Minutes of the Meeting of Standlake Parish Council, held in the Youth Club, Church End, on 9th August 2022 at 7.30pm

Present:

          Mr. B. Parnham               Chairman

          Mrs. J Macdonald

          Mrs. A. Knipe

          Mrs. Burton

          Mr. D. Jeffcoat

          Mr. J. Clements

          Mr. D. Bevan                   Clerk

 

OCC Cllr Mr. D. Levy, WODC Cllr Ms. L. Nicholls, Mr. and Mrs Bowen

1.      APOLOGIES – Mr. Rippin.

2.      NEW COUNCILLOR – Mr. James Clements signed his Acceptance of Office and was welcomed to the council.

3.      DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – There were no declarations of interest.

4.      PUBLIC ITEMS – Mr. and Mrs. Bowen (The Downs) wished to express their distress at the death of a pet cat on The Downs. They attribute this to speeding drivers on the road and asked what can be done about this nuisance as they are concerned that this may happen to a child. Mr. Parnham expressed his condolences for the loss of the pet and explained what is being done to alleviate the problem (see Speedwatch report in ‘Matters Arising’). Mr. Jeffcoat added that the cost of some measures, such as chicanes, was very expensive and would have to be paid for by the parish. In reply to Mrs. Bowen’s comment that they never saw Speedwatch at the top of The Downs, Mr. Parnham explained that they were restricted to those sites around the village that had been surveyed and approved by Thames Valley Police (TVP); there were currently 15 sites around the village; there are two sites on The Downs and a number of sessions have taken place at these locations. .Mr. Parnham thanked them for attending and suggested they joined the Speedwatch group as the more volunteers there were, the more sessions could be held.

5.      COUNTY & DISTRICT COUNCILLORS’ REPORTS – see Cllr. Levy’s report attached to these minutes.

Cllr. Nicholls reported that WODC has passed a motion demanding Thames Water (TW) put monitoring equipment at all sewage treatment plants by the end of 2023.

6.      PLANNING –

22/01727/HHD: Remove part of front stone wall and create a single parking space in the front Garden: 9 The Green Standlake Witney: Mr Daniel Taylor. No objection.

22/01851/S73: Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) of planning permission 21/04032/HHD to allow design changes. No objection.

21/04032/HHD: Demolition of conservatory, construction of part single part two storey rear extensions, new masonry chimney, alterations to existing window openings and associated alterations 25 Rack End: Mr A Collett and Miss J Firth. No Objection.

7.      MINUTES - Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday, 12th July 2022, copies of which had been previously circulated to all members, were agreed as a true record, and were signed by the chairman.

8.      MATTERS ARISING

Sewage/Flooding - Mr. Parnham reported that the repairs on the manhole covers at High St./Woodlands were now completed and no stench was now present at the manhole at The Downs/Martins Lane; the covers at the church and Church Mill are still awaiting action. Mr. Parnham has escalated the request to Thames Water for action regarding the surface at the High St. pumping station and is awaiting a reply.

Roads/Traffic/Speedwatch – Mrs. Knipe reported the following. Following our 'Call for Action', two further volunteers have come forward and passed their online training which is excellent news. A sincere thank you to all volunteers who have come forward, passed their training, and give up time for Speedwatch. Some observations are that traffic is slowing down, particularly on Abingdon Road, which is a major positive.

In July, 15 sessions were held, and 119 offenders reported with the top speed being 52mph, 73% over the limit. Of the reported offenders, 2 had no MOT, 1 had no Tax and 1 vehicle was under SORN. This information is sent to DVLA by TVP for appropriate action to be taken.  Since operations commenced in February, a total of 567 offenders have been reported, which shows the importance of Speedwatch. On other matters, an additional 'left' chevron as you come from Witney has been installed by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) at the 'Brighthampton Green/Golden Balls' junction. Updates are being chased about the other measures discussed with OCC.

The following notice will also be sent out shortly to Standlake News, Facebook and put on the Parish Council Web Site about a 20mph limit:

Speeding in the village is a known problem. Since the formation of the Standlake & Brighthampton Speedwatch Group earlier this year over 500 offenders have been reported to TVP.
Following a meeting with OCC, a number of other traffic calming measures are being explored. Consideration is also being given to the implementation of a 20mph limit on:
Abingdon Road; Aston Road (Brighthampton); Church End; The Downs; High Street; Rack End.
It may be that some would like just to see a 20mph limit on, for example, Aston Road, High Street, Rack End and Church End, hence putting out the above list rather than just saying 20mph throughout Standlake. The Parish Council welcomes your feedback in the first instance by emailing speed20@standlakepc.org.uk by the 31st August. We look forward to hearing from you.

Playground/Recreation Ground & Maintenance – Mr. Parnham reported that both Windrush Way and Rack End playgrounds were in satisfactory condition with minor maintenance items outstanding at Rack End. Mr. Clements will take over the monitoring of the Windrush Way site.

Environment – Mrs. Burton said that the project to build and erect 40 bird nesting boxes in the village would be revised. Rather than build the boxes from scratch, the Standlake Nature Recovery Network (SNRN) has decided to purchase the boxes in kit form, with volunteers carrying out the assembly. It was agreed that the cost of £200 should be paid from the SNRN budget as will the cost of hiring the village hall for the box assembly workshop.

Jubilee 22 – The clerk said that there was now £139.46 left in the Jubilee Fund and Mr. Parnham proposed that this be subsumed into the Community Fund Reserve. Mrs. Macdonald asked: had the cost of a tree commemorating the Jubilee and placed in the churchyard been taken into consideration. The clerk expressed his surprise at this question, as he had never been informed that a decision had been made to provide this tree. Mr. Parnham said that he believed Mr. Rippin was aware of this project and this matter would be deferred until Mr. Rippin was present – hopefully at the next meeting. Mr. Jeffcoat pointed out that this was not urgent as planting would not take place before November in any case.

Dog/Litter Bins – The clerk reported that the bin at the bridge opposite Church Farm Close has finally been installed. In response to the removal of the bin in the Standlake allotments, WODC have offered to place a bin in Brighthampton at no cost to the parish; however, the annual servicing cost of £433.68 will have to be borne by the parish. Councillors found this excessive, and Mr. Parnham said he was determined to continue arguing that there was no loss to WODC as they no longer had to service the bin at the allotments.

Bike Rack in Car Park – The clerk said that the rack should now have been, or will shortly be, delivered to Mr. Cleland. Mrs. Macdonald noted that Mr. Cleland will shortly be away on holiday and the clerk agreed to contact the supplier and ascertain the delivery status.

Defibrillator at School – Mrs. Macdonald said that everything was on hold now the school was closed for the holidays. The clerk said he would not order the replacement box until firm arrangements were in place following the start of the new term.

Bus Stop – Following a resident’s request to have the stop at the Post Office re-sited, Mr. Jeffcoat reported that he had contacted OCC and was awaiting a response.

9.      CORRESPONDENCE – Request for bus shelter. A resident has requested a bus shelter be installed at the stop opposite Lincoln Farm Park. It was agreed that Mr. Jeffcoat would make enquiries of his contact at OCC. (See update under Bus Stop)

WODC-future of West Oxfordshire. A seminar on the future of West Oxon will be held on 5th September 2022 and the parish has been offered two places. Mr. Clements will attend for the parish council.

Request for grant - My Vision Oxfordshire (formally Oxfordshire Association for the Blind). The clerk noted that in the past, a grant of £50 had been made. It was agreed that this the same amount be paid on this occasion.

10.   ACCOUNTS – The clerk presented the external auditor’s report for the 2021/22 Annual Return. Noting that there were observations of two minor errors in completion of the reporting form, it was agreed unanimously to accept the report.

The clerk reported that the accounts remained in a satisfactory state and were within budget.

The following accounts received were approved: (paid*)

Abs Sols -Butts clearing                                    £85.00*

FOSS - proceeds from mugs                              £63.30*

Abs Sols - bench refurbishment                      £215.00*

S'lake Youth Club - hire 22/23                        £200.00*

Abs Sols - repair fence rec ground                    £40.00*

C Cleland – church yard mowing                    £352.50*

Moore – Audit Fee                                           £240.00

11.   GRAFFITI IN VILLAGE – There have been a number of incidents of racist and other offensive graffiti appearing in the village. The council has been notified by the local Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) that graffiti has also appeared on trees in the recreation ground. The council deplores any examples of this kind of racist action and asked the PCSO to increase their presence in the village. As to the graffiti on the trees, it would appear to be difficult to remove and Mr. Jeffcoat volunteered to obtain some wood-coloured spray paint to cover the offending areas.

12.   DATE OF NEXT MEETING - Mr. Parnham said that, as agreed at July’s meeting, the next meeting will be held in the Youth Club on Tuesday 20th September at 7.30pm.

13.   There being no further business, the meeting closed at. 8.35 pm.

 

Chairman   ....................................................................  Date …………………………………………………

 

Dan Levy County Councillor Report, August 2022

20mph timetable published: I’m delighted to see so many villages in the Eynsham División get 20mph limits just 18 months after they were promised in the 2021 elections.

Trailblazers in Adult Social Care: OCC has been selected to be one of a handful of trailblazing councils to implement adult social care reforms early. Changes include a £86,000 lifetime care costs cap and more generous means testing. Being a trailblazer will allow OCC to influence the scheme and provide feedback to government.      We have expressed a concern that there is insufficient funding to make this scheme work as intended.

Cheaper park & ride tickets: From the end of September, £4 tickets will be available combining parking and bus charges into a single ticket. The tickets will be £4 for a single passenger, and £5 for multiple passengers (e.g. families). The scheme represents a significant OCC investment of £105,000 in supporting families and reducing traffic.    I have pointed out that, when the new Eynsham Park and Ride is built, it won’t be able to be included in the scheme, as it would make parking and riding cheaper than just riding.   And would encourage people to drive further towards the city.   There is plenty of time to fix this anomaly.

As an aside, can I also highlight that for Mondays in August, First and Last Mile are offering free bus tickets on the route to Eynsham and Hanborough from Standlake.

Cost of living:  A Lib Dem motion at OCC to declare an emergency was not debated due to a lack of time, and a walkout by opposition councillors,  but OCC is already identifying means to support residents.   The same is true of WODC.    Children who get free school meals are also getting free access to WODC’s leisure centres.

Transport and connectivity plan (LTCP) adopted: The County’s new LTCP was adopted by the council.  It formalises the hierarchy of users with public transport and active travel at the top.  The Council has also committed to Vision Zero, to eliminate road deaths.  And we will move to a new HGV strategy with area weight limits, to reduce HGV incursion into villages and residential areas.

As ever, I can be contacted by email or phone at any time.