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MINUTES of the Annual Meeting of Wivenhoe Town Council
held in the Council Chamber on Monday 18 May 2009.
Present: The Town Mayor, Cllr. F. Richards (Chairman),
Cllrs: D. Purdey, C. Liddy, P. Kraft, A. Vaughan, M. Iacovou,
N. Lodge, C. Fox, B. Sinclair, R. Needham and K. Rogers.
Borough Cllr. S. Ford.
County Cllr. J. Young
Mrs. A Stinson (Town Clerk), Ms. N. Edwards (Admin)
Two members of the public
Prior to the meeting Cllr. Richards thanked all those who had helped and
supported her during her year of office and said how much she had enjoyed
representing the Town Council. She especially thanked her husband, Peter,
for all his support during the year.
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE. Apologies for absence had been received from
Borough Cllrs. M. Cory, J. Manning and A. Quarrie.
2. ELECTION OF TOWN MAYOR.
RESOLVED unanimously that Cllr. Neil Lodge be elected to serve as Town Mayor
for the ensuing year. Cllr. Lodge thanked Members for the honour conferred
upon him, signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and assumed the
Chair for the balance of the meeting.
Cllr. Richards said how nice it was to have been Town Mayor for the year and
that it had been an amazing experience and a real learning curve where she
had enjoyed meeting lots of people. It had been honour and privilege to
represent Wivenhoe as its Mayor and she expressed thanks to her fellow
members and all who had supported her during her year. Cllr. Richards added
that she and her husband had enjoyed the year immensely and had attended
almost 100 functions during her year. Cllr. Richards formally thanked the
team of volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes for the Mayor’s
Charity events, which raised a total of £5265, and also thanked the Town
Clerk and the rest of the staff for all the support they had given her over
the year.
Cllr. Lodge congratulated Cllr. Richards on a very successful year and
presented her with a bouquet of flowers. Cllr. Lodge then thanked the
retiring Mayoress, Peter Richards, for all his help and support and
presented him with a bottle of spirits as a gesture of thanks and
appreciation from the Town Council .
3. ELECTION OF DEPUTY TOWN MAYOR
RESOLVED unanimously that Cllr. Chris Fox be elected Deputy Town Mayor for
the ensuing year. Cllr. Fox thanked Members for the honour conferred upon
him and signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
4. COMMITTEES
a) Planning Committee:
RESOLVED that the following be appointed to the Planning Committee for
2009/2010:
Cllr. Cyril Liddy (Chairman)
Cllr. D. Purdey
Cllr. N. Lodge
Cllr. F. Richards
Cllr. C. Fox
Cllr. A. Vaughan
b) Personnel Committee:
RESOLVED that the following be appointed to the Personnel Committee for
2009/2010:
Cllr. P. Kraft (Chairman)
Cllr. F. Richards
Cllr. R. Needham
Cllr. N. Lodge
Cllr. B. Sinclair
Cllr. M. Iacovou
c) Finance and Administration Committee:
RESOLVED that the following be appointed to the Finance and Administration
Committee for 2009/2010:
Cllr. D. Purdey (Chairman)
Cllr. F. Richards
Cllr. P. Kraft
Cllr. N. Lodge
Cllr. B. Sinclair
Cllr. M. Iacovou
d) Best Value Committee: All members with Cllr. C. Fox as Chairman.
5. WORKING PARTIES
Agreed that the composition of Working Parties be as follows:
a) William Loveless Hall Working Party:
Cllrs: P. Kraft (Chair), F. Richards and N. Lodge.
Co-opted members - John Pendle, Albey Stinson and Mick Wells.
b) Estates Working Party.
Cllrs: F. Richards (Chair), N. Lodge, P. Kraft, B. Sinclair, C. Fox and R.
Needham.
c) Wivenhoe Wood Working Party:
Cllrs: B. Sinclair (Chair), K. Rogers, D. Purdey, and F. Richards.
d) Mini-Bus Working Group:
Cllrs: B. Sinclair (Chair), D. Purdey, P. Kraft and Town Clerk.
Co-opted members - John Foster, Des McCourt, Len Horner, Mick Collins and
Albey Stinson.
e) Youth Facilities Working Party:
Cllrs. D. Purdey (Chair), K. Rogers, F. Richards and A. Vaughan.
f) Section 106 (Cook’s) Working Group:
All members of the Town Council Planning Committee.
6. REPRESENTATIVES ON OTHER BODIES
RESOLVED that the following be appointed as representatives on other bodies:
a) Colchester Association of - Cllrs. Purdey and Lodge with Cllr. Kraft
Local Councils as substitute
b) Civil Protection - Cllr. Rogers
c) Public Transport Representative - Peter Kay
d) Crime Prevention Panel - Cllr. Rogers
e) Wivenhoe Society - Cllr. Needham with Cllrs Richards and Kraft
as substitutes
f) Colne Estuary Partnership - Cllr. Sinclair
g) Wivenhoe Housing Trust - Cllr. Needham and Jan Richardson
h) Wivenhoe & District Sporting
Facilities Trust - Stuart Gillman
i) Wivenhoe Police Liaison Group - Cllrs. Rogers (Chair) and Purdey
j) Wivenhoe NAP - Cllrs. Rogers and Kraft
7. SUBSCRIPTIONS
RESOLVED that the following subscriptions and dues be approved for the
ensuing year:
1. Essex Association of Local Councils - subscription £781.83 p.a
(which includes contribution to NALC)
2. National Playing Fields Association - subscription £35.00 p.a.
(now called Fields in Trust)
3. ICCM – Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium
Management - subscription £80.00 p.a.
4. Society of Local Council Clerks - subscription £120.00 p.a.
5. Eastern ,Essex & Herts Regional Employers Organisation
for Local Authorities (Resource) NJCouncils - subscription £130.00 p.a.
6. N.A.L.C. Direct Information Service - subscription £90.00 p.a.
7. Community Transport Association - subscription £116.60 p.a.
8. Council for Protection of Rural Essex - subscription £29.00 p.a.
9. Association of Burial Authorities - subscription £86.00 p.a.
10. Rural Community Council of Essex - subscription £35.00 p.a.
11. Friends of Historic Essex - subscription £10.00 p.a.
8. MINUTES
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Town Council held on 20th
April 2009 and of the Town Meeting held on 13 May 2009 be confirmed and
signed by the Chairman as a correct record.
9. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES.
Town Clerk to update members on the issue of a CAB presence in Wivenhoe.
10. DATES OF MEETINGS.
RESOLVED that by virtue of Standing Orders 1 and 4, meetings for the current
year will be held at 7.30pm on the third Monday of each month on the
following dates:
2009 2010
15 June 18 January
20 July 15 February
21 September 15 March
19 October 19 April
16 November 17 May
21 December
11. POINTS RAISED BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: None.
12. REPORTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY AND BOROUGH COUNCILS
a) Essex County Council: Cllr. Young congratulated Cllr. Lodge on becoming
Town Mayor and wished him a successful and happy year. Cllr. Young also
congratulated Cllr. Richards on a very successful year. Cllr. Young then
reported on matters concerning the Tendring District Council proposals,
speeding issues, liaison with the new street warden and some good news, that
most of the roads on the Vine Farm Estate were going to be resurfaced. Cllr.
Kraft raised the issue of the recent highway works on Clingoe Hill, which
had proved a costly exercise and seemed to achieve little for the safety of
students. Cllr. Young said that she would look into this.
b) Borough Council: Borough Cllr. Ford also expressed congratulations to
Cllr. Lodge and his wife as Town Mayor and Mayoress and said he looked
forward to working with them. He then congratulated the outgoing Mayor and
Mayoress Cllr. Frances Richards and Peter Richards on their very successful
year. Cllr. Ford then reported that the recommendations on the Bradwell
Nuclear Power Plant proposals which would be going to Cabinet shortly.
c) Public Transport representative: Nothing to report.
13. COMMITTEE REPORTS.
13.1 Planning:
a) Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 20 April and
draft minutes of 12 May 2009 were received and noted. Cllr. Liddy reported
that Andrew Nightingale had attended the last Planning meeting and that
Tendring District Council had conceded to the Town Council’s request for a
formal consultation period on their LDF process, which would be for a
further 6 weeks.
b) Section 106 Matters: Cllr. Liddy updated members on matters to date.
c) Health Centre: Cllr. Lodge said that negotiations were still in hand with
the landowner concerning access arrangements.
13.2 Personnel, Finance and Administration Committees.
a) Cllr. Kraft updated members on an issue concerning the Retained Fireman
scheme which would be taken at the end of the meeting and Cllr. Purdey
reported that a successful Finance meeting had been held and that unspent
working party balances had been transferred to this year’s budget
requirements.
13.3 Best Value.
a) The notes of the Best Value meeting held on 11 May 2009 were received.
b) Items of Note: Allotments: The recommendation from Best Value for
amendments to clauses concerning residency matters was AGREED.
W.L. Hall floor: AGREED that the recommendation from Best Value for approval
of expenditure of £8982 for beech replacement floor to be accepted. Cllr.
Vaughan abstained. Three estimates had been considered and a CIF grant of
£7500 had already been secured.
c) Town Plan - Making the Links: Cllr. Iacovou had circulated a list of
projects and reasons and requested guidance on how to proceed. AGREED to
take the matter to the next Best Value meeting. In the meantime other ideas,
such as projects concerning the elderly could be looked into.
d) Mayoralty: Guidance on Mayoralty would also be put on the agenda for the
next Best Value committee.
14. WORKING PARTY REPORTS.
14.1 William Loveless Hall Working Party: Nothing to report.
14.2 Estates Working Party:
a) The notes of the Estates meeting held on 5 May were received.
14.3 Wivenhoe Wood Working Party.
Cllr. Sinclair reported that path-clearing would be taking place on 31 May
at 10.00am at the Rosabelle Avenue entrance. The Wivenhoe Society were
liaising with the Town Council on the PP3 (Parish Paths Partnership)
project.
14.4 Mini-bus Working Group. Nothing further to report.
14.5 Youth Facilities Working Party. Nothing further to report.
14.6 Members' Individual Proposals or Reports:
a) Cllr. Richards - Mayoral Activities: Cllr. Richards reported on her final
attendances which were at the Wivenhoe Town football match on 25 April; St.
George’s Day Service at St. Peters Church, Colchester on Sunday 26 April and
Wivenhoe Congregational Church concert, also on 26 April; Colchester Mayor’s
Banquet on Friday 1st May, audiences with both Broomgrove Junior and
Broomgrove Infant Schools on Wednesday 6 May; presentation of student’s Town
and Gown bursary at University of Essex on Thurday 7 May; Colchester Mayor’s
Charity Cream Tea on Sunday 10 May; funeral of Dr. Palmer on Thursday 14
May; Colchester Mayor’s Civic Reception on Friday 15 May and Colne Community
School May Fair on Sunday 17 May.
b) Police Matters: Cllr. Rogers gave a report on recent matters of concern,
one being a burglary. Cllr. Sinclair said that there had been a few
incidents concerning theft from boats and Cllrs. Rogers would liaise with
Cllr. Sinclair on this. Concerning CCTV for the Council yard a safety audit
was to be carried out by a Crime Prevention Officer.
c) Cllr. Iacovou - meeting attendance: Members received Cllr. Iacovou’s
request for an abstinence from meetings for 6 months for personal reasons
and in accordance with Section 85 of the LGA 1972 it was unanimously
RESOLVED that Cllr. Iacovou’s absence be approved and formally recorded in
the minutes.
5. TOWN CLERK'S REPORT.
15.1 Burial Grants and approval of memorials.
Two Burial Grants had been issued and no memorials had been approved since
the last meeting. Two interments of ashes and one burial had taken place.
15.2 NALC/EALC Communications: April monthly communications and newsletters
were available in the office for members to read.
15.3 Tenancy Allocations/Changes from Colchester Borough Council. None.
15.4 Work Management.
a) General: The Town Clerk reported that grass cutting was continuing in all
areas. Work had started on planting up the tubs and boats. New goal nets had
been received for the KGV field but would not be put up until after the May
Fair. Rospa were carrying out inspections of all play areas during May. The
number of customers and visitors to the Council Offices for the month of
April totalled 157.
16. FINANCE.
16.1 Current Financial Report
a) April Spending and Income Report was received and noted.
b) 2008/2009 Audit of Accounts: Noted that the Internal Audit will be
carried out on 14/15 May 2009.
c) 2008/2009 Accounts: Noted that the accounts for the year ended 31 March
2009 had been approved and signed by the Town Clerk and the Town Mayor at
the Finance meeting held on 11 May 2009, in preparation for the Internal
Audit.
16.2 List of cheques numbered 503078 -503108 drawn since the last Town
Council Meeting was approved and signed.
16.3 List of Payments made from the Imprest Account since the last Town
Council meeting was received and noted.
16.4 Motions Under Standing Orders Recommending Expenditure.
William Loveless Hall Beech replacement floor £8982
Professional survey of the wet-dock at Cooks £500
16.5 Appeals for Financial Support. None had been received.
17. NEW BUSINESS
17.1 Correspondence. None had been received.
17.2 Conferences/Seminars. None had been received.
17.3 Notices. Members noted the following:
Mayor’s Charity Events:
Summer Ball 13 June 2009
Annual Cricket Match, Friday July 10, 6.00pm
Teddy Bears’ Picnic, Sunday 9 August 2-4.30pm
1960’s evening – Saturday 10 October 2009
1940’s Dance – Saturday 31 October 2009
Tramps’ Supper – Saturday 6 February 2010
Mayor’s Ball Saturday 6 March 2010
17.4 Licences. Town Clerk reported that Simon Harvey, Licensing Officer
would be attending the next Best Value meeting on 8 June.
17.5 Highway Matters.
a) ECC – carriageway/culvert repairs – junction of School Road and the
B1027.
Members received the notification from ECC Highways informing that School
Road, Elmstead, will be closed for 4 days from 26 May 2009 to allow repairs
to be carried out. A diversion route will be in operation. Further details
were available at meeting.
b) ECC – (Waiting Restrictions) (Amendment No. 7) Order 200.
Members received and noted the details concerning waiting restrictions at
Park Road and Valley Road and confirmed that the details were as discussed
earlier.
c) ECC – Proposed 20mph zone
Received and noted the amended consultation plan. There were no comments.
The meeting closed at 9.15pm.
CHAIRMAN
At the close of the meeting an invitation was extended to those present to
join the newly-appointed Town Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr. Neil and Mrs.
Shirley Lodge, at their home for refreshments. |
