MINUTES OF A MEETING OF LEAFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
HELD ON WEDNESDAY 27th NOVEMBER 2013 8PM IN
LEAFIELD VILLAGE HALL PRE SCHOOL ROOM
Start 8.04pm Finish 10.12pm
Present: Juli King, Jenny Balmer, Susie Keen, Luke Caunt, Anna Holowackyj
Members of Public: 9
1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Simon Hoare
Louise Chapman
Jane Denton (Parish Clerk)
2. TO APPROVE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 7th NOVEMBER 2013
The Chairman advised she had been unable to agree the minutes before they were published and having reviewed them made several amendments which were confirmed to the public
- Chairman Anna Holowackyj was reviewing the minutes from the last meeting to sign off. A resident requested clarification concerning the cost of a letter from Dr Biddle being £450. The Chairman was happy to clarify that the £450 was in fact for both the visit and the letter.
A resident highlighted his disappointment that the minutes had not included all of the information he had provided to the parish council and that the figures were potentially ambiguous. The Chairman explained that the minutes could only include a brief summary of matters discussed at the meeting.
After a further brief discussion over the figures it was established that there was some ambiguity over the funds raised for the village. For clarification £3000 were raised on the day with £1500 to next year's fete and £1500 for village charities. The previous quoted figure of £4000 included takings by traders. The Chairman thanked the resident for providing clarity on the numbers. - COUNCILLORS CHAIRMAN NOMINATION AND VOTING
At this point Anna Holowackj announced that she had only stepped in as temporary measure following the resignation of Chairman Dan Branigan and no longer wanted to continue as Chairman.
Julie King put herself forward as Chairman. Anna Holowackyj nominated Julie King and Susie Keen seconded. Following this vote Julie King then took over chairing the meeting from this point.
There are vacancies on the parish council. Two immediately and three more from 1st January 2014. Craig Morse had resigned with immediate effect, Susie Keen is stepping down from the end of November, Anna Holowackyj and Jenny Balmer are stepping down the end of December. Jane Denton Parish Clerk has resigned and will be leaving our employment on December 31st 2013.
Chairman Julie King said she had been looking forward to joining the councillors and expressed her sorrow that the Council was losing such excellent representatives and wanted to convey her gratitude to each of them for all of their hard work and dedication to Village matters. She also pointed out that Councillors are volunteers and often carry out the work of the village at personal expense.
This resident then asked what the reasons were and Chairman Julie King explained that certain individuals had accused the Parish Council of possibly acting illegally, or incorrectly, and the integrity of the council was called into question also the use of finances. This has caused excessive stress at a time when the council was very under staffed and had been at a difficult time and as a result the councillors’ felt they were unable to continue. It was asked whether these individuals were then putting themselves forward for the council vacancies if they knew better and the Chairman responded that although there have been Councilor vacancies for the entire year it was reasonable to assume they were not standing for Council.
Kate Tustin put herself forward as a councilor
- Leafield Parish Council will look into conducting a Transport Needs Survey to in conjunction with OCC to ensure residents needs can be considered in any future transport policy decisions by local government. More details will be given at a future Council meeting."
- A Resident said not all would be happy about using computers so Chairman explained traditional methods such as paper and poster would be continued and LPC was also considering a separate sheet in the Benefice newsletter.
- Simon Hoare explained that he is the District Ward for 11 or 12 parishes and Leafield has always been run efficiently however a few people seem to want to run this village council down. This disrespectful behaviour has to stop as a village without a parish council will cease to function. The village would be run by WODC instead who would not have the same local knowledge.
- A member of the public requested that comments made by the District Councillor Regarding the GYM project were added to the minutes
“There is a broad consensus for the gym project and therefore no need for a vote”
Above comments added – minutes approved
3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
The Chairman gave a declaration of “non interest” advising that her husband and son had been involved in Football in Leafield for many years. This declaration was made to allay any doubts by the public that she had taken the position of Chairman to block the gym project.
4. NEW COUNCILLORS
The following new councillors were nominated and seconded
Kate TustanNominated by Anna Holowackyj Seconded by Susie Keen
Kieran MullinsNominated by Jenny Balmer Seconded by Susie Keen
Nick BirtleyNominated by Anna Holowackyj Seconded by Luke Caunt
5. BUDGET/PRECEPT
The Chairman advised that there were increased costs in several areas of responsibility
i.e. General Maintenance, Vandalism, CCTV Maintenance, Insurance Premiums,
VH Maintenance
The Chairman confirmed that currently - based on a Band D property, the community charge paid to WODC is £55.52 per annum which over a period of 10 months is £5.55
The Chairman advised that although not finalised, LPC were proposing an increase to £69.73 for a Band D property. This is an increase of £14.21 per annum or £1.42 per month.
The Chairman advised that Parliament may not announce the maximum increase allowed on budget until 20th December 2013 and until then the PC did not know if the increased request would be within the boundary. The Chairman also advised that a referendum could be called should we request too higher an increase on precept and this is something that we needed to avoid. However there has not been a referendum called for a village PC since introduced in 3 years.
The Chairman emphasised that there were projects that needed to be carried out specifying that the Village Hall Car Park was a priority.
A member of public commented that even with the increased precept that there would not be enough money to pay for car park repairs.
Luke Caunt Parish Councillor advised it would take 50/60% of precept to repair the car park
A member of the public suggested that it would be advantageous to advise the village of increase.
A member of public requested the last 3 years accounts be published
A member of public advised that increases could be easily justified and when published should not create a problem for the villagers
Chairman pointed out the precept had not been increased for three years and now it was required to realistically cover ongoing costs and possible new projects to proceed subject to grant applications being successful.
6. TRANSPORT CONSULTATION UPDATE
The response has been sent off to OCC. Copy is available on the Leafield website.
The review decision-making is due to be undertaken at a transport decision meeting on 27th March 2014. County councillors will get agenda notices 1 week before, so we will keep in touch with them to see how things develop.
Luke copied the letter to a number of potential allies and received the following summarised responses.
David Cameron’s office -
David has asked me to pass the following message onto you:
“I can completely understand your concerns as many rely upon public transport in our area. I have written to Oxfordshire County Council about this issue and I shall continue to follow the consultation process closely.”
Barry Norton
Leader of West Oxfordshire District Council
Generally supportive of our case and informs us that WODC have made similar comments for the wider area. Commends the village for the wide range of information gathered and recognises that we are supportive of finding sustainable solutions.
Warwick Robinson, WODC Councillor
Gives our case his full support.
Sophie Scott - Oxford Mail
Would like to do a story - any volunteers for a photo?
John Davidson - Cotswold line group
Has sent me their recommendation for merging the C1/T1 and X8 services. Another version of combined services. Will circulate to council for review and any other interested parties.
Transport Needs Survey
Currently looking into this, awaiting more detailed information from OCC of what it involve to bring back to the council for discussion.
The Chairman commented that there has not been a survey carried out since 2008 and that this needed to be explored. The OCC provide the survey – PC printed and delivered to every household – villagers posted free of charge back to OCC direct.
Will need to go on January agenda
School Bus consultation
Consultation closes on the 20th December 2013
Very important that people complete the consultation questionnaire.
The Parish Council will submit a response and I would welcome comments from the council and residents to inform our response.
There is a public meeting at Burford School on 9th December 2013
The Chairman and members of public thanked Luke Caunt for the work carried out regarding Transport
7. CHESTNUT TREE UPDATE
The Chairman advised that to her knowledge there had been no further communication from our Insurers.
There was a debate as to what should be done with the Tree Trunk and the consensus of opinion was that it would most probably the costs would increase and it would not be ideal for the trunk to be left. This is not a foregone conclusion as further investigations will be made “should” the tree need to be felled.
A member of public said it was sad that the Insurers had not had the courtesy to respond and found it frustrating as a villager as her hands were tied due to the fact she could not make direct contact with the insurers herself.
8. THE PARISH or COMMUNITY LEAD PLAN using The PBPPRINCIPLE (Plan Budget Precept)
The Chairman advised that her hopes for the future would be that by introducing a Parish Community plan LPC could follow the PBP principle.
Precept budgeting would be community led, based on the community wishes and expectations.
It was agreed that there were several groups of people in the village doing good work and that a Community Plan would encourage different groups to work together – creating an overall plan for short and long term aims.
A parish plan is a community plan and not a land use plan. It is a set of policies and an action plan for the next few years covering a much wider range of issues such as housing, the local economy and transport. It is a good idea to draw up a plan, whatever the size of your community.
The plan should be developed in consultation with the local community. Parish surveys, parish maps, community conferences and design statements are ways in which your council can establish the needs and wishes of local people. Tools like these strengthen community spirit, especially if they involve all parts of the community. A council that listens knows that it has local support for actions it may take.
Once you know what you want, you can decide how you are going to pay for it. Many councils start with the money and then decide how far it will stretch. Some councils claim that they have so little money that they can do almost nothing. Evidence clearly suggests that local taxpayers would be willing to pay more if they could see the results in terms of better local services. Ask first, and then set the budget accordingly.
Whatever your council’s approach to plan making, financial regulations say it must have a budget. The Plan creates the Budget that determines the Precept; it is good advice to follow this PBP principle. Remember, the precept is taken from the council tax. Your council should investigate other sources of funding such as grants and sponsorship to help implement its plans; on average, non-precept funding makes up one third of local council income.
Meeting agreed 12th February 2014 – The meeting would be classed as a Launch Night
Starting from a blank sheet. Members of public gave several good suggestions that can be utilised moving forward
9.THE QUALITY COUNCIL SCHEME – A BENCHMARK FOR EXCELLENCE
Part of LPCs long term plan is to achieve Quality Council Status.
The Quality Council Scheme was launched in 2003 and updated in 2008 and 2013. The scheme aims to establish minimum standards, encourage continuous improvement and provide a benchmark for excellence for all local councils. It is supported by five national stakeholders: the Department for Communities and Local Government; the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Local Government Association, the National Association of Local Councils and the Society for Local Council Clerks.
The scheme is open to all local councils, irrespective of size, and all councils are encouraged to attain Quality status. By providing specific evidence of what it has done in a number of areas a Quality Council shows its residents, its principal authorities and other organisations that it meets a nationally recognised standard of achievement. A Quality Council is in a better position to influence local decision making processes and take on additional responsibilities from a principal authority if it so chooses. It may also help the council to attract additional funding.
All local councils, from the smallest to the largest, are encouraged to work towards achieving Quality status.
Quality Councils are expected to:
• be effectively and properly managed, with members and officers upholding high standards of conduct
• be representative of and actively involve all parts of their community
• encourage people to stand for the council and to vote in local council elections
• work closely with voluntary and community groups to develop and facilitate projects which benefit their communities
• work in partnership with other local authorities and agencies to get the best deal in service delivery for the local community
• be committed to on-going training and development for both staff and members.
The central idea is that a Quality Council is well run, engaged and accountable, and is committed to doing things well, and getting better over time. It is a vision of democracy at its best: local votes for local people for local action.
10. IMPROVING OUR GREEN SPACES
Luke Caunt introduced LPCs ideas regarding green
The aim of this project is to improve the environmental quality in the village. The parish council looks after on behalf of the village a number of green spaces including the green, village hall and roadside verges.
We think there are a number of small things that can be done to improve these green spaces and encourage wildlife.
We are looking to create a list of small projects that can be completed easily and hopefully with little cost to enhance the village.
Step 1 will be to create a list of suggestions, which we can start in this meeting and I have put a small notice in the Forest Edge newsletter as well.
Step 2 will be to create a project list and then we can work our way through the list raising funding and support.
Key to this will be involving local community groups and individuals - particularly those with expert knowledge.
Some possible suggestions so far are:
- Woodland trust obtain a tree pack - 30 free trees - could be planted around the village hall / playground area.
- Working with local partners to start projects enhancing wildlife and the natural environment e.g. Wychwood project
- Spring bulb planting - bring a bulb planting party
- Gateway enhancement scheme - enhancing the approaches to the village, perhaps a planting box around the village signs or more trees.
- Adopt a flowerbed - Local community groups can adopt a flower bed.
- Some kind of bat or bird project.
- butterfly or bee project perhaps lavender planting
- Grass Meadow project including wild flowers on a unused part of the green.
- 2 for 1 tree scheme - where people buy one tree for themselves and one tree for the village -cost effective group buying scheme.
- Benches / seating areas
- turf maze - If we are feeling really adventurous.
Does anyone have any other ideas / suggestions?
A member of the public suggested contact be made with Leafield Woodland and Wychwood Project