<p> BAUGHURST PARISH COUNCIL Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting Thursday, 7 April 2016, Heath End Hall, Baughurst</p><p>PRESENT: 9 Parish Councillors, 3 members of the public Also present: County Councillor W Lovegrove, Borough Councillor M Bound Apologies for absence received from Cllr M G Slatford In attendance: Mrs P J Waterfield, Clerk</p><p>1. Welcome The Vice Chairman of the Parish Council, Cllr Janette Hewitt, presided, and welcomed all present, including, in his absence, new Councillor Roger Ward, who was returning to the Parish Council after many years’ absence. She thanked Jo Peatman, who is retiring from office, for the work which she had carried out for Council. The Chairman also mentioned that this year is election year for full Council, which may result in further changes in membership of Council. She thanked the Clerk, Penny Waterfield, for her years of service.</p><p>2. Minutes of last meeting on 9 April 2015. The Minutes of the meeting of 9 April 2015 were approved and signed</p><p>3. Matters arising from the Minutes There were no matters arising from the Minutes.</p><p>4. Parish Council Chairman’s report a) Roads The Speedwatch team has made fewer forays this year, largely due to the inclement weather. However, we have a team of 9, who have carried out the requisite training by the Police, who turn out on a regular basis.</p><p>We continue to monitor the condition of highways within the Parish, although the responsibility for their repair and maintenance lies with the county. This year the torrential rain and subsequent flooding has resulted in many potholes, which are reported on a regular basis to the County Council. They, however, have advised that their budget will first concentrate on issues with have an impact on health and safety. Any highway problems can be reported to the Clerk, who will arrange for these to be considered by the highway authority. </p><p>Flooding along Heath End Road has occupied a lot of time, energy and resources this year, with both HCC and Southern Water helping to manage the situation. The problem lies with decaying pipes on private property, over which the relevant authorities have no jurisdiction. b) Planning</p><p>We continue to comment on planning applications for the area, but, of course, the decision on planning matters rests finally with the Borough Council. The most controversial application this year was that of the proposed 390 houses on land at Bishopswood Lane. This was later reduced to 190 houses and a 60 bed care facility, but a public meeting drew 200 people to inspect plans and comment. We objected, and a decision is still awaited. A second application, for a care home on land at Bishopswood Golf Course, caused similar concern, and a decision is also awaited here. c) Administration  In common with other employers, a workplace pension arrangement must be put in place for the Clerk</p><p>1  High speed rural broadband – some areas of Baughurst and Wolverton will be unable to benefit from high speed broadband, and investigation into alternative measures are ongoing  Remembrance Sunday – because of ongoing problems with members of the public defying the temporary road closures on the day, a security company is now being called in to man the barricades, on the grounds of public safety</p><p>The Chairman then asked Cllr Postance (Chair of Footpaths Committee), to give a report.</p><p>Footpaths The Parish Council continues to monitor all the footpaths and bridleways within the parish on a regular basis, and meetings of the Footpaths Committee are arranged when the need arises. Problems which do occur are usually concerned with a) the condition of a footpath – usually when it is too wet and muddy to walk upon, or overgrown with vegetation or both, or b) vandalism to fingerposts, signs or posts which have gone missing for one reason or another.</p><p>We work closely with the Rights of Way team at Hampshire County Council, who is informed of, and deals with, many of the problems encountered with footpaths. His only restraint is that of budget, and we are fortunate in having the services of our Hampshire County Council Rights of Way officer, who is committed to the upkeep and maintenance of rights of way in the parish.</p><p>One of the roles of the Footpaths Committee is to walk the paths throughout the parish, checking for accessibility and the need for improvements and repairs. This year we have only managed several weeks, due in part to the very wet weather which meant concern over health and safety issues when asking members of the public to join us.</p><p>This year we have replaced one kissing gate at Axmansford, the route of which is used extensively by Tadley Runners. The installation will mean they no longer have to leave the safety of the path to vault a ditch to get around a hedge. Thanks have been made by them.</p><p>Bureaucratic wheels grind exceedingly slowly, and before the installation of the three retractable posts at the entrance of Bridleway 5, on Brimpton Road, can be made, Southern Electric and Southern Water had to grant permission. The depth of digging needed for installation could have impacted upon underground cabling. The aim of the bollards is to deter four wheeled vehicles from illegally using the path. Various members of the public have contributed towards the cost of the posts, for which thanks are made.</p><p>We are considering application for two paths in the parish, on land owned by this Council, to be awarded status on the Definitive Map. The paths are on land to the rear of Heath End shops towards Mornington Close, and also to the rear of 105 Long Grove. This would ensure their preservation for future generations.</p><p>We have also been very fortunate in having the free services of a member of the public, who has been helping to clear overhanging vegetation and debris from some of our paths. We are very grateful for his help, and would like to encourage more members of the public to volunteer for these types of task. </p><p>Cllr Postance thanked those other members of the Committee and the Clerk for their help and commitment during the past year. The Chairman then called upon Cllr Stan Terrett, Chairman of Playing Fields and Open Spaces Committee, for his report.</p><p>Playing Fields and Open Spaces Committee This has been another busy year of the Council, with a number of projects in motion. We have met on several occasions, and items for discussion have included:</p><p>2</p><p>Pineapple Field The field is available for hire, and is currently used predominantly by a local junior football team. We are always seeking alternative usage for the field. Anyone interested can contact the Clerk.</p><p>Wolverton Field The playground is used on a regular basis, especially during the summer months. This year some of our play equipment began to show signs of wear and tear, so we have organised the repair of some pieces, and the replacement of others. We have also negotiated an annual contract with a local company, who keep a proactive eye on the equipment on a monthly basis. </p><p>Sir George Brown Charity, who own the field, have recently suggested that, instead of paying them annually for its rental, that we may be interested in purchasing it at a market value. It was decided, however, that we would prefer to keep the field on its current rental footing.</p><p>Land rear of Long Grove Clearance of overgrown bramble, nettle and bracken has recently taken place on land to the rear of the Hurst Community College, where two rights of way meet. Cotoneaster has been planted on one section of land, and consideration is to be given to the treatment of the remaining area, which is currently too compacted for easy planting of either shrubs or grass.</p><p>Long Grove This local play area is well used, and suffers from occasional graffiti and vandalism. This year both have been particularly bad, and we are also suffering from bird deposits on the slide and play equipment. We have effected repairs on a wide scale, and try to clean the equipment on a regular basis. However, we do not have the facilities to ensure that cleaning can happen on an hourly or daily basis. Consideration is currently being given to the prospect of felling the three conifers which overlook the slide, and on which the birds perch.</p><p>Flytipping This continues to be a costly and regular exercise, particularly since the closure of the green waste facility at Paices Hill. Green waste collection is available, for a fee of approximately £30 per year, from Basingstoke and Deane during the summer months. As far as we are aware, although talks continue on a low-key basis, there are no immediate plans to provide a waste facility in the area. Letters are regularly sent out to householders in the immediate surrounding area where flytipping is found. </p><p>Trees We have a number of trees on land owned by this Council, and carry out inspections on a regular basis. We also receive many requests for the felling of trees, particularly those overhanging private gardens, but have a policy of only agreeing to their felling should they prove to be dead, dying or dangerous. Where branches overhang other gardens, we have agreed a policy of paying for 50% of the works, providing the residents concerned use our tree contractor. We have recently agreed a five year rolling programme of inspection of all our trees, and are awaiting a quotation for the works to be carried out. </p><p>War Memorial We have successfully restored and cleaned the Memorial during the last year, with the help of a grant from the War Memorials Trust. </p><p>It only remains to thank my fellow Committee members, and the Clerk, for their help and cooperation during the year.</p><p>3 5. County and Borough Council reports County Councillor W Lovegrove Cllr Lovegrove reported on:</p><p> The Council The new Chief Executive John Coughlan was appointed late last year promoted from Head of Children’s Services; this move was well supported. Devolution of Councils has been taking up valuable time and caused the resignation of a member of the cabinet, and a County Councillor; this at a time when maintaining services should be the top priority. This year has been one of the most frustrating times in terms of delivering services to the public, services they expect to receive as they pay their local taxes. I have given reports at Parish meetings over the year giving updates and current actions by HCC.  Recycling Centres. HCC is refusing to pay West Berks money for our residents to use these sites, the option now being Wade Road Basingstoke. This site is also having its opening hours reduced. This course of action does not encourage recycling, only fly tipping.  Highways . Potholes are still the main problem especially in Shaw Lane and the Baughurst Road. The time scales to get these problems fixed is much too long resulting in damage to wheels and tyres. Speeding cars are a constant problem in the rural lanes; the need for speed limits is apparent. Unfortunately the system for change is so restrictive in terms of finance and bureaucracy that in this fast changing world, the system becomes unfit for purpose.  Grit bins. Luckily we have had a very mild winter and therefore demand has been low We have now nineteen in place. </p><p> Libraries The mobile library service has been stopped due to cuts. We therefore need to encourage people to make more use of the new library services which are now provided to ensure that these services continue to be available to our residents.  Schools Hampshire County Council are fighting the Government‘s proposals to change state run schools into Academies. The rational being for fighting this proposal is that in Hampshire there is no evidence to prove that county run schools are failing its pupils, and that by changing to Academy status there would be any raising of standards.  Burnham Copse Primary School I am very pleased to report that the recent OfStEd inspection of the School saw it achieve a GOOD from the Inspector. Well done Burnham Copse pupils and staff.  Children’s Centres The fate of Children’s Centres is up for consultation and this would involve the Centre which operates from the Community Centre; it will close this year if these proposals go ahead  Street Lighting. Cost savings applied to this service for our residents will mean the dimming of street lights after midnight until the early morning.  Councillors’ devolved budget. I have given to the following good causes: Tadley and district CAB, Hurst Community College, Baughurst Parish Council, Home Start North West Hampshire, Heath End Village Hall, Basingstoke Food Bank, and The Ark Cancer Centre Charity. A request for money to support local good causes will begin again from the 1st of June.  Land drainage I have taken up drainage issues with residents in the rural areas of the Parish. These issues are predominantly a result of ditches not being maintained. </p><p>Borough Councilllor M Bound Cllr Bound reported on:</p><p>4  During the year 2014/15 I sat on the Borough Development Control Committee. The committee meets monthly but, for the past two months, because of the number of planning applications coming forward, we have had sittings twice a month; consequently there have been two ‘viewings’ each month.  The new Chief Executive at the Borough instituted an enquiry in 2015 into the efficiency/effectiveness of the DC committee, probably because of the amount of money that the Borough was paying out in costs awarded on appeals to large developers who managed to convince the Inspectorate to overturn DC decisions - around £850,000.  Committee endeavours to make decisions based on sound planning reasons, and so it is disappointing to have decisions overturned. Unfortunately, because of the shambles around the handling of the Manydown land issue that directly impacted the Local Plan, the fact that we don’t have a Local Plan as yet, or a five year land supply, coupled with a presumption on development enshrined in the NPPF, what Committee felt were good planning reasons for refusal of large developments have not been sufficient in the eyes of various inspectors.  Hopefully the Local Plan will be in place in the not too distant future and the ‘planning climate’ will change to bring about more ‘planned’ development. Locally, of course, this lack of a Local plan has had the consequence that a number of large speculative planning applications have come forward to develop on green field sites even within the 3km zone around the AWE.  Previously I had sat on the Community Environment and Partnerships Committee but because of reductions in the number of Liberal Democrats on the Borough Council last year I lost my place; however, I have substituted on quite a number of occasions and I have also been invited to remain a member of the Neighbourhood Management sub- committee.  At Full Council I have asked questions, notably concerning our lack of local green waste disposal facilities in the area and the withdrawal of subsidies to West Berkshire waste authority by the County Council which allows our local residents to use Newbury and Padworth depots.  In terms of local involvement I have:  Had direct involvement with residents in terms of housing problems  Worked with the Borough to get improvements to road signage  Entering potholes onto the HCC roads website  Offered guidance on planning applications where requested (but not where I am likely to be in conflict because of the committee I sit on)  Pressured utility companies to make good problems affecting the locality, eg – Southern Water on Heath End Road  Notified the Borough about road-kill for the removal of and also general fly-tipping  Although just outside of the Baughurst area, I did question an alcohol licence application and whilst the licence was granted I did manage to get the hours reduced slightly</p><p>6. Electors’ Question time Questions raised included the provision of a salt bin at Wolverton Lane, which Cllr Lovegrove agreed to investigate, and various potholes on highways. Cllr Grenville advised a local HCC consultation regarding waste provision, and the link for this is to be placed on the website. A resident raised a query regarding collection of the glass kerbside recycling bins.</p><p>7. Charities’ report The Sir George Brown Charity, which was set up in 1685, had assets of £347,560 at 31 December 2015. We provided assistance and support to residents of the Ancient Parish of Wolverton to the value of £7,956 in the year. From the time of its founding until the 1960s, the charity managed alms houses for local people, a period of over 250 years.</p><p>5 The trustees are looking at ways in which they can provide 21st century alms houses for local people. BDBC planners have looked at a scheme under the Rural Exemptions Planning and referred the Trustees to Hampshire Association for Rural Housing to investigate further. Anyone aware of any person in need within the old parish boundary of Wolverton should contact one of the trustees (Martin Slatford, Robert May, Susan Prag, Kim Hodges).</p><p>9. Parish Council accounts This year we raised our precept to £40,425. On a Band D property, this meant an increase of approximately 80p per household per month. Precept requests for previous recent years were as follows:</p><p>2010 £26,000 2011 £33,000 2012 £34,000 2013 £35,000 2014 £38.500 2015 £40,425</p><p>Expenditure for the past year has been roughly divided as follows:</p><p>Recreation Grounds Grass cutting, hedge cutting, £20,403 tree pruning and felling Pineapple field Electricity, cleaning, £492 maintenance, mowing, repairs, sports equipment, water charges General Administration Subscriptions, postage and £24,175 phone, hirings, Clerk’s salary and allowances, office equipment Chairman’s allowance Remembrance Day wreath, £110 Hurst Prize Free 2p For the benefit of the £850 inhabitants of the area: Age Concern, CAB, St Stephens PCC, WW1 tea party refreshments Highways and rights of way Bus shelters, noticeboards, £294 street signage Grants £0 War Memorial Restoration £3,150 VAT Which is reclaimed £2,373 Approximate total £51,847</p><p>The meeting closed at 8.20 pm.</p><p>6</p>