Chestfield Parish Council s2

WICKHAMBREAUX PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 15 MAY 2012

Present: Parish Cllr Christine Le Jeune Parish Cllr Martin Twyman Parish Cllr Linda Lodge Parish Cllr John Joice Parish Cllr Tony O’Sullivan Parish Cllr Faith Wright City Cllr Brain Staley County Cllr Michael Northey

Miss Chenice Sparkes, Clerk to the Council Apologies received and accepted from Parish Cllr Angela Hamilton 1. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN FOR THE COUNCIL YEAR 2012-2013 Cllr Twyman proposed and Cllr Lodge seconded that Cllr le Jeune should be Chairman for the forthcoming year. Cllr Le Jeune accepted the position with a unanimous vote by the Parish Council.

2. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRMAN FOR THE COUNCIL YEAR 2012-2013 Cllr Le Jeune proposed and Cllr O’Sullivan seconded that Cllr Twyman should be Vice Chairman. Cllr Twyman accepted the position with a unanimous vote by the Parish Council.

3. DECLARATIONS OF INTERESEST There were no declarations of interest.

4. APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES (i) Sheila Hickling will remain the Tree Warden (ii) Cllr Lodge agreed to continue her roles as Police Liaison, Neighbourhood Watch, KALC, and Playing Field Committee. (iii) Cllr Joice agreed to continue as the Village Hall Committee representative (iv) Cllr Twyman agreed to continue to be a representative for flooding matters on the Little Stour and Nailbourne River Management Group. (v) The Sloyden Charity Trustees will continue to be Cllr Le Jeune and Cllr Hamilton.

5. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 17 APRIL 2012 The Minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting

6. INFORMATION FROM MATTERS ARISING 12(i) Cllr Joice reported that the Aon Insurance situation has been resolved regarding the Village Hall. He has been assured that the repairs to a leaked water pipe will not affect the Insurance premium as measures have been put in place to prevent further claims.

14(i) The Clerk reported she had not received any bus timetables from Stagecoach as promised for the number 11 bus service. She agreed to chase for an update.

No matters were raised from the Annual Parish Meeting apart from pot holes in Nargate Street in Littlebourne which is outside the parish. County Cllr Michael Northey agreed to ask Kent Highways to fix the pot holes after the meeting and he reported back that some of the larger pot holes have now been fixed and Kent Highways are monitoring the road and its remaining smaller pot holes. He also reported that pot holes in Jubilee Road are also being filled. 7. PLANNING

CA/12/00392/FUL, Morville, Grove Road – The Parish Council have no objections to the proposals, believing the applicants have made every effort to make the extension in keeping with the rest of the property.

CA/12/00157/FUL, Bradley Farmhouse – Canterbury City Council have granted the application.

CA/12/00185/FUL, Newnham Farmhouse – Canterbury City Council have granted the application.

CA/11/01542/FUL and CA/11/01575/LB, Poplar Farm – Canterbury City Council have granted the applications.

CA/12/00411/FUL, Wickham Lodge – Canterbury City Council have granted the application.

City Cllr Brain Staley agreed at the meeting to ask Canterbury City Council’s planning department why the deadline to comment on applications has been reduced to less than a month, resulting in the Parish Council having to ask for an extension to a number of applications in order to discuss the plans at the Parish Council meeting.

Cllr Le Jeune reported that she had received a reply from Sarah Parker on behalf of Adrian Verrall that the Parish Council’s complaint regarding lack of consultation on the Settlement Hierarchy Study has been filed. The Parish Council discussed whether creating a Neighbourhood Plan would be a good idea to ensure the Parish Council would have some control over development in the village. Cllrs Le Jeune, O’Sullivan, Wright and Hamilton agreed to go speak to Adrian Verrall for more information and advice.

8. SEATON MEADOW VILLAGE GREEN APPLICATION Cllr Le Jeune reported that a number of local people had received an anonymous leaflet incorrectly implying that registration of Seaton Meadow as a village green could result in fly tipping and illegal encampments.

It is against the law to send out material without details of the publisher and in view of the anonymous nature of the communication the Parish Council resolved to take no action other than to send a copy to the Registration Authority.

9. HIGHWAYS None

10. REPORTS FROM COUNTY AND CITY COUNCILLORS County Cllr Michael Northey – Cllr Northey reported that by 2015 Kent County Council want 90% of Kent to have super fast broadband speed. The Government have given Kent County Council a £10 million grant, Kent County Council have put in £10 million and the rest of the costs are being covered by major broadband companies. A website has been set up for people to register their broadband speeds to see which areas need to be focused on. The website to register is www.makekentquicker.com, residents should be encouraged to visit this.

Cllr Northey also reported that he had visited The Beaney Library on Tuesday 15 May and described the building as wonderful. The restoration work has been carried out beautifully and the modern part of the building has been tastefully done, almost doubling the floor space of the building. Meridian Tonight did a piece on the library and it is due to open on Tuesday 4 September 2012. Cllr Northey expressed his delight that the project showed a good example of Canterbury City Council and Kent County Council working together. City Cllr Brian Staley – Cllr Staley reported that the grant system from National Government awarded to Canterbury City Council is now very dependent on the number of houses being built. With this in mind the Chief Executive has announced that within the next 20 years 15,000 houses will be built throughout the district with a 30,000 population increase.

Development is more likely to occur towards the Herne Bay and Thanet area although development around Canterbury is still a potential. Cllr Staley reported he is arguing that Canterbury’s population has doubled in the last 2-3 decades and the City does not have the infrastructure in place to support any large development. 15% of development in villages is also being discussed under the plans. Cllr Staley also expressed his concern over building on grade 1 agricultural land which doesn’t take into account the growing need for more food in the future.

Cllr Staley also reported he was concerned about the increase of traffic the closure of the Westgate Towers is having on surrounding roads which have seen a huge increase in the amount of traffic. He also hopes the Community Transport Scheme will be implemented in June.

Cllr Staley also expressed concern over the Royal Mail becoming privatised and the potential loss of the Universal Service Obligation which could see deliveries to rural areas severely affected. The Parish Council gave their support to Cllr Staley to fight to keep the postal service going.

11. CLLRS’ REPORTS Tree Warden – Cllr Le Jeune reported that the horse chestnut tree on the Green which had to be felled needs to be replaced. She reported a resident had approached her and asked that the replacement tree not be too large or too near to their house. Cllr Le Jeune has spoken with the tree warden and they have agreed to ask Canterbury City Council’s Arboriculture Officer Jon Lambourne’s advice on what a sufficient safe distance from the house would be and what type of tree should be used to replace the old one.

Cllr Wright reported that she hadn’t received Mark Jones’ report of his findings after some investigations on a number of trees in the village or the receipt for work he has carried out on behalf of the Parish Council. The Parish Council are waiting for the report before deciding which action should be taken on the horse chestnut on the little green and the lime tree on the large green. She also reported that you need a cultivation licence to plant a tree on Kent Highway’s land and that requires Public Liability Insurance worth £5 million. Cllr Wright agreed to draft a letter to Canterbury City Council asking them to request Kent County Council to plant a new tree near the post box. The Parish Council agreed to decide on an alternative location for the Conservation Society to plant the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tree at the next Parish Council meeting.

Police Liaison – Cllr Twyman reported that he had received a call back from PC Steve Cauter informing him that Elaine Cannadine is the PCSO for the area but is currently on long term sickness.

Village Hall Committee – Cllr Joice reported that the Village Hall Committee had co-opted a new member called Malcolm Withers who kindly hosted the last meeting.

Playing Field – Cllr Lodge reported permission had been granted as in previous years for the school to hold their fete on the playing field.. She reported it had been a great success. The Parish Council agreed to allow a one off boot fair held by the school on the playing field, weather permitting. Cllr Lodge reported that George Stewart has finished the fencing and it looks fantastic. She also reported however that two Ash trees were very close to the fence and could cause problems in the future as they grow. Cllr Twyman reported that in the next 12 months ivy will be removed from the trees and the rest of the fencing will be finished off, hopefully with the help of a Concurrent Function Grant later this year.

Flooding – Cllr Twyman reported that Saturday 12 May’s meeting was cancelled due to a lack of matters to discuss despite the heavy rainfall. He also reported that there is no danger of flooding at the present time.

12. FINANCE (a) The decision whether to outsource the Clerk’s PAYE was deferred until the next meeting due to lack of information to make an informed decision. (b) Cllr Joice reported that after discussions between himself, Cllr Wright and the Clerk it was decided to change the Clerk’s categories on the finance-expenditure sheet to avoid misconceptions about Councillor’s expenses. It was also decided that a more informative finance sheet will be created for use at the next Annual Parish Meeting for residents to see exactly what the Parish Council’s money is being spent on. (c)The expenditure totalling £605.34 was authorised made up of: (i) Christine Le Jeune – Refreshments for APM - £13.43 (ii) Aon Insurance – Parish Council Insurance - £591.91

13. THE ANNUAL RETURN AND RELATED CORRESPONDENCE The Annual Return was signed and approved by the Parish Council. The amendment made on the Annual Return was highlighted by the Clerk and was signed by two Cllrs as the new correct figure. The Clerk was asked to obtain a £20 gift voucher from Waterstones for the Internal Auditor Richard Barton’s services this year.

14. REVIEW OF THE STANDING ORDERS AND FINANCIAL REGULATIONS The Parish Council decided that the out of date Standing Orders and Financial Regulations needed to be reviewed and updated. A sub-committee was proposed by Cllr Le Jeune to include Cllr Hamilton, Cllr O’Sullivan and the Clerk. All three agreed.

15. REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF THE OFFICE AND FINANCE RISK ASSESSMENT The Office and Finance Risk Assessment was adopted by the Parish Council with the amendment to remove the last point.

16. REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF THE STATEMENT OF INTERNAL CONTROL The Parish Council adopted the Statement of Internal Control with one additional point that the review of the budget to analyse how much has been spent is to be carried out in January.

17. KENT COUNTY COUNCIL’S DRAFT KENT FREIGHT ACTION PLAN The Parish Council support KALC’s comments particularly Kent County Council’s development of an online lorry journey planner, lorry specific Sat Nav’s and up-to-date recommended lorry routes.

18. KENT FORUM HOUSING STRATEGY REFRESH CONSULTATION DOCUMENT The Parish Council support KALC’s comments especially the idea of support and assistance being given to Parish Council’s with producing a Neighbourhood Plan.

19. CONSULTATION ON GYSPY AND TRAVELLER PITCH ALLOCATION POLICY The Parish Council have no comment.

20. QUEENS’S DIAMOND JUBILEE Cllr Wright suggested that the Parish Council should send a card to the Queen congratulating her on her 60 years on the throne. The Clerk was asked to write in a provided card and send it off to the Queen.

On Saturday 2 June 2012 the Rose Inn will be holding their celebrations. At 1pm there will be bell ringing and the children’s party at the Rose Inn, pre-booking is advised. There will be a BBQ from 12pm with a special Jubilee church service at 5pm. A village tug of war competition will be held at 5:30pm with live music from 8pm.

On Monday 4 June 2012 Stodmarsh are holding their celebrations. An early evening BBQ will be held on Mr and Mrs Hickling’s land behind the church followed by the lighting of a bonfire beacon. On the same day a tea party for Wickhambreaux villagers will be held in Mr and Mrs Hayward’s garden at Quaives Cottage. On Tuesday 5 June 2012 the Parish Council are holding a film night in the village hall at 7:30pm. Old footage of the coronation celebrations in the village will be shown, never before seen by the public, filmed by Frank Montgomery. The Four Villages Old and New footage will also be shown by Brian Maxted. Light refreshments will be provided and the evening is free of charge.

21. CLERK REPORT AND CORRESPONDENCE (i) The Clerk reported that she had received a complaint from a resident concerning their neighbour lighting a number of bonfires that were causing them distress. The Parish Council would ask residents to be considerate towards their neighbours when lighting bonfires. (ii) The Clerk reported that she had received a letter from the Lord Mayor asking for any nominations for the Lord Mayor’s Award 2012. The award is given to members of the public who have committed selfless acts for others in the community. If any members of the public wish to nominate someone in the community then they should email the Clerk at [email protected] by 20 June 2012. (iii) The Clerk reported that Natwest Bank had lost the form sent off with Cllrs details to check that their systems were up to date. The Clerk presented the Parish Council with another form to fill in and agreed to send it off. (iv) The Clerk reported she had received a request for correspondence and minutes surrounding the Village Green Application under the Freedom of Information Act from Mrs Perkins. The Parish Council will respond to the request in due course.

22. ANY OTHER BUSINESS None

The meeting closed at 10:25 p.m.

Signed………………………...... (Chairman)

Date…………………………......