Meeting: Monday 9th February 2015

Dear Councillor

A meeting of the St Brides Minor Community Council will take place at the Sarn Life Long Learning Centre at 6.00pm on Monday 9th February 2015.

Brian G Rees Clerk Tel 01656 651500 Mobile 07976 407 289

Agenda

Introductions and to receive apologies for absence.
To note declarations of interest by members, in any agenda items.
To adopt the minutes of the Council Meetings held on Monday 12th January 2015 and deal with any matters arising, not covered elsewhere on the agenda
BCBC Report
Finance
i) Latest Bank Statements
ii) Receipts
iii) Payments for Approval
Report by the Clerk
Events
Development Projects
– Sarn Cemetery (see Clerk’s report)
– Car parking at the Memorial Hall, Bryncethin (see Clerk’s report)
Reports from External Bodies
i) Coity Walia
ii) Sarn Centre Association
iii) Friends of Tyn Y Coed Surgery
iv) V2C
v) Sarn & Bryncoch PACT
Members Reports/ A.O.B
Planning & Development

Date and time of next meeting – 6pm Monday 9th March 2015 at the Lifelong Learning Centre, Sarn.

Agenda Notes for the meeting to be held on Monday 9th February 2015

Item 5 FINANCE i)Bank Accounts

Co-operative Directplus Account balance at 29th January £ 28,130.28

(This figure includes the £12,011.60 paid by BCBC as its contribution to the Garden Extension) Swansea Building Society, balance at 31st December £ 45,011.41

ii) Receipts

There were no receipts during the month.

iii)Payments for Approval

Centregreat Ltd, Christmas trees and lighting £ 4502.76,inclusive of £750.46 VAT

ADM Nurseries, plants for winter planting of flower beds £ 730.55

Councillor Yvonne Nott re-imbursement of expenses –flowers £28.50

Membership of the Society of Local Council Clerks £131

Brian Rees Clerk salary payment February £622.48

HMRC Employee Tax & Employer NI, February (by bank transfer) £ 171.48

Item 6 REPORT BY CLERK Correspondence Received For Decision

*Letter dated 28th January from BCBC Assistant Chief Executive, inviting nominations from Town & Community Councils, for the BCBC Standards Committee.

Letter dated 5th February from “One Voice Wales” offering reduced price membership

Letter dated 11th January from the Samaritans inviting attendance at its AGM on the 25th March at the Vale Cricket Club in Corntown.

For Noting/Information

*Undated letter from Cylch Meithrin Plant Bach Sarn thanking the Council for its £100 donation.

*Letter dated 9th January from the Heol Y Mynydd Community Garden & Allotment Society thanking the Council for its £ 100 donation.

*Letter dated the 9th January, from The Bridgend County Borough Veterans Association thanking the Council for its £100 donation.

*Letter dated the 18th January from the Friends of the Tyn Y Coed Surgery thanking the Council for its £100 donation.

*Letter dated the 19th January from the “Tuesday Night Ladies” thanking the Council for its £100 donation.

Matters for Report

Sarn Cemetery

A meeting was held on the Friday 30th January, by the Chair and the Clerk, at Sarn Cemetery, with BCBC Officers and the Council’s gardening contractor, Rowan Garden Designs, to discuss the detail of the maintenance contract (The Clerk’s e mail to Councillors dated the 4th February, refers)

Town & Community Projects 2015/16

As agreed at the January Council meeting, the proposed scheme to create additional, environmentally friendly car parking at the Memorial Hall has been re-visited, with the layout revised to block off the exit to the A4061 and create two disabled parking bays, adjacent to the Memorial Hall. The revised scheme was considered at a meeting of the Board of the Coity Walia on the 4th February and it agreed to continue its support for the scheme and to provide some funding. A further site meeting was subsequently held on the 6th February, at the Memorial Hall. Present were BCBC Highways & Traffic Officers, Clive Davies, Chair of the Board of Conservators, Members of the Memorial Hall Committee, (Em. Griffiths & Hazel Taylor), GW Landscape Architect and the Clerk. Whilst all agreed that the scheme was much needed, all were of the view that a scheme with a combined entry and exit point would be unsatisfactory, with potential to create traffic chaos and danger. Clive Davies advised that the Board/Lord of the Manor,was prepared to extend the area of Common Land it would make available for such a Scheme, to enable a separate exit from the car park, to be created some 40/50 yards further down Heol Canola, where a drop kerb presently exists. It is proposed that a “roadway” would be created from this point, running across the Common Land, to the existing car parking. Off this roadway to its right and left, sustainable car parking bays would be created, herring bone fashion, likely in number to exceed those planned in the existing scheme. The “block” of eighteen bays would be discarded and most of the stand of trees would then not have to be removed. If the Council decides this is the way to proceed, a further survey will be required to determine the condition of the land, for such use, together with a re-drawing of the layout. It is estimated that this could cost up to £500.

Item 9 Report from External Bodies

v) Sarn & Bryncoch PACT Meeting 2nd February

The meeting was attended by Councillors Shirley Dobbs David & Janice Lewis and the Clerk.

General

The PACT meeting was well attended. The Chair reported on the successful deployment of the skips on the 10th January and the associated litter pick. Thanks were recorded to the St Brides Minor Community Council and V2C for meeting the cost of the skips, Keep Wales Tidy for the litter picking equipment and those who took part in collecting up the litter.

A question was asked about the replacement of the bench at Heol Cwrdy. The Clerk advised he was going to suggest to the Council that one of the benches (near the bus shelter) on Bryncoch be removed and re-sited at Heol Cwrdy. This met with approval and one of the PACT Members offered to lift and re-site. This will save for the Council the cost of a bench and its installation, some £500. It is evident that the co-operation between PACT members and the Council is leading to reciprocating rewards for both parties

Scams relating to the sale of insurance for Sky equipment were reported, with one member commenting that a close relative suffering from dementia had been defrauded on a number of occasions. It was agreed that a speaker would be invited to a future meeting, to give advice on identifying and avoiding being deceived by such scams. A recently bereaved resident expressed dissatisfaction with the grass cutting in Sarn Cemetery and the Clerk advised that from the 1st April, it will become the responsibility of the Community Council, when it will hopefully be able to address her concerns.

Crime Statistics (for January)

Sarn

Six crimes. Theft of a prescription, taking away a car without the owner’s consent(Sarn Services), no motor insurance, drunk in charge of a vehicle and two drug offences.

One case of anti social behaviour, neighbourhood issues.

Bryncoch

Four crimes, damage to a vehicle on seizure, two shoplifting offences, together with a search warrant, resulting ed in the seizure of twelve cannabis plants and one person charged .

No cases of anti social behaviour.

The Police paid tribute to the local community, as the issuing of the warrant resulting in the closure of the “cannabis” factory, took place because of intelligence provided by the Community.

Item 11 Planning & Development

Applications for Development:

* Letter dated 30th January regarding a proposed road plateau at Highland Avenue Bryncethin, as a traffic calming measure.

*Rear Dormer consisting of 2 bedrooms and an en suite bathroom.

9 Highland Close Sarn

Appeal Outcome

A successful appeal made by Greenhill Construction against a condition of its planning consent at Maesgwyn, to provide a pedestrian controlled traffic signal crossing on Blackmill Road.

Withdrawn

Steel Framed Building as use for the storage agricultural machinery, livestock and feed. Hendre Post Farm Blackmill

BGR 06/02/15