Great Ashby Online

DRAFT/
GREAT ASHBY COMMUNITY COUNCIL
 
MEETING OF GREAT ASHBY COMMUNITY COUNCIL (GACCo)
 
TO BE HELD
ON THURSDAY 14 JULY 2011 AT 7.30 P.M.
AT GREAT ASHBY COMMUNITY CENTRE
 
A G E N D A
 

Apologies for absence

2.

Approval of Minutes of Meeting held on 9 June 2011

3. Guest Speaker – Mary Caldwell

– Development and Conservation Manager NHDC who will address Members on planning application procedures with the opportunity to raise any questions

4. Guest Speaker – John Ironside – Corporate Strategic Planning and Enterprise Manager NHDC

– who will address Members on strategic planning and consultation procedures with the opportunity to raise any questions

5.

To receive a Report on the work of the Great Ashby Youth Club from Kelly Hockley (Lead Youth Worker).

 
6. Matters raised by members of the public

. Please see attached note (1) in regards to conduct.
 
7. Correspondence

received from NHDC regarding two domestic planning applications – 15 Great Ashby Way and 37 The Beacons for approval. When the planning Committee is established later in this agenda then these two applications will be passed on to the appropriate Council Members.

Received from NHDC invitation to Council Members to attend training on Members Code of Conduct to be held on the 3^rd or 4^th of August 2011at the Council Offices in Letchworth. Councillors, please indicate your intention and your preferred date.
 
Received Summer 2011 – The Voice of Local Councils Magazine.

8. Finance

– to receive a written Report prepared by the RFO detailing the Council’s financial position as at 30 June 2011. Please see attached note marked (2).
 
Council to consider and agree what level of funding the Council might provide for the second year of the Youth Club’s operation. The Annual Report and Budget for the Club and a paper outlining plains for developing the long term sustainability of the club is attached marked (3)
 
9. Insurance

– to receive and consider quotations from Zurich Insurance PLC, Came & Company and Finance Re-direct Insurance Services and to agree appropriate levels of cover and who should provide the necessary insurance for the council. Please see attached document marked (4)

10. Clerk/Responsible Financial Officer

– to consider and adopt the procedures and terms of reference as recommended by HAPTC and for the Acting Clerk to advise members of possible candidates.  The Appointments Panel – EG, BJ and PP be requested to prepare a suitable advertisement
 
11.

To consider commissioning a Survey of equipment in children’s playgrounds in Great Ashby to ascertain whether there is sufficient equipment which may be easily used by both disabled and able bodied children with a view to ensuring the provision of such equipment should the Survey indicate that there is a need

12.

Following the decision to form a Planning Committee to nominate six Members of Council.  These members will be required to prepare terms of reference. As agreed this Committee will encompass planning applications, planning strategy and NHDC Core Strategy. A further element of this Committee could be to encompass Highways, Grounds Maintenance and Play areas but members are requested to decide whether this should be a separate committee and a decision is sought on this.  It is suggested that the lead portfolio holder on any element of the Planning Committee should be linked to the appropriate NHDC Officer and a decision will be requested
 
13.

To report on Meeting held with NHDC Grounds Maintenance Officer with special responsibilities for Great Ashby – Thomas Ayres – held on 20 June 2011.  Meeting attended by EG, GH and RL – See report attached marked (5)
 
14.

Following the resolution at the last Council Meeting to set up a Strategic Planning Committee, nomination of Council Members are requested who will at the outset prepare Terms of Reference.  It is suggested that the task will be preparation of a Plan of Action for the future which, when complete, will be ratified by full Council
 
15.

GH and JB to report on any progress made regarding Media matters, i.e. Website, Email and Facebook

16.

To report to Council on NHS Hertfordshire’s Conference on equality of medical care provision held on 13 July 2011 and attended by EG, BJ and VB

17.

To agree that the offer to address Council by NHDC Community Development and Policy and Community Services Manager – Stuart Izzard – be accepted and confirm his invitation to the next Council Meeting on 8 September 2011

18. Date of next Meeting – 8 September 2011

History was made on Thursday 5th May 2011 when the residents of Great Ashby voted for the very first members of the new Community Council. Here are the results:

Candidate                                                            Votes

BOOTHER James Robert                                        421

BRUCE Danielle Simone Sarah                                486

FACH Melissa Michelle                                           224

GOLDWATER Evelyn                                            622

HARDWIDGE Martin Nicholas John                       510

HARDWIDGE Sue                                                 572

HILLS Gary                                                            381

JOSHI Bhavna                                                         412

KAN-BURD Vicki                                                    312

LANCASTER Lyndsey Jane                                    495

LOGAN Robert David Ivor                                      353

MOONEY James Alan                                             290

PORTER Paul                                                         334

RILEY Andrew Michael                                           250

SMITH Richard                                                       165

WILLIAMS Neil Robert                                           361

Therefore the four candidates with the lowest votes were eliminated, i.e. FACH, MOONEY, RILEY and SMITH and the rest will form the new GACCo the first meeting being held on 12 May 2011 at 7.30 p.m. at the Community Centre.

The Great Ashby Community Group is meeting at 7.30pm on Thursday 14th April at the Great Ashby Community Centre primarily to discuss the move to a new Community Council. All the candidates standing for election have been invited to attend so there will be an opportunity to chat to them prior to the May elections. All Great Ashby residents welcome to come along.

The first ever elections for a new Great Ashby Community Council take place on Thursday 5 May, and local residents are being encouraged to stand as councillors.

Following a review conducted by North Herts District Council (NHDC), which took on board the views of local residents, community groups and other organisations, the existing parish of Graveley will be divided along Weston Road creating a new parish for Great Ashby.

As of 1 April, there will be separate administrative arrangements for the village of Graveley, which will continue to be served by the Parish Council, and Great Ashby, which will be represented by the new Community Council.  This will cover the areas that are currently served by NHDC, but not the households that are within Stevenage Borough Council’s jurisdiction.

During the review of the existing parish, it became clear that a significant majority of people felt that two separate parishes would be better for both areas.  Graveley, with its population of just over 400, has very different requirements to the much newer development of Great Ashby with nearly ten times the population.

Residents in Great Ashby are now being invited to stand in the inaugural council elections at which a maximum of 12 new parish councillors could be elected to the first Community Council.  The elections will take place on 5 May 2011.

Cllr Tricia Cowley, NHDC’s portfolio holder for community engagement and rural affairs, said: “This is an opportunity for people to become part of the first council to represent residents of Great Ashby.  We want people of all backgrounds, ages and experience to get involved so that the needs of the community are best served.

“The parish council is the basic building block of local government in England, and plays an important role in the community.  What the parish does and how much money it raises to do it will be up to the new Great Ashby Community Council.

“Being a parish councillor does not require a huge commitment in terms of time, and it can quite easily fit around a full-time job.  You don’t have to be connected to a political party – all it takes is a desire to work for the good of the local area.”

Some of the issues a parish councillor might be involved with include:

• managing open spaces, play areas, village halls or community car schemes
• deciding on how much to raise through the council tax in order to deliver your council’s services
• influencing and shaping the long term development policy for the parish, and commenting on planning applications
• improving the quality of life and the environment in the local area
• working to identify issues which are important to the lives of the residents you represent
• helping to bring about improvements through local projects, or working in partnership with other parishes and agencies

The deadline for receiving nominations for election to the Great Ashby Community Council or the Graveley Parish Council is midday, Monday April 4.

If anyone wants to find out more about the role of a parish councillor, or how to stand in the upcoming elections, contact David Miley on 01462 474208 or by email at david.miley@north-herts.gov.uk.

Further information about parish councils is also available at the National Association of Local Councils’ website, www.nalc.gov.uk

On Thursday 10th February  2011 NHDC met to decide the issues surrounding the proposed split of Graveley and Great Ashby into separate parishes. They unanimously agreed that Great Ashby (the North Herts part) should become a parish in it’s own right. The Great Ashby Community Group (currently a sub group of Graveley Parish Council) have previously agreed that any new council would be called the Great Ashby Community Council.

The Great Ashby Community Group is due to meet again on Thursday 17th February at the community centre. All welcome!

Local MP Peter Lilley has kindly extended a written invitation to the North Herts residents of Great Ashby to join him at the House of Commons on Thursday 10th March 2011. There should be an opportunity to tour the Palace of Westminster and ask questions of Mr Lilley and Hertfordshire County Councillor Tony Hunter. A coach is being arranged which will leave from the Great Ashby Community Centre at 5pm (or you can make your own way there) – the cost of the coach will be £12 per person.  Simply return the pink application slip to Geraldine Mitchell to receive tickets and further details. Any questions can be directed to Mr Lilley’s office on 01582 834344.

On 10th February 2011 NHDC Council will be making the final decision on whether Great Ashby should split away from Gravely Parish Council and become a Community Council in it’s own right. Should this occur then the new Great Ashby Community Council will need to form a new committee of 12 members. This means volunteers will be required and should there be more volunteers than places then an election will take place. To read more about what this entails follow this link : http://www.herts-aptc.gov.uk/haptc.shtml

Peter Lilley scheduled to attend next Great Ashby Community Group meeting

GREAT ASHBY COMMUNITY GROUP
THURSDAY 9 DECEMBER 2010
7.30 p.m. Great Ashby Community Centre

AGENDA

WELCOME

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MEETING 14 October 2010

MATTERS ARISING

GREAT ASHBY AS A PARISH

CROUDACE PLANNING APPLICATION – ROUNDWOOD

SALT BINS

REPORT ON NORTH HERTS CORE STRATEGY

YOUTH CLUB

10. UP DATE ON MEDICAL CENTRE FOR GT ASHBY

11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

On 1 April 2011 create a new parish to be named the Parish of Graveley based upon Graveley village and surrounding area.

On 1 April 2011 create a new parish to be named the Parish of Great Ashby based upon that area of GreatAshby which lies in North Hertfordshire.

Create a new boundary between the parishes along the line of the Weston Road

Create a Parish Council for the new Graveley parish containing five (5) Members

Create a Parish Council for the new Great Ashby parish containing twelve (12) Members

Confirm or amend these proposals at the Council Meeting to be held on 10 February 2011

A period of Public consultation is now open and is due to close on Tuesday 4 January 2011. Comments should be made by letter to David Miley, North Hertfordshire District Council, Gernon Road Letchworth, SG6 3JF or by e-mail to david.miley@north-herts.gov.uk (tel: 01462 474208)

Mapping and additional information:

The report agreed by the Council at its meeting held on 11 November 2010 can be viewed by accessing the following link to the NHDC website – www.northherts.gov.uk/index/council_and_democracy/democracy/council_and_committee_meetings/meeting_dates_minutes_and_agendas.htm

Image of the many posters displayed in Great Ashby

Developer Croudace have applied for planning permission to build 350 new houses at NES 3 Roundwood (the north side of Weston Road). This is due to be heard by NHDC planning in Spring 2011. The County Council is currently investigating the provision of school places and the impact on local roads. Great Ashby residents have been objecting and displaying ‘Say no to Roundwood’ posters in their windows. The full application can be found here http://www.north-herts.gov.uk/dcdataonline/Pages/AcolNetCGI.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=148948