HORSPATH ANNUAL PARISH MEETING Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Monday 30th April 2012 at 7.30pm in Horspath Village Hall.

Present: Mr T Ayres Apologies: Mr J Dobson, Mr C Henderson, Mr P Dobson Mrs J Carr (District Councillor). Mr P Ewart Mr M Harris Mr D Horsley Mrs A Julian Mrs H Palmer Mr S Turnbull Mrs S Watson Mrs H Kogel, Clerk Mrs A Purse (County Councillor) Mr R Bell (District Councillor) PC Mel Stafford (Thames Valley Police) Public: 8

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE - Apologies given for Mr James Dobson, Mr Henderson and Mrs Carr. 2. MINUTES FOR APPROVAL The minutes of the Annual Parish meeting held on 26th April 2011 were approved, all in favour. The minutes were signed as correct.

3. THAMES VALLEY POLICE - PC Mel Stafford Matters to report: Between 1/4/12-28/4/12 there were 3 calls made by Horspath residents to Thames Valley Police. They consisted of: Miscellaneous calls – 2, Anti Social Behaviour – 1.

It may of interest to note that between 1st April 2010-28th April 2011 TVP received 127 calls from Horspath residents and between 1st April 2011-28th April 2012 TVP received 96 calls from Horspath residents. Please note that TVP now has a new non emergency number which is 101. Theft from motor vehicles - There have been a number of thefts of cars and/or thefts of items from cars around the Stadhampton, Little Milton, Drayton St Leonard, Watlington and Henley areas. The following information may be useful to reduce the risk to your vehicle. Most offences of theft from vehicles are opportunist. If valuable possessions (e.g. handbags, laptops, sat navs, iPods, mobile phones, cameras) are left on show inside a vehicle it is much more likely to be targeted by thieves. Even items of little value such as shopping bags, CDs and clothing may tempt a potential thief to break into the vehicle to see whether they contain anything else worth stealing. Offences can take place during the day or night whether a vehicle is parked in a driveway, on the street or in a public car park. Typically thieves will smash windows to gain entry, sometimes they will break door locks or, on older vehicles, they may prise the door away from the body of the vehicle. The following is just a small sample of crime prevention and reduction advice for motorists, more detailed information is available on the TVP website or alternatively please call one of the NHPT for a crime reduction appointment on the non-emergency number 101. When leaving your car close all windows and lock your car. When parking at home use your garage, if you don't have a garage park in a well-lit area. Don't leave anything on display in your vehicle. Take all your personal possessions with you even if you are only leaving the vehicle for a few minutes, it only takes seconds to break a window. Remove sat nav holders and visible sat nav ring marks from windscreens. Leave the glove box open to show that there is nothing inside. Fit an alarm or immobiliser to your car. Do not store your vehicles documents in your vehicle Crime Statistics: The Home Office National Crime Mapping website gives the public access to street- level crime information as well as information on their Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Neighbourhood Priorities and Events - details of Have Your Say and other neighbourhood activities. Log on to www.police.uk, type in your local postcode or neighbourhood name and then click on ‘Find out more’. Actions: Could you please send any Thames Valley Police Neighbourhood issues that have been raised during this meeting to our attention at your earliest convenience by sending an email to: [email protected] PC Stafford reported an incident at the weekend at Butts Road where youths were reported to causing a lot of noise. PC Stafford checked the location on several occasions and there were no problems so hopefully it was a one off incident. Mrs Lewis reported the on-going problem with parking at school peak times. Cars are parking dangerously on the corners of roads, and also on the pavements which is forcing pedestrians, pushchairs and wheelchairs to walk on the road. PC Stafford will inform PCSO Ken Cooney and arrange a more frequent Police presence to stop this problem. Mr Harris commented that parking on pavements is also a problem in Gidley Way, Butts Road and Cuddesdon Road. PC Stafford stated that before the Police can take action for this offence they need to receive a complaint from a resident. If there are any specific cars repeatedly parking on pavements, residents are asked to inform PC Stafford.

4. STATEMENT OF PARISH COUNCIL ACCOUNTS 2011/12 – Un-audited. A statement of un-audited accounts for 2011/12 was circulated. The statement of accounts had not at this point been reconciled with end of year bank statements. There were no questions raised.

5. STATEMENT OF PAROCHIAL CHARITIES ACCOUNTS 2011. A statement of accounts for the year ending 31.12.11 was circulated. No comments made.

6. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT – Mr David Horsley It hardly seems a year ago when we were last here and having been asked to chair the Parish Council meetings for the last 12 months, I will now give you a brief update on the main issues we have been dealing with over the last year. These include primarily the closure of the Post Office during my first six months and the Methodist Chapel in the second six months, agreeing some additional works to the Burial Ground, and the ongoing attempts by various landowners to concrete over the Green Belt around our village. The closure of the Post Office was frustrating and upsetting for us all and it seems likely that the service will never now return. The Parish Council found itself being lobbied by residents to save a Post Office which the Post Office was happy to leave open. This has caused substantial inconvenience to both residents and businesses. Last August we tried to find a way for both the Post Office and the shop to work together until a long term solution could be found but in the end the difficulties proved insurmountable and an important village community asset has been lost at present. Which leads neatly into the future of the Methodist Chapel. The Friends of St Giles Church are hoping to secure the future of the Methodist Chapel whereby we, as a village, can take on the liability for the running costs in order to try and keep the building for community use. I personally fear that the Methodists want to maximise their return on this and if this is the case and the only way the building can be kept is by paying an open market commercial rent or purchase price, then there is probably no way forward at present. Our overtures to the Methodist Circuit that the people of Horspath have a stake in this building having already contributed towards this asset and wish to keep it for community use are still under consideration. The status of the vehicular access remains unresolved, so selling the property for housing could be difficult and a stalemate seems to continue. As with all our village assets, it remains a case of ‘use it’ or ‘lose it’ and it was simply the lack of any interest in ‘using’ this facility apart from by St Giles Church & the Gardening Club which, together with the covenants resulted in the plans to convert it to housing. It remains the Parish Council’s objective that the building does not fall into disrepair and that we do not end up with two separate, competing, village halls. As far as the Burial Ground problems are concerned, perhaps some explanation would help. When the land was originally purchased, the Parish Council was unaware that there were a series of field drains crossing it from the field adjacent to College Way draining into the ditch which runs alongside the recreation ground. So when the gravediggers dig a grave they can accidentally cut through one of these pipes, and when it is wet or raining, the pipe simply leaks water into the grave. The problem was never urgent because the water table has been at record low levels for the last few years, also as we now know where the field drains are, we can space new graves accordingly. Following discussions with various contractors, and indeed following the input from Keith Brooks, he and others advised that the simplest and cheapest way to solve the problem permanently was to deliberately cut the drains inside the field and redirect the flow around the burial ground into the ditch with a natural gravel drain. So with thanks to Dennis Walker who is allowing the work to take place on his side of the wall, the work will take place as soon as we are sure that there are no birds nesting in the hedge with the spoil being taken through that hedge and used to extend Max’s Mound around the cricket pitch, rather than being taken away at further cost to landfill. Which incidentally, is why the cricket club kindly cut down the Leylandi trees at that location. Martin Harris has kept us up to date throughout the year with the continued determination of various landowners to vary the status of the Green Belt around Oxford. The new Government Planning Policy caused a national outcry when it was first launched, but the revised version seems to have taken note of the many of the concerns raised about the Green Belt. Also recent overtures from ministers over the future of onshore wind farms may have thrown into economic doubt any future plans by the City Council to put turbines on the triangular field. An application for a much smaller turbine than we faced here two years ago, this time on the hill in Wheatley was refused just last month not just on the grounds of its impact on the Green Belt but also because of potential interference with the MOD Air Traffic Control radar at RAF Benson. There has been no progress to report with Stagecoach who it seems are determined to sit out their comfortable lease for as long as they can. We have made an offer to grant a new long term lease at a fair market rent but with no response to date. However, the clock is ticking against them, and the value of any new lease is simply increasing year by year, until in 2021 they will have to pay a full market rent set by somebody else or leave. I have no doubt that there will be some interest from other parties in the site. But if we are here, in the same position, this time next year there will be an obligation on the Parish Council, acting as the Trustees of the charity, to begin advertising the premises and consider other development opportunities in good time to agree terms with a third party. If the charity receives a better offer from any potential future tenant or developer than what is on offer at the moment, £1,200 per year and the prospect of a legal confrontation in 2021, the Trustees may be tempted to accept that offer without inviting Stagecoach back to the table. Traffic calming continues to be emotive. Following representations from residents, we have agreed to undertake two traffic surveys on Cuddesdon Road to compare speeds and usage with the last survey of several years ago and then discuss options with the County Council as to a way forward to reduce the speeds, but at a time when everyone is strapped for cash and resources, there are no easy answers. The Parish Council were not happy about removing one side of the top chicane after the accident but had no choice but to agree to it when it came as a recommendation from the County Highways Officer. The County Council is the responsible authority for the design and maintenance of all traffic calming measures and the only influence the Parish Council has ever had has been in making a financial contribution to the costs. We started the year without a full complement of Councillors, so during the year we have welcomed to the Parish Council Sylvia Watson, Peter Ewart and Terry Ayres so for the first time in many, many years we now have a full compliment of 11 seats occupied. I would like to thank all my fellow Parish Councillors for their efforts this year, in particular Angela Julian for holding the Village Hall together, with Ed Murray’s help of course, Terry Ayres, for all the work he did clearing the brambles and rubbish from the bridge, Steve Turnbull, for getting to grips with the burial ground field drains and everyone else for their input and help. Heather, our webmaster has had a pretty rough year but remains as enthusiastic as ever. To Martin Harris for all his help and for the hours he has spent reading through planning policy submissions from developers trying to trip us up. Also for his tree planting in the Bowley Field with the help of many volunteers and the work in the Wildlife Conservation Area. Thanks to Peter, James and Charles for their always considered and calming input. Also to Shirley and Barbara for organising tonight’s coffee and biscuits. As for Hayley, a huge thank you for all your help and support this year as well as our other paid helpers, Rob Gray and Peter Aries. If I have forgotten anyone else, apologies. We are very lucky in that we live in a village where so many people are prepared to offer their voluntary help, whether this is at the Cricket Club or Cycle Speedway, the School, Nursery or Toddler Group, the Senior Residents Club, the Village Hall Committee, the Friends, or indeed here on the Parish Council. What some people in this village seem to forget, and particularly those that feel it is their sole role in life to complain and stir up trouble where none exists, is that we are all just that, unpaid volunteers with no further axe to grind than we want the best for Horspath, the setting of the village, the well being of its residents and the safety of our kids. Nobody is obliged to get involved and help, but if you want to, there are plenty of opportunities. I can promise that I am not going to be Chairman for ever and when I agreed to do it this time last year, it was with some regret because Shirley was stepping down. I said that I would do it for 2 years, so I would like to hope that over the course of the next year a new Chairman will emerge who can lead this Council through the next few important years to what I believe will be a unique situation for any small village in the UK. Thank you.

7. VILLAGE HALL & RECREATION COMMITTEE’S REPORT AND STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS. The statement of accounts was circulated for both HVHMC & HVSA.

8. HVSA & HVHMC REPORT. HVSA – Mr Horsley reported that the turnover for last year was slightly down. This was entirely due to the weather where cricket games had to be cancelled which in turn has an effect on the bar. Since March 2012 there have been 4 matches cancelled due to weather conditions. Mr Horsley passed thanks to Max Eason and his team of volunteers for managing the bar. HVHMC - Despite a difficult start to the year, the running of the Village Hall has proceeded smoothly, with continued interest from a broad range of hirers including regulars such as Performanze Dance, Little Masters, the Menagerie Bridge Club, Thames Valley Caravan Club and several other dance and fitness classes for adults, to name but a few. We’ve also had regular bookings from the County/City Council and Oxford PCT. The continued strong interest from the external groups and societies, and private parties/weddings which make up the bulk of our income, allows us to subsidize the rates for community village organizations such as the Toddler Group, Senior Residents, Horspath Nursery and Primary School, and St Giles Church. It has also allowed us to undertake any necessary repairs to the Village Hall without recourse to the Parish Council for additional funds, and even show a modest surplus. During the course of the year we have replaced the fascia boards on the roof; up-dated the electrics for the external lights; and purchased new chairs for the Morgan Room, plus other work to the drains and heating systems as required. On the personnel side, Ed Murray has remained as our Chair for this year, and Angie Julian is still Treasurer. We have also been joined by another Horspath resident Steph Dass, who has just taken over the bookings and invoicing. Our thanks go, as always, to our amazing cleaner Cath Riley, for all her hard work. Looking forward, we are hoping to renovate the overflow car park, so that it has a better surface and generally looks more tidy. We will also install separate meters in the HVSA club house so that we can determine more accurately what the utility usage of this area is, so this can be re-charged to the HVSA. Mr Horsley passed thanks to Angela Julian who over the last 12 months has taken the Village Hall accounts from a loss to a profit.

9. SOUTH OX’SHIRE DISTRICT COUNCILOR’S REPORT – Mrs Janet Carr. We are both in a challenging and changing time but as a council we have been able to continue delivering all the services that residents have said are important. BOUNDARY REVIEW - The Boundary Commission at this stage will just be looking at numbers of Councillors that we have suggested (36) although our original request was for 30.When we come to looking at ward boundaries we will consult to achieve our recommendation however it is the commission that makes the final decision. HOUSING - We continually work in partnership to keep the number of homeless in single figures which means the costs of bed and breakfast are very low. We have put £550k as a one off payment to extend the Homebuy Schemes which enables those who are unable to gain full mortgages get on the housing ownership ladder. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANS - Thame as a market town and Woodcote as a large village are both pilots for these types of plans having been granted money from the government. We are asking parishes to wait until we have the final details from government as to how these plans will work. It is council’s intention to hold a training session for parish Councillors and have a dedicated officer to help with queries. PLANNING - Performance for determining applications in 8 weeks is over 95%.Appeals being dismissed is over 90%.In both cases well over the national average. WASTE - We are now top council for recycling and the council has once again been nominated for a recycling award. FLY TIPPING - We have more cameras for those hot spot areas that seem to regularly have commercial waste dumped and this year we have added to our budget an extra £184k to deep cleanse streets as this is something residents say they would like to have. LEISURE CENTRES - These continue to be popular with all ages and we invest in the facilities to ensure not only high usage but satisfactory customers. COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUNDS - £449,966 has been given for village hall extensions (see Garsington Village Hall) recreation grounds, play equipment, church annexes. On schemes of less than £15000 we have given £74,906 for community shops etc and for such items as diverse as cricket nets. CONTINUED SHARED SERVICES - With the Vale of the White Horse Council plus reviewing work processes we have achieved annual savings of £2.2m.Most recently a further saving of £122k by letting a shared contract for ground maintenance. Finally we were in the final six councils for the Best Council in the country and although we did not win we are proud to have achieved this level and we are being recognised as a forward thinking council in the changes we have made with shared services.

Mr Roger Bell - This past year has been a bit of a wait and sees period, as due to the government’s proposed changes to the way things are done, the council has largely been in limbo. Though the Localism Act was passed in November, none of it actually came in to effect during the year to the end of March and there are changes coming in the way both Council Tax & Housing Benefits are dealt with, as well as the introduction of the New Homes Bonus scheme. All of these will impact on the way the council is financed in the years to come. We also have changes proposed to Business Rates with some, if not all, staying with the local authority rather than being submitted to and distributed by central government. This has meant that deciding a budget and council tax for the year 2012/13 was a bit of a lottery and members decided in February to have a reduction of 2 ½% in our share of the Council Tax bill and to cover this by a slightly larger draw on our reserves. There are ongoing discussions at staff level about further rationalisation of both employees and accommodation with The Vale of White Horse District Council as already, with the reduced numbers using two buildings in Abingdon & Crowmarsh, it is highly uneconomic. Any change will however be politically sensitive and potentially upsetting to residents of both areas. A review is also underway about reducing the number of Councillors required to run the district’s affairs with the likely runner being a drop to 36 from 48 as at present. This will also have a big impact on local representation and a change is likely in this area as to who your district Councillor will be after 2015. We have also had the ongoing examination into the council’s Planning Core Strategy which will determine where the much needed housing will be sited over the next fifteen years and this again is still not finished. So all in all, as I have said we have had a wait and see year on all these matters which should get resolved in the coming twelve months and bring many changes, some good, some of doubtful benefit, to all of us in the district. SODC has agreed to set up a loan scheme for Parish Councils and charities to help fund large capital projects. In the meantime we have continued to have a successful and efficient waste and recycling service, amongst the best in the country, and we live in one of the safest parts of the country, so a lot to look forward to and be thankful for in the coming twelve months. Mr Bell asked to be kept informed if there are any further problems with the refuse collections in the village around school start times. Mr Harris stated that he has read in SODC’s newsletter that it was the District Council who suggested that the number of Councillors is reduced from 48 – 36. Mr Bell stated that the Leader of SODC suggested this a few years ago as there had been complaints received that there were too many Councillors to run the Council, but this will have an effect on Parish Councils. The Boundary Commission is in the process of working out their suggestions which will then be put to SODC.

10. OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT – Mrs Anne Purse. There are a number of changes from the County Council. Some are the changes are in funding due to cuts, but some are being made for other reasons. There is to be a change to the County Council Division boundaries at the next election in 2013. Its size will increase to take in Tiddington, Waterperry, Waterstock, and Cuddesden. These changes are driven by the fact that the Cabinet system, rather than the former Committee system, means there are a few people doing a lot of work on the Cabinet, but fewer places on committees for the rest of the Councillors. However, I must say that I find my time largely taken up with local issues, and so it seems to me that it will be a hard task for anyone representing this area in the future, with it covering 8 Parish Councils and 4 Parish Meetings. Even attending Parish Council meetings will take up the majority of weekday evenings. There are also changes to the way people in need of care in their home will receive the service. Under the new system people will have a sum of money which they can use themselves to buy in what care they choose. For many this will be very welcome, but others, particularly those who have no-one they trust to help them, or have complex disabilities and needs, may find this a difficult transition. If you know of anyone in this situation, please let me know and I will try to make sure they get help with this change. A year ago we were pleased that Wheatley Library was not going to be subjected to cuts. Changes in the way the Library Service is to be delivered now mean that Wheatley will have its staffing reduced by one third. The hope is that the shortfall will be met by volunteers who will be trained to take over this role. There is to be a new dial –a-ride service covering this part of Oxfordshire. The County Council has taken over duties for providing this type of transport. Previously District Council had put money in for this service, but unfortunately SODC only covered the very south of the District. It will help those with mobility impairments to get to Thame on Market day along with a carer or helper. The service has to be booked, and a small payment made. Thornhill--some news at last! The latest news is that work will begin this autumn, and be finished in March 2013. The new charging arrangements are still being worked on, and decisions will be taken to be preferential to those using the Park and Ride to access Oxford.

Mr Bell commented that Wheatley Parish Council is setting up a scheme to re-open the Youth Club. The agreement has to be formally agreed at the next Wheatley Parish Council meeting. It is hoped that the youth club will open in approx 4-6 weeks. Support will be needed from surrounding villages. Mrs Purse commented that she has reported on this at previous Parish Council meetings.

11. AOB There was no further business to be discussed.

12. DATE OF NEXT MEETING – To be confirmed.

13. REFRESHMENTS Mr Horsley thanked Mrs Woodcock and Mrs Lewis for organizing the refreshments.