Councillors present:
Mr. I. H. Standing
Mr. P. R. Nurcombe
Mrs. P. Watts
Mr. B.Richards
Mr. R. P. Evans
Mr. G. Parker
Mr. G. Turner

Mr and Mrs Sawley attended the meeting regarding the incident on the 2nd December, at which they had been accused of abusing the Secretary of the Recreation Hall. They had spoken to the police headquarters at Cwmbran and had been told that no incident had been logged for that date. Although the police had attended it had not been logged as an incident. The only log had been to say that a charity event was taking place on that evening. They had hoped that someone from the Recreation Hall Committee would be at the meeting to reply. The Clerk informed Mr and Mrs Sawley that the minutes of the January meeting stated that they had refuted the allegation that they had abused the secretary.

Mr. Beedon from The Close stated to members that he still felt the judging of the Best Kept Garden Competition had been unfair and that he felt members of the Council should not be able to enter the competition. Councillor Turner, as last year’s judge, informed Mr. Beedon that the Council had debated whether members should be allowed to enter and had agreed that it was.

Mr Beedon informed members that he was encountering trouble with vehicles parked on the bend at the entrance to The Close. Clerk had reported this to MCC Highways after last month’s meeting. She would report again and also to the police. The Chairman advised Mr. Beedon to report it to the police also.

Mr Beedon informed members that youths were causing a nuisance in the OAP areas on the weekends.

1. SIGN THE ATTENDANCE BOOK

The Attendance Book was duly signed.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies had been received and accepted from Griffiths Fox and Watkins.

3. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

It was proposed by Councillor Richards and seconded by Councillor Nurcombe and agreed that the minutes of the last meeting were accepted as a true record.

4 MATTERS ARISING

Traffic Calming and Warning Signs for School
No progress.

The Lease on The Quest
Awaiting new lease.

c) Recreation Hall Lease
The Clerk had forwarded a copy of the lease to the Secretary, along with a letter stating that the Community Council would sign the lease if the terms of it were adhered to. This would include the Community Council paying the rent and insurance and being reimbursed by the Management Committee. Members of the Committee were invited to attend a meeting prior to the usual Community Council meeting to discuss any issues. The Chairman of the Management Committee had informed the Clerk that his attendance at such a meeting would serve no useful purpose before the trustees had had the opportunity to come to a conclusion. The Clerk later received an email from Mr. Taylor stating the Committee’s concerns, which had included the amount of rental. (The Clerk informed MCC Legal Dept asking for the correct amount to be put into the lease). The Clerk had asked the Legal Dept what the changes in the terms of the lease meant. Mrs. Swanson had informed the Clerk that the lease is a ‘standard lease’ which has been offered to all recreational facilities since Monmouth Borough days and the terms now being offered are no different to any other lease being offered for a recreational facility by MCC. She went on to say that when a lease of this type comes up for renewal the Landlord has total freedom as to whether he renews the lease or not, and on what terms. Mr Taylor had also informed the Clerk that the Council’s contribution, if any, to the insurance costs needs to be approached through a joint meeting and that the Community Council recognise that the hall’s budgets are carefully planned to keep costs to a minimum for hirers. The Clerk reminded him that any contributions the Community Council make are discretionary.
The Chairman of the Management Committee had later emailed the Clerk to inform her that he was now reassured that the correct amount of money to be paid by trustees will now be £200.00 per annum subject to 3 yearly review.
He would ensure that trustees be made aware of the signing procedure and the invitation for them to attend. He was confident that the Council had the support of trustees in this course of action.

The Clerk had received an email from Asset Management informing her that the accounts submitted by the Management Committee to enable them to receive the grant had been 13 years old. The Clerk had forwarded up to date copies of accounts.
 
Councillors Standing (Chairman), Evans and Watts signed and dated the lease and Trust Deed and the Clerk signed as witness. The Clerk would now return the documents to County Hall.

Car Parking at Church Hall/outside School
Cars were still parking on the road outside the Church Hall. Clerk to write to Mr. Murphy to ask when the car park would be available for users of the Church Hall. Councillor Turner informed members that his car had almost been hit by another vehicle who’s view was obscured by a car parked outside the hall.

Designation of Bridleway
No progress to report. The Clerk had emailed Ruth Rourke requesting an update and had been informed that due to the extra work involved with the Rights of Way Improvement Plan she had been unable to progress it until April.

Claim Against Council Insurance
No progress to report.

Closure of The Paper Mill
No progress to report.

Broken Fence on Harold’s Park Side of Sudbrook Bridge
Councillor Parker had spoken to a highways engineer from MCC who informed him that a site meeting would be held with Network Rail.

Main Road Streetname
The Clerk had been advised that the sign was now ready to be installed but a new location was needed as the building it had previously been attached to was due to be demolished. Councillors agreed that the best place to have the sign would be on the small green where the Christmas tree was usually placed.

Brow of Hill on Crick Road
The Clerk had written to MCC Traffic Section asking if the road could be widened on the brow of the hill. NY 525 streetlight on this road was not working. Clerk to report.

Council Accounts 2005/06
The Audit was now complete. Clerk to advertise this in the noticeboards. No further comments.

Car Dealers at Parkwall
Mr Williams had filled in the papers and would be submitting a planning application.

Youth Club in the Village
Councillor Watts informed members that Monmouthshire Youth Service had held a sports event but it had been poorly advertised.

Warning Signs at Black Rock
No progress to report.

Proposed Section 106 Money
No progress. It is too early to submit a bid but a plan would need to be put together.

Lights on Sudbrook Road
The lights NY555 and NY556 were still not working although the Clerk had been informed that they had been fixed. She would report again and copy Dave Harris, Head of Highways.

Map Case in Sudbrook
No progress.

Thompson and Thompson Parking on Verge
Clerk had spoken to Mr. Alan Thompson who had assured her that they would not park vehicles on the verge again and apologised for the inconvenience they had caused. Vehicles were parking occasionally on the pavement in the industrial estate. No further comments.

Millstone outside ‘The Old Dairy’
The millstone had been removed and placed on the village green. The Clerk and Councillors had received complaints from Mr. Jones, the owner of 1 Main Road, who stated that the stone was on his land and should not have been removed without his permission. The Clerk had hand delivered a written apology to him and informed him that the Council was under the impression that the stone was on the land of the Old Dairy/Granary and had tried numerous times to seek permission from the owner. Mr. Jones has now agreed to the stone remaining on the village green and had very kindly offered to lay the stone properly in order for it to be a feature for the whole village to enjoy. No further comments.

New Play Area Committee
Councillor Evans had had a meeting with RCA, which had been very informative.

Uneven Pavements in Southbrook View and St. Mary’s Place
The uneven part of the pavement in St. Mary’s Place had been repaired. The pavements in Southbrook View were due to be replaced under the Planned Maintenance programme in the new financial year, however it was now likely that this would not happen until the transfer to Monmouthshire Housing Association was complete. No further comments until then.

Stained Bus Stop after Removal of Grafitti
Three panes of glass in the bus shelter had been smashed by vandals. The Clerk had reported this to MCC. The panes had been replaced. No further comments.

Archaeological Study of Harold’s Park by Time Team
The Clerk had approached Mrs Rees of Bluebell Nursery and asked if the Committee would consider not using the recreation hall for the week that Time Team were on site as the hall had been identified as an ideal building for their incident room. The Committee had agreed to this request but the Secretary of the hall had informed Mrs Rees that other users were involved and Time Team were not able to use the hall. The Church Hall committee had agreed for their building to be used. Clerk had informed Mr. Mower of Time Team. Time Team would pay for the use of the building.

Laburnam Terrace Streetname
The Clerk had reported the poor state of the sign and asked for a new one to be installed. The damaged sign had been removed. MCC are awaiting the Welsh translation and would replace it as soon as possible.

Community Fun Day
Members debated whether an event would be held this year and it was agreed that the event would be biannual, therefore no event would be held until 2008. No further comments.

Dog Fouling Bins
The Clerk had investigated the cost of bins, which was in the region of £100 to £150 per bin plus the cost of purchasing fixing posts. The cost of installation would have to be added to this. The cost of emptying the bins was approximately £2.20 per bin. Members debated whether the council would install bins and it was agreed not to have them due to the cost of the purchase and the cost of emptying them. No further comments.

Access Across Village Green
The Clerk had emailed Mike Grace of County Farms who confirmed that access to the barn had always been permitted. No further comments.

Network Rail Wall in Sudbrook
Clerk had written to Network Rail asking for the wall to be repaired. She had received a letter replying that the wall would be inspected and any repairs deemed necessary would be carried out.

Change of Meeting Times
Councillor Watkins had emailed the Clerk and had stated that a 6.30 pm start would be difficult when he was working the day shift. Councillor Parker agreed with this sentiment. It was therefore agreed to keep the start times at 7pm. No further comments.

5. APPROVE DONATION TO YOUTH CLUB

After a short debate it was proposed by Councillor Turner and seconded by Councillor Nurcombe that a donation of £150 be made to the Youth Club. At the 2006/07 budget it had been agreed that £500 be set aside for donations. This amount was now used and therefore no further donations could be made this financial year.

6. REVIEW STANDING ORDERS

In an effort to use the local schools for more community activities, Councillors debated whether to have the Community Council meetings in both ARW and Ysgol-y-Ffin schools. Mr. Murphy of ARW had welcomed the idea of the Community Council using the school. Councillor Nurcombe had approached the Head of Ysgol-y-Ffin and the proposal would be discussed at the next governor’s meeting. Members then voted on the proposal. Five voted for the change (Councillors Standing, Evans, Turner, Parker and Nurcombe). Two voted against (Councillors Watts and Richards). Therefore meetings would be held in ARW school with meetings in Ysgol-y-Ffin once a quarter if the proposal was agreed by the governors.

The Clerk would make the necessary changes to Standing Orders.

Mr. Spooner had agreed to unlock and lock ARW school for the meetings held there. Councillor Watts proposed that 3 hours overtime should be paid. This was seconded by Councillor Evans. The Clerk would investigate the issue of insurance with Mr. Murphy.

7. REPORT FROM LOCAL POLICE REPRESENTATIVES

No representatives from the Police were in attendance.

8. REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES

a) Governing Body for Ysgol Y Ffin
A meeting would be held in the next week.

b) Governing Body for ARW Primary School
Nothing to report.

9. REPORT FROM RECREATION HALL REPRESENTATIVE

No meeting had been held apart from a special one to discuss the alleged incident at the charity event.

10. DISCUSSION WITH COUNTY COUNCILLOR

Councillor Fox had sent his apologies and was not in attendance.

11. NEW CORRESPONDENCE

MCC Planning applications received. Circulation

MCC Planning Committee Agenda. Circulation

WAG Making the Connections document. Circulation.

Gwent Police Questionnaire. Discussed. Councillor Evans completed the form stating that the Community Council were ‘fairly dissatisfied’ that the police in the area are dealing with the things that matter to the community.

MCC UDP satisfaction survey. Circulation.

Secretary Recreation Hall Committee Letter advising Clerk to collect keys from his address for future meetings. Discussed.

CADW Management Agreement Harold’s Park. Discussed. No further agreement will be entered into at this time.

Chepstow CAB Request for financial assistance. Discussed. No assistance could be given.

Time Team. Proposal for dig in Harold’s Park. Circulation.

Alzheimer’s Society. Request for Donation. Discussed. No assistance could be given .

WAG Fire and Rescue Framework Revisions. Circulation.

Mr and Mrs Sawley, Swn-y-Mor Black Rock Road. Copies of correspondence between them and the Recreation Hall Committee regarding the ban imposed on them. Circulation.

WAG Strategy for Older People in Wales. Circulation.

MCC Severnside Area Committee Agenda and minutes. Circulation.

Chairman of MCC Monmouthshire Schools Music Showcase , Abergavenny Leisiure Centre, 21st March at 7.00pm, in aid of Chairman’s charities. Discussed.

MCC Change of address - The Uplands Portskewett would now be known as ‘Uplands House’ Portskewett. Circulation.

Planning Applications Received
01678 Land off Sudbrook Road. 40 Dwellings and associated works. Object. (Separate minutes available)
01118 (M12230) Appeal against refusal. Unit 3 Castle Way. Change of Use from warehouse to vehicle & motorbike sales. No objections.
01708 (M11464) Severn Farm Appeal. Change of Use Design variation. No objections.
01687 22 Leechpool. Conservatory and ancillary works. No objections.
Planning Applications Approved

01216 65 Main Road. Single storey extension
00668 Land to rear of 40 Main Road. Erection of 2 houses
00881 Land off Norman Way Severn Bridge Ind. Est. Construction of 7 light industrial warehouse units.
Planning Applications Refused

12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Councillor Evans asked the Clerk to write to Mr and Mrs King of Hill Barn View, confirming the land by the old railway bridge is owned by Network Rail and not MCC.

Councillor Evans stated that he is trying to get the lane to Laburnam Terrace resurfaced. He asked the Clerk to write a letter to MCC Highways informing them that the lane is used as part of the Portskewett Heritage Trail

Councillor Turner stated that NY669 was not working and that NY651 had a hole in the tarmac directly adjoining it and that the cables were becoming exposed.

Councillor Turner informed members that the law now stated that if a person did not take his holiday in the permitted time, he would lose them. The Clerk stated that she found it almost impossible not to work some of the time during August when she took her leave.

The Clerk had been informed by Councillor Watkins that a tree had been blown down and damaged some equipment in the Sudbrook play area. The gate had been severely damaged and would need to be replaced. Councillor Watkins had spoken to Mark Smith at the Paper Mill. The Community Council had requested the trees be lopped some time ago. The Clerk had received a letter from Mr. Tim O’Donovan of MCC who had advised the cost of replacing the gate amounted to £445.00 plus VAT.

The Clerk had received a call from Andrew Jones of Main Road who had informed her that his dog had had an accident on the lane leading to The Quest. His dog had since died as a result of this. The Clerk, Chairman and County Councillor Fox had visited the site with Tim Bradfield, from MCC Open Spaces and had identified that the land was not the responsibility of the Community Council. Mr. Bradfield would check with the Legal Section at MCC to confirm who owned the land on which the accident had occurred.

13. FINANCE

The Clerk had received a Worksheet from the Caretaker, Mr Spooner for 5 weeks, £267.50

The Clerk’s salary and expenses totalled £544.02
Monthly Salary
9 Hours Overtime Worked.
Office Allowance
Telephone Expenses and Line Rental
Expenses
£392.55
£75.42
£43.33
£27.00
5.72

No additional invoices had been received this month.

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

The following cheques were then presented for signature:

14. DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and gave the date and time of the next meeting as Tuesday 20th March 2007 at 7 p.m. at ARW school. The meeting was then declared closed at 9.00 pm.