The new address for the Town Council website will be www.wivenhoe.gov.uk

It is expected to go live in the next couple of days.

herewith link  

http://www.wivenhoeregatta.org.uk/

MINUTES of the Annual Town Meeting of Wivenhoe held at the William Loveless Hall, Wivenhoe at 7.30pm on Wednesday 15th  May 2013. 

Present:            The Town Mayor (Cllr. P. Kraft) (Chairman), Cllrs: R. Needham, F. Richards, K. Hall, K. Read, B. Sinclair, A. Vaughan, A. Aldis, I. Endean and N. Tile. Borough Cllrs. S. Ford, C. Liddy and M. Cory. County Cllr. J. Young. Town Clerk, Antoinette Stinson and Admin Assistant, Angela Daisley and         55 local residents

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs. N. Tile, A. Stinson and N. Lodge and Mrs. Jean Coverley.

The Town Mayor, Cllr. Penny Kraft, welcomed all to the meeting saying how nice it was to see so many people present.  She stated that it had been a privilege to represent Wivenhoe as its Mayor once again even though this had been a particularly difficult year, with the issue of the Medical Centre still unresolved and the land in question, near Millfields, coming back into the frame.  This was now being considered by Elmstead Parish Council.  

Cllr. Kraft thanked all the members of the Town Council’s staff, who were named individually, for their help and support throughout the year, in particular the Town Council’s two groundsmen who undertake all sorts of jobs from cutting grass to clearing snow to refurbishing the toilets in the William Loveless Hall; to litter-picker James who does such a sterling job, and introduced the newest member of staff, Angela Daisley as part of the Reception team. Finally Cllr. Kraft thanked her two Mayor’s Escorts for their support during the year.

During her year as Town Mayor, Cllr. Kraft spoke about the various functions and events she had attended on behalf of Wivenhoe, (104 in total) in particular standing on the balcony of Colchester Town Hall watching the Olympic torch come down Colchester High Street; the Victorian Day at the 150^th anniversary of Wivenhoe Railway Station; the Diamond Jubilee events and, most unmissable, accompanying Colchester North Essex police patrol on call-out duties, which proved an insight into the work of our local police force. 

Cllr. Kraft then wished good luck to the incoming Mayor and Deputy Mayor for their year ahead. 

1/ Mayor’s Charity Fund and Presentation of Cheques.  Cllr. Kraft thanked all those who had so generously helped to raise money for the Mayor’s Charity during her year. An amount of £4,500 had been raised at a variety of successful events ranging from the Diamond Jubilee Ball, Wivenhoe Memories, the Mayor’s Ball, a day trip Birmingham Christmas Market, courtesy of Cedrics’ coaches, a curry night and the Mayoral Variety Show – all repeat successes of traditions begun in previous years. 

Cllr. Kraft then presented the proceeds of her Mayor’s Charity to the representatives of the following organisations:          

WAGA ; Stuart Pawsey Court; Wivenhoe Scout and Guides ; The Hub: Wivenhoe Bosom Pals; Wivenhoe Ferry Trust ; Essex Air Ambulance; Age UK Lunch Club; John Stewart for Wiv Memories;Wiv Gigs; St. Mary’s Church; Congregational Church; Methodist Church; St.Monica’s Church; Wivenhoe History Group; Little Avenue Pre School; Wivenhoe Pre School ;  Wivenhoe Toddlers Group; ADP; ColneBankSchool of Dancing; Monday Club; Moving Image; Sea Cadets ; Junior Badminton; Wivenhoe Youth Football Club; Wivenhoe Junior Cricket Club; Royal British Legion; Wivenhoe Regatta; Wivenhoe Christmas Lights; Wivenhoe Community Teas Group;       Total amount distributed £4500.  

Photographs were taken of each recipient of the Mayor’s Charity Fund. 

  The Hub receiving their cheque

Cllr. Kraft formally recorded her thanks to Jean Coverley for all her work during the Mayoral Year in covering the various events and taking photographs.

Regarding the new Wivenhoe History Group, former Town Councillor and Mayor, Mr. Peter Hill, explained to the meeting this new group, whose aim was to establish an internet based database containing all manner of historic information on Wivenhoe.           

2/ Minutes. RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Annual Town Meeting held on 9 May 2012 be confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a true record.  

3/ Matters arising from the Minutes. There were no matters arising.

4/ Annual Report. The Town Council’s Annual Report for 2012/13, previously circulated to all residents in the April edition of the Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe Chronicle, was presented by Cllr. Kraft.

RESOLVED that the Annual Report be received.

5/ Financial Statement. The Town Council’s Financial Statement for 2012/13 was received and noted. 

RESOLVED that the Financial Statement be received.

6/ Points/Resolutions raised by residents. Two formal points had been submitted both from:

Name:             Mr. and Mrs. G. Strange.

Points:  2 Issues concerning wheelchair usage  - 1. Access to the Shelter on the Quay for wheelchair users, disabled people driving electric buggies and pushchairs is frequently blocked by vehicles parking opposite the British Legion building making it impossible for people to get safely to the shelter or to be able to use the ferry. Could the Town Council find a way of keeping an access passage on to the pedestrian part of the Quay from the highway section that would be suitable for wheelchair users and prams at all times.  

2. The disabled toilet can only be accessed with the use of a RADAR key but, beyond a certain time in the early evening, a steel barrier is also closed across the door making it impossible to open the door whether the user has a RADAR key or not. Could the Council consider not using the steel barrier so that a RADAR key can be used? Unfortunately, this is the only public disabled toilet in Wivenhoe, and I cannot easily use one of the restaurant/pub toilets.

Concerning point 1, Cllr. Read responded that Essex County Council Highways were looking into putting double yellow lines along The Quay and Cllr. Julie Young confirmed that she had also been involved with this couple about the issue and that she had requested that Highways put narrow double yellow lines along the highway area of The Quay.

Concerning point 2 this would be referred to Colchester Borough Council who operate the public toilets in the High Street car park.

There were no other points and resolutions submitted.

7/ Any Other Matters. The Town Mayor, Cllr. Kraft then thanked all who had attended, and formally declared the meeting closed.

The meeting ended at 8.00pm.

Starts from St Mary’s Church, Wivenhoe.  1000  Sunday 12^th May 2013

Why ‘Beating the Bounds’ ?

The tradition of beating the bounds was a method of ensuring that all local youngsters knew the limits of their Parish. This came from a time when no one, except the rich, could leave the Parish without permission.  The activity took place at or near Ascension Day, which follows 40 days on from Easter Day.

Traditionally, the event involved Choir Boys, The Parish Clerk and Clergymen leaving from the Church, Parish Hall or School with wands or sticks. They would then process around the Parish where, at points on the boundary, they would beat flagstones, walls or hedges with the sticks. It does appear that sometimes the youngsters were actually beaten with the sticks to reinforce the message. (We won’t be doing that ! )

This guided walk takes between 2 ½ to 3 hours. It starts at St Mary’s Church where walkers have been invited by Rector Erwin Lammens for a blessing and a short prayer for our local community. It includes a Coffee ! stop at The Horse & Groom pub. This is the halfway point and convenient for anybody who wants to walk only half the distance.

We finish at The Greyhound.  

Sponsorship £10 with Full English Breakfast at ‘The Greyhound’ on completion.   (£3 without the food.)

 Register with Bob Needham (Breakfasts must be pre-paid orders)  01206 824446  noisybeggar@btinternet.com         1 Feedhams Close, Wivenhoe, CO7 9HZ

Cheques payable to Essex Air Ambulance 9653

 Present:            The Town Mayor, Cllr. P. Kraft (Chairman),Cllrs:  A. Aldis, I. Endean,  K. Hall,  D. Henley, N. Lodge,  R. Needham, K. Read, F. Richards, N. Tile, A. Stinson and A. Vaughan, Mrs. A. Stinson (Town Clerk),Jason Cobb,Peter Kay,Angela Daisley,Will Lodge (press)                

Prior to commencement of business safety announcements were given. 

1.  APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE.  Apologies for absence were received from Borough Cllrs. S. Ford, C. Liddy, M. Cory and Cllr. B. Sinclair.

2. MINUTES. RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Town Council held on 18 February 2013 be confirmed and signed as a correct record with the correction of 6.1 d) to read “Community Assets Forum” only. 

3. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES.  

4. POINTS RAISED BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.  

5. REPORTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY AND BOROUGH            COUNCILS.

a) Essex County Council:  Members welcomed Cllr. Young who stated that she was conscious that she had missed a few Town Council meetings due to other commitments.  Cllr. Young reported on the problems involving pothole repairs and that she was pressing for the worst ones to be dealt with as a priority.  Those already repaired were now breaking up again, making matters worse. Concerning the cyclepath to the University, funds were in place and a design now needs to be drawn up;  regarding the Health Centre she was trying to get an answer from Bernard Jenkin MP on the reimbursement scheme, which was part of the jigsaw. Cllr. Young took questions from members on the cyclepath and asked if a monthly report can be requested from Rosemary Wilkins. The Town Council itself would also request an update from Rosemary Wilkins to ensure the project progressed. 

b) Borough Council:  The written report from Cllrs. Liddy and Ford covered issues on the planning application for land west of 58 Queens Road and application for Innisfree, De Vere Lane which had both been called in. A trial of Colchester Big Community Switch On was being trialed and all Wivenhoe residents are urged to sign up to the scheme on www.colchester.gov.uk/bigcommunityswitch   to see what savings can be achieved.  Cllr. Liddy also drew attention to the fact that the cuts in the Parish Support Grant were a direct result of policies implemented by central government and that CBC, like all other local authorities, has limited scope for manoeuvre.               

c) Public Transport Representative.  Peter Kay reported on the new route ‘61c’ from the Town Centre which would not be passing through Wivenhoe and this needs to be noted. The new bus station was not proving a success either. A response had been received from First on the issue of low floor buses.  The ECC database system was also not very good at the moment.

Members thanked Peter Kay for his report. 

6.  COMMITTEE REPORTS.

6.1 Planning

a) Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 19 February and 12 March 2013 were received and noted.  Cllr. Vaughan reported on the application at De Vere Lane to which both the applicant and residents attended the meeting and the application for Queens Road, both of which the Town Council had concerns about. 

b) Cooks’ Shipyard Working Group:   

Cllr. Read circulated figures concerning the rental of the dinghy bays and canoe racks and these were Agreed.  One fisherman had expressed an interest on a short term lease of the Fishermans Store, which was good news.  The contractors were finishing up and Cllr. Read would ask for a date when they were vacating the site.

Noted that a 60ft barge would be visiting on Easter Sunday which would help to keep the wet dock from silting up.

Cllr. Aldis to follow up costings of the parking meters. 

c) Neighbourhood Plan Forum:  Cllr. Needham circulated notes of the inaugural meeting held on 14 March 2013 at 11.00am.  The next meeting would be on 10 April 2013 at 7.30pmin the Council Chamber.

d) Health Centre:  Cllr. Lodge reported that Elmstead Parish Council would be contacted about the area known as Millfields open space. 

6.2 Personnel Committee.   Cllr. Read reported that there had been 22 applicants for the position of reception/admin and following interview process Mrs. A. Daisley had been appointed to commence work on 2^nd April 2013.   

6.3 Finance and Administration Committee.

a) 2013/14 Budget Recommendation: Cllr. Lodge reported that the Town Council’s budget request had been accepted by Colchester Borough Council at their Finance meeting on 20 February 2013.  CALC had also advised all town and parish councils that the only way forward now that the parish support grant has been withdrawn was to raise their precepts.  Cllr. Lodge thanked the Town Clerk and Len Horner for their work on budget preparation.  A newsletter had been sent to all residents explaining the need for the raised precept, which equated to .37p per week. 

6.4 Estates Committee.

a)  Cllr. Richards reported that the next meeting would be on 25 March 2013 at 7.30pm and all were invited to attend.  There had been a spate of vandalism on the King George V Playing Field which entailed a broken window on the pavilion and broken glass being strewn around the play area and skate park.  A concerned resident had cleared the broken glass from the surface of the slide.  The groundsmen had removed all the other glass.

7.  WORKING PARTY REPORTS.

7.1 William Loveless Hall Working Party: 

a) Cllr. Kraft reported that a meeting would be arranged soon to consider the hiring charges for 2013/14.  Work on the toilet for the disabled should commence shortly. 

7.2 Wivenhoe Wood Working Party.  Nothing to report.

7.3. Minibus Working Group.  Nothing further to report.

7.4 Youth Facilities Working Party. 

Cllr. Richards reported that the group still needed volunteers.

7.5 Community Opportunities Group. 

A date for the next meeting would be arranged shortly. 

7.6 Diamond Jubilee Gardens Working Group.

Cllr. Vaughan reported that the wildlife group had carried out some work and cut some Elm stumps down.  The finish on the path had not been decided upon yet. Costings had been submitted for the match-funding and CBC Homes had been contacted as well.  The main garden was on tract.  A rainwater proposal would be submitted to the Estates Committee.

7.7  Pavilion, Offices, Yard and Police Houses Working Group.

Cllr. Needham reported that the matter of the pavilion lease should be nearing completion after FIT had confirmed that they had no objection to the use of the pavilion as a nursery; the group were pursuing ideas on replacing some of the inefficient Crittall windows in the council office building.  Gas certification checks had been carried out on 81 and 83 High Street, with an advisory note about earth bonding. 

7.8 Members’ Individual Proposals or Reports:

a) Mayoral Activities: Cllr. Kraft reported on attendances at the Mayor’s Ball on 2^nd March at the William Loveless Hall, which raised £1300 for the Mayor’s Fund; tea at Stuart Pawsey Court on March 6; High Sheriff’s Award Ceremony on 13 March and a tour of La Farge Quarry on 20 February which proved to be very interesting.

Total of 4 events.

b) Mayoral Succession:  In accordance with Standing Orders the current Deputy Town Mayor would be voted in at the Annual General Meeting on 20 May 2013.  Nominations were then taken for the new Deputy Town Mayor and following a proposer and seconder it was AGREED that Cllr. Kevin Read be nominated as Deputy Town Mayor for ensuing year 2013-14, to be voted in at the Annual General Meeting on 20 May 2013.

c) NAP and Community Safety report: Cllr. Endean reported that NAP would combine with the Community Safety Watch group and that Angie Pearson would attend the next meeting which would be on Thursday 28 March in the Council Chamber.  

d) Community Assets Forum: All agreed that the St. John Ambulance building in Chapel Road be added to the list.  Town Clerk would email Peter Hill to inform him of this.

8.  TOWN CLERK’S REPORT.

8.1 Burial Grants and approval of memorials.

The Town Clerk reported that one Burial Grant had been issued and no memorials had been approved since the last meeting.  Two burials had taken place and an interment of ashes.

8.2 NALC/EALC Communications.  February Issues 802 – 803 of DIS and been emailed to all members. Making the Links communications and newsletters from both NALC and EALC were being emailed whenever available. 

8.3 Work Management.

a) General: The Town Clerk reported that contractors had completed work on the Wyvern Room roof, with minimal disruption to hall users, although some hirers had complained about the noise.  Work on the car park at the rear of 81/83 High Street had been completed by the Town Council’s own workforce and was already being used by Hall hirers. The Wivenhoe Society noticeboard had been repaired following vandalism. The number of visitors to the Council Offices for the months of February totalled 224.  

9.  FINANCE.

9.1  Current Financial Report

a) The February spending and income report was received and noted. 

b)  FOI:  Members noted the report of the Town Clerk in which the costs of FOI requests had so far amounted to £418.75

9.2 List of cheques numbered 503897 -503914 drawn since the last Town Council Meeting was approved and signed.  

9.3 List of Payments made from the Imprest Account since the last Town Council Meeting was approved.

9.4  Motions Under Standing Orders Recommending Expenditure.  None. 

9.5 Appeals for Financial Support.  None.

10.  NEW BUSINESS.

10.1 Correspondence.  

10.2 Conferences/Seminars. None. 

10.3 Notices. 

Saturday 13 April – Wine Tasting, William Loveless Hall 7.30pm

10.4 Licences.  None.

10.5 Highway Matters.

a) CALC –Local Area Highways Panel

Cllr. Lodge reported that he had been appointed as a substitute on the Local Area Highways Panel.

10.6 Press Releases.  

The meeting closed at 8.45pm.

Come along and enjoy this unique event……

Page 1 of 9 January 2013

Sequential Site Search

prepared by Realise Health Ltd to accompany an Application for Planning Permission for a new Medical Centre at Wivenhoe for submission to Colchester Borough Council on behalf of North East Essex Primary Care Trust

Sequential Site Search Page 2 of 9 January 2013

Introduction

The applicant has undertaken a full sequential test of sites in Wivenhoe within an acceptable distance of the existing surgery at 71 The Avenue. All sites have been assessed for their size, availability, accessibility and feasibility. The preference is for a suitable site within the settlement boundary. If for example an application were to be submitted on a greenfield site, the applicant would have to identify all potential sites within the settlement boundary and explain why these sites were not being considered.

Local development framework (LDF) Core Strategy context

Colchester Borough‟s growing population reflects the overall upward trend in the South East region which has been fuelled by economic growth. In the last five years, the population has increased rapidly, the largest growth now expected to be the older age groups (60+), while growth levels in the younger age groups are expected to decline, with consequent effects on the economy and social provision in the Borough.

Wivenhoe‟s population of 7,221 in 2001 has now risen to nearly 10,000. The Town is a key district settlement that provides essential services and facilities to its rural hinterland. One of the future challenges listed in the CBC Core Strategy is the “expansion of health care facilities to provide expanded local health centres to meet the needs of a growing and increasingly aged population and changes in how healthcare is delivered.” Key facilities to be delivered within the East Growth Area include a new Wivenhoe Health Centre.

The National Planning Policy Framework states that local planning authorities will involve all sections of the community in the development of their Local Plans and in planning decisions, and should facilitate neighbourhood planning. Wivenhoe Town Council is currently looking to refresh its 2008 Town Plan and will be developing a Neighbourhood Plan to feed into the preparation of the Borough‟s Local Plan.

The historic character and distinctiveness of the settlement will be protected and enhanced. The natural environment, countryside and coastline will be conserved and enhanced and strategic green spaces will be secured to meet local recreational and health needs.

Care Quality Commission registration for GP Practices

Regulation 15 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 describes the safety and suitability of premises relating to design, layout and security.

Regulation of Primary Care is aligned with other health and social care services under the 2008 Health and Social Care Act. Providers of health and adult social care have to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Registration for GP Practices is scheduled to take place by April 2013.

The current premises at 71 The Avenue is a converted house owned by four Doctors. The property does not provide an adequate infrastructure for the delivery of existing services and is too small to support further development. The space currently available is over-utilised.

The premises risk not achieving full CQC registration in 2013.

Sequential Site Search Page 3 of 9 January 2013

Premises context

The Practice was formed in 1985, currently with only 4 GPs serving a potential catchment population of c. 10,000 drawn from 3 main wards: Alresford, Wivenhoe Quay and Wivenhoe Cross. The proposed development site will be required to house a 5-GP training practice for the delivery of existing and additional GP services in a modern primary care setting in Wivenhoe. The site should be of sufficient size to accommodate a 600-650m² building allowing for future flexibility and expansion of services.

Modus Operandi

The method used was by desktop, car and foot with the aid of the Promap mapping system and Google maps to identify appropriate sites, their areas and locations which we have then pinpointed on the google map extract included in this report.

We have listed sites viewed in the table below, with a cross shown in brackets where viability is conditional on events outlined in the descriptions that follow where we have stated our reasons for the selection or rejection of sites.

Where appropriate, we have contacted the owners of all sites deemed to have potential for development and described any actions taken to progress negotiations for their procurement.

Non-availability does not necessarily mean unsuitable, simply that for the time being we have made no contact with the owners for the reasons given.

______________________________________________________________________

Present:            The Town Mayor, Cllr. P. Kraft (Chairman),

Cllrs:  A. Aldis, I. Endean,  K. Hall,  N. Lodge,  R. Needham, K. Read, F. Richards, N. Tile, A. Stinson and A. Vaughan

Mrs. A. Stinson (Town Clerk)

Jason Cobb

Peter Kay

Roger Mainwood

Will Lodge (press)

Member of the public

Prior to commencement of business safety announcements were given.

1.  APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE.  Apologies for absence were received from County Cllr. J. Young, Borough Cllrs. S. Ford and C. Liddy and Cllrs. B. Sinclair and D. Henley.

2. MINUTES. RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Town Council held on 21 January 2013 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

3. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES.  

Cllr. Needham asked if there had been any update on the Wivenhoe Public Hard Association.  Cllr. Read confirmed that he had offered his services to the group and as yet there was no progress to report.

Several matters from the last meeting were raised which required Cllr. Young’s input, these were update on Cedric Coaches; signage in lower Wivenhoe, of which 10k of funding had been made available from the Highway Panel, which members considered excessive; and an update on the 20mph zone. As Cllr. Young was not present these would be taken up with her.

4. POINTS RAISED BY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.  

a) Mr. R. Mainwood – Wivenhoe ‘Green Break’ and the Health Centre

Members welcomed Mr. R. Mainwood who wished to address the Town Council on the significance of the ‘Green Break’, which acts as a natural barrier separating Wivenhoe from Colchester and the importance of maintaining this. Members were all in agreement that they did not want to see any housing on the ‘Green Break’ next to the Fire Station. Regarding the search for a Health Centre site Mr. Mainwood briefed members on the suggestion of the land at Millfields being of a suitable size and one which should be included in the Sequential Site Search. 

Members thanked Mr. Mainwood for his address and for his work on the search for a suitable site for a Health Centre.  On the subject of Millfields Cllr. Kraft said that nothing had been submitted to the Town Council but should this be raised then another public meeting would be held in order to engage public opinion.   Cllr. Kraft would ask Richard Warner when the next meeting of the Health Group was to be arranged.

 5. REPORTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY AND BOROUGH            COUNCILS.

a) Essex County Council:  No report had been received from Cllr.Young.  Cllr. Kraft stated that Cllr. Young would be asked to report on the cost of the recent library refurbishment.

b) Borough Council:  The written report from Cllrs. Liddy and Ford covered issues on the recent approval of the planning application for A3 restaurant use on Phase 3 of Cook’s Shipyard and also an itemized report on the locality budgets as both Cllrs. Liddy and Ford had pooled their budgets for the benefit of the community. It was noted that the provision of dog bins had been included in one of the locality budgets and members considered this inappropriate use of funds as these should be provided by CBC as a matter of course.  A letter would be sent to the Ward Cllrs requesting clarification of this.  In total £3077 had been allocated from the £4000 Wivenhoe Quay pot.

c) Public Transport Representative.  Peter Kay reported on the speculation of Health Centre being on the Millfields site in that it would be inaccessible for anyone in lower Wivenhoe without a car as it would involve two buses.  The Fire Station site was the best accessible site for public transport.  A letter had been sent to First Bus about low floor buses but to date no reply had been received.  The Town Clerk would chase this up. Also it was noted with concern how much ECC had spent to date on a new bus information service. ECC would be asked if one or two of these information signs could be placed at the Co-op bus stop.

Members thanked Peter Kay for his report.

6.  COMMITTEE REPORTS.

6.1 Planning

a) Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 29 January 2013 were received and noted.

b) Cooks’ Shipyard Working Group:   

Cllr. Read updated members in that the dinghy park and car park were still not ready for use. These were expected to be ready in 4-6 weeks, after that the dinghy park allocation could follow for which there was already a waiting list.  Cycle racks should be installed shortly.  Cllr. Read advised that figures would be circulated shortly concerning rental of the dinghy bays and canoe racks in order to be finalized at the next meeting.

Cllr. Aldis to follow up costings of the parking meters.

c) Health Centre:  Notes of the Wivenhoe Health Group held on Friday 25 January 2013 had been circulated and placed on the web-site.   

d) Community Assets Forum:  Cllr. Needham reported that Peter Hill had been appointed as Chairman of the Group, which will work to register assets of community value within the town.  Progress reports would be received in due course.

6.2 Personnel Committee.   Cllr. Read reported that there was a position in the Town Council’s reception/admin department.  The post was being advertised and the closing date for applications was 28 February 2013.

6.3 Finance and Administration Committee.

a) 2013/14 Budget Recommendation: Cllr. Lodge reported that the Town Council’s budget request had been put forward for recommendation at Colchester Borough Council Finance meeting which would be held on 20 February 2013.  When confirmation had been received a newsletter would be sent to all residents.

6.4 Estates Committee.

a)  The Minutes of the Estates Committee held on Monday 28 January 2013 were received and noted.  Concerning the re-painting of the skatepark by graffiti artists Cllr. Richards reported that a meeting was to be held with the students with the suggestion that one of the containers by the Jubilee Gardens be used instead as one of the conditions for skatepark being sited on the King George V Play was that it should blend in with the surroundings.

7.  WORKING PARTY REPORTS.

7.1 William Loveless Hall Working Party: 

a) Notes of the meeting held on 13 February 2013 were received.

Cllr. Kraft reported that the Wivenhoe Lunch Club run by Age UK Colchester had submitted a request for help due to the loss of their funding stream.  The Lunch Club met once a month in the William Loveless Hall and provided a hot meal for the elderly.  Cllr. Kraft proposed that during the interim period of say six months while the Lunch Club sourced alternative funding the charge for the use of the William Loveless Hall be waived in order for the Lunch Club to continue.

Proposed by Cllr. Stinson and seconded by Cllr. Endean it was AGREED unanimously that the Wivenhoe Lunch Club be granted the use of the William Loveless Hall for six months at no cost  to enable the Lunch Club to continue while they sourced other avenues of funding.

Cllr. Needham declared an interest.

7.2 Wivenhoe Wood Working Party.  Nothing to report.

7.3. Minibus Working Group.  Nothing to report.

7.4 Youth Facilities Working Party. 

Cllr. Richards reported that the group was trying to arrange an AGM.

7.5 Community Opportunities Group. 

Notes of the meeting held on 30 January 2013 were received. 

7.6 Diamond Jubilee Gardens Working Group.

Cllr. Vaughan reported that Cory Environmental Trust had approved the grant pending receipt of estimates and confirmation of funds spent to date.

7.7  Pavilion, Offices, Yard and Police Houses Working Group.

Cllr. Needham reported that the matter of the pavilion lease was still being progressed.   Renewals for 81 and 83 High Street was due soon. The temporary car park at the rear of 81 and 83 High Street had been hampered by weather but was progressing now.

A meeting had been held with Nicola Fairhurst of CBC Estates where the estimate for the fire alarm and emergency lighting system for the Council Offices was challenged and found to be over excessive.  A system more suitable to the Town Council’s needs was being investigated.  Cllr. Needham had also put forward the Town Council’s aspirations for the building to be returned to them, as pre 1974, and this was taken on board by Ms. Fairhurst. The inefficiency of the Crittall windows was mentioned and this would also be looked into.

7.8 Members’ Individual Proposals or Reports:

a) Mayoral Activities: Cllr. Kraft reported on attendances at the Wivenhoe Pantomime on January 25^th; Wivenhoe Sailing Club Burn’s Dinner on 26 January; Curry Night on 1^st February; Mayoral Variety Show on 9 February; Wivenhoe Quarry Gold Award Presentation at County Hall on 14 February and WAGA AGM on 17 February.

Total of 6 events.

b) Community Safety and Police Matters:  Reported that the group were appointing a new Chairperson.

c)  NAP report: Cllr. Aldis reported that CBC were now changing the process and there will be zoned areas.  It was proposed to merge Wivenhoe NAP with St. Annes and St. Andrews and also join up with Neighbourhood Watch.

d) Wivenhoe Housing Trust: The report of Cllr. Needham on the Wivenhoe Housing Trust was received and noted.

e)  Cllr. Sinclair.  Cllr. Sinclair had submitted a request for a 3 month sabbatical for health reasons, but would continue to act on the Cooks’ Working Group and the JubileeGardens.

Members noted this and wished Cllr. Sinclair well.

8.  TOWN CLERK’S REPORT.

8.1 Burial Grants and approval of memorials.

The Town Clerk reported that no Burial Grants had been issued and no memorials had been approved since the last meeting.  One burial had taken place.

8.2 NALC/EALC Communications.  February Issues 801 – 802 of DIS and been emailed to all members. Making the Links communications and newsletters from both NALC and EALC were being emailed whenever available.

8.3 Work Management.

a) General: The Town Clerk reported that some groundwork had been carried out on the JubileeGardens at the rear of the Council Yard but was now on hold pending the outcome of a grant application. Scaffolding had been put up at the William Loveless Hall in preparation for the Wyvern Room roof repair. The number of visitors to the Council Offices for the month of January totalled 224. 

9.  FINANCE.

9.1  Current Financial Report

a) The January spending and income report was received and noted.  The Town Clerk drew attention to several income budgets which were well within their anticipated revenue. Cllr. Lodge explained to members that this was good news and that members needed to recognize the amount of financial work that was involved in estimating the Town Council’s budgeted income.  Members were appreciative of the amount of work involved.

 9.2 List of cheques numbered 503886 -503896 drawn since the last Town Council Meeting was approved and signed.  

9.3 List of Payments made from the Imprest Account since the last Town Council Meeting was approved.

9.4  Motions Under Standing Orders Recommending Expenditure.  None.

9.5 Appeals for Financial Support.  None.

10.  NEW BUSINESS.

10.1 Correspondence.  

a) Wivenhoe Housing Trust -  To appoint Nominative Trustee.

Cllr Robert Needham’s term of office as nominative Trustee to Wivenhoe Housing Trust ends in February 2013.  Cllr Needham has indicated his willingness to continue to serve the Charity.    AGREED that Cllr. Needham continue to serve as the Town Council’s nominative Trustee on the Wivenhoe Housing Trust.

b) East of England Co-op Society – Defibrillator unit.

The East of England Co-op Society Wivenhoe branch had approached the Town Council with a view to the Town Council supporting a project to provide 24 hour access to a defibrillator unit in the Wivenhoe store.

The Society will supply, install and maintain the equipment as part of the scheme, including any planning permissions that may be required. The only cost to the Town Council would be the nominal electricity units to keep the defibrillator charged, estimated to be between  £10 -30 per annum.   AGREED unanimously to support the venture.

c) Free Trees:  the 7^th Trees for Years Initiative, postponed from Saturday 2 February took place on Saturday 16 February at Rowan House between 10am -1.00pm.  Noted.

10.2 Conferences/Seminars. None.

10.3 Notices. 

Saturday 2 March – Mayor’s Ball, William Loveless Hall.

10.4 Licences.  None.

10.5 Highway Matters.   None.

10.6 Press Releases.  

A newsletter would be prepared concerning the precept when confirmation had been received from CBC’s Finance and Scrutiny Panel meeting on 20 February 2013.

The meeting closed at 8.48pm.               

                            CHAIRMAN