Wellington Town Council minutes January 2006

Minutes of the meeting of Wellington Town Council held in the United Reformed Church Hall in Fore Street, Wellington on Monday, 9th January 2006 at 7pm

PRESENT: Councillor R. Bowrah (chairman), who presided, Councillor D. Mitton (vice-chairman), Councillors Mrs V. Byrne, Mrs V. Stock-Williams and Mrs N. Wilson, Councillors P. Critchard, R. Henley, C. Hindley, A. Horsman, A. Govier, S. Palmer and E. Warren, and the clerk A. Brown. There were apologies from Councillors C. Biscoe, G. Copley and G. James. There were 26 members of the public present.

13619 CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
The chairman, Councillor R. Bowrah, who wished everyone a happy New Year, reported that he had sent an inscribed plaque of Wellington and a civic message to the Mayor of Wellington in New Zealand via a local butterfly expert, Roger Sutton, conservation and reserves committee chairman of the Westcountry branch of Butterfly Conservation, who was visiting Wellington in January 2006. In his message he had told the mayor that residents from Wellington, New Zealand would be made very welcome whenever they visited our Wellington. Councillor Bowrah also reported that it was the last council meeting to be covered by John Nash, of the Wellington Weekly News, who was retiring at the end of January. He had contributed much to the life and interests of the town and he wished Mr Nash well in his retirement. In reply Mr Nash said he had enjoyed covering the council’s work during the past five and a half years.

13620 POLICE MATTERS
Sgt Richard Caburn reported stated that December 2005 had been reasonably good from the police point of view. He pointed out that the Wellington section included Milverton, Wiveliscombe and the Blackdown Hills. There had been 5 commercial burglaries, 3 thefts from outbuildings, 2 distraction burglaries in Wellington where the victims had been elderly, 15 thefts, 8 cases of criminal damage, 4 cases of criminal damage to vehicles, 7 thefts from vehicles and 5 assaults, with 2 police officers assaulted in Fore Street while arresting a man who had caused damage. New Year’s Eve had been quiet with no incidents in the town centre or residential areas. A driver had been arrested for drunken driving following a crash on New Year’s Day. During the previous weekend (7th/8th January) two teenagers (15/16) had been arrested for breaking into 10-20 cars after someone on the way to work in the early hours had phoned the police. The arrested youths were known to the police. In reply to questions from Councillor Byrne about whether there had been any increase in violence or drunken-ness in Wellington since the introduction of the new 24 hours licensing laws, Sgt Caburn said there had been no ramifications in Wellington. He reported that PC Grahame Woodward, who served most of his 30 years in the Wellington area, would be retiring at the end of January and paid tribute to his work. PC Woodward was a real character and had a lot of feeling for the town. Sgt Caburn was thanked for attending the council meeting. It was agreed to thank PC Woodward for his long and outstanding service and to present him with an inscribed plaque.

13621 PURCHASE OF RELOCATABLE CCTV
With reference the clerk reported that Quedgeley Parish Council in Gloucester was very pleased with its Wireless CCTV camera and was ordering a second camera; that the working party had met John Lewis (TDBC) that day (9/1/06) and had agreed the use of lighting columns in South Street car park (C6) and North Street car park (C8), which would be load/safety tested, had deferred a decision on columns in Longforth car park pending a decision on the use of a camera in the adjacent Lancer Court and had agreed to look at possible sites at Rockwell Green at a later date. Sgt Caburn
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13621 PURCHASE OF RELOCATABLE CCTV (continued)
said Lancer Court was his first priority as it was used by offenders as a quick exit from High Street and the town centre so a camera in Lancer Court would act as a deterrent and help to identity suspected lawbreakers. It was agreed to arrange a site meeting with Sgt Caburn to decide on the location for the camera. A report was received from Councillor Mitton on a SLCC conference he had attended in Bristol where there had been a company, 247outdoor which provided lighting columns and electricity free of charge in return for an advertising display. It was agreed to consider inviting a representative from the company to meet the council after a decision had been made over the location of a camera for Lancer Court.

13622 PPT: PROPOSED MEDICAL CENTRE IN MANTLE STREET
Mr Martin Weaver, of Mantle Street, who represented a group of Mantle Street residents, said they were very concerned at the proposal to erect a new medical centre in Mantle Street near Trinity Close as the land formed part of a green wedge in the local plan. There were also traffic concerns in a very narrow road and at the loss of on-street parking in an area where most residents did not have garages or parking spaces. The introduction of a substantial traffic junction on an already busy road would also cause problems on a major school route. He invited councillors to visit Mantle Street on a Saturday morning when traffic was at its busiest to see the potential problems. Councillor Bowrah stressed that no plans had yet been received but when these were submitted residents would be kept informed and a special meeting held to hear their views and discuss the proposals.

13623 PPT: CHRISTMAS TREES AND COMMUNITY CENTRE
Mr Terry Milton reported that the provision of Christmas trees at business premises seemed to be reasonable this year, with the Chamber of Trade erecting 13 and with him erecting 8, plus the 5 arranged by the town council at the 4 banks and Smiths. Since the closure of the playschool the community centre had had no additional morning bookings but afternoon bookings had increased to 3 days. Somerset Business Link was also booking the centre and there was a possible of a Sunday booking from a religious group. For many years he had been putting together a video about the Fox family and was hoping to complete filming soon. He was also filming the Wellington character Frank Webber.

13624 PPT: WELLINGTON IN BLOOM GRANT
Mrs Isabel Ward, the chairman of Wellington in Bloom Committee, thanked the council for its grant of £1,250 for 2006-07, which included £250 for the new town signs. On Saturday, 14th January they would be shredding Christmas trees at the Courtland Road car park from 10am to 12noon. A bag of compost would be provided for everyone who brought a tree along.

13625 MINUTES OF DECEMBER COUNCIL MEETINGS
The minutes of the council meetings held on 5th December 2005, as previously circulated to councillors, were received, taken as read and confirmed as correct.

13626 GREEN SPACE ISSUES IN WELLINGTON
With reference to minute 13603, Karen Hughes, Taunton Deane’s leisure services manager, and Ian Baggott, of Communities First Project, were welcomed to give a presentation on green space issues in Wellington. Mr Baggott said that an audit showed that there were only 3.6 acres of green space per 1,000 people in Wellington
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13626 GREEN SPACE ISSUES IN WELLINGTON (continued)
compared to 7.8 in Taunton Deane as a whole. The quality of green spaces provided was generally good but accessibility was not so acceptable. Many people did not have good facilities within walking distance of their homes. Wellington Park was one of the best he had seen in the entire country. A survey of local residents conducted as part of the audit had drawn only a very poor response with only 37 of the 500 forms sent out being returned. Of those who did respond many complained about dog fouling, vandalism and lack of facilities. Mrs Hughes said that between £55,000 and £60,000 was available for improving green spaces in Wellington and she would welcome advice on where it could be spent. Councillor Hindley suggested that more facilities should be provided on Howard Green and Roly Poly Green. It was agreed to consider the issue again at the February council meeting.

13627 ELECTORAL REVIEW OF TAUNTON DEANE BOROUGH
With reference to minute 13601 members received a copy of the draft report of The Boundary Commission on the electoral review of Taunton Deane Borough. The clerk reported that the Commission were proposing to transfer 150 electors in the Waterloo Road and Corams Lane area from Wellington North ward to Wellington Rockwell Green and West ward, and 709 electors from the Hoyles Road area from Wellington East ward to Wellington Rockwell Green and West ward to provide a better balance of electoral quality so that councillors represented more or less the same number of electors in the various wards. The number of councillors for both the borough and town councils would remain the same. It was agreed to support the proposals.

13628 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES
With reference to minute 13607 further consideration was given to a report by Councillor Mitton on a meeting of various councils to consider the opportunities and challenges which the 2012 Olympic Games could bring to the South West with the Olympic sailing sports being held in Weymouth Harbour. Councillors also received notes on the meeting held on 16th November 2005 at Yeovil. After some discussion it was agreed to register with Taunton DBC and Sport England, Wellington’s interest in becoming a centre for Olympic team training.

13629 ICY PAVEMENTS IN WELLINGTON
Councillor Palmer reported that when snow had fallen at the end of November and early December 2005 there had been very icy pavements in Bulford near the health centre and at the railway bridge at Tonedale. Residents had complained that the footways were dangerous and slippery for days. Other problem areas included the approach to Howard Road, Squirrel Court and car parks. Councillor Govier agreed that there was a huge range of areas where it was not clear who was responsible for clearing the snow. He had been sent a map of the town by county highways on which he could mark any problem areas. It would then be decided who was responsible for keeping surfaces safe in icy conditions.

13630 WIMBLEBALL SAILING CLUB GRANT APPLICATION
A letter, application form and accounts were received from Wimbleball Sailing Club asking the town council to consider making a grant of £200 towards the £8,000 cost of providing facilities for the disabled including a boat for the disabled and wheelchair access to the club’s pontoon. On the proposition of Councillor Govier, seconded by Councillor Horsman it was agreed to make a grant of £200 and to ask the club how many disabled members it had. It was stated 15% of the members were local.
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13631 STANDARD OF DRIVING BY TAXI DRIVERS
Councillor Critchard reported that residents had complained to him about the standard of driving by taxi drivers in Wellington. The complaints included cutting corners, parking on pavements when collecting takeaway food, parking on double yellow lines and parking in disabled parking bays. Councillor Hindley reported that he had also received complaints about the speed of taxis and Councillor Bowrah stated that it was almost impossible to get a taxi in Wellington after 10pm because they were all in Taunton. It was agreed (with 3 abstentions) to write to Taunton DBC asking if the various complaints could be brought to the attention of all taxi operators.

COUNCILLOR WARREN LEFT THE MEETING HERE AT 8.30PM

13632 ROCKWELL GREEN ENTRANCE SIGNS
Councillor Critchard raised the question of the possible replacement of the entrance signs to Rockwell Green but after a short discussion it was agreed to take no action.

13633 MULTI USE GAMES AREA FOR TONE PLAY AREA
Councillor Govier suggested that the town council should consider going ahead with a smaller multi use games area for its Tone play area as it would be cheaper, would come within the council’s budget but would still provide an extremely useful facility for the area. Quotes would be obtained and presented to the council. It was agreed to accept his suggestion.

13634 FUTURE USE OF TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBER
With reference to minute 13540 the clerk reported that Taunton DBC had decided not to purse the acquisition of the Old Town Hall following both valuation and structural and condition surveys but was to continue its search for suitable premises. There was a continuing care and maintenance policy for 28/30 Fore Street (town council office and chamber and the community office). It was agreed to write to Taunton DBC stating that the town council still wanted to remain at 28 Fore Street with alterations to make it DDA compliant and felt there should be some timescale to the Deane’s search for alternative suitable premises.

13635 TEMPORARY ONE WAY SYSTEM FOR COURTLAND ROAD
Councillor Critchard suggested that consideration should be given to introducing a temporary one way traffic system for Courtland Road to make it safer for children going to Beech Grove Primary School and Court Fields Community School. He felt it should be entry from Courtland Road and exit via Beech Grove and should apply in the mornings and afternoons at school opening and closing times during school terms. It was agreed to seek the views of Somerset Highways on the suggestion and also to ask Somerset Care Ltd to request their deliverymen/suppliers to observe the suggested one way system on school days.

13636 MEMORIAL PLAQUE FOR THE LATE MAURICE JENNINGS
On the suggestion of Councillor Critchard it was agreed to approach Taunton DBC about the erection of a memorial plaque in Wellington Sports Centre in memory of the late town and Deane councillor Maurice Jennings.

13637 REVISED STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
With reference to minute 13592 a letter was received from Taunton DBC stating that the town council’s comments on the Statement of Community Involvement about consultation by developers had been noted. The letter was noted.
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13638 IMPROVING HEALTH SERVICES IN WELLINGTON
With reference to minute 13590 a letter was received from Taunton Deane NHS Primary Care Trust stating that the town council’s comments on the discussion paper “Improving Services in Wellington” had been noted and that the council would be sent a summary of the feedback received by the Trust in the future. Letter was noted.

13639 WELLINGTON ARTS ASSOCIATION GRANT
With reference to minute 13223 a letter was received from Wellington Arts Association thanking the council for its grant of £3,750. The letter was noted.

13640 APPOINTMENT OF ASSISTANT TO CLERK
With reference to minute 13595 the clerk reported that the position of assistant was being advertised on 11th January. The Staffing Committee recommended that the office opening hours for Fridays should be changed from 5.30pm-6.30pm to 10am-11am due to the lack of use on Friday evenings and that authority should be given to the committee for the purchase of new office furniture and equipment. Both recommendations were approved.

COUNCILLOR HORSMAN LEFT THE MEETING HERE AT 8.56PM

13641 SOMERSET LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN
With reference to minute 13291 a letter was received from Somerset County Council with a copy of the final version of the new Local Transport Plan. It was agreed to inform the county council that the second LTP was supported and that the town council felt it was vital to improve the affordability of public transport.

13642 DROPPED KERBS IN MANTLE STREET
With reference to minute 13544 the clerk reported that dropped kerbs had been provided by Somerset Highways for the pavement build-outs by the Catholic Church in Mantle Street. The report was noted.

13643 APPOINTMENT OF COUNCIL’S INTERNAL AUDITOR
With reference to minute 13112 a letter was received from Mr A.J. Bullen asking if the town council wished to re-appoint him as its internal auditor for 2005-06. It was agreed to appoint Mr Bullen at an hourly rate of £29.

13644 PLANNING TRAINING FOR LOCAL COUNCILLORS
With reference to minute 13423 a letter was received from Taunton DBC stating that another planning training session would be held on 31st January 2006. The letter was noted.

13645 PARKING OUTSIDE BEECH HILL STORES
With reference to minute 13541 it was agreed that a site meeting with Somerset Highways and Beech Hill traders and town councillors to discuss parking in the lay-by outside the shops should be held on 13th January 2006 at 11.15am.

13646 PLANTING OF CONTAINERISED TREE FOR TOWN CENTRE
With reference to minute 13467 the clerk reported that the containerised evergreen tree for the town centre was being brought over to Wellington to be placed in the vicinity of the old post office in High Street on Wednesday, 11th January 2006. The report was noted.
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13647 TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF CORAMS LANE
A letter was received from Somerset Highways stating that Corams Lane would be closed for 2 days starting 26th January 2006 for resurfacing work. An alternative route via Springfield Road would be signposted. The letter was noted.

13648 TAUNTON DEANE POLICE NEWSLETTER
Councillors received a copy of the Taunton Deane Newsletter for December 2005 from Inspector Mike Ashwin who stated that there had been a reduction of overall crime across the Wellington and Taunton sectors of 15.7%.

13649 TAUNTON DEANE CITIZENSHIP AWARDS 2006
A letter was received from the Mayor of Taunton Deane, Councillor Richard Lees about the Taunton Deane Citizenship Awards for 2006. The letter was noted.

13650 ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP BUSINESS EVENT
An invitation was received from Wellington Economic Partnership for councillors to attend a Wellington Business Event to celebrate the successful outcomes of the Market Towns Employment Project in Wellington at the Cleve Hotel on Thursday, 23rd February 2006 from 5.30pm to 9pm.

13651 WELLINGTON CREATIVE CLUSTER
Notes were received on a meeting held on 5th January 2006 in the town council chamber by the Wellington Creative Cluster about the possibility of setting up art showcase/workshops in Wellington. It was agreed to note the details.

13652 WELLINGTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
With reference to minute 13611 it was agreed to put local business rates and increased bus fares on the agenda for the next meeting of Wellington Economic Partnership to be held on Monday, 23rd January 2006 at 6pm.

13653 PLANNING DECISIONS BY TAUNTON DBC
The clerk reported that Taunton Deane Borough Council had approved the following plans: (a) Use of existing openings to form first floor windows on north east elevation and ground floor window on south west elevation, The Old Bakery Store, rear of 13 High Street, Wellington (43/2005/131: delegated decision); (b) Erection of single storey extension to replace existing porch to front of 26 Sylvan Road, Wellington (43/2005/123: delegated decision); (c) Erection of two storey extension to rear and first floor extension above garage, 42 Millstream Gardens, Wellington (432005/121: delegated decision); (d) Amended application for erection of dwelling on land adjacent to 1 Twyford Place, Wellington as amended by agents letter dated 18th October 2005 and accompanying plan 2938 DWG 02 REV A (43/2005/091); (e) Construction of 6 all weather caravan pitches for touring caravans at Cadeside Caravan Club site at Nynehead Road, Wellington (43/2005/129); (f) Erection of two storey extension to side and rear of 5 Ardwyn, Wellington (revised scheme) as amended by letter dated 8th December 2005 with accompanying drawing (43/2005/130: delegated decision); (g) Demolition of shop and erection of dwelling at 126 Rockwell Green, Wellington (43/2005/122); The clerk reported that Taunton DBC had refused the following plan: (a) Application to coppice one beech tree included in Taunton Deane Borough (Wellington No. 1) Tree Preservation Order 1997 at 14 Pyles Thorne Road, Wellington (43/2005/125T).

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13654 COUNCIL INCOME/EXPENDITURE TO 31ST DECEMBER 2005
A report was received from the clerk showing that the council’s income for the period from 1st April 2005 to 31st December 2005 was £85,156 (£120,225 estimated for the full year to 31st March 2006) and that expenditure for the same period was £54,890 (£143,100 estimated for the full year to 31st March 2006). The report was noted.

13655 ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT
On the proposition of Councillor Bowrah, seconded by Councillor Hindley, it was agreed to authorise the payment of the following accounts and the signing of the following cheques: Taunton and District CAB £600 grant (second instalment); EDF Energy 1 Ltd £11.06 for electricity for Rackfield street light for period 1/10/05 to 31/12/05; Taunton Deane Borough Council £250 for museum rent for period 1/1/06 to 31/3/06; Home Aerials £100 for public address system and lighting system for turning on of Christmas lights on 2nd December 2005; Society of Local Council Clerks £134 for annual subscription; The Carly Press Ltd £50.59 for paper and ink cartridge; Taunton DBC £60.23 for repairs to Rockwell Green notice board; Taunton Deane Community Transport Ltd £180 for subsidised hospital patient transport to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton for November 2005; Mr A. Brown £1,662.34; Inland Revenue £644.69; Hinewood Cleaning Service £48 for town centre bus shelter cleaning and office/chamber window cleaning for December 2005,

13656 PAPERS, REPORTS, NEWSLETTERS ETC
The clerk reported that the following reports, newsletters etc had been received and were available for members to read if they wished: What’s On in Taunton Deane for January 2006; Thatch, the rural community magazine for Somerset for Winter 2005; Community Update newsletter for December 2005 from the Community Council for Somerset; Somerset Access, the annual newsletter for 2004-05 from the county rights of way maintenance and development team; Discussion paper from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on “Standards of Conduct in English Local Government: The Future;” NALC direct information service bulletin No. 261; Coach Monthly for December 2005; European Union newsletter No. 139 on financing growth and cohesion in the enlarged Union.

THE MEETING CLOSED AT 9.15PM