CARLTON AND CHELLINGTON

PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING HELD AT CARLTON VILLAGE HALL ON MONDAY 14TH APRIL 2014

Present: Vice Chairman J Julyan, Parish Councillors D Jenkins, D Neil, R Simpson, J Tusting, B Green and M Stocker. Borough Councillor A Field- Foster Clerk M Wilson 7 Members of the public, Andrew Prigmore, Highways Borough Council

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received and accepted from Councillors Owen and Geerts.

2. TO CONFIRM THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING of 25th APRIL 2013 IT WAS RESOLVED that the Minutes were an accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.

3. TO RECEIVE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT – As presented by Cllr Julyan in Cllr Owens absence

Welcome ladies and gentlemen and thank you for coming to our Annual Parish meeting. I am Susan Owen and this is my second year as Chairman. The Parish Council comprises of Cllrs David Jenkins, Jane Tusting & Anne Geerts, Cllrs Martin Stocker, Doug Neal, Jason Julyan and also Richard Simpson, who looks after Highways and Cllr Barry Green who takes care of footpaths and bridleways. My Vice-Chairman is Jason Julyan. In addition to the 9 of us we also have our local Borough Councillor, Alison Field-Foster who never misses a meeting and is a source of invaluable advice. I would like to extend my thanks to all my fellow councillors for their work on behalf of the village. If you have a concern in the village you are welcome to either discuss it with our clerk or one of the councillors who will then bring the concern to the table for further discussion. The contact details are available on the website.

My thanks must also go to Mandy Wilson, our clerk who in her first year has done an excellent job, once again if you have concerns Mandy will do all she can to help you.

We continue to do all the things that are important to the village. We run the street lighting, keep an eye on the state of the highways and byways and report anything that needs to be done. We liaise with the Playing Field Committee and continue to support their work. We also maintain the Grace Baptist Chapel Graveyard. We continue to negotiate to have the hedge trimmed on Deejaks Field, at which point the lovely view will then be able to be enjoyed by the whole village. We also continue to negotiate also with the police regarding the speeding problem we seem to have in the village.

We have received 10 planning applications for the village and although we actually have no formal power we work closely with the Bedford Borough Planning Committee.

The council is now looking into forming a committee to produce a neighbourhood plan and Barry Green will talk about this later on.

We were sorry about the recent flooding and devastation caused to the residents of The Causeway and will continue to work with Mr Prigmore and highways to ensure this does not happen again. Thanks must go to the Fire Brigade for their superb action in preventing further damage to properties.

That concludes my report for this year.

4. TO RECEIVE FINANCIAL REPORT – as presented by the Clerk Financial report for the Year April 2013 to Mach 2014

The precept was maintained at £14892 for the 5th year running, and this figure has been requested again for the 2014/2015 financial year. The grass cutting grant from the Borough Council remained at £704.62. The grass cutting contract fell due this year and the Parish Council resolved to award it to Chris Horne Gardens for a 3 year period

This year there was little expenditure on maintenance and repairs, with £692 spent on repairs to The Stone Barn, and some repairs to the Village Hall of £350. In addition the Council purchased a new dog bin for Road at a cost of £195.

Total income was £18265.97 which includes rental income from the Stone Barn of £1668 which is specifically for the Carlton Childrens Playing Fields use, an insurance refund of £303.90 in respect of damage to the light in Street Close, and £100 bursary towards the costs of the clerks training.

Total expenditure was £17737.98 which included a £2000 transfer to reserved funds for Traffic Calming and £1000 for the Playing Feld.

The establishment costs are over the agreed budget due to the training costs for the clerk and registration fees with the Society of Local Council Clerks for the Certificate in Local Council Administration qualification the clerk is studying for.

Grants were made this year to The Villager and The Bridge Magazine

Finally as at 31st March the current account stood at £14946.61 and the Reserve account at £18225.94 of which £14392.89 are reserved funds for the following:

Playing Field, Village Hall, Baptist Church, Street Lighting, Traffic Calming, The Gannick

5. TO RECEIVE THE PLAYING FIELD REPORT - Presented by the Cllr Neil in the absence of the Playing Field Chairman This is the Annual Report of the Playground Trust written by the Chair, Mrs Emma Simpson, who is regrettably unable to attend this meeting.

Following the expenditure of £4000 on play equipment in 2012, the Trust this year has focussed on replenishing its funds to address the inevitable need and consequent expense of equipment repair and maintenance. Towards this end the Trust acknowledges both the Parish Council and Carlton Open Gardens for their generous donations this year. Everybody should be aware that the continued existence of the playground and the provision of new equipment is dependent on abundant financial support.

During the year the trustees turned their hands to an array of maintenance work in order to minimise costs. The old perimeter gateway through the hedge onto The Causeway has been planted with whips to secure the closure of this exit. The same hedgerow as it approaches Beeby Way had developed holes which have been fenced and replanted. Whips were further planted where the perimeter hedging needed replenishment in order to avoid the occurrence of new gaps in the hedgerow. Furthermore we are also trying to extend the perimeter hedge along the boundary with the Street Close back gardens, so closing off possible exits into those gardens. All this work has been done as a safety measure to prevent children venturing into areas we would not want them to be.

The re-painting and re-staining of all equipment and benches was completed by the Trustees over the summer months.

There have been instances of anti-social behaviour which we have tried to address with appropriate action. The issue of dogs on the playing field has been an on-going concern and a number of ‘No Dog’ signs have been posted to gently remind parishioners that we do not want dogs to be on the playing field at any time. This is purely for health reasons, to prevent the children picking up bacterial infections carried in dog waste.

As usual committee members were in attendance at the Harrold Pit run in an effort to swell our funds.

During the year the football pitch has seen good use and new net support brackets have been purchased and installed.

Warners were retained as the grass cutters, and our annual safety inspection was performed by a new organisation, The Play Inspection Company, who’s report has high lighted the need of a significant amount of maintenance to be completed this year.

In recent months we have been reviewing the ‘history’ of the Playing field and putting together a sustainability plan for its future. The Trustees are committed to ensuring that both the Children of Carlton & Chellington and indeed the whole community can avail themselves of this unique village asset far into the future. To a very large extent it is down to both the effort and generosity of the Trustees that the Children of this village continue to have a safe and healthy place in which to play, and we are indebted to both those who have donated funds and those who have given freely of their time to ensure this continues. Long may it do so.

We would like to point out the need for more volunteers to help and provide a succession for trustees wanting to move on. To those who may be interested, I would say, the work is fun, not particularly arduous, but very satisfying.

The Trust’s financial statement for the year ending 31st March 2014 shows,

An income during the year of: £297.90 With an expenditure of: £195.98

And account balances as follows: The Community account stands at: £1649.75 The Business Saver account stands at: £1191.18 And the Petty cash balance is: £9.73

If you have any questions I will be happy to try and address them. If not, thank you for your attention.

6. GUEST SPEAKER Andrew Prigmore, Highways, Bedford Borough Council

Mr Prigmore advised that from the 1st April Highways are now responsible for public footpaths as well as roads and footways. The Highways Representative for the Parish Council will be contacted by the Boroughs Highways representative to arrange a meeting to introduce themselves and walk the area. Mr Prigmore then took questions from the floor.

Q: Why did The Causeway flood? A: A CCTV camera showed a blockage which has since been excavated. This showed that the pipe had collapsed, but also an accumulation of rubbish that may have taken years to collect. This has been cleared out, they have the new pipe and the repairs should be completed by the end of next week.

Q; Whose responsibility is it to put bars on the opening to stop the rubbish getting in A: Its not considered appropriate as it can act as a dam and given the volume of water that goes into the culvert its likely to dam quickly and someone will have to clear it out all the time. If he could have an assurance that someone will clean the ditch out on a regular basis he would consider it. Permission would need to be sought from the Environment Agency, and he will seek this. Mr Prigmore also advised that there are three drains on The Causeway that also need looking at.

Q: A lot of water comes down Edens Lane and pools outside Cllr Neil’s house. A: Mr Prigmore advised he would look at the issue on Edens Lane

Mr Prigmore asks that residents who have ditches next to their properties keep them clear.

Q: The latest data available for speeding shows cars using The Causeway travelling at 60mph everyday A: Mr Prigmore agreed that the data shows that the problem is greater on The Causeway than Pavenham Road, and it is felt that a lot of speeding may be down to residents.

Q: The Parish Council has asked that the Causeway be considered for Average Speed Cameras A: Mr Prigmore confirmed the road had been put on the provisional list for 2015/2016. One requirement is that the Parish Council have to obtain confirmation from residents that this is what they want.

Q: The corner at Bridgend is dangerous, more so as it’s a 60mph zone between Harrold Bridge and Carlton A: Mr Prigmore will add a review of the speed limit on the road to the speed limit review list for this year; it may be that 40 is more appropriate.

Q; What about small signs around the village reminding people of the speed limits A: Mr Prigmore advised that after a while no one would take any notice

Q; Would rumble strips be an option A: Mr Prigmore advised that the noise and vibration as traffic goes over the strips is an issue

Q: Why did some potholes develop to such a large size before being dealt with A: Mr Prigmore advised that there has been a lot of water this year, and that a lot more salting was done as there were cold nights, and then in the day time there was more rain, leading to a freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw experience and thus pot holes got larger. The Borough have now received £260k from central Government which will be used for more permanent repairs. Potholes that are 50MM+ depth are dealt with straight away. The village will be getting a visit from the pothole squad on the next couple of months

Q: Will the roads be in good repair for The Women’s Tour A: There will be a sweep of all the roads concerned, including the Causeway

7. STREET LIGHTING REPLACEMENT as presented by Councillor Julyan Cllr Julyan advised that the current position was  We have 32 street lights in the parish  Most have 80W “Mercury Vapour” bulbs in them, up to 10 years lifetime (often a lot less)  Mercury Vapour bulbs will be banned as of next year due to the EU’s “Reduction of Hazardous Substances Legislation” o 2011/65/EU of the European parliament 8 June 2011 which restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment  Bedford Borough Council – who maintain our street lights – will not replace Mercury Vapour bulbs after the end of this year, to comply with the ErP legislation  So, our parish has a stark choice: o Either we spend money to upgrade our street lights to be more energy efficient, o Or we let the lights go out.

Future Position  We have two choices for upgraded lights: o 32W/hr “36wPL” bulbs, lasting about 5 years o 24W/hr LED bulbs, lasting 15 years or more  Cost of replacements are dependent upon two things o What work is required for the light columns the Parish currently has o The type of lamp the Parish Council require  A survey has been undertaken by BBC which shows o The Parish has no lights where the lamp can just be changed o Clerk has been advised that one light (C29 corner Street Close/HS) has been sleeved and replaced with a 36wPL at no cost to us o The Parish has 15 lights that can be sleeved. (Clerk has a list of those) o The remaining 16 will require replacement of Column and light  BBC costs to do this work are: (Costs includes labour, plant and materials) Work Required 36wPL LED To sleeve suitable 5m street light 830.10 +VAT 970.10 + VAT To replace existing street light &remove old one 1342.81 + VAT 1482.81 +VAT

Total cost = 15 sleeve + 16 replace (We are looking at other quotes) 36wPL £ 33,936.46 + VAT LED £ 38,276.46 + VAT (contrast to Precept of £14K) Electricity costs

Bulb Wattage Wattage per Hour £ cost per year Total cost 32 columns 80WMercury 94 36.72 1175.04 36wPL 32 12.50 400.00 LED 24 ( 12W dimmed) 9.37 300.00

 LED allows further energy/cost reductions by either dimming the lights or turning the lights off during the early hours (but these increase the cost of the lamps).

Grants  Bedford Borough Council has a “climate fund” that offers matched funding up to £7,500. This fund will expire soon.

What Now?  With no clear means to pay for new street lighting in the short term, we are considering replacing all the >2 yrs old 80W MBFU bulbs this year, to give us breathing space.  We are minded to replace with LED lighting as the lowest energy, lowest maintenance alternative.  PC have installed some LED lights if people want to go have a look  We CANNOT AFFORD to replace all the lights, so there is a good change that some bulbs will fail and will not be replaced for a number of years

QUESTION TO THE PARISH:

 Should we save the money and let the village go dark, like Pavenham?  Should we target priority lights, replace those and let the others go dark?  Should we replace as and when they fail (up to a max number per year?)  Should we do a big change with Climate Fund money then trickle on?

Opinions were sought from attendees and the following suggestions made:  If the lights were not replaced that the pavements would need to be in a good condition.  Cllr Jenkins suggested increasing the precept by 3% each year to obtain the funds to do the lights  Cllr Neil suggested that the Parish Council could consider a loan, Cllr Julyan is aware that the Climate fund undertakes business loans  Cllr Stocker stated the Council needs top think about the fact that LED costs are likely to go down- Cllr Julyan advised the main costs are in the replacement of the columns, or sleeving existing columns where we can

8. NEIGBOURHOOD PLAN Councillor Green

Recent legislation- The Localism Act 2011- has allowed parishes to influence decisions that affect them. We can draw up a plan on what the Parish would like, there are a number of local issues we have heard tonight, speeding and lights and questions on these have been built into a survey to understand what the community needs.

Cllr Green advised that it is a community wide enterprise and that he and Cllrs Jenkins and Stocker can’t do it on their own. Bedford Borough Council has a role to play and to support. Ultimately Bedford Borough Council will manage a referendum which has to be held once is agreed that a plan is the way to go.

Other parishes- , , Clapham, and have all agreed their designated areas, and there has to be a designation ahead of doing a plan.

An information sheet will be distributed to all households, asking people to identify issues, but also asking for help. In addition there will be information on the village website and printed and electronic versions of the proposed survey will be available. The survey has been prepared and there are approximately 25 questions. It will also invite people to make comments on areas they feel have not been covered by the survey.

Cllr Green went through some of the areas covered including Education, Housing, Sport and Healthy activity, Street lighting, Speeding, Social interaction, Community shared areas, Local employment, Transport and infrastructure.

The next steps are assembling a team to help move it forward, register with the Borough and arranging for the survey to go out.

Questions Q: Will the survey be run first A: yes as it will encourage ideas and hopefully will show some commitment from villagers

Q: Similar things have been done in the past A: Things have moved on.

It was agreed that a village meeting will be held once the results of the survey are available, Cllr Stockers stated that it is important to emphasise that no ideas are set, it’s up to the village to decide.

Cllr Green advised that there is money available to help us employ a consultant to help prepare everything, that at the referendum at least 50% of the community have to say they agreed. The timescale is likely to be 18 months. Neighbourhood plans will protect the village, and should detail areas where the community would be prepared for housing development to take place

9. BOROUGH COUNCILLOR UPDATE- Borough Councillor Alison Field Foster Broadband- Carlton is part of the superfast roll out and fibre enabled and will be in the first phase in 2015 Gypsies and Travellers- There has been no appeal for the site at . The site at Meadow Lane is being developed with monies from a development in Cardington. It’s due to finish in Feb 2015. This may make the rural areas less vulnerable. The Borough won the challenge against the site in Roxton, and there are enough sites now in the Borough (with Meadow Lane) until 2021. A response is still awaited from the Planning Inspectorate/Secretary of State for the site at Bletsoe. There are also planning appeals for sites at Bromham and . Ward Funding- The ward fund was £9000 and £1200 has been given to the church to help repair the church wall. Road Maintenance- c£289k has been given to The Borough for road maintenance from Central Government Council Budget and Council Tax- Bedford Borough Council’s net revenue is £145.24m, with the Governments revenue support grant being 36,16m for 2014/15. The council has agreed 13.6M in efficiencies in 2014/15. It has also been given £758K Council Tax Freeze grant so Council tax will remain unchanged. Infrastructure- Council is committed to the Bedford Western Bypass second phase linking Deep Spinney/Bromham Road to Paula Radcliffe Way and compulsory purchase orders and side road orders have been issued, anticipated work will begin August September and last 18 months. Works set to begin in May on the Black Cat roundabout Bedford Hospital Paediatric Services and Health Review-Majority of services now reinstated, ambulances will take children there but if an overnight stay is required they may be transferred elsewhere.

10. GENERAL VILLAGE MATTERS None

The meeting closed at 8.45pm.