Upton Village

South Oxfordshire

Reports given at the 2011 Annual Parish Meeting

Parish Council Chairman’s Report 2010 -11

Thank you for your attendance tonight and welcome to your 2011 Annual Parish Meeting.

I shall briefly summarise the PC activities for this year and how the future looks.

Following this there are various reports which have been submitted and are available as hard copy or can be viewed on the village website. We are available to discuss and elaborate on these reports as required by your-selves tonight.

Finally there is an open forum and for us the most important part of the meeting in which we wish to hear your opinions and ideas as to how you would like the village to go forward in the coming year.

Parish Council Changes

The current PC members shall be standing down and a new PC formed on Thursday 5th May.

I would like to convey my thanks to all those past and present PC councillors who have been in office during the last four year period. In particular I would like to convey our thanks to our most experienced and longest serving councillor Mike Brown for all his work on the PC and for the village.

Clare Lightfoot shall continue in her role as the Parish Clerk and Finance Officer. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for the excellent and capable support provided to the village and PC.

The first scheduled PC meeting after the forming of the new PC is timetabled for Tuesday 17th May at 8.00 p.m. I would like to remind you that all parishioners are welcome to attend PC meeting. Every meeting has a “villager’s forum” through which contributions/concerns can be put forward for the PC to consider.

2010 -11 Parish Council Plan Outcomes/Objectives

Financial

Finances are in good order, the precept has been held static at £7250 for the fifth year in a row. You will note there is a separate Finance Report prepared by Clare and Mike that shows our finances to be under close control and in a healthy position.

Village Character – The PC continues to strive to maintain a village character through consideration in all planning applications of balancing improvements with the requirements of a rural village

Village Hall – Regularisation of the land between the PC and UVHAT has been finalised. The parking facilities have been improved through resurfacing and alterations to the original car parking area and a matted surface extension provided for when circumstances require. Thank you to all those involved in this project and the assistance provided in raising the additional funds required.

Recreation and Playground – The mowing schedule continues relieving the village of substantial contractual charges. Thank you to everyone involved in their past and for their ongoing assistance in maintaining the recreation ground. Mounds have been created to the far left of the recreation ground for biking activities.

There are funds in the PC this year for playground improvement. A playground committee has been established. Thank you to all those involved with the playground; David shall be updating us on progress later in this meeting.

Bus services, Roads and footpaths

The current bus service is under threat again and a bus subsidy review is underway. The service is of vital importance to this rural community. We have combined with Blewbury to make as strong a representation as possible. A survey sheet has been sent out to households and your response is important. Please use the bus service where possible to enable us to continue our case for securing this service.

The Parish has a contract with OCC Council for cutting of the grass on the village footpaths. Thank you to the volunteers for cutting the footpaths; as an “in-house” service we achieve a much better result and generate an additional income to the PC for village improvements.

The PC has remained committed to trying to achieve a cycle route or at least an improved path from Upton to Blewbury. This remains a difficult issue which is mainly outside of our Parish Council boundary. Discussions with Blewbury PC and the OCC Footpaths Officer continue.

Village amenities and Upkeep

The volunteer group has continued to carry out further excellent work this last year carrying out remedial and improvement works on behalf of the village and its environs. The annual litter pick was again well supported. Thank you to everyone for your help with these on-going activities.

Youth and Clubs

There remains a nucleus of thriving clubs in the village, which the PC is keen to assist where possible in whatever small way we are able. This is an important element of the village community and the PC would like to encourage further activities for the village youth. Short mat bowls is the latest addition to the activities on offer from within the village. The karate club, Brownies and Guides, the Dog club, Wine appreciation society, Theatre group, the Upton Ladies Coven, Upton Table Tennis, the cycle group and the village drop in sessions continue to thrive.

Communications

The Upton News and Web site continues as the main steer of our communications. Thank you to Brian Rippon for re-designing the village web site. Thank you to all those involved with the submission of entries, compilation, printing and delivery of the Upton News.

George and Dragon Pub

Our thanks to Kenny and Jo for providing a friendly, welcoming pub, with excellent food and drink. Please continue to support the pub where possible; it is such an important element of traditional village life and a valued village facility.

Putting Upton on the Map

The PC remains keen to assist in promoting Upton into the future, whilst having due regard to preserving our private village life. The recreation ground combined with the extended and refurbished village hall provides us all with an excellent collective area for social and club activities through the year.

The Uptonogood mountain bike challenge was a great success last year and achieved wide spread acclaim. The village fete was outstanding and provided another hugely successful day for the village. The PC would like to convey our thanks to all those involved in the management and organization of both events and wish the organizers similar success for this year.

John Dickens Chairman Upton P.C.

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Upton P.C. Finance Report 2010-11

After last years record turnover of just over £136,000 this year almost returned to normal with an expenditure of £9990. Even at this level it was still well above the norm of about £6000 as we spent £3888 on improvements to the car parking facilities by extending and re-surfacing the existing car park and laying an extended car parking area using plastic matting. Much of this car park expenditure was offset by a donation of £1343 received as a result of the Barn Dance organised at Prospect House by Hilary and Simon. Our thanks to both of them and to all the others who helped with the organisation and running of this event.

We are pleased to report that at the end of this financial year our balance is just £180 higher than we estimated in our budget produced 15 months ago whilst we were in the thick of the village hall spend, this demonstrates that we have kept excellent control of our finances. Looking at the figures produced at our half-year revision, our expenditure is £20 under spent and our income £9 less than predicted which means our current balance is just £11 more than we predicted six months ago.

The current balance of just over £7000 is about £2500 higher than you would expect a council of our size to be holding. This is a result of our putting away an annual sum towards the cost of improving the children’s play area. It is intended that the council will contribute £5000 towards the play area project in the next financial year, providing that goes ahead it will give us a predicted balance at the end of the coming financial year of £4732.

For the fourth consecutive year the annual precept has remained unchanged. If we can get through the play area project which will be the last of the amenity improvement schemes we have managed in recent years, we forecast you can look forward to a relatively small decrease in next year’s precept but this is entirely down to the volunteer effort coming from our residents. The savings on the mowing projects this year are likely to be close to £1600 including the contribution from the County Council for cutting the footpaths and a further example of the saving made by our volunteer work force is the £1000 we saved in using our volunteers to lay the car park extension. If it were not for this volunteer effort your precept would have to be raised by at least £10 per household.

Mike Brown and Clare Lightfoot

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Parish Transport Representative’s Report

We are grateful to Mr Graham Homer who took over as Upton’s Transport Representative during the past year. Mr Homer is a very frequent bus user and has a hands on approach by talking to other bus users and the bus drivers.

During the year two meetings for Transport Representatives have been held in Oxford. These meetings provide a forum for dissemination of information.

Currently, a review of subsidised buses is being undertaken. Surveys were distributed to all households in the Parish (170) through the Upton News. So far 17 (10%) have been returned. The Parish Council will analyse the responses and endorse a case for the bus service to continue.

Clare Lightfoot (Clerk)

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District Councillor’s Report

This is my last report to Upton Parish Council as its District Councillor. Having stood in every District Council election in the last 28 years and having represented you for the last sixteen, as well as being your County Councillor for four years, I have decided that it is time for a change and I am not offering myself for re-election in Upton and Blewbury .

You may well have heard in the news in recent months that Councils, up and down the Country, have been forced to slash expenditure on front line services following swingeing cuts in central government grants to local government. Although there have been some minor changes, the closure of some super-loos comes to mind, we have been able to protect the Vale from serious damage to front line services. This has been achieved by the very substantial savings achieved from joint working with SODC which have saved about £3.5 million so far. Savings, either from staff costs or from savings that could only be implemented from having the joint management arrangement with SODC now come to about £1.5 million per annum. I do believe that the Vale, which has the 13th lowest council tax out of some 290 district councils, offers excellent value for money. I would not want to diminish the challenges ahead for the Vale. The number of personnel that the Vale employs has been significantly reduced and many who have left are, inevitably, the most experienced and longest serving.

This sea change would be difficult enough to navigate, but councils, and this applies equally to parish councils, face the prospect of wide ranging changes which may or may not come from Mr Pickles’ Localism Bill and other changes to the planning process. How much of this Bill will finally make it to the Statute Book remains to be seen and I do hope that there are some major changes along the way. Just to examine one strand: the Localism Bill is supposed to give local communities greater control over the way in which their neighbourhoods develop, or, presumably, don’t develop. And yet the Chancellor in his budget statement blamed the planning process being a drag on economic development and has promised to streamline the system to reduce delays. These aspirations are fundamentally contradictory. Few communities these days are going to volunteer to have 300 houses built at the bottom of their respective gardens. Believe me, I know.

I am grateful for the courtesy and welcome that I have received from Upton over the years. There have been times when we have had our disagreements, usually over planning. But if I was to say that I felt apologetic about this, I would not be truthful. I have always sought to ensure that the legal rights of every one, and particularly every applicant, were upheld. Planning is often a complicated process in which all sorts of shades of grey can develop, and this, inevitably, leads to differences of opinion. As I said, I don’t apologise for those differences, but I am sad that they happened.

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St Mary’s Church Report

St Mary’s continues to grow through the loving service of many villagers. We have said goodbye to Father Anthony and his wife Rosemary Lury who have retired and moved away from the Benefice. We give thanks for their support but we are once again looking for an organist for our regular Sunday Eucharist service. Fr Geoffrey Borrowdale has joined the Benefice as an Associate Priest. Family services have continued on a monthly basis with Mr Richard Burrow playing the organ for us. The church was full for the Crib and Carol service, following the service we all enjoyed mince pies and a wassall cup.

The fete was again very successful and our thanks go to Mrs Jessie West and her team of helpers. We were fortunate to be able to use the refurbished village hall and patio for the teas and the weather was kind to us. As ever we would like to thank all villagers who supported the fete in many different ways.

The church was used for 2 weddings this year, both families having close connections with the village.

There have been 2 baptisms and 3 funerals during the year.

Sadly a long serving member of our congregation, Theo Gordon passed away. She is greatly missed.

Looking to the future, the PCC is in the initial stages of investigating the installation of a toilet. Bearing in mind that the church is a listed building this will not be straightforward.

Clare Lightfoot

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Neighbourhood Watch Report

During the past 12 months we have only had one incident in Upton.

This was the theft of a digger from a property in Church Street during the evening of 4th April 2011. I am awaiting an update on this case.

Otherwise I have little to report this year which is most encouraging.

I still attend the quarterly NAG meetings at Milton Park but am pleased to say that where crime is concerned we are most fortunate compared to Blewbury and Harwell who regularly have incidents of theft and also teenagers being a nuisance in the evenings.

The SID speeding machine is still in regular use on the A417, particularly outside the Upton Fruit Farm and at the top of Station Road and is quite a deterrent for motorists.

Hare coursing is one of the major problems in this area but even that is centred in Hendred not Upton.

On the whole I think we have an awful lot to be thankful for living in Upton.

Celia Davies

Upton Neighbourhood Watch Organiser

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Summary of PCSO Activities

“Have Your Say” meetings are held bi-monthly in Upton. These meetings provide an opportunity for a confidential one-to-one meeting with the local area PCSO.

During the past year PCSOs have attended 4 of our 6 Parish Council meetings.

They usually start by saying that there is not much crime to report in Upton.

I have extracted below some issues which have been dealt with during the past year:

  • Speed Indicator Device operations carried out on A417
  • Poachers apprehended in the Village Hall car park
  • Illegal hare coursing patrols stepped up
  • Illicit motorcycling on land south of the Ridgeway, in Upton parish. 2 Section 59s have been issued and there will be a continued police presence
  • Smoke from bonfires in the George & Dragon field have been a hazard on the A417
  • Additional patrols carried out following the theft of property
  • Attention was paid to vulnerable people in the village, especially during the bad winter weather

Clare Lightfoot Parish Clerk

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Blewbury School Report

  • New heating system required after failure of pipes. Phase 1 of 3 complete. Work paid for by county due to catastrophic nature of problem.
  • Teachers room adjoining staff room completed on time and budget.

· Budget surplus and carried debt eliminated in this financial year.

· School participated in village events such as Apple Day, Band Day, church services.

· Choir performed at Oxford Castle Market

· Performance of the musical Oliver.

· Children helped design the new play area and picked out trees.

· Early morning orchestra proving popular

· Raised money to buy chickens for Ugandan partnered school

· New Commenius project has started. Children from Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic stayed with Blewbury/Upton families, our children will be making trips to these countries over the next year.

· Staff continuity maintained for another year

· Welcomed three new governors in the last year. Now have a full complement.

In the coming year:

· Possibly installing PV solar panels on school roof this Summer depending on final approval from full governing body,

· Governors will be running three BBQs in June (Uptonogood, Blewbury Festival Family Day, and Treasure Hunt at the school)

· Didcot Partnership of 15 schools evolving rapidly in response to gradual withdrawal of services supplied by local authorities.

· Year 6 classroom will most likely be replaced this year either by a replacement structure or by a permanent extension to the main building.

Andrea Brown

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Report of United Charities of the Ancient Parish of Blewbury (Blewbury, Upton and Aston Upthorpe)

The United Charity is managed by a group of Trustees. One of our functions is to provide financial gifts to certain elderly residents of Upton at Christmas time and to contribute to a Christmas lunch for them. This was carried out last year but the number of recipients has, sadly fallen. If anyone feels that they would like to nominate a new recipient to the charity, would they please contact me. There are certain financial criteria to be met, but we guarantee total confidence and careful consideration of any nominations made.

Charmian Whitmell, Trustee, representing Upton

Pippins, Fieldside, Upton. Tel 01235-850163

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UVHAT Report

The new facilities to the village hall continue to be appreciated, with villagers and visitors being pleasantly surprised. We are pleased that the Bowls Club is slowly gaining a following, and thank Tony and Joan Durbin for giving it their commitment to make it a success.

The Wine Club continues to flourish thanks to Mike Collins and his committee. The Guides and Brownies too, although sadly, the Tuesday evening Guides had to finish because of lack of a leader.

Thanks to Yvonne Collins and her many helpers for keeping the “Drop In” available.

We are pleased to have an increase in bookings for children’s parties. It’s good to have the hall used during the day.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to Brian Simpson, for not only keeping the day to day running costs of the all in good order, but for steering us through the labyrinth of funding that was obtained, enabling the completion of the extension.

Brian is retiring from the post of treasurer this year. We still hope to enjoy his company at events and wish him a well-earned break. Ross Caffyn has kindly agreed to take up the challenge. We offer her a warm welcome and look forward to working with her.

Some of the aspirations we still have when funding allows are to complete the refurbishment of the toilets, i.e. in the gents, new floor, wall tiling, WC and Cistern. In the disabled, new floor and baby changing unit. Hand dryers in all.

The kitchen too, needs a bit of TLC and the proposal is to have the walls tiled. Plus a new frost heater and microwave. Fortunately the ceilings in all the toilets and kitchen were redone at the time of the alterations to the Ladies cloakroom.

Ideas are in the pipeline for the little room next to the kitchen! However, do you have any thoughts about it that you would like to share?

Meanwhile, freestanding shelving is required for use in the new storeroom, which will enable us to store the boxes etc from that aforementioned little room.

Then of course we will probably need a lean-to shelter outside, to store the bins!!!!!

Jessie West (Chair)

UPT/12955/4 Elms Rise

Planning Application No UPT/12955/4

Location – Elms Rise, Chilton Road

Application – To render elevations to main house and minor alterations to approved application UPT/12955/2

Applicant – Mr & Mrs M Amos

Application Date 28th March 2011

Parish Council Reply – meeting held on April 11th – no objections – clerk to advise VWHDC

District Council Decision – Application approved by the VWHDC. Date of decision: 16th May 2011.

Note

All drawings and other hard copy documents connected with the above application will be destroyed after 3 years.

For further information on this application visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk and click on Planning and Planning Applications using the above Ref.No.

Minutes of Meeting 15th March 2011

Minutes of Meeting of Upton Parish Council in the Village Hall on Tuesday 15th March 2011 at 8.00 pm

PRESENT:

Mr M Brown (Acting Chairman), Mr J Dickens, Dr R Lott, Mr D Mason, Mrs L Shaw,

Mrs C Lightfoot (Clerk)

Mr R Farrell and Mr S Lilley (part time)

1. Apologies received from Mr Norman and PCSO Clayden

2. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. Any Member arriving after the start of the meeting is asked to declare personal interests as necessary as soon as practicable after their arrival even if the item in question has been considered. None received

3. Minutes of meeting of Upton Parish Council held on 18th January and Extraordinary Parish Council meetings held on 22nd February 2011, having been previously circulated were agreed to be a true record and signed by the Chairman

4. Matters Arising:

(i) high speed internet – this issue is ongoing

(ii) Scottish & Southern High Voltage Cable: Mr Barrett has agreed to act on behalf of the PC

(iii) Signage in Chilton Road. New 30 signs have been erected on entering the village from Chilton Road. A letter of thanks to be sent to Highways. The roundels are still awaited. Clerk

5. PCSO’s Report

A written report had been received from PCSO Clayden. Following the clerk’s discussion with him regarding illicit motorcycling on a piece of land in Upton parish, located south of the Ridgeway, co-owned by 43 persons, he confirms that the police are aware and 2 bikers have been issued with Section 59s. Smoke from bonfires in the field at the rear of the George and Dragon has caused visibility problems on the A417. He requests that if this hazard continues the police should be made aware.

6. County Councillor’s Report

Mr Lilley reported that a grant of £1.2M is being made by Central Government towards repairing Highways. OCC is making £600k available for local communities and he will put us in touch with the appropriate person in County Hall so that we can investigate whether our playground scheme can attract a grant. He said that cabinet had now approved Local Transport Plan 3 – which encompasses the Harwell relief road. It is likely to be several years before finance is in place.

WRG are applying to build a Mechanical Biological Treatment plant north of the Power Station in Sutton Courtenay parish.

Bus Subsidy Review: Mr Lilley said that this is of vital importance to this rural community, he suggests that Upton and Blewbury make strong representation and he is willing to lend his support. (Clerk to contact Mr Homer, PTR, to enquire if he would like to help us make a case.) Clerk

He noted that the rail bridge project at the Milton interchange is overrunning, the knock on effect being that the time frame for the Didcot Station Forecourt project will slip.

7. District Councillor’s Report

Mr Farrell reported that the Vale has now set its budget with Council Tax remaining unchanged. The process was difficult as the grant from Central Government had reduced from £7.1M to £5.98M.

Front line services have been largely preserved. Pain had been felt during the past 2 years with the introduction of joint service arrangements with SODC which necessitated redundancies. A number of senior officers had taken retirement with the net result that the Vale’s staffing levels are thin and less experienced.

Reservoir: Mr Farrell said that the Government’s inspector had not given the green light. The recommendation had been made that more work is required on the water plan.

Localism Bill: the bill is complex but at its heart are powers that will fundamentally change the role of parish councils. Under Power 1 PCs will have the right to produce Neighbourhood Plans, ie the future development of a community will be determined by the PC. He said that in reality this was unrealistic for small PCs as professional help would be needed and the cost of this would be ~£18k.

8. Villagers’ Forum – none

9. Planning

UPT/21353 – proposal for single dwelling at rear of 3 Fieldside. It was noted that this application has been withdrawn

UPT/3451/12-CM – extending time period to 31 December 2010 for use of 2 storey office building without complying with conditions 2 of planning permission, at Prospect Farm. It was noted that permission has been granted.

UPT/11998/5 – Solar panels, supported by “A” frames, in rear garden at Pointers Piece, Chilton Road. Applicant Mr & Mrs Thomas. The plans were discussed and there were no objections. Clerk to advise the Vale accordingly. Clerk

10. Status reports from Councillors on areas of responsibility

i) Roads and Footpaths

· Maintenance of footpaths

Mr Norman has emailed Mr Mark Sumner of OCC to seek a contract for the Parish Council to continue with cutting village footpaths. The PC agreed that by cutting the footpaths “in-house” we achieve a much better result.

Clerk to remind Mr Norman that that there is a safety issue which OCC need to address concerning a slippery foot bridge near the old railway line towards Chilton which needs to be covered in wire. Clerk

Dr Lott has spoken to Mr Bucknell to ask permission for a working party to clear fallen tress and debris along Common Lane. RL

· Update on Sewerage Pipeline from Chilton to Upton:

Mr Brown said that no one on the Parish Council had been aware of the implications of this scheme until a vast number of heavy lorries, laden with hardcore, were seen proceeding up the Lynchway. He telephoned Optimise who admitted they were in error in not having contacted us. All their negotiations had been with the Chilton PC although in reality Chilton was virtually unaffected by the work.

Mr Brown has been told that the project, scheduled to be completed by end of June, should be completed by end of May. The Parish Council have a number of serious concerns:

i) The Lynchway, which will be closed towards the end of the project, could be unfit as part of the route for our annual Uptonogood cycle ride;

ii) Inconvenience to local parishioners whilst the A417 near the G&D is controlled by traffic lights;

iii) The Frog Alley pumping station may not be able to cope with the additional volume;

It was agreed that the PC will write to Optimise setting out our concerns. MB/Clerk

ii) Amenities including Recreation Ground

· Uptonogood

Dr Lott said that Uptonogood would he held on Saturday 18th June, with camping in the Recreation Ground on Friday 17th & Saturday 18th June. A note will be put in Upton News to ensure that residents are made aware. There are some concerns about using the Lynchway

and also permission being granted to use Common Lane which is classified as a footpath.

· Goal Posts

Dr Lott reported that one of the small goal post was broken, Mr Brown agreed to replace it the next day. MB

iii) Young Parishioners including Play Area

· Playground

Mr Mason said that 2 grant applications had been unsuccessful and the applications need refocusing and the vision statement revising. The PC agreed that the committee should pursue the proposal made by KOMPAN who can arrange help with grant applications. Should this be successful KOMPAN would either carry out the work or charge £1k for the input made.

iv) Village Hall

· Land Regularisation: the deeds have now been signed off by the PC and UVHAT and the matter is being completed by Mr Simon Barrett, solicitor.

v) Communications – Nothing to report

vi) Volunteer Group

· Work on Common Lane will be organised as quickly as possible, if sufficient effort is available the overhanging ivy in Post Office Lane will be cut back but this is not seen as important.

vii) N.A.G. – No report

viii) UKAEA Local Liaison Committee – The next meeting is scheduled for 18th March.

ix) Parish Transport Report – No report

11. Finance

i) Payments since last meeting:

M Brown/purchases from Staples for document storage system £44.27

Clerk’s Salary: £321

Subscription to Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils – £133.07

Subscription to Oxford Playing Fields Association – £35

The above payments were agreed.

ii) Receipts since last meeting:

Bank interest January 39p, February 35p

VAT Repayment: January £12.24, February £15.27

Annual payment from OCC in respect of footpath cutting, £450

The above receipts were agreed

iii) Agree charitable donations

A number of requests had been received during the year including: Air Ambulance, CAB,

South & Vale Carers, Oxfordshire Association for the Blind, CPRE, Sue Ryder “Chair Appeal” for Nettlebed Hospice, Ryder-Cheshire Volunteers, Oxfordshire.

Whilst these charities were all deemed to be worthy, it was agreed that donations would be made as follows:

£200 – St Mary’s Church (towards upkeep of cemetery and production of Upton News)

£25 – Mr Churchman (gratuity for locking recreation ground gates). This payment is justified under para 8 of the Local Govt Act 1972.

£50 – Air Ambulance

£50 – South & Vale Carers

£50 – Upton Methodist Church

12. Risk Assessment & Asset Register

A Risk Assessment and Asset Register, compiled by Mr Brown, had been circulated in advance of the meeting. The Parish Council ratified both these documents.

13. Parish Council Administration

· Document Storage

Mr Brown said that the document storage system was now complete and had been done in accordance with the Government’s Model Publication Scheme. The clerk expressed thanks to Mr Brown for having achieved this excellent system.

· Registering PC as an employer with HMRC

The clerk noted that under a new directive from HMRC the Parish Council is required to register as an employer. Clerk

14. Correspondence recently received

· Didcot Volunteer Centre car scheme: a letter had been received advising that the DVC’s grant from OCC is being reduced and requesting our support. The clerk was asked to write supporting DVC which provides transport for hospital and doctors appointments. Clerk

· Vale on Line Communications

· Meeting Everyone’s Needs – Vale Survey

· Rural News Digest – February & March

· Oxfordshire Car Share

· OALC February Issue

· British Legions 90th Birthday – invitation to organise an event 10-12 June

· Electoral Review of Oxfordshire

All correspondence had been circulated either by email or in hard copy.

15. Dates for noting:

The following dates were noted: Annual Parish Meeting – Monday 11th April at 8.00 p.m.

Election of Councillors – Thursday 5th May Nominations to be made by noon on 4th April.

The next meeting is to be held on Tuesday 17th May at 8.00 p.m.

Clare Lightfoot, Clerk

Tel: 01235 850486

20th March 2011

UPT/1198/5 Pointer’s Piece

Planning Application No UPT/1198/5 11/00299/FUL

Location – Pointer’s Piece, Chilton Road

Application – proposed solar panels to rear garden (supported on A frames)

Applicant – Mr & Mrs Thomas

Application Date 2/3/2011

Parish Council Reply – No Objections

District Council Decision – Permitted

Note

All drawings and other hard copy documents connected with the above application will be destroyed after 3 years.

For further information on this application visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk and click on Planning and Planning Applications using the above Ref.No.

Risk Assessment 2010-2011

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL – RISK ASSESSMENT 2010-2011

Assessment of Risks that could affect the Finances or the Smooth Running of Upton Parish Council

This brief assessment considers the implications of accidents and wanton damage to Council property and, where such events may affect the finances or the smooth running of the Council, what action should be taken to counter the risk.

The assessment looks at three areas:

  1. Damage resulting in loss of income to the Council
  2. Accidents resulting in a claim against the Council
  3. Loss of or damage to Council assets

1) Loss of Income

The Council does not receive any income from the hiring out of any of its assets. The major source of income comes from the precept set annually by the Council with a small income resulting from Bank interest and refund of VAT.                                                                                                               

2) Possible Claims against the Council

PUBLIC LIABILITY

The Council is at risk of being asked to pay compensation to members of the public for injury, illness, or loss of or damage to material property arising in connection with the Council’s activities. In particular, it is at risk of a claim arising from an accident whilst using the Council’s play equipment or whilst playing in the Council’s recreation ground.

Action

The Council has taken out Public Liability Insurance with Aviva for cover up to £10M for any one occurrence.

In order to reduce the possibility of receiving such a claim the Council’s play equipment is subject to a monthly inspection by the Play Area Committee and an annual inspection by RoSPA.  The recreation ground and the attached children’s play area are regularly cut and kept tidy during the summer months.

Reputable contractors are employed to undertake non-routine recreation ground maintenance to reduce the chances of possible damage to material property or injury to a member of the public.

The Council has purchased two lawn mowers to enable the community to undertake the routine grass cutting of the recreation ground. Selected members of the community have volunteered to be users of the equipment and are officially engaged to undertake the grass cutting. All volunteers have been given training and detailed written instructions to ensure the safety of themselves and that of members of the public whilst the equipment is in use. Users will ensure that the ride-on mower is not used within 30 meters of any member of the public on the recreation ground and the self propelled-mower will not be used within 10 meters of any member of the public in the children’s play area or recreation ground. No one will operate the grass cutting machinery unless trained and officially engaged to do so.

EMPLOYER’S LIABILITY

The Council is at risk of being asked to pay compensation to an employee (in our case a volunteer worker) for injury or illness arising out of, and in the course of, their employment by the Council.

Action

The Council has taken out Employer’s Liability Insurance with Aviva for cover up to £10M for any one occurrence.

3) Loss of, or Damage to, Council Assets

The Council’s assets, together with their replacement value, are listed separately in the attached inventory.

BUS SHELTER

The risk of damage to the Bus Shelter comes from serious vandalism or from vehicular impact.

In its position in a very quiet village, the chances of vehicle accident is very low.  If it were hit by a lawful driver, a claim could be made on the driver’s insurance. The shelter is a very robust brick and tile structure that makes it an unlikely target for serious vandalism.

Action

The Council has looked at insuring the Bus Shelter for its full replacement cost, less the first £250 of any claim. The Council considers that the chances of a hit by an illegal driver is so remote as to not need consideration and that any vandal damage is likely to be minor or graffiti which will cost less than the insurance excess to put right.

The Council has insured it’s Street Furniture up to a value of £420 and this may cover intermediate damage to the shelter but other than that the council has decided not to take any action.

GARAGE

The risk of damage to the Garage comes from accidental fire and possible serious vandalism.

The garage is a mainly concrete structure tucked away in the recreation ground but close to dwellings making it a very unlikely target for serious vandalism.

The garage is used to house the two mowers and no more than 40 litres of petrol for use in the mowers. The petrol is stored in proprietary petrol storage cans.

There are no ignition sources in the garage except for the ignition of the mowers. There is no regular access to the garage except for access to the mowers and very occasional access to excess chairs belonging to the village hall.

The garage is secured by two locking mechanisms, one being a level 6 security lock.

Action

The council has insured the Garage for the replacement cost of £2226 with Aviva against damage by either of the above possibilities.

GRASS CUTTING EQUIPMENT

The councils owns 2 mowers, a 48 inch John Deere ride-on and a 22 inch Murray self propelled. Both mowers are stored in the Garage and are used to cut the grass in the recreation ground and occasionally to cut parish footpaths. Cutting the footpaths does mean taking the mower on public roads for a total of approximately 3 miles per year. The mowers are at risk from fire, theft and accidental damage.

Action

The council has insured the Mowers for their replacement cost of £2383.42 with Aviva against loss or damage by any of the above possibilities. The local police have postcode marked both mowers.

GATES and FENCES

The risk of damage to the recreation ground gates and to the fence around the children’s play equipment comes from serious vandalism or from vehicular impact.

In their position in a very quiet village the chances of vehicle accident with either the gates or the fence is very low.  If either were hit by a lawful driver, a claim could be made on the driver’s insurance.

Minor vandalism of the fence will continue on a regular basis (approximately twice per year) breaking a small number of pales from the wooden fence. The average cost per event providing volunteer labour is available to carry out the repair is approx £10.

Action

The Council has looked at insuring the gates and the fence for their full replacement cost with Aviva, less the first £250 of any claim, against damage by either of the above possibilities. The Council considers that the chances of a serious hit by an illegal driver is so remote as to not need consideration and that any vandal damage is likely to be minor, costing less than the insurance excess to put right.

The Council has decided not to take any action.

PLAY EQUIPMENT

The risk of damage to the items of play equipment comes from serious vandalism. The expensive items are generally substantial, mainly metal, structures that are likely to require powered equipment to cause significant damage.  The other chance of significant damage is for parts of the wooden fence to be used to start a fire under one of the play items but in a village that has only a minor vandalism problem the chances of such action is considered to be < 1 in 40 years (most of the play items have an expected lifetime of 15-20 years).  It should be noted that the play equipment is surrounded by a wooden fence and in very close proximity to the village hall which would appear to be softer options for any acts of relatively minor vandalism.

Action

The Council has decided not to insure the Play Equipment but instead to continue to put aside £500 per year into a reserve fund to be used for the repair and eventual replacement of the items.

RECREATION GROUND

There is a risk of relatively minor vandal damage to the recreation ground but the cost of repair is not considered to be significant since volunteer labour will be available to carry out any remedial work that may be necessary.

There is a small risk of personal injury caused by illegal motor vehicles crossing the recreation ground.

Action

The council will continue to attempt to prevent motor vehicles crossing the recreation ground.

MONEY

At any one time the Council may have relatively small sums of money or cheques in the possession of the Clerk or various Councillors. There is a small risk of such sums of money being lost or stolen.

The risk of fraud or inadvertent accounting errors are minimised by monthly bank reconciliation carried out by the Clerk and by the requirement for all cheques to be signed by two Councillors.  Both internal and external audits are carried out annually.

Although unlikely given the strict controls regarding release of funds and payment of cheques the BDO audit has recommended that the PC take out an “infidelity bond” to protect the council against employee dishonesty.

Action

The Council has insured with Aviva against the risk of loss or theft of relatively small sums of money. The maximum that could be claimed is up to £500 in the Clerk’s or a Councillor’s house and up to £1000 in transit.

The PC has taken out an infidelity bond and cover is now provided through the insurance policy with Aviva up to the amount of £100K.

Summary

The Council has looked at possible accidents and possible incidents of wanton damage and has taken what it believes to be appropriate action to protect its financial position and to ensure that it will be able to continue to conduct its business. It should be noted that the loss or damage to any of the assets listed in Section 3 would not disrupt the smooth running of Council business.

Mike Brown
For:   Upton Parish Council   – 4th January 2011

Minutes of Extraordinary Meeting 22nd February 2011

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of Extraordinary Meeting held on Tuesday 22nd February 2011 at 8.15 pm in the Village Hall

PRESENT: Mr J Dickens (Chairman), Dr R Lott, Mr D Mason, Mr S Norman, Mrs L Shaw,

Mrs C Lightfoot (Clerk), Mr B Simpson.

2 members of the public attended for item 3.

1. Apologies – Mr M Brown

2. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. Any Member arriving after the start of the meeting is asked to declare personal interests as necessary as soon as practicable after their arrival even if the item in question has been considered. None recorded.

3. Planning Application UPT/368/4 – Erection of 4 bedroomed detached house, detached garage and new access on land adjacent to Kameki, Chilton Road. Applicant Mr I Ross.

The plans, having been circulated to members in advance of the meeting, were discussed. It was agreed that the plans met planning criteria and the Parish Council had no objections. Clerk to advise the Vale accordingly. CL

4. Land Regularisation: Following legal advice Upton Village Hall Amenity Trust (UVHAT) has resolved that the land presently owned by UVHAT should be transferred back to the Parish Council in consideration of a conveyance from the Council of the land occupied by the extended hall and patio, plus a border of 0.5 Metres. In order to execute this, Mr Mason proposed that Mr Dickens and Mr Brown be given delegated power to sign the deed on behalf of the Parish Council. Mr Norman seconded the proposal and all were in favour.

Meeting closed at 8.40 p.m.

Clare Lightfoot

Clerk/Upton Parish Council

25th February 2011

2010-2011

UPT/21353 No 3 Fieldside

Planning Application No UPT/21353. 10/01878/FUL

Location – 3 Fieldside, Upton

Application – proposed development of a single dwelling on land to the rear (East) of 3 Fieldside and widened access to the site to serve both properties

Applicant – Mr K O’Donoghue

Application Date 24/11/2010

Parish Council Reply – Extraordinary PC meeting held 7 December. PC object to this application which sets a precedent not beneficial to the character of the village and is detrimental to surrounding properties. Concerns were raised regarding over dominance of the property on the plot, traffic generation, car parking provision and noise disturbance.

District Council Decision – 16/2/2011 – Vale advise plans withdrawn

Note

All drawings and other hard copy documents connected with the above application will be destroyed after 3 years.

For further information on this application visit www.whitehorsedec.gov.uk and click on Planning and Planning Applications using the above Ref No.

UPT/368/4 Kameki

Planning Application No UPT/368/4. 11/00173/FUL

Location – Land adjacent to Kameki, Chilton Road

Application – Erection of a 4 bedroomed detached house and detached garage and new access. Land adjacent to Kameki, Chilton Road

Applicant – Mr I Ross

Application Date 14/2/2011

Parish Council Reply – Extraordinary PC meeting to be held 22nd February 2011.

District Council Decision – Permission Granted subject to conditions

Note

All drawings and other hard copy documents connected with the above application will be destroyed after 3 years.

For further information on this application visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk and click on Planning and Planning Applications using the above Ref.No.

Minutes of Meeting 18th January 2011

UPTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of Meeting held in the Village Hall, on Tuesday 18th January 2011 at 8.00 pm

Present: Mr J Dickens (Chairman), Mr M Brown, Mr D Mason, Mr R Farrell (part time), and Mrs C Lightfoot (Clerk)

1. Apologies received from Dr R. Lott, Mr S Norman, Mrs L Shaw & Mr S Lilley

2. Declarations of Interest

Members are asked to declare any personal interest and the nature of that interest which they may have in any of the items under consideration at this meeting. Any Member arriving after the start of the meeting is asked to declare personal interests as necessary as soon as practicable after their arrival even if the item in question has been considered. None recorded.

3. Minutes of meeting of Upton Parish Council held on 16th November and Extraordinary Parish Council meetings held on 7th December 2010, having been previously circulated, were signed by the Chairman as a true record.

4. Matters Arising:

(i) high speed internet: it was noted that there had been 100% response from the Blewbury exchange to the BT initiative, thus subject to survey, we qualify for an upgrade of our internet connection.

(ii) Scottish & Southern High Voltage Cable. The clerk has been in touch with Mr Simon Barrett (solicitor), asking if he will act on our behalf in connection with the Easement. We await his response.

5. PCSO’s Report – in the absence of a PCSO there was no report.

6. County Councillor’s Report – Mr Lilley has been in touch with the clerk saying that he is holding a quarterly meeting with Highways and if there are any issues we wish to raise these can be forwarded to him.

7. District Councillor’s Report

Mr Farrell suggested we visit the Vale’s website and comment on the Chief Executive’s initial budget. He noted that the Vale’s grant from central Government had been reduced by 16%, with a further reduction of 11% next year.

Bin Collection: Councillors raised the issue of non-collection of bins when adverse weather coincided with the Christmas holiday period with the upshot that 4 weeks elapsed between collections. Mr Farrell said that there is no contingency in the contract for back up collections. He will raise our complaint with the Vale.

Localism Bill: Mr Farrell was asked if the Vale would be disseminating information to Parish Councils on this Bill. He said that he was not aware of any plans for the Vale to do so since its policy department probably does not have the spare capacity to do this.

Planning: Mr Farrell mentioned that in a recent appeal decision in the Vale, relating to building in a garden, the Inspector had upheld refusal by the Vale suggesting that following a recent directive from the government it may become more difficult to obtain permission to build in gardens that are seen as being a valued open space to the community.

8. Villagers’ Forum – no villagers present.

9. Village Hall

The Clerk noted that the minutes of a recent UVHAT meeting stated that the land regularization issue is still ongoing.

UVHAT, together with the Parish Council, had agreed to a Caravan Rally to be held on the Recreation Ground over the Easter weekend from Thursday 21st – Monday 25th April. The clerk was asked to contact UVHAT to enquire whether some of the receipts from the rally could be passed to the Parish Council to be used towards the upgrading of the playground. Clerk

10. Planning

The outcome of the following planning applications was noted:

UPT/368/368/3-X – proposed erection of 2 dwellings in the garden of Kameki.

Vale have notified that this outline planning application has been withdrawn.

UPT/21068/2 – 5 Fieldside: application approved.

11. Status reports from Councillors on areas of responsibility

i) Roads and Footpaths

Signage in Chilton Road

Mr Brown reported that residents in Chilton Road had for sometime been requesting some measures that would reduce the speed of the traffic coming down the road. The Highways department has now offered to erect more visible “30” signs and to place a 30 roundel in the road. It was agreed to accept this.

Road safety in village

A discussion ensued on the merits of reducing the speed limit to 20mph on village roads, and who would subsequently police them. It was agreed that villagers should be consulted and this should be done as part of a review of our Parish Plan. This will be an agenda item for the Annual Parish Meeting. Clerk

ii) Amenities including Recreation Ground – Nothing to report.

iii) Young Parishioners including Play Area

Location of playground & progress on Playground improvements

Mr Mason reported that the working group had made 2 grant applications. The ball park figure for the new playground is £50k to include safety matting. He said that community support is vital and an “open day” will be held when children can help draw up ideas and explore the siting of the playground. In keeping with the rural location, timber play equipment will be considered. A phased approach might have to be adopted.

Cycle jumps: reshaping the jumps will be dealt with by volunteers in the spring.

iii) Communications

Inserts in Upton News: Becci’s mobile shop has requested putting a flyer in the next Upton News. The Parish Council had no objection since the shop is seen as an added amenity for the village and we should take action to support it.

iv) Volunteer Group:

Dr Lott had sent a note suggesting that the time was right to tidy up Post Office Lane. The Council agreed to the proposal.

v) N.A.G. – no report

vi) UKAEA Local Liaison Committee: Mr Brown is still not receiving communication from UKAEA and will chase up the Secretary. MB

vii) Parish Transport Rep: nothing further to report

12. Finance

i) Agree estimates and set precept for 2011/12

Copy of the proposed estimates and reserves for 2011/2012 having been previously circulated, were discussed. Following discussion Mr Dickens proposed an amendment that the precept be kept at £7,250, seconded by Mr Mason. All were in favour of the amended proposals.

Clerk to complete the Precept request form as appropriate. Clerk

ii) Payments since last meeting:

Kalehurst Garden Machinery, mower annual service, £254.14
Half year repayment to PWLB (Dec 2010) £412.91
Clerk’s Salary: £321
Donation to village Christmas tea party £40
Subscription to Society of Local Council Clerks – £61

Payments were agreed.

iii) Receipts since last meeting:

Bank interest November 36p, December 37p
VAT Repayment – November £42.20
Annual payment from OCC in respect of footpath cutting, £450

Receipts were noted.

13. Risk Assessment and Assets Register 2011/2012

Mr Brown reported that he had made a first attempt at revising the Parish Council’s Risk Assessment document. He concluded that the Parish Council’s insurance policy appeared to be anomalous and clarification should be sought. The Chairman will seek further advice on the current policy. JD

The revised Assets Register is with Mr Mason for updating of replacement values for the play equipment.

DM

14. Correspondence recently received

  • Copy of letter from parishioner to Vale planning department re Hitherto
  • Berinsfield Community Business offering grounds services
  • Local Govt Boundary Commission: Electoral Review of Oxfordshire
  • Clerk to Didcot Town Council: closer working relationships with neighbouring parishes.
  • South Oxfordshire proposed submission core strategy: Consultation ends 21 January – visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/corestrategy

All correspondence had been circulated.

15. Date of next meeting: The next meeting is to be held on Tuesday 15th March 2011

Clare Lightfoot, Clerk

Tel: 01235 850486

25th January 2011

Parish Council Plan 2010-11

Upton Parish Council Aims and Objectives 2010 -2011

Finance:

  • Produce clear and concise documents that set adequate budgets. The budgets together with the council’s financial regulations will strictly control all financial transactions.

Training:

  • Encourage the development of all councillors and clerks through appropriate training, experience and succession management.

Planning:

  • Strive to maintain the village character, whilst balancing improvements with the requirements of a rural village.

Amenities:

  • Continue to support UVHAT in the on going improvement of the village hall
  • Improve and extend the parking facilities for the village hall in conjunction with UVHAT
  • Maintain the grass cutting rota for the recreation ground and playground
  • Carry out routine safety inspections of the playground
  • Establish a working group to acquire funding for and develop a new play ground
  • Create a bicycle jumps cycle track to one side of the recreation ground
  • Continue to identify projects, support and work with the volunteer group relating to improvement and maintenance of communal village areas

Services:

  • Strive to maintain the current bus service levels and local transport infrastructures
  • Support the First Responders group where possible.
  • Support the George and Dragon Public House where possible.

Roads and Footpaths:

  • Enter into a contract with OCC for the grass cutting of village footpaths and maintain a rota for the grass cutting of the footpaths
  • Continue to work with the Highways Dept to ensure the roads in the Parish are well maintained and as safe as possible
  • Continue efforts to establish an improved footpath or cycle route to Blewbury which satisfies the requirements of all interested parties.

Youth and Clubs:

  • Support and encourage these clubs where possible to sustain and assist their growth.

Promotion of the village:

  • Promote the Upton into the future whilst preserving the balance of private village life through creating more enjoyable, traditional events for families such as the annual fete.

John Dickens 19th May 2010

Chairman Upton Parish Council

Adopted at Parish Council meeting of 26th May 2010