AMPTHILL TOWN COUNCIL

REPORT OF THE FINANCE, POLICY AND

GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE

held at the Council Offices, 66 Dunstable Street, Ampthill on

Wednesday 2^nd September 2009 at 7.30pm 

Report No. 2/2009

Present: Councillors R A Holden (Chairman), Mrs S Bacon, Mrs P K Foster, M A Smith, G Pascal, G Summerfield, R Tebbutt, Mrs M E Wilson, Mrs A M Wright and the Deputy Clerk.

The Committee stood in silence to mark the sad passing of Frank Branston, Mayor of Bedford. The Chairman informed the meeting that a card of condolence had been sent to the family on behalf of the Council.

1.         Apologies

Apologies were received from Cllrs R A D Chappell (unwell), P Duckett (work commitment) and P Eversley (family bereavement).

2.         Period of Public Participation.

There were no requests to speak.

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

      There were none declared.

4.         To receive correspondence from Trudgill & Co relating to the rent review of 66 Dunstable Street, raising the rent to £15,700 per annum.

The Deputy Clerk reported that the current annual rent was £13,300 per annum and the increase to £15,700 per annum reflected an increase of 18.045% per annum for the next three years until the next rent review in 2012.

The Chairman informed the meeting that the Town Clerk had sent a holding letter to Trudgill & Co stating that the Council were unlikely to accept the level of increase. Following on from that it was proposed to hold a meeting with Trudgill to discuss the rent review.

Members found it difficult to understand why such a high level of increase was proposed and briefed the Town Mayor on their thoughts regarding points of discussion at the meeting with Trudgill & Co.

Resolved: That

a)                  The action of the Clerk to send a holding letter is endorsed;

b)                  The Town Mayor and Town Clerk to meet with Trudgill & Co to discuss the level of rent increase;

c)                  Report the outcome of the meeting to the Council meeting on 16^th September 2009.

5.         To consider a quote to repair the potholes along the access road into the Central Car Park in Ampthill Park in the sum of £2,145.00

Members considered a quote to resurface 248square metres of existing macadam surface along the access road into the central car park as potholes were appearing.

Although it was agreed that it would be ideal to resurface the area from the repair previously carried out to the main road it was felt that this would be a false economy due to the heavy machinery that would be using the road during construction of the visitors centre. Therefore, in the interim it was agreed that the potholes only should be filled in to make the road safe and the resurfacing of the entire length be revisited at a later date.

Resolved: That

a)                 A more economical repair be carried out by filling in the potholes up to the sum of £400;

b)                  Consideration of the resurfacing of the access road is revisited during the construction process of the Visitors Centre.

6.         To consider setting up a trial car parking donation scheme in the West car park where owners will be expected to donate £1 for parking their car – Cllr R Tebbutt

Cllr Tebbutt asked if members would consider setting up a trial ‘honesty’ box in one of the Ampthill Park car parks as a way of generating income for the Park, bearing in mind that many of the visitors to the Park come from outside Ampthill.

This matter was discussed at length as there were concerns that in particular Ampthill residents may feel they were being asked to pay for a facility twice. However, it was stressed that the ‘honesty’ box was entirely voluntarily and that suitable signage to say that although the Park was a county wide facility which attracted many visitors from outside Ampthill it is only Ampthillians that are paying for its upkeep.

Upon being put to the vote, 8 voted in favour and 1 against.         

Resolved: That Town Council support, in principle, the introduction of an ‘honesty’ box on a trial basis in the west car park based on the following:

a)                  Robust honesty box, securely fixed;

b)                  Suitable explanatory signage;

c)                  Emptied daily, 7 days a week;

d)                  Monitor daily/weekly takings;

e)                  Detail scheme on the council’s website and newsletter;

f)                   Demonstrate how the money donated has been spent in the Park;

g)                  Trial it in west car park initially and if successful repeat in central car park/visitors centre;

h)                  Costings for above be submitted to Town Council for approval together with design and secure fixing of the box and suitable signage.

7.         To consider the Town Council’s views and objections to the BEAR project as proposed by Central Beds

In order to ensure that the Town Council submits a view on the BEAR project it was agreed that the questionnaire would be circulated to all members so a formal response could be considered at the next town council meeting.

Resolved: That the questionnaire be circulated to all town council members so they have enough time to consider the matter in readiness for the town council meeting on 16^th September 2009.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.50pm

CHAIRMAN                                                              DATED