2) Local Access Forum– Minutes of 10th April and the agenda for 10th July.

3) Letter of thanks from Mrs. & Mrs. Clements for their “retirement” gifts.

4) Forest of Avon Trust - looking to recruit additional directors/trustees.

5) Publications received:

CPRE Countryside Voice summer edition; English Rural Housing Association Summer newsletter; copy of Community Action PowerPoint presentation on “Change has to happen but communities need to be active in managing it”; Forest of Avon quarterly review and Voluntary Action Summer 2007 newsletter. Also Municipal Calendar 2007 amendments.

6) Life Cycle UK - advertising the availability of free cycle stands - clerk to include in next Wrington Journal article.

Highways Matters

1) New Area Officer for Street and Open Spaces - Stephanie Jones - with direct contact number 07776170208.

2) Langford brook retaining wall - essential repair work to be undertaken between 20th and 28th October.

3) The Dring - the Clerk has written to the residents and received two responses both declining to provide financial support to the resurfacing. The Clerk confirmed that an order has been placed for the resurfacing to be done.

4) NSC “H” Bar Road marking policy. This is to highlight the location of individual drop kerbs to motorists. It will be available to business units, multiple occupancy businesses and premises which require regular public access and the cost will be £75 per site.

5) West of England Partnership Transport news- it was agreed that this needs to be driven forward by the highways working group as there are implications for the Parish as a whole.

6) It was mentioned that the Avon Youth Bus was having difficulty in bringing the bus down the High Street due to one particular vehicle parking badly. Cllr. Ellis mentioned that the vehicle owner was moving shortly and the problem should be overcome. The Clerk mentioned that the preferred route for the bus should be from Havyatt.

7) Streetscene June edition available for reading.

Police

The Clerk, in the absence of PC Tacchi, handed out the recorded crimes report for the period 18th June to 11th July - there were 8 recorded items.

In view of the high incidence of crime at BIA and the recent emergency measures put in place the Clerk was directed to contact the officer in charge at BIA to invite the person along to update the Council with developments at the airport and surrounding area.

The Clerk mentioned that from the recent plea for more volunteers for speedwatch one person has come forward - this now means that there is a prospective group of 5, one short of what is needed. PC Tacchi is still to contact the residents in Downside to see whether they would be willing to come on board.

Lighting

The Clerk has received quotes to replace lights C3 at Westward Close (£1001.04 + VAT) and C5 at the Glebe (£1124.43 + VAT). With regard to the latter, Cllr. Yamanaka mentioned that the house owner was asking if the light could be moved as he wished to widen his access point. The Clerk is to ask SEC what additional cost this would involve. The Council was unanimous in confirming that the order for replacement lights should be put in place.

It was proposed by Cllr. Gallop and seconded by Cllr. Moss that the accounts be approved. Passed.

Memorial Hall – request for alcohol

Wrington Minibus Society for its annual lunch on 11th August where a bar will be in place. Proposed by Cllr. Gallop and seconded by Cllr. Bigg. Passed.

Bristol International Airport

Cllr. Bigg mentioned that at the recent workshop she had asked for the noise contour maps and will now chase direct for these.

The Clerk mentioned that he had received notice of the AGM of the Airport Consultative Committee which is to be held on 25th July. Cllr. Yamanaka mentioned that she had to date received no notification of the meeting. Clerk to provide details.

ALCA

The Clerk mentioned that the July edition of the newsletter has been received. Included in the papers was notice of the AGM to be held on 13th October but details of attendees to be advised by 10th August. Cllr. Bigg indicated that she will attend and the Clerk is to speak with Cllr. Glynn to ascertain whether he will attend as well.

Mention was also made of a consultation “Planning for a sustainable future” which is to be discussed at the next planning meeting.

Cllr. Thorn pre-meeting had sent an e-mail on the “Commission on the role of local Councillors” and to join the debate need to register with DCLG at forum.communities.gov.uk

Parish Plan

No further forward.

Patient Practice Partnership

Report from Cllr. Thorn:

Last Wednesday evening the Patient-Practice Partnership associated with Wrington Vale Medical Practice held its first AGM since its inauguration last year. Progress over that year was reviewed:

1) Successful negotiations with the Primary Care Trust (PCT) to ensure minor injuries and District Nursing services remained based in the local practice, in the face of the PCT’s previously stated intention to “rationalise” the nurses.

2) Work done in relation to the setting up by the PCT of a Rural Services Forum, culminating in the acceptance of terms of reference (see attached) which should ensure genuine consultation on all matters concerning patient services.

3) Open evenings held in Blagdon on prevention of heart disease and stroke, and at Wrington on diabetes.

4) Discussion with the Practice on the results of the nationally required patient survey done in December, and agreement with the Practice on measures which could be taken in the light of patient responses to the survey.

Future plans include a programme of further open meetings starting on 6th September when the topic will be the implications of the proposed centralisation of medical records on an NHS database.

The PPP will continue to contribute to the PCT’s survey of suitable premises in rural areas where clinics and other services being devolved from hospitals could be carried out.

It was noted that other practices in our rural cluster now have their own PPPs, and a number of parish councils receive regular reports of their work. This report, for example, is now being copied to Churchill, Blagdon, and Long Ashton parish councils, and to Wrington WI, Wrington Pre-School, and Wrington PTA.

Those attending the AGM were asked to do what they could in their parishes to bring the work of the PPP to the attention of organisations such as schools, clubs, parish councils, to extend the network of communication between the Practice and its patients in as many ways as possible.

The Clerk mentioned that the minutes of the Meeting of the Health Overview & Scrutiny Panel Committee dated 27th June have been received.

Mention was also made of a NSC Older People Strategy consultation and Cllr. Bigg has a newsletter on this and will circulate - the consultation is open until 28th September.

The Clerk made mention of a letter from Age Concern on the “Partnership for Older Peoples Project” the aim of which is to improve health and independence for this sector. Cllr. Bigg advised that it is a 2-year project aimed at the over 50’s and has access to funding for items like uneven pavements. There was an offer to come and speak at a meeting and it was felt that the Friendship Club may be appropriate.

Consultations

NS Older peoples Housing Strategy - Cllr. Irving has taken the papers and will report to the next meeting.

Model Code of Conduct and Standing Orders

To be left on the table for the next meeting. The ratification of the new working groups will also need to be included as an agenda item.

Update re appointment of new Parish Clerk

Cllr. Irving explained the background to Cllr. Glynn’s position on the clerk’s role. It was also mentioned that applicants had been sifted and interviewed and the appointed panel was unanimous in its choice of Gabrielle Wilson as Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer and Secretary/Treasurer of the Wrington Memorial Hall and Recreation Fields Committee and asked that the full Council ratified this. Cllr. Ellis proposed and Cllr Gallop seconded the appointment of Mrs. Wilson. Passed.

Play Areas

The Clerk has now received the inspection report which on the whole is satisfactory but highlights that the multi-play in the Glebe should be scheduled for replacement. A copy of the report will be handed to Don Guy who attends to maintenance matters so that the matters highlighted in the report are corrected where appropriate.

An estimate for a CCTV system in the Recreation Field also received in the sum of £5200 +VAT. A second quote is to be obtained and Cllr. Thorn will investigate. The matter then to be dealt with by the working group. Cllr. Moss mentioned that the WSSC is in favour of a CCTV system and may be prepared to support financially.

Trees

Sustain is celebrating its 10th anniversary and was looking to recognise this by tree planting in the Parish. It has been suggested that the tree planting exercise undertaken by the Memorial Hall & Recreation Field Committee earlier this year may suffice as the alternatives suggested were not in suitable locations due to drainage issues. This has been put to Sustain verbally and the Clerk is to take forward.

District Councillor’s Report

North Somerset Council budget

You may have read in the local press about budget decisions made at the June Council meeting. The most significant decision was to reduce the amount of capital available for affordable housing schemes.

Last year when the Council houses were transferred to the North Somerset Housing Association (Large Scale Voluntary Transfer), the Council agreed that the capital receipts should be used for affordable housing provision. Originally the LSVT receipt was expected to be £8 million.

Nearer to the time of transfer the receipt was estimated at £21.5 million and the Conservatives then proposed unsuccessfully that only £8m be used for affordable housing. Lib Dems proposed instead that £12.5m be used for affordable housing with £8.5m on related infrastructure, eg. play areas, road repairs, youth centre repairs, etc, in council housing areas.

The majority Council decision was to agree the £12.5m for affordable housing and £8.5m on related infrastructure. At the last Council meeting the Conservatives successfully proposed cutting the amount for affordable housing back to £8m and put the “infrastructure schemes” on hold. Of the remaining £13m, £500,000 will be used for road repairs, but nothing was specified for the rest of the LSVT capital receipt.

The “infrastructure schemes” included repairs to Pill’s Community & Youth Centre & various play areas near former Council house estates, road repairs in Weston’s Bourneville estate & elsewhere (in fact £211,000 was to be spent on road repairs from the LSVT receipt, so the extra £500,000 on road repairs is really only £289,000 extra).

You may also have read in the past about several Children’s Centres to be built across North Somerset, part-funded by the Government. The first, in the Ashcombe area of Weston, is up and running and the rest were put on hold after the election. Now decisions have been taken to go ahead with five, including one at Yatton, but centres in Congresbury and Portishead have been dropped and one in Clevedon is still undecided. The Congresbury centre would have covered Wrington’s children, and would have offered early learning and childcare, child and family health services, parental outreach, family support services & childminder support.

Garden waste: You probably also saw allegations in the Weston Mercury that garden waste is often collected with rubbish in the same vehicles and then sent to landfill. I have asked NSC officers about this and am told that investigations so far have found nothing to verify the report, and the story’s instigator might not actually be a Veolia employee. If garden waste and rubbish had often been put in the same vehicle then there would have been hundreds of complaints from residents, and I am only aware of two in the last four months and none before that. One complaint concerned an area where garden waste is not actually collected, and the other in Worle is being looked into.

School Travel Plan: Jane Thomas, the Head, has heard that Wrington’s School Travel Plan has been accepted. This school will receive some money next term for cycle racks etc, and I am still trying to find out what happens next about the highways measures proposed in Wrington village, including the approach roads. Highways working group to look at the School Travel Plan to come forward with issues the Parish Council would support.

Emergency Management: I attended a seminar on Emergency Management, & raised the subject of Parish & Town Councils. I will be sent a template which can be used for a Parish Emergency Plan, and an NSC officer can come out to talk to us if we wish. The Clerk was directed to organize a visit by the officer concerned.

Richards Garage: The application went before the NSC South Area Committee with a recommendation for refusal turned aside on five grounds, the full details of which will be contained within the SAC committee papers. Interestingly the NSC Highways Officer did not support refusal on access grounds.

Sandford Stone: The application for development on this site was also refused.

Open Forum

1) Cllr. Gallop explained the background the proposed “bar franchise” at the Sports and Social Club. It was stressed that it was only the bar and that the day-to-day running would continue as at present. The Directors of the WSSC are referring matters to solicitors in view of the implications contained within the existing lease. The Clerk was to ask Cllr. Berkley if he would look at it on behalf of the Parish Council. To be put on as an agenda item for the August Meeting.

2) Cllr. Thorn would like to extend the website by incorporating a “year” calendar so that all events in the Parish are publicised. Everyone in agreement that this was a good idea.

3) Notice of a hairdresser's and beauty business being opened in a ground floor flat at the rear of Bugler’s. No change of use permission seen and the Clerk was directed to advise NSC.

There being no other business the meeting was declared closed at 21.20 hours.

Ms E P Irving
Chairwoman