MINUTES OF OKEFORD FITZPAINE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

HELD AT THE PAVILION ON 7 DECEMBER 2010

PRESENT: Cllr M Burt (Chairman)

 Cllr T Horton (V.Chairman)

Cllr B Fox

Cllr A Frampton

Cllr M Paine

Also present: - Mrs Sandra Deary (Clerk) and 3 members of the public.

1. APOLOGIES: Cllrs S & R Corben and Cllr A Burch, NDDC

2. THE MINUTES OF PARISH COUNCIL MEETING 2 NOVEMBER 2010 having been circulated to Cllrs and noticeboards were taken as read. It was proposed by Cllr Fox and seconded by Cllr Horton that they be signed by the Chairman, this was agreed.

3. POINTS FROM THE PUBLIC RELATING TO ITEM 5 ONLY. None

4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Cllrs Burt & Frampton as members of the Village Hall Management Committee.

Cllrs Burt & Horton as members of the DAPTC.

Cllr Burt as member of CPEND and LDWG.

Cllr Horton as member of NDDC Standards Committee.

5. District & County Councillors’ Reports: Report from Cllr H Cox DCC:-

Thought I would give you all a heads up on where DCC are with dealing with the anticipated reduction in funding that all Local Authorities are now facing so that we can deal with the dire National Debt our Government has to manage. Work had already started at DCC last year and our Managing Future Challenges programme which is now awaiting final approval from Council has found £22m worth of savings. This however will not be enough as we anticipate a budget shortfall of between £45-48m to be found by 2013/14 according to the latest figures. The final settlement from Government will be with us within the next 10 days we hope. It is unlikely that our position as one of the lowest funded councils will change, so we are preparing for even more serious budget reductions which will cause us to make front-line service reductions. These will not be popular but unfortunately essential in order to present a balanced budget.

None of the decisions to cut services will be taken lightly but here is a taste of what is in store:-

Central Corporate services will be cut to the core.

Highways and Transportation are undergoing a major re-structuring, there will be reduced maintenance generally and in particular on minor non-linking roads, we will continue with the PMUs and I suggest villages will need to reconsider their unwillingness to join a Lengthsman scheme. The Clerk was asked to write to Cllr Cox to request that the issue of the Lengthsman scheme be placed on the agenda for the next divisional meeting as there was uncertainty regarding the benefits to either the Parish Council or the County Council. Concessionary travel which is to become a County responsibility will be at the statutory minimum. This may put some very rural buses under pressure. A six week consultation exercise for existing concessionary fares users who might be adversely affected by the changes is about to start. A questionnaire will be placed on the ‘Dorset For You’ website and hard copies will be made available at appropriate locations including the district and county council offices. Copies will also be sent directly to users of the token and voucher schemes as they have been identified as being particularly vulnerable in the event of discretionary schemes being withdrawn.

Adult Social Care: with the move towards personal budgets and more choice as to how this is spent it is probable that there will be less demand for the traditional 'Day Centres' which are a very expensive service for a very small number of those who need care. All services, transport and lunches will also be charged for. This brings us into line with other Local Authorities.

Libraries & Arts: Although a small proportion of our total budget Arts are taking a 20% budget cut. This will mean that there will be Library closures across the County, concentrating the service on market towns and mobile vans.

Children's Services: Will be making some tough decisions about the central support that schools will pay for when more of their funding quite rightly goes direct to the schools. Children's social care services will not be affected though the method of operating from Children's 'hubs' is slightly changed. Much back office reduction is also taking place.

Some good news, all of the District and Boroughs have finally come together with DCC as the Dorset Waste Partnership which will ensure that our waste will be dealt with more efficiently, provide a better service and save money for the council tax payer!

With regard to the salting/gritting of Okeford Hill there has been a review of how routes are prioritised for treatment in poor weather in the light of the budgets available. It is quite obvious that not all routes can be treated, so every effort is made to enable access to towns, hospitals and schools. Okeford Fitzpaine residents are well treated in this respect with easy access to/from an A road which is a Priority 1 route.

The recent errors of judgement by motorists attempting to travel over Okeford Hill or even perish the thought Bulbarrow when there were warnings on all radio and TV stations, should not be used as evidence that the routes be considered priorities. Perfectly safe if somewhat longer routes were available that had been treated. Bad weather will always cause disruptions to travel, we can't expect all roads to be hazard free. It is surely time that drivers accepted that it is sometimes up to them to take responsibility and use their judgement as to which route to use and if necessary allow some extra time?

There are other routes within my Division, some key routes for school buses which are not even Priority 2 routes. I shall be pressing officers to do these ahead of any over Bulbarrow/Okeford Hill. There are even some whole villages which are not yet on a priority route.

On another matter regarding the setting up of LEPs the County Council is still hoping to keep the whole of Dorset intact with Bmth and Poole but needs to enlarge somehow to qualify as a LEP. It is exercising our Leader quite considerably. We need some certainty put in place soon as so many funding arrangements will soon be ending.

Finally may I thank everyone for their kind thoughts over recent weeks and wish you all my best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. Hope to see you all sometime soon.

6. MATTERS ARISING

6.1 Recreation Ground/Pavilion: Cllr Frampton reported that the Football Club was doing very well and could be promoted at the end of the season. If this happened then work would need to take place to separate the two referee changing rooms. A store cupboard was now required within the pavilion. Cllr Paine proposed that the Football Club be allowed to install a store cupboard, this was seconded by Cllr Horton and agreed by Council.

Cllr Burt informed the Council that spiking had been carried out to the football pitch.

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   1. Bowey Field: Cllr Paine informed the Council that he had received a response to say that the application for a lottery grant had been provisionally approved in the sum of £9,842 and that the required paperwork for the grant to be fully approved had now been submitted. Cllr Fox reported that further grants are available for interested parties but should be sought by residents rather than the Parish Council. She would be willing to assist any residents in writing bids for grants. Cllr Paine agreed to speak to Mrs Cook-Paine who is on the PFA for the school and the playschool.

6.3 Village Hall Extension and Car Park: Cllr Burt reported that no works had been carried out as the building regulations had not yet been received. Mrs Deary had written to the Chief Executive of NDDC regarding developers’ contributions for Okeford Fitzpaine for the last 10 years. A response had been received from Mr S Hill, General Manager, NDDC stating that the Council had collected £11,680 of developer contributions from developments in Okeford Fitzpaine during the last 10 years. The contributions arising from such developments have been allocated in proportion to all the schemes in Sturminster Newton. To date £418,600 had been collected for schemes in Sturminster Newton, of that £358,100 had already been spent. NDDC are planning to allocate a further £50,000 before Christmas 2010. In addition £210,700 had been collected from developments, which is earmarked for DCC education purposes and would be transferred to DCC. He goes on to say that developer contributions that have been collected during this last Local Plan period are allocated in accordance with that Plan and cannot be spent within the villages. The Planning Policy Panel recently considered future allocation of developer contributions arising from the implementation of the proposed Core Strategy once it is adopted. The scheme for the collection and allocation of such contributions is not therefore agreed and cannot be progressed until the Council receives guidance from the Government, eg relating to the proposed Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Town and Parish Councils will be included in a debate and decision making process. Following discussions the Council felt that any section 106 monies raised from the Development of the chicken factory site should be made available for additional play areas in the village as additional housing would be built, therefore more children would reside in the village.

6.4 Footway – Castle Lane: N.F.T.R.

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   1. Community Planning: At a recent meeting of Sturquest the chairman raised concerns that although there were 4 Community Partnerships he felt that currently many of the parishes & towns operate independently and are not properly represented at CPEND even though DAPTC attends. He felt that the DAPTC should formally take on the task if the voices of the Parishes are to be heard. Cllr Burt informed the council that he would be attending the NDDC Budget meeting on 15 December and would report back to the next meeting.

   2. Belchalwell & Fiddleford Items: N.F.T.R.

   3. Actions Highlighted in the Parish Plan: Cllr Fox reported that a further notice had been placed in the Fippenny News for volunteers, no responses had been received. A member of the public said he would be interested in volunteering, he was advised to contact the Clerk. Cllr Fox had spoken to the Rural Dean regarding the holding of events in the church. He will write to Salisbury for advice.

   4. Blandford PACT and Home Watch: The recent meeting held at Okeford Fitzpaine had been a success. The next meeting will be held at Blandford. A suggestion to hold two group meetings, one at Blandford and one in the Parishes is to be looked into.

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   1. Okeford Hill – salting/gritting: Mrs Deary informed the Council that she had written to the Highways Department of DCC enquiring if the review had taken place. A reply had been received stating the priority 3 route review should be completed by 1 December 2010. She had also written to the Chief Executive of DCC regarding this matter. No response had yet been received.

Cllr Burt had looked into the possibility of providing grit bins for the parish. The cost of each grit bin would be approximately £150. Following discussion Cllr Horton proposed that three green grit bins be purchased, one to be placed at the top of the Hollow, one at the bottom of Castle Lane and one close to Mary Gardens. This was seconded by Cllr Frampton and agreed by Council.

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   1. Traffic (volume and speed) using Back Lane: N.F.T.R.

   2. Village shop: N.F.T.R.

   3. Royal Wedding and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee: Following discussion it was agreed that a notice should be placed in the Fippenny news asking for volunteers to organise a village party on the day of the royal wedding. The Parish Council agreed to assist in any way they could. The Diamond Jubilee would be discussed at a later date.

7. PLANNING MATTERS:

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   1. Application: 2/2010/1172 – Okeford Hill, Pound Lane, Shillingstone – Variation of condition 3 on planning permission 2/2009/0817 to allow extended events to run without having to apply to the council everytime these events occur. During discussions a member of the public raised concerns regarding noise and lights, the Council felt that the venue was far enough away from the village and these issues would not affect the village. Cllr Burt proposed that the Council had no objection to the planning application, this was seconded by Cllr Paine and agreed by Council.

2/2010/1228/PLNG – Little Brook, Fiddleford, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, DT10 2BX – Erect 1 x 3 bay garage/log store incorporating hobby room in roof space (Demolish existing outbuilding). Following discussion Cllr Horton proposed that the Council had no objection to the planning application, this was seconded by Cllr Paine and agreed by Council.

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   1. Decisions: 2/2010/0996/PLNG – Thornhill Farmhouse, High Street, Okeford Fitzpaine, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 0RQ – Install new eaves guard, over-fascia ventilation, rafter ventilation, fascia board, guttering and downpipe and carry out external alterations in association with this - GRANTED

2/2010/1012/PLNG – Thornhill Farmhouse, High Street, Okeford Fitzpaine, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 0RQ – Remove and relocate flue and carry out internal and external alterations in association with this – GRANTED

2/2010/1051/PLNG – Thornhill Farmhouse, High Street, Okeford Fitzpaine, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 0RQ – Remove and replace soffit board on east elevation and carry out external alterations in association with this – REFUSED

7.3 Planning Other: A letter had been received from Mr Brimble of Brimble, Lea and Partners with regard the proposed relocation of existing race horse training establishment to land at Okeford Hill. He would like to attend the next Parish Council meeting to explain precisely what is proposed in order to hopefully ally any highway concerns. Mrs Deary to contact Mr Brimble to inform him that he would be welcome to attend the next parish meeting.

8. CORRESPONDENCE FOR 7 DECEMBER 2010 PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

 Rural G Homewatch Newsletter – Blandford Rural – November 2010

Homewatch Newsletter – Blandford South – November 2010

 DAPTC – Chief Executive’s Circular 12/10

 DAPTC – Chief Executive’s Circular 13/10

DAPTC – Chief Executive’s Newsletter 2010

9. REPRESENTATIVES’ REPORTS:

Rights of Way/Footpaths: Cllr Paine informed that Council that he had reported three problems with footpaths to DCC, no response had yet been received to say if these had been completed. The online reporting process does not give any updates, Cllr Paine would liaise with Mr Ackerley of DCC with regard to this problem.

Football Club: N.F.T.R.

Village Hall: N.F.T.R

1. POINTS FROM THE PUBLIC: None

11. FINANCIAL MATTERS

11.1 Accounts paid since last meeting: None

11.2 Accounts to pay:

Mrs Deary – November Salary

£361.57 Chq No 571

Mr M Burt – Staples, Office supplies

£47.35 Chq No 572

Mrs S Deary – Postage and Stamps

£14.89 Chq No 573

It was proposed by Cllr Horton and seconded by Cllr Paine that these be paid. This was agreed by Council.

11.4 Income: £1,100 donation from Okeford Fitzpaine Football Club and £250 from the Three Okefords Preservation Society.

11.5 Precept 2011-2012: The 2011-2012 precept was discussed at length and a number of amendments made. The final draft to be placed on noticeboards.

12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS: A letter of thanks had been received from the North Dorset Citizens Advice with regard to the Parish Council donation as reported at the last meeting.

13. THE NEXT MEETING will be held on Tuesday 4 January 2010 at the Pavilion, Castle Lane at 7.30 pm. The Chairman thanked all present and closed the meeting at 10.00 pm.