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Earley Town Council |
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EARLEY TOWN COUNCIL
Minutes of the meeting of Earley Town Council held in the Council Chamber at the Council Offices, Radstock Lane, Earley, Berkshire on Wednesday, 29th November 2006 which commenced at 7.45 pm. Present
Mayor – Councillor D Chopping
Councillors M Ahmed, J Armstrong, T Chambers, M Deegan, C Edmunds, M Firmager, N Jorgensen, Mrs P Jorgensen, T Lowe (from 7.50 to 9.55pm), C Rowden, S Scarrott, Mrs E Spratling and G B Woods.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Miss T Bauckham (due to family commitments), A Bradley, T Holton (District Council meeting), Mrs J Lissaman (due to holiday), Mrs F Lumbar (due to ill health), Mrs F Rolls, A Spratling (due to ill health), Mrs C Swindells (due to family commitments), D Swindells (due to ill health), M Thomas and K Ward. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
56. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING
The Minutes of the meeting of the Town Council held on 4th October 2006 were confirmed as a true record and signed by the Mayor.
57. MAYOR’S COMMUNICATIONS
57.1 Chains of Office
The Mayor reported that Councillor Mrs Jorgensen had kindly cleaned the Chains of Office and requested that his thanks and appreciation to her be recorded.
57.2 Maiden Erlegh School
The Mayor reported that he had attended Maiden Erlegh School to speak to Year 8 pupils regarding the role of Local Government and the differences between the District and Town Councils. He had, also, been requested to present achievement awards to pupils in January 2007.
57.3 Wendyhouse Pre-School
The Mayor announced that he would be attending the Wendyhouse Pre-School Christmas concert on 15th December.
57.4 Primary Schools Carol Concert
The Mayor announced that he would be attending the Primary Schools carol concert.
57.5 Earley Forum
The Mayor reported that he had attended the Earley Forum Networking lunch on 15th November.
57.6 CResCent
The Mayor stated that he had attended the CresCent AGM and reported that CResCent had been nominated for the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services and an official announcement would be made on 2nd June 2007 as to whether or not it had been successful.
57.7 Sports Council
The Mayor reported that the Deputy Mayor had attended the Sports Council presentation in his absence.
57.8 Mayor’s Christmas Reception
The Mayor reminded Members that his Christmas Reception would be held on 6th December and requested that acceptance forms be returned to the Town Clerk as soon as possible.
57.9 Remembrance Service
The Mayor had attended the Remembrance Service at St. Peter’s Church and was pleased to note that there was a good attendance from Members.
RESOLVED that the Vicar of St. Peter’s Church be thanked for the invitation to the service.
57.10 Luckmore Drive Residents Association
The Mayor reported that he would be attending the funeral of the Chairman of the Luckmore Drive Residents Association.
58. TOWN COUNCIL COMMITTEES
58.1 Planning Committee
58.1.1 Meeting of 10th October
The Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 10th October were presented by the Committee Chairman, Councillor Mrs P Jorgensen. On the proposition of Councillor Mrs P Jorgensen, seconded by Councillor J Armstrong it was
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 10th October (Minutes 72-85) be approved.
58.1.2 Meeting of 14th November
The Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 14th November were presented by the Committee Chairman, Councillor Mrs P Jorgensen. It was suggested that, in future, when more than one set of Minutes are presented to Council, they be listed as separate sub items on the Agenda.
On the proposition of Councillor Mrs P Jorgensen, seconded by Councillor J Armstrong, it was
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 14th November (Minutes 86-98) be approved.
58.2 Amenities & Leisure Committee
58.2.1 Meeting of 25th October
In presenting the Minutes of the Amenities & Leisure Committee meeting held on 25th October 2006, the Committee Vice Chairman, Councillor T Chambers, drew particular attention to the recommendations contained at Minute 45 concerning the fees and charges review.
A Member proposed an amendment to Minutes 45.1, 45.3, 45.4, 45.6 and 45.7 that the fees and charges be increased by an inflation rate of 3.7%.
A vote was taken on the amendment as follows:
FOR 10 AGAINST 3
With regard to Minute 50, Skatepark/BMX Track, it was proposed that a public meeting be held on 8th January 2007 at the Maiden Place Community Centre for the benefit of local residents and that representatives of the potential users, the Youth Street Workers and the area PCSO be invited.
On the proposition of Councillor N Jorgensen, seconded by Councillor T Chambers it was
RESOLVED that
1. a public meeting be convened to be held on 8th January 2007 at the Maiden Place Community Centre and that local residents, representatives of the potential users, the Youth Street Workers and the area PCSO be invited
2. Councillors as follows be requested to attend the above-mentioned meeting:
Chairman of meeting - Councillor M Deegan Councillor’s representative - Councillor N Jorgensen Opposition representatives - Councillors Mrs E Spratling and M Thomas Ward Councillors - Councillors M Firmager and T Holton
3. subject to cost, the Landscape Architect be invited to the public meeting to assist in the response to any technical questions
4. Town and Parish Councils within the surrounding vicinity be notified that information from the meeting would be fed back accordingly
5. the Minutes, as amended, of the meeting of the Amenities & Leisure Committee held on 6th September 2006 (Minutes 42-57) be approved and the recommendations at Minute 45 be adopted.
58.2.2 Sol Joel Park Sub-Committee – 1st November 2006
The Town Clerk reported that, at the request of the Town Mayor and with the agreement of the Chairman of the Amenities & Leisure Committee and Chairman of the Sol Joel Park Sub-Committee, this item had been placed on the agenda for Councillors consideration.
At the meeting of the Sub-Committee, the following had been recorded:
"RECOMMENDED that the Consultant be asked to proceed with the planning application, taking into account the comments made during the discussion."
The record of the discussion was appended to the Agenda for Members' information only and the Town Clerk reported that the elevations were still awaited from the Architect.
It was suggested that the finer details such as the brick colouring and pattern and, also, the internals should be dealt with under Reserved Matters. It was, further suggested that, prior to the Planning application, there should be a meeting of the Sol Joel Park Sub-Committee to consider the brick colour schemes and patterns plus any variations to the plans to enable a choice of three colours to be submitted to the Planning Authority.
Accordingly, it was
RESOLVED that
1. the above-mentioned Recommendation be amended to read “that the Consultant be asked to proceed with the Planning application, taking into account the comments made during the discussion and that the finer details, such as the brick colouring and pattern, and the internals be dealt with under Reserve Matters”
2. prior to the Planning Application, a meeting of the Sub-Committee be convened to consider the finer details, as outlined above
3. the elevations, when received from the Architect, be circulated to Members.
58.3 Policy & Resources Committee
The minutes of the meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee held on 20th September 2006 were presented by the Committee Chairman, Councillor M Deegan.
With regard to Minute 42.2 concerning the grant applications, a Member expressed the view that, as JAC was a relatively new organisation, it should be treated as a separate entity and, therefore, should not be asked to submit a joint bid with the Outreach Service. Councillor Deegan informed Members that as the two organisations were working together and their bids appeared to mirror each other, it was felt that a joint bid would be more focused but any grant funding would be given to each body separately.
An amendment was proposed that the contribution to Age Concern should be reduced to £300 because, although Age Concern was a registered charity, it gave funding to other groups. The Council was of the opinion, therefore, that its contribution should only be used for the direct benefit of Earley residents.
A vote was taken on the amendment as follows:
FOR 10 AGAINST 3
On the proposition of Councillor M Deegan, seconded by Councillor C Edmunds it was
RESOLVED that the Minutes, as amended, of the Policy and Resources Committee held on 8th November 2006 (Minutes 38-47) be approved and the recommendation at Minute 42.2 be adopted.
Note: Councillor S Scarrott declared a personal interest in the Age Concern item and took no part in the voting thereon. 59. REPRESENTATIVES TO OTHER BODIES 59.1 Reports of Representatives
59.1.1 Earley Volunteer Care Bureau
Councillor Mrs E Spratling reported that she had attended a meeting of the Earley Volunteer Care Bureau where the usual business was discussed.
59.1.2 CResCent
Councillor Mrs E Spratling reported on her attendance at the CResCent AGM and stated that it had been pleased to be nominated for the Queen’s Award. A discussion on funding also took place.
59.1.3 Wokingham Job Support Centre
Councillor Mrs E Spratling reported on her attendance at the Wokingham Job Support Centre where two of the main topics were evacuation and security procedures.
59.1.4 Wokingham District Sports Council
Councillors noted the following report from Councillor T Holton who had attended a meeting of the Wokingham District Sports Council on 6th November which was dedicated to a discussion on the Sports Awards:
“This year's award ceremony was the most well attended event in recent years. Notable attendees in addition to the prize-winners were John Redwood, Donna Frazier, Simone Jacob and a host of world rank British athletes from a variety of sports. To begin the evening there was a table tennis exhibition and motivational talk from the ex English number 1. After hearing the achievements of our many young athletes in the District, I am looking forward to London 2012 and, hopefully, more than one will be on the podium.”
60. COUNCILLORS' ATTENDANCES
60.1 Record of Members' Attendance
One amendment was made to the record of attendance in respect of the September meeting of the Amenities & Leisure Committee where Councillor Holton had been unable to attend due to his attendance at a District Council meeting.
Councillors noted the record of Members’ attendances, as amended, for the period to 8th November 2006 a copy of which is appended to these Minutes.
61. COUNCILLOR AUTHORISATION OF ABSENCE
Approval of Reason for Failure to Attend Council Meetings
Members were reminded that, under the Local Government Act 1972, Section 85, if a Member failed throughout six consecutive months to attend any meetings of the Council or its Committees or Sub-Committees of which they were a Member or of a Joint Committee, Joint Board or other body to which any of the Council's powers had been transferred or delegated, they ceased automatically to be a member of the Council. This was unless the Member had a "statutory excuse" or the failure was due to a reason approved by the Council or the Member had attended as a representative of the Council at a meeting of any Body.
Members were, therefore, requested to consider the following Motion:
“Proposed that the absence of Councillors D Swindells and Mrs C Swindells from any of the above mentioned meetings, both in the past and for the foreseeable future, be approved by the Council, due to prolonged illness of Councillor D Swindells and the need for Councillor Mrs C Swindells to provide care facilities”.
It was understood that Councillor S Scarrott would assume the role of Deputy Leader of the Opposition and would officially notify the Town Clerk accordingly.
Councillor Edmunds updated Members on the current situation regarding the approved absence of Councillor Mrs T Bauckham.
RESOLVED that
1. the Motion be approved
2. the previously approved absences of Councillors Mrs T Bauckham and Mrs F Lumbar be reaffirmed.
62. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS
The Town Clerk reported that the 2007 Annual Meeting of Council was one week later than usual because of the elections.
Whilst, in the past, attempts had been made to schedule meetings so that August was free with the exception of Planning, this would not be possible in 2007 without scheduling the Amenities & Leisure and Policy & Resources meetings very close together.
Members, therefore, noted that one of the Full Council Meetings had been scheduled for 1st August and were requested to approve the dates of meetings for the 2007/08 municipal year, as detailed on the schedule appended to the Agenda.
RESOLVED that the Schedule of meetings, as appended to these Minutes, be approved. 63. PROPOSED CLOSURE OF RYEISH GREEN SCHOOL
The Town Clerk reported that a Consultation Document had been prepared by Wokingham District Council on the proposed closure of Ryeish Green School, a copy of which had previously been circulated for the information of Members only.
Members were, generally, of the opinion that more information should have been made available and, accordingly, it was
RESOLVED that the following response be conveyed to Wokingham District Council:
· Earley Town Council welcomes the District Council undertaking this consultation rather than leaving it to the Secretary of State · This Council would not like to see any local school close · Earley Town Council has always subscribed to Earley children being educated in schools in Earley · This Council would ask the District Council Officers to reconsider the catchment areas of all schools to meet this need · This Council would like to know how many Earley resident pupils attend the school and where they are likely to go · This Council would like to know what the impact would be on primary school years 5 and 6 of the potential closure · Earley Town Council asks that the breakdowns be calculated on a Town/Ward basis for traffic purposes.
64. EXTENSION OF HOURS
The Town Clerk reported that, in view of the urgency of the subject matter, these items were being put forward for consideration by Council:
64.1 Maiden Place Social Club
A request had been received from Maiden Place Social Club for an extension of bar hours over the Christmas and New Year period as follows:
Sunday 24th December until 01.00am Monday 25th December 12.00 noon – 3.00pm Sunday 31st December until 02.00am.
Members were of the opinion that any extensions should be kept in line with the local public house and, accordingly, it was
RESOLVED that
1. the following extensions be approved:
Sunday 24th December until 12.30am Monday 25th December 12.00 noon – 3.00pm Sunday 31st December until 01.00am
2. the Social Club be notified that the above extensions were the times by which the Community Centre must be vacated.
64.2 Earley Radstock Social Club
A request had been received from Earley Radstock Social Club for an extension of hours over the Christmas and New Year period as follows:
Sunday 17th December until 10.30 pm for its Christmas Draw.
In accordance with the terms of the Council’s use of the site, the Headteacher of the school had been contacted and her response was awaited.
RESOLVED that, subject to approval from the Headteacher, the request be approved.
65. ORDERS FOR PAYMENT
RESOLVED that the various accounts as set out in the list attached to these Minutes (Vouchers 374-391) be paid in the sums as stated and details of the Imprest Vouchers (162-185 and 186-192) be noted.
66. PUBLICATIONS
It was noted that the following publications had been received and were held in the Council Offices:
67. PRESS RELEASES
RESOLVED that the item relating to the proposed closure of Ryeish Green School should receive emphasis.
68. CONFIDENTIAL MATTER
RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded from the meeting during a discussion of a confidential matter relating to a member of staff.
69. TERMINATION OF MEETING
The meeting was declared closed by the Mayor at 10.10pm.
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