MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL
PARISH MEETING Cllr Mr Stuart opened the meeting by stating that Mr Maurice McKee had been taken ill that afternoon and was therefore unable to attend. The Parish Council gratefully accepted Mrs Stuart’s offer to take the minutes of the meeting. Present: Parish Councillors Mrs Chapman, Mrs Chubb, Harris, Jay, Mrs Pollard, Squires, Stuart, Webb, Cotswold District Councillors Mrs Clark and Baines, Dr Jones (ex CDC), Sgt McIntyre (Gloucestershire Constabulary), Mrs Gardiner (Parish Council Chairperson (Retd)) Apologies were received from the Mr Maurice McKee, Clerk to the Parish Council, Parish Councillors J Caunce and Nicholas, Rev J Calvert, Mr R Edgar (Chairman School Governors) MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING It was proposed by Mrs Gardiner and seconded by Cllr Harris that the minutes as published were a true record. The meeting was all in favour. MATTERS ARISING Cllr Stuart pointed out that the award of £250 and a plaque was awarded to South Cerney as a Regional winner in the Calor Gas/Daily Telegraph sponsored national competition Village of the Year and was nothing to do with the Bledisloe Cup. This was the first time that a Gloucestershire village had won an award in this prestigious competition. PRESENTATION TO JENNY GARDINER Before continuing the meeting the Cllr Stuart said a few words in praise of Mrs Jenny Gardiner who retired from the Parish Council, having served for 8 years and as Chairman for the past 4 years. He said Jenny used a subtle mixture of charm, intelligent reasoning, humour and firmness to keep the Parish Council running smoothly. He went on to list some of her achievements, how she coped with the flooding crisis, the controversial Camas site proposal and numerous attendance at many meetings with all the various authorities. He concluded by saying it was a job well done and thanked her very much. He then presented her with a bouquet of flowers. PREVIOUS CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT Cllr Mrs Gardiner said she leaves the Parish Council with mixed feelings. Her work load and family commitment mean that her time is needed elsewhere. She continued that it had been a busy year for the Parish Council. She said the Robert Franklin Way playing field and Upper Up park plans are well under way and an expert has been called in to solve the problems of the new ramp at the Upper Up playing field. She proudly laid the wreath on behalf of the Parish Council and community on Remembrance Sunday. She was also the Chairperson of the Finance Committee and was pleased to report that the current financial position is good. The precept set for this year is £43,150.00, a decrease of 8.3%. 80 planning applications were considered of which 68 were granted and 7 refused. She added the cricket club pavilion has been built and the football club plans a new clubhouse. She thanked everyone who continued to keep the village clean and tidy, with special thanks to Mr Wrightson. With regard to the flooding in the village, a great deal of work took place and the CDC is still keeping a finger on the issue. She then thanked Mr Maurice McKee for his invaluable help as Parish Clerk, Cllr Stuart for stepping into her shoes at late notice on more than one occasion, Cllrs Mrs Anne Clark, Dr Leslie Jones and Cllr Shaun Parsons and all her councillors. She ended by saying she regretted that she failed in one ambition, to close the meetings by 9.30 pm. REPORT BY SGT STEWART McINTYRE Sgt McIntyre introduced himself saying he is stationed at Tetbury with responsibilities in Cirencester, which polices South Cerney. He said the Government has changed the criteria used for recording crimes, which makes any comparative figures less easy to compare. He went on to say the recorded crimes for South Cerney Parish have increased from 136 to 143, detection rates have dropped from 30% to 18%. He did highlight however that burglary is down from 35 to 26, auto-crime down from 24 to 18, however violent crime is up from 14 to 25, mainly of a domestic nature, and criminal damage up from 15 to 34. Putting these into perspective the recorded crimes for this Inspector Neighbourhood Area rose from 1574 to 1688 with nearly all crime headings increasing. Detection rates have risen slightly. He ended on a good note stating that so far this year, since 1 April, there have only been 14 reported offences in the Parish, 8 of which have been detected. He concluded by saying he would be willing to attend some Council meetings during the year, subject to his availability and will continue to supply a monthly report to each local parish council. QUESTIONS
Sgt McIntyre concluded his talk by saying he is contactable any time by e-mail. He then left the meeting to return to duty. REPORT FROM CLLR MRS ANNE CLARK (CDC) Cllr Clark said she has served as Vice Chairman of the Planning Committee for the past 18 months which now has 90% delegation, the national target, and they are close to the top quarter of the authorities in the Country for speed of determining applications. As a result a delivery grant of £232,000 was received from the Government which is 3 times the grant of any other authority in Gloucestershire. Last year nearly 3,000 applications were dealt with. She went on to say public speaking at meetings was introduced at the beginning of the year which has proved helpful and has worked well. The local plan first review has been out for consultation and representations are currently being processed. There is no allocation for further building land for South Cerney in the new local plan. She confirmed that a planning application has been lodged for the recently arrived caravans, which will come to committee in July. She was pleased to announce that the Community Fund has been reinstated, although at a lower level of £15,000. She said she was pleased to be re-elected and will now serve on the Executive Committee and Planning Committee. This year she is joined by two new councillors, Mr Mike Baines and Mr Clive Bennett. She concluded by thanking the Parish Council for the enormous amount of work it puts in for the village and its support to them as members. REPORT FROM EX CLLR DR LESLIE JONES Dr Jones opened his report by stating that this year the decision was made to make a number of cuts in its services, including the closure of the Northleach Museum and closing some toilets in the county. These cuts proved to be controversial but in the Council’s opinion necessary. Another area which has caused a lot of discussion is the proposed new traffic scheme. He went on to say that the refurbishment of the offices of the CDC were completed this year and are an enormous improvement. Plans for the new Leisure Centre are going ahead and it is hoped that this will be completed during this financial year. Due to popular demand the decision was taken to reinstate the Community Fund. A new initiative was introduced this year, namely the Rural Cinema, whereby village halls within the county can hire a film at a very realistic rate each month. This has proved to be very popular. The council has fulfiled its obligations by building or acquiring 600 new houses for rent and plans to continue to provide 100 new homes annually. As stated by Mrs Clark the local plan first review has been out for consultation and is currently being processed. Dr Jones continued by saying that the Council Tax for the CDC is up by 9% this year. Work is well underway on the Thames and Severn Canal which will be an attractive amenity for the area once completed. He concluded his report by saying he is standing down after 12 years service. He thanked the South Cerney Parish Council for their support over the years and wished them well for the future. Cllr Stuart then thanked Dr Leslie Jones for his support, help and advice over the past 12 years, and wished him a happy retirement. He also thanked Cllr Anne Clark and wished both herself and the two new councillors well for the coming year. REPORT BY COUNCILLOR SHAUN PARSONS (GCC) Cllr Shaun Parsons reiterated Cllr Stuart’s comments on the work carried out by Dr Leslie Jones, and he also wished him well in the future. He reported that there has been an increase in Council Tax and explained how the County spent the money. A large proportion of the money goes on education, 60% of which is funded by the Government, the County Council having to find the other 40%. Salaries for the police are set by the Government which has increased by 27% since 1997. The County Council had to provide 15% of the salaries in 1997, it is now 25%. He added that Gloucestershire received one of the smallest increases in Bounty, namely 3%. He said one of the main problems raised by the local communities was the lack of a visible police presence, particularly in rural areas, and the perceived increase in crime. There is also concern in the County regarding care for the elderly with some 60,000 beds being lost since 1997, many of whom could not afford to stay in business due to the new regulations. Some of these regulations have been repealed and it is hoped that this will encourage more care homes to open. With regard to the County roads he explained that there are 4 qualities throughout the country, one being of good quality to four being low quality. He said it will probably come as a surprise to some that Gloucestershire roads come within the top quartile. (This does not include trunk roads and motorways.) The urban areas appear to fair better for repairs than the rural roads. He did add that deep pot holes, which are dangerous, will be mended quickly once reported. He was also pleased to add that, because people complained loudly, the new concreted A419 by-pass will be tarmaced. Dr Leslie Jones confirmed that this tarmacing was a high priority with the possibility of it being done in 2004/2005. Cllr Parsons concluded by saying he felt the proposal to adopt Regional control was not in our best interests, with, as an example, planning decisions being taken as far away as Exeter. Q. Cllr Jay said the County Council were sadly lacking in youth provision for South Cerney, stating that they provide for the youth at the Water Park. At this point Cllr Jay thanked the Church for providing a youth club, which is greatly appreciated by those who attend. Cllr Stuart thanked Cllr Parsons for his report, who then departed. REPORT BY CLLR TONY SQUIRES ON BEHALF OF THE VICAR, REV J CALVERT Cllr Squires said 2002 might well be designated the ‘Year of the Toilet’. The Archdeacon of Cheltenham officially opened and Blessed the toilets, which are haled as an outstanding example of a sympathetic addition to a listed building. Refurbishment was also completed on the church organ which involved a 90 degree turn round. Effort this year has been expended on establishing a closer link with the United Church, with whom, it is hoped to work ever more closely in the future. There are established church teams working to service the community. Parish Neighbours has been re-launched and have been briefed to be aware of any needs of families within the village. The church is involved in work with children, with children workshops being held on school premises and Friday evening youth club continues to cater successfully for a wide range of teenagers. A new youth discussion group has just been launched. The three churches try to serve the community as best they can in addition to faithfully worshipping God. REPORT ON ANN EDWARDS SCHOOL BY MR ROGER EDGAR, CHAIRMAN OF SCHOOL GOVERNORS Due to Mr McKee’s indisposition the report by Mr Roger Edgar, Chairman of the School Governors, Ann Edwards School was not available. It is attached in its entirety to these minutes. REPORT FROM MRS ANNE STUART, SECRETARY OF THE VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE Mrs Stuart started her report by stating that 2002/2003 had been a very rewarding year. Once the decision had been made not to allow building on the Camas site the offer of a new community hall was no longer valid, so the Village Hall Committee could go ahead with their plans for a disabled toilet and other improvements. A request was made to the Parish Council for approximately £12,000 to be added to this year’s precept, which was approved. This was followed by the Chairman receiving a call from Rodney Vaughan of the Gloucestershire Rural Community Council in mid February asking if we could use £24,725.69 on offer from ACET (Adult Continuing Education and Training), the catch being the work had to be completed by 1 April. The Chairman swiftly accepted their offer, set about drawing up specifications, going out to tender, finding contractors, 5 in all, willing to do the work in the short time frame, attending site meetings and then overseeing the work from start to finish. With this money we were able to build and furnish the new disabled toilet, refurbish the other toilets, decorate the rear lobby and outside areas, install new, silent heaters and install a new lighting system The only outstanding work is the double glazing of the roof lights in the committee room and kitchen. We will also shortly redecorate the main hall and committee room. In addition the stage has been removed and the main hall floor refurbished. She went on to name and thank all those contractors who were involved in the work. She also thanked the Cerney Players for their help in removing the old stage and a special thanks was expressed to Mavis Goscombe who had the unenviable task of cleaning the hall on a daily basis while work was in progress. A number of other initiatives took place over the year. Sarah and David Smith had agreed to take on the running of the Rural Cinema which is proving very successful and in October we had a successful 2 day work party when we carried out a number of repairs. Bookings for the hall have increased again by roughly 10% which is good news and especially gratifying to those of us who are involved in the day to day running of the hall. She concluded her report by saying she hoped the coming year would be somewhat quieter for the committee In addition to Mrs Stuart’s report Cllr Stuart thanked the CDC for the introduction of the Rural Cinema, ably run by Claire Newport. He also asked Cllr Clark to thank Mr Dan Goddard of Building Control and the Conservation Officer in the CDC for their excellent service in pushing through all the necessary permissions prior to the work starting on the Village Hall. REPORT FROM 29 REGIMENT RLC Cllr Stuart said this year he was pleased to say that representatives from 29 Regiment RLC had agreed to attend the meeting to give a short report on their activities. He then introduced Major Ian Bruce, the Technical Quartermaster and Sgt Steve Jelf, the Chief Instructor of the Silver Stars. Maj Bruce said the Regiment has had a very busy year, especially the last 4 months. 20,000 troops and 1 million tons of air freight have been processed through the Joint Air Mounting Centre in the last 4 months, with over 80,000 troops deploying over the past 12 months. The two trades at the Regiment, namely Movement Controller and Postal and Courier Operatives have been under immense pressure and have had to be back filled by TA personnel. The Movement Control Squadrons are currently carrying out back to back operations and the Postal and Courier Operatives are working up to 18 hour days in theatre. Currently the Colonel and headquarters staff are in Iraq organising the return of troops from Op TELIC. Troops are also still deploying through South Cerney to ‘fight the peace’. He said every effort is made to support families while their spouses are deployed and the Regiment runs a successful Play school and Youth Club. Cllr Stuart thanked Maj Bruce and Sgt Jelf for attending and giving a report. PRESENTATION BY THE MARQUIS DE DERVAL ET DE MOISDON REGARDING COMPLAINTS BY RESIDENTS ON AIRCRAFT NOISE FROM SOUTH CERNEY STATION Before inviting the Marquis de Derval et de Moisdon to speak Cllr Stuart asked what his objectives were. Were they to stop the parachutists altogether? The Marquis said that was not his intention, he liked the parachutists, what he wanted was to stop the noisy aircraft. The Marquis de Derval et de Moisdon then took up Cllr Stuart’s invitation to give a 10 minute presentation to the Parish Meeting on aircraft noise emanating from South Cerney Station. Prior to the start of the meeting the Marquis de Derval et de Moisdon had circulated copies of his presentation. The Marquis went through the presentation in detail. He gave details of all the historical facts that have taken place over the years, culminating this year in an in-depth study by the Secretary of State for Defence into the flying activities in South Cerney Station, which concluded that flying could continue with restricted flying times and flying taking place on 3 weekends in 4. The Marquis stated that to date there have been frequent breaches of the flying restrictions imposed on the Silver Stars and the pilots of Williams Air Services. He also stated that the 1999 Village Appraisal showed that some 307 people objected to parachute jumping and aircraft noise. He added that complaints concerning the activities of the Silver Stars and the aircraft used by them have been in existence since their commencement of parachute jumping in 1991/1992. Prior to this Lord Fanshawe spent some 10 years complaining about gliders and later on parachutists being towed into the air. This complaint was also investigated by the then Secretary of State, Lord Soames. The Marquis said he has contacted a number of people regarding aircraft noise including Mr Clifton Brown MP, Mr Brassington, Environmental Officer of the CDC and the Commanding Officer of 29 Regiment, who have adopted varying attitudes towards complaints. Despite complaints the noise pollution continues. He continued by saying that the operational aircraft used by the Silver Stars are not military aircraft but owned by a registered limited company. He also said that the Under Secretary of State admitted in a letter that the parachute team is not a military one but is there to fulfil an important need in supplying our Service personnel with a recognised Army sport and adventurous training activity, which the Marquis compared to being a hobby and not required by the military role of any Logistic Corps. His presentation concluded by stating the complainants’ objectives. One, that there is a strict form of self regulation of flying times, two to permanently restrict parachute jumping to a single aircraft and not two as it appears, three for public consultation to take place between the complainants and the Commanding Officer 29 Regiment and four that the Parish Council support the complainants and residents they now represent in the proposed actions indicated above. Cllr Stuart then asked Maj Bruce and Sgt Jelf to reply to some of the points raised by the Marquis. Maj Bruce said he is the Major in charge of the Silver Stars and he will ensure that restricted flying times are adhered to at all times. However the main point he wished to raise was the fact that there seems to be a misunderstanding regarding the Silver Stars and their flying activities. They rarely use the airfield during the week, most of their flying takes place over the weekend. The aircraft that use the airfield during the week, (a Sky Van and Cessna), are owned by the RAF who use the airfield for military parachute training purposes. 29 Regiment has no control over their use of the airfield nor of their flying times. With regard to the Silver Stars aircraft Sgt Jelf said Williams Air Services were negotiating to purchase an aircraft with a quieter engine. When Cllr Squires confirmed that an aircraft had taken off the previous Thursday and had circled over the village, which was one of the objections from the complainants, Sgt Jelf confirmed that this was the RAF Sky Van and had nothing to do with the Silver Stars. Cllr Harris asked if the aircraft needed to make so much noise on landing. Sgt Jelf said as he was not a pilot he was unable to answer that question. A number of further comments were made from the floor. Mrs Gardiner said she had lived in the village most of her life and had no objection to the noise. In fact she felt if you live near an active airfield you must expect aircraft noise. Cllr Chapman said she had lived in the area all her life adding that the noise was less now than it used to be. Mrs Thornton said it may be that the issue of the perceived noisy aircraft could be overcome if Williams Air Services are successful in their negotiations to purchase a quieter aircraft. Cllr Stuart thanked everyone for their comments on this matter saying he hoped progress had been made, especially with regard to the fact that it appears the Silver Stars have been unfairly blamed for all aircraft noise when the majority of the noise during the week is caused by the RAF. Cllr Jay said he would like the admiration, respect and gratitude of the Parish Council and all those present to be passed to the members of 29 Regiment RLC for the dedication and service they provide to the British Army and country. ANY OTHER BUSINESS Cllr Harris gave a brief report on the progress of the work to build a small park with mountain biking facility on the Upper Up playing field, now aptly named the Upper Ups and Downs. This has been 4 years in the planning and should shortly be completed. There being no further business Cllr Stuart closed the meeting at 9.55 pm. REPORT ON ANN EDWARDS SCHOOL BY ROGER EDGAR, CHAIRMAN OF SCHOOL GOVERNORS Personnel As you will probably know Mrs. Arnold is leaving us after 5 years as our Head Teacher. She has been appointed as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors for schools. We will be very sorry to see her go as she had a very great impact on the progress the school has made. The Governors have appointed Mr. Stephen Richardson as Mrs. Arnold’s replacement to start in September. This appointment followed an intensive selection process starting with 13 applications which were whittled down to 4 very strong candidates who then undertook tasks which they had to present their solutions to the selection panel and on the following day they had an hour long interview. The selection panel consisted of 5 governors with a LEA registered inspector and the Diocesan Director of Education acting as advisors and observers. On the teaching staff Mrs Sedgwick has been appointed for the duration of Mrs. White’s maternity leave. We have also appointed Mrs. Godfrey to support the learning of children in Y2, working alongside Mrs. Nelmes and Mrs. Harris to support the learning of children in the reception year, working with Mrs. Wallis to assist her particularly with a pupil who is on the school action plus stage of the SEN register. All support staff will have their posts re-graded shortly following a huge job evaluation project recently undertaken across the county. The Governors were sorry to lose Col. Mike Hickson on his being promoted and posted. However, we are pleased that the new Commanding Officer Lt.Col. Sean English has taken his place on the Governing Body. Currently we have 256 pupils on roll, which is about the same as this time last year. Our pupil mobility of around 25% is about the same as last year with 4 months of the school year left. So far it looks as if there will be 42 new entrants in Reception in September. Governors Activities Governors’ meetings and committees have been well attended and there have been some lively discussions. Governors have attended In Service Training days as well as being involved with the staff in policy review working groups. Governors have paid regular planned visits to the school and have also attended the annual review with the assigned inspector. A number of training courses both during the day and in the evening have been attended so that the Governors can keep up to date with current legislation and practice. Curriculum and SATS Our ICT suite with 16 computers continues to be fully utilised and classes have had timetabled sessions each week. This has proved to be a very good investment and has contributed to pupils improving standards. Our results in the Key Stage 2 SATS tests were down on the previous year but in some areas exceeded our expectations. The short OFSTED inspection at the beginning of the autumn term showed that "this is a good school that is held in high regard by the parents. The headteacher provides a strong commitment to improvement that is well supported by the governors, teachers and parents. The school offers a good quality of education for its pupils. It successfully promotes positive attitudes to learning and good behaviour resulting in overall improvements to the standards achieved over time. The school gives good value for money." Other Extra Curriculum School Activities There has been an ICT for Parents organised through Cirencester College Outreach department and Family Learning activities run at the school. Other after school activities include an after school computer club, chess, pottery, hockey, gym, netball, football, dance, gardening and the ‘Bug Club’ for those interested in nature and the environment. Thanks must go to the staff for giving their time and energy in organising these activities. Footsteps - Educating towards a more sustainable future We have continued our link with the Joel Omino School in Kisumo and the children regularly contact through pen letters. We have sent further educational materials with the assistance of the 29th Regt RLC. D.A.R.E. Project P.C. John Smith of the MOD police 29th Regt RLC has again been running the drug awareness programme for Year 6 pupils called DARE, Drug Abuse Resistance Education. He has the confidence of all the children taking the course and has organised the presentation ceremony for the beginning of June. Other Activities Y4 children have been on a highly successful residential visit to the Wilderness Centre. The school have had visits from The Life Education Bus, also from the various Theatre Groups, the Road Safety Unit and Nick Williams the ‘Bird Wise’ man. Pupils have taken part in the inter-schools dance festival, the inter-schools swimming gala, and netball, football tournaments. |