MINUTES of the ANNUAL PARISH MEETING held on 6 May 2009 in the KNEBWORTH VILLAGE HALL, PARK LANE at 8.00 p.m.
_____________________________________________________________
Present: Mr John Bantick (Chairman), Dr Graham Fothergill,
Mr Ian Gilmore, Mr Richard Haigh, Mr Barry Hall, Mr John Hunt, Mrs Rosemary Pateman, Mrs Caroline Presland, Mrs Carol Smith, Ms Elisabeth Smith, Mr Robin Smith, Mr Anthony Titmarsh and the Clerk
In attendance: Seventy members of the public
1. Notice of Meeting
The clerk read the notice of the meeting.
2. Welcome by the Chairman
Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to our Annual Parish Meeting. This meeting, as always, is an opportunity for you to listen to the Council Reports and then question the Parish Council and Local Authority representatives, on issues that affect Knebworth, as well as expressing your views on how you feel we have performed over the last twelve months.
3. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Rt Hon David Cobbold, Rt Hon Henry Cobbold, Mr Saywell and Mr Wordsworth.
4. Approval of the Minutes - Annual Parish Meeting 7 May 2008
Proposed by Mr Smith, seconded by Mr. Titmarsh and
RESOLVED that “the minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting, held on the 7 May 2008, be taken as read and approved as a true record.”
Agreed.
5. Chairman's Report
Honoured invited guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
This is my fourth annual report as Chairman of the Parish Council. Last year I explained in detail about the work of each of our committees and first this evening I would like to pay tribute to the Chairmen of all four committees. Their input in many cases this year has been massive. Many of the decisions made in these committees end up on the Parish Council agendas for ratification. It would be very easy for me to reel off a list of the major items we have dealt with but I do not wish to steal the thunder of the committee chairmen so my report should be read in tandem with the committee reports for a full picture of the year.
2008/09 107
Ever present at our meetings is Claire Graham, our Parish Clerk. Year on year more regulations are thrown at us and there is continual change in legislation. Claire deals with all this and keeps us all on the straight and narrow, helping us to negotiate political minefields, regulatory changes and the all encompassing juggernaut of political correctness, not to mention Health and Safety regulations. On behalf of myself and my four committee chairmen I would like to offer heartfelt thanks to you Claire for helping us through all that and for everything else you do for the Parish of Knebworth. After four years I feel I know a little more than when I started as Chairman but I still need Claire`s shoulder to lean on from time to time.
So what have we done this year? We have updated our terms of reference for the running of all committees. We have a long list of policy documents available for parishioners to peruse if they wish. These can be obtained from the clerk at 10p per A4 sheet. The Parish Council website is up and running. Our meetings schedule is on there as are approved minutes of meetings. Also there is a list of documents that can, like the policy documents, be accessed through the Clerk plus details of which Parish Councillors have been attending committees and Council meetings.
A few years ago we published our Freedom of Information Scheme. We printed a lot of leaflets, very few have been taken and now the rest are being recycled because we had to adopt a new Freedom of Information Scheme in January 2009. Claire has details if you want to know what is in it.
Other ongoing matters include the future of the surgery and the proposed changes in opening times for the station ticket office. We have no influence over either of these matters but are keeping an eye, particularly on NHS Trust matters and will be ready to jump when required. The sad and untimely death of Dr Edmunds shocked us all and no doubt it will be a time before the surgery reorganises and starts to move forward again.
Once or twice a year I and another Parish Councillor walk the North Herts Homes areas of Knebworth with Neighbourhood Officer Gary Mitchell. We identify litter that needs clearing and other matters needing attention. This is a useful exercise which helps to keep those areas clean and tidy.
Likewise we have joined the Big Clean Up campaign. On 7th March and 25th April the Clerk, Parish Councillors and a few Knebworth residents picked up mountains of litter from around the village and we even managed to persuade NHDC to pick up the filled litter sacks free of charge. More volunteers would have been welcome. Perhaps next time…….
Having succeeded last year in persuading NHDC to name the flats next to Trinity Church after our distinguished ex Councillor Robin Wordsworth we have had a second success. The new area of 5 properties off Deards Wood has been named Devey Close. There is a longer explanation of the name in the May edition of Knebworth Parish News but the short version is that Devey was a name much in evidence among trades people in Knebworth in the past. There are no “Deveys” in Knebworth now but the name survives as the middle name of our Parish Councillor Robin Devey Smith. It was also the middle name of his father and lives on in his son James Devey Smith. A fitting way of saying thanks to Robin for all he has done for the village over many years.
Welwyn Hatfield District Council has launched their Core Development Strategy Consultation Documents. NHDC went through this two years ago. This is the document which identifies possible sites for future development in the Welwyn Hatfield area. We understand that one possible area of concern for us is the proposal to identify sites north of Woolmer Green for housing development. We have responded to this by saying we will not
2008/09 108
look kindly on housing sites causing coalescence between Woolmer Green and Knebworth but would not be averse to limited industrial development along the B197 if it allowed Chas Lowe`s business to move to its preferred site next to the Entech building.
When we pay money for services rendered or purchase items for the Council we do so under Statutory Powers laid down by law. Our accounts for payment, which are ratified by the Parish Council state, in one column, the reference for that power and the date of the act of parliament which ratified it. Something new has been introduced. Our Clerk went to a conference about it and this is what she wrote in the notes to a recent Parish Council meeting about the Power of Wellbeing.
“The Power of Wellbeing is the informal name given to the statutory power enabling a local authority to do anything which it considers likely to achieve the promotion or improvement of the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of the area. The council must be eligible to use this power but there is no limit to the amount of spending, unlike the s137 power restricting us to £6.50 per head of electorate.”
In order to be eligible : two thirds of the council must have stood at the last election; the clerk must be qualified, at least 80% of the council must have attended a training event on the Power of Wellbeing and the council must have a statement of intent for community engagement. So far we don`t cover the final two requirements for eligibility at the moment but if we went through this exercise our ability to bring about change for good in Knebworth would be much enhanced, given we had the money to act.
Finally – Parking. You have all seen the overview of the results of the Parking Survey in the Update Leaflet.
The Parking Initiative Group, fondly known as PIG, has been down many avenues to reach this point. PIG was spearheaded by District Councillor Jane Gray. It comprised Parish, District and County Councillors, Transport Officers from NHDC and the Police, a representative from both the Village Trust and Parish Plan team, our clerk and residents of the Parish. During our deliberations we found out that NHDC were carrying out an in depth exercise in one town and one village in North Herts to try to alleviate problems caused by parking and traffic. We understood that another town and village may soon get the same treatment. To do this sort of work requires thousands of pounds being spent on professional surveys. We understand that Knebworth qualifies for this treatment as we have the Parish Plan, a Parish Council that wants something done and a need that has been identified by the residents of the Parish. In fact the survey has been highly praised as shortcutting much of the work that would need to be done by the investigating body. Thanks to Mike Moult and Michael Hague-Moss for taking on the task of compiling the parking survey.
The survey having been completed it seems that PIG has done its work and PIG now just keeps a long term view of events. In order for NHDC to agree to look at the survey it had to be adopted by the Parish Council who needed to make a formal request for NHDC to take the results of the survey on board. This has been done and I know that NHDC has already done a full day survey of their car park in St. Martins Road with a view to possibly restricting the hours drivers can park there to discourage commuter parking and thus opening it up more for the use of shoppers. PIG had a two hour meeting last Friday morning and we were told that Public Consultation notices will soon be posted in the village and in local newspapers asking for feedback on the suggestion to put double yellow lines at the Deards End Lane/Park Lane junction and at the Milestone Road/Pondcroft Road junction. There may also eventually be a notice relating to changes to the use of St Martins Car Park.
2008/09 109
Keep your eyes open for these and respond accordingly, particularly if you have a problem with these suggestions.
In the end we may find that very little changes but at least Knebworth and NHDC will have done their very best to see if there is a solution to the parking problem. Time will tell.
Before I end on that matter I would like to offer your sincere thanks to Parish Councillors Graham Fothergill and Barry Hall for the work they did in collating the survey results and producing all the pie charts etc….. This was a real labour of work for the community for which the community should be most grateful. Thank you Graham and Barry.
Next year our Parish Council is up for re-election. We need new blood and I urge anyone here who might be interested in doing this valuable and not too irksome work for the community to think about it and chat to one of us if you need further information before putting yourself forward as a candidate.
It is a very rewarding experience. Finally many thanks for the support given to me over the year by all our Parish Councillors over the year. Thank you all for listening.
6. Reports from Committee Chairmen
6.1 Recreation Grounds Committee – Ms Libbi Smith
Ladies and Gentlemen:
As you may know there are three Recreation Grounds for which the Parish Council is responsible. They are the main recreation ground of Watton Road, Lytton Fields and King George Vth Playing Fields in Old Knebworth. All are well used especially the main recreation ground with football, tennis and bowls being played. I am also pleased to announce that there is now a youth café in the Pavilion on a Thursday evening, which is proving very popular.
The provisional accounts for year ending 31st March 2009 show an income of £5,775 received from the hire of the football pitches. £1,320 was received in the form of grant funding for a summer weekend litter picker and litter bins. Expenditure of £42,298 was spent maintaining the three recreation grounds. Capital Expenditure of £2,598 was spent on tools, equipment and new goal posts.
Main Recreation Ground
Key activities this year include making progress on the renewal of the lease with Herts County Council for the part of the recreation that the Parish Council does not own. A renewed lease for 20 years has been negotiated and agreed, and the Parish Council is now awaiting the final draft for signature.
A rather lengthy period of discussion and negotiation with both the Bowls and Tennis clubs has now ended and the Parish Council has finally reached agreement on new 28 year leases for both clubs. The leases are at the final draft stage, and it is hoped that they will be signed in the not too distant future. A new lease will enable the Tennis club to apply for grant funding to improve their club house facilities, which are somewhat basic and always at risk from vandalism.
New football goal posts were purchased for the A1 pitch in the main recreation ground, and were erected in the summer of 2008. The development plan has been discussed between the Parish Council and the Football clubs and updated accordingly, a requirement of the grant funding received for the Pavilion from the Football Foundation.
2008/09 110
A full ROSPA playground inspection was carried out last year on all the recreation grounds. A number of observations and recommendations were made to ensure the ongoing safety of the playgrounds and equipment, which the Parish Council is addressing.
The combat cableway was out of action for most of last year, but thanks to perseverance by the Clerk, it has now been repaired, free of charge, and is proving as popular as ever.
6.2 Village Hall Committee – Mr Barry Hall
Honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen.
I find it hard to believe that yet another year has slipped by! It seems that it was only yesterday that I was here last.
What has happened during the year? With regard to the fabric of the Hall:
• Various general repairs have been undertaken
• The committee room has been painted as have parts of the main hall.
• New urinals have been installed in the gents with grant funding from NHDC and further improvements are planned for the lobby area.
• The main hall floor has been re-sealed, a task which needs doing ever couple of years or so.
• All the window and stage curtains were fireproofed at the beginning of the year but their condition means that they will need replacement in the next few years.
There have been problem with the heating in the main hall, especially in the cold weather –a working party is currently looking at supplementary heating.
As to finance, the Hall has some twelve regular hirers and is in use most evenings. Weekend hire has also been good with 75% Saturday usage for the year and the provisional accounts show that income at £18,700 is 10% over budget and expenditure at £25,000 5% under budget.
Again I’d like to say a big thank you to Mrs Cullen for her continued excellent work in keeping the Hall in a clean and tidy state. We all hope that she will continue in this role.
Finally, I’d like to thank the Village Hall Committee members who voluntarily give their time and effort to ensure that the various issues relating to the Hall are dealt with in a timely manner.
Thank you for listening.
6.3 Financial & General Purposes – Anthony Titmarsh
Chairman, fellow parish councillors, invited guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Of the matters which concerned us at this time last year, we have retained our post office and Messrs Lowes: after nine years the county council owned milestone has been renovated, thanks to financial support from the Village Trust, Messrs Burgess and you the tax payer.
Routine activities which have occupied the committee include a review of the effectiveness of the system of Internal Audit, following revisions to the regulations by central government, annual reviews of Standing Orders, Terms of Reference of Committees, Financial Regulations, Fidelity Guarantee Insurance, Financial Risk Assessment, Freedom of Information and new measures for an Equality and Diversity Policy and Power of Wellbeing.
2008/09 111
Currently, only incidental expenses are reimbursed to councillors but we are now considering the payment of allowances and expenses for all councillors.
We are the only parish in North Herts. which has CCTV coverage, albeit only in the central area, but it does appear effective in crime control in the village centre particularly when used in conjunction with ANPR technology. However, malicious damage continues on the main recreation ground, with the youth shelter, play equipment and benches the main targets; arson is prevalent and the tennis club pavilion frequently damaged.
Following support by our G.P. Practice, Christmas lights were installed on the surgery; unfortunately the tree lights on St .Martin’s Church Green failed to work yet again and recent tests have not identified the problem.
We meet up with colleagues in neighbouring parishes in order to share matters of mutual concern; Knebworth Parish Council is frequently a front runner. We also attend North Herts. District Council seminars.
Like all businesses nowadays, Claire, our clerk, is very dependent on the reliability of the computer and she has had her share of problems. The machine is only four years old and the repair costs have been horrendous. If a four year old car suffered total failure, sparks might fly so why should we accept poor computer reliability? We are now purchasing a laptop and projector facility which will also enable the council to make
screen presentations in this hall.
We now have a Knebworth Parish Council Website, which currently is quite separate from the Knebworth Village Website, although this arrangement may change during this year.
Finance
Final accounts for the year ended 31st March 2008 were approved by the auditor, thus verifying the consistent quality of our financial records by our clerk. Summary copies of the year’s income and expenditure are available this evening.
.
We have provisional results for the year 2008/2009 showing gross income of £128004, which was £7479 above budget. Grants totalled £3229 and interest £2936.Grants were provided by North Herts. District Council and Knebworth Village Trust. Expenditure was £116215, showing a surplus of £11789. Our reserves now total almost £100000, equivalent to the parish tax for one year. All our funds are with Barclays bank, who now pay a miserly 0.1% on a deposit of this magnitude; however, these funds should be secure and not at risk unlike those of other authorities who placed funds in countries such as Iceland.
This year we have increased the parish council tax by 1.7 %, which is less than half of the percentage increases of 3.5% by the county council, 4.5% by the police authority and 3.9% by the district council. Not only have the increases by the higher authorities been substantial in recent years, but we suffer reduced services such as refuse collection, litter clearance, youth services and highway maintenance. As a parish council we are now being pressurised by county and district to cooperate in partnership funding, whereby parish tax payers should pay again for services which these two authorities have a statutory duty to provide but are unwilling to fund. Additionally, we have not yet received any Section 106 funds, to which we are entitled, from these authorities in respect of any new development in the village.
2008/09 113
The Committee
In conclusion, I wish to thank the six members, who serve on the committee, for their input and the considerable amount of time expended.
6.4 Planning and Environment – Dr Graham Fothergill
Invited guests, fellow councillors, ladies and gentlemen:
As usual, it has been a busy year for the Planning and Environmental Committee. We have met on twelve occasions and have considered a total of 57 Planning Applications. For the most part we felt that there was no reason to object to about three quarters of these and that there were only about a dozen that gave us particular cause for concern and to which we raised objections.
The total of 57 is somewhat down on previous years and I believe that we can attribute this to two factors. On the one hand, there is no doubt that the recent downturn in the economic climate has had a major effect on the building industry and this seems to have been reflected in the lower number of new developments or extensions to various types of residential and commercial development. In addition to this, there has been a change in Government planning regulations whereby certain forms of extensions to the rear of residential properties no longer require approval of a full Planning Application and may now be permitted through the process of a Certificate of Lawful Development. The Parish Council does not formally receive notification of such applications nor copies of the relevant plans for these Certificates. These are processed directly by the officers in the Planning Department at North Herts District Council although they are, of course, subject to the normal rigorous scrutiny of the Building Regulations.
I would now also like to mention that our Committee does not deal exclusively with planning applications but, where relevant, we involve ourselves with other environmental matters. These can include, for example, the maintenance and upkeep of rights of way and footpaths and that brings me rather nicely onto the subject of
Common land. Within the Parish, there are two pieces of common registered under the Commons Act of 1965, one at Norton Green, the other just to the north of the junction of Stevenage Road with Deards End Lane. As a result of new legislation, namely the Commons Act 2008, we now have until September 2009 to correct or amend the original entries in the Register and this will be undertaken under the auspices of the Planning and Environment Committee. If anyone is aware of any other places that might or should be designated as common land within the Parish, perhaps they would let us know and we can see if these can be added to the Register.
Now to move on to another subject. I hope that most of you will have noticed that the cast iron milestone in the centre of the village, situated just outside the funeral directors, has at long last been refurbished. It has taken about nine years to accomplish this – it was originally envisaged as a Millennium project – and now, after a considerable amount of deliberation and prevarication regarding its Listed status and ownership, the job is complete. As mentioned earlier by Councillor Titmarsh, we obtained the funding and Herts Highways undertook the removal, refurbishment and repositioning. We have recently examined the other milestone which is within the village boundary, the existence of which many of you are probably unaware. This one is located on the west side of the B197 just before the start of the 30 mph de-restriction zone on the Stevenage boundary. It is in a ditch and is about two metres back from the footpath, and is best seen during the winter months when it is not obscured by vegetation. Unlike the one in the centre of the village, it is made
2008/09 114
of concrete, is triangular in cross-section and does not have a Listed status. It is our intention to clear away the weeds and other vegetation, then to clean the stone and repaint it and finally re-apply the lettering – “London 29” on the northern face and “Stevenage 2” on the southern face. The Parish Council hope to be able to undertake this work themselves and the costs should be relatively minimal.
Finally, just to briefly return to planning applications. Our remit is to inform North Herts District Council of our objections or otherwise to a particular Application. There are, however, occasions when this is not necessarily straightforward and our deliberations could possibly be enhanced by having an explanation or verbal report from the Applicant or by hearing any concerns being expressed by local residents. I make this point in order to remind you that members of the public are welcome to attend our Planning Meetings. Formal notifications of these are posted in the Library and on the Parish notice-board and if you come along and wish to speak on an Application, you will be allowed to do so.
As usual, I would like to thank my fellow Committee Members for their contributions to our discussions and deliberations and I should also add my thanks to Jane Gray, one of our District Councillors, for her interest and sound advice throughout the year.
Thank you for your kind attention.
7. Police – PC Harding
PC Harding introduced Sgt Karen Dixon and PCSO Debbie Sinclair. He provided a report on the year’s crime statistics. Crime figures are down from 231 to 221. Operation Satinella has been in place during the year to prevent burglary by making people aware of the security risks. Operation Tarantula has focused on reducing car crime. Police surgeries are now held in the village on the first Monday in the month. The police box is still in Village News should people wish to report an incident without directly contacting the police.
8. Questions and Answers
The chairman invited questions from the audience.
Please would you expand on the reference to Councillor allowances and who sets them? Mr Kirk
An independent remuneration panel undertakes a review on behalf of the District Council.
The Parish Council can claim out of pocket expenses, but we don’t wish to prevent people becoming councillors because they have to incur the cost of carers or babysitters to attend council meetings. At present District Councillors can claim this expense but Parish Councillors cannot. An allowance would be a way of covering this type of cost. I Gilmore
As chairman I have an annual allowance of £200, of which I spent £45 on printer cartridges. last year. J Bantick
Could you provide an update on the relocation of Chas Lowes? Mrs Judge
Lowes is unlikely to relocate in the near future; there is no further information at present.
J Bantick
2008/09 115
In the Parish Plan issued in 2007 10% of the respondents stated that they were satisfied with secondary school provision and 27% were dissatisfied. The situation has changed dramatically and the parish should be vigilant. Knebworth JMI is poorly served with children being transferred to senior school to north of Stevenage. We need to take responsible action now and build our own secondary school. Mrs Pomerance
With an election soon I am unable to discuss the situation. As far as secondary transfer problems go Knebworth is not unique. All rural areas suffer. The concept of building a secondary school for 17 children is unlikely to happen. In terms of the longer term provision I will attend meetings if required.
When Stevenage expands and if Welwyn Hatfield develops there will be a requirement for a secondary school with an 8-10 forms of entry. Alleynes is likely to move. This will free up applications to the south in the plan – Building Schools for the Future.
All those who are interested if you leave your details with the clerk I will arrange a meeting with County Council officers. Cty Cllr R Thake
It wasn’t 17. If you take the total junior school figures for Knebworth, Codicote, Welwyn, Woolmer Green and Datchworth, it totals 1439 Mrs Pomerance
If Woolmer Green is developed there might be a need. Developments of 3500 require a primary school and more than 5000 a secondary school. It won’t be built unless there are a further 5000 dwellings built. Contact Mr Thake. J Bantick
,
I know a few of the issues and I am arranging a meeting with Steven Hosier, HCC, later in the summer term once the appeals process ends on 22 May. I will let the community know. Mr John (Knebworth JMI headmaster)
What is to become of Station House? Mr Holmes
The building has been purchased by a religious society for its headquarters. The building is to be refurbished and a mansard roof constructed. Planning permission has been granted and work has just started. J Bantick
If you go on the NHDC website and put in the road name it will give you the name of the group. B Hall
Are there any plans to install a drinking fountain in the recreation grounds? Mrs Ives
We will look at it. E Smith
In the past we have been approached by people to place a bench in the village and we couldn’t find a location. Two benches have been removed, one in Stockens Green and the other in Orchard Way. The question Is whether we should replace or relocate them. The Council has also received a letter from four residents of Station Road requesting the removal of the bench in Keri Close because youths gather and make a lot of noise. It is important for the elderly and the council would like your views. J Bantick
I don’t use it but I have seen a number of elderly people sitting on the bench at Kerr Close.
Mr Tomlinson
2008/09 116
The bench in Stockens Green was located outside my house and since it has been removed there have been no empty vodka bottles or other debris. If the bench is to be reinstated I feel it should be installed on Stockens Green, which is owned by a residents association. C Presland
I am the chairman of the residents association and I shall take your comment back to the committee. Mr Calver
I have suggested that the police and Neighbourhood watch are kept informed of the disruption caused by the bench at Kerr Close. J Bantick
I should like to thank the councillors for the work they have done over the past year.
Mr Catt
Are there any parking issues? J Bantick
There were none.
The chairman thanked everybody for attending the meeting.
There being no other business the meeting closed at 09.15 p.m.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment