PCMinutes

Minutes of a meeting of Clifton Parish Council held on Thursday 13 th November 2008 in Clifton Community and Sports Centre, Whiston Crescent, Clifton at 7. 30 pm

Present: Mr B. Livesey (in the Chair)

Mr D. Bullen

Mrs I. Cook

Mr M. Ephgrave

Mr S. Fish

Mrs P. Livesey,

Mr S. Melia

Dr R. Puritz

Mr J. Stevens

District and County Councillor T. Rogers and two members of the public.

1. Public Forum: There was no Public Forum

2. Apologies Apologies were presented from Mr A.Burnage, Mr T. Cobb and Mr I. Pacey.

3. Minutes : The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, 9 th October 2008, a copy of which had been circulated to each member of the Council were agreed to be a correct record and signed.

4. Matters arising from the minutes :

4.1 Remembrance Sunday; The Chairman commented on the service at the War Memorial which had been well attended and thanked those who had helped in any way .

4.2 War Memorial A brief report on the progress of the reconstruction was given. The Chairman reported that he had asked Mr Germann to report any signs of decay in the original structure and to rectify them during the reconstruction. It was noted that the stone would not be replaced until the spring owing to the difficulty of cutting a suitable stone and the subsequent engraving. It was noted that promises of grant aid had been received from Bedfordshire County Council and from the War Memorial Trust. The War Memorial had been re-insured at an increased value of £60,000.00 and the premium paid. .

4.3 Memorial bench : The cost of this had been reimbursed by Mr Rees and this had been acknowledged. Mr Rees had seen the bench and expressed his satisfaction.

4.4 Garden of Remembrance. It was noted that Mrs Livesey has included holly hedging to be planted at the entrance and also two whitebeam trees for this in her order to the County Council.

4.5 Redecoration of Community Centre; To date a chair rail has been installed and the redecoration of doors and cloakroom floors is in progress.

4.6 Allotments: It was noted that 10 residents are interested in having allotments in the village. It was agreed to write to farmers in the village enquiring whether they had land which they would be prepared to rent for this purpose.

4.7 Pegasus Planning : it was reported that Cllr T. Cobb had drafted letter offering a copy of the Shefford Road survey at a cost of £50.00. The offer was accepted, a copy was sent, and the £50.00 cheque received..

4.8 It was noted that an estimate for installing anti-glare on the windows at the Community Centre at a cost of £.65.00 per window had been received from MBJ Windows of Shefford. This will be referred to the Playing Field Committee for further discussion.

4.9 Numatic Floor Cleaner It was reported that this had now been serviced..

4.10 The Sunday Football Team has been invoiced for cost of repair to basin in the changing rooms.

4.11 Bank Accounts It was reported that the Business Premium Account no. 20878537 and Business Reserve Account no.00507296 had been closed and an Instant Access Saver Account No. 93596974 opened.

4.12 Vision 21 Site allocations – Issues and options: It was noted that a copy of this for the village had been obtained but there were objections as the comments of the Parish Council had in some instances not been included. Negotiations to have these recorded were in progress.

5. Outstanding Matters: The lists of Outstanding Matters were circulated and discussed. They would be referred to the Committees.

6. Correspondence :

6.1 Mr Don Brace, Clifton Bury Farm: Letter concerning flooding outside Clifton Bury Farm. This was referred to Mr Cobb

6.2 Mr A. Welsford 35 Clifton Park Letter of complaint concerning the state of pot holed roads. This letter was referred to Mr Cobb.

6.3 CPRE: Reminder that Membership renewal 2008/2009 was now due. It was agreed that the Council should continue its membership during the forthcoming year and a cheque was duly drawn.

6.4 CPRE (Bedford) Charity Do – Invitation to purchase tickets.

6.5 Design Guide for Mid Beds – Launch of Public Consultation

6.6 Annual Report and accounts Beds and Luton NHS.

6.7 Communities in Control

6.8 Shefford Health Centre Consultation

Clerk and Councils Direct Nov. 2008

Local Council Record Vol 60. No. 4. November 2008

Open Space Autumn 2008 Vol 29 No. 3

The Playing Field

7. Community Centre and Playing Fields Management Committee:

The report of the meeting held on Wednesday, 15 th October 2008, a copy of which had been circulated to each member of the Council was presented and discussed. It was noted:-

7.1 Clifton Cuisine advertisement Mr Stevens would prepare the advertisement but required some photographs of groups using the premises .

7.2 .Trees Mr Morwood had advised some pruning of the dead wood and revising the grass mowing around the bases of the mature trees. However it was thought that there was a potential danger from broken glass should the grass remain uncut and Mr. Crawley had been advised to continue mowing for next year. Mr Mayor is to be approached about removing the dead wood .

7.3 Anti-glare on windows. A quote is being sought.

7.4 Ramp repairs . The ramps have now been repaired.

7 .5 Water heater in Gents Toilet. Mr Stevens is to contact manufacturer to seek advice about the problem.

7.6 Floor peeling in other places. ABC should be called in.

7.7 The gutters are still leaking. Since Mr Potter does not appear be interested in supplying a quotation for new gutters others should be obtained.

7.8 Computerised monthly accounts were now being sent out .

7.9 Cracks in brickwork Mr Fish had fitted detectors over the cracks and these would be monitored.

7.10 Sweeping car park : Mr Stevens reported this had now been swept twice. The gates would need to be opened early before Verdant's visit and there was some doubt whether he could do this next time. Mr Melia offered to stand by to do so.

7 . 11 Football Matters (a) It was noted that the Saturday team had paid in full. The Sunday teams' payment was yet to be received.

(b) Casual letting of pitch. Clifton Football Club had agreed that this could be done at a charge of £40.00 per time 50% of this to go to Clifton Football Club and the remainder to the Parish Council.

7.12 Xerscape fitness equipment project . Wicksteeds have been notified that this project has been suspended until funding for the repairs to the War Memorial is secured

7.13 Floor Cleaner. Mr Stevens reported that he had received and fitted the new part to the machine but it was still not working correctly. It was agreed that a service engineer should be called out to service the machine and Mr Ste vens asked to be present whilst this was taking place.

7.14 Wash hand basin had been refitted to wall in home changing room. Sunday football team are to be billed £36.99 for this repair.

7.15 New dustpans, mops and buckets were obtained for the changing rooms. Mrs Yarwood had undertaken to change the mops .

7.16 JDS Plumbing had supplied a quotation to replace the shower units. The other two firms AG plumbing services, Steve Knott are to be asked if they had obtained the necessary information.

7.17 Finance . (a) Mrs Yarwood's, Mr Ansell-Carter's and Mr Ferguson's accounts had been authorised.

(b) The end of month balance is £2608.88

7.18 C orrespondence (a) Mr Stevens read a letter from Mr Deanes, 38 Whiston Crescent which had been forwarded by Mid Beds District Council approving the Committee's article in Clifton Chronicles and advocating a total ban of dogs on the playing field. The Clerk will acknowledge this letter.

(b) Estimate from JDS Plumbers for £380.00 to replace two showers in the changing rooms.

(d) An e-mail had been received from Mr Yarwood registering an official complaint about the way his wife was spoken to by members of the Football Club. This was noted and Mr Stevens outlined the proposed preventative measures which should be taken. These were accepted by those present.

It was noted that d uring the course of the meeting two bricks were thrown at the fire doors breaking the glass the rein. The police were called and the meeting continued.

7. 19 Any other Business ; (a) Two new kettles are required. The Clerk was asked to order them .

(b) A large clock is required .

(c) In view of the damage caused to the fire doors it would be necessary to get estimates for the repair of them. The Clerk was recommended to approach MBJ Windows (Shefford) for a quotation.

(d) A tap in the ladies' toilets requires attention.

(e) At the time of the damage to the firedoors It was noted that the two lights at the rear of the Community Centre did not illuminate the surrounding area sufficiently. Consideration must be given to installing more powerful ones

The report was then adopted. It was reported that an estimate had now been received from AG Plumbing Services for £260.00; the other (considerably higher) estimate specified Triton showers. It was agreed that the former should be asked to quote for similar showers. Mr Stevens also reported that MBJ had submitted an estimate of £39.91 per window for replacing the glass in the two fire doors, and this had been accepted.

8 . Highways Committee: . The report of the meeting held on Thursday, 16 th October, a copy of which had been sent to each member of the Council was presented and discussed. It was noted:-

8.1 War Memorial: Work had now commenced to extend the pavement . County Highways had reported there would be a delay in obtaining the bollards and these would be installed at a later date. Mr Livesey noted that he had been in discussion with Nick Germann from Dawsons and advised him of the Council's preference for cast iron guttering on the reconstructed memorial. He further noted that in response to his letter to the leader of Beds County Council a contribution of £5,000. 00 would be made towards the cost of repairs. The Chairman reported that Mid Beds District Council would be considering the application shortly.

8.2 Remembrance Sunday The arrangements for Remembrance Sunday had been discussed. A wreath had been ordered. Mid Beds had confirmed the closure of Church Street from 10.45 – 11.15 am and the police had been asked for cover and to provide extra cones . The bugler had confirmed that she was able to attend; her fee was unchanged. Mr Pacey undertook to have a board with the names made up and also to letter the crosses.

8.3 Re-dedication of the stone. At the Parish Council meeting Mr Stevens had suggested that the new stone should be dedicated. The Committee approved this proposal and suggested that representatives from the County Council and other bodies be invited and the Rector asked to devise a service. It was suggested that either the Bishop of Bedford or the Archdeacon , Ven. P. Hughes might be invited to re-dedicate the memorial.

8.4 Trees: Mrs Livesey had submitted a request for new trees to Mr Alderman and reported that 20 metres of holly hedging and two Whitebeam for the churchyard and in addition 1 oak tree to be planted between lamp posts 16 and 17 on the S bend of Shefford Road, 1Prunus Mount Fuji for outside “Coromandel”, Broad Street, 1 Rowan to replace the broken one outside No. 11 Shefford Road, and 2 Purple Plumb to be planted on the splay nearest the road outside 45 Pedley Lane had been ordered. She had also requested that the rowan and the plumb trees be caged.

8.5 Bilberry Verges : Aragon were contacting Mr Granger about an area of unmown grass and would take up the matter of access with him directly.

8.6 Cars parking on the verges: Cars were continuing to park on the verges. It was suggested that copy of the letter should be put in Clifton Chronicles to ask the general public not to do so and add a reminder that to do so means that Mr Granger is unable to mow where a car is parked and also the likelihood of damage during the winter seasons.

8.7 Memorial Bench: Mr Rees had been thanked for this. He had refunded the cost and written to acknowledge M essrs Cobb and Bullen's work.

8.8 Street Lighting - Stockbridge Road County Highways had notified the Council that this had been added to the 5 year schedule of work

8.9 Confident Communities; It was noted that the VAS sign would be paid out of the contribution and the balance would be put towards the cost of providing bollards around the War Memorial.

8.10 Allotments ; It was noted that Van Diemens land was currently leased to Mr Watts on a 10 year contract. This had still several years to run so was not available for allotments. The Clerk noted that she had recently received another request for one.

8.11 .Verges At the previous meeting it had been suggested that the Parish Council should plant some crocuses and Tête à Tête daffodils. Mr and Mrs Livesey had purchased some sacks of bulbs and they and Mr Bullen had planted them. The Chairman asked that the Committee's thanks to them for this and also for the planting of the village planters be recorded..8.12 Pond Mr Cobb reported that he had retrieved items from the pond. He had also been planting clumps of iris and water lilies but it was not certain that they had become established owing to the duck population. It was suggested that thought might be given to having a further clean out .

8.13 New Road: Complaints had been received about the state of the hedge at 1 New Road and a letter should be sent.

8.14 New lighting: The Chairman reported that he had now been advised that the Parish Council's contribution towards the new lighting scheme would be £11,000.00 Mr Livesey was trying to find out the reason for this increase.

8.15 Proposed rustic seat: There was nothing further to report ; the tree trunk still required moving..

8.16 The Chairman reported that he had replied to Pegasus Planning offering a copy of the police survey at a cost of £50.00.

8.17. Other Matters Mrs Livesey asked for help in tidying the Garden of Rest. It was noted that dog walkers are still using the bin to dispose of dog mess. A note about this had gone into Clifton Chronicles. It was agreed that Mid Beds should be written to requesting a dog bin in the vicinity and also that a new wall mounted bin should be purchased by the Parish Council in place of the existing open bin.

The report was then adopted. Mr Livesey reported that the ladder bars on the new lamp standards would be removed shortly. It was also noted that Mid Beds District Council offered to instal a combined dog/litter bin on the adjoining wall; this offer was accepted by the Council.

9. Planning

The under mentioned plan had been returned to Mid Beds with no objection raised:

08/02027 /FULL: Erection of single garage to side of property and conversion of existing garage into third bedroom at 10 Hitchin Lane, ( Mr K. Jones)

The under mentioned application for the granting of a Lawful Development Certificate was returned with objections by a majority citing lack of proof of actual residence during the period claimed.

Mid Beds approved the following applications: -

08/01470/CAC Demolition of existing outbuilding to enable construction of 1no dwelling with double garage on Land adjoining 25 Stockbridge Rd.

O8/01491/FULL Two storey front and rear extensions at 13 Pedley Lane (Mr R. Welsford)

08/01583/FULL: Replacement front canopy and new windows on side elevation at 62 Shefford Road (Mr Pullem)

08/01666/CAC: Demolition of brick and timber barns and garage at Pedley Farm (Messrs. D. M and P. Watts)

08/01665/LB Restoration of Barn adjacent to Pedley Farm, Grange Street to form studio or craft workshop (Messrs. D. M. And P. Watts

08/01777/TPO : Pruning of sycamore tree back by 20% at 2 Rectory Close (Mr C. Paine)

Mid Beds refused the following application: -

08/01428/FULL Replace existing garage with two storey side extension at 5 Church Street (Mr Martin)

For Information: Trees in a Conservation Area Fell two trees – a sycamore and a sorbus at The Old Post Office, 14 Church St.

Also for tree work at All Saints Church: Mrs Livesey reported that she had met the assistant tree officer in the churchyard and in discussion with him learned that since the churchyard was classified as private land the local authority had no powers of jurisdiction.

It was also reported that Mid Beds District Council had refused permission for the retention of the pre-school building. Mr Rogers stated that he was striving to get Mouchel to rectify their errors in not adhering to the original plans approved.

10 Reports

(a) Clifton Lower School: Mrs Livesey made a report on a presentation on Trust Schools attended by the governors, who were divided in their views about the merits of the proposal..

(b) Mid Beds District Council:.Councillor Rogers made a brief report.

(c) Beds CC: Councillor T. Rogers made a short report; currently plans for the transfer of power to Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough was the dominant issue at County Hall.

(d) Other i. Residents Association/Care Scheme Joint Annual General Meeting: Mr Livesey reported briefly on this meeting.

ii. Bedfordshire Association of Town and Parish Councils AGM. The Clerk attended this meeting on 22 nd October. There were two presentations . (a) Jen Wingate on InspireEast and (b) Quality Councils and new standards being set for these. In connection with the first an event is to be held at Purtteridgebury on 24.11.08 to provide a series of half day updates and briefing sessions on Community Empowerment and the role Councillors play in their local area.

iii. The Clerk and Mr Cobb had attended the launch of the Design Guide for Mid Beds and the start of the public consultation. Two copies would be circulated for information and comments.

11. Finance

:Current bank statements at 31.10.08 . show

Community Account £1235.06

Instant Access Business Premium Ac £99813.05

The Village Improvement Fund stands at £81,676.10) £29,000 is earmarked for the cost of lighting,

Outstanding accounts:: Clifton Cuisine £160.00–

Receipts: The following receipts were reported; Barclays Bank plc ¼ interest on Business Reserve A/c £531.67; Mrs T. Chiswell: Hire of Centre in September £308.00; Clifton 1 st Brownies: Hire of Centre in September £22.50: Henlow Village Badminton: Hire of Centre in October £88.00; Barclays Bank plc; Closing balance on Business Reserve a/c £191.92: Mrs S. Haynes: Hire of Centre on 25.10.08 £76.00; Mr H. Manning: Hire of field for fair £175.00; Clifton FC (Sunday team) ½ payment for season £170.00; Mr B. Rees: Refund of cost of memorial bench £5115.63; Mrs K. Blackmore: Hire of Centre on 1.11.08 £204.00; Clifton Parent and Toddlers: Hire of Centre in September £60.00; Pegasus Planning: Speed survey for Shefford Road £50.00; The Woodlands Pre School Hire of Centre in July £76.00; Mrs D. Jackson: Hire of Centre 6.12.08 £48.00; Mrs T. Chiswell: Hire of Centre in Oct £363.00; Beds CC: Hire of Centre for Keepfit £90.00;

Payments The following payments were authorised :

J. Ferguson 1 Months Litter collection £60.00 ( Ch101487 )

Adrian Crawley: Playing Field maintenance in October £286.66 (Ch101488)

Mrs J. Yarwood: Wages for November(less tax and NI ) £588.78 (Ch 101489/90)

I. Ansell Carter; Wages for November (less tax) £89.00 ( Ch101491 )

Southern Electric: Electricity for October +VAT £96.68 ( Ch10149 )

D. J. Granger Landscapes Ltd: Cutting grass and weeding kerbs etc +V AT £152.75 (Ch101493)

B. LiveseyB. Livesey: Refund of cost of plants for planters £52.24 (Ch101494 )

Herts COunty Council: Kettles and Clock for Community Centre +VAT £70.27 (ch101495 )

SUNI UK Ltd; Refurbishing junior play sign + VAT £35.23 (Ch 101496)

Anglian water: Water bill Apr;-October 2008 £22.48 (ch101497)

D and J. Window cleaners £12.00 (Ch 101498)

Open Spaces: Annual subscription £30.00 (Ch101499)

CPRE; Annual subscription £28.00 ( Ch101500)

R.& J. Carpentry: Supply and fit ”tell tales” to Community Centre £92.12 (Ch101501)

S. J. Fish: Refund of cost of mastic £22.00 (Ch 101502)

Mrs J. C, Lanham: For petty cash and refund of cost of wreath and bugler (Ch101503)

Transfer The Clerk was given permission to transfer £1100 from the Instant Transfer a/c to the Community Account.

12. Dates of next meetings : Thurs, 11 th December 2008 - Thurs, 8 th January 2009 - Thurs, 12 th February 2009