Payments made on behalf of the Wrington Memorial Hall & Recreation Field Committee
Uphill Building Contractors £671.00 + VAT
Uphill Building Contractors £1136.00 +VAT
These monies to be reimbursed by the Committee but the work related to essential repairs to the Hall and surrounds.
The Clerk produced a letter explaining the work of the Open Spaces Society and asked whether the Council wished to become a member. Turned aside.
The Clerk mentioned that in relation to the Audit that the Audit Commission proposed to reinstate Mazars for this year pending going out to tender.
Memorial request for alcohol
Nil
Bristol International Airport
The Clerk made reference to the BIA Consultative Committee minutes of 24th January which included the resignation of the Chairman, Peter Hutchings, on health grounds.
A “Sustainable Aviation Progress Report 2006” has been received and is available for circulation.
Various papers received from the PCAA including minutes of a Meeting held 23rd January, a Transport Committee report and a letter referring to the NSC full Council meeting to discuss the BIA Master Plan.
The Clerk made mention of a request from BIA to advertise employment opportunities at the Airport. It was agreed that the leaflet should be displayed on the Parish Notice boards.
Cllr. Glynn mentioned that notwithstanding the outcome of the NSC meeting to discuss the BIA Master Plan it was likely that a planning application would be submitted in March/April followed by an application for the proposed hotel, the management are already talker to 5/6 bidders. Cllr. Irving stated that she is totally opposed to the Hotel as it has already been proven that BIA is under pressure for space.
ALCA The Clerk reported on the contents of the February Newsletter and inserts
Annual Parish Meeting- this is to be held on April 27th commencing 19.30 hours at Redhill Village Hall.
Parish Plan.
Cllr. Irving enquired the current position and also what can be done to push it forward.
Newsletter.
The Clerk made the Council aware of an e-mail received from Cllr. Matthews indicating that it was felt politic in this local council election year not to have an article from the District Councillor on the basis that it could be a platform to canvass support. This view was supported by Cllr. Glynn. Cllr. Gallop made the point that the review was of the year gone by and that it would be seen as that. Cllr. Thorn also supported the view that the District Councillor’s report was an integral part of the newsletter, as Cllr Yamanaka always produces a report for the Annual Parish Meeting, and the newsletter was produced with a view to cutting down on presentations at that meeting. The Council moved that the District Councillor’s report would remain in the newsletter. The Clerk will now produce a report on planning, Cllr.Thorn on highways and Cllr. Atkins on BIA.
Patient Practice Partnership.
Cllr. Thorn indicated that the inaugural meeting of “The Rurals”, the name given to rural partnerships by the Primary Care Trust, is to be held in Winscombe shortly.
Consultations
The Clerk advised the Council of the following consultations:
- A revised Model Code of Conduct for Local Authority Members.
- Draft Freedom of Information & Data Protection (Appropriate limit and fees) Regulations 2007.
- North Somerset Play Strategy.
- The Commons Act 2006-Protection of Common Land in England.
It was agreed that these should be noted.
District Councillor’s Report -
Airport - The motion to Council on the Master Plan is coming to the NS Council meeting 20th Feb, the same night as Parish Council. In brief, the motion is that since there is no business case or environmental assessment, and then any expansion should be delayed pending these, to include CO2 emissions, noise & light pollution, water run-off & biodiversity. Actual planning applications from BIA for a hotel, car parks and new terminal are not expected before the summer.
Cllr. Bigg added that NSC commissioned and have reports on “Climate Change aspects” and “The Catalytic Economic Impact of BIA”. The climate change report shows there is more work to be done on this by BIA for their Master Plan. The economic report recognises the speed of expansion and suggests the development impacts will be considerably more.
Council Tax - Last Tuesday the NSC Executive recommended a 3% council tax rise to Council on 20th Feb when the budget vote will be taken. There are two amendments to this, one from the Conservatives, also proposing a 3% rise but made up differently, and the other from Cllr Tom Leimdorfer, proposing an extra 0.23%, i.e. a 3.23% rise.
The main Conservative amendments are: cuts to Adult Social Care, Housing staff (for the homeless, affordable housing provision, adaptations for disabled etc), Town Hall education spending, NSC staff car allowances; additional spending on bus subsidies, Children’s services, scrutiny panels.
Tom’s amendments are: spend more on respite care emergency budget, free or subsidised charges at leisure centres for foster children & carers, day care for disabled children, educational music equipment, toilet repair & maintenance, footpath maintenance.
Downside Rd bus to Nailsea - There was until last week a weekly Blue Iris bus to Nailsea running from Chew Magna via Felton and Downside Rd. Passengers have decreased & were down to 9 or 10, when the bus company announced that it was losing money and ended the service. I was told that all the passengers had concessionary bus passes, and the bus company does not receive the full amount of the fares from NSC.
(NSC receives a fixed amount from the Govt for these fares, and the amount passed to bus companies was negotiated by the 4 ex-Avon authorities jointly. The number of concessionary passengers over all routes has increased considerably since these fares have been free under the Govt scheme.)
The Winford minibus stepped in to replace the service (this is actually the Blagdon minibus). The service might be replaced by the Nailsea community minibus later.
Holiday Inn/ Briar Bank - On the morning of South Area Committee on Wednesday I had a message on the answer phone from Mr. House of Cowslip Green, about Briar Bank, the house next to the Holiday Inn. (I think that Mr. House’s daughter lives there, although there is nobody on the electoral register at Briar Bank and Deborah House is registered at Brook Lodge with her parents.) I went over to look at it, and the flooding had subsided although there was a steady stream of water running from the field, along Briar Bank’s yard and down a drain.
It seems that Alvis have been spraying slurry on the fields behind Briar Bank, which is lower than the fields and was flooded. According to Mr. & Mrs. House there have been problems for 18 months, since a pipe or pipes were put in these same fields for the Holiday Inn. The Environment Agency and NSC’s drainage engineers are all now involved, so I hope that the problem can be sorted out, whatever the cause or causes.
One of the conditions for the Holiday Inn extension is that drainage details must be agreed before work starts. I raised the flooding problem at South Area and emphasised that, if the Holiday Inn is a contributing factor then this must be sorted out as part of the drainage details.
Cllr. Glynn made comment on the drainage and flooding issues in that he has spoken with Mr. House and introduced him to the management of the Holiday Inn. The Holiday Inn has given an assurance that they will do whatever is necessary to resolve drainage issues as it is in their own interests bearing in mind the intention to have an underground car park. The recent flooding was more likely caused by work being undertaken on land that was already close to saturation and the drainage pipe located in the bottom corner of the field, was partly blocked and couldn’t take the volume of run-off.
Open Forum
Cllr. Glynn made one observation in that if a Councillor missed a meeting it would be helpful if the Minutes of that meeting were made available sooner than is the normal practice.
There being no other business the meeting was declared closed at 21.20 hours.
Mr. T R Clements
Chairman
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