1

ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN

To ELECT the Chairman of the Council for the year 2013/14.

The Chairman will then execute the Declaration of Acceptance of Office as Chairman.

2

APPOINTMENT OF VICE CHAIRMAN .

To APPOINT the Vice Chairman of the Council for the year 2013/14.

3

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

To RECEIVE any apologies for absence.

4

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

To APPROVE the minutes of the meeting of the parish council held on 13 March 2013 as a correct record.

5

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

5.1

Councillors to DECLARE any disclosable or other pecuniary interest or other interest in any items on the agenda, in accordance with the adopted Code of Conduct.

Pecuniary or other interests should be declared at this time, or at any point in the meeting where they become apparent.

Councillors must inform the Monitoring Officer of Chelmsford City Council, via the Clerk, within 28 days of becoming aware of any change in their pecuniary or other interests. Members are reminded to check that the information contained on their Register of Interests forms remains up-to-date.

5.2

DISPENSATIONS

To CONSIDER any requests for dispensation from the provisions of S31(4) of the Localism Act 2011.

S31(4) states that a member may not participate in any discussion or vote upon a matter, at the meeting, in which he/she has a disclosable pecuniary interest.

Requests for dispensation must be made in writing to the Clerk.

6

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

To RECEIVE questions from members of the public.

In accordance with the agreed procedure public questions will be taken and shall be limited to a maximum of 15 minutes or such other period as may be determined by the Chairman of the meeting.

For information: Candidates for co-option onto the council have been informed that they may take the opportunity at this point in the meeting to make a short address to the members in support of their applications.

7

CO-OPTIONS

There have been two applications for co-option on to the council to fill the vacancy arising from the resignation of Cllr Cook. The applicants are Zoe Tyler and Glenn Dobson. Both candidates have signed the declaration confirming their eligibility for the office of councillor, and have submitted a personal resume which has been circulated to councillors.

The council is asked to CONSIDER the applications for co-option. By law, the winning candidate is required to take a majority of the votes cast.

The council is not bound to co-opt either of the candidates if it chooses not to do so.

As both candidates have been sent a copy of the agenda within the statutory timetable, the successful candidate may execute the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and join the meeting.

8

REPORTS

To RECEIVE brief reports on the following matters.

Chelmsford City Council

City Cllr N Chambers

Essex County Council

Cty Cllr J Aldridge

Police

Police representative

Village Agent

Brenda Smith

Play park

Cllr D Cameron

Village Hall

Cllr A Pipkin

Cllr J Heginbotham wishes to discuss the arrangements between the parish council, the Village Hall Management Committee and the people of Highwood for the hiring arrangements for use of the village hall.

Parish Magazine

See agenda item later in the meeting

Footpaths/Public Rights of Way

D Taylor

9

REPORT OF THE CLERK

To RECEIVE the report of the clerk.

1

Annual Parish Assembly

The statutory agenda has been placed in noticeboards and on the website, along with a small poster which includes more information about the nature and purpose of the meeting. An item was also placed in the parish magazine in two consecutive months.

2

Litter pick

The event planned for 24 March 2013 had to be postponed due to adverse weather conditions. It will now take place on Sunday 23 June 2013.

3

Notice of Audit

The statutory notices have been placed in the noticeboards as is required.

4

HMRC annual return for PAYE

This has been successfully submitted before the statutory deadline and the new software for PAYE Real Time Information has been successfully installed and used to submit the April payroll.

5

Use of village hall as Emergency Rest Centre

Some information requested by the Village Hall Management Committee has been supplied. It is currently not known if the VHMC will agree to the request.

6

SLCC Regional Conference

I attended this on 30 April 2013 and found the presentations interesting and useful.

7

CCC “Love where you live”

CCC will be carrying out the works requested by the parish council on 26 July 2013.

8

ECC Salt Bag Partnership Scheme

ECC is carrying out a survey of this winter’s Salt Bag Partnership; a copy has been emailed to councillors. Members are invited to make comments in answer to the survey.

10

PARISH MAGAZINE

Report has been circulated to councillors.

11

PURCHASE OF PROPERTY FROM CHELMSFORD CITY COUNCIL

11.1

Heads of Terms

CCC has sent Heads of Terms for the purchase; a couple of queries remain outstanding but should not be a problem.

11.2

VAT

VAT is chargeable on the garage rents. This may mean the parish council has to register for VAT. The clerk will investigate this.

11.3

Liability for maintenance costs of roadway and forecourt

CCC is still seeking a definitive answer to this, but the parish council is advised to proceed in the expectation that the cost of maintaining the roadway and forecourt would not be recoverable from the other property owners. If this is discovered not to be the case, that will be a bonus for the parish council.

11.4

Garage tenancies

CCC has supplied a copy of the garage tenancy agreement, a numbered plan of the garages, and information about current owners, as far as is known by CCC.

11.5

Costs

The parties will be liable for their own legal costs but the parish council will have to pay £335 for CCC’s public advertisement for disposal of the land (as would have been the case with taking a lease on the grass area).

11.6

Legal costs to date

The parish council’s solicitor carried out a considerable amount of work on the proposed lease of the grass area at the rear of the village hall and easement to allow access over the village hall’s land. He estimates the cost of this to be in excess of £2,000, but as neither of these situations will now be going ahead he suggests drawing a line underneath these activities, and proposes settlement at £1,250 + VAT. Once Heads of Terms for the purchase have been finally agreed he will agree a fee for acting on the sale.

Recommended: that the council agrees to settle at £1,250 for the abortive work on the lease and easement and then agrees a new fee for work on the purchase at the appropriate time.

11.7

Play equipment

Cllr Pipkin wishes to discuss an application for grant funding of the purchase of equipment for the proposed play area.

12

FINANCE

12.1

Accounts for payment

To APPROVE the accounts for payment (list will be available at the meeting).

12.2

To NOTE the account balances as at 2 May 2013.

12.3

To REVIEW the council’s risk assessment and management document. A copy has been circulated to councillors.

12.4

Annual Return 2012/13

The Annual Return comprises the council’s accounts for 2012/13. An electronic version has been circulated. Section 1, the Statement of Accounts, will be signed in hard copy by the RFO. The council is asked to AGREE this for submission to the external auditor, Littlejohn LLP. Section 2 is the Annual Governance Statement and the council is asked to CONSIDER and DECIDE its answers to the questions posed.

Notice of the public’s right to inspect the accounts has been given as is required.

The internal auditor will carry out her audit subsequent to the council’s agreement of the Annual Return.

As the Annual Return is very basic, additional information which is more useful to the council has also been provided herewith.

13

HIGHWAY MATTERS REPORTED BY COUNCILLORS

1          Speeding Traffic (standing item)

2          Highway maintenance (Cllr Horsnell)

14

COMMUNICATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE

To RECEIVE such communications and correspondence as the Clerk may place before the Council.

1          Invitation to Chelmsford City Council Civic Service 9 June 2013

15

Distribution Bag

EALC mailing March & April 2013

Parish Matters Spring 2013 (Came & Co)

Oyster Spring 2013

Essex Playing Field Winter 2012/13

Bus & train maps for Essex May 2013

ECC Traffic Orders

16

DOCUMENTS ON DEPOSIT

To RECEIVE notice of the following documents received by or deposited with the Clerk.

None.

17

PLANNING APPLICATIONS

a)

To NOTE the parish council’s comments made on planning applications.

App. no.

13/00428/FUL

Location

Land at Wellington House, Cooksmill Green

Proposal

Change of use and internal and external alterations of redundant farm buildings to create a self contained dwelling

Comment

No objection

b)

To CONSIDER the following planning application.

App. no.

13/00555/FUL

Location

Montagues Farm, Loves Green

Proposal

Single storey rear extension to utility room

c)

To CONSIDER any other planning applications received since the agenda was prepared.

d)

DECISIONS BY CHELMSFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL

To NOTE the following planning decisions by Chelmsford Borough Council.

GRANTED

App. no.

12/01341/FUL

Location

Greenfield, Edney Common

Proposal

Variations of conditions 3 & 4 of planning permission 08/01381/FUL

Note: the application re: condition 3 was withdrawn. Condition 4 was varied to permit use of the site by the current residents only.

e)

PLANNING CORRESPONDENCE

i           To NOTE any planning correspondence received and respond to             consultations as appropriate.

1          CCC Consultation on Community Infrastructure Levy and Building for Tomorrow (already circulated to councillors)

2          CCC Planning Forum 21 May 2013; Cllr Latham would like to attend; other councillors are invited as well.

18

OTHER URGENT BUSINESS – for information only

To NOTE any matter of an urgent nature which a Member or the Clerk may wish to draw to the attention of the Council, and/or request to be included on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council.

Note: no decisions may be taken during this item as the required statutory notice of the business will not have been given.

19

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

7.30 p.m. Wednesday 10 July 2013