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Tollard Royal Parish Council Garden Cottage ~ Sandroyd ~ Rushmore Park ~ Tollard Royal ~ Salisbury ~ Wiltshire ~ SP5 5QD Carol Webster ~ Parish Council Clerk ~ 07789 235006 ~ e-mail: [email protected]

DRAFT Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting Monday 11th January 2016 at 7:00 pm in The Old Cart Shed

Present: Councillors Kay Allen (KA) (Chair), Richard Mitchell (RM), John Carlyle-Clarke (JCC), Bonny Shirley (BS), Adrian Clarida (AC), Unitary Councillor Jose Green (JG) and Carol Webster (CW) (Clerk to the Council). Parishioners: Four parishioners attended.

1. Apologies: None 2. Declarations of Interests: None 3. Public session: Parishioner Richard Shirley pleased with proposed budget but raised two concerns. The current year’s grass cutting budget has been used now, what happens if we need more cuts before the start of the new budget. Richard also wants the council to consider the current remuneration paid to the clerk, should this be increased? No other comments. 4. The minutes of the meetings: Minutes from 9th November 2015 agreed and signed. 5. Update from Unitary Councillor – Jose Green (JG): see appendix 1 written report 6. Update from Neighbourhood Policing Team: No Report. Bulletin is on the village website 7. Clearance of Action Points from Minutes 9th November 2015: 7.1 Proposed budget: Agenda item this meeting. 7.2 Village Phone Box: Chairman’s report this meeting. 7.3 War Memorial: Agenda – meeting March 2016. 7.4 First Aid kit: Agenda – meeting March 2016.

8. Chairman’s report: See Appendix 2 written report 9. Planning applications: None. 10. Financial matters: 10.1 Finance and budget update and discussion: The councillors discussed the Chairs proposal to maintain the precept at £4000.00. In response to public comments Councillor KA commented that if any more grass cuts were needed before the end of March 2016, volunteers would be needed unless we agreed to use the contingency fund.

Cllr BS proposes that the budget be increased to £4500 – due to the changes in the weather which may mean the grass needs to be cut more and also to provide for other costs that may arise during the financial year. Cllr RM proposes that the budget remains the same as last year at £4000 and questions whether the mulching and hedge grow gardening costs were necessary. Cllr KA updates that in the proposed budget for April 2016 presented to councillors at this meeting, the grass cutting amount was increased by one cut and the contingency decreased to balance this. Cllr Cllr JCC states that on the whole not many parishioners volunteer to assist with village maintenance and that he feels we should rather pay professionals to do the work. Cllr JCC would not like to see the budget cut. Cllr JCC also highlights the importance of the war memorial and the costs involved in maintaining it. Cllr JCC states that he would be happy with an increase to account for this cost. Cllr KA states that the council should include a specific line item in the budget of £250.00 for the maintenance of the war memorial. Cllr KA, with support from all the other councillors, proposes that the clerk’s salary be increased by £10 a month. It was agreed to increase the pond maintenance

------11.01.2016/Minutes Chairman Page: 1 budget by £100.00 and to increase the grass mowing by £90.00 to allow for 2 more cuts. It was agreed to increase the budget to add in provisions for the War Memorial. Cllr KA proposed that after all the discussions, the budget is set at £4495 and that the precept be set for this amount. Cllr KA asks all councillors to be aware that this is a 15.89% increase and that once set it cannot be reversed. Councillors therefore need to be 100% sure and support the decision totally. A vote is taken: Cllr’s RM, BS, JCC and AC support the proposal. Cllr KA will re-do the budget paperwork with all the line items clearly indicated and will publish the budget on the Tollard Royal website. Cllr KA will ensure that all parishioners are provided with the budget details and are fully advised of the budget increase. Cllr KA will also prepare some Q&A’s about the large percentage increase so that all councillors are prepared for queries. Cllr KA also reminds all councillors that as a council we are already compliant with the new financial rules that are to come into force. Clerk CW will submit the necessary official documentation to Wiltshire Council by email for the Tollard Royal council precept. 10.2 Financial statement: A financial statement is presented to all councillors to illustrate the current budget and expenses. The council finances are in a good position to meet all expected costs. 10.3 Approval of bills to pay: Cheques signed for hall hire, councillor expenses to CATG meetings, clerk PAYE and clerk stationery expenses. 10.4 Transfer money to savings account: A money transfer cheque is signed to move money from the council current account to the council savings account. Cllr KA will bank 11. Exceptional items since issue of agenda: Cllr KA requests that clerk CW ensures that the Old Cart Shed is booked for council meetings to be held during 2016. 12. Confirm next meeting as 14th March 2016 in The Old Cart Shed when the precept needs to be set. The meeting closed at 8:15pm.

Action list arising from the Parish Council Meeting on 11th January 2016

8 Chairman’s report Write to Simon Rowe to request Cllr KA Completed and more flood warning signs for the Actioned village 8 Chairman’s report Submit form to nominate Bob and Clerk CW Completed and Valerie Marston for the Bucking Actioned Palace Garden Party 10.2 Setting the precept Advise all parishioners of budget Cllr KA Completed and increase and budget details Actioned 10.2 Setting the precept Send precept documentation to Clerk CW Completed and Wiltshire Council by email Actioned 10.4 Transfer money to Transfer surplus funds to savings Cllr KA Completed and savings account account Actioned 11 Exceptional items Book the Old Cart Shed for future Clerk CW Completed and 2016 council meetings Actioned July PC meeting Move the date to 4th July Clerk CW Agreed – village to be notified and cart shed booked

2 Appendix 1 – written notes from Jose Green

Firstly, and possibly most importantly, I wish you all a Happy & Healthy New Year. Needless to say I'm very conscious of those that have suffered from the uncharacteristic rainfall. WC is endeavouring to keep up with the work required to prevent and to manage the consequences of the volume of water. 27 Syrian refugees (8 families and individuals) are now settled in Wiltshire. 70.000 rural households and businesses in Wiltshire now have access to high speed Broad Band. A further £3:86m will enable an extra 5,000 households to be connected. Anyone wishing to check the progress, enter your postcode at wiltshireonline.org for up to date information. Wiltshire is one of the top performing Councils regarding their commitment towards high speed rural Broad Band. Clean for the Queen weekend of 4th - 6th March ( a special clean up weekend initiated by Country Life and supported by other notable National organisations) is being supported by the Area Board which will provide equipment if required. Please contact Stephen Harris for further information. I also hope the Waste services will be supportive in the removal of the gathered litter bags. Keep Britain Tidy estimates more than 30 million tons of litter are collected each year, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 4 times over and about 2.25 million pieces of litter are dropped on the streets of the UK every day!!! Further fines are likely to be introduced. Regarding efficiencies, savings and cuts.... 9 part time Good Neighbour co-ordinators have been notified that there is a proposal to change the way of providing a service of accessing health and social well-being and information for those who might be prone to rural isolation. A partnership with Community First from 2010 is due to come to an end in April 2016, so a new approach is required including more involvement via the Area Boards. A review of the under 5 yrs old children's Sure Start centres across Wiltshire means there will be changes, a suggestion has been put forward that staff might go out into the local community. There are 28 centres across Wiltshire and some could be turned into pre-schools or nurseries. The retention of the Wilton centre is being reconsidered, if, the local community are willing to support it and Tisbury will be retained also. 700 people responded to the consultation. The last Full Council meeting was a lengthy one; 11 hours with one of the items being the Local Governance boundary review. The Netherhampton proposal for the Halfpenny/ Constable Way estate boundary to be moved into the City was approved. 2 new Council owned dwellings to be built in East Knoyle are to be considered in the near future at the Southern Area Planning Committee. There is still a long way to go to reduce the waiting lists!! Unemployment in Wiltshire is at its lowest since 2004. The Square Café in Tisbury is open every Thursday from 5:30-8pm for 13-19 year olds. Contact Zita 07444 834376 for further information. The new Highways contract award is to be discussed at the Environment Select Committee. I shall keep you informed. The new contract will start in April and hopefully the village Stewardship will continue to be in place. Finally, the PCC, Angus Macpherson is considering increasing the Police part of the Council Tax by 1.9%. This equates out at £3.12p a year or 6p per week on a Band D property. Band D properties currently pay £163.98p a year. Out of 43 forces across England and Wales only 2 receive less funding per head of population than Wiltshire. This proposal is out to consultation until February 2nd. The Police and Crime Commissioner is intending to visit all Area Boards but do access the Police website if you want to comment. The £769.000 would be used to protect community policing.

Appendix 2 – Chair’s written report

------11.01.2016/Minutes Chairman Page: 3 Cllr KA reported about the recent slurry spillage on the road. Cllr KA would like to record thanks to Fred (Parish Stewart) for coming the next morning to help clean the road. Cllr KA reported that the farmer had also turned up to help clean the road.

Cllr KA reported that the Standing Orders have been updated to include the new councillor AC as well as the dates for the 2016 Council meetings.

Cllr KA updated in the progress with the village phone box, a junior committee has been established to look after the phone box and the committee has held their first meeting to discuss the use of the phone box and to give it a name. The phone box has been named the ‘Tollard Tardis’. These are some of the ideas discussed by the junior committee for phone box use: ‘lost and found’ box, history of Tollard Royal, maps of local footpaths for walkers, community notice board, produce exchange (in the summer), First Aid kit and defibrillator. The actions on the junior committee are now to provide a proposed budget, gather further use suggestions and to write to the BBC to try to get Dr Who to officially open the Tollard Tardis.

Cllr KA told the council that the emergency plan and telephone tree has been updated and recirculated. Grid references have been included for emergencies. Parishioners have been told where sand is located and where the flood warning signs are. Cllr KA would like to remind all parishioners that we need to look in on and check elderly neighbours during bad weather spells. Questions were raised as to whether Tollard Royal has enough flood warning signs and whether some of the contingency budget could be used to acquire more. Unitary cllr JG suggested that Cllr KA write to Simon ([email protected]) at Wiltshire Council to request more signs. Cllr KA will take this as an action point.

Cllr KA will try to attend a first aid training session and also a training session on defibrillators. There are at least three fully trained first aiders in the village.

Cllr KA updated that the spring waters appear to be very high again and rose again this morning. Cllr KA reminded all that there is a link on the village website for flood warnings.

Cllr KA updated that the Ashcombe Estate planning application has been approved with conditions.

Cllr KA updated that the council had again received the application forms to nominate parishioners for the Buckingham Palace Garden Party. All Cllrs unanimously put Bob and Valerie Marston forward again, clerk CW will complete the documentation and forward the nomination to WALC.

Cllr KA raised the fact that neither she nor Cllr RM will be available to attend the planned 11 th July 2016 council meeting. The meeting cannot therefore not go ahead on that date as there are no other elected councillors to chair the meeting and the meeting would not be quorate. Cllr KA therefore proposes that the July 2016 meeting be rescheduled for a different date, all councillors agree on the 4th of July 2016. Cllr RM will be away that day, but the meeting will still be quorate.

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