We are currently transferring these minutes into a web-based format. In the meantime, you can access these in the sidebar in docx or pdf format.

20/57 Approval of Apologies given:  Ward Cllr Sumner could not attend but submitted information via the Clerk

20/58 Public recess. No public.  Tanya Hawker from Swindon Carers in attendance.

20/59 Co-option of New Cllr.  The prospective Cllr had withdrawn their application.

20/60 Declarations of interests & vote on any dispensations applied for. None

20/61 Approval of minutes from 13th July 2020  Change spelling of Cllr P Sunners name on page 3.

A proposal was made by Cllr Jefferies that these minutes be therefore accepted with the amendments above; seconded by Cllr Duke, all Cllrs were in favour.

20/62 Action points:

Clerk

19/233 Send Ward Cllr Jefferies information on Draycot Foliat lighting/speeding/parking info to date.  Ongoing but to be removed as an action as work in progress with CPC.

19/240 Arrange completion of new Rec Hall doors and frames within £2000 budget. Ongoing                                     

20/33 Investigate funding options for SSE works to BT Box in Badbury. CLOSED. No funding forthcoming.

19/197 Ask Cllr Jefferies for Turnball planning update. No new info on planning app for replacement stone wall.  Regarding double yellow lines, an official consultation by SBC will be released shortly.

20/39 Add Co-option of Cllr to August agenda. DONE, BUT NOT REQUIRED.

20/43 Send around information on issue at Norris Close public footpath. INFO NOT AVAILABLE. WILL ADD TO AGENDA WHEN CLERK RECIEVES INFO TO BE DISCUSSED.

20/43 Add purchase of new NHW sign for Strouds Hill to August agenda DONE

20/46 Cllr McDonald requires dispensation from EGPA committee. Add to August agenda.  DONE

20/53 Add Cllr Sunners Covid19 agenda item to August agenda. DONE

Cllr Jefferies

19/188 Add Cllr Sunners Covid19 agenda item to August agenda. DONE

20/09 Investigate mud issue at Draycot Foliat. CLOSED AS RESOLVED

All Cllrs

Provide head and shoulders photo for new website contact page.

Cllr Sunners & Cllr Rawlings

20/43 Write to Cllr Jefferies stating support for the footpath at Badbury to re-opened. DONE

20/63. Tanya Hawker from Swindon Carers.

Charity that supports unpaid carers.   Family members, neighbours, friends.

Young carers from the age of 5 as well. Go to schools to identify young carers.  Group activities for kids to get them away from their caring role.

Parent carers.  Classed as a carer if your child has additional needs.

Oldest carer is 93.

Take referrals – free registration & discussion with them.   Find out how they can help.

Day trips, pamper sessions etc.  Newsletter every 3 months.  Signpost to other areas of help.

Work closely with SBC. Help with funding applications so carers can get a regular break from their role – 2-8 hours a week for a paid carer.  Help fund short breaks, evening classes, driving lessons.

Have a volunteer councillor.   Has a scheme to sign up with a care plan if carer is indisposed and someone is at home and needs help.   Support a bereaved carer for 18 months.

Will be helpful to tell local people of the site.

Tanya happy to visit any social events in the parish.

Putting carers in touch with each other to help each other.   Small outside groups up to 6 have now started.  A lot of carers are still shielding.

Can visit the Memory café in Chiseldon.

Tanya to send info for the Ridgeway Bell

Tanya leaves 7.55

 20/64 Community Safety report, including crime stats.  Cllr Sunners

Vandalism at Downs Road noted – to be passed to the police.

PCSO Rachel Gilding has joined the local team.

Appears to be less incidents of reported drug activity at Strouds Hill/Washpool.

CCTV sign put up at Strouds Hill by SBC

Well Close/Mays Lane had smashed glass on Sat evening

South Swindon policing team written to, to ask for police enforcement on Hodson Road. No reply so Cllr Sunners to chase this.

20/65 Ward Cllrs update.

 Ward Cllr Jefferies for Chiseldon & Lawn Ward.

The forthcoming broadband scheme is still in progress. There is a meeting early next week. The local application can hopefully then be placed.   Cllr Kearsey had around 130 interest parties from his FB post.

Cllr Jefferies to confirm that this does cover the whole parish.

Believed it should work for anyone with a 740 or 710 phone number.

Ward Cllr Mattock for Chiseldon & Lawn Ward.

Covid outbreak at Tesco Extra. SBC contained the outbreak

Swindon is on the Gov concern list for Covid19. There is a borough wide reminder to remain aware and careful.

Ward Cllrs met with the Science Museum to understand their plans for the area.  They are nearing completion for a 26,000 sq metre hanger for a national collection. Due to be completed Nov 2020. Due to open 2023. Estimate 15,000 visitors a year. Storage facility not an “open” museum. 11,000 of these visitors will be local school children.  They will re-visit every 6 months for an update.

Earthline – 1 application refused. Request from residents for enforcement action to be enforced. Until the legal aspect can be confirmed and the 2 other applications are decided then enforcement cannot be pursued.

Ref CPC requests for road conditions and weight limit on Hodson Road/New Road. Suspect SBC won’t make a decision until Earthline applications are resolved.

Reminder noted that the hedges on New Road near the hotel are in need of cutting still. 2 large vehicles cannot pass easily and a danger to cyclists.  The signage at J15 and Badbury is not all correct and Badbury still needs the promised passing places.   The postbox in the wall at Badbury has not yet been put back.  This will be chased with SBC planning.

Ward Cllr Sumner representing Ridgeway Ward which includes Badbury.

 Clerk read out Ward Cllr Sumner’s communication from SBC:

“HE have provided me with an explanation that when the A419 is closed south bound in addition to the north bound diversion, to send all the A419 south bound traffic through Liddington would create issues as the volume of traffic would be too great. This is why they are diverting SB traffic through Swindon to J16. (North bound is via Liddington as agreed). I will have further discussion with HE on this 

I’m still trying to get to the bottom of the Wroughton signage. It is my understanding that motorway traffic for Marlborough would be sent via a much longer diversion. Therefore it sounds like this is secondary signage for a local diversion to pick up vehicles joining the network inside the longer motorway diversion. I have enquiries out with HE but it is unlikely I will receive a definitive answer before your meeting with Chiseldon parish this evening and may need further clarification tomorrow.

As previously discussed, the Bradbury signage at Medbourne lane appears to be an error. A ‘no right turn’ sign would require another TTRO, directional ‘straight on’ diversion signing would probably suffice in the absence of this. I am attempting to get out to site to look at the signage, but this may not be possible until later this evening / tomorrow morning.

In the meantime please convey to the Parish that we have noted the issues and will provide an update / clarification asap.”

Ward Cllr Mattock leaves the meeting at 20.23

20/66 Review and vote on Expenses Policy

Slight amendment to policy to note that electronic signatures are satisfactory with “wet” signatures being obtained when appropriate.

Cllr McDonald proposed to formally accept the changes to the Expenses Policy. Cllr Jefferies seconded and all Cllrs were in favour.

Cllr McDonald will re-format the document to standard requirements.

20/67 Monthly review of keeping Castle View Play Area open. (Current Covid situation to be considered)

No Gov. changes and all risk assessments show initial requirements still in place and no known breaches.

Cllrs were happy for the area to remain opening pending the next monthly review.

20/68 Discussion and vote on urgent H&S expenditure in regards to CVPA, including powers to close without notice.

The council felt that the Chairman, Vice Chairman and EGPA Chairman should be able to jointly authorise urgent H&S expenditure up to the value of £500 on CVPA Covid matters, and have the authority to jointly authorise the immediate closure if required.

Cllr Kearsey proposed these delegated powers in relation to CVPA and Covid. Cllr Bates seconded and all Cllrs in favour.

20/69 Vote on any feedback in relation to National Code of Conduct review.

No requirement for the council to send back comments.

20/70 Vote on dispensation for Cllr McDonald to not attend EGPA meetings for 3 months due to Covid workload.

Cllr McDonald had updated the committee on his extra workload in this job, owing to Covid19. Cllr McDonald wishes to remain on the council but cannot commit the time to the EGPA committee currently. To be reviewed at Nov 2020 meeting to see if dispensation to be extended.

Cllr Kearsey proposed to approve this dispensation. Cllr A Rogers seconded and all Cllrs were in favour.

Cllr Jefferies suggested a temporary substitute to the committee to ensure they were quorate.

20/71  Presentation by Cllr D Rogers on youth provision within the Parish.

The main questions for discussion were. Should CPC provide more for the youth of the parish and is it worth investigating what else the council can do?

There was a discussion on what is offered and what could be done and what CPC had tried in the past to achieve.

It was determined that Cllr D Rogers would attend the EGPA meeting in August to participate in the pump/BMX discussion to see what the feeling was and bring back to Full Council at a suitable time.

20/72  Website Review

There were no requests for items to change/update.

20/73  Review of repercussions from Covid 19 within the Parish and on the Parish Council.

Item deferred to Sept meeting.

20/74 Discuss & vote on planning application S/HOU/20/0813 36 Draycot Road.

Cllr Kearsey proposed “no comment” to this this application. Cllr D Rogers seconded and all Cllrs were in favour.   Cllr Jefferies did not vote.

Cllr McDonald leaves the meeting at 21.20

20/75. Discussion & vote on back-pay for Administration Officer (AO).

The Clerk updated the council that due to Covid19 extra work, the AO had worked extra hours since April but had not claimed them. The Clerk requests the council consider back-pay for these hours worked.

The Clerk also requests an extra approved 5 hours a week for the AO to work, starting September for 2 months.

After discussion it was agreed to pay these hours and increase the hours as above.

Cllr Bates proposed approving the back-pay for the AO, but there would be no further payments for extra work that was not approved in advance. Also increase of hours by 5 hours a week for 2 months.  Cllr Duke seconded and all Cllrs were in favour.

20/76. Discussion & Vote on changing email service and data sharing facilities.

Cllr A Rogers and Cllr Harris presented the proposed plan to the Cllrs:

  • Councillors are moved to MS 365 Basic which includes:
    • Exchange for email.
    • Onedrive to store/share documents and files.
    • Sharepoint as an online repository for files, sharing, policies etc.
    • Teams for voice/video/text chat.
    • The cost is £3.80 per seat per month, so +80p each.  (Current version is £3.00 per month)
  • Clerk gets MS 365 business standard so that she has all the latest apps and updates (£9.40/month) and this includes Teams.
  • Administration Officer is upgraded from MS 365 apps for business to MS 365 business standard (£7.90>£9.40 month) also.

After discussion these changes were approved.

Cllr D Rogers proposed approving these email and file sharing changes and associated costs.  Cllr Jefferies seconded and all Cllrs were in favour.

 20/77. Approval of funds of £30 for new Neighbourhood Watch sign for Strouds Hill

Cllr Rawlings proposed approving this cost.  Cllr Duke seconded and all Cllrs were in favour.

20/78. Discussion & vote on CPC becoming a Living Wage accredited employer. Including £60 annual fee.

Cllr Sunners proposed becoming accredited and paying the associated costs.  Cllr Kearsey seconded and a majority of Cllrs were in favour. (5 Cllrs in favour)

20/79. Review cost implications of Covid19 to the Parish Council.

Item deferred to September and to be merged with minute item 20/73 on the similar subject.

20/80. Approval of costs of £375. Plus VAT for new gate and post at allotments.

Cllr Bates proposed approving these costs for the allotment.  Cllr Kearsey seconded and all Cllrs were in favour. Cllr Rawlings did not vote.

20/81 Committee Reports

Finance – June 2020 financial reports to review & vote on approval.  There were no questions on this report.

Cllr Rawlings proposed approving the June finance figures as accurate.  Cllr D Rogers seconded and all Cllrs were in favour.

Finance – July 2020 financial reports to review & vote on approval.  There were no questions on this report.

Cllr Rawlings proposed approving the July finance figures as accurate.  Cllr Kearsey seconded and all Cllrs were in favour.

EGPA  – New ramp in place at Rec hall. Will be painted soon.

Risk Assessments – July 2020

Assessments completed for:

  • Rec Hall and Carpark
  • Pavilion
  • Rec Field
  • Cemeteries
  • CVPA
  • Allotments
  • Financial  Risk
  • Cemetery Maintenance

There are no new assessments for August.

Clerks Correspondence

Cllr Harris has been responding by email to resident’s comments on Hodson Road speed issues.

20/82 Items for next agenda.   None

Meeting closed 21.30

All Actions to be completed by the next Full Committee meeting unless otherwise specified

Clerk

19/24 Arrange completion of new Rec Hall doors and frames within £2000 budget. Ongoing                                    

19/197 Ask Cllr Jefferies for Turnball planning update ref retaining wall application.

20/53 Add Cllr Sunners Covid19 agenda item to August agenda

20/66 Adjust expenses policy and then send to Cllr McDonald for final formatting.

20/67 Schedule monthly CVPA opening review for Sept full council agenda.

20/73 & 20/79 Merge 2 Covid items for Sept full council agenda.

Cllr Jefferies

20/09 Investigate end of Badbury footpath being blocked

ALL CLLRS

Provide head and shoulders photo for new website contact page

Cllr Sunners

20/64 Chase up request to South Swindon Police for speed enforcement checks on Hodson Road.

Cllr Jefferies

20/65 Follow up to confirm that new broadband scheme will cover the whole parish.

Cllr McDonald

20/66 Format the final version of the expenses policy.