighbourhood Watch and Police Liaison Report

Cllr Herbert circulated a written report prior to the meeting.

81.1 As usual the main focus is petty crime, although 2 assaults have occurred since our last meeting, one in the station and one in the Roundway.

81.2 The Police Panel meeting on Tuesday was mainly focussed on Elm Road and youth misdemeanours.

81.3 Cllr Herbert raised:-

i. At the request of Highways committee, the problems with parents dropping off children in Dalmore Avenue

ii. At the request of a resident, to open the alley from Torrington Lodge car park to Hare Lane

iii. At the request of Carol Manley, the gathering of youths in Fee Farm Road.

81.4 The Police have been successful in reducing problems in the Recreation Ground.

81.5 The expectations of the public exceed Surrey Police's current resources. The cost cutting has stretched Surrey Police resources.

81.6 Neighbourhood Watch has been quiet, with the unfortunate news that Ross wishes to stand down. We will arrange a watch meeting within the next couple of months to organise a replacement. Please inform Cllr Herbert of any suitable volunteer.

82. Matters for information only

The next SCC Local Committee meeting is on 21 Sept 2009. Cllr Sheppard plans to go, as he will speak on the Letter of Representation which CPC submitted.

83. Date of next Meeting

The next meeting will be:-

Thurs 12 November 2009 at 7.30 pm in the Small Village Hall

Signed…………………………………………………as a true and fair record of the meeting.

Date…………………

Please note: Agenda items and resolutions need to be sent to the Clerk two weeks prior to the next meeting.

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