BUCKLESHAM PARISH COUNCIL Minutes Of the Annual Parish Council Meeting held at Bucklesham Village Hall at 7.30 pm on Thursday, 3 rd May 2012 Present Cllr Mike Rogers (Chairman) Cllr Evelyn Bloomfield Cllr John Hammond Cllr Sue Brown Cllr David Brinkley Cllr Heather Owen Cllr Patricia O Brien Suffolk County Council / Suffolk Coastal District Council Mrs Angie Buggs Clerk 4 members of the public 37.12 Election of Chairman The retiring Chairman asked for nominations for the office of Chairman of the Parish Council. Cllr Bloomfield proposed Cllr Rogers as Chairman, seconded Cllr Hammond all in favour. As there were no other nominations, Cllr Rogers was duly elected. Cllr Rogers signed his Acceptance of Office Form, countersigned by Mrs A J Buggs Clerk. 38.12 Election of Vice Chairman Cllr Hammond proposed that Cllr Owen be elected as Vice-Chairman, seconded Cllr Brinkley all in favour. 39.12 Apologies for absence Apologies for absence were received from Cllr V Falconer Suffolk Coastal District Council, Pc Paul Smith and PCSO Andi Hillman. 40.12 Declaration of interest No declarations of interest were declared. 41.12 Minutes The minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday, 5 th April 2012 were approved as being a true record and signed by the Chairman with the following amendments: Item 16.12 Motorbikes Scaldings Pit. Amended to read Cllr Bloomfield reported that the manager had put up notices at Scaldings Pit however these had been destroyed. Item 26.12 Tree Warden s Report. Amended to read Westwood Caravan Park. May 2012 Page 1
42.12 Matters arising from the minutes None 43.12 To adjourn to receive the reports and questions from: These reports had previously been presented to the Annual Parish Meeting. Suffolk Police SNT Co-ordinator PC Paul Smith written report Since the beginning of May 2011 there have been 14 reported crimes in the area. 4 thefts from motor vehicles 3 burglaries other buildings 4 thefts other 1 burglary dwelling 1 common assault 1 actual bodily harm The previous year there had been 34 reported crimes. Suffolk County Council/Suffolk Coastal District Council Cllr Patricia O Brien Annual County Council Report 2012 Personally this has been a very interesting and exciting year as I have had the privilege of being the Chairman of SCC for 2011/2012. It has also been a year of change for the county council. A new Chief Executive was appointed in December, Deborah Cadman, a former head of the East Anglian Development Agency and Chief Executive of St Edmundsbury Borough Council. She has 28 years public sector experience. Radical changes are taking place in all our services. In Adult and Community Services staffing numbers have been reduced considerably, not because of cuts to services but because staff are moving to newly-created or other organisations. These will continue to provide for the council eg The Industrial and Provident Society has taken over the running of the library service, enabling SCC to retain its library network and reduce the library budget from 9m to 6m over 3 years. Phase 1 of School Organisation Review has been completed in Lowestoft and Haverhill. The expansion of primary schools to take years 5 and 6 has not resulted in disruption, as was feared. Indeed since September 4 of the enlarged primary schools have gained outstanding assessments. Work to deliver high speed broadband is developing apace following SCC s commitment of 10m and a similar amount from the government. A company will be selected to do the work and the aim is to raise the areas with poorest coverage up to the average. Being in the 1 st save of counties implementing high speed broadband will give Suffolk a competitive edge when attracting businesses. Landmark House The new office building on the A14 near Sproughton is due to open in June. The building will be used by both Suffolk Police and SCC and will have the advantage of aiding a closer working relationship between SCC and the police and will also save in the region of 500k. May 2012 Page 2
This is part of a project to cut down on office accommodation across Suffolk. There are approximately 2,500 public sector buildings in Suffolk and over the next few years SCC will be working with colleagues to reduce that number and thus make considerable savings. In October a new joint fire control centre was set up with Cambridgeshire and is working very well. A total of 32 fire control operators work as a single team. It will be easier to hold street parties during the Queen s Jubilee Celebrations as SCC have waived the fees for road closures. To ensure minimal impact on our road system the county council is urging party organisations to celebrate in community areas, cul-de-sacs and no through roads as far as possible. Because of the reduction in government grant, on-going increases in demand for services and the cost of provision, SCC must save 50m over the next two years 26m in 2012/13. We will do this by reducing management costs, cutting bureaucracy, lowering the level on senior public sector pay, rationalise office accommodation and work with other authorities. SCC has frozen council tax for the 2 nd year. I have given, what I hope, is a flavour of what has been happening over the past year at SCC and fuller accounts of the year are contained in my monthly reports to parish councils. Chairman SCC As mentioned at the beginning of my report I have been Chairman of SCC for the past 11 months and my term finishes on the 24 th May. I d just like to give a brief snapshot of what that has entailed. One of my duties is to chair Full Council; a task not to be taken lightly. I am quite prod that the first call I made upon members was to adhere to the rules of Just a Minute and to speak without repletion and deviation. I relented on hesitation. Instead of 1 minute, they have 3 and it was worked very well. Throughout the year I have been to so many different engagements, met interesting people, in a variety of circumstances and seen the county from a new aspect. I have visited both British and American airbases at Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Hottington and Wattisham. He hospitality at the bases has been outstanding. Many of the civic services have been held in beautiful old churches in villages and towns such as Walsham le Willows, Hadleigh, Stowmarket, Eye to name only a few. Attending services in Ely Cathedral and St Edmundsbury Cathedral have been uplifting experiences. Prize givings, speech days, graduations and citizenship ceremonies have been a memorable part of my year as has the sombre privilege of laying a wreath at the Centotaph in Ipswich as Remembrance Sunday. Meeting members of the Royal Family has been an a special honour and the recent visit of the Duchess of Cambridge to the Tree House Children s Hospice, gained Ipswich and indeed Suffolk nationwide recognition and acknowledged the tremendous work of the Children s Hospice. I am well aware of the privilege of being Chairman for a year and have enjoyed it hugely. May 2012 Page 3
Police Authority The Police Authority will cease to exist on 22 nd November 2012 when a Police & Crime Commissioner will be elected. He/she will be responsible for appointing Chief Constable, funding and budget; the award of grants for community safety priorities. The PCC will be supported by a Chief Executive and team. There will be a Police & Crime Panel that will scrutinise the PCC. Annual District Council Report 2012 The way SCDC does business is changing and will change further as the year progresses. An electoral review of SCDC s ward boundaries is to take place. At present SCDC has 34 wards and 55 councillors. It is proposed that the total number of councillors be reduced by a third. The review would take a year and include public consultation. The results of the changes would be implemented in time for the next district elections in May 2015. The reduction in councillors relate to the changes that are taking place within the council whereby an increasing amount of business is being shared with Waveney District Council. Both District Councils share the services of Stephen Baker, Chief Executive and have a joint Management Team. The re-structuring/re-design of business and management practices, mean that work can be done with more efficiency. Thus these changes will reduce costs and increase savings something that all councils must do. The Planning Depts at SCDC and Waveney have been re-structured. This means that Development Control, Enforcement & Building Control will be combined into one team; 3 area teams will cover that work across both districts. There will be a joint Planning Policy team. When the change programme is complete it should save approximately 455k for SCDC and improve the service. Planning has been a major concern for my ward in recent years. We are having to continually fight to retain our countryside against the imposition of large and small wind turbines and of course the continuing battle against the building of 2000+ houses at Adastral Park. I, along with over a hundred parishioners, together with parish councils, have responded to the Pre- Submission Soundness Consultation on the Core Strategy. All the representations will be considered by the Planning Inspector at an Examination in Public. I pay tribute to the steadfastness of my parishes on this issue. Suffolk Coastal District Council Cllr Veronica Falconer Annual Report 2012 My report this year is going to be very brief? I believe I have kept you up to date with my bi-monthly District Council reports. These are in some case printed on your village websites and also a precise of them appear in your Village Newsletters. Coastline goes to every household in Suffolk Coastal and keeps you up to date with all the various things we are involved with as does the recent brochure that came with your Council Tax letter, explaining more fully as to where your Council Tax goes and the value you get. The partnership of Waveney District Council and Suffolk Coastal has gone from strength to strength with enormous savings with every Departments working together across the two Districts. Your Council tax has May 2012 Page 4
been frozen for this coming year and they hope to save 1.8 million in addition to the 2.2 million that we have just saved during these difficult times. Coastal defence work is being carried out and funding for various projects is still available despite the hard times we are in. Both these brochures are a good and accurate read of what currently is going on and will keep you up to date with everything that is happening. The Nacton Ward consists of ten villages and you all keep me on my toes with site and monitoring visits, meetings, both local parish and then in Woodbridge, Saxmundham etc dealing direct with constituents and their problems. Much work with the Local Development Framework consultation and preparing my responses. This document has now gone to the Inspector and we await his response later this year. Planning Applications, after a quiet spell, are now coming in fast and furiously with a large number involving the erection of wind turbines of all heights. At the end of May last year I completed my very enjoyable, interesting and memorable year as Chairman of Suffolk Coastal District Council. I then went on to Chair the Quality Place Awards a very interesting project which recognises and encourages an interest in the quality of the built and natural environment and promotes an awareness for high standards in all forms of design including planning, architecture, sustainable development landscaping and this year Community projects. Recently too, I chaired the Tree Wardens Day at Stratford St Andrew where several speakers talked on interesting and informative subjects etc to an enthusiastic and hardworking group of volunteer Tree Wardens in the District. I was asked to be one of the judges in the Suffolk Coastal Village of the Year Competition we elected Boyton a tiny village but with a great community spirit. The area, as I have said before, is under great pressure re development resulting in a huge loss of our lovely countryside. Not only have we the prospect of possibly 2100 dwellings being built in Adastral park and 1600 dwellings being built in Trimley but there is a possibility that 200 acres just off Innocence Lane, Kirton could become a huge container park for Felixstowe Docks with containers stacks 6 high, a railway junction and marshalling yard, an A14 underpass and lorry rail connections. The skyline too is under threat of a flurry of Wind Turbines I fear we will not recognise this area in 20 years time. And I leave you with the thought that it is predicted that in 20 years, which is not so very far away, that the population of Great Britain will have risen by 7 million people. I will continue to fight your cause and concerns to preserve what we love best about this year. Questions a. Roly Burrows stated that it was important for the Village Historian to record old photographs, events, newspaper articles etc. He suggested that an open meeting be held in the Village Hall on a Saturday afternoon and have a scanner and computer available. This would enable parishioners to bring their photographs etc which could then be scanned into the computer for recording. It was agreed this item should be placed on the Parish Council agenda for further discussion. Action: Clerk - next PC Agenda 44.12 Bucklesham School Mrs Rosemary Watson presented the report from Bucklesham School as follows. It is now a full 12 months since Mrs Bryony Surtees took over as Headteacher at Bucklesham School and during that time she has worked with great energy and enthusiasm to put her mark on the school. May 2012 Page 5
Many changes and new initiatives are already having a positive impact on the school. The SATs results last summer did not quite meet targets and wheels were soon put in motion to address this one of which the Big Writing scheme - is already bearing fruit and has had a very positive impact on the children and parents alike. Mrs Surtees has also introduced half termly Parents Forums which produce lively and constructive discussion. She holds regular meetings of the School Council and has introduced a new Behaviour Policy with a system of rewards that are very popular with the children. Mrs Surtees also had to contend with an Ofsted Inspection in only her second term with us and it was very satisfying that the children got outstanding marks for their behaviour and attitude! The new teaching structure is going well. There are also plenty of new clubs for the children to enjoy including film club language club and singing club alongside the sports and gardening clubs that were already in existence. Also one of the parents has been working on the website which is now looking very attractive The school has participated in many events including the annual Wolsey Dance Project. Last year the funding for this project was withdrawn. However this has always been a very successful project and does wonders for the children s confidence and so our enterprising pupils raised the money to take part themselves through various mini businesses in school!! There have been many educational school trips to local places of interest and Years 5 and 6 went on a residential trip to PGL. There was also a whole school visit to the Wolsey Pantomime. We are proud to say that on all the trips and visits the school goes out on we are always commended on the excellent behaviour of our pupils. The school has also had a visiting teacher from Grenada come to Bucklesham and Mrs Carter our Early Years teacher went to Grenada. This was a very worthwhile exchange of cultures and ideas The school also welcomes many visitors to extend the children s experiences and recently we had two storytellers come in which inspired the children with their literacy. The BSA has held various social events and the Summer and Christmas Fairs to raise much needed funds for the school. Also the Harvest Festival and Carol Concert were held in the village church of St Mary s. Members of the community have been invited to various school events including special themed lunches provided by Mrs Riddleston. There is Jubilee and Olympic Events planned for the Summer Term! We have said goodbye to several long serving members of staff over the last 12 months. Last summer we said good bye to both our Years 3 and 4 job share teachers Mrs Hitchings and Mrs Johnson and welcomed Alice Irving an NQT and she has settled in very well and is popular with the children. Mrs Brunt retired from being an MDSA after countless years of service during which time she was also a governor. Mrs Miles and Mrs Ball have both left recently for personal reasons both have been at the school for many years. Mrs Surtees has had a very good year at Bucklesham School and has shown huge commitment. We also have a new Chair of Governors Mrs Victoria Finch and several new very enthusiastic members of the governing body all of which augers well for the future of the school and we look forward to the next 12 months. 45.12 Community Council Cllr John Hammond presented the report from the Community Council as follows: The Annual General Meeting of the Bucklesham Community Council was held in Bucklesham Village Hall on the 27 th April 2012. Roly Burrows gave his annual report alongside other committee members and the key points were as follows. May 2012 Page 6
The Community Council had another busy year with lots of different events staged throughout the year. The Christmas show was probably the best attended of all the shows staged to date and made a healthy operating profit. The sum of 200 was given to the village to help stage a children s Christmas Party which was a great success. The committee also donated 50 to the village over 60 s Christmas lunch along with providing funds for the village sign plants. A bird walk was held in 2011 along with a local river walk in 2012, both were greatly enjoyed by all those taking part. A Barn Dance and a Halloween Dance were put on and were successful and would be repeated again this year. The horse racing outing to Newmarket was enjoyed by all those who went and this is planned to be repeated this year. Ashley Betts who is a recent addition to the Community Council has formed a village choir and drawn lots of different age groups together from within the village. This is bringing people together and enjoying the shared experience of making music. The jubilee events are taking shape with a Bucklesham Has Got Talent evening planned along with a 1950/60s dance in the village hall on different evenings. The sports pavilion on the playing field has reached a cross roads stage in that the major grant funding applications have been rejected by the different grant bodies. The incoming committee will have to decide the best to take the project forward in the future. The skate/bike park on the playing field has stalled due to lack of support for Michaela from the children and parents who initially promised help in getting this project off the ground. Two junior football teams from outside the village have expressed an interest in hiring the football pitches on a Saturday morning. Dave will shortly be meeting with the clubs representatives to discuss if our playing field will be suitable for their requirements. The new format for the village website is up and running and early comments indicate it is easier to navigate than the previous version. It was stressed that up to date content is constantly required to keep it fresh. The committee were all elected to stand again for another year and all the existing officials were more than happy to continue in their existing roles. 46.12 Tree Warden s Report Tim Voelcker gave a short verbal report to the Annual Parish Meeting. During the year work has continued in procuring and planting new hedging around the village. Our thanks go to the small group of helpers for their continued support. The new hedging planted along the south side of the Main Road up to the A12 over-bridge last year has generally taken well although some additional ground clearing has been necessary to allow the new hedging to thrive. New hedging has also been planted at the top end of Levington Lane. 47.12 Locality Budget 2012/2013 Cllr Rogers reported that at the last Parish Council Meeting councillors had agreed to contribute to the purchase of Queen s Jubilee Mugs for the village children. The total cost will be approximately 260 and Richard Brunt will invoice the Parish Council. May 2012 Page 7
Cllr Rogers said that this would leave approximately 500 in the Locality Budget and asked that councillors put forward ideas for spending the remainder of the budget. It was agreed that this item should be taken forward to the next meeting. Action: Clerk next Parish Council agenda 48.12 Felixstowe Peninsular Greenfield Task Force Meeting Cllr Rogers reported that he had attended the recent meeting concerning Innocence Lane and that a further meeting will be held on the 8 th May at Kirton. The group of villages involved in the discussions are against the development however the developers have not submitted a Planning Application to Suffolk Coastal District Council. Action: Cllr Rogers 49.12 Procedures / Standing Orders At the last meeting Cllr Brown had reported that she had not seen copies of all the new procedures/standing orders. Since the last meeting copies have been sent to Cllr Brown for comment. Cllr Brown reported that the Risk Assessment did not highlight the possibility of vandalism as a risk to the Bucklesham Parish sign and she also highlighted three typographical errors. Cllr Rogers stated that the Risk Assessment had since been updated. Cllr Brinkley proposed, seconded Cllr Owen that the Procedures / Standing Orders be adopted with the amendments which had been highlighted. Action: Clerk 50.12 Clerk s Report The Clerk s report had previously been circulated and it was agreed that some of the items should be discussed as per the agenda. Village Website The new Bucklesham Village website is now up and running and can be accessed as follows: http://www.buckleshamcc.onesuffolknet/ Orwell Country Park The travellers which were camped in the car park at Orwell Country Park have now vacated the site. We have no information as to where the travellers have moved to. Scrutiny of Housing Provision within Suffolk Coastal District Council An email was received from Phillip Dunnett Chairman to the Scrutiny Committee asking whether the Parish Council have any views about the housing situation in Suffolk Coastal. The details of the email are as follows: The Council s Scrutiny Committee is to conduct a review of housing provision in the District and we would like to know what you think. We will also hear evidence from Housing Associations and their tenants, from developers, local housing charities and the Council s Housing Team. But we want to start by asking you the representatives of our local communities for your thoughts and experiences regarding housing in the District and how things can be improved. May 2012 Page 8
The response form enclosed with this letter lists the aspects of housing that we intend to review. Please tick those that you think are of most concern to your community and indicate whether you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the current situation. There is also a space for you to add further explanation/comment or to suggest any other housing issue that you think we may have overlooked. If you have lots to say and we hope you do by all means continue on a separate sheet. Finally we have asked a few straightforward questions about housing need and empty homes in your parish. When we take evidence in public later this year we intend to invite a cross section of town/parish councils with views to express to come along and talk to us directly. This worked very well with our last major review into Planning and has helped the council to improve that service as a result. It is our hope and expectation that this review will do the same. We understand that this will have to fit in with your meeting cycle but we would welcome your response as soon as possible so that we can get this important review under way. I forwarded the email to all councillors asking for comments so that I could formulate a reply. Following discussion it was agreed that the Clerk should send a nil return to the Suffolk Coastal District Council Scrutiny Committee. Extraordinary Suffolk Coastal District Council Meeting 26 th April 2012 Cllr O Brien was unable to attend the above meeting but tabled the following report: Councillors Unfortunately, I am unable to attend the Extraordinary Meeting on April 26 th and, as I will not be taking part, I must refute, in the strongest terms, issues that, contrary to the Executive Summary, are significant and substantial and have not been addressed. They are: 1. There is a serious lack of evidence to show that SCDC and Ipswich Borough Council have worked together to produce a strategy that will improve the A14 Orwell Bridge/Seven Hill Interchange and, importantly, take account of the changes on A12 at Copdock. It is vital that this is properly assessed otherwise the future is indeed bleak, in terms of mobility, environment and employment, for the Felixstowe Peninsula. The increase in container traffic from 3.4ml to 5.4ml, for the expanded Felixstowe Port, plus the increase in the number of private cars, from development at Felixstowe and Martlesham, a possibility of 4-6000 extra cars. 2. Worringly, there has been no Visitor Impact Assessment on the Deben Estuary. Mitigation measures are insufficient, especially relating to a Country Park, development of which will not be within the plan period! 3. There has never been an explanation of why housing numbers increased from 1050 at Martlesham to 2000. May 2012 Page 9
4. Assumptions, but no firm evidence, that jobs will be created for the occupiers of the 2000 homes at Adastral Park. 5. New secondary education provision is problematic; 2000 homes would be insufficient to provide the full complement of pupils for a secondary school. Therefore, I conclude that with such significant and substantial issues yet to be addressed, the Core Strategy remains unsound. I cannot support the recommendations. Patricia O Brien 51.12 Correspondence The Clerk reported that all correspondence had been dealt with as part of the Clerk s written report and that no additional items of correspondence had been received since the last meeting. 52.12 Finance Income Precept 1 st Payment 30 th April 2012 2,000.00 Locality Budget 700.00 Payments Clerk s Salary April 2012 (excluding tax) 118.40 Cll E Bloomfield Doggy Bags 4.50 Cllr M Rogers Notice Board Sundela Rack and Screw 29.64 Bank Balances Current Account 3,990.72 Deposit Account 2,219.88 53.12 Planning Planning Applications Received by Bucklesham Parish Council Planning Application: C12/0603 2 Meadow View Bucklesham Election of single-storey side and rear extensions. PC Decision: No objection. Planning Application: C12/0716 11 St Marys Park Bucklesham Erection of single-storey extension to garage. PC Decision: No objection. Planning Application: C12/0740 Bucklesham Hall Bucklesham Hall Drive Bucklesham Erection of conservatory to east and porch extension to west elevation. PC Decision: No objection. 54.12 General Matters a. Cllr Brinkley requested that when anybody has been delegated a task to complete at a Parish Council Meeting that it was important that these items should be highlighted in the minutes May 2012 Page 10
and the action reported back to the next Parish Council Meeting to ensure that all items are dealt with and monitored. Action: Clerk b. Cllr Hammond stated that he felt there was a lot of apathy within the village which was causing a lack of support. c. Cllr Owen asked the Clerk whether the Accounts for 2011/2012 had been completed. The Clerk stated that the accounts were complete and these would be discussed with the Chairman shortly and confirmed that the audit would take place on the 27 th July 2012. Action: Clerk d. Cllr Brown requested that a grit bin be placed adjacent to the pumping station. It was agreed that this item should be placed on the next Parish Council Meeting agenda. Action: Clerk e. Cllr Brinkley said that he had recently inspected the children s play area/equipment and had found the equipment to be in a bad state of repair and in particular the seesaw had been broken in half. The play area grass also needs cutting and strimming around the equipment. It was agreed that Cllr Owen should contact the suppliers of the equipment to carry out an inspection and assess the damage. Action: Cllr Owen 55.12 Date of next meeting The next Parish Council Meeting will take place at 7.30 pm on Thursday, 5 th July 2012. The Chairman closed the meeting at 8.41 pm. Signed... Date... Angie Buggs Clerk to Bucklesham Parish Council Telephone: 01473 635341 Mobile: 07770575350 Email: angiebuggs2001@yahoo.co.uk May 2012 Page 11