Full Council Meeting Minutes 9th June 2011
|
HALSTEAD TOWN COUNCIL |
|
|
|
MINUTES OF FULL COUNCIL MEETING |
Membership:
| Councillor D Hume | Chairman |
Present |
| Councillor Mrs J A Pell | Vice Chairman | Present |
| Councillor Mrs J Allen Councillor Mrs H W Catley |
Present Present |
|
| Councillor Mrs S A Diver | Apologies | |
| Councillor M J Fincken | Apologies | |
| Councillor Mrs L J Hilton | Present | |
| Councillor S Kirby | Present | |
| Councillor Mrs K A Little | Present | |
| Councillor G Howlett | Present | |
| Councillor A Munday | Present | |
| Councillor K Paisley | Present | |
| Councillor D Sharp |
Present |
Also in attendance: Mr
M C Murkin, Town Clerk,
Mrs J Smith, Minute Clerk
Insp. M Pitcher & Sgt. K Midwinter - Essex Police
2 members of Halstead Royal Mail
Cllr Mrs J Sutton - Braintree District Councillor
Mr D H Johnson - Public
Lauren James - Chair of Halstead Youth Council
Sam Chumbley - Vice Chair of Halstead Youth Council
8 members of the Halstead Youth Council
Nina Morgan - Halstead Gazette Reporter
Prior to the meeting a certificate of appreciation
was presented to outgoing Councillor Mr.
Greg Howlett. A further certificate will
be given to Mr H Messenger.
425. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Cllr Mrs S Diver sent apologies for absence
Cllr M Fincken sent apologies for absence
426. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS
To declare any ‘personal' or ‘personal and prejudicial' interests relating to items on the agenda having regard to paragraphs 7 to 11 inclusive of Part 2 of the Code of Conduct
for Members and having taken appropriate advice (where necessary) before the meeting.
Cllr S Kirby declared Personal and Prejudicial interest in all Planning matters as member of
Braintree District Council Planning Committee
Cllr Mrs J Allen declared Personal interest in Agenda Item 16 (daughter attends Brownie meetings at Drop In Centre, New Street).
Cllr D Sharp declared Personal interest in Agenda Item 16 (is part of Parkfields Action Group).
Cllr Mrs J Pell queried whether this should be Personal and Prejudical interest, but this was disputed by Cllr Sharp, and he declared that he would remain during discussions.
427. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
Mr S McKenna - local CWU representative, spoke about the proposed move of the Halstead sorting office to Sudbury. He asked for Council and Public to support Halstead Postal Workers in their bid to remain in Halstead.
Mrs J Sutton - who is a Braintree District Councillor for the Halstead St. Andrew's North Ward, spoke of her role within the Council and pledged her support and that of the three other members of her party sitting on the Halstead Town Council for the constituents of
Halstead. Mrs Sutton spoke of the intent voiced by the Leader of Braintree District Council to re-vitalise local communities and the proposed Fund that will be available to local neighbourhoods, etc.
Mr D Harry Johnson - member of the Public voiced surprise that Cllr Mrs Sutton had mentioned only 3 Halstead members of Braintree District Council when 5 representatives of the Town had been elected. He went on to note that the Agenda for this meeting had not been posted on the Town Council web site, and asked if this was now to be Council policy.
Chairman replied to Mr. Johnson saying that he hoped that all members would
work together for the good of Halstead. Chairman apologised that Agenda for this meeting had not been posted on web site and also stated that it remains Council policy that
Agenda and minutes once adopted will be posted.
Vice Chairman noted that representatives of Halstead Postal Workers were present, and asked if they could make a further statement later in the meeting. This was agreed.
428. HALSTEAD YOUTH COUNCIL. Presentation
Lauren James and Connor Allen-Howe Chairman and Publicity Officer for Halstead
Youth Council gave a short presentation of the work they are doing with Junior Schools and other young people in Halstead and said that it was hoped that by their actions they could change the perception held by some residents about the young people in the Town. It was said that a Young People's Competition is being organised to help with the Halstead in Bloom initiative; this will be shown to Judges visiting Halstead this summer. Another project is the Halstead Heritage Week that would have pictures, paintings,
etc. at a location in the Town and residents would be invited to come along,view and reminisce about times past.
It was also said that T-shirts and polo-shirts with the Halstead youth Council logo
would be available for purchase later in the year.
Chairman of HTC congratulated the Youth Council on their work to date, and thanked all delegates for attending.
Members of the Halstead Youth Council left the meeting at this point.
429. POLICE. Presentation and Q&A
Chairman apologised for the confusion after the meeting of 21st April when
Sgt. Midwinter expected to give a presentation at Queen's Hall and the Council
meeting took place at Mill House.
St. Midwinter gave an update on some issues that had been previously raised
and said that investigations were ongoing at Halstead Snooker Club.
He reported that an arrest had been made in connection with some arson cases
previously reported.
He said that there was to be a programme in the near future of stopping and inspecting licenses of various scrap metal collectors around the Town.
Regarding the perceived difficulties with youth on Friday evenings he said that the situation was being monitored. There had been only minor incidents and patrols were organised with some members of the Special Constabulary being brought into the Town to assist on patrols. Sgt. Midwinter said that there was a lack of volunteers for Special Constabulary in Halstead and he hoped to encourage recruitment. Sgt.
Midwinter said that CCTV was being monitored with the assistance of Braintree
District Council.
Cllr Mrs L Hilton asked if more patrols were now on duty in Halstead on Friday evenings, and if this is why reported instances had decreased.
Cllr Hilton criticised the report in Halstead Gazette and said that there were concerns about vulnerable young people getting into difficulties in the Town Centre with no monitoring by authorities.
Sgt. Midwinter said that all resources available will be utilised to make the Town Centre a welcoming place for all ages, but said that help from the Public and from Councillors was
needed to pinpoint what is required, and what can be managed.
It was said that the mobile CCTV van is now available for use, a PCSO has been trained to use the van and will now set up a programme to train others.
It was said that the Police Force is keen to work with Neighbourhood Watch and some good information is passed on so that detection rates in Halstead are around the 30% mark that meets targets for the Force in the Town.
Cllr Mrs H Catley thanked the Officers present for the work that is being done at Halstead Snooker Club and asked the Press to liaise with the Police.
Cllr Mrs K Little asked if the Special Constables brought in from outside the Town were the same ones each week, and if they were familiar with the geography of Halstead.
It was said that it was unlikely that Officers were the same each week, but they are briefed before each shift and are keen to take on all issues; these volunteers are dedicated and are an excellent back up to full time officers.
Cllr Mrs J Allen said that she felt reassured by what she had heard, but agreed that care should be taken about what was reported in the local press.
She was pleased to have heard the Youth Council saying that they wished to change the perception about young people in the Town and felt they should be encouraged in their efforts. She asked how often the CCTV van would be used, and was told that it would now be available more often than in the past.
Inspector Pitcher re-iterated that there must be a two way dialogue with residents and
Councillors.
Chairman of the meeting thanked Inspector Pitcher and Sgt. Midwinter and said that he felt the Council was reassured by what had been said.
430. COUNCIL MINUTES
Minutes of the Council meeting held on 21st April 2011, having been previously circulated, were unanimously approved and adopted.
431. PLANNING APPLICATIONS
Cllr S Kirby left the meeting at this point
Cllr A Munday, Chairman of the Planning Committee took the Chair for this part of the meeting.
Cllr Munday thanked members who had passed on their comments on recent
applications and noted that there were two outstanding applications on which members should pass comments as soon as possible.
Report on recent planning applications was available.
Report was noted.
Cllr Munday asked members
for comments on the ease of viewing applications, and Cllr Mrs Catley said that
she still found it very difficult to view applications on line. Cllr Munday spoke about discussions regarding a larger screen being purchased and set up for monthly Council meetings to enable viewing and discussions. The screen would also be available for members to view during office hours.
Chairman said that consultation with Parishes was vital, and he thanked Cllr Munday for his work regarding planning.
Cllr S Kirby re-joined the meeting
432. MAYORS APPOINTMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
The report was noted.
Chairman spoke about his attendance at the ‘unveiling' of some artwork by Georgie Roy
and her students. He said that all who attended were genuinely impressed by the standard of paintings shown. These painting are now on show in the window
of an empty shop in Weavers' Court.
433. APPOINTMENTS.
Clerk said that some appointments had not been made at the Annual Town Meeting held on 12thMay 2011.
1) Braintree Highways Panel. (previous representative was H. Messenger)
Cllr Mrs H Catley proposed that Cllr Mrs J Pell be the Halstead Town Council Representative on this committee. Proposal was seconded by Cllr Mrs L Hilton. No other nomination was made.
Proposal was carried unanimously.
2) Earls Colne &
Halstead Educational Trust.(previous representative was M.Gage)
Cllr Mrs J Pell proposed that Cllr D Hume, with his experience in education, be the Halstead Town Council Representative on this committee.Proposal was seconded by Cllr D
Sharp. No other nomination was made.
Proposal was carried unanimously
3) Chamber of Trade. Some clarification of the requirement for Council representation was sought from the current Chairman of the Chamber of Trade, Cllr S Kirby. It was
said that the arrangement was informal, and that Cllr Mrs S Diver, Cllr Mrs L
Hilton and Cllr D Hume had attended on occasions.
It was agreed that a good working relationship between the Chamber of Trade and the Town Council was vital and it was decided that two representatives from the
Town Council should be formally nominated and thereby be able to speak with proper authority.
Cllr Kirby noted that Councillors would be Honorary Members and would have no voting rights.
Cllr Mrs J Pell felt that the Mayor, Cllr Mrs L Hilton and Cllr Mrs S Diver should be nominated representatives and this proposal was made by Cllr Mrs K Little and
seconded by Cllr D Sharp.
Proposal that Mayor, Cllr Mrs Hilton and Cllr Mrs Diver should represent Halstead
Town Council at Halstead Chamber of Trade meetings was unanimously agreed.
Cllr S Kirby advised the meeting that he would be standing down as Chairman
of the Halstead Chamber of Trade at the Annual General Meeting.
434. ROYAL MAIL
Chairman agreed to take Agenda item no. 13 at this point.
Cllr D Hume said that he had met with various members of Royal Mail together
with other Town Councillors and Essex County Councillor Joe Pike.
Cllr Hume then read a letter that had been sent to the Town Clerk from Steve McKenna the local Communication Workers Union (CWU) Representative on behalf of all the Posties in Halstead on the subject of the proposal by Royal Mail to move the Royal Mail Delivery &
Sorting Office, currently situated at 46 High Street Halstead, to Sudbury in Suffolk.
Cllr Mrs J Pell said that the Town Council had always supported local Posties and hoped that all Councillors would want to continue this support.
Cllr Pell was aware that many local Posties do not hold a driving licence, and no public transport would be available early in the morning to take workers from Halstead to Sudbury. She felt that Halstead Town Council should support CWU at public meeting in some way.
Cllr S Kirby said that he had e-mailed the local Member of Parliament, Brooks
Newmark, and he was supportive of Halstead Postal Workers.
A public meeting has been arranged for Thursday 14th July, at the Empire Theatre,
Halstead to begin at 7.30p.m. Cllr Mrs J Allen asked how the meeting would be publicised, and was told that it would be announced in Halstead Gazette 10th July, with a reminder nearer to the time of the Meeting. It was said that Royal Mail Workers would
also run a leaflet drop but not in working time. Cllr Mrs J Pell asked who would Chair the meeting as she felt that it would be important that all voices should be heard.
P.O. representatives said that they would consult on who should Chair.
Cllr Mrs H Catley said that this was an important meeting for the Town, and as it currently clashed with the date for the next Council meeting she felt that the
next Council meeting should be re-arranged.
Chairman took opinion from round the table, and it was agreed that an alternative
date for the next Council meeting would be arranged. (Members will be advised of the revised date).
435. FINANCE
a) Monthly summary and Reconciliation (April 2011). Cllr Mrs J Pell asked if notes regarding earmarked reserves could be made public in some place, and it had been agreed with Auditor that this should be done. Report was noted.
b) Financial monitoring.
Report was noted.
c) Monthly Performance.
Report was noted.
436. YOUTH EVENT 24th June 2011.
Cllr Mrs L Hilton explained that Town Council had worked with youth workers at the Resource Centre and had set up Halstead Young Peoples Events (HYPE) to give young people somewhere to go on Friday evenings.
A BBQ had also been arranged a couple of years ago, and it had been decided to now hold another event in the King's Road Park with a bouncy castle and food. Permission for this event had been given, and funds are available. It had been decided to charge
for refreshments at this event so financial support to hire a bouncy castle is all that is required from the Town Council; Council employees will erect the large gazebo owned by Town Centre Strategy Panel. All members are invited to join this event. Some events had also been arranged for the summer and these had been popular and well supported in the past.
Cllr D Sharp asked how the event would be promoted and was told that leaflets would be produced. Cllr Sharp said that he would be pleased to have some for distribution at the forthcoming Charity Fun Day at Ramsey Rd. Playing Field on 18th June.
It was unanimously agreed that up to £250 be made available for this youth event.
Cllr Hilton spoke about the Beat-a-Fest event to be held at Halstead Public Gardens
on 25th June from 2p.m.-7p.m. This is a free, family event with Open Mic sessions.
Cllr Sharp said that NACRO is organising some youth activities at the Ramsey Rd. Playing Field, dates to be put on Events section of web site.
437. SECTION 137 GRANT CRITERIA
Cllr D Hume said that he had some reservations about past allocations, and Town
Clerk said that Auditor had commented on some allocations made. It was felt necessary now to set down some guidelines for future grants.
Chairman felt that a small group with ‘task and finish' remit be set up to deal with
setting of ground rules for future grant allocations. It was agreed that Cllrs Mrs J Pell,
D Hume, M Fincken and D Sharp meet to discuss criteria for Section 137 Grants. Times of
meetings to be arranged.
438. OLYMPIC TORCH
Cllr S Kirby asked for this additional item to the Agenda, and spoke about nationwide
nominations for Olympic Torchbearers 2012. Cllr Kirby said that nominations must be made by 29th June, and it was agreed that each Councillor make personal nominations - web site to be advised.
It is not known at this time if the Olympic Torch will be carried through Halstead.
439. EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC AND PRESSS
The following resolution was proposed and seconded:
RESOLVED: That pursuant to the provisions of section 1(2) of the Admission to Meetings Act 1960, in view of the next items to be conducted, the press and public to be
excluded from the meeting.
Chairman thanked all who attended and closed the meeting at 9.25 pm