UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of Upton Parish Council, Upton Village Hall, held on Tuesday 14th May 2019 at 7.00 pm 

Present:-  Cllrs Mr S Norman (SN), Mr I Sykes (IS), Miss E Cooper/Clerk (EC). Cllr Mr M Fox-Davies, Cllrs S Medley & H Gascoigne. Mr P McLaughlin. Cllr B Heneghan joined the meeting at 7.30pm. 

1. Apologies for Absence

            Cllr J Fidgen (JF), PCSO G Kirby

2. Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman

Mr S Norman was proposed and seconded as Chair. The council also agreed to rotate the chair

from meeting to meeting, in order for others to gain experience. No vice-chair was elected.

3. Acceptance of Office – All Members

            All members present completed their Acceptance of Office form and handed these to the Clerk.

4. Register of Interests – All Members

            All members present completed their Register of Interests forms and handed these to the Clerk. 

5. Co-option of New Councillor

Mr Peter McLaughlin was co-opted as a new councillor and duly completed his Acceptance of Office and Register of Interests forms, which were handed to the Clerk.

6. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any items under consideration at this meeting.

No declarations of interest were made. 

7. Adoption of minutes of previous meetings:–

14th May 2018 (AGM)

29^th April 2019 (APM)

16^th April 2019 UPCX

21^st March 2019 UPC

The above minutes were signed by the chair and adopted as read, with the exception of the APM

minutes, which were deferred to the next meeting.

8. Matters arising:

8.1 Annual General Meeting on 14^th May 2018

     8.2 Annual Parish Meeting on 29^th April 2019*

      8.3 16^th April 2019 UPCX

      8.4 21^st March 2019 UPC

There were no matters arising from the above minutes, except for the APM 2019.

*8.2.1 The problem of mowing in and around trees and shrubs could be alleviated by creating either a bark chipping floor or planting specific weed reducing plants.

*8.2.1 The PC acknowledged that new footpath wardens would need to be found following the resignation of two footpath wardens at the APM. 

9. Public Forum (maximum 15 mins, 3mins per person)

No members of the public were present.

Cllr MF-D presented his OCC report (see Appendix B below).

Cllrs Medley & Gascoigne introduced themselves as new District Councillors and answered questions from the PC. 

10. Business to be transacted:

10.1 To discuss completion of Annual Governance Statement

     This item was deferred to a UPCX meeting for audit documentation to be held in early June (tba).

10.2 To discuss Aims and Objectives for 2019/20

SN agreed to review the Aims and Objectives for the PC.

     10.3 To note Standing Orders review July 2019

Clerk to forward Standing Orders to all for review prior to July meeting, with a view to agreeing any changes at the July meeting.

     10.4 To note Financial Regulations review July 2019

Clerk to forward Financial Regulations to all for review prior to July meeting, with a view to

agreeing any changes at the July meeting.

10.5 To agree Clerk’s salary for FY 2019-20

     The Clerk was asked to leave the meeting whilst this discussion took place. BH to review Clerk’s

hourly rate & report back to PC. The Clerk was asked to record her hours wef 14^th May.

10.6 To accept/reject Adoption of Accounts (2018-2019 circulated in advance)

     The Parish Council accounts for 2018-19 were accepted as a true and accurate record of the

transactions that took place.

     10.7 To agree timetable for completion of 2018/2019 audit

This item was deferred to a UPCX meeting for audit documentation to be held in early June (tba).

10.8 To discuss potential items of expenditure / project work for 2019/20 as per the budget:-

1. Garage door repairs
2. Defibrillator training

iii. Pump Track resurface

1. New / old toddler play area
2. Overflow car parking

The above items were deferred to the July UPC meeting.

10.9  To discuss PC future IT policy

Deferred to the UPC July meeting.

10.10  To discuss and formalise the Roles and Responsibilities of the new PC.

1. Recreation ground signage (take over from SCF) – deferred to July meeting.
2. Play area inspections – IS had previously agreed to take this over and would draft a new process to improve the system of reporting and coordinating work required.

iii. Financial scrutiny, VAT, pay – SN

BH agreed to be added as a signatory/authoriser on the PC bank account. SN to arrange.

1. Toddler play area(s) – JF
2. Car park overflow area – JF
3. Asset and risk register responsibility – SN

11. Planning

There were no planning applications to discuss.

BH agreed to take on responsibility to co-ordinate Planning for the PC. This would include:-

• Meeting to discuss planning applications if possible
• If no meeting possible, agree response to planning application by email & forward decision to Clerk
• BH also urged all other councillors to attend the Planning training.

12. Correspondence

To discuss any correspondence received prior to the issue of the agenda.

• Home Start response to donation. The Clerk read out a letter from Home Start thanking the PC for their donation of £25.
• OALC Nominations to stand for executive committee. The PC did not put forward any nominations.
• OCC Annual Community Emergency Planning Survey. This was carried forward to the July meeting. 

13. To discuss Financial Business Considerations:-

    13.1  Summary of receipts in previous financial year

• Total Payments 2018-19 = £9782.95
• Total Receipts 2018-19 = £17069.99
• Lloyds Bank Gross Interest 2018-19 £6.55 (compared to the previous year of £6.35)

The PC acknowledged the summary above and were mindful of future costs of potential work to be carried out on the play areas and the recreation ground itself.

    13.2  To accept/reject the Schedule of Payments (see Appendix A below)

All payments were accepted. Clerk to raise payments online for SN to authorise.

    13.3  Receipts to date this financial year:-

• VOWH precept £4688.00 (April 2019)
• HMRC VAT repay £48.28 (April 2019)
• Bank interest April .52p
• Donation from Upton News £75.00

The PC acknowledged the Receipts to date this year.

   13.4 To discuss training for Councillors

The PC asked the Clerk to forward details of upcoming training courses for this year to the councillors.

14. Date of next AGM

TBC Monday 18th May 2020 7pm.

The meeting concluded at 9.30pm.

 

 

Action points from this meeting:-

No.	Description	When by
1	Clerk to arrange UPCS meeting to finalise Audit documentation. Clerk’s note:- Arranged for Monday 10th June 7pm	Early June
2	All Cllrs to review Standing Orders prior to July meeting	Prior to July meeting
3	All Cllrs to review Financial Regulations prior to July meeting	Prior to July meeting
4	BH to review Clerk’s hourly rate following meeting discussion	July meeting
5	IS to draft new process for play area and rec ground inspections	July meeting
6	SN to add BH as a signatory and authoriser on PC bank account	July meeting
7	All councillors to consider Planning training course and arrange with Clerk	ASAP
8	Clerk to forward details of training courses to PC	Actioned
9	Clerk to arrange online payments for authorisation as per Appendix A below	Actioned

  

Action points from March meeting:-

No.	Description	When by
1	BH to investigate krystal.co.uk	ASAP
2	BH to spk GdeW re new mower spec.	ASAP
3	Rec ground signage discussion – all (details from SCF)	Post elections

 

 Appendix A – Schedule of Payments

 

Description	Amount
SCF APM Expenses (auth sig required)	£65.21
Andrews Computing Ltd – IT support for PC laptop (paid to be ratified)	25.00
Motor Mower Insurance came&co (expired 30.4.19). Paid to be ratified.	£147.00
Microsoft April 2019	£3.80
PC liability insurance due for renewal 1.6.19. (last year £625.57, 3rd year of 3-year deal).	£644.34
Clerk expenses 22.3.19 – 14.5.19 (tbc see submitted expenses sheet)	£33.00
Clerk salary & HMRC PAYE paid monthly by SO.	Not publically disclosed.
Kalehurst invoices x 2 services & repairs £347.47 / £85.11	£432.58
TOTAL	£1325.93

 

Appendix B – from Cllr M Fox-Davies

 

REPORT TO UPTON PARISH COUNCIL MAY 2019 FROM CLLR MIKE FOX-DAVIES

GENERAL OCC REPORT 

DISTRICT COUNCIL ELECTION RESULTS           

Cherwell

Remains under Conservative control.

South Oxfordshire

Moved from Conservative to No Overall Control; Liberal Democrat/Green coalition likely.

Vale of White Horse

Moved from Conservative to Liberal Democrat control.

West Oxfordshire

Remains under Conservative control.

SIX RECYCLING CENTRES SET FOR SPRING CLEAN IN MAY 

During May six of OCC’s Household Waste Recycling Centres will be closing for two days to carry out a deep clean and essential maintenance at the sites. This is part of the council’s planned approach to maintenance, and is designed to keep sites safe, looking clean and fresh and helping improve the customer experience when using these much valued facilities. Only one site will be closed at any one time and all other sites will be open on those days. Residents are asked to plan ahead for these closures, ideally holding on to your waste until the site reopens or if that is not possible visiting one of the neighbouring sites. Site Closure Dates:

• Alkerton – Wednesday 8th & Thursday 9th May
• Ardley – Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th May
• Drayton – Thursday 16th & Friday 17th May
• Stanford – Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 22nd May
• Oakley Wood- Thursday 23rd & Friday 24th May
• Redbridge – Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th May

For those residents with permits, please note that these can be used at any of the sites.

MORE THAN 93 PER CENT GET THEIR FIRST CHOICE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR 2019 

More than nine out of ten parents whose children are set to enter the classroom for the first time this September have been offered their first choice of primary school in Oxfordshire. A total of 93.39 per cent of the 7,125 applicants have received their first choice – above all recent national averages across the UK. The consistent high number of first choices achieved in Oxfordshire is due to the county council’s careful forward planning to make sure the right numbers of school places exist – since 2010 the council has created more than 10,000 new primary school places. That means that since 2010 the number of primary school places in Oxfordshire has risen by 22 per cent. About a fifth of that has been achieved via the building and opening of new schools and the rest through expansions of existing schools – new buildings, making better use of existing accommodation, or marginal increases in admission numbers. This year’s figure of 93.39 per cent for first preference offers compares with the 2018 figure of 92.77 per cent. Although the national average for 2019 will not be published for some time, Oxfordshire remains ahead of the averages for 2018 (91 per cent) and 2017 (90 per cent). 

AMBITIOUS NEW OXFORDSHIRE PARTNERSHIP IS BREAKING NEW GROUND 

Residents in Oxfordshire are already benefiting from the impact of an ambitious and innovative new partnership between two councils – with plans being explored to develop closer working over coming months. Cherwell District Council and Oxfordshire County Council set up a joint working partnership in October 2018 – it is one of a very small number of examples of a district and county council sharing staff and services in the whole of the country. The county council’s cabinet approved the continuation of the partnership at its meeting on April 23. 

HENLEY-ON-THAMES REVEALED AS START LOCATION FOR WOMEN’S CYCLING RACE

Henley-on-Thames will be the start location for stage three of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour professional cycling race. Full details of the Oxfordshire route were revealed at a ceremony at the town’s Leander Club – home to rowing greats like Sir Steve Redgrave CBE and Rebecca Romero – on Monday 15 April. The famous South Oxfordshire town will host a Big Bike Breakfast on the morning of the race, Wednesday 12 June. Crowds will line the streets, cheering off participants on the 145 kilometre-leg that will finish outside Blenheim Palace in West Oxfordshire. Elite cyclist Sophie Wright announced that Oxfordshire’s race section will start from Market Place in the centre of Henley. Oxfordshire’s county, city and district councils announced last month that a stage of the OVO Energy Women’s Tour, the UK’s most prestigious women’s cycle race, had been agreed to race through the county for the next three years, in partnership with event organisers SweetSpot Group. From Henley, stage three will traverse the Chilterns via Pishill to Watlington, before returning via the climb of Britwell Hill to Sonning Common and Goring. Crossing the River Thames at Wallingford, the route will pass through Didcot, Harwell and Wantage, crossing the Vale of White Horse to Faringdon, before looping through the West Oxfordshire towns of Burford, Charlbury and finally Woodstock in the closing kilometres. Oxfordshire is expecting economic and health benefits from hosting the prestigious event, with cycling fans expected to visit the county to watch the race, generating additional business for restaurants, bars, hotels, B&Bs and shops.

 

Minutes of the Upton Parish Council Annual Parish Meeting held on Monday 29^th April 2019. 

Present:- Cllrs Stuart Fraser (Chair/SCF), Mr Stuart Norman (Vice Chair/SN), Mr Brendan Heneghan (BH), Mr Ian Sykes (IS), Miss K Marshall (KM), Ms Jo Fidgen (JF), and 30+ villagers. 

The following reports were made available for attendees to read from 7pm 

Chairman’s Report (Annex 1)

Parish Council Finance (Annex 2)

District Council (Annex 3)

Parish Transport Representative (Annex 4)

United Charities (Annex 5)

UKAEA Stakeholders Meeting (Annex 6)

Parish Footpaths/Village recreational grounds – Graham de Wilde/Mike Brown (Annex 7)

County Councillor Mr M Fox-Davies (Annex 8)

 

The meeting started formally at  7.30pm 

1. Welcome and opening remarks – Parish Council Chair Stuart Fraser

The Chair welcomed everyone to the 72^nd Annual Parish Meeting and read key extracts from the Chairman’s Statement (Appendix A, below), including the main focus of this meeting (see 3. below). The Chairman also explained that changes to the play areas and recreational ground would involve raising money, applying for grants and may take a few years to accomplish.

Mr M Brown handed a donation of £75 to the Clerk for the Parish Council from Upton News.

2. Apologies for absence

Cllr M Fox-Davies, PCSO Mr G Kirby

3. Open Forum

Upton Recreation Ground and Play Areas – suggestions for future improvements.

      3.1 Toddler Play Area (currently situated behind the village hall)

The Chairman explained that the slide in the toddler play area was in need of replacement. This gave the opportunity to review the usage of the toddler play area and to consider creating a new toddler play area near to or in the same area as the newer play area on the field. Some considerations were:-

1. line of sight for parents with children of different ages playing in either play area;
2. old equipment cannot be moved and used, so new, up to date  equipment would need to be sourced;
3. Not all equipment was suitable for toddlers in the new play area

In creating a new play area, the following comments were also made.

1. The Upton rec already attracted people from outside the village. Making the facilities ‘too good’ may draw more than the village is comfortable with.

If more people were drawn to the village, could refreshments be made  available at least during the summer to take advantage of visitors, e.g. volunteers or suitably aged children (for pocket money) potentially operating out of the village hall for tea, coffee, soft drinks, biscuits, snacks?

1. Multi-generational facilities could also be provided if the need was identified.
2. The adventure play area cost c£50,000, with the help of a grant from WREN. SCF confirmed grants would need to be applied for once a plan was agreed.
3. An increase in visitors may also mean an increase in rubbish left on the rec.
4. Any new installation must be mindful of residents whose properties border the rec.

A show of hands was taken for those in favour of decommissioning and moving the toddler play area closer to the adventure play area, with the majority of those present in favour.  It was also noted that all that would be needed were toddler swings and a slide or easier access onto the existing slide in the play area on the rec.

3.2 What to do with the ‘old’ Toddler Play Area

SCF asked for suggestions as to what to do with the space behind the village hall that would be created by decommissioning it as a play area. Most of those present were against the use of this area as:

1. additional car parking;
2. use as a ‘picnic area’ with the provision of wooden tables/benches;
3. use as a dog run.

It was felt that 1. and 2. may encourage unsociable use, and iii. may increase the level of dog waste, which was already an ongoing issue.

However, the use of this space as a wild flower area / community orchard / managed woodland /planted area of some kind was seen as positive by a majority of those present. The question of who would manage this area was raised, and whether it could it be left to manage itself.

3.3 Additional car parking

Whilst most of those present were not in favour of creating more car parking, they were in favour of making the current area of additional parking more distinguishable.  The PC agreed to look into various options.  It was  agreed that marking the area out in some way was definitely required.

3.4 Main area of the rec

It was strongly felt that the football/rugby pitch area should be left as it was.

Additional trees/plants could be used around the edges, with consideration given to how these areas would then be maintained/mowed. It was noted that few were in favour of this.

The provision of tables on rec was also considered – again this presented a problem for mowing. Tables might need to be bolted down. The PC was aware that this could create an unsociable element on the rec. The majority of those present were against picnic tables.

However, the provision of benches (fixed in place), possibly near the play areas, was seen as positive The majority of those present were in favour of this idea.

Less than half of those present were in favour of a Boules Pit (although there was some confusion as to what was meant by this).

The majority of those present were against the provision of keep fit equipment.

The potential increase in rubbish left on the rec was a concern.

Additional / better signage on the rec was already being looked in to by SCF.

3.5 Other questions from the floor

3.5.1    The contents of a report written by Mrs L Shaw, who was unable to attend the meeting, were taken in to account and largely covered above.

3.5.2    Mr M Brown asked that a training session be offered to villagers on the use of the defibrillator. The majority of those present thought this was a good idea. It was noted that there are no longer any community responders in the village. The PC would look in to the training.

4. Chairman’s Closing Remarks

SCF appealed for people to consider becoming a parish councillor and explained the current situation and the need for more people to become involved.

SCF thanked everyone for taking the time to come to the meeting and for their input and for guiding the PC as to what the village wanted for the rec, toddler play area and the car parking.

Finally, SCF thanked all the organisers, volunteers and those that support the village in a variety of ways, stating that there were far too many to name individually, but that he hoped they knew who they were. He thanked them for making Upton a great place in which to live.

5. Date of next APM meeting – TBC April 2020

6. The meeting closed at 9.05pm.

 

 

 

Annex 1 – Upton Parish Council – Chairman’s Statement 2019

Good evening everyone and thank you for coming to the 72nd Annual Parish Council Meeting.

We will be changing the format of this evening’s proceedings.  Rather than reading out individual contributor’s reports after the Chairman’s Statement, we have arranged for copies of these reports to be available here tonight for your perusal, and copies will also be available on the Upton Village website at a future date.

This year we would like to use this meeting as a forum for gauging the village’s opinions on what to do with the toddler play area, the recreation ground and parking outside the village hall.

Before we do this, I would like to give you a quick update on what the Parish Council has been up to over the last year.

In last year’s Chairman Statement I stated I would be stepping down, as you can see that didn’t happen.  However, I can confirm this will be my last meeting for Upton Parish Council.  It will also be the last meeting for Karen Marshall, who has also reached the end of her tenure.  Karen has been a fantastic asset for the PC with her calm and reasoned approach.  Karen, thank you for all your time and hard work with the PC.

I would like to thank our remaining Councillors, Jo, Brendan and Stuart, for their continued hard work and support over the last year.  It gives me great pleasure to welcome Ian Sykes to the PC and thank him for putting himself forward.  Last but not least, my thanks go to Liz Cooper, our most amazing and hardworking Clerk.  Liz, thank you for all your help, support, enthusiasm and drive over the last couple of years.  The PC is lucky to have you.

With Karen and myself stepping down this leaves two vacancies that urgently need to be filled.  Raise your hand if you are interested in becoming a member of the PC…  Before you do, perhaps I should tell you what the requirements for the role are:

To be over 18;

To have lived in the village for the last 12 months;

No criminal record;

A love of the village; and

Common sense.

If you match the criteria, and are interested, then please speak to one of us at the meeting tonight and we will give you more information.

So, what has the PC been up to?

Planning

Planning has been relatively calm this year with no controversial applications to deal with.  Planning applications are usually the main reason for additional meetings.  Some of these meetings can be as quick as 15-20 minutes.  Normal meetings are held every other month.

Finances

The PC is responsible for setting the precept.  The precept is the amount of money given to the PC from the Council Tax.  This year there was a small increase of £1.04 based on a band D property.

This money is used to fund various works.  The largest expenditures this year were for tree work and for the Cushionfall wood chip for the large play area.

There was another large expenditure this year, the defibrillator cabinet and its installation.  The funding for these items came from money donated by Uptonogood?  The defibrillator itself was kindly donated by the Lime Walk Gospel Hall Trust.

There is a financial report and accounts on the wall for your perusal.  Please feel free to have a read.

The PC is currently in a comfortable position financially, but we may have some big expense over the next couple of years depending on what is decided later when we discuss the play areas and car parking.

The PC has had a couple of successes this year:

A new dog bin was installed and is getting good use.  It is now being emptied on a regular basis! All at no cost to the PC.

The top part of Stream Road has had some work done to reduce flooding and tidy up that section of Stream Road.  This is an issue dating back to the 1990s.  So I am very pleased the PC has finally got a positive result and has hopefully resolved the situation.

The latest success has happened over the last week and that is the white lines being refreshed on the roads around the village.   There will also be “unsuitable for HGV” signs going up on the access routes to Chilton Road.

On that positive note I will close the Chairman’s statement of 2019 by thanking everyone on the PC, all the villagers that help in so many ways, from the organisers to the volunteers who all give up their time to make Upton the wonderful village it is.  There are too many to list.  You know who you are.  Thank you.

 

Annex 2 – Upton Parish Council – Annual Parish Meeting

Finance Report

The Parish Council funds are in a reasonably healthy state in consideration of potential large expenditures to come over this and future financial years – especially in reference to play areas and the recreational ground itself.

Total funds held at the end of the last financial year were £17,070. The emphasis in the past year was the continued maintenance of the recreation ground, the play areas and the green areas in the village. The largest expenditure in the past year was the new floor covering in the adventure play area.

There is also the ongoing servicing and maintenance of the equipment used to maintain the green areas and in this financial year careful consideration will be given to the further maintenance or purchase of a new ‘push’ mower.

The village is fortunate that whilst new and major items such play area equipment must be paid for, the labour is provided free of charge by volunteer villagers.

The parish council has also purchased the defib cabinet to house the donated defib machine, and also paid for the installation of it at the village hall.

The Parish Council remains grateful for the donations from Upton News, via Mike Brown, which helps to pay for the printing of the Upton News.

This year, more substantial work may be needed, but not before consulting with the good people of Upton to find out what they want from the recreation ground and it’s play areas.

Please also see the end of year Payments and Receipts details attached.

ClerkUPCAPM2019

 

 

Annex 3 – Upton Parish Council Annual Report for Parish Councillors on Monday, 29th April 2019 from Cllr Janet Shelley & Cllr Reg Waite

Introduction:

Upton Parish became part of the larger ward, Blewbury & Harwell Ward in May 2015 and we have certainly seen a number of changes and challenges during that time.

The number of dwellings within the Ward, and indeed within the Vale of White Horse District, has increased significantly, particularly in the Harwell Parish section of Great Western Park.  However, your delightful small village falls in the category where no housing developments well arise.

The last four years have been particularly challenging in many ways, but Janet and Reg are pleased to report that none of the Vale’s front-line services to residents have been reduced as has happened in so many local authorities throughout the country.

The past year:

Janet has continued to be a hard-working member of the demanding Planning Committee and was appointed Deputy Chairman of that Committee.

Reg completed his year as Chairman of the Council in May 2018 and attended numerous formal and informal functions, which provided considerable learning.  The number of people I met from all walks of life in the Vale was tremendous and the number of residents suffering from one illness or another was staggering and highlighted the huge number of carers in the area. We are extremely fortunate to have substantial numbers of volunteers in the district, who give up so much of their time to play important roles in parish councils, clubs, societies and organisations of such a wide range of activities.  With the support of so many residents I raised just more than ten thousand pounds for my two chosen charities – the Alzheimer’s Society and the Children’s Air Ambulance.

Since then my District Council duties have been no less busy and on behalf of the Vale, I am also involved as Chairman of Milton Park Liaison Group and local council member of Harwell Campus Site Stakeholder Group

Despite ongoing cuts in Government grants, the Vale has demonstrated good management throughout the year without any reduction in the standard of services to the residents and naturally have been under continual scrutiny.

With the introduction of a new fleet of vehicles the collection of our waste has been very good, and our success in being one of the top Councils in the country for recyclable waste is down to our residents, and particularly to all of you here in Chilton for which we are very grateful.

Fly-tipping remains a national problem.  The Vale has suffered too but the employment of a first-class team has resulted in several large fines.  The Government’s introduction of on-the-spot fines should assist in the number of incidents.

The waste littered everywhere, and particularly along our main thoroughfares, the A34. A417 and A420, has caused major concerns – the whole matter is closely monitored.

Dog poo is another headache, and residents are requested to report any culprits to us so action can be taken.

Planning applications have been demanding throughout the year but following the adoption of our Local Plan 2031 Part 2 this will ensure speculative development applications will no longer succeed.

So many villages, parishes and towns have been affected by the need for additional housing and a planning application for 4,265 dwellings in Valley Park was granted.  These properties fall mainly in Harwell Parish and it is expected the first tranche will be under construction later this year.

The Vale’s annual survey of 1,000 council tax payers is important.  Feedback illustrates the majority of the Vale’s residents are happy with the Council’s services.  Around three quarters of them said the Council offered good quality services, and seven out 10 agreed they provided good value for money – the best result since the surveys began in 2012.

The year ahead:

This will be another challenging year without any doubt, calling for caution and prudent approach with its finances.

With further central financial cuts expected, the Vale will continue to explore means of reducing costs and expenditure.

Further discussion will arise with the Didcot Garden Town status concept with firm decisions made how it will affect the town and the surrounding villages.

Oxford to Cambridge Expressway – the unknown remains but public consultation is planned later this year.

District Council elections are being held throughout the Vale on Thursday, 2nd May 2019.  Reg will be standing for this ward again and will be joined by Mike Johnston, whilst Janet will be standing for the Hendreds Ward as she resides in East Hendred.

Finally, we wish to especially thank Upton Parish Councillors and Parish Clerk, Liz, for all their committed and unstinting work on behalf of all the residents of the village.

JS & RWW 29 April 2019

 

Annex 4 – Downland Villages Transport Group

We continue to enjoy a good daily bus service at least while the present subsidy lasts.

There have been a few more users across the route but not sufficient to maintain a service without support.

The early morning service had to discontinue.

However those who required transport to get to the railway station have joined together on a shared taxi basis. (Please make enquires through the Parish Council if interested)

We don’t lose heart and might in the future have to make similar arrangements for transport for the shoppers.

Maybe not daily as we now enjoy and perhaps limited times.

Who knows anything could happen!  Better public transport!  Fewer cars on our roads!  Cleaner fuels!  Less pollution. We would all like that wouldn’t we?

 

Annex 5 – THE UNITED CHARITIES OF THE ANCIENT PARISH OF BLEWBURY

Registered Charity No: 203538

The charity’s origins date from the C17th with the bequeathal of land and of investments by several gentlemen; followed most significantly by the endowment of two almshouses by James Bacon in 1747. The ancient parish comprised the three now civil parishes of Blewbury, Upton and Aston Upthorpe. The charity is managed by a board of seven trustees and their clerk.

The main functions of The United Charities are firstly to help people of all ages who live in these parishes and who may need financial help, and secondly to be responsible for the maintenance of the two almshouses in Blewbury. The charity takes very seriously the care and upkeep of the almshouses in the churchyard (Grade II Listed Buildings) which are gifted to local residents in exchange for a maintenance contribution. This is one source of the charity’s income as is some wise investment from the sale of land. You may have noticed that we have undertaken significant work on Almshouse No. 2 as a consequence of severe flooding in October 2016. We are very pleased that the work is now complete and that the house has a new resident.

The charity aims to remain up-to-date with the needs of those within the villages who may require assistance and also to make everyone aware of the valuable work it does close to home in the community we share. Anyone needing help, or who knows of someone in need, should get in touch with the trustees via the charity’s clerk. Self-referrals are very welcome. The charity is able to give financial gifts to more people than currently request help. It may be that people are sometimes reluctant to ask for help. However, all applications are treated in the strictest confidence.

As well as small monetary gifts at Christmas the charity is able to help in other circumstances such as assisting with transport costs for frequent hospital visits, breaks for carers, items to help cope with disabilities, school uniform and many other instances where people are having difficulties paying for essential items as well as unexpected events. The charity can also provide emotional support and in many cases give advice on dealing with a range of issues such as finding tradesmen or carers. All applications are looked at entirely on a case by case basis and any gifts are made at the trustees’ discretion. Amounts will vary depending on levels of need.

The trustees are:

Blewbury:

Sheila Loy (Chair), Mark Palethorpe (Vice-Chair), Ann Dendy, Jill Willison, Jackie Maguire

Upton: Liz Hardy

Aston Upthorpe: Louise Brimacombe

The clerk is Sarah Donne, to whom initial enquiries should be sent sarahdonne@btinternet.com

IF THE TRUSTEES DO NOT KNOW – THEY CANNOT HELP

 

Annex 6 – Report to the 2019 Upton Parish Annual Meeting

On The Harwell Site Stakeholders’ Meetings.

I have continued to attend the Harwell Site Stakeholders’ Meetings on the behalf of Upton Parish Council. The purpose of the Stakeholders Group is to provide a forum between the nuclear activities on the site and interested local organisations. Three meetings a year, chaired by an elected local councillor, are held where the Site Closure Director, the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA), the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA) present reports. We also hear from other organisations such as the Rutherford Lab from time to time.

Work is continuing to decommission the nuclear facilities and to treat radioactive wastes. The new Intermediate Level Waste store is nearly complete and will be used to store concrete blocks containing ILW on site. The decommissioning of the old liquid waste treatment plant is proceeding well, with the aim to restore this area to Green Field conditions. Waste material is being recovered from the old stores and repackaged for long term storage. None of the nuclear activities have had any impact on the Upton Parish.

Attention is drawn the Magnox Socio-Economic plan which provides small grants to encourage education, the development of employment and other similar investments in the local area. Upton has received a grant in previous years to contribute to the cost of staging in Upton Hall. At the time of writing some funding is still available.

I am happy to continue to represent Upton Parish Council if the members so wish and I will continue to report on any issues that might affect the parish.  Please contact if you want any further details of activities on the Harwell Licensed site.

Derek Whitmell

 

Annex 7 – Parish Footpath Report

We are not aware at the moment of any serious problems with any of the footpaths in the parish.

There are two broken stiles on Footpath 389/8 but neither is a problem as there are adequate gates alongside both and the path is perfectly usable for both pedestrians and dogs. The landowner has been informed of the problem next to the railway cutting and in the case of the stile next to the George and Dragon the landowner is denying that he owns the path. If the Parish Council wants this stile repaired then one of us (Mike) will repair the damage. There is also recent animal damage to the section of the path near to the pub which will need to be repaired. The future of this section of the path, which is very well used, needs to be discussed by the P.C. There are early signs that maintenance work will soon be needed on the bridge over the stream bed on the same path.

Since Footpath Wardens were introduced about 8 years ago we have shared the duty. Unfortunately we are both about to tender our resignations at the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council in May. If anyone is interested in taking on one of the most pleasant voluntary roles in the parish then either of us will be pleased to explain the duties to you. 95% of the job is enjoying strolling around our very pleasant footpaths looking out for any problems.

Mike Brown and Graham de Wilde

Parish Footpath Wardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annex 8

 

 

 

Upton Parish Council 

Minutes of the Upton Parish Council extraordinary meeting held on Monday 8^th July at 7.30pm. 

In attendance: – Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Cllrs Mr P McLaughlin (PMcL), Mr I Sykes (IS), Mr B Heneghan (BH). Mr D Beckles attended as a member of the public. 

1. Apologies for absence

Cllr J Fidgen

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None declared.

3. To agree a Chair for this meeting

Cllr Mr B Heneghan was proposed & seconded as Chair for the meeting.

4. To approve the minutes of the following meetings & note any matters arising: –

UPC APM 29.04.19

UPCX 10.06.19

The above minutes were agreed without any changes or matters arising and were

signed off by the Chair.

5.    To hear representations from the public

None made.

6. To agree actions following the death of the Chair, Cllr Mr S Norman: –

6.1 Notice of Casual Vacancy (published 20.06.19, expires 10.07.19).

EC would contact the election office at the Vale on 11.7.19 to obtain results

from the casual vacancy notice and report to the council accordingly.

6.2 To reassign areas of responsibility previously held by SN: –

– Review of UPC Aims & Objectives

EC to send to all for review.

– Financial scrutiny, VAT, Pay

EC that financial scrutiny would be the responsibility of all with the cashbook

continuing to be made available ahead of each regular meeting.

EC would continue to submit quarterly VAT returns as now.

EC would devise her own payslip.

 

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– Asset & Risk Register

EC stated that the work on this was completed ahead of the audit and would

not need reviewing until prior to next year’s audit.

 

7. To report on the progress of changing bank signatories / authorisers

With the passing of Cllr Norman, this has left the PC with no signatories/authorisers.

IS provided the information required to EC to action with the bank.

BH to provide EC with the necessary information to become a signatory/authoriser.

EC to remove SN as a signatory/authoriser.

 

8. To agree the PC’s response to the following planning application: –

 

P19/V1243/HH Donwyn, Stream Road, Upton

Proposed new first floor & two storey front elevation.

Deadline 12 noon on 10^th July 2019

 

The PC agreed ‘no objections’ to this application with the following comments: –

• The finish to the new build is not included in the plans and must be in keeping with it’s surroundings and the village in general.
• The new build could be considered overbearing as it is much larger than the existing dwelling.
• The situation regarding the keeping or removal of trees is not clear.

 

The meeting finished at 8.30pm. 

 

 Date of next meeting:-

 Tuesday 23^rd July at 7.30pm, in the meeting room of the Upton village hall.

Minutes of the extraordinary meeting of Upton Parish Council held at 7pm on Monday 10^th June 2019 in the village hall meeting room. 

Present:- Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Cllrs Mr S Norman (SN), Mr I Sykes (IS), Mr P McLaughlin (PMcL)

Apologies for absence

Ms J Fidgen, Mr B Heneghan

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None declared.

3. To agree the following payments:-

3.1 OALC – Roles & Responsibilities training course for Cllr P. McLaughlin on 19^th June 2019

3.2 OALC – Chairmanship Skills training course for Cllr B Heneghan on 17^th July 2019

3.3 OALC – VAT for Clerks for E Cooper on 2^nd October 2019

The above payments were agreed and signed off. EC to action payments online,

with SN to authorise.

4. To report on the completion of the internal audit UPC accounts 2018/19

Internal audit signed off by Mrs R Caffyn on 7^th June 2019 in the presence of Cllr S

Norman and the Clerk.

5. To complete the Annual Governance Statement for 2018/19

The Annual Governance Statement was completed and signed off Cllr S Norman and

the Clerk.

6. To agree the completion of UPC’s audit requirements for 2018/19:-

6.1 Certificate of Exemption completion

The Certificate of Exemption was signed off by Cllr S Norman and the Clerk.

6.2 Agree date of return of audit to external auditors

It was agreed to return the Certificate of Exemption to the external auditor on

Friday 14^th June.

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6.3 Agree start and end dates of execution of public rights (Must include first 10

days of July).

It was agreed that the start date for the execution of public rights would be Monday

17^th June and the end date would be Wednesday 17^th July. The Clerk to complete

the Notification of Public Rights form and publish on Friday 14^th June.

 

The meeting ended at 8.10pm. 

 

      Date of next meeting:-

      Thursday 18^th July at 7pm (TBC), in the meeting room of the Upton village hall.

Minutes of an extraordinary meeting of Upton Parish Council at 7pm on Tuesday 16^th April 2019 in the village hall meeting room.

In attendance:- Cllrs S. Fraser (Chair/SCF), S Norman (Vice Chair/SN), J. Fidgen (JF), I Sykes (IS), K Marshall (KM), Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC) 

1. Apologies for absence

Brendan Heneghan

2. Declarations of interest in the items on the agenda

None declared.

3. To consider the following planning application:-

P19/V0401/HH

Prospect Cottage, Prospect Road, Upton.

Extension of fence to corner of Prospect Road/A417 (approx. 25 metres).

Deadline 12noon on 18^h April 2019

The council unanimously voted ‘no objections’ to this application.

 

4. Appointment of an internal auditor for the UPC accounts 2018/19.

SCF had spoken to last year’s internal auditor (Mrs R Caffyn) who agreed to carry out

this year’s internal audit. This was proposed & seconded by members of the council.

SCF asked the Clerk to confirm the appointment in writing and to make

arrangements with Mrs Caffyn for carrying out the audit.

 

The meeting closed at 7.10pm 

 

      Date of next meetings:-

      Annual Parish Meeting, Monday 29^th April, 7pm onwards, Upton Village Hall.

      Annual General Meeting, Tuesday 14^th May, 7pm, in the meeting room of the Upton

      village hall.

Minutes of a meeting of Upton Parish Council (UPC) held at 7pm on Thursday 21^st March 2019 in the village hall meeting room. 

In attendance:- Mr S Fraser (Chair/SCF), Miss E Cooper (Clerk/EC), Miss K Marshall (KM), Mr B Heneghan (BH), Mr S Norman (SN), Mr I Sykes (IS), Miss J Fidgen (JF)

1. Apologies for absence

None received.

2. To record declarations of interest from councillors regarding items on the agenda

BH declared an interest in the planning application for Skippets Stables as this is a close neighbour.

3. Reports from District & County Councillors

None received.

4. Report from the PCSO

None received.

5. Approve the minutes of the following meetings:- 

UPC   14.01.19

UPCX  28.01.19

Minutes were approved by the council.

6. To go through any Matters Arising and Actions from previous minutes above

No matters arising.

7. To hear representations from the public

None present.

8. To discuss Planning Application(s):-

             8.1 P18/V2119/FUL Braeside, Orchard Close, Upton. Amendment – flood risk

Assessment

No action required from the PC.

8.2 P18/V3063/HH Alden House, Aldens Lane, Upton. Amended plans

No action required from the PC.

8.3 P19/V0624/FUL Skippets Stables, Dene Hollow, Chilton

Erection of an American Barn containing 10 stables & small storage barn together

with provision of a sand school & adjacent outdoor training area.

The council voted ‘no objections’ to this application.

9. Clerk’s Financial Report & Approve Expenditure

9.1 Updated cashbook report to 19.03.19

The Clerk presented the up to date cash book (previously emailed to councillors).

9.2 Expenses & Invoices (to be paid)

• Clerk expenses for the period 15.01.19 to 21.03.19 Total £3.60
• Clerk NALC pay increase wef I April 2019

The council agreed to the NALC increase wef 1.4.19. Clerk to send details to SN.

• OALC Annual Membership £138.97
• Chair expenses £25.00
• JF expenses £18.90
• Churn Benefice – photocopying of Upton News £240.00

The council agreed that all payments should be made.

9.3 Expenses & Invoices (paid, to be ratified)

• Microsoft Office £3.80
• HMRC PAYE Monthly SO £41.20

The council agreed with these payments.

9.4 Donation Requests to be agreed & approved

• Home Start £25.00

The council agreed to make this donation request. Clerk to issue cheque.

10.     UPC banking issues post-election (new authorisers, signatories)

SCF raised the issue that new authorisers and signatories would be required

immediately post-election, especially in view of the length of time these changes can

take with the bank. BH agreed to become a new signatory and authoriser. Clerk to

instigate paperwork.

11. APM meeting date

Due to school and Easter holidays, the council agreed to move the date of the APM to Monday 29^th April. The council also agreed that this meeting should be a ‘meet the village’ event, with this year’s key topic being ‘What to do with the Toddler Play Area?’. Also agreed to make annual reports available for people to read ahead of the meeting from 7pm in the village hall. Clerk to confirm change date and book village hall. 

12. Items for discussion:-

12.1 Web site update training & IT Update

The Clerk confirmed she had some training on how to update the PC part of the

village web site and would follow this up with a written procedure.

The Chair stated he had set up ‘alias’ email addresses for Office 365 (at no cost).

Any emails received on these addresses would be distributed as appropriate.  It was  noted that Office 365 did not meet the requirements of UPC.   It was further

proposed that UPC switch to Krystal.co.uk.  It was agreed that UPC would change

from Office 365 to Krystal.co.uk subject to BH completing the necessary due

diligence. BH to investigate krystal.co.uk.

12.2 Uptonogood?

Mountain Bike Event Saturday 15^th June 2019 – use of recreation ground. The PC

agreed to the recreation ground being used for this event. Clerk to inform Bob Lott.

12.3 Chilton Road update

SCF received a request from a villager regarding inadequate signage from the

Chilton Road through to Upton village. The signage was checked and is up to current

standards.  However, Highways has agreed to put up “Not suitable for heavy goods

signs” on the approach to Chilton Road in the new budget year.

12.4 Recreation ground signage

SCF had checked other play areas and recommended that new signage for the

village rec should be created to cover who is responsible for the rec, no fires, no

BBQs on the ground, rubbish etc.  To be discussed after elections.

12.5 Purchase of small ride on mower

The council agreed in principle to the purchase of a small ride on mower to make it

easier for volunteers who mow common grass throughout the village (current

mower is push variety). Budget estimate of £1400 inc VAT. BH to confirm with

GdeW exact requirements.

 

13. Future planning of the Recreation Ground play areas:-

13.1 Play area inspection rota

KM handed over this responsibility to IS.

13.2 Toddler play area old vs new – agree to defer to APM for open discussion

13.3 Adventure play area pump track resurfacing / running repairs – agreed to defer

to APM for open discussion.

14. To discuss Parish Council Elections

14.1 Submission of nomination papers

The deadline for submission was reiterated.

14.2 Councillor Roles & Responsibilities

The council agreed the following:-

Communication – JF

Play area inspection rota – IS

Planning – all

The issue of the current Chair stepping down was discussed. Deferred to the AGM.

14.3 Quorate considerations

Following the election and if no new candidates are nominated, the council will

remain quorate, if a minimum of 3 councillors attend meetings.

15. Date of future meetings:-

15.1 Annual Parish Meeting Tuesday 29^th April 7pm for 7.30pm start, village hall.

15.2 Annual General Meeting Tuesday 14^th May 7pm in the village hall meeting

room.

15.3 Regular Council Meeting, Thursday 18^th July 2019 at 7.00pm in the village

hall meeting room.

The meeting closed at 9.10pm.

Outstanding actions from this meeting:-

Date	What / Who	When
21.03.19	Clerk to send details of pay award to SN.	ASAP
21.03.19	Clerk to send cheque for £25 to Home Start.	ASAP
21.03.19	Clerk to instigate new signatory paperwork with Lloyds.	ASAP
21.03.19	Clerk to confirm change of date for APM from 16th to 29th April & book room.	Actioned.
21.03.19	BH to investigate krystal.co.uk	ASAP
21.03.19	Clerk to inform Bob Lott permission for Bike Night given.	Actioned.
21.03.19	SCF to consider recreation ground signage requirements after election.	May 2019
21.03.19	BH to spk GdeW re new mower spec.	ASAP
21.03.19	Rec ground signage discussion – all	Post elections