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006 09/10
FAIRFORD TOWN COUNCIL
The Deputy Mayor, Cllr Joe Cusack presided over the Full Town Council Meeting held on
Tuesday 14th April 2009 in the Community Centre, High Street, Fairford.
Present: Cllr Hing Cllr Frank Cllr Roberts
Cllr M Jones Cllr S Jones Cllr Wardle
Cllr Harwood Cllr Winney (part) Cllr Cusack (Chair)
Cllr Fisher C.Cllr Theodoulou (part) In Attendance: Vanessa Lawrence (Clerk), 3 members of the public 001 09/10 Apologies for Absence
Cllr Dowler 002 09/10 Declarations of Interest in Items on the Agenda
Declarations of interest were received from:
Cllr Roberts & Hing Item 025
Cllr Wardle & S Jones Item 010
Cllr S Jones Item 031
003 09/10 Minutes
To approve the minutes of the Full Council Meeting held on 10th
March 2009(pp169-174 08/09)
It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Full Council Meeting held on
10th March 2009 (pp169-174 08/09), subject to amendments. Proposed Cllr
Harwood, seconded Cllr S Jones – all in favour.
004 09/10 To agree to adjourn the meeting for Public Question Time – there is a
10 minute time limit
It was agreed to adjourn the meeting for public question time. Proposed Cllr S
Jones, seconded Cllr Wardle – all in favour. Q: Regarding the cost of the flag which has been made up following the Flag
Competition and the benefit to the Town.
Answered by Cllrs Harwood and S Jones. Cllr Theodoulou arrived Q: Regarding the results of the Health Check Questionnaire.
Answered by Cllr Harwood 005 09/10 To agree to reconvene the meeting following Public Question Time
It was RESOLVED to reconvene the meeting – all in favour 006 09/10 Chairman’s announcements
* Cllrs Cusack and Hing received an award from the Preservation Trust on behalf
of the Centre for the work done during its renovation.
* Thanks to all those involved in the recent Calor Village of the Year presentation
that took place with special thanks to Cllr Roberts for her usual untiring efforts in
pushing this forward. We await the results.
007 09/10
Cllr Winney arrived
* Cllr Cusack announced the confirmation that both Cllrs Fessey and Morgan
have resigned and expressed his thanks to both for their work on the Council. A
letter of thanks to be written. ACTION: Clerk to write to Cllrs Fessey and
Morgan.
* Letter received from CDC with announcement of Business Rates Deferral
Scheme, where by the Government will allow ratepayers to defer the payment
of a proportion of the increase in their 2009/10 business rates bills until 2010/11
and 2011/12. Further details available in the Council Offices.
* E-mail circulated regarding Household Recycling Centre Booking Scheme –
update. Trailers with a load area up to 6’x4’ will no longer need to book to dump
household waste at the recycling centres. Further details available in the Council
Offices
07 /10 To receive report from County Cllr Theodoulou
* Cllr Theodoulou advised the Council of the merging of several schools across
the County and that this trend was to continue, this is due to demographic
changes in Gloucestershire and falling rolls in schools. This particular situation
is not affecting this area.
* Money has been put aside, approx £1.7million to help those suffering due to the
recession. £500,000 will be available almost immediately to help businesses
and other money will be reserved. Q: Cllr Harwood wanted to know what transport arrangements were being made for
children who might have to travel further as a result of schools merging.
A: Cllr Theodoulou said that this problem has not arisen as the schools involved are all
in close proximity, which is another reason why they are merging.
Q: Cllr Frank wanted to know what was being done in order to repair the pot holes along
the A417.
A: Cllr Theodoulou agreed that much work still needs to be done. He explained that
money already spent was disposable money and that work was being
concentrated on many of the minor roads that are in disrepair. He advised the
Council that approximately £750,000 had already been spent on the A417, but as
a result of the very bad winter, which has badly affected the road surface
approximately £1.4 million will be required to make good repairs. He assured the
Council that there is a commitment to fill all potholes. Any potholes that require
attention should be reported to Glos. Highways. 008 09/10 To receive report from District Cllr Roberts On-Line Planning Changes
Following feedback from members of the public and Parish and Town Councils, the CDC on-line
planning register has been updated to display application documents in date order with the most recent first. It also now allows users to sort the documents by either date or document type. Audit Commission’s Report on Icelandic Investments
The Audit Commission’s Report on Icelandic Investments says that most Councils acted properly
when they invested tax payers’ money off-shore. They also said that most Local Authorities had
followed the guidance from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The LGA
(Local Government Association) has also said that it expects Councils to get back most of the
money. Integrated Youth Offer
£13,500 is available from CDC’s Integrated Youth Offer to allocate to projects involving children
and young people with the theme “things to do and places to go”. Closing date for applications is
29th May. For further information, contact Rosemary Lynn on 01285 623560. New Chief Executive
CDC’s new Chief Executive, David Neudegg, is very proactive and deeply interested about our
area. He recently requested a visit to Fairford to see for himself what the issues and concerns
are in our town. I met him in the Community Centre and discussed various topical issues with
him and also gave him a guided tour, so that he was better able to appreciate Fairford. 009 09/10 To consider invitations to meetings
* Carers Forum Meetings – Thursday 30th April 2009 – Daytime Churchdown
Community Centre 9.30am- 1.00pm; Evening Oxtalls Tennis Centre,
Gloucester 6.30pm – 8.30pm
* CDC – Planning Regulatory Committee 22nd April 9.30am
Cabinet – 23rd April 2.30pm
Audit Committee – 28th April 10.00am
* ASHTAV – The Future of Conservation Areas – 25th April 11.00am – Henley in
Arden Heritage Centre
010 09/10 To consider correspondence
* Information on Severn Tidal Power Assessment of Options
* Village Green Application
* Resignation letters from Cllrs Morgan and Fessey
008 09/10 * Letter of thanks from Fairford Scouts for donation
* Project Manager Magazine
* Animal Aids Compassionate Charter
* Housing Needs Assessment
* The Voice – magazine
* Energy Saving Trust – Practical Help newsletter
* CPRE – March newsletter
* Rural Services Weekly Focus magazine 011 09/10 To consider correspondence requiring a reply-
* Letter regarding plaque to honour Concorde – It was agreed that although
this would be a good idea, expenditure for this year needed to be controlled and
that perhaps at the 50th anniversary, this might be more appropriate, however it
was also agreed to see if a suitable display could be provided for the Heritage
Room. ACTION: Clerk to contact.
* Market Town Awards – Submission of awards – It was agreed that this
would not be followed up unless a Cllr was particularly interested in taking this
on.
* Mini Franking Machine – offer – It was agreed that this was not required
* CDC – Gloucestershire Integrated Youth Offer Funding Form 2009/10 – It
was agreed that this form should be sent to more suitable organizations such as
cubs, scouts, brownies etc. Cllr Theodoulou left the meeting.
012 09/10 To receive reports on meetings attended
* Emergency Action Group – Exercise Saturday 21st March – Cllr Hing
reported that the exercise had been a great success with 40+ volunteers taking
part. Lessons had been learnt and will be fed back to the group where they will
be incorporated where necessary. Thanks to all volunteers and helpers who
took part. Other exercises will follow. A follow up meeting is arranged for 23rd
April for a feedback report.
* Employment/Legal course – Cllr Wardle advised the Council that his report
would be split into two parts, one to go to staffing Committee and other to the
finance committee. The Financial side of the course covered areas held within
the Financial Regulations, which is due for revision. His report will be
forwarded.
* Neighbourhood Management Meeting held on 14th March 2009 – Cllr Frank
gave a brief summary report to explain that these meetings were designed for
residents to express concerns and can be followed up by any public agencies.
SARA – had been incorporated to reduce anti social behavior in particular
around The Croft/Orchard, where anti-social behavior has reduced. Parking
around the area of the Railway Pub is causing a problem and will be looked at.
Fairford used to have a Police Sgt and 8 PC’s, which reduced to almost nothing
at one point and then increased to 1 PC. There has been a steady increase
over the past year with the introduction of 4 PCSO’s and most recently an
additional PC. The Police are keen that reports are made of any incident as
they cannot act without receipt of information. The next meeting is planned for
11th May in Down Ampney.
Due to Cllr Fisher having to leave the meeting early it was agreed that item 034 should be
brought forward in order that Cllr Fisher could participate in the discussion. 009 09/10 034 09/10 To agree revisions to Standing Orders following recommendations from
GAPTC.
It was RESOLVED to accept the revision subject to amendments, proposed
Cllr Wardle, seconded Cllr Frank – 7 in favour, 2 against 1 abstention. Relating
to the revisions of the Code of Conduct for Fairford Town Council, Cllr Wardle
proposed that the document be accepted with the exception of Clauses 7-10,
which should be forwarded to the Local Monitoring Officer for comment,
seconded Cllr Harwood – all in favour. ACTION: Clerk to add item relating to
Clauses 7-10 of the FTC Code of Conduct document for approval at the next
Full Council meeting following comments from the Monitoring Officer. 013 09/10 Update on ACTIONS from last meeting.
The Clerk advised the Council on the Actions that had been carried out
following the last Full Council Meeting. FINANCE
014 09/10 To receive minutes of Finance Committee Meeting held on 17th March
2009 (175-176 08/09)
It was RESOLVED to receive the minutes of the Finance Committee Meeting
held on the 17th March 2009 (175-176 08/09) – all in favour.
015 09/10 To approve cashbook figures for March 2009.
It was RESOLVED to approve the cashbook figures for March 2009. Proposed
Cllr Hing, seconded Cllr Roberts – all in favour. 016 09/10 To accept the Financial Management Model for the Community Centre
as presented as a working document subject to revisions.
It was RESOLVED to accept the Financial Management Model for the
Community Centre subject to revisions following the recommendation of the
Finance Committee. Proposed Cllr Wardle, seconded Cllr S Jones – 9 in
favour, 1 abstention Cllr Fisher left the meeting
017 09/10 To agree transfer of money to the new Projects Account (ringfenced
amount for future projects).
It was RESOLVED to transfer money to the new Project Account.
Proposed Cllr Harwood, seconded Cllr Cusack – 7 in favour 2 abstentions
ACTION: Clerk to find a suitable immediate access account.
018 09/10 To agree FCC/Landlord Service Charges, billed quarterly.
It was RESOLVED to accept that the Service Charges should be paid quarterly
in arrears from June. Proposed Cllr Hing, seconded Cllr Wardle – 7 in favour, 2
abstentions
019 09/10 To approve purchase of dedicated Town Council accounts software
package from RBS solutions, support and training.
It was RESOLVED to approve the purchase of the dedicated Town Council
accounts software package. Proposed Cllr Hing, seconded Cllr Harwood – all
in favour
010 09/10
020 09/10 To consider request from Palmer Hall Committee (e-mailed)and
recommendations from Finance Committee following information
received.
The requests from the Palmer Hall Committee regarding funding for various
projects was discussed and it was agreed that further discussion needs to take
place with them. ACTION: Clerk to write to the Palmer Hall Committee to
arrange a suitable meeting. The Committee are due to hold their AGM on the
20th April and Cllr Cusack will be attending.
021 09/10 To agree costs from Estate Agent regarding the letting of 3 London
Street and costs for Energy Assessment (required by law).
It was RESOLVED to accept the costs for the Energy Assessment only at this
time. Proposed Cllr Harwood, seconded Cllr Frank – all in favour. The Clerk
was asked to query the costs from the Estate Agents. ACTION: Clerk to
contact the Estate Agents. Cllr Wardle informed the Council that he was now in
a position to assist with the negotiations relating to 3 London Street together
with Cllr Fisher.
022 09/10 To agree to transfer funds into FCC account to cover cost of maintenance
for the Community Centre.
It was RESOLVED to transfer funds to the FCC account to cover the cost of
maintenance - £600 in April and £600 in October. Proposed Cllr Harwood,
seconded Cllr Hing – 8 in favour, 1 abstention. ACTION: Clerk to transfer funds 023 09/10 To discuss funding for FEAG
It was agreed that this needed to be discussed further by the FEAG Group, but
that this should be looked at when budget setting later in the year. 024 09/10 To agree subscription for GAPTC
It was RESOLVED to pay the subscription for GAPTC. Proposed Cllr
Harwood, seconded Cllr Hing – all in favour. ACTION: Clerk to raise cheque. Cllrs Hing and Roberts left the room having declared an interest in Item 205 025 09/10 To agree donation towards Fairford Festival
It was RESOLVED to donate funds upto £200. Proposed Cllr Harwood,
seconded Cllr Cusack – 6 in favour, 1 abstention. ACTION: Clerk to find
previous records of donations. 026 09/10 To agree contribution to FHS’s event to commemorate the Polish
Displaced Person Camp (letter e-mailed)
It was RESOLVED to contribute £50 towards the History Society’s event.
Proposed Cllr Wardle, seconded Cllr Cusack – all in favour. ACTION: Clerk to
raise cheque FACILITIES
027 09/10 To receive minutes from Facilities Meeting held on 7th April 2009
(pp 003-005 09/10)
It was RESOLVED to receive the minutes of the Facilities Committee Meeting
held on 7th April 2009 (pp003-005 09/10) – all in favour.
028 09/10 To agree recommendations from Facilities to change frequency of
newsletter to quarterly and to impose a nominal fee for those
wishing to place inserts into the newsletter.
Discussion took place regarding the frequency of the newsletter and some Cllrs
had reservations about reducing the frequency. Cllr Roberts proposed that
some feedback needs to be obtained from the Annual Town Meeting, and via
011 09/10
the next newsletter. It was RESOLVED to accept that a nominal charge needs
to be incurred to organizations using the newsletter for publication of flyers
(with the exclusion of the Palmer Hall). Proposed Cllr Roberts, seconded Cllr S
Jones – all in favour. ACTION: Clerk to publish a questionnaire for the
newsletter and the ATM and to pass agreement of a nominal charge amount to
the Facilities Committee HIGHWAYS
029 09/10 To receive the Minutes of the Highways Committee Meeting held on 24th
March 2009 (pp179 -181 08/09)
It was RESOLVED to receive the Minutes of the Highways Committee Meeting
held on the 24th March (pp179-181 08/09). Proposed Cllr Winney, seconded
Cllr Cusack – all in favour.
PLANNING
030 09/10 To receive minutes from Planning Committee meetings held on 17th
March (pp177 – 178 08/09) and 7th April 2009 (pp001-002 09/10)
It was It was RESOLVED to receive the Minutes of the Planning Committee
Meetings held on 17th March (pp177 – 178 08/09) and 7th April 2009 (pp001-
002 09/10) – all in favour.
031 09/10 To review CDC Local Development Framework Core Strategy for
Fairford.
After discussion it was agreed that the draft received from CDC was not
correct and that no formal response to CDC had been made by Council. The
Clerk was asked to contact CDC to have this rectified. It was further agreed
that this should be given to the Planning Committee for recommendation to Full
Council. ACTION: Clerk to contact CDC and to add this item to the Agenda of
the next Full Council Meeting. COMMUNITY CENTRE032 09/10 To agree a list of Cllrs who are willing to be called out on an ad hoc
basis, out of hours, minimum 2 responders each call out.
Cllrs Harwood, M Jones, Cusack, Wardle and Hing all volunteered to be called
out on an ad-hoc basis. 033 09/10 To receive Management Committee update.
i) To agree to allow the Landlords to use the old FTC/FCC account and
that Cllr Roberts and the replacement for Cllr Morgan to be signatories
on that account.
Due to the rules and regulations that the Town Council have to follow relating to
financial issues, it was agreed that further information needs to be sought from
GAPTC regarding the implications of signatories relating to this account. No
decision to be made until the relevant information is obtained. ACTION: To
add this item to the Agenda of the next Full Council Meeting. ii)To agree replacement of Cllr Morgan on the landlord group and an
FCC Trustee.
Due to the resignation of Cllr Morgan it was agreed that Cllr Hing would sit on
this group for an interim period (1 year). Proposed Cllr Roberts, seconded Cllr
Harwood – all in favour.
OTHER ITEMS
035 09/10 Held in Camera.
012 09/10
036 09/10 Transport Issues:To agree support and recommendations from
the Facilities and Highways Committees for the improvement in public
transport for commuters, to formally endorse the Cycle Path project and
to appoint a representative from the Highways Committee to sit on the
Lechlade Footpaths Committee, these projects being carried out via the
ECSP.
It was RESOLVED to support in principal the Cycle Path Project. Proposed Cllr
Harwood, seconded Cllr Frank – all in favour. It was agreed that the
appointment of a representative from Fairford Town Council to the Lechlade
Footpaths Committee should be deferred to the next Full Council Meeting and
that transport issues will be looked at in due course. ACTION: Clerk to add this
item to the Agenda for the next Full Council Meeting 037 09/10 To discuss final arrangements for Annual Town Meeting on 22nd April
2009.
Cllr Cusack will be preparing a summary brief to present, as will the Chairs from
all the Committees. The Police and other agencies have been contacted to
advise them of the change in format and to request their reports.
038 09/10 To agree to incorporate a CAB outreach facility in Fairford as per report
from the Clerk (e-mailed)
It was RESOLVED to incorporate a CAB outreach facility in Fairford based in the
Community Centre. Proposed Cllr Roberts, seconded Cllr Hing – all in favour.
ACTION: Clerk to contact CAB
039 09/10 To confirm the next meeting which will be the Annual Meeting of the
Town Council to be held on Tuesday 12th May 2009 at 7.00pm in the
Community Centre.
……………………………………………….Chairman
……………………………………2009
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