COLDHARBOUR PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Coldharbour Annual Parish Meeting held at The Fairford Leys Centre,
Hampden Square, Fairford Leys on Thursday, 6th April, 2017 at 8.00pm
Present:Officiating:Cllr Andrew ColeChairman of the Council
Mr Keith Gray, JPClerk to the Council
Parish Councillors:Cllr Mrs S A JarvisCllr Mrs S Pattinson
Cllr A PolandCllr M Wilde
Cllr Mrs C BaughanCllr Mrs R Harper
Cllr C MintonCllr A Cole
Cllr S Lambert
County & District Cllr S Lambert (BCC/AVDC)
Councillors:Cllr A Cole (AVDC)
6ResidentsChloe Lambert (Bucks Herald)
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
- Apologies for Absence
RESOLVED: To receive and accept apologies for absence from Cllr M David and Cllr Mrs S James.
- Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting 2016
RESOLVED: To agree and sign the minutes of 7thApril, 2016 Annual Parish Meeting,
as a true record.
- Annual Report of the Chairman of the Parish Council Cllr Andrew Cole
The Chairman to give his annual report on all matters relating
to the work of the Parish Council.
Cllr Andrew Cole (Chairman of Coldharbour Parish Council):
It has been another busy but productive year for the Parish Council and I would like to start by thanking Councillors for their continued support and hard work behind the scenes. I would also like to personally thank Cllr Eastwood who stepped down earlier this year for all her hard work and organising skills which will be truly missed.
In May I was delighted to be able to represent the Parish at the Mayor making event, this is a chance to meet other community leaders and champion Fairford Leys. June saw the return of Music in the Square with four local bands playing on-stage raising over £1000 for Bucks Play Association who were the chosen charity last year.
Fair in the Square and the village dog show this year were also very busy with some categories having over 20 entrants. Our remembrance service was also well attended with wreaths being laid from many local groups within our community. I also attended the Mayors remembrance service bringing communities together to pay our respects and remember those who have given the greatest sacrifice in service of their country.
Christmas in the Square despite the weather was as always magical, the addition of local stalls and the return of the reindeer made it even more magical for children young and old. My thanks go to Father Christmas for taking time out of his busy schedule to see so many children who were not put off by the wet stuff.
Throughout the year, I have continued to bring issues to AVDC and Bucks CC not just as a District Councillor but also as Chairman of the Parish. These have included reporting overgrown foliage, potholes, uneven pavements and Lampposts.
I have also been quite forceful with regards to the land transfer of the Riverine Corridor, in June I brought the issue in front of the Environment and Living Scrutiny committee where I questioned officers directly as to moving this forward. Despite assurances that this would be pushed by December we seemed to have moved no further, at the December Council meeting I demanded that a meeting be set with all concerned Stakeholders to find out what was delaying the process and what could be done to finally get the land transfer process finally moving.
Although there has been a further delay I am confident that the land transfer is imminent and hopefully the rolling transfer will be quite quick.
I have also continued regular meetings with Benjamin UK with regards to the two care homes on the village. Whilst the engagement has had some success including an art exhibition of some of the young people’s art at the community centre in October which was attended by the Mayor and the Chairman of AVDC. And whilst we have seen a reduction in incidents at the homes, there are some issues that still need to be tackled and this is an ongoing piece of work.
We have also seen HS2 start their surveys as this reached Royal Assent and the council will continue to question and push HS2 at every turn to ensure a minimal impact on the village during construction and its operation.
Our maintenance team continue to keep the village looking its best despite being hampered by rubbish being blown around from bins. The village comes alive in spring and again it is our maintenance team who are constantly working to make sure we have such a wonderful place to live my thanks go to Steve and the team for what can seem to be an endless task.
Steve and the team will also be involved with the land transfer hand over making sure that we are happy with the condition of the riverine before accepting the transfer. There are many things that our maintenance team do behind the scenes such as gritting some of the roads around the village, grass cutting, emptying dog bins and setting up and down of our village events. We are very lucky to have such an experienced and dedicated team.
Throughout the year, the Council have many decisions to make some are harder than others and a lot of them have legal implications. We are guided as always by our Clerk who not only advises us but also works with residents to help them with various issues and advise where possible. I would like to thank the Clerk for his support and council through the last year which has been invaluable.
Looking forward it is another busy year ahead as we hopefully start the land transfer as well as organising our regular events. I would like to welcome our new member Cllr James to the Council and once again thank the Council for their work and support through the last year.
- Report from County CouncillorCllr Steven lambert
County Councillor to givea report on the work for the
community of Fairford Leys and he has represented
Coldharbour Ward.
Mr Chairman, fellow councillors, I am coming to the end of my first full term as your County Councillor and this year, like the previous three, have been both immensely rewarding; focussed on the issues facing our community.
As you know, I Iive here in the village, have been a Parish Councillor since 2005 and I am one of your District Councillors. So being County Councillor too has given me opportunities to be a ‘one-stop shop’ to resolve issues.
I often find that many of the issues our community face are shared by me as a resident of Coldharbour – both personal issues and public policy matters. And as ever I have worked constantly to support the Parish Council in its endeavours to make the area a great place to live and work.
I have submitted regular reports to the Council on my work for our community – be that our continued fight for the best mitigation from HS2, school place matters, highways issues (potholes and faulty street lights), Adult Social Care and Children’s Services issues, and of course the Parish Council’s decision to take on devolved services from the County Council.
As a County Councillor, much of my work focusses on local area governance, select committees and social care matters – which are understandably confidential matters. I have also participated in the advisory board for local children centres, played an active role in Select Committee work and as a member of the Bucks and Milton Keynes Fire Authority.
In the last year, we have undertaken a wide variety of work including reviews of: the integration of adults with learning disability into the community, the role of the County Council in economic development, and a forensic budget review. I also supported the recruitment of the new Chief Executive and Director of Adult Services as well as providing real challenge to the Executive at full County Council meetings.
The Budget
The 2016/17 budget was the second worst settlement in the country in terms of grant allocation resulting in about £16 million of planned savings and a further £7 million unspecified. In response to the budget the Liberal Democrats argued priorities for funding were Children’s Centres with £600k reduction in budget, Connexions, school improvement and public health to give children the best possible start in life.
By 2020 the Council will no longer receive any grant support, currently grant accounts for only £25 million of the total £350 million budget. The Council will also be obliged to return £11 million in business rates for ‘equalisation’ through the treasury.
Unitary Council Bid
The Government settlement galvanised the debate for a Unitary Council for Buckinghamshire. Its business case anticipates about £18 million savings per year after transition costs. In my view splitting into smaller authorities cannot achieve the same savings, but the primary driver behind the group position for a single authority is that smaller options cannot make a good case to effectively manage social care.
It is vital that the local authority is large enough to act as commissioner for older people’s services and provider of children’s services, and big enough to attract the best executive talent from the national pool.
East West Rail
As champion for East West Rail the County Council has brought together up to 12 local authorities between Oxford and Cambridge in a group named England's Economic Heartlands to persuade and lobby Government to invest in infrastructure to grow the golden triangle. This means that whilst the scheme is behind schedule it is now nearing development.
HS2
I have reported monthly on HS2 to the Parish Council and these reports reflect our seven-year journey. Sadly, the Bill got Royal Assent in February. I have worked very hard with the Parish Council, residents and community groups to better understand the impacts on our community and secure improved mitigation. My hearing sessions at the House of Commons and the House of Lords in 2015 and 2016 focussed on the effects of building HS2, including the extra traffic to and through Fairford Leys. I attended HS2 summits and ensured that mitigation works for flood affected areas, environmental quiet zones and road networks were all scrutinised and, where necessary, alternatives put forward to the Parliamentary Select Committee.
HS2 Ltd have now provided a map for the major construction routes and we have identified the A418 Oxford Road / Coldharbour Way roundabout as one with potential capacity issues. I have responded to the County HS2 team who now wait for HS2 Ltd to come back with further junction assessments. If, as we suspect, HS2 has a material impact on the junction, because of construction traffic, they must agree suitable mitigation with Bucks CC. I will ensure the Parish Council is appraised and its views reflected.
Broadband Provision.
This is another major infrastructure project causing problems for our residents. I have continued to press the case for the final roll out of superfast Broadband across Fairford Leys. Last year, the District Council agreed to a £1.536 million business case to deliver High Speed Broadband to villages in the north of the Vale but not Fairford Leys.
I have met the leader of the County Council, the Senior Openreach Officers and the Project Manager for the Connected Counties Programme. I have supported the work of a resident to launch a local Broadband offer with very, very good speeds – so good I am going to sign up myself!
In the next few weeks we should hear about the re-profiled programme from Openreach and a ‘Chief Engineers Business Model’ from the investment team about whether they will upgrade the last remaining Green Cabinets. There is a financial incentive for the County Council linked to customer take up.
Measures to prevent CSE in Bucks
A cross-party group of County Councillors has produced a report following a lengthy review of current practices across all organisations which work with children and young people to strengthen the preventative work already taking place on child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Buckinghamshire.
The review was initiated while Thames Valley Police were carrying out Operation Articulate in Bucks - which resulted in the conviction of six men mainly from Aylesbury, for offences including multiple rape of a child under 13 and child prostitution. The report and recommendations can be found at:
Repairs to Brimmers Way footpath and southern village edge footway (Napier to Andrews Way) Despite the repairs, defects keep re-appearing. I have been advised that the footway is not slipping away or eroding into the riverine corridor, but that in both cases, it is the sub surface preparation at fault. If the footway was slipping into the riverine corridor, the edging would be buckled and it is not. I asked for both footways to be repaired and they will now be monitored more regularly.
Fostering and Adoption
This remains a key issue for the County Council with over 400 children in care in Buckinghamshire who need a family or support and guidance. Fostering can be very rewarding and the County provide you with excellent support, brilliant training and offers a generous allowance. If you are interested in finding out more please contact: First Step Team online at
As your County Councillor, I end my first four-year team, in the hope that I have made a demonstrable difference for our community and I give you my assurance that if I am re-elected in a few weeks’ time, I will continue to press for the best outcomes for our community and take every opportunity to represent our interests to the County Council and beyond.
Community Leader’s Fund
Each year I am allocated grant fund by the County Council. In 2014 I granted £1000 to The Fairford Leys Youth Club and this year I was able make a Grant donation again to the Fairford Leys Youth Cub a further £1175.00 which wil go towards upgrading the club’s equipment.
Cllr Steven Lambert – Bucks County Councillor Aylesbury West
- Report from District CouncillorsCllr Andrew Cole
District Councillors to give a report on their work for theCllr Steven Lambert
Community of Fairford Leys and how they have representedCllr Mike Smith
Coldharbour Ward.
The following councillors gave their reports:
Cllr Andrew Cole (AVDC):
Councillor Cole referred members, and the public, to his monthly parish council reports and also said that he continued to work for the residents of the parish on matters concerning them.
Cllr Steven Lambert (AVDC)
Councillor Lambert also spoke for Cllr Mike Smith and gave the following report:
Mr Chairman, Clerk, Councillors and residents,
Cllr Mike Smith and I have continued to work hard for the residents of our community since our re-election in 2015 and this year has been no different.
As ever, there are many things that we cannot publicly discuss, because they are personal issues for families. In broad terms, these have covered Council Tax rebate issues, housing benefit changes, support for a family going to court facing eviction from a private landlord. These are ‘bread and butter’ matters for District Councillors which show the value and trust that residents put in us to represent them.
On other matters,
Chelsea Road /London Close Development.
Although the Parish Council had no comments to make on the original proposals, Cllr Mike Smith and I continued to work with Chelsea Road residents on the issues that have arisen during the construction phase – ranging from road closures, Traffic Regulation Orders, street cleaning, use of construction routes, road cleaning and inappropriate hours of operation. The construction phase is now coming to an end and we look forward to the area returning to normal and welcoming new residents to our community.
Unitary Authority.
We were intrigued to note AVDC’s sudden positive change in view for a unitary Authority and supported the council with our votes to achieve its abolition and attempt to have one local council – whatever form that takes. We look forward to the Secretary of State’s decision which should be anytime soon! We continue to have serious reservations about the new business ideas coming from AVDC, such as the broadband company, Vale lottery, IncGen and LimeCart. That is not because we are being churlish – our concerns relate to the lack of scrutiny, confusing governance and lack of adherence to business case reviews and satisfactory rates of return for the public purse on these costly investments.
Budgets
Council finances are very healthy and even with the predictedwithdrawal of annual Government grant the likely future is a gentle glide path to self sustainability based on Council tax receipts and business rate changes. Nonetheless the Council decided to take the maximum Council Tax increase to help increase their reserves to more than £20 million. The current message from the Council is that AVDC needs to save £5m from a £15m budget.