Minutes of the Sibford Gower Parish Council Meeting held in Sibford Gower Endowed Primary School on 14th October 2013

Present
Parish Cllrs Peter Abbott, Mrs Susan Bannister, Oswyn Murray (Chairman), Alan Parkin and Mrs Gilian Soden, County and District Councillor George Reynolds, seven Local Electors and the Clerk.
 
Minutes
It was proposed by Cllr Peter Abbott and seconded by Cllr Gilian Soden that the Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 3rd June 2013 be approved as a correct record and they were then signed by the Chairman.

Matters Arising
Complaints Procedures: The Chairman reported that he had been completely exonerated with regard to a complaint against him made to the District Council by a local resident. This resulted in what is believed to have been a very expensive investigation. He does not intend to let the matter rest here.

Joint Meetings with the Ferris Parish Council: The Chairman advised that the matter will be taken forward.

Mawles Farm barn roof: A letter advising the potential danger of tiles falling from the roof was sent to the owner on 18th June but with no result. It now appears that part of the metal roofing has been damaged by high winds causing another future problem. The Clerk was instructed to seek advice from the appropriate department at the District Council.

The Sibford’s Community Plan: Apologies were received from Mrs Sue Mattinson but she had previously advised the Clerk that there was nothing further to be reported at present apart from the continuing success of the Walking Club thanks to the hard work of Sue Bannister.

Chairman’s Report
The Chairman said that he attended a Meeting concerned with Local Government Boundary Commission which involves a review of wards. The outcome rests with a Central Government Review Board.

Bishop Blaize: The Parish Council has made a second application to the District Council to have the Bishop Blaize registered as a Community Asset and a decision is awaited.

The chairman reported on decisions taken by circulation of Councillors since the last meeting, and these were formally approved.

Review of Councillors’ Interests
There have been no changes in Councillors’ Interests since the previous review.

Asset Register
There have been no changes in the Council’s assets since the previous review and risks remain unchanged.

Clerk’s Report
The Clerk reported that he with Cllrs Susan Bannister and Peter Abbott attended the Cherwell Parish Meeting about Neighbourhood Planning, Community Governance Review, Council Tax and Parish Precepts and New Homes.

Following the official closure of the Churchyard in the not too distant future, the maintenance of it will fall upon the Parish Council unless it decides to pass the responsibility to the District Council. Five contractors have been asked to submit quotations for the work involved and when received the Parish Council will make a decision as to the way forward.

An enquiry had been received from a former Ferris resident as to whether the ashes of her late husband could be buried in the Parish Council Burial Ground and a flowering tree or bush planted to mark the spot so that it may be seen from the Ferris. The Parish Council decided that this would not be practical setting a precedence causing maintenance problems at a later stage. The Ashes burial area will remain open in the Churchyard and the ashes could be buried there. The former resident is aware of this and has offered to provide an item, such as a bench, for use in the Parish. The Clerk will take matters forward.

Financial Matters
External Auditors BDO completed the external audit for the year ended 31st March 2013 and there were no matters that came to their attention which required the issuing of a separate additional issues arising report. The Annual Return was presented to the Parish Council and proposed by Cllr Alan Parkin and seconded by Cllr Peter Abbott it was approved and accepted. The notice of the conclusion of the Audit had been displayed on the Parish Council notice board and remained there for the requisite period of fourteen days.

Clerk’s Salary: It was agreed that the Clerk’s salary should be now at Spinal Column Point 26 following the publication of the 2013/2014 National Salary Awards. Currently, salary is £450 per quarter (£270.00 after tax). The increased salary as from the December payment will be £530.00 per quarter before tax is deducted.

Proposed by Cllr Peter Abbott and seconded by Cllr Gilian Soden it was resolved that the following payments be made:-

Cheque No. 177 £25.00 dated 11.06.13 payable to Peter Abbott being reimbursement of the cost of map purchased in connection with Pond research. (Retrospectively)

Cheque No. 178 £45.00 dated 06.07.13 payable to Open Spaces Society being the annual subscription. (Retrospectively)

Cheque No. 179 £48.00 dated 18.07.13 payable to Opus Property Services Ltd being the cost of storing grit and refilling bins. (Retrospectively)

Cheque No. 180 £233.50 dated 14.10.13 payable to P B Hardman being reimbursement of expenditure.

Planning Matters
Since the previous Meeting, the following planning applications had been considered:-

Highway Matters
With regard to the matter of the poor state of the road surrounding a drain in Colony Road, the County Council has carried out repair work.

Cllr Sue Bannister raised the matter of apparent speeding in Pound Lane and Colony Road and further research regarding this will be investigated.

Footpath Matters
Cllr Susan Bannister in her role of leader of the Walking Group reported that she has undertaken to report any problems with footpaths in this Parish and the Ferris to Oxfordshire County Council so that remedial work may be carries out.

Village Pond
The application to the Land Registry to have title to the Pond granted to the Parish Council is nearing completion. A comprehensive document with written and photographic evidence demonstrating that the Pond has been very well used by residents over many years will be submitted with the application. The Chairman expressed thanks and appreciation to those involved especially to Glennis Hardman for her research into the history of the pond together with photographic evidence much of it gained from the archives of the Sibford Society and some from local residents.

Public Participation
Mrs Mollie Mulley raised the matter of parking in Main Street and would like to see more space made available in the area adjacent to The Old Rectory. The Chairman said that this could be discussed at the forthcoming meeting to deal with the Bonds End Lane/Main Street situation.

Any other Matters
No other matters were raised.

Date of Next Meeting
The next Meeting will be on Monday, 27th January 2014 starting at 8pm in the Staff Room of Sibford Gower Primary School.

There being no further business to discuss, the Chairman thanked all present for attending and closed the Meeting at 9.50pm.