MINUTES of meeting of the Parish Council held on 10th March 2008 at the School, Water Lane, Oakington at 8.30 pm.
PRESENT: A Milton (Chairman), Mr D Reeves (Vice Chairman), Mr J Bailey, Mrs Y Graves, Mr P Harradine, Mrs J Sidaway, Mr R Ward, Mrs A Christie, Coun S Edwards (SCDC), Coun N Bolitho (SCDC), Coun M Bradney (CCC), the Clerk and 6 members of the public.
APOLOGIES: Mr R Warboys
MINUTES: Para 6, line 8 – add ‘Does CCC have legal responsibility to provide safe lighting? Road safety aspects are of great concern to us’ The Minutes of the meeting of 4th February 2008 were then approved and signed by the Chairman.
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS: None
MATTERS ARISING (Urgent only – non-urgent items carried forward to April meeting):
Northstowe – it was noted that there were many pertinent issues raised at the public meeting this evening. Suggested that the Parish Council’s response to the planning application should be placed on our website. The site does not give the facility to do this in its current form but the all the representations made can be viewed on SCDC website and a link to this will be included in the minutes of the public meeting.
Parking Bay, Queens Way – letter received from resident of no. 15 indicating wish to deal directly with Parish Council on this matter. It was agreed to permit a right of way over the land and allow permission for him to extend tarmac over the grassed area owned by the Parish Council.
CORRESPONDENCE:
CCC – Notification that free school bus service for Oakington children attending IVC will be withdrawn with effect from September 2008. Concern expressed that the most dangerous part of the route does not have a cycle path and CCC should at least wait until the guided bus is in place. Coun Bradney (CCC) had not been informed prior to the letter sent to parents and has got a meeting arranged with relevant officers. He confirmed that this is an existing policy that CCC is now enforcing but the Parish Council could write to CCC to object.
LGS Services – Internal Auditor. Fee for audit 07/08 will be £200 + VAT as gross receipts/income will be greater than £200,000 (due to sports pavilion). Agreed that LGS should be appointed.
Skanska Atkins – offer to attend a meeting to provide update on A14 Ellington to Fen Drayton. Agreed to invite to annual parish meeting on 30th April.
SCDC – Heidi Weight, Community Engagement & Communication Officer – offer to attend meeting to introduce her role. Agreed to invite to May meeting.
Mr Leadley, 15 Queens Way – parking bay/access.
Elaine Bailey – request to attend April meeting to discuss issues re sports pavilion. Agreed.
The Chairman had written to the planning enforcement officers about lack of increased sized culvert that should have been provided with new houses adjacent 28 Cambridge Rd, Saturday markets which have now resumed without permission, and to inform them of large lorry apparently delivering what looked like polytunnels to Cambridge Road.
Peter Duthrie, Northstowe Rights of Way Project Manager – no longer able to attend parish meeting on 30th April. Will attend PC meeting on 9th June.
Circulation
Connections Bus – Feb newsletter
Atkins – A14 Ellington to Fen Ditton – contract awarded to Costain Skanska Atkins Joint Venture
CCC – Countryside Access Issues
SCDC – Housing Futures Feb 08
YesterYear Road Run – Sunday 20 April
NALC – Parish Partnership
COPE March 08 newsletter
SCDC – Parish Tree Warden Scheme
Oakington Graves – copy of draft interpretation board
Local Council Review – March 08
Cambridgeshire Highways – FAQs
D Jenkins – CCC monthly report Feb 08
M Bradney – CCC monthly report Feb 08
Clerks & Councils Direct, March
PLANNING:
Decisions
Mr & Mrs Sutherland, 4 The Vines – extensions – approved
Westwick Holdings Ltd, Coach House, Westwick Hall – internal & external alterations & temporary mobile home – approved
Mr & Mrs Guy, 19 Longstanton Rd – chimney – approved
Home Office, Oakington Barracks – Immigration Reception Centre for temp period to 30th June 2010.
BILLS FOR PAYMENT:
Speedy Hire Centres Ltd – hire of security fencing re Pavilion (Jan & Feb) 304.00
Five Star Pest Control – control of moles, cemetery 105.75
Martin Graves Carpentry Ltd – repair seat near village sign 72.07
Oakington Primary School – hire of hall 11.6.07 – 10.12.07 56.00
A J Milton – refund re refill of laser printer cartridge 35.00
R Bell – street lights & cleaning 5.2.08 – 10.3.08
5 weeks @ £49 245.00
L Lawrence – clerk’s salary 5.2.08 – 10.3.08
37.5 hours @ £9.57 = £358.88
+ telephone allowance = £30.00
+ travel expenses = £7.81 396.69
1214.51
It was proposed by Coun Harradine and seconded by Coun Reeves that these bills be paid. All agreed.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS:
The Clerk had emailed Tony Hull, Street Lighting officer yet again about the absence of any lighting at the A14 junctions. She will follow up again.
Report of Stagecoach drivers throwing litters out of buses (ticket rolls) at Mill Road stop. Coun Bradney will report this.
Matt Pickering (Highways) has arranged for post in Mill Road to be re-set into ground.
Agreed Village Day can be held on Recreation Ground on 21st June.
The Queens Way name sign cement post is loose. The Clerk will report to Diane Duncan, SCDC.
Coun Graves reported seeing her very first guided bus today!!
Coun Harradine sought clarification that SCDC are now responsible for emptying dog waste/litter bins. Coun Edwards will look into this and took down details of all relevant bins in Oakington. According to a letter received from Stuart Harwood-Clark in October, SCDC is responsible for ‘ the provision, siting, emptying and maintenance of all new and existing litter and dog waste bins on the public highway at no charge to the Parish Council’.
Litter is also an issue – particularly on footpath between Coles Lane and Water Lane and on grass verge from school towards Queens Way. It was noted that litter picking is the prime responsibility of SCDC. However, the Clerk will ask Roger Bell to tackle these areas.
Parking on the footway in Cambridge Road near Forge End is an on-going issue. The Clerk will report to PCSO Diana Neill.
Coun Christie asked for an update on the request for an extension to the 30 mph to Midfield Lodge as an accident had occurred along that stretch recently which appeared to be a direct result of someone driving too fast. This was submitted as one of our jointly funded minor highway bids. Coun Bradney advised that funding decisions would be made in the next few weeks. But, unfortunately accidents are not part of the criteria used for assessment.
Coun Bolitho (SCDC) will report at the next meeting.
Coun Edwards reported that SCDC had agreed a 4.9% council tax increase.
There is a vacancy on the Standards Committee for a Parish Councillor.
Coun Bradney reported that CCC had agreed a 5% council tax increase.
The Chairman reported that our Parish Precept for 08/09 is the 85th highest out of 101 parishes.
A member of the public reported that dog fouling is an on-going issue. A note on this is included in the annual newsletter to be distributed to each household over the next few weeks but it was noted that there is no easy solution to tackling this.
Another member of the public reported that people are cutting through the cemetery hedge to get to the footpath the other side. The Chairman pointed out that the security fencing for the new pavilion blocks off the official permissive footpath. It was agreed that the cemetery would need to be secured somehow when the construction work has finished on the pavilion.
The meeting closed at 9.30 pm.