PRESENT: Mrs S Whittington
(Chair), Mr J Collins, Mr P Howard, Mr P Holloway, Mr L Hughes,
Mr L Krause and Mr R Pitt
PARISH CLERK: Mrs J Batt
BOROUGH COUNCILLOR:
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: There was one Member of the Public present
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for Absence were received from Mr P Patten who is away
and Mr A Rawlins
due to a business commitment.
2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no Declarations of Interest
i) Updating of Declarations of Interest for the Code of Conduct
The Clerk reminded Councillors that they should update their Declarations
of Interest
with the Monitoring Officer if necessary.
3. PUBLIC INTERVAL
The meeting was opened to Members of the Public from 7.05 to 7.20
for questions and comment.
.
4. CRIME AND DISORDER
i. Update from Interested Parties
Nothing to report.
ii. Neighbourhood Watch
Reported crime is on the increase in Hothfield. It was suggested
that the Village
Appraisal Committee could look into the possibility of setting up
a Neighbourhood
Watch scheme in the future. In the meantime we will ask whether
our neighbouring
villages would be prepared to extend their schemes into Hothfield,
to enable our
parishioners to report to their co-ordinators. Mr Holloway offered
to discuss this matter
with Lynn Marshall, our Rural Warden.
5. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES
Minutes 54 were accepted and it was unanimously agreed that Mrs
Whittington should sign them.
Proposed Mr Krause Seconded Mr Collins
6. MATTERS ARISING
The street lights are still out and the Clerk was asked to write
to Councillor Ferrin again.
7. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
i. Report in Kentish Express
The Clerk asked the Correspondent to ensure that the version of
the minutes that is
published in the Kentish Express is headed as a report, as the minutes
do not appear in
full.
Councillors are very pleased with the Village Website.
8. HIRING OF SKIP/VILLAGE TIDYING/LITTER CONTROLS
Mrs Whittington reported that she had been in contact with Bonny
Illingworth from
Keep Kent Clean regarding the problems in Coach Drive. Miss Illingworth
promised to
contact her again in a few days.
Following a very lively discussion on the general condition of the
village the following
was agreed upon:-
The Clerk was asked to:-
Contact the Clerk of Headcorn Parish Council and ask how well their
scheme works whereby
arrange for a skip or a lorry to be sited in the village to enable
people to dispose of unwanted
items.
Contact Biffa and ask them for a quote for extending the work they
already undertake in the
village clearing litter, to cover the entire village.
Ask ABC to install litter bins on as many lamp posts as possible
in the village.
Mr Krause was asked to write an article for the newsletter informing
people that the Parish
Council intend to take steps to tidy up the village, if villagers
do not take the responsibility on
themselves and to point out that in order to do this the precept
will have to be increased.
It was agreed to write a letter of thanks to the Litter Pickers.
It was also agreed that the Clerk should look at the accounts and
budget to see how much we
could afford to pay someone over the next year to pick up litter.
It was unanimously acknowledged that communication regarding various
issues within the
village is a problem and councillors agreed to look into the possibility
of holding regular
Parish Council Surgeries.
9. RISK ASSESSMENT/RISK INSPECTION
i. Children’s Play Area
We have a problem with graffiti. Mrs Whittington reported that she
would speak to
Community Payback again, to see if they would be prepared to come
and clean it off.
Mr Hughes reported that he had cleared the broken glass away and
asked permission
to remove one of the benches which was broken. Councillors unanimously
agreed to
the removal of the bench.
10. CORRESPONDENCE, ACCOUNTS AND OTHER COUNCIL BUSINESS
Correspondence
ABC re Bathroom refurbishment
Kent Police Minutes of North Weald Parish Forum
DCA – Memorial Safety
KAPC Agenda for meeting to be held 28.03.07
Tour de France Information
SEERA – Partial Review of the South East Plan: Revised Apportionment
of Primary Land-
Won Aggregates
KAPC Parish News etc
Audit Commission re Appointment of External Auditor
Allianz Cornhill Insurance Renewal – TO
Kent Design – Free Seminar on Renewables
ABC copy of letter to Mr and Mrs Lewis re Common Access Track
Accounts to be paid
| PAYEE |
DETAILS |
NET |
VAT |
GROSS |
| KAPC |
Subscription and Publication |
200.00 |
35.00 |
235.00 |
| Mr C Stanley |
Webmaster Services |
165.00 |
|
165.00 |
| Mr J Collins |
Heating tokens for Village Hall |
10.00 |
|
10.00 |
Proposed Mr Krause Seconded Mr Holloway
Resolution: Councillors unanimously agreed to pay the above accounts.
Bank Balance
The account balance stands at £7560.00 (unreconciled). £1500
of this is earmarked for the Village Appraisal.
Concurrent Functions Grant
This was spent on cleaning the bus shelter and a grant to the Friends
of St Margaret’s towards
the grasscutting.
Grant Submission – Big Lottery Rural Play Area Project
Mrs Whittington informed Councillors that she has submitted a grant
application to the
Big Lottery Rural Play Area Project. If our application is successful,
the money will be used
to replace the play area with one for younger children.
MUGA
The application and fund raising is progressing.
Village Appraisal
Nothing new to report.
Annual Parish Meeting
The Clerk reported that she had sent the invitations out.
Election 2007
Councillors were reminded that nomination papers have to be with
ABC by noon on 4 April.
11. PLANNING
See attached list.
12. VILLAGE RESPONSIBILITIES
Traffic Concerns
This was not included on the agenda but following concerns raised
during the Public Interval
It was agreed to discuss it at this point.
Concern was expressed that two lorries have been seen parked overnight
in the lay-by on the
A20, when there is only room for one. This makes visibility very
difficult for drivers exiting
Station Road. The Clerk was asked to report this to Sgt Lawrence
and the Traffic Police and
ask for an officer from the Traffic Division to attend a Parish
Council meeting.
It was also pointed out that a large lorry had driven along Coach
Drive, breaking the bough
off of a tree.
Repairs and Maintenance
The fence behind the bus stop needs repairing and Mrs Whittington
said she would ask
Mr Patten who owns it so we can try and get it repaired.
The bus stop also needs repairing.
Items to be reported the the County Lengthsmen
The Clerk was asked to report the potholes in Coach Drive and along
the road between
Home Farm and the Waterfall.
The drain outside 10 West Street has dropped causing an indentation
in the road.
13. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
The Village Fair has been cancelled due to lack of volunteers.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.10 pm.
Signed ………………………………………………………….
Dated …….............................
Mrs S Whittington, Chairman
