Parish Assembly Minutes for 21st April 2008Minutes of the Annual Parish Assembly held on Monday 21st April 2008 in the Small Village Hall, Leigh commencing at 8pm under the chairmanship of Cllr. Colin Stratton-Brown. 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Cllrs. Croft, Powell, Dyton and Johnson, Rev. Kevis, District Cllr. Cook. PRESENT: Cllrs. John Knock, David Bennie, Roger Sykes, Graham Marchant and Colin Stratton-Brown, Mr Graham Eade, Mrs Helen Everett and County Cllr. Lake. IN ATTENDANCE: Mr Graham Eade, Mrs Helen Everett, Kent County Cllr. Peter Lake and Mrs Janice Butler (Clerk) 2. MINUTES of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 23rd April 2007 were approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record. Proposed by Helen Everett and seconded by Graham Eade. 3. MATTERS ARISING FROM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 23RD APRIL 2007. None 4. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT i.) Membership - The Parish Council were very pleased to welcome Richard Dyton and David Bennie. ii.) Parish Plan a.) Playground - The Parish Council has been following up on the requests for a playground and a working group under the Chairmanship of Cllr. Powell has been active in finding out details of requirements and has submitted an initial report, which has been considered with more information requested. The next stage is whether to agree or not to proceed with a definite proposal. If so the next stage will be for a public meeting to ascertain the views of the parish, and then the Parish Council will decide whether or not to proceed further. b.) Planning - the Parish Plan and the Village Design Statement are taken into consideration with applications. iii.) Finance - Cllr. Sykes will present the Finance Report under item 5. iv.) Village Halls -the Council is very grateful for the hard work of the Village Halls Management Committee led by Mrs Helen Everett which continues to raise funds, place contracts and monitor the building works. v.) Housing a.) Rural Housing Trust - the 10 dwellings in Gibbs Field provide a very useful addition to the village b.) Applications - the Parish Council considered 34 planning applications of which they supported 27. c.) Land south of Garden Cottages - The Parish Council has objected to the application for a residential home due to the scale of the development, proximity to the Green Belt, increased traffic and inadequate parking. d.) West Kent Housing is considering 4 affordable houses on land in Charcott. The Parish Council will support an application on the basis that 2 each are allocated to persons connected with Leigh and Chiddingstone. vi.) Environmental matters - KCC Landscape Services continue to maintain the Green to a satisfactory standard. The Parish Council has agreed to the Cricket Club placing removable practice nets on the square. After the successful occasion last year, Shayler's fair will come again this year between 9-15th June. vii.) Transport a.) After negotiations with Kent Highways, resolved with the help of Sir John Stanley, agreement has been reached for an interactive speed sign to be placed adjacent to the entrance to Gibbs Field with a consequential movement of the 30m.p.h. speed limit about 40m further from the village. b). Trains - The Council is doing what it can to press Southern Rail not to reduce the service in December. c.) Routes 210, Leigh to Tonbridge, and 235, the Hildenborough commuter service, is served well by Autocars. viii.) Other Issues a.) Leigh Youth Forum - Despite the efforts of Cllrs. Bennie and Powell this initiative has not produced the desired result but we are very grateful to Cllr. Bennie's efforts with the Play Bus on The Green last autumn. It's future is dependent upon Cllr. Bennie finding enough volunteers. b.) Police - Graham Eade gave remarkable service as Special Constable both for Leigh and Penshurst and we were sorry to lose him. However, we welcome PCSO Ann Kingscott, who is covering the villages to the east of Edenbridge and Graham's successor, Special Constable Peter Lowe. c.) Leigh Surgery - Discussions took place in January with Dr. Gooze and Peter Nichols of Hildenborough Medical Practice concerning the use of the small village hall once the property housing the surgery is sold. x.) Concluding Remarks The Parish Council were saddened by Eric Batchelor's death and the Chairman recorded his thanks for the major contribution to the village made by Eric over many years. The Chairman expressed his gratitude in serving in a council who all work together on a voluntary basis for the benefit of the village. John Knock continues to be involved with the youth through the Table Tennis and Cricket Clubs and his advice and prompting at meetings is valued. Roger Sykes continues to oversee the finance, Peter Croft assists with our environment, Graham Marchant adds expertise on planning and the state of the roads and Heather Powell continues to be actively involved with work for the youth and has spent a considerable amount of time on the Playground proposal. Alan Johnson quietly serves the village in many ways including taking an active part in the maintenance of the village halls. The Chairman also thanked District Cllr. Alison Cook and County Cllr. Peter Lake for loyally looking after our interests and for their regular attendance at meetings, and also the Clerk. Cllr. Knock confirmed that Colin Stevens had agreed to replace Eric Batchelor as the internal auditor. 5. PARISH COUNCIL ACCOUNTS Cllr. Roger Sykes as Finance Chairman circulated accounts for the year ending 31st March 2007 and noted that the reduction in the general fund (£18,520.51) was due largely to Village Hall refurbishments. Expenditure was £34,739.27 which included £15,768 on Village Halls, £5,293 on the grass cutting, emptying dog bins and tree work, £2,138 on the Aged Person Dwellings, and £2,915 on Section 137 grants. Year end figures for 2008 have not yet been completed but in summary in March 2008 there was just over £21,000 in the fund. The total spend will be in the region of £27,000, and the total income £29,500, giving a small surplus for the final work to the Village Halls this year. The precept is the same as last year with the intention of a balanced budget and releasing £2-5,000 for the Village Halls. The Clerk was advised to publicise Section 137 grants for capital items via the parish magazine and directory. 6. DISTRICT COUNCILLOR MRS ALISON COOK Cllr. Cook sent apologies for her absence but submitted her report which was read out in full by the Clerk. She observed that as a result of the May 2007 elections approximately 1/3 of the councillors elected to Sevenoaks District (SDC) were new. Cllr. Cook summarised some of the significant issues during the past year including the launch of the 3 year Community Action Plan, the Local Development Framework and other related planning issues and the budget which has been difficult given the reduction in Government Grant below the rate of inflation. The introduction of the free bus pass for all over 60 years from April 2008 has added to the fiscal pressures since the true cost was miscalculated by Government. The Rural Housing Trust Scheme, Gibbs Field, was completed and there is potential for 4 more affordable houses for local people to be built at Charcott. Cllr. Cook regretted the repeated vandalism of the public toilets resulting in closure which cost taxpayers in excess of £5,000. There has also been an increase in litter dropping and fly tipping. The youth in Leigh enjoyed SDC's Activity Van during the summer and it is hoped that the Easter scheme will be extended in future. SDC received 3 major accolades including top local authority for 'going the extra mile' to support the local community and protect its environment, and best Council for financial stewardship and governance. In 2007 SDC signed up to the Nottingham Declaration coming to work with partners and the wider community to develop an effective district-wide Carbon Management Action Plan. SDC is also active in promoting well-being in conjunction with the Primary Care Trust, Sencio and the voluntary sector. With regard to recycling requests for green bin permits and purchases of brown sacks for garden waste continue to increase. Cllr. Cook commented that pressures over the coming years will include issues around housing, specifically the conflict between over development balanced against the need to provide homes to meet local demands. There is now a requirement on the Council to make provision for an increase in the number of gypsy pitches available. The loss of essential services particularly in rural areas remains a constant threat. The 2009/10 budget could become even tougher unless the Government awards a more realistic grant. 7. KENT COUNTY COUNCILLOR Mr. PETER LAKE Cllr Lake began by giving a general picture of the background to Kent County Council (KCC) services focusing on a number of areas. It will cost KCC £2.2billion to provide services for residents of the County this year, and most of the spending goes towards educating children - almost £5,000 per annum on each secondary school pupil. Primary schools have also had considerable investment in recent years. Plans have been approved by KCC to improve Leigh School's reception area at the entrance to the school. Paul Carter, KCC Leader is determined to keep Council Tax as low as possible to help householders and this year the figure is 3.9%. Cllr Lake wished to assure everyone that Kent residents will welcome the Olympic torch in 2012, and the young are already gearing up to play their part in the 2012 Games. Almost 30,000 school children, will take part in competitions this year in the first Kent School Games. Penshurst Off Road Circuit has been included in the list of training camps for the Olympics, alongside Bewl Water and Tonbridge School. Cllr Lake stated that his work as a County Councillor, mainly lies in looking after people in his constituency. This included helping the young by getting them to the school of their choice and with their transport arrangements. Also by looking after the old and helping them with social care, hopefully allowing them to continue to live in their own homes. Sometimes it is necessary to find the right care home, preferably near to relatives so that families can keep in touch. Cllr. Lake expressed interest to see the planning application from Barchester Health Care which is a major national organisation running 160 homes for more than 10,000 people. Cllr. Lake hoped that people who live locally would be able to access this Care Home in the future. With regard to Highway matters Cllr. Lake acknowledged that residents feel that they have been badly let down by Kent Highways Services (KHS). There is a funding shortfall of approximately £1 billion across England and Wales this year, and the weather has not helped, leaving our roads in an awful mess. KHS has launched a blitz on pothole repairs although the efficiency of the tar and chip experiment is unproven. There is a list of unresolved problems which have been outstanding for a considerable time and Cllr. Lake is determined to get these matters right. The footpath from Home Farm will be completed but it is typical of the problems underlying KHS. When the new KHS was put together last year there were great aspirations for a much better service which has not been realised but Cllr. Lake stated that they are determined to put things right. This coming year Cllr. Lake takes on the role of Chairman of the County Council but despite this extra workload will continue to support the residents of Leigh to the best of his ability. He would like to see the Parish Council explore the possibility of further affordable housing in Leigh and perhaps even a play area. He thanked members of the Parish Council and the Clerk for their hard work during the last year. Graham Eade personally thanked Cllr. Lake for help and commented that not only were the potholes on the roads large, but they were at the sides which is caused by large lorries. Cllr. Marchant stated that there didn't seem to be any combined efforts amongst contractors of working together eg. clearing of ditches but no disposal of debris. Cllr. Lake replied that Kent Highways would be improved but that it would be a long battle. Cllr. Knock congratulated Cllr. Lake on becoming Chairman of KCC and thanked him for a grant for the new cricket club nets. He lamented the demise of the Kent Youth and Community grant which had provided essential financial support for the table tennis and cricket clubs. It had been replaced by Kent Youth which for an annual subscription offered grants but not for multi sports or it would appear areas that are not socially deprived. Cllr. Lake sympathised that the policy of directing grants to towards the underprivileged areas at the expense of supporting ordinary rural communities was unfair and promised to try and offer funding opportunities towards the clubs in Leigh. Cllr. Bennie complained that every group had to be affiliated to Kent Youth at a cost of £50 and it would be better to be amalgamated. Cllr. Lake replied that this may be possible under the umbrella of the Parish Council. 8. LEIGH UNITED CHARITIES Cllr. Knock expressed his sadness at the death of Chairman Eric Batchelor, who he now replaces. The Parish Council nominated Brian Ball as a trustee, to join Rev. Kevis, John Knock and Sally Bresnahan as Clerk and nominee of Hildenborough Parish Council. The unaudited accounts for year ending 31st January 2008 show an income of £44,601 made up of £30,000 ground rent from Saxby Wood, cottage rents and interest and dividends. £40,942 shows as expenditure of which £648 is for administration. This year's surplus stands at £3,659. Cllr. Knock stated that Leigh was fortunate to have a substantial amount of £39,624 to help people on a regular basis - 84 in Leigh and 21 in Hildenborough. The trustees meet once a year to discuss benefits and any trustee can be approached for need, which broadly means someone must be on income support although there are exceptions. 9. LEIGH CRANDALLS BEQUEST Cllr. Stratton-Brown as Hon. Secretary of the Crandalls Bequest reported that there had been £3,000 income distributed to the following:
£150 60's stretch
The Morley Trust operated the allotment field and any surplus goes to the Village Halls and elsewhere. 10. LEIGH PRIMARY SCHOOL Cllr. Knock as Governor quoted from the headmistress's report dated February 2008 and the Friends' newsletter. There are 128 pupils which is a reasonable number with 140 as the maximum. Planning permission has been granted for a conservatory to give a covered play area in wet weather and there is an application for a reception and main office at the front which will hopefully be funded with help from KCC. There are after school and lunchtime clubs such as gardening and tapestry, books, soccer, karate, craft and netball. The School has red flag status and is aiming for green as an 'eco.' School. Future budgeting rules from KCC mean that from 2010 financial support will reduce in specialist subjects such as special needs in smaller schools. This will be opposed where possible. 11. VILLAGE HALLS Mrs Helen Everett read out her report as Chairman of the Village Halls Committee. i.) Objectives for 2007/8 a.) To install new heating and lighting to the Large Hall (approximately £10,000) b.) Update the electrics in the Large Hall c.) Refurbish the Large Hall kitchen d.) Replace outside guttering and drain pipes, as needed. e.) Landscape the area under the Yew Trees f.) Review Royal British Legion Rent ii.) Refurbishment Having raised sufficient funds, a new heating system and new lighting were installed and all the electrics in the Large Hall were replaced. The lighting has been a huge success, with both sports lighting and mood lighting installed. It is noticeable that the Large Hall has been used throughout the winter for large family functions as a result of the new heating system. During the year a further £15,000 was raised towards the refurbishment and as a result the Large Hall kitchen is being completely gutted and refurbished. The Environmental Health Officers of SDC have provided invaluable advice regarding work needed and regulations to be followed. All the work is being carried out by local craftsmen and volunteers. Completion of the landscaping of the area under the Yew trees in the summer is planned. The objectives for the next 12 months will be: a.) Refurbishment of the Large Hall floor b.) Provision of outside lighting and signage c.) Reviewing potential work needed in the Small Hall iii.) Fundraising During the year there were some excellent fundraising events with Brenda Lewis organising a successful jumble sale, Ray and Rowena Love arranging a musical evening which raised over £2,500. Barbara Simons and her social committee organised a Burns Night that raised £2,000. The Scouts kindly donated £1,000 raised at their anniversary jamboree in Hall Place. Many thanks also go to the carol singers at Christmas. Mrs Everett thanked everyone on the committee for their enthusiasm and commitment to the work in hand, without whom it would not have been possible or so enjoyable. iv.) Ongoing Maintenance of the Halls. Problems with vandalism combined with a little extra outside noise from the new No Smoking regulations resulted in the committee revising the rules for hiring the Halls. All clubs and societies have signed new agreements and all one off-users have to sign an agreement and pay a £100 deposit, as a result recent parties have been well managed. The Royal British Legion's rent was increased by 4% per annum in July. As a result of the new heating system, the committee will in the near future be reviewing charges as they were last reviewed 5 years ago. The intention is to keep charges for local clubs and societies as low as possible, mainly revising charges for hiring the Halls for one-off events. Thanks to the volunteers Bill Coulstock, Fred Inglesan and Brian Brooker the water leak was quickly mended and a refund obtained from the water board. Water usage has significantly fallen as a result. v.) Financial Performance The year was finished with £16,000 in the current account and the rebuilding account at £15,000, Lettings increased by 55% and profits up by 156% to £8,256. Thanks go to Alan Johnston for all his hard work and shrewd management as treasurer and general manager of the Halls. Cllr. Knock congratulated the Committee on their achievements. 12. ITEMS FOR REPORTING AND QUESTIONS None The Chairman sincerely thanked all of those who presented their reports, and he in turn was thanked by Cllr. Knock for chairing this meeting and all throughout the year. Meeting closed at 9.40p.m. Signed............................................................... Chairman................................................................. Date..................................................................
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