Meeting Minutes

98/20TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

All Parish Councillors were present

99/20TO RECEIVE DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST.

No declarations of interest in agenda items were made at this point

100/20TO AGREE THE MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 14th JULY 2020.

The minutes of the meeting held on 14th July had been circulated and it was RESOLVED that they were an accurate record, that they would be published on the website immediately and that the Chairman would sign them as soon as practically possible

101/20TO RECEIVE COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS’ REPORTS.

Apologies were received from District Councillor Agate
The issue of the accessibility works was raised with Cllr Mocatta who stated that he would seek a response from HCC.

Cllr Mocatta spoke about EHDC’s Place Making Strategy, explaining that the southern parishes of Clanfield, Horndean and Rowlands Castle are working together to follow the co-operation model successfully used in Petersfield, Bordon and Alton. This is designed to ensure that the parish, district and county work together for the benefit of all residents.

At the county level:
Climate Change: Hampshire County Council has announced the first initiatives to help Hampshire residents reduce their carbon footprint. Community projects include a Telephone help line offering advice from energy choice to insulation, establishing a Community Energy Network across Hampshire and a Targeted Residential Solar Group Buying Scheme. Parishes and communities are encouraged to take part in the sustainable community Greening campaign
(http://www.greening-campaign.org/). The climate change Action Plan is due to be presented to the HCC Cabinet on 29th September.
https://www.hants.gov.uk/landplanningandenvironment/environment/climatechange

Hampshire Highways are now re-using recycled material from old roads. Materials are screened, crushed and blended cleanly and quietly ready for re-use. With around 5,500 miles of roads this will make a significant contribution to reducing our carbon footprint. Over 40 new temporary footpaths and cycleways have been installed across Hampshire. HCC have bid for £3.45 million from Government to build more highways schemes to support social distancing, encourage walking and cycling and assist economic recovery. https://www.hants.gov.uk/News/21082020TransportPopUps

102/20OPEN FORUM.

There were no members of the public in attendance and therefore no matters were raised at this point

103/20FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES:

To receive the August and September financial statements.
The financial statements for both August and September had been circulated to members showing a balance at the end of August of £219,114.50. Members considered that earmarked and ring-fenced funds should be held in a separate account from the Council’s general funds. The Finance & General Purposes Working Group (FGPWG) would assist the Clerk to make these arrangements.

To receive and agree Orders for Payment.
The orders for payment had been previously circulated. Payments since the last meeting totalled £8,659.18 and payments of £16,573.84 were presented. It was RESOLVED that the Orders for Payment be duly approved.

Report on the renewal of the Council’s insurances.
Three companies had quoted via the insurance broker and it was RESOLVED that the Council accept the quotation from Ecclesiastical at a 5% discounted cost for a 3 year fixed term. Therefore, the insurance premium payable for the year from 13th September 2020 until 12th September 2021was £8,587.00. This had been included in the Orders for Payment

At its next meeting, the FGPWG would be undertaking a full review of the Council’s financial position in the light of its risks and commitments, including the cost of the works that are necessary (in hand and planned) at the Community and Sports Centre prior to its re-opening. This would be a routine review at the half year point in the financial year.

104/20SPORTS AND COMMUNITY CENTRE:

Matters relating to the former Tenants.
The Chairman reported that the Council submitted its proof of debt on 16th July claiming £35,000.00 which was the amount of loans provided to the Foundation in May and December 2019. The Council had also reserved its right to claim further amounts either in their capacity as Landlord under the terms of the former Lease or under the Terms of the Funding Agreement. The Chairman, as authorised by the Council at the July 14th meeting, attended the Creditors meeting on 21st July, via telephone, on the Council’s behalf. Cllr Hurst had also been in attendance. The Liquidator had disclaimed the Lease during the afternoon of 21st July and the Council had received possession of the property from the Foundation on 28th July. The Liquidator has subsequently issued a questionnaire which Cllrs Hurst and Williams supported the Clerk in completing on behalf of the Council. The outcome of the liquidation is unlikely to be known for some while.

Warranty repairs to sports hall floor.
The Chairman reported that the cracks in the sports hall floor were repaired on 7/8/9th August by specialist contractors employed by the original building contractor, following the Council’s approach to them under the Warranty. They will need a further visit to replace the mastic filling on the longest new expansion joint as the incorrect material had been used – this should take place in September – the floor has been re-sealed. It was hoped that these repairs have solved the problem, but, if not, the contractors have been put on notice that there could be a further claim under the warranty. Fees of £1,250 + VAT were incurred to the Council’s appointed surveyors and a small legal bill may have to be paid as well.

Negotiations with potential new operator.
The Chairman reported that, during the past few weeks, Community First had been preparing their Business Plan – not yet received – the next meeting with them is scheduled for 3rd September. It was anticipated that there would be more information for the next meeting of the Council at the beginning of October. A transition team has been set up to work with the Community First team comprising of three sub groups: Operations (Cllrs. Collins and Foster); Property (the Chairman and Cllr Williams) and Finance (Cllrs Coffre and Hurst). This matched the structure of the Community First team. The finance team would maintain a slightly detached distance from the other aspects to enable them to objectively examine the proposals as they emerge in terms of the Council’s ability to manage risk and affordability.

Arrangements relating to the tennis courts.
The Chairman reported that, from 1st December 2019 until 21st July 2020, Active Academy were in operational control of the tennis courts as Licensees of the Foundation – the Council approved the Licence agreement towards the end of 2019. Since 21st July, Active Academy have remained in operational control with the Council’s approval and, from that date, any income from the Licence Fee structure will be payable to the Council. For the future, Active Academy had said that it would prefer to have a Licence directly from the Parish Council than from the Council’s Tenant of the Community and Sports Centre. An advantage of that arrangement would be that the Council would have direct control over the maintenance of the courts and it would have the opportunity of ring fencing income to pay for such maintenance. Members agreed that, if Community First should be amenable to such an arrangement, the Parish Council would grant a Licence directly to Active Academy. The position would be established during the ongoing discussions with Community First.

Pre reopening works required to the Centre and costs.
The Chairman had produced a schedule of works for the Centre. It was noted that estimates were still awaited from contractors on quite a few of the items but, as a very rough guess, the Chairman thought that the overall cost could be in the region of £15,000 if not slightly more. The schedule identifies the items which could be included in a dilapidations claim against the former Tenants in liquidation albeit that there will be little prospect of recovery. Unfortunately the Council have had to work on all of these matters without any information or records from the Foundation. Some of the works concern legal servicing requirements.

Use of the site as a Covid-19 Testing Station - report.
The Chairman reported that the arrangements for the use of the site as a Covid-19 testing station were working well. Apart from this week the site is being used on an average of two days per week through to the end of September and they would like to book through to the end of October

The Clanfield Surgery have also booked the Centre for its flu vaccination programme. The Chairman had negotiated with the Surgery that they will pay the Council £200 per whole day and £100 per half day for these sessions. Members approved these charges.

105/20COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP

Report of meeting held on 11th August 2020.
Cllr Coffre reported that the Community Working Group (CWG) had held a preliminary/introductory meeting on 11th August. The main focus of the CWG will be the Environment, Youth Council and the Public Art Project. The first formal meeting of the CWG will be scheduled for September when non Council members will be advised of the CWG’s Terms of Reference, roles and responsibilities will be allocated and specific tasks and objectives will be identified for the short, medium and long term.

Public Art Project - report on the status of the Phase 1 funding application.
Following their suspension in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, applications to the Arts Council for funding can now be submitted but with new criteria. The forms have also changed and advice is not to submit the application too far ahead of implementation. The Council is now looking at the possibility of submitting the Phase 1 application in October with a view to implementation during the Spring and Summer of 2021 from March/April. This would be reviewed at the September CWG meeting.

106/20DOWN FARM BARN WORKING GROUP

Planning - report on planning permission granted on 23rd July 2020.
Cllr Clarke reported that planning permission for alterations, extension and change of use to provide a parish council office and community resource was granted on 23rd July 2020. The case officer's report does show considerable support for the project and circumstances.

The working group is now in a position to fully investigate sources of funding. It is possible there will be a need for flexibility on the specification (and, therefore, the cost) of the project depending on the response to funding enquiries and applications, given the present Covid situation.

Review of the Group’s Terms of Reference - new draft circulated to Members.
Revised Terms of Reference had been agreed by the working group and were presented for approval by members. It was RESOLVED that they be agreed.

107/20ST JAMES PLACE (DOWN FARM PARK)

Phase 1:
Developer’s remedial work to the bowling green and the sports pavilion - update.
Information was still awaited from the developers, BDW, as to when the remedial work to the bowling green would be undertaken. It had been stressed that it needed to be completed by the end of September to enable the Bowls Club to apply to join competitive leagues in 2021.

There were still three snagging items to be addressed in the pavilion which it was hoped would also be resolved by the end of September

Completion of Bowls Club Lease - report.
The Lease had been completed on 4th August 2020.

Phase 2:
Progress towards proposed Transfer - update.
The transfer of Phase 2 had still to be completed as there remained a number of outstanding issues - an amendment to the existing planning permission for the landscaping of the Phase 2 area; subsequently, the Breach of Condition Notice on the Phase 1 and 2 areas has to be lifted and some landscaping works still have to be carried out.

As part of the overall arrangements, the Chairman had negotiated a commuted sum of £20,000 with the developers to assist towards the Council’s costs in maintaining the landscaping over the next 3 years. A letter of undertaking was now being drafted for signature and the commuted sum would be paid to the Council immediately following completion of the Phase 2 transfer. It would be held by solicitors pending its release to the Council.
The allotment car park had been resurfaced

Land security works - report.
Cllr Foster reported that there may be a requirement for some additional dragons teeth at an area in Bee Orchid Close, which will be under Parish Council ownership, to stop vehicles driving over/parking on the grass verges – this could cost the Council in the region of £500, although the residents may be willing to contribute. The pedestrian approach to the play area from Columbine Way is still vulnerable to unauthorized vehicular access. Members did have concerns regarding further dragons teeth being installed. It was agreed that Cllr Foster and Cllr Collins would review the situation and seek quotations for the possible works required before the next meeting of the Council.

Phase 3:
To receive an update on the development of the sports pitches and related matters.
The work is in hand and about three weeks away from being ready for topsoil and seeding. The drainage has been installed and appears to be working. Professional advice from a representative of the Institute of Groundsmen who is instructed by EHDC had been very helpful. The developers had been asked to clarify how much fencing they would be providing and its specification so that the Council can consider how much it would cost to completely surround the pitches to endeavour to keep dogs off the playing surface.

108/20PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

Playgrounds and other Recreational Facilities:
To receive and consider cost estimates for the repair of equipment at the Council’s playgrounds following the annual ROSPA inspection reports.
The Assistant Clerk / Open Spaces Officer had put together a specification based on the issues which had been highlighted in the RoSPA report. She had been having difficulty in obtaining three competitive quotations. Three had finally been received with very variable cost – it was agreed that Cllrs Hurst and Williams should meet with the Assistant Clerk to review the situation on site and to consider the quotations before the October meeting when a decision would be made.

Chalton Green – security works
The dragons teeth would be installed as soon as possible

Peel Park:
Health and Safety issues including repair of western pedestrian entrance.
In view of the continuing delay and uncertainty concerning the Accessibility Works being organised by HCC, the Chairman would speak with County Cllr Mocatta the following day to ask if the Council could submit an HCC grant application to enable these essential and urgent repair works to proceed. In the meantime, the gate remains locked for Health and Safety reasons.

Phase 1 pavilion works including result of Legionella testing – report
The testing had been carried out and the report duly submitted. No problems had been detected.

Covid-19 Risk Assessment and Implementation for re-opening of the pavilion.
The chairman thanked Cllr Harris for reviewing all of the legislation and the Clerk and Assistant Clerk for putting the Covid measures in place to enable the pavilion to be reopened. The documentation regarding the reopening procedures including Risk Assessments etc had been issued to the Football Club who also have a Covid-19 representative- they are currently the only users of the building. A Visitors book had been placed inside the entrance door to enable all people who entered to sign their details should tracing be required. The kitchen would remain closed as no catering was allowed, but the rest of the building is now officially open.

2020 / 21 Licence Agreement with Clanfield Football Club - report.
The Licence agreement had been finalised and it was ready for signing. Members approved the draft and asked that the Football Club are reminded that training sessions, as well as matches, need to be booked in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Agreement for Clanfield Football Club’s goal storage proposal - update.
The proposed goal storage facility would be on the eastern side of the basketball area. The next step would be for the Football Club to submit more detailed drawings to the Council and to submit a planning application to EHDC.

CCTV camera issue/repair.
There had been delays on the repairs to the CCTV camera. An insurance claim had been submitted but no information on the status of the claim was available.

To consider the replacement of the rotten entrance gates.
One quotation had been received to replace the gates at the entrance to the car park. The Chairman reported that the bolts to the hinges to one of the field gates appeared to have been tampered with and he had secured that gate to its post with the spare lock and chain that was stored in the pavilion.

Village Pond – update
Cllr D’este Hoare reported that he and the Clerk had met with the volunteers the previous week. They wished to commence the works to reinstate the bridge the cost of which would be £141.12. Cllr D’este Hoare was in the process of submitting a grant application to County Councillor Mocatta to cover the cost of the works and include the hire of a further skip which was required to remove more of the reeds etc. A meeting was scheduled for the 10th September to discuss the issues regarding the pond which included the filter chambers, silt and fence.

109/20TO RECEIVE PLANNING COMMITTEE AND OTHER REPORTS:

Planning Committee.
The planning committee were continuing to comment on applications remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic and the up to date list had been circulated.

South Lane Meadow Trustees.
The meeting of the South Lane Meadow Trustees had been held virtually on 18th August and the minutes of the meeting would be circulated in due course. The virtual platform had not proved entirely successful.

Any other reports.
The subject of the annual Christmas Carol Event was raised and it was considered that the Council should not organise, or support, an event this year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

110/20TO CONSIDER A RECOGNITION AWARD FOR THE ORGANISERS OF THE CLANFIELD CORONAVIRUS COMMUNITY SUPPORT GROUP

Cllr Hurst proposed that the Council should recognise the outstanding work of Ciani Foulkes and Nick Blake of the Clanfield Coronavirus Community Support Group with the presentation of a suitable framed letter, or similar, to record the community’s appreciation. This was unanimously RESOLVED. During further discussion on this point, members felt that an annual award should be considered to present to a resident(s) who had given outstanding voluntary service to the community during the preceeding 12 months.

111/20DATE OF NEXT MEETING:

Tuesday October 6th 2020 at 7.00 pm online, unless the current restrictions are lifted.

ORDERS FOR PAYMENT

1^ST SEPTEMBER, 2020

August payments:

Payments presented: