Parish Assembly Minutes for 24th April 2006

Minutes of the Annual Parish Assembly held on Monday 24 April 06 in Jessica's Hall, The Green Leigh commencing at 8pm under the chairmanship of Cllr C Stratton-Brown.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE were received from Cllr Mrs H Powell

PRESENT Councillors M.Pollard, A Johnston, R Sykes, J.Knock, P Croft, A McCarthy, District Cllr Mrs A Cook, County Cllr P Lake. Parishioners M.Avison, Mrs D Wood, Mrs H Everett, C Rowley, E.C Batchelor, PSC G Eade. In attendance The Clerk Mrs C Phillips.

THE MINUTES of the Annual Parish Assembly held on 19 April 05, which had been previously circulated, were agreed and signed by the chairman as a correct record.

CHAIRMANS REPORT

We were sorry to lose Mr. And Mrs. Gibbs. Alison Gibbs had served on the council for a number of years and had represented the council as the Council's nominated Governor of the Leigh Primary School.

1. Membership - To fill a casual vacancy, we welcomed Mrs Heather Powell as a co-opted member.

2. Parish Plan - Councillor Martin Pollard will be reporting on the Parish Plan later in the meeting.

3. Village Halls - The Council is very grateful for all the work put in by the Village Halls Management Committee raising funds, obtaining planning permission, checking tenders and placing the contract and monitoring the building works. Helen Everett has kindly joined us to give an update later on. The Council intends to continue to support the Management Committee by providing seed capital to encourage support from the Kent County Council, the Sevenoaks District Council and the National Lottery. Alan Johnson found the time to redecorate the Small Village Hall and we are all very much in his debt for this and for the many other ways he quietly helps the village.

4. Housing -
   1. Rural Housing Trust - In the light of the interest expressed in the scheme to provide low cost units for those with a connection to the village, the Council was convinced that it would meet a real need. This scheme only works by the land being made available at the value that applies before any planning approval is given. As a result of the 'hope value' for all possible sites within the village, the only possibility for low cost units is building in the Green Belt. As there was no viable alternative, and despite fears over the safety of pedestrians walking along the main road into the village, your Council welcomed the progress that has been made with conditional planning permission being given for ten units in the field adjacent to Upper Kennards and we look forward to their completion and occupation.
   2. West Kent Housing - The five houses in Barnetts Road and two houses in the Forestal have been completed and are now occupied. Three units are under construction beyond Meadow Bank. The Council regrets the fact that the houses at the top end of Barnetts Road have been built higher than was apparent from the plans submitted for comment by the Parish Council. The Council will endeavour to monitor this point closely in future.
   3. Private Developments - The Council was pleased that the applications for two or three large units to replace Cornerways, Lealands Avenue, were refused or withdrawn as the proposed buildings would have both dominated and been out of keeping with the their neighbours. The Council also welcomed the refusal for old peoples' units in the Allotment Gardens above Garden Cottages feeling that, with the distance from the village centre and the minimal public transport, the inhabitants would have to go everywhere by car, and, if not able to drive, would be reliant on taxis. In addition to these two applications, many were considered covering extensions, garages and the like. In nearly all cases, the Council has raised no objections.
   4. Aged Persons Dwellings - One of the APDs has recently become available and, after considering several applications, the Council has agreed that it should be offered to Mrs. Fagg. A surveyor has been asked to report on the condition of the APDs so that a reserve in the accounts can be built up to cover any repairs likely to be required in the future.
5. Kent Village of the Year Competition - We were delighted that the village was the winner in the community life section, was runner up for older people and was highly commended in the business categories. We are very grateful for the work of John Knock and Alan Johnson who completed the entry forms, answered questions and attended to the judges during their visits. Having looked after our interests in the competition for seven years, we fully understand they wish to hand over responsibility. Sadly, no-one has so far come forward and they have kindly agreed to continue for another year.

6. Environmental matters
   1. The Green - It is good to see that the old oak tree has responded well to the opening up of its boughs and the aerating of its roots. Landscape Services continue to maintain the Green and, at a recent inspection, it was agreed that no additional work is required owing the additional use by the Rugby Club. It should be noted that the weather helped and, on at least one occasion, the Rugby Club moved their fixture to another pitch. A committee is being set up to monitor the use of the Green and it is hoped that all organisations using it will be represented. Councillor Martin Pollard has kindly agreed to lead this.
   2. Kent Highways - the re-organisation of the Highways Department does not seem to have changed matters. If anything, maintenance of the highways appears to have deteriorated. Our Clerk continues to report problems as soon as we hear about them but it is a long time before action is taken to fill in potholes or make other repairs.
   3. Footpaths - problems with access and stiles have been brought to the attention of Kent County Council and have or are being been rectified albeit slowly.
   4. Leigh Flood Barrier - the suggested increase in height by one metre is the most likely option to be pursued by the Southern Water Authority but progress through the planning, consultation and decision making stages means that construction is unlikely for several years. Your Council will be watching this.
7. Transport
   1. Trains - There have been only minor changes to the trains serving Leigh station. The prospective transfer of the route to South Central has not yet happened and, as yet, there are no firm details of any likely changes. It is very sad to see the persistent vandalism of the station and we appreciate the work by the railways to effect repairs. Central Rail and its proposed freight line appear to be dead despite one rumble by its Directors.
   2. Buses 210 - continues to provide a service. K5 - The Hildenborough commuter service operated smoothly during the year and we were sorry to loose contact with the drivers at the end of the last contract. Autocars has been awarded the new contract with only very minor changes, and so far seems to be keeping to the timetable.
8. Finance - The Chairman of our Finance Committee. Councillor Roger Sykes will be making a separate report. The Parish Precept has been increased from £12,500 to £15,000 in the main to provide funding for the Village Halls project.

9. Other Issues -
   1. LISN- We regret that there has been little progress during the year. To go ahead, this scheme will need the co-operation of the police and discussions are taking a long time.
   2. Licensing - The Council regretted that the new legislation encourages landlords to apply for the maximum possible opening hours whether or not they intend to use them or not. We also regret that Parish Councils were not automatically asked for their views, our Member of Parliament took this up but we regret without any progress.
10. Concluding Remarks I feel very fortunate in serving in a council whose members all work as a team for the benefit of the village and who all remain good friends and for this I must thank them all. I am lucky in having John Knock to guide me and spot points I have missed. We are very fortunate to be able to call upon his long experience of the council. Martin Pollard, our Vice-Chairman, takes on far more than his fair share of the work and, for this, I am very grateful. As I have already mentioned, Alan Johnson quietly makes a major contribution to the village and we are very grateful to him, his wife and family for providing us with such an excellent village shop. With Roger Sykes looking after the finance we can relax knowing it is in good hands and once again we have to thank Eric Batchelor for performing the internal audit function. All the other members of the council have made a positive contribution but I hope they will forgive me for not prolonging the meeting by listing all they do. May I also express out thanks to Arthur Hill for the time he has given up over many years edition the Parish magazine. This takes a lot of work and the result is much better and more informative.

    We are very lucky to have Alison Cook and Peter Lake as our District and County Council representatives and thank they for all their hard work on our behalf. I should mention they are very regular attendees at our meetings.

    We are also lucky to have the services of Graham Eade as our Parish Constable and hope he will be will us for many years to come in one guise or another.

    It is true to say that the council could not function effectively without the work of our Clerk and we are most appreciative of the conscientious way Chloe looks after us - for this very many thanks.

PARISH COUNCIL ACCOUNTS

The audited accounts for the financial year ending March 05 had been previously circulated for information. Cllrs Sykes presented the draft accounts for the year ending 31^st March 06.

The precept had increased by £2½ K, primarily to meet the Council's commitment to improving the Village Halls. The EoY balance will be £27K +/-, £13K having been VH expenditure. The drop in expenditure appears in part to be as a result in the drop of s137 grant applications, from £5K in 04/5 to £2,700 on 05/6. the Parish Council is happy to consider any capital grants from Village organisations and with an increase in the amount available, we hope that we will be able to assist more organisation in the forthcoming year. The full draft accounts will be presented to the Council at their Annual Meeting in May. Cllr Sykes was thanked for all his work in dealing with the Council finances, he was particularly thanked by the Clerk for helping to reduce her workload by undertaking this task.

CLLR MRS COOK

In presenting her report, Mrs Cook wished to congratulate the Parish Council and its Clerk for the excellent job that they do on behalf of all the residents of Leigh.

Turning to the District Council, three main issues have influenced the Council's workload during the year, namely, changes in legislation, external inspection and financial efficiencies to comply with government requirements following the Gershan report.

Perhaps the most significant legislative changes have been in Licensing, sweeping reforms in the Housing Act 2004, and the emerging Local Development Framework (LDF).

Licensing has consumed huge amounts of Officer and Member time and, despite Government assurances, the actual cost of the service has far outweighed the revenues received, the fee structure having been set up by Whitehall.

The Local Development Framework has a far wider remit than the old Local Plan and has become an intrinsic component of the Community Plan. This is currently being revised and is out to consultation to ensure that it continues to reflect the wishes and priorities of local people. Because of the importance of these two documents, Cllr Mrs Cook urged everyone to get involved if they were able.

At a Regional level the South East Regional Assembly (SEERA) has been engaged in developing its South East Plan. This is currently with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) before going out to further public consultation in the autumn. In respect of housing numbers, the Sevenoaks District is likely to have a relatively low allocation, but the SE as a whole is due to expand quite considerably, with almost one million new homes, to be built over the next 20 years, despite fears over water supplies, flooding, the vulnerability of the ecology and the lack of provision for the necessary infrastructure.

Yet again, Sevenoaks District Council got only the minimum settlement from government ands will continue its programme of reducing expenditure to match income. These measures have not directly affected frontline services but are being achieved by reducing internal support costs, undertaking best practice and by investing in technology. Examples of the latter are demonstrated in the upgraded online planning service, online payments and the comprehensive customer helpline. In addition the Council works with partners and seeks external funding when it is compatible with the Council's agreed priorities.

The Council Tax increase for the year was kept to 4.9%, which equates to an extra £7.20 over the course of the year at Band D.

In terms of inspection the Council achieved a high three star rating, the best in Kent. Government statistics also show that Sevenoaks is the 6^th most efficient Council in the Country. In addition it is deemed the safest District in Kent and the top authority in the County for refuse collection and street cleaning. On recycling the District also scores highly, but has aspirations to do better than the current 30%.

The Council has the reputation for being in the vanguard working with young people to raise their expectations and encourage their involvement in citizenship. The results were evident in the recent, highly successful launch of the Young Peoples' Action Plan.

New initiatives have included amongst others, the Safe Haven Scheme to help victims of domestic abuse.

The Council greatly values the endeavours of the voluntary service and continues to support their work, this year grant aiding over £255K. Whilst the largest donations went to the three CABs, Age Concern and the voluntary centres, a significant number of smaller charities have also benefited.

Sevenoaks District council will continue to build on its good relationship with Kent County Council, and with the County through the Joint Transport Board will monitor closely the Highways department and the effectiveness of the Lengthsman scheme.

Despite another successful year for local authorities the future for local government is uncertain. Reorganisation could see the death of District Councils in favour of Unitary Authorities, which could be the size of whole Counties. It is difficult to see how this would equate to greater localism in the provision of services. Meanwhile the un-elected Regional Assemblies gain increasing power as do the equally un-elected Regional Development Agencies, through whom large sums of Government monies are redirected.

Notwithstanding, the District Council continues to work with its many and diverse partners to deliver its Community Plan to provide safe, caring, green, healthy, dynamic and sustainable communities. Cllr Mr Cook was thanked for all her work for the parish and for her report.

COUNTY CLLR LAKE

My report for this year comes at a time of increasing concerns for funding public services. KCC's Council Tax will rise by 4.75% in 2006/7 and this is more than we would want but it is due to inadequate central government funding. Our effective increase for this year from government is just 0.3%. However, we believe we are providing value for money and we are doing our best to make efficiency savings. This year alone we have to make savings of £35m to balance our budget.

Kent has distinct needs - We are a transit route between the UK and Europe and our roads are suffering accordingly, with no additional help from government. Housing growth will continue at a apace across Kent under the direction of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, with no attempt to address the necessary infrastructure. Kent continues to take in the old and the young mainly placed by the London Boroughs and this impacts on the NHS and Social Services - 5% of all Looked After Children in England are now in Kent.

The Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt MP tells us that the NHS has had the best ever year, but our local hospital replacement at Pembury is still very much in the balance, and the Kent and Sussex hospital suffers as a result.

Our primary school in Leigh is in 1^st class order and it has been producing really good results - the parents and children can be justly proud of their success. I will continue to make grants to village schools in the coming year to either fund a project or just give some extra item to the school. The school is not in danger in the Government's Review of Small Schools, but we must try and keep the numbers well above the 100 level to maintain class sizes and to make sure that the school curriculum is adhered to. Admission to secondary schools are a growing problem and it is becoming increasingly difficult to place children in schools in Tonbridge.

I have had various meetings with Highways to impress upon them the urgency to repair potholes, paint white lines, cut back hedges and generally keep our roads in good repair. Once again funding, or lack of it, is a real problem for us all and the government's contribution for the coming year is much less than last year. There continues to be a traffic build up and I would like to see steps taken to close the rat runs and keep those people who drive through our parishes to the main roads. I have succeeded in getting measures to reduce speeds outside a number of schools in my division and I am now going to turn my campaign to Leigh. I want to ensure that children can access the school safely because the main road is so dangerous.

I think we must all accept that Avian Flu is sadly a real problem that we may have to cope with in the future. I have issued a preliminary notice to the Parish Council about measures to be taken, but I can assure parishioners that the County is quietly planning for any real emergency that might come about.

I would like to end my report by thanking Leigh Parish Council members for putting up with me for another year. Cllr Lake was thanked for all his work and for attending and left the meeting at 8.35pm.

LEIGH UNITED CHARITIES

Mr Eric Batchelor presented the accounts for the year ended 31 January 06. Income of £46322 compared with £45330 for 2005. Expenditure of £47564, an increase of almost £10,000 over the £37594 of last year, necessitated by the replacement of a conservatory at 2 Cherry Tree Cottages costing £7475, and an increase in the amount of benefits from £34369 in 2004/5 to £39469 in 2005/6 led to an excess of expenditure over income of £1742.

Beneficiaries in Leigh including Christmas gifts totalled 92, with 21 in the Hollanden portion of Leigh which is in Hildenborough.

Currently in 2006/7 the Trustees have increased monthly grants from £30 to £32 to take into account the high costs of gas and electricity. The Trustees also increased the Christmas grants in 2005 to £60 a couple and £50 a single person.

The application by the Trustees for a Cy-pres scheme to widen the objectives of the charity to include charitable purposes for the benefit of the inhabitants of the parish of Leigh and the Hollanden portion of Leigh in Hildenborough is going ahead and is almost complete. When completed some monies would then be available for such purposes other than the relief of the poor. As always application for a grant can be made to any Trustee or to our new Clerk Mrs Sally Bresnahan, who has replaced Mr Bill Crocker. Mr Batchelor was thanked for his report and Mr Crocker was thanked for his many years of service to the Charity.

LEIGH CRANDALLS BEQUEST AND MORLEY TRUST

Leigh Crandalls Bequest Cllr Stratton-Brown presented these reports. Grants had been made to various organisations throughout the year; £1500 to the Village Halls, £500 to the Tennis Club, £500 to the over 60's stretch, and £500 to the school.

Morley Trust Primarily this charity runs the allotments, more of which are currently let than ever before. Grants made by the charity were £1250 to the Village Halls, and £750 to the Tennis Club.

Cllr Stratton-Brown wished to acknowledge with grateful thanks all the youth work undertaken by David Bennie, without whom such organisations as the scouting groups would be very hard pressed.

LEIGH PRIMARY SCHOOL

The report from the Chairman of Governors Mr Adam Massingham was read in his absence by the Clerk.

I regret that I am unable to attend tonight's meeting due to business commitments.

My thanks to Chloe for agreeing to read out this brief report which I hope will provide you with some salient facts.

• The number on the school roll is 124 consisting of 88 families. This is a further reduction on last year's figure of 130 but is in line with expectations due to the continued demographic changes. However it does have a significant impact on the funding of the school so we are embarking on a "marketing" initiative to at least ensure that our roll does not fall even further. We would welcome any additional support from all persons involved in village life.
• Mrs Cosby retired from the job of school caretaker on the 6^th January this year after over 20 years of dedicated service. She left with the grateful thanks of all the staff and pupils who have known Heather and she even took time to come back and induct our new caretaker Julie Porter.
• Our workforce remodelling has been a real challenge but thanks to all the staff at the school that have showed tremendous dedication and support to the pupils we have been incredibly successful in implementing this reform. You will recall that this initiative has not been funded to the extent promised by the government and so our success under difficult circumstances is all the more satisfying.
• Our results continue to maintain the same high standards that I was able to report last year which is again a tribute to all the hard work of the teachers, staff and pupils. The school is a KEY ELEMENT in the life of the village and we wish this to continue for the generations to come. Therefore it is essential that we do everything in our powers to ensure that the massage of the success of our school is broadcast far and wide. This will ensure that we do not have to suffer further budget cuts due to a fall in the number of pupils. I am certain that the Parish Council will support us in any way possible.
• The budget remains under pressure from the demands of a successful and forward thinking school. However I am pleased to report that the continued generosity of bodies such as the Parish council has enabled further investment in the school including new furniture for the senior classroom and the introduction of a computer suite. I would like to take this opportunity to thank EVERYONE for their support. There are far too many names to mention individually but I can assure you that we are tremendously grateful.
• At long last the LEA has taken positive action over the school playing field which has been drained! We understand that further works are to be undertaken to ensure that we have a facility that can actually be used by the pupils both for physical activities as well as some academic work related to the pond that has been dug. In addition it means that this land is unlikely to be sold as the LEA, under central Government guidelines, has finally recognised the need for proper resources.

The pupils and staff of the school are keen to highlight their success story and would welcome visits from members of the Parish council and the public so that they can demonstrate not only the academic achievements of the school but also the key role they play in the community as a whole.

Cllr Knock who is one of two LEA nominated governors felt that those present should appreciate just how much the staff at the school do in extra curricula activities. As the chairman had reported the Parish Council used to have a nominated governor, which is no longer the case. There are on average two full governors meetings a term and numerous committees, which meet termly, a lot of the time at these meetings is spent dealing with matters of 'red tape'. 3 members of the governing body are staff including the Head and they give up their evenings at meetings which usually run until at least 10.30pm, they then have to be in school early the next morning to deal with the important job of teaching our children. The community owes them an enormous debt of gratitude for their commitment.

SPC G EADE

SPC Eade reported that the parish which includes Chiddingstone Causeway, enjoys the lowest crime figures in the area, there were 54 reported crimes. Burglary to houses was down whilst burglary from sheds had increased. There had been 1 sexual assault and 1 assault that had resulted in arrest and charge. There were 5 reports of domestic violence, which require the removal of one party at least overnight. Very often after hours of work the case is dropped due to the original complainant not wishing to press charges, which can be frustrating. There had been three thefts of bicycles. PC Eade explained the recent Police area boundary changes which has resulted in a reduction of 3 areas, down from 9 to 6 as the new areas now follow Local Authority boundaries. Each are has a Chief Inspector with an Inspector under them. SPC Eade concluded his report with thanks to the Parish Council and to parishioners, since their help and co-operation are what help to keep crimes, both major and petty, in check. SPC Eade was thanked for his report and for all the extra duties he performs for the Parish including the Remembrance Day Parade.

VILLAGE HALLS REPORT

The Chairman Mrs H Everett presented the report of the Village Halls Management Committee.

This time last year we had raised just under £40,000 towards the refurbishment of the Village halls and set ourselves the objective of having started the refurbishment by 2006. The Management Committee and the Village as a whole have worked tremendously hard during the year and we have successfully achieved our objective as follows:

Refurbishment Plans

We split the refurbishment work on the Village Halls into 3 phases:-

Phase 1: Refurbish and extend the toilet block of the Large Hall (at a cost of £95,000)

Phase 2: Install fencing and gates to provide a safe play area and to smarten up the outside of the Halls. (at a cost of £5,000)

Phase 3: Refurbish the Large Hall itself (at a cost of £200,000)

The fundraising has been very successful, with Kent County Council and Sevenoaks District Council providing grants totalling £30,000, other charities contributing a further £44,650, Management Committee organised events raising £19,940 and private fundraisers raising £10,422. This took funds raised to a total of £105,012, in less than 2 years. Many thanks to everyone involved in fundraising your efforts are tremendous.

As a result we have been able to engage John Jarvis Ltd to complete phase 1 and Hyders Ltd to complete phase 2. The total costs plus fees should just about be covered by the monies raised. Both phases are on target to be completed by June 2006.

We are now in the process of finalising plans for the refurbishment of the Large Hall itself, which will include new heating, lighting, electrics, flooring and decorating. We hope to raise the majority of the funds for this phase from large charities, such as the Lottery. We anticipate being in a position to apply to these funders in the autumn of 2006, to ideally have the work carried out in 2007.

Fundraising

Whilst it is hoped that the majority of funds for phase 3 will come from large charities, we still need to raise some funds locally. To this end we have a full calender of events for 2006 and will also be writing to local charities and companies for funds, as well as applying to a number of large charities.

Short term plans

With funds from the normal trading of the Halls, we have completely redecorated the Small Village Hall during the year - Huge thanks go to Alan Johnston for all his hard work. In addition we replaced the Small Hall cooker and water heater, and replaced a number of broken card tables.

It is the intention of the Committee to continue to maintain and update the Small Hall, whilst the Large Hall refurbishment is underway.

Financial Performance

The management committee have been continually reviewing the financial management of the Halls, so that eventually the Halls can become financially independent from the Parish Council. The halls are essentially a non profit charity and any profit that is made, will be used to maintain the Halls for the use of the community of Leigh.

To this end, over the last two years we have seen bookings increase by 76% and total income by 33%, whilst costs have been reduced by 32%. As a result for the second year running the Halls returned a profit, which has enabled us to contribute £5,500 towards the fundraising for the refurbishment of the Halls. Thanks to Alan Johnston for all his hard and successful financial management.

Overall it has been, yet again a very successful year with all objectives met. Thanks to my dedicated and enthusiastic committee and to everyone in the village, without whom this would not have been possible. Mrs Everett assured the meeting that the builders Messrs John Jarvis would be making good the damage done by their vehicles to the driveway alongside the Halls complex, and thanked Cllr Mrs Cook for all the help and encouragement given to the committee by Mrs Merle Bigden and her team at the District Council. Mrs Everett and her hardworking committee were congratulated on all the work that had been completed, and all that was planned for the future to give the village halls of which they could be justly proud

PARISH PLAN

The Parish Plan Steering Committee presented a recommended Action Plan to the Parish Council at the beginning of 2005 and an Implementation Schedule was Agreed by the Council in February 2005. This contained a number of different action points which were allocated to individual councillors to progress. I am pleased to report that, thanks to the diligent work of my fellow councillors and our Clerk, we have resolved three quarters of these action points, though not always getting the results that we would have wished. Some of the outcomes are:

1. Lights have been installed under the railway bridge.

2. Pressure has been put on South East Rail over the excessive parking charges at Hildenborough station without success.

3. The Parish Plan Steering Group produced a paper on the provision of additional parking in village but it has been agreed that there is no action that can be taken in the short term.

4. To try to reduce litter, additional litter-bins have been placed around the village.

5. Additional dog-waste bins have been placed in Greenview Avenue, Powermill Lane and Well Close.

6. The Youth Forum has been founded. It is being led by Lizzie Longhurst and active involvement of the young is being sought.

7. Another notice board has been placed alongside the existing parish council one. The Council and the Royal British Legion Club are jointly funding the replacement of the one outside the Large Hall.

8. The Hildenborough Surgery Practise Manager has confirmed that they are committed to keeping open the surgery in Leigh. Further consideration will be given to improving the facilities and the Council have indicated that funding may be available to assist any future developments.

9. The toilets adjacent to Jessica's Hall are open.

10. The Rural Housing Trust scheme for ten units has received conditional planning permission and should be going ahead.

11. There is now a regular report on Council meetings written by the Clerk in the Parish Magazine and a copy of the reports from the Annual Parish Meeting will be circulated throughout the parish.

12. A shoe recycling facility is now in operation.

13. Provision of a screen around the recycling facility has been discussed with the Sevenoaks District Council and it has been decided not to proceed for security reasons.

14. It has been accepted that it is not possible to provide a cycle track to Hildenborough station.

15. A speed gun has been obtained and the parish will be participating in the Speedwatch campaign run by the Kent police and KCC. The first operational sessions will be taking place within the next couple of weeks.

16. The parish has been kept up to date on the Central Railways proposal for a freight service on the existing line through Leigh. Since the failure to secure Government support the project appears to be in abeyance.

17. The provision of a salt bin at Charcott was agreed by the Council but refused by Sevenoaks District Council, who would have to service it, as they did not believe a need had been demonstrated.

18. A parish website has been developed and has been operational for over a year.

On that note I will hand you over to Martin Avison who has designed and operates the website. The Council would like to offer it's sincere thanks to Martin for all the work he has done on the site. Thanks were expressed to Cllr Pollard for all his ongoing hard work.
Mr Avison informed the meeting that the website had been up and running for about 18 months. It had come about because in the survey for the Parish Plan, 65% of respondents had indicated that they had Internet capability whilst 55% would use a website. The site provides information and external visitors. Currently 1500 pages are viewed each month, which is not enormous but its early days.

The site contains information about the Parish Council and has all minutes for the past 18 months, which are added to each month and dates of meetings. There is a facility for a village diary, which will, when fully utilised inform the interested party of what is on each month. Clubs and Societies are listed, and have links to their own websites. There is a list of businesses in the area including the school, doctor, and pubs with over 40 links to these site, a history of the village and its environs with space for walks, and pictures which is currently empty. To be a living thing the website needs information, such as the Village Halls with hiring details and other information. There is information on how to contact the webmaster (Mr Avison) via email on the web and the contact address is: www.leighKent.org.uk although typing Leigh Kent into a search engine should get you there.

Mr Avison and his team were thanked for all the work they do to keep the site updated and the information current.

Cllr Knock informed the meeting of three matters which had not been covered but were of relevance:

Trains from Leigh When the transfer of the railway from SE trains to South Central is finally completed it is understood that possibly the number of services through Leigh will be reduced from 2 an hour to one. This will result in the Three Bridges/Gatwick service only running on a Sunday.

NHS/Ambulance Service changes. Cllr Knock had recently attended a meeting at which changes to service provision by both the local Primary Health Care Trust and the ambulance service had been discussed. The intention is that patient care will gradually change from in hospital treatment to treatment by local GPs. Cllr Knock had enquired what would happen if GPs could not cope, to be told that that was a good question, with apparently no satisfactory answer. Likewise the Ambulance service is being altered to cover larger areas, again the question was asked about local knowledge of where villages and indeed properties were. Cllr Knock was assured that local knowledge would not be lost.

Housing Development in Kent Cllr Knock suggested that whilst West Kent was relatively untouched by extensive housing development, in East Kent this was an entirely different matter, Great Chart near Ashford was losing its individual identity, whilst Hawkinge has grown to about 13,000 households, and it was necessary that a vigilant watch was kept. Cllr Knock was thanked for raising these matters.

The chairman introduced the speaker for the evening, Mr Rowley who was going to talk about the old gunpowder works which had recently been identified along Powder Mill Lane.

Mr Rowley displayed some fascinating maps which he invited everyone to study after his talk.

Mr Rowley said that apparently Leigh is nationally famous for 4 things, The flood barrage, DART motors, Hall Place and the Powder Mills. In Napoleonic times when war raged in Europe there was a need for gunpowder. Two local entrepreneur families, the Burton and Children families recognised the possibility of utilising the River Medway. At the end of Weir Lane there was an old corn mill which by the 1800s had fallen into disrepair. These families owned the land and decided to upgrade the derelict buildings and build a canal to connect to the Medway at a cost of some £30,000 which today would have been equivalent to several million pounds. They built two waterwheels, a mangers house and staff accommodation. When the Children family went bankrupt the Burtons continued in a very profitable undertaking. In the last part of C19 the area was owned by Curtis and Harvey. At the turn of the century in 1916 the site shows considerable extension to some 91 buildings. By 1934and with WW2 looming it was recognised that a gunpowder plant so comparatively near the south coast was unwise, so it was relocated to Scotland and the site completely decimated. English Heritage are very excited and interested and suggested that the Historical Society should apply for grants, initially to fell the woodland which now covers the site, but subsequently to expose what they consider to be a nationally historically interesting site. The Historical Society felt that something should be done, the archaeological side is of great interest, and English Heritage suggested a report such as that done for the Chilworth gunpowder works, which would be essential to attract grants from the Lottery, but is an enormous undertaking. However, the land is in the ownership of the Hunter Seal Residents Association, Lord Kindersley, Sevenoaks District and Tonbridge & Mallling Borough Councils and GlaxoSmithKline R&D, the last is currently a stumbling block, because of possible safety issues for their site. Since relevant lottery funding is being wound up in early summer grants from that source are unlikely because of the works necessary to satisfy the funding application form, it looks as if we have an archaeological treasure on our doorstep, but for the time being it will remain un revealed. If anyone has any suggestions please talk to the Historical Society. Mr Rowley was thanked for his very interesting talk.

Before closing the meeting the chairman asked if there were any questions, SPC Eade asked why there were no Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators present, also whether there was anything about Neighbourhood Watch on the website. Something to work towards.

Mrs Wood asked whether the website had been advertised. Yes, both in the magazine on the Parish Council noticeboard. There being no further matters for discussion the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.40pm with thanks to everyone for attending.

Signed....................................... Chairman

Date..........................................

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