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Minutes of Parish Council Meeting – 2nd April 2025

Minutes Uploaded on April 10, 2025

Draft minutes until agreed at next meeting on 7th May 2025

Monkton Farleigh Parish Council

Minutes

 Wednesday 2nd April 2025

Those attending from Parish Council: Frances Longmore (Co-Chair), Suzanne Stansfield (Co-chair), Jane Ghali (Clerk), Pauline Adams, Dan Sharp, Tom Firbank and Liz Watts

Other attendees: Nigel White (observing, as standing for election for the Winsley and Westwood Ward on 1st May)

  1. Apologies for Absence – Elliot McBryde, Andrew Tucker and Zoe Tinkler. There were no Declarations of Interest
  2. Items from the public – none
  3. Minutes of Meeting 19th February 2025 – agreed and signed
  4. Matters Arising

Still outstanding:

JG – Website guidelines, policies and standing orders, gov.uk addresses for PC, computer issues, anti-graffiti paint

AT – Salt bins/football goals/climbing fame edge maintenance in FR

TF – Reproof back of noticeboard at FW

Completed:

  • The MF village Emergency Plan was last updated in 2020 and Clerk has an electronic copy. Agreed to update in a quiet period.
  • Footpaths in ploughed fields – JG has resent documentation from WC to the PC – also see item 12.
  • Litter notice purchased by Clerk. TF will put up in lay-by at the back of Farleigh Rise play area. Action TF
  • All PCs have completed Register of Interest
  1. Report from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) – not present
  2. Report from Johnny Kidney – JK will now be stepping down at the end of April after serving for 2 terms, he was thanked for all of his help, especially with the road signs.

Budget – Wiltshire Council’s (WC) budget has been approved, generally a positive picture for WC, they are not making cuts to services and are building new leisure centre in Trowbridge.

Local Plan – this was submitted prior to the new housing targets and it’s now being looked at by the government.

  1. Update from Tree Warden – not present, but she had sent a message that there has been some work done on the ash trees in the Farleigh Rise playing field
  2. Playground land at Farleigh Rise and Broadstones – work continues with the transfer. FL updated the meeting:

Legal – Awdrys (the solicitors appointed by the PC) have had all of the documents from Wiltshire Council (WC) and will be going back with minor amendments. Awdry hope to have a report out to the PC next week outlining their advice (eg explaining the key terms, obligations etc). It may be necessary to convene an extra PC meeting to discuss this.

RoSPA/weekly inspections – agreed that a RoSPA inspection would be done on their next annual Wiltshire area cycle in Sept/Oct as costs of doing this earlier, as an urgent inspection were much more expensive (circa £600 compared with £160 – £80 per site). FL to book inspection. Action FL

Agreed WC should be handing over play areas in a safe condition. FL to ask WC for their most recent inspection report. Action FL

The insurance says weekly inspections must be done. The PC agreed that a group of volunteers will be needed for this. LW and EM to see if anyone would assist from Farleigh Rise and Broadstones as local support is needed going forward. Training will be given. Clerk has started to look into this but will continue to find options. JG also to locate weekly checklist purchased from RoSPA in 2023. Action JG, EM and LW.

Searches – the PC had been emailed prior to the meeting concerning decisions on legal searches – local authority, water and drainage and environmental. ‘These three searches would cost in the region of £750 per property.  As there are two different areas it would mean a set of searches per property’. Agreed none necessary for Broadstones. Agreed that the ongoing liability needs to be checked in the lease for Farleigh Rise before any decision made. DS offered to check lease. Action DS

Refurbishment and maintenance – Sovereign (play equipment providers) have provided two quotes of approx. £8k and £12k, to replace swing seats and sort out the rubber matting using wet pour. Still awaiting quote from HAGS. Agreed that it may better to get smaller companies to quote for individual pieces of the work. JG to look at options. Action JG

Clerk obtained a quote for £450 for sanding down and giving the play equipment one coat of paint at Farleigh Rise. Awaiting another quote. Action JG

Playdale are due to look at the roundabout in Broadstones w/c 7th April.

Two quotes have also been obtained by the Clerk for mowing.

WC had been sent the summary of questions as shared with the PC and had received a response which was still to be reviewed. FL and JG hoping to meeting with WC on 10th April to check status of the various actions/questions that have been raised and any further issues. Other PCs welcome to attend.

  1. Finances and budget – JG had circulated the accounts for February and March. This is now the year end so the Clerk will be completing the AGAR form and VAT refund to give the auditors. There is £9,112.41 in the bank. Agreed to pay Wiltshire Council £4,250 as the road signs are now in place. Also agreed to WALC/NALC membership at £204.04 and litter sign for the lay-by near Farleigh Rise at £16.71
  2. Wiltshire Council’s parish elections – Seven PC nomination forms were handed into Wiltshire Council. DS has decided not to stand. If the position isn’t filled by another nominee he will reconsider.
  3. Speed signs/road markings update/crossing A363 for school & public buses – speed signs are now up, although there is one ‘pedestrians on road’ missing. WC are aware. Action LW

Possibly some issue with speed signs at Farleigh Rise, but no representative at meeting. JG to contact EM to find out issue. Action JG

Query over whether road signs are on landowner’s land. Action TF and LW

A Highways Improvement Request Form has been submitted to the PC for comment by a resident at Farleigh Wick on behalf of the other residents there to propose some sort of traffic island on the A363 to allow school children catching the bus, and residents, a safer crossing. Agreed to support this. LW to draft some wordings on behalf of the PC for the form and to send to PC for approval. Action LW/JG

  1. Footpaths – LW spoke to Cumberwell’s farm manager, who was helpful, saying the paths would be kept clear around Pinckney Green/Farleigh Wick and footpath markers could be installed. Agreed this would be helpful. They would also keep the footpaths in mind when ploughing. Thanks to LW. LW and PA will continue to work on footpaths in the parish. LW had attended a Rights of Way webinar, but the recordings, which had been sent to the PC, didn’t work.
  2. Work for the Parish Steward – start of footpath up from the pub (towards Farleigh Rise) is shrinking due soil encroachment. The 20mph sign has been knocked and twisted along from school towards The Street. Monkton Farleigh sign on entering the village looks tired and lop-sided and would benefit from cleaning and straightening.
  3. Parish update:
  • Phone box use – deferred to another meeting
  • Climbing frame – bark & edge maintenance – JG now has bark quotes. Agreed to go with CPA Horticulture (120 x 60L bags of softwood playgrade chip) Total 7200L for £610.56 incl VAT. The edges of the bark will need to be mended prior to delivery. JG to check if AT is able to do this, otherwise will get a quote. Action AT and JG
  • Restore’s lights – EM to update, but absent
  • Defibrillator training – no reply from the lady who said that she’d do it. JG to contact the Circuit/NHS. Action JG
  • Village litter pick – thanks to all those who helped, 18 bags of litter were collected
  • Kings Arm’s pub – the pub came up for sale, but as it had been listed as a Community Asset the village had 6 weeks to consider if was interested in supporting a purchase. A group was formed and enough villagers showed interest to trigger a six-month moratorium, TF and LW are on the pub committee and will keep the PC updated.
  • The WC were sent information on blocked gully positions. Most were cleared, but the two on the corner opposite the pub are still blocked. The Parish Steward previously had reported that the pipes were broken under these drains. This has been reported to WC
  1. Correspondence received – nothing that hasn’t already been covered.
  2. Parish Matters – none
  3. Date of Next Meeting – Wednesday 7th May at 7pm in the Village Hall. This will also be the AGM

Meeting closed at 8.30pm