Minutes of Annual Parish Meeting

MINUTES of Annual Parish Meeting held on 26th April 2006 at the School, Water Lane, Oakington at 7.30 pm.

PRESENT: Mr A Milton (Chairman of the Parish Council) was in the chair supported by 5 Parish Councillors, Mrs L Lawrence (Parish Clerk) 15 and members of the public.

APOLOGIES: John Bailey, Ralph Warboys, Elaine Bailey (Community Association), Matt Bradney (CCC).

The Chairman read out legal notices relating to Annual Parish meeting procedures.
As this is an election year, he asked if anyone present was a candidate for the election due to take place on 4th May. One man indicated that he was and that he was also not on the electoral role for Oakington & Westwick.

Minutes of 2005 Annual Parish Meeting – matters arising:
None

Minutes of Extraordinary Parish meeting held 14th June 2005:
It was proposed by Mrs Harradine and seconded by Mrs Cuthbert that these be signed as a true record.
The Chairman read out a letter received from Mr & Mrs Probert concerning the ‘flawed’ consultation procedure regarding the footway in Longstanton Road.
The Chairman stated that the Parish Council did consult properly in this matter and it had been agreed that no changes were required to procedures.

Parish Council Accounts 2004/05:
Copies of the accounts had been distributed.
A member of the public queried the reduction in recycling income. The Chairman reported that unfortunately due to budgets cuts, South Cambs DC would not longer be passing this income on to parishes.
It was proposed by Mr Loweth and seconded by Mrs McKie that the accounts be accepted.  All agreed.

Charities Accounts 2004/05:
Copies of the accounts had been distributed.
It was proposed by Mr Loweth and seconded by Mr Dennis that the accounts be accepted.  All agreed.

Chairman’s Report:
The Chairman updated everyone on the following:

• Bus shelter in Cambridge Road – both the land and the shelter are now under the ownership of the Parish Council
• Bus passes – due to the ridiculous South Cambs DC ‘free’ bus journeys situation (which had resulted in an increase in fares to Oakington residents) requests had been received for the Parish Council to make a contribution towards bus costs for the over 60’s. Although the Parish Council sympathised with those effected, it had been decided that this would not be possible, as claims would have to be made on a journey-by-journey basis which is not practical.
• Coles Lane Development – due to the developer’s plan to install a storm water tank under proposed children’s play area it had been agreed that a management company should take on responsibility for the green space on the site. The Parish Council will receive a sum of money in lieu (estimate £26,000). However, this requires a variation to the Section 106 agreement which is taking some time to formalise.
• Northstowe – the Parish Council had submitted responses to the Local Development Framework objection sites – basically supporting Fairfield Partnership’s proposals which provide a much larger green separation from our parish.
• The Parish Council had strongly objected to the retrospective planning application by the owners of the tomato farm for 13 mobile homes on their site.
• This is the Parish Council election year. However, only the eight existing councillors had applied for the nine vacancies. Therefore, no election will be held.
• New footways had been installed in Longstanton Road, Dry Drayton Road and Coles Lane. The cycleway towards Histon has not been completed due to lack of funds. However, it is hoped there will be sufficient budget to do the remainder this year.
• Illegal use of Longstanton Road – the police had patrolled the road on several occasions but do not have the resources to maintain a permanent presence there. They have asked that if anyone knows of any persistent offenders to contact them with the vehicle registration number and times of day that they use the road and action will be taken.
• Dog bins – regrettably it had been decided to remove the bin from the Recreation Ground entirely as had been continually abused and was finally set fire to.
• Westwick bridge – it is good to see that the re-building work is finally being undertaken. The Chairman hoped it would make a big difference if the village should be subject to any flooding problems in the future.
• Traffic calming – concerns had been expressed to the Parish Council regarding the pinch point area near the school. The Chairman commented that if used properly it should not be a problem. However, it has been agreed to arrange a meeting with CCC there once all the remaining work effecting traffic in the village is completed.
• Bad behaviour – the Parish Council had to repair two bus shelters recently that were damaged by vandals. The bench next to the High St/ Water Lane shelter had been destroyed and the shelter used as a toilet. All we can do is appeal to parents to be aware of where their children are late at night and what they are doing. The Chairman commented that we now have a very good local PC and PCSO.
• Saxon Way bus shelter – the police had arrested 2/3 twelve-year old girls in connection with the paint vandalism at the shelter. It was agreed with the parents that they should be made to clean the shelter and the next day they did so. Hopefully, this will act as a deterrent to them in the future.
• Prompted by correspondence from Land Registry, the Parish Council is looking into the ownership of various bits of property in the village. Stocks Green, the village pond and the martyr’s graves are all to be registered. We are also looking into ownership of the bridleway at the end of Mill Road.
• Sports pavilion – the good news is that the grant application was successful and the planning application has been submitted. The not so good news is that a preliminary archaeological survey has revealed a ditch with artefacts, pottery etc directly under the proposed area for the pavilion. It is anticipated that this will result in a full archaeological dig which will costs tens of thousands of pounds. It is hoped, but not guaranteed, that CCC will make a contribution towards the cost.
• New village sign – had been installed. The Chairman thanked the Gardening Society for providing the plaque in commemoration of the life of Alan Bloom.
• Website – a new Parish Council website will be launched shortly. Initially it will contain minutes of meetings. However, it is hoped to add some historical information later on.

The Chairman concluded his report by thanking the following for their work on behalf of the parish.
John Bailey – School governor
Peter Harradine – for looking after children’s play area
Bob Ward – financial officer
Ralph Warboys – Oakington Charities
Yvonne Graves – Oakington Charities & litter picking
Joan Sidaway – Pavilion sub-committee & Community Association
David Reeves – website, various repair/tidying work
The Clerk and her family
Simon Edwards & Tim Wotherspoon – who have represented us as district councillors for the past two years
David Jenkins & Matt Bradney – who have represented us as county councillors for the past year
Mrs Warboys – litter picking in Longstanton Road
Elaine Bailey – Community Association
Neil Cook & Jane Thompson (SCDC) – without their hard work, the pavilion project would not have been successful

The Chairman advised that there is still one vacancy on the Parish Council and if anyone is interested, please could they contact either himself or the Clerk.

A member of the public enquired about the build up of water at the new bus shelter in Cambridge Road.  The Chairman advised that it had been marked to be dealt with by CCC for some time. However, the Parish Council would contact the Highways Dept again.
A member of the public asked if the Parish Council would replace the bench that had been destroyed. The Chairman responded that this had been discussed at a recent meeting. However, it had been decided that due to the current climate of increased vandalism it would not be sensible to do so at present.

Report from District Councillors:
Coun Simon Edwards handed out copies of the report prepared by himself, Couns Wotherspoon and Dixon.
He outlined the key items:

• Business process re-engineering – the top level management of the council is being restructured
• Council tax capping – this had resulted in both the bottle bank income and maintenance for footway lighting being withdrawn. Coun Edwards anticipated that there would be further effects of capping in years to come, particularly in the area of grant funding
• Northstowe – the Local Development Framework was submitted to the Secretary of State in January. It is hoped that the public examination will take place late summer
• Flood Risk Assessment is being held up as an example of best practice by the ODPM
• Transport – it is the responsibility of SCDC to set any conditions for the proposed Guided Bus
• ‘Free’ bus fare scheme – it is a complete farce. Passengers can travel free within district boundaries but have to pay a £1.80 return fare for all journeys that cross a district boundary e.g. to Cambridge city. This scheme is government funded and should have been more equitably shared out. Any complaints should be addressed to Dr David Bard at SCDC (copy to A Lansley,MP)
• Environment – SCDC has achieved Beacon status for recycling
• Election – Jacky Dixon is standing down as a district councillor. Coun Edwards thanked her for all her hard work

Mr Loweth thanked the district councillors for their comprehensive report.

Reports from County Councillors:
Coun David Jenkins handed out copies of the individual reports from himself and Coun Matt Bradney.
Coun Jenkins advised that this first year had proved to be a steep learning curve.
He outlined the key items:

• Corporate Services – the council retained its ‘excellent’ rating.
• Environment & Community Services – succeeded in getting previous cuts in the budget reversed so that we now have fully funded library services, archaeology and archives. 
• Children & Young People Services – has just been through a huge re-organisation. We are fortunate to have a good school in Oakington and two excellent village colleges in the catchment area.
• Outlook for 2006/07 – will undoubtedly be dominated by Northstowe – his aim is to try to preserve the Green Belt and make sure the development does not do irreparable damages to the villages that border it.

School Governors’ Report:
The Clerk read out the report on behalf of John Bailey.

Oakington Charities Report:
Mrs Graves reported that the trustees usually meet twice a year.
Five grants were made, each totalling £30 to individuals and two grants, each totalling £40 to married couples.
A joint meeting was held with Girton Charity Trustees regarding registering title of their share of the field in Westwick that is shared jointly with Oakington Charities. The division of the land was agreed and a plan has been drawn up. It is understood that Girton Charities will meet the fees due.

Local Groups’ Reports:
Humpty Dumpty
The Chairman read out the report on behalf of Helen Williams, Administrator.
The charity has officially registered a change of name and the new title is Humpty Dumpty Pre-School, Oakington.
The main concerns for the near future are the maintenance costs on the deteriorating building, ability of the current building to attract new children and the impact of Northstowe. Annual accounts usually show a break-even or at best building reserves by a couple of thousand. Therefore, we could never afford the cost of a new building without external help.

Table Tennis
Mrs Sidaway reported that the club continues to meet on a Tuesday evening and they have moved further up the league this year.

Bowls
Mrs Sidaway reported that the club meets every Thursday afternoon and evening in the Scout Hut. They have 26 members – 3 new members this year. The club has enjoyed competitions both home and away against Fen Drayton and Hemingford Grey. Some members had played at Potters Holiday Village against other
Counties.

Community Association
Mrs Sidaway read the report on behalf of Elaine Bailey, Chair.
The main ‘events’ of the year had been the installation of the Millennium window in the Church and the successful bid for a grant for the sports pavilion. The Community Association has been involved in many ‘behind the scenes’ meetings with various parties involved in this project.
The monthly newsletter is still a vital source of information of village activities. It is important that each organisation uses it.

Tennis Club
Mike Harris reported that the new courts opened last year and he thanked the Parish and District Councils for their support. They have been an outstanding success.
Membership increased last year and it up again this year. They now have LTA recognised coaches to train junior members.

Neighbourhood Police Panels:
The Chairman welcomed Rachel Thomas and Juliet Sant from Cambridgeshire Constabulary Corporate Communications Dept
Rachel advised that they are trying to establish ways of improving police communication with people in Cambs.
The aim of this discussion is to obtain views of the public on this.
Various methods of communication were suggested. Most indicated they would prefer regular police updates in the village newsletter rather than more leaflets etc coming through the door. The majority of those present did not have access to the Internet and were therefore not aware of E-Cops. Several residents asked if Neighbourhood Watch is still running, as they had received no updates for a year now. Rachel confirmed that it is but it appears that most updates are sent via e-mail which not everyone is able to use.  She committed to investigate this further.
The Chairman suggested using the Connections Bus for getting information to young people.

Any Other Business:
A member of the public asked if the signed stating ‘new traffic signals’ could now been removed as the lights had been in place at least 2 years. The Clerk will contact the Highways Dept.

Mr Harris asked if it would be possible to have a link to the Tennis Club site on the Parish Council website.  This was agreed.

A member of the public advised she had not seen any information about the road narrowing work in Mill Road. The Chairman responded that this was all part of the A14 traffic calming measures. It has just taken them a long time to start the work.
A public notice was placed in the Cambridge Evening News.

Mr Hessey asked why they had not used blue engineering bricks at the base of the new Westwick bridge.  The Chairman did not know the reason but thought the bricks used were for decorative, rather than structural purposes.

A member of the public asked if anything could be done about the narrow footway on both sides of Cambridge Road near the traffic lights. The Chairman responded that little can be done about the footway outside the workshops until the owner decides to sell his business. However, the Parish Council would contact the Highways Dept about the overgrown vegetation on the other side of the road.

The meeting closed at 9.10 pm.