MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE STOKE POGES PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2017 AT 7.30 P.M. IN THE LIONEL RIGBY ROOM AT THE VILLAGE CENTRE, ROGERS LANE, STOKE POGES.
Present:- Cllr Bagge (Chair), Cllr Carter, Cllr Cox, Cllr Crocker, Cllr Finan, Cllr Fox, Cllr Hoksins, Cllr Lynch & Cllr Taylor.
In Attendance:- Mrs J Simmonds (Clerk)
Also present:- Two members of public.
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MINUTES
071/PC/17 – Police
RECEIVED a report from the police which was tabled.
072/PC/17 – Public Session Time (7.30 pm-7.45 pm)
The meeting is open to the public and press and fifteen minutes will be reserved, if required, for public comment.
Two member of public were present to listen to the item 094 regarding the Pond. They also enquired about some damage to a fence surrounding the pond which occurred on the day of the Horticultural Show. The Chairman agreed to bring item 094 forward.
073/PC/17 – Apologies for Absence
APOLOGIES were received from Cllr Egleton.
074/PC/17 – Declarations of interest
Members to declare any personal interest in any item of business as defined in the Code of Conduct 2012. If that interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest as defined in the Code; the member should withdraw from the meeting for that item.
None.
075/PC/17 – Minutes
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Council meeting held on 3 July 2017 which were signed by the Chairman.
094/PC/17 – Pond
DISCUSSED results of pond consultation previously circulated and the Chairman proposed that no further action be taken on opening up the pond based on the results of the consultation, however, we should ask the Charitable Trust about the ownership of the Council’s share and establish whether it would be allowed to sell to the residents, and if so then to obtain a valuation for that share, this was seconded by Cllr Cox, RESOLVED to agree all in favour.
076/PC/17 – County Councillor’s Report
Cllr Bagge has driven around the village with our local area technician from Highways; lots of roads have now been repaired, including Park Road which has been re-surfaced. Duffield Lane and Templewood Lane are on the list to be done.
Cllr Bagge has a small allowance of £4k which will be put towards some highways maintenance.
The area technician has highlighted that Stoke Poges Parish has the least reports of potholes online.
He attended a meeting of the Beeches LAF with Cllr Lynch and the community speed watch camera has now been acquired and is being managed by Burnham PC, and is available for our use if we have any volunteers to be trained to use it.
A scheme called Coffee Companions was explained and is about to be implemented.
Age Concern Movers and Shakers group in Stoke Poges are struggling to keep going, to be discussed under item 088.
The Farnhams have a team of people that go around removing fly posters, perhaps something Stoke Poges could set up.
077/PC/17 – District Councillors’ Report
Cllr Bagge said that SBDC had been working on the bid for National Housing Infrastructure Fund over the summer to secure funds towards the relief roads for Iver village and Richings Park and Beaconsfield.
Slough Borough Council is preparing to release a consultants’ report promoting a Northern Extension to Slough to be sited in South Bucks’ Green Belt. Work is ongoing to defend South Bucks’ Green Belt and prevent urban sprawl.
There is a steady rise in homelessness and SBDC are working on options for temporary accommodation that do not include nightly-let accommodation, e.g. bed and breakfast.
Sadly two District Councillors passed away over the summer months, Cllr Alan Sampson and Cllr Alan Walters, thoughts go to their families and they will both be sadly missed.
078/PC/17 – Chairman’s Update from last meeting.
Cllr Bagge has spent a lot of time trying to clear a fault code on the heat pump at the pavilion, the clerk will now arrange for an engineer to visit.
Cllr Bagge was delighted to inform the committee that a grant has been awarded for £49k towards a Jogging path at Bells Hill Recreation Ground from his application to Veolia.
Cllr Bagge reminded councillors that when using social media to make it clear that their comments are their own and not on behalf of the Parish Council.
079/PC/17 – Brockhurst Wood
NOTED that offer price submitted was rejected in favour of a higher offer.
080/PC/17 –Merchant Navy Day/Litter Picking Event/Outdoor Cinema
About 12 people attended the Navy Day service at the flag pole, mostly Parish Councillors and their families. Tracey Jones, Ministry Trainee, made a wonderful speech and it was agreed that the event should be carried on yearly.
Around 20 people attended the litter picking session which was also very successful, Cllr Bagge to speak to SBDC as there were not enough litter pickers for everyone.
The outdoor cinema was sadly cancelled due to bad weather; bring back to October meeting to agree a new date.
081/PC/17 – Khalsa School
Cllr Carter reported that the planning application that is currently in has had some amendments made to it which are not acceptable to the local residents. The noise agreement between the school and the village is pending as they cannot get a response from the Department of Education.
082/PC/17 – Pavilion
AGREED to defer, until clerk is satisfied that all works are completed.
083/PC/17 – Bells Hill Green
Cllr Carter went through possible plans for the Green which were tabled. It was agreed that tree works could be carried our as ongoing maintenance from the grant. Other works to be costed and brought back to the October meeting for decision on budgets.
084/PC/17 – B416 Gerrards Cross Road
NOTED response received from Bucks County Council, clerk to inform resident.
085/PC/17 – WW1 Celebration
Councillor Carter asked if the clerk could now formally invite members from Etricourt-Manacourt to the event on 8 July 2017, it was AGREED by all to go ahead, and include members of the church from Wooton.
086/PC/17 – Carols on the Green
Cllr Carter said several stall holders had booked for the evening.
087/PC/17 –The hundredth anniversary of the Crucifix of Manancourt at Our Church of Wootton
Cllr Fox and his wife attended this event and said it was lovely and very well presented; there were nine representatives from Etricourt-Manancourt present. Cllr Fox requested that we invite members from Wooton to the WW1 event next July, already agreed under item 085.
088/PC/17 – Uniformed Groups/Pavilion
AGREED that brownies could use pavilion on 1 July for an afternoon tea event. Cllr Bagge to ask at District about them using the pavilion for sleepovers.
Clerk and Cllr Lynch to get more information regarding Age Concern Movers and Shakers possibly using the Pavilion and bring back to October meeting.
089/PC/17 – The Stoke Poges Society
RESOLVED to agree all in favour for the Parish Council to pay for rights of an image to be used in SPN at a cost of £19.
090/PC/17 – Weed spraying in Village
Cllr Fox proposed that Progress Services be instructed to weed spray the whole village twice annually for £900, seconded by Cllr Taylor, RESOLVED to agree all in favour.
091/PC/17 – Insurance
Cllr Bagge proposed to renew the Council’s insurance cover for the next year with Came and Company, the long term agreement ends September 2018 seconded by Cllr Carter, RESOLVED to agree all in favour.
092/PC/17 – Veolia
Brought back from last meeting to ratify the following:- RATIFIED all in favour.
053/PC/17 – The Veolia grant application for the jogging trail is being decided, one thing that is required is for the Parish Council to agree to provide a balance of £29.5k if the application is successful, Cllr Carter proposed that we agree to this sum to be taken from the general fund, this was seconded by Cllr Hoskins, RESOLVED to agree all in favour and to bring back to the September meeting for ratification.
093/PC/17 – Bucks County Council
Transport for Bucks email regarding a residents request for resident parking on Rogers Lane, to decide if to take forward. RESOLVED to agree all in favour that this has already been dealt with and responded to by the Parish Council last year and to take no further.
095/PC/17 – RECEIVED and ADOPTED minutes from previous meetings of sub committees and working parties:
(1) Planning Minutes – 19 June 2017 – Signed 3 July 2017
(2) Planning Minutes – 3 July 2017 – Signed 21 August 2017
096/PC/17 – Finance
(1) NOTED Statement of Accounts – July 2017/August 2017.
(2) RESOLVED to approve list of cheques/Bacs for signature July/August 2017 £30804.54
(3) RECEIVED Bank reconciliations – July/Aug 2017
(4) NOTED Budget monitoring – July/Aug 2017
097/PC/17 – Annual Return 16/17
NOTED that the annual return has been sent back with no issues or comments from the internal or external auditors.
098/PC/17 – Circulars List/Correspondence and Items received by clerk but not on agenda.
List appended to the agenda of all circulars received in the office and available to view for one month after this meeting.
Correspondence:-
- NOTED Bucks CC – Consultation on draft transport development management policy
099/PC/17 – NOTED Dates of Future Meetings
Planning Meeting – 18 September 2017
Full Parish Council – 9 October 2017
100/PC/17 – Exclusion of the Press & Public
Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960
RESOLVED to exclude the press and public from the following business because publicity would prejudice the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business.
101/PC/17 – To consider complaint about members of the Council.
The subject of the complaint left the room. Cllr Bagge explained the nature of the complaint to the other councillors and that he had checked with the Monitoring Officer at SBDC and that this was not a code of conduct issue. The complaint could not be considered because the Councillor was acting outside of her role as a Parish Councillor but as a resident being part of a working party. Therefore the meeting agreed that setting up a Complaints Committee for this complaint was unnecessary. Clerk to write to complainant.
It was also confirmed by all that the clerk has the delegated authority to allow anyone with business on the green to park vehicles there subject to wet weather conditions ruining the grass.
Meeting ended at 9.35pm
Signed/Chairman Dated