Minutes of the Meeting on Tuesday, 8th September, 2020 held in Phoenix Hall at 7.30 p.m.
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| Parish Councillors Present: | Cllr. Alan Wood | Chairman |
| Cllr. Michael Beckingham | ||
| Cllr. Mrs .Corrine Gowman | ||
| Cllr. Greg Morgan | ||
| Cllr. Mrs. Sheila Symes | ||
| Cllr. Simon Vaughan-Edwards | ||
| In Attendance: | Neil Darg-Forsyth | Clerk to the Council |
20/22
REPORT BY WILTSHIRE COUNCILLOR, IAN BLAIR-PILLING
Cllr. Blair-Pilling was unable to attend in person, an electronic copy of his report was received and circulated by email to all councillors, and is summarised below.
Wiltshire has continued with low Covid-19 infection rates; the Council has moved from Response phase to Recovery phase, where local authorities take the lead.
Wiltshire Council is opening leisure centres and libraries in phases; implementing social distancing measures in towns; assisting schools’ preparations; and evaluating good practice and lessons learned to date.
Tel: 01980 670812: mobile: 07518 942216 email: ian.blair-pilling@wiltshire.gov.uk
20/23
APOLOGIES
Apologies were received from Cllr. Victoria Jago.
20/24
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no Declarations of Interest.
20/25
MINUTES
It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 14th March, 2020 be accepted as a true record.
20/26
REPORTS AND UPDATES
a. Planning
Cllr Gowman stated she had nothing new to report. The Clerk reported that three planning applications had been received that morning from Wiltshire, but had not been forwarded to Cllrs Jago and Gowman yet.
b. Footpaths and Rights of Way
- Cllr Vaughan-Edwards stated that the Parish Steward, Gabriel, had trimmed the hedges and topped up road holes with scalpings
- The trees opposite the footpath between Haxton and Netheravon, between The Brook and The Cottage need trimming. The land is owned by MOD and their river warden, Martin, has trimmed the hedge and undercut the lower tree branches. The Clerk was asked to contact Landmarc to cut back the higher tree branches.
- Cllr Morgan reported a tree has fallen into the river near the cress beds. He would give the location details to the Clerk, who would pass them onto Landmarc.
c. Allotments
Cllr. Symes reported that all allotments have been taken and paid for; she is still receiving queries for vacant allotments and has started a waiting list. One allotment holder, who lives in Enford, is not keeping the pathways clear and weed seeds are blowing onto other allotments. Their allotment crops are not being harvested which is not a productive use of land. Cllr Symes will send a letter asking the allotment holder to comply with the terms and conditions. Three quotes are still needed for fence maintenance.
d. Phoenix Hall
Cllr. Wood reported the AGM will be held on 17th September at 7pm; FPC Cllrs and the Clerk were invited to attend. Some user groups are starting to come back, e.g. the Whist & Bridge club, the band and the exercise classes. A generic risk assessment has been produced for all Hall users.
e. Highways
Cllr Morgan reported a street light (623904/A1024) not working in Lower Street, Haxton. The Clerk was asked to report it.
f. Jubilee Committee
Nothing to report.
20/27
PARISH MATTERS/UPDATES ON ACTIONS FROM LAST MEETING
Cllr. Wood listed the matters arising from the Annual Parish Meeting held on Tuesday, 10th March 2020.
a. Tidy footpath between Netheravon and Haxton. Done.
b. Finger post on The Pound. Cllr. Beckingham reported that all materials have been purchased. He recommended waiting until the road works associated with the rebuilding of Magpie Cottage have been completed.
c. The two green footpath finger-signs pointing to the church are missing some letters which need replacing. The Clerk has not contacted Wiltshire Council yet.
d. The two posts supporting the Fittleton village sign north of the village are severely rusted with holes in them. The Clerk has not contacted Wiltshire Council yet.
e. Potholes on bend at Fittleton. Done.
f. Flower Tubs. Done.
g. Gutters need cleaning. Done.
h. New Christmas Lights. Ongoing, Cllr. Morgan to arrange.
20/28
VILLAGE SOLDIERS/HISTORY WEBSITE
The new website www.villagesoldiers.com will record the history of soldiers from the three villages of Fittleton, Haxton and Netheravon.
It was RESOLVED to donate £60.00 to Netheravon Parish Council as a contribution to the setting-up and running costs of the website:
20/29
AUTUMN TIDY DAY
The Cllrs agreed the need for an Autumn Tidy Day as the villages are starting to look untidy. Areas requiring attention include the footpath between Haxton and Netheravon; and all grass verges; Residents would be encouraged to do a bit in their own areas.
It was agreed to have a Tidy Day starting at 10am on Sunday 4th October.
20/30
CHRISTMAS GET TOGETHER
Any event would need to abide by Covid-19 social distancing rules. It was agreed to hold the event in Fittleton; Cllr Beckingham agreed to find out the maximum number of attendees for an outdoor event. It was agreed to put the lights up in Fittleton and switch them on at 6.30pm on 11th December.
20/31
REPORT BY THE CLERK
The Clerk had attended the first of two WALC online Clerk training courses in August. It was very useful and explained the wide scope of the Clerk’s role.
The clerk had received an email from Wiltshire Council requesting an audit of the salt bins in the parish. There are two bins: one in Fittleton, on the road bend outside Fittleton House; and one at the bottom of the hill just outside Coombe village – but inside the FPC boundary. The bin in Fittleton is half full; the bin outside Coombe is full up and looks unused.
20/32
ACCOUNTS
a. Bank balance as at 14th July 2020 £8,712.06
b. Receipts £0.00
c. Cheques authorised since last meeting:
Victoria Jago, Flower Tubs £20.92
WALC, Insurance cover £100.78
WALC, Clerk training course £90.00
d. Direct Debits & Standing Orders
Community First, Membership subscriptions £11.33
N Darg-Forsyth, Clerk wages (Jul-Aug) £391.90
HMRC Income Tax £72.80
c. Balance as at 8th September 2020 £8,099.66
20/33
CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED
WALC has sent a letter advising the recently agreed pay increase of 2.75% for Clerks, which is back-dated to April.
Wiltshire Council has sent a letter advising that the request to change the parish name to Fittleton cum Haxton is progressing.
Post meeting note: the name change was approved at the Wiltshire Council full council meeting on 9th September.
20/34
ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING
Nothing was submitted.
20/35
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Tuesday, 10th November 2020 at 7.30pm in Phoenix Hall, Netheravon