BIDFORD ON AVON PARISH COUNCIL In the County of Warwickshire › pdfs › dated › 190121-agenda.pdf · PC Mins. Dec. 2018 Page 1 of 5 BIDFORD ON AVON PARISH COUNCIL In the County

Agenda PC Meeting Jan. 2019 Page 1 of 2

`

BIDFORD ON AVON PARISH COUNCIL In the County of Warwickshire

To all Members of the Parish Council You are hereby summoned to attend a Meeting of the Parish Council to be held at the Parish Council Meeting Rooms, Bramley Way on Monday 21st January 2019 at 7.30 pm to transact the following business 17th January 2019 Elisabeth Uggerløse Clerk to the Parish Council

AGENDA

1. To receive and accept apologies 2. To receive any Declaration of Interest on Items on the Agenda

i. All members of the Council are respectfully reminded that in order to comply with the Code of Conduct adopted by the Parish Council on 18th December 2017, if any matter arises during the meeting in which they have declared an Interest, which could be personal or prejudicial, they should declare so and leave the room. ii. Written requests for Dispensations for DPI should be received by the Clerk no more than 24 hours prior to the meeting. Dispensations will be granted as appropriate

3. To approve The Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 17th December 2018

Agenda PC Meeting Jan. 2019 Page 2 of 2

4. Youth Forum – an opportunity for the young of the parish to put their concerns to members of the Parish Council. Approx 15 mins. (Public Participation at Council Meeting Guidance Notes apply) 5. Public Forum - questions from members of the public. Please be aware that Council will only be able to respond to issues relating to the business to be transacted at the meeting. Approx. 15 minutes in total; 3 minutes per person. (Public Participation at Council Meeting Guidance Notes apply). Please note that this is the only opportunity members of the public have to raise issues as, once the meeting has started, all discussions are limited to the Council and Officers. 6. Councillor Forum – questions from members of the Council in respect of items on the Agenda or Matter Arising (Councillors should be aware this is not a forum when administrative issues are to be raised – this can be done directly with the Clerk and, if deemed appropriate, can be added to the Agenda as a separate item) 7. To receive a report from the County Councillor 8. To receive a report from the District Councillors 9. To receive Clerk’s Report (if relevant) 10. To receive Reports from the Parish Council’s Working Groups (if relevant)

i. Amenities WG – Report with recommendations circulated ii. Business Development – Report with recommendations circulated

iii. Communication & Marketing – Report with recommendations circulated 11. To consider Big Meadow Rent Review – report circulated 12. To consider the Parish Councillor Vacancy As this has occurred within 6 months of the election, there is no legal requirement to advertise the vacancy. However, the Parish Council may wish to do so. The normal procedure is to formally advertise the vacancy, which may result in a by election or, if there is no call for this, the Parish Council may invite residents to join the Parish council as a co-opted member until the elections of 2nd May. 13. To consider an upgrade to the Parish Council computer and lap top. The current operating system is Windows 7, and Microsoft will cease supporting this at the end of 2019 so Windows 10 will have to be installed before then on both the desk and lap top computers. Furthermore, the desk top has run out of disk space which has resulted in not being able to scan and even sometimes having difficulty printing.

Cost : £584.98 for the upgrade of the desk and laptop computers and to increase the disk capacity 14. To approve :

i. Accounts for the month of December 2018 (circulated) ii. This month’s payments (circulated)

PC Mins. Dec. 2018 Page 1 of 5

BIDFORD ON AVON PARISH COUNCIL

In the County of Warwickshire

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 17th December 2018 @ 7.30 pm at the Parish Council Meeting Room, Bramley Way. PRESENT Chairman Cllr. Knight Chairman of the Council Cllrs. Atkins, Ms Deacon, Fleming, Harvey, Hiscocks, Mrs Keeley, Ms Randell and Mrs Taylor Also present: County Cllr Brain District Cllr. Cargill 3 members of the public In attendance: Mrs E. Uggerløse, Clerk to the Parish Council 1. TO RECEIVE AND ACCEPT APOLOGIES Apologies received and accepted from Cllr Pound 2. TO RECEIVE ANY DECLARATION OF INTEREST IN ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

i. All members of the Council are respectfully reminded that in order to comply with the Code of Conduct adopted by the Parish Council on 18th December 2017, if any matter arises during the meeting in which they have declared an Interest, which could be personal or prejudicial, they should declare so and leave the room. None declared

ii. Written requests for Dispensations for DPI should be received by the Clerk no more than 24 hours prior to the meeting. Dispensations will be granted as appropriate. None required


3. TO APPROVE MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY 26TH NOVEMBER 2018 Cllr Ms Deacon proposed the Minutes be accepted as being accurate RESOLVED: that the Minutes be accepted as an accurate account, and signed by the Chairman.

4. YOUTH FORUM None present 5. PUBLIC FORUM

i. Applicant for planning application 18/03459/FUL explained the background to the application to convert the bakery, to the rear of the property, into a 2 bedroom flat • It will not be detrimental to the business side of the High Street as the intention was for the front of the premises to be converted into a café/bistro and potential occupiers had already been identified. • The proposed dwelling is in the bakery part of the premises which would require an investment of over £80k which, in the current financial climate was not viable as other businesses in the area are offering a very good bakery service • He understood there was an issue with the parking but explained he was offering 2 spaces within the ownership of the land and there was plenty of space in the common ownership land for vehicles to manoeuvre as vehicles are not permitted to park there.

ii. Resident of Waterloo Road raised his concern that the proposed location of the detached under planning application 18/03067/FUL would have a detrimental impact on the solar panels on the roof of his garage/workshop, as it would prevent sunlight. 6. COUNCILLOR FORUM No issues raised 7. TO RECEIVE REPORT FROM COUNTY COUNCILLOR

i. CCTV – request has been made to use the camera to identify vehicles that jump the red lights ii. Police Precept – options of increasing the precept by £12/£18 and £24 are being considered, especially after West Mercia advised they were terminating the agreement with Warwickshire Police in August 2019.

Council agreed an increase should be supported subject to an improved police presence. It would appear that the £24 increase would result in 200 new officers, which would be welcome.

iii. Health and Wellness – there is a grant available from £100 to £5,000 for projects that support health and wellness


iv. Youth Justice Service – had received a very good report on the way they are carrying out their services RESOLVED to note

8. TO RECEIVE REPORT FROM DISTRICT COUNCILLORS i. The Croft – the Inspector’s decision was being quashed so the applicant may decide to make a fresh application in due course.

ii. Slim your bin – this is a competition to help you waste less and recycle more and can earn you a prize of £650. Full details of the scheme and how to join available online at https://warwickshire.slim-your-bin.com/ iii. Potholes £5.7 million have been made available by government to help with potholes repairs iv. Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) Report has been finalised and it is expected to have a launch in January 2019, possibly at Alcester.

Council asked if the issue of Healthy Food to combat obesity had been included. Cllr Cargill was unable to confirm this.

v. CCTV – expenditure to improve and upgrade the system had been approved. RESOLVED to note Cllrs Brain and Cargill left and Council thanked them for their assistance during the year and wished them a Happy Christmas and New year.

9. RECEIVE CLERK’S REPORT Short verbal report updating on the situation on Salford Road RESOLVED to note

10. TO RECEIVE REPORTS FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL’S WORKING GROUP i. Amenities WG – Report with Resolutions attached to these Minutes of which it forms an integral part.

ii. Business Development Strategic WG – Verbal report • CIC – will be meeting in January. Prospective directors, of which Cllr Fleming was one, were very enthusiastic • Working Group was meeting in January • Business Forum – new online initiative which now has 252 members. Good for networking and business development.

RESOLVED to note iii. Communication & Marketing WG – Verbal report by the Chairman

• Meeting on 7th Jan. 2019 • Working on press release in connection with the precept RESOLVED to note


11. TO CONSIDER AND APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE WHICH MET ON THURSDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2019 FOR THE PRECEPT 2019/20 The Chairman of the Finance Committee proposed that the recommendation made at the Finance Committee Meeting to approve a Precept of £272,165.00 RESOLVED by a unanimous vote to set a Precept of £272,165.00 for the year 2019/20

12. TO APPROVE DATE FOR THE NEXT STRATEGY MEETING – MONDAY 18TH FEBRUARY 2019 RESOLVED to approve the date

13. TO CONSIDER LETTER FORM THE LEADER OF SDC REGARDING PROVISION OF IMPROVED FAST BROADBANK CONNECTIVITY Council to consider if there are any pockets within the parish that require improvement. The Clerk advised that this had been posted on Facebook and, from the replies received, it would appear that there were some issues with the west of the village around Old School Mead. RESOLVED to advise SDC of the potential issues in the west of the village

14. TO NOTE THE PRESS RELEASE FROM THE PCC REGARDING REASSURANCE GIVEN THAT LOCAL POLICING WILL BE UNAFFECTED BY THE ALLIANCE CHANGES This has been circulated RESOLVED to note

15. TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING PLANNING APPLICATIONS: i. 18/03067/FUL – Mrs Clare Thornton, Land at Waterloo Road Proposed residential development of 4 dwellings Council considered the concerns raised by the neighbour to this proposed development and RESOLVED to object on the ground that the location of one of the dwellings would have a detrimental impact on the solar panels of the garage/workshop of the neighbouring property. The objection would be waived if the dwelling was re located in such a way as to allow the solar panels to function. Policy ENV1 – supports Renewable and Low Carbon

Energy ii. 18/03078/FUL – Mr P Scully, Avon farm, Welford Road, Barton B50 4NP Proposed garage and change of use of land to domestic curtilage Council carefully considered this application and RESOLVED to object on the grounds that it is contrary to

• Policy H5 – Use of Garden Land – the proposed garage, which is partly located in the garden, is imposing in size and there would appear to be no justification for its erection • Policy ENV6 – Protection of the Best and most

Versatile Agricultural Land - the proposed application would change the use of land from agricultural to domestic curtilage as it is edxtending into agriculturalland.


iii. 18/03459/FUL - Mr B Steele, 70 High Street, B50 4AB Change of use of rear of single storey building from commercial bakery (Class 2) to single two bedroom accommodation (Class C3) and minor external alternations After careful consideration it was RESOLVED by 8 votes in favour and 1 against, to make a No Representation reply 16. TO CONSIDER AND APPROVE

i. Completed accounts for the month of November2018 These had been circulated RESOLVED they should be accepted and approved

ii. To approve payments to be made in December 2018 List of cheques to be raised and signed had been circulated. List of payable invoices £32,936.42 RESOLVED to approve payments and Cllrs Ms Deacon and Mrs Taylor to sign the cheques The meeting closed at approx. 8.40pm

Item 10i) Amenities WG Report Dec.2018 Page 1


Item 10 i) REPORT & RESOLUTIONS FROM THE AMENITIES WORKING

GROUP

Members: Cllr Hiscocks (chairman), Cllr Harvey and Cllr Mrs Keeley Meeting took place on Tuesday 27th November @ 11.00 am at the Big Meadow with Mark Smith, and continued at the PC Meeting Room. 1. Big Meadow electricity & water Members and the Clerk met Mark Smith at the Big Meadow to discuss where the electricity and water cables would be laid. It is planned to start the trench work after Christmas to ensure electricity supply is available for 1st April 2019 for the new season. Quotes for this work has been received for a total of £4,977.10 – please note this does not include the actual cables which will be supplied at a later stage by the electrician. The Parish Council will also have to hire a digger at a cost of £240 per week + fuel..

Recommendation Council approve the quotation so that work can commence as early as possible in the new year to ensure everything is ready for the summer 2019 season. RESOLVED to approve the quotation

2. Grant applications i. Bidford Health Centre 2 x bus shelters to replace current ones Cost £6,400 + VAT Grant requested : £6,400 + VAT Members noted that no other funding had been either requested or provided and questioned why other parish councils, whose residents also use the Health centre, had not been approached. It was also noted that the installation of Bus Stops was a planning condition and the question was asked as to why Bidford Health Centre is asking the Parish Council to pay for the full cost of replacement of what was installed.


However, bearing in mind residents do use the bus stop, the Recommendation is to award a grant of £1,400.00 and ask the Bidford Health Centre why they have not approached other parish councils and agencies. Council discussed this at length as it did not think it was appropriate for the Health Centre to simply ask the Council to pay for bus shelters which were part of the planning permission granted. However, it took into account the comments made by the Amenities WG that its proposal was to support the local resident using the bus service to the Health Centre. RESOLVED to contribute £1,400 towards the bus shelter payable against a confirmed order and Pro Forma Invoice from the bus shelter company

ii. Bidford Tennis Club Resurface 2 tennis courts and upgrade the floodlights Cost: i. new playing surface:£40,000. (inc. VAT) ii. new floodlights : £25,000 (inc. VAT) Grant requested : £10/15,000 Members considered the amount requested which is, understandably, large and, after some discussion, it was agreed that a Recommendation to award £8,000 be proposed subject to the Tennis Club allowing 2 hours free use of the tennis courts for the Bidford Youth to be managed by Bidford Youth Club Council considered this application carefully, with some Councillors believing a higher amount could be considered and a counter proposal to increase the grant to £10,000 was made. This was followed by a further counter proposal to not give a grant at all. Council voted first for a NO GRANT – 1 favour 8 against Council then voted for a £10,000 grant: 2 in favour 7 against Council voted for the recommended £8,000 – 6 in favour, 1 against and 2 abstentions. The motion was passed Council then considered the recommendation of the free use by other members of the community and it was RESOLVED to award a grant of £8,000 subject to an agreement to allow 2 hours a week free use, with coaching, of the tennis courts by the Bidford youth and local community: this usage to be agreed through appropriate negotiation with the Parish Council


3. Big Meadow Toilets Looking for 3 quotations: i. Healthamtic (company that exhibits at SLCC events_

ii. M & D Carpentry (installed the toilets at Pershore) iii. The company that installed the toilet at Ettington Community Centre Indicative cost is in the area of £75,000 Recommendation to note the update and await quotations – these will be presented to Council for approval.

RESOLVED to note 4. Big Meadow Winter Car Park It is proposed 2 x solar lights be installed to give some light during the winter months when it is in use.

Recommendation to note the update and await quotations – these will be presented to Council for approval RESOLVED to note

5. Marleigh Park It is proposed to install a further bench for parents as there is a lot of use of this area. Cost £710.75 plus installation costs Recommendation to approve the cost RESOLVED to approve the cost

6. Commemorative Tree for Miss Joan Ierston Executors would like to plant an Italian alder by the riverbank on the Big Meadow and is asking permission. The tree will be planted by Jill Houghton and the planned date is 23rd January. The tree will be about 2M in height and it will be planted with a tree stake and protected with a suitable tree guard. The Council’s tree advisor confirmed the type of tree, situation and time of year from planting (unless the ground is frozen) is acceptable. As it is the council’s policy to encourage tree planting, the WG saw no objection to this request and is asking them to plant it towards the west of the Big Meadow, opposite the moorings by the riverbank. To note RESOLVED to note

Item 10i) Amenities WG Report & Recommendations Jan. 2019 Page 1


Item 10 i) REPORT & RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE AMENITIES

WORKING GROUP

Members: Cllr Hiscocks (chairman), Cllr Harvey and Cllr Mrs Keeley Meeting took place on Tuesday 8th January 2019 at the PC Small Meeting Room 1. Grant applications

• CAB To pay for the Outreach at Bidford-on-Avon In 2018 they have provided 30 face to face appointments: i. 18% were aged between 45-49

ii. 18% were aged between 75-79 iii. 47% were disabled or with long term conditions iv. 53% were female The main issues of enquiries were

i. Benefits – 60% ii. Housing – 10%

iii. Debt – 5% Of these 20% were unemployed and 50% retired It is also noticeable that just under 50% of those attending are disabled and would have difficulty in attending the offices at Stratford. Grant request: £2,067.08 (Annual Report and Accounts have been supplied) Recommendation: a grant for £2,067.08 be awarded 2. Streetlights

i. The current, total cost, for upgrading all the streetlights in Bidford-on-Avon (except Crompton Avenue) is £240,676.

ii. The estimated unmetered electricity cost is £7,434.00

iii. The estimated cost for streetlight maintenance is £1,000.00

Item 10i) Amenities WG Report & Recommendations Jan. 2019 Page 2

Based on these figures it will take nearly 30 years to amortise the expenditure. Recommendation to replace the streetlights over a period of 5 years at a budgeted amount of £50k per annum

3. Unmetered electricity At one of the SLCC conferences, the Clerk met Utility Aid, which is the national utility broker for many charities – you can access their website at https://www.utility-aid.co.uk/. She gave them the necessary information for them to quote. Regrettably, their quotes are of short duration and will be presented at the meeting of 21st. It should be noted the savings are not enormous by they are a saving and the Council will have the security of having a well respected broker in the sector looking after the account. They propose moving to Opus on a 36 month deal with effect from 1at October 2019 when the current contract ends. Recommendation that Council uses Utility Aid for its unmetered electricity account.

4. New Lights a. Lighting Winter Car park 2 x solar lights located on the winter car park

£2,950.00 Recommendation to accept the quotation

b. High Street, Broom i. Solar Light

£1,885.00 ii. Disconnection and removal of current lantern

£729.21 iii. Conventional streetlight £3,208.00

Recommendation – to approve purchase and installation of a conventional streetlights as the difference between the cost is under £600 and this is an important junction. 5. Parking on pavements in Bidford-on-Avon Discussion paper circulated

Recommendation to approve the discussion paper and allow the Amenities WG to work on it and to present its conclusions to Council.

6. Community and Youth Project update Better Together for Bidford – Ideas Factory event is being organised at the Crawford Memorial Hall the morning of Sat. 16th February with an open invitation to all those that would like to participate. Booking is via Eventbrite and the Parish Council is being asked to advertise it to ensure good local community participation.

Parking on pavements in Bidford - on – Avon – a discussion paper.

Over a number of years the concerns about inconsiderate parking on pavements has grown. Recently a number of councillors attended a meeting convened by the Warwickshire County Council (WCC) where we were told a lot about what we could not do to solve the problem and very little about solutions. Neither the Stratford District Council (SDC) nor WCC seem to see the issue as a priority but we believe it causes significant inconvenience and not a little danger to residents and visitors to our Parish.

Blocking pavements partially or completely causes:

• Inconvenience to all pedestrians who either have to squeeze past badly parked vehicles or walk into the roadway.

• Fear and confusion to blind and partially sighted pedestrians who are unable to identify the blockage and find a safe way forward.

• The elderly and parents with young children and push chairs to risk injury or death by having to take to the often busy roads.

There appears to be some rationale to this apparently thoughtless behaviour in that some drivers will tell you they were trying to be helpful by avoiding blocking the road. Many seem to give no logical thought to their behaviour at all or understand its consequences. So perhaps a partial solution, a way forward, is a carefully designed strategy to engage and educate both pedestrians and drivers.

The options that seem available to us as a Parish Council may seem limited but several have great potential, they are:

1. A general marketing and awareness raising campaign which could include:

• A parish wide mail shot outlining the impact of pavement parking and a plea to support positive action to stop it supported by a major article in the Big Paper.

• A mailshot to all businesses registered in Bidford and those who regularly advertise their services in local magazines such as the Why, asking for their support. It is not unusual for it to be visiting tradesmen who contribute to the pavement parking problem.

• A series of speaking visits to primary and secondary schools to engage young people in working with their families to understand the importance of keeping pavements clear of vehicles.

• The creation of a range of windscreen leaflets designed to elicit a sympathetic response from motorists who are parking on pavements. These might be designed by children from our schools and have a cartoon/picture element along with appropriate captions.

• Road side notices in those areas with a particularly marked issue with pavement parking, (Victoria and Waterloo Roads come immediately to mind ), which again could be designed by our children and fixed on existing boards or at additional sites agreed by PC with WCC Highways.

If this discussion paper can be presented to PC and meets with their approval in principle by the PC then a more detailed strategic plan with timelines and costings can be prepared.

Joe Harvey

07/01/19

Item 10ii) Business Development WG Report & Recommendations Jan 2019 Page 1


Item 10 ii) BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WG REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS Meeting took place on Wednesday 16th January 2019 @ 10.30 am Present: Cllrs Mrs Taylor (Chairman) Atkins and Pound In attendance :, Elisabeth Uggerloese – Parish Clerk Also attending for Item 1, Paul Taylor, County Council Officer

1. High Street parking and traffic systems: Paul Taylor, Traffic & Road Safety Manager for Warwickshire County Council was invited to the meeting to discuss the problems of congestion and lack of parking that affect both the high street businesses and residents. Options were considered and the following actions were agreed: • Paul Taylor will come back to us by early February with a cost estimate for a feasibility study into traffic changes to both the West and East ends of the High Street. • Ways of freeing up parking spaces for High Street visitors are being looked into including best use of Saxon Fields and Ward Lane car-parks. Recommendation to note and await to hear from Paul Taylor regarding the costs for the feasibility study

2. High Street lighting: The High street is gloomy at night. It was agreed to request that the Amenities Group make High Street lighting a priority in the upgrading plans for Bidford. Recommendation to approve the request that Amenities WG prioritise the High Street street lighting when considering the replacement/upgrading schedule


3. CIC update. It is proving difficult to bring everyone together for the second meeting, though there is no lack of enthusiasm for the project in principle. Recommendation to note the update and await further information

4. Government initiative on High streets: The Clerk is following this up with the relevant Government Department and SLCC to find out what that means for us and any influence we may be able to exert to gain support. Recommendation t o note and await to hear back from the Clerk

5. Royal Inn: The Clerk to contact Johnson Fellows and the British Legion for an update – and to demonstrate our continued interest. Cllr Taylor is following up with developer. Recommendation to note the update and await development

6. Other High Street retail properties: We are keeping a watching brief on the shops that are currently empty: Recommendation to note

7. Report to Strategy meeting: Cllr Mrs Taylor will be writing a detailed report concentrating on: High street traffic and parking Royal Inn Recommendation to note 7. Communication with industrial estate: Cllr Mrs Taylor to follow up

Recommendation to note

9. Bidford Banners To end with some really good news from this BDWG initiative. Bidford banners were successful in raising £937 for its 2019 banner project via Spacehive (a crowd funding scheme for community projects supported by WCC). Congratulations to the group, especially Terry Cullum and Marie Hully who have worked very hard for this success Recommendation to note and to send them a congratulations letter/card



Item 10 ii) BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WG REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS Meeting took place on Wednesday 16th January 2019 @ 10.30 am Present: Cllrs Mrs Taylor (Chairman) Atkins and Pound In attendance :, Elisabeth Uggerloese – Parish Clerk Also attending for Item 1, Paul Taylor, County Council Officer

1. High Street parking and traffic systems: Paul Taylor, Traffic & Road Safety Manager for Warwickshire County Council was invited to the meeting to discuss the problems of congestion and lack of parking that affect both the high street businesses and residents. Options were considered and the following actions were agreed: • Paul Taylor will come back to us by early February with a cost estimate for a feasibility study into traffic changes to both the West and East ends of the High Street. • Ways of freeing up parking spaces for High Street visitors are being looked into including best use of Saxon Fields and Ward Lane car-parks. Recommendation to note and await to hear from Paul Taylor regarding the costs for the feasibility study

2. High Street lighting: The High street is gloomy at night. It was agreed to request that the Amenities Group make High Street lighting a priority in the upgrading plans for Bidford. Recommendation to approve the request that Amenities WG prioritise the High Street street lighting when considering the replacement/upgrading schedule


3. CIC update. It is proving difficult to bring everyone together for the second meeting, though there is no lack of enthusiasm for the project in principle. Recommendation to note the update and await further information

4. Government initiative on High streets: The Clerk is following this up with the relevant Government Department and SLCC to find out what that means for us and any influence we may be able to exert to gain support. Recommendation t o note and await to hear back from the Clerk

5. Royal Inn: The Clerk to contact Johnson Fellows and the British Legion for an update – and to demonstrate our continued interest. Cllr Taylor is following up with developer. Recommendation to note the update and await development

6. Other High Street retail properties: We are keeping a watching brief on the shops that are currently empty: Recommendation to note

7. Report to Strategy meeting: Cllr Mrs Taylor will be writing a detailed report concentrating on: High street traffic and parking Royal Inn Recommendation to note 7. Communication with industrial estate: Cllr Mrs Taylor to follow up

Recommendation to note

9. Bidford Banners To end with some really good news from this BDWG initiative. Bidford banners were successful in raising £937 for its 2019 banner project via Spacehive (a crowd funding scheme for community projects supported by WCC). Congratulations to the group, especially Terry Cullum and Marie Hully who have worked very hard for this success Recommendation to note and to send them a congratulations letter/card

Forward thinking Bidford on Avon Parish Council Sets prudent 2019 Precept .

Bidford on Avon Parish Council on Monday 17th December unanimously approved a 2% increase on the Precept for 2019, which equates to an extra £2.19 per annum on Band D equivalents; similar to paying for a single jar of coffee. The reason for the approved increase is directly related to the Parish Council’s projects & to ensure we can fund devolved areas of service provision from Principal Authorities. The Neighbourhood Development Plan identified key aspirations to the Parish Council, & the increase will enable Council to carry out strategic plans to make the village more vibrant and improve the Quality of life of its residents. Finally the Council also gravely gave consideration to meeting potential increases from costs to it’s 2019 expenditure such as staff wages, as Government has eased the pressure to keep salaries unchanged. Council felt it was appropriately responsible to include a safety net too. Our Parish Councillors in conjunction with our Clerk have always worked very hard to get the most favourable pricing with our suppliers. Our Clerk also has used her vast knowledge to optimise every opportunity of securing any available funding from grants. In 2018 the outlay costs for our parish rose by considerably more than 3%. However due to the hundreds of new householders in our Parish, bring further contributions to the precept, this has enabled the increase to be levied at 2% only.



Item 11 - Big Meadow Rent Review

The rent review was due in November 2018. The current rent is £11,600 per annum and the Estate Charity of Alice, Duchess Dudley, wrote and suggested that they “simply increase it by inflation of just under

13% over the five year period. This would take the rent to £13,100 per annum for the five years to November 2023” I discussed this with Derek Kemp (DCK) who advised they are using RPI for inflation and the CPI is more appropriate both for this type of rent and for local councils. He also suggested we enquire whether the charity would be willing to consider selling the land to the Parish Council. Further correspondence ensued regarding the appropriateness of applying CPI with Derek advising to dig my heels, which I did. On 28th Dec. I received a letter stating that “Trustees are prepared to compromise and use the CPI rate, provided the figure is rounded up to £12,500 per annum for the five year period 27th November 2018 to 26th November 2023”. Again I c=checked with Derek and his recommendation is for Council to accept the second offer. Recommendation to accept an increased rent of £12,500 per annum based on CPI rates for the period Nov. 2018 – Nov. 2023.

BIDFORD ON AVON PARISH COUNCIL In the County of Warwickshire › pdfs › dated › 190121-agenda.pdf · PC Mins. Dec. 2018 Page 1 of 5 BIDFORD ON AVON PARISH COUNCIL In the County

Documents