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CARLTON and CHELLINGTON PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES of ANNUAL MEETING held 27th APRIL, 2005. PRESENT :- Mr. L. BENSON - in the Chair Mesdames E. SIMPSON, J. TUSTING Messrs. V.G. BRANDON G. CHAPMAN R. DAVIS S. DEVINE J. GOGGINS D. JENKINS County Councillor Mrs. P. GERSHON 20 Parishioners Speakers :- Mr. J. Comount, Bedfordshire County Council Botanist. Mr. J. Tusting, The Chellington Project.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE None MINUTES of ANNUAL MEETING, 21st APRIL, 2004, were agreed and the Minute Book signed.CHAIRMAN'S REPORT Mr. Benson said we now have the village maintenance scheme up and running with Billy Crammen carrying out the work. Unfortunately, the grant we received for this has now run out but we consider the scheme to be so successful that we intend to fund it in future from the village precept. We have purchased new equipment and this will be stored in a shed to be erected in the Baptist Burial Ground. The graveyard is in the process of being tidied up and will soon have a seat installed. We are inviting quotes for the restoration of the stone walls to bring them up to their original condition. John Creasey from Emmaus Carlton attends Parish Council meetings quarterly and updates us with regard to the Village. We have negotiated to have a bottle bank at Emmaus in the near future. As part of their refurbishing of the site, there should be two football pitches and a cricket pitch, with changing rooms available for hire when all the work is finished. We may again have village football and cricket teams playing in Carlton one day.A new streetlight has been installed at the junction of Turvey Road, The Causeway and The High Street. This is a white light, as it is our policy not to have orange sodium lighting in Carlton. We intend to replace the dilapidated notice boards around the village with new ones. We had a meeting with Mr. Paul Rowland from Bedford Borough Council Planning Department and he advised us on guidelines that we should follow when viewing planning applications. These will be used initially by a sub-committee comprising Councillors Steve Devine, Joe Goggins and David Jenkins, before plans are presented at full Parish Council. We are actively looking at the possibility of having affordable housing in the village for local people and a survey should be carried out in the near future. The Borough Council are reviewing the rural skip scheme, to cut costs. It was decided that the Parish Council would make a contribution in order to maintain the present service of two visits per year. Last year we appealed to the local youth to come to Parish Council meetings and let us know their views. We would still like them to participate and tell us what they think. Our meetings are held 7.30.p.m. on the second Monday of every month in the Village Hall and we would welcome parishioners attending. FINANCIAL REPORT for year 1.4.2004. - 31.3.2005. Presented by the clerk, Miss Gabrielle Forde, and a copy had been handed to everybody present. Precept received was £12,500. and Bank Interest £350.23., total income £12,850.23. Expenditure amounted to £12,345.52., comprising
The accumulated fund stands at £6,784.10. plus reserved funds £15,102.13., totalling £21,886.23. Reserves include monies for the Baptist Burial Ground, The Gannick footpath, Street Lights, Village Hall and Notice Boards. A copy of the 2005/6 Budget had also been handed out. Precept increased to £13,500. Budgetted for another seat £650., £1,000. for the Village Hall, £400.00. towards a shed, and £2,000. for the handyman's wages. Mr. Brandon proposed adoption of the accounts as presented by the clerk. PLAYING FIELD REPORT - presented by Cllr. Mrs. Emma Simpson. The Playing Field has seen yet another year go by of continual and possibly increased usage by the children from our Parish. Especially with increased daylight hours a lot more children from outside the village are using the playing field straight after school on a regular basis. We have retained the services of the same grass-cutters, Warners of Bedford, who have maintained the grass with constant efficiency. Due to an extended cutting season, because of favourable weather, excess grass cuttings after the first cut of this season proved less problematic than in previous years. We recently asked them to restore the playing field's perimeter hedge, nearest The Causeway, to its original height. Although somewhat sparse looking now, it should green up in the forthcoming weeks and remain easier to maintain now restored to its original shape. Routine maintenance such as ensuring the bins are emptied, and general tidiness, are now being done by our village handyman whose work is billed for by the Parish Council. Our primary fundraiser of the year was Carlton Fete held last June, which was co-ordinated by members from the Playing Field Committee with the help of others. Even with the rain against us, I hope you will agree that it was a hugely successful day which generated money for many local groups. Finances for the year 2004-2005 are as follows :- Income £2,616.70. including rent from barn, fundraising and donations. Expenditure £1,582.85. including insurance, inspections and maintenance. Current balances
The Playing Field has applied successfully for a grant from Local Network Funding this past year. The grant of nearly £5,000. when received will enable us to purchase new equipment for the field including a new Basketball Ring for older children and a Wooden Walkway Low Level Trail, primarily aimed for children of Lower School age. Hopefully, with the forthcoming good weather, any necessary re-painting of benches or equipment will be carried out in the next few weeks and the children may all enjoy a long and happy summer within the relative safety of our village. GENERAL VILLAGE MATTERS A lengthy discussion ensued as there were many varied questions put to the Councillors by the Parishioners present, about village matters and increased funding of same. BAPTIST CHAPEL BURIAL GROUND FLORA AND FAUNA. Mr. J. Comount, Bedfordshire County Council botanist was welcomed to Carlton to speak about the rare flowers and grasses in the graveyard. Apparently it is one of the few remaining bits of ancient meadow in Bedfordshire, meaning grass that has never been ploughed, and the 50 types of flowers and 10 grasses are valuable.Mr. Comount gave a very interesting talk and named all the different types of plant he had identified. He mentioned the significance of the old limestone wall there and he suggested how the burial ground should be maintained in the future, not to cut the grass more than a couple of times per year and at appropriate seasons, in order that seed should set, etc.
THE CHELLINGTON PROJECT. Mr. J. Tusting welcomed to update parishioners with regard to the Centre. He said building progress is well advanced. A Topping Out ceremony was performed in February by the Lord Lieutenant, Mr. S.C. Whitbread, when he laid the first tile on the extension roof. The under floor heating system has been installed and the steelwork for the bedroom cubicle bunk supports is in place. The Mesney family have given an area of their neighbouring fields for a Centre car park and this is being prepared and landscaped. Mr. Tusting said the main drainage and the sewerage works has been installed and new higher capacity electricity supply provided. The roadway has been laid and will be gravelled once the building work traffic ceases. The Opening Ceremony is planned for mid September and forward bookings are most encouraging. The main contributors, Mr. David Reynolds, Mr. Clifton Ibbett and Mr. Daniel Hanbury have been invited to declare the Centre open. Mr. Tusting was duly thanked for attending the Annual Meeting again. THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and the meeting closed at 9.30. p.m. |