Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting of the Parish Council
held on Tuesday 13th May 2025 in the Jubilee Hall, Bratton at 7.15pm.
Present: Cllr Keith Rayward (Chair), Cllr Cathy Elliott, Cllr Eddie Cole, Cllr Steve Lloyd, Cllr Phil Whittaker and Cllr Karen Lewis-Jones.
In attendance: Nicola Duke (Parish Clerk), Wiltshire Councillor Mike Phillips. Mr R Drummond (Chair, NPSG) and 1 member of the public.
Open Forum
Members of the public were invited to make representations to the Council on any matters relating to the work of the Council or to raise any issues of concern:
- Mr Jeff Ligo, who had been a member of the Council from 2017 to 2025, paid the following tributes to the Council and its work:
- Referred to the work of Cllr Rayward, prior to his tenure as a councillor, when he had worked with other volunteers to provide support to the community through the Covid crisis. This involvement had led to his joining the Council and, shortly thereafter, taking the Chair. Mr Ligo paid tribute to the fantastic job Cllr Rayward had done as Chair.
- Mr Ligo reported that, during his time on the Council, the Wiltshire Councillor had been a member of the Wickham family; first Jerry and then Suzanne. He paid tribute to the fantastic support both had provided the Council. He congratulated Cllr Mike Phillips on his recent election as Ethandune member for Wiltshire Council and it was acknowledged that he had a very hard act to follow.
- Disappointment was expressed that the recent Ordinary Election had not resulted in an election for the parish of Bratton, and further disappointment expressed that only 6 seats had been filled, leaving 3 vacancies. Mr Ligo referred to the ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ campaign in the lead up to the 2017 election; which had resulted in 14 candidates for the 9 seats and an election being held. Of the 8 candidates put forward for the campaign, 7 had been elected.
- Tribute was paid to the tremendous work of the volunteers in the village, across a wide variety of groups and organisations, many of which had been strengthened in recent years, partly due to the support provided by the Council, which now had a higher profile in the village. Mr Ligo stated that the contribution of the Parish Council had been pivotal in the advancements made by groups, such as the Tidy Bratton Group and Reeves Orchard.
- Mr Ligo acknowledged the huge achievement made in developing and progressing the Neighbourhood Plan for Bratton, stating that he had been cynical at the outset due to the complexities of the work involved. He paid tribute to the huge amount of work carried out by the Steering Group.
- Reference was made to the appointment of the current Parish Clerk in 2017, which Cllr Ligo stated had been one of the best decisions the Council had made during his term of office.
- The Chairman thanked Mr Ligo for his kind words.
Village updates:
Wiltshire Council and Westbury Area Board – Cllr Mike Phillips reported the following:
- Thanked the Parish Council for its welcome and stated that engagement with the local parishes was one of his priorities.
- Reported that he had been attending induction sessions at Wiltshire Council since taking office and was learning the mechanics of how the Council operated. He had not yet commenced case work nor attended many external meetings.
- Wiltshire Council would now be working on establishing the leadership team and the Cabinet; the Conservative majority had been lost at the recent election with the LibDems taking 42 seats to the Conservative’s 37. There were also 10 Reform councillors, 7 independent and 1 labour. It was too early to give an indication of the outcome however, parties were working to see whether a majority group could be established.
- He had met the local Area Board team for an overview of how the Board worked and its priorities. The Westbury Reform members had indicated their intent to be community focussed however, funding for the Area Board had not yet been allocated. It was expected that the allocation would be lower than the previous year and grant applications would therefore likely be determined on the basis of the priorities set by the group.
Prior to the start of the meeting the Parish Clerk confirmed that members had signed their Declarations of Acceptance of Office, following the Ordinary Election of 1st May 2025.
| AGENDA ITEM
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| 2025/01 | Election of Chair
In accordance with the Local Government Act 1972 ss 15 (2) and 34 (2) it was proposed by Cllr Cole, seconded by Cllr Elliott and resolved to elect Cllr Rayward as Chair of the Parish Council for the municipal year 2025/2026.
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| 2025/02 | Declaration of acceptance of office
The Chair duly signed the declaration of acceptance of office.
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| 2025/03 | Apologies for Absence and to consider the reasons given
None.
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| 2025/04 | Election of Vice-Chair
In accordance with the Local Government Act 1972 ss 15 (6) and 34 (6) it was proposed by Cllr Lloyd , seconded by Cllr Elliott and resolved to elect Cllr Cole as Vice-Chair of the Parish Council for the municipal year 2025/2026.
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| 2025/05 | Declaration of Acceptance of Office
The Vice-Chair duly signed the declaration of acceptance of office.
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| 2025/06 | Declarations of Interest and Dispensations to Participate
None.
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| 2025/07 | Co-option of Parish Councillors
Members considered the co-option of parish councillors to fill the 3 vacancies following the Ordinary Election of May 2025 (copy of Co-option Procedure previously circulated). It was resolved to proceed to fill the vacancies by way of co-option (proposed Cllr Rayward, seconded Cllr Lloyd). Members considered an expression of interest from Mr David Waller, who had submitted a statement in support of his application (circulated). Members noted that Mr Waller was not able to attend a meeting until the September Council meeting and agreed that, in order not the delay his potential further, an informal meeting would be arranged to meet with him. Co-option would then be considered again the July PC meeting. It was further agreed to advertise the vacancies and the intent to co-opt via Bratton Parish News and the website.
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| 2025/08
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Minutes of Council Meetings
The minutes of a meeting of the Parish Council held on 11th March 2025 were approved for accuracy and adopted (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr Whittaker).
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| 2025/09
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Parish Council Committees and Working Groups
Members appointed parish council committees and memberships for the municipal year 2025/2026 as listed (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Elliott).
a) Staffing Committee – Cllrs Rayward, Cole and Lewis-Jones. b) Bratton Recreation Ground – Cllrs Rayward, Whittaker and Lloyd. c) Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group – Cllrs Rayward, Cole and Lewis-Jones. d) Website Working Group – Cllrs Rayward, Elliott, Lewis-Jones and Cole. e) Village Green Committee – Cllrs Elliott, Rayward and Cole.
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| 2025/10 | Parish Council banking arrangements 2025/2026
The bank signatories for 2025/2026 were confirmed as (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr Cole): Cllr Keith Rayward Cllr Phil Whittaker Cllr Karen Lewis-Jones
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| 2025/11 | Parish Council Lead Member/Point of Contact Appointments
Lead Members/Point of Contacts in relation to the following areas of Council were appointed, with some posts being temporary in view of the fact the Council was not fully constituted post-election (proposed Cllr Lewis-Jones, seconded Cllr Cole):
a) Highways and Local Highways and Footpath Improvement Group (LHFIG) – Chair b) Wiltshire Council Westbury Area Board – Chair; with a stand in if required c) Jubilee Hall – Cllr Elliott d) Council Facilities inc allotments – Cllr Whittaker e) Reeves Orchard – Cllr Cole f) Bratton Parish News – Chair and Cllr Lewis-Jones (temporary) g) Tree Work Applications outside of meeting schedule – Cllr Lloyd (temporary) h) Telephone Kiosk – Cllr Lloyd i) Speed Indicator Device – Cllr Cole j) Footpaths and Rights of Way – Chair (temporary) k) Bratton Week Working Group – Not required at present l) Emergency Planning – Chair m) Event Planning – Cllr Elliott
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| 2025/12 | Planning Applications
PL/2025/03833 – 17 Castle Road, Bratton, Westbury BA13 4SP – Demolition of existing conservatory and construction of new single storey rear extension – No Comment.
PL/2025/03730 – Pickers Palmers Farm, Capps Lane, Heywood, Westbury, BA13 4NE – Prior approval under Part 3 Class Q to convert barn to 5 dwellings with proposed rear extension and external insulation to walls and roof not exceeding 0.2m (200mm). Proposed external garden and parking space area to not exceed the original Barn area – Comment that the Highways Officer was asked to re-assess the highway impact implications given the increase in the number of properties planned for development and, in so doing, to have regard to the other developments in the Capps Lane area which would, altogether, result in significant traffic generation – (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Lloyd).
Local Plan Examination – Focused Hearing Session Information been circulated to members and was discussed. It was agreed that no further action was required at this stage.
Notification from Ashford Homes re plans for further development adjacent to site 321 Information had been received from Ashford Homes that work would commence on developing plans for the field adjacent to the current site. This had been circulated to members and was noted.
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| 2025/13 | Parish Council Accounts Year Ending 31st March 2025 (reports previously circulated)
a) Members received and considered the Internal Audit Report, reviewed its finding, agreed required actions as per the Clerk’s comments (appended to minutes) and reviewed and approved the effectiveness of the system of internal control (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Whittaker).
b) Members prepared and approved Section 1: parts 2 and 3 (Annual Governance Statement 2024/25) of the AGAR (proposed Cllr Lloyd, seconded Cllr Lewis-Jones ).
c) Members considered Section 2; parts 2 and 3 (Accounting Statements 2024/25) of the AGAR as per the Clerk’s report.
d) Members approved, signed and dated Section 2; parts 2 and 3 (Accounting Statements 2024/25) (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr Cole).
e) Members set the dates for the period of public inspection as 3rd June 2025 to 14th July 2025 (proposed Cllr Lloyd, seconded Cllr Whittaker).
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| 2025/14 | Council Payments due May 2025
The list of payments due for April and May 2025 had been circulated to members and were approved for a total of 15 payments totalling £4.686.20 (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr Lloyd). The list of approved payments is attached to the minutes.
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| 2025/15 | Council Payments 2025/2026
Members considered the list of regular contract payments due 2025/2026 as circulated, noting that this would enable contractual payments to be made during the months when the PC did not meet. The Clerk confirmed that any such payments made would be signed by two members and a full list presented to the PC meeting following the payments. The list of routine payments due was approved and is attached to the minutes (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr Lloyd).
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| 2025/16 | Approval of additional expenditure May 2025
Members considered requests for the below listed expenditure:
a) Tidy Bratton – £50 plus vat for materials to enhance and safeguard the storage shed – Approved (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr Cole).
b) Allotments – £120 for signage for the Parish Council allotments – the Chair spoke to the request outlining the intention was to promote and show pride in the facilities available in the village. The Chair tabled a draft design, which could be aluminium faced and would be post mounted. Members discussed the suggestion and the design and resolved to proceed with the allocation of the requested funds to provide two signs for the allotments (in a longer and thinner design than that tabled and purchasing it in anti-graffiti material) (proposed Cllr Lloyd, seconded Cllr Lewis-Jones). The Chair would circulate a revamp of the design post meeting.
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| 2025/17 | Highway Improvement Requests
Cllr Rayward reported on Highway Improvement Requests as listed:
a) Topographical survey of junction of Court Lane with the B3098 – no further update, due to report June/July.
b) Articulated lorry damage to property on Court Lane – Members noted the concerns which had been raised and Cllr Rayward reported that he had updated the earlier request for a traffic survey to LHFIG to ask for a break out of vehicle type. Further to his detailed questions as to how traffic monitoring counters could assist with assessing the movement of over-size vehicles using Court Lane he had been advised that a video survey would be better. This would also usefully augment the topographical survey already in hand (see a) above). Cllr Rayward was currently awaiting the costings for such a survey, which would also require LHFIG funding approval. A report would be brought to the meeting when the survey costs had been confirmed by Wiltshire Council and the Parish Council would then note its required contribution and determine whether to proceed.
c) Pavement parking on the B3098 alongside Court Orchard – Concerns from residents had been put to the last LHFIG, which had confirmed that this was a police matter. The resident had been unhappy with this result and number plates had not been provided. The residents had now requested that signs be put up to state parking is not allowed. Members were asked to consider this request and, following debate, it was agreed that there was no further action the Parish Council was able to take beyond assisting with police reports.
d) Speed of traffic along B3098 approaching Bratton from the west – It was reported that residents were concerned about this and members discussed the issue. Following debate, it was resolved that a request would be made to Wiltshire Council to arrange a traffic survey so that the potential extension of the 30 mph speed limit further west could be considered against the evidence gathered (proposed Cllr Lloyd, seconded Cllr Rayward).
e) Incursion of garden fence onto BRAT24 between Rosenheim Rise and Court Lane – this had been reported to WC, which had identified that the defined legal width of the footpath was 1m. Further investigations would be carried out. No further feedback had been received at the time of the meeting.
f) Bus shelter, Castle Road – it was noted that Ashford Homes had now installed the donated bus shelter at Castle Road, which replaced the shelter destroyed in an accident some years previously. Members expressed their sincere thanks to Ashford Homes for the shelter and it was agreed that the Chair would write a letter of thanks.
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| 2025/18 | Neighbourhood Plan for Bratton
Following the conclusion of the Independent Examination, Members noted the amendments which had been made to the Neighbourhood Plan in accordance with the Examiner’s report; this would lead the Plan to referendum stage.
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| 2025/18 | Calendar of meetings
Members approved the Calendar of Meetings for the 2025/2026 municipal year as listed.
Tuesday 8th July 2025 Tuesday 9th September 2025 Tuesday 11th November 2025 – Budget setting 2026/27 Tuesday 13th January 2026 – Precept setting 2026/27 Tuesday 10th March 2026 – Year end 2025/26 Tuesday 12th May 2026 – ACM and APM
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There being no further business the meeting was closed at 8.57 pm.
Following the close of the meeting Members considered items to include in the next edition of the Bratton Parish News and agreed the following: PC vacancies, planning information, NP Referendum date, Year-end accounts and Exercise of Public Rights, Metro count on the B3098, Installation of replacement bus shelter, Information on new Council and Chair and Vice-Chair.
COUNCIL PAYMENTS APPROVED MAY 2025
| Payee | Detail | Amount |
| BT | Phone and broadband | 43.07 |
| Idverde | BRG bin collections | 33.79 |
| Ideal Grounds Maintenance | Grounds maintenance | 106.00 |
| Rialtas | Annual accounts closedown | 723.60 |
| HMRC | PAYE/NI March | 465.24 |
| Nicola Duke | Salary April | 1071.08 |
| Wiltshire Pension Fund | Pension contributions April | 367.97 |
| Gooding Accounts | Payroll fee April | 20.00 |
| Allstar Fuel | BRG Fuel | 83.78 |
| Cllr Rayward | Expenses – allotments and paper | 86.00 |
| Footfall Direct | BPN printing | 160.00 |
| Steve Crosby | Reeves Orchard expenses and fuel | 165.17 |
| IAC Audit and Consultancy | Internal Audit fee 2024-25 | 354.00 |
| Wiltshire Pension Fund | Actuary Fees (pension set up ) | 712.50 |
| Place Studio | NP consultancy support – Reg 16 and examination | 294.00 |