Odstock Parish Council
An Ordinary meeting of Odstock Parish Council was held on 10
February 2020 in the Barker Room, near Nunton Church.
Present: Sally Nelson (Chairman), Nigel Start (Vice-Chairman),
Colin Berry, Rod Poynting, Stephen Stapley, Richard Parsons (Clerk),
Wiltshire Cllr Richard Clewer and five members of the public.
Apologies Accepted: Thomas Newman and Barry
Norris.
1/20 Open Public Forum: 1. A representative of
the villages church community spoke about a community initiative
designed to create a five year forward plan to encourage ‘blue-sky’
thinking. The Merlin Project is a management methodology which
seeks to start with an objective set five years in the future.
About twenty parishioners met in the Radnor Hall on 24 October
and a report of that meeting was published in the December
edition of News & Notes. A follow up meeting is scheduled for
Thursday, 13 February, in the Barker Room.
2. Concern was raised about the culvert
excavation at the Nunton corner by the Vicarage. This has left a
large mound of spoil.
2/20 Declaration of Interest: None.
3/20 Minutes of the Ordinary OPC meeting held on
25 November were approved and signed by the Chairman.
4/20 Community Initiatives:
a) Carboot Sales: Cllr Poynting advised that eight
events have been scheduled and it was agreed that OPC would hold
the first one on 26 April with the objective of raising funds for
the replacement Nunton play area. Twelve volunteers will be
needed to run the event. All Cllrs agreed to support this
initiative and OPC will fund the expenses of this first event.
b) Jubilee Gardens: Cllr Poynting reported that
he and Cllr Berry are carrying out required maintenance.
c) Picnic Benches: Cllr Start agreed to source
and install a replacement picnic table at Jubilee Gardens. Once
the Nunton Playground equipment has been renewed, suitable Picnic
tables will be sourced and installed within the new play area.
5/20 Nunton Recreation Field:
a) Play Equipment: Following the meeting with Cllr Berry’s
contact at Salisbury City Council, OPC has received advice and
quotes from several Playground suppliers for the removal and
replacement of the play equipment. Cllr Poynting agreed to carry
out a preliminary appraisal for economically removing the
defective equipment and the Chairman is actively seeking a grant
from the Wiltshire Council Southern Area Board. It was agreed to
convene an Extraordinary OPC meeting to finalise the proposals.
b) Football: Downton FC is expected to pay
Odstock PC’s October Invoice for £300 within the next week.
6/20 Transport, Roads and Footpaths:
a) Wiltshire Council Highways: The roadside footpath
east from Odstock crossroads has been satisfactorily cut back and
the roadside grips have been cleared. The Parish Steward has been
clearing the winter debris from the parish footways.
b) Parish Footpaths: The promised maintenance of
the A338 roadside footway towards Britford is still incomplete.
7/20 Planning: No new Planning Application to
consider.
8/20 Reports and Correspondence:
a) NALC & WALC: Public Sector Bodies (Websites and
Mobile Applications) (No.2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
Guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps
b) Wiltshire Southern Area Board: The next
meeting is in Alderbury Village Hall on 12 March 2020.
9/20 Finance:
a) Payments: The following were approved:
Society of Local Council Clerks – Subscription BACS £75.00p
Association of Local Council Clerks – Subscription BACS £40.00p
Information Commissioner – Annual Registration Fee DD £35.00p
D Smith – Replacement Gate Post BACS £210.00p
R Parsons – Clerk's salary and expenses, on account BACS £792.00p
Wiltshire Council – CATG Topographical Survey BACS £375.00p
Wessex Water – Nunton Field Water DD £23.29p
Southern Electric – Nunton Field Electricity DD £51.49p
10/20 The Annual Parish Meeting is required to
be held between 1 March and 1 June each year. The Chairman
proposed that providing refreshments will help to attract more
local electors to the meeting and some of those participating in
the Merlin Project can be expected to attend also. It was agreed
that at least one hour would be set aside for the meeting on
Monday, 18 May and that there would be a clear separation from
the business of the OPC. By law, the Chairman of the Parish
Council may attend the Annual Parish Meeting and if s(he) is in
attendance, s(he) must preside. [LGA 1972, Sch 12, para 17(1)]
11/20 Any Other Business (for information only):
None.
The meeting closed at 8:56pm
Signed without amendment by the Chairman, Cllr Sally Nelson, as a true record on 23 March 2020.
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