CouncillorsParish Council - Meetings minutes
24 July 2008 - 7.30PM
Minutes of the Meeting of the Council
held at 7.30pm on the 24 July 2008
in the Small Village Hall.
Present: Chairman: Jimmy Cartwright
Councillors:
Audrey Cartwright, Carol Manley, Shirley Round
In attendance: Parish Clerk: Freda Collins
1 member of the public
Penny Hodgson of EBC
31. Apologies for Absence
The following councillors sent apologies:-
Cllr Anthony Sheppard as he had a previous engagement
Cllr Jehan Master as he was on holiday.
These were accepted.
32. 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 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 Huddart declared that he is a member of the Village Hall Committee, President of the CVA Committee and Acting-Chairman of the Claygate Conservation Area Committee.
Cllr Herbert declared that he is Chairman of the Youth Club Committee.
Cllr Charlwood declared that he is Vice-Chairman of the Youth Club Committee.
Cllr Manley declared that she is a member of the Claygate Allotment Holders Association, the Claygate Flower Show Committee, a member of the Claygate Conservation Area Committee and a member of the Committee of Claygate in Bloom.
Cllr Audrey Cartwright declared that she is a member of the Group Council for the Scouts.
Cllr Round declared that she is secretary of the Village Hall Committee, and a member of the CVA Committee and a Trustee of the Friends of Capelfield.
33. Confirmation of the Minutes
The minutes of the meeting of the 22 May 2008 were corrected:-
i. P4 re AP73-the word ‘to’ was inserted before the word ‘Chantal’.
ii. P5 resolution 5-this was seconded by Ken Huddart
iii. P6 item 20, the word ‘agreed’ was changed to ‘agree’
The corrections were made and the minutes were agreed and then signed by the Chairman.
The Chairman closed the meeting in order to hear from Penny Hodgson.
Penny addressed the meeting:-
She is a Project Officer at EBC in charge of setting up the Claygate & Oxshott Surestart Children’s centre. This is a Government initiative and will be countrywide. This has come out of the Every Child Matters legislation. By 2010 they will be a centre for every locality. The project is Government funded for 3 years; the Government has decided the boundaries and budget. The idea is to bring services and agencies together. SCC has to set up 77 centres, and by March this year 51 had been completed. There are 3 levels or phases, with phase 3 being the lowest level of service; phase 1 providing a full range of services including full day-care. The centres can be run by primary schools, YMCA, the Church or private individuals.
The co-ordinator for the C&O scheme has been appointed and will start in September 2008 and will be based at the Day Centre. She will work 18 hours per work at times when the Centre is open. This will be a Phase 3 centre offering access to advice to all local people and families.
Penny is currently informing all interested groups, such as Headteachers, nurseries, playgroups, CAB, Homestart, Job Centre Plus
The Steering Group will be set up in September and it is hoped that a member of CPC will join. The group will look at the needs of the area; such as after school provision, play provision and childminding. Penny noted that there is no longer a baby clinic in Claygate; mothers now have to go to Thames Ditton, which is difficult without a car. The group will look to identify gaps in services and then act on this. In this area, there is hidden deprivation.
The services to be offered at Claygate & Oxshott Children’s centre will include:-
· Early years provision-activity groups, therapies
· Childminders-stay & play sessions, meetings, training, vacancy co-ordination
· Information and advice for parents-family information service, internet café
· Parenting and family support- drop-in centre, parenting programmes, referrals to specialist services, parent forums, voluntary organisations.
· Employment support-Job Centre Plus, adult learning
· Child and family health-working with maternity and health visiting services to provide relevant education and health promotion
The launch day will be 17 Oct 2008, and an Open Day is planned in the New Year when the services are up and running.
Ms Hodgson answered questions from the meeting. The Chairman thanked her for addressing the meeting, she then left.
34. To report on the actioning of items from the last meeting
Re AP6- Cllrs Sheppard, Round, Cartwright and the Clerk to look into the role of the RFO-ongoing.
Re AP8- Cllr Shepard has not yet prepared a report about this matter. He will study recent telephone bills and report to the next meeting-ongoing.
Re AP9- the Clerk to ask SCAPTC about a short course which covers dealing with the press and press releases. There has been no information from SCAPTC. Cllrs Round, Master and Manley went on a new Councillors course. There have been other longer courses offered, but many cover the same matters. EBC have offered some training.
Re AP10- retirement of Dave the Station booking Clerk. The Flower Show Committee kindly invited Dave to their lunch. Howard Mallinson provided a copy of his book. Cllr Sheppard presented the book and a bottle of champagne.
Re AP12- the Clerk to ascertain whether EBC or SCC mow the village verges. In 2002 SCC took back the responsibility of mowing some verges from EBC. So now, SCC mows some verges, EBC mows others. Since that time standards have fallen. There will be hand-over of tasks from SCC to EBC in September; it is not yet known what will be included.
35. Report from the Chairman
There was no report from Cllr Sheppard.
Cllr Cartwright reported that he and Cllr A Cartwright had recently attended the Queens Garden Party having been put forward because of his previous work as Chairman of the Parish Council.
36. Report from the Parish Clerk
36.1 There is a nil return on entries in the Hospitality Register.
36.2 A letter has been received from the Village Hall Trustees informing us that the lettings rates will increase on average by 4% with effect for the 1st September 2008.
36.3 A letter of thanks was received from the Old Peoples Club thanking the Parish Council for their generous grant.
37. Finance Report
37.1 A copy of all receipts and payments from the start of the new financial year for both accounts, all payments made since the last meeting and a detailed Income & Expenditure by budget was circulated prior to the meeting. Different coloured papers were used to denote the different data.
37.2 The payments were approved.
37.3 Bank Reconciliations for all months since the start of the financial year have been prepared by the Clerk and signed by the Chairman.
37.4 The BT bill has been paid by Direct Debit.
37.5 The Clerk has paid the Tiscali bill from her own personal account and has been reimbursed by cheque in agreement with Resoltion3 of the meeting on 20 Jan 2005 and Financial Regulations.
37.6 The Accounts and Audit (Amendment) (
The review must consider the following and an assessment made:-
1. Scope of internal audit- does the internal audit sufficiently cover all aspects of the financial controls relevant to the smaller relevant body and are terms of reference on place and approved?
2.
3. Competence- is the internal auditor competent; do they carry out their work ethically, with integrity and objectivity?
4. Relationships- are RFO’s consulted in the internal audit plan. The responsibilities of the smaller relevant body are understood and training is undertaken as necessary.
5. Audit Planning and Reporting-is there a plan in place for when the internal audit will be undertaken and does the plan properly take account of risk?
The internal audit department of Elmbridge Borough Council carries out our internal audit. So all the above criteria are covered and Q6 can be answered.
37.7 Cllr Sheppard was asked to determine whether financial regulations required amending. This report will be deferred until the next meeting.
AP15 Cllr Sheppard to action.
38. 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 and the following noted:-
i. Communications – to be discussed during the report
ii. Highways & Transportation- as expected.
iii. Environment- the finance for HGS projects is as expected.
iv. Planning- as expected.
It was noted that this review is a chance to flag up any risks, or unexpected expenses. It is also a chance to take up new initiatives. It was agreed that our outgoings are well controlled.
A discussion took place and it was agreed that, as the agenda is usually very full, there is never much time to discuss future projects, so that an informal meeting for this is required. These ideas can then be brought back to the formal meeting. This informal, creative brainstorming session could be carried out twice per year.
Each committee was asked to produce their own ideas.
It was agreed that Cllr Cartwright will speak to the Chairman and then arrange a venue and a date.
AP16 Cllr Cartwright to action
39. EBC Children’s Project
Already dealt with
40. Telephone Bills
As Cllr Sheppard was due to give this report and he was not at the meeting, this item will be deferred to the next meeting.
41. Review of the Quality Council Scheme
The need to renew Quality Status has been postponed as new criteria are being decided. Although full details are not yet available, there are 2 new categories:-
i. There must be a training strategy for staff and councillors
ii. The Council must have a community engagement strategy
Two Councillors will need to take charge of these items. This item will be deferred until more information is available.
Cllrs Round & Manley recently attended a training session which informed them that there will be changes to the publication criteria. At the moment, 4 publications a year are required. It is expected that having a permanent website will count towards this total.
42. Review of Primary Land-won Aggregates in the SE
This document has been circulated to all councillors. It does not apply to Claygate.
43. Constitution of the Committees
It has been confirmed that the following have agreed to be co-opted members of the Committees:-
i. H & T- Howard Mallinson, Brian Rhodes, Caroline Stevenson
ii. Planning- Noel Isaacs , Tree Wardens- Margie Richardson, Vanessa Relleen
iii. Environment- Jean Griffiths, Vanessa Relleen, Len Hands, Rukshana Master
Cllr Jehan Master has resigned from the Planning Committee; no other councillor put themselves forward to join this Committee.
44. Confirmation of Committee remits
44.1 The remit of the H&T Committee has still to be reviewed by the Committee.
44.2 The remit of the Environment Committee has been reviewed and no changes were made.
44.3 The remit of the Planning Committee was reviewed and changes proposed:-
The following to be added to A (a) ii
In the event that the Parish Council objects to the application, Elmbridge Borough Council will send the application to the East Area Planning Committee for consideration, unless the Planning Officer refuses the application, when the Officer will resolve the application.
And A (b) xi
Contacts with Developers and Applicants – Except in respect of applications for tree works, Parish Councillors will not normally speak to people regarding planning permission. Should such contact arise unavoidably, discussion shall be limited to procedural matters and avoid considering the merit of the application. In such a case a note shall be made of the contact and reported to the next Planning Committee meeting.
In the event that an interested party wishes to talk to a Parish Councillor prior to an application being heard at a meeting, this must be done by appointment with the Clerk. It should be immediately prior to a planning meeting, with a minimum of two Parish Councillors and the Parish Clerk present and a record taken of the discussion and included in the minutes.
Records of such meetings with interested parties should be agreed with the applicant if at all possible.
It was also agreed to add:-
Councillors may attend publically advertised open meetings about applications and proposed applications, but should not enter into any discussion unless arranged as above.
45. Review of the Flower Show
45.1 It was agreed that the display was excellent, with good photographs. Thanks were given to Cllr Round and all those who helped with the display. There were several positive comments about the display from members of the public and the day was well organised with many councillors attending. Thanks were given to Cllr J Cartwright for the loan of the gazebo and for all those who helped put it up.
45.2 It was noted that the Neighbourhood Watch display was well run by Ross, but it was disappointing not to have a Police Officer present.
45.3 A discussion took place about how the display could be improved. It was suggested that, rather than having several small gazebos for the CIB. CPC and CVA displays, the Parish Council could purchase one large marquee to house all the displays. This would make for easier access for the public and allow the displays to be more readily viewed. There could also be a few chairs to allow people to sit and chat to the representatives. It was agreed that there should be research into the cost of large marquees and whether the CVA and CIB would be interested in the scheme.
AP17 The Clerk to research and agenda for the next meeting.
45.4 One volunteer was recruited to the Green Team. It was noted that the Flower Show has been a good source of volunteers over the years.
46. EBC Audit & Standards Committee
EBC need 2 Parish Councillors to be on this Committee. Cllr A Cartwright has volunteered. There will be no conflict of interest with Cllr J Cartwright being on the Committee in his capacity as a Borough Councillor. Cllr Sheppard will remain on the Committee, but attend meetings only when required. Cllr Huddart proposed that Cllr A Cartwright become the main CPC representative. This was seconded by Cllr Round and AGREED unanimously.
47. The plaque to the late Cllr John Swingler
This plaque consists of a brass plate fixed to a wooden surround and supported on a wooden stake. Some time ago the wooden stake was broken by vandals. The plaque to Sally Hornsby was damaged at the same time. Brian Hornsby paid for a new granite plaque to Sally and this cost £200. It was agreed, that as John’s plaque is undamaged, it should be refixed into the ground at the Firs verge. Cllr Parks volunteered to do it. The Clerk will deliver the plaque to him and he will liase with Cllr Manley as to the siting.
AP18 The Clerk and
48. The Planning Committee Report
All minutes of the Planning Committee have been circulated.
Cllr Herbert gave a verbal report to the meeting.
48.1 A new application for floodlights at the Claygate Tennis Club will soon be applied for.
48.2 The application for 17,
48.3 The enquiry date for 23,
48.4 There has been no satisfactory resolution of the use of the front room at 109,
AP19 The Clerk to action
49. The Highways & Transportation Committee Report
The minutes of the Highways & Transportation Committee on 17 Jul 2008 have not yet been circulated.
Cllr Huddart circulated a report prior to the meeting.
49.1 SCC advises that replacement of the peak hour parking restriction in
49.2 Cllr David Parks has repainted and applied graffiti shield to the bus shelter in
49.3 Cllr Steve Wells has been asked for a bus shelter in
49.4 SCC has not yet clarified its view on a bus stop clearway marking in
49.5 South West Trains has confirmed that station parking is free at weekends and will change the signs in January.
49.6 The following were reported:- defects at Torrington Lodge car park entrance road, a depression at
49.7 Claygate roads were not flooded for long following the very heavy rain on Monday 7 July. Short term flooding generated a complaint at The Avenue/Hare Lane. A contributory factor was the failure of SCC to clear any gullies part way up a slope, so that the gullies at the bottom become overloaded. H&T Committee decided to reinforce Michael Courtney’s campaign to have SCC honour its commitment to deal with this problem.
49.8 The Parish Council has installed cobbles round the
49.9 The gate from the Recreation Ground to
49.10 Cllr Huddart commented to EBC on the Cabinet’s decision to send back its consultant’s report on off-street parking charges.
49.11 Cllr Huddart circulated a note on on-street parking issues. The H&T Committee will set up a working party to discuss these informally.
49.12 Cllr Huddart has circulated proposals on traffic calming in Hare Lane to SCC and at the Claygate Show. SCC noted that it was unusually short of funding for such schemes, and was concentrating on those that could save casualties; which applies to our proposal.
49.13 Cllr Steve Wells has been asked for a zebra crossing in the High Street. The H&T Committee was happy for him to campaign for this but, given perceived safety issues, would not take the lead.
49.14 The Vehicle Actuated Sign in Oaken Lane has been installed facing the wrong way, where it is ineffective and difficult to see. Cllr Huddart is to ask for it to be turned round, in the direction we asked for.
49.15 There is concern at the recent South West Trains proposal to severely reduce the opening hours of ticket offices and hence station facilities, Cllr Huddart has written to Station Manager Metro, and will be writing to other named overview organisations. Our MP is said to be active and John Pincham has written a strong letter. Howard Mallinson is encouraging action by station groups down the line.
49.16 We are making progress identifying a programme of replacement highway trees to be funded by donors and the Parish Council. H&T Committee wants SCC to remove dead trees and stumps and to continue active maintenance such as pollarding. The Committee wants to negotiate a contract of grant with SCC for doing such work on its behalf but will not offer to carry out inspections aimed at ensuring that trees remain safe.
49.17 Gerald Abrahams has again strimmed Old Claygate Lane. He found the work more demanding than previously and asked for £110 plus VAT instead of £50. H&T Committee queried the increase and asked for more information. Cllr Huddart inspected and found the work to have been much better done than previously, and therefore recommend payment in full. The Council AGREED that, in view of the extra work carried out, the increase was justified and could be paid.
49.18 Cllr Huddart has advised SCC of reported flooding under the A3 on BW32, from Lower Wood Road to Chessington.
49.19 EBC continues to replace missing and broken street nameplates promptly, which is welcome. It has recently replaced all those in Westbury Avenue. It has responded to our recent debate, saying that it will replace damaged or old signs, such as High Street and Oaken Lane/Oaken Drive, and will wash new dirty signs, such as two at Stevens Lane/Red Lane.
49.20 The issue of a pedestrian footway in Telegraph Lane has again been raised and is being re-surveyed by Cllr Steve Wells. There have been complaints from residents that they do not want to be surveyed again as no-one wants a footpath. The effect of pedestrians in the road slows the traffic.
50. The Environment Committee Report
All minutes of the Environment Committee have been circulated.
Cllr Manley circulated a written report at the meeting.
50.1 The display for the Flower Show showed changes on The Green, Clean Up day and wild flowers on the Firs Verge together with an A-frame promoting GGIC. Fliers for GGIC were available for the public. Fliers will also be left in The Church, The Station, British Heart Foundation and village shops.
50. 2 The Woodstock Triangle HGS ––the cobbles have been laid, so now the bed needs tidying and some replanting (Andy’s Garden Services).
50.3 CIB – The judging went according to the rehearsed plan. The route included Claygate School and Pond, the Church grounds including the War Memorial, the Telegraph Lane Allotments and one of the Front Garden Competition winners. The Prizes for Blooming Pub and Best Front Garden were given out at the Flower Show and we were pleased that The Hare and Hounds and two Front garden winners (both in their eighties) came to receive their prizes. Now we must wait until September to hear what our results are at the presentation in Crawley.
It was agreed to write and thank the CIB team for their hard work.
AP20 The Clerk to action.
50.4 GGIC – The Committee met this week. Paul from Grundons has agreed to attend, but needs reminding nearer the date. Paul Cartwright has agreed to collect and return the Smoothie bike from EBC. Carol was congratulated for all her work on GGIC. She reminded the meeting that the original idea came from Steve Wells. A great deal of organisation has been done by Cllrs Sheppard and Manley, and now Cllrs Round and A Cartwright have joined the team.
50.5 Liaison with local schools – we hope to have the RHS prize-winning scarecrow, The Ghost of Hampton Court, made from recycled materials by Claygate Primary school at the GGIC event. It will make an attractive and entertaining exhibit.
50.6 Many of the HGS gardens are in need of major restoration work, so Cllr Manley submitted a resolution and a breakdown of costs needed for each garden. The work will have to be carried out by contractors as it will be too great a task for the Green Team volunteers.
Resolution 2.
It is RESOLVED that for the year 2008/2009 additional funding up to a maximum of £20,000 be placed in the Environment Committee Budget for refurbishment of the Parish Council’s Highway Garden Sites.
PROPOSED by Carol Manley
It was agreed that the resolution was for a large amount of money and more accurate costings will be required. Quotes from contractors will be needed, as this will be a major project.
Cllr Manley withdrew the resolution at this time
The meeting, however, agreed that, in principle, the project should go ahead. It was agreed that Cllr Manley should carry out further work on this project looking into what EBC gives as a grant, and any possible sources of funding. The parts of the project should be put into priority and a project appraisal carried out. Also other local organisations should be consulted as they may be able to assist.
Cllr Manley was thanked for the work carried out so far.
50.7 Vanessa Relleen has asked for a current list of TPO’s. Cllr Herbert will ask EBC.
AP21 Cllr Herbert to action.
51. Communications Report
51.1 The next edition of the Courier which should have been printed in July has been delayed. Due to the hand-over of responsibilities, it will now be ready in September The new Working Party has had its first meeting.
External help will be required with setting the pages. It was suggested that the local man who produces Living Within could be employed to assist on this Courier at a cost of £60 per page for 8 pages.
The resolution was put forward.
Resolution 1.
It is RESOLVED that this Council spends a sum up to £500 on expert advice for the next edition of the Courier
PROPOSED by Alan Charlwood
It was noted that this resolution is not asking for extra funding for Communications as the budget will cover this expense, but that a revised budget will be required for the next PC meeting.
SECONDED by Ken Huddart
AGREED UNANIMOUSLY
51.2 Chairs of Committees are asked to submit reports of up to 400 words on the year’s activities before the end of the month.
Thanks were given to Cllr Charlwood for taking on this task.
52. Website Report
Jim Collins circulated a report prior to the meeting:-
I believe that the site continues to grow in usefulness to the community; I am receiving regular enquiries from visitors seeking information that is not on the site. I think that is a good thing as it means they have trawled through the site before resorting to asking. I could be wrong but I am happy with my misconception.
Web statistics since the start of the year are as follows: - there were 20,101 visits to the site, resulting in 81,258 pages being viewed. Of these visits 63.77% were new visits. These are good numbers at around 3,000 visitors per month.
The meeting gave their thanks to Jim. It was agreed that the site looks good and several compliments have been received about it.
53. Youth Liaison Report
Cllr Parks circulated a report prior to the meeting.
i. Recreational Ground Trust.
There is no further news on the refurbishment of the pavilion.
£18,000 is still need to complete the funding of the multi sports faculty. The financial reserves are at a fairly low level.
ii. Claygate Primary School.
As per the national situation CPS is suffering from the SAT shambles. Not only did the company in charge make errors in the marking but there were also many problems over the distribution of the test papers.
The latest information on the new pathway has already been circulated. Whilst progress has been painfully slow we are at least moving in the right direction.
There have been no problems this year with secondary school placings. CPS achieved very well with 4 pupils getting into Tiffins.
The school continues to do well in sport gaining top place in the small school category in the Surrey schools sport day. Great progress has been made in the arts.
The
Before and after school care is to be provided as from the start of next term. It is a government requirement that all schools offer this facility by 2010. A well respected third party will be providing the service.
New admission numbers are holding up well, but finances are getting strained and there is not much in reserve.
At long last the authorities are talking about the bulge year of 2010 and the problem this may cause re secondary school places, further compounded by the proposed substantial housing development on the old Government site near Hinchley Wood School.
iii. Youth Club
Cllr Herbert gave a verbal report to the meeting.
The AGM has been held. Improvement works are in progress, but a tight rein is being kept on finances. He thanked CPC for their donation.
The field trip organised by Jazz is progressing, she is awaiting answers to the invitations. Surrey Police will fully fund her, and the other constables, hours.
The biggest issue with the Youth Club is the lease which will soon run out. Negotiations will be held with SCC.
54. Neighbourhood Watch Report
Cllr Herbert gave a verbal report to the meeting.
The new co-coordinator Ross Prideaux was at the Flower Show and did well. He made 2 new contacts. He has organised a brain-storming session at 7.15 pm on 6 Aug at the Youth Club.
55. Police Liaison Report
Cllr Herbert gave a verbal report to the meeting. There may soon be news about our neighbourhood officer.
56. CCTV Report
Cllr Cartwright gave a verbal report
All the Claygate cameras are now operational. Work is currently underway on a fibre optic link to the centre. When this is finished it will be possible to have a portable camera in the village.
57. Matters for information only
The Village of the Year competition will be judged on 28 Jul 2008. A preliminary meeting will be held Sat 26 Jul at 9.30 in the village hall. The displays from the Flower Show will be on show. Cllr Parks has offered to help put up the displays.
58. Date of next Meeting
The next meeting will be:-
Thurs 4 Sept 2008 at 7.30 pm in the SVH.
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.
Post meeting note