NOTES ON THE MEETING OF CAMELFORD TOWN COUNCIL
1 February 2007
In attendance: Deputy Mayor B. Grills (BG), B. Lush (BL),
J. Bass (JB), P. Clark (PC), B. Ireland (BI), D. Pierce (DP), A. Shaw (AS), M.
Williams (MW), L. Crockford (LC), S. Elford (SE),
CTC minutes were taken by Town Clerk B. Jordan (BJ)
Public Participation - None
Guest Speaker
County Councillor Janey Comber
– talked about local government reform and the County Council bid for a single
unitary status for Cornwall. Two bids have been submitted – one from four
District Councils and one from the County Council. They are looking at a
unified Cornwall – services all delivered by one authority – district councils
would go. Town and parish councils could take on more responsibilities. The
county would be split into 16 local area networks. Camelford would come
together with Tintagel and St Teath. This would form a local area network. How
decisions would be made is not clear. A one-stop shop in each town where people
could go for information on services provided by anyone (the authority). At the
vote a week last Tuesday Cllr Comber said, “I did not support the unitary bid –
I do not think it will represent the area I serve”. She continued by asking,
“How will services be delivered? Our area is huge. I am really concerned that
the money will go where the population is, but that could disadvantage us”. She
then added that there would only be 82 councillors who would each do the work
currently done by one county councillor plus 2½ district councillors. There
will be no question of part time – they will be full time jobs. That cuts out a
huge range of people. You will only have the one councillor representing you.
The things which we do in North Cornwall for our local communities, for example
leisure centres, are far better dealt with in North Cornwall than elsewhere.
How is it going to be funded? What about the voluntary sector? They will be
disadvantaged. Cllr Comber then said, “There had been very little positive
support from any town or council and I felt I could not support it”. D Pierce
asked how the vote had been split – Cllr Comber replied – “41:31, 5
abstentions. There was a lot of disquiet, from North Cornwall in particular,
the only excellent district authority in Cornwall”. A Shaw asked if the assets
would be sold off. Cllr Comber said that we have a real problem with housing –NCDC
owns social housing, houses which could go to a housing association. The assets
may well be ring-fenced for housing, but not necessarily in the North Cornwall
area. B Lush asked what the district council could do about it – could they
lobby? Cllr Comber said government will make a decision in March as to whether
either of the bids is required, then consolidation with town and district
councils. It is important to make concerns felt now. North Cornwall did not
support either bid – they feel it is not right for Cornwall. Cllr. Comber said
that it is necessary to move forward, but she thought we need to work much more
closely with other partner agencies. A Shaw said that several years ago the
splitting of the county into three had been discussed. It had not found favour
at the time – what about now? Cllr. Comber said that government had said they
would not accept this. They are talking about set-up costs of £19.9 million,
but she thought it would be at least £30 million. Cost savings could only come
from job losses, and what cost to local services of joining together. A Shaw
asked about refuse collection – a lot of councils are collecting fortnightly,
which is causing problems. Cllr Comber said she did not know if this would
happen in Cornwall. One council has just signed a ten year contract. If you
are going to come out of such a contract it will cost a lot of money. D Pierce
asked if there was anything positive. Cllr Comber said
“Yes, one single voice for Cornwall. We have to look at saving costs.
Government is not going to cover costs like it has been. We have new
commitments which have not been budgeted for. An increasingly elderly
population that is going up disproportionately. We have to look at smarter
working, but my personal view if that the unitary authority is not the right
way. If government does decide to go unitary, I have to work hard to see that
this area gets the money and services it needs”. A Shaw said that he could not
see how the smaller communities would be able to cope. Cllr Comber said she
worried about how services were going to be delivered. She said, “We want to
maintain the services to people. People want a voice which is concerned about
their local area. This is my personal viewpoint. In March government will
decide. Decision will be made in July and elections for the new authority in
May 2008 and they will run in tandem for a year. Then they will take over. We
have some superb staff at NCDC”. D Pierce said that she was teaching to the
converted and that people volunteering are going to be handicapped. Cllr Comber
said, “The salary for new councillors will be £18,000 pa, but that is not enough
to get someone to give up a career. I just hope the government decisions have
the backing of the whole of Cornwall”. B Jordan said that there is a petition
on the prime minister’s website”.
Cllr Comber was thanked and
she left the meeting.
Letter from Mrs Ireland – B
Grills (in the chair) ignored this and the clerk said it was being dealt with.
The meeting quickly proceeded.
Town Clerk B Jordan made a statement that since the loss of
Jonathan, his stepson, there had not been many days which had not ended in
tears. He had also been upset by something in a shop window and he had just
flipped. He said that Cllr Lush had been first in the firing line (on 16
January) and for that he apologised. (writer’s note – see email from B
Jordan dated 8 January, as follows :
----- Original Message
-----
From:
Barry Jordan
To:
enquiries@a1fruiterers.co.uk
Sent:
Monday, January 08, 2007 7:38 PM
Subject:
FAO Julian Harman. Your public notice
Without Prejudice
Thank
you Mr Harman, just so you dont think this is being kept a secret I will make
sure every councillor gets a copy, plus the Councils Solicitors and my legal
representative, as you have made this personal I can deal with you outside the
Council.
Many
thanks,
Barry
Jordan.)
He also said that if he had
offended any other person he was sorry. He had since been to his doctor and was
now on medication. He went on to say that the mayor had been singled out for
criticism; she did not know what he was going to say and ‘neither did I’.
B Grills said the matter is now closed and Cllr Lush had said that he did not
wish to pursue it through a disciplinary hearing or the Standards Board. (but
see Item 3 below)
Apologies – J Finch on
holiday. Acceptance proposed by A Shaw, seconded D Pierce, all in favour.
- B Ireland raised a point
of order saying that he was concerned about item 10a appearing in the
meeting as this is still sub-judice. He continued by saying that there are
still two hearings to go and he thought it inappropriate that it should be
discussed in open forum. He could tell council exactly what happened at the
hearing on 8 January. He proposed that council did not discuss this in open
forum. M Williams replied that this had been a resolution from him and he
was asking for an explanation of expenses, just money, that is all he was
interested in. B Ireland said that two more hearings are to take place, one
to tax the costs and the other to determine how they are to be paid. P
Clark seconded the proposal, 6 in favour, 1 against, 2 abstentions. M
Williams added ‘Will we have the usual cries of ‘it is a secret
meeting’’.
- Receive declaration of
interest : given to the clerk.
- Minutes – to
receive and approve minutes of the last meeting, 16 January 2007 – B Lush
said that he had written to the mayor and deputy mayor to have minute 8b
amended to read ‘The clerk accused Councillor Lush of telling A PACK OF
LIES in a statement he made in a recent county court case against the
council. Councillor Lush asked it to be minuted that the clerk was bullying
him. The clerk apologised to Councillor Lush, if he thought he was being
harassed and bullied. The mayor told Councillor Lush that he could complain
to the Standards Board if he so wished. Councillor Lush declined and
replied he wasn’t playing silly games or point scoring.’ B
Jordan said that unfortunately Cllr Lush’s notes did not agree with his or
CAR’s minutes (he was reminded that CAR does notes, not minutes). [You
can view the notes taken by CAR representatives at that meeting by returning
to the ‘Council Notes’ page]. B Lush said that he had made a blow by
blow account of what happened in that meeting and if any councillor wanted a
copy of his notes they are welcome. B Grills said ‘Would any councillors
who were present care to comment?’. D Pierce asked what changes Cllr Lush
wanted. B Lush said that there was a letter with council. P Clark said
‘May I suggest we append Cllr Lush’s notes’. B Lush said he had no
objection to that. B Grills said she thought that would be an appropriate
solution. B Ireland asked if the clerk had apologised for calling Cllr Lush
a liar. D Pierce said he thought council should draw a line under this and
proceed. A Shaw proposed that the minutes should stand, but with Cllr
Lush’s notes appended, seconded J Bass, 7 in favour, 3 abstentions B Lush, B
Grills, M Williams. Letter from Cllr Lush :
INNACURATE DRAFT MINUTE 8)b 16th January 2007
With
regard to the draft minutes of the Camelford Town Council meeting held on the 16th
January 2007. Item 8)b. This minute as drafted does not bear any relationship
as to what occurred at the above meeting.
Leaving early from the above meeting and returning home, I realised it was
somewhat important and in my own interest to have the full facts recorded (as
policemen are prone to do, and not for the first time) I made a full and
detailed transcript blow by blow account of who said what to whom during this
most unsavoury conversation that occurred between the mayor, the clerk, and
myself. Copies are available to all councillors.
However, I would be satisfied if this minute was amended to read as follows;
The
clerk accused Councillor Lush of telling A PACK OF LIES in a statement he made
in a recent county court case against the council. Councillor Lush asked it to
be minuted that the clerk was bullying him. The clerk apologised to Councillor
Lush, if he thought he was being harassed and bullied. The mayor told
Councillor Lush that he could complain to the Standards Board if he so wished.
Councillor Lush declined and replied he wasn’t playing silly games or point
scoring.
Signed
Brian Lush Town Councillor
- Items carried forward
from the last meeting :
- Footway and Street
Lights, Delavue Terrace towards Valley Truckle – letter from the area
surveyor saying that street lighting and footway are to be built by the
developer, but that his previous letter stood. B Grills said ‘so there
should be a footway’. B Lush said that Keith Hill has a petition about
this. B Grills said that the footway ended on the grass verge. It was
only a short distance and we need a footway. This item to be kept on
the agenda.
- Traffic monitoring –
to be dealt with under items 7e and 7f.
- Seat in Victoria Road
– D Pierce said that things are moving along. The seat bad been built
at a cost of £200 and was being galvanised at the moment and should be
completed next week. He would liaise with the clerk.
- Answers to public
participation from 16 January – none.
- To answer questions or
observations from councillors of which notice has been given :
- Cllr Clark –
Highfield Dental Practice – the dental practice has gone completely
private and there is no provision for NHS patients any more. Children
have been ditched – no-one is prepared to see them. Could the council
encourage a new NHS dentist to come to Camelford. Would it be possible
for the town council to do something? There are plenty of shops
available – what can we do? A Shaw said was it not the case that the
new medical centre could have provision for a dental practice? B Grills
said that the Primary Care Trust ran the dental side. M Williams said
he had been to the dentist the day before and Dr Craig was there so he
had asked her what it was about. The reply was that the PCT who control
the money have changed the contract for dentists. When she (Dr. Craig)
came to Camelford the practice did not have any NHS patients.
The Highfield practice asked its clients whether they wanted NHS. The
reply was yes. At that time dentists were paid by the job, but now they
were given a lump sum per year with set targets, and they feel they
cannot do it. If they do not achieve the target the money is clawed
back in the following year. The body we should be complaining to is the
Primary Care Trust. A Shaw said that Liskeard practice is not taking
patients from North Cornwall. B Ireland said that until the PCT does
something the children’s teeth will rot? B Grills said she could not
answer that. B Lush said that when he went to school there was a school
dentist who flagged up anything and referred the patient to the NHS
dentist. Now nothing is going to be spotted, in spite of the fact that
teeth are in a better state than they used to be, but they are no longer
checked. Council should push the PCT to do something about it. M
Williams said that Dr Craig would be very happy to go back to the
previous contract. B Ireland asked if dentists have a negotiating
body? B Grills said they negotiate their own contracts with the PCT. B
Lush suggested that council write to the PCT, MP and the Secretary of
State for Health. Proposed by M Williams, seconded B Lush, all in
favour. M Williams to write the letter.
- Cllr Ireland –
validity of parking penalties – B Ireland said he was puzzled where the
£100 came from. At the sub-committee meeting on 11 September it was
proposed that the penalty should be £3 same day, £60 reduced to £10
if paid within 12 working days. He had not seen anything that
revoked that. He handed to Cllr Grills copies of page 94/2006 from the
sub-committee meeting of 11 September and 98/2006 from the following
town council meeting at which the minutes had been ratified. B Jordan
consulted his records which said that the penalty should be £3 on the
same day, £100 reduced to £10 if paid within 10 working days. B
Ireland said his minutes had no mention of £100. D Pierce asked what
the item number was – 5. B Ireland said the minutes showing £60 were
the only ones he had. B Grills said ‘it is £60 there (B Ireland’s copy)
but once they have been accepted they have to be taken’. B Jordan said
he had no idea how this had happened. B Ireland said he found it very
disturbing that there are two sets of minutes. He asked councillors to
go back and look at their committee meeting minutes when they would find
£60, not £100. B Grills said she thought the best they could do – these
have been signed by the full council. It can only be changed by a
special resolution. B Lush asked when it had been ratified by full
council. B Jordan said it was the next meeting of the council. B
Ireland said it was the 19 September meeting, page 98/2006, item 13b. B
Grills said if that was the case it should go back to the car park
committee and then taken back to council.
B Lush
said that there is a lot of confusion out there in the town and that this was in
no way attacking the person who had given him a ticket today. He handed his £3
fine and a letter from him to the clerk, which
read :
Parking ticket 190
I am hereby
enclosing penalty number 190 together with my £3 payment ticket number 62485. I
also enclose a stamped addressed envelope as I require a receipt to confirm that
no further charges will be made.
I have taken
copies of all the above documents. You should be aware that I am a member of
the blue badge scheme, but on this occasion my badge and clock, although in the
vehicle, were not displayed as required. This arose because I as a councillor
had been asked by electors to carry out an exploratory exercise.
It concerns me
that the penalty notice does not specify the location of the vehicle at the time
of the offence, nor is there space available for this. To comply with the law,
this needs amending. The presentation of the penalty notice, using old
stuck-together paperwork, does no credit to the town or its council.
I ask that these
issues are addressed by council and would be grateful for a written reply.
B Jordan said he was in the
process of getting new books done and that he would ensure the amendments were
made. B Lush said he had done it as an exploratory exercise.
B Ireland said he had received
a very worrying letter from a member of the public who has been very disturbed.
B Grills interrupted, saying it would be passed to the car park committee.
- Cllr Ireland – contract for grass cutting – B
Jordan said this is a resolved item – it would need to be rescinded. B
Grills said it had been the shortness of the time allowed (to put the
grass cutting out to tender). She added that it had been legal. B
Ireland said that he found that difficult to believe. The contract for
grass cutting – this is not an extension. If you look at the minutes
the clerk said that he had to comply. He also said he did not do it
because he did not have time. B Jordan said again that this was a
resolved item. B Ireland said he was not saying he thought, but that he
knew. He said he was quite happy to go away for six months, but he
would also write to the District Auditor. B Jordan read out the
regulations and said that the reason he had given was that he had not
had time because he had not been at work. Council agreed that this
would be dealt with as soon as possible, in August or September. That
is an extension to an existing contract. B Grills said this would be
reviewed in six months. (See last notes, 16 January, where it said
October 2007). B Ireland said he would not be able to sign the
Annual Return.
- Items requiring a decision :
- Request for parking permits for disabled helpers
at the Pop-in. B Jordan said that he had been asked by Cllr Lush who is
one of the helpers. Mr Peter Blower is another. D Pierce asked if the
helpers were disabled. B Grills said they should work as they had done
with the doctors at the surgery. We issue parking permits for the
volunteers at the Pop-in centre. As Shaw asked how many people. B
Jordan said there were two ladies twice a day. B Ireland said he was
quite concerned with these people who are disabled. Someone like Peter
Blower, it takes him 5 minutes to get out of his car. A Shaw said they
were talking about people to service the Pop-in centre. M Williams said
he did not think that these should be named people. P Clark proposed
the issuing of two tickets. Seconded M Williams, all in favour.
- Assets register – B Jordan said he had found as
much as he could of the assets register. He was not saying that
everything was on here (a piece of paper was circulated to the meeting)
and he had put the prices assets were insured for. He asked councillors
to take this away until 20 February. B Lush said there was a proper
Assets Register – a yellow book with everything the council owned, when
it was purchased. If this was not to be found another one would have to
be produced. Council has to keep all this information. Council
need a fully comprehensive list. If items are stolen the police
would need to know serial numbers. B Ireland suggested council make an
approach to Shaws who produce the standard asset register books in case
the original is not found. He did not know what would happen when the
internal auditors arrived and there is no assets register. A Shaw asked
if it could have been archived to Truro? B Jordan said he had found a
list of seats. A Shaw said he could remove the one from Clease Road.
- NCDC Licensing of Community Premises, temporary
events notice exemption – B Jordan said that this usually cost £21 for
each occasion. What the District Council proposes is that an area
applies for a premises licence. The only cost would be that of placing
a notice in the local newspaper, approximately £120. This would cover
any number of events in for example, Enfield Park. B Lush asked where
this put the Easter Fayre. B Jordan said it should be licensed under
TENs (Temporary Events Notice). B Lush proposed that council go ahead
with this. B Jordan said this would cover council forever. M Williams
‘unless they change the rules’. Seconded by S Elford, 9 in favour, one
abstention.
- NCDC Funding Fact, 1 March 2 – 5 pm, or 6 – 9 pm –
for grants applications. Charles Whitehead to be asked if he would like
to go.
-
Road works starting 19 February – letter
from Oskar van Winden. B Jordan said he had only just received this
letter and had not gone through it properly yet. (But it was on the
agenda published a week before.) ‘Yellow lining’ outside Co-op to
be extended to the centre of the road prohibiting parking outside Co-op
door/in loading bay. Four finger posts, each costing £1,000. Can
council make a grant. Free pay and display in Churchfield. 5 days road
closure, College Road. 5 week road closure, 5 March – 5 April and again
17 April - 17 May. B Grills said there would be no road works over
Easter, but there could be during May Bank Holiday. We need to ask
about provisions for bank holiday. B Lush said we were led to believe
that everything would come to a standstill between 31 March and
September. A Shaw said no, June, school holidays. P Clark asked about
eastbound traffic. B Jordan said Valley Truckle to Anvil Court and
Clease Road and Chapel Street to be closed. B Grills said she thought
they need to look at that again. P Clark asked if we could object to
Clease Road being closed. B Grills said we could make representations.
A Shaw said that the sign by the Co-op would be taken out by the first
truck to go on the pavement. B Grills asked if it could be moved. A
Shaw said it would not be seen. P Clark said that this would force all
the parents to drive their cars up Chapel Street. B Grills said no,
they will go up Mill Lane. Is there anyway that can be made one way
up. S Elford said nothing will come into town. Corlink will not come
into Camelford. B Grills said this was to do with the undergrounding of
the cables and asked council what it wanted to do. B Jordan asked if a
decision could be made about permits. Ten for a week, named. For
people working in the offices in College Road. D Pierce said he says
no. Seconded B Ireland. 8 in favour, P Clark against, B Lush
abstained. S Elford asked what about the disabled in College Road – how
would they manage? P Clark proposed that CCC be asked to think again.
B Jordan to write. No vote.
- Items for information :
- NCDC Community Facilities Survey – results
available from the Clerk.
- WPS Town Council insurances – a Norwich Union
policy – clerk to investigate when insurance due in April/May.
- NCDC Building Control Newsletter – available.
- Landscapes South West – grounds maintenance –
could be useful for tenders later in the year.
- Code of Conduct – consultation document – B Lush
proposed each councillor be sent a copy. B Ireland asked for an
electronic copy.
- Annual Parish meeting – Cllr Whalley to speak,
committee room Camelford Hall on 30 April at 7.30. B Lush said that if
required the main hall would be available from 8 pm.
- Finance – acceptance proposed A Shaw, seconded
S Elford, all in favour.
- Resolutions or recommendations from councillors
:
- Cllr Williams – explanation of costs – transferred
to secret session (see earlier note).
- Cllr Ireland – budgetary control – he said that
for this year it looks as though council is on track to be within
budget. Councillors need to know what is left for the end of the year.
Council needs to be forewarned of any problems. Next year council
should be looking at what it is due to spend. He had brought this up
once before and was promised this. B Lush said that at a previous
meeting he had asked how much was needed and he had been told £15 -
£20,000. B Jordan said that £11,000 may be needed to the end of the
year. B Ireland said that if the budget is to be controlled it is
necessary to foresee what needs to be spent. He was asking for a
forecast. D Pierce said ‘don’t forget my seat’. B Jordan said it could
come out of town maintenance. B Grills asked where the licence which
had been approved would be paid from. B Jordan replied that it could
come from Admin.
- Correspondence :
- Letter from John Hough – B Jordan said it had
already been dealt with at the beginning. B Grills said she had not had
that letter. She though the mayor should respond to it. B Lush asked
if it had been addressed to the mayor?
- Bowithick – to remain open for 3 – 4 days per week
to allow for the site to be open Saturdays and Sundays plus 1 – 2
weekdays. New regulations will affect the way electrical items are
handled and different things may be introduced. Bulk waste can also be
collected by CCC. Letter asking for comments and asking for preference
for weekdays. B Lush felt it should be two days as well as weekends,
but which two he left to his colleagues. A Shaw said he thought it
should be open until 6 pm. B Lush proposed Saturday, Sunday, Monday and
Thursday, 9 – 4 all year. Any less time would mean the improvements
would not be worthwhile. Seconded A Shaw, all in favour.
L Crockford left the meeting.
- Planning applications :
- 2007/00002 – Park Lane motors, 16 affordable
apartments/houses and privately owned apartments/houses – A Shaw
stated – inadequate parking, sewage
system inadequate, problems with
youngsters needing to cross the road to reach school, it should be kept
for commercial/small industrial use. It would become a brown field
site. B Ireland asked, should council not be pushing the water board –
we should be making sure services are provided. To next agenda. A Shaw
proposed refusal because of inadequate services, seconded B Lush, 6 in
favour, M Williams, P Clark, B Ireland abstained.
- 2007/00034 – 32 Fore Street – A Shaw proposed no
objection, seconded M Williams, all in favour.
- 2007/00049 - 62 dwellings, Inns Park – B Grills
said the development line goes out across the A39. B Jordan said there
had been a letter from J Hough to Planning Department about insufficient
sewage treatment capability. Overdevelopment of the site, inadequate
infrastructure. There would also be problems with finding sufficient
school places for the children. D Pierce said the emergency services
should look at the plans due to the narrow roadways which in the past
had meant emergency vehicles dislodging car mirrors or public vehicles
having to be man-handled out of the way to allow emergency vehicle
access. M Williams said he did not think anyone would question the fact
that the town should grow. The only way to achieve anything was to
write to the developers and apply commercial pressure. B Grills said
that a copy of objections should be sent to developers, also to SWW and
NCDC. A Shaw proposed objection, seconded B Lush, 7 in favour. B
Ireland abstained.
-
2007/00085 – lifting of condition, Deer
Park, Helstone – B Lush said that traffic was increasing. The property
had been bought at auction with 23 acres – the owner works in artificial
insemination and runs sheep. He thought council should refuse. A Shaw
proposed agricultural building class should not be lifted, 5 in favour,
3 abstentions.
- 2007/00125 – Tourist Information Centre – renewal
of permission – A Shaw said it could be refused, this being the 3rd
or 4th renewal, but because of development he would like to
give another renewal, but saying it will not be renewed again. He
proposed that next time council would recommend refusal, seconded M
Williams, all in favour.
- 2007/00142 – 24 Albion House – A Shaw and B Grills
had reservations about access and parking, but P Clark said that there
was quite a shortage of small and cheap places to live and proposed no
objection, seconded D Pierce, 7 in favour, two against.
- Committee Reports –
- Car Park Committee 11 January 2007 – B Ireland
said, under item 6i, that it was short of a lot of information and in
the past there has been some dispute about what went on in those court
minutes. He continued by saying, “I have sent away for a verbatim report
of the whole case”. B Grills recommended that this go over to the next
car park committee then. Proposed A Shaw, seconded D Pierce, 7 in
favour, B Lush abstained.
- Reports :
- Camelford Town Forum – report later
- CDCDT – no report.
- Youth Club – B Lush said the extension was looking
good. Still wanting more helpers. Very good for the children’s
behaviour.
- HERS – no update.
- Mayor’s Report – none
- Other reports :
i.
Sports Hall Committee – D Pierce - inquorate and reconvening next
Wednesday. However he did have concerns over plans for either shorter opening
hours or increased charges.
ii.
Planning meeting 24 January – B Lush – very informative and interesting.
iii.
A30 dualing 26 January – B Lush – lobby group. Proposed letter of
support to the chairmen of Cardinham and Blisland and to Dan Rogerson setting
out our problems in Camelford, seconded A Shaw, all in favour.
iv.
Radon information – D Pierce – Tuesday 13 February, Methodist Church 5 –
8 pm.
- Newletters and Circulars – none.
- Items for 20 February – already done.
- Exempt Information:
- NCDC Offices – The Future – Cllr Pierce
-
Court Case – reference to Car Park
sub-committee minutes of 11th January 2007 – minute number
2007/001/6/1
End of notes taken by Clare Ireland and Eddie McCormick
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