Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council held on
Wednesday 24th January 2001.

Present. Cllr Glassett (Chair) Cllrs Bearman, Brookhouse, Burns, England, Gittens, Harrold, Spendlove and twenty members of the public.

1. Apologies were received from Cllr Ayres.

2. Minutes of the last meeting (22.11.00) were amended, approved and signed.

3. Matters arising from the minutes.

Unadopted land in Shortlands Close. District Land Registry have advised an initial search will show if the areas of land have been registered. If so details of ownership will be supplied on receipt of a £4 fee. Letters have gone to residents in the area. Sue Lidgely recalled the first yard of all properties was retained by Brackley Rural District Council.

Trees provided under the free tree scheme include four those on The Green. Some maintenance may be required to prevent loss of light to properties and overgrowth of pathways. The clerk to write to SNC asking for the trees to be inspected.

A resident in Wappenham Road had been in touch with the clerk concerning trees planted in Lukes Close, Local enquiries are being made as to ownership of the land.

Parking problems in Hintons Close- As the majority of houses are now privately owned SNC are not wholly responsible for providing parking. If home owners are prepared to fund a scheme, SNC may contribute a percentage based on the number of properties owned by them. A letter to be sent to all householder and to SNC.

Approved contractors, it is hoped this can be co-ordinated with the Reading Room committee.

Cllr Spendlove has a key to the bier shed and it was agreed the council will be given an opportunity to view the bier during the lighter evenings, prior to a Council meeting.

4. Open Forum.
It was reported that children were playing in the paper recycling bin. The lock appears to be missing. The clerk will contact SNC requesting urgent attention.

A water leak in Church Street is causing a danger to motorists. Salt bags have been requested to help in the short term, the clerk will contact Anglian Water.

The salt bin in Shortlands Close needs refilling, clerk to request more salt.

Sixteen young residents of the Parish attended the meeting to request additional youth facilities in the village. A petition presented to the Chair requested basketball facilities in the school field. This item was to be discussed later in the meeting and was dependant upon Councillors approval of the precept for 2001/02. A meeting of the Sports Club was due to take place the following evening and it was suggested that they attended this meeting. The Sports Club is keen to promote activities to encourage the youth of the village.

A broken seat by the church was reported. This will be inspected to see what repair is needed. A request was made for the seat at The Green to be painted. Lyndsey Glassett had volunteered to undertake this in the Spring.

Potholes in Wappenham Road were reported and the Clerk will report these to Clarence.

A request was made for the Council to continue to fund bedding plants at the War Memorial. This was within the recommended precept to be voted upon later in the meeting.

Concern was expressed about the proposed village computer facilities in the Reading Room. It was explained that if the scheme goes ahead, no expense would be incurred by the Reading Room or the Parish Council. An income of rent could be received by the Reading Room.

The Parish Council's donation for the upkeep of the burial yard was questioned. After some discussion it was agreed that Cllr Glassett would speak to Rev. Roberts.

The village newsletter should be published and distributed soon. Cllr Glassett would speak to the editor to see what could be done to help with the editing of the magazine.

5. Planning.
An application for listed building consent and a single storey extension at the rear of 67 Church Street was considered and supported by the Council.

6. Damage to grass at War Memorial.
A letter had been received from A S Humphrey about the damage to the grass beside the War Memorial. Cllr Glassett's response was read. The clerk will write to Mr Humphrey thanking him for his offer to repair the damage. A discussion took place about the best solution for preventing future damage. Quotes would be sought for wooden bollards to be provided at the Sulgrave end of the triangle.

7. Basketball lottery initiative.
A petition signed by twenty seven young residents of the Parish had been received requesting the installation of basket ball nets. The cost for installing the posts at the school will be £550, the cost of the posts had been met by lottery funding. All councillors were in favour. This will be funded out of the capital reserves held in the deposit account. It was agreed that the Clerk would write to the Governors to clarify that the basketball facilities are for the use of village residents and are not just for school use.

8. Format and Date for Annual Parish Meeting.
It was agreed to hold the meeting on Wednesday 25th April 7:30p.m. in the Reading Room. The format would be less formal than previously and Cllrs Digby and Smith and PC Dawling would be invited to attend and speak if they wished. A demonstration of the village web site was also planned. The clerk will put up posters and it is hoped that some leaflets could be distributed with the village newsletter.

9. Parish Clerk's salary review process.
It was agreed that the finance committee would meet to recommend, 1) Job Description 2) Contract of Employment and 3) Salary Structure for the Parish Clerk. Cllr Brookhouse asked to be included in the process.

10. New computer for the Parish Clerk.
Following continued problems the finance committee recommended the purchase of a new computer for the Clerk. The computer would remain the property of the Parish Council, depreciation costs of £250 per year had been budgeted for. The computer would be recorded as an asset of the Council. The computer would be purchased out of capital reserve funds. The council authorised Cllr Gittens to purchase the necessary computer up to a maximum value of £750.

Helmdon Parish Council Balances

The Council has £5358.58 in an Instant Access Account and a £500 Nottingham Bond.

Cheque No.

Payee

Description

Received

Paid

Balance

Opening Balance

4614.50

Bank Interest

Interest

11.78

4626.28

151

Brackley Landscapes

Tree Surgery - Field Way

120.00

4506.28

152

L. Willcocks

30.00

4476.28

153

L. Willcocks

Clerk's salary

125.00

4351.28

154

Powergen

Electricity

99.51

4251.77

155

Audit Commission

Audit 98 & 99

879.51

3372.26