BARTON-ON-THE-HEATH PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF AN ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING
HELD IN THE VILLAGE HALL on 28th October 2011 at 7pm
Present: Councillors: Brigadier J F Rickett (Chairman), Lt Col J B Henderson (Vice-Chairman),
Mrs G Cathie, , Mrs D Pelczynski
Clerk: Mrs H Seymour-Smith
Hon. Treasurer: Capt J Castle RN
Mr J Shipton (Internal Auditor)
Public: Mr J Matthias, Mr J Hayman-Joyce, Mr D Poulsom, Mr Carl Morris, Mr & Mrs R Graham, Mr A Wield, Mr Corner, Mr R Ward, Mr C Fance, Ms M Pettifer, Mr E and Mr S Hicks
District Councillor S Gray, County Councillor C Saint
1. Apologies: Mrs L Hayman-Joyce
2. The Minutes of the Ordinary General Meeting on the 27th May 2011 were approved, and the Chairman signed them.
Matters arising:
a) BT phone box – the Clerk to apply to BT to have it removed.
b) Jeff Morris had apparently said the road into Camden Close would be resurfaced just before or just after Christmas.
c) The Vice-Chairman reported that parking on the road out of Barton towards Long Compton was considered acceptable by the police – although it was NOT acceptable to park on the pavement.
3. Financial matters: The Hon Treasurer reported as follows:
a) AUDIT 2010 -11. An “unqualified approval” had been given by the External Auditor on 18 September 2011. However the auditor has asked that the Treasurer should to the council’s attention a challenge by his staff raised about the way in which the Fixed Asset Register is run. The Hon Treasure had responded to the challenge of an increasing Asset Register value each year by explaining that because there were no historic records of the original costs of many of the items on the Register, it was maintained to mirror the insurance value of the items and, because this was based on their replacement value and was increased by the insurance company by the rate of inflation each year, the total value of the Fixed Asset Register increased each year. The External Auditor had accepted this explanation.
b) INTERIM STATEMENT. This was circulated to Council Members. The Hopn Treasurer pointed out that the cost of the website has increased from £60 in the last financial year to £90 this year. Otherwise he had no concerns.
c) FIXED ASSET REGISTER. Due to the pressure on the construction industry keeping costs down, the Hon Treasurer recommended that the Council approved the current valuations (of replacement values) except for an increase to £90 for the value of the website. But a review of the values of the bus shelter and memorial fountain are due because they no longer match the insurance values and he askred the Council for their agreement to undertake a review of values with the Vice Chairman at some point in 2012.
The Council approved the Asset valuations and agreed that they should be reviewed in 2012.
d) ZURICH INSURANCE. The Hon Treasurer suggested that the insurance premium of £353.88, now due for 2011/12 should be paid and thereafter that he should correspond with Zurich to see if the policy could be changed because it provides cover for many items which are irrelevant to council business.
The Council approved paying the premium for 2011/12 and as part of the valuation review the Hon Treasurer/Vice Chairman should also on value for money to see if any other insurance company could offer better terms.
e) PRECEPT CALCULATION. The Hon Treasurer referred to the papers he had circulated before the meeting. He estimated that at the end of the 2011/12 financial year the funds available to the council would be £369. He pointed out that the long term policy of the council had been to keep this balance surplus at about £500. However he recommended that this lower level would be acceptable because as would be discussed later under the agenda item the new Maintenance Account would have been opened and contain £150.
He continued by suggesting that the Council should accept the estimates for income and payments so that the discussion to set the precept could focus on:-
a. The amount to pay into the new maintenance account, which in previous years has been held at £350 to keep the precept down rather than ring fencing 3% of the Fixed Assets value, which would have been £503. He suggested that had the policy for the Maintenance Account of paying in 3% each year been maintained from when it was started in 2006/7, it would now have a credit balance of £1070. He recommended that continuing to restrain the contribution to the Maintenance Account for a fourth year, simply to keep the precept constant, was a luxury the village could not afford, and a full contribution to the Maintanance Fund in 2012/13 should be made.
b. The “Safety Margin” which has always been held at £500 (as mentioned above). With the new Maintenance Account containing up to £500 by the end of the 2012/13 he asked the Council to consider if such a large Safety Margin is still required? As Treasurer he said he would be uncomfortable with less than £200 which is the amount the amount he now recommended.
He concluded his presentation by stating that if his two recommendations were accepted the Precept for 2012/13 would need to be £983 which would give a band D rate of £18.93, an increase of £2.27 on this year’s level.
The Chairman asked for the Councillor’s views. The consensus was that while it was disappointing not to be able to maintain the precept at its present level for a third year, there was a pressing need to start building up the Maintenance Fund. On balance the Chairman felt that the Council had to accept the need to build up some reserves and the Precept of £983 was approved.
The Council directed the Hon Treasurer to apply for the precept of £983 in January 2012 unless in the intervening period he had any cause to bring the matter to the attention of the council for financial reasons.
f) MAINTENANCE ACCOUNT. The Honorary Treasurer reported that he had been unable to open a separate interest paying savings account with C&G or with National Savings, an action approved at the previous council meeting. However he was a customer with HSBC, which has a branch in Moreton. HSBC, he reported, offer a Club/Society/Association current account which can be linked to a Business Money Manager savings account. Access to the savings account has to be through the current account which can be set up to require two signatures for security. He felt that the C&G passbook account, which had only paid about 80p interest in the current financial year had reached the end of its useful suitability for council funds. He recommended that the Council should authorise the closure of the C&G passbook account for it to be replaced by a current account and a linked savings account with HSBC.
The Chairman, with the agreement of the Council, approved the transfer.
The Vice-Chairman wished it to be noted how hard the Hon. Treasurer worked, and many thanks were given to him.
4. Planning matters – to be dealt with at end of meeting.
5. Resignations – Mrs Pelczynski said that as an aeging Councillor, she would like to offer her place to any younger person who may wish to be on the Parish Council. She said she would stay until 2014 if necessary, and the Chairman said he would be happy if she would stay.
6. Any Other Business:
a) The Chairman said he was concerned about drivers using mobile phones. Councillor Gray said the Community Forum, attended by the Police, would be the best place to air his concern – he said he would send the date of the next Forum.
b) Planning:
Mr E Hicks presented his proposals to the meeting. He explained his proposal to relocate his farmyard to a more central location on his farm, half a mile towards Long Compton. This position would afford good access to the rest of his farm, and with minimal impact on the landscape. To fund this, Mr Hicks proposed redeveloping half of the current farmyard.
Mr Hicks said he had had permission for a new 5,000 sq. ft. building behind Court Farmhouse which hadn’t been built. He talked about the fact that his grandfather had come to Barton in 1930, and that his own son Sam would be the 4th generation of the Hicks family to farm in Barton. He also said that the new house he was proposing as part of the new farmyard site would have an agricultural tie on it, and that it would it would give the benefit of security, with the house next to the farmyard.
Mr Hicks explained that he was only proposing to develop two houses on half of the existing farmyard, only as much as was necessary to fund the new farmyard and house – the rest would be returned to agriculture.
Mr Hicks said he was coming to the Parish for their input in advance of approaching Stratford District Council. He also assured the meeting that he would be in charge of all of the development himself (i.e. he wouldn’t sell to a third party to develop the proposals).
The Chairman asked for any comments from the meeting.
– The Clerk said that she and her husband were in favour of the proposals, although suggested that it would be advantageous if the new houses were moved slightly away from the Wolford Road.
– Mr Wield also said it would be advantageous to have the houses further back to extend the tree line. The Chair agreed, and this seemed a general consensus.
– Mr Matthias asked about the potential building which Mr Hicks had mentioned had planning permission, behind Court farmhouse. Mr Hicks said he was fairly sure the permission had lapsed, and in any case, that he didn’t own the land any more.
– Mr Hayman-Joyce said that although it wasn’t personal, he was very much against the proposals. He questioned whether this was sustainable development, and whether anything had changed since the previous appeal had been dismissed. He was worried about creating precedent, and about the financing of the project, given that Mr Hicks had developed and sold 3 farm houses in Barton in the last 12 years. He questioned why the buildings at Leys farm could not be replaced / updated. Mr Hayman Joyce also said that Mrs Hayman Joyce did not support the proposals.
– Mr Hicks responded by explaining why all previous houses had been sold, that there was no precedent, and that this was a unique situation. He also said that he had all the necessary finance in place, subject to planning permission.
– Mr Hayman-Joyce reiterated his concerns about the project’s finances. Mr Hicks accepted his concerns, but reiterated the fact that he had agreement from his bank, and added that he had plenty of experience of similar projects.
– The Hon. Trasurer said he felt that the proposal had to be accepted as a package because each of the three actions were a sequence – move the farm facilities – build the new houses – build the new farm house. It would not be possible to agree to some parts of the proposal and not others. He felt the village should support one of its active businesses and, in view of the national shortage of housing, Barton should help in allowing the construction of 3 new houses.
– Mrs Graham said they had confidence Mr Hicks would do a good job, and hoped it would go ahead.
The Chairman put the proposals to the Councillors:
– Mrs Cathie said she thoroughly agreed with all of the comments of support so far.
– Mrs Pelczynski said she agreed in principle with the proposals, subject to the detail
– The Vice-Chairman also said he supported Mr Hicks’ proposals.
Other comments:
– Mr Matthias said he was in favour of the proposals, but wondered about perhaps limiting the development to two houses. The Chair said this was the sort of detail that should be discussed later.
– Mr Morris said the current farm buildings were an eyesore.
– The Chairman said that any detailed proposals should be in line with the Village Design Statement (i.e. 2 storey not 3) – but that he was in favour of the proposals in principle.
Mr Hicks thanked the meeting for their support.
7. Dates of next meetings (amended since those discussed at the meeting):
Ordinary General Meeting: Friday 16th March 2012
Ordinary General Meeting and Annual General Meeting Friday 1st June 2012
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