Little Gaddesden Parish Council MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL AND OF THE PARISH HELD IN THE COMMITTEE ROOM OF THE VILLAGE HALL on MONDAY 18th MAY 2009 PRESENT: Cllr. Adams (Vice-Chairman), Cllrs. Archer, Brattle, Cannon, Hyde and Lupton. Also in attendance, DBC Cllr. Nick Tiley and Herts C.C. Cllr. David Lloyd, Mrs. F. McWilliams (Clerk) and five members of the public. APOLOGIES: Cllr. Richard Abraham 1. INTRODUCTION The Clerk called the meeting to order. She explained that she had been asked to read a letter from Cllr. Abraham. This letter had been delivered in person to her that day and was addressed to her. It read:
“Dear Ms McWilliams It is with very deep regret and the greatest sadness that I ask you to accept my resignation from the Little Gaddesden Parish Council, with immediate effect. Since November 1980 I have attended the vast majority of Council meetings, was elected as a member in 2000, and have been honoured and privileged to hold the position of Chairman for the past four years. From those statistics alone you will understand that this decision has been amongst the hardest I have ever had to make, and doing so has caused me considerable anguish and upset. It is my belief that the matter which has apparently become known as the “land issue” has been exploited to effect change within the Council and although this has effectively been resolved, I have no doubt there are those who have utilised it to progress a certain path. As far as I am aware any action I have taken in connection with that issue was according to protocol, and there remain no matters of contention with the Council. When it was necessary to withdraw and declare an interest I did so and was quite rightly excluded from further discussion on the matter. However to be kept outside of dialogue pertaining to the holding of office until it was fait du complis and then being advised at that late stage I consider goes against the transparency which I have always believed to be essential, and which I have striven for, whilst leading the Council. Over nearly thirty years in the village I have held a number of diverse roles in which, without exception, the interests and requirements of this community have always taken precedence; and that includes my period as a member of the Parish Council, and as its Chairman. Being a Parish Councillor has given me great personal pleasure, taking enormous pride in what I believe I have helped to achieve for the community, and although it is not for me to judge my contribution, I leave the Council with an exceedingly heavy heart but I feel it is a course I must take as a matter of principle. On a final personal note please accept my sincere appreciation for your professional expertise, your guidance and support during my time on the Parish Council, especially whilst serving as Chairman; your contribution far outweighs that of mine. Yours sincerely Richard Abraham” In the light of Cllr. Abraham’s resignation, the Clerk asked the Vice-Chairman to take the chair for the meeting. 2. MINUTES The minutes of the Annual Meeting dated 19th May 2008 were approved as drafted. 3. POLICE REPORT Neither PCSO Kim Ashworth nor Stuart Francis was able to attend. However Kim Ashworth had provided a report indicating that, during the period between 20th April and 18th May 2009, there had been only one report of a theft from motor vehicle. 4. BUSINESS OF THE ANNUAL MEETING Election of Chairman: Cllr. Adams was proposed by Cllr.Archer and seconded by Cllr. Brattle. Cllr. Adams was elected, on a show of hands, by a majority of the Councillors present. Election of Vice-Chairman: Cllr. Brattle was proposed by Cllr. Lupton, seconded by Cllr. Adams and, on a show of hands, elected unanimously by those present. Cllr. Adams made a declaration of acceptance of office and undertook to observe the code of conduct. Cllr. Brattle also made a declaration of acceptance of office and undertook to observe the code of conduct. The responsibilities of Councillors were agreed as follows: Cllr. Adams - Sports Field, Footpaths, Airports, Charities and Planning Cllr. Brattle - Village Hall, Dog Fouling and Planning Cllr. Archer - Play areas and Planning Cllr. Cannon - Environmental Issues and Planning Cllr. Hyde - Tree Warden, Play areas, Disaster Planning and Planning Cllr. Lupton - Policing and Sports Field 5. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL Cllr. Adams thanked the Councillors for their confidence in him. He would strive to fulfil his responsibilities as Chairman. The Chairman began by noting that the year had, as usual, been a busy and productive year. He thanked Councillors Hyde and Abraham for their input in making the dedication to Bill and Brenda Corby’s oak on 9th May such a memorable and successful event. The Council expressed it’s gratitude to Richard Abraham for his many years of service to the Council. Richard had contributed much to the parish over a considerable period, first as a Councillor and subsequently as Chairman. Highways finally the road through the village has been resurfaced. The level to which the new surface was raised and the quality of the work generally did cause some concern. Whilst the road level was rectified to some degree, the Parish Council continues to monitor the quality of the surface. With the help of one parishioner using the speed indicator device, the Council surveyed the traffic speed and published the results in the Gaddesden Diary frighteningly cars were tracked at speeds of more than 60 mph through the village. Quite simply, speed kills and the Council will continue in its efforts to tackle this issue in every way it can. The Council is grateful to Mr. Aziz for his work. The Church Road playground has been completed and was launched in July. It is tremendously well used. The Parish Council and the village are very much indebted to the Playground Group for their sheer hard work and determination. In relation to Luton Airport, the Council wrote in strong terms expressing opposition to the proposals put forwarded by NATS regarding flight paths. The initial proposals included lowering the levels that aircraft fly over the village by as much as 1000 ft and on certain routes down to as low as 2000 ft. Currently, the level is supposed to be between 4000 and 5000 ft. The Council is pleased to report and that NATS decided to rethink their proposals and we expect the consultation process to start again in July this year. The Council will consider the new proposals and respond to NATS. The Parish Council has now embarked upon a programme of works to trees within the village. A risk assessment and tree survey was completed in 2007 and a programme of works was undertaken last year and further works will be undertaken shortly. The next step is to embark upon a programme of planting and the Parish Council would like to thank the RHS, VPA, Gaddesden Society, RBL and Betty Lait for their offer to buy trees for the village. If there are further people wishing to buy trees, please do contact the Clerk. Thank you also to Cllr. Lyn Hyde, our Tree Warden for the Parish, who has already invested a huge amount of her time in surveying and recording trees throughout the village. The Green has already been cut early this year to enable the wild flowers to seed and then a late cut will be carried out at the end of the summer. Cllr. Adams reported that the Parish Plan, which was launched at the Annual Parish Meeting in 2006, was nearly complete thanks largely to the dedication of, and time invested by, Cllr. Hyde and Briony Sutcliffe. The Council is also indebted to DBC Cllr. Nick Tiley for funding the printing of the plan. The Plan sets out a vision for the future of our village and we hope to deliver a copy to each household soon. Planning a substantial proportion of Council time continues to be taken up with planning issues. The Clerk ensures that all applications are seen by a minimum of 4 out of 7 Councillors, more for major plans. Policing thank you to PCSO Officer Kim Ashworth and PC Stuart Francis for reporting to/at meetings. Hertfordshire in general and Little Gaddesden continue to enjoy low crime rates although we must continue to remain vigilant. Paths the Council has extended the path from the bottom of the playing field to the top of Telecoms Drive. Leases the Council has agreed leases with the Tennis and Bowls Clubs so that both these clubs have certainty of tenure. The Council will extend this process to other clubs and organisations as appropriate in the next year. The Council is also in the process of registering parish land so that the Council’s title and records are in good order. Warden services continue to be provided by Sunnyside Rural Trust. The Council would like to express its thanks to the Trust for their efforts. They spend every Tuesday morning in the village, collecting litter and emptying bins and they are certainly making a difference. Finance for the fifth year running, the Parish Council has been asked by Dacorum to accept no increase in the funding available to it. The precept (that is the sum raised through council tax) is one of the lowest locally. Despite restricted funding, the Council continues to deal with all matters that fall within its remit. It will be necessary to use some of the Council’s reserves to complete works to trees on the Green. The challenges for this year include maintaining and improving facilities within the village, despite funding restraints. Cllr. Adams expressed his gratitude to the Councillors for their hard work throughout the year. Cllr. Adams said that Council and the village were fortunate to have the Clerk to help us and guide it through many complex issues. Finally, Cllr. Adams thanked the public for supporting the Council and for bringing village matters to the Council’s attention. 6. REPORT FROM THE TRUSTEES OF THE LITTLE GADDESDEN CHARITIES The Chairman read the report kindly submitted by the Secretary and Treasurer of the Little Gaddesden Charities (attached at “A”). 7. CONSIDERATION OF WRITTEN RESOLUTIONS OF WHICH NOTICE HAS BEEN GIVEN No notice of any written resolutions had been given. 8. AOB The business of the Annual General Meeting concluded at 8.25pm  < close window
| 