Meeting commenced at 7.15pm and ended at 8.30pm

 

 

PRESENT:

Cllrs:L Goodman (Chairman), C Milsom, S Roy, C Goodman, R Hubbocks, W Leech, N Haycock, S Dalman and G Matheou.

 In Attendance: - Jenny Walsh, Clerk.

 There were 37 members of the public present.

Those present were asked to switch off mobile telephones or other recording devices before commencement of proceedings.

1.	Apologies for absence Apologies were accepted from Cllrs, Love, Hadley, Thirlwell, Perry and Marshall. The Chairman welcomed back Cllr Haycock who had recently been absent due to illness.
2.	Declarations of Interest Members are asked to declare personal interests in any item on the agenda. Members are reminded that the Code of Conduct, which was adopted with effect from 14th May 2007, provides that they should declare the existence and nature of their personal interest at the commencement of the relevant item (or as soon as the interest becomes apparent.) If that interest is prejudicial they should leave immediately after having made representations, given evidence or answered questions, and before any debate starts. A Member must not stay in the room to observe discussion or debate on the matter. Failure to do so may be viewed as an attempt to improperly influence the meeting. Failure to disclose an interest (personal or prejudicial) can lead to an investigation by the Standards Board (England) or the Commission (Wales). At the JPC meeting held 1st February 2010, a Councillor disclosed a personal friendship with the proprietor of the Curtain Shop, during the Private Session of the meeting and this was considered by the other Councillors to be a personal and possible prejudicial interest which should have been declared before discussions commenced on the matter.  With this in mind, the Chairman drew particular attention to this section of the agenda and stressed the importance of Councillors' careful consideration of possible implications of failing to disclose a personal or prejudicial interest. Cllr Leech declared an interest in respect of his role as Editor of Henley News On-line and the Gateway websites.
	The Chairman reported that prior to this meeting, it had been brought to the Clerk's attention that Henley News On-line had published a statement telling the public that due to the calling notices on public notice boards not having been signed, the meeting was invalid and therefore could not be held.  Following enquiries to the County Secretary for WALC, it was confirmed that failing to sign the notice did not render the meeting invalid; the issue was reported and the meeting was scheduled to go ahead as planned.  The reason for non-signature was due to a last minute notification of unavailability of the church hall on the original date.  The Chairman only received this information late on Friday evening preceding the week of the meeting and therefore in order to ensure that the notification met the required days notice, circulated the notices himself.  He was not aware that they required the Clerk's signature due to the timescale involved and apologised for any inconvenience.  Before the meeting commenced to public participation, the Chairman stated that with regard to the Purple Curtain shop, he had nothing more to add other than as agreed at the last JPC meeting - a letter had been sent to the proprietors of the shop inviting them to join the Chair and Vice Chair in an informal meeting to build goodwill between the two parties and a mutually convenient date and time was being discussed. In relation to the alleged statements made by James Plaskitt MP in connection with the Purple Curtain shop, the Chairman confirmed that the Parish Council had had no communication with the MP either verbally or in writing regarding the shop and he would be writing to Mr Plaskitt to seek confirmation of the accuracy of the press reports and his responses if indeed, the reports were correct.
3.	Public participation session The Joint Parish Council will hear first from Councillors with prejudicial interests who must leave the room immediately after they have made their representations, answered questions or given evidence.  Residents are then invited to give their views and question the Parish Council on issues on this agenda, or raise issues for future consideration at the discretion of the Chairman (maximum 3 mins each). Members of the public may not take part in the remainder of the Parish Council meeting.   As this was a special meeting with a one-item agenda - to discuss media coverage of the JPC, the public were asked that any questions they may ask should be on this topic only.   P Crathorne, 8 Arden Road - Spoke of his concern that the media coverage of the JPC re the Curtain Shop could affect the JPC's reputation in the town, could affect visitor numbers and detract businesses from wanting to trade in Henley. He acknowledged good works undertaken by the Parish Council but urged that they include the public whenever possible in their meetings, and take note of public feeling when it was expressed.  He hoped that the best solutions could be sought with regard to the Planning matters relating to the Curtain Shop. D Bridgewater, Camp Lane, said that he had contributed to some of the articles published on Henley News Online (HNOL) and believed them all to be accurate. He was disappointed that the last JPC meeting had excluded the public from discussion and added that "It was not MI5 and the public had the right to hear what was said".  D Cox, 8 Prince Harry Road, stated that his comments were in relation to the special edition of HNOL which appeared recently and reminded those present that the matter was to do with failure to obtain Planning Permission by the Curtain Shop before they chose a colour scheme that infringed Listed Building and Conservation Area rules.  All shopkeepers must know that Planning Permission is needed for any changes and the comments made by James Plaskitt MP appear to show that he did not understand the Planning process either.  The MP should be supporting the Parish Council, not critisising them.  Describing a Cllr's comments of "this is my town" as rascist was ridiculous - most residents who had care and understanding used the possessive form - for example, "my town, my country" etc.  Mr Cox  urged people to work with the JPC not against it, and if they felt strongly about their views for the town, then stand for election when the opportunity arises. He had strong regard for the good work of the Councillors and stated that the job had no glory in it - just hard work. D Bassett  address  Stated that the email ‘alerts' she had received from the Editor of HNOL reminded her of a playground bully who was interested only in a fight. She was sure that the proprietors of the Curtain Shop were  pleased with the amount of free advertising the coverage had provided for them.  Ms Bassett reminded those present that  the Councillors were unpaid volunteers and that she was very proud of the hard work contributed by Cllr Mrs Goodman over the many years she had been a Councillor and urged her to stay working as long as she was able to do so. J Barrow, 7 Rose Avenue, felt that the message being given by the JPC was that they ‘dictated' what went on in the town. He felt that the Council had ‘overstepped the mark' and added that the people who had voted in the poll conducted on HNOL wanted an apology from the JPC if they wished to be re-elected.  Humility, he added, should be the prime consideration. E Williams, Fieldhouse Close, expressed her view that shops closing was not good for the town and this should  be the overriding consideration, not the Planning rules.  She drew comparisons with other shops in the town that  also had frontage which was of a bright or obtrusive colour. Z Miah - Proprietor of Curtain Shop, High Street - asked for the opportunity to apologise to the community for all the controversy the shop had caused and repeated his views that it was never the proprietors' intention to breach the Planning regulations, only to provide more prominence for their shop in its position on the High Street.  He apologised  for any offence he had caused.
4.	VB1 - To discuss current media coverage of the Joint parish Council The Chairman commenced discussion with Councillors by stating the following: Attention was drawn to the statement made by a resident, Mr Latham, at the last meeting,  when he stated that he was ashamed of the JPC and felt they did not work for the town. The Chairman in response to this, read out a statement, also made by Mr Latham, at the 2009 Parish Annual Assembly where he claimed that he would not want to be a  Parish Councillor as it ‘was too much like hard work'. The Chairman felt very disappointed that the commitment to hard work shown by the majority of Parish Councillors, was critisised by those who were not willing to do the job themselves. Cllr Goodman went on the read out some facts that he wished the public audience to be made aware of:   The video podcast which has recently gone live on the JPC website was funded by a grant raised by Cllr Matheou - it was not funded by the taxpayer as claimed on HNOL The JPC's own website is based on information and facts - it will never be used as a medium for expressing opinions or personal views Cllr Leech was unsuccessful in a Freedom of Information Act complaint he lodged against the JPC last year - his appeal against the decision was also unsuccessful The publication of Copyright material  is the property of the JPC without its consent is illegal and the Council will pursue legal action against anyone breaching that law In the past two years, over £27,000 has been raised by Councillors for project to benefit the town of Henley and to keep the Precept cost to the taxpayer down. The Parish Clerk is a senior member of the Council and can speak at JPC meetings on matters of advice, procedure and the law.  Any Councillor can ask the Clerk to read out a statement on their behalf if they wish and are not breaching the Code of Conduct or acting illegally as claimed by HNOL. Not one penny has been claimed by any Parish Councillor for expenses such as travel to and from meetings, telephone calls or other administrative costs incurred whilst undertaking their duties to the community.   Cllr Hubbocks added that the media appeared to have ‘gone to town' on the JPC for no apparent reason.  The majority of people were not aware of the complex and lengthy rules and regulations that Parish Councils have, by law, to abide with.  The matter of the Curtain Shop was referred, as the Council was duty-bound to do once a complaint had been raised by a resident, to the Planning Authority (SDC) and that would have concluded the matter had the proprietors not requested that the Council intervene to arrange a meeting with SDC.  The Vice Chairman stressed that the Council had never been against supporting local businesses and detested the idea of any business closing in the town as much as anyone else did. The facts of the handling of the Curtain Shop issue was misrepresented by the press and there was never any malice intended by the JPC towards the proprietors or any other business in the town. Cllr Matheou, who apologised for not being fully appraised of recent discussions due to family commitments, re-affirmed Cllr Hubbocks comments and summarised some of the schemes that are currently being worked on by the Business Committee of the JPC that will directly promote economic activity for Henley.  A loyalty card scheme was being considered, and local markets using Henley retailers' products, not those brought in by other traders, was planned using £2k of grant aid raised in the latter part of 2009.  With regard to signage and colour schemes, a balance between adhering to the Listed and Conservation Area rules, whilst maximising display possibilities was key to successful retail premises and the JPC and the Planning Authorities were prepared and willing to work with any business if they seek their advice.   With regard to the video podcast, Cllr Matheou stated that it was the culmination of 3 months of hard work on his, and its other contributors parts, and to have it stolen was a breach of the law.  The Council would be pursuing legal advice on how to proceed with this matter. Cllr Haycock said that he also, had been unable to attend the JPC meetings for some months due to personal illness, and was now pleased to be back but sad that the present discontent was apparent.  He said that he also, as a fellow High Street proprietor, was only too aware of the impact of closed shops on the economy of the town and felt that closures should be prevented if at all costs. He also raised the question of business rates that, although not directly related to the present discussion, had had a crippling effect on some small traders in the town and he would be championing the lessening of financial burden for such businesses during the recession with the District Council. Cllr Leech, in response to some of the questions raised in connection with HNOL, said that there had been a misunderstanding regarding the request to have the meeting stopped due to the unsigned Notice.  The results of the on-line poll he added, were impartial and accurate in his opinion, and he wanted to work with the JPC but felt his requests had been rejected.  He had printed at least two letters to the Editor of HNOL, that were against the views previously expressed by the Newsletter's Editorial Team, and this demonstrated that its treatment of the matter of the JPC was fair and unbiased. He also added that he had published 240 editions of HNOL and felt that it had increased trade for Henley. The Chairman responded to Cllr Leech by asking why he did not seek the JPC's permission before publishing policy documents, the podcast etc, as he had always done so when printing articles from other sources such as Stratford Herald?  Cllr Matheou stated that whatever else was said, the main goal of the Parish Council would always be Henley first and foremost.  A website was a merely a business tool not the master of all it was connected with.  It was vital to conduct matters without conflict and maintain positivity throughout. Cllr C Goodman wished to add that the role of a Parish Councillor was not an easy one " You have to want to do this job, and I do, and will continue to do so".  Discussion on the matter concluded with the Chairman reminding the public present that there was never any intention to hide the facts from them  and that the reasons for discussions in private session were clearly and precisely set out by Local Government Act legislation.  Public participation would always be on the JPC agenda and every step would be taken to ensure that every matter which came before the Parish Council would have some discussion that all the public who chose to be there, could hear.

5.             Date and Time of next meeting

            To confirm the date of the next meeting which is scheduled for Monday 15th February  2010.

(Due to timescale, these minutes will not be presented for approval until JPC meeting on 1^st March 2010)

 BEAUDESERT & HENLEY-IN-ARDEN

JOINT PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of a Meeting held at the Baptist Church Hall, High Street,

Henley-in-Arden on Monday15th February 2010

Meeting commenced at 7.15pm and ended at 8.10pm

PRESENT:

Cllrs:L Goodman (Chairman), C Milsom, S Roy, C Goodman, R Hubbocks, W Leech, N Haycock, G Matheou

 In Attendance: - Jenny Walsh, Clerk, County Councillor M Perry.

 There were 8 members of the public present.

Those present were asked to switch off mobile telephones or other recording devices before commencement of proceedings.

1.	Apologies for absence Apologies were accepted from Cllrs. Love, Hadley, Dalman, Thirlwell and Marshall.
2.	Declarations of Interest Members are asked to declare personal interests in any item on the agenda. Members are reminded that the Code of Conduct, which was adopted with effect from 14th May 2007, provides that they should declare the existence and nature of their personal interest at the commencement of the relevant item (or as soon as the interest becomes apparent.) If that interest is prejudicial they should leave immediately after having made representations, given evidence or answered questions, and before any debate starts. A Member must not stay in the room to observe discussion or debate on the matter. Failure to do so may be viewed as an attempt to improperly influence the meeting. Failure to disclose an interest (personal or prejudicial) can lead to an investigation by the Standards Board (England) or the Commission (Wales). Cllr Leech declared a personal interest as the Editor of Henley News On-line.
3.	Public participation session The Joint Parish Council will hear first from Councillors with prejudicial interests who must leave the room immediately after they have made their representations, answered questions or given evidence.  Residents are then invited to give their views and question the Parish Council on issues on this agenda, or raise issues for future consideration at the discretion of the Chairman (maximum 3 mins each). Members of the public may not take part in the remainder of the Parish Council meeting. There were no contributions from the public.
4.	Reports from County and District Councillors Cllr Perry reported that discussions had taken place with the resident of 79 Arden Road regarding objections to the zig zag lines proposed by the primary school in Henley.  It was hoped that the lines could now be positioned as a road safety measure as soon as possible. Following discussions at the last meeting regarding provision of new grit bins for the town, Cllr Perry asked that the JPC liaise with Bryn Patefield at WCC regarding the proposed locations of the bins so that suitable sites could be agreed that would be accessible for filling by WCC Highways staff.  Concrete bases for the new bins would also be provided by WCC. As a follow up to insurance indemnity for people clearing footpaths etc in the event of bad weather., it was confirmed that they should be reassured of no threat of prosecution if they act with good intent - ie to assist in creating safer walkways or roads. Work was still on-going for flood relief activities on Warwick Road. Temporary traffic lights would be in use week commencing 22nd February.  Council tax for 20010/11 had now been fixed at below 2.5% although possible cuts to the County Music Service may mean that the subsidies for this service in schools could be lowered. Cllr Mrs Goodman asked for her thanks to be passed on to the Highways team for replenishing the grit bins in the town.
5.	Minutes of meeting held 1st February 2010  to be approved and signed The minutes were approved and duly signed by the Chairman.
6.	To report matters arising from the minutes of the meeting held 1st February 2010  - for information only There were no matters arising.

7.             To consider the Council's representation on Planning Applications received:

Application no.	Proposal	Address in Henley-in-Arden	Submitted by:
09/02508/FUL	Single storey extension, first floor extensions to western & eastern elevations	Beaudesert Farm, Camp Lane, Henley in Arden, B95 5QP	Mr K Ellis

        

Councillors had no objections to the above proposal provided materials used were compatible with the existing building and the extensions complied with the 30% rule.

8.             To note the District Council's Planning Decisions:

Application No.	Proposal	Address in Henley-in-Arden	JPC Recommendation	Decision
09/02585/TREE	T1 conifer -fell	239 High Street, Henley in Arden B95 5BG	Tree Officer's recommendations	CONSENT with conditions
09/02624/TREE	T1  Hazel - fell T2- cypress - reduce 50%	150 High St, Henley in Arden, B95 5BS	Tree Officer's recommendations	CONSENT with conditions

 The decisions were noted.

9.             Correspondence and other matters for consideration

VB1-To note information from WCC regarding the Local Transport Plan - Cllrs were asked to complete a questionnaire and return it to the Clerk.

VB2- To note and formally record the Precept figure for the Parish Council for 2010/11 - Council noted that the sum of £82,650 (as set out and agreed at JPC meeting held 21^st December 2009) was sent to SDC in January 2010 as the Council's Precept request for 2010/11.

VB3- To discuss the publication of the Parish Council's Emergency Plan - Cllr Milsom (Chairman of the JPC Emergency Committee) reported that following Cllr Leech's request that the Council publish its emergency plan on the JPC website, as other local Parishes had done; he had investigated the situation with Mick Potter, Emergency Team Leader at WCC.  Mr Potter confirmed that the two Councils referred to by Cllr Leech were in breach of Data Protection legislation in publishing confidential information on the Internet.  It was therefore agreed that the Emergency Committee would consider at their later meeting, whether publishing an edited version of the Plan would be viable.  Cllr Milsom also confirmed to Cllr Leech that the first response for emergencies is WCC and the emergency services, the Parish Council would only be first response in the event of the other authorities not being able to get into the town.  The Emergency Committee members already had a copy each of the full plan and their details already appear on the JPC website and the Newsletter.

VB4- To consider purchase of disabled adapted picnic bench for Jubilee Play Area -The Chairman reported that the quarterly inspection reports on the play spaces in Henley had recommended that the Council considered the provision of a picnic bench that could be used by wheelchair bound persons for the Jubilee Play Area.  If purchased, this would match existing provision on Riverlands and it was agreed that the Council would accept the Finance Committee's recommendation to provide the bench at an approximate cost £300.

VB5- To consider purchase of additional grit bins for the town- The Chairman reported that the Finance Committee had considered the recommendation of the General Purposes and Emergency Committees that the Council provide an additional six bins over a phased period to improve existing grit bins in use in the town.  Orbit Housing were considering assisting with the purchase of two bins for locations near their social housing which left four for the Council to fund.  Cllrs unanimously agreed to purchase 4 bins under the County contract at £132 each. WCC would provide and replenish supplies of grit once in situ.

VB6-To consider request for maintenance contractor to improve water collection containers on the JPC allotments-Cllr Hubbocks proposed that the Council engage the services of a contractor to move one of the existing water buts to the north side of the allotments to facilitate the new plots once created.  The remaining water but would be improved to achieve better water collection.  This work would cost a maximum of £225. Council agreed unanimously to approve these works ( the north side being deferred until the programme could secure full funding to complete the project).

VB7- To consider recommendation from GPC regarding Play Builder funding - Cllr Hubbocks reported that the GPC had considered the proposals put forward by SDC regarding funding for creation of additional play spaces for the community.  However, due to legal constraints set into the Deeds of the land belonging to the Parish Council, no further creation of play areas could be done; therefore the funding could not be used by the Parish Council.  This information was noted.

 10.         Committee reports - To receive and consider draft minutes on Committee Reports

                General Purposes Committee - 28^th January 2010 - Noted with amendment that date of next meeting was 11^th March.

11.          Any other business - exchange of information

Each Councillor is requested to use this opportunity to report minor matters of information not included elsewhere on the agenda and to raise items for future agendas.

Councillors are respectfully reminded that this is not an opportunity for debate or decision making

Cllr Mrs Goodman reported that she and four other Cllrs had attended an excellent training course on Planning on Saturday 13^th February 2010. Mrs Goodman requested that the Clerk contact the Youth Worker at the Hub to request that graffiti on the skateboard ramp be cleaned off.

Cllr Hubbocks reported that there would be a meeting with all allotment holders on Tuesday 23^rd February at 7pm in the Baptist Church hall.

Cllr Matheou reported that the Podcast was now completed and he was now working on a revision of the JPC website.  The Business Committee would be investigating the uses for the Business Initiative grant of £2k that was recently awarded to the Council. Cllr Matheou would be meeting with businesses in the town in 3 separate groups according to the nature of their businesses, to discuss proposals to introduce a loyalty card scheme for the towns' premises. Cllr Matheou also reported that the Business Committee would be considering wider use of the JPC newsletter to include a website version and more frequent publications in future.  The financial implications would be considered by the Finance and Asset Management Committee in due course.

The Chairman reported that the Grass Cutting contract was due for renewal in April 2010.  He would be submitting recommendations on a preferred supplier from the Finance Committee at the JPC on 15^th March 2010.

The Clerk reported that Community Engagement training was planned for 6 March 2010 and asked that Councillors interested in attending the session contact her.  Cllr Hubbocks requested that he would like to attend the training.  The Clerk also reported that new road safety packs had been produced by WCC and a small quantity were available from the Parish Office.

12.          To authorize orders for payment

            000134- Mrs J Walsh- Salary for February 2010- £1,441.29

            000135-Podcats- Design of Video podcast for JPC website - £1,175.00

         000136-Fairways Contracting Ltd- grass cutting fees for Jan and Feb 2010-£1,504.20

13.           Publications and other items of interest

                There were no items reported.

14.           Under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, in view of the (special)(confidential)* nature of the business about to be   transacted, it is advisable in the public interest, as if members of the public were present during the consideration of such business, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information under paras 1 and 11 of Part 1 Schedule 12A of the above Act, that the public be temporarily excluded and they are instructed to withdraw"

To consider release of budget for legal advice

It was proposed by Cllr Roy, seconded Cllr Hubbocks, that the Council move into private session for the next item due to the topic being consideration of possible legal proceedings.  Cllrs were reminded that legal matters must only be discussed in private session if they relate to individuals or organizations in which the JPC has association. 

Following information set out by Cllr Matheou it was resolved that the Council would use its budget (£500) towards the cost of obtaining professional legal advice on 3 matters affecting the Parish Council.  Cllr Leech abstained from voting on the proposal.

15.          Date and Time of next meeting

                To confirm the date of the next meeting which is scheduled for Monday 1^st March  2010.

 

Further pages related to this section:-                             Minutes Archive