MINUTES of the COUNCIL MEETING HELD on 14Thmarch2017 at FELINDRE VILLAGE HALL
MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 14thMarch2017 at FELINDRE VILLAGE HALL
These notes do not form part of the meeting but may be acted upon by the Members.
2 members of the public.
A request to ask Powys County Council to replace the damaged and broken edge making bollards on Cilfaesty hill.
MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING
Present: Cllr Ms. A Jones, Cllr P Barrett (Chair),Cllr M Morgan,Cllr A Kenyon-Wade, Cllr G Evans, Cllr E Harris,
APOLOGIES
Cllr B Thomas, Cllr J LewisCllr Mrs. A Hoyle and County Councillor J Brunt.
Declarations of Interest. Members were requested to declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests they may have in matters to be considered at the meeting in accordance with the Local Authorities (Model Code of Conduct Order) (Wales) Order 2008.
Personal
Cllr M/sAJones KnucklasCommunityCentre
5623. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The Minutes of the meetings on 14thFebruarywere approved without amendment and signed by the Chairman.
5624.MATTERS ARISING
From the meeting of 14thFebruary 2017 only matters which do not appear on the Agenda should be raised.
Asset Transfer of land at Knucklas Community Centre
Update. – Clerk informed members that PCB had written back to Powys CC requesting confirmation on whose responsibility of boundaries at the site, together with Beguildy CC responsibility for what proportion of the car park.
GarregLwyd update.
Members felt that RES have already decided that Kerry Community Council should be a partner on the Community Benefits committee which seemed unfair. The Clerk informed members of meeting to be held on Monday 20 March, 7 pm at the Wellingtonia Community Centre, LlanbadarnFynydd for Chair and Vice Chair, to discuss Community Benefits
Illegal Parking-Clerk informed members that both the Police and Powys County Council enforcement department had no powers to deal with this case. Members agreed that the Clerk ask the Police Commissionaire Dafydd Llewelyn to be informed of the situation and ask him to intervene.
Chapel (Hedge)Clerk to follow up with Martin Bowen – Clerk to contact Raymond Matthews to ask him to do the work.
.
Playground inspection-– The Clerk has received ROSPA report.
Caravan station works – The Clerk to investigate, permission of this caravan.Clerk is continuing to investigate planning issues at Corner view ,Knucklas and the Piggery Heyope.
5625COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
No County Councillor report.
5626.FINANCE
• Payments –
N King (February 2017 Salary) £316.17
HM Inspector of Taxes(£63.23)
(Income Tax deducted from Clerks Salary)
Net Pay£252.94
Felindre Village Hall Rent £25.00
HighGround £115.63
PCB legal work £978.50
Previously paid£167.88
Balance to Pay £810.62
East Radnorshire Day centre £200.00
Payments all agreed.
5627.PLANNING
•To consider the following applications: -
None.
5628.HIGHWAYS, HOUSING AND ENVIRONMENT
Powys CC – The Clerk reported that PCC will cease Monday refuse from 24th April 2017.
5629.GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE / ISSUES
.a) Boundary Commission-Review electoral arrangements for the County of Powys.
At the most recent meeting of Beguildy Community Council, held on 14th March, 2017, the above-mentioned review was discussed and the following submission agreed.
Given that the boundaries of the County of Powys include the largest land mass in Wales, it is essential that any proposed changes recognize the balance that needs to be struck between establishing equality of size of the electorate required to elect a counselor and accessibility to that elected representative. Rural Powys generally, and our community in particular, being ill-served both in terms of public transport and broadband access, is a prime example of what the Commission indicates it understands in its statement that topographical features and appropriate road links may need to be taken into account in order to allow convenient access to elected members.
It is heartening that the Commission has made a clear statement that communities and community wards will be used as the primary building blocks in making up electoral wards. Again, as representatives of a rural community, we are very conscious that although we have much that unites us with our neighbours in other communities, there are also distinctions such as the manner in which those other communities look to other principal towns for their business, social and cultural links. As a community which adjoins the border with England we are conscious that boundaries do have an impact when it comes to overcoming administrative hurdles no matter how great the co-operation between individuals and organisations.
Beguildy Community Council wishes to articulate the view that any potential changes to Powys County Council electoral boundaries make it essential that the current boundaries of Community Councils such as our own are preserved. Such councils, served by dedicated and unremunerated members, are an essential first tier of democracy and accountability and represent stability in a period of change.
Yours faithfully,
b) Boundary Commission-Review parliamentary constituencies in Wales.
At the most recent meeting of Beguildy Community Council, held on 14th March, 2017, the above mentioned review was discussed and the following submission agreed.
We are pleased to note that the historic boundaries of the old counties of Brecon and Radnor are to be preserved within the proposed new constituency thus satisfying the Commission’s stated aim of ‘as far as possible’, seeking to create constituencies for ‘whole communities’. It does, however, come at the cost of carving up the historic entity of our Powysneighbour, Montgomeryshire.
Theoretical limits on the number of electors per Member of Parliament give an illusion of fairness but Powys as a whole, of which Brecon and Radnor is a significant part, having the largest land mass and lowest population density, and with access to public transport often on a weekly, rather than daily, basis at best and limited broadband access, is always going to present a challenge in achieving the correct balance between equality of representation, in terms of the number of electors per elected representative, and the practical issue of allowing those electors fair access to the elected representative without presenting him/her with an impossible workload. As a consequence, we would urge that greater flexibility is required to recognise the rural nature of our constituency in drawing the definitive boundary of our constituency.
As a Community Council, situated on the border between England and Wales, we are also conscious of the demands made on our Member of Parliament in ensuring access to essential services, such as health care, in organisations which are provided across the border in England. Any significant changes to current boundaries will obviously further stretch the capability of our representative if he or she has to liaise with additional cross border Health Trusts, for example, in order to improve care for patients when Brecon and Radnor and Montgomeryshire have no major hospital within their boundaries
c) Elections 4th May 2017 and AGM now on Monday 22nd May.
Members were given their application packs for the forthcoming Community Council elections on 4th May. It was also agreed that the AGM and normal meeting May meeting will take place on Monday 22nd of May 5:30 pm-7:30 pm at Felindre Village Hall.
5630.HEYOPE RECREATION GROUND
a)To authorize the Chairman to sign the Minutes as a separate record of the business of the Recreation Ground, 14thFebruary2017.
5631.FOR INFORMATION ONLY
None.
5632. ANY URGENT BUSINESS/INFORMATION (at discretion of Chair)
Letter from Felindre village WI on the poor state of the B4355 added the following highway issues
Poor road surface from Heyope to Llangunllo Road.
Watering gathering on road outside Lloyney public House.
Lawn farm lane south of Dutlas poor road surface.
Poor white lines and dangerous parking in Dutlas
Meeting closed at 9:25 pm
DATE OF NEXT MEETING: 8:00 pm on Tuesday 11thApril atKnucklas Community Centre.