Parish Council Minutes – 14th November 2023

None.

None.

a)     The minutes of a meeting of the Parish Council held on 12^th September 2023 were approved for accuracy and adopted (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr Cole).

b)    The minutes of an extraordinary meeting of the Parish Council including the appendix note of the discussion held with the developer on 28^th September 2023 were approved for accuracy and adopted (proposed Cllr Franklin, seconded Cllr MacDuff).

c)     The minutes of meetings of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group held on 7^th September and 5^th October 2023 were adopted (proposed Cllr MacDuff, seconded Cllr Cole).

d)    The minutes of a meeting of the Bratton Recreation Ground Committee held on 26^th September 2023 were approved for accuracy and adopted, together with the recommendation contained therein regarding the provision of signage for ball games (proposed Cllr Ligo, seconded Cllr Cole).

e)    The minutes of a meeting of the Staffing Committee held on 2^nd November 2023 were approved for accuracy and adopted (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Ligo). Members addressed the recommendation contained therein that, in order to comply with the Terms of Reference, a fourth member be elected to the Committee. It was therefore resolved that Cllr Franklin should join the Committee (proposed Cllr MacDuff, seconded Cllr Whittaker).

Members received reports on the following:

a)       Bratton Recreation Ground Committee – Mr Mike Manson had provided a report which had been circulated to members and was noted. Cllr Lloyd provided the following additional reports:

a.       Flooding had been a recent issue. This had been reported to Wiltshire Council and the drains had been cleared however, flooding had occurred again and a further report made. WC would attend again in due course.

b.       Work continued on the extension plans for the building; a tender process had been completed and one quote received.  WC had confirmed that planning permission was not required for the works.

c.       The pitches had stood up well to recent bad weather and matches were planned for the forthcoming weekend.

b)      Jubilee Hall Management Committee – Cllr Elliott reported the following:

a.       The JHMC treasurer would be sending a request to the Clerk for the drawdown of the annual grant.

b.       Refurbishment of the windows had continued although some elements could not be attended to at this time of the year.

c.       An instant heater had been installed in the kitchen.

d.       The Wi-fi timer for the heating system was not currently operational.

e.       Two grants had been submitted in respect of the project to install solar panels, no responses had yet been received. Cllr Elliott was provided with information on other local companies from which to obtain quotations for the work.

f.        The Committee was organising a Christmas breakfast with fizz and would provide the refreshments for the Silver Band event on 17^th December.

g.       The Committee was planning some big fundraising events during 18-24 March 2024 for the ‘Village Halls’ week.

h.       The Clerk was asked to invite the Chair of the JHMC to future PC meetings.

c)       Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group – Rob Drummond reported the following:

a.       It was noted that Mr Drummond had been elected as Chair at the November meeting.

b.       The NPSG was extremely busy and a pop in session had been arranged for 2^nd December between 10 am and 4pm to enable residents to comment on the three amber sites being considered for the Plan (land west of site 321, land opposite site 321 and the site the village side of the Recreation Ground). Residents would be asked two questions a) whether they supported further development in the village and b) if so, which of the amber sites they would prefer to see taken forward. A village survey would also be carried out.

c.       Mr Drummond confirmed that the NPSG were working to future proof the NP against any increase in the housing allocation number for Bratton in the period to 2038.

d.       The Chair thanked Cllr Cole for his work as Chair of the group from its post-covid reinvigoration to November 2023, thanking him for his efforts and noting that he had created a very enthusiastic steering group.

d)      LHFIG and Highways matters – The Chair reported the following:

a.       There were no updates at the current time.  The Chair reported that he had been unable to attend the last LHFIG meeting.

b.       Members then discussed parking in Stradbrook. Cllr Jolly reported on the issues with high levels of parking, which were impacting on accessibility for emergency vehicles, creating issues for residents and presenting potential safety risks for pedestrians and walkers.  Following debate, it was agreed that the Chair would liaise with WC Highways to carry out a site visit as a starting point.

Members received and noted the brought forward list as previously agreed for circulation (copy previously circulated) and received updates on the below listed projects discussed at previous meetings:

a)       Telephone Kiosk – Cllr Lloyd reported that work continued on developing the maps and walking guides which would be displayed in the kiosk.  It was noted that the book exchange was being well used and the copies of the White Horse News were available in the kiosk.

b)      War Memorial – Cllr Lloyd reported that the planned works had been carried out and the grant from the War Memorials Trust had been received by the PC.  It was noted that the work had been completed ready for the Remembrance weekend events and the appearance of the war memorial had been much improved.  Cllr Lloyd reported that the invoice for the works had also been received in the amount of £400 which, given the grant received from the WMT, meant the project had cost the Council £100.  The WMT had also provided a schedule for maintenance, which he would forward to the Clerk. It was noted that the RBL had appreciated the work managed by Cllr Lloyd.

c)       Village Green Play Area – Members considered the donation of a spring see-saw and supended swing seat (information on both previously circulated). Following debate, it was agreed that a fixed bench would be more appropriate for the village green than the swing seat.  Cllr Elliott would liaise with the original correspondent accordingly.  Cllr Elliott reported that she was seeking assistance with the installation of the see-saw (local labour) and Cllr Whittaker confirmed he was able to provide support if required.

d)      Safety floodlight – West of Jubilee Hall– Cllr Lloyd reported that the faulty light over the telephone kiosk had been reported to SSE and that a repair had been scheduled for 13^th November but had not taken place.  Cllr Lloyd would chase SSE and the potential installation of a solar powered floodlight at the end of the Jubilee Hall would be considered once the light had been fixed and its impact on the dark path up the Tynings established.

e)      Parish Council Facebook page – Cllr Jolly reported that the new Facebook page had been set up and would promote local events and information published on the website.  The page had proved a useful tool for publicising the recent extraordinary meeting to discuss the planning application for site 321. Members were invited to send any content for the page to Cllr Jolly, who confirmed she would also be able to share the log in details.

PL/2023/09221 – 18 Westbury Road, Bratton BA13 4TE – T1 – Sycamore tree – prune back to the previous points by removing 2-3m from height and laterals – Leave to Tree Officer.

PL/2023/07170 – Land north of Westbury Road and west of Court Orchard, Bratton, Wiltshire – Reserved Matters application for the erection of 31 No. dwellings and associated works pursuant to outline application PL/2021/05259 (amended plans) – Members considered the amended plans and, following debate, agreed the below additional comment for submission to Wiltshire Council:

Supplementary response from Bratton Parish Council to Wiltshire Planning Application PL/2023/07170, Land North of Westbury Road and West of Court Orchard – Reserved Matters application for the erection of 31 No. dwellings and associated works pursuant to outline application PL/2021/05259.

1.       Bratton Parish Council thank Wiltshire Planning for the further opportunity to respond to this planning application.

2.       Bratton Parish Council notes the response from Planning Sphere concerning our comments. Our earlier response to this application remains unchanged.

3.       The BPC is disappointed that, despite assurances made at the public sessions held with Ashford Homes in the Parish, they are not addressing the considerable dismay at their proposal to have dark stained wood cladding. The BPC cordially invite the Planning Officer to meet with the BPC Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to discuss why we feel this does not correspond to the local vernacular.

4.       Bratton Parish Council asks that the Planning Officer is content that the surface water drainage scheme proposed by Ashford Homes is consistent with the (albeit, low) flood risks from endogenous surface water drainage highlighted by Environment Agency data available via the HMG website:

We respectfully submit that, since 2018, the Environment Agency has identified that surface water flooding creates a greater risk than that from rivers and that surface water flooding has now been identified as one of the highest environmental risks faced across England.
For this site, the Environment Agency website (see also the Wiltshire Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (2019) (web link included in letter to WC) Identifies a surface water flood risk running south to north in the direction of houses at Rosenheim Rise, as indicated on the copy of their map.

Given that Wiltshire Council, as the Risk Management Authority, has operational responsibility for managing and responding to surface water flooding and given that the Met Office Hazard Centre Research as identified that surface water flooding is likely to worsen due to climate change, is Wiltshire Council satisfied that the proposed mitigations for the site will satisfactorily mitigate any risk for the existing site and not directly increase the risk to neighbouring residential areas (i.e. and therefore not contravene  Para 167 of National Planning Policy Framework:- ‘When determining any planning applications, local planning authorities should ensure that flood risk is not increased elsewhere. Where appropriate, applications should be supported by a site-specific flood-risk assessment.’?

PL/2023/09535 – The Pigeon Hole, Emms Lane, Bratton, Wiltshire, BA13 4SA – 3 x Conifer trees – reduce to existing hedge height – Leave to Tree Officer.

To receive and consider planning applications received after the issue of the agenda (where the response time falls outside of the meeting schedule and an extension cannot be obtained) – None.

Wiltshire Council – Local Plan

Members considered a previously circulated draft reports to Wiltshire Council’s response to the Local Plan consultation and resolved that the Chair would revise the document and circulate to members for final approval in order that the opening paragraph better reflected the concers of the Parish (proposed Cllr MacDuff, seconded Cllr Lloyd). A copy of the final submission would be appended to the minute once approved.

The following reports were duly received and adopted (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Elliott).

a)     Schedule of payments and receipts October 2023

b)    Bank reconciliation statements as at 31^st October 2023

c)     Consolidated Financial Position Statement as at 31^st October 2023, including information on Earmarked Reserves and funds available for allocation

d)    Budget Reports as at 31^st October 2023

The Clerk had provided a progress report against the Internal Audit Report 2022/2023, which was considered and adopted:

Clerk’s Salary

The external payroll company had now taken over the management of the payroll and issues with the NI Payments due had been resolved.

Insurance Review

The Council considered the insurance arrangements for 2023-2024 at the Annual Council Meeting. This year a thorough review had taken place against the Asset Register and the Clerk therefore deemed the Auditor’s recommendation as already addressed.

Other Comments

·         Proper invoices were not being provided by Viridian Landscapes. It was noted that a meeting was being arranged with the contractor and agreed that this matter could be raised then.

·         The bank statements and FPS were being counter signed by the Chair each month.

·         The Notice of Conclusion of Audit and External Auditor’s report had been added to the website.

·         The Council had agreed to consider its progress against the Internal Audit Report on a formal basis during the year. A decision on a dual audit regime now needed to be made and the Council was asked to also consider whether it wished to appoint the Internal Auditor to undertake a Health Check on invoicing and income procedures as raised in the report.  Following debate, it was resolved that, given the size of the Council, the number of its transactions and the minor nature of the matters raised during the audit no further audit work was required at this time (proposed Cllr Jolly, seconded Cllr MacDuff).

The Clerk reported that the draft Council Tax Base figure for 2024/25 had been received and had decreased from the current year to either 506.05 or 502.75 (if WC made changes to its council tax reduction scheme).  This had the following impact on the Band D equivalent rates for 2024/25 based on the current draft budget requirement of £48,183;

Current year CTB 506.27 represented £95.17 per annum – (+ £13.54)

2024/25 CTB 506.05 without changes to the CTRS represented £95.21 per annum (+ £13.58)

2024/25 CTB 502.75 with changes to the CTRS represented £95.84 per annum (+ £14.21)

Members considered a referral from the informal Budget Setting Workshop, considered the draft budget and discussed:

a)     A recommendation from the Staffing Committee regarding the Clerks hours – members considered the recommendation that the hours be reduced from those initially planned for 2024/25 from 20 per week to 18 (in light of budget restraints) and this was resolved (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Ligo).

b)   The Clerk reported that she had carried out the tender process for the ground’s maintenance contract 2024/25.  One quote had already been received and a further three quotations had been sought:

Contractor A – declined to quote due to lack of capacity

Contractor B – £1,984 grass cutting and £32.00 per hour per person call off contract (plus vat)

Contractor C – no response

It was confirmed that the first quotation received, which had been considered at the budget setting workshop had been in the amounts of £2,160 grass cutting and £30.00 per hour per person call off contract.

Following debate, it was noted that a meeting would be arranged with the current contractor to explore and agree the detail of the contract for 2024/25.  A report would be made to Council and the appointment of a contractor would therefore be confirmed at the January PC meeting.

Following debates members resolved a final draft budget of £48,183 to be sent to the January PC meeting for final decision and precept setting (proposed Cllr Ligo, seconded Cllr Cole).

Members had received a copy of the structural survey report recently carried out on the roof at the Pavilion and resolved the following actions (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr MacDuff):

1.     Cllr Whittaker would arrange for a regular inspection of the roof to monitor its condition and provide a monthly report to the Clerk for the Council’s records.

2.     Cllr Whittaker would investigate the options for the installation of a central support in the building to stop further sagging.

3.     Cllr Ligo would liaise with the pre-school and the primary school to develop a long term solution for the pre-school, given that the Pavilion building was now some 70 years old.

Members noted that Cllrs Rayward, Cole and Elliott had met with the Clerk and received a report from that meeting, including:

a)     The outcomes of the annual play area inspection would be worked through by the working group and Cllr Elliott would obtain quotations for the required works.

b)    Tender documents for the weekly play area inspections 2024/25 – the Clerk reported that three quotations had been sought (excepting the current contractor, who had already confirmed prices).  Two companies did not provide a weekly inspection service and Idverde had not yet responded.  The meeting held earlier that day had considered the arrangements for play area inspections and had recommended that a weekly visual tick box inspection be carried out by members of the group (following appropriate training to be delivered by the play area inspection) with the current play area inspector carrying out a monthly, recorded inspection.  This recommendation was resolved (proposed Cllr Ligo, seconded Cllr Cole).

c)     The meeting had further recommended that the working group be established as a formal committee of the Council and this was supported, in principle.  The Clerk was instructed to develop appropriate terms of reference for consideration at the January PC meeting.

Members considered a report from the Chair on the purchase of a salt spreader (previously circulated) and considered for allocation the required sum of £250.  Following debate, it was resolved to purchase the salt spreader and a grit bin for the corner of Rosenheim Rise and the sum of £350 was duly moved from the Unallocated EMR to an EMR Winter Preparations (proposed Cllr Lloyd, seconded Cllr MacDuff).

Members considered a report from the Chair on the purchase of a Christmas Tree for the village (previously circulated) and approved the allocation of appropriate funds in the amount of £150 to meet the costs of so doing from the Events Budget allocation of £250 for the Christmas event (proposed Cllr Jolly, seconded Cllr Elliott). The Chair had confirmed that The Duke pub was content for the tree to situated in the usual position and that the Clerk would arrange for the tree to be delivered to site.

Members considered a report from the Chair on updates from the working group (previously circulated) and discussed the adoption of the recommendations contained therein:

a)    The proposal for the management of the BPC website as presented in the paper ‘Bratton Website Management V2’ – adopted (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Jolly).

b)   The proposed changes to the Working Group’s ToRs as highlighted in the paper ‘BPC Website Working Group Terms of Reference – Proposed Update’ – adopted (proposed Cllr Lloyd, seconded Cllr Elliott).

Members considered a report from the Chair (previously circulated) and approved the submission of the associated Highway Improvement Form to LHFIG, to scope feasibility and costings for an appropriate roadside footpath, so that a decision could be made as to how best to fund this project (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr MacDuff). It was noted that the majority of the potential works would take place outside of the parish boundary and therefore agreed that it would be important to consult with local landowners/businesses and Edington Parish Council to seek support and/or financial contributions.

Members considered a report from the Chair (previously circulated) and resolved the following:

a)     Approved the names proposed for the parish footpaths and for Gale’s Ground as listed below (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Rayward):

b)    The proposal for the allocation of funds for signage was deferred to enable the Chair to carry out further research into the associated costs. A report would be considered at the next PC meeting. The PC thanked Mr and Mrs Tarling from the Tidy Bratton Group for their efforts in obtaining agreement to the proposed names.

Members considered a report from the Chair (previously circulated) and debated the recommendation contained therein that the Parish Council accepts the NDP proposal for the designation of BPC owned sites.  The following BPC owned sites were duly approved for LGS designation resolved (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr Cole):

1)      Bratton Village Green

2)      Allotments (Undesignated)

3)      Allotments (Designated)

4)      Reeves Orchard

5)      Bratton recreation Ground

6)      Gales Ground/Pear Tree Orchard

Cllr Whittaker declared a pecuniary interest in the agenda item as a potential contractor and left the meeting.

Cllr Lloyd reported on required repairs to the bus shelter roof and members considered a quotation received in the amount of £685. The Clerk reported that other quotations had been sought but not received.  It was agreed that Cllrs Cole and Ligo would provide the Clerk with contact details for alternative contractors, in order that the required additional quotations could be sought.

At this point Cllr Whittaker re-joined the meeting.

Members considered a proposal to stage a Wassail in the Community Orchard (information previously circulated), which was duly approved, subject to the provision of the required information for insurance cover.  Members further considered the associated request for funding, which was approved in the amount of £100 (Grants Budget) (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Elliott).

None at time of issue.

Members agreed the following items for inclusion in the next edition of the BPN:

·   Planning information

·   Community member of website working group

·   Information on the next PC meeting

·   Publicising of the website and new Facebook page, including an invitation for local clubs and societies to send information on their groups for website publication

·   Purchase of salt spreader and grit bin

·   Christmas Tree and wassailing event

Members had been provided with a copy of the calendar of parish council meetings and events, which was noted. The Clerk would add the dates for the LHFIG and Area Board meetings.

Tuesday 9^th January 2024 – precept setting.