Minutes of the Meeting of the Policy Committee
Held at Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington
On Thursday 9th November 2006.
Present: Cllr D Rae (Chair)
Cllr D Atsoparthis
Cllr D Betts
Cllr Chris Pack
Cllr C Robins
Apologies:
Apologies for absence received from Cllr A Moss.
Declaration of Interest:
Cllr Chris Pack declared a personal interest in item 8, concerning Community Engagement, as a member of the District Council South Area Planning Committee.
24. Minutes:
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 28th September 2006 were agreed and signed as a true record.
25. Matters Arising from the Minutes of the Meeting held on 28th September 2006:
i) Community Policing (Minute 16(i))
Representatives of the Police would be attending the meeting of the Parish Council to be held the following week.
ii) Bus Lane Consultation (Minute 16(iv))
Members were concerned about how much verge had been lost to the bus lane project which had not been realised when the plans had been circulated. The Clerk was asked to ensure that there was adequate replanting after the project was completed.
iii) “Chill Out” Fund (Minute 16(v))
It was noted that the two outreach positions for Friday evenings had been advertised and interviews held on 18th October. A Support Youth worker had been appointed and would be starting work pending her CRB check. Applicants for the Assistant Support Youth worker had not been suitable and the post was being re-advertised.
iv) PCSOs (Minute 16(vi))
Cllr Rae reported that she had been a member of a review panel of the District Council and that the District was not investing in the appointment of PCSOs because it was a new initiative which was not fully tested. The District Council had preferred an extension of its scheme of street wardens in Banbury and Bicester.
v) Pensions – Time Limit Transfers (Minute 22)
The Committee had been circulated with a response from the County Council Pensions to agree that a straight transfer did not affect the amount paid by individual scheme members but it increased the service on which benefits were calculated. There was confirmation that there was no charge levied on authorities choosing to extend the 12 month time limit. However, it may be that depending on the future salary rate and pay increases of an employee the strain could be on funds for a future date.
26. Exeter Close Pavilion Development Project/Football development Plan
The Committee had been circulated with a report on the costs of the Exeter Close Pavilion refurbishment and it was further explained how this fitted in with the proposed football development plan.
Support of the District Council officer Mr Philip Rolls had been invaluable and he was obtaining Quantity Surveying advice on percentage of usage of the pavilion site i.e. table tennis/football/community. These would be used as a basis for fund applications.
The English Table Tennis Association (ETTA) had already submitted a draft bid to Sport England for up to £100, 000 for match funding of the table tennis element. The Trust for the Oxfordshire Environment (TOE) was also to be contacted and had previously indicated that it would be willing to give funds for the community element of the project and this could possibly be in the region of £50, 000.
The remaining part of the building, if the Football Development Plan went ahead and was accepted could be part funded by monies from the Football Foundation. Costs would obviously be reduced for the Parish Council which may be able to take a loan to minimise the effects on the annual precept.
It was explained that the total cost of the Football Development project if accepted would add additional costs to the Parish Council and these would have to be considered alongside those of the Pavilion. The Football Development Plan was to be reported to the Full Council meeting the following week to ascertain whether there was a commitment for the future.
It was RESOLVED to recommend that priority be given to the pavilion project regardless of football foundation funding and regardless of whether the meeting of the football development as a whole failed.
27. Oxfordshire Green Belt Network
The Committee had been circulated with a communication from the Oxfordshire Green Belt Network asking for Kidlington’s support at a time when the Oxford Green Belt was under threat.
The Planning Committee had previously declined to join the network and the Committee felt that there was need to retain an open mind on the requirements for Kidlington. It was known that there were exceptions to Planning in the Green Belt particularly with the South East Region Plan for a greater number of houses.
The Council would have to form a view on development within the Green Belt and wanted to know when the examination in public of the South East Plan was taken place. It was thought that this was a January 2007 but would be confirmed.
The Committee recommended that the Council consider the policy relating to the South East Plan and the possible encroachments into the Green Belt around Kidlington which proposals may identify.
28. Section 106 Payments
The Committee had been circulated with a copy of a letter sent to Cherwell District Council regarding the revised application submitted by the Co-op for re-development on their site.
The Clerk had been contacted by the District Council asking for ideas about payment emanating from the Co-op proposals and it had been realised that the application had passed through Planning Committee with no consideration for such eventualities.
The Council had no mechanism for raising Section 106 and payments and the Committee was asked for consideration about how this should be done.
Projects had been identified through the three year plan and it was suggested that most projects would fall within the Environmental and Amenities areas though there maybe some others to consider. It was not thought necessarily that the Planning Committee was the correct body for determining these issues but could refer to an appropriate committee for consideration where a larger project was brought forward.
These should then present themselves by virtue of the known areas for targeting.
29. Planning, Community Engagement and the ‘Fettering of Discussion’
The Council had previously considered setting guidelines for the increasing number of pre-consultations requested by developers prior to submission of Planning applications. The Chair had been in attendance at the AGM of the Oxfordshire Association of Local Councils (OALC) and had asked for guidance. In response OALC had circulated in its August bulletin suggested guidelines.
This was considered to be the clearest guidance received to date and suggested that Councillors need not be too worried at the implications of such presentation.
Agreed to circulate the guidance to all Council members for their information. It was also thought that to ensure that there was no fettering for the Planning Committee that presentations should be heard by the full Council and then any member of the Planning Committee who felt that there may be compromise would be able to absent themselves.
30. C.C. TV
The Committee had been circulated with a report from the Clerk expressing her concerns at the value to the Parish Council of the local police C.C. TV systems. This was accompanied with a dialogue of letters that had been submitted through the District Council - being the body that had purchased the centrally monitored CC TV system.
The Committee was unhappy with the response from Cherwell and asked that this be pursued.
It was suggested that Derek Maltby who had advised on C.C. TV systems be asked to give an opinion on the existing scheme and recommendation of moving forward.
31. Village and Village Centre Management Board
Councillor Chris Pack updated the Committee on the Management Board Meeting of the previous evening when the Chief Executive of Cherwell, Mary Harpley and the portfolio holder for development - George Reynolds - had attended.
It was noted that Eames had now agreed a landswap with the District Council so that the piazza area at Watts Way could be positioned right up to the rear of the shops. Work was to start in May 2007 with a finish in September.
The Board had also been circulated with examples of street furniture for the new Watts Way area plus High Street and noted that the District was encouraging a brushed steel option which would go out for consultation and public exhibition.
It had been agreed that the draft business plan for the Kidlington Centre would be re-visited.
Councillor Pack would speak to the Urban Centres Manager and ask what he had in mind for the review.
32. Stratfield Brake
The Committee was updated on the Stratfield Brake where the last meeting had been inquorate.
The Management Committee was still waiting to sign a Service Level Agreement shortly though there were some areas still outstanding mainly relating to specification for cleaning. Although a meeting had taken place there had been no return from the Rugby Club.
It was reported that there had been a break in at Stratfield Brake in the early hours of the previous Monday (November 6th ) but although the door lock had been broken there had been nothing taken.
33. Events
The Committee noted that there had been just under £900 profit at the Firework display the previous Sunday. Nineteen hundred tickets had been sold and there had been greater takings on the night than in 2005 probably because it was a Sunday the office had been closed on the day for advanced sales. However, there had only been approximately 200 ticket sales less than in 2005.
It was agreed to have been a very successful evening and thanks were offered to the staff for arranging it to take place. There would be a de-briefing meeting the following week and comments would be given for future improvements.
It was also noted that the Christmas Light Switch-On following a similar pattern to that of 2005 would take place on Tuesday December 5th 2006.
34. Finance Report
The Committee were circulated with a Finance Report through to September 2006 and noted its contents.
35. Budget
The Chair requested and it was agreed that an extra-ordinary meeting would be held on 14th December at 7.30pm to consider the Committees budget proposals for the forthcoming year.
RESOLVED ‘in view of the (special) (confidential) nature of the business about to be transacted it is advisable in the public interest that the press and public be temporarily excluded and they are instructed to withdraw’
The Committee was updated on the findings of the Personnel Sub-Committee and AGREED to authorise a request for the consultant David Cardin of QLC to be asked to give a grade assessment to new positions emerging from the discussions of the sub-committee. It was also agreed that there would be inevitable increases in the overall salary costs of the Council and that an additional sum of £32,000 be put into the budget bid for the Committee for 2007/08 to cover these additions.
Chair
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