Soham Town Council - Minutes of Meeting

Notice is hereby given that a meeting of the Soham Town Council will be held in Hall One, The Walter Gidney Pavilion, Recreation Ground, Fountain Lane, Soham on Monday 14th April 2008 commencing at 7.15pm with up to 15 minutes of public comment time on Agenda Items, followed by the formal business, and you are summoned to attend for the transaction of the following business:-

The Annual Soham Town Council Meeting will be held in Hall 1, The Walter Gidney Pavilion, Fountain Lane, Soham on Monday 28th April 2008 commencing at 8.00pm.

Minutes of a meeting of Soham Town Council held at The Walter Gidney Pavilion, Recreation Ground, Fountain Lane, Soham on Monday 10th March 2008.

Present:	Councillors Mr CM Palmer (Chairman), Mr T Brown, Mr N Driver, Mr GR Ginn, Mr AJA Hinsley, Mr GM Hobbs, Mr PS Lane & Mr D Schunmann and Mesdames Mrs RR Aitchison, Mrs PL Gibbon, Mrs J Gipp, Mrs AEY Pallett, Mrs PA Tuite & Mrs JA Webb
In Attendance:	County Councillors Mr JA Powley & Mrs J Broadway
Apologies:	District Councillors Mr T Cornell, Mr M Duckworth, Mr J Humphreys, Mr J Palmer & Mr T Parramint Councillors Mr G Fisher
39/08	PUBLIC COMMENT TIME There were no representations from members of the public.
40/08	CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS The Chairman announced that a public exhibition was being held by The National Trust in the Pavilion on Tuesday, 11th March 2008 between 3.00pm and 7.00pm outlining the proposed future development of Wicken Fen and the next Town Forum meeting would be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 13th March 2008 in Hall One of the Pavilion.
41/08	DECLARATION OF INTERESTS There were no declarations of interest from Councillors in respect of items on the Agenda.
42/08	MINUTES OF MEETING HELD 11TH FEBRUARY 2008 RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting be approved and signed as a true record.
43/08	MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES There were no matters arising from the Minutes of Meeting held on 11th February 2008.
44/08	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: Finance & Policy - 11th February 2008 Community Amenities - 18th February 2008 Cemetery & Allotments - 18th February 2008 Planning - 27th February 2008 Matters Arising Plans of allotments (CAS/08) Councillor Driver reported that he had a very positive meeting at the recent Allotment Workshop held in Bluntisham and would now progress the possibility of forming an allotment association.
45/08	PAYMENTS AND SCHEDULE OF ACCOUNTS - FEBRUARY 2008 RESOLVED that the schedule of payments and statement of balances as at 29th February 2008 attached to these minutes as appendices, be confirmed and approved, and are in accordance with Council's financial regulations.
46/08	SOHAM - A VISION OF THE FUTURE Councillors Mr AJA Hinsley and Mrs RR Aitchison gave their reports on the recently held meeting with District Councillors to discuss the vision for Soham's future. These reports are attached as addendums. NOTED that District Councillor Peter Moakes, Chairman of The Strategic Development Committee would attend the April 2008 meeting to advise Council as to how the Masterplan for Soham would be devised. NOTED also that the next meeting between District Councillors and Town Council representatives would be held on Monday 31st March 2008.
47/08	COMMUNITY FACILITIES WORKING PARTY Minutes of the Working Party meeting held on Monday 11th February 2008 were received. Chairman of the Working Party, Councillor Mrs PA Tuite, reiterated that the Consultation Workshop to be held on Wednesday 19th March 2008 was for groups and clubs and attendance was by invitation only.
48/08	REQUESTS FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE A request for financial assistance was received from Cambridgeshire County Council for its Summer Reading Challenge 2008 (Team Read). RESOLVED that the Council in accordance with its powers under sections 137 and 139 of the Local Government Act, 1972 should incur the following expenditure which, in the opinion of the Council, is in the interest of the area or its inhabitants and will benefit them in a manner with the expenditure: Cambridgeshire County Council (Team Read) - £500
49/08	ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION DAY SOHAM Councillors Mr AJA Hinsley and Mrs AEY Pallett attended the Soham Environmental Action Day recently held and deemed it a great success. Councillor Hinsley reported that they were divided into two groups - Northfield Park/Road area and West Drive of which he was in the Northfield Park/Northfield Road area. The biggest perceived problem in this locality was general litter and dog fouling and it was suggested that there was a great need for extra 'dog bins' in that area. NOTED that providing they are properly bagged, dog faeces can be disposed of in the normal refuse bins if there is not a 'dog bin' nearby. Councillor Pallett reported that she was also pleasantly surprised at the condition of the areas in West Drive and West Drive Gardens, they did however come across three cars with 'out of date, tax discs. Following an informal chat with a group of youths on graffiti duty, Councillor Pallett felt there was need for a 'graffiti wall' to be erected, this would enable the painting of this wall, which could then be photographed, before being painted over again. She felt that this would then discourage the random graffiti being displayed on public and private property. Councillor Mrs RR Aitchison suggested that an appropriate place for such a wall to be erected may be on the Recreation Ground when the proposed new Skateboard Park is built following the receipt of S106 monies. Councillors were encouraged that the day had been such a success, but felt that they had not been given enough notice of the planned event to enable them to take a more pro-active approach.
50/08	'THE PARISH PARTNERSHIP' MODEL OF AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY ANCHOR NOTED the document published by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) and Action With Communities in Rural England (ACRE) concerning the Parish Partnership Model of an Effective Community Anchor.
51/08	PARISH CONSULTATION ON EAST CAMBRIDGESHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL IMPROVEMENT PLAN The Council were requested to formulate a response to the draft Parish Consultation on East Cambridgeshire District Council Improvement Plan. RESOLVED that Town Council felt the plan was completely Ely centred and that it did not want all future retail development to be in Ely and that East Cambridgeshire District Council be advised accordingly. It was also noted that Soham was still not mentioned on any of the 'green' highway signs.
52/08	FOUNTAIN LANE CAR PARK Council discussed an E-Mail received from Councillor Mrs AEY Pallet regarding the opening hours of the Fountain Lane Car Park, following an evening event held in the Comrades Club by the Soham Festival Society, when some of the persons attending were locked in the car park because the barriers had operated at the usual time. RESOLVED that the Clerk contact East Cambridgeshire District Council requesting that the car park closing time be extended to 10.30pm.
53/08	CONTRACTED BUS SERVICES NOTED that Cambridgeshire County Council have awarded the contracts for bus services for April 2008.
54/08	ELY CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU A letter of thanks was received from Ely Citizens Advice Bureau for Councils donation towards its work.
55/08	PAPERS TABLED East Cambridgeshire District Council - Highlights of the Week, 15th February - 29th February 2008.
56/08	DATE OF NEXT REGULAR MEETING NOTED that the next regular meeting of the Council would be held at 7.15pm, Monday 14th April 2008.