Draft Minutes of the Ash Annual Parish Meeting Held on Tuesday 24th April 2007, at 7.30pm in the Ash Village Hall, Queens Road, Ash.

Present: Chairman: Mr G Foat – Chairman of Ash Parish Council
Thirty one parishioners, including seven Parish Councillors, District Councillors Mr Bartlett and Mrs Chandler and P.C. Wright
Apologies: Kent County Cllr Mr Leyland Ridings, Mr Priestly Community Warden, Mr Swingland, Mr Pratt, Mrs Sheridan, Mr Phillips, BTCV

The Chairman, Mr Foat, welcomed everyone to the meeting.

07.1. Minutes
The minutes of the last Annual Parish Meeting, held on Tuesday 25th April 2006, had been made available before the meeting. Proposed by Mrs Ovenden, seconded by Mr D Chandler, the minutes were agreed as a true record and were signed.

07.2. Reports

i) Parish Council Chairman, Mr G Foat
Mr Foat thanked those councillors who had stood down – Miss Bennetts, Mrs Chandler, Mrs Ovenden and Mr King for their valuable contribution.

The following subjects were covered:-
• The Parish Council had vacancies for four councillors which would be dealt with at the next meeting of the Council
• The Beating of the Bounds had been successful and the next one is in 2010.
• Ash now is now covered by a Designated Public Places Order often referred to as an Alcohol Exclusion Zone
• If the Parish contributes 50% towards costs, a Police Community Support Office can be allocated. The decision will be taken at the next Parish Council meeting.
• Planning permission has been applied for the Bus Shelter opposite Havelock Place.
• New dog bins have been ordered.
• Green waste collections should not include too much soil as this interferes with the composting of the waste
• Sanctuary Housing Association is advertising for new applicants to join its waiting list for the homes in Mill Field Road.
• The Police Mobile Unit now visits The Street Car Park. A problem in March with the police officer PC Wright not being supplied with cover when on leave should be resolved by the PCSO.
• Vandalism had continued in the toilets at The Street; and the charity bins at Ash Village Hall Car Park had been overturned.
• Football was being played in the Street Car Park and it is suggested that a notice saying No Ball Games is required.
• Residents at Collar Makers Green are very dis-satisfied with the way Wimpeys have handled the delay in the site handover to the management company, Meadfleet. The residents have organised meetings and although it is not within the Parish Council remit, it would be expected that Dover District Council Planning Department would have enforced the planning requirements.
• 26 New Street, a derelict property had been referred to Dover District Council. After inspections by the Environmental Health Officer and Building Control, the only remedial action that could be taken was to require the owner to board up the windows.
• Polytunnels – Mansfield’s is applying for retrospective planning permission as they had not applied for Agricultural Prior Determination before erecting polytunnels. The matter is with the Dover District Council and also Canterbury City Council as they are awaiting an application from the same company. Durlock is experiencing flooding from the water running off the polythene. A recent planning application for two large buildings has been withdrawn.

Questions on the Chairman’s Report
A parishioner who has lived in New Street for 6 years asked:-
1) The speed of vehicles especially at night down New Street has caused incidents and could there be more police intervention.
2) How can the drinking of alcohol on the Recreation Ground be prevented. There are numerous bottles and beer cans on the Ground.
3) Can the footpaths and verges along from New Street be cut more regularly, also the footpath from Saunders Lane out to Marshborough rarely gets cut.

- PC Wright explained that Ash is covered by the DPPO and this does require a police officer or a PCSO to be present to take the appropriate action.

- The Chairman and Mr Whitburn explained that the problem of traffic speeding through Ash had been taken up with Kent County Council and that there is the possibility of three gateways on roads into Ash Village being included in the programme of works in the new financial year. Also speed cushions could be used on bus routes.

- The maintenance of footpaths is an ongoing concern and it will be raised at the next meeting of the Parish Council.

ii) Recreation Ground Committee Report, Mr G Foat
The following items were covered:
• Allotments are all let
• General problems with incidents with cars and some vandalism
• Ground very well used with four sports clubs, all with junior teams
• The Ground will be re-seeded this year
• Grasscrete was put in at both entrances to the Grounds
• The Teen Shelter was repaired after having been burnt out
• New play equipment with a scramble bike and climbing nets had been installed
• New roundabout would be installed in May
• Parts of the aerial slide had been replaced after having been stolen and repairs were needed to anchor the rear supports
• The Grounds and equipment are in such good condition due to all the hard work put in by the Environmental Assistant, Mr Wilkinson
• One tree had been lost over the winter and one Ash is looking sick which would be checked.

Nominations for the Recreation Ground Committee
Mr Paul Dunn was proposed by Mr G Foat and seconded by Mrs J Ryan and was duly elected.

Questions on the Recreation Ground Report
1) A parishioner asked if any new trees would be planted?
- The Chairman confirmed that the Parish Council would be deciding on how many new trees should be planted on the Ground.

2) A parishioner noted that the toilets on the Recreation Ground were supposed to be vandal proof, yet there were continuing reports of damage and why did the Parish Council continue to keep them open?
- The Chairman explained that as repairs were carried out materials were used that were as vandal proof as possible eg replacing glass with hardened plastic; removal of items that can be broken. Consequently, there had been less damage and the toilets were well used. The current vandalism was in the Dover District Council toilets in The Street Car Park.

iii) Footpath Committee Report by Mrs S Chandler
The following items were covered:-
• Volunteers had attended the last committee meeting
• The plan is to concentrate on the maintenance of the footpaths in the village and to monitor the more rural footpaths. There are more volunteers ready to carry out this work.
• Footpaths have been inspected by Mrs Chandler with the Kent County Council Rights of Way Officer, Denise Roffey – including around Molland Lea along to Chequer Lane and subsequent work had been carried out on the hedges and paths
• Rural footpaths being mis-used by motor-bikes had been followed up by Operation Freedown and practical barriers and signs on preventing footpaths being used as bridleways were being considered.

Questions on the Footpaths Report
A parishioner asked if anything could be done to improve the state of the Chequer Lane footpath which smells.
- Mrs Chandler answered that it would be referred to the Dover District Council Environmental Health Department.

iv) Financial Report on the Parish Council Accounts – Mrs Haggart

• The audited accounts to 31 March 2006 were displayed along with the Auditor’s Certificate.
• The un-audited receipts and payments to 31 March 2007 were distributed.
• Estimated receipts were £87,086 and payments were £54,791. General reserves were £32,356.
• Payments
- Admin & Office Equipment had increased due to the costs of recruiting the new clerk
- The annual grants had been made to the two village halls and to the Parochial Church Council for maintenance of the churchyard. The sum was lower than in the previous year, when an additional £2000 had been paid to Ash Village Hall towards the new heating system.
• Projects undertaken by the Council during the year had been covered in the Chairman’s Report and included the installation of new scramble bike and replacement nets for the climbing frame; the cost of laying the Grasscrete was less than estimated due to Mr A Wilkinson carrying out the work; one dog bin had been installed and two had been ordered.
• The increase in VAT was in part due to being able to re-claim on the resurfacing of the tennis courts.

The budget for 2007-2008
• Included in the budget is the new roundabout, completion of additional dog bins, £6,000 for the new bus shelter on The Street and a planned one for Sandwich Road, money for the War Memorial and the summer planting.
• Police Community Support Officer - £12,000 of the budget has been allocated to the PCSO costs and will be held in an earmarked fund so that the total cost can be spread evenly over three years.
• The precept for 2007-2008 was increased from £53,000 to £56,000 an increase of 5.6% on the total precept. On a Band D property which is used as the baseline, this equates to £46.06 per annum – an increase of 2.5% for the year.

Questions on the Finance Report
1) A parishioner asked what was included in the reserves.
- Mrs Haggart explained that it was made up of:- Scouts Hall £1,000, Innovations £248, Youth Facilities £3,000, PCSO £5,000, with a General Reserve at year end of £23,000.

2) A parishioner asked why reserves were kept so high.
- Mrs Haggart replied that the general reserves were less than half the annual precept and that the auditor would accept upto 40% of the precept being held to cover unexpected or contingency items. The Chairman added that the reserves would continue to be high, owing to the money that may be needed to cover the cost of the PCSO.

07.3. To Take Questions on the Parochial Charities and Trusts – reports and accounts were displayed at the meeting

i) Ash United Charities – Benevolent Fund (small endowments to meets cases of need) and Resthaven (alms houses) – no questions

ii) The Jack Foat Trust
- Mr Graham Foat wished to clarify that he and his family was not personally providing the money for this trust.

Questions on the Jack Foat Trust
1) Miss Bennetts asked how were the new trustees doing.
- Mr Downes answered that they were going very well. There had been a lot of work carried out in The Street field with planting of new trees and clearing.

2) A parishioner asked for a resume on the Financial Report.
- Mr Downes agreed that the village was very fortunate to be able to benefit from the Trust. The finances were in reasonable shape, even after making a considerable contribution to the local school. The grants for the current year had been very restricted to enable to the trust to regain its financial position
.
3) Mr S Gregory asked if Mill Field now having been cleared was going to be maintained.
- Mr Downes answered that Sanctuary Housing had identified a need for further affordable housing and both Sanctuary and the Trust would support developing of this land for housing for local rental.

On a more general note, Mr Downes added that he was very pleased as there had been so little vandalism on Trust property and he was impressed with the positive response there had been to the tree planting.

Mr Gregory asked if the area could be used for play equipment or recreation.
- It was not felt that it would be practicable or possible to put in more play equipment.

Mr Whitburn explained that when the affordable housing needs survey had been carried out, this had identified the need for approximately 18 – 20 properties. The new housing developments should have incorporated some affordable housing, although as the Parish Council had not been involved with allocations it was uncertain if it had been successful. As Mill Field was outside the village confines, it would require another housing needs survey before any plans could be discussed.

iii) The Frank Kingsland Bequests
The Chairman explained that this was a charity that provided two bungalows for the elderly and also contributed to educational needs. It would appear that there was more demand for such provision than could be supplied. The other bequests was set up for ‘charitable purposes’. There were no questions from the floor.

iv) Ash Educational Charities
These charities had been established by grants (1721) from Eleanor and Anne Cartwright, Godfrey’s School Foundation (1819) and Elizabeth Godfrey (1828) and Thomas Kelsey’s Foundation (1860). The Cartwright & Kelsey Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is the property of the Charity. The annual income included rental of the old school building that was opposite the Post Office and income from investments.

Mr I Chandler reported that now that the school had been rebuilt, the charity was able to give cash bursaries to over 18 year olds who lived in the parish and were starting an educational course in 2007. The charity was interested in receiving applications and would be advertising. The amount granted was approximately £100 depending on the number of applications received. The money could go towards buying course materials.

Mr Whitburn said the details could go in the next Parish Council newsletter and on the web-site.

07.4. To Receive the Accounts of the Village Halls

i) Ash Village Hall - Mrs J Ryan
• Income had increased from £8,031 to £10,089 due to higher charges and an increase in the number of hirings.
• Payments - due to a change in insurer the premiums had decreased form £2,281 to £1,477. There had been an increase in the cleaning costs and utilities, although gas costs had decreased due to the effectiveness of the new heating system.
• Bookings had fluctuated due to the loss of Line Dancing, Sunday School and Good Companions. However ballroom and latin dance classes and dog classes had helped to make up the deficit.
• A Finance Sub-Ctte of A Hunt, B Last and H Howard were working well and achieving a firmer footing for the finances
• There had been some vandalism in February with broken windows and other incidents. The Hall Committee had received tremendous support from PC Wright and the Community Warden, Mr Priestly.
• It was hoped to encourage live performance in the Hall, although the recent visit from Chalkfoot Theatre had not been well attended even though it received great critical acclaim.
• The Library reported an increase in lending numbers and the librarian, Mrs Willings, is very helpful in showing visitors how to use the internet connection that is now available.
• Thanks go to the Jack Foat Trust for the grant to install the shutter to safeguard the chairs and tables and to the Parish Council for the annual grant and the additional money that would be used to repair and redecorate the wooden windows in the Main Hall.

Questions on the Ash Village Hall Report
The Chairman asked about the situation where the Village Hall was being undercut by the United Reform Church Hall
- Mrs Ryan explained that the Management Committee had looked at other comparable halls with similar facilities and had aimed to stay competitive with them.

ii) Westmarsh Village Hall – Miss Kimberley had sent her apologies and a report which was read out by Mrs Haggart.
Westmarsh Village Hall has had a quiet year with a continuing decline in the use of the Hall. The Income of £1,567 was sufficient to cover the Expenses which amounted to £1,377, the main item being insurance of £1,070.

The Parish grant of £500 is very much appreciated, as it amounted to almost one third of the income. There was a balance at bank of £10,050, built up from past years’ surpluses.

Mr Fitzsimmons, the new Chairman of the Management Committee, explained that there was some unease at the level of bookings and that without the grant the Hall would not be able to break even. At the moment, there was no maintenance being done. An Open Afternoon on Sunday 3 June from 3pm, is aiming to generate more interest in extending the use of what is a very good hall.

It was suggested that Westmarsh VHMC should approach the new insurers for Ash Village Hall, to see if they could benefit from a reduction in premiums.

07.5. Report on the Work of the Local Police – PC Wright
• PC Wright responding to some of the earlier questions explained that he personally was not able to carry out speed checks as this was done by a specialist Road Policing Team. The Parish should write to Inspector P Woodley about requests for this service.
• Alcohol problems can be addressed by the discretionary powers of the police to intervene e.g. breach of the peace; also under the DPPO they also able to confiscate alcohol from under-age drinkers and if alcohol is about to be consumed can also act. Responding to the concern about the consumption of alcohol on the Recreation Ground, most of the persons who have been stopped are over 18 and when in vehicles the driver is not usually drinking. There is a need to educate users of the Ground about not leaving litter. If any drinkers are under 18, the police will contact their parents and try to find out where the young people are getting the alcohol.
• The Neighbourhood Police Unit is now established and this aims to ensure a named police officer, police support community officer or a community warden can be contacted.
• The Safer Kent Campaign has seen neighbourhood patrols reducing incidents of anti-social behaviour, burglary and theft. To reduce reported crimes in a particular area, for example around the Ash Village Hall, overt cameras are installed to see who is using an area and when. Then this information is used to identify the responsible individuals.
• Work on issues such as fly tipping, Neighbourhood Watch Schemes, Operation Freedown (stopping nuisance from off road vehicles and bikes) continues.
• The Mobile Police Unit will now be in The Street Car Park between 6pm and 8pm during the Summer months and this visible presence should also assist in preventing anti-social behaviour.
• The reported crimes for Ash do reflect an improvement but it is also important to continue to report all crimes and all incidents.

Questions on the Police Report
1) A parishioner asked if something could be done to stop cars speeding and making dangerous u-turns at Knell Lane, outside St Faith’s School between 8.30 and 8.45am and again at 3.15pm, as it is endangers the parents and children walking to and from school.
- PC Wright will ask the Community Warden, Mr Priestly, to patrol the area and see if it is possible to raise the issues with parents about safe parking and the dangers of speeding. Perhaps the school would consider sending a letter to parents pointing out these concerns about driving and parking.

2) A parishioner raised the dangerous parking on the Ash By-pass verges when the Boot Fairs were taking place.
- Mrs Chandler explained that this would be a matter for Kent Highways Department.

3) Mr Potts asked if the powers to deal with alcohol extend to Police Community Support Officers.
- PC Wright confirmed that they could confiscate alcohol but not make arrests.

4) A parishioner had submitted a question by e-mail about what could be done to make sure that visiting workers from Europe knew the law regarding safe driving and speed limits especially on narrow country roads.
- PC Wright explained that there had been meetings between local farmers and businesses and the police.. ‘Welcome Packs’ had been made up with the support of local farmers that outlined the do’s and don’ts while in this country. It included the law about driving, safe vehicles and was useful in providing a point of contact for police and the visiting workers.

5) PC Wright wanted clarification on any restrictions on driving onto the Recreation Ground. There had been some drivers who had received S59 warnings from the police which meant that if breached the vehicles could be impounded. However, PC Wright was aware that some vehicles were allowed on the Ground.

- The Chairman replied that parishioners should receive permission before driving on the Ground and that there were By-laws to cover use. For example they should not do more than 5 miles per hour, they should drive and park sensibly. Permission was granted to allotment holders and members and visitors of the various Sports Clubs.

Miss Bennetts asked exactly where should allotment holders drive their cars, for example following the line of the trees?

Mr Whitburn asked for PC Wright to be given a copy of the By-laws. The Parish Council would look at this matter.

07.6. Report and Questions for the Cartwright & Kelsey School Governor – Mrs Chandler.
The report was distributed to the meeting.
• The new school building was dedicated by Bishop Venner in June and the garden for the Fledglings and Wrens was completed.
• The school has had two Ofsted inspections this year and received a glowing report. The Governors were also found to make a positive contribution. In the Section 48 inspections, the school was adjudged outstanding. The subsequent action points and the Strategic Development Plan are in place.
• Staff changes have meant the Sue Knight Fotheringham has left to become the Head Teacher at White Cliffs Primary School in Dover and Joy Amos has left full-time teaching after many years at the school. A new Deputy Head Teacher will be appointed to start in September.
• There is now a Parent Council in addition to the PTFA and the School Council. All are working very well together.
• Fledglings, the combined Nursery and pre-school goes from strength to strength and 24 children are joining the Reception Class Wrens in September.

Questions on the Cartwright & Kelsey School Report
A parishioner asked if the numbers were dropping as official estimates had predicted and what were the governors doing to keep enrollments up.
- Mrs Chandler explained that enrollment were going well with 180 children on the roll, including the nursery class which was very successful and full for most sessions. There would be 24 enrolled in the September reception class and casual admissions had also increased.

07.7. There were no resolutions for which written notice had been given.

07.8. County Councillor Ridings had sent apologies, however any questions would be forwarded.
Miss Bennetts asked about the clearing up of the litter on the Ash By-pass.
- Mrs Chandler had reported this to DDC and SITA, the cleaning contractor, should be clearing it regularly.

07.9. Reports and Questions for the Dover District Councillors, Mr Bartlett and Mrs Chandler.
The Councillors distributed their report to the meeting and asked for questions.

• A number of major improvements to the area had been agreed including the St James Development in Dover Town Centre, Phase 2 of the White Cliffs Business Park, £1.6 million to be invested in private sector housing, the development of Connaught Barracks and Buckland Mill site, the refurbishment of Dover Priory Rail Station and the improvements to Deal seafront.
• Fowlmead Country Park will be officially opened on Bank Holiday Week-end 27 and 28 May
• Dover District Council is now debt free and has been awarded 3 out of 4 for its use of financial resources by the Audit Commission. DDC’s council tax is now the 3rd lowest in Kent.
• The Anti-Social Behaviour Unit had resolved 47 cases in the ward and has been commended by the Audit Commission.
• The Designated Public Places Order was introduced by DDC from 1st February and more details can be found on the council website www.dover.gov.uk/communitysafety
• Kent County Council has been running the district’s highways for two years and the Kent Highways Service Centre takes your calls on 08458247 800.
• The sitting councillors would like to record their thanks to Mrs Anne Willshaw and Mr Paul Southgate who stood down last year, for the work they had given to the District, especially Anne who had been a Councillor for some time. Mrs Chandler and Mrs Sheridan were duly elected. Mrs Sheridan will not be standing this year due to a very serious illness. The councillors would like to take this opportunity to wish her all the very best for a full recovery.
• Recycling in the District has doubled in the last two years and the black box scheme had been extended and the green waste scheme introduced.
• Planning Enforcement is a lengthy process and the councillors have been trying to improve communication between the legal team and the Parish Councils so that they are kept up to date with any developments.
• Neighbourhood Forums have been set up which bring together County, District, Town and Parish Councils with the public. Issues such as health services, youth provision and highways will be covered.

Questions to the District Councillors
1) The Chairman noted that he had had to report to Dover District Council that his rubbish bin had not been properly emptied.
2) A parishioner asked if parking wardens could prevent the cars parking on the double yellow lines on the junction of Queens Road and The Street as this was very dangerous, also outside All Days. Another parishioner asked if they could also visit Hoaden which had similar problems.
- Mr Bartlett said he would make the request to the relevant department.

3) Mr Bartlett explained that he had been aware of the problems with the recent extension of the Black Box scheme. This was being worked on and any problems should be reported. A smaller vehicle was being introduced to be able to go down the narrower roads and lane. It was noted that the 15 houses at Hoaden did not have boxes. Mr Bartlett had brought black boxes to the meeting for any parishioner who did not have one or wanted extra, as it was possible to have as many as were needed.

Another parishioner explained that while domestic rubbish was collected their black box was not, as there was no pavement near their house and it would be unsafe to leave it on the road.
- Mr Bartlett and Mrs Chandler would look into this. Mrs Chandler explained that it is planned to recycle plastic and cardboard through the black box scheme next year. It had been unfortunate that the KCC Recycling Centers had stopped taking plastics this year, when DDC was going to introduce it next year. This lack of communication would be referred to County Councillor Ridings.

4) A parishioner asked about St Nicholas House and what has been decided about the renovations and its long term future.
- Mrs Chandler answered that there is a maintenance plan for all Dover District Council properties like St Nicholas House, however the work may not be started for 2-3 years. There is also discussions due to start on whether the provision offered needs to alter. There will be full consultation with the residents and the parish about this.

5) Mrs Ovenden raised the problem of the blind bend at Guilton where there is only a single yellow line and cars are often parked with a hedge obstructing the highway view. Drivers often have to overtake the parked cars approaching this bend. Is it the KCC Highways Department or the owner’s responsibility?

- Mr Bartlett answered that it may be both. The owners should be asked to cut back the hedge and changing the parking restrictions would be KCC Highways.

A parishioner raised the point that hedges generally on highways were a problem. Cop Street being a case in point.

Another parishioner explained that the Guilton problem was up by the Gables and that the pavement was covered by hedging opposite the Old Brewery.

- Mrs Chandler answered that resolving the problems depends on the exact problem as for example, hedge trimming is the responsibility of the land owner.

A parishioner explained that the Guilton parking problems and highway site lines arose as KCC had not wanted to put in No Waiting Areas on the left hand side of the road ie along the south side of the road. Now the residents do not want any changes, as they would not be able to park outside of their homes. The Chairman accepted that the Parish Council had got it wrong at the time.

Mrs Chandler then gave an update on Collar Makers Green. She explained that there will be some delay in the adoption of the estate, as before services can be taken on by Dover District Council, three certificates needed to be issued, with the final one only being issued 12 months after the second. The problem of having dog litter bins regularly emptied had been resolved by referral to the Environmental Health Department. However, the progress of completion and adoption is not the responsibility of DDC but lies with Wimpey and really the only way to try move the matter along is by ‘Pester Power’.

07.10. Any Other Business

Mr David Cave explained that he had become the ‘history holder’ for Ash. He has a parish chest which includes many local records and documents of interest. For example, the receipt for the building of Ash Village Hall was for £860.

Has the Parish Council any interest in keeping these historical items? Mr Cave would prefer to see the collection kept together and not broken up. There was micro-film of the Church Records dating back to 1570 and records of the Poor Law dating back to 1610. There were more recent documents to do with the By-pass enquiry and the core of the 1953 exhibition. He provided a list for the Chairman who thanked him and said he would take the matter to the Parish Council.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.20pm.