Bovingdon Parish Council Meeting - DOC

							                    Bovingdon Parish Council Meeting

___________________________________________________________

                         Bovingdon Memorial Hall

                      7 July 2008 starting at 8.00 p.m.



Present:

Councillor Tony Trigg (Chairman)               Councillor John Farrer
Councillor Janet Aylward (Vice-Chairman)       Councillor Vera Hackett
Councillor Betty Attard                        Councillor Maureen O’Hara
Councillor Richard Briden                      Councillor Diana Smart
Councillor Jean Crofts                         Councillor Julie Steer

Also Present:

Mike Kember, Parish Clerk

Borough Councillors

Councillors Gill Chapman and Gbola Adeleke

Press

Georgina Anderson, Hemel Gazette

Representatives from the Village:

3 villagers


1.      Apologies for Absence
        Apologies for absence were received from Borough
        Councillor Richard Roberts who was on holiday and
        Maggie Moore, Finance Clerk owing to personal
        circumstances.

2.      Declaration of Interests linked to         any    of   the
        Resolutions
        There were no Declarations of Interest.

3.      Public Question Time
        Mrs Dell thanked the Parish Council on behalf of the Fire
        Action Group for letting them have the use of the former
        Fire Station as a temporary museum during July. She
        said that on the first Saturday opening on 5 July they had
      over 50 people visit.

      Mrs Ward reported that the hedge on Old Dean was over Councillor
      grown. Councillor Smart undertook to get this attended Smart
      to.

4.    Crime Report
      PC Emma Sikora and PCSO Nicki Kyne were welcomed
      to the meeting and presented the crime figures for June.
      There had been eight crimes reported in June as
      compared to 16 in May. Noted that a number of those
      reported had been committed outside the main
      settlement.

      Noted the new ‘informal’ style of uniform for both officers.
      The Parish Council preferred the previous style as it gave
      more authority to the officer and asked for this to be
      reported back to their Inspector.

5.    Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council
      held on 12 May
      It was agreed by all those present that the minutes of the
      Annual Meeting of the Parish Council Meeting held on 12
      May 2008 were a true representation of the meeting and
      the minutes were signed by Councillor Trigg.

6.    Matters arising from the Minutes of the Annual
      Meeting of the Parish Council held on 12 May
6.1   Item 14.3.2 - Feedback from the Chairman of the
      Outdoors Committee on the Meeting held on 8 May
      and other items
      Councillor Attard was informed that the Borough Council
      had confirmed that they were no longer going to issue
      ‘doggy bags’ free of charge.

7.    Parish Clerk’s Report
      The Parish Clerk gave an update on a number of issues
      which have been received in the Parish Office since the
      last meeting. These included:
7.1   NATS – Airspace Change Consultation Document
      Terminal Control North Luton
      A number of responses to the consultation document
      have been received including those from The Chiltern
      Society and Dacorum Borough Council. The present
      proposals do not adversely affect the village, but it may
      be that other consultees who are affected may in their
      submissions, include suggestions, which may have a
      ‘knock on’ effect for the village. The Parish Council will
      continue to monitor the situation.
7.2     Postwatch – Post office closure programme
        The village post office is not currently one of the 5 post
        offices being considered for closure within Dacorum.

7.3     Installation of finger guards to doors in Memorial Hall
        This work will be undertaken on 11 July 2008.

7.4     Workshop in connection with the Local Development
        Framework to 2031
        The Borough Council is working towards drawing up a
        local development framework for the next 20+ years and
        needs to bring together information and assess what it
        means for the borough as a whole, and then to formulate
        new planning policies to meet those needs. The Borough
        Council has asked the Parish Council if it can facilitate a
        workshop in Bovingdon during the late summer, and has
        asked the Parish Council to submit a list of 25
        organisations / people who represent the needs of the
        village, for instance, retailers, sports clubs, churches,
        community.

7.5     Closure of Box Lane
        A section of Box Lane will be closed from 11.30 p.m. on 9
        July to 6.00 a.m. on 10 July to allow urgent electric
        repairs to take place.

7.6     Smith’s Fair
        Dacorum Borough Council has informed the Parish
        Council that the fair will take place on Bovingdon Green
        during the first week of September, 2008.

8.      To receive the following Committee Reports
8.1     Minutes of the Finance Committee Meeting held on 24
        April 2008
        Resolved that the minutes of this meeting as circulated,
        be received and adopted.

8.1.1   Feedback from the Chairman of the Finance
        Committee
        Councillor Trigg reported that the Parish was operating
        within the agreed budgets for 2008-09. He then went
        through the minutes of the meeting held on 24 April.

8.1.2   Policy on use of reserves
        Councillor Trigg introduced the proposed Policy, which
        was agreed to be implemented without any changes.

8.2     Minutes of the Planning Committee Meetings held on
        12 May 2008 and 2 June 2008
        Resolved that the minutes of these meetings as
        circulated, be received and adopted.

8.2.1   Feedback from the Chairman of the Planning
        Committee
        Councillor Briden reported on the Planning Committee
        Meeting which, had been held prior to this meeting. He
        referred to the amended planning application received in
        respect of 22 Hyde Lane and confirmed that the Council
        were opposed to the revised scheme to build two new
        houses at the rear of the existing property. Councillor
        Briden also referred to a planning application to build two
        chalet bungalows on the former showman’s quarters at
        the Timber Yard in Water Lane and the Council was also
        opposed to the proposal as it was on Metropolitan Green
        Belt. He also said that Tesco had not made any formal
        planning application to build a Tesco Express on the
        former Chiltern Jaguar site.

8.3     Minutes of the Memorial Hall Management Committee
        Meeting held on 10 April 2008
        Resolved that the minutes of this meeting as circulated,
        be received and adopted.

8.3.1   Feedback from the Chairman of the Memorial Hall
        Management Committee
        Councillor Steer gave a brief update on the meeting of the
        Memorial Hall Management Committee held on 10 June.

8.3.2   Resolutions to be considered from the Memorial Hall
        Management Committee
8.3.2   That the Parish Council agrees to erect secure
(a)     fencing, remove the concrete base and lay topsoil
        ready for grassing following demolition of the
        firemen’s hut at a cost not exceeding £3,700.
        It was resolved that the Parish Council agrees to erect
        secure fencing, remove the concrete base and lay topsoil
        ready for grassing following demolition of the firemen’s
        hut at a cost not exceeding £3,700.

8.3.2   That the Parish Council agrees to install a doorway
(b)     into the fire station together with a partially raised
        floor at a cost not exceeding £4,000.
        It was resolved that the Parish Council agrees to install a
        doorway into the fire station together with a partially
        raised floor at a cost not exceeding £4,000.

8.4     Feedback from the Chairman of the Outdoors
        Committee
        Councillor Smart reported on the following:
8.4.1   Well
        A new fence has been erected around the Well. Several
        comments of approval have been received.
8.4.2   Janet Bell seat
        The seat has now been repaired and returned to its site in
        the High Street.
8.4.3   King George V Playing Field
        A sign has been provided by Hertfordshire County
        Council to indicate the new footpath into the playing field
        from Vicarage Lane.
8.4.4   Summer bedding
        The flower beds in front of the Memorial Hall and around
        the Millennium Memorial have been planted with summer
        bedding plants and are looking very colourful.
8.4.5   Bovingdon Green Pond
        The Parish Council is working in conjunction with the
        Borough Council and the Countryside Management
        Services, to look into the possibility of restoring the pond
        on Bovingdon Green.
8.4.6   Restoration of The Ryder Memorial
        In reply to a question from Councillor Farrer, the Parish
        Clerk reported that the application for Listed Building
        Consent is currently being considered by the Borough
        Council.

9.      Feedback from Councillor representative on
        Bovingdon Primary School
        Councillor Aylward gave an update on the transfer to
        secondary school process. Following the appeal process,
        two children had been given places at Hemel Hempstead
        School and no children would be going to Adeyfield
        School. The remaining families had made alternative
        arrangements for their children, such as, going into the
        middle school system in Berkhamsted or sending them to
        private school. The Action Group continues to meet with
        Jim Dalton, HCC and is to make a submission to the
        Office of the School Adjudicator. Any changes will not
        take effect until 2010. The distance criteria penalises
        children from Bovingdon.

        Councillor Aylward reported that the school had received
        a very good report following the Ofsted inspection. She
        also said that the school fete had raised in the region of
        £4,000.

10.     Nomination for Town / Parish representative on the
        Local Strategic Partnership Board
        There is no nomination. Councillor Briden expressed his
        concern at the cost and ineffectiveness of this
        bureaucracy.
11.   Woottens -The Launch of Tiger Line
      The Parish Clerk reported that Woottens, the coach
      operator in Buckinghamshire is launching the Tiger Line
      T1 service on 28 July 2008, which will link Aylesbury to
      Hemel Hempstead via Stoke Mandeville, Wendover,
      Great Missenden, Chesham and Bovingdon.

      Councillor Crofts reported that the Arriva 52 bus will now
      go past the hospital in Amersham.

12.   Buckinghamshire       Minerals      &     Waste  Local
      development Framework: Adopted Statement of
      Community Involvement – for information
      Document will be available in the Parish Office.

13.   Bovingdon News
      Councillor Steer said that the last date for articles to be
      submitted for the next edition of the Bovingdon News is
      31 August 2008.

14.   Date of next meeting
      Monday 1 September 2008 at 8.00 p.m.

      PART II

      EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC

      It was proposed, seconded and resolved that, under
      s.100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 Schedule
      12A Part 1 as amended by the Local Government
      (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006 the press
      and public be excluded during the items in Part II of the
      Agenda for this meeting, because it is likely, in view of the
      nature of the business to be transacted, that if members
      of the public were present during this item there would be
      disclosure to them of exempt information relating to
      individual employees of the Parish Council.


15.   Feedback from the Chairman of the Personnel
      Committee
      There was no feedback from this Committee.

      The meeting closed at 8.55 p.m.