It was proposed by Cllr. Lynam-Smith and seconded by Cllr. Belcher that Cllr. Nichol be re-elected as Chairman of the Council. This was agreed unanimously and Cllr. Nichol signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office which was witnessed by the Clerk.

2. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIR

It was proposed by Cllr. Nichol and seconded by Cllr. Lynam-Smith that Cllr. Macdonald be elected as Vice Chair of the Council. Although it was not possible for Cllr. Macdonald to attend this meeting, she had indicated her willingness to serve in this capacity. The proposal was accepted unanimously by the Council and Cllr. Macdonald will be asked to sign a Declaration of Acceptance of Office at the next meeting.

3. APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from Cllrs. R. Macdonald and S. Payne and District Cllr. T. Ward,

4. DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL OR PERSONAL & PREJUDICIAL

INTERESTS

No declarations were made.

5. MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 26^thAPRIL 2006

It was proposed by Cllr. Lynam-Smith and seconded by Cllr. Belcher that the Minutes be accepted as a correct record of the meeting. This was agreed unanimously and the Chairman signed accordingly.

6. UPDATE ON ACTION POINTS/ANY OTHER MATTERS ARISING

Page 180 Award Nomination

Forms have been obtained and an initial background report received

Page 181 Repairs to Pot Holes

Further complaints have been received about the state of the Parish roads which are now considered to be a safety issue.

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Action: Clerk to write to Mr. B.Short, OCC Area Engineer stressing the need for urgent repairs.

Page 181 Flooding Maps

A useful meeting had been held recently with staff from the Environment Agency and Cllr. Lynam-Smith had produced some relevant maps which illustrate the situation that exists within the Parish. It was agreed that the impetus from the joint meeting must not be lost.

Action: Cllr. Lynam-Smith to produce copies of maps for Cllr. Belcher to circulate to interested residents.

Page 181 Storage Container at 31. Sunningwell

The legality of the continued siting of this large and unsightly container at the front of this property is currently being investigated by the Vale D.C. Monitoring & Enforcement Officers.

Page 183 Warnborough Site

Cllrs. Macdonald and Ward had recently attended a meeting with Vale D.C. Planning Officers to discuss the various implications if any proposals to convert this site into a Care Village go ahead. The prospective developers have organized an exhibition of their proposals in Sunningwell Village Hall on 25^th/26^th June and hopefully residents will take the opportunity to look at these plans. Cllr. Nichol reminded members that in due course the Parish Council will be asked to comment on a submitted application and will need to give very careful consideration to all aspects of the situation. The views of Boars Hill residents particularly will need to be taken into account.

Mrs Bennett, who lives on Boars Hill, feels that residents may well give the go ahead to these latest proposals because they are weary of all that has happened in the past at this site and because a Care Village might be considered a better option than a large number of individual houses built by a developer.

Page 184 South East Plan

A response is required by 23^rd June and Cllr. Nichol will circulate a draft to members in time to meet the deadline.

Page 185 Litter Clearance

A notice of the intention of the Council to employ someone to undertake this task will appear in the Sunningwell Scene to be published shortly.

7. CO-OPTION TO THE PARISH COUNCIL

The Chairman welcomed Mrs Elizabeth Bennett to the meeting. She had agreed to attend to observe proceedings before making a decision about whether or not to put her name

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forward for the current vacancy. Cllr. Nichol said that her contribution to the Council would be greatly appreciated – especially as she would be able to provide feedback from the Boars Hill end of the Parish.

8. REVIEW OF SUB-COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

The following membership was provisionally agreed and the Chairman asked members to consider their areas of interest so that, if necessary, amendments can be made at the next meeting –

Finance – Cllrs. Nichol, Macdonald & Lynam-Smith
Planning – Cllrs. Macdonald, Nichol & Lynam-Smith
Flooding - Cllr. Lynam-Smith
Children’s Play Area – Cllr. Belcher
Pond – Cllrs. Woodward & Macdonald
VHMC - Cllr. Woodward
SPADE – Cllr. Woodward
Poors Land Charity – Cllr. Lynam-Smith

9. FINANCE

a) Request from Pond Committee

Cllr. Woodward had previously circulated details of the difficulties encountered by the firm who had attempted to clear the sludge from the Pond. Only a partial clearance had been possible and a part payment of £500 had been agreed for the work that had been achieved. A grant of £250 from the Vale D.C. is available once this invoice has been paid and will be added to the Parish Council reserve. Further enquiries have been made and a local contractor has agreed to carry out a full clearance at a cost of £1,000 with the sludge being spread on a nearby field with the agreement of a local landowner. There is £105 available in the Pond Reserve Fund and it was proposed by Cllr. Lynam-Smith and seconded by Cllr. Belcher that the balance required be made available from Council reserves., This was agreed unanimously. Cllr. Woodward has been advised that a clearance operation will be required every 5 years to keep the pond clean and in good order and it was decided to ask the Finance Sub-Committee to set aside £250 a year so that the necessary fees are held in reserves for when the task needs to be repeated.

b) Payment of Accounts

It was proposed by Cllr. Belcher and seconded by Cllr. Lynham-Smith that the following accounts be accepted for payment. This was agreed unanimously.

Cheque	Payee	Purpose	Amount	VAT
033	OALC	Subscription	£161.15p	£24.00
034	Open Spaces Society	Subscription	£15.00p
035	Zurich Municipal	Insurance	£321.01p
036	OGBN	Subscription (2 years)	£30.00p
037	RJS(IA)Ltd	Internal Audit	£225.00p
038	P. Burke	Part Pond Clearance	£425.54p	£74.46p

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c) Approval of Annual Audit Return

It was unanimously agreed to sign as correct the Statement of Accounts (figures already approved by the Internal Auditor) and the Statement of Assurance that the financial affairs of the Council have been conducted in the correct manner. The Chairman and the Clerk, as the responsible financial officer, signed accordingly.

10. PLANNING

a) Application dealt with between meetings

SUN/7102/9 Foxcombe Lodge Hotel, Fox Lane, Boars Hill

Demolition of existing temporary structure forming kitchen extension. Proposed extension to house fridges and freezers and timber screening to form yard area.

Parish Council response: No objections – we assume that the fir tree growing where the new building will be is not subject to a conservation order.

b) Decision Notices Received

SUN/7102/9 Foxcombe Lodge Hotel, Fox Lane, Boars Hill

Details above Permission granted

SUN/19502 Thessaly Cottage, Foxcombe Lane, Boars Hill

Single storey extension and replacement of existing outhouse Permission granted

SUN/16879/2 Beech Cottage, Lincombe Lane, Boars Hill

Erection of garage Application withdrawn

11. CORRESPONDENCE

The following correspondence has been received since the last meeting

11.1 OCC Post Office Account Cards (Clerk to write supportive letter)

11.2 Highway Maintenance Work – Quarry Road, Bayworth

11.3 Countryside Service – Annual Report

11.4 Rights of Way Improvement Plan 2006-2011

11.5 Local Transport Plan – Bus Strategy

11.6 Funding for Transport 2006-2011 (Cllr. Nichol is in communication

with County Cllr. Robertson)

11.7 Vale DC The Licensing Act 2003: Enforcement Policy

11.8 Thames Valley Police – (Clerk to supply Community PC with dates of meetings

& website address)

11.9 OCC News Letter –May 2006

11.10 Vale DC Council Meetings & Committees

11.11 Primary Care Trust – Change to Public Board Date

11.12 Thames Valley Police – Community Policing Awards

11.13 Citizens Advice Bureau – acknowledgement of grant

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11.14 ODPM Local Authority Byelaws – discussion paper

11.15 Clerks & Councils Direct - magazine

11.16 Charter 88 – campaign for a modern democracy

11.17 OCC Changes to Bus Service in Oxford/Abingdon areas (Clerk to post

details of No. 44 on notice boards)

11.18 Fire Authority’s Integrated Risk Management Action Plan 2006/7

11.19 Vale DC Consultation on the Draft Youth Development Plan

11.20 Design Award Scheme 2006 (Cllr. Nichol)

11.21 Annual Meeting of Council

11.22 OALC The Good Councillors Guide (Cllrs. Belcher & Payne – Mrs Bennett

also given a copy)

12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

(i) Cllr. Lynam-Smith reported that following the recent resignation of Mrs May Hall from the Poors Land Committee, the business of the Charity is temporarily being handled by the Vice Chair and Secretary. There are currently only 3 Committee members out of a potential 8 but Mr. R. Wiggins has now agreed to join. This co-option requires the approval of the Parish Council and was agreed unanimously by members.

(ii) Cllr. Woodward requested that the whole issue of litter collection be an agenda item for the next meeting. It was agreed that a Councillor is required to take responsibility for this growing problem in the Parish.

(iii) Cllr. Lynam-Smith voiced her concern that there has still been no response from the solicitor regarding the registration of the land surrounding the pond.

Action: Cllr. Nichol to discuss with Mr. David Hodson the lack of progress on this issue and report back at the next meeting

(iv) Cllr. Belcher reminded members that once the Play Area refurbishment has been completed, decisions will need to be made regarding (i) ongoing maintenance (ii) insurance cover and (iii) the provision of a litter bin. It was agreed to refer this to the next meeting of the Finance Sub-Committee.

There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 10.03pm

Signed…………………………………….Date……………………………….

Chairman