PARISH COUNCIL Minutes of the 991st Meeting held on 6 March 2013 at 7:30 pm in the URC Hall.

Present : Councillors Graham Harvey (Chairman), Richard Freeman, Nicholas Hinde, Fiona Hitchcock, Caroline ScottBowden, Alan Thawley, Corinne Walker and Chris Woodhouse.

12/213 Apologies for Absence and Declarations of Interest. 213.1 Apologies had been received from Councillors John Moore and Peter Rose, and from County Councillor Simon Walsh, who remained incapacitated with a broken ankle. 213.2 The Chairman reported that Cllr Leigh Cranfield had tendered her resignation from the Council. The District Council had been informed, and the resulting vacancy will be advertised in due course.

12/214 Public Forum. A member of the public congratulated the Council on the completion and opening of the new Public Toilets on the Playing Field.

12/215 Minutes of the Meeting held on 6 February The minutes were approved and signed by the Chairman.

12/216 Matters arising from the Minutes The failed light at the MUGA had been repaired freeofcharge. Other matters would be covered under later agenda items.

12/217 Correspondence The list of correspondence was circulated to Councillors (see pp 6–7). 217.1 It was agreed that the Clerk should attend the seminar on Flood Risk and Response on 25 April and that the Clerk, Assistant Clerk and possibly Cllr Woodhouse the Statutory Planning Workshop on 1 May. 217.2 The Clerk was asked to include on the next Agenda • Britain in Bloom competition • Salt/grit bins 217.3 The Clerk was asked to draw the attention of County Cllr Walsh to the lack of action to rectify the collapsed drain and flooding in Road.

Page 1 of 14 12/218 Police report The Chairman suspended the meeting to permit PCSO Angi Greneski to provide an update to Councillors and members of the public. Current Police priorities were • A spate of garden shed burglaries • A growing nuisance problem in connection with the Gipsy site in Little Dunmow • Recruitment of further volunteers for Community Sppedwatch training.

12/219 Finance The list of payments shown on pp 8–9 was approved.

12/220 Lighting Contract No uptodate information was available on which to base this discussion, so the matter was deferred until the next meeting. Clerk

12/221 Youth Club The future of the Youth Club remained unclear. It was understood it had closed until further leaders came forward. Councillors noted that its donation to the Club for the hire of the Memorial Hall was still held by the Hall Committee. A refund would be sought if the Club did not reopen.

12/222 Allotments matters A supply of Roundup weedkiller had been purchased, and the Allotments Society Chairman was to arrange to meet the Village Attendant to agree its application. The delivery of crushed concrete to improve the entrance of the Allotment field was to be arranged between the Allotments Chairman and the supplier.

12/223 Maintenance of Allotment Access Road As a potential claim to register ownership of this road would require evidence that it had been consistently maintained by any claimant, the Council agreed to seek quotations for its improvement. Clerk

12/224 Village Centre Toilets No further information had been received from the architects. C Woodhouse

12/225 Playing Field update 225.1 The football pitch had been ‘Vertidrained’ by Felsted School’s groundsmen. 225.2 Further quotations were to be obtained for the car park and Clerk improvements to the field entrance and pitch.

Page 2 of 14 12/226 Bannister Green road naming Advice would be sought from DC and from a solicitor as to what costs would be incurred by residents and the Council in renaming this road. Clerk

12/227 Parish Plan All surveys were now complete, and the returned forms were to be passed to an external company for processing. The cost of this would be met from an Awards for All Lottery grant.

12/228 Proposed new Byelaws No further response had been received from the DCLG concerning the Byelaws submitted for approval.

12/229 Adopted Telephone Kiosks BT had, surprisingly, not been aware of the Council’s previous application to purchase the kiosks at Willows Green and Garnetts. The purchase was now under way and was likely to completed in a few days. Clerk

12/230 Emergency Procedures and Risk Review No contact had been made with Felsted School to establish the School’s role in the event of an emergency. The Clerk was asked to G Harvey/ contact the Bursar. Clerk

12/231 Planning Decisions and New Applications

231.1 Decisions received since the previous meeting: UTT/12/5646/FUL Mace Dell rear of Red Oaks, Evelyn Rd, Willows Grn Replacement of established dwelling comprising part mobile home and part permanent constructed buillding with one permanent dwelling. Permission Refused 7 January 2013 . ( “The demolition of a caravan and the erection of a dwelling in this location does not constitute a replacement dwelling in the open countryside. The proposal would represent a permanent dwelling in an unsustainable location ... detrimental to the character and appearance of open countryside.”)

UTT/12/6060/HHF and UTT/12/6063/LB Sewards Hall, Stebbing Road, Felsted Proposed single storey extension. New window to first floor side elevation. Internal alterations. Withdrawn 11 February 2013.

UTT/12/6090/REN Foxtons, Mole Hill Green Road Renewal of planning application UTT/1279/09/FUL (Replacement Dwelling). Renewal Refused 8 February 2013 .

Page 3 of 14 (“The application does not include any up-to-date survey information with regard to the presence of bats.... It is not possible to establish whether there would be any detrimental impact to bats or their habitat.” )

231.2 Appeal lodged since last Council Meeting UTT/12/5646/FUL Mace Dell rear of Red Oaks, Evelyn Rd, Willows Grn (See above). Appeal lodged 14 February 2013, to be determined through written representations.

231.3 Planning Applications to be considered at the next Planning Committee meeting on 20 March UTT/13/0355/FUL Land off Mill Road, Felsted Erection of detached dwelling and garage.

UTT/13/0388/FUL Felsted School, Braintree Road, Felsted Erection of new boarding house, car park extension and associated landscaping.

UTT/13/0441/CLP Wytewais, Gransmore Green, Felsted Certificate of Lawful Proposed Development sought for two storey extension.

12/232 Clerk’s Matters 232.1 Bus shelter seat. It was anticipated that this would be installed shortly. 232.2 The Clerk was to investigate the cost of moving the flag pole Clerk from its current position, now too close to the canopy of a tree.

232.3 The District Council had still to issue a formal notice of the

vacancy on the Parish Council.

232.4 It was agreed that Adam Pipe, Casualty Reduction Manager to , should be invited to attend the Annual Assembly on 24 April.

12/233 Parish Council’s 1,000 the Meeting The Chairman undertook to arrange a meeting of interested Councillors to discuss the format of this. G Harvey

12/234 County and District Councillors’ Reports The District and County Councillors’ reports were noted (see pp 10– 14). Clerk

12/235 Urgent Matters and proposals for future agenda items. 235.1 The Clerk was asked to seek quotations for the repair of potholes in the Car Park, and to obtain an update on the Clerk application to licence a pharmacy in the village.

Page 4 of 14 12/236 Highways & Road Safety Committee: Wed 13 March in the URC Hall at 7:30 Next Planning Committee Meeting: Wed 20 March in the URC Hall at 7:30 Next Council Meeting: Wed 3 April in the URC Hall at 7:30

12/237 The meeting closed at 8:58 pm.

Chairman .. 3 April 2013

Page 5 of 14 FELSTED PARISH COUNCIL

Meeting 6 March 2013, Agenda Item 5 — Correspondence

Councillors wishing to see any of these documents, please contact the Clerk.

1. Essex CC — notification of seminar ‘Essex Flood Risk and Response’ (Thu 25 April, Chelmsford, ½ day, free) Action? 2. EALC — new Statutory Planning framework, including seminar The Localism Agenda Planning (Weds 1 May, , full day, £67 ph) Action? 3. RCCE — Best Kept Village competition entry documents Action? 4. Essex Heritage Trust — Grant funding available for restoration/repair projects www.essesexheritagetrust.co.uk Action? 5. Uttlesford DC — notification of adoption of new document ‘Uttlesford Local Parking Standards 2013 as a ‘material planning consideration’. 6. Uttlesford DC — advice that three new houses underconstruction on the former site of Royhouse, Bannister Green, will be known as Nos 1, 2 and 3, The Oakleys. 7. Uttlesford DC — notice of Community Forum with Essex Police & Crime Commissioner (7 March from 6:30, Helena Romanes School) 8. Uttlesford DC — confirmation of Green Waste collections Saturdays 09:00 – 10:00 at Bannister Green from 2 March until 14 December. 9. Uttlesford DC — confirmation of payment of £10,000 Jubilee Grant in respect of Playing Field toilets construction.

10. Essex CC — Bus Passenger News Feb/Mar 2013. Service 133 revised route and timetable; now serves Bus Station in both directions, and serves all stops between Colchester North and Stansted Airport.

11. EALC/Essex CC — County Update , February. Includes Community Pubs, Superfast Broadband (see www.superfastessex.org , Community Infrastructure Levy and Neighbourhood Planning, Tree liability. 12. EALC — flyers for courses — Freedom of Information Act & Data Protection Workshop (Fri 19 April, Great Dunmow, ½ day, £45 ph) — Law & Procedures course (Fri 25 April, Gt Dunmow, ½ day, £45 ph) 13. NALC — announcing three oneday conferences ‘Putting Communities First — Connecting Power to Local People’ (London 6 June, Sheffield 11 July, Bristol 19 September) 14. Mid Essex PCT — notification that West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group has now been authorised by the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB). It will take over commissioning responsibilities as the statutory body in west Essex from NHS North Essex (PCT Cluster) from 1 April 2013. 15. RCCE — email advising that due to reorganisation, the role of Felsted’s contact on Village Planning Jan Cole has been taken over by Michelle Gardiner 16. Acumen Wages Service — documentation for Real Time Information PAYE

Page 6 of 14 17. Cllr J Moore — suggested locations for salt/grit boxes: Corner of junction leading to Cock Green Corner of Three Horse Shoes and un named road Corner of Ravens Crescent and main road Watch House Green by Notice Board Corner of Cause Way End Road and Chelmsford Road

18. Felsted School — email advising that the School will install and empty dog litter bins around its site, and inviting suggestions as to possible locations. 19. Copy of letter from Memorial Hall Committee to Felsted Youth Club, requesting clarification on cancellation of meetings. 20. Mr & Mrs P Hutley — email requesting support for complaint concerning potholes and flooding at Priors Green. 21. Came & Co — Parish Matters Spring. Insurance advice from the PC’s brokers.

Page 7 of 14 Page 8 of 14 Page 9 of 14 Felsted Ward District Councillors Report (Incorporating the Parishes of Felsted, Flitch Green and Little Dunmow) February 2013 Dear Parishioners Welcome to the monthly report from your District Councillors, Stephanie Harris and David Crome where we hope to keep you informed on recent activities within the District.

UDC SETS 2013/14 BUDGET PRUDENT COUNCIL ABLE TO INVEST IN VITAL LOCAL SERVICES Uttlesford District Council’s budget proposals for 2013/14 – including a 1% cut to the Council Tax were formally approved at a meeting of the Full Council on Thursday 28th February.

The budget includes £716,000 of extra funding for services which will bring direct benefits to the community. Prudent financial management has put the Council in a far healthier position than many local authorities it boasts the lowest Council Tax in Essex and is among the lowest in the country.

The budget includes:

• £150,000 of extra funding to support the vital work being carried out by the local voluntary organisations • a £70,000 boost to economic development initiatives including an increase in discretionary business rate relief to help business startups • £40,000 of extra resources for planning enforcement • a further £31,000 towards bringing empty homes back into habitable use • £28,000 in extra funding to tackle the district’s homelessness issues and • £23,000 more for street cleaning

The Council’s total revenue budget for 2013/14 is £32.1m, of which £4.6m will be funded from Council Tax. reducing the Council Tax by 1% will mean Band D residents pay £145.95payear.

Full details of the budget proposals can be viewed here www.uttlesford.gov.uk

COUNCIL TAX MADE EASY

LET DIRECT DEBIT TAKE THE STRAIN

Did you know that you can now pay your Council Tax in 12 monthly installments? With effect from Monday 1st April, residents in Uttlesford are able to request that their annual Council Tax bill is split into 12 payments rather than the previous 10. In order to take advantage of this ‘easy payment’ opportunity you will need to apply in writing to the Council by no later than Tuesday 16th April. Residents submitting requests after that date will only be able to split their payments over the equivalent number of complete months left in the financial year (April to April). Paying by direct debit enables you to spread the cost of your contribution to local services across the financial year. It means you can spread your Council Tax payments over a further two months and can avoid having to make the trip to the Council offices or your local Post Office to pay in person. You can ask to pay by Direct Debit and choose to have the payments deducted from your bank account on the 1st or the 15th day of the month, whichever suits you best. For details of how to pay your Council Tax by direct debit download our Council Tax Direct Debit Instruction http://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/uttlesford/file/direct_debit_form_2011_for_web.pdf

Page 10 of 14

NEW ESSEX PCC COMING TO UTTLESFORD Uttlesford residents will have their first opportunity to quiz the newly elected Police & Crime Commissioner for Essex next week. Nick Alston recently announced his decision to visit every district and borough in the county in an effort to understand what local people think about how their area is policed. He launched his countywide tour in SouthendonSea last month and has since been to and Chelmsford. And on Thursday next week (March 7th) Mr Alston is heading to the north west of the county to find out what concerns the residents of Uttlesford regarding crime and policing. The PCC is inviting members of the public to come and discuss these issues with him at Helena Romanes School in Parsonage Downs, Great Dunmow, at 6.30pm on March 7th. Three major topics relevant to Uttlesford have been chosen for discussion – police visibility and response times, vehicle crime and rural crime. But attendees will also be able to discuss any other concerns with Mr Alston during an ‘Any Other Business’ section of the meeting. The PCC will be accompanied by Uttlesford’s Police Commander, Chief Inspector Nick Lee, Uttlesford District Council’s Chief Executive John Mitchell and Richie Farrant, Chairman of the Uttlesford Community Safety Partnership. Mr Alston said: “Uttlesford’s aspiration to become the safest place in Britain is terrific. “We should all be striving to make our communities as safe as possible, and in Uttlesford that means building on some excellent work that already makes the district a very safe place with low crime rates. “It would be great to see as many people as possible at the meeting in Dunmow. Those attending will be able to raise any crime or policing issues that matter to them, and we’ll be having focused debates about police visibility and response times, rural crime and vehicle crime. We know these are issues that matter to local people."

Felsted Ward District Councillors Stephanie Harris [email protected] David Crome [email protected]

Page 11 of 14 Cllr Simon Walsh – Parish Update

March 2013

1. ECC’s budget for 2013-2014 was agreed by Full Council on 12 February, with vulnerable people, businesses, motorists, pedestrians and first time buyers among those who will benefit. The council has also agreed to freeze council tax for the third successive year.

The authority would be spending £180 million over the next four years on maintaining and enhancing its network of 8,500 miles of roads and footpaths. This would mean the council will be investing an additional £35 million over the next two years, on top of the amount it had already pledged to spend.

Under the budget agreement the council will also:

 Invest almost £18 million in providing nearly 1,000 additional school places.  Invest £2 million in providing accommodation for vulnerable people.  Ensure Essex is a place where businesses can grow and flourish by investing £7.7 million in improving broadband capacity and set aside £2 million to support the Essex Economic Growth Strategy.  Review options for investing £1 million into a Community Resilience Fund to build capacity within communities to tackle local issues themselves.

The council will make £55 million savings and efficiencies, which will be delivered with the minimum possible impact on front line services.

2. In partnership with the district and borough authorities, ECC will also launch a Local Authority Mortgage Scheme to help first time buyers get onto the property ladder and get the property market moving.

Across the county there are up to 6,000 people who can’t afford to take out a mortgage to fund the purchase of their first home. The support ECC will be offering, which will take the form of a financial guarantee for up to 20 per cent of the loan value, will help some of these residents.

Helping people to buy their first home is crucial in achieving a sustainable housing market and this move will contribute to the economic development of the local Essex economy.

3. Essex residents will continue to benefit from improvements to Essex County Council’s Customer Services as part of a programme introduced in 2012 to make it easier for residents to find the information they need, whether it’s through www.essex.gov.uk or the award winning Customer Service Centre.

Over the past year, improvements to the website have seen 1.4m visitors benefit from the ability to book, report and pay for more services online, fitting in with their busy lifestyles and enabling Essex County Council to deliver services more efficiently.

• www.essex.gov.uk/schools providing greater online functionality such as the catchment area search for school admissions and the ability to apply online for free school meals and school transport • www.essex.gov.uk/adultlearning an improved way to search and book courses • www.essex.gov.uk/highways a quicker and more efficient way to report a highway defects • www.essex.gov.uk/fis the ability to search for childcare providers across Essex

Page 12 of 14 • Plus an online appointment booking service for birth and death registrations enabling customers to book their appointment with a Registrar any time of the day.

In addition, the call centre has been upgraded and its capacity increase to ensure that as many calls as possible can be resolved at the first point of contact. During 2012, there were more than 650,000 calls to the Customer Service Centre. During 2013/14 the improvements will continue to a number of online services and residents will be able to apply for blue disabled parking badges online as well as refer themselves or a relative for a social care assessment.

4. Essex County Council is launching a new website to keep residents informed of plans to improve the provision of superfast broadband in the county.

The Superfast Essex website will feature information on how the project is progressing, case studies of those that have benefited from faster broadband speeds, and a link to a tool that checks current broadband speed. The website will also allow residents and businesses to register their need for better broadband where they are. It is important that as many residents and businesses sign up to www.superfastessex.org as possible. This information will then be used to decide which areas of Essex will receive an upgrade first.

The county council has been working with partners across Greater Essex as well as BDUK and now the procurement process can begin. At this stage, the project has commenced an Open Market Review to determine the exact area where to spend public money to bring better speeds to Greater Essex. This consultation is expected to be complete by early April and then by summer a preferred supplier will be contracted to begin works.

Currently there are approximately 180,000 households (30%) in the county that do not receive superfast broadband services of at least 24mbs. The aim of this project is to enable at least 90% of Essex premises to have access to superfast broadband and the remaining premises having access to at least 2mbs by 2015.

To register your interest in getting superfast broadband, or to find out more about the project, visit the new website www.superfastessex.org .

5. Essex County Council (ECC) has announced a new policy on the use of A-boards (advertising boards) on the public highway , which is designed to support local businesses while ensuring the safety of pedestrians.

Last year ECC carried out a review into the use of A-boards , in order to determine a universal policy that could be adopted across the county. All district, borough and city councils were invited to submit their views, as well as local businesses and ECC Trading Standards.

After reviewing the responses ECC has now taken the decision that it will allow the use of A boards on the public highway. Some simple policy guidelines are being produced which set out ECC’s expectations for the use of Aboards, to assist local businesses and ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists. Once approved these guidelines will be available on the ECC website

As district, borough and city councils also have powers relating to Aboards under their planning responsibilities, they will be able to exercise flexibility locally where required.

6. At the Cabinet meeting on 19 February, ECC has approved the public health priorities for the county in preparation for taking over responsibility for Public Health on 1 April this year.

Page 13 of 14 Currently public health services are commissioned by the five Primary Care Trusts. When the PCTs are abolished on 31 March the local authority will take over this responsibility. The vision for Essex is that residents should enjoy long, healthy, diseasefree lives wherever they live and whoever they are. The Department of Health has confirmed that ECC will receive ringfenced grants of £48,874,000 for 2013/2014 and £50,242,000 in 2014/2015 to commission public health services.

The allocation covers both mandated services such as the National Health Checks programme, National Child Measurement Programme and Sexual Health Services and any further services that ECC wishes to commission locally to improve the health of Essex residents and tackle health inequalities. These will be based on the needs of local Essex communities, shaped by the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. Some of the local priorities are as follows:

• Smoking • Alcohol and Drug Misuse • Breast Feeding • Obesity • Physical Activity • Mental Health

7. On 13 February Essex County Council Registration Service launched the Tell Us Once (TUO) programme, a government initiative aimed at easing the burden of notifying multiple local and central government departments of a birth or death. Tell Us Once is an optional service for residents or friend/relatives of residents to be able to report births and deaths only once to local and central government departments; who will, in turn, inform other agencies on the citizen’s behalf. The programme will include remote offices in , , Library, Hospital and Great Dunmow from 18 February.

The service is an addition to the statutory registration of births and deaths already being delivered by Registration Officers across Essex. Citizens reporting a birth or death will be able to take advantage of the Tell Us Once service either facetoface at the time of registration, or at a later date by completing the online form or by telephone using a case reference number provided by the Registrar. In Essex the potential benefit for customers is extensive as 12,500 deaths and 17,000 births are registered across the county every year.

The information can be shared with a number of central and local government departments including: • Housing Benefit Office • Council Tax • Council Tax Benefit Office • Libraries • Blue Badges • Adult and Children’s services • Council housing • Department for Work and Pensions • HM Revenue and Customs • Identity and passport service • Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency • Ministry of Defence, Service Personnel and Veteran’s Agency • Jobcentre Plus

For more information on the Tell Us Once service in Essex, please visit Tell Us Once births or Tell Us Once deaths

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