WICKHAMBREAUX PARISH COUNCIL 15 OCTOBER 2019 AT VILLAGE HALL, THE STREET, WICKHAMBREAUX, CT3 1RJ

Present: Parish Cllr Robin Treacher Parish Cllr Martin Twyman Parish Cllr Faith Wright Parish Cllr Peter Collinson Parish Cllr Darren Howe Parish Cllr Caroline Rees Parish Cllr Catherine Holland

City Cllr Louise Jones-Roberts

Mrs Chenice Howard-Sparkes, Clerk to the Council

1 Member of the Public 1. CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS AND APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Cllr Treacher welcomed everyone to the meeting and wished to request a six month leave of absence for personal reasons with immediate effect after the meeting. Cllr Treacher suggested that Vice-Chairman Martin Twyman take on the role of Chairman in his absence. Councillors unanimously agreed to accept the leave of absence and to appoint Cllr Twyman as Chairman in the interim period. Apologies for absence were received and accepted from County Councillor Michael Northey (Illness).

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST None

3. MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 17 SEPTEMBER 2019 The Minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting.

4. INFORMATION FROM MATTERS ARISING 6(i) – The Clerk reported that she contacted the Clerk at Preston regarding vehicles being parked in a field opposite the old Salvatori yard along Grove Road but has not received a response. The Clerk agreed to chase. 4(9) – The Clerk reported that the minutes from the Southern Water presentation on 28 June 2019 have now been received and circulated to all councillors. 10 – Cllr Treacher reported that the soakaway on the village green has now been installed. 16(School) – Cllr Treacher reported that Patrick Duffy has not clarified whether the new proposals from the Department for Education to un-exempt “outstanding” schools from Ofsted inspections will affect Wickhambreaux. Mr Duffy has confirmed that the date of the next school inspection will be dictated by the Education Authority. A member of the public confirmed that Wickhambreaux will still be subject to a one-day inspection under current guidelines. It is unclear whether the new proposals will affect Wickhambreaux. 16(Footpaths) – Cllr Wright reported that she has not received an update from Louise Adams at County Council on the replacement footpath signs and agreed to chase.

5. REPORTS FROM COUNTY AND CITY COUNCILLORS County Cllr Michael Northey The Clerk read out the following report on behalf of Cllr Northey: Cllr Northey circulated a newsletter on behalf of Mike Whiting on Flytipping Enforcement for information. Main points within the report include Kent County Council committing £250,000 to reduce the level of flytipping in Kent by assisting district and borough councils to undertake further enforcement, improve communications between all partners involved and better inform householders and businesses of their Duty of Care and responsibilities relating to waste disposal.

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Since the introduction of charges at HWRC (Household Waste Recycling Centres) for soil, rubble and hardcore on 03 June 2019, initial findings compared with June 2018 show HWRC tonnage down by 21%, soil, rubble and hardcore tonnage down by 69%, plasterboard tonnage down by 61%, applications for skip permits up by 45% and trade waste through Kent County Council waste transfer stations up by 6%. The total number of flytipping incidents in Kent has reduced by 148 incidents between April-June 2019 compared to April-June 2018. There has been no recorded increase in flytipping since the charging commenced.

The Kent Resource Partnership has also employed a dedicated Intelligence Analyst to support the environmental crime agenda across the county. Local Councils will then be able to use this information to better use their resources to target hotspots. Investment is also being spent on additional enforcement technology, for example trackers, Smartwater and covert cameras. Additional signage is also being used utilising the #keepkentclean branding at hotspots. Flytipping is now a “Top 3 priority for the Police Rural Task Force”.

Cllr Northey also reported that Roger Gough is due to take over as Leader of Kent County Council on Thursday 17 October 2019. Preparations are far advanced for Brexit with regards to roads, food and medical supplies. The French authorities are being very helpful to reduce potential disruption as much as possible.

Cllr Northey reported that he is monitoring the Pear Orchard planning application situation with interest and plans to support the Parish Council by writing in with his concerns regarding the junction of The List and Grove Road.

City Cllr Louise Jones-Roberts Cllr Jones-Roberts reported that City Council is in the process of reviewing its Local Plan and will be going out to consultation shortly. The City Council is also in the process of reviewing its Corporate Plan, which is reviewed every four years, and it is proposed to implement an initial review period every two years to enable more precise objectives to be set out in the plan. Residents will then be able to hold the City Council more to account should these objectives not be met.

Cllr Jones-Roberts also reported that the City Council will be discussing the potential relocation of the council offices on 17 October 2019. The current building is not considered fit for purpose and a new building could be a more environmentally friendly option. The City Council has also agreed to set up a LATCo (Local Authority Trading Company) to take over waste collection and street cleaning services after the current contract with Serco ends in January 2021. In addition, the City Council has agreed to consult with tenants on the withdrawal from East Kent Housing and bringing back in-house the social housing function.

More locally, Cllr Jones-Roberts has reported flytipping incidents in and and has submitted an objection to the Pear Orchard planning application. Cllr Jones-Roberts reported that she has spoken to the Planning Officer assigned to the Pear Orchard planning application and they have confirmed that the application will be decided at a future Planning Committee meeting, date to be determined. Cllr Twyman suggested that the Parish Council request a site meeting of Planning Committee members before a decision is reached so councillors can fully understand the site and proposals.

Cllr Twyman asked Cllr Jones-Roberts whether any measures have been implemented to avoid a repeat of outside areas being award the right to house tenants in converted barracks accommodation, like Howe Barracks on Road. Cllr Jones-Roberts reported that the City Council has campaigned to the government so it will be more difficult in the future but the City Council cannot guarantee it will have first refusal.

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6. HIGHWAYS (i) Highways Improvement Plan Cllr Treacher confirmed that the tubes for the traffic survey in were laid late in the evening on 17 September 2019 and Kent County Council is awaiting the results. The next stage is for Kent County Council to produce the Traffic Regulation Order, which is the legal notice for consulting on the speed reduction. Cllr Treacher agreed to chase for an update and to copy in Cllr Jones-Roberts into correspondence. (ii) Cllr Twyman reported that he attended the A257 meeting on Saturday 12 October 2019, which County Cllr Northey also attended, to continue to apply pressure on Kent County Council to implement the proposals submitted by the group. Kent County Council has agreed to implement a number of recommendations but the A257 group is fighting to ensure all of the recommendations are implemented, in particular those requested in Littlebourne which have been overlooked. The A257 group also put pressure on Kent County Council to contact relevant landowners to request that overhanging vegetation from trees and hedges are cut back to ensure signage is easily visible. (iii) Cllr Twyman reported that the A257 Littlebourne Road will be closed from 19:30 on 08 November 2019 to 06:00 on 11 November 2019 to install a new electrical connection. The High Street will be closed between The Green and the bridge over the Nailbourne. (iv) Cllr Twyman reported that a number of pot holes in the parish have been repaired and he is chasing Michelle Weston, Highways Steward, to get the remaining pot holes addressed.

7. PLANNING CA//19/01850/FC – Supperton Farm, Grove Road The Parish Council has no objections to the prior notification application for agricultural storage building. Cllr Wright explained that the proposal is for a barn to replace a smaller barn which burnt down previously. Cllr Twyman reported that the barn will be used for grain storage and the farm is likely to see an increase in vehicle movements as a result.

CA//19/01798/FUL – The Pear Orchard, Hawthorne Bungalow and Altona, The List Cllr Twyman reported that he has received several positive comments from residents at how the Parish Council has consulted with the parish on the application, the professionalism of Cllr Treacher as Chairman at the extraordinary meeting on 07 October 2019 and the efforts of councillors, in particular Cllr Wright, in preparing all the relevant planning information and presenting this at the extraordinary meeting.

Cllr Collinson provided an update on his investigations into the drainage aspect of the application and agreed to circulate his draft comment to councillors for consideration. Cllr Wright also agreed to circulate the main planning comment to councillors for consideration before submitting to the City Council once complete. Cllr Treacher encouraged Cllr Wright to share responsibility for the planning comment should the workload get too much.

CA//19/01046/K3F – Grove Ferry Picnic Site, Grove Ferry Road Kent County Council has granted the proposed installation of a new public canoe/kayak floating platform, installation of six timber changing cubicles and the upgrading of the existing footpath from the car park to the riverbank.

8. ONLINE BANKING Further to initial discussions at the last meeting, Cllr Treacher reported that the Finance Sub- Committee met on 09 October 2019 where the subject of online banking was discussed. The Finance Sub-Committee wishes to recommend that the Unity Trust Bank is approached to see whether they can set up subsidiary accounts for both the Playing Field Committee and Village Hall Committee (should they wish to move banks) to avoid paying charges on all three accounts.

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It was also recommended that the Clerk contact the Internal Auditor to inform them of the intention to move to online banking and to investigate possible VAT implications of having the Village Hall Committee and Playing Field Committee as subsidiary accounts. It was also recommended to review and amend the Financial Regulations to make clear the process of online banking.

Cllr Treacher also reported that the Finance Sub-Committee has recommended that the Clerk produce a budgetary summary of the current situation at least twice a year, with the Finance Sub-Committee reviewing quarterly, to ensure that all councillors are fully aware of the current financial situation. It was also agreed to recommend producing a preferred suppliers list for expenditure under £1,000 to regularise approaching the same suppliers for smaller works.

Councillors were unanimously in favour of all the recommendations of the Finance Sub- Committee and it was agreed to switch banks to Unity Trust Bank as soon as practical.

9. CLLRS’ REPORTS School Report The Clerk read out the following report on behalf of Mr Patrick Duffy: Mr Duffy reported that the annual Harvest Festival held on 20 September 2019 in St Andrew’s Church was full of pupils and parents, with a great performance by the school choir. Traffic was managed again by volunteer Mr Collins, with no reported problems. For general parking, parents have been advised to car share if possible. Unfortunately the autumn fair in Ickham scheduled for 29 September 2019 had to be cancelled due to predicted unfavourable weather conditions. A mini fair was held in the School instead.

Mr Duffy also provided an update on the School’s academic progress following discussions at the last meeting. The Standings Testing Agency in 2019 recorded that the SATS results are above local and national levels, “higher achieving” pupils are performing at “excellent” level, and progress levels in English, Maths and Science are above similar schools at local and national levels.

Mr Duffy also wished to congratulate Mrs Crosbie for achieving her National Professional Qualification for Headship and Mrs Hooper for achieving her Middle Leadership National Qualification.

Cllr Twyman reported that there have been a few incidents with regards to parking during school pick up and drop off hours where buses could not get through the village and drivers refusing to move their vehicles when requested by the bus driver. Cllr Twyman suggested that Stagecoach approach the School directly if they have a complaint against parents at the School. Cllr Wright reported that enforcement officers have been patrolling outside of the School on a number of occasions to monitor inconsiderate parking.

School Liaison Cllr Collinson reported that he presented the report providing an update on the School rental review to the Village Hall Committee who were also in agreement in principle to its contents. Cllr Collinson reported that he has subsequently met with the School to discuss the report and its recommendations but the Headteacher believes that an agreement of that nature would need to be with Kent County Council, not the School directly. Cllr Collinson reported that he is investigating this with Kent County Council further.

Tree Representative The Parish Council has no objections to the following proposed tree works:  TRE/19/00444 – Quaives Cottage, Seaton Road – Pollard 2no Cherry trees located in front garden by a third. ~ 4 ~

 TRE/19/00415 – Chapel House, Wickham Road – Crown reduce Yew tree by 40% (T1), pollard twin stemmed Ash tree by 50% to reduce height by 4m (T2), crown reduce Yew tree by 1m and reshape as appropriate (T3) and crown lift Sweet Gum tree to 2.5m and reshape as appropriate (T4).

Cllr Wright also reported that application TRE/19/00370 at White Cottage, The Street, to fell one Birch tree was withdrawn following concerns expressed by the Planning Officer.

Neighbourhood Watch Thefts from cars by smashing a window continues to be a daily incident and local locations include The List, Church Lane in Littlebourne (where an electrician lost all his tools from his van), Larch Close in , , Road Park and Ride car park and St Radigund’s car park in Canterbury.

Auto thefts are also rising. The latest available figures for and Wales show a 56% increase in car thefts during 2017 compared to 2016. In total 89,000 cases were recorded. Security experts blame keyless theft, or “relay theft” as it’s otherwise known. It is relatively simple for tech-savvy criminals to obtain gadgets to commit this type of crime. Top tips to prevent cars being stolen include:  Locking car  Invest in a Faraday pouch  Keep key fob stored safely  Use steering lock  Fit a tracking device A group of people face multiple conspiracy charges after more than 300 defibrillators along with drugs and other equipment were stolen between September 2016 and August 2017 in towns in East Kent and surrounding counties.

Operation Castle is an Autumn/Winter campaign conducted by to target burglars and provide advice to the public about risks of theft at this time of year. More information will be available next month.

KALC Cllr Treacher reported that the next meeting will be on Tuesday 22 October 2019 at the Herne Centre where Robert Thomas, leader of Canterbury City Council and Kent County Councillor, will be guest speaker.

Rural Forum Cllr Treacher reported that the next meeting scheduled for 11 November 2019 will most likely be devoted to the proposed parish seminar to encourage closer working between the City Council and parish councils. The Parish Charter will be one of the topics for discussion at the parish seminar.

Village Hall Committee Cllr Treacher reported that the Village Hall Committee met on 24 September 2019 where applying to Viridor for funding for repairing the windows was discussed and an update provided regarding the installation of the projector, with further advice needed to be sought on both points.

The missing Four Villages Post Office and Shop Application was also discussed. Cllr Treacher reported that Robert Spencer, Chairman of the Association, has investigated the missing village hall application but cannot find any trace of it. Unfortunately the Association is not able to accept an application for this year as the funds have already been allocated but they have indicated they would look favourably on an application next year.

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Cllr Collinson also presented a report to the Committee providing an update on the School rental review (please see “School Liaison” for further information). The Village Hall Committee also agreed to create an asset register to clearly identify which items are owned by the Committee and which are owned by the School. The next Committee meeting will be held on 29 October 2019 in the School.

Cllr Treacher reported that the School are looking at ways to minimise costs, including in relation to the village hall. The current arrangement is that the School can use the village hall for events if they involve the pupils, such as productions or concerts, at no additional cost as they are considered covered under the current rental agreement. For other events, for example a Wine and Wisdom event for fundraising purposes where only the parents are in attendance, normal hiring rates would apply. Cllr Treacher enquired whether councillors are happy with this current arrangement and this was unanimously confirmed.

The Village Hall Committee Bank balance is £3,155.15.

Playing Field Committee Cllr Rees reported that the hinge post of the pedestrian entrance gate has now been replaced. The centre post will need doing in the future as the water does sit in this entrance area and therefore rot is inevitable.

Cllr Rees also reported that she liaised with Mr Chandler in relation to replacing the bench that is dedicated to his father Ray Chandler, which is situated within the playing field nearest to The List side. Mr Chandler was very touched and grateful that this was going to be carried out and he confirmed he did not want the old bench and was happy for it to be disposed of. The bench has now been replaced with the bench which needed to be removed from Stodmarsh and the plaque transferred to the new bench. One of the new planters was secured in Stodmarsh near the noticeboard to utilise the remaining concrete base.

Cllr Rees reported that the next playing field meeting is scheduled for 06 November 2019 at 7.30pm in the village hall, where she hopes to arrange a working party for the playing field. The willow dome has grown well and the new shoots need to be weaved into the structure in order to thicken up the wall of the tunnel and the dome. In addition, the Committee need to remove the graffiti on the pirate ship, and the picnic benches and the bench to commemorate the Queens 90th Birthday all need to be cleaned and teak oil applied. There are also some more wood chippings that need to be raked out upon the nature area.

On 09 October 2019, Cllr Rees and the Clerk attended a full day training course on play area inspections hosted by The Play Inspection Company. Presuming both have passed (awaiting confirmation) they will be qualified to carry out routine checks upon play equipment. The training course was worth only two representatives attending as opposed to all Committee members as the training is something that can be passed down to other members to share the work load.

Initially Cllr Rees and the Clerk feel that routine checks should be carried out weekly, as per guidelines given on the course, and the operational inspections (the next level of checks) should be carried out quarterly (only three will be required due the annual inspection). These are checks that will be need to be arranged in addition to the yearly check, and quotations will be obtained for consideration. These time frames are flexible depending on the use of each particular playing field and can be altered if necessary. For each check a form needs to be completed and these need to be kept for 21 years, along with invoices for repairs, accident records etc. This is because if a minor gets injured whilst at the playing field, once that minor reaches the age of 18, they have three years in which they could make a claim for compensation.

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In relation to the Classic Car show, the website is now live and Cllr Rees wished to thank Cllr Collinson for sorting this. The Facebook event page is also now created. Cllr Rees asked councillors to ensure the date (Sunday 17 May 2020) is kept free in order to help on the day and to please start to recruit as many helpers as possible – it will only be a success if there are enough volunteers.

The Playing Field Bank balance is £2030.75, with future planned spending on a replacement seat for the zip wire and more planting for the nature area.

Cllr Rees also reported that she has been approached by the new Chairman of Friends of Wickhambreaux School (FOWS), the fundraising Committee for Wickhambreaux School, in relation to advice and contacts for a new play area planned for the reception playgroup of the School. Cllr Rees reported that she is happy to assist.

Village Greens Cllr Howe wished to thank Cllr Rees and Steve Rees for removing and installing the Stodmarsh bench on the playing field and for installing a new planter on the remaining concrete base. Cllr Howe also wished to record thanks to Cllr Rees and other volunteers for all their hard work in maintaining the greens over the summer months, including painting the chains and new posts. Cllr Howe reported that two residents wish to express their thanks to the Parish Council for moving the bench in Stodmarsh.

Cllr Wright reported that she has purchased and delivered thank you cards and flowers to Mary Judd and Renee Porter, the two volunteers who maintained the planters until recently.

Cllr Howe reported that he has contacted Polo Contractors with regards to installing a permanent fixing for the Christmas tree on the green in Stodmarsh for future years and has been given the price of £50.00. Polo Contractors will install both Christmas trees free of charge.

Cllr Howe suggested that the green in Stodmarsh be re-turfed, similar to the green in Wickhambreaux, as the grass is in poor condition. Cllr Rees reported that the contractors who re-turfed the green in Wickhambreaux recommended that November was a good time of year to re-turf due to the weather conditions. Cllr Howe agreed to make some enquires and obtain quotations for re-turfing the green for consideration.

Cllr Holland also suggested either replacing the current bench on the green in Stodmarsh, which is in a poor state of repair, or providing an additional bench close by. This was unanimously agreed.

Flood Protection Cllr Twyman reported that he has been liaising with Tony O’Sullivan regarding setting up the annual meeting of the Emergency Committee to review the emergency plan. The last meeting was held in February 2019 and it was agreed that as there is no pressing concern for a meeting, to arrange a meeting for February 2020. Cllr Twyman reported that he will be contacting all members of the Committee to make sure they are willing to continue.

Cllr Twyman also reported that the aquifer is starting to rise following the recent rainfall and he will be arranging a meeting of the River Group for November 2019.

The Clerk reported that she has received an invitation for a “Prevent, Prepare, Respond, Recover” international seminar building flood resilience being held on 13 November 2019 in Tunbridge Wells. Cllr Twyman reported he is unable to attend as the Kent Highways seminar is being held on the same day.

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Footpaths Cllr Wright reported that the replacement footpath map is nearly complete, with a few final tweaks needed before it goes to print. The overall cost of the map is likely to be between £500.00 and £600.00.

Website Cllr Collinson reported that the community calendar is up and running. At the moment, the dates for Parish Council meetings, bin collection dates, school term dates, school events and village hall bookings have been added.

10. FINANCE The expenditure totalling £1,299.43 was authorised, made up of:  Majestic Garden Care – Playing field maintenance September 2019 - £66.00  PKF Littlejohn – External auditor fee for 2018-2019 - £240.00  Mickle Creative Solutions – Printing leaflet for extraordinary meeting - £48.25  Harlequin Locksmiths – Removing and installing Stodmarsh bench in playing field and installing new planter - £40.00  Cllr Rees – Reimbursement for replacement post on playing field pedestrian gate - £91.98  Matt McKay – Installing replacement post on playing field pedestrian gate - £160.00  Cllr Rees – Reimbursement for expenses in relation to new planters on bridge - £165.35  Chenice Howard-Sparkes – Clerk salary October 2019  Lyssi Varghese – Village Hall Cleaner Salary October 2019  HMRC – Employee and PAYE October 2019  Cllr Wright – Reimbursement for thank you cards and flowers - £31.94  Cllr Holland – Reimbursement for Linda Lodge thank you gifts - £101.90

The Clerk reported that the audited Annual Return has been received. External Auditors PKF Littlejohn signed off the Annual Return as being in accordance with proper practices with no other matters coming to their attention giving cause for concern. There were no additional comments to note.

11. CLERK REPORT AND CORRESPONDENCE (i) The Clerk reported that an invitation has been received to attend a focus group meeting, hosted by RiverOak Strategic Partners and aviation specialist Osprey Consulting Services, to explain the process for developing proposals for Airspace Design and Procedures for Manston Airport on Tuesday 05 November 2019. (ii) The Clerk reported that she has received a thank you email from Linda Lodge expressing her gratitude for the “generosity and thoughtfulness of both the sentiments and gifts” given as a thank you for long service on the Parish Council.

12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS (i) Cllr Rees reported that the landowner of the Pear Orchard has experienced unsavoury behaviour from persons unknown in the wake of the planning application being submitted. The Parish Council does not condone such behaviour and instead encourages people to express their views through the City Council’s planning portal.

The meeting closed at 9.07pm

Signed………………………...... (Chairman)

Date…………………………......

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