MINUTES of a meeting of the FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE

held in the COUNCIL CHAMBER, WILTON on TUESDAY 16 DECEMBER 2008 at 7.00pm

Present Cllr A Kinsey, Mayor of Wilton

Cllr J Hinnis, Deputy Mayor of Wilton in the chair

Cllr Miss M Clarke

Cllr Mrs C Blackman

Cllr T Abbott

Cllr T Batchelder

Cllr J Rhind-Tutt

In Attendance Mrs A C Purves Town Clerk

Mr H Abel Minute Secretary

Cllr Mrs J Griffin

Prior to the start of the meeting, Wiltshire County Councillor, Tony Deane, Chairman of the South West Wilts Area Board (SWWAB) gave a presentation on the principles and practicalities of the new Area Boards.

The new Wiltshire Council Unitary Authority will composed of 98 elected members, each one representing some 3,700 electors (plus or minus 10%). There will be 20 Area Boards in the county. Those sitting on the Area Boards will be the County Councillors representing the area covered by the board, plus representatives from the PCT, Fire & Rescue and Wiltshire Constabulary. However, the only Board Members with a vote will be the Unitary Councillors.

Wilton/South Newton/Quidhampton can choose which of the three adjacent Boards, based on Amesbury, Salisbury or Tisbury, it would prefer to join.

Board budgets will be some £150,000 a year, depending on how many Unitary Councillors will be sitting on the Board, of which 80% will be available for projects and the remaining 20% will be to meet the costs of the Board.

After discussion, Members felt generally in favour of becoming part of the Tisbury Area Board but felt that further information was necessary before making a firm decision. One particular point that needed clarification was the way policing areas were to be defined. If these were to be made coincident with Area Boards, then Wilton would come under the policing area served from Warminster.

The Chairman thanked Cllr Deane for attending and asked Members to be prepared to undertake further discussion about which Area Board to join in January.

8.15pm A G E N D A

Apologies – Cllr Mrs B Belk, Cllr P Matthews and Cllr I Seviour

117. Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 18 November 2008, having been adopted at the Full Council Meeting on 2nd December 2008, were signed by the Chairman as a true and accurate record. (prop Cllr Miss Clarke, sec Cllr Batchelder – all in favour)

118. To receive any Declarations of Interest in accordance with the Parish Councils (Model Code of Conduct) Order 2007.

Cllr Mrs Blackman declared a personal interest in matters relating to Wilton Vision

Cllr Batchelder declared a personal interest in matters relating to Item 3 of the schedule of accounts.

119. Matters arising from the Full Council meeting

To consider a request from Wilton Vision for extra funding to assist with the analysis of surveys – Cllr Batchelder asked that this matter be deferred sine die. This was agreed.

120. Finance

i.  A schedule of accounts dated 16 December 2008 in the sum of £9,250.43 was confirmed and authorised for payment. (prop Cllr Kinsey, sed Cllr Batchelder, – all in favour).

ii.  To note the amount of R2 funding available. The Town Clerk reported that there is £42,226 derived from development work already started and a further £23,289 from work yet to commence. It was noted that some £16,718 worth of funds had expired. It was agreed to write to the developers concerned with the expired funds to see if they would be prepared to put the money towards the new pavilion. It was also agreed to have a monthly report at F&GPC meetings about R2 Funds and their relevant dates of expiry.

121. To Review other ongoing matters

·  Sports Pavilion – The Town Clerk told the meeting that there was no further news. Cllr Batchelder undertook to liaise with the architect, Michael Lyons, to get more regular updates on progress.

·  Youth Provision – The County Youth Service has informed Town Council that reconditioned container accommodation has become available. The unit is 30’ X 9’ and county would pay for its transportation and installation. Members recommended that County should seek planning permission and deal with the unit’s connection to mains services

·  Cycle Track in Castle Meadow – Cllr Hinnis told the meeting that his understanding of FA rules meant that spectators could not be closer than 2 metres from the football pitch touch line. Cllr Batchelder reported that the available space between the touch line and the meadow boundary varied from 3 to 4 metres. He said he would take further measurements to see whether or not it was feasible to move the football pitch and bring these to the next F&GPC for a decision.

122. To receive monthly reports preceded by the Contractor’s Report

i.  Contractor’s Report –

Ø  Chains on the swings at Minster Street are showing signs of wear. The Town Clerk has instructed the contractors to replace the chains if necessary.

Ø  The bus shelter on the A36 has had glass panels smashed. The Town Clerk has informed WCC as the responsible body and repairs are underway.

Ø  Two moles have been trapped at the cemetery and the lock on the cemetery gate is now functioning.

Ø  The Town Clerk has ordered a new dog bin for the Hollows. This will be installed from April 1st 2009.

Ø  There is mole activity at Flouse Hole and the Town Clerk has sanctioned the purchase of new mole traps to deal with this problem

ii.  Cemetery – This looks fine. Tim, who has taken over from Norman, seems to be well on top of the job.

iii.  Minster Street – Nothing further to report.

iv.  Bulbridge – All seems fine.

v.  Castle Meadow – Cllr Batchelder reported that:

Ø  Mr Coombs’ rubbish pile in Castle Lane has still not been removed. A new tenant in the flat has complained about it to the Housing Department.

Ø  He asked if there was any news about parking restrictions in the lane. It had been adopted by County on June 7th 2007. As things stand, it would be impossible for emergency vehicles to pass along the lane when cars associated with sporting fixtures are present.

vi.  Old St Mary’s Churchyard – Looks good.

vii.  Flouse Hole – Nothing to report.

viii.  Wishford Road – A van seems to have been abandoned in the road. It is missing one wheel and Cllr Mrs Blackman asked what steps she could take to get it removed. The consensus view was that if it was taxed it had as much right as other vehicles to be there. If it was not taxed then she could report it to the local authority.

ix.  Council Offices – Concern was expressed that the outside of the building – roof, guttering, etc had not been inspected for some time and that such an inspection should be carried out in the spring.

123. To review the organisation of the Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony – Cllr Matthews has suggested the setting up of a small committee with representatives from Wilton’s churches, the Carnival Committee, Rotary Club and any others the Town Council felt appropriate. After discussion it was agreed to try and keep the ceremony simple and to keep it as a free show for the people of Wilton. A small committee would be convened by the Town Council in the autumn to coordinate the arrangements.

124. To consider any points raised by Cllr Deane in his presentation on Area Boards

Cllr Hinnis told the meeting that he had always been against the formation of a Unitary Authority for Wiltshire but that now it is going ahead it was important for Wilton Town Council to ‘get in on the ground floor’ and make a decision about joining an Area Board.

Cllr Batchelder asked that more information be sought about policing arrangements and whether or not policing areas would be coincident with Area Boards’ territories. Presently, Wilton is served from Salisbury – just two miles from Wilton. Tisbury, and much of the area that will be part of the Tisbury Area Board, is served from Warminster – which is twenty miles from Wilton.

125. Chairman’s Report

Cllr Hinnis confirmed that the Town Council Offices would be closed from 18th December until 6th January 2009. However, the Town Clerk would visit the office to prepare the calling papers for the Full Council Meeting of 6th January 2009.

126. Town Clerk’s Report

The Town Clerk reported on the following:

i.  Control of Wilton Market under the Unitary Authority – SDC’s Brian Murdoch, the Officer currently responsible for Salisbury & Wilton’s Markets has approached the Town Council to ask who’s going to be in charge in the future. The Market Traders have already expressed interest in forming a cooperative. It was agreed that the Town Clerk be instructed to find out more about the possibilities and add this function to the list of possible services to be adopted by Wilton Town Council.

ii.  Parish and Town Councillors’ Training Seminar – Members are invited to attend a training seminar on Friday 30th January 2009 from 10.00am to 1.00pm at Salisbury’s City Hall.

iii.  Parish Improvement Grants – Information about these grants is available in the Council Offices for Members to inspect.

iv.  Drainage Works at Water Ditchampton – A member of the public has contacted the Town Council to ask if it were aware of these works. The Town Clerk tabled details of the work being carried out by Wessex Water.

v.  A303 closure and diversions – members were advised to look at proposed diversions that would be brought into operation during the closure of parts of the A303

vi.  Training Day – The Town Clerk reminded Members that there would be a Training Day for Councillors on Saturday 28th February 2009 at Pitton.

127. To confirm the date of the next F&GPC meeting

Tuesday 20th January 2009 at 7.00pm at the Council Chamber.

There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.12pm.

Members of the Council considered the foregoing matters in consideration of their duties: Equal Opportunities (race, gender, sexual orientation, marital status and any disability); Crime and Disorder; health and Safety, and Human Rights.

Finance & General Purposes Committee Meeting – Tuesday 16 December 2008