MINUTES - TUESDAY 9th MAY 2019
MARK PARISH COUNCIL
The 2019 Annual Meeting of Mark Parish Council was held in the Church Hall, Vicarage Road, Mark on Tuesday, 9th May 2019 at 6.30 p.m.
Present:- Councillors D. Champion (from 7.30 p.m.), Mrs E. Corkish, S. Emary, G. Francis, Mrs J. Horn, W. Human, J. Spencer and Mrs J. Weekes with the Clerk and County Councillor D. Huxtable (until 6.50 p.m.).
1. Election of Chairman
Mr N. van der Bijl (retiring Chairman) took the chair for this item. Proposed Councillor Francis, seconded Councillor Spencer and unanimously agreed that Councillor S. Emary be elected Chairman for 2019/20. The Chairman signed a declaration of acceptance of office.
Members passed a vote of thanks to Mr van der Bijl for his valuable work on behalf of the Parish Council.
2. Election of Vice-Chairman
Proposed by Councillor Mrs Weekes, seconded by Councillor Mrs Horn and unanimously agreed that Councillor Francis be elected Vice-Chairman for 2019/20.
3. Declarations of Interest
Councillors Mrs E. Corkish, Mrs J. Horn and Mrs J. Weekes declared personal interests in matters relating to Mark Village Hall.
4. Minutes
The Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 5th March 2019 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.
5. General Power of Competence
It was resolved that Mark Parish Council met the criteria to use the General Power of Competence.
6. Report of the County Councillor
County Councillor Huxtable reported upon the work of the County Council including finance, highway matters, Somerset Waste Partnership and Bus Service 67. He was pursuing the possible installation of flashing warning lights in the vicinity of Mark First School and it was noted that the County Council had now made the Traffic Order to extend the 30 mph speed limit at Blackford Road.
7. Finance
a) Balance of Accounts
It was reported that the balance of accounts at 1st April were as follows - Current £8,669.58, Reserve £33,317.01.
b) 2018/19 Financial Statement
Members formally approved the Financial Statement for 2018/19.
c) 2018/19 Annual Governance Statement
Members formally approved the 2018/19 Annual Governance Statement required by the external auditors.
d) 2018/19 Accounting Statement
Members formally approved the Accounting Statement for 2018/19 required by the external auditors.
e) Financial Regulations
It was agreed to adopt the revised model Financial Regulations as supplied by the Somerset Association of Local Councils.
f) Insurance
The Council reviewed their insurance cover for 2019/20 and determined that no changes were currently necessary.
g) Authorisation for Payment
It was agreed that the following payments be made:-
DD SDC payroll 2018/19 £3,604.62
DD SDC dog bin servicing £167.23
000880 SCC bus service contribution £1,750.00
000881 GWB Services grass cutting £1,379.00
000882 Zurich Municipal premium £472.09
000883 SALC affiliation fee £379.97
000884 Parish Clerk expenses £173.36
f) Authorisation to Sign Cheques
It was agreed that the Chairman be authorised to sign cheques on behalf of the Parish Council in place of Mr. N. van der Bijl.
8. Planning Portfolio
The following planning applications were considered-
006 Retrospective application for the conversion of a terrace of 3 houses to form a pair of semi-detached houses and a detached house, 4 & 6 The City, Mark – I. Jones – recommend permission.
007 Conversion of milking shed to living accommodation to be used as ancillary accommodation to main dwelling, erection of extensions and conversion of cider barn to living accommodation, Primrose Farm, Vole Road, Mark – Mr & Mrs Johnson – recommend permission.
009 Repairs and stabilisation of freestanding wall, Mark College, Blackford Road, Mark – PMBC Ltd – recommend permission.
9. Public Areas Portfolio
a) Highway Matters
It was noted that all recent highway defects and fly-tipping deposits had been reported to appropriate authorities. It was agreed in principle to accept a quotation from N.A. Haggett (Builders) Ltd of Chilton Trinity to carry out enhancement work to the lay-by at Jubilee Green, subject to the contractor meeting the Vice Chairman on site to discuss details. It was also agreed to arrange for various seats to be cleaned/treated and to thank a parishioner who had kindly cleaned the Church Street bus shelter.
Councillor Francis gave an update on the refurbishment of historic finger post signs. He also reported upon the operation of the shared SID scheme and members also received statistics on information obtained from the SID and Community Speedwatch.
b) Play Area
It was agreed to enter the 2019 Field of the Year Competition organised by the Somerset Playing Fields’ Association.
c) Public Rights of Way
It was noted that an issue at The Wall had been referred to the Local Drainage Board for attention.
e) Village Hall /Football Pitch Area
It was agreed that the defibrillator at the Village Hall be replaced in the near future following advice by the South West Ambulance Service. It was noted that the proprietor of the holiday park at Mark Causeway had installed a defibrillator at his site which would also be available for public use.
f) Cemetery
Councillor Mrs Corkish reported that a number of memorials were leaning due to ground settlement. It was agreed to check the memorials in the cemetery and take action in any cases where they were found to be unstable.
g) Welcome to Mark Leaflet
It was agreed to arrange an update of the Welcome to Mark Leaflet.
10. Web-site Portfolio/Superfast Broadband
Councillor Mrs Weekes reported upon statistics relating to visits to the web-site during April. Reference was also made to the current situation regarding the installation of superfast broadband network in the area by Truespeed.
11. Next Meeting
It was agreed that the next Meeting be held on 2nd July 2019 at 7.00 p.m.
The Meeting closed at 7.40 p.m. Chairman
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