Minutes of the meeting of Wellington Town Council held in the United Reformed Church Hall, Fore Street, Wellington on Monday 7th January 2008 at 7.20pm. (The start of the meeting was delayed because of the planning meeting over-running)
PRESENT: Councillor D. Mitton (chairman) who presided, Councillors P. Critchard (vice-chairman), J. Clark, R. Bowrah, A. Govier, G. Goodwin, R. Henley, C. Hindley, G. Copley, S. Walters, J. Reed, J. Govier, N. Wilson, J. Lloyd, and V. Stock-Williams, the clerk A. Brown and the assistant to the clerk Mrs J. Thorne. There were no apologies. There were 4 members of the public present.
14559 CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
The chairman, Councillor D. Mitton said that during December he had attended a number of meetings to do with Wellington Food Town, the Market and Coastal Town Initiative, Somerset Association of Local Councils, and the National Association of Local Councils. He said the funding for the MCTI would be ending this year and so a new source of funding would need to be sought.
14560 POLICE MATTERS
Mr John Swayne, the PCSO allocator/administrator at Wellington Police Station, reported the new Wellington police sergeant Stuart Bell had started his new post at the station but unfortunately had slipped over and broken his elbow so he would be out of action for a while. However, he had already made a couple of strategic decisions such as obtaining a four-wheel drive vehicle for Wellington and putting an additional computer into the station. Mr Swayne said he thought he would be an excellent sergeant for the town. He then informed the meeting of the latest crime figures. There had been a couple of incidents of criminal damage but they had been unable to progress with them including an incident in which a shop window in the town centre was broken but unfortunately the CCTV camera was looking the other way at the time. There had been some criminal damage to property but it was in the lower limit of the guidelines and there had been 7 incidents of criminal damage to motor vehicles, 1 house burglary and four burglaries to sheds and outbuildings. There had been 6 assaults causing actual bodily harm which mainly occurred outside public houses, 4 cases of common assault, 1 theft from a motor vehicle, 3 cases of shoplifting, 1 theft from a person, 3 thefts of cycles, 1 drugs arrest and 2 people arrested for possession. Mr Swayne said the police had been in discussion with Somerfield and obtained permission to put a post for the CCTV camera on the new site. He said the Shopwatch scheme was looking at the linking to the Sedgemoor CCTV control centre and it would cost approximately £7,500.
14561 CCTV CAMERAS
Councillors received a report from the town clerk on a meeting of the CCTV committee held on 20th December which stated that there had been applications for the CCTV camera to be relocated to cover Rookery Terrace/Black Path and also in Victoria Street. The county council would only give approval for cameras to be attached to street lighting columns if the column had been structurally tested. The committee agreed to erect a camera in Mantle Street to cover Rookery Terrace/Black Path as well as Mantle Street and also to look into the possibility of erecting a pole on the grassed area outside the police station to cover parts of Victoria Street, North Street, Waterloo Road and Courtland Road. The council was informed since the meeting the clerk had met the owner of the Mantle Street property where it was proposed the camera be erected and agreement had been reached for this. Members agreed to the erection which would be carried out by the Deane DLO. A verbal quote of about £300 had been received from the Deane DLO for the supply and erection of a 5 metre pole outside the police station and the council agreed to approve this should it not be possible to obtain the funding from the police. Councillor Bowrah requested the council write to Somerset County Council to seek further clarification on their policy of using street lighting columns for the use of CCTV cameras which was agreed.
14562 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION TIME: WELLINGTON IN BLOOM
Mrs Isabel Ward, chairman of Wellington in Bloom, informed the meeting of the Christmas tree shredding that would be taking place on January 12 between 9am and 11am in the Courtland Road car park. Wellington in Bloom’s annual general meeting would be taking place on February 7th.
14563 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES
The minutes of the council meetings held on 3rd December 2007, as previously circulated to councillors, were taken as read and signed as correct by the chairman Councillor Mitton, with the following amendment to the planning meeting (minute 14525): Councillors Critchard and Goodwin declared personal interests in the item on Oakfield Park and said they would not vote.
14564 JUNCTION OF CORAMS LANE AND SPRINGFIELD ROAD
Councillor Reed said she had a request from members of the bowls club to look at the junction of Corams Lane and Springfield Road. Members were finding it difficult to go in and out of the entrance to the bowls club with drivers turning into Springfield Road and the sports centre. Councillor Reed wondered whether some sort of bay could be installed for the purpose of letting people pull into it to let cars past. Councillor Goodwin acknowledged the problem at the junction and said drivers regularly had to back up and let cars come through. Councillor A. Govier felt a site meeting was needed to go and have a proper look at the junction and find out exactly where the problem was. It was agreed to contact Somerset Highways and organise a site meeting with them.
14565 RETIREMENT OF CLERK
The chairman announced the clerk’s intention to retire in May of this year. He acknowledged the hard work of the clerk during his long service since taking up the post in 1974. He said the post would be advertised shortly.
COUNCILLOR HINDLEY LEFT HERE AT 7.55PM
14566 LEAD COUNCILLOR ROLES
A report was received from the chairman about lead councillor roles. He explained the Somerset Association of Local Councils felt councillors should take a greater role in the running of councils and currently too much of the running of the council lay in the hands of the chairman and to a lesser extent the vice chairman. He also said with the change of role from Chairman to Mayor in May it was likely to lead to greater civic responsibilities and it would be helpful for councillors to share the load with the mayor and take leads in some areas. This would enable councillors to develop expertise in areas they have an interest and give councillors more experience such as chairing meetings. Councillor A. Govier said he thought it was a good idea and suggested the council move forward with this idea which was agreed by members. The chairman said he would come back with a more detailed report on how it might work.
14567 FUTURE OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
The chairman explained the existing form of lighting for the Christmas lights was being phased out so members needed to start thinking about what they wanted to do in the future. Some initial talks had taken place with Taunton DBC about this. The chairman had started a debate about the lights about a year ago and the response from the public was that they were generally happy with the lights and liked the more traditional look. It was agreed the chairman would come back to the council after further discussion with Taunton DBC about the options for the future of the lights.
14568 STREET CLEANING
Members were informed that 2 new vacuum shredders had been purchased by the council for use by the street cleaners at a cost of £394. The shredders were able to suck up small bits of litter and were particularly useful for picking up cigarette ends and were designed to get in corners and channels in paving slabs where the brushes could not reach. Members agreed to approve the chairman’s purchase. The chairman said a trial of the street cleaning green machine was to be organised so members could see how it works and decide if or how they wanted to make use of it. Councillor Copley thought the purchase of the shredders was an excellent idea and would show the public the town council was serious about cleaning the town. Councillor Reed felt that two street cleaners were not enough for the current population of the town and wanted Taunton DBC to look into this. The clerk said he would circulate the Taunton DBC street cleaning schedule to councillors for their information. It was agreed to look at the information and discuss the matter again at the next council meeting.
14569 PROPOSED CLOSURE OF COURT FIELDS FOOTPATH
Further to minutes 14497 and 14534 a letter and photos were received from Court Fields chair of school governors Steve Altria maintaining the need for the closure of the footpath and a letter of objection was received from Mrs Purdue. A report was also circulated by Councillor A. Govier about a meeting he attended about the proposed footpath closure. He stated that he believed the closure of the footpath would not deal with the problems the school faced and would result in the displacement of problems to other areas such as Blackpath and The Rec. He recommended the town council work with the school and county council to enhance the fencing at the school as soon as possible and also to recommend to the school to lock two of their entrances during the school day. He also felt there needed to be a review of the CCTV coverage and the council should write to the county council asking them to take strong action against anybody trespassing or causing problems in and around the school site. Councillors suspended standing orders to allow Mr Altria to speak who said he would be interested in the use of the CCTV cameras around the school. He said one of the problems with enhancing the fencing was the cost and he had been advised by the LEA that it had no money to finance it. An indicative quote for the fencing was £65,000. Other members of the public said they thought there was little point closing the footpath if the school could not afford to improve the fencing as it would do little to improve security and closing the footpath would deprive local residents of facility which they had used for more than 160 years. Councillor Stock-Williams questioned whether similar fencing could be used as that around the children’s centre in Beech Grove School and also asked if some of the money from the Cades Farm development to be given to Court Fields could be used to pay for fencing but was informed that money was already allocated for the new special needs unit. The clerk also informed councillors of recent site meetings at the school. He informed councillors he entered the school site via Blackpath through the open gate and was able to walk round the school before entering the office unchallenged. The council agreed unanimously to accept the recommendations of Councillor A. Govier.
14570 WELLINGTON IN BLOOM GRANT REQUEST
A letter was received from Wellington in Bloom asking for the council to consider making a grant of £1,350 to carry out planting work in Swains Lane Nature Reserve, the Quaker Meeting House garden, Lancer Court floral displays, flower towers, ‘anniversary’ projects and leaflets. The grant request was for the financial year 2008/09 budget. The finance committee had looked at the request and recommended approval. The chairman acknowledged the efforts of the organisation in making the town more attractive and members agreed unanimously to approve the grant.
14571 REMOVAL OF WHISTLE BOARDS AT WESTFORD RAIL CROSSING
Councillor A. Govier informed members about the removal of the whistle boards at Westford Rail Crossing by Network Rail and said he was concerned about this in terms of the safety implications. He also felt the town council should have been notified about it. Councillor Goodwin said he was horrified about the removal of the boards and Councillor Critchard said he thought the council should fight to get them restored. Councillor Henley said he thought the council needed to find out the reasons why Network Rail had done this. It was agreed the council would write to Network Rail to clarify the reasons for the removal of the whistle boards so it could be reported back to a future meeting.
14572 DOG FOULING AND STREET CLEANING
Further to minutes 14535 and 14536 a letter was received by Mrs Isabel Ward about dog fouling and street cleaning asking for an increase in dog wardens and for councillors to meet street cleaners. (Also see minute 14568 above). The clerk informed members Taunton Deane currently employed one full-time and one part-time dog warden who spend 6 hours in Wellington a week. He had investigated the cost of employing a dog warden and it would cost £35 an hour which also included the cost of using the vehicle. He said the council could decide to have a blitz on certain areas for a short period such as the playing fields and then review the situation. The chairman said he was concerned about the cost and said he thought the council should only do it for a short time and then review it. Councillor Clark said the public wanted to see action on dog fouling and informed members of Taunton DBC’s poster campaign to get people to pick up dog mess. Councillor A. Govier recommended the council approach Taunton DBC to find out if an agreement through it to extend the dog warden hours in Wellington would be more cost effective. It was agreed to do this and report back to the next meeting.
14573 PROPOSED PEDESRIAN CROSSING AT HIGH STREET
Further to minute 14805 (8th January 2007) a letter was received from Local Transport Plan implantation officer Donna Court in reply to a letter from the town council about a proposed pedestrian crossing at High Street. She stated the scheme did not score high enough for consideration in the programme of works. The letter was noted.
14574 NEW SALARY SCALES FOR CLERK
Further to minute 14405 (6th August 2007) it was reported that the National Association of Local Councils and the Society of Local Council Clerks had agreed a 2.4% increase in the clerks’ salaries with effect from April 1 2007. The report was noted.
14575 COMMUNITY WOODLAND INITIATIVE
A letter was received Somerset County Council countryside technician Rosemary Wicks about a community woodland initiative for Somerset’s towns. The county council was keen to encourage the establishment of new community woodlands in location where they will be accessible to residents and was prepared to help with the financing. It was agreed to pass the information to the tree wardens for their suggestions and organise a meeting of the environment committee to discuss it.
14576 ANNUAL WELLINGTON 10 MILE AND 10 KILOMETRE RACE
A letter was received from Steve Johnson of the Albemarle Centre in Taunton with details about the Wellington 10 mile and 10km race which would be taking place on Sunday July 20th. The letter was noted.
14577 SOMERSET ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND AWARENESS DAY
A letter was received from the Somerset Association for the Blind inviting councillors to an awareness day in Wellington at the Friends Meeting House in High Street on Wednesday January 30th from 10.30am to 3.30am. The letter was noted.
14578 TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF EAST NYNEHEAD ROAD
A letter was received from Somerset Highways about a temporary closure of East Nynehead Road for 8 nights between 7pm and 7am starting on 21st January to enable duct laying works to be carried out. The letter was noted.
14579 SPONSORED BIBLE MARATHON READING AT UNITED REFORMED CHURCH
A letter was received from the United Reformed Church asking councillors to take part in a sponsored Bible Marathon Reading on Saturday February 9th from 7am to 7pm. It was agreed councillors would contact the church direct if they wished to take part.
14580 WELLINGTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
A report was received from the assistant to the town clerk on the WEP which took place on Tuesday December 4 which updated members on the constitutional amendments to the partnership. The partnership had come to the conclusion voluntary status was the best way forward and asked Taunton DBC economic development manager Steve Kendall to put together a new constitution and bring it back to WEP for consideration. The report also updated members about the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative visioning event held on 20 November 2007. Members were reminded the next meeting of WEP would be held on Monday 18th February 2008 at 6pm.
14581 PLANNING DECISIONS BY TAUNTON DBC
The clerk reported that Taunton Deane Borough Council had approved the following plans: (a) Conversion and extension of former bakery building to form 3 flats at rear of 23 North Street, Wellington (43/2007/139); (b) Formation of off-street parking at 49 Acre Cottages, Wellington (43/2007/143); (c) Demolition of building and erection of 6 dwellings, phase 2, on land at rear of 14 High Street, Wellington (43/2007/113); (d) demolition of building and erection of 2 dwellings, phase 1, on land at rear of 14 High Street, Wellington (43/2007/112); (e) Removal of timber cladding and application of new render at 3 Priory Gardens, Wellington (43/2007/158); (f) Retention of advertisement board at Cades Farm, Wellington (43/2007/159A); (g) Demolition of conservatory and retention of single storey day room, Popham House Elderly Persons Home, Courtland Road, Wellington (43/2007/155); (h) Erection of two storey extension, single storey extension and conservatory, 42 Barn Meads Road, Wellington (43/2007/144); (i) External and internal works at 14 Fore Street, Wellington (43/2007/126LB); (j) Erection of first floor extension above garage, two storey, single storey and porch extensions to the north elevation at 17 Monument Close, Wellington (43/2007/160); (k) Alterations to fenestration at Unit B, Drakes Place, Wellington (43/2007/162); (l) Erection of fence to front of Kirtonia, 15 Station Road, Wellington (43/2007/153); (m) Erection of boundary wall at 25 Oakfield Park, Wellington (43/2007/154).
14582 COUNCIL INCOME/EXPENDITURE TO 31ST DECEMBER 2007
A report was received from the clerk showing that the council’s income for the period from 1st April 2007 to 31st December 2007 was £148,000 (£133,596 estimated for the full year to 31st March 2008) and that expenditure for the same period was £124,627 (£166,800 estimated for the full year to 31st March 2008). The report was noted.
14583 ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT
On the proposition of Councillor Mitton, seconded by Councillor Critchard, it was agreed to authorise the payment of the following accounts and the signing of the following cheques: EDF Energy Ltd £11.06 for electricity for Rackfield street light from October to December 2007; Hinewood Cleaning Services £124 for bus shelter and window cleaning for November and December 2007; Taunton DBC £587.50 for making a walkway from Rope Walk to Farthings Pitts; Taunton DBC £250 for museum/store lease for period from January to March 2008; Taunton DBC £315.76 for road closure for Christmas lights switch-on; Taunton DBC £57.05 for 5 handihoops for litter picking; Taunton DBC £5,000 for Wellington Food Town contribution; Taunton Deane Community Transport Ltd £159 for subsidised hospital patient transport for November 2007; Mr A. Parkman £120 for allotment clearance work; Tone Leisure £525 for 7 weeks outreach coaching between 6th November and 18th December 2007; Councillor R. Bowrah £9.60 for travelling expenses; Taunton DBC £794.59 for painting play equipment at Tone play area; Inland Revenue £724.14 for income tax and national insurance; Mrs J. Thorne £29.26 for additional hours of work for November and December 2007.
14584 STAFFING COMMITTEE
Councillors were circulated with a report on the staffing committee held on 20th December 2007. The committee had considered the process for replacing the clerk and the hours of work of his successor. It was agreed to approve the following 10 recommendations from the committee for the filling of the town clerk post: There was no need to make any alteration to the salary scale for the clerk; the hours of work for the clerk and assistant to clerk be rebalanced to 25 hours each; the chairman would bring the job description of the post up to date; the post be advertised in the local press and through the internal advertisement process in the Taunton DBC and the county council and also if possible through the Somerset Association of Local Councils; to complete the appointment process before the end of February if possible; the chairman would produce an application form for the staffing committee to consider; the council decide on the interview process; all other details for filling the post be left to the staffing committee; the hours during which the office was open to the public be increased when the posts have been filled; further discussions be held to mark the retirement of the clerk. It was also agreed regarding the position of assistant to the clerk that: subject to referring the results back to a council meeting held in committee, the council backdate any resultant re-grading of the post to 1 October 2007; that if the assistant to the clerk is successful in an application for the post of clerk, the post of assistant to the clerk be advertised using the new job description and if the assistant is unsuccessful the staffing committee revisit the post in terms of its title and grade.
14585 PAPERS, REPORTS, NEWSLETTERS ETC
The clerk reported the following newsletters and reports were available from the clerk’s office for members to read if they wished: What’s on in Taunton Deane for January 2008; Taunton Deane Council for Voluntary Service bulletin for December 2007.
THE MEETING CLOSED AT 8.50PM
4th February 2008
