Councillors present: Mr. G. W. Parker
Mr. I.H. Standing
Mr B.J. Richards
Mr. A.H. Griffiths
Mr. P. R. Nurcombe
Mr. G. Turner
Mrs. P. A. Watts
Mr. P. Watkins
Mr. P. Fox

1. SIGN THE ATTENDANCE BOOK

The Attendance Book was duly signed.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies had been received and accepted from Councillors Evans and Richards.

3. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

It was proposed by Councillor Griffiths and seconded by Councillor Turner and agreed that the minutes of the last meeting were accepted as a true record with the following amendment:
Page 3 item p) should read ‘….Councillors Parker, Standing, Watts and Watkins’.

4. MATTERS ARISING

Traffic Calming and Warning Signs for School
No progress.

The Old Smithy
Works progressing. The appeal against the refusal of the 2 semi detached houses was heard on 8th February. The Clerk had received a letter from the Planning department informing her that letters regarding the details of the informal hearing had not been sent out. She had contacted the Chairman who had asked that a letter be sent re-iterating our original concerns.

The Lease on The Quest
Awaiting new lease.

Recreation Hall Lease
A new draft lease had been received by the Clerk and forwarded to the Chairman. As there was no mention of the Trust Deed the Clerk will speak to the legal department and ask for a new one to be drawn up. The lease cannot be considered without the Trust Deed.

Use of Land Owned by St. Regis for Overflow Car Park
This has been shelved for the time being as a result of the announcement of the closure of the mill. No further comments.

Field Behind The Close
Clerk had been advised that the annual cost of the lease would be £850. The Community Council would be able to apply for the 95% grant, which if successful, would mean a net rental of £42.50 per year. The consideration of the lease would be on the March agenda.

Broken Perspex in Map by Sudbrook Play Area
Councillor Watkins had informed the Clerk that the piece that had been delivered had been the wrong size. He had ordered another one from a different supplier. Payment for this had been approved under item 11.

Trees at Back of Post Office Row
This item had been shelved as a result of the announcement of the closure of the mill. No further comments.

Archaeologists Survey of Harold’s Park
The Clerk was investigating sources of funding for a possible dig on the site. However, CADW would need to give permission for this. Councillor Griffiths would speak to Kate Smith and ask for a report.

Storage Containers at Packsafe
Planning Department had investigated the breach and the unit has B1/B8 planning permission which allows containers to be stored here. Therefore they are not in breach of planning regulations. Packsafe has written to the Enforcement Officer and said they are unaware of the impact the containers are having and are willing to discuss the issue with the Planning Department in an effort to resolve the matter. No further comments.

Replacement Caretaker
Mr Don Jones had had a stroke and would not be returning to work. The Clerk had assured him that his salary would be paid during February and March when he retired. There had been 3 applicants in total. As the caretaker’s salary had previously been funded by the mill, it was decided that the budget would have to be re-calculated and the job possibly be a reduced function of litter picking in a temporary capacity. A special meeting would be held on Wednesday 1st March at 7pm.

Car Parking at Church Hall/outside School
An email had been received from Mrs. Cullimore who is the booking secretary for the Church Hall. She asked for details of when the car park would be open in order for her to pass the information to people booking the hall. The Clerk would advise the Church Hall Committee to approach the school governors and ask for a key for both the gates. (Large and small.)

Green Light on Sudbrook Traffic Lights
This had been repaired. No further comments.

Communication from County Council
The Clerk had reported Mr Prosser’s complaint to the Chief Executive of MCC. Mr Berg had replied that raising the issue with the Community Council is not the appropriate way to deal with the issue. As the complaint was with the County Council the most effective way to put it right would be for Mr Prosser to take it up directly with them. He could do this either in writing or by going to the One Stop Shop. No further comments.

Fun Day 2006
An initial meeting had been held and agreed that the event would take place on 1st July between 11 am and 5pm. Councillor Griffiths had priced the cost of the equipment at £600.00. This amount was approved under item 9. A cheque for a deposit of £200 was required immediately with the balance payable on the day.

Removal of Hedge on Crick Road
Clerk had spoken to Mike Grace who had informed her that the hedge that had been removed was not protected as it had been mainly brambles and briars. A secure fence had been required to stop livestock escaping onto the road. Councillor Watts had received a complaint concerning the boundary of the road. With the removal of the hedge, the visual boundary had been removed. Clerk had informed the Highways department asking if a white line could be painted on the edge of the road to distinguish the boundary. No further comments.

New Streetlight on 21 Sea View
The streetlight had been replaced by a column, which was now working. No further comments.

Grit Container by Sudbrook Post Office.
Clerk reported to One Stop Shop, asking for replacement. No further comments.

Refuse Collections in Sudbrook
Road sweeper had operated in Sudbrook in the week commencing January 30th. Clerk would ask if the next visit could be in the middle of the day when the road was mostly clear of cars, affording better access.

Field Owned By Newport City Council
Clerk had been advised by Newport City Council that the site had been advertised and expressions of interest received. No further comments.

Dog Fouling Signs in Harold’s Park
Councillor Parker would put these in the area as soon as he could. He would also put some along the cycle path as it was apparent that they were needed here.

Streetlight NY32
Clerk reported to Highways who advised the light had been repaired. No further comments.

Speed Monitoring Equipment in the Village
Clerk had written to Gwent Police highlighting the concerns regarding vehicles speeding through the village. She had received a reply saying that, in an effort to gain an up to date picture of speeding patterns, a monitoring exercise would be carried out as soon as possible.

Severnside Heritage Trail – Portskewett Phase
A meeting of the sub-group had been held and the first draft of the leaflet discussed. It was agreed to try a yellow colour scheme with dark blue text as this was apparently the most easy to read. The completed first draft would be ready by mid February when it would be emailed to members for comment. The final draft would need to be ready to go to print by mid March in order to comply with the conditions of the RCA grant.

Newsletter
Councillor Turner had used the logo from the website. It was hoped that a newsletter would be available to distribute at the Fun Day.

5. REPORT FROM LOCAL POLICE REPRESENTATIVES

PC Turner reported that the general crime in the area had not improved in the last month. Burglars currently awaiting trial had been given bail and are continuing to commit crimes during this period. The speed of the Court system is to blame and is very frustrating.

There had been 52 incidents in the area including the following: A vehicle had been broken into on the industrial estate. The Corus building was burgled and computer equipment stolen, as a result of the criminals gaining access through the chute. The Lave Net Fishermen’s building at Black Rock had been broken into and a generator stolen. A door at the Recreation Hall had been damaged again. A sign would be placed in the building stating that no valuables are stored overnight, in an effort to deter burglars. An incident on Stowball Hill had occurred where a farmer had approached dog walkers asking them to keep to the path and use the stiles. The walkers were very abusive to the farmer. Following this fences in the field had been damaged. PC Turner would distribute copies of the Countryside Code booklets. The Clerk would put copies of relevant pages in the noticeboards. 3 cows had been roaming loose on the Parkwall roundabout. A large bull had been roaming around Treetops. A resident of Main Road had emptied the Jacuzzi into the road, which had frozen, creating a severe hazard. A vehicle abandoned in Parkwall was found to have been stolen from Somerset. An ornamental letter box had been stolen from a house on Chepstow Road Crick.

6. FENCING OF THE QUEST ETC.
This had been deferred until after the Special Budget Meeting.

7. UDP CONSULTATION DOCUMENT

The Clerk had received the Proposed Modifications and Council’s Decisions. She had read through the documents and in policy H1 the inspector had recommended that the Village Development Boundary (VDB) be extended to include the land to the rear of numbers 29 – 37 Main Road. It was recommended that the site should not be allocated for housing development. Paragraph 4.6.26 was to have a sentence added which read ‘An adjustment to the VDB on the northern side of the village also offers a development opportunity if access constraints can be overcome’. Councillors expressed their concerns that, although the access was narrow at present, this could be overcome by the demolishment of a house directly in front of the land, which could then create an opening into the area which is large enough to accommodate a 20 – 30 house development. The ‘Crick Road’ site mentioned in the document was also discussed. It was unclear which area of Crick Road it was referring to. Clerk to write to George Ashworth and Jane Coppock with the Council’s concerns.

8. CLERK’S PENSION

The Clerk had received a letter from the Pensions Administrator with the details of joining the LGPS. The Community Council would need to make a resolution to allow the Clerk to join. The Clerk would be required to pay a contribution of 6% of her salary (£25.05 per month) to the scheme with the Community Council 19.3% (£80.59 per month). It was proposed by Councillor Watts and seconded by Councillor Nurcombe that the Clerk join the pension.

9. APPROVE PAYMENT OF COST OF FUN DAY EQUIPMENT

It was proposed by Councillor Standing and seconded by Turner that the amount of £600 be paid . This would be paid in two parts – a deposit of £200.00 with the balance of £400.00 being paid on the day.

10. APPROVE PAYMENT OF AUDIT FEES 2004/2005

It was proposed by Councillor Standing and seconded by Turner that the amount of £141.00 be paid.

11. APPROVE PAYMENT OF COST OF REPLACEMENT PERSPEX FOR MAP CASE

It was proposed by Councillor Standing and seconded by Councillor Turner that the amount of £78.95 be paid. The Perspex that was the wrong size would be used for a display case for the Heritage Trail.

12. REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES

a) Governing Body for Ysgol Y Ffin
A meeting had been held to discuss the school’s potential move. Some parents had been unhappy with the access on Sandy Lane. The number of children on the roll is increasing but will probably level out. The school would be a totally remodelled, 210 place school.
b) Governing Body for ARW Primary School
A meeting had been held with staff representatives in relation to TLR. This is the first part of the consultation process.

13. REPORT FROM RECREATION HALL REPRESENTATIVE

Councillor Evans had sent his apologies. It was reported that Joe and Joyce Sawley, who hold events to raise funds for Cancer Research were disappointed that they have been unable to book the hall on any Friday or Saturday night during November or December this year. Councillors discussed the other options they might have, including using the hall at ARW school. When the school was opened it was agreed that the hall would be available for community hire. Councillors Standing and Griffiths, as governors would raise the issue.

14. DISCUSSION WITH COUNTY COUNCILLOR

Councillor Fox stated that the closure of the paper mill would have an impact on many people in the community. It was important that good communication remained between the Community Council and the Mill. Clerk to write to Mr. Plummer expressing our regret and offering support.

Councillor Fox also reported that the home tuition service would be relocated into St. Mary’s school. It was hoped that a place for the youth would be created with the regeneration of Caldicot.

15. NEW CORRESPONDENCE

MCC Planning applications received. Circulation

MCC Planning Committee Agenda. Circulation

MCC Cabinet Agenda. Circulation.

WAG Local Government Partnership Scheme Annual Report. Circulation.

Health Challenge Wales Newsletter. Circulation.

Secretary of Recreation Hall Reminder (in the form of a poem) to turn off the outside light after meetings. It had inadvertently been left on after the January meeting. The Clerk had apologised to Mr. Edwards.

CSAT Minutes from meeting 9th January. Circulation.

One Voice Wales Planning Handbook, newsletter and information on 2006/7 Clerk’s salary scales. Discussed. The Clerk’s hourly rate would increase to £8.387 per hour (SCP 18) from 1st April 2006.

Monmouthshire Children’s & Young People’s Partnerships Asking for details of organisations or provisions in the area that relate to young people in order to ensure that all children and young people in Monmouthshire receive their basic entitlement as laid down by WAG. Discussed.

Care and Repair Monmouthshire Staying Healthy at Home project. Discussed. The Clerk would place notices in noticeboards.

One Voice Wales Buckingham Palace Garden Parties. Discussed. Nominations invited.

Monmouthshire Greenweb Newsletter. Circulation.

One Voice Wales Membership Renewal and feedback form. Discussed. It was agreed not to join this year.

Progress (Prostrate Cancer Support Group) Memorial Lecture to be held in County Hall. 17th March 2006. Clerk will advertise in the noticeboard.

Councillor J Harris Copy of letter to Rail Infrastructure Improvement Committee. Circulation.

Planning Applications Received
M12554Signage and Marketing Board Castlegate Business Park (Formerly Mitel Business Park)

Planning Applications Approved
M12275Rear/side extension . 29 Main Road, Portskewett
M12322 Single storey lean to extension to rear and 2 storey front extn. 18, Hill Barn View, Portsk.

Planning Applications Refused

16. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

The Clerk reported that she had received the Notice of Conclusion of Audit of Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2005. Everything was in order and the external auditor had found no matters giving cause for concern. The Annual Return and the notice had been placed in the noticeboards.

Councillor Watts had asked the Clerk to inform the Transport department at MCC of the speeding vehicles travelling along Crick Road. She had received a reply from Clive Campbell who advised that he would refer it to the Safety Camera Enforcement Unit. He asked if the Community Council had any thoughts on how they would see the problem being addressed. It was stated that the traffic calming already in place on the road was not working properly as some drivers were actually speeding up. Clerk to inform Clive Campbell of this.

Councillor Standing declared an interest and stated that his wife had sustained permanent dental damage when she attended the Bonfire Night event in 2004. She had initially made a claim against the Recreation Hall insurance but had been advised to claim against the Community Council insurance as it was they who had held the event.

Councillor Turner reported that he had an old computer that he would like to donate. After a short discussion it was agreed that he would offer it to Bluebelle Nursery.

Councillor Watkins reported that the area around the Welsh Water pumping station opposite the mill entrance was very untidy. Clerk to write requesting the area be cleaned up.

Councillor Watkins also reported that new fences had been installed between Black Rock and Sudbrook and between Sudbrook and Caldicot. Rights of Way (MCC) were agreeable to making the area a designated bridlepath. Members of the Pony Club should write letters supporting this. They should also make representation at the Area Committee. Clerk to write to all persons who have land adjoining the parts of the path that are not owned by MCC, asking if they have any objections to the area becoming a bridleway.

Councillor Griffiths reported that the new information boards had been placed at Black Rock picnic site.

The flowers/shrubs at Dr. Webbs house and Manor Farmhouse were growing out of the wall and were encroaching onto the footpath. Councillor Watts will inspect.

Councillor Watts reported that the second streetlight (number not known as it is obscured by hedging) on the left hand side in Sunnycroft was not working at night.

Youths had emptied the bin in the Recreation Hall playground. They had been able to remove the inner lining as the lock had been broken. Clerk to report.

Manor Way had numerous pot holes. Clerk to report.

The pavements between Sudbrook village to the railway bridge are breaking up. Clerk to report.

17. FINANCE

The Clerk had not received a Worksheet from the Caretaker, Mr Jones, due to his illness. A cheque was written for a basic 5 week’s salary which amounted to £300.30

The Clerk’s salary and expenses totalled £532.64
Monthly Salary plus 5 hours overtime
Office Allowance
Telephone Expenses and Line Rental
Expenses (e.g. stamps, petrol allowance, stationery
£438.17
£43.33
£27.00
£24.14

It was proposed by Councillor Fox and seconded by Councillor Griffiths that the above-mentioned payments as well as the following payments be authorised:

Wales Audit Office, audit fee 2004/05, £141.00, Caldicot Glass and Glazing, replacement Perspex for map case, £78.95 . Bouncy Castle Hire Ltd., deposit of hire of equipment for Fun Day, £200.00, MCC, feasibility study for potential car park, £559.18

The following cheques were then presented for signature:

18. DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and gave the date and time of the next meeting as Wednesday 1st March 2006 at 7.00 p.m. in the Church Hall. The meeting was then declared closed at 9.30pm.