JUNE 2019

MARK PARISH COUNCIL

www.markvillage.co.uk

The 2 May 2019 Local Elections have seen changes in the structure of Mark Parish Council. At the Annual Meeting of Mark Parish Council on 9 May, the following elections were made:

As I have not stood for a re-election for no other reason than a couple of other interests were impacting on my time. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the 2015-2019 Council for their commitment to the Parish of Mark.  

I would also like to thank the Parish of Mark for your support, your contribution and your understanding in sometimes difficult circumstances. The experience of being on the Council has been rewarding, enjoyable and quite a ride, one that I shall not forget.

Yours sincerely, Nick van der Bijl

ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN

It was unanimously agreed that Councillor S. Emary be elected Chairman for 2019/20 and unanimously agreed that Councillor Francis be elected Vice-Chairman for 2019/20.

Members passed a vote of thanks to Mr van der Bijl for his valuable work on behalf of the Parish Council.

REPORT OF 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

FINANCE

The balance of accounts as 1^st April stands at - Current £8,669.58, Reserve of £33,317.01. Members formally approved the Financial Statement, Annual Governance Statement and Accounting Statement for 2018/19 required by external auditors.

It was agreed to adopt the revised model Financial Regulations as supplied by the Somerset Association of Local Councils and The PC their insurance cover for 2019/20 and determined that no changes were currently necessary.

PLANNING PORTFOLIO

-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.

PUBLIC AREAS PORTFOLIO

Highways 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 to carry out enhancement work to the lay-by at Jubilee Green. It was also agreed to arrange for various seats to be cleaned/treated. The PC would like 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, and also reported upon the operation of the shared SID scheme and members also received statistics on information obtained from the SID and Community Speedwatch.

Play Area

It was agreed to enter the 2019 Field of the Year Competition organised by the Somerset Playing Fields’ Association.

Public Rights Of Way

It was noted that an issue at The Wall had been referred to the Local Drainage Board for attention.

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.

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.

Welcome To Mark Leaflet

It was agreed to arrange an update of the Welcome to Mark Leaflet.

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.

PARISH COUNCIL DEDICATED EMAIL

The Council have set up a dedicated email address to assist communication from the community over issues of concern.  markparishcouncil@gmail.com

NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

The next Parish Council meeting will be held at the Church Hall on Tuesday 2^nd July 2019 at 7.00 p.m.

Simon Emary

Chairman

Mark Parish Council