Minutes May 2008
This meeting incorporates the Annual General Meeting of the Parish Council and the Annual Parish Meeting.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Roy Webb, Chairman Parish Council, welcomed those present.
Violet Knock, Bradwell Over 60s’ Club, reported that six new members had joined and two left due to illness. Membership now stands at 33. Three days trips had been organised to Frinton in May, to Dunwich in July and to Lowestoft. The annual coffee morning in aid of Club Funds attracted no attendance from Bradwell. Regular meetings are held to which many and varied speakers are invited, for example, “Birds in your garden”, “Street children in India”. Summer and Christmas tea parties are held. The Christmas Dinner was held at the Colne Valley Golf Club where every member has a free meal. Members of the Parish Council are welcome to attend. Cllr Tyrie offered the Club a visit to Glazenwood.
John Bedford, Village Hall Management Committee, reported that the Committee had been experimenting with different events to attract more people eg a sports night. The finances broke even during the year. The Committee have a meeting with Sue Shepherd, RCCE shortly to discuss securing grants for the extension of the Village Hall. There will be a Fete this year on 6 September.
Joanne Kinsella, Mother and Toddlers Group. Joanne had sent her apologies. The Group, which meets in the Village Hall on a Thursday morning, may have to close due to lack of support despite being advertised in the Parish magazine and locally.
Fr John Corbyn, Bradwell Parish Church, noted that the last time he addressed the Parish Council attendance at the Church had been very, very low. A committee had been formed of Parish Council, Parochial Church Council and two Stisted members. The village had been surveyed to determine the parishioners’ wishes. It was clear that people did want the Church to remain open and were prepared to attend once a month on the first Sunday at 1030. Congregations now average about 20 – all from Bradwell. The service lasts for about half an hour and is followed by fellowship over tea and cakes. The fabric of the Church is sound. Fr Corbyn thanked the Parish Council for taking responsibility for ensuring the churchyard grass is kept tidy.
Jackie Windard and Graham Heseltine, Braintree Police, reported two dwelling burglaries, two criminal damages, five thefts from motor vehicles (most avoidable) and thefts of manhole covers, heating oil and catalytic converters. Coggeshall and Kelvedon (but not Bradwell) had suffered distraction burglaries. Fly-tipping is presenting a problem and should be reported. Jackie Windard asked people to be vigilant to detect the people who are using orange plastic bags instead of the local clear bags. Orange bags are for medical waste not recycling waste. There is a zero tolerance to dog fouling during May and June – with a £50 on the spot fine. Jackie had been trained on the CCTV van in Bradwell.
Roy Webb, Chairman Parish Council, reported that Cllr Evans had resigned and was thanked for the hard work he had put in as a Councillor. Mr M Keepence had been co-opted to fill the vacancy. The Council levies one of the smallest precepts in the County – its rates on a Band D property are £15-59. For comparison, residents of Cressing pay £35-27 and those of Coggeshall pay £86-29. £15-59 provides the Parish Council with £3,200 to which Braintree Council add £2,200 giving a total of £5,400. The Parish Council regularly inspects and maintains the Playing Fields and ensures the equipment is maintained to RoSPA’s satisfaction. They also insure all of the equipment. This year RoSPA recommended a “No unauthorised Motor Vehicles” sign, which was kindly provided by Bradwell Aggregates and installed by the Parish Council.
The Parish Council pays for the maintenance of the Churchyard. This year the Parish Council will be maintaining the Playing Fields, the Churchyard and the Common Land in front of the Church, which has recently been cleared and planted. The Council is grateful to Blackwater Aggregates for funding the clearing and replanting of the Common Land. The Parish Council pays for the operation and maintenance of the Street lights, which are not on the A120.
This year a further £7,500 worth of equipment and safety surfaces have been, or are currently being, installed:- a see-saw, two new picnic tables, new football nets, a meeting place and an extension to the basket-ball playing surface. The Parish Council provided a dog litter-bin on Rectory Meadow, Footpath 18, which is being well used.
The Parish Council obtained £100 funding for the Mother and Toddler Group.
The Parish Council arranged for the Youth Service Mobile Unit to attend fortnightly to establish whether there was sufficient interest to form a Youth Club in the village. The Parish Council arranged for the Youth Offending Service to remove the ivy from the Village Hall and to tidy the area around the Hall – they have done a good job at no cost to the Parish.
The Parish Council have reported potholes at various locations around the village, which have generally been repaired promptly by Essex County Highways. Similarly, Braintree District Council Clean Team has been prompted on a number of occasions to keep the Recycling Area tidy. Negotiations are on-going with Bradwell Estates and BDC to improve the Recycling Area.
The Parish Council has up-dated and reissued the Village Emergency Plan. 700 empty sandbags have been obtained (and a source of sand secured) for the use of the village in the event of floods. The Parish Council has represented the villages at a meeting of the Governors of Stisted School, four Mid-Essex Area Fora, two Blackwater Aggregates Liaison meetings, six Neighbourhood Action Panels, two meetings of the Parish and Town Councils affected by the A12 Inquiry.
The Annual Parish Meeting closed at 7.50 pm
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL
PRESENT: Mr R Webb (Chairman), Mr J Marshall (Vice-Chairman), Mr B Saville, Mr T Speakman, Mr P Wigg, Mrs D Tyrie, Mr M Keepence
One member of the public was present
APOLOGIES: None
ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN FOR 2007/8
Cllr Webb was nominated (Cllr Wigg proposed, Cllr Tyrie seconded). Cllr Roy Webb was elected Chairman unanimously
Cllr Marshall was appointed Vice Chairman.
Members confirmed the entries in the Register of Interests were correct.
The Annual General Meeting closed at 7.58 pm
PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS: Cllr Wigg declared an interest in the Planning Application relating to Bradwell Quarry.
PUBLIC TIME: None
MINUTES
The Minutes of the last Meeting were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
PLAYING FIELD
Cllr Tyrie will inspect the playing fields twice during May and Cllr Speakman during June.
The Clerk reported that the extension to the baseball pitch had been completed. The meeting place is due to be erected on Tuesday 13 May.
Cllr Speakman has start clearing the brambles. He proposed that a village orchard should be provided in the autumn to complement the existing fruit trees. He would be prepared to clear the ground. The Parish Council agreed to help clean up on Saturday 17 May at 2pm.
The Clerk was asked to investigate the price of larger (but not full-size) goal posts and to proceed with the application for grants for goal posts and the see-saw.
RoSPA had advised that the Inspection would take place in May.
FINANCE
Annual Return
The internal Audit report had been circulated.
The Council approved the Annual Return which was duly signed.
The Council resolved to remove the filing cabinet, PC and printer from the asset register. These had been procured for the previous Clerk and were now obsolete. They had no residual value.
PLANNING
08/00728/FUL Ashleys, The Street, CM77 8EG
Change of use and erection of new buildings for use as a cattery.
The Council was content with this application.
ESS/15/08/BTE Bradwell Quarry, Church Road, Bradwell
Changes to restoration landscape
The Council was content with this application.
BT proposal to re-align payphone provision.
While the rationale for the closure was understood, the Council asked whether provision of an emergency phone would be more appropriate.
TWIN OAKS, STISTED
The Chairmen of Bradwell, Stisted and Cressing Parish along with one councillor from each Parish had met Braintree District Coucil on 24 April. The Clerk had subsequently received a copy of a report commissioned by Braintree District Council on the feasibility of a ghost island at the entrance to the Twin Oaks site.
ROADS: A120
James Abbott (District Councillor) has been invited to attend the July meeting and has confirmed his attendance.
ECC Highways have again declined the Parish Council request to extend the double yellow lines at The Street by 18 metres in a southerly direction on both sides of the road. ECC Highways are to be invited to a meeting on site in June.
Other roads: A12
The Clerk had submitted comments / suggestions to both he Parish / Town Council Forum and the Mid-Essex Area Forum on behalf of the Council. He was asked to submit more detailed comments to the A12 Inquiry itself.
PAYMENTS
T Speakman & Son £429-00
Earth Anchors £ 97-76
J C Reddington (Internal Audit) £ 50-00
Village Hall £150-00
The meeting closed at 9.25 pm
FUTURE MEETINGS
Commencing at 7.00pm in the Village Hall
9 June; 14 July; 8 September; 13 October; 10 November; 8 December;
12 January 2009; 9 February; 9 March
PARISH CHANNEL SWEEPING DATES FOR 2008-9
29 July 2008, 4 November 2008, 3 February 2009
Please keep the roads clear of parked cars on these days
