The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Monday 12 April at the Village Hall at 7 pm followed by the Parish Council Meeting .

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING AGENDA

1 Apologies for absence

2 Minutes of last year’s meeting

3 Chairman’s Report

4 Reports from village organisations

5 Matters raised by parishioners

PARISH COUNCIL AGENDA

1 Apologies for absence

2 Public Participation

3 Approval of minutes of last meeting

4 Declarations of Interest

5 Reports from DC/CC

6 Accounts

7 Planning

8 Correspondence

9 Parish Plan

10 Lengthsman

11 Highways – Installation of bollards near ‘Bobbins’

12 Footpaths

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The Annual Parish Meeting was held on Monday 12 April 2010 at the Village Hall at 7 pm.

Cllrs Walshe (Chair), Cripps, England, Hawkins, Sarker, Wakely, Mrs A Larpent (County Councillor) and 6 parishioners.

Cllrs Hallett, Humphreys, Messrs P Robathan & K Ronaldson (District Councillors).

The minutes of the previous Parish Meeting were read and signed as a true record.

Cllr Humphreys sent a report on an interesting year and said the winter had wreaked havoc with the roads, but resurfacing of the worst affected area of Lambrook Road had been promised. The parish has been grateful for the services of the Lengthsman, David Muir, who is now retiring and is to be replaced by David Ogilvie.

It was good to see the School become Primary in September and the Parish Council continues to lend support to ensure and maintain its growth. The Parish Plan Events Team has again provided much enjoyment and raised much needed funds.

Another achievement has been the successful lottery bid by the Cowleaze Meadow Project, which will allow the project to come to fruition and the parish is grateful for all the work which is being carried out there. The Chairman expressed thanks to the Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators and all those involved in the various organisations within the village who continue to give benefit to the community.

Sharon Humphreys sent a report on the year’s activities, which have allowed funds to be given to the School to buy new equipment. In addition to the two large gazebos, the Parish Plan Team now owns a PA sound system and Ipod, a large barbecue, spotlights for outdoor events, a large tea urn, fluorescent marshall jackets, two pop-up gazebos and two inflatable palm trees. These items are freely available to be used by other groups in the village for fund raising purposes, and can be hired out to parishioners. A successful Easter Market has taken place this year and other planned events include Tea at the Ritz on 22 May, St Petroc’s Summer Fayre (but without follow-on event due to clash with World Cup Final), Fun Run and 10k Run on 5 September, Bonfire & Fireworks on 6 November and Christmas Market on 11 December. The possibility of setting up a film club is being looked into.

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Cllr Walshe reported a good year and thanked the team for their work. The barbecue did not take place but car boot and table top sales were held. A match funded grant of £12,500 has been awarded by the District Council for play equipment and a project is planned over the next five years to revamp the Recreation Field.

Cllr Cripps was pleased to report that a lottery grant of just under £50,000 had been awarded to the project. Work on the paths and fencing had been delayed due to the weather and a definite result from the soil testing is awaited from Wessex Water. The Committee has been carrying out planting work and the stream has been cleared by the Lengthsman.

The Parish Council is grateful to John Rippon for all he has done as co-ordinator of this scheme for the past five years and, following his move from the village, the role will now be undertaken by Cllr Cripps. The retiring Lengthsman, David Muir, has been a great asset to the village and David Ogilvie has been appointed to replace him.

Cllr Cripps reported that responsibility for the maintenance of rights of way has now been passed back from the District to the County Council.

Cllr Cripps said membership is similar to last year, with a small waiting list, and the AGM will take place on 20 April at the Duke of York.

Debbie Welch reported on liaising with Western Power about removing trees to accommodate their lines and said they are looking to offset this by planting on other sites in the village.

Debbie has been on a hedge laying course and would be happy to help with the hedge at the Recreation Field.

She hopes to display the list of Tree Preservation Orders in a public place. Barbara Collier, who had set up the Tree Warden Scheme, is now leaving the District Council and Debbie has been asked to help in the setting up of a steering group.

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Cllr Sarker was pleased to report that the transition to primary status had gone very smoothly. The governors and teachers are very proud of the school and aim to continue the excellent level of teaching. Mrs Larpent had been to County Council meetings on the subject of small schools and said there is a very positive move towards keeping small schools safe.

Cllr Hawkins reported that the fabric of the Church, which is a Grade I Listed Building, is well maintained and that a full survey is due to be carried out later in the year. The PCC is grateful for the Parish Council’s contribution towards maintaining the Churchyard.

Cllr Hawkins reported the theft of lead from the Church boiler house roof and an incident of vandalism in the Churchyard. The roof has been replaced with stainless steel, costing around £3,000, which was covered by insurance (less the excess). The act of vandalism was kindly repaired by a parishioner.

Cllr Hawkins spoke of work carried out on the Village Hall, including sanding and re-finishing the floor, repainting interior walls (voluntarily by committee members), upgrading of interior lighting, installing information boards at main entrance and the purchase of 40 new chairs. Hall bookings continue at a healthy level, with the Preschool being the main user. The Committee is grateful to the Parish Council for its continued financial support.

Cllr Hawkins said the Guild meets monthly and has 27 members. Talks on a variety of topics are enjoyed and two outings and a summer tea party were held. Members helped with the Church Fete and took part in the Village Songs of Praise. New members would be welcome.

Cllr Walshe confirmed that the Shepton Seniors continue to meet monthly.

Jackie Priddle said the Youth Group, which has 35 members, has now been running for seven years. From January to Easter, due to the severe weather, the Group met in the Village Hall. The Group was grateful for a County Councillor’s grant and, having just paid the insurance and affiliation fees, funds currently stand at £84.58. Jackie has a great team of helpers and good support from the parents.

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Jackie Priddle reported that the Art Group is well supported, with 24 members, and the exhibition went well.

Paul England, Secretary of the Golf Society, said there are 26 members, who play monthly from March to October, and new members would be welcome.

Mary Clarke, Co-ordinator, said the scheme was restarted in 2005. Meetings are held every two months and notes are circulated by email or hand delivered to participants who are not on line. The new PCSO, Charlotte Rogers, has often been on sick leave and there is no way of identifying whether messages have been received. A new steering group has been formed to help Neighbourhood Watch Groups and Mike Stephens represents the group.

Mary Clarke suggested the Parish Council organises an information session on renewable energy.

Concern was expressed about cars being parked on pavements and motorists are asked to show some consideration to pedestrians and refrain from doing this.

Badgers are causing problems at the Recreation Field and residents living nearby are asked not to leave food out for them.

There being no further business, the meeting was declared closed.

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Which took place on Monday 12 April 2010, following the Annual Parish Meeting.

Cllrs Walshe (Chair), Cripps, England, Hawkins, Sarker, Wakely, Mrs A Larpent (County Councillor) and 2 parishioners.

Cllrs Hallett, Humphreys, Messrs P Robathan & K Ronaldson (District Councillors).

The minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed and signed.

No interests were declared.

Mrs Larpent spoke of the presentation by Ben Hamilton-Bailey. He said that Shepton Beauchamp is a glorious village and he made suggestions for improving the white lining in the area near the Duke of York. Mrs Larpent said the County Councillors will not have a fund for parishes this year but may do next year.

The Parish Councillors gave a reminder about the potholes from Love Lane to Piece Lane and asked the County Councillor to obtain clarification as to colour coding of the paint around potholes and whether there is any guarantee after they have been repaired. The Clerk will write to Mike Fear about the condition of the roads.

Cheques were drawn for:

The Parish Council had no objections to a revised application for vehicular access and erection of dwellinghouse south of Pendower, Shells Lane, provided there is sufficient strength in the bank and it will not cause soil erosion when the driveway is constructed.

Permission has been granted for alterations, conversion of loft space, erection of extension and installation of four conservation rooflights at Stephens, Church Street.

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Following concerns about the condition of the building site in Love Lane, a reply was received from Country Village Homes Ltd stating that they are currently assessing the viability of developing the site in the Spring. If it is decided not to proceed at present, a site meeting will be arranged to agree remedial action.

In reply to the information supplied, the District Council plans to replace the existing sign with one stating ‘Littlefields Lane also known as Washcross Lane’. The Clerk will reply that the Parish Councillors find this unacceptable, they do not want the sign changed and it would be a waste of money.

The Parish Council is very grateful to David Muir for all he did as Lengthsman and it was decided to buy him a voucher as a leaving gift. The Lengthsman had been clearing litter from Barrington Main but the Clerk will ask Branstons to keep the area near their premises litter free.

A reply was received from David Laws, MP, enclosing a copy of a letter he had received from Geoff Dight of the Highway Authority, explaining the situation regarding winter maintenance. It was decided to order a dumpy bag of salt for next winter, to be positioned at the crossroads at the top of the village.

Following the accident at Bobbins, Love Lane, when the house was damaged by a lorry, it has been suggested that high curb stones are positioned along Lambrook Road adjacent to the property with one cast iron bollard on the corner of Lambrook Road/Love Lane. This would have the full agreement of the Parish Council and the owners of Bobbins, who offered to buy the bollard.

The Parish Council wished to congratulate the organisers, sponsors and bidders who took part in a recent Auction and Race Night in the village, which raised £8,400 for Help The Heroes.

The meeting closed at 9.10 pm.