Sunningwell Parish Council, Oxfordshire, UK

Cllr. Nichol opened the meeting and welcomed those present. He explained that the purpose of the Annual Parish Meeting was to enable people involved with the various organisations and groups within the Parish to report on their activities and thus raise residents’ awareness of the wide range of ongoing opportunities to become involved that exist in Sunningwell.

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:

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

the following gave their apologies when submitting written reports - Mr. S. Handley, Mr. G. Honey, Mrs S. Fancourt, Mr. R. Warne, Mrs S. Webberley and Mrs S. Robinson.

2. MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 4^th MAY 2005:

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

3. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES:

(i) It was queried whether the Hedge Survey mentioned by Mr. Iain Corbyn during his presentation at the last Annual Parish Meeting had been undertaken. It was confirmed that work had, in fact, taken place and a website, which includes news of the survey, is now available , and address details will appear in the next edition of the Sunningwell Scene.

(ii) An update on the Parish Council’s intentions for the Children’s Play Area was requested. The Chairman explained that the original idea of providing new play equipment had been abandoned because of the lack of any real enthusiasm from residents and it had been decided to refurbish the existing equipment so that it will meet RoSPA standards. Cllr. Belcher gave details of what is now planned and said that hopefully the work – which includes the installation of a new oak bench – will be completed by the end of June.

4. REPORTS FROM PARISH ORGANISATIONS:

The Chairman began this item by giving an outline of Parish Council activities during the past year under the following headings –

Planning –

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1. comments submitted by the Parish Council to the Vale D.C. on a large number of

applications

2. monitoring proposals for the development of the Warnborough site

3. working directly with SPADE on protecting the Parish from large scale housing

proposals

liaison with the Oxford Green Belt Network
attendance at SEERA meetings

B. Finance - the Parish Council had sought to be both prudent and transparent in constructing its current budget. Major items included –

1. Clerk’s salary - the Clerk was thanked for her services

2. Grants had been given to a number of local organisations eg the Village Hall

Management Committee to help towards the refurbishment of the Village Hall –

an achievement for which the Management Committee should be congratulated

3 The Sunningwell Scene – Cllr. Woodward was thanked for his work on producing

this key aid to communication in the Parish

The Parish Council’s website which is a further effort to keep residents fully

informed

5. Money has been set aside for possible future spending on the following –

* Flood Prevention – Cllr. Lynam-Smith was thanked for her work in co-

ordinating efforts to deal with this ongoing problem for the Parish

* Land Registration – it is hoped that land owned by the Parish will be clearly

established in the near future

* Campaign Funds for use against any proposals for large scale housing

development in the Parish

C. Protection/Infrastructure

1. The Parish Council has submitted ideas for improving road safety – the Village

Gateways being the main result to date.

Problems of litter – the Parish Council hopes to employ someone to collect litter

on a regular basis

The Parish roads are in a very poor state of repair and the Council is doing what it

can to persuade OCC Highways to take remedial action on what is now considered to be a safety issue

The Pond – the problem of keeping the pond clear of sludge has been greater than

anticipated but is currently being dealt with by the Council.

The Chairman completed his report by saying that he felt the Parish Council was pro-active in its efforts to help protect the way of life that residents in Sunningwell wish to maintain. He was sure that a lot can be achieved by co-operation with like minded people, hence his emphasis on networking with other organisations and Parishes in the area.

In answer to questions raised the Chairman said that –

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(i) the cost of future maintenance of the Gateways will be entirely met by OCC Highways Department.

(ii) He is currently meeting with Rev. McKellen to discuss ways in which the problem of lack of graveyard space might best be resolved. The current graveyard will be completely full before too long and although the Parish Council is not responsible for providing additional space, members want to

do what they can to help resolve the issue in the best interests of the

residents of the Parish.

Reports from the following organisations were received and are filed in the Minute Book

Transport Representative (Mrs M. Hall)
Village Hall Management Committee (Mrs K. Evans)
Sunningwell & Bayworth Luncheon Club (Mrs E. Cross)
Sunningwell Poors Land Charity/School Foundation (Mrs E. Cross)
Women’s Institute (Dr. C. McMichael)
Parochial Church Council (Mr. R. Evans)
Sunningwell Primary School (read on behalf of Mr. S. Handley)
Sunningwell Toddlers Group ( “ “ “ “ Mrs S. Fancourt)
The Day Trippers Club ( “ “ “ “ Mr. & Mrs G. Honey)
SPADE ( “ “ “ “ Mr. R. Warne)
Sunningwell Festival ( “ “ “ “ Mrs S. Robinson)
Sticky Finers Pre-School ( “ “ “ “ Mrs S. Webberley)

The following verbal reports were received –

13. The Cricket Club - Mr. M. Waugh reported that the Club had been successful in avoiding relegation but had experienced difficulty in getting 11 players for all matches. A recruitment campaign had been held with limited success and the main aim is to get younger local residents involved with the Club. However, the cost of insurance cover when youngsters play can be a problem. There had been several incidents of minor vandalism during the year which had been reported to the Police. It had been necessary to find a new secretary for the Club following Mr. G. Honey’s decision not to continue in the post.

It was generally agreed that the facilities at the Club are excellent and the lack of greater local involvement surprising. It was acknowledged that the work involved in keeping the pitch maintained to such a high standard was considerable and the Club should be congratulated for this achievement. The Chairman suggested that the Club Committee approach the Parish Council for financial help with this task.

14. Sunningwell School of Art – Mrs Woodward reported that activities at the School are flourishing. Students have been drawn from inside and outside the Parish with ages ranging from 5 to 95 years. They have come with a wide range of experience from absolute beginners to competent artists and all meet to follow their interests in fine arts,

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sculpture and pottery. A recent exhibition of students work gave a clear indication of the students talents.

Because of the popularity of the School there have been issues raised about parking and the school staff do their best to encourage students to use the overflow car park and to

avoid parking in the road. They will continue to monitor this and deal with any complaints received. Fund raising is currently ongoing to redevelop the building in order to provide access and toilet facilities for disabled students. Because of grants received – including one from the Parish Council – and successful fund raising, it is hoped that the building work will be completed during the summer.

15. Bayworth Chapel – Mrs Woodward said that a small but regular congregation meets weekly for worship and includes people from outside the Parish who come to enjoy the friendly and homely atmosphere. They are grateful to visiting preachers and different musicians who contribute to providing a varied and interesting service week by week. The Chapel members have been involved in a large fund raising project in order to have the Chapel Hall refurbished. The Hall is considered an important facility by Bayworth residents and therefore the huge undertaking by a congregation of between 15 to 20 people to raise £19,000 was launched. This campaign has gone well and due to the considerable help and advice from a local builder, the refurbishment is expected to be completed within the set time scale and to cost less than the original estimate. It is hoped that the improved facilities will lead to increased bookings.

16. The Gardening Club – Mrs Evans reported that the Club continues to meet but with fewer members than when it started. The issue of paying speakers fees and expenses is quite a problem but the annual plant sale raises some funds. Outings for members are also part of future planning.

The following organisations were invited to produce reports but did not submit anything this year and no-one present was able to give a verbal report –

17. Sunningwell Fete Committee

18. Bayworth Triangle Association

The Chairman thanked everybody for their reports which, he said, gave a clear and heartening indication of the range of interests and activities currently being undertaken and enjoyed by residents. However he was also aware that these organisations take time and effort to run and he therefore wanted to acknowledge the ongoing commitment of all those involved. Their contributions help to make Sunningwell the place that it is

5. OPEN FORUM:

(i) It was pointed out how important this annual summary of Parish activities is now that impetus for a Parish Plan has been lost.

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(ii) There was concern expressed as to whether the Summer Fete is to go ahead as usual this year and the Parish Council was asked to clarify the situation.

(iii) It was suggested that residents should think about having a Village Shop although it was acknowledged that the Village Hall is already heavily booked and food storage would be a considerable problem.

(iv) The idea of a Village Compost was also raised and space for such a facility was said to be available at the Cricket Ground. However the difficulty of getting someone to organise it was acknowledged and the fact that the Brown Wheelie Bin Scheme is now available perhaps reduces the need for a more general composting point.

(v) The range of work voluntarily undertaken by members of the Parish Council on behalf of residents was acknowledged and a round of applause given by those present.

Cllr. Nichol thanked everybody for attending and closed the meeting at 8.30pm.

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

(Chairman)