MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETING OF MELKSHAM TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT MELKSHAM TOWN HALL ON MONDAY, 11 MAY 2015

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1 MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETING OF MELKSHAM TOWN COUNCIL HELD AT MELKSHAM TOWN HALL ON MONDAY, 11 MAY 2015 Present: Mr Ben Anderson Mr Chris Petty Miss Pat Aves Mr Bruce Sanders Mrs Alison Christy Miss Hayley Spencer Mrs Claire Forgacs Mrs Terri Welch (Chairman) Mr Simon Hedley Mr Richard Wiltshire Mr Andy Hinchcliffe Mrs Pam Wiltshire Mr Jon Hubbard Mrs Diane Wnek Mr Geoff Mitcham 2015 Also Present: Steve Gray, Town Clerk; Jean Harris, Finance Officer; Lorraine McRandle, Committee Clerk 208. Appointment of Mayor Councillor Jon Hubbard proposed Councillor Terri Welch as Mayor and this was seconded by Councillor Pam Wiltshire. No further nominations were received. RESOLVED: To elect Councillor Terri Welch as Town Mayor for the forthcoming year To receive the Mayor s Declaration of Acceptance of Office Councillor Terri Welch duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office Apologies No apologies were received Appointment of Deputy Mayor Councillor Terri Welch proposed Councillor Jon Hubbard as Deputy Mayor, this was seconded by Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe. Councillor Ben Anderson nominated Councillor Pam Wiltshire, this was seconded by Councillor Claire Forgacs. A secret ballot was requested, with the following results: Page 1 of 14

2 Councillor Jon Hubbard - 7 votes Councillor Pam Wiltshire - 8 votes RESOLVED: To elect Councillor Pam Wiltshire as Deputy Mayor To receive the Deputy Mayor s Declaration of Acceptance of Office Councillor Pam Wiltshire duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office Declarations of Interest Councillor Hayley Spencer declared an interest in item 30 in relation to the newly erected bollards in the Prince of Wales Garden, which are adjacent to her business premises Appointment of Committees and appointment of Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen Following a proposal that the Staffing Committee should be amalgamated into the Policy & Resources Committee and the composition of the Committee structure should be revised, it was: RESOLVED: To amalgamate the Staffing Committee into the Policy & Resources Committee and that the composition of the respective committees should be: Policy & Resources to consist of 9 Councillors (5 Lib Dem, 2 Con, 2 Ind) Town Development to consist of 7 Councillors (4 Lib Dem, 2 Con, 1 Ind) Planning to consist of 7 Councillors (4 Lib Dem, 2 Con, 1 Ind) To remove the express proviso that Mayor and Deputy as ex-officio members on each committee given that all Councillors may attend the various committee meetings if they wish. (a) Development Control (Planning) The Development Control Committee to consist of Councillors: Ben Anderson; Pat Aves; Claire Forgacs; Simon Hedley; Andy Hinchcliffe; Chris Petty and Diane Wnek. Councillor Richard Wiltshire proposed Councillor Ben Anderson as Chair of this Committee, which was seconded by Councillor Pam Wiltshire. Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe proposed Councillor Pat Aves as Chair of this Committee which was seconded by Councillor Diane Wnek. Voting was as follows: Page 2 of 14

3 Councillor Pat Aves 9 votes Councillor Ben Anderson 6 votes With regard to the Vice Chair of Planning, Councillor Pat Aves proposed Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe, which was seconded by Councillor Diane Wnek. There were no further nominations. RESOLVED: To elect Councillors Pat Aves and Andy Hinchcliffe as Chair and Vice Chair respectively of the Development Control Committee for the forthcoming year. (b) Policy and Resources The Policy & Resources Committee to consist of Councillors: Ben Anderson; Alison Christy; Jon Hubbard; Andy Hinchcliffe; Chris Petty; Bruce Sanders; Hayley Spencer; Terri Welch and Pam Wiltshire. Councillor Chris Petty proposed Councillor Bruce Sanders as Chair which was seconded by Councillor Geoff Mitcham. There were no further nominations. With regard to Vice Chair of Policy & Resources, Councillor Pam Wiltshire proposed Councillor Ben Anderson, which was seconded by Councillor Richard Wiltshire. Councillor Jon Hubbard proposed Councillor Terri Welch, which was seconded by Councillor Alison Christy. As Councillor Terri Welch had been nominated as Vice Chair of this committee, Councillor Pam Wiltshire chaired this part of the meeting. Councillor Ben Anderson - 7 Councillor Terri Welch - 8 RESOLVED: To elect Councillors Bruce Sanders and Terri Welch as Chair and Vice Chair respectively of the Policy & Resources Committee for the forthcoming year. (c) Town Development The Town Development Committee to consist of Councillors: Pat Aves; Simon Hedley; Claire Forgacs; Geoff Mitcham; Hayley Spencer; Terri Welch and Richard Wiltshire. Page 3 of 14

4 With regard to the Chair, Councillor Jon Hubbard proposed Councillor Hayley Spencer, which was seconded by Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe. With regard to Vice Chairman of this Committee, Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe proposed Councillor Simon Hedley, which was seconded by Councillor Hayley Spencer. Councillor Pam Wiltshire nominated Councillor Claire Forgacs, which was seconded by Councillor Richard Wiltshire. Councillor Simon Hedley 8 Votes Councillor Claire Forgacs 7 Votes RESOLVED: To elect Councillors Hayley Spencer and Simon Hedley as Chair and Vice Chair respectively of the Town Development Committee for the forthcoming year Dates of Meetings Councillors were presented with a list of dates prior to the meeting and suggested amendments made. RESOLVED: To adopt the List of Meeting dates subject to deletion of the proposed dates for the Staffing Committee, which would no longer exist as a unique entity Adoption of the current Standing Orders for the ensuing year Councillors were presented with the Standing Orders prior to the meeting and no amendments were suggested. However, with the change in the committee structure, the following amendments were made: Under Order of Business at each Annual Meeting to appoint committees and their chair and vice chair to delete the Staffing Committee (16g). Under Admission of the Public and Press to Meetings, to delete the Amenities Committee from those committees listed. RESOLVED: To accept the Standing Orders with the above amendments for the ensuing year. Page 4 of 14

5 217. Adoption of Terms of Reference for the ensuing year The Terms of Reference for Town Council, Development Control (Planning), Town Development, Staffing, and Policy & Resources Committees were circulated prior to the meeting. As it had been agreed to amalgamate the Staffing Committee into the Policy & Resources Committee earlier in the meeting and change the membership structure of various committees it was: RESOLVED: To adopt the current Terms of Reference for the forthcoming year and to amalgamate the Staffing Terms of Reference with the Policy & Resources Committee s where practicable; amend the membership of each committee; and delete the Mayor and Deputy Mayor as being ex-officio members on each committee Adoption of the current Financial Regulations for the ensuing year These were forwarded to Councillors prior to the meeting for consideration. Councillor Bruce Sanders proposed that the spending authority of the Clerk be increased from 1000 to RESOLVED: To adopt the Financial Regulations for the forthcoming year with the above amendment Adoption of the current Risk Assessment statement A copy of the Risk Management Statement was forwarded to councillors for their consideration prior to the meeting. RESOLVED: To approve and adopt the current Risk Management Statement for the forthcoming year (a) Appointment of Working Groups A list of the current working groups had been circulated with the agenda. Following discussion it was: RESOLVED: That Councillor Hayley Spencer would join the Assembly Hall and Grants working groups; and that the Campus and CCTV working groups be disbanded until such time as they may be required. Page 5 of 14

6 (b) Additional working Groups - To consider the formation of any other working Groups No further working groups were proposed (a) Appointment of Town Council representatives on outside bodies The list of representatives on outside bodies was circulated prior to the meeting. The meeting was informed that after last year s Annual Council meeting it had been agreed to write to Melksham Fair Trade Group, Melksham Town Football Club and St John s Ambulance to ascertain if they still required a Town Council representative. As no response was received from any of the groups it was assumed they no longer required a Town Council representative. It was also noted Canberra Youth Centre had closed, therefore, there was no need to nominate a Town Council representative to this body. Also during the year, Melksham League of Friends and the Rainbow Day Centre had written to the Town Council seeking Town Council Representation. The following nominations were made: 2385 (Melksham) Air Training Corps Simon Hedley CATG J Hubbard/D Wnek Chamber of Commerce Pat Aves/A HInchcliffe Community Safety/NPT B Anderson/G Mitcham Elblag Twinning Association Terri Welch Melksham Adventure Centre Claire Forgacs Melksham Charities Bruce Sanders Melksham Council of Community Service Terri Welch Melksham Extended Services A Hinchcliffe/J Hubbard Melksham League of Friends Terri Welch Melksham Trust Richard Wiltshire Pubwatch Andy Hinchcliffe Rachel Fowler Centre Management Committee Vacant Railway Development Group Alison Christy Rainbow Day Centre P Wiltshire Riverside Club Management Committee Terri Welch Wiltshire Association of Local Councils Ben Anderson Wiltshire, Swindon & Oxfordshire Canal Partnership Richard Wiltshire RESOLVED: To approve the above list of representatives on outside bodies and advise the respective groups concerned accordingly. Page 6 of 14

7 (b) Any other organisations not listed above No other organisations were suggested To appoint representatives to the following: (a) Area Board Councillors Chris Petty and Bruce Sanders asked if they could step down as Town Council representatives on the Area Board. Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe offered to represent the Town Council at the Area Board. RESOLVED: To appoint Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe as the Town Council s representative at the Area Board. (b) Shadow Community Operations Board Councillor Terri Welch confirmed that she was happy to continue as Town Council representative on the Shadow Community Operations Board. RESOLVED: To re-appoint Councillor Terri Welch as the Town Council s representative on the Shadow Community Operations Board. (c) Neighbourhood Planning Steering Group Both Councillors Terri Welch and Richard Wiltshire stated they were happy to continue as Town Council representatives on the Neighbourhood Planning Steering Group. RESOLVED: To re-appoint Councillors Terri Welch and Richard Wiltshire as the Town Council s representatives on the Neighbourhood Plan Joint Steering Group To consider the appointment of Tree Wardens RESOLVED: To re-appoint Annie Benham-Taylor and John Stewart as Melksham Town Council Tree Wardens for the ensuing year To approve the following minutes: a) Policy & Resources 16 March 2015 These were moved by Councillor Bruce Sanders and seconded by Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe. Page 7 of 14

8 RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Policy & Resources meeting held on 16 March 2015 be signed as a correct record and to adopt the resolutions and recommendations contained therein. b) Development Control (Planning) 23 March 2015 These were moved by Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe and seconded by Councillor Simon Hedley. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Development Control (Planning) meeting held on 23 March 2015 be signed as a correct record and to adopt the resolutions and recommendations contained therein. c) Town Council 30 March 2015 These were moved by Councillor Terri Welch and seconded by Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on 30 March 2015 be signed as a correct record. d) Development Control (Planning) 13 April 2015 These were moved by Councillor Pat Aves and seconded by Councillor Andy Hinchcliffe. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Development Control (Planning) meeting held on 13 April 2015 be signed as a correct record and to adopt the resolutions and recommendations contained therein. e) Staffing 20 April 2015 These were moved by Councillor Jon Hubbard and seconded by Councillor Terri Welch. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Staffing meeting held on 20 April 2015 be signed as a correct record and to adopt the resolutions and recommendations contained therein. f) Town Council 27 April 2015 These were moved by Councillor Terri Welch and seconded by Councillor Pam Wiltshire. RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Town Council meeting held on 27 April 2015 be signed as a correct record and to adopt the resolutions and recommendations contained therein. Page 8 of 14

9 225. Public Participation Matters Arising from the Minutes Town Council 30 March 2015 Car Parking Review Councillor Bruce Sanders explained that he along with Councillors Christy and Hubbard had attended a meeting at County Hall to discuss car parking options in the town in the context of localism opportunities. Councillor Sanders stated that the deadline for Councils to submit any options or proposals in respect of potential car parking opportunities was imminent and if this Council wished to submit requests after this deadline additional costs would be incurred. Consequently, there was an urgent need for the Town Council to discuss this matter. Therefore a request was made to the Mayor to call an extra-ordinary meeting of Town Council on 18 May RESOLVED: That the Town Mayor would call an extraordinary meeting of Town Council on 18 May 2015 to allow Councillors to consider and determine the way forward with regard to this matter. The Mayor asked if item 25 regarding a proposed new footpath could be moved up the agenda, to allow local resident, Paul Carter to speak to this item (minute 231 below). Mr Carter explained that it was hoped a footpath would be constructed by the developers of the new Forest & Sandridge School to link it with Ingram Road, allowing easier access to the school for those children living in that area. This pathway would provide a much safer access for children and families accessing the school, many of whom were resident in Melksham town. Mr Carter informed the meeting he had already approached Melksham Without Parish Council as the school is in their parish and he expressed the hope that funding might be made available from various sources, including the Town Council, in order to make this pathway a reality Questions. To receive any questions submitted by councillors in accordance with Standing Order no 21 No questions from Councillors had been submitted Mayor s Announcements The Mayor s Announcements were circulated at the meeting for Councillors information. Page 9 of 14

10 The Mayor informed the meeting of the sad passing at the weekend of former Town Caretaker, Rob Butler. Through the Mayor s announcements, it was asked if a letter of thanks could be sent to Duncan Hames for all his hard work within the community as an MP for the last 5 years, as well as a letter of congratulations to the new MP Michelle Donelan. RESOLVED: To write a letter of condolence to Rob Butler s family; and to write to both Duncan Hames and Michelle Donelan MP following the recent General Election result Former Spiritualist Church Garden The Trustees of the former Spiritualist Church had written to the Town Council seeking to progress the gifting of the Spiritualist Garden to the Town Council and, to this end, a meeting involving both parties had been arranged on 20 May The Mayor informed the meeting that she and the Clerk would be attending the meeting and invited additional representation from the Town Council. RESOLVED: That the Clerk and the Mayor would represent the Town Council at the meeting on 20 May together with any other councillors who wished to attend Financial Risk Assessments The Clerk explained as part of the internal audit engagement an audit risk assessment had been undertaken for Councillors consideration. Councillor Jon Hubbard raised a concern that where areas of high concern had been identified, there was no report attached explaining how these risks could be mitigated. The Clerk explained he would be meeting the internal auditor the following day and further clarification would be sought in relation to the basis of the level of risks identified. RESOLVED: That the Clerk seek clarification from the Internal Auditor and report back to Council on the nature of the At Risk arrangements identified Bus Shelters Sarah Dearden from the Highways & Transport Department at Wiltshire Council had written to the Town Council in respect of additional costs amounting to 1100 associated with hard standing works for three proposed bus shelters within the town. Page 10 of 14

11 A letter had also been received from Mr Birch, Hallam Land Management regarding the proposed new bus shelter in Snowberry Lane. Mr Birch indicated that Hallam Land Management would be agreeable to a bus shelter being constructed on this land subject to ratification of a suitable legal agreement. RESOLVED: To approve the additional 1100 spend associated with creating the hard-standings for the three bus shelters; and for the Clerk to investigate and progress via Wiltshire Council a suitable legal agreement with Hallam Land Management, to allow the erection of the shelter on the land identified at Snowberry Lane Proposed Footpath Ingram Road to Forest & Sandridge School Mrs Teresa Strange, Clerk, Melksham Without Parish Council had written to the Town Council seeking support for a footpath from Ingram Road to Forest & Sandridge Road at a forthcoming CATG meeting, as well as a financial contribution. (Minute 225 above also refers) Mrs Strange stated that estimates for the work ranged from 75,000 to 28,820 and that, in principle, Wiltshire Council had agreed to commit 11,000 of s106 funding to this proposal from the neighbouring planning application for the retail shop/pub area. Whilst Councillors were supportive of the creation of this proposed footpath, it was felt that a clear understanding of the cost implications involved and the contribution requested from the Town Council must be provided before any decision could be taken in relation to funding. RESOLVED: To inform Melksham Without Parish Council that whilst the Town Council was supportive of the proposed pathway in principle, before any decision could be taken in relation to funding further information was required in relation to: the monies being requested from the Town Council; definitive costings for the project; and a schedule of financial contributions from other stakeholders Assembly Hall Councillor Jon Hubbard proposed a Notice of Motion that: With immediate effect Council instructs the Clerk that the following additional procedures should be implemented: A written instruction should be given to all staff in receipt of keys, whether to premises or electronic equipment such as tills, that these are strictly for personal use and are not to be shared. Such written instruction should include a reminder to staff that they can and will be held personally responsible for all transactions or actions taken by the user of such keys. Page 11 of 14

12 A programme of spot checks on stock should be implemented which is designed to mitigate the issues identified by the Internal Auditor. A report should be presented to the next meeting of the Full Council detailing the new spot check procedure with regular reports, thereafter, detailing the checks that have taken place. All till reports should be presented for checking and must be signed off by either the Finance Officer or Town Clerk. New time sheets should be implemented for all Assembly Hall staff which includes a declaration by the employee that the timesheet accurately records the hours worked and are signed off as correct by the employee s line manager. The Clerk pointed out that further procedures and processes in relation to cash management and security within the Assembly Hall, endorsed by the Internal Auditor, had already been implemented RESOLVED: That the proposals identified within the Notice of Motion should be implemented immediately County Parade Mr Trevor Patterson, Branch President of The Royal British Legion had written to the Town Council seeking a contribution towards costs of hiring the Assembly Hall for a reception following the County Parade being held in Melksham on 7 June It was noted that this was a prestigious event for the town to host but that requests from voluntary and community groups for subsidised Hall hire should properly be processed through the Annual Grants round. In the circumstances Councillor Terri Welch indicated that she would wish to fund the cost of Hall hire for this event from the Mayor s allowance. RESOLVED: That the costs of Hall hire for this event would be met from the Mayor s Allowance and to advise the Royal British Legion accordingly On-line Ticket Purchase Martin Chappell, Marketing Assistant, had produced a report for Councillors consideration (attached) in respect of on-line ticket purchases via the new web site. Discussion ensued on the most appropriate and effective on-line payment method, recognising the desire to provide a cost effective solution that would prove an attractive and accessible solution for potential users. Page 12 of 14

13 RESOLVED: To utilize the PayPal Standard option (with no virtual terminal) for a 12 month period, with the default page set to card payments, and to monitor feedback from users in the first instance. Councillor Diane Wnek left the meeting at 9.05pm Reports from Councillors: (a) To receive a report from Councillor Terri Welch in relation to the Campus development Councillor Terri Welch explained there had been no SCOB meeting recently. (a) To receive a report in relation to the Area Board meeting held on 15 April 2015 Councillors Petty and Sanders had been unable to attend the meeting on 15 April 2015 and therefore no report was available Correspondence (a) Letter from Cllr Philip Whitehead, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport Councillor Philip Whitehead had written to the Town Council in response to representations made by the Town Council in respect of the Connect 2 Bus Service The RUH Hopper. RESOLVED: To note the information contained within the letter. (b) from John Watling, Deputy Acting Returning Officer and Head of Electoral Services at Wiltshire Council, reference recharging the cost of parish council elections back to parish councils Mr John Watling, Deputy Returning Officer and Head of Electoral Services at Wiltshire Council had written to the Town Council with regard to recharging of the cost of parish council elections back to parish councils. RESOLVED: To note the contents of the . Also, in light of the recent confusion resulting from locating polling stations in both the Town and Assembly Halls, to revert to the Deputy Returning Officer suggesting that if it was intended to permanently relocate the ex Canberra polling station in the Assembly Hall, that the Town Hall polling station be relocated there also, given that the Assembly Hall had ample capacity to accommodate both polling stations and could provide just one common location for electors and thereby minimise confusion. Page 13 of 14

14 (c) Letter from DBS Doyle in relation to litter and the appearance of the A350 on the approach to the town A letter had been received from D Doyle in connection with the amount of litter on the approach roads to Melksham, particularly the A350 and Devizes Road. Correspondence had also been received from Mr Stuart Renfrew, Melksham s Area Co-ordinator at Wiltshire Council, in response to the above concerns and explaining what action had been taken to try and resolve the matter. RESOLVED: To note the contents of the respective correspondence. Having declared an interest, Councillor Hayley Spencer took no part in the discussion and consideration of the following agenda item. (d) from Gabriella Menghini, Customer Services Officer at Wiltshire Council, in relation to the newly erected bollards at the Prince of Wales Gardens 237. Finance Ms Menghini had written to the Town Council in light of concerns expressed by a local resident regarding the recent installation of bollards at the entrance to the Prince of Wales Gardens The Clerk informed the meeting he had written to Ms Menghini explaining the Town Council s stance with regard to the installation of the bollards and had pointed out that if the resident concerned wished to make representations to the Town Council in this regard then he was most welcome to do so. (a) Payments for approval A List of Payments was circulated at the meeting for Councillors approval. RESOLVED: To approve the List of Payments. (b) List of Payments A List of Payments was circulated prior to the meeting. RESOLVED: To note and approve the List of Payments. (c) Detailed Income and Expenditure as at 30 April 2015 A detailed Income and Expenditure Report as at 30 April 2015 was circulated to Councillors for their information. RESOLVED: To note and approve the Income and Expenditure Report. (d) To appoint an internal auditor for the forthcoming year RESOLVED: To re-appoint IAC as Internal Auditors for the forthcoming year. Page 14 of 14