Town Council Minutes 19 November 08

MINUTES OF A MEETING OF AMPTHILL TOWN COUNCIL
held at the Council Offices,66 Dunstable Street, Ampthill

on Wednesday 19^th November 2008 at 7.30pm

Present: Councillors: G Summerfield (Chairman), Mrs A M Wright, Mrs S A Bacon, R A D Chappell, P A Duckett, P A Eversley, Mrs P K Foster, G Pascal, R A Holden, M A Smith, R Tebbutt, Mrs M E Wilson and Dawn Sutherns, Clerk. Also present were P.C. Element and 2 members of the public.

167. Apologies

There were no apologies received.

168. Period of Public Participation

Mr D Ratcliff addressed the Town Council on the matter of Town Twinning. Mr Ratcliff owns a property in a small town in southern France called Nissan-Lez-Ensérune. The Mayor of the town is very interested in twinning with Ampthill. Both Towns are very similar with rugby clubs, schools, small shops and historic links. Nissan-Lez- Ensérune has links with a pre roman settlement which is situated at the edge of the town.The nearest airport is situated at Beziers which is between a 20 to 30 minutes drive to the Town. If the Town Council give their blessing to this venture Mr Ratcliff will take this back to the Mayor of Nissan-Lez-Ensérune.

169. Report from P.C. Element on behalf of Bedfordshire Police.

P.C Element gave a report showing that the overall level of incidents in October has fallen. Images caught on the CCTV system have assisted the Police on a number of occasions and arrests have subsequently taken place. Councillors then raised the following matters: § A group of youths were playing knock down ginger on elderly resident’s doors, after this had been reported the PCSO had apprehended the group of 5 groups and the incidents have stopped. § There was a problem in Waitrose car park over Saturday night which resulted in the large waste carriers being thrown onto a car and a great amount of glass being smashed. P.C. Element advised that the Police are still looking into this matter and working with the manager of the store to see if anything has been caught on their CCTV camera.
Councillor Duckett praised the Police for the way in which they attended at the end of an 18^th birthday party at the Parkside Hall on Saturday. The Officers did a sterling job ensuring that all of the young people had a safe passage home. A group of approximately 20 youths arrived at the party uninvited and were turned away. It is not known whether they remained in the Town.

170. To receive and record declarations of interest, whether personal or prejudicial.

There were no declarations made.

171. Town Mayor’s Announcements.

Cllr G Summerfield gave the following information:§ The matter of Town Twinning has been raised with a number of people in the Town and it appears to be receiving a positive response. The venture would be of a major benefit to Ampthill especially to the younger residents. The Town Council is only being asked for its approval for twinning to go ahead and the project will be taken forward by local people who are interested in the venture and will be self funded.
Cllr Summerfield then made the following proposal from the Chair: ‘Ampthill Town Council is happy to give their blessing to the twinning between Ampthill and Nissan-Lez-Ensérune. This project will be driven by the people of Ampthill and will be of no cost to the Town Council’ After the proposal being seconded a vote was taken and the proposal was carried unanimously becoming a resolution of the Council.
Cllr Summerfield went on to provide details of the events he has attended:§ 17^th October Kempston Town Council –Fun Quiz§ 19^th October Started the Ampthill and Flitwick Flyers at their two races.In the afternoon presented the awards to the winners.§ 9^th November The Remembrance Day Parade, the new format has been praised.§ 11^th November Two minutes silence in the Market Square.§ 12^th November Sandy Town Mayor’s Chinese Meal§ 18^th November CCTV Launch of the Ampthill cameras. Cllr Summerfield then asked four three Councillors to attend the Councillors Surgery on 29^th November. Councillors Holden, Smith and Summerfield will attend.

172. To confirm and sign as a true record the minutes of the Council meeting held on 15^th October 2008 pages 43 to 51

The minutes having been circulated prior to this meeting were taken and read; The minutes were then signed as a true copy.
To note matters arising from previous Town Council minutes for information.

173. Report from P.C. Element on behalf of Bedfordshire Police. (see minute no 126)

Bedfordshire County Council has been chased to remove the salt bin from close to the fence at Russell School.

174. Parking survey (see minute no 133)

The request has been made for the Town Council to have a copy of the draft parking survey; there has been no response as yet. This has been chased on 6^th November. An E-mail has been received from David Bowie – he is still awaiting his Consultant at Bedfordshire Highways to finalise the report and as soon as he receives it he will forward a copy to the Town Council. He apologises for the delay.

175. Area of land between Richardson and Nat West Bank (see minute no 135)

The manager of Waitrose is unhappy with the Council’s intent to make the entrance from Church Street one way as he feels that if there is a problem with the Bedford Street entrance/exit he would want customers to be able to leave via Church Street. A Councillor raised the matter that Waitrose have enough Parking Attendants to be able to sort out this type of problem if it arose. Another Councillor advised that he had been talking to the Manager of the Nat West Bank and that they do not want to relinquish their right of way. As this matter requires further consideration it was:
Resolved that this matter be placed on the next agenda of the Town Council for further discussion.

176. To consider the Council’s corporate view on the ECO town proposal for Marston Mortaine (see minute no 150)

The letter was sent to the Rt Hon Margaret Beckett, Minister of Housing asking for a public consultation in Ampthill to be carried out and this letter was copied Nadine Dorries M.P. The press release was published in the Times and Citizen Newspaper. An acknowledgement letter has been received from the Rt Hon Margaret Beckett’s PA to advise that the letter has been forwarded to the Department of Communities and Government. There has been no contact from that department as yet.

177. Treasurers Report

(a) Budget Comparison October 2008

(b) Current Balances October 2008

Resolved that the reports be noted.

178. To receive the External Auditors statement and report in relation to the Statement of Accounts 2007/2008

Members had been provided with a copy of the Statement of Accounts along with the report of matters relating to the External Auditors Statement. Comments from the Auditors BDO Stoy Hayward were made: (except for the matters reported below) on the basis of our review , in our opinion the information contained in the annual report is in accordance with the Audit Commissions requirements and no matters have come to their attention giving concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have not been met.
Matter reported:‘The Council failed to undertake a review of the effectiveness of the Internal Audit. This is contrary to Regulation 6(3) of the Accounts and Audit (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2006. Other matters not affecting the Auditor’s opinion that were brought to the Council’s attention were: Asset Register – a copy of the full register should have been forwarded rather than a summary.Expenditure Powers- the Council should record which statutory power one off or unusual items are being paid under.Reinstated figures- the comparative figures were not recorded correctly for the previous yearSection 137- use of the power was not necessary on some grants provided.Fidelity Guarantee – as the Council is holding a large amount of funds the cover should be raised to reflect this. The Clerk as the Responsible Financial Officer advised that these matters had been noted and steps have been taken to address each item. Members then:
Resolved that: a) The External Auditors Report be noted and accepted by the Town Council. b) The matter of awarding grants once a year is to be placed on an agenda of the Finance, Policy and General Purposes Committee for discussion.

179. To consider the payment of all monies on the list of aged creditors to the 8^th October 2008

Members were provided with a list of invoices to be paid as per the sheets appended to these minutes.
Resolved that all monies on the payments list be paid apart from the invoice to Rattee and Kent in the sum of £1,486.38 as the repairs to the Urns on the Alameda Gates is not complete.

180. To approve the appointment of Mrs Sally Everett of North Herts District Council to act as the Town Council’s Internal Auditor.

Mr Tony Foster has resigned from this position due to increased work commitments. Members were concerned that the job of the Internal Auditor is bigger than many Councillors appreciate and that it may be sensible to have a qualified Accountant fulfil this role. It was therefore:
Resolved that:a) Mrs Sally Everett be thanked for her offer, but due to the amount of work the Councillors feel it would not be fair to place this on her.b) The matter of employing a firm of Accountants is to be placed onto an agenda of the Financial Working Party; a meeting is to be held within the next three to four weeks.c) The Clerk is to investigate which Companies may be willing to do this for the Town Council and what type of fees would be chargeable.
To approve and adopt the Committee report as follows:

181. Planning Committee of 29^th October 2008

Councillor R Holden Councillor presented the report of the meeting to Members of the Council and asked for their adoption.
Resolved: That the report be approved and signed as a true copy.
Councillor Summerfield advised that he had called in the planning application for the land off Gas House Lane and this will be considered by the Development Control Committee at Mid Beds. Councillor Holden will attend the meeting to make the Town Council’s presentation.

182. Finance, Policy and General Purposes Committee of 5^th November 2008

Councillor G Summerfield presented the report of the meeting to Members of the Council and asked for their adoption. Resolved: That the report be approved and signed as a true copy.

183. County and District Councillor Communication

County Councillor Summerfield advised that there was not a lot happening at the County Council as they are preparing to hand over the reins to the new Unitary Authorities.
District Councillor Smith advised that the five Directors of Services have been appointed under the Interim Chief Executive, Jaki Salisbury, for Central Bedfordshire: § Director of Business Transformation Richard Ellis§ Director of Corporate Resources Clive Heaphy§ Director of Children, Families and Learning Edwina Grant§ Director of Social Care, Health and Housing Julie Ogley§ Director of Sustainable Communities Gary AldersonIt is also to be noted that Basil Jackson has been appointed for Highways (IPT, Parking and Maintenance)
Written Meeting Debriefings:

184. Annual General Meeting of the Bedfordshire Association of Town & Parish Councils – 22/08/2008 Cllr M Smith

Councillor Smith provided the following report: 1) AGM followed by 2) Presentation from Julia Wingate, detailing the work of Inspire East & the Community Development work they are carrying out throughout the East Region. Particularly relevant with the publication of the 'Real People, Real Power' White paper. Website: www.inspire-east.org.uk 3) Presentation from Julia Witting from NALC - she detailed amendments to the Quality Status for Town & Parishes.
The amendments are as follows:  New test - Promoting Local Democracy and Citizenship test - Councils will be required to demonstrate that they work proactively to support local democracy and citizenship. A specific guidance note is available showing the kinds of activities you may wish to consider. However, the note is intended to be illustrative only and we would encourage councils to be innovative. New test - Terms and Conditions - Councils with a paid clerk will be required to provide evidence that they have adopted (as a minimum) the NALC/SLCC Terms and Conditions agreement and provide evidence in the form of a statement that they have issued all paid members of staff with a contract of employment. New test - Training - Councils will be required to provide a training 'Statement of Intent' which shows that the council has identified key areas of training need for both staff and members. A specific guidance note is available to help with this test.

185. Meeting between Town Councillors and Angling Club – Cllr Summerfield

Members were provided with a copy of the report as appended to these minutes. An update was given by Councillor Summerfield as follows: The meeting took place between the Clerk, Cllr Mrs Wilson and Patrick Connelly. He was not too supportive of scheme as the traffic levels are high along the A507 and this will increase when Centre Parcs arrives. The speed and level of traffic makes the idea of a parking area off of the A507 unadvisable. A safety assessment would need to be carried out that would cost in the region of £2,000.
Resolved that this matter be discussed further in the small group of three Councillors and the Angling Club. Donations

186. FULL HOUSE THEATRE COMPANY

Application for a grant of £1,000 under Section 145 of the Local Government Act 1972, support of the Arts, towards an open air theatre project in Ampthill Park.

Resolved that the Full House Theatre Company is invited to attend the December meeting of the Town Council to discuss the grant further.

187. THE FIRS LOWER SCHOOL

Application for a grant of £1,000 under Section 19 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, (community education), towards a new outdoor classroom for after school care for the whole community for children between the ages of 4 and 8.
Resolved that the Headmaster of the Firs Lower School be invited to attend the December meeting of the Town Council to discuss the grant further.

188. FLITTABUS

Application for a grant of £1,000 under The Transport Act 1975 ss 22-23. towards a new vehicle with easier access for those with limited mobility.
Resolved that the grant of £1,000 be awarded to Flittabus.

189. AMPTHILL TOWN BAND

A letter of thanks has been received for the grant of £1,000 awarded.

190. To receive the consultation document entitled “Communities in Control: Real people, real power. Codes of conduct for local authority members and employees. The consultation runs until 24^th December.

Resolved that comments be sent back to the Clerk by 15^th December.

191. To consider the request from Bedfordshire Hospital NHS Trust for a Town Councillor to put themselves up for electin onto the Foundation Trust of the hospital.

Members were advised that Bedford Hospital is hoping to become a Foundation Trust. If they succeed they will need a Board. After discussion it was:
Resolved that the Clerk will contact Bedford Hospital Trust to establish what commitment taking on this role will require. Councillor Holden is to be given this information as he may be interested in taking part in the Election.

192. To receive an update report on the Conservation (Rebuilding) of Katherine’s Cross, Ampthill Park.

Members were provided with a copy of the report as appended to these minutes. It was felt that the report was very interesting and it is hoped that reports will be received on a regular basis. Members were advised that there will be shortfall in funding due to the employment of the professional services; the Clerk advised that interest gained on any Capital Receipts is able to be used to fund this shortfall. Resolved that the shortfall be funded as necessary from interest earned on the Capital Receipts.

193. To discuss matters in relation to Eco-Towns- Cllr G Pascal

Councillor G Pascal advised Members that a road show was held at the Forest Centre on 7^th and 8^th November to undertake a consultation with local residents on the Eco Town proposals. Six Parish Councils were informed; Lidlington, Marston Mortaine, Stewartby, Wootton, Brogborough and Millbrook but only had eight days notice. Consequently not a lot of people knew about it. On attending the session a card containing two non relevant questions was given out which asked about how you feel you could become more ‘Green’ and how additional housing should be provided. It was felt that it was a complete waste of time attending. A further letter has been sent to Margaret Beckett raising the Town Council’s disgust that Ampthill as a local town had not been advised of the road show. Contact has also been made with Mr Denis Spooner from the Eco Towns Team, Communities and Local Government, to raise the same issue and it may be advisable to invite Mr Spooner to attend a Town Council meeting to discuss the matter of the Eco Town with Councillors and local residents. The booklet given out was of poor quality, Shelter have managed to produce a good booklet why can’t the Government.Councillors Mrs Wright and Tebbutt concurred with Councillor Pascal’s comments; Councillor Mrs Wright attended, but was not able to get into the road show as it was not open at the correct time. Campaign for Rural England have raised the idea of a part of the Wixams development being used for the Eco Town as the Marston proposal will take up a large area of green space. After consideration of these matters it was:

Resolved that the Clerk invites Mr Denis Spooner of the Eco Towns Team to attend the Council meeting on either 17^th December or 21^st January to make a 20 minute presentation to the Town Council and take questions.

194. To discuss matters in relation to parking – Cllr G Pascal

Councillor Pascal advised Members that he was very aware that parking is a major problem in the town and would like to know if the Council are addressing this issue. Councillor Summerfield advised that the Council have a Highways Working Group that has been looking at this problem. A meeting of the group is to be held in the near future. Resolved that Councillors Pascal and Tebbutt become members of the Highways Working Group.

195. To consider any action to be taken on the condition of the Area of Great Landscape Value, known locally as the Orchard, to ensure it does not fall into an area of neglect. -- Cllr G Pascal.

Members were advised that Councillor Pascal feels that even if the planning application does not get the go ahead this time developers will keep trying to build on this area, in the meantime the site becomes more and more neglected. Councillor Holden advised that the Enforcement Officer at Mid Beds District Council has the power to insist that the area is protected from the threat of becoming a neglected area of landscape. Resolved that the Clerk contacts the Enforcement Officer to ascertain how these powers can be used in relation to this site.

196. To discuss matters relation to the Energy from Waste Plant – Cllr Mrs Wright

Councillor Mrs Wright advised members that she was concerned over the recent news that the Energy from Waste plant is be built at six times its original size and take waste from Hertfordshire as well as Bedfordshire.
Resolved that the Clerk convenes a further meeting of the local parish councils and invites M.P. Nadine Dorries to attend.

197. To receive an invitation for the Town Council to enter a Christmas Tree in this years Christmas Tree Festival at St Andrew’s Church on Saturday 6^th and Sunday 7^th December.

Resolved that Councillors Mrs Wilson and Tebbutt will take charge of this project.

Correspondence

198. Ampthill & District Choral Society have sent a letter of thanks for the Council’s decision to move the Carol Concert around the tree to the 22^nd December.

199. The Greensand Trust – At the Centre of Bedfordshire’s Environment* This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

200. Direct Information Service issue nos 694 & 695.* This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

201. Beds-Spread – October 2008* This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

202. Local Government Review November 2008* This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

203. Countryside Voice – Autumn 2008.* This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

204. Clerks and Council’s Direct - November 2008* This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

205. CPRE–Stop the Drop–Litter & Fly-tipping, a tool kit for Parish Councils.* This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

206. Bedfordshire Bugle * This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

207. Direct Information Service issue no 696* This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

208. Central Bedfordshire – Strategic Plan 2009-2011 * This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

209. Bedfordshire Matters Autumn/Winter * This publication can be obtained from the Clerk.

210. Ampthill & District Rotary Club

A letter of thanks has been received for the Town Council agreeing that they can use the Christmas Tree in the Market Square as a focus for the people of Ampthill to remember their loved ones this Christmas. There is a stand with cards in the Town Council reception.

211. Letter of thanks from Alameda Middle School

* This item of correspondence was provided for members.

Cllr R Chappell then passed the following resolution:

“That in view of the confidential nature of the business about to be transacted relating to staff and financial matters, it is advisable in the public interest that the public and press be temporarily excluded and that they are instructed to withdraw”

212. To approve the confidential minutes of the Town Council meeting held on 17^th September 2008 page 52