MINUTES OF LLANGWM COMMUNITY COUNCIL
TUESDAY 21st FEBRUARY 2017 AT THE PARISH HALL, LLANGWM
COUNCILLORS
PRESENT: Cllr
IN
ATTENDANCE: County
Councillor
1. OPEN SESSION
There were no members of the public present.
POLICE REPORT - CSO Andy Jones sent his apologies and sent the following Police Report:
10/2/17 - Report of a 1 vehicle RTC on the road between Raglan and Llansoy. The vehicle had flipped over onto its roof. The driver was shaken and was taken to hospital to be checked over.
On another note there have been 2 reports lately of household oil thefts in the Tintern area so if you have a tank please make sure you have adequate security. Make sure you have a good lighting system and alarm/ lock on the tank and check it regularly. If you are away let your trusted neighbours know you are so that they can keep an eye on your property for you.
Due to Councillor Greenland having to leave the meeting early and with the Chair's agreement, Item 9 - Planning Application and Item 10 - County Councillors Report were discussed at the commencement of the meeting and recorded in the minutes in numerical order.
There were no members of the public at the meeting.
2. APOLOGIES
Apologies
for absence were received from Cllr
3. DECLARATION OF INTEREST
Declarations of interest will be made as and when required.
4. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of 17th January 2017 were agreed, and signed as a true and correct record.
5. MATTERS ARISING
5 a) Speeding Traffic
Although
Cllr
AGREED - that the Clerk write to both Insp. Morris and Paul Keeble to ask who is going to move these points forward.
5 b) Road/Street Signage in Llangwm
It was noted that Mick Sheath and Ted Royds had worked hard to compile a long list of roads and road names throughout the village. They had talked to local residents and looked up historical information about road names.
Councillors felt that they would not like to see every road in the Ward with signage as it would urbanise the rural vista, but certain roads do require signage.
AGREED that the Clerk organises a meeting with the relevant Officer from MCC, along with Messrs Sheath and Royds, and that Cllr Trigg also attend due to his knowledge of the village over many years.
5 c) Community Council Elections - 4th May
The Clerk had picked up the Candidate Application Forms from MCC and these were distributed along with an Election Timetable and a letter from the Welsh Assembly
If need be, Councillors are asked to contact the Clerk to ask for Elector Numbers when they have got their Proposer & Seconder agreed.
AGREED that the Clerk enquires with MCC Election Office regarding delivering the completed Nomination Forms.
5 d) Defibrillators/CPR Training
Cllr Watkins has agreed to put together an email/poster to advertise the CPR Training, which would be
Free, but donations given to the Charity.
Cllr Gough offered to get the email database, which he will send out to residents of Llangwm, but asked what the maximum numbers would be and length of training session?
AGREED that the Clerk would ask these questions to Cllr Watkins.
Cllr Rowlands stated that Llansoy residents were arranging their own training and defibrillator which will be sited at the Bush Farm.
5 e) Overgrown hedge
The Clerk had been in contact with the relevant MCC Officer, and apparently the letters have been returned to MCC due to being wrongly addressed! A letter has now been hand delivered now.
5
f) Water discharge on
Following the recent rainfall, it was noted that the water was now discharging onto the Highway.
6. HIGHWAYS
a) Update on Matters Reported
No report received.
b) New Highway Issues raised by Councillors
i) Cllr Trigg reported Route 64.3 - 3no blocked/covered gullies between jnt. of Nant-y-March Farm
ii) Cllr Rowlands reported that although outside the Ward, Route 71 between the Wern Farm and the Star Inn there is a large crater in the middle of the road.
7. FINANCE
Barclays Bank
Balance at the Bank as of 27th January 2017 was £2,742.34
Balance as of 31st March 2016 - £2,358.45
INVOICES FOR PAYMENT
Invoice - One
Voice
Invoice -
Invoice - MCC Clerks Salary Oct/Nov/Dec - £515.85 Chq no 672
Invoice - Shirley Hughes expenses for Jan/Feb - £44.66 Chq no 673
Invoice - Llangwm Parish Hall - hire for 2016 - £180.00 Chq no 674
Letter - Llangwm PCC - Donation - £100 Chq no 675
Letter -
AGREED that these invoices are paid.
The Monthly Finance Reconciliation at the end of January 2017 was:
Receipts £4,580.24
Payments £4,134.43
This was signed by the Chair, and will be circulated to the Cllrs in the near future.
It was noted that there may be a cash flow issue by the end of March, due to the costs of repairs to Llangwm Bus Shelter, so it was AGREED that £600 be transferred from the Building Society Account into the Barclays Bank Account.
7 a) to review financial regulations
Copies of the Llangwm Financial Regulations were circulated which was set up in 2016, but requires to be reviewed each year.
It was Proposed and Seconded that the Financial Regulations as they stand are adopted for 2017.
7 b) TO REVIEW RISK ASSESSMENT
Copies of the Llangwm Risk Assessment were circulated which was set up in 2016, but requires to be reviewed each year.
It was Proposed and Seconded that the Risk Assessment as it stands is adopted for 2017.
7 c) ASSET REGISTER
It was noted that the External Auditor has requested that the Risk Assessment must contain the following:
- Date item was acquired
- Purchase Cost
- Value of replacing
- Location
AGREED Cllr Evans offered to undertake a survey of the Council's Assets, and this to be done before the end of March.
7d) CLERK'S HOURS
The Clerk reported that she had worked 36 hrs since the last meeting, which was 5 weeks previous.
8. CORRESPONDENCE
From MCC
a) Agenda's for various Area and MCC Meetings
b) Various Press Releases including: Country Market to be held at Usk Hub on St David's Day, Request for customer feedback on the library Service, Public Meeting on future of Chepstow Tourism provision etc.
c) Enforcement Cases Open and Closed for January - Nothing for Llangwm Ward
d) Confirmation of payment of CC Precept for 2017/18
e) Invitation to the Chairman's St David's Day Concert with Caldicot Male Voice Choir - Tickets £7 each
f) Usk Cluster Meting - 14th March 6pm in Usk County Hall - SH will attend
g) Verge Sponsorship Policy
h) Public Service Board - Draft Well-being Assessment
i) Email re: Broadband in Village Halls
One Voice
a) Minutes of the OVW Meeting and copy of GAVO Presentation at the January meeting and the next meeting on 6th April, Jeffrey Cuthbert the Gwent Police & Crime Commissioner will be attending
b) Copy of PR RE: Investment in Third Sector by Local Authorities
c) Financial Management & Governance in Community & Town Councils - invite from Audit Wales to the Clerk to take part in a Webinar
d) OVW /SLCC Joint Event on 12th July for CC Clerks
Welsh Government
a) The Social Research and Information Division of Welsh Government have put out a Survey
b) Letter from Mark Drakeford AM RE: his White Paper 'Reforming Local Government - Resilient and Renewed'
c) Appointments of Chairs to NHS Health Boards and Trusts
Business
a) Wales Audit Office say CC need to improve Financial Management and Governance
b) Patients Voice News Bulletin
c) Boundary Commission for Wales Consultation link
General
a) GAVO Membership - AGREED not to join
b) MBS Rates from 1st March 2017
c) Letter from Abergavenny Eisteddfod asking for Sponsorship
d) Letter from Teenage Cancer Trust asking for Sponsorship
e) Details of
Walk for Life for Kidney
9. PLANNING APPLICATIONS
New Applications
a) Application Number DC/2017/00066 - Ty Gwyn, Llangwm Usk NP15 1LT
This application is for change of use of land to Tourism use to site 4no proposed shepherd huts with utilities within each unit for visitor accommodation purposes. Councillors had looked online at the plans prior to the meeting, and A4 plans were circulated.
CC
After a full discussion, it was AGREED to recommend approval of the Application, with the following comments taken into consideration:
- Signage should be the responsibility of the Applicant
- Llangwm Community Council are happy to see new businesses being formed which will give additional bed stock for tourism purposes in rural Monmouthshire
- That any conditions that are laid down by the Planning Committee are strictly enforced by MCC
10.
The 2017/2018 Draft Budget had been discussed at all levels and this will be taken to Council in late March. Social Care was the one section of the Council which will have their costs going up as there is an aging population in the county. Although Monmouthshire CC works well with NHS to provide Monnow Vale, which helps to cut down on bed-blocking in Nevill Hall. The Social Care budget was a difficult one to gauge, as a child could move into the area and this could cost up to £250k per annum.
Cllr Bob Trigg
mentioned that in
CC Greenland stated that it was difficult to get highly paid staff to come to work in Wales, but WAG were looking into GP Surgeries taking on small injury clinics, which would free up A & E Departments.
Cllr Evans and
Trigg both showed concern for the proposed 20mph speed limit through Usk, and C
Cllr Greenland said there were several traffic management plans proposed for
Usk - one being a 'Shared Space' proposal for
AGREED that the Clerk would send a copy of the Ben Hamilton-Baillie Report which gives suggestions for traffic management for towns and villages.
11. WARD REPORTS
There were no Ward Reports
12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
a) Flash
Flooding on
Cllr Heywood stated that following:
1. He was aware of four flooding instances - 1993, 2000, 2007 and last year 2016.
2. These instances of flooding are normally associated with intense rainfall causing an increased volume of water attempting to flow through the three bridge culverts in Llangwm. Currently when this condition occurs the culverts act as flow constrictors and the water overflows in to the surrounding areas. The results can be seen in the pictures. (Cllr Heywood distributed photographs)
3. Certain properties incur water damage and clearing/cleaning to repair and make good. The 2007 instance illustrates the extent of this. Also general road cleaning also has to be carried out on each occasion.
4. The events of 2007 are particularly disturbing in terms of what happened and raise a number of questions and issues.
5. In 2008 surveys were conducted to seek remedies to the problem. The plan then was to rebuild two of the bridges and also carry out remedial work (information available). The building costs then were estimated at £732000. It was understood that three options were considered:- Do nothing, log catching barriers? and the high capex option. Nothing happened due to cost including the remedial work which could have been carried out locally at very low cost (information available). He does not understand why nothing was done at all or if that point is entirely correct. In any event it is thought that MCC should have done something and looked far more closely at the issues.
6. It is considered there is another issue to look at (2007 car write off) carefully in terms of Health and Safety to the public at large.
7. Cllr Heywood asked 'where do we go from here? Review and start again?'
Cllrs Trigg, Evans and Gough stated that they
knew about the flooding issues in
AGREED that the Clerk would look through the LCC Archive material to see if the Flood Alleviation Report could be found.
Date of Next Meeting,
It was noted that the next meeting will be held at 7:30pm on Tuesday 21st March 2017.
Meeting closed 9:45pm