UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of a Meeting of Upton Parish Council
Upton Village Hall, Tuesday 15th July 2014 at 8.00 pm
PRESENT: Dr R Lott (Chairman), Mr S Fraser, Mr S Norman, Mr R Traynor, Mrs Lesley Shaw, Mr Duncan Reid, Mrs A Hoy (Clerk)

1. Apologies for Absence – None

2. 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. Dr Lott declared an interest in the Table Tennis Table, Item 7 (a).

3. Adoption of minutes of meeting(s) on: 20th May, 10th June, 25th June, 1st July, having been previously circulated, were agree to be a true record and were signed by the Chairman.

4. Co-option of Mr Duncan Reid as Councillor on Upton Parish Council; in the absence of any requests from electors for an election and having received approval from Vale of White Horse District Council, Mr Reid was unanimously co-opted as Councillor until formal elections in 2015. The Chairman welcomed Mr Reid to the Council. Mr Reid signed the required Declaration of Acceptance of Office and Register of Members’ Interests forms, which the Clerk was instructed to file, and advise the Monitoring Office at VoWHDC. Clerk

5. Reports

• County Councillor’s Report – None received
• District Councillor’s Report – None received
• PCSO’s report – None received

6. Public Forum: Having declared an interest in Mike Tibbetts’ email requesting a refund of the monies donated by Uptonogood for a Table Tennis Table, Dr. Lott explained that the request was motivated by the belief that the location of the table would now be driven by the Parish Plan and as such a decision would be up to a year away. In the meantime it was felt the money could be better used elsewhere.

7. Matters arising:

Parish Council Meeting on 20th May:
a) Parish plan, progress update: Mr Traynor reported that he had put a notice in the Upton News requesting volunteers to work with him on the revision of the Plan and had received one reply, from Mr Dermot Paddon. Mr Traynor would now approach others who had been suggested to him and form a working group, which should include a geographical as well as an age spread of the village. Mr Reid offered his assistance. Mr Traynor had also contacted Anton Nath of ORCC who might be able to assist with information on grants available. In answer to Mr Traynor’s query, Dr Lott confirmed that it was the PC’s intention to present the Plan to the village at the Annual Parish Meeting in April 2015. It was suggested that the initial questionnaire should be ready for distribution by the time of the Upton Fete on September 6th and an electronic version should also be made available.
b) Replacement of self-propelled mower: Mr Fraser had spoken to Kalehurst Machinery regarding replacement of the mower which could cease to work at any time, although it was hoped it would continue to the end of this grass cutting season. Kalehurst made two recommendations, a John Deere at £850 or a Masport for £550, the latter being a more rugged machine, which would probably suit the conditions better. Dr Lott requested a formal quote and specification, which Mr Fraser undertook to obtain. SF

Extraordinary Meetings on 10th June, 25th June, 7th July (taken under planning)

7. Business to be transacted:
a) Table Tennis Table: Dr Lott left the meeting and Mr Fraser assumed the role of Chairman. After discussion it was agreed to refund the monies already paid to UPC for the TTT and advise Mr Tibbetts that the village would be consulted via the Parish Plan to establish their views on the provision of such a facility and the most desirable location. Mr Fraser reported that the equipment in the ‘old’ playground was due for replacement and it would be sensible to take advantage of this to re-assess revamping of the whole site; items such as permanent chessboards, backgammon and a petanque pitch could also be included, and at the same time providing more parking behind the hall in place of the existing equipment. Mr Fraser requested the Clerk to draft a letter to Mr Tibbetts apologising for the confusion, refunding the money and advising that the TTT project would be postponed until agreement reached via the Parish Plan. Dr Lott resumed the role of Chair. SF and RT to review/Clerk
b) Stream Road: – Dr Lott reported that he had received complaints from residents of Stream Road regarding overgrown vegetation on Prospect Road property, causing the refuse collectors difficulty in reaching the top of Stream Road. Dr Lott noted that Alan Davis had now voluntarily cut back the offending vegetation, although the responsibility of others. Flood prevention- after discussion it was AGREED to hold a dedicated meeting to agree a strategy to prevent future flooding whilst the area was relatively dry. The September 16th PC meeting was suggested. The Clerk was requested to write to Stream Road residents individually (PC to provide names and addresses) inviting them. Clerk
c) Play Area (Rospa Report) – The inspector from Rospa had contacted the Clerk to warn UPC that there was a safety risk in the recreation ground relating to an inadequate depth of bark chippings beneath the various activities. A fix had been undertaken by “forking” to loosen by the bark and redistributing it. It was AGREED to purchase a top-up of ‘Cushion Fall’; Mr Fraser had sourced a supplier via Kompan and would place an order for an appropriate amount, depending on delivery terms. Mr Norman agreed that an amount up to £300 would be within budget. Kompan had also agreed to repair the broken seesaw free of charge and after discussion it was AGREED to go ahead with installation of two rubber tyres supplied by Kompan, to be put in place by a working group. Mr Fraser to progress. SF
d) Recreation Field access: Complaints had been received from the residents of Beeching Close about noise and disturbance from the recreation ground late at night. After discussion it was agreed that Mr Traynor would speak to the residents of Beeching Close to request that they take over shutting the gates at night using a combination lock, and that volunteers be found to open the gates in the morning before the school bus arrived. It was suggested that an item in the Upton News might source volunteers. A notice stating opening and closing times could also be erected at the gates to advise users of the car park. Dr Lott proposed that the gates be closed at dusk in summer months for a trial period, e.g., until the next meeting in September; Mr Reid abstained from the otherwise unanimous vote. Mrs Shaw agreed to speak to UVHAT to advise them of this decision. RT /LS
e) Garage Clearance: Dr Lott reported that there were various items in the shed which needed disposing of (old snooker table, TT table, netball hoops, surplus voting booths, other items); Mrs Shaw agreed to ask UVHAT if any of these items belonged to them and inform UPC whether they wanted to keep them, otherwise they would be taken to the Recycling Centre. LS

8. For noting:

Planning:

• P14/V1123/LB Proposed Garden Room – PC objected, application withdrawn
• P14/V0827/HH Pentreen Stream Road – front and rear extensions, no objection, approval granted
• P14/V1211/HH Ridgewood Grange, Chilton Road – proposed erection of detached double garage, no objection
• P14/V1242/HH Downleigh, Newmans Close – proposed single storey garage extension; raising front gable and conversion of loft space; two storey rear extension – PC objections
• P14/V1311/HH and P14/V1312/LB – glazed link extension to ancillary barn, no objection.
• P14/V1227/AG Ingham’s Farm Chilton Road – erection of hay/straw barn, no objection

9. Correspondence

• Thames Valley Police, invitation to Open Day Saturday 2nd August (poster/leaflets received and distributed)
• Came & Co., confirmation of three year agreement for renewal of insurance
• Came & Co., vehicle insurance policy documents
• VoWH Chairman’s Annual Community Awards & Lunch – circulated: after discussion it was agreed to nominate Clare and John Lightfoot as worthy recipients of the Annual Community Awards. Clerk to draft an entry from facts provided by UPC members.
• Winter preparedness – OCC (circulated); no action as adequate supplies in stock.
• Transport Scheme Exhibition Event 7th July at UVH: members had visited the exhibition and were happy with most aspects of the planned works. However, Mr Norman stressed that there was no mention of traffic calming measures at the junction of the A417 with Station Road, Upton, and requested that Highways be recommended to include this in their forward planning. Mr Fraser agreed to draft a letter and would circulate this. SF

10. Receipts since last meeting

• Uptonogood – table tennis table £2685.00
• Bank interest May 36p, June 37p

Angela Hoy, Clerk
Tel: 01235 851726
18th July 2014

Appendix A – Schedule of payments

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of an Extraordinary Meeting of Upton Parish Council
Upton Village Hall Meeting Room, Monday 7th July 2014 at 8.00 pm

PRESENT: Dr R Lott (Chair), Mr S Fraser, Mr R Traynor

1. 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. None declared.

2. Apologies for Absence: Mrs L Shaw, Mr S Norman

3. 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. None recorded.

4. Planning:
a. P14/V1312/LB Upton Manor – glazed link extension to ancillary barn. No objections.
b. P14/V1227/AG Ingham’s Farm, Chilton Road, Upton – erection of hay/straw barn. No objections.
c. The Clerk was instructed to advise the Vale Planning Department of these two decisions accordingly.

There being no further business, the meeting was declared closed.

Angela Hoy, Clerk
Tel: 01235 851726
10th July 2014

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of an Extraordinary Meeting of Upton Parish Council
Upton Village Hall Meeting Room, Wednesday 25th June 2014 at 8.00 pm

APOLOGIES: Dr R Lott

PRESENT: Mr S Fraser (Chair), Mr S Norman, Mr R Traynor, Mrs L Shaw and two members of the public

1. 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. None declared.

2. Public Forum: The Chairman closed the meeting to allow public discussion. The meeting was then reconvened.

3. Planning:
a. P14/V1211/HH Ridgewood Grange, Chilton Road – Based on the existing plans, the Parish Council agreed unanimously that it had no objections to the application.
b. P14/V1242/HH Downleigh, Newmans Close – Amendment to earlier application. After discussion and representations on behalf of a neighbour, it was AGREED to object to the application on the following grounds: – proposed garage extends beyond building line and the scale and bulk would cause loss of light and vision to immediate neighbour; considered over-development of front of site.
c. The Clerk was instructed to advise the Vale Planning Department of these two decisions accordingly.

4. There being no further business, the meeting was declared closed.

Angela Hoy, Clerk
Tel: 01235 851726
26th June 2014

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of Upton Parish Council
Upton Village Hall, Tuesday 20th May 2014 at 8.00 pm

PRESENT: Dr R Lott, Mr S Fraser, Mr S Norman, Mr R Traynor (part), Cllr S Lilly (part), Mrs A Hoy (Clerk)

1. Election of Chairman: Having expressed his willingness to stand, it was proposed and seconded that Dr Robert Lott be re- elected as Chairman of Upton Parish Council, carried unanimously.

2. Apologies for Absence: Mrs L Shaw, PCSO M Clayden

3. 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. None recorded.

4. Election of Vice-Chairman: Having expressed his willingness to stand, it was proposed and seconded that Mr S Fraser be re- elected as Vice Chairman of Upton Parish Council, carried unanimously.

5. Acceptance of Office – Having been re-elected as Chair and Vice Chair, Dr Lott and Mr Fraser duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

6. Adoption of minutes of meeting(s) on: 9th April, 7th May and the Annual Parish Meeting on 14th April having been previously circulated were agreed to be a true record and were signed by the Chairman.

7. Reports

a) County Councillor’s Report: Cllr Stewart Lilly apologised for his late arrival, having already attended two council meetings prior to UPC. He reported that OCC had received an official complaint about him from VWHDC regarding his criticism of the Vale’s Local Plan, about which he was unrepentant. He reported that population growth in Oxfordshire (according to the SHMA report) would rise from 630k to 900k by 2031; there were currently 4073 persons registered unemployed in the County. He also reported that according to a recent survey, Oxfordshire was the fifth top technical area on the world and could move up to fourth if the Science Vale progressed as planned; there was no indication how this conclusion had been drawn. However, there were still far too many children in care who had come from poor backgrounds. On schools, he had been advised that 93% of children were allocated their first choice of place. Cllr Lilly confirmed that the Chilton slip roads would be starting this year and the first roundabout would be installed in Harwell before Christmas. He also advised that a new road would be built near the old Didcot power station to siphon off commercial traffic. Cllr Lilly was well aware that there were concerns across his parishes about the increase of traffic on the A417 subsequent to the highways modifications, and particular concerns should be brought to the next meeting planned for August. The Chairman raised the matter of cycleways, and Cllr Lilly assured the meeting that cycling would have the highest priority during discussions and negotiations over road improvements. Cllr Lilly mentioned that there appeared to have been a diminution in use of the local bus service, which as it was subsidised, gave cause for concern. He suggested emphasising the ‘use it or lose it’ mantra. Cllr Lilly left the meeting.

b) District Councillor’s Report: No report received form Cllr Janet Shelley

c) PCSO’s report: PCSO Michael Clayden had sent his apologies for absence.

8. Public Forum: no members of the public were present

9. Matters arising:

Parish Council Meeting on 18th March:

a) Purchase of marquees and table tennis tables: the marquees had been purchased and were en route from the manufacturer. A cheque had been received from Uptonogood for the purchase of the concrete table tennis table so purchase could now go ahead. The Clerk agreed to write a letter of thanks to Mike Tibbetts of Uptonogood for their kind donation covering both the marquees and the table tennis table. Clerk

b) Pump track signage: this had been erected.

c) Replacement of self-propelled mower: Mr Fraser agreed to investigate the cost of a replacement. SF

d) Pump Track maintenance contract: Dr Lott reported that the maintenance work had been carried out at a cost of £350 + VAT, invoice awaited. A quote of £500 per year from Shoretrax to keep the equipment up to standard was accepted, which would involve quarterly visits. Uptonogood had previously agreed to pay for this contract, as long as the event continued to run.

Annual Parish Meeting on 14th April

a) Revisiting parish plan: Mr Traynor agreed to take the lead and form a team to start work on a new Parish Plan. It was agreed that the aim should be for publication in time for the next Annual Parish Meeting. RT

b) Co-option of Councillor: no response had been received to the posted vacancy for parish councillor; all councillors were requested to consider whether anyone they knew in the village might be willing to take on the role. ALL

10. Business to be transacted:

a) Ratification of Annual Governance Statement: the document was read out and after discussion was duly signed by the Chairman.
b) Aims and Objectives: adopted unanimously. Clerk to pass to Webmaster.
c) Standing Orders: adopted unanimously. Clerk to pass to Webmaster
d) Financial Regulations: these were reviewed and minor alterations made, after which they were unanimously adopted. Clerk to pass to Webmaster.
e) Risk Assessment; this had been recently reviewed and was adopted unanimously.
f) Asset Register: this had been recently reviewed and was adopted unanimously.
g) Clerks salary for FY 2014-15 : after discussion it was unanimously agreed to move the Clerk’s salary to Spinal Column Point 19, plus an additional 2 hours per month to reflect work pertaining to planning meetings. Treasurer to implement standing order changes.
h) Renewal of annual insurance with Came & Co: after discussion it was unanimously agreed to accept the offer of a 5% discount for a 3 year contract.
i) Adoption of accounts: the 2013-14 accounts, having been previously circulated, were adopted unanimously.
j) Payment terms offered by UVHAT for continued use of Village Hall for PC meetings: it was unanimously agreed to accept UVHAT’s offer of £10 per meeting. However to save potential VAT complications, it was also agreed not to take up the offer of netting fees against donations. Clerk was instructed to respond to the UVHAT letter and request quarterly invoices to run in-line with UPC’s financial year. Clerk
k) Car park lines repainted: It was agreed to take up an offer from Graham de Wilde to re-paint the car park lines. It was noted that the bench in the small playground also needed painting and should be attended to. RT
l) Membership renewal of OPFA: it was unanimously agreed to renew for another year.
m) Membership renewal of ORCC: it was unanimously agreed to renew for another year.
n) Location of Table Tennis Table: Mike Tibbetts had suggested six different locations. After due consideration of all the options and a brief site meeting it was unanimously agreed that the table should be placed in the general area of the grass humps but as far as possible from the nearest dwelling. It was agreed that additional screening should also be provided by means of appropriate planting.
o) Schedule of Payments: all payments agreed and cheques signed.

11. For noting:

Planning:

• MW.0187/12 (MW.0021/14) Approval of non-material amendment at Chilton Waste Transfer Station
• P14/V0560/HH Winterset, Newmans Close – approval granted.

Correspondence

• OCC has advised no funds to pay UPC to continue to cut footpaths.
• Thames Valley Police, invitation to support Community Policing Awards competition (poster on notice board)
• Acknowledgments received from, South and Vale Carers, Home Start & Oxfordshire Assn for the Blind, following UPC donations.
• VoWHDC Notice of Community Governance Review draft proposals (deadline 31 May)

Receipts since last meeting

• VOWH – precept £3,750 April;
• £75
• Bank interest March .34p, April 36p

Angela Hoy, Clerk
Tel: 01235 851726
29th May 2014

Appendix A – Schedule of payments

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of Upton
Held on Monday 14th April 2014 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall

Present: Mr S Fraser (Chairman), Mrs L Shaw, Mr R Traynor, Mr S Norman
Cllr S Lilley (County Councillor), Mrs A Hoy (Parish Clerk)
and 7 members of the public

Apologies for Absence: Dr B Lott, Mr B Shaw, Cllr J Shelley

1. Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 8th April 2013 were agreed to be a true record and were signed by the Chairman.

2. Annual Reports

(a) Parish Council Chairman: In Dr Lott’s absence, Mr Fraser read the Chairman’s Report for his first twelve months in the job. He announced that the PC had just received the resignation of Mr Ben Shaw and he thanked him for his efforts over the years. Dr Lott also expressed the thanks of the PC to all those who together allowed the village to function and make it a great place to live, including those who cut the grass and inspect the playground on a regular basis. In addition he thanked those who act on behalf of the PC:
John Lightfoot – Neighbourhood Action Group
Jessie West – Transport Rep and UVHAT
Derek Whitmell – Harwell Stakeholders /committee
Simon Powell – Internal Auditor
Brian Rippon – Upton News Editor
Mike Brown and Graham de Wilde – Parish Path Wardens
Mike Brown – for his role keeping everything working

During the year 13 planning applications were discussed, mainly routine, except one that was still under discussion, Wattle Cottage Farm, for which there would be an appeal hearing in Wantage on May 13th.

Dr Lott had also attended two meetings in Oxford to discuss the planned developments on the A417. The PC had supported the residents of Chilton Road in their desire to see the road become a cul-de-sac, which the OCC also supported, because of the anticipated increase in traffic when the new slips to the A34 at Chilton come into being, together with the proposed new housing which it was thought would cause serious safety concerns. No new housing development had been proposed for Upton. A welcome improvement was announced with the proposed introduction of a dual foot and cycleway to run alongside the road from Wantage to Blewbury.

The Upton Parish Plan was due for renewal and it had been hoped this would be well under way; however time pressures had prevented this. The PC would like to invite any member of the parish to apply for the vacancy of councillor with the specific task of updating the Parish Plan. The official notice would be posted shortly.

Improvements had been made in the past year to the documents displayed on the website although more needed to be done; in addition it had been decided to house a permanent record of PC documents in the “cloud” instead of on CDs; this would enable the PC to reduce the need for hard-copy storage.

The PC decided this year that an increase in the precept was long overdue and had accordingly made a small increase of £250; however, this would not cover increases in costs for insurance, maintenance of the recreation ground facilities, additional essential maintenance and the replacement of the grass mower. The PC had also been notified that the OCC would no longer pay for the maintenance of the village footpaths, resulting in a loss of income of £338 per year. Dr Lott’s report closed with the wish that the forthcoming year would be a positive one. Mr Fraser added the thanks of the PC to Dr Lott, Mr Tibbetts and their respective families of Uptonogood for their wonderful efforts and contributions to the village in 2013.

(b) Parish Council Finance: Mr Norman presented the Income and Expenditure Report for 2013/2014 which recorded that the precept was increased from £7,250 to £7,500 and substantial donations from Uptonogood had been received. In addition Wallingford FC had hired the recreation ground three times when their own pitch was flooded, and payment of £338 was received from OCC for footpath grass cutting. This brought the total income to £11,000. However, several planned items of expenditure (including £1,000 being held in reserve for the planned refurbishment of the kitchen in the village hall), as well as the need to replace the self-propelled mower, would leave the reserves much depleted. Payments had also recommenced to the Benefice for printing of the Upton News to about 90 households that did not receive it electronically.

(c) District Council: nothing was reported due to Cllr Shelley’ s absence..

(d) County Council: in respect of the UVHAT kitchen plan, Cllr Lilly responded that the Big Society Fund was offering money for just such items and recommended UVHAT to apply. Cllr Lilly reported that it had been an eventful year; he congratulated Dr Lott for his successful first year in office as Chairman of UPC and thanked him for his attendance at the A417 meetings, the next of which was planned for August. He was pleased to report that the OCC had secured special funding for enterprise zone areas including the Chilton slip roads, the Milton interchange (which had already commenced), Featherbed Lane and improvements to Hagbourne Hill will follow. However, he stressed that all of this would not happen overnight. He briefly mentioned the Vale’s Local Plan Consultation Document had been described as a “poor document” which did not give due consideration to infrastructure such as schools and suitable accommodation of the elderly. Cllr Lilly confirmed that OCC had gone against the Government’s recommendations and increased the precept by 1.99% (the maximum that could be imposed without calling a referendum), giving the Council £5m more income which they intended to spend on such things as increasing length of visits to the elderly and introducing nurses to all secondary schools in an effort to help prevent abuse of young people. He reported that approximately 500 children were currently in care of OCC at this time, which was a disturbing number. He ended his report by noting that OCC administrative staff had been reduced by 34% over the past 4 years but that further budget cuts were in the pipeline; he was not sure how Oxfordshire would cope with the 300,000 population increase proposed for Oxfordshire in the SHMA report!

(e) Parish Transport Representative: Mrs West had attended the Parish Transport Representatives Meeting on 4th March 2014, at which Allan Field and others from OCC were present, as well as representatives from many local PCs. She reported that a presentation was given on the Real Time Information (RTI)/Oxontime system which gave users information on the bus services about when the next bus was due. She explained that this was dependent on the vehicles being fitted with a suitable tracking device and correct driver input, some routes being outside Oxfordshire. It was hoped to extend the service to Reading and Swindon and also to the Oxford hospitals. Installation of the signs at bus stops was the responsibility of the relevant Council. Some software failures had been experienced which resulted in predicted arrivals disappearing from the signs. Rural hourly bus services were not currently covered and it might be years before the service was extended to these areas, depending on location and the availability of power connections (typical cost of complete installation £3.5-4k). In the 2014 bus service review, it was noted that changes to bus services would be advised to PCs a week in advance. The 2015 (subsidised routes) review would commence in the summer (specific areas). Discussion took place over subsidised buses for rural areas, with worries that these might be the target of budget cuts. Mrs West noted that the Dial-a-Ride service has been renewed and will continue without any changes. Mrs West’s own experiences were that the 94 had operated well during the recent bad weather but mentioned that the X32 Oxford service run by Thames Travel was having problems with insufficient drivers. Mrs West also commented briefly on the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council’s report (ORCC) that provided liability insurance to volunteer car schemes, which had been free up until now but would be chargeable going forward. As with other bodies, ORCC expected to have a funding shortfall in 2014/15.

(f) UVHAT: Mrs Jessie West reported that there had been changes in the Trust Membership this past year, and she thanked those members who had resigned for their hard work and support. In addition, the Treasurer had also stepped down and her time and skills had been much appreciated. This role had now been taken over by the past postmistress, Mrs Margaret Maytham. New Trustees had been appointed who it was thought would bring enthusiasm and expertise to these roles. Mike Brown and Stuart Fraser were thanked for their frequent help in fixing plumbing and maintenance needs, including fitting a proper fire exit door to the storeroom. Plans were underway for the refurbishment of the kitchen and the Trust was in the process of seeking funding; estimates so far received were in the region of £30k. It was intended that plans would be displayed to the village to ascertain its views.

(g) United Charities: The Clerk advised that Mrs C Traynor had had to resign due to pressure of work but that Mrs Elizabeth Hardy had agreed to take over the role of Trustee on the Charity.

(h) Blewbury School: Ms Marion Mills, Head Teacher, reported that the school continued to thrive with a stable register of 150 pupils, several of whom were from Upton and used the free bus service. It was hoped that the County Council would continue to support this. A high level of writing results was achieved, above national expectations, although reading was not quite as good. The children were also being introduced to ‘learning to learn’, to encourage resilience and resourcefulness to equip them for employment in adult life. The European Comenius project has continued, with pupils and staff from the school visiting Poland, Italy and Germany.

(i) Neighbourhood Action Group: Mr John Lightfoot reported that he had attended all meetings except one during the past year and that since the area commander, Andy Boyd, had taken an interest in the NAG organisation, meetings had taken on a more organised approach. PCSO Sue Harris had now transferred to Wallingford but PCSO Michael Clayden had taken over and was very enthusiastic. There had been many instances of rural theft in the Upton area and police had subsequently stepped up their observations. The tragic murder of a missing Didcot teenager brought intense police activity into the village, resulting in damage to the churchyard footpaths, which had now been restored. Mr Lightfoot mentioned the current Dementia Awareness campaign and requested all those present to find a volunteer to help in this respect. He was happy to continue in the NAG role for the forthcoming year.

(j) St Mary’s Church: Father Jason had kindly come to the meeting to report in Paul Batho’s absence. He advised that St Mary’s in Upton was one of the seven churches within the parish and was open all day for quiet reflection. Father Jason expressed his thanks for the donation from the PC towards the upkeep of the churchyard and advised that “the Friends of St Mary’s” voluntary organisation had recently been set up to raise funds to cover costs such as insurance, maintenance of the building etc. He stressed that the church was a village asset and anyone could join. There would be a Friends of St Mary’s launch event later in the year.

(k) Harwell Site Stakeholder Group (formerly UKAEA): Dr Derek Whitmell reported that the group met three times a year and was open to the public. Decommissioning of the old research site was continuing to make good progress and was expected to be complete by 2027. The recent wet weather had increased the ground water level to the highest ever recorded, over 105m above sea level, and this had had the effect of diluting the already low levels of contamination in the local streams. He advised that plans were being prepared to develop 37 acres of land nearest to the road and the Harwell Stakeholder Group would discuss these plans with local communities, including Upton. However, the Vale’s recent announcement to build 500 houses on the eastern site were not part of the Harwell campus plan.

3. Open Forum
Brian Rippon enquired whether S.106 of the Town and Country Planning Act could be used to gain more infrastructure from the developers and asked whether there was anything that the PC should be doing. Cllr Lilly responded that there was a new Common Infrastructure Levy (CIL) being introduced in the near future for any new developments; however, the District Council, as the planning authority, could ignore S.106 if it wished a particular planning application to go through.

4. Closing Remarks
The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and for their contributions; he also expressed his thanks to those volunteers who had been unable to be present..

5. Date of Next Annual General Meeting: Monday 20th April 2015.

6. There being no further business, the meeting closed.

Mrs Angela Hoy
Parish Clerk
20th April 2014