Woodford Parish Council Minutes March 2007

Present:	Mr P Bird (chair), Mr S Clifton, Mr P Colson, Mrs S Hayman, Mrs E Reid, Mr D Sharples, Mr I Vaughan, Mr M Vaughan and Mr D Woods.
In attendance:	Cllr Hughes, Cllr Langley, Mr P T Bird (Clerk)
Apologies for absence:	Mrs Godden, Mr B Mearns, Mr B and Mrs M Whalley
Minutes of last meeting:	The minutes of the Parish Council meeting having been circulated, were proposed by Mr M Vaughan, seconded by Mrs S Hayman, and agreed as a true record by those present. It was unanimously agreed that the Chairman sign them as such.
Youth Forum Update:	1: Mr M Vaughan reported that the majority of youth questioned within the village were in favour of a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) approximate size of 18 x 12 metres. The exact location was yet to be decided. Mr Colson was asked to pursue with the Playing Fields Committee who are responsible for the management of the area. The cost would be in the region of £35,000 but would be virtually maintenance free allowing greater use of the funds provided by William Davis. Alternative funding may be available from other sources including Cory Environmental Trust and ENC. Mr Vaughan and the Clerk are due to meet with an ENC Officer on 21^st March. Mrs Reid proposed, Mr Colson seconded and it was agreed that this be pursued.
Police Report:	2: A Police Officer was not present. It was suggested however, that a representative from Twywell and Great Addington may like to attend the next meeting when Chief Superintendent Dean Smith would be in attendance. Clerk to organise.
Comments from Electors:	3: No members of the electorate were present.
Cllr Langley’s Comments:	4: Cllr Langley mentioned the launch of the Community Safety Teams on 2^nd April at the Plaza Centre, Thrapston, when the Police Community Support Officers would be formerly introduced. (Correspondence also received in this regard.)
Cllr Hughes Comments:	5: Cllr Hughes reported that the Rockingham Forest Trust may be able to assist as a further source of income.
Matters arising from the minutes:	6: Street Lighting – De Capel Close. Mr Wain had responded to the Clerk’s letter suggesting the lamp may not be required. Councillors agreed that the lamp should be replaced as soon as possible and the Clerk was asked to arrange a meeting with ABB. 7: Country Hotel, Ringstead Road Great Addington. The Clerk’s letter of appeal was read out. 8: Parish Noticeboard. This had now been delivered and would be installed shortly. The ENC grant of £400 towards the cost of the board had been claimed. 9: Mineral Extraction. The Mineral extraction booklet had failed to circulate in time for the meeting. Councillors asked that the Clerk oppose the use of land to the north of the shrubbery and also the shrubbery itself at this early stage. Mr Clifton declined to comment as he had not seen the document. 10: Verge in Rose Terrace. The Clerk had attempted to find out who owned the piece of verge recently fenced off to the south of the Chapel in Rose Terrace. Having been unsuccessful with the District Council, Councillors agreed that a letter should be sent directly to the householder in question asking with whose authority the work had been carried out. 11: Policing. Mr P Hope MP had responded to the Clerk’s letter re policing and informed that on average policemen spent 70% of time on the beat against 30% of time on other matters. Additionally he reported that Police funding by Central Government did take into account population increases. 12: Litter Laws. The Clerk’s letter regarding the emergency attendance of litter problems was read out. ENC had not discounted the re-designation of Eady’s Row and part of Highfield being subjected to more frequent litter picking by Cory but this would be reviewed later in the year. 13: Temperance Hall. The Chairman reported that the sale of the Temperance Hall was still with Solicitors who now required that the property be registered with the Land Registry. Despite the Managing Trustees having the sole right to deal with the management of the hall, the Land Registry insisted that the Hall needed to be registered in the names of a Custodian Trustee (i.e. a statutory body which could not be dissolved completely), despite the Custodian Trustees having no rights with regard to the management of the asset. Councillors though somewhat dubious, agreed the legal advice. The Clerk was asked to inform the solicitors to continue with the legal process. 14: Mill Road Seat. After lengthy discussion Mr Woods proposed and Mr Colson seconded that the Clerk write to the developer requesting that the seat be placed in front of the high wall to the left of the show house.
Planning Issues:	15: Planning Committee Comments a) The Planning Committee had not commented on any plans since the last meeting. 16: East Northamptonshire Council Decisions a) 10 Highfield - Installation of Wind Turbine. Approved subject to no local TV interference within six months of installation. b) Daventry Farm - Re-instatement of gabled dormer window. Approved 17: New Planning Applications a) Stonecroft Rectory Lane – Removal of Conservatory and replace with single storey extension. No Objection. b) DeCapel House Rectory Lane – Single storey extension. No Objection. c) Derek Jones Site. – Expansion of parking area. Although not formerly consulted (outside of the parish) the Clerk was asked to inform ENC that the site must be appropriately screened on all sides and that conditions be made to ensure the site did not further encroach upon open countryside (already outside existing development zone) towards the junction of the old A604 / Kettering Rd and Thrapston Rd, Woodford. 18: Other Planning Matters a) Paddocks Development. ENC proposed that roads within the development should be called Paddocks Road and Windmill Close. Councillors had no objections to Windmill Close but suggested Paddock Road was more appropriate than Paddocks Road. Clerk to reply to ENC.
New Correspondence:	19: MIND The Oundle branch of MIND had written to the Parish Council seeking financial assistance as a result of funding cuts, which could result in a reduction in the services they offered. The Clerk was asked to enquire about the level of cuts and who had made them. 20: Service 16. Information received informed that from 16^th April this service would be provided by Judges Mini Coaches instead of Stagecoach. The timetable would be unchanged but no details were available as to fare prices. 21: Dog Control Orders. ENC informed that much of the Act concerning Dog Controls had been repealed and that new legislation was being implemented to cover all aspects of dog nuisance. Councillors had no objections to the methods being implemented by ENC but minor amendments to designated areas (i.e. where offenders can be prosecuted) were suggested. 22: Public Lamps. Central Networks had written requesting details of all street lamps in the village in order to update their records for pricing the power usage of these unmetered appliances. 23: Use of Village Green. The Parochial Church Council had written requesting use of the village green on 7^th July. All in favour but the Clerk was asked to point out that any insurance issues must be dealt with by the PCC. 24: The Chairman asked that the following items of correspondence be circulated: a) Detailed response on Policing b) Playback c) NCC Putting the customer first d) ENC Information circular e) East Midlands Rural Action Plan f) ENC reports of Committees
Finance:	Balance brought forward			£33429.40
	Plus Temperance Hall Insurance reimbursement			£169.86
	NCC Verge Cutting reimbursement			£440.93
				£34040.19
	Less
	1423	ABB Lighting (Lamp Maintenance)	£268.41
	1424	Mrs D Bosworth (Litter Picking 2 months)	£155.44
	1425	Clerk’s Salary plus expenses for year (£59.49)	£259.49
	1426	Woodford Baptist Church (Hire of meeting room)	£72.00
	1427	Glasdon UK Parish Noticeboard	£695.16
	1428	St Mary’s Church PCC (Churchyard Maintenance)	£300.00
	1429	Mr D Cullum (81 hrs hire of mower @£5ph)	£405.00	£2155.50
	Balance Carried forward			£31884.69

	25: Mr Woods proposed, Mr I Vaughan seconded, and it was unanimously agreed that the above accounts be settled.
Soil Deposits Top of Playing Field	26: The Clerk had been asked to raise the issue of the amounts of soil deposited adjacent to the Club Car Park. This has been carried out with the authority of the Playing Fields Committee and seeks to stop vehicles from gaining access to the rear of the WM Club buildings.
Repairs to Playground Fence	27: All Seasons had provided a price of £250 to repair the playground fence by removing the high fencing to the rear and using the fencing to replace the road side fencing. This was unanimously agreed.
Provision of Road Salt Bins	28: The Clerk reported he had been asked why slat bins were not located north of the village green. It was agreed that the location of all bins be surveyed and the provision of salt bins be revisited again at a future meeting.
Any other Business:	29: A14 / A6116. Clerk reported that he understood that many of the lay-bys on the A14 were to be closed as overnight resting points for lorry drivers. Parishes along the A6116 are extremely concerned that the road will not be able to cope with increased traffic once the 5000 home Prior’s Hall Development takes place at Corby / Weldon. 30: Parish Council Election. The Clerk informed the meeting that as soon as he received the nomination papers he would circulate to existing Councillors.

Woodford, Near Kettering, Northamptonshire, England