Sway Parish Council Members are hereby Summoned to attend the ANNUAL MEETING OF SWAY PARISH COUNCIL at 6.30pm, Thursday 21st May 2015 at the JUBILEE FIELD PAVILION, SWAY AGENDA 1. Election of Chair of the Parish Council 2. Election of Vice Chair of the Parish Council 3. Apologies 4. Minutes of the Meeting held on the 30th April 2015 and Matters Arising 5. Report by County Councillor Ken Thornber 6. Correspondence and Clerk’s Report 7. Finance :– Receive and agree Payment Schedule for April 2015 (to be circulated at meeting) 8. To Review and Accept Standing Orders Section 5j:a. i. Review Code of Conduct Policy ii. Sign Acceptance of Office Forms for Cllrs, Chair and Vice Chair. iii. Confirmation of the accuracy of the minutes of the last annual meeting of the council; iv. Review of delegation arrangements to committees, sub-committees and Clerk; v. Appointment of members to committees and working groups; vi. Review and adoption of appropriate standing orders and financial regulations; vii. Review of representation on or work with external bodies and arrangements for reporting back; viii. Determining the time and place of ordinary meetings of the full council up to and including the next annual meeting of full council. b. i. Review of arrangements, including any charters and agency agreements, with other local authorities and review of contributions made to expenditure incurred by other local authorities; ii. In an election year, to make arrangements with a view to the council becoming eligible to exercise the general power of competence or to gain an award in the Local Council Award Scheme in the future; iii. Review of inventory of land and assets including buildings and office equipment; iv. Confirmation of arrangements for insurance cover in respect of all insured risks; v. Review of the council’s complaints procedure; vi. Review of the council’s procedures for handling requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Data Protection Act 1998; 9. Grant Applications - None 10. Any Other Business 11. To Confirm Date of Next Meeting SEBrayley Susan Brayley Clerk to Sway Parish Council Date 14th May 2015 FOR ANY ENQUIRIES REGARDING THIS MEETING PLEASE CONTACT SUSAN BRAYLEY, PARISH CLERK ON 01590 718116. EMAIL clerk@sway-pc.gov.uk Draft Minutes, not checked or approved SWAY PARISH COUNCIL Parish Council Meeting Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday 30th April 2015 at the Jubilee Field Pavilion, Station Road, Sway. Present: Chairman: Cllr Barry Rickman; Vice Chairman: Cllr Fleat; Cllrs Carole Gates, Kevin Cripps, Peter Dance, David Golby, Kevin Langford and Stephen Tarling. Also in attendance: County Cllr Ken Thornber; Parish Clerk – Susan Brayley, PC Transport Representative - John Warden, CSW Representative – Len Thomas; two members of the press and fifteen members of the public. The Chair advised the meeting that a member of the public had asked for agreement to record the meeting in accordance with the Parish Council protocol and asked if any member of the public uncomfortable with this. No objections were raised so recording was agreed. 182/14 Apologies – None 183/14 Minutes of the Meeting held on the 26th March 2015 and Matters Arising (1) Minutes - The minutes of the meeting held on the 26th March 2015 were approved and signed by the Chairman. (2) Matters Arising – None 184/14 Report by County Councillor Ken Thornber Cllr Thornber gave a presentation to the meeting on the following items, summarised under their appropriate headings:Latchmoor Railway Bridge Works – Advised he had urged Net Work Rail to complete by the end of May Bank Holiday, reduction of two weeks in schedule. No firm guarantees received but signs were hopeful and would keep the Parish Council informed. Sway Road Railway Bridge Brockenhurst – Had been informed due to close for six weeks from a yet unspecified date in June – had requested the work carried out whilst Latchmoor Bridge still closed to avoid extension of the road diversions. CANGO Bus Service – Confirmed his commitment to this vital community service, reminding meeting had saved the Lymington / Sway service six years previously. Explained the background to the survey of the Sway passengers and its subsequent report and recommendation to change to a fixed route service by Kevin Ings (HCC Community & Social Care Manager) lay with the requirement to reduce the number of “backroom” staff currently employed to run the roaming service. Cllr Thornber advised of his meeting with Sway Transport Representative, John Warden and Kevin Ings, to address John Warden’s concerns that there was a hidden agenda behind this. Cllr Thornber suggested perhaps some of the concerned individuals might like to attend the HCC Council Meeting on 22nd May where a presentation could be made for up to ten minutes and a delegation could present a petition to Sean Woodward, Executive Member covering Transport. Cllr Thornber then advised that he was looking into the possibility of the HCC Village Agent, also acting as a booking agent for CANGO and that he genuinely did not believe the intention was to take the service away, but overheads needed to be reduced to guarantee sustainability and wanted to see the service maintained within the core services. The Chair thanked Cllr Thornber for his report and asked if HCC would like a bus full of attendees from Sway to attend on the 22nd May. Then asked if Cllrs had any questions for Cllr Thornber. Cllr Tarling thanked Cllr Thornber for his report and for being a staunch supporter of Sway CANGO. However pointed out suspicions had been raised as the report had not actually reached Sway Parish Council until seven days earlier, and the survey was pathetic, lacked validity, was biased and incomplete and appeared to have contacted the bare minimum of users. Cllr Tarling advised that to abandon the flexible route would inconvenience a few now, but have a bigger impact in the future. The Chair agreed adding that Sway was acknowledged to have an ever increasing elderly population and asked if there were any further questions. The Transport Representative, John Warden advised Cllr Tarling had summarised most of the concerns, but wished to present a few thoughts and if Cllr Thornber would give his support, Mr Warden would give Cllr Thornber a copy of his questions. Cllr Thornber responded through the Chair that he looked forward to receiving the questions and would put to the HCC officers concerned, remarking that with the press present and as he was also being recorded, he needed to be careful that the facts were true, but would take up with the Executive Member and the Service Officer Cllr Dance raised the question of the disparity between the two counties experienced during the school holidays and was it not possible for Hampshire and Dorset to liaise to get them in line. Cllr Thornber replied through the Chair, reminding Council that HCC had to consult with all five of the counties bordering them, but would raise with the Executive Member concerned. 185/14 Correspondence and Clerk’s Report – Correspondence 1. Letter received from New Forest House of Prayer, who hired for 5 hours the hall on 3rd April. They were very complimentary concerning both the facilities and the Caretaker and to confirm a second booking on the 20th April. Clerks Report 1. Thank you to Cllr Dance for removing and disposing of the water tank that one of the litter picking volunteers had advised of being dumped at Stanford Rise. 2. Parish Assembly – Jonathon Gerrelli (Head Agister), has confirmed as principle speaker; with both New Forest Marathon Team (Ora Events) and PC Leon Simon (providing no last minute emergencies) also confirming attendance to give brief presentations. The Chairman of SWAG has also promised a brief report. 3. Hampshire Playing Fields Subscription Renewal Form received. Please confirm continued subscription. 4. Advice received that the requested litter and dog bins for outside Sway Cemetery and the verge at Gilpin Hill have arrived and passed to NFDC Engineering Works dept. for installation. Sway PC will not incur any costs for supply of bins, installation or (currently) the ongoing collection from them. 5. The defibrillator has arrived and will be installed within the next couple of weeks. 6. Offer received from the Cricket Club to cover the costs of the Cricket Pavilion septic tank emptying throughout this season, if the Parish Council would be prepared to pay for the first one. Cllr Cripps proposed (seconded Cllr Golby), offer should be accepted with thanks. Subsequent vote was unanimous in favour. 7. As reported in the Amenities Working Group, SFC and Tennis Club have jointly paid for the carpets in JF Pavilion to be cleaned. 8. As reported in the Amenities Working Group, the Clerk, the Chair and Secretary of the Allotments Association met with the Forestry Commission Estates Supervisor and the Head Agister at the allotments on Tuesday 28th April, to discuss the recent problems of stock getting stuck in the fencing. Both the Clerk and Allotment representatives found it a most productive meeting, receiving a great deal of excellent advice from both the FC Supervisor Graham Wilson and the Head Agister, Jonathan Gerrelli, on the type and positioning of replacement fencing along with recommendations of three agricultural fencing contractors to approach for the work. Grateful thanks to both of them for the time and effort spent with us. 9. Copies received of the first edition of their New Forest Dementia Awareness publication and leaflets re their “New Forest Sun Awareness Scheme”. Both are available from the office. 10. The Defibrillator cabinet was put up and all the kit installed in it that afternoon. Is all usable, the electrician is coming to wire up the temperature controls on the cabinet in the next couple of days 11. Notification received today from NFDC that the work on the cemetery fence starts in May. 186/14 Finance:i. Receive and agree Payment Schedule for April 2015 The payment schedule was circulated to Council Members. The Chair advised that in future the Payment Schedule would be signed and dated by two members of the Financial Working Group. ii. Receive report from Finance Working Group re 2014/15 Budget Actuals Cllr Cripps advised the FWG had met on the 28th April to review the budget analysis documents circulated to Cllrs. Advising there was not much difference to the outlook as presented in January, the lower than expected expenditure due to maintenance projects not completed in the previous financial year due to the weather, but would need to be carried forward to 2015/16. Cllr Cripps advised was pleased to report that the Council had managed to balance the books this year, where previously costs had been eating into the Council’s reserves. He thanked the Clerk for her work in producing a more professional reporting structure and also the careful controls put in place to manage the budget. Cllr Cripps also thanked all the four sports clubs represented by the Jubilee Fields User Group for stepping up to the plate and assisting the Parish Council by taking on and managing much of their maintenance costs themselves. Cllr Cripps then warned that although an improvement had been achieved, the finances were not out of the woods yet – reserves were still far too low and needed to be built back up, there was not sufficient to cover a major bill, for example a serious problem with the tractor necessitating a new one without a trade in value to help. Cllr Cripps than advised that the Clerk’s six month probationary period had been completed and he would like to propose her appointment be formally confirmed. This was seconded by Cllr Tarling and the subsequent vote was unanimous in favour. Cllr Cripps thanked the Clerk for all her work in developing the role, particularly as she had had to build the Finance spreadsheets from scratch. Cllr Cripps finished by advising that he had just handed over all the bits of the vandalised bus shelter to be reinstated. Cllr Tarling asked if the Council’s insurance would cover the costs of repair and was advised by the Chair would probably not be expensive enough to make a claim. 187/14 i. Report from the Planning and Transport Committee As Chair of the P&TC, Cllr Stephen Tarling reported the main issues which had been dealt with by the Committee at their meeting on the 16th April 2015:Trees /Tree Work Applications - None Planning Applications:- The P&T Committee had agreed the following:Recommend approval, but would accept the decision of the officer with added comments, in respect of:15/00205 - Hazelhurst Farm, Flexford Lane, Single storey infill extension; external alterations; cladding; 15/00100 – 2, Forest heath Cottages, Station Road, Installation of a velux window to allow use of storage area as bedroom; 15/00238 - Kings Hyde House, Kings Hyde, One and two storey extensions; creation of bay windows; cladding and he was pleased to report that on this third application for (15/00290) – Green Croft, Manchester Road, Replacement dwelling and garage; demolition of existing dwelling and outbuildings, that applicants had taken on board all previous objections raised by the P&TC and their close neighbour to submit an application that could be approved. Cllr Tarling reported then gave a summary of the remainder of the meeting including Planning Decisions, Enforcement, Transport and CSW and also advised the Inspectorate’s decision on “Moorlands” had been raised at the NFNPA PDDC. Cllr Tarling advised that due to the length of time to the suggested date of the next meeting on the 28th May: 15/00231 - Oatley Cottage (formerly Kantara), Pitmore Lane - Detached garage; porch; external alterations; had been received too late to be publicised on the P&TC Agenda so it had been necessary to publicise it on the full Council agenda. The application had been discussed by the P&TC and unanimously agreed to recommend to the Parish Council Option 3 - We recommend PERMISSION, with the following conditions:- Provided this falls within DP11 - that all facing materials be first agreed, that proposed floor plans be checked, that the windows of ‘white timber effect’ be checked with NFNPA and agreed, that door materials and finishes be agreed, that hard and soft landscaping plans are submitted, that the front boundary to be as recommended by the Sway VDS: Picket fencing or low wall under 1m with native hedging, that surface water disposal be agreed, and that the applicants are wished every success with their plan to restore and improve this property to the great benefit of the local amenity and Sway. This recommendation was unanimously agreed by the Parish Council members. ii. Report from the Amenities Working Group As Chair of the Amenities Working Group, Cllr Carole Gates reported that as well as the items mentioned on the Clerks report the group had also discussed the drawing detailing the proposed design for the disabled access/egress ramp in the pavilion. Circulating copies of the proposed design, Cllr Gates asked for Council’s agreement of the design and for the Clerk to obtain quotes for the work. This was unanimously agreed. Action Clerk to obtain quotes. 188/14 Receive Feedback from Cllr Dance on Hampshire Police Travellers Presentation. Cllr Dance gave a brief report on the presentation made by Inspector Rachel Stokes he had attended on the Council’s behalf. Referring to the presentation documents circulated to Councillors earlier, he advised the key points were:- Important to make sure premises were secure; that trespass was a civil offence and Police were unable to take action over it alone; planning issues had occurred in Fordingbridge after Travellers had purchased land and set up camp there, and finally: Travellers now knew the appropriate laws inside out, so be careful when dealing with them. Cllr Fleat observed was it now appropriate just to say “welcome”. Cllr Dance replied Police could take action once law had been broken – anti social behaviour, criminal damage, etc. Cllr Golby observed that site security needed to be stepped up as discussed in Amenities Working Group and the barrier locked at night.as prevention was better than cure. 189/14 NFNPA 10th Anniversary “Trees for Life” Project i. Receive report re meeting with NFNPA Senior Tree Officer The Clerk gave a brief presentation of the meeting between the NFNPA Senior Tree Officer and representatives of the Parish Council to establish whether Sway could offer any suitable sites for the project. Explaining that it was decided that Jubilee Field presented the only real option, the Clerk reported that the NFNPA Officer had toured the site with the representatives and was very encouraging as too its suitability, not only offering sites for planting but also excellent access to host the event which was planned to coincide with National Tree week in the Autumn. The Officer had advised there were other sites under consideration, however before making a final decision the Council needed to make a formal offer of Jubilee Field as a site to the NFNPA. ii. To agree to offer Jubilee Field as a suitable site for the project. The Chair reminded Cllrs that in the process of developing the Jubilee Field site, it had been sadly necessary to remove a number of very nice trees and this would be an excellent opportunity to put some back. He also reported there were some issues in the summer due to lack of shade. The suggestion was for planting in the central area between the football and cricket pitches and at the Birch Hill end of the field. Finally the Chair advised it had every hope of success would involve everyone, older and younger residents alike and could be a real celebration of the community. Cllr Tarling observed it was a splendid project and proposed formally offering the NFNPA the Jubilee Field site. This was seconded by Cllr Golby, subsequent vote was unanimous in favour. Action Clerk to write to NFNPA offering Jubilee Field for consideration as a site for the project. 190/14 Grant Applications An application for a grant had been received and circulated to Cllrs from the SCARF organisation. Cllr Cripps observed that they didn’t answer the Clerk’s question as to whether help had been given to any family from Sway, but it was a worthwhile cause and would support a grant award. It was observed that it might be difficult to provide information due to child protection issues. Cllr Fleat (seconded Cllr Gates) proposed an award of £100.00, the subsequent vote was unanimous in favour. 191/14 Any Other Business Cllr Golby advised that as the Chair of Trustees of SWAG and requesting that the press be respectful of what he was about to say, stated he would not happily let Sway loose it’s flexible CANGO route and if necessary would investigate if SWAG together with other organisations in the village could provide an alternative booking service. Cllr Dance advised of some road sign issues for the lengthsman, Clerk advised would be addressed once funding released. Cllr Tarling drew Cllrs attention to the draft letter to HCC re CANGO, and it was unanimously agreed it should be sent. Action Clerk to send letter to Kevin Ings. The Chair, whilst wishing all those elected to the Council on the 7th May, good luck for the future, observed that the Council was about to lose two of its longest serving members, who were not standing for re-election, Cllr Carole Gates who had served in a number of roles including as a previous Chair and Cllr Kevin Langford; they had chalked up 28 and 26 years respectively, thanking them for their contributions, he remarked they were true villagers, a photograph taken at a tree planting in 1989 with them both on it proved this. Wishing them both a happy retirement, the Chair then presented them each with hand crafted wooden bowls, the work of local craftsman, Graham Turner. Both were given an appreciative round of applause by their fellow Cllrs and members of the public. Cllr Gates thanked the Chair and stated she had felt privileged to serve Sway for so many years and also thanked past Cllrs and Clerks for their dedication and how proud she was with all that had been achieved. Cllr Langford thanked the Cllrs for his totally unexpected gift and stated that he would still be around and to remember to be good representatives of Sway. The Chair observed that the Council continued in place until after the election and requested that the newly elected Cllrs make contact with the Clerk as soon as possible to sign in and register interests in working groups and committees. The Transport Representative, John Warden, thanked the retiring Council for all the work they had done during its term. 181/14 Confirm Date of Next Meetings – i. Annual Meeting – Thursday 21st May 2015 starting at 6.30pm ii. Parish Assembly – Thursday 21st May 2015 starting at 7.45pm These were confirmed. There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 8.45pm. ………………………………………… Chairman ………………………………………… Date Electors of the Parish of SWAY are invited to attend the ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY This meeting will be held at: The Jubilee Field Pavilion, Station Road, Sway, SO41 6BE On : 21st MAY 2015 Time: 7.45PM Hosted by the Newly Elected Chair Of Sway Parish Council The Parish Meeting may by law discuss all parish affairs and pass resolutions about them although the resolutions may not be binding upon the council. The following matters have so far been placed on the Agenda: 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE 2. SPEAKER: JONANTHAN GERRELLI – VERDERERS/HAMPSHIRE CONSTABULARY SPEEDING INITIATIVE 3. NEW FOREST MARATHON TEAM 4. P.C.LEON SIMON, HANTS POLICE, SAFER NEIGHBOURHOOD TEAM 5. REPORT FROM CHAIRMAN OF S.W.A.G TRUSTEES 6. REPORTS BY REPRESENTATIVES OF LOCAL ORGANISATIONS 7. PUBLIC SESSION. TO CONSIDER ANY MATTERS RAISED BY THE ELECTORS OF THE Parish of SWAY Notice issued by: SUSAN BRAYLEY . Clerk TO SWAY PARISH COUNCIL Signature: Susan Brayley Address: JUBILEE FIELD PAVILION, STATION ROAD, SWAY, LYMINGTON. SO41 6BE Date of Issue: 14TH May 2015 Tel No: 01590 718116 The Press are also welcome SWAY PARISH COUNCIL - ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Annual General Meeting of Sway Parish Council was held at Jubilee Field Pavilion, Station Road, Sway, on Thursday 29th May 2014. Present : Councillors Barry Rickman (Chairman), Ted Fleat (Vice Chairman), Kevin Cripps, Peter Dance, Carole Gates, David Golby, Kevin Langford and Stephen Tarling. In attendance: Neil Gulliver (Parish Clerk), John Warden (Transport Representative) together with 13 members of the public. 01/14 Chairman’s Welcome The Chairman opened the meeting and welcomed all present. 02/14 Apologies None. 03/14 General 1) Minutes of the Meeting held on the 23 May 2013 The minutes of the meeting held on the 23 May 2013 were approved and signed by the Chairman. There were no matters arising. 04/14 Chairman’s Address In giving his address, the Chairman highlighted the following points: The Parish Council had come a long way in the past year in the way that it worked, had become more transparent and continued to work closely with the local community. The Parish Council was facing a tough financial position and that would not change in the coming years and the Council were indebted to the close scrutiny carried out by David Golby and the Finance Working Group to help manage this situation. Kathy Gulliver resigned as a Parish Councillor in July 2013 after many years of loyal and valuable service. She was replaced by David Golby as a co-opted Member in August of that year. The Parish Council had welcomed the increase in the size of the Council from 8 to 12 members in time for the 2015 elections and looked forward to a contested election. The Parish Council has successfully developed a robust and effective meeting structure to support their work and to ensure that they are transparent and open. Agreement reached to support the development of a MUGA facility at Jubilee Field. In conjunction with Brockenhurst and East Boldre Parish Councils, a new Lengthsman Scheme had been introduced to help keep the village in good shape which we would normally have to seek external help for. The Parish Council received £1000 from the County Council to support the scheme. The Community Speedwatch Scheme was now operating successfully. The Parish Council had put £500 towards the cost of the equipment which was shared with neighbouring Councils. Len Thomas, a local resident, was the lead for Sway. Support had been given to the Tennis Club to develop a clubhouse within the Jubilee Field Pavilion which would help the further development of the Club. The Parish Council had successfully negotiated with the Forestry Commission and the Verderers for a further licence to continue the use of the Memorial Field in Pitmore Lane for sporting activities etc for the village. With financial support from Councillor Thornber, a new bus shelter had been provided for the village. With the help of the sports clubs, a defibrillator would be installed at Jubilee Field to help provide emergency medical support to the local community. The access to the Jubilee Field Pavilion would be improved to enable wheelchair bound visitors to use the facility. Introduction of a new Parish Council website with the help of a donation from a local resident and the continuing development thereof during the year. From a District Council perspective, this had been the fifth year that they had been able to support a nil increase in Council Tax. With regard to waste collection, he stated that it was essential to maintain weekly collections and that the weekly glass collection now covered 67% of the households in their area. The issue of the glass recycling bins located at the Youth Centre would continue to be monitored. The Chairman commented on the excellent work by the District Council and the emergency services following the damage to the beach huts at Milford on Sea. Finally the Chairman thanked all the Parish Councillors and the Clerk for all their hard work over the past year and also the support the Parish Council received from Sway News and John Warden as their Transport Representative. 05/14 Financial Statement for the Year Ended 31 March 2014 The Parish Council accepted the Summary of Receipts and Payments as presented. 06/14 What is Your Parish Council All About? After opening comments by the Chairman, he invited the Clerk to briefly explain his role with the Council. This was followed by a short presentation by Stephen Tarling as Chair of the Planning & Transport Committee, Carole Gates as Chairman of the Amenities Working Group and David Golby as Chairman of the Finance Working Group. Each Councillor explained the role of their Committee or Working Group and how their role supported the overall work of the Parish Council. 07/14 Report by County Councillor Ken Thornber At the invitation of the Chairman, Councillor Thornber commented on the following issues:Hampshire County Council - Councillor Thornber reminded the meeting that, since the last Annual General Meeting, he had been serving as Chairman of the County Council and that the composition of the County Council had changed greatly in that time. Prior to that he had been Leader of the County Council and during the last 2 to 3 years of that time he had had to oversee the loss of some 1,800 jobs and significant financial savings. The County Council still had to save a further £90m each year and reduce staff levels even further. He stressed however that the County Council were looking to cut essential services such as education, adult and child care and highways Marlpit Oak Railway Bridge – Councillor Thornber commented on the history of the problems with Network Rail in relation to the repairs to the bridge and the resulting impact on local communities. An agreement was now in place that the B3055 would remain open until early October 2014. Network Rail had agreed to look at options as to whether the road could be kept partially open when the work resumes. In the meantime, the County Council would proceed with the repairs to the cattle grid at Cobblers Corner. Highways – Everyone was aware of the tremendous battering that the roads network had taken over the winter and that in some areas, things were only just getting back to normal. Councillor Thornber pointed out that the County Council would need to spend an additional £68m to repairs the roads. He went on to highlight issues relating to a number of roads in the Sway area which were currently being addressed by the County Council. CANGO – Councillor Thornber reminded the Parish Council that the County Council had agreed to extend the contract for the CANGO service for a further 4 years until 2018. He thanked John Warden for all his hard work in promoting this service Financial Support – Councillor Thornber commented that much had been made of financial support he had given to Sway over the past few years and he stressed that, in the coming year, he would be directing his efforts towards St Luke’s School and the Sway Youth Centre. 08/14 Any Other Business Standing Orders It was noted that a number of items which would normally have been considered at this meeting would be dealt with at the ‘normal’ Council meeting which followed this meeting There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 8.30pm. ………………………………………… Chairman