MINUTES OF MARK PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON TUESDAY 1st NOVEMBER 2016
A Meeting of Mark Parish Council was held in the Village Hall, Mark on Tuesday, 1st November 2016 at 7.30 p.m.
Present:- Councillors N. van der Bijl (Chairman), D. Champion, Mrs E. Corkish, Mrs S. Flack (from 8.15 p.m.), Mrs A. Hanlon and Mrs J. Weekes with the Clerk and County Councillor D. Huxtable.
Apology for absence received from Councillors G. Francis and W. Human.
34. Declarations of Interest
Councillors Mrs E. Corkish, Mrs S. Flack and Mrs J. Weekes declared interests in matters relating to Mark Village Hall. Councillor Mrs Flack declared an interest in Mark Cricket Club.
35. Minutes
The Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 6th September 2016 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.
36. Report of the County Councillor
County Councillor Huxtable undertook to ascertain the latest position regarding safety issues in the vicinity of the Perry Road/Blackford Road junction.
37. Mark Cricket Club
Mike Norris made a presentation on revised access arrangements for the field to the rear of The Croft which it was hoped would overcome the County Council’s objections to the previous scheme. Vehicles would exit via Back Lane onto Harp Road and security arrangements would be made to enable the School to make use of the access to the car park and then exit onto Mark Causeway via a separate one-way system. An application would be submitted for planning permission in the near future. It was agreed to support the revised scheme in principle.
38. Finance
a) Balance of Accounts
It was reported that the balance of accounts at 1st October were as follows - Current £9,059.64, Reserve £25,470.23.
b) Authorisation for Payment
It was agreed that the following payments be made:-
DD SDC dog waste bin servicing £83.62
000828 GWB Services grass cutting £816.00
000829 Parish Clerk expenses £148.63
c) Bank Reconciliation
A bank reconciliation for the period 1st April to 30th September 2016 was checked against the original bank statements and signed by the members who did not sign cheques as part of the Council’s internal controls.
d) 2015/16 Audit of Accounts
The 2015/16 Audit of Accounts had been finalised. The Internal Auditor had no matters to draw to the attention of the Council. The External Auditors had concluded that on the basis of their review of the annual return, in their opinion the information in the annual return was in accordance with proper practices and no matters had come to their attention giving cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements had not been met. They had pointed out that an extra working day had been given for the public to exercise their rights to inspect the accounts as it was thought that a public holiday would occur in June for the Queen’s 90th Birthday.
39. Public Areas Portfolio
a) Highway Matters
It was agreed to report specified highway defects. It was noted that the number of HGVs taking a short cut through the parish to premises in the Westhay area had reduced.
Mike Schollar submitted Community Speedwatch statistics and confirmed that he wished to retire as Mark Community Speedwatch Co-ordinator. He was thanked for his valuable work in connection with the scheme and it was agreed that every endeavour be made to ensure that the local Community Speedwatch was able to continue. The Chairman reported upon recent use of Community Payback personnel to clear litter and other work in the village and it was agreed that the possibility of a further session on clean-up day be investigated. Councillor Champion undertook to strim around millennium stone at Blackford Road and it was agreed to request Mr Bickers to trim back brambles alongside the river at Jubilee Green.
b) Play Area
It was noted that the metal swings in the play area had been painted. The play area had been awarded a highly commended certificate in the 2016 Somerset Playing Fields’ Association’s Field of the Year Competition.
c) Public Rights of Way
It was agreed to request Mr Bickers to repair a gatepost on a path off Littlemoor Road.
d) Noticeboard Refurbishment
It was agreed to accept a quotation from I. Jones in the sum of £424.80 to refurbish the Council’s two noticeboards.
e) Village Hall /Football Pitch Area
It was reported that Mark Community Association would allow the Parish Council to erect an honours board in the bar area. It was agreed to seek quotations for a board similar to that already displayed in the bar area. Reference was also made to an increase in dog fouling on the football pitch area.
40. Planning Portfolio
The following planning applications were considered:-
028 Erection of replacement livestock building, Nut Tree Farm, Vole Road – P. Carnell – confirm recommendation of permission;
029 Erection of agricultural machinery store, 4 The City – I. Jones – recommend permission;
030 Erection of 10 dwellings and 2 flats, formation of access and parking, south of Northwick Road – Mark Community Land Trust – recommend refusal.
41. Web-site Portfolio/Superfast Broadband
Councillor Mrs Weekes reported upon statistics regarding web-site hits. It was agreed that a sum of up to £250 be made available to refurbish the web-site.
42. Next Meeting
It was agreed that the next Meeting be held in the Village Hall on 3rd January 2017 at 7.30 p.m.
The Meeting closed at 9.15 p.m. Chairman
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