AE Appendix 1 Notes of the Area East Annual Parish and Town Council Meeting held on Tuesday 28 January 2014 at 7.00 pm in the Council Offices, Churchfield, Wincanton (7:00 pm – 9:00 pm) Present: District Councillors: Nick Weeks (Chair) Anna Groskop Mike Lewis Mike Beech Henry Hobhouse William Wallace Tony Capozzoli Tim Inglefield Colin Winder Officers: Helen Rutter Area Development Manager Tim Cook Neighbourhood Development Officer Communities James Divall Neighbourhood Development Officer Communities Lisa Davis Community Office Support Manager Anne Herridge Democratic Services Officer Chris Cooper Street Scene Manager Others: Thelma Mead PCSO Marilyn Upton West Camel PC Tim Adams Compton Pauncefoot & Blackford PM Janet Powell Barton St David PC Rosemary Heath-Coleman Queen Camel PC Kate Craigie Keinton Mandeville PC Terry Philpott Castle Cary TC Sue Place Balsam Centre Saveria Moss Family Focus Mentoring Scheme Charlie Coward Community Health & Leisure Paul Wheatley Principal Spatial Planner Representatives from the following Parish/Town Councils Abbas & Templecombe (3) Marston Magna (2) Ansford (1) Milborne Port (2) Barton St David (1) Mudford (3) Castle Cary (2) North Cadbury & Yarlington (1) Charlton Musgrove (2) Pitcombe (1) Compton Pauncefoot & Blackford (1) Queen Camel (2) Cucklington (1) Shepton Montague (1) Horsington (2) West Camel (3) Ilchester (3) Wincanton (1) Keinton Mandeville (2) 1. Introduction – Cllr Nick Weeks Councillor Nick Weeks, Chairman of Area East Committee, welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted that there was an excellent turnout from a wide range of Parishes. Meeting: AE11A 13:14 32 Date: 12.03.14 AE 2. Overview of Localism Powers/Community Right to Bid – Helen Rutter, SSDC Information was provided about the package of Community Rights in the Localism Act 2011 including the Community Right to Bid. Tim Adams asked about the Community Right to Re-claim land (under used or un-used public land). Helen advised that for SSDC owned property there is an Asset Transfer Policy and copies are available if required. The Team would check the scope of the Re-claim provision to draw it to the attention of local communities. ACTION: Tim Cook to research and add more information to the website. 3. Presentations on Parish Initiatives (a) Flood Wardens – Marilyn Upton, West Camel & PCSO Thelma Mead, Avon and Somerset Police Information was provided about the Flood Plan for West Camel Parish and how it was achieved. They were successful in obtaining funding to purchase a flood shed which holds road signs, wellington boots, waterproofs etc. and is shared with Queen Camel Parish. There are a team of volunteers who are able to access the secure shed. Avon and Somerset Police have written an operation plan to encourage Police flood volunteers (Flood Wardens). Cllr William Wallace advised that resilience sheds are available from Somerset County Council free of charge. Parishes should contact the Civil Contingencies team at SCC if they feel that there is a need for a shed in their Parish. Cllr Tony Capozzoli asked about insurance validity if you drive through a road closure. PCSO Thelma Mead advised that volunteers cannot stop drivers but it does make their insurance invalid if they drive through flood waters and cause damage to their vehicle. Volunteers have to get consent from the Police before closing a road. Mudford PC raised concerns about response from the Police with regard to road closures and access during the flooding. (b) Parish Ranger Scheme – Chris Cooper, SSDC & Tim Adams, Compton Pauncefoot & Blackford Parish Meeting Chris Cooper gave an overview of the scheme and Tim Adams provided an explanation of how they are using it in their Parish and also the costs involved. Brewham PC asked if the Ranger could undertake drainage work. Chris Cooper advised that they can undertake drainage work by hand, i.e. clear surface or lift the pot and empty, but they do not have a gully emptier. The Ranger can be used for whatever work the Parish require. The Ranger can also work alongside Parish volunteers and is a very flexible arrangement. A meeting would take place between SSDC and any interested Town/Parish Councils to look at the needs, time & costs and agree a work schedule for the Ranger. ACTION: Chris Cooper to look into the possibility/cost of purchasing a gully emptier for Town/Parish Councils to use through the Parish Ranger scheme if demand justifies. Meeting: AE11A 13:14 33 Date: 12.03.14 AE Milborne Port PC asked about problems with dog mess in the recreation field and the emptying of the dog bins by SSDC. Chris confirmed that the Town & Parish Councils are responsible for keeping their land clean, SSDC do not have the resources to empty every bin across the District. The Parish Ranger could be employed to empty dog bins and take the waste away. ACTION: Chris Cooper to get contact details for Milborne Port PC and arrange to discuss further. (c) Town Centre Enhancement – Terry Philpott, Castle Cary Town Council Information was provided about the approach taken and recent achievements of the Town Council including car park extension and Castle Cary Market House. It was recognised that there was a need to improve skills and develop capacity within the Town Council and as part of this Helen Rutter has delivered a project management course. The Town Council now have a strategic plan, which gives focus and a sense of direction for the community and defines what Castle Cary do and don‟t want to deliver/get involved in. The Town Council have been successful in increasing the number of Town Councillors from 6 to 13 and have a large number of volunteers in the town. In October 2013, 30 additional parking spaces were opened and on 18 March 2014 the first expanded weekly market will take place in the town. The key to achieving so much has been the Right Team, the Right Place and the Right Skills! In response to North Cadbury PC asking if they got more Councillors first or did they start work to achieve and then encourage others to join, Terry advised that it was a mixture of both. (d) Queen Camel Neighbourhood Development Plan – Rosemary Heath-Coleman, Queen Camel PC & Tim Cook, SSDC Rosemary provided an overview of the plan which incorporates affordable housing and a new Primary School. She explained that a Community Land Trust has also been setup to enhance local control of development. Consultation with the local community was key and engagement with Planning 4 Real all contributed toward getting the right contract signed with the housing provider on 20 December 2013. North Cadbury PC asked how much the exercise cost? £20,000 was awarded to the Parish as part of the Frontrunner grant but so far only £5,000 had been spent. There is still a way to go with the process of consulting on the draft plan, getting it examined and the referendum. Castle Cary TC asked how long the process should take? It is a large process to manage and coordinate, running over several years and it would be difficult to put a fixed timescale but it is essential that there is someone driving the project. Castle Cary TC also asked if further SSDC Officer support is available for other Towns/Parishes. Helen advised that there is funding available via Government grant for further Neighbourhood Development Plans. Communities need to think carefully about whether a Plan is needed to achieve their development goal as it will take a lot of funding and volunteer time. If it is then Officer support is available from both the Area Development Team and SSDC Planners. Meeting: AE11A 13:14 34 Date: 12.03.14 AE (e) Affordable housing scheme – Janet Powell, Barton St David The project had arisen from the Parish Plan completed in 2009. This led to a housing needs survey that showed demand for local needs housing. Issues she flagged up included: Check drainage issue when developing the site Open meetings for all residents Parish did not get involved in the selection process for houses (left to the Housing Association) Work in coordination with different agency was positive and important There has been an unexpected consequence arising from doing the scheme as they now feel more vulnerable to further housing development. Planners are saying Barton is a sustainable village suited to further growth. (f) Fitness trail – Kate Craigie, Keinton Mandeville The project had developed from a much bigger programme of work to develop and improve the village hall and its surroundings. Key features: Looked at best practice around other sites in SSDC Received planning permission advice from SSDC Developed a master plan for the site Phased approach to developments and finding funding sources Negotiated price for the MUGA from £120,000 to £94,000 Following discussions with coaches providing activities at the local schools a company now runs programmes on the MUGA providing structured activities and informal play Kate was happy to be contacted by other Parishes wishing to carry out similar work. 4. What happens at the Balsam Centre? – Sue Place, Manager Sue Place gave details of the background of the Centre and of current activities and facilities available, these included: Parenting support Job Done! (helping people back to work) The Men‟s Shed (helping men to socialise whilst undertaking practical projects) Loose Ends Café Health Visitors & Midwives are based at the Centre A range of Children‟s activities/groups take place at the Centre A range of rooms are available for hire Matching volunteers with volunteering opportunities Tim Adams offered to circulate newsletters, updates, etc. to all on his Parish mailing list and suggested others present could do the same, to help promote the Centre.