Gerrards Cross

Parish Council

South Lodge, East Common, Gerrards Cross SL9 7AD

Clerk to the Council - Mrs. Diana Hepburn-Park

Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held on Monday

20th April 2015 7.30pm at the Memorial Centre

Present: / Mr C Brown(Chairman), Mr I Gordon, Ms S Aga, Mr I Bayliss
Mr M Shiman, Mr J Chhokar, Mr M Lawson,
Mr N Moss, Mrs J Woolveridge and Mrs D C Hepburn-Park( Clerk) .
Mr N Holmes (Associate Member)
Cllr S Chhokar

Would Councillors please give any declarations of interest at the beginning of the item.

147/14 / The meeting was opened by JC and CB took over after the initial opening.
Apologies for absence – Mrs H Orme & Cllr R Pope (SBDC)
148/14 / To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on the 16th March 2015.
JC proposed the minutes and these were agreed by the Council and signed.
149/14 / Public speaking from residents regarding matters relevant to the meeting’s agenda with time allowed 5 minutes per person.
150/14
151/14
152/14
153/14 / To confirm the minutes of the following meetings:-
1. Commons Committee held on the 7th April 2015
JW proposed the minutes which were seconded by IG and agreed by the
Council.
There was a meeting with Peter Harding, the Forestry Commissions advisor, to select good specimens of trees within the Common. These trees will have an area cleared around their base to help them grow to their full potential. There was disappointment as most of the beeches had squirrel damage.
The Village pump has been re-stained as part of the Best Kept Village tidy up.
2 Highway Committee held on the 7th April 2015
ML Proposed the minutes from the above meeting which were agreed by the Council..
There is to be a meeting with Tesco on the 30th April to discuss the first phase of the improvements to Packhorse Road.
There was also a meeting with Chiltern Railways staff, and landscapers as Nunn Hayward may finance some of the improvements at the Station.
Bull Lane
The Council had received requests from residents for a footpath to be installed in Bull Lane on the grass verge owned by BCC next to 29 Layters Way. ML/CB attended a meeting to discuss this with BCC Highways and a contractor. In a subsequent conversation with the resident of this property we were advised that he had looked after the area for the past 40 years and would be completely against the installation of a footpath.
As the resident feels so strongly I feel that this project should not be progressed.
The Council agreed.
MM On the way in tonight there was a swarm of bees on Station Approach. Although I advised the Station Master nobody seemed to know what to do.
It was agreed to research contacts and put an article on the web site.
3  Planning Committee held on the 23rd March and 13th April 2015.
JC proposed the minutes from the above meetings which were agreed by the Council.
The Committee is now carrying out the review without hard copies as SBDC no longer send
copies of the plans to us.
Best Kept Village
Members have agreed to support the suggestion to clean the outside of the Parish Office.
MM suggested that we should put a poster up at the station, She will call in and get a copy
from the Parish office.
CB please put one of the maps on the Notice board.
Gerrards Cross Youth Club
CB the Youth club closed down last October due to the loss of the Youth Worker, the third in quick succession. They have now agreed a partnership with Wycombe Wanderers Sport and Education Trust and will reopen from 2nd June 2015. I think it is appropriate to have 2 members from the Council on their committee. The Council agreed.
Child abuse & Internet/doorstep fraud
ML in reading the CSI magazine from SBDC highlighting Child Sexual Exploitation and
The recent communications from Thames Valley Police and the National Fraud
Intelligence Bureau he felt that we should look into these subjects.
MM lots of our residents are elderly and do not have computers so we should high-light the problems in our news letter.
154/14 / To agree payments in accordance with the budget.
MM went through the payments and recommended their approval, the Council agreed.
Agreed.
155/14 / Report from District Councillors.
JW attended her last meeting on Thursday 21st April 2015 and she is not standing for the District again.
SC The Chairman’s volunteering awards were very successful, he has served for the last 2 years. Over the last t 4 years the district council has moved into a strong position, they have the new re-cycle system, have looked after green belt and Council Tax has not risen in these years.
GX losing councillors, JW thanked them for their efforts and cooperation over the last 4 years and we will see what happens after the 7th May 2015.
156/14 / Report on Meetings – members update on where they have represented the Parish Council since the last meeting.
CB has been looking at increase of staff and maybe taking on a trainee which we may share with the Memorial Centre. I will be looking into the cost of this kind of trainee and if there are any grants.
SBA 26th March 2015 Peter Cathcarth resigned as he is not standing again.
NM APM I felt the parishioners were behind us. Thanked everyone for all their work..
IG SPWG we are still waiting for the quote for the width restriction on West Common. We have start consulting with Woodlands and Gaviots Way to see what residents feel is the problem.
JW The first Age Concern Tea and Cake event went off very well.
GXCV 15 members arrived and worked on the ditches, all went well. Some litter picking. It was felt members should be using goggles.
CB talked to the Post Office and felt the improvements were good timing.
Met with the Youth Club.
L & Q closing down of 4 independent living Over the next 4/5 years.
JW
As this is the last meeting before the elections I would like to pay tribute to all the Parish Councillors who are not putting themselves forward for a further term. In particular Ian Gordon who is the longest serving councillor at present. Ian’s wise counsel and knowledge of past history has been invaluable and we thank him for it. He will be much missed and we wish him and the others well in their retirement.
157/14 / To note general information received in the correspondence at the Parish Office.
Gerrards Cross Post Office is being modernised and will be closed from 2nd May 2015 to 3rd June 2015.
The only direct implication to the Parish Council (although they are very pleased about this announcement) is that members of the Concessionary Taxi Scheme run by the Parish Council will have to come to the Parish Office while the Post Office is closed to re-claim the reduction in their taxi fare.
The Clerk confirmed that she is writing to the members this week.
Age Concern Gerrards Cross is holding their AGM on the 18th May 2015.
It will be held at the Chalfont St Peter Community Centre at 9.45am for 10.00a.m
The Parish Council have received £100 from SBDC for Community Clear up Day.
Cllr Rachel Pope contacted and offered her apologies for not attending tonight. She also thanked members for their warm friendly faces at all the committees that she has attended. She may well be in contact in her capacity as camp Warden.
NALC Please to confirm that the Council has been awarded the Foundation Award for one year.
159/14 / To confirm that the Parish meeting of Gerrards Cross Parish Council will be held on Monday 18th May 2015 at 7.30 pm at the Memorial Centre
The meeting opened at 7.30pm and closed at 8.50pm