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 CAMELFORD ASSOCIATION OF RESIDENTS

MEETING

15TH FEBRUARY 2007

 

 

  1. Welcome – Mel Baber welcomed those present to the meeting
  2. Apologies –Clare Ireland, Bob Ireland (will attend late) Eddie McCormick, Brian Lush, Philip Clark
  3. Chairman’s Report –
    1. Mel Baber read the minutes of the last meeting, acceptance proposed Mel Baber seconded Hugh Huntley, all in favour.
    2. Update on river clean-up, still in contact with the Environment Agency and expecting information from English Nature relating to wildlife prior to start of the clean-up.
    3. Website, almost 4,000 hits.  Some tidying up has been done.  Barry Jordan has contacted the webmaster regarding content of the minutes of the last meeting threatening legal action.  Mel has contacted him to ask which part of the minutes he views as illegal, and has requested that any issues with the content of the web site be directed to her.  The webmaster should only be contacted regarding technical issues.  Correspondence between B Jordan and Mel Baber as follows :

“From: "Barry Jordan"

To: <admin@bobthewebbuilder.co.uk>
Subject: CAR minutes
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2007 19:48:54 -0000

I have read the minutes posted on the website dated the 18th January 2007, these minutes are libelous and constitute a malicious falsehood.

 

As the web master you are responsible for the content, I have also viewed the source and printed out the source code and see that Bob Ireland is the author.

 

If these minutes are not removed in 24 hours I will take legal action against you and the members of CAR for Defamation, malicious falsehood and Libel.

 

Regards,

 

Barry Jordan

 

From: Mel Baber

To: Camelford Town Council

Cc: Clare Ireland ; Mark Stockwood ; Eddie and Ada

Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 9:43 PM

Subject: Re: [Fwd: CAR minutes]

 

Dear Barry

 

Thank you for your email sent to our webmaster, and forwarded to me.

 

Please accept my apologies for sending this reply to your business email, rather than your personal email; I believe I am still 'blocked' from your personal email address.

 

Regarding the source code, I must state once again that Bob Ireland has nothing whatsoever to do with C.A.R.'s website.

 

Before I am able to deal with your concerns regarding our minutes of 18th January 2007, I would be grateful if you could advise me which specific sections of these minutes you believe to be defamatory, libellous and constitute a Malicious Falsehood.

 

Finally, if you should wish to comment on the content of our website again in the future, I would be grateful if you could contact me in the first instance. The webmaster is only able to deal with technical issues relating to the site.

 

I look forward to receiving your reply.

 

Regards,

 

Mel Baber

Chair, Camelford Association of Residents

 

 

 

From: Barry Jordan

To: admin@bobthewebbuilder.co.uk

Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 6:59 PM

Subject: CAR Minutes

 

Good Evening,

 

I notice you have not removed the offending, inaccurate, malicious information from the C. A. R. web-site, I have written to my Solicitor asking her to take whatever action is necessary to close the site and take legal action against you for damages, no doubt this will involve the Police if you will not volunteer your address.

 

Regards,

 

Barry Jordan

 

From: Mel Baber

To: Camelford Town Council ; Barry Jordan

Cc: Eddie and Ada ; Mark Stockwood ; Clare Ireland ; admin@bobthewebbuilder.co.uk

Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 8:54 PM

Subject: Re: CAR Minutes

 

Dear Barry

 

I refer to your email, your original message, and my reply of 7th Feb (attached).

 

I must once again apologise for sending this message to your Camelford Town Council email address, but I believe I am still 'blocked' from your personal email address.

 

I must also stress, once again, that any comments concerning the content of www.camres.org.uk should be directed to me, and not our webmaster. Any further emails sent to our webmaster that concern the content of our site and not technical matters, may be construed as harassment by the webmaster and would be dealt with accordingly.

 

Regarding the points raised in your messages, I must refer you again to my email of 7th February;

 

Before I am able to deal with your concerns regarding our minutes of 18th January 2007, I would be grateful if you could advise me which specific sections of these minutes you believe to be defamatory, libellous and constitute a Malicious Falsehood.

 

Alternatively, please feel free to pass my contact details on to your solicitor for her to contact me direct.

 

I look forward to hearing from you or your representative in due course.

 

Kindest regards,

 

Mel Baber

 

 

From: Barry Jordan

To: Mel Baber

Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 7:23 PM

Subject: Re: CAR Minutes

 

Dear Mel,

 

 

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

 

You are very lucky that I received this e-mail, I have not received anything via the Council. I inadvertantly deleted  an e.amil so had to look into my deleted folder and found this.

As a webmaster myself I know that it is my responsibility to make sure anything posted is legal, not defamatory or libe;lous, I am delighted to see that you have admitted you are responsible as you will also receive a summons, of course when the time is right, there is a twelve month window to summons for libel and claim damages.

 

Nothing personal but you really should make sure who is the liar before pointing a finger, especially when the die=rection is wrong, as you will soon find out.

 

Regards,

 

Barry.

 

From: Mel Baber

To: Barry Jordan

Cc: admin@bobthewebbuilder.co.uk ; Mark Stockwood ; Clare Ireland ; Eddie and Ada

Sent: Wednesday, February 14, 2007 5:02 PM

Subject: Re: CAR Minutes

 

Dear Barry

Thank you for your email.

As you seem unwilling to advise me exactly which section(s) of our minutes you have issue with, and why, I am unable to comment further.

I will therefore await my summons.

Kindest regards,

Mel Baber

Chair, Camelford Association of Residents

 

John Hough said that he had also be informed by Barry Jordan that correspondence he had sent to the Clerk was viewed as illegal and had been passed to NCDC legal department.  Mr Hough contacted Sally Lloyd Jones who informed him she had not seen any correspondence but would check with colleagues and get back to him, Mr Hough has not been contacted yet.

    1. Forum – no meeting since last update
    2. Mailing received from Camelford and District Agricultural Association.  2007 Camelford Show is on 8th August.
  1. Treasurer’s Report – Mark Stockwood reported a balance of £54.78 in CAR funds.  Quiz scheduled for 4th March 2007, 7.30 for 8.00 to be held in Camelford Liberal Club, to raise additional funds.  Mel Baber to confirm date with the Club.
  2. Secretary’s report – none
  3. Parking/fines outside Library – Mel read letter from CAR to Town Council and their reply received from Barry Jordan requesting details of the resident making the complaint, letter to be forwarded to Car Park sub-committee.  Reply sent requesting issues be put before full Council and requesting reply that can be given to our members.  Secretary to follow up in on reply to points made.  Secretary’s note – reply formulated at the Car Park Sub Committee meeting of 15 February, minutes not yet accepted by full council.  Clerk to reply in due course.
  4. New Medical Centre – Letter to PCT re dentist provision to be included in the new Medical Centre, Dan Rogerson MP copied into letter.  No reply from PCT, reply from Dan Rogerson supporting our concerns with a copy of a letter he has sent stressing his concerns and a reply he had received.  Mel said that if you have a dental problem (out of hours, from personal experience) you can make an emergency appointment at Bodmin Hospital who will treat you, she had then been advised to make another emergency appointment to follow up the next week (just over £15 per visit plus prescription charges).  Frank Samuel’s wife had broken a tooth and had been charged £45 but not charged for follow up examination.  Mixed messages are coming through about charges. 
  5. Footway and Street Lights, Delavue Terrace to Valley Truckle – Letter to Highways, reply from Rob Constance, Area Surveyor, saying that the developer of the new estate on the north side, at Valley Truckle will be constructing a new footway through the estate currently under construction.  This footway will come out just short of Delavue Terrae and will be streetlit.  Rob Constance will further investigate the potential for a footway from that point towards Clease Road, though this could be expensive and there is no budget at the moment.  He will discuss it with the Divisional Surveyor.  CAR to keep up the pressure regarding this.  Letter to Rob Constantine/NCDC to request CAR be kept up to date on this issue. Mark Stockwood suggested that a piece be added to the next Newsletter to advise parents of the dangers and the importance of reflective clothing for children using roads.
  6. Pedestrian scheme, update – There will be severe and prolonged disruption to traffic in Camelford during the undergrounding of the cables.  (see notes from CTC minutes, 1 February 2007)  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.  (CAR note- 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.

Clare Ireland has spoken to Terry Tague who has said that Cormac will liaise with individual businesses so that access to shops can be maintained.  He felt there was nothing we could usefully do to further the cause for local trade at the moment, but I assured him that this would be left on the table at CAR meetings in case we could add anything useful.  He added that Oskar van Winden is committed to keeping Camelford open for business during the works.

 John Hough had spoken to the owner of the Cycle Museum who has said that he would not be willing to pay any more for signage.  Mel Baber has received a letter about the closure of Fore Street while the cabling works are done.  John Hough suggested that we write to the Council to request that parking charges be suspended during the works to help the local trade.  Mark Stockwood asked if anyone had approached NCDC for compensation for ‘loss of profit’ during the closure of the road, suggestion to be passed to Chamber of Commerce.

  1. A30 Dualing Cardinham to Temple – Letter sent to South West Regional Assembly, reply received from Chris Mitchell explaining the situation as it stands regarding funding.  John Hough suggested that we forward copy of our letter and reply to Dan Rogerson MP to air our concerns and keep up pressure.
  2. Bowithick Tip – Bowithick to remain open weekends and two days during the week (to be decided on after consultation with local Town Councils).  John Hough had visited the Tip (and had to queue).  Spoke to a worker and commented on the fact that it would be ‘safe’ for another 3 years, worker did not seem convinced.
  3. CAR Newsletter number 5 – About 800 copies printed this month and delivered to households in a large proportion of Camelford.  Member  happy to have received one as he had been unaware of the latest meeting prior to the Newsletter.  John Hough offered to deliver in the Trevie area, anyone else willing to help with distribution please contact the Secretary or any member of the Executive committee.
  4. Local Council elections 3rd May 2007 – Emma Rowse will attend the next CAR meeting on the 15th March 2007 to go through the do’s and don’ts of standing for Town Council elections.  Frank Samuel pointed out that we need at least 11/12 people to stand.  Mel has a list of prospective candidates and will contact them re the next meeting.  Anyone interested in standing should contact Mel for information if required.
  5. Any other business –
    1. New Entrances/Exits on Roughtor Road, just up from Victoria Road junction. Frank Samuel –Concerned resident gave a letter to Cllr Lush who passed this on to planning.  John Hough pointed out that it is technically an offence to put an entrance onto a main road.  Frank Samuel’s also felt that it was an offence to break through a Cornish Hedge.  A number of other concerns about this issue, the mud that is washed out during heavy rain and onto the main road, mainly because the entrance is on a steep incline up to the field.  This mud is then washed into the gullies, down the drains and silting up the stream causing additional problems.  Mel Baber suggested that we, in the first instance, write to Bob Ellison, who has taken on the case, to reiterate the concerns. Mel Baber also advised that Cllr Ellison has been dealing with this, but is currently waiting for a full response from ‘Paul’ at NCDC (Mel copied into an email from Bob to Paul).
    2. Town Council’s apparent willingness to vote on Minutes of Meetings where the copy they have is different to the Clerks copy which the Mayor then signs as approved by the Council, Frank Samuel – Concerns raised over the apparent discrepancy in the published minutes and the minutes signed by the Mayor.  Some Councillors voted on minutes showing a parking fine of £60 when the final signed copy of the minutes showed £100.  Frank Samuel has written to the Council regarding this which he hopes will be on the agenda for the next meeting.  Both Frank Samuel and John Hough commented on problems of items not arriving with the Clerk in enough time for them to be put on the agenda, the Clerk pointing out that the correspondence had been put into the wrong letterbox.  CAR to request in writing that the Council letterbox be clearly marked to avoid this happening. Mel Baber asked that Frank Samuel keep C.A.R. advised of any response to his letter to CTC.
    3. Loss of Assets Register, Frank Samuel – Assets register should be made available for audit, John Hough said that Council had commented that it was not needed last year.  Frank Samuel said that there had been a copy on disk, did the Council not have that either.  Peter Blower and Ron Hart had made up the original, Bob Ireland pointed out they had found an Assets Register but that it was empty.  Barry Jordan had been asked at Council to check if the original was at Truro or in the loft. 
    4. Frank Samuel expressed his amusement on the agenda for 20 February meeting – ‘cartilage to property’.
    5. John Hough asked what CAR can do about the fact that building is going mad.  He had written about the inadequacy of the sewage system.  There is no infrastructure and it would seem sensible to write to NCDC because it seems that money is speaking.  Bob Ireland said he thought it worked the other way around – you create the problem which forces the services to be dealt with.  John Hough said he had needed permission before his cottage was converted.  There are many problems.  Bob Ireland said that someone should be putting pressure on South West Water.  Ada McCormick said that this should be part of any agreement with a developer.  Frank Samuel said that when he first came to Camelford there were a lot of constraints on building because the sewage system was insufficient.  Now there are not enough facilities.  John Hough said another pumping station was needed, at the top to the other side of the road.  Mel Baber said that NCDC needs the pressure.  John Hough said that developers plan their houses and will not spend the money for a pumping station.  We have to make sure the infrastructure is there.
    6. Huw Huntley asked when the parish meeting was to be held.
    7. Jason Harper, whose wife is very shortly expecting a child, had looked over a house in Mount Camel and at 5.30 the same day had been asked to sign a tenancy agreement there and then.  Nothing had been done to the house for years and the state of it was foul.  It had taken four days to strip the wallpaper.  He had spoken to Julie Nutt who had said they would have to start paying rent straight away, although the state of the house made it impossible for the family with two children and another to arrive shortly to move in.  He had spoken to Eddie McCormick who had been very good, and had put Jason in touch with Bob Ellison.  He had managed to negotiate another week’s grace on the rent.   There was no skim on the walls.  We were supposed to move in by this Monday, but the council is not coming to do the work until tomorrow.  Bob Ellison is involved and he is meeting me with the head of the response team tomorrow.  He will try to keep in touch.  Jason will keep in touch with CAR.  He said the kitchen and the bathroom had been done.  John Hough asked if there was a certificate for the electrics.  No.  Jason said there was a solid fuel burner downstairs, and he had been told that once the budget had been spent tenants were given £260 for materials.  No labour costs.  It had cost him £300 per week to take time off to do the work.  He wished he had taken photographs.  Ada McCormick asked if it was too early to thank Bob Ellison for his involvement.    Jason said there was a 3 month waiting list for heating.  Ada McCormick asked what about the little ones.  Mel Baber said we would continue to monitor the situation.
    8. Quiz Night for CAR funds – at the Lib Club on Sunday 4 March at 8.00 pm.
    9. Mel Baber asked those present to look at localdemocracy.co.uk.  she would like to have a link put on our website.  Ada McCormick said it was about getting youth involved, run by the Department of Constitutional Affairs.  One of the FAQs was how do people become councillors.
  6. Next meeting on Thursday 15 March, 7.30 in the conference room at Camelford Hall.  Speaker Emma Rowse from NCDC.

 

End of meeting.

 

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