Ware Town Council s3

WARE TOWN COUNCIL

The Annual Town Meeting of WARE TOWN COUNCIL was held in Fletcher’s Lea, Ware on Monday 21 March 2011 at 8 p.m. when the following business was transacted.

PRESENT Cllrs E Bedford (Town Mayor, presiding), E. Bailey, P Ballam, D Day, A Mills, T Milner, M Pope, G Powell and J Wing

ATTENDING J Rowlinson (Town Clerk); East Herts Councillors M Alexander, V Shaw, J Taylor and A Warman; Dan Peters (press) and 62 members of the public

1. APOLOGIES

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr’s, R Lester, County Cllr D Andrews and resident MC Black.

2. MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL TOWN MEETING HELD ON 17 MAY 2010.

The minutes of the Annual Town Meeting held on 17 May 2010 were approved and signed by the Town Mayor as a correct record.

3. REPORT FROM THE TOWN MAYOR FOR THE 2010/11 CIVIC YEAR ON THE WORK OF THE TOWN COUNCIL FOR THAT YEAR

Cllr E Bedford presented a report on the work of the Town Council, copy attached

4. REPORT FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE PRIORY CHARITY FOR 2010/11

Cllr E Bedford presented a report on the work of the Trustee, copy attached

5. REPORT FROM COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN FOR THE 2010/11 CIVIC YEAR

a) Finance and Resources Committee – Cllr M Pope (Vice Chairman)

Cllr M Pope presented a report on the work of the Committee, copy attached

b) Tourism, Leisure and Amenities Committee – Cllr G Powell

Cllr. G. Powell presented a report on the work of the Committee, copy attached

c) Planning Committee – Cllr P Ballam

Cllr P Ballam presented a report on the work of the Committee.

6. QUESTIONS, OBSERVATIONS OR PROPOSALS BY THOSE PRESENT ON ITEMS AFFECTING THE TOWN

Mick Standley, Little Acres, Ware representing Save Our Green Spaces - there are two major issues affecting the town, the potential development of green belt land and the incinerator. We are disappointed that the Council did not 1 have these major threats on their agenda. Thanks to councillors who have supported us but we would like to know if we have the support of the rest. We want to know Ware Town Council’s response to the replies received from Ministers. We are disappointed with East Herts Council’s response to planning applications. We are disappointed with Hertfordshire County Council’s Waste Strategy.

Cllr Bedford stated that to date, no planning application had been received from Biffa for the proposed incinerator. Councillors had their own opinions but as yet it had not come forward as a planning application. As it was a waste application, it could go straight to East Herts Council or Hertfordshire County Council. Personally, he found the prospect frightening because of the visual impact and because the scientific evidence was conflicting. He asked Cllr Ballam as Chair of Planning to respond.

Cllr Ballam considered the scientific facts difficult for people to evaluate. A lot of residents and councillors had visited the public exhibition. Biffa’s scientists say there is no danger or pollution, other people say there is and it is difficult to know what to believe. Ware Town Council has had no opportunity to consider an application. This was expected soon and the Town Council would make comments then.

Regarding the Call for Sites, Ware Town Council had received replies to the letter sent to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, one on behalf of the Minister and one from Mark Prisk, MP. The letter from Mark Prisk was very encouraging. Ware Town Council had not replied as this had not been on the agenda of the Planning Committee yet.

Mr Standley stated that the letter on behalf of the Minister indicated that East Herts Council had consulted on the Core Strategy but he believed that the previous consultation was flawed.

Cllr Taylor, East Herts Councillor for St Mary’s Ward expressed her total opposition to any incinerator being built at Westmill and asked that Ware Town Council make representations to Hertfordshire County Council and the Environment Agency to make sure that the feelings of Ware residents and the Town Council were very clear. Consultation on the waste licence was to be extended for two months by the Environment Agency and she urged people to respond to this.

Gerry Stapleton, Hitherfield - we have town, district and county councillors all run by Conservatives. Are they all voting for the same thing? Sometimes the Town Council votes for and East Herts Council votes against. Are they voting as a group?

Cllr Bedford stated that Ware Town Council’s Planning Committee often made recommendations on planning applications which were not supported by East Herts Council’s decisions. Party politics did not come into planning decisions. These were based on looking after the interests of Ware residents.

Cllr Ballam explained that at East Herts Council members tend to vote on issues affecting their area rather than by political party. The Development Control Committee was made up of members from all over East Herts and sometimes the views of local members were defeated. Some decisions were made by officers under delegated authority. 2 Cllr Wing stated that as the decision on the incinerator would be made by HCC the concern was to make sure that councillors who lived 30 or 40 miles away shared the views of Ware residents.

Martin Butcher, Trinity Road, Chair of Burning Issue Group - was gratified that the Mayor had expressed dismay at the incinerator proposals and that Cllr Taylor had opposed these outright. Concerns had been raised by the Conservative leaflet implying that Councillors had contact with Biffa to ameliorate the effects of the incinerator.

Cllr Bedford confirmed that Biffa had not contacted the Town Council in the last year.

David Perman, Musley Lane - at last year’s Annual Town Meeting it was hoped to reach a conclusion on Musley School in a week. This has been on the agenda of the Planning Committee since then. There are 4 parties involved, HCC, Herts Regional College, Ware Grammar School Trust and Emanuel Shared Church. It had been agreed by the Tourism, Leisure and Amenities Committee that the Mayor would act as honest broker.

Cllr Bedford reported that HCC Estates Department had agreed to meet him and that he hoped to conclude this before the end of his term of office.

David Perman, Musley Lane – reported that the lights in Bates Walk were not working.

This had been reported to HCC who were responsible for street lighting. Cllr Taylor also agreed to look into this.

Representative of Burning Issue Group – asked for the view of Ware Town Council on the incinerator so that this could be published on their website.

Cllr Bedford reported that a view could not be given until the planning application was received as giving a view beforehand could prejudice councillors’ ability to comment on the application. Cllr’s Taylor and Wing considered that as HCC would be making the decision and Ware Town Council would only be a consultee it would be appropriate to give views. Cllr Bedford felt that Ware Town Council could come out against the incinerator. Cllr Milner thought the technology was not too bad but that Westmill was not an appropriate site because of traffic, visibility, and design. Ware was not the right place. Cllr Mills said it should be opposed because it was an industrial, not a domestic incinerator.

Steve Guyton, Fanshawe Crescent – was disappointed to hear Cllr Ballam state that Ware Town Council had no influence with EHC Development Control Committee. When the Asda application was considered the Chair of Development Control used his casting vote because Ware Town Council was in favour of the development.

Cllr Taylor reported that this had been a mistake and based on comments made by Ware Town Council in May before proposals for the Crane Mead site had been raised.

3 Mrs Thorne, Beechfield Road – people were still parking on the grass verges in Cromwell Road and it was said that Riversmead would put in a layby.

Cllr Powell reported that the houses were now complete and was hopeful that a layby would go in soon.

Mrs Wing, New Road – reported that Ware in Bloom had won a gold award. They would be tree planting at the weekend, meeting at the Priory at 11.30am on Saturday and Sunday. Dickensian Evening would take place on 2 December 2011. Music & Motors would take place on 20 August. It was 40 years since Ware twinned with Wülfrath and 10 years since it twinned with Cormeilles-en-Parisis. There would be an exhibition of Town Twinning at the museum and members of the public were asked for any town twinning memorabilia. Planning permission had been received for the skatepark and an application had been submitted for lottery funding. It was hoped to install the equipment in September. Designs were available for viewing.

Mr Perman, Musley Lane – as Ware had been unsuccessful for 3 years with bids to East Herts Council’s Town Enhancement Scheme he felt there was prejudice against Ware and asked East Herts Councillors why they kept moving the goalposts.

Cllr Alexander was unaware of anyone moving goalposts. East Herts Council had just given £220,000 to the Drill Hall and £10,000 to the skatepark. Ware was not forgotten but needed to tick the right boxes and make the right noises. East Herts Council awarded £3,000 for mosaics in Amwell End but these had not yet been done. East Herts Council did the best with funds available and with no increase in Council tax.

Mr Stapleton stated that the £220,000 for the Drill Hall had not yet been received and that the Drill Hall Committee would have to carry out repairs after 10 years of neglect by East Herts Council. East Herts Council had given £350,000 for Fletcher’s Lea and Mr Stapleton asked where this had gone.

Cllr Milner replied that it had been £300,000 and this had been for constructing the building.

Cllr Wing mentioned the £1.6m which had been spent on Castle Hall in Hertford.

Cllr Alexander reported that this £1.6m had been very successful as the theatre and cinema were always busy and had been wanted for a long time.

Cllr Pope reported that in addition to the £10,000 for the skatepark, East Herts Council had awarded a grant of £9,000 towards improvements to the play equipment in the Priory park. The Town Council had identified an artist who would work with a local primary school on the mosaics.

Cllr Bedford concluded the discussion by confirming that Ware Town Council had the interests of Ware very much at heart.

The meeting closed at 9.50 p.m.

Town Mayor