Minutes of a Meeting held in the Phoenix Hall On Thursday, 10th February 2022 at 7.00 p.m.
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| Parish Councillors Present: | Cllr. D. Burke | Chairman |
| Cllr. F. Collison | ||
| Cllr. B. Covil | ||
| Cllr. Mrs. M. Mitchell | ||
| Cllr. Mrs. P. Perry | ||
| Cllr. S. Perry | ||
| In Attendance: | 1 member of the public | |
| Mrs. Mary Towle | Clerk of the Council |
PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
A member of the public asked questions about celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in Netheravon. He has good ideas concerning tree planting. Cllr. Coslett and Cllr. Mrs. Perry agreed to walk around the village with him to look for suitable locations for trees.
REPORT BY WILTSHIRE COUNCILLOR
Cllr. Blair-Pilling could not be at the meeting but sent a report which is attached at Annex A.
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ACCEPTANCE OF APOLOGIES
Apologies were received from: Cllr. Mrs. Pam Panther, Cllr. Richie Ayling and Cllr. David Jaffray.
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DECLARATION OF INTERESTS
There were no Declarations of Interests
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MINUTES
It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 13th January 2022 be accepted as a true record.
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FINANCE
1 . Authorization of Cheques
The following cheques were approved for the months of January/February2022:
Glasdon UK £1310.81
Hurdcott Landscapes Ltd £201.83
Mrs. M. Towle – stationery £41.48
Mrs. Castle – Best Front Garden £20.00
Mrs. Sheppard – Best Advent window £20.00
Payroll £956.54
Mrs. M. Towle – Use of home as office £30.00
RGV – Christmas tree and allotments £90.00
Hurdcott Landscapes £201.83
SSE – Village Clock £28.77
Mrs. M. Towle – stationery, skip, refuse sacks £291.56
2 . Bank reconciliation
Balance of transactions £35,216.77
Uncleared withdrawals £3,368.65
Balance in bank £38,585.42
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COMMITTEE REPORTS
1 . Planning
Cllr. Coslett reported that there are two new planning applications as follows:
PL/2022/00232 Application for Tree Works in Conservation Area at Netheravon House Estate.
Netheravon Parish Council Comments: No objection to this application for works to the crowns of several trees
PL/2022/00478 Application for Tree Works in Conservation Area along Lower Road/Choulston Farm Road.
Netheravon Parish Council resolved to submit no objection to this application to remove some Ash trees from the Millennium Park and Choulston Farm Road, and to pollard some Lime trees.
2 . Flooding and Adverse Weather
- It was agreed that there would be an inventory of all emergency equipment for inclusion in the Emergency Plan. This would be one Sunday morning when the weather is more clement.
- It was agreed that the Clerk will check with the farmers about publishing their details in the Emergency Plan. Otherwise, names in the plan will not be redacted. The plan will be available in the Phoenix Hall.
3 . Highways
- The footpath between Thorne Road and Piggot Close on the A345 has been weeded by the Parish Steward.
4 . CATG
No one could attend the last online meeting of CATG. However the Clerk has confirmed with the Chairman that the speed limit along the A345 is still the number one priority. The speed assessment is the next stage.
5 . Cemetery/Enhancement
- It was suggested that the border around the Garden of Remembrance be filled in and posts and chains be made to define the border. Clerk agreed to speak to Andy Rawlins.
- It was suggested that Andy Rawlins might be able to make brackets for the hanging baskets.
- It was agreed that the colour scheme will be red, white and blue for the tubs and hanging baskets. Volunteers to plant up the tubs.
6 . Recreation
- The Clerk reported that the money is in place for the exercise equipment. She will be sending them 50% payment before the work commences. The work will start in end of March/April. It was suggested that the contractors might be able to repair the wet pour in the Court Farm Playpark.
- The Clerk reported that the ‘BMX boys’ will be extending the fence by the kissing gate when the weather improves. They are going to provide the Clerk with the list of materials needed.
7 . Allotments
An email was received from an allotment holder at the Dog and Gun Allotments. He asked if they are able to continue to use the driveway to access the allotments. It was agreed that the allotment holders should continue to use the driveway at the moment. The MOD are investigating the problem for the Parish Council.
The two unused allotments at the Piggot Close Allotments have been cleared of rubbish and glass and will be cultivated before they are assigned to new tenants.
8 . Phoenix Hall
The Phoenix Hall is still actively looking for a Booking Clerk to replace Michala Mather, who has kindly agreed to continue in post until a replacement is found. This is now urgent. Adverts have been placed on Facebook and in the Newsletter. The 2 applicants so far have had to pull out at the last hurdle due to health and family bereavement, either would have been suitable. Annual submissions to the Charity Commission have been completed and changes to the bank account signatories are proceeding.
Work on the change to the look of the front of the Hall is completed and allows much more light in to the Main Hall. The fence will be treated to match the other fences. The Hall is also getting on with plans to improve the provided broadband service.
Other plans include:
Examine solar PV for the roof, and fast EV changing point s for the village, based at the Hall.
Charles Coslett, Chairman, Management Committee
9 . Rights of Way
Cllr. Mitchell reported that the Wessex Gate along the Corfe End Lakes path needs closing as vehicles are accessing the fields along the footpath.
10 . Jubilee Committee
The next committee meeting is 15th February. Plans for a Street Party are going forward. The Clerk was asked to cost bunting which would stretch along the whole of the High Street.
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FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER GROUPS
Stonehenge Community Area Board
The next meeting will be on 31st March, 2022. This will be online. Cllr Burke or Ayling will attend.
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UPDATE ON JUBILEE PLANS
a. Beacon/Bonfire
The Clerk reported that there is a meeting of the Avon Valley parishes to discuss arrangements for the Netheravon and Enford Beacons. The Netheravon Beacon will be a joint beacon with Netheravon, Figheldean and Fittleton cum Haxton. This is being held on 17th February.
b. Queen’ Green Canopy
The Clerk reported that the MOD is writing a Business Plan for the land at the moment and that the Parish Council will have to pay all legal expenses.
c. Adult Outdoor Exercise Equipment
The Clerk reported that the funding is in place and the project will be started in the Spring. A deposit of 50% will be required before commencement.
d. Jubilee mugs for children
It was agreed that all children of 11 years and under will receive a Jubilee Mug. The Clerk reported that the Area Board has agreed to fund the mugs.
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REPORT BY CLERK
The Clerk showed the Council the new Netheravon Welcome Pack which will be given to all new residents to the Village.
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CORRESPONDENCE
- email from Wiltshire Council concerning CIL payments
- email confirming that Netheravon Parish Council is protected under the GDPR/Data Protection Act.
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GENERAL PARISH MATTERS
- The layby should be cleared by end of February/beginning of March
- The gullies along Mill Road need attention
- It was reported that the MOD are not allowing grazing to continue on the Impact Area which might cause more fires in a dry summer.
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Thursday 10th March, 2022 Annual Parish Meeting 6.30 pm in the Phoenix Hall. A short Parish Council Meeting will follow the APM.
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CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS
It was RESOLVED that in the interest of the public, the next item of business be dealt with as Confidential Business, and the press and public be excluded.
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TO AGREE REQUEST FOR LEAVE OF ABSENCE
It was RESOLVED that Cllr. Pam Panther be given 6 months leave of absence on health grounds.
Annex A
Wiltshire Council’s Budget, Business Plan & Climate & Natural Environment Strategies - Report by Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling – Avon Valley
At a marathon 9.5 hour meeting on 15 February, Council approved the 2022-23 budget, a new 10-year Business Plan and Climate and Blue & Green Infrastructure (Natural Environment) Strategies. The Summons (Agenda & Papers) alone was 600 pages! I do my best to summarise and welcome any interest in elaboration. As a Cabinet member I take collective responsibility.
The Budget and Business Plan focus on financial sustainability and transforming services to meet future needs.
- Our 2022-23 budget is just over £417m.
- More than half (around £235m) gives support and care for adults and children.
- Around £92m is for day-to-day services; waste management, road maintenance, leisure and library services, as well as carbon management and climate change work. We were recently ranked the 5th best unitary authority in the UK for our response to the global challenge.
- £1m a year supports our market town and cathedral city high streets.
- £1.7m is to increase special educational needs and inclusion services.
Each £100 is to be spent as:
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| £35 - caring for Adults | £20 - supporting and safeguarding children and young people |
| £10 - managing Waste | £9 - maintaining Highways and subsidising bus services |
| £9 – schools, roads & housing | £7 - running the Council and elections |
| £4 - our Property | £3 - online and digital services |
| £2 - Leisure & Libraries | £1 - improving Wiltshire’s economy |
The £307m 2022-23 capital programme is to improve and maintain infrastructure. Projects include leisure services, council house building, schools’ maintenance, footpath and highway improvements, and improvements to the high streets of Salisbury and Trowbridge.
The Business Plan has a clear long-term focus. Guiding themes are:
- prevention and early intervention
- improving social mobility and tackling inequalities
- understanding communities; and working together.
This strategic focus faces up to the public sector’s financial challenges: the ongoing pandemic, rising inflation, and increased demand for services. There are plans to make savings of around £25m in 2022/23, while limiting the impact on vital services as much as possible. More than half of our income is from council tax, which rises by 1.99%, with an additional 1% directly supporting adult social care. For a Band D property, that’s an increase of £47.56 annually or 91p per week.
Some measures that will directly affect us include:
- a new framework and funding system for luncheon clubs addressing inequalities and inconsistencies across the county.
- increases to parking charges, which increased 4 years ago and will be fixed for the next 4 years, to help maintain our rural bus services
- a shift of Area Board funding to help improve and maintain roads and footpaths
- a new approach to our smaller libraries, bringing them closer to their communities, ensuring a sustainable service adapting to need.