HUGHENDEN PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Tuesday 8th March 2011 in the Council Offices at 8pm

UNCONFIRMED

1. Present:- Cllr M E Ewart (Chairman) Cllr A M Konieczny Cllr A M Andrew Cllr H L McCarthy Cllr P H Crawshaw Cllr J E Rogers Cllr D L Davies Cllr L Ryan Cllr J A Gibbs Cllr L J Smith. Cllr R F Gould Cllr J I Sole Cllr I N Guy Cllr J A Whitehouse Cllr D G Jarman Clerk: Mrs L M Turner

There were twenty six members of the public present. Cllr Richard Pushman (BCC/WDC) and Cllr David Carroll (WDC) were also present. Rebecca Cain attended as a representative of the Bucks Free Press.

The Chairman welcomed the members of the public and asked them to turn off any mobile phones and to remain quiet during the meeting, as there had been complaints after the last meeting that people could not hear the business being transacted.

2. Apologies for Absence. None.

3. Declarations of Members’ Interests in Items on the Agenda. 11052 - Cllr Rogers declared an interest in an item in ‘Payments’ to SR Farm Contract Services as this is his son. He referred to a meeting with the WDC Monitoring Officer and stated, as a result of this, he would in future be leaving the chamber when payments are approved, for clarity. Cllr McCarthy declared an interest in the item on Rural Affordable Housing as he is a director of Red Kite Housing.

4. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting held on Tuesday 8th February 2011. 11053 – Suggestions for amendments were made and after some discussion not agreed. Therefore the minutes, as presented, were RESOLVED as a true record of that meeting and duly signed by the Chairman.

5. Police/RAF Consultation. 11054 – The Chairman welcome PC Lee Turnham, who was back after restricted duties, due to an operation on his hand. PC Turnham reassured the meeting about a ‘mapping’ system anomaly in the way in which incidents are recorded, showing Primrose Hill in a very bad light. This was an error and is being corrected. He confirmed that the NAG are looking at the priorities for the area and informed members that action has been taken against motorcyclists in the Terriers Farm area, which appears to have reduced the problems in that regard. Cllr McCarthy asked that thanks be given to Lee as the residents in that area had been having considerable problems on this issue. PC Turnham then left the meeting at 8.27pm, as he had another appointment.

6. Matters Arising. 11055 – 11044 – Rural Affordable Housing – Report from working party meeting on 15/2/11 - The Chairman invited members to speak and after some discussion it was RESOLVED that the Parish Council accepts the results of the Housing Needs Survey carried out at its request by Community Impact Bucks, and their recommendations. This consultation process shows that, while some need for affordable housing has been established, there is insufficient community support for a small development using Green Belt/AONB land. This Parish Council will not, therefore, proceed further with a Rural Exception Site scheme. Cllr McCarthy declared an interest in this item and abstained from voting. Cllr Sole asked if this resolution precluded the Parish Council from revisiting an exception site scheme in future and the Chairman reminded the meeting that any resolution passed by a Parish Council can be revisited after six months, according to regulations. It was FURTHER RESOLVED that the report would be sent to WDC for information. It was RESOLVED that the owners of the six pieces of land previously identified should be written to informing them of the Council’s decision. Cllr Davies declared a prejudicial interest in this part, as he is a landowner of one of the sites and a neighbour of another of the sites and he left the room for this decision. Cllr Davies then returned to the meeting after the decision was taken. It was RESOLVED that the Clerk send a press release to the Bucks Free Press for inclusion in the next available edition. 1

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11056 - 11022 – Local Government Boundary Commission – Consultation on electoral review of Bucks. It was RESOLVED to respond asking that the boundaries be kept co-terminus with the Parish. 11057 - 11033 – Clarification on revision to Standing Orders regarding collective responsibility. This was discussed in some detail and then 1r was altered to read:- This Council agrees to accept majority decisions. It was then RESOLVED to adopt the standing orders, with this revision.

7. Public Speaking. As members of the public wished to speak, the Chairman suspended the meeting at 8.50pm. a) Mr Roberts of spoke about the Housing Needs Survey results. b) Mrs Hewitt of Hughenden Valley asked about the breakdown of the precept requirements for 2009 not being on the Council’s website and the Clerk agreed to ensure this is updated. c) Mr Morris of Widmer End spoke about payments for legal services and the reasons for this expenditure. d) Mr Furness of Hughenden Valley repeated previous comments about Councillors’ connections to local organisations. He continued by commenting on aspects of the Parish Plan and continued by instigating a vote of no confidence in the Council in discussions with the public. e) Mr Swain of asked the Council to re-visit their policy statement in the Parish Plan. The Chairman then re-convened the meeting at 9.05pm.

The Chairman agreed to take Reports from County & District Councillors at this point, due to the time. Reports from County and/or District Councillors. 11058 – Cllr Pushman informed the meeting that the funding for next year for the Local Area Forum was being doubled, so that any further requests should be sent in by the beginning of May. He confirmed he had issues regarding the movement of fp54 at Pipers School and has asked the Legal Department for further clarification on this matter. He informed members that he had received over 70 letters from children at Great Kingshill School regarding problems of parking, commending the great standard achieved and confirmed he is pursuing the vehicle activated signs for the school which had already been approved. 11059 – Cllr Carroll confirmed there will be no increase in the WDC Council Tax for the coming year and that there will be changes within WDC, including the leadership. He asked to give his thanks to Cllr Pushman for all his hard work and support, as he will not be standing in the upcoming District Council elections. Cllr Pushman and Cllr Carroll left the meeting at this point at 9.13pm.

8. Correspondence. 11060 – 8792/11 - BCC – Consultation on proposed parking restrictions at Hughenden Valley School. This was considered and discussed and it was RESOLVED to respond that the Council do not have any comment to make on this issue. 11061 - 8801/11 & 8825/11 - Connect 4 Youth – information on youth projects working out of Prestwood. The Clerk gave information on this issue and it was AGREED to invite the organiser to attend a meeting with the youth working party members, in the new term, to see what can be offered. 11062 – 8804/11 - CPRE – Notice of AGM to be held on Saturday 12th March 2011 at 2pm. NOTED. 11063 – 8805/11 - SLCC – Information on arrangements for Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (June 2012). The Clerk gave information on the changes to the bank holidays in June 2012 to allow for extra celebrations for the Golden Jubilee. It was AGREED that the Clerk would contact the Residents Associations and Village Halls within the Parish to let them know and ask if any support will be requested for village events. 11064 - 8807/11 - Came & Co – Information on renewal of Local Council Policy insurance. The Clerk gave information on this issue and it was RESOLVED to accept the quotation for this insurance for the coming year at £3,012.68. 11065 – 8808/11 & 8823/11 - Hughenden Valley Village Hall – thanks for grant of £5,000 for kitchen refurbishment. The Clerk read from two letters from the Committee and this was NOTED. 11066 - 8812/11 - BCC – Confirmation of details for Waste Procurement Project. The Clerk gave information on the name of the company to be used for this project and it was NOTED. 11067 – 8813/11 & 8822/11 - HS2 Ltd – Information on launch of public consultation on high speed rail project. The Clerk had received notice of various ‘road shows’ to take place over the next couple of months on this matter and it was AGREED that she should make this information available on the HPC website and to the members, in order that they can attend any suitable ones and then a full discussion can take place at the June Council meeting, in order to allow for a response to be sent from this Council by the end of the consultation period.

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11068 - 8814/11 - BCC – Consultation regarding one way system in . NOTED. 11069 - 8817/11 - NWCLAF – Information and poster on Community Car Scheme. NOTED. 11070 – 8821/11 - BALC – Notification of Best Kept Village Competition. It was AGREED that the Clerk would distribute these forms to the villages in the Parish. 11071 - 8829/11 - BCC – Information on increase in capital grants for highways and request for bids. It was AGREED that suggestions would be brought to the April Council meeting for consideration. 11072 - 8830/11 - BCC – Confirmation of road closure on Cockpit Road, Great Kingshill from 14/3/11. The Clerk gave information and it was NOTED that Cllr Pushman is concerned at the length of time set aside for this work and this is being re-considered. 11073 - 8831/11 - BCC – Notification of new signage showing Hughenden Valley. The Clerk gave information to the meeting that, further to her work on this matter, the signs showing Hughenden Valley should be fitted by mid-March.

9. Other Matters. 11074 – Confirmation of details for Annual Parish Meeting. This was confirmed as being on the 24th May 2011 at Great Kingshill School, . It was AGREED that the Clerk would try and get a speaker on HS2 for the meeting. 11075 - Consideration of Service Level Agreement from BCC Legal Department. There was some lengthy discussion on this item and then it was RESOLVED that the agreement would be issued to all members in hard copy and all queries be sent to the Clerk as a matter of urgency, so that this can be brought back to the April Council for consideration. 11076 - Consideration of support for school crossing patrols at primary schools. Cllr Whitehouse informed the meeting that the County Council had decided not to stop the funding for these patrols so no further action was required at this stage and this was NOTED. 11077 - Update on the footpath and corner on Cryers Hill Lane - North Road junction, regarding clearing the hedges to enable children to walk safely to school. Cllr Andrew spoke to this issue and after some discussion it was AGREED that the Clerk would follow up on this issue with the BCC Community Gangs, although it was accepted that this would not now be done until after the nesting season. 11078 - Members’ update on clearance works and access in Cockshoot Wood. Cllr McCarthy spoke about the partial clearance work that had already taken place and it was NOTED that this work would stop until after the nesting season.

10. REPORTS:- Chairman. 11079 - The Chairman had attended a BALC seminar on Localism & Planning, which had been well attended and organised, although there is no definitive information on this yet. She had also attended the NWCLAF meeting with other members, which will be reported on later in the meeting and had attended the WDC Chairman’s annual reception with the Clerk, which is always good for meeting with other Parish Council and District Council members.

Planning Committee. 11080 - Minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 17th February 2011 had been issued. There were no questions and it was then RESOLVED to accept the Planning Committee report. Application comments detailed in Appendix B/1103 with these minutes.

Finance & Administration Committee. There had been no meeting since the last Council meeting.

Services Committee. There had been no meeting since the last Council meeting.

Reports by Councillors serving as representatives on Outside Bodies. None.

Reports from Outside Meetings. 11081 - NWCLAF – Cllrs Ewart, Davies, Jarman and Smith had attended this meeting which gave information on Localism & Transport for Bucks. This is a local forum which allocates three voting places for larger Councils and 1 for smaller Councils although other members are welcome to attend. There is an ability to access funds for highways issues. Hughenden Parish has been successful in obtaining significant funds for these items over the last few years. The information from the speed trials in should be available after September 2011.

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11082 – NAG – Minutes had been issued from the meeting held on 24/2/11. The Police had withdrawn funding support for a household questionnaire to ascertain the priorities for the coming year and it had been agreed that members would ascertain in their own communities the priorities for the area and bring information to a future meeting. The Great Kingshill Residents’ Association had asked for a letter to be sent to Skanska thanking them for their assistance in recent months over the problems with the gas works and giving details of items still outstanding and asking for more bulbs to replace those lost in the verges. This was AGREED. Great Kingshill Resident’s Assn had asked further (through the NAG) for a donation of £175 in total towards the cost of 30mph ‘bin stickers’ for use throughout the Parish. Cllrs Guy, Smith, Jarman, Davies, Ryan, Whitehouse, McCarthy and Andrew declared a prejudicial interest in this item, as they are on the Residents’ Associations and/or NAG and left the room for the duration of the decision. It was then RESOLVED that this donation be made to the Great Kingshill, Hughenden Valley and Widmer End Residents Associations for these stickers. The members then returned to the meeting.

Reports from Residents Associations. 11083 – Hughenden Valley – Cllr Smith had raised some highways issues with the Clerk that she will progress. 11084 – Widmer End – Cllr Guy reported that they would not be entering the Best Kept Village Competition this year, as the village is still suffering from extensive roadworks on the gas mains.

Reports from Working Parties. None.

Update Report from Clerk. 11085 – The Clerk had provided an updated report for members and this was NOTED. She also gave information, obtained from David Dongray, the WDC Monitoring Officer, on details of the types of interests that should be declared and actions taken. Cllr Gould queried the extent of this, as it includes situations when a member is a Council appointee, which never used to apply, and Cllr McCarthy stated this is against the advice given at District Council level. The Clerk confirmed that this is being checked further at a higher level, but in the meantime, she suggests that members comply with the advice from David Dongray, until such time as further advice is received.

11. Reminder of Future Meetings. a) NAG – 7th April 2011 at HPC offices at 7.30pm. b) WDALC – 29th March 2011 – at which Charles Meakings will be speaking on Localism.

12. Payments. 11086 - Payments and monies received according to appendix A/1103 – attached to these minutes.

13. Confidential Items. None.

14. Urgent Matters by permission of the Chairman. There were no urgent matters.

Before closing, the Chairman informed the meeting that this would be her last meeting as Chairman, before the elections, as she will be away for the April meeting. She wished to thank her colleagues for their help and support and for their attendance record, which is extremely high. The members hoped she enjoyed her well-deserved break.

15. Date of the next meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 12th April 2011 commencing at 8pm.

There being no further business, the meeting was declared closed at 10.25pm.

Signed …………………………………………….. Date …………………………………………..

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Appendix A/1103

Payments: The following invoices have been received since the last meeting of the Parish Council and payment was RESOLVED:- a) HM Revenue & Customs – Tax and NI for February salaries £ 903.16 b) SR Farm Contract Services – GoR maint/allotment clearance/plant hedge at GK £ 1,095.00 c) C Gant – remove tree/scrub at CS wood/remove contaminated bark and replace £ 2,328.00 d) Alchemille – gardening at offices and plants for Garden of Rest £ 180.00 e) Playground Facilities – repairs at Hughenden Valley and play areas £ 2,358.00 f) ProMac UK Ltd – repair to lock at offices £ 84.00 g) SC Gibbons – decorating at Garden of Rest building £ 2,240.00 h) Council – bin emptying at Great Kingshill £ 90.00 i) Swift Business Services – copy charge for copier/printer £ 51.00 j) Mike Henson Presentations Ltd – annual fee for webmaster service £ 1,440.00 k) Molly Maid – office cleaning – 17/2/11 & 3/3/11 £ 48.00 l) Staples – paper/stationery £ 111.36 Cllr Rogers declared a prejudicial interest in item (b) as the contractor is his son, and left the room for the decision.

The following payments have been made since the last meeting of the Parish Council and were RESOLVED:- a) Salaries for February £ 2,502.16 b) Spar – refreshments for meetings £ 35.20 c) Wycombe District Council – parking for meeting at WDC £ 2.50 d) Post Office Ltd - stamps £ 82.00

Monies Received:- The following monies have been received since the last Council meeting and were NOTED. a) Burials – (1 full/3 ashes) £ 2,355.00 b) Allotment rents £ 7.50 c) Bank Interest (National Savings) £ 160.32 d) Bucks County Council – grants for TSID and legal fees for Pipers footpath £ 1,100.00

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Appendix B/1103

Details of planning responses to be attached to full Council minutes for March 2011

Planning Committee Meeting: 17th February 2011 – 5 applications were reviewed The Council has the following observations on these applications:- VJB/11/05234/FUL – Valerie Bailey - 421548 Application to roof bungalow with gable added to rear in connection with loft conversion and enclosure of porch at Penolver, 235 Main Road, . No objection provided there is no intrusion on neighbours.

The Council has no objections on the following applications:- SVW/11/05056/CLP – Sarah White - 421517 Certificate of proposed lawfulness for construction of single storey rear/side extension at 33 New Road, Great Kingshill. VJB/11/05065/FUL – Valerie Bailey - 421548 Construction of part single storey, part two storey rear extension and new porch / entrance at Summers Cottage, North Road, Widmer End. Cllr Guy had declared an interest as he is known to the neighbours. SVW/11/05097/FUL – Sarah White - 421517 Application for two storey rear extension with alterations to roof at The Oak Tree, Louches Lane, Naphill. SVW/11/05269/FUL – Sarah White - 421517 Construction of single storey rear extension at 3 Frogmore Close, Hughenden Valley. VJB/10/07664/FUL – Extension and alterations to opening of existing 5 bar gate at Sylvest, Cryers Hill Lane, Cryers Hill. This was not discussed, as permission had already been granted from WDC.

End.

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