MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF BISHOP'S CASTLE TOWN COUNCIL, HELD IN THE TOWN HALL ON TUESDAY 8TH JANUARY 2002 AT 8.00PM

PRESENT: Councillor G.N. St J. Penney, Mayor, in the Chair.
Councillors: S.J.S. Bedell, J.M. Carroll, J.L.V. Blundell, B.P. Jones,
E.A. Lawrence, K.E.C. Pinches, W.J. Morris, J.A.J. Whittall and R.D. Wright.

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Apologies received from Cllrs Kinmond and Magill.

2. MINUTES OF COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 11TH DECEMBER 2001:

Minutes of the Council meeting held on Tuesday 11th December, having been circulated were proposed as a true record by Cllr Blundell with two amendments: (1) Addition to Item 6g: 'The Mayor took no part in the discussion or the decision' and (2) Item 22.k amend £5000 to £500. Proposition seconded by Cllr Jones, approved and signed by The Mayor.

3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

a) Cllrs Blundell and Whittall declared an interest on item 20.
b), c), d), e) and f) None.

4. MATTERS ARISING:

Item 4.9: It was agreed that the wording of a banner should be 'Market Open in Town Hall Today' and should be printed on both sides.
Item 4.12: Kay Chambers, Secretary of the Community Forum has asked if Mr Pahl could come and speak to the Council at a meeting. It was proposed that Mr Pahl be invited to the next meeting.

Item 6.g: Cllr Carroll reported that at the recent meeting with Mr Caird this was discussed. Mr Caird had advised that the five year planning permission expires in February. It was therefore necessary for them to renew the permission and the old original plan had been put forward. However, since this plan had been approved, amended plans for the road have been approved. This has caused some confusion and a new amended plan should be received shortly.

Item 9: Letter from Mr Biggs read regarding the public conveniences. All responses from Parish and Town Counciuls will be reported to the Council's Executive Committee on Wednesday 16th January and he will write to us again after this meeting.

Item 22.k: As 2002 is Jubilee Year, Mr Whitefoot has asked if the Council would like to consider including a carving on the top bar of the gate 'To Commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabether II'. It was agreed that the Playing Field Committee should meet Mr Whitefoot to agree the details of the gate before he begins to make it. Cllr Jones said that the money she raised whilst Mayor had not yet been distributed but it is her intention to give 25% towards the Playing Field and this could be put towards the gate. The Council gratefully accepted this offeer.

5. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO SPEAK: None.

6. TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING ACT:

a) No plans received.

b) The following Planning Reports have been received since the last meeting:

1) 1/01/12809/F Planning Permission granted to S.M. Cooper, 44 Union Street, Bishop's Castle for erection of ancillary domestic outbuilding.

2) 1/01/12842/F Planning Permission granted to Bishop's Castle Medical Practice, School Lane, for erection of extensions to surgery.

3) 1/01/12765/F and 1/01/12767/CA Notice of Withdrawal of application for erection of 2 dwellings and domestic garages and demolition of former bakery. Mr R. Sidebottom, Church Street, Bishop's Castle.

4) 1/01/12813/F Planning Permission granted for erection of dwelling. A.D. Buy, plot to the rear of Hall Villa, Bishop's Castle.

5) 1/01/12845/F Planning Permission granted for erection of extension to dwelling. Mr M. Evans, 32 Grange Road, Bishop's Castle.

c) Internally illuminated signs in the Town: The Deputy Mayor with Cllrs Lawrence and Whittall had met Mr Caird in Ludlow on 3rd January to discuss signage in Bishop's Castle. Cllr Carroll gave a report of this meeting, it was confirmed that internally illuminated signs are not permitted in the Conservation Area, but photographic evidence will be required before SSDC can take action. It was suggested that for the large corporate businesses a direct approach to the Company would be more effective than legal action.

In case of difficulties with plans it was suggested that e.mail should be used to elucidate uncertainties.

7. ACCOUNTS:

In addition to the invoices listed on the Agenda an invoice has been received from Mr A. Wallace for December street cleaning for £20.50. Cllr Wright proposed that all accounts presented are approved for payment, seconded by Cllr Whittall and approved.

8. PRECEPT:

Accounts to 31.3.01 together with details of income and expenditure to 31.12.01 and estimates for 1.1.02 to 31.3.02 had been circulated to Councillors with the Agenda. The precept for the current year was £32,000, an increase of £10,000 of the previous year, to enable money to be set aside for improving lighting in Kerry Lane and safety surfacing in the Playing Field. Since then the problem of the roof of the Town Hall needing extensive work had arisen and it had been agreed to put in safety surfacing when any new equipment is purchased. A lighting scheme for Kerry Lane has been drawn up and amendments are under consideration.

There was discussion about the estimated expenditure the Council faces in the next financial year and whether the current precept will be sufficient or should be increased. Cllr Carroll proposed that although the cost of the Town Hall repairs are not yet known and the Kerry Lane lighting remains a priority, the precept should remain the same, at £32,000 seconded by Cllr Wright and approved.

9. INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW ETHICAL FRAMEWORK - PART III LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 2000:

Standards Committee: The Mayor advised that Mr A. Clague has been elected as Chairman of the Standards Committee until the annual meeting of Council 2002 at the first meeting of the Committee held on 17th December. The second meeting is to be held on Tuesday 15th January.

Training: To advance understanding of this topic, a series of training sessions for all Council Clerks and Chairmen is to be arranged as soon as possible, so that Town and Parish Councils have plenty of time to determine the content of their own local code will before the 5th May deadline.

New Model Code of Conduct: Individual copies will be sent to every Councillor as soon as possible. The DTLR have written that the local government white paper Strong Local Leadeership - Quality Public Services was published on 11th December and an extract which sets out proposals for the reform of the financial regime was enclosed. The Government hopes that this package of proposals will help all parishes move towards Quality Parish and Town Council status, while allowing extra flexible

10. TOWN HALL - REPORT ON PROGRESS:

The Mayor read a letter from Mr Wheatley of Wheatley & Lines Architects and reported that he would be coming to the Town Hall on Tuesday 15th January at 10.00am. He hoped that as many Councillors as were available would be willing to come to meet him. Mr Newall of Baart, Harries, Newall was being invited to come to meet Councillors at 10.45 am. A copy of the RIBA Conditions of Engagement for works to historic buildings had been received from Mr Wheatley which was passed around for Councillors to read.

11. REQUEST FOR GRANT BY PUBLIC HALL COMMITTEE FOR KITCHEN AND TOILETS:

Letter read from Mrs Ellis, secretary of Public Hall Committee, advising that the application made for a Lottery grant has not been successful, but the Committee have decided that improvements to the kitchen and toilet facilities are a priority and should go ahead. The Committee would like cofirmation that the £1,000 that the Council had offered was still available. Cllr Blundell proposed that the Council should have more details of what is planned and estimates of cost before making a decision, seconded by Cllr Carroll and approved. Details to be obtained for the next meeting.

12. SOUTH SHROPSHIRE HOUSING ASSOCIATION:

It was reported that Mr M. Holland and Mr P. McCaul from the S.S. Housing Association had met with the Clerk, Cllrs Wright and Lawrence and P.C. Weaver to consider the problems in Corricks Rise raised in correspondence over the past 18 months. It appeared that complaints about the tenant came from the occupants of one house so that the Housing Association felt this is a neighbours dispute and were disinclined to act on a single complainant. If there were more complaints they would be more inclined to take action. It was agreed that the H.Association would write to their tenant and recommend mediation and the Council should recommend the same to the complainant. Cllr Carroll proposed the Council write and advise mediation, seconded by Cllr Jones and approved. ACTION TOWN CLERK

13. CONFIRMATION OF APPOINTMENT OF TOWN HALL CLEANER:

Ms Fox was appointed cleaner w.e.f. 1st October 2001 on a three month trial @ £71.00 per month. It was agreed that the Council is very happy with her work and Cllr Blundell proposed the appointment be confirmed, with an increase in salary to £77.50 per month, which should be reviewed in April, seconded by Cllr Wright and approved.

14. FLOODING AND DRAINAGE:

Letter read from Mr Kennedy, Principal Drainage Officer, S.C.C., who has also written to Mr Edwards and Mr Richards directly. S.S.D.C. and S.C.C. are addressing the problem to provide relief from the watercourse over flowing, but it is thought the major problem is of inadequate capacity in the combined sewerage system of the Severn Trent Water Plc. This company appear to continue to refute the growing evidence of the inadequacy of the sewerage system and he suggested the Council should write to them. The Mayor proposed that as we have already written to Severn Trent and to date they have not even acknowledged our letter, it would be far more effective for the County Council to contact Severn Trent themselves, seconded by Cllr Whittall and approved. ACTION TOWN CLERK

15. PRESENTATION AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE:

The headmaster and Chair of Governors has invited the Council to a presentation of the Building Development on 22nd January at the Community College at 5.30 pm. Stage 2 of a £450,000 building programme is to start on the 4th January and during the presentation Nick James the County Architect will talk about the building programme and Terry Hunt will speak about how the development will improve the College's ability to serve the South Shropshire Community. The Deputy Mayor, Cllr Lawrence and Cllr Jones would like to attend and Cllr Whittall would like to, other commitments permitting.

16. VITAL VILLAGES:

Vital Villages is a new range of grants available from the Countryside Agency to help the community take action on issues which are important to them. The grant schemes will enable the community to develope a plan of action to look at issues such as local transport, access and improvements to key services. Cllr Lawrence explained that these grants are important and should not be overlooked as there may be money that could help Bishop's Castle. It was felt that there needs to be a commitment by some-one willing to undertake this, as these application forms can be lenghty and daunting. Cllr Morris would like to see the application pack and the Clerk was asked to obtain one and circulate to Councillors. ACTION TOWN CLERK

17. SOUTH SHROPSHIRE COMMUNITY STRATEGY AND THE COUNTY STRATEGY:

The South Shropshire Partnership has sent a copy of the South Shropshire Community Strategy and a summary of the County Strategy. These documents set out plans for the next ten years. Other agencies and their networks have been consulted and feedback is welcome. The next stage of the consultation process will be to get the views of the residents of South Shropshire which will be carried out at the end of January / February through the publication "South Shropshire Matters." It was agreed this document should be circulated urgently around Councillors. CIRCULATE

18. CAMP-SITE UP-DATE:

At the meeting of the Board of Directors on 29th November the Caravan, Camping and Walking Centre project was questioned by Mr Williams who said it was seen as being competitive with existing operations. Dr Skewiss explained that this idea had arisen from meetings held in the Town, not from the Company and letters of support had been received from the Town Council and the Tourism Group, who had undertaken some of the initial research work. It was envisaged that after development it would be put to tender to allow local interests an opportunity to bid.

19. REPORT OF RECENT MEETINGS ATTENDED BY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES:

a) Cllr Whittall reported that he had attended the AGM of the Joint Advisory Committee at The Leisure Centre, the minutes of which have been received and can be circulated. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 23rd January.
CIRCULATE
b) Cllr Carroll report that during the meeting with Mr Caird it was agreed that the footpath in Oak Meadow, which had been a rural path needs to be tarmaced as it now passes through a housing estate. He will use his best endeavours to have this path resurfaced by the County Council. Mr Caird felt that there ought to be a policy introduced so that in future the Developer and the three councils involved all work together to ensure such paths are dealt with in the appropriate manner.

c) Cllr Jones has received notification of a meeting to be held on 5th February of the Community College Advisory Group and it was requested that Groups send in ideas/comments for discussion prior to 10th January. Cllr Jones proposed a letter is sent supporting the development of the skate board area and a drop-in centre for young people, seconded by Cllr Carroll and approved. ACTION TOWN CLERK

20. STREET LIGHTING:

Mr D'Alezio is on holiday at present and the Clerk will be speaking to him about the design plan for Kerry Lane, on his return.

The Auction Yard is very dark and Cllr Whittall suggested that a bright light on the east side would be very useful. Councillors were asked to look at this before the next meeting. AGENDA NEXT MEETING

21. CORRESPONDENCE:.

a) Mrs A. Humphrey: Letter read regarding the Christmas music from the Awareness shop and the American flag displayed outside. It was proposed a letter is sent to the shop owners regarding the music, as two other verbal complaints had been received, but take no action regarding the flying of the American flag taking into account the owners connections with the country and the events that took place on 11th September. ACTION TOWN CLERK

b) Sodexho: A customer care questionnaire for completion, asking if the Council is satisfied with the work carried out etc. The form was completed; on the whole the Council is quite satisfied, but it was requested that we would like the grass to be cut up to the boundary, which at present it is not. It was felt that this is due to lack of time and it was requested that more time is allowed in order that the boundaries can be cut which would look tidier.

c) Mr M. Corfield, Chairman, E.S.W.S.: In the past there have been three Community Chest Schemes, where grants of up to £500 were offered to a variety of small, economic, social and community projects. The Board are considering a new scheme for 2002 and have asked the Council to consider making a contribution. Following discussion about this request Cllr Lawrence proposed no action is taken, seconded by Cllr Wright and approved.

d) S.C.C.: A copy of the consultation leaflet about the County Council Budget 2002/03. The C.C. welcomes views on the budget proposals and is holding a series of public consultation meetings. For the South Shropshire area a meeting will be held on 15th January at 7pm at the Bishop Mascall Centre. CIRCULATE

e) S.C.C. Emergency Planning: Annual Update meeting 2002 will be held on Wednesday 10th April at the Shirehall. A short illustrated presentation will be given highlighting the events of the last 12 months and will seek to examine ways in which communications in a crisis can be improved. This will be followed by an Open Foreum. Cllr Jones is not able to attend this year, so any Councillor who would like to attend to contact the Clerk.

f) Ms K. Pinsent, newly appointed Rural Transport Partnership Officer for South Shropshire is willing to come and meet Councillors to discuss any transport projects or help with the "Parish Transport Grant". For reference, no action to be taken at present.

g) Shropshire and Mid Wales Hospice: Request for a grant to help the Hospice to continue to meet the increasing local need to provide care to terminally ill patients. PRECEPT MEETING

h) South Shropshire Police-Community Consultative Group: Minutes of meeting held at Ludlow on 9th October 2001.
CIRCULATE

i) S.P.F.A. Play Report. CIRCULATE

j) Shropshire Health Authority - Ambulance Service: A Partnership for the Future: A consultation document on the proposal to contract with West Midland Ambulance Service NHS Trust for an ambulance service for the people of Shropshire from the 1st April 2002.

The Mayor declared the meeting closed at 9.30 p.m.