Minutes of the Cherry Willingham Annual Parish Meeting held on Monday 27th April2015 in the Main Hall of Cherry Willingham Community School.

Present: Cllrs Beattie, Blackwell, Bloomfield, Booth, Bridgwood, Brylewski,Gulliver,Houghton, Robinson, Scott, Trevor, Welburn,Mrs M Vail (clerk), Mr MJ Tomlinson (RFO), Mrs Stiles (Head of CWCommunity School), Mrs K Evans (Head of CW Primary School) and 84 residents.

Meeting started at 7.10pm

  1. Welcomes, introductions and apologies: All were welcomed. Apologies were received from Cllr Parrott, Cllr Mellor, Mr Marcus Stead, Gina Chapman. The format of the meeting was explained.
  2. To receive the Minutesof the meeting held on 28th April 2014: It was RESOLVED with one abstention to receive the minutes of the meeting held on 28th April 2014 and they were duly signed as a true record.
  3. Heads of Schools: update:Mrs Stiles and Mrs Evans both provided brief reports on their respective schools.

County Cllr Ian Fleetwood then spoke about two issues: 1) housing; noting that a ‘joint open plan’ was being put together, and 2) Hawthorn Road and its planned closure as part of the Eastern Bypass plans; noting that it was essential for Hawthorn Road to remain open. He confirmed that there was only a pre-planning application submitted at this moment in time.

District Cllr Anne Welburn then spoke, stressing the need for a Neighbourhood Plan to help direct where to locate future housing. She asked for residents to return the referendum when it took place as 50% of those voting needed to be in favour for the Plan to carry weight in law. Cllr Welburn’s report also included: an update on Hawthorn Road;noting that the Police and Crime Panel was lobbying for more money for the police; and highlighting that WLDC’s aim was to be as self-funding as possible. Her written report was included in residents’ packs.

  1. To receive the accounts for the financial year 2014/15: The RFO gave a brief overview of the draft accounts for 2014/15, noting that the Council had been very good at budgeting. He explained that the figures now had to go to an internal and an external auditor for approval. Questions were then taken from residents.The chairman advised residents that the council would rather use balances for big future projects as this was a growing village; and the council would want to put in infrastructure to support this.
  2. To receive reports from Chair of the Parish Council and Chairs of Committees about the work of the Council during the year 2014/15:The chairman gave his report in which he detailed what the parish council had achieved in the past year; as well as planned future projects. He provided an update in respect of meetings he had attended regarding the bypass and noted that the parish council were fighting to keep Hawthorn Road open. He thanked councillors and staff for their hard work, and noted that there would be a new council in May following elections. The four councillors who were stepping down were thanked for their services to the village.

Cllr Booth spoke on the Planning Committee and the Neighbourhood Plan. Henoted that, on planning applications received, the council could only make comments and that the decision to approve applications lay with WLDC. Residents could view details, including any comments, on the WLDC website. He reported that a Local Plan was in preparation which would inform housing distribution at a strategic level. He then provided an overview of the Neighbourhood Plan process; noting that policies and the final Plan were currently being drafted.

Cllr Bridgwood reported on the Leisure &Amenities Committee, noting that new play equipment had been purchased. A path at St Pauls Play Area, as well as a memorial area for the burial ground, wasbeing considered.

Cllr Welburn reported on the Village Improvement Committee noting that it had saved money on some projects through subsequently obtaining grants. She explained a project for a memorial on the Parade for which she was applying for a grant, and that a grant for work on the memorial gates at the church was in place but that she hadn’t been able to get the required quotes needed to secure the grant. Questions were taken from residents about the condition of roads in the High Street area, and parking issues at the primary school. Cllr Welburnnoted that LCC had indicated that Church Lane and High Street were the next priorities for remedial works, and that LCC were working towards a solution at the school. She concluded by noting that the council did report and chase Highways issues in the village on an ongoing basis.

  1. To receive questions and comments from residents concerning the work of the Parish Council in the last year: These had been taken during the above items.
  2. To receive the proposed budget (RFO) and then explanation of projects for the financial year 2015/16 (Chair of the Council/Vice Chair of the Council), to include the Journeyman Project:The RFO gave an overview of the proposed budget for2015/16, noting a £10,000 increase (18.1%) due to planned projects. It was hoped that some grants could be obtained. Hethen gave an explanation of council tax and howit affected residents, advising that the more properties in the village the lower the council tax per household. The Chairman then noted that the new grass cutting contractor was committed to giving an excellent service,and that he had been doing a good job in the village.

Following a comfort break, a member of the Hawthorn Road Action Group (HRAG) updated residents on the campaign to keep Hawthorn Road open, thanking both group members and the many public supporters for their backing. She asked for support at 1) the pre-inquiry meeting to be held on 18th May and 2) the public inquiry due to start on 11th August. She advised that HRAG were considering running seminars to support residents in preparing for the inquiry: many present expressed an interest in these. Questions were then taken from residents.

The chairman then asked residents for their approval to purchase from the Bowser Estate three fields and a strip of land to the river, noting the requirement for a mandate from this meeting to allow the council to proceed with the purchase and apply to borrow funding. A member of the Journeyman Project then explained their work and how they would use the land if they could rent it from the council. Cllr Welburn noted that the parish had very few assets and that this land would provide opportunity to earn income for the parish, as well as to increase amenities for the villagers. She noted that it would be up to residents to decide on its usage, and that up to £50,000 could be applied for in grants from WREN for community projects. The RFO advised that the best estimate of costs at this moment in time would be that a Public Works Board Loan for £200,000 at a fixed 3% interest over 30 years would cost the parish £10.000 per annum, although this could be repaid early. A show of hands was taken to approve purchase of the land and application for funding from the Public Works Board in line with the negotiated purchase price.

Residents then commented and asked questions on various matters relating to theland purchase and land usage. Cllr Welburn noted that the land would be tested to see if it was suitable for allotments, and that a submission of interest had been put in for purchasing the High Street allotments which were on the List of Community Assets Register.

Two votes were then taken as follows: 1) there was a majority consensus to purchase the grassed field to the north of Fiskerton Road. 2) there was a majority consensus to purchase the other two fields, including strip of land,to the south of Fiskerton Road down to the river. Cllr Welburn confirmed that many avenues of consultation with residents had returned a majority in favour of the land purchase;including the parish council website, Facebook and Cherry News.It was therefore confirmed that the Parish Council would proceed as outlined above.

  1. To receive questions and comments from residents concerning the work of the Parish Council in the coming year: These had been taken during the above item.
  2. To award the Stead Community Award 2015: The Stead Award was presented to Cilla Lamerton for all she had achieved in the community through Scouting over the last 30 years. Cilla gave a short ‘thank you’ speech.
  3. To receive reports from outside bodies and receive questions from residents if appropriate:The editor of Cherry News thanked residents and all who had been involved in Cherry News. He noted that Cherry News was a non-profit organisation which had handed nearly £4,000 back to the community. He advised that he was stepping down as editor and that a replacement was needed. There were no other reports.
  4. Vote of thanks and close: All were thanked for attending, and the meeting ended at 9.58pm

Signed:

Cllr SteveTrevor (Chair of Cherry Willingham Parish Council)

CWPC APM 27/04/15Signed Minutes Page 1 of 2