PRESENT:    

Councillors (10)

C Hawkins (Chairman), N Bedford, S Boalch, P Collins, B Eldridge, Mrs A Garwood, Mrs A Grigg, C Hudson, G Ryan, D Spearman,  

                        Also in Attendance (2)

                        Susan De Luca – Clerk to the Council

                        Adriana Jones – Finance & Administrative Officer

                                                Members of the Public (0)

                                                There were no Members of the public present.

                                                Members of the Press (0)

                                                No Members of the Press were present.

The Chairman started opened the meeting by congratulating Councillor Grigg on her appointment as Chairman of Epping Forest District Council, and stating how pleasant it was to see the official picture of this appointment with Councillor Grigg standing by the North Weald Village Sign.  All present supported the Chairman with his comments.  Councillor Grigg thanked all Councillors who came and supported her.

10.20      APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE (5)

NOTED that apologies had been received from Councillors Dinsdale, Godwin-Brown, Poulton, Sawyer and Stallan.

10.21      OTHER ABSENCES (0)

None.

10.22      MINUTES

Following 3 minor amendments to numbers 10.08, 10.10 and 10.12, the Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on the 10^th May 2010 were confirmed and signed as a true record.

10.23      DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

NOTED there were no Declarations of Interests:

10.24     QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

                                    There were no questions from members of the Public.

10.25   CLERKS UPDATE AND COMMUNICATIONS REPORT

Members RECEIVED the oral report of the Clerk in relation to the matters which had been detailed on her report, the outcomes of which are reproduced

below;

10.26               MEMBERS REPORTS

a)      Chairman’s Report – The Chairman reported the following:

·        He has had a number of small meetings over the past month, one was regarding some possible iron work around the war memorial in the Church.

·        The Chairman passed on his thanks, and those of the Parish, to Councillor Collins and Councillor Bedford for all their efforts regarding the CIF bid for the Crossing.

·        The Chairman informed Members that a meeting had taken place recently with an allotment tenant from Hastingwood B regarding a report that was made to the Safer Communities Team following a report of threatening behaviour.  A copy of a letter received from the allotment tenant was tabled, together with a draft response.  Members NOTED the history of this issue, together with the content of the Tenants letter, and AGREED to the draft response letter being sent.

b)      Vice Chairman’s Report – The Vice Chairman reported the following:

·        There are still concerns regarding the verges that are nonexistent.

·        There seems to be leaks under the Road in Mill Street, and other Streets in the Village.  This is an ongoing problem due to the heavy traffic through the village. 

·        Residents were up in arms about a recent newspaper article in the Harlow Herald which stated that Councillor Hume thanked road users for their patience whilst they complete works, however no mention was made about the villagers in Hastingwood and their patience.

·        Sandy Kelly has been duly elected Allotment Warden for Hastingwood Site B. 

c)       District Councillors Reports - Councillor Grigg reported the following:

·      Eric Pickles MP has written to Local Authorities regarding the abolition of Regional Strategies (quangos, etc) – Councillor Grigg read out a copy of the letter, confirming that a formal announcement will be made soon.

·      Councillor Grigg confirmed that the Leader has written a letter and asked for the direction of the G&T to be removed.

·      Regarding North Weald Airfield, the Council is employing a consultant to look at uses on the airfield, including the intensification of air fuse.  There were 8 bidders, and 5 are being interviewed.  Councillor Collins asked if the consultants engaged by the Parish Council for East of England were one of the parties?  Councillor Grigg stated she was not permitted to divulge details of the applicants.

d)      Highways Reports – Councillor Collins reported the following:

·      Thanked Councillor Bedford for his assistance with the CIF bid, stating he did an excellent job and put our case forward exceptionally well.  All present agreed.

·      Councillor Collins also stated that he had been contacted by the press regarding the CIF bid.  He did inform the press to be extremely careful how they reported this, stating that is an agreement in principle and a major step forward, however not a foregone conclusion.  Site meetings still need to take place with surveyors to establish the site location and obtain agreement from other parties involved.

e)      Councillor Reports

i)             Councillor Garwood stated that the Queens Hall Charity has just lost two Trustees, one of which was due to assist them with a funding application. Councillor Garwood also stated that earlier in the year lead was stolen from the room of the Queens Hall, and this has just happened again.  Councillor Garwood also requested that the Queens Hall Charity details are passed on to anyone looking for possible office rental accommodation in the area.  The Clerk asked if Community Transport had come back to the Charity regarding funding applications; however Councillor Garwood said she could not locate their number.  Clerk to give Councillor Garwood the number.

ii)            Councillor Hudson conformed he had attended the Queens Hall Charity AGM as a member of the public.  As a result of this participation, the appointment of Parish Council Trustees was sorted out.  Councillor Hudson asked if members felt it was incumbent upon us to fill these vacancies.  The Clerk confirmed she has already placed an advertisement in Village Life.  Councillor Hudson suggested it may be a good idea to do so again.

10.27               FINANCIAL REPORTS

a)    Statement of Accounts and Investments

Members Approved the list of cheques which were signed up to 31^st May 2010 and NOTED the summary of income received and the account balances at the end of that month.    Members NOTED that expenditure items over and above those agreed at budget are highlighted in yellow.

b)       Notice of Audit / Annual Return

Members NOTED that the Notice of Audit for financial year 1^st April 2009 to 31^st March 2010 had been received, and a copy of the Notice of Electors Rights had been placed on the notice boards throughout the parish.    

Members examined and NOTED the Income & Expenditure Account, the Balance Sheet and the Statement of Assurance for the year ending 31^st March 2010.  Members also answered the questions in Section 2 – Annual Governance Statement.  It was RESOLVED that:

The 2009/2010 end of year Accounts, Annual Governance Statement and the Accounting Statement (Annual Return) be approved and signed by the Chairman and the Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer on behalf of this Council.

c) Internal Audit Report 

Members NOTED that the Internal Auditor had completed an internal audit, which included the approval of the accounts and Accounting Statements for period 2009/2010.  A copy of the internal audit report was still awaited.  

10.28   CLOSURE OF THORNWOOD COMMON PLAYING FIELD

Members were informed that the Thornwood Village Festival was scheduled to take place on Sunday 27^th June, and formally AGREED to the closure of the hall and playing field on this date.

10.29               COMMUNITY INITIATIVES FUND - HIGHWAYS       

On 27^th May 2010, the CIF Judging Panel met to discuss and agree the allocation of CIF Funding.  Each parish was invited to put forward a representative to sit on the panel, with Councillor Bedford being this Parish’s representative.  Councillor Bedford summarised the events of the day, including details of the criteria for funding, stating that funding was allocated to those applicants who met this criteria.  Councillor Bedford confirmed that the application for funding for the crossing was approved in principle, and that a further £5k was set aside for this project should it exceed the estimated figure of £40k.  All members thanked Councillor Bedford for his representation, and for assisting the Parish Council with this issue.

10.30               ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL APPRENTICE SCHEME

The Clerk summarised the details of a possible Apprenticeship scheme, the full details of which were attached to the agenda at Appendix 3.  Members noted that the Clerk had been speaking with Kevin Downs and Councillor Anthony Jackson with regard to the suitability of the young person currently assisting the Clerk with the Quality Council application, who has expressed an interest in becoming involved with the Parish Council.  The Apprentice Scheme would be on a matched funding basis, with the cost over a 12 month period to the Parish Council being £2,500.  

The Clerk summarised the benefits the Parish Council would gain from such an apprenticeship, as well as reminding members of what we would be putting back into the local community, i.e. training, work experience, assistance with local community groups, charities, etc.  It was noted that we would be the only Parish Council taking part in an Apprenticeship Scheme.  Councillor Anthony Jackson has spoken to the proposed Apprentice and has confirmed that he would support the Parish Council taking part in such a scheme.

The Clerk stated that there would be some involvement and time on her part in setting up a training program with ECC, which would take a few weeks or so.  Councillor Spearman stated that he felt it was not appropriate for the Parish Council to fund such a project.  The Chairman confirmed that he had spoken with the possible apprentice and expressed how important it would be that we had his commitment for 12 months.  Councillor Grigg stated she felt this was a great opportunity for us to assist a young person, and it’s not something we do on a regular basis.    A vote was taken, and with a unanimous vote it was AGREED to move forward with an Apprenticeship scheme.

10.31               REVIEW OF EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERNAL AUDIT

Members were reminded of the need for the Parish Council (Councillors) to complete an annual review of the effectiveness of the internal audit.  It was confirmed that this audit took place on Wednesday 19^th May 2010, and the resultant report was attached to the agenda at Appendix 4.  Members NOTED the report, and APPROVED its content and suggested actions.

10.32               PARISH COUNCIL RISK ASSESSMENTS

Members NOTED that the Environmental Group met on 12^th May to complete a number of risk assessments, and noted the content of the resultant report.  A large number of risk assessments on Parish owned assets were still due to take place.  Councillor Garwood confirmed she would be happy to complete some.  Councillor Collins suggested that perhaps the load should be split between Councillors with each Councillor completing a few.   It was AGREED that Councillors would complete these risk assessments over the next few months.

10.33     PARISH COUNCIL DESK IN THE LIBRARY / SURGERY

              Members NOTED that a rota had been suggested for the weekend surgery, and were asked to complete this rota, filling in their names alongside the dates they were able to attend. 

10.34                  CONSULTATION DOCUMENTS

None at present.

10.35     PARISH COUNCIL NEW OFFICE OPEN DAY 10^TH JULY

Members NOTED that the official opening day for the new Parish Office had been arranged for 10^th July 2010, between 10am and 12pm.  Light refreshments will be served in a Gazebo in front of the library.  Councillor Collins asked if the external sign for the Parish Council will be up by this date.  The Clerk confirmed that approval for this sign was still awaited.  Members also noted that approval was still awaited from ECC to hang the Councillor Board on the back wall of the office (due to the Asbestos), and that it had been over 6 weeks since the request was made.

Meeting Closed 21.53

                                                                                                                                                                                                Signed ...................................................

.  Date  .........................................................