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Agenda |
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1-2023 |
Welcome and Apologies Chair, Vicky
Rieunier welcomed the public and local groups apologies were accepted for those
unable to attend. |
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2-2023 |
Report from the Chair It has to be said that the 2022/23 civic year has been one of
mixed emotions. We had the joy of celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in
June last year, followed of course by the sadness of Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II’s funeral in September and then the
accession to the throne of His Majesty King Charles III. We’ve also
seen some significant changes within the Parish Council we’ve said goodbye to
a number of long serving councillors and Clerk.
However, we’ve welcomed a number of new councillors
and our Clerk Gary Wyatt-Hawkins who joined us on the first of March. I’ll start
with an overview of the financial year April 2022 to 31 March 2023 our income
was £192,022. This was made up of: ·
£155,150 – from the precept ·
£8,497 – from Community Infrastructure Levy
(monies collected from building in the parish) ·
£28,375 – from trading activities such as hiring
the Memorial Hall, market rent and burials. Our
expenditure was made up of: ·
Staff costs: £60,051 ·
Supply and maintenance of services £107,253 We completed
the year on budget and have placed funds into earmarked reserves to allow us
to plan for improvements to our open spaces, streetlighting and the village
itself. We have
posted a more detailed income and expenditure report for the year on our website. As well as all our annual governance
statement and audit reports from financial year 2017-2018 to date. I’d also
like to report the successful conclusion of the audit. The auditor noted that
in their opinion, Lambourn Parish Council demonstrates ‘substantial
assurance’. This means that we have a
sound system of governance, risk management and control, with our internal
controls operating effectively and being consistently applied. Where weaknesses had been identified at the
interim audit earlier in the year, the detailed recommendations for
improvement have all been implemented in full. Moving on
to Community Engagement, The Parish Council is committed to encouraging
effective local community engagement and to developing relationships between
the Council, individuals, and voluntary and community groups. An
important form of engagement with the community is that Parish Councillors
serve as Trustees and representatives on a variety of local bodies, for
example, the Flood Forum, Lambourn Library, Patient Participation Group,
Community Conversation, The Theo Harris Memorial Trust, and Lambourn Church
of England School House Trust. Each year
we also give funding support to a variety of local initiatives, and we would
encourage local organisations to submit grant applications to us. Please
contact the Parish Office for more information. Facilities
and Open Spaces, The Memorial Hall continues to be well used both by
community groups and private bookings for parties and events. We’d like to
thank Carol and Mark the caretakers, for all their hard work in preparing for
bookings and keeping everything clean and tidy. We’ve
undertaken some work at the Skatepark at the Old Cricket Field, it had long
term drainage issues addressed, and the shelter has been refurbished and is
looking much smarter. Our litter picker Patrick continues to do a fantastic
job of keeping down the litter in our open spaces. I’ll be
handing over to Mike later to give us an update on the allotments which are a
popular and an integral part of the community. Roads and
Traffic, Traffic through the village is an ongoing concern for residents and
the Parish Council has tried to look at measures to address concerns. One small step we have made is to obtain
matched funding from West Berks for equipment for the Eastbury and Lambourn
Community Speedwatch Groups. Volunteers are always welcome with full
training given. Finally,
running the Council. The smooth running of the Parish Council is dependent on
our Parish Clerk, Gary Wyatt-Hawkins and Deputy Clerk, Rachael Burns with the
support team of Carol, Mark, and Patrick.
All have worked extra hours to keep the Council going and to support
initiatives to improve our services and I would like to express my sincere
thanks to them for their commitment and enthusiasm. I feel very fortunate as Chair to have such
an excellent team of councillors, officers, and support staff. I would like
to end by thanking every one of them for their hard work and dedication. |
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3-2023 |
Reports from Local Groups and Organisations To receive
reports from local groups and organisations of activity from the past 12
months and plans for the future. District Councillor Howard
Woollaston spoke on the following topics: ·
Speeding ·
Potholes ·
Affordable housing ·
Youth provision ·
Improving Lambourn High Street More
details can be found in: Lambourn Ward update from District
Councillor Howard Woollaston, May/June 2023 Friends of Lambourn Library Sue Cocker reported
on the activities and services provided by Lambourn Library as follows: Lambourn
Library is a volunteer-supported library and the smallest in West Berkshire.
Like all nine of West Berkshire’s libraries (that’s including the Mobile
Library), it is judged on its statistics for membership, visits and
borrowing. Friends of
Lambourn Library is delighted therefore to report Lambourn’s figures from the
Library Service for the year ending March 2023: New
memberships increased by 21.3%, compared to the previous year. Loans and
renewals were up by 34% and reservations by 49.3%. There were
9,372 visitors to the library, an increase of 44.6%. On these
criteria, Lambourn is one of the best-performing libraries in West Berkshire
and is cited by the Library Service as an example of what can be done when
the Service and the community work together.
Thanks are due to the library staff, volunteers, and members of the
Friends of Lambourn Library, who have all worked hard to promote the library
and the services it offers. In addition, Lambourn Parish Council has
continued to provide much-appreciated funding and the community has clearly
responded. This year,
Library staff initiated “Golden Time” activity sessions for children on
Friday afternoons. These are well attended, providing games and activities
for children (and parents) to enjoy. The
children’s craft events and weekly Rhymetime, both
run by volunteers, have proved popular, as was the Summer Reading Challenge.
Like the weekly Knit and Natter and Art Groups, and the monthly Book Group,
all these activities are free. FoLL would like to thank the Carnival
Committee and the School House Trust for their grants towards supplies for
children’s activities. The FoLL
committee once again organised talks in the library during the winter months.
It was good to be able to meet in person again and we enjoyed a variety of
speakers. At the
instigation of the Friends, Lambourn Library now has a dedicated Racing
Section, where non-fiction books relating to horse racing can be found in one
place. WBC’s
ongoing Library Review, and the change of political party following the local
elections, may lead to changes in the way the libraries are funded.
Maintaining and expanding community use of the library is vitally important,
so please continue to support your local library – membership is free! Lambourn Neighbourhood Development Plan Sue Cocker
went onto report the current position of the LNDP as follows: I would
like to begin by thanking the members of the LNDP Steering Group –Parish Councillors Bridget Jones
and Helen Noll; District Councillor Howard Woollaston; Mike Billinge-Jones;
Bruce Laurie; Peter Penfold and Will Riggall – for all they have done, and
continue to do, on this project. Even
with the professional support of our consultants, there is still a huge
amount of work which has to be done, voluntarily, by
the SG members. Recently we have been involved in writing sections on
community assets, the development of the Membury industrial complex,
community aspirations and Key Issues. Public transport, traffic concerns and
the availability of housing are of interest parish-wide, but each settlement
has its particular concerns, as does the horse
racing industry. Since the
last Annual Assembly there have been major developments in the preparation of
the LNDP. During public consultations, it became clear that parishioners
would prefer the Parish Council to allocate housing sites for development,
rather than West Berkshire Council, as they have done in the past. Local
planning authorities (in our case, West Berkshire Council) have
to set aside land – “Allocated Sites” – for a certain number of homes.
Only houses built on “allocated sites” count towards the total, so (for
example) the new almshouses will not count. They
are considered “windfall”. The SG
therefore issued a “call for sites”, asking landowners to put forward land
for housing. The sites proposed were made public in a series of exhibitions
around the Parish in January. National and local government criteria,
necessary assessments, and environmental factors (including issues raised by
nutrient neutrality) have to be taken into account,
as well as public comments. Whilst there is a need for additional housing to
meet local requirements, parishioners also wish to preserve the rural
character of the Parish and the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, of which
the Parish is a part, and the SG is working with our consultants to prepare
policies which balance these factors. Public
consultations (such as the business, residents’ and landowners’ surveys, and
local exhibitions) have provided evidence, the analysis of which is helping
to inform the Plan. We are now preparing a draft of the Plan, which will
include (amongst other things) policies on housing development, green spaces and important views, as well as infrastructure,
biodiversity and the local economy. The Draft will be made available for
public feedback, before being refined for submission. Once the Plan has been
submitted to West Berkshire Council there will be a further period of
consultation before it goes before an Independent Examiner, who may suggest
amendments. These are then incorporated into a final version which will then
go forward to a local Referendum, in which parishioners will vote on whether
to adopt the Plan. Provided more than 50% of those voting says yes, then the
Plan is “made” and will form part of the local Statutory Development Plan. Lambourn Junction Charles
Lochrane and Anna Field spoke about company and on the following projects
operated in the Lambourn area. The
Lambourn Junction Community Interest Company was formed in March 2021 to act
as an enabler and operator of activities serving the community for the
benefit of the residents of Lambourn and the surrounding area. There are a number of worthwhile initiatives in Lambourn which are
often frustrated and overwhelmed by the administration, risks, management and
legal requirements such as insurance and health and safety. The company
provides a supporting infrastructure for such ventures by operating the
activities through the company. It also enables the securing of grant funding
that would ordinarily only be available to registered charitable
organisations. The company
is a Community Interest Company which means that it is a not-for-profit
organisation limited by guarantee. It is not a charity. The company has no
paid employees, and the five directors are not remunerated. Under the
auspices of the company a number of community
initiatives have been launched and are operating to serve the community: ·
The Lambourn Youth Junction ·
The Lambourn Food Bank ·
The Lambourn Lunch Club ·
The Lambourn Litter-picking Project ·
The Lambourn Community Website ·
The Lambourn Environmental Group ·
The Lambourn Parish Council Website The Lambourn Junction Community Interest Company
Limited The Lambourn
Junction Community Interest Company was formed in March 2021 to act as an
enabler and operator of activities serving the community for the benefit of
the residents of Lambourn and the surrounding area. There are a number of worthwhile initiatives in Lambourn which are
often frustrated and overwhelmed by the administration, risks, management and
legal requirements such as insurance, health and safety etc. The company
provides a supporting infrastructure for such ventures by operating the
activities through the company. It also enables the securing of grant funding
that would ordinarily only be available to registered charitable
organisations. The company
is a Community Interest Company which means that it is a not-for-profit organisation
limited by guaran tee. It is not a charity. The company has no paid employees,
and the 5 directors are not remunerated. Under the
auspices of the company a number of community
initiatives have been launched and are operating to serve the community: The Lambourn Food Bank The Food
Bank opened its doors during COVID and has been serving the residents of Lambourn
ever since. After a number of moves, the food bank
now operates out of the blue container in the Lambourn car park with the
permission of West Berkshire Council. As the cost-of-living
crisis hits hard in our rural community the Food Bank supplies over 50 families
with essential groceries and toiletries every week. We work in
collaboration with West Berkshire social services who refer individuals and families
to us. We do not mean test, we do not judge, we just offer help to those who
need it most. A number of families have used the
food bank and as a result have found their feet again and are now no longer
relying on the service. The food bank receives donations from members of
the community, local companies and charitable
organisations both financial and in kind. The most recent collaboration is
with the Lambourn Co-op where grocery donations can now be left. The Lambourn Lunch Club The lunch
club provides a free meal in a setting where members of the community meet, chat
and socialise. The cost-of-living crisis has increased the number of people
who feel isolated and at times struggle to cook a hot meal. The club, which
is open to all to attend, although aimed principally at the elderly, operates
from the Walwyn Hall and has proved very successful
with up to 20 individuals joining in and having an enjoyable lunch out once a
week. In addition
to word of mouth, referrals come from West Berkshire Adult Social Services,
the Lambourn Surgery and a number of other
organisations. The lunch
club is operated in collaboration with the Fair Close Charity and has
received donations from the Berkshire Community Foundation, companies, and
private individuals. The Lambourn Litter Picking Project Boosted by
funding from Veolia, we have litter picking equipment which we deploy on a number of organised litter-picking days. The benefit is
not only improving the environment of the village but also an activity which
brings young and old together with a common purpose. The Lambourn Community Website The website
Iambourn.org is operated by the company as a repository for current and historic
information about the village. The On-Line-Museum section is the largest
single archive of historic articles and pictures of Lambourn and is used by
on-line visitors both local and from across the world. The content is created
and curated entirely by volunteers. The Lambourn Environmental Group The group
aims to improve the environment in and around Lambourn. Projects have involved
planting initiatives and supporting existing planting. Further funding is
being sought for initiatives in 2023 to encourage biodiversity in Lambourn. The Lambourn Parish Council Website The Company
has set up the website for the Lambourn Parish Council free of charge thus saving
thousands of pounds of council budget. Through a free of charge contract
provides the infrastructure and software maintenance for the site whilst the
Parish Council is responsible for the content of the site. This is a good
example of collaboration for the benefit of the community. The Lambourn Youth Junction Anna Field
introduced an impressive video prepared by a member of the youth club. The Youth
Junction opened its doors in November 2022 and set out to address the lack of
youth facilities in Lambourn by providing a weekly youth club which currently
meets at the British Legion. Over 60 young people come together to take part
in structured and supervised activities including indoor and outdoor games
and facilitated sessions. The Youth Junction also organises special events
such as the recent support to the Lambourn open Day where 25 young people
engaged with enthusiasm to help make the day run smoothly. It is fully
inclusive and is open to all young people in school years 5 to 9. It is
operated in conjunction with Berkshire Youth and all volunteers and members
of staff are trained and DBS checked. Its success is simply evidenced by the
growing number of enthusiastic young members. The Youth
Junction has received funding from The Berkshire Community Fund, The Church of
England School, as well as many individual donations. We intend to expand the
work of the Youth Junction to provide more services to a wider age range of
children. However, finding a permanent home with sufficient facilities is key
to secure its future. We have asked the Parish Council to assist us to find a
workable solution whereby the Youth Junction can make use of the Lambourn
Centre which is already financially supported by the Council. The company
is grateful for the support, both financial and in kind, from individuals, companies,
and organisations. Without the volunteers and donations its work, which
touches the lives of many families and individuals in Lambourn, would not be possible. We look
forward to continuing the collaboration with, and assistance from Lambourn
Parish Council. Church of England School House Trust Charis
Harris, Finance Director for the spoke about the benefits the trust brings to
the to public. The Trust supports projects and
activities that are outside the core educational provision and that are
beneficial in meeting the specific to the needs of children in the parish. In 2020
this included £12K to the school for the provision of minibuses to allow students
to travel for out of school activities and for the expansion of the nursery
facilities. In addition, grants were made to the youth club, guides,
brownies, the Lambourn Lambs Playgroup. A craft workshop held in the library
the imagination library which provides books to seventy pre-school children
every month. The Trust received £44,000.00 income for the year ending December
2022 with expenditure being £23,000.00. £21,500.00 in grants and donation £1,500.00
in professional fees. The trust
is actively seeking to expand its grant making to support groups or specific
projects that benefit children up to the age of 18. The trustees would
welcome enquires from groups with qualifying needs. Lambourn Allotment Society Mike Billing Jones provided an update
for the community stating that the Allotment Society was now twenty years old
and that it administers the Allotments on behalf of Lambourn Parish Council. There are currently fifty-three
members and ten people on the waiting list for a plot. The storage at the
allotments have been broken into three times in the last year and tools were
stolen. Tools are no longer kept on site for this reason and security marking
has been applied to new tools. The society undertake general and grass
maintenance, have resurfaced the car park, and have donated surplus food
produced on the allotments to the Lambourn Juction. Eastbury Furze Trust Fiona Drake provided a brief history
of the Eastbury Furze Trust. The trust was established in 1776 at
the time of the land enclosures. An enlightened landowner realised how much the villagers would suffer if
they were unable to gather wood to heat their homes and to cook. In 1908, the land he set aside for
this purpose was moved to the centre of the Village to make it easier to
gather wood. In 1970, as wood was not the primary
source of heating, the land it was turned onto allotments. Around that time,
the charity commissioners were unhappy with how the trust was being run and asked
for action. Some of the land was sold and some was leased to the council and
is now used as a playing field, generating rent which is passed onto the
community. Despite the perception that Eastbury
is a wealthy village, twenty percent of the village which are either alms
houses or local authority
housing. Therefore, some of the residents are struggling and it is difficult to
identify who the trust should be helping as the remit for the trust is quite
specific. It has until recently been limited to financial gifts at Christmas.
This year the treasurer of the Trust suggested a drop-run advising that the Trust
realised how much people were struggling with fuel costs and two applications
were made. Additionally, this elicited two donations and demonstrates that the village is keen to
assist. The Trust is also delighted to welcome Steve Mead as a trustee and
values the relationship with the Parish Council. |
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4-2023 |
Parish Residents Questions
Raised: Q: With local
housing set to increase, is there provision for more allotment plots? A:
Currently, the splitting of plots is proving adequate to cover needs.
However, if more land is required, there is only the paddock land adjacent to
the allotments and it is unlikely that could be re-purposed. Q: Is there
a timetable for the completion of the LNDP? A: No. Each
step can take between four to six week and that assumes all submissions are
accepted without the need for amendments. There are four steps remaining. Q: Is the
settlement boundary on the agenda for the LNDP? A: Yes, but
the proposals may not be accepted. Q: As the
council has only eleven of fifteen seats filled, will the council be seeking
to undertake a Community Governance Review? A: Yes, it
is on the agenda for the next Full Council Meeting. |
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4-2023 |
The Chair closed the meeting and thanked the
community and groups for attending. |
Categories: News
