Notice of Annual Town Meeting

NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETING

WIVENHOE TOWN COUNCIL

All residents are invited to the Town Meeting that will be held in the William Loveless Hall on Wednesday, 11th May, 2016 at 7.30pm.

The following is the Agenda for the evening:

1 Welcome from the Mayor 2 Minutes of the last annual meeting 3 To receive the annual report of the Town Council and financial statement 4 To discuss any specific points which residents wish to raise 5 To consider any resolutions which may be proposed 6 Distribution of Mayor’s Charity Fund

If you wish to raise any specific points or submit any resolution to the Town Meeting, please return this form BEFORE Tuesday, 3rd May 2016 to the Town Clerk, Council Offices, High Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9AB.

Successful resolutions will be considered by the Town Council, but are not bound by them.

Name......

Address......

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I wish to raise the following point:

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I wish to submit the following resolution:

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1 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2016

Your Representatives Were:

Cllr. I. Endean (Town Mayor) Cllr. D. Henley Cllr. F. Richards Cllr. A. Aldis (Deputy Mayor) Cllr. M. Newton Cllr. A. Vaughan Cllr. S. Boughton Cllr. N. Lodge Cllr. K. Read Cllr. P. Kraft Cllr. R. Needham Cllr. N. Tile Cllr. C. Kelly

During 2015/2016 the representatives of Wivenhoe on the Colchester Borough Council have been: For Wivenhoe Quay ward: Cllr. C. Liddy and Cllr. R. Scott For Wivenhoe Cross ward: Cllr. M. Cory and Cllr. J. Manning Cllr. Julie Young represents Wivenhoe on Essex County Council. Member of Parliament: Rt. Hon Bernard Jenkin

Wivenhoe Council Staff: The Council staff during 2015-2016 were: Antoinette Stinson, Town Clerk; Christine Pettitt and Angela Daisley part time Reception/Admin; Estates Team James Young and Andrew Hearn; Hall caretaker Mick Wells, Hall cleaner Lesley Wells and Litter-picker James Eborn. This April will see the retirement of Christine Pettitt who has been with the Town Council for 11 years on reception. Christine has been a very loyal employee and will be missed greatly by all. ______

2015 – 2016 A YEAR-END REVIEW:

This year was another extremely busy and productive one for the Town Council with a number of changes as well as good progress on many initiatives. Parish Elections took place in May 2015 with 2 new members - Cllrs. Shaun Boughton and Mike Newton replacing Cllrs. K. Hall and A. Stinson, both of whom were thanked for their contribution over the last few years. This year sees Colchester Borough Council elections taking place on 5 May 2016 with Wivenhoe now becoming a three member ward following approval from the Boundary Commission.

Hot topics this year taking up much of the Town Council’s time has been Transport issues, the Wivenhoe to University Cyclepath, the Pontoon, transfer of Public Conveniences and the Neighbourhood Plan, all detailed below.

In addition to Town Council responsibilities, nearly all councillors have other interests in the community as members or officers of a wide variety of local organisations that has added to the ability of this council to take a leading role in representing the Wivenhoe community.

The Town Council continues being very busy and proactive in its outlook and not just reacting to events as they unfold. All members care passionately about Wivenhoe and devote a lot of their time to make it the best place in which to live.

2 Planning: Chaired by Cllr. Vaughan, the Town Council’s Planning Committee met 16 times and dealt with 48 applications, in particular major issues such as ECC Joint Replacement Waste Local Plan; planning appeals from Taylor Wimpey, in persisting with trying to develop two amenity areas on Dene Park Estate; dwelling at land west of 58 Queens Road, which after intensive lobbying unfortunately finally got permission this year. The new Tendring District Plan where members expressed concerns about the proposed development of some 2000 homes on Wivenhoe’s borders, primary concerns were for the increase in traffic movements, especially as Wivenhoe Rail Station would be targeted rather than Colchester; urbanisation of Clingoe Hill; concern that infrastructure to be in place first, loss of Wivenhoe’s identity and further erosion of green space between surrounding towns. Site of Cedric’s Garage, where it was noted that the East of England Co-op Directors had put forward their proposals for development of the site; Variation of planning permission for Bawley House, Cooks’ Shipyard to subdivide the ground floor into three units, and thereby quashing the proposal for a fish restaurant, which was disappointing news for Wivenhoe.

The Planning Committee continues to ensure that Wivenhoe’s voice is heard in various consultation documents. Amongst its remit of consultation on planning applications is receipt of decision notices; responding to planning appeals; responding to the Colchester Local Plan Issues and Options consultation; Tendring District Local Development Framework and Minerals Consultation Documents. Section 106 and related matters are also discussed as are the Town Plan and related policies. Changes in the Government’s legislation concerning National Planning Policy has resulted in it being difficult to defend our town from overdevelopment, but the Town Council will do all it can to preserve the town as it stands.

Neighbourhood Plan: Neighbourhood planning was introduced in 2011 through the Localism Act and allows local residents and businesses to have their own planning policies in a neighbourhood plan that reflect their priorities, deliver tangible local benefits and have real weight in planning decisions. Wivenhoe Town Council sponsored the Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Plan in March 2013. The past 3 years have seen an enormous amount of voluntary work done by the Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group. The period has been used to adopt residents’ views through questionnaires, consultations and feedback. We like to think of it as being ‘the peoples plan’. The plan is now ready in draft format and can be viewed on the www.wivenhoeneighbourhoodplan.org.uk web site.

Residents will have a further opportunity to comment on the plan when it will become subject to a formal consultation in the Summer. After taking those consultation views into account, the completed plan will be presented to the local Planning Authority, Colchester Borough Council. The plan will afterwards be subjected to external examination and then offered to the community of Wivenhoe for acceptance though a local referendum towards the end of the year.

Public Conveniences Following lengthy negotiations with Colchester Borough Council concerning the transfer of these assets to the Town Council there is light at the end of tunnel provided the Borough Council honours its commitment to refurbish the conveniences prior to transfer. This remains the stance of the Town Council and negotiations are still continuing.

3 Pavilion, Offices and Police Houses Group: This very active committee has carried out good work, with a Health and Safety Audit having been initiated. Negotiations still continue concerning the purchase of the Council Offices but this being linked with the transfer of the public conveniences has caused quite a delay with Colchester Borough Council’s legal department trying to locate pre 1974 documents.

Cooks’ Shipyard. The two visitors’ car parks are now being used more frequently, which is good and all the moorings in the wet dock have been taken. More dinghy spaces have also been taken up. Although a slow start it is encouraging to see more activity around the Shipyard site.

Pontoon Facility: Well this has been an extremely busy year for the Town Council as members conducted meetings, engaged with the Marine Management Organisation, the Environment Agency, the Brightlingsea Harbourmaster, Colchester Borough Planning department and the contractors. The facility should be installed mid-April dependant on favourable weather and tide conditions. Credit must be attributed to Cllr. Neil Lodge and Cllr. Kevin Read who, along with the Town Council’s groundstaff, have dedicated much of their time and effort to this exciting project. When open the pontoon will be available for use between the hours of 8.00am and 8.00pm only, this condition being imposed by Colchester Borough Council.

Wivenhoe in Bloom In their seventh year this active group has produced some wonderful displays and many congratulatory remarks have been received. Flowerbeds have been cleared of old shrubbery and re-planted with colorful perennials and ground cover. Enthusiastic volunteers are needed so please get in touch with the Secretary, Janie Grote, on 820836 or acting Chair, Cllr. Fran Richards on 825516.

Cemeteries: Another busy year with the Cemetery Chapel Museum up and running and ready for its second year of opening in May. Response from volunteers to help run the museum has been favourable and many complimentary remarks have been received about the Museum. The Museum will be open from 21 May to 11 September on weekends from 10.00am – 1.00pm.

Once again the increase in dog fouling in both Cemeteries and the Churchyard is still of particular concern to the Town Council. Dog-owners are reminded of current legislation which is that under the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996, owners are required to clear up after their dogs in all public areas. Failure to do this will result in a fixed penalty charge of £50 or a fine in court of up to £1000.

Highway Matters: The long awaited Wivenhoe to University Cyclepath has taken up most of the Town Council’s time this year. Originally costed at £750,000 it has escalated to 1.5million and now will almost certainly attain 2million as the roads used for the diversions now all require resurfacing! It certainly has been a trial for Wivenhoe residents and businesses. The cyclepath is an Essex Highways project and although it is a very big investment the cost is made up with s106 monies of £250k from the University build of the multi-story car park and all additional funding has been paid for by ECC Highways. It is scheduled to be completed by 15 April 2016.

4 Potholes still remain a contentious issue with Highways being unco-operative with their repair schedules.

Street Cleaning: The Town Council’s litter-picker has continued to work diligently around the town and is much appreciated by the residents. Residents are asked not to put up posters in the bus shelters, as these will be removed. This year saw a repeat of the CBC initiative Hand in Hand Day of Action in October where volunteers and Council staff all joined in for a litter pick and general tidy up of the lower end of Wivenhoe, including cleaning street signs.

Community Day of Action for a Cleaner Wivenhoe After winning the company’s best customer satisfaction of the year award, Vine Parade One Stop shop manager contacting Cllr. Shaun Boughton to organize an Action Day to help make Wivenhoe a brighter, cleaner place to live. Along with twelve other managers they tended to flowerbeds, allotments, mowed grass and cleared pathways. A new communal area was also dug over and prepared for grass seed. It was such a success that the team has offered to come back again. Lunch for the team was supplied by Henley’s of Wivenhoe.

Recycling: You can now obtain the following from the Town Council offices:

Green boxes – Free. Clear bags – Free. Food waste bins (small and large) – Free. Food waste caddy liners £1.00 per roll. Garden waste sacks - £3.70. Dog Waste bags – £1 per pack.

Unfortunately Hearing Aid batteries are no longer available from the Council Offices. They can, however, still be obtained free of charge from Hospitals in Colchester, Clacton, Harwich and Halstead or from the NHS Audiology Dept at Essex County Hospital, Lexden Road, Colchester, CO3 3NB on receipt of a stamped addressed envelope.

CBC also operate a ‘drop in’ morning for residents seeking online support at the Council Offices, every other Wednesday morning. Residents can call in to see a Colchester Borough Council operative and raise any concerns or issues.

Town Councillors are also working towards increasing the level of recycling awareness around the town.

Wivenhoe Wood: The Wivenhoe Wood Working party continues to work diligently carrying out much clearing and planting in the woods. Residents need reminding that the coppiced wood piles are an important habitat for wildlife and they should be left in situ for at least seven years. Removal of this wood is an offence and a legal notice to this effect had been put up by the Wardens to remind residents. Most of the wood is under the control of Colchester Borough Council with a small area bordering the King George V Playing Field under the control of the Town Council.

Estates/Play Areas: The Estates Committee meets bi-monthly and deals with issues raised by residents, in particular parking on pavements, anti-social behaviour, tree-planting and public seats. An

5 application for funding for an outdoor gym was submitted but unfortunately was not successful, however funding has been obtained to replace the slide in the KGV play area.

Jubilee Gardens Finally the completion date is in sight for the Jubilee Gardens. The pergola and seating have been installed and the area planted up. The Wildlife Garden is proving very successful as well. This year will see the Beacon lit for the Queen’s 90th Birthday on 21st April.

The William Loveless Hall: The Town Council continues to maintain the high standard of the hall. This year a hearing loop has been installed in the Main hall and has proved to be an asset. A new glass washer has also been installed and a new clock put up in the main hall. Once again the whole project was very well thought out and planned by the William Loveless Hall Working Party. The Working Party is considering projects for the future.

The Hall continues to be extremely well used by a wide range of clubs and organizations. This year two theatrical productions have been held at the Hall, in addition to a travelling theatre company and the new venture of a local film club. The well running of the Hall is overseen by a Working Party, chaired by Cllr. Penny Kraft, two other Cllrs, two lay members and the caretaker. Bi-monthly meetings are held where all aspects of running the hall are discussed. Most of the maintenance is done by the Town Council’s groundstaff and some outside contractors. Wivenhoe is very fortunate to have such a facility.

Christmas Lights: This year the Lighting Team although short of volunteers, managed to put on a good display. A big thank you to all involved! Anyone wishing to become involved in this scheme would be most welcome, please contact the Wivenhoe Business Association. The official switch on took place at 6.00pm on 3rd December, followed by the December Market at St Mary's Church and Late Night Shopping Evening. Allotments: The allotments are managed by Wivenhoe Allotments and Gardens Association with whom the Council enjoys close liaison. These days allotments are very popular, not only is there a long waiting list, but for those lucky enough to have one, the enthusiasm amongst the holders never ceases to amaze. The Town Council provides a skip on a regular basis for the allotmenteers and this is much appreciated by them. Along with officers of WAGA, Councillors inspect the allotments twice each year. On a lighter note each year WAGA stages the ‘Wivenhoe Show’ in the William Loveless Hall where fruit and vegetables jostle side by side with cakes, home-made jams and flowers and there is also a section for handicrafts. It brings a real taste of country life to Wivenhoe and can be great fun. All residents can enter, even children. This year the show will be once again held in the William Loveless Hall on Saturday 20th August 2016.

Health Centre. Latest news is that the Philip Road site is still going ahead despite delays with legalities.

6 Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Policing Team: PCSO Louise Neville Contact details: Telephone: 101 x487652 Email: [email protected] For Non emergency enquiries dial 101 To find out what is happening in your neighbourhood and all about your local neighbourhood policing team visit www.essex.police.uk/yourarea and enter your postcode.

Parish Safety Volunteer Do you have a passion for community? Get enjoyment out of knowing people are safer in their homes? Become a Parish Safety Volunteer like retired Police Detective, Bill Roberts, and Councillor Shaun Boughton. Parish Safety Volunteers are uniformed volunteers who give fire safety and crime prevention advice, fit smoke alarms, help create escape plans and offer health and wellbeing guidance. The scheme offers opportunities to build community resilience at a very local level. Volunteers are jointly trained by both Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service. Contact the Town Council for more information.

Communication with Wivenhoe residents: The Town Council produce and distribute a newsletter to every household and apart from Town Council notice-boards, the Council’s principal means of communicating with residents is via its website, www.wivenhoe.gov.uk site with a link to the original Wivenhoe Encyclopaedia, which is being changed to www. wivencyclopedia.org. site comprising over 1000 pages of information and attracting around 700 visits per week. News, details of events, local organisations, businesses, people, Wivenhoe history and much more can all be found on it. In addition, several Town Councillors and indeed some Borough Councillors and our County Councillor make regular contributions to Wivenhoe News.

The ‘Communty’ Bus: Wivenhoe’s 3rd minibus continues to be very well used and provides a valuable service to the community. The Town Council helps with the maintenance costs of the bus and office staff maintain the bookings diary. The Mini-bus Committee meets twice a year to discuss any problems that arise and discuss maintenance issues and running costs. The Town Council has had the current bus for over 12 years now. It was bought in November 2004 when it was a year old. It is still running well and has not produced any major mechanical problems, although this year the step was replaced. Drivers and passengers alike are pleased with its performance and the hydraulic lift at the rear is a great asset and is well used. Volunteer drivers, who take the elderly to the Monday Club, the Over-60s Club, the Wivenhoe Luncheon Club or on shopping trips provide a life-line to many who would otherwise find it difficult to get about. The bus is available for the community when it is not being used by these groups. The suggested rates of donations are reasonable and a short familiarisation process enables the holder of a clean licence to drive it. Volunteer drivers are always needed - if you feel you would like to help by becoming a volunteer driver once in a while, please contact the staff at the Town Council.

Mayor’s Charity Fund The Mayors Charity Fund (MCF) has raised over £8,000 during the past year and all of the money will be put back into Wivenhoe to support local endeavours and organizations. This money was raised by many people at an assortment of functions which included the regular favourites of Wivenhoe Memories and the Mayor’s Ball– all repeat successes of traditions begun in previous years. New ideas this year were the Casino Evening, VJ Day, Garden Party, Race Night and many other community events.

7 The Town Mayor will distribute the proceeds of his year at the Annual Town Meeting.

In addition the Mayor has played an important Civic role in representing Wivenhoe at various functions throughout the County and has also undertaken a number of local engagements and attended many events organized by clubs and organizations based in Wivenhoe.

Finance: Despite the impending costs of having to take over the public conveniences the Town Council’s Finance Committee managed to keep the precept on a par with last year at £266,171. This represents a rate of £92.58 per year per council tax-payer living in a Band D property, an increase of £6.29 a year, or .12pence a week. Income from fees and charges is estimated at £57,613 with just £500 as the Parish Grant contribution. Colchester Borough Council had a nil increase in their precept, but residents should take note that the LCTS (Local Council Tax Support) from Colchester Borough Council has this year been reduced considerably and of course the cost of maintaining of the Public Conveniences will now be transferred to the Town Council.

Town Council Public Access: All Town Council meetings are advertised on the notice-board outside the Council Offices. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Should members of the public wish to speak, a request must be made through the Town Clerk, Mrs. Antoinette Stinson, at least three working days in advance of the meeting. The Planning Committee meets every three weeks. It considers local planning applications as well as other development issues. Members of the public are welcome to attend. The Council Offices are located at 77 High Street, on the first floor, and are open from 9.00am to 4.00pm from Monday to Friday except Wednesdays when it is 9.00am - 12.30pm. Anyone who experiences difficulty in accessing these upstairs offices can draw the attention of staff by pressing a buzzer to the left of the front door. The telephone number of the offices is 01206 822864 and the fax number is 01206 827298. The website is www.wivenhoe.gov.uk and the e-mail address is [email protected].

NOTICE OF COMPLETION OF AUDIT Local Government Accounts and Audit Regulations 2011 and the Audit Commission Act 1998. Notice is hereby given that the Audit procedures for year ending 31 March 2015 took place in June 2015 in accordance with the Audit Commission's new regulations. The Annual Return and Audit Certificate have been signed by Lisa Cross, Audit Manager of the Audit Commission. Antoinette Stinson, Town Clerk