PINVIN PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of Meeting of Pinvin Parish Council, held at Pinvin Memorial Hall on

Tuesday 1^st April 2008 at 7.30pm

Present

Cllr Robinson, Cllr J Byrne, Cllr D Biddle

N Harding (Clerk)

District & County Councillor E Tucker

1. Apologies for absence

There were apologies from Cllr Mitchell

2. Declarations of interests

There were none declared

3. Parishioners’ comments

There were no parishioners present

4. Minutes of meeting held on 5^th February 2008

Proposed Cllr Byrne, seconded Cllr Biddle, all in favour that the minutes of the above meeting should be taken as a true record.

5. Matters arising from 5^th February

Zig-zag lines outside schools: PC de Paris has been in contact with the Traffic Management Department regarding police powers to enforce no parking on the zig-zag lines. The department stated that a traffic order needs to be made by Highways and the circumstances must meet a criteria to qualify. PC de Paris also stated that the request cannot be made by the Police but must come from the Parish Council. PC de Paris has devised a letter that she intends to ask the schools to distribute in relation to parking and speed issues. County Cllr Tucker raised the need to discover if a traffic order is actually in place in the village, or if the zig-zag lines are advisory, and will contact the relevant personnel at the Highways department to seek clarification.

Action: County Cllr Tucker to speak to Maurice Carless at Highways to establish further information to pass on to the Clerk in preparation for the next meeting.

Pre-school allotment: The concrete base of the shed has now been removed and the Chairman suggested that the Clerk write a letter of thanks to the pre-school committee. The pre-school have requested to plant low-level hedging around the perimeter fence of their allotment plot. All Cllrs agreed to this proposal on the understanding that the Pre-school accept in writing the following conditions: (i) The hedging is not allowed to exceed 0.75m in height, (ii) The branches do not extend beyond the boundary of the allotment, (iii) The hedging is kept neatly trimmed, (iv) The pre-school undertake in writing to cut it back if in the opinion of the Council it becomes unkempt and unsightly, and to remove it completely at the request of the Council when the tenancy terminates.

Concerns were raised that some of the large tyres intended for planting had been removed and rolled onto the allotments, making mowing difficult. It was agreed that the Clerk would contact the pre-school supervisor to arrange for their removal and to discuss the possibility of chaining them to prevent their future removal.

Action: The Clerk will make contact with the pre-school supervisor as soon as possible to request the removal of the tyres, and write a letter regarding the cement base and hedging.

Flooding: Cllr Mitchell offered to investigate the purchasing and storage of sandbags using the recently awarded flood grant from the District Council, and will provide feedback when he is next present.

Memorial Hall drain: It is believed that the homeowner on the corner of the Memorial Hall car park has installed a drain on Parish Council land. It was recommended that Cllr Biddle bring up this item for discussion at the next Memorial Hall committee meeting on April 14^th for clarification. County Cllr Tucker advised that the Council may need to check the capacity of the Memorial Hall drain on the car park to establish if it can also sustain water from the end property. The Chairman expressed concerns that the Parish Council may be liable for potential problems with the drain and agreed to contact the resident to discuss the matter.

Empty dwelling in Church Lane: At the request of the Parish Council, the Clerk has been in contact with the Empty Homes Officer at Wychavon DC regarding St Nicholas bungalow. The officer has been working on this case for some two years, and although initial communications with the homeowner were unsuccessful, the homeowner has agreed verbally to pursue a contractor to carry out the necessary works in order to bring the property up to current housing standards. If written objections are received by local residents, more time can be justified on the case.

6. Housing Needs Survey:

Nigel Potter, Rural Housing Enabler, has requested that the Parish Council agree a date for the completion of this survey, so that he may slot Pinvin into his schedule for Spring/Summer 2008.

7. Allotment maintenance and flooding

Cllr Biddle expressed concerns at the continued state of some of the allotments, where rubbish has been deposited and vegetation left to become overgrown by some tenants. This has made the annual allotment clearance difficult and time consuming. Cllrs have informed the Clerk of the resident believed to have deposited rubbish on the allotments, and a letter will be sent requesting its prompt removal. Drainage on the allotments remains a problem, and water is still backing onto the site causing local flooding as a result of the ongoing problems with the blocked drain in Pendas Meadow. The maintenance of the drain is the responsibility of Rooftop Housing Group, and Wychavon DC have instructed legal services to serve a formal notice against Rooftop to clear and maintain the watercourse. Although Rooftop has cleared part of the drain in October 2007, the job was unsatisfactory, and water continues to sit with nowhere to drain.

Action: The Clerk will contact Carl Lister at Wychavon DC to put further pressure on Rooftop to complete the job satisfactorily, and update County Cllr Tucker with any news.

The drain at Allens Hill has been successfully cleared and the culvert now needs to be unblocked, which is the responsibility of the County Council.

Action: The Clerk will ask Carl Lister for an update.

Cllr Byrne has made efforts to chase environmental services at Wychavon DC, regarding the problem of sewage at a property in Allens Hill. Cllr Byrne expressed his frustration at the time scale of this problem for the residents involved, and County Cllr Tucker agreed to represent the Council to establish the next course of action as a remedy to the situation.

Action: County Cllr Tucker to investigate further and report back at the next meeting.

8. Litter Pick 2008

The Council agreed the weekend of July 5^th and 6^th for the completion of the annual litter pick. The Clerk will contact the local organisations who participate to establish if this date is convenient.

9. Pinpoint

Cllrs agreed that the current procedure of e-mailing the news from the Parish Council to the editors of Pinpoint is agreeable, and the Clerk can also attach a copy of the approved minutes from the previous month for the editors’ reference.

10. Finance

a) Balances as at 1^st April 2008

Current account £953.23

Business account £7406.87

Capital account £4156.32

b) Due to the cancellation of the March meeting, the following accounts were signed and approved by Cllr Mitchell and Cllr Biddle:

Clerk salary and expenses £214.27

Clerk: Leaving gift for Cllr Cannock £9.99

BT calls/charges Nov-April £44.43

Ye Olde Cobbler – barrier lock/keys £36.50

CPRE annual subs. £27.00

The following accounts for April were presented and approved for payment:

Clerk salary and expenses £212.83

Worcs CALC annual charges £225.60

Proposed Cllr Byrne, seconded Cllr Biddle, all in favour, that the above accounts should be settled.

c) Proposal to award a £50.00 grant to Wychavon CAB:

Proposed Cllr Robinson, seconded Cllr Biddle, all in favour, to support the Wychavon branch of the CAB and award a donation of £50.00 for their work in the local community.

d) Npower – cancelled cheque number 486, of 5^th February 2008. The Clerk informed the Council that the above cheque had been written in error, and just one cheque for Npower, number 485 on 5^th February for £214.53 was required. The cheque has been marked cancelled and is retained in the receipts and payments file.

e) Proposal to support Rural Relief Application by Pinvin Post Office and Stores: This item was omitted in error and will therefore be deferred to the next Council meeting in May.

f) Request for donation from Mencap:

Proposed Cllr Biddle, seconded Cllr Robinson, all in favour, to award a donation of £50.00, payment to be approved at the May meeting.

11. Planning

W/08/00532/PP: Mr Duffield, 10 Checketts Close; Conservatory

Cllrs discussed the plans and agreed that no objections were to be made. The Clerk will forward this to the planning department.

12. Correspondence

Wychavon Sport: The secretary has requested that details of the 2008 Parish Games be discussed at the meeting. With the exception of the angling event, it has been difficult in recent years to generate a lot of local interest in a number of events, so it was agreed that the games be brought to the attention of the village again via Pinpoint, and Cllr Byrne agreed to circulate details at the British Legion.

Community First: Have produced a latest edition of the Parish Plan newsletter which is in circulation in the literature file for Cllrs reference.

Wychavon DC: Have requested that the Parish Council let Wychavon’s development control manager for enforcement know of any licence applications for operating centres for HGV’s.

Wychavon DC: Details have been publicised for the 2008 Community Grants Scheme.

Peter Luff, MP: Has forwarded a copy of a letter from Ian Wright, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, offering general points in response to issues raised by constituents regarding the Eco-town proposals.

Worcs CC: Have sent details regarding the Parish Lengthsman Scheme: Cllrs agreed that this would be a positive step, providing the Parish with a unique opportunity to prioritise and resolve local highway maintenance issues. A sum of money is allocated each year to subscribed parishes and this can be claimed on a monthly basis for work done under the scheme. This allows parishes to address local concerns that might prove costly for the County Council’s Term Maintenance Contractor to programme. Action: The Clerk will make contact with David Hunter, Highways Liaison Engineer for further information to discuss at the May meeting.

Worcs. CC: Waste Core Strategy; A Notice of withdrawal of preferred options and sustainability appraisal has been circulated in the literature file for Cllrs reference.

Audit Commission: Have confirmed that Clement Keys have once again been appointed as external auditor to Pinvin Parish Council.

13. Reports

County/District Councillor:

The ongoing Eco-town proposals do not appear to suggest that Throckmorton is in danger of development; the shortlist is due for announcement any day.

Cllr Tucker is currently involved in a flooding scrutiny exercise with the District and County Council, which will inform and advice in terms of preventative measures and dealing with future flooding.

A speed limit review is currently taking place throughout the County, making assessments in line with Government guidance.

County Cllr Tucker will make contact with Maurice Carless at the County Council, to establish if a traffic order exists in relation to the zig-zag lines in front of the First School, and to seek clarification in terms of the poilce’s power of enforcement against cars causing an obstruction.

Playing Fields:

There were no reports.

Memorial Hall: