PITSTONE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 25 June 2015 
in the Meeting Room at the Memorial Hall, starting at 8.00pm and 
concluding at 10.10pm

22/15	ATTENDANCE AND APOLOGIES
	
COUNCIL PRESENT:  Cllr Saintey (Chairman), Cllr Nicholls (Vice Chairman), Cllr Mattey, Cllr Mrs Arney, Cllr Mrs Stack, Cllr Mrs M Crutchfield and Cllr C Starling.   
Clerk: Laurie Eagling.    

OTHERS PRESENT:  Mr A Hills, Acting Chairman of the Memorial Hall Charity (part)
	
APOLOGIES:  Cllr Blunt, Cllr Mrs Groom and Cllr Weber.

23/15	QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC/PRESS

No members of the public present.

24/15	DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND DISPENSATION REQUESTS

	All councillors declared a standing interest in the actions of the Recreation Ground Charity and Pitstone Parish Charity as the council as a corporate body is trustee of both.
Cllr Blunt is a Chair of Governors for Brookmead School.   
Cllrs Weber, Starling, Crutchfield & Groom are members of NDP Steering Group.  
Cllr Groom has an interest in A J Groom & Sons.

25/15	MINUTES OF THE MEETING held on 21/5/2015

	It was RESOLVED that the draft minutes of the Pitstone Parish Council meeting held on 
21 May 2015 were a true and accurate record.  The Chairman was authorised to sign them on behalf of the council.

26/15	CLERK’S REPORT

The following updates to matters arising were noted:

1)	Northfield Road Cycle/Pedestrian Path:  Actual sum supplied by TW = £115,716.65.   HCC initially predicted the cost of the project at £180-200k but now estimate could cost £500k excluding land acquisition costs.  Results of engineering feasibility report will not be available until the end of June/start of July.  HCC unclear where extra funds will be provided from but have not requested funds from recent developments in Pitstone & Ivinghoe.  Not yet approached landowners.  Had originally hoped to install during 2015/16 or 16/17.
2)	Marsworth-Pitstone footpath: 2nd feasibility study funding of £6,862 approved at LAF on 12/3/15. Main concerns from first study were restricted width in some places and drainage issues.  TfB will schedule the works and provide the report.  There appears to be some confusion at BCC between this path and an Ivinghoe issue.  LAF members to raise with Paul Hodson at the LAF.
3)	Castlemead Issues: Steve Essam at Transport for Bucks in charge of negotiating highways handover.   No bonds were signed with TW for later phases.  They have insufficient funds in the bonds they did sign to cover the cost of the remedial works.  Experiencing problems with Taylor Wimpey not undertaking remedial actions on all their sites.  No positive news about the works due to be undertaken.
4)	Castlemead Lighting:  Requirements for Phase V, and Phases I-V, submitted.  Daniel Hadaway of JLES Group handling Phase V.  Tyler Merries of TDS responsible for Phases I-IV.  BCC advise that adoption can’t take place until post Westfield Road adoption, so agreement not anticipated in the short term.  BCC to adopt Westfield Road and industrial estate lighting in due course.  
5)	Parish map: Waiting for respective groups to approve text and photographs.  	
6)	Castlemead Post Box:  Gary Plummer at Royal Mail has been told that it is still works in progress.  A lady has been appointed to oversee the whole UK New Box Project and she is progressing all the orders.   They may have a more realistic timetable by next month.   All boxes are made to order.
7)	BCC and AVDC Land by The Crescent: AVDCs informal response to pre-sub says that it is likely to prefer to ‘keep options open for future use of the land & not commit to being solely used for recreation’.  Formal response to follow.
8)	Quarry 1, Local Wildlife Site: Unfortunately Natural England are not currently designating any further SSSI’s.  NDP investigating other options to try and protect this land.   See update on survey information on agenda.
9)	Leisure Land by the Recreation Ground, including Skate Park and Play Space: No action can be taken by the Parish Council at this point.  Parish Charity unable to negotiate until such time as planning permission has been granted & therefore sale of the PDA has completed.   
10)	Football/Mini-Tennis/Tennis/Netball/Scout Hut: all being discussed as part of pavilion redevelopment project
11)	Legionella Training: one online course has been booked and the clerk will undertake before recommending whether other staff should complete the same course.  Expenditure for 3 people already approved.
12)	Tree Risk Assessment – J Lowe commenced work 28/5/15.  Will provide full report once available.
13)	Tree Survey Courses – still to be investigated
14)	Roundabout/Beautification – Chased again.  Still no confirmed date from Stuart Labross at Bucks County Council for replacement lighting and fixtures.  Once new lighting in place, council will need to make a final decision about possible beautification.
15)	Bus Box outside Haldi – now installed
16)	First Time Sewerage for end of Cheddington Road – AW estimate undertaking in 2017
17)	Playground Gates – now installed
18)	Pensions Staging – full report to appear on a later agenda
19)	Best Kept Village – Judging in June.  Notification in July.  
20)	Year End Payroll – P11D now submitted and year end payroll now complete.
21)	Path ‘wish’ list – notified to Cllr Davies and TfB – Vicarage Road (Ship Lane to Church Road), Vicarage Road layby (56-60) and alleyway between Chequers Lane & Yardley Avenue.
22)	Donated printer – collected and located at councillors address.   Replenishment toner cartridges and drum roller purchased.  Asset register amended.  Anonymous publicity produced as requested.  Came & Co insurance notified.  
23)	Bank – paperwork submitted to change signatories and should take place imminently.
24)	Community Self Help Plan – review progressing.

27/15	CORRESPONDENCE

	The correspondence received this month was discussed and noted (Appendix 2).  

28/15	NEIGHBOURHOOD DEVELOPMENT PLAN

1)	£3,350 grant requested and authorised by Locality towards (a) rCOH assistance to turn the pre-submission document into the final NDP report (b) two further leaflets to maintain community interest in the NDP process (c) funds to hand deliver those leaflets to each home in Pitstone.
2)	The Pre-Submission consultation runs from 1 June to 13 July 2015.  2 engagement events had been held at the Memorial Hall.  To date 22 responses have been received to the main pre-submission document and over 100 responses to the pub questionnaire.  Some concern was expressed about the level of engagement with the main pre-submission consultation and it was RESOLVED to raise the concerns with the NDP Chairman.   A further consultation event was planned at Party in the Park in July and the Parish Council RESOLVED to meet the associated costs. 
3)	Marsworth Parish Council has requested a member attend their parish council meeting on 13/7/15 to discuss the pre-submission and plans contained therein.  Kris Weber has volunteered to attend, with his dual functions of Parish Council and NDP.
4)	Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) consultation has been produced by rCOH and issued to the statutory consultees.  The consultation runs until 15 July.  No responses have been received to date.
5)	The NDP has now produced and provided the Local Green Space report which has been circulated to all members of the parish council and published electronically.
6)	It was noted that there was still a requirement to update the Habitat Regulation Assessment (HRA) and it was proving to be difficult to find anyone with the necessary skills to undertake this work.  However, it was RESOLVED to meet any associated costs of employing the necessary consultant when one could be identified.
7)	The statutory process for the next few steps were discussed along with the associated timescales.   The council were advised that this was likely to lead to a referendum early in 2016.
8)	It was noted that Brookmead School has commenced a consultation process with their parent community.

29/15	PITSTONE DEVELOPMENT AREA

	It was noted that Derek Bromley at Bidwells had been on annual leave but was now back in the office and had commenced work to pull together the necessary information to market the Pitstone Development Area.

Disappointingly, Derek Bromley had advised that he did not anticipate that planning permission would be granted for the Development Area until next summer, as any appointed developer would be required to undertake biodiversity studies and some of them could only be produced in the spring.  He hoped that the chosen developer would be appointed before Christmas.

30/15	SPORTS AND LEISURE ISSUES

1)	Pavilion/Football
1.1	It was RESOLVED to re-open the larger pitch at the pavilion on 25 July for friendly matches, and the smaller junior pitch to re-open on 1 September as per last year.
1.2	It was RESOLVED to follow the advice of the Sports & Leisure Committee:
a)	Recommend to the Recreation Ground Charity that PIC Sunday are granted permission to play at the Recreation Ground on Sundays for the forthcoming season.
b)	Recommend to the Recreation Ground Charity that P&I United Senior Football Club are granted permission to field one team to play at the Recreation Ground on Saturdays for the forthcoming season.
c)	That the JFC be granted permission to utilise the pavilion site for the forthcoming season.
d)	That should P&I United Senior FC wish to field a second team that they be asked to utilise the pavilion site and not the recreation ground to limit the impact on the ground to just 2 teams.  This would not cause a clash with the Junior FC as the FA determine that junior and women’s football can’t be played on a Saturday afternoon.
e)	Recommend to the Recreation Ground Charity that they issue Occupational Licences to the users of all sports pitches on the recreation ground.
f)	Recommend to the Recreation Ground Charity that they enter into a formal agreement with J Groom for ground-keeping of the site.
1.3	It was RESOLVED to accept the minor costs associated with trimming back the vegetation along the footpath access etc via J Leonard Ltd.
1.4	It was noted that a meeting had been arranged with the Town Lands Charity for 8/7/15 to better understand the terms of their offer before undertaking any further work on redesigning the site.  Following this, a meeting will be set-up with the sports & community groups to explain the revised proposal, and then a separate sub-meeting with the senior football club to determine more immediate actions to enable their transfer to the site.
1.5	It was RESOLVED to approve the booking for a charity ball in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity.  The site will be unavailable for football from Thursday 1 October until lunchtime on Monday 5 October 2015.  It was RESOLVED to charge a £500.00 deposit against damage to the site/cleaning and no separate hire fee, as the event was to support a local child suffering with this condition.
1.6	It was noted that Ivinghoe Entertainments had decided not to book the site for the November bonfire and fireworks following a dispute with the neighbouring landowner.  Disappointment was expressed by all as the benefits would have been far-reaching.
1.7	It was RESOLVED to approve the booking for a charity football match in aid of Niemann Pick Type C (childhood Alzheimer) in aid of a local child.  It was RESOLVED to charge a £500.00 deposit against damage/cleaning to the site and no separate hire fee, as above.
1.8	It was noted that maintenance sheets for the next 6 months have been produced.
1.9	It was noted that the boiler underwent its annual service and gas check on 1/6/15.  Inspection report currently awaited.   The annual maintenance contract falls due for renewal at the next council meeting.
1.10	
It was noted that the youngsters keep disturbing the grass seed during renovation works at the pavilion and a number of options were discussed.   It was RESOLVED to try anchoring one portable goal in an acceptable position eg in the training area, and putting a rope around the pitch spaces with notices requesting they are not used.   It was RESOLVED to meet any incidental costs associated with this action.   It was felt that further CCTV would not prove to be a viable response to the problem as no physical vandalism had occurred to the buildings and the existing signage had not deterred any actions.

2)	Allotments
2.1	The renovation work to the allotment gate was noted.
2.2	The change of tenancy at plot 71 was noted.
2.3	It was noted that Pitstone Allotment Association may include a request on the July agenda for the Parish Council to approach National Trust to permit the use of incinerators on site.

3)	Playground Issues
3.1	Four quotations for replacement balance beams in Windsor Road had been received (£1,401.00 from CPC, £1,385.00 from SMP, £923.16 from Sovereign and £861.15 from Wicksteed).  Proludic were visiting the site on 26/6/15.  It was RESOLVED to award the work to Wicksteed, unless the Proludic quotation was significantly cheaper.   This work can be funded from the S106 site maintenance funds.
3.2	Three quotations to repair the wet-pour in the Windsor Road playground had been received (£577.50 from SMP, £450.16 from Sovereign and £414.00 from Wicksteed).  Proludic were visiting the site on 26/6/15.  It was RESOLVED to award the work to Wicksteed unless the Proludic quotation was significantly cheaper.  This work can be funded from the S106 site maintenance funds.
3.3	It was noted that Cllr Arney would open/close the Memorial Hall for the Play around the Parishes session on 21/8/15.  Cllr Arney was thanked for her assistance. 
3.4	The annual review of the Play Policy, Audit of Play Provision and Risk/Benefit Assessment was undertaken and it was RESOLVED to approve the documentation.  The Chairman was duly authorised to sign on behalf of the council. 

4)	New S106 Leisure Contribution Procedures
AVDC advised that for future planning applications (the existing monies held are safeguarded) the parish council would be required to specify a particular leisure project for the off-site leisure contribution from developers to be applied to in order to comply with Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Regulation 123 which came into force on 6/4/15 to ensure the contributions requested are directly related, fairly and reasonably in scale and kind to the development proposed.    Due to the current negotiations on all the applicable sites in the parish (Pavilion, Vicarage Road play area, PDA and Memorial Hall) it is difficult to determine at present which will progress first and therefore which should be specified.   Claire Harrison, the case officer for Vicarage Road, is currently on leave and will be contacted on her return for advice about when the submission would be required.

5)	Release of funds on behalf of the Recreation Ground Charity
It was RESOLVED to comply with the request from the Recreation Ground Charity to release the £430 collected from the three Pitstone & Ivinghoe United FC teams during the last season towards pitch operation/maintenance.  The Parish Council collects the revenue from the football club on behalf of the Recreation Ground Charity.

6)	Portable Skate Park
It was RESOLVED to hire the portable skate park from AVYFC for two bookings during the summer holidays at £150 per session, if the unit was available.   AVYFC have yet to determine if it will be available for hire, or if they have no staff to run these events.

31/15	OTHER ISSUES

1)	Bucks County Council Devolved Services
1.1	It was noted that HB Law and Horwood & James were now happy with the final proposed agreement.  It was felt that the parish would benefit from an improved level of service by undertaking the devolved services within the parish.   It was therefore RESOLVED to enter into the Parish Devolution Scheme Agreement with Bucks County Council and two councillors were authorised to sign on behalf of the council.   There was an appreciation amongst the council that taking the services was likely to be a long term situation.
1.2	The levels of funding for the forthcoming 4 years were noted.  It was noted that the current year payment will include a deduction by BCC for the one cut that they have already undertaken.
1.3	It was noted that the footpath maintenance for the parish will now fall within the new agreement and not the previously approved separate agreement with Bucks County Council Rights of Way.
1.4	The Parish Council previously resolved to award the grass cutting and ad-hoc maintenance contract to J Leonard Ltd once the BCC agreement was in place.  It was RESOLVED to continue with this decision.  The immediate requirement being for cutting of the grass verges at £475 per cut.  Other works will be reviewed after the growing season or on an ad-hoc basis.  The clerk to liaise with Horwood & James to ensure the contract is suitably robust.
1.5	The Parish Council has previously resolved to undertake the footpath maintenance element of the work via J Leonard Ltd and Reg Porter as per last year, under the Parish Path Scheme from Bucks County Council.   It was RESOLVED to continue with these appointments under the revised scheme.  The changes to the funding levels between the two schemes were noted.

2)	Youth Café
2.1	Dave Rollins and Steve Mattey had attended a presentation to Year 6 at Brookmead School on 16/6/15.  The event was a great success and over 30 of the children attended the taster session at youth café the following evening, and again the following week.   On both these weeks, over 90 young people have been on site.   If the café follows the trend of previous years, these numbers are likely to decline during October once the term settles down.   If not, management issues will need to be reviewed with AVYFC.
2.2	It was RESOLVED to purchase a £5 gift voucher from CuriosiTEA rooms as a thank you gift for each volunteer that has helped at the youth café this year.   Total number of vouchers required 25.  Therefore, total cost of £125.00.
2.3	Brookmead has advised that the youth café must carry out a fire evacuation test once per month.   A meeting is being arranged with Mike Smith, the caretaker, to instruct council and AVYFC in operation of the fire alarm testing panel.

3)	Pitstone Memorial Hall Charity
Mr Alan Hills, Acting Chairman of the Pitstone Memorial Hall Charity attended for this one agenda item.  He provided an update on all the work undertaken since his appointment and the activity currently in hand.   It is proposed that Mr Hills will attend the council meetings approximately twice per year to provide an update as the Parish Council is the custodian trustee.   Mr Hills was thanked by all the members of the council for his hard work and dedication over the past two months, and praised for his ability to identify and resolve issues.

4)	Quarry 1
The update provided by Jean de Selincourt was noted.

5)	Hertfordshire Waste Local Plan
It was RESOLVED that no response was necessary to the Hertfordshire Waste Local Plan, Employment Land Areas of Search Supplementary Planning Document Consultation.

6)	Bisham Roundabout
It was RESOLVED that no response was necessary to the Highways England consultation into Bisham Roundabout. 

7)	Traffic Calming & HGV Traffic Meeting
The traffic calming presentation by Ben Hamilton Baillie was discussed.  It was felt that these principles would be ideal for the area around the recreation ground/pavilion/land by The Crescent etc.  Cllr Weber has volunteered to become the Parish Council’s representative for this initiative.   Cllr Groom had also attended a presentation regarding HGV traffic and associated initiatives, where it was advised that the most successful results are often obtained by directly contacting specific hauliers.  Clerk to request further information on possible routes forward from Paul Hodson at BCC LAF.

8)	Community Right to Bid
It was RESOLVED to submit a Community Right to Bid nomination to AVDC for the following community assets (a) Open space land by The Crescent, owned by BCC and managed by the parish council and (b) Informal allotment land by The Crescent, owned by AVDC but subject to discussions with the parish council.   It was noted that following the NDP pre-submission consultation that other nominations were likely to follow, but these two parcels were identified as a priority.

9)	PPP
It was noted that there had been a number of production problems with PPP on this occasion that had resulted in poor print quality for a number of advertisers.  Therefore, the advertising space had to be provided free-of-charge.   A 50% reduction in the print fee has been negotiated with Fresh and applied before the BACS transfer has been raised for approval.   It was noted that the new editor may wish to seek alternative printers.

10)	Street Lighting
Quotations from MC2, SparkX and Lamps & Tubes Illuminations were compared.  All contractors had received a quotation pack of information and attended a site visit.  L&T were the largest, most qualified and overall best value.
10.1	It was RESOLVED to appoint L&T Illuminations to conduct the immediate remedial works at a cost of £273.34 plus lamp 1 in The Crescent (newly reported and hanging by hinge).
10.2	It was RESOLVED to appoint L&T Illuminations to conduct structural testing of the 119 columns owned at a cost of £9.98 per unit = £1,187.62.
10.3	It was RESOLVED to appoint L&T Illuminations to replace 6 lanterns in Glebe Close plus 1 lantern in Ship Lane with ASD LED lanterns, plus re-set 2 columns in Glebe Close.  Total cost £4,396.25.
10.4	Assuming all the above works have been carried out satisfactorily, it was RESOLVED to appoint L&T Illuminations to carry out the parish council’s street light maintenance & supply for a period of 12 months on a reactive (rather than maintenance contract basis).  Situation to be reviewed at the close of the 12 months.   Market to be compared again in 4 years.

11)	Dog Bin for Green Lane
It was RESOLVED to commission an additional dog bin from AVDC at a cost of £308.21 + VAT and add the unit to the emptying contract with AVDC.  Location agreed with the resident.  No objections raised from neighbours.   National Trust advised.   AVDC hope to install during the first week of July.

12)	Party in the Park
It was RESOLVED to employ Mr L Graves for additional hours following Party in the Park to ensure the recreation ground was clear of litter.

13)	mVAS and Highways
13.1	The mVAS data for Cheddington Road, with the unit turned to face exiting traffic, was noted.
13.2	The annual review of the mVAS procedures manual and risk assessment was undertaken.  The contractor had not requested any amendments.  It was RESOLVED to adopt the draft documents.  The Chairman was duly authorised to sign on behalf of the council.
13.3	It was RESOLVED to postpone discussions relating to Vicarage Road to the July meeting.

14)	Equal Opportunities Policy
The annual review of the Equal Opportunities Policy was conducted.  It was RESOLVED to adopt the draft document and the Chairman was duly authorised to sign on behalf of the council.

15)	Planning
Planning matters are now dealt with via the Planning Committee.
15.1	The minutes of planning committee meeting held on 18/6/15 were noted.
15.2	AVDC’s draft submission to the Gladman 1 inquiry was noted.
15.3	It was noted that the Ivinghoe Conservation Area Review had been approved by AVDC cabinet on 16/6/15.  

32/15	FINANCIAL ISSUES  

1)	NatWest Banking
Following last month’s resolution to remove retired councillors and add Cllrs Weber and Starling to the NatWest account, the following RESOLUTIONS were required by NatWest:
1.1	It was resolved that the authorised signatories in the current mandate, for the current account, be changed in accordance with sections 5 & 6 and the current mandate will continue as amended
1.2	We certify the above resolution was passed at a meeting at which a quorum was present.  In respect of this mandate and any additional authorised signatory pages that (a) all signatures are genuine (b) the information given is correct and (c) we have signed all corrections.

2)	Internal Audit, Conducted by IAC on 11/6/15
2.1	Both the written report provided by the internal auditor and the Annual Internal Audit Report were noted and discussed. 
2.2	The minor amendments to the cash book / VAT recovery / grant information for 2014/15 were noted, along with the minor adjustments for the Q1 quarterly VAT return.
2.3	It was RESOLVED to increase the level of Fidelity/Employee Dishonesty cover to exceed the total amount of all bank account holdings at the point of the insurance renewal in October.
2.4	It was RESOLVED to commission an insurance valuation of the pavilion premises ahead of the insurance renewal in October.
2.5	It was noted that the Clerk was being paid at the incorrect rate, and RESOLVED to amend this with immediate effect to £14.514 (instead of £15.414).
2.6	It was RESOLVED to postpone the discussion about a possible change to accounting practices until a future meeting.
2.7	The need to obtain professional VAT advice, including consideration of opting to tax, ahead of undertaking any works to the pavilion was noted.

3)	Year End Reports
All the year-end financial reports and supporting documentation was re-issued to the council. 
3.1	It was RESOLVED to approve the Bank Reconciliation for the year ending 31 March 2015, and the Chairman was duly authorised to sign on behalf of the parish council.
3.2	It was RESOLVED to approve the Accounting Statement in the annual return as a fair presentation of the financial position of the council for the year ending 31 March 2015, and the Chairman was duly authorised to sign on behalf of the parish council.
3.3	It was RESOLVED to approve the Explanation of Variances, required for submission to the external auditor.
3.4	It was RESOLVED to approve the Annual Governance Statement for 2014/15, and the Chairman was duly authorised to sign on behalf of the parish council.
3.5	It was RESOLVED to now submit the completed return to the external auditor, Mazars.
3.6	The council has a statutory duty to undertake the exercise of electors rights, including publicising and offering residents the opportunity to view the accounts.  Notification date set for 16/6/15, period of viewing 1-28/7/15.  Publicised electronically and via the notice-boards.  It was RESOLVED that the council had fulfilled these duties.

4)	Financial Position & Payments
The council RESOLVED to make the payments outlined in Appendix 3.  Two councillors undertook to authorise the transactions for BACS transfer and initialled the corresponding paperwork.   The bank reconciliation, creditor/debtor information, receipts and payments were noted.

5)	First Quarter Budget Monitor
The financial position against budget at the end of the first quarter was noted.  A copy is attached in Appendix 4.

6)	Internal Controls
The regular internal controls were conducted with no amendments requested or issues arising.   

33/15	REPORTS 
It was noted that 20 young people had attended the portable skate park on 28/5/15.

34/15	THE FOLLOWING REMINDERS WERE NOTED

•	Parish Council meetings: 30/7, 3/9, 24/9, 22/10, 26/11, 7/1/16
•	LAF meetings: 9/7/15, 1/10/15
•	AVTUG meetings: 8/9/15, 1/12/15
•	Play around the Parish sessions 7th and 21st August 10am-noon

35/15	DATE OF NEXT MEETINGS

The next meeting of the Parish Council will be held on Thursday 30 July 2015.  No business was requested on the agenda.

36/15	CLOSURE OF MEETING

	There being no further business to be transacted, the Chairman closed the meeting at 10.10pm.

Signed:			Date:	30 July 2015
	 Chairman