Parish Council Minutes November 2024

a)   The minutes of a meeting of the Parish Council held on 10^th September 2024 were approved for accuracy and adopted (proposed Cllr Elliott, seconded Cllr MacDuff).

b)    The minutes of a meeting of the Bratton Recreation Committee held on 27^th June 2024 and subsequently approved for accuracy by the BRGC at a meeting held on 23^RD September 2024 were adopted (proposed Cllr Lloyd, seconded Cllr MacDuff).

c)     The minutes of a meeting of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group held on 1^st August 2024 and approved for accuracy at a meeting held on 3^rd October 2024 were adopted (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Jolly).

d)    The minutes of a meeting of the Village Green Committee held on 9th July 2024 and subsequently approved for accuracy by the VGC at a meeting held on 2^nd October 2024 were adopted (proposed Cllr MacDuff, seconded Cllr Elliott).

Members received reports on the following:

a)       Bratton Recreation Ground Committee – Mr Mike Manson had provided a report, which had been circulated to members together with the draft September minutes.  The report and draft minutes were noted. Cllr Lloyd reported that the ground had only one football team operating on the field this winter, which was a shame as the pitch was in a good condition.  Various maintenance had been carried out, including verti-draining.  The new container had arrived, been installed and was in use. Cllr Lloyd explained the process for claiming the Football Foundation grant, in response to a question from Cllr MacDuff.

b)      Jubilee Hall Management Committee – Cllr Elliott had circulated a report, which had been circulated to members and was noted.  In addition, the following was reported:

a.       The installation of the solar panels would be completed this week.  The Chair commented that the pavement had not been left in a good condition and Cllr Elliott would raise this with the contractor.

b.       The Chair requested that the focus of the projector be improved and also mentioned that the gullies from the Hall were not clearing under the pavement. Cllr Elliott would send the above comments to the Committee. Cllr Lloyd queried whether the gully issue was, in fact, outside of the JHMC remit; the Chair would await a response from JHMC before determining whether this was the responsibility of the Hall.

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

a.       That the Regulation 14 consultation had closed on 29 September 2024.

b.       The public consultation event relating to this held in August had been well attended, with over 100 people attending.

c.       There had been 48 responses to the Reg 14 consultation questionnaire, which represented 10% of dwellings; the response rate had therefore been good. There had been a small number of responses from statutory consultees and one response from a neighbouring town council.

d.       It was confirmed that the Plan would be presented under the current NPPF not the emerging one; although revisions to the Framework and the new Local Plan for Wiltshire would require revisions to Bratton’s Plan within the next two years.

e.       As a result of the Reg 14 consultation various amendments and additions had been made to the Plan, including a new policy on trees and hedgerows and additions to some of the appendices.  A full list of all the consultation responses, the SG’s comments on them and the action taken had been added to the Plan’s appendices.

f.        The SG now intended, subject to the outcome of agenda item 2024/71, to submit the Plan to Wiltshire Council under Regulation 15 week commencing 18^th November 2024.

g.       WC would then examine the Plan, with a response expected early in 2025.

h.       It was expected that the Plan would proceed to formal Referendum in May 2025, following independent examination early in 2025 once WC had completed its review.

i.         All the documents relating to the Plan had been made available to members and it was noted that the documents to be submitted to WC would contain one marked up copy of the  Plan showing the changes made and one clean copy.

j.         The SG had held a very constructive meeting held with WC, with officers being very positive about the Plan and the next steps.

The Parish Council noted the tremendous amount of work which had gone into producing the Plan and thanked the members of the SG for their efforts.

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

a.       That the next meeting was scheduled for 25^th January 2025.

b.       Continued discussion relating to the crossing of Court Lane would be an agenda item for that meeting.

c.       The works to install the speed sign roundels for Lower Westbury Road were listed and would be done when the weather was suitable.

d.       The agreed Primary School signs would be erected at some point in 2024, it was clarified that these were being funded by the school with one sign to be installed opposite the Carpenters Lane entrance and a second to be installed on Carpenter’s Lane opposite the road leading up to the school gates.

e)      Website Working Group – the Chair reported a meeting of the group had taken place and some actions and training requirements had been identified.  He reported that the group had agreed to revisit the Terms of Reference, which would be submitted to a future PC meeting for review and adoption.  The group would also be seeking to recruit an additional lay person to the group.  The Chair reported that the working group had also looked at the storage capacity of the website, which currently stood at 85% utilisation. It was noted that the capacity had been increased during the Neighbourhood Plan work and that the group had felt it wise to not now reduce this, given the demands on the site and the capacity required for email storage.  The Chair reported that the current service afforded an options for an improved email service, hosted on a separate service, which would provide 10gb for each user.  This would therefore free up substantial storage space for the website, effectively future-proofing the service. The Chair therefore proposed that the PC maintain the current, enhanced service at an annual cost of £540, to be included in the budget for 2025-26 (proposed Cllr Rayward, seconded Cllr Jolly).

f)        Emergency Planning Working Group – the Chair reported that he had received a timely email offering free training (which had been circulated to all members).  He would look to move Emergency Planning forward now that work on the Neighbourhood Plan was winding down.  He reported that he was expecting to form a working group with other facilities in the village, such as the Jubilee Hall and the Bratton Church Institute, to develop a response plan for village wide emergency situations.

g)       Tidy Bratton Group including CPRE report – No representative was in attendance.  The Chair thanked the group for the work completed to get the village looking its best for the Remembrancetide events.  The Chair also reported that a new brush-cutter had been purchased for the group, which had been funded by Area Board grant. Cllr Lloyd asked whether arrangements would be made for the seasonal leaf clearing and it was confirmed the group would be attending to this at the next Tidy Bratton work day, scheduled for 6^th December 2024.

h)      Parish Allotments – The Clerk confirmed that all invoices for rent had been issued and the majority paid and Cllr Ligo confirmed that all allotments had now been let.  Cllr Cole reported on the damaged fencing at Gales Ground allotments and he and Cllr Ligo would liaise to develop a costed work plan for inclusion in the budget for 2025-26 (it was noted that the income for the allotments and paddock rent, together with the existing revenue allocations for the allotments may provide sufficient funding for this work). The Chair also requested a report on the access to Millditch allotments, as this was noted to be dangerous in the CPRE report; if this was found to be the case then suggestions for remedy were also requested.

i)        Village Green – The Village Green Committee had circulated the draft minutes from the October minutes, which were noted.  In addition the following was reported:

a.       That replacement matting underneath some pieces of equipment was due to be installed

b.       That work continued on remedial works to the entrance gates

c.       That additional volunteers were required to assist with the weekly play inspections – this would be discussed further at the next meeting of the Committee.

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)       Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Fund – The Clerk had provided a report on the CIL schedule and payments due/paid to the PC associated with the development of site 321, which was noted. It was also noted that the Village Green Committee would be developing a project to enable the drawdown of the S106 monies from WC (for off-site play equipment provision).

b)      Castle Road bus shelter replacement – The Clerk had provided members with an update on the progression of the associated insurance claim. It was noted that the Clerk was working to obtain evidence of the denial of liability so that work could recommence to reclaim the full costs from the vehicle owners insurance. It was noted that the timeline and outcome of this was uncertain, given that the PC’s insurers had declined to pursue recovery of costs at this stage.  Members noted the significant amount of time which had passed since the incident and the increasing concern of residents at the lack of a bus shelter at Castle Road. This was debated and the following resolved (proposed Cllr Rayward, seconded Cllr Franklin):

a.       That the Clerk was authorised to liaise with the developers of site 321 to see if they were able to offer any assistance in replacing the shelter and

b.       Failing any success resulting from this approach the PC would proceed with the reinstatement of the shelter via allocation of £8,200 from the site 321 CIL funds (representing the balance between the insurance settlement figure and the cost of the works), such funds to be replaced should further insurance settlement be received and

c.       That the Clerk was authorised to continue to pursue the insurance claim as outlined above.

c)       Christmas event planning – Cllr Lloyd reported the following:

a.       That the final details for the event had been arranged.

b.       He had, as yet, been unable to test the light connections for the tree to be sited outside The Duke.

c.       The tree was due to be delivered on 5^th December and a small team would need to be in place to assist with its installation.

d.       The Chairman queried the budget for the event, noting the £200 costs associated with the Bratton Silver Band, it was agreed that there was some doubt over the length of time the Band would be required/able to perform.

e.       Cllr Lloyd reported that he had been disappointed to receive information that the Steeple Rocks Choir had arranged a concert a few days prior to the lights switch on event, as they had been unable to attend the PC event.  It was noted that the Choir had been unable to attend at the 5.30 pm time required and the concert had been arranged for an evening performance starting at 7.30pm.

f.        There was a discussion relating to the arrangements at the Jubilee Hall, with a concern being expressed that attendees were unlikely to return to the Hall after the lights had been switched on and therefore catering numbers were uncertain.  It was agreed that Cllrs Lloyd and Elliott would discuss this further outside of the meeting.

None at time of issue.

Cllr Rayward reported that he and Cllr Cole had met the WC Rights of Way officer at Site 321 to discuss the details of the s106 agreement relating to footpaths BRAT24 and BRAT25.  He was pleased to report that the officer had shared the PC’s view that the path should be established as per the original agreement, with proper surfacing and, in addition, the officer had suggested drainage needed to be added to the works.

Members noted that a comment for application PL/2024/07082 : Stradbrook near Imber Road, Bratton, Westbury, BA13 4SH was still outstanding.  The Chair would prepare a draft for circulation, which the Clerk would be authorised to submit to WC once agreed.

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) – The Clerk reported that a tree work application had been received just prior to the start of the meeting, which she would forward to Cllr MacDuff the following morning.

Following the conclusion of the Regulation 14 consultation members noted the final documents as amended (information and links to documents previously circulated).

It was resolved to approve the Plan for progression to Regulation 15 stage in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr MacDuff).

The Parish Council acknowledged the tremendous amount of work which had gone into developing the Plan and getting it to Regulation 15 stage and the members of the Steering Group were thanked for their dedication and hard work.

The following reports were duly noted and approved (proposed Cllr Lloyd, seconded Cllr MacDuff):

a)     Schedule of payments and receipts to October 2024.

b)    Bank reconciliation statements as at 31^st October 2024.

c)     Consolidated Financial Position Statement as at October 2024.

d)    Budget Report as at 31^st October 2024.

e)    Earmarked Reserves at 31^st October 2024.

f)      Members received and noted the External Auditor’s report for the financial year 2023-2024 (copy previously noted). The Clerk confirmed that actions to address the comments contained therein had been taken.

g)     Members received and considered a grant request in the amount of £100 for the Wassail event (email request previously circulated).  Following debate, it was resolved that the grant be awarded, with the success of the previous year’s event being noted (proposed Cllr Cole, seconded Cllr Jolly).

a)     Members received and noted the first draft of the revenue budget for 2025-2026 (previously circulated).  This was discussed and the following comments made:

a.       That an increase had been made to the budget for the website to reflect the agreement made earlier in the meeting.

b.       That a line to show the income for the Bratton Parish News had been added.

c.       That the grant allocation for the Jubilee Hall had been returned to current levels, following confirmation from Cllr Elliott that an increase was not being sought for 2025/26.

With those adjustments the draft budget standing at £53,462 with a draft precept requirement of £49,898 was referred to the January PC meeting for further review, prior to the formal setting of the precept demand. It was noted that the current draft precept represented a Band D equivalent of £99.79 per household, an increase of £5.77 per annum and a 6% increase on the current year.

b)    Members considered capital projects and additional precept funding required and it was agreed that the projects for capital funds would be discussed as part of the precept setting process in January 2025.

c)       Members noted that the precept demand was due for submission to WC in January 2025 and considered whether any further budget setting meetings were required prior to the January PC  meeting. Following debate, it was agreed that no further meeting were required.

Members considered the updated GDPR and Data Protection Policies, as introduced by the Chair, and noted the associated document Retention and Disposal policy (documents previously circulated). The documents were duly approved (proposed Cllr Rayward, seconded Cllr Franklin).

Members duly adopted the discretions policy as circulated (proposed Cllr MacDuff, seconded Cllr Franklin).

Members noted receipt of correspondence from a resident requesting an update on the situation with the bus shelter at Castle Road.  This had been sent to Cllr Wickham and then forwarded to the Clerk.  The Clerk confirmed that she had responded and would follow this up with the outcomes agreed under agenda item 2024 69 b).

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

·       Update on the Castle Road bus shelter

·       Report on the recent Remembrance Sunday events

·       Update on the Neighbourhood Plan and the PC’s resolution to progress to Regulation 15

·       Report on LHFIG meetings and issues

·       Christmas Lights event (given BPN due for publication 1^st December)

·       Promotion of Website and request for parish volunteers to support PC group

Members received and noted the calendar of parish council meetings and events (previously circulated). It was noted that the date recently set for a meeting of the Staffing Committee needed to be added (29^th November 2024).

Tuesday 14^th January 2025 – 7.15 pm in the Jubilee Hall.