January 2018 Minutes

None

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 7^h December were approved

a) Thames Valley Police: – The Clerk said there were no reports on the    TVPA website or the new Twitter and Facebook sites. Cllr Perrin stated     there had been a report from Thames Valley Police alerts concerning theft     of packages on the doorstep in several nearby villages.

b) Report by the Clerk on actions from the last meeting: –

i) Overgrown hedge in the burial ground. Action for Cllr King to speak to her neighbour about cutting the hedge –outstanding. A further complaint has been received about the hedge. Cllr Thomas will speak to John Hemmingway on site to agree what is to be done.

ii) Information on the previous Lottery grant application has been passed to  Suzi Lewis.

iii) The Environment Agency has been contacted to chase up Horsemere Lane ditch clearance. The machinery required is not yet available but clearance will be undertaken soon.

iv) Water collecting in Yarnton Rd. This has been reported to Thames Water who are investigating.

v) Village Tree Survey. WODC have said they cannot help so local contractors will now be asked to provide quotes.

vi) Check on salt bins. Councillors have checked these and supplies are still adequate.

c) Appointment of new Clerk. The post has been advertised in Kidlington online and Yarnton Village News and a notice has been put up in Eynsham. There have been no further applications.

The Clerk was asked to circulate the advert to local clerks and contact Keith Butler for advice. Cllr Thomas has arranged for the advert to be circulated to local Mums groups. The Clerk said he did not wish to continue in post beyond the February meeting. Cllr Thomas said it may be necessary to suspend the work of the council if no one comes forward.

d) Playing Field

(i) Update on S106 agreement – WODC have sent the draft legal agreement which between Blenheim Estates and themselves. This sets out amounts of £11,560 and £8,180 to be paid for contributions to Sport and Recreation facilities in the village. Cllr Clague had received a question about this agreement from a resident. The interpretation is that this money will pay for the improvements to the pavilion according an email from WODC officer Phil Shaw.

(ii) Update on the Green Gym and other equipment. Funding is in place for this and a Lottery grant application is going forward for further equipment. The Clerk said that the council would need to approve tenders for play equipment at the next meeting in order to meet the conditions of the Sport England grant which must be spent by 31 March. Cllr Thomas agreed to inform the S&SC of this.

(iii) Update on improvements to the Sports Pavilion. Graham Mills is out of action so little work has been done on obtaining tenders. It is hoped that that Blenheim will provide an additional £10k giving a total budget of £30k. Cllr Thomas will seek further donations from village businesses.

e) Arrangements for Robert Courts visit on 26^th January 2018.

A number of village organisation representatives have been invited to attend. Tea and coffee is to be provided.

a) London Oxford Airport Consultation on proposed changes to its operation ending on 22nd March 2018.

Oxford Airport have written to advise that it intends to invest in a GPS based arrival equipment to improve efficiency of approach and landings. It is not known what impact this will have. Cllr King who normally attends airport consultative meeting to advise on the implications if comments are necessary.

b) WODC notification of Register of Electors. New electoral registers are available for councillors. It was decided that the Clerk should continue to receive the register but not councillors. Any request for information should be directed to the Clerk.

There were no reports from County or District Councillors.

Cllr Clague raised the issue of the lack of visibility at Bell Lane junction which is dangerous. This issue had previously been raised with the county council who refused to sanction the placement of a mirror in Yarnton Rd on safety grounds. It was agreed to approach Highways once again and obtain the advice of Rospa.

Cllr Clague raised the issue of extra traffic in the village resulting in the closure of Horsemere Lane. Cllr Charles Mathew has been asked to pursue the idea of a slip road at the A40 to minimise the impact. However, the construction of the bus lane may prevent this.

Cllr Perrin raised the issue of overgrown trees in a property off Eynsham. This was a private matter and residents were advised to discuss the issue with their neighbour.

Cllr Thomas said he was talking to residents about potential social housing sites. Gordon Hill has undertaken some repairs to tarmac in Church Lane to improve a ponding issue. It is proposed to put a note in CAWN to explain the how the council spends its money.

Some resurfacing has taken place at the A40 junction to alleviate ponding.

No further reports

War Memorial –Proposal by Conservation Architect James Mackintosh.

The Clerk said that he had obtained quote from James Mackintosh for managing the repairs to the War Memorial. This amounted to about £930 which included inviting contractors to tender, advising on the appointment of the contractor, supervising the work and checking the completion certificates. The actual cost of repair was likely to be in the region of £1,500 to £2,500 for which a grant application could be made.

It was Resolved that given the likely change of Clerk it may be helpful to appoint James to undertake this work.

a) Cllr Mitchell reported that regular speed checks are taking place and there had been a perceived reduction in the speed of vehicles coming through the village.

a) The Clerk reported that two contractors will be carrying out repairs to the play area by the end of January.

a)    Payments:

It was Resolved to make the following payments after considering the budget.

Reimbursement to the Clerk for placement of adverts to Kidlington online/Yarnton Village News.  £33

Chipping Norton Green Gym -work to St Peter’s ditch. £27.50

Unity Bank   £7,500 deposit.

b) Income: Burial income: £130 in respect of Barbara Collett.

c) To agree the process for making payments online with Unity bank.

The Clerk produced a form setting out details of the payments to be

authorised by councillors at a council meeting. The Clerk will enter the bank details of the payee on the online account. Two Councillors

would then access the account and authorise those payments within one   week after the meeting. The Chairman or deputy would then check the   system to ensure all payments have been made. Payments can still be made by cheque if necessary. It was Resolved to agree this process.

It was also Resolved to close the Barclays account by 31 March.

13/18

a) None

b) Date for midmonth meeting: Tuesday 16^th January 2017 at 8pm in the    Red  Lion.

To consider the proposed Safeguarding Policy produced by Suzi Lewis.

This was discussed an it was concluded that the policy was too detailed and required DBS checks for volunteers. The Clerk was asked to investigate alternative policies and circulate another draft.

This was agreed for Thursday 1^st February 2017 in the village hall.