Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of the Council

Date:

Wednesday 24^th May 2017

Time:

8.00pm

Place:

Bramley Room, Bramley Village Hall

Present:

Cllr Durrant (Chair)

Cllr Capel

Cllr Bell

Cllr Ansell

Cllr Flooks

Cllr Marshall

Cllr Tomblin

Cllr DiMascio

In attendance:

Maxta Thomas (Clerk)

6 members of the public

Cllr Robinson (Borough)

Cllr Rowland (Borough)

PCSO Johnson

Apologies:

Cllr Lane

Cllr Marshall

Cllr Vaughan (County)

1.

Chairman’s welcome

The Chairman opened the Annual Parish Meeting of Bramley Parish Council by welcoming guests and parishioners on behalf of the Council.   

2.

Apologies

As noted above.

3.

Chairman’s report on parish councils year

Cllr Durrant presented his report for the previous year (appendix A). 

4.

Accounts summary

The Clerk presented a brief update on the accounts (See appendix B). 

5.

Neighbourhood Development Plan report

Cllr Bell presented a report on the NDP (See appendix C).

6.

Allotments & Burial Ground

Cllr Ansell presented his report (See appendix D). 

7.

Clift Meadow Trust

Cllr Capel presented the report on behalf of Simon Gill of the Clift Meadow Trust (See appendix E).   

8.

Village Hall Trust report

Phil Lewis gave the report on behalf of the Village Hall Trust (See appendix F).

9.

Bramley Church & PCC

Sarah Hodnett presented a report on behalf of the Church and the PCC (see appendix G). 

10.

Bramley School Governors report

No report received.  Cllr Capel gave a brief verbal update. 

The new head has settled in well, and is looking to increase numbers at the school and improve educational standards.

11.

Police & Neighbourhood Watch

PCSO Johnson gave the report for the police activity for the year. (See appendix H). 

12.

Borough Councillor report

Cllr Robinson and Cllr Rowland presented their reports (See appendix I).

13.

County Councillor report

Cllr Durrant formally welcomed Cllr Rhydian Vaughan as the new Hampshire County Council Ward Member for the Calleva Ward.  As he is newly elected, there was no report.

14.

Update on LIF Road Safety Project

Cllr Ansell presented the report (See appendix J). 

15.

Questions from parishioners

A resident enquired what the position was on the Kebab stand that has opened up at the Bramley Inn.  Councillors confirmed that it falls within the licence for the pub, and that environmental health officers at BDBC are keeping an eye on the operation.

A resident noted the large Election notices that have appeared in the village.  The Clerk confirmed that these are permitted under special rules governing General Elections, and would be removed soon after the election on 8^th June.

16.

Closure of meeting  

The Chairman brought the meeting to a close at 9.16 pm.

Appendix A

Chairman’s report – Presented by Cllr Durrant

Another eventful year with mixed results.

The single biggest success is the adoption of the Bramley Parish Neighbourhood Development Plan.

A phenomenal effort by all those concerned. More on this later, but in the meantime our hearty thanks must go to all concerned.

We have had our share of development applications, but with the Local Plan, and therefore the Neighbourhood Plan not in place we have had 2 applications approved for a total of 114 dwellings. There is another proposal in progress attempting to increase the already approved application for 50 dwellings at Strawberry Fields, to 55 dwellings. This has been opposed by the Parish Council amongst others. The sign placed at Strawberry Fields by Bewley Homes is in breach of planning regulations and the Parish Council has made representations to the Borough Council to have it removed. The good news is that 2 other applications in Bramley have been refused on the grounds that Bramley has no need for further housing at this time; a fact supported by the NDP and LDP. Our Borough Councillors have also been very supportive in arriving at these decisions.

The Parish Council has gained approval to use Local Infrastructure Fund, to be used to improve the road safety around the Station and create a safer route to school for many. Again, more of this later.

Flood and traffic flow studies were commissioned by the Parish Council and have provided us with the most up to date data available. These studies will be used to provide facts regarding the consequences of more development and improve (hopefully) awareness of traffic issues in Bramley along the C32.

An air quality study is planned for this coming year.

I have arranged for representatives of the County Highways team to meet with Councillors to “walk “the C32 to highlight the appalling condition of the road surface.

We have continued to support the Clift Meadow and Village Hall Trusts through grant funding essential projects to improve facilities. 

The Youth Club has been reinstated and is we believe thriving. Our thanks go to Chris Holland and his team.

Vandalism and hooliganism have reared their ugly and ignorant heads again.  The Parish Council are working with the Police and Borough Council to get this under control and reduced. Key to any progress in this matter is the reporting of all incidents; the police and authorities cannot act without reports and witnesses. The Parish Council are planning an awareness campaign giving details of how to report incidents; this will involve posters and information on our website, notice boards and social media postings.

 Better communication is always on our agenda and we continue to communicate effectively and promptly with the community with door to door leaflet drops whenever appropriate being key to the strategy.

There is always more to do.

Appendix B

Accounts – Presented by Maxta Thomas (Clerk and RFO)

Income dropped again in 2016/17, due to the Parish Council being between major projects.  Grants for the Neighbourhood Development Plan tailed off as it neared completion, and the LIF Road Safety project did not fully begin until the very end of the year.  Expenditure has continued on various projects, such as the Neighbourhood Development Plan, grants to both the Village Hall and Clift Meadow Pavilion, and a major traffic survey project, as well as the usual expenditure on village maintenance.   Expenditure levels were very similar to those in 2015/16.   

We have again received the usual grants from BDBC, which assist the Council in paying for maintenance at Bramley Green, and the Litter Warden.  The Parish precept was maintained at the same level in 2016/17 and 2017/18 as in recent years.  The precept is used on such items as maintaining the granary, green space in the village, and various community projects.  It should be noted that for 2017/18, BDBC have cut the Limited General grant completely, and reduced the Council Tax Support grant by one third.  This will reduce further next year, and disappear completely in 2019/20.  This is not a problem for the PC whilst operating on the current budget; however, this will need to be managed carefully in future years. 

Planned projects for the coming 12 months include significant work on the Road Safety project, for which Local Infrastructure funding has been secured from BDBC.  The pilot Community Speedwatch project will also continue. 

The annual return figures will be published on the Parish Council website in the very near future.

Appendix C

Neighbourhood Development Plan – Presented by Cllr Bell

THE BRAMLEY NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN IS “MADE”

The Neighbourhood Plan area for Bramley was designated and agreed by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) to be Bramley Parish in February 2013. It was Bramley Parish Council (PC) that decided to apply for this area when it was realised the importance of having a Neighbourhood Plan (NP) in place which would reflect the wishes of the residents of Bramley as to what they wanted Bramley to be like in the future. Bramley over previous years had seen high growth in housing over which they had not been able to influence, so this was an opportunity to have some control in the future and to try and achieve their vision for Bramley:-

“In 2029 Bramley will be an attractive village with a strong historic character, an unspoiled rural setting, excellent and conveniently located community facilities, a range of high quality homes fulfilling local needs, safe and convenient access to transport services and green spaces, and good opportunities for locally based employment.”

Through an initial Open day the PC was able to inform the community further about the importance of Neighbourhood Planning and at that meeting recruited volunteers who would be the Steering Group under the control of the PC to put the Neighbourhood Plan together. Initially there were 13 volunteers made up of residents, PC members and land owner. This over the years changed in profile and reduced to main stay number of 8 volunteers.

Through questionnaires and Open days the NP was published. It could not have been put together without the initial assistance of “Planning Aid” who pointed us in the right direction, without the assistance of the planning officers of BDBC and thanks to the Consultant Mick Downs of Urban Vision whom we recruited, who analysed our findings, who made a presentation to the community and who put the Neighbourhood Plan together which will sit beside the Local Plan and influence future development in Bramley if it is made? Also the dedicated volunteer members of the Steering Group who put in hours of work arranging Open days, questionnaires, doing analysis of data and preparing the Appendices which accompany the main document as support for the policies in the Neighbourhood Plan. They must not be forgotten. They are people who have an interest to see the wishes of the community laid down in a Legal Document.

Financial cost of producing the plan includes marketing, producing literature, the cost of the Consultant. Towards these costs then Grants were applied for from “Community Development Foundation” and “Groundwork”, approached through Locality. These grants totalled £14,000 and BDBC also provided £5,000 towards the Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment report. The balance (£28,000) came from Bramley Parish Council who realised the importance of the NP.

Achieving the final document was not an easy job. Getting support from the community was a major issue because they had seen

• Previous questionnaires completed which had not resulted in anything material
• A large development having previously being imposed on Bramley without any consideration for the effect on Bramley community and the affect it had on their quality of life.
• No improvement to the infrastructure to accommodate the extraordinary growth in housing over previous years

Also they saw developers sneaking in applications for housing development in the window of opportunity with no Local Plan and no Neighbourhood Plan, without any consideration as to the feelings of the community and the impact excessive development would have on Bramley and the quality of life of its residents.

Throughout this last year, the Neighbourhood Plan has been through Draft to its Final Stage.

• The Basic Conditions Statement was produced by Urban Vision in May 2016
• The Strategic Environmental Assessment report was produced in June 2016 by AECOM and accepted by BDBC
• The Appendices concerning “Local Trees and Local Green Spaces”, “Vista Views and Important Landscape Views”, “Transport” were edited in accordance with recommendations from BDBC.
• The Submission Plan was publicised by BDBC for comment during the publicity period 18^th July to 5^thSeptember 2016 in line with regulation 16 in the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, with a total of 22 representations from 13 respondents.
• The Plan went for external examination with the report published by “Janet L Cheesley BA (Hons) DipTP, MRTPI in October 2016.

The Examiner took account of the responses made alongside her requirement to access the plan against Legislative requirement. Her Conclusion was:- 

“Whilst I have set out my reasoning under individual policies, my overall conclusion is that, subject to my recommendations, the Plan meets the Basic Conditions. It is appropriate to make the Plan. Subject to my recommendations being accepted, I consider that the Bramley Neighbourhood Development Plan 2011-2029 will provide a strong practical framework against which decisions on development can be made. I am pleased to recommend that the Bramley Neighbourhood Development Plan 2011-2029, as modified by my recommendations, should proceed to Referendum.”

She also congratulated the Steering Group concerning the publicity of the NP for regulation 14, saying “The Consultation and publicity went well beyond the basic requirements and it is clear that the qualifying body went to considerable lengths to ensure that local residents and interested parties were able to engage in the production of the plan”

• The recommendations of the examiner which included the deletion of Policy RE2, “Area of Separation” were discussed by the Parish Council and approved, resulting in the Final editing of the Plan
• With the approval of BDBC, the Plan went to Referendum on the 9^th February, 2017. On a turnout of 32.53% (1029 votes), 95.33% said “YES” to the plan. To Make the Plan 50% in favour was required.
• The Plan was presented to BDBC Cabinet in March 2017, and with their approval was presented to full council on the 30^th March 2017. Council APPROVED the plan.
• BDBC MADE the plan, and it now forms part of the statutory Development Plan for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

The residents of Bramley Parish and the Parish Council now have a plan that presents their views as to what they want in Bramley. It will control future development within Bramley Parish and those housing developments already approved will have to take note as to the type of development they submit against the outline permission previously approved. It is a Legal Document which has not been Legally Contested during the last consultation period.

With the full support of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, the Neighbourhood Plan will go a long way to achieve the Vision for Bramley in the future.

The Parish Council has to now use the Plan to Achieve the Vision for Bramley Parish.

The Parish Council thank Basingstoke and Deane for their support in producing the plan, the dedicated members of the Steering Group for their time and efforts in producing the plan, the Consultant Mick Downs for his advice and time and to the residents of Bramley Parish for their responses to the numerous questionnaires.

Appendix D

Allotments & Burial Ground – present by Cllr Bruce Ansell

Appendix E

Clift Meadow Trust report – presented by Cllr Capel

The past year has been a good twelve months for Clift Meadow.  We have been joined by two new Trustees in Debby Pringle and Caroline Sherlock.  Both have proven themselves to be highly engaged and keen to ensure that Clift Meadow has a central role to play in the village. Finances have stabilised so we are mostly covering our costs but not yet in a position to fund capital improvements. The level of users has stabilised around 12-15 and while we receive new enquiries fairly regularly we have had a number of new clubs that have failed to be able to garner enough interest to keep going. In terms of marketing Clift Meadow we have been using facebook far more than previously and this has had a largely positive effect in raising our profile and broadening awareness. We are soon to be revamping our website as well. 

Not everything has gone well and unfortunately we have been the victims of pointless vandalism. In an attempt at accommodating new users who often need storage we successfully applied for a grant from the Parish Council for a new shed. The shed had to be removed only months after it was erected having been irreparably damaged. With the help of the PCSO, Nathan Johnson, we installed a camera device while the shed was still up but results were inconclusive. The buildings need to be more secure and while Clift Meadow is a site for vandalism it doesn't automatically make the Trustees responsible for resolving the issue.  

In terms of the buildings both have been well maintained this year and it appears that a biannual redecoration programme is necessary to keep the buildings in a good state.  The construction of Brocas Hall has two major flaws - insufficient drainage and poor design meaning it is complicated to service the shutters.  The drains have been resolved for the time being and our thanks to the Parish Council for their assistance.  Due to the intermittent nature of the use of the buildings the drains will always be at risk.  There appears to be no means by which to resolve the shutters without an expensive rebuild.  

On a more positive note Clift Meadow has managed to recover some financial stability. The cost of running both buildings is close to £30,000 per annum. The income we receive from users is not sufficient to cover these costs so the Trust has looked into different events during the year to see what captures the villagers imagination.  We have had a number of successful quiz nights which bolster our income; we have repeated the Pampering evening, and Christmas fair and of course the St George's Day Fete.  We shall be holding a regular annual Fete for the village which while raising income for us and St James Church it does also have the more important role of providing an opportunity for the village to come together.  We estimate that c.2000 attended this year and making this an annual event should help to promote its appeal. We even had a request for directions from Portsmouth via facebook! 

In terms of challenges, based on our experience over the last few years the maximum number of activities or classes the village can and will support is at the current level of 12-15.  This means that the buildings cannot pay for themselves so will continue to need to be subsidised through the support of the Parish Council and the efforts of the Trustees to create and manage events to raise income. A further observation is that the village would benefit greatly from a better play area for young children on Clift Meadow.  The current swings are dated and insufficient. We have the space and a central enough location for this to be of interest.  Finally our car park is often full although rarely by patrons and users - it is used as an overflow by the Surgery and by commuters coming to Bramley from neighbouring villages. We shall shortly be erecting signs to remind everyone that the car park is for the users, and we shall launch a programme of educating non-users.  While this should mean that those coming to Clift Meadow for classes, or children's parties should be able to access the car park, we appreciate it will do nothing to alleviate the parking issue in the village, however it is necessary if we are to stop our users having to park on the road. 

The team of Trustees is still relatively new but beginning to understand where efforts need to be focused for maximum reward. These efforts should be applauded and I look forward to the continued and generous support of the Parish Council.

Appendix F

Village Hall Trust report – presented by Phil Lewis

Charity Name:  Bramley Village Hall Trust

Registered Charity Number:  301765

Charity’s principal address:  Bramley Village Hall, The Street, Bramley, Tadley, Hampshire, RG26 5BP

Charity Trustees for the Year 2016 - 2017: 

• Philip Lewis                Chairman and Treasurer
• Jane Matthews           Vice Chairman
• Jo Whatley                 Secretary
• Sian Davies (has since resigned)
• Sarah Hodnett           (PCC Representative)
• Sharon Lane              (PC Representative)
• Richard Beale            Treasurer designate from 1st May 2107

Structure, Governance and Management

Bramley Village Hall is governed by a Deed of Trust dated 30^th October 1969 and amended 23^rd May 2016.

The Deed of Trust provides details of the number and method of annual appointment of the Trustees.

• Seven elected Trustees
• Three co-opted Trustees

All Trustees must resign at the Annual General Meeting but may stand for re-election. The AGM this year will be held on 19^th June, 7.00pm for 7.30pm. The plans for the refurbishment and development of the Village Hall will be on display.

All villagers over the age of 18 years who live within the Bramley Precept Area are eligible to stand for election and three can be co-opted at the discretion of the elected Trustees. The Parish Council have the right to appoint one Trustee. The Chairman is elected by the Trustees.

All Trustees give their time voluntarily and received no remuneration or other benefits. 

Aim and Purposes

Bramley Village Hall Trust aims to provide facilities where clubs and societies of the village of Bramley and surrounding areas can meet in pleasant, adaptable surroundings. It is available for hire to the general public and to commercial organisations for a variety of meetings and events.

Bramley Village Hall Trust aims to make the Village Hall available to as many groups as possible and to ensure that they have access to the required amenities and facilities. To this end the Trust retain the services of a self-employed Caretaker/Cleaner to ensure that the Hall is in a fit state for all users and to give access to occasional users who do not have a key. The Event and Administration Coordinator takes bookings via the on-line Booking System for all users, both occasional and regular Receipts are banked, invoices paid and invoices sent by the Treasurer who keeps the accounts.

The Bramley Village Hall Trust is specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Village Hall and grounds. To meet this obligation the Trust has a contract with an outside contractor to maintain the heating and electrical systems and all plumbing works, to make minor repairs to the building, grounds and fittings.  Unfortunately the current contractor has not been able to provide the service we would like to have and a new one will be sought. A new contract with a local Garden Maintenance firm was taken out in early July as the existing maintenance arrangement was not working as well as the Trustees would have liked. Areas attended to include the track to the field behind at the side of the Village Hall grounds as this belongs to the Village Hall.

The following areas/rooms are available for hire:

• The Main Hall
• The Committee Room
• The Main Kitchen
• The Bramley Room

Activities

There are 21 current clubs, societies and activities which take place on a regular basis, five more than last year. They are:

• Little Apples of Bramley Pre-school
• The Petite School of Dancing
• Country Music
• Bramley Badminton Club
• Bramley Short Mat Bowls Club
• Bramley Guides
• Bramley Brownies
• Bramley Rainbows
• Bramley Women’s Institute
• Stitch Together
• Thames Valley Tango
• Music with Mummy
• The Bramley Show
• DanceXAffinity Modern Jive
• Dinky Disco
• Pilates for Runners
• WI Lite
• Kick Boxing
• Caterpillar Music
• Give Me Strength Fitness

It is also used by Bramley Parish Council for their monthly meetings.

From time to time social events, organized by the Trustees and other volunteers, are held for the entertainment of villagers and friends and to raise funds for Bramley Village Hall.

At the 2015/16 AGM of the eleven Trustee positions available only six were filled. During the year, one resigned thus leaving the governance of the Village Hall in hands of less than half the available positions. This lack of Trustees has made the running of the Village Hall difficult.

April 2016 started with the annual Art Exhibition which took place over two days. This was the second Exhibition held at the Village Hall and was very well attended with over fifty artists exhibiting and over 200 visitors. A profit of c.£700 was realised. The next Art Exhibition will be held on 26^th and 27^th August 2017.

During late April interviews were held for a replacement for Christine Rowley who had been Clift Meadow’s and the Village Hall’s Development Manager during 2015/16. A grant of £30,000 spread over three years was made available by the Borough Council’s Local Infrastructure Fund to develop closer relationships between the Village Hall and Clift Meadow Trusts. The first year, 2015/16, was entirely funded by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. Mrs Rowley’s contract came to an end in March 2106 and, with Clift Meadow’s decision not to take the project further, a new agreement was drawn up between the Borough and the Village Hall to appoint an Event and Administration Coordinator using the same funding formula to work solely for the Village Hall. Cat Hayward was appointed on a one year contract (2016/17), with costs being split on a 40% contribution from the Village Hall and a 60% contribution from the Borough. Mrs. Hayward has been re-appointed for a further year (2017/18) with the Village Hall contributing 60% of costs and the Borough 40%. Careful analysis of the Village Hall accounts ensured that this was financially possible. Mrs Hayward maintains the booking diary using the Hallmaster computer program. She is also responsible for organizing and running a variety of Village Hall events. The appointment has been very successful.

During the year the Film Nights in the Main Hall have continued with ‘Lady in The Van’ being shown on 30^th April 2016.  Five subsequent films were shown at Film Night. Unfortunately this venture has been making a regular loss. It was terminated after the showing of ‘Sully’ in late January. It is hoped to revive the project in September or October of this year when, in a joint venture with the Parish Council, projection equipment will be installed in the Bramley Room.

On 18^th February we welcomed the theatre company Box Tale Soup who presented ‘Alice in Wonderland’ for local children. The event was well attended and, although it made a slight loss, a similarly child-oriented production will be repeated later this year.

The third Mistletoe Fayre was held on 26^th November and was great success with over thirty stalls spread throughout the whole of the Village Hall and approximately 250 visitors. A profit of approx. £550 was raised. This year’s Mistletoe Fayre will be held on 25^th November.

During the week beginning 20^th February the Village Hall was closed so that the Main Hall and Committee Room floors could be sanded and resealed. The resulting surface was not acceptable to the Trustees and small sharp items had to be removed from the new surface. The Trustees complained twice but received no replies or visits. No further action has been taken. Needless to say this firm will not be invited back again. The Trustees wish to thank the Parish Council, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and our County Councillor for the grant, of £600, £1,902 and £1,000 respectively towards the cost.

As part of the Local Infrastructure Fund agreement with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council the Village Hall Trustees have had to fulfil the requirements of a charter mark type examination of the Trust’s legally required policies and procedures called Simple Quality Protects. The whole exercise, which has required many hours of work, has been managed by Mrs Hayward.  On Thursday 25^th May (tomorrow) Mrs Hayward and I will meet with Basingstoke Voluntary Action, who oversee the project, with a view to putting the finishing touches to the work already done. Once checked and cleared we are very hopeful that the Village Hall will be awarded both the Bronze and Silver levels of Simple Quality Protects. These will reassure the residents of Bramley and the wider general public that Bramley Village Hall is well run.

Our Caretaker and Cleaner, Helen Willans, has become fully self-employed and is now paid a fixed retainer for her services and the purchase of cleaning materials and equipment.

A new Grounds Maintenance contract has been awarded to a local business and work was carried during 2016/17 to keep the grounds and the side track to the field behind the Village Hall. This will be repeated during the current year.

In 2013 a Feasibility Study into ways to increase access to the Village Hall amenities was instigated. This has now been finalised and the plans of the proposed alterations and will be on display at the Village Hall AGM on 19^th June.

Efforts have been made over the past year to register the Village Hall with the Land Registry to legitimise legal ownership. This has been hampered by the loss of the original Conveyance and Trust Deed. Three Basingstoke firms of solicitors involved in previous work for the Village Hall have been consulted about the document’s whereabouts and it cannot be found. It is intended to register the Village Hall with the Land Registry for Possessory Title which will provide some proof of legal ownership.

My sincere and heartfelt thanks go to all the Trustees and Volunteers who have contributed to what has been a very successful year.

Appendix G

Bramley Church & PCC report – presented by Sarah Hodnett

PCC Report – The Church Wardens at present are Jetty Adams and Sarah Hodnett.  The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules.  All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Church Electoral Roll and to vote for those who are willing to stand for election to the PCC.

St James, Bramley PCC has responsibility for cooperating with the clergy in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church – pastoral, evangelical, social and ecumenical.  It also has maintenance responsibilities for St James Church and Cross House Bramley and for St Stephens Church Little London.

The PCC met six times during the year with an average attendance of 70%.  In addition, the Standing Committee met as required between meetings of the full PCC.  In 2016 there were 129 persons on the electoral roll, 24 of whom were not resident within the parish.  The total average weekly attendance during 2016 for Sunday mornings was 89, a significant increase of 25% from the previous year, primarily as a result of launching a new service, Sunday@nine, where the average weekly attendance was 36  over the first nine months of its existence.  While there has been a small decrease in average numbers at the 10.30 service (from 71 in 2015 to 68 in 2016), as a result of some families moving to the new service, the impact of the new service has been very positive for our overall attendance figures.  Our early service numbers average 12, down very slightly from the previous year.  Attendance at St Stephens Little London was slightly down on 2015, with an average attendance of 10.  We are thankful to God that our 2016 attendance numbers were very strong at Easter (150), Christmas (a combined total of 643 for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day), and Remembrance (211).

New hymn and service books have been purchased. 

Steven Hall making a good recovery after a period of illness.

The closed church yard was inspected by BDBC in October, with a number of monuments being marked as unsafe.  These have all since be made safe, and our thanks go to BDBC and Spencer & Peyton for their assistance in this matter.

New furniture and equipment has been purchased for Cross House – our thanks go to the Parish Council for the grant that made this possible.

The Bramley magazine continues to do well.  Welcome packs are now being issued to new households in the village, and the PCC would welcome any news of new people moving into the village.

The St Georges Day fete was held in April, in association with the Clift Meadow Trust, and this was very successful.  A music festival is planned for 15-17 June 2017.

Appendix H

Police & Neighbourhood Watch – prepared by PCSO Nath Johnson

April 2016 – April 2017 – Bramley and Sherfield Beat

Action Fraud – 3                                Arson – 1                                 ASB – 105

Assault – 56                                       Burglary (Dwelling) – 11         Burglary (Non Dwelling) – 18

Concern for Welfare – 5                    Criminal Damage – 57            Dispute other – 1

Domestic incidents – 17                    Driving Complaints – 25          Drug Offences – 3

Harassment – 4                                  Impaired Driving – 4               Missing Person – 5

Public Order – 26                               Road Traffic Collisions – 23     Suspicious Incidents – 79       

Tamper with Motor Vehicle – 1        Theft – 26                                Theft from Vehicle – 6

Theft of Pedal Cycle – 6                     Theft of Vehicle – 6                 Vehicle Seizure – 4

Warrant – 1                                        Other – 17      

A total of 510 incidents over the year with nothing overly concerning. 253 incidents were non crime so 257 incidents were crimes over 365 days. Broken down that is roughly one crime every 34 hours. Not all crimes require any police involvement for example a minor assault between two pupils at school. Technically it is still a crime however, School will be the more appropriate agency to deal with this but it still gets recorded as a crime.

There has been a decrease in ASB and assaults from last year however there has been an increase in Public Order and Criminal Damage offences.   However, there has been a spike in the last month of ASB reports.  An operation of increased police visibility has been enacted, and the culprits have all been apprehended and dealt with appropriately.  If the culprits do not abide by the orders they have been given, they will be referred to the courts.  Enquiries and action is ongoing. 

I have decided to include a “job of the year award” in this beat report as it is time for me to complete my annual report for the parish council, this involves me looking through all incidents over the year. Understandably some of the calls we receive are quite funny and I like to include some humour into as much of my work as possible (where appropriate) and I think it good to share some of this with you.

This incident I found particularly amusing mainly due to the write up from the officer who attended. I would like to make it clear that the person who called this in was completely justified in calling us as it appeared that this was an ongoing domestic incident and we only discovered full the circumstances after a lot of time spent at the address by the attending officer.

Police were called to a report of a possible domestic, two females were shouting and an alarm was going off. On arrival, all was calm and the door was answered by an older female who spoke no English whatsoever, it was not even possible to ascertain what language she was speaking. We spoke to a younger female who also didn’t speak very good English but we managed to identify that she was the daughter. We managed to ascertain that daughter was cooking dinner and then decided to take the dog out for a walk (this was established after mother picked up the small dog and started waving it about in the hallway.) When daughter returned home she heard the fire alarm going off so started banging on the door. This woke mother up who let daughter in who then resolved the situation. Officers were shown the large pile of smouldering broccoli on the cooker which corroborated the dog waving explanation. Not a domestic, not a crime, the only offence was the burning of a boil-able food item.

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed during this report.

Appendix I

Borough Council Report – presented by Cllr Nick Robinson and Cllr Venetia Rowland

What lucky people we are living in Basingstoke!  We have the:

Lowest rates in the UK

6^th Highest spend per head of population

due to the income from Basingstoke’s property portfolio

Lowest unemployment in the south east

Boundary Review - A boundary review is to take place to equalise representation at about 2000 per Councillor.  As housing developments take place the demographics change there is a very high possibility that the ward boundaries will have to change to include some of our neighbours, possibly Stratfield Turgis, Sherborne St John, Stratfield Saye or Little London.  This will NOT affect the parish boundaries, just the council wards.  We may end up with a bigger ward but three councillors to  look after it. We may end up with a single member ward but I think this is unlikely.

Regeneration of Basing View - We are losing flagship companies due to that lack of A grade offices.  Regeneration started with Waitrose & John Lewis.  A business class hotel and conference centre is planned.  The AA has signed up to a new building.  Most of the existing buildings will be replaced with a mix of high grade offices and residential.

Leisure Centre re build with New River Retail - the contract is expected to be signed within a month.  This will-provide new state of the art sports facilities and a designer outlet similar to Bicester Village.  This will cater for a very different type of shopper from the town centre and bring jobs to Basingstoke

Alternative weekly dustbin collection (AWC) - this has been considered to save money and whilst I don't want this to be a political speech, the Conservative group are against the idea.  I can't speak for the other groups.

Being a Borough Councillor - The questions I  get asked most are:

How much time does it take up?

What does a councillor do?

I personally spend about 8 -10 hours a week at home, usually on the i-pad, answering questions and researching issues.  I have also attended about 90 meetings in the last year

There are 60 councillors in Basingstoke and we all have particular responsibility for our ward.  We also make decisions for the whole Borough

Councillors sit on a variety of committees, such as Finance, Housing, Scrutiny, HR, Licensing, Manydown, Leisure, Health, Education, and the one on which I have made my home, Development Control (planning).

Development - the biggest threat to Bramley and Sherfield is over-development.  There are currently 7 major planning applications ongoing in this ward at different stages, from Minchens Lane now being being built to Redlands, which has outline permission, and on to others which are at pre-application consultation. Successfully fighting the ones we don't want depends largely on the Borough being able to demonstrate an ongoing five year strategic land supply, and delivering on that by building 8000 houses in the next 12 years, so to defend this area I am pushing through as many developments in other wards as possible. This doesn't always make me popular with their ward councillors but I can live with that.

We currently have a 6.25 year land supply, and with the Manydown planning application due to be considered at Committee in October we should be able to keep up the build rate

Being on the DC Committee puts me in the best position possible to defend our village though it does seem that my life now revolves around planning applications.

I found out last week that as well as Development Control, next year I will also be on the Licensing Committee, which covers gambling, sex, and alcohol; so as you can imagine I am looking forward to it.

I am always happy to answer any questions so please send me an email.

Cllr Nick Robinson

Appendix J

Road Safety Project – presented by Cllr Bruce Ansell