MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES (matters not listed on the agenda below).

MINUTES OF MEETINGS OF STANDING COMMITTEES.
a) Finance & Policy - 12th March 2007 (copy attached).
b) Planning             - 28th March 2007 (copy attached).

PAYMENTS OF ACCOUNTS MADE IN MARCH 2007 AND STATEMENT OF BALANCES AND QUARTERLY BUDGET STATEMENT AS AT 31ST MARCH 2007 (copies attached).

STANDARD COMMITTEE - DISPENSATION BY A PARISH COUNCILLOR (see attached)

Mr D L Giles
Clerk of the Council
11th April 2007

County Councillors Mr J Powley & Mrs J Broadway
District Councillors Mr C Fordham, Mr J Humphreys & Mr J Palmer

CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Chairman announced that Ely & Soham Dial-A-Ride (ESDAR) were holding its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 21st March 2007 at Witchford Village College Hall at 11.30am and any Councillors who are able to attend would be very welcome.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Councillors Mr C Palmer, Mr G Fisher, Mr PG Beer and Mrs PL Gibbon declared prejudicial interests in Agenda Item 8. St. Andrew's Church Hall, Soham, in accordance with Paragraph 9.2 of the Code of Conduct.

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES.

Requests for Financial Assistance (32/07)
NOTED that the Clerk had still not received a reply from Cambridgeshire Police Shrivelty Trust for its Bobby Scheme in Soham.
RESOLVED therefore not to proceed further with this request unless more information, as requested, is forthcoming.

Postwatch (37/07)
NOTED that the statement 'retention of Soham Post Office' should be amended to read 'retention of Soham Post Offices' as the Town currently has two post offices In operation.

MINUTES OF MEETINGS OF STANDARD COMMITTEES
RESOLVED that the minutes of the following committees which are printed and attached to these minutes be confirmed
and approved and the recommendations contained therein be adopted:

Planning - 28th February 2007
NOTED that Finance and Policy Committee 12th February 2007 was not quorate and therefore all items from this Committee were referred to the March 2007 meeting.
 

Matters Arising:
NOTED that due to declarations of interest at the Planning Meeting, 28th February 2007, the meeting was not quorate for the following item and it was referred to Full Council for a decision:
 

Comments: Concerns at traffic volumes and entry & exit arrangements, and related safety concerns, onto the High Street.
 

PAYMENTS AND SCHEDULE OF ACCOUNTS - FEBRUARY 2007
RESOLVED that the schedule of payments and statement of balances, and Summary of Income and Expenditure as at 28th February 2007 attached to these minutes as appendices, be confirmed and approved, and are in accordance with Council's financial regulations.

ST. ANDREWS CHURCH HALL. SOHAM

Councillors Mr C Palmer, Mr G Fisher, Mr PG Beer & Mrs PL Gibbon and District Councillors Mr C Fordham & Mr J Palmer left the meeting at 7.38pm.

Council considered 'position statement' prepared by The Clerk.

The Clerk confirmed that he had met with an officer from East Cambridgeshire District Council to consider ways in which the £5,000 made available by the District Council to help the Town Council undertake a consultation exercise regarding the future of the Hall could be best used for the benefit of the town.As the Parochial Church Council had now taken the decision to sell the Hall for non-community uses three options regarding the £5,000 grant were available. These were:

1. Advise East Cambridgeshire District Council that the funding is no longer required.
2. Request that the funding be held over for a period of time in case circumstances change and there is an opportunity to carry out a consultation specifically focused on the Church Hall at a later date.
3. To request East Cambridgeshire District Council agreement that the funding be used for a broader Community Consultation exercise to identify whether there is evidence of need for additional community facilities in the town.

RESOLVED to proceed with option three.

Excluded Councillors returned to the meeting at 7.45pm..

STANDING ORDERS
Council considered a report identifying possible amendments and additions to Standing Orders. In view of the forthcoming Council elections in May 2007 it was considered opportune to incorporate the alterations at this time.
Council RESOLVED that:

1. Standing Orders Paragraph 53 amended to reflect the Council's present Committee Structure as reflected above in Paragraph 2.2 of this report.
2. A new Standing Order setting out Council Policy in respect of Public Speaking at Council and Committee meetings be introduced.
3. A new Standing Order setting out Council's Policy in respect of official contact with the media be introduced.
4. Present Standing Order 60 be amended to read 'A quorum of a Committee or Sub Committee should be three members.
5. The Clerk be instructed to prepare a revised set of Standing Orders to incorporate the above amendments/additions for approval by Council at its April 2007 meeting.

200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY
Consideration was given to a request for financial assistance from Soham Action 4 Youth towards a statue and stained glass window in memory of Olaudah Equiano.
RESOLVED that the Council require more detailed information of the project, before considering financial assistance.

ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
RESOLVED that the Annual Town Meeting should take place at 8.00pm on Monday, 30th April 2007, and that, to encourage public participation, suitable letters be sent to major organisations in the town. Free refreshments would be provided after the meeting.

PARISH / DISTRICT ELECTIONS - 3RD MAY 2007
NOTED that Parish and District Elections will take place on Thursday 3rd May 2007.
NOTED also that Nomination Papers etc. can be collected from the Clerk or East Cambridgeshire District Council or downloaded from East Cambridgeshire District Council website.

ANDREZIEUX-BOUTHEON - SUMMER FETE
RESOLVED that Councillor Mrs PL Gibbon would represent Soham Town Council at the forthcoming Summer Fete being held in Andrézieux-Bouthéon, France.

CARE NETWORK - SOHAM MOBILE WARDEN SCHEME
NOTED that Care Network had received sufficient funding to proceed with its Mobile Warden Scheme in Soham during the Summer of 2007.
It will be holding a Coffee 'n' Cakes morning on Thursday 22nd March 2007 to raise awareness of the new scheme and to ask for public input about how the scheme should be designed to suit Soham.
There is free transport available via Ely Soham Dial-A-Ride (ESDAR) for those who need it.

LOCAL POLICE SURGERY
NOTED that PCSO Kieran Moran will be holding a Police Surgery on Friday 16th March 2007 from 11.00am - 12.00pm at The Weatheralls Health Centre.

CHANGES TO BUS TIMETABLES APRIL 2007
Changes to local bus timetables were received from Cambridgeshire County Council.
NOTED that the number 12 Service for Ely - Soham - Newmarket - Cambridge maintains hourly frequency but with slightly amended times.

PAPERS TABLED
European Union Regional Policy                - Inforegio News (No. 152 - Dec 2006, No. 153 - Jan 2007.
Fenland Green Power Co-operative Limited - Register your Interest.
EEAPTC                                                 - News January 2007.
Cambridgeshire ACRE                              - Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Community Life Awards 2007.
East Cambridgeshire Strategic Partnership - Neighbourhood Policing Newsletter, Feb 2007.
East Cambridgeshire District Council          - 'New Arrivals' Booklet
District Council Chairman Richard Hobbs    - Highlights of the week 16/02/2007 - 09/03/2007
NALC                                                      - LCR, Volume 58, No. 6 - March 2007
Andrézieux-Bouthéon                               - No. 95, March 2007

DATE OF NEXT REGULAR MEETING
NOTED that the next regular meeting of Soham Town Council would be held at 7.15pm on Monday 16th April 2007.