Present:
Mr Senior (Chair), Mrs Aylott, Mrs Adams, Mrs Elphick, Mr Hardy, Mrs Hathaway, Mr Pickering, Mr Sale, Mr Watson and Mrs Williams. County Councillors Peter Brown and Laine Kadic. Mrs Lancey (Clerk). 4 members of the public.

Public Forum
Mr Hodgson continued to be concerned about the off-site parking at the Truckstop facility and the resulting litter and he also commented that on a recent television broadcast about the new site, no vehicles had been shown outside the perimeter fence. He considered that if they could be moved for a TV camera, they could be moved permanently. Mr Senior was aware that an on-site meeting was still to be arranged; hopefully this would be within the next few weeks. Mr Hodgson was also concerned about the damage being done to bridges in the area by heavy goods vehicles. Clerk to check with Highways that these bridges were regularly inspected.

Mr Hodgson complained that an event staged by his daughter’s company had not been advertised in the recent Newsletter, in spite of the date being forwarded with plenty of time before publication. Mr Senior apologised for any oversight in this matter. There followed discussion concerning advertising of commercially run events. This would be an agenda item for the June meeting.

1. Appointment of Chair and Officers
Mr Senior was nominated by Mrs Aylott and seconded by Mr Hardy to stand for a further year as Chair. Mr Senior agreed to continue in the post and duly signed his Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
Mrs Aylott was proposed by Mrs Elphick and seconded by Mrs Adams to continue as Vice Chair. Mrs Aylott agreed to continue in this role.
The Clerk was nominated by Mr Senior and seconded by Mr Pickering to continue to act as Responsible Finance Officer. Mrs Lancey agreed to continue in this role.

Parish Council Representatives were agreed as follows:
ASSC - Mr Watson and Mr Hardy
Youth Group - Mrs Aylott and Mr Senior (as parent). Mrs Adams to continue to attend as required.
Memorial Hall - Mrs Adams and Mrs Hathaway
Neighbourhood Watch - Mrs Aylott and Mr Hardy
Flood Matters - Mr Pickering and others as required
Emergency Planning - Mr Pickering, Mr Hardy, Mrs Elphick, Mr Senior and Mr Sale
CPALC - attendance when required
RAF Molesworth - attendance when required
Health & Safety - Mr Senior
Police Liaison - Mr Hardy

Committee Representatives were agreed as follows:
Bramble End Playground - Mr Watson and Mrs Williams
Infrastructure - All Councillors
Planning - Mr Watson, Mrs Williams, Mr Pickering and Mr Sale
Parish Council Newsletter - Mr Sale
Provision of Allotments - Mrs Aylott and Mr Sale

2. Apologies for Absence
Apologies received from District Councillor Keith Baker.

3. Councillors' Declaration of Interest for items on the Agenda
Mr Senior declared a personal interest in agenda item 16 (c) living in close proximity.

4. To sign and approve minutes of previous meeting held on 28th April 2009.
Minutes from 28th April were proposed by Mr Pickering and seconded by Mrs Hathaway. Minutes duly approved and signed.

5. Appointment of New Councillor
Three applications had been received for the vacancy which had arisen from Mrs Dyer's resignation, namely Mr V. Fayers-Hallin, Mr B. Forster and Mr J Lay. Details of applicants had been circulated to Councillors. All Councillors were handed voting slips and asked to vote. Mr Lay was selected. Clerk to contact him with all relevant information. Mr Lay's first meeting would be 30th June 2009.

6. Amendment to Standing Orders
Currently the Parish Council's Standing Orders stated that the Chair should hold office for no more than 3 consecutive years. Mr Senior and Mrs Aylott proposed that this should be increased to 4 years, in line with other local government positions. This was unanimously agreed. Clerk to action.

7. Provision of Allotments - Mr Sale/Mrs Aylott
A meeting with Karen Kenny of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners had been arranged for 12th June at 7pm in the Memorial Hall. This was to help form the Allotment Association. Clerk reported that there were now 34 residents on the waiting list. Mr Ayres to be contacted before 12th June in order to clarify the position with any available land. He should also be invited to attend the meeting. Meeting to be advertised.

8. The Environment Agency/Flood Alleviation
The Environment Agency 'drop in' session was planned for May 27th between 3 and 7 pm in the Memorial Hall. Replies had been received from the Environment Agency to the Parish Council's letter expressing its concerns about the Flood Alleviation Scheme not going ahead. It was agreed that if all queries could not been answered at the session, then the EA might be asked to attend a Parish Council meeting.

9. Northbridge Development - Mr Watson
Mr Watson had met with Persimmon Homes who were responsible for the Northbridge Development in Stukeley. The Parish Council‚Äôs main concerns had been the potential impact of increased traffic from the new development and the impact on the in-take for local schools. A package of measures had been proposed to demonstrate that there would be nil traffic impact at Spittals roundabout and that traffic flows would be improved at peak times on Ermine Street. These measures included a new bus service, new footpaths and cycle ways and a car sharing scheme. The main junction would be almost opposite the existing business park and would be controlled by traffic lights. There would be a primary school on the new site and £3 million would be paid towards the improvements to St Peter's School. Under normal market conditions Persimmon would have expected to be selling houses by end 2010/early 2011 but given the current circumstances it was unlikely that this would be achieved.

10. The Annual Report - Mrs Aylott
This could now be completed. It should be distributed to every household in June.

11. The Churchyard
The grass cutting contractor would put weed killer on the bottom of the area near the Brook in order to see how many stumps needed removing. After this he would quote for the removal of the stumps; then the area could eventually be incorporated into the normal grass cutting of the whole Churchyard.

12. Compost Giveaway
This had taken place from the Memorial Hall car park on Friday May 22nd and had been very popular. It was agreed it should be carried out again next year if possible.

13. The Bi-monthly Newsletter
Mrs Aylott suggested some deadline dates for the production, printing and delivery which would be circulated to all Councillors. Possible topics for the next edition would be the new councillor profile, the EA 'drop in' session, the allotment meeting and an update on the Bramble End development.

14. Neighbourhood Watch
The Village Affair had been discussed – planned for 11th July. Some thefts from cars in the village had been reported.

15. The Council's Insurance Policy - new quotation
The new quotation from Came & Company (recommended by CPALC) was for £500.54 as opposed to £688.87 from the current provider. The cover would be also be improved - Public Liability from £5 million to £10 million with the Fidelity Guarantee increased to £100,000. It was agreed to accept the new quotation.

16. Committee Reports
(a) Clerk's Infrastructure Report
Churchyard: nothing to report
Village Green: duck posters were thought to be a success, but the format could perhaps be more structured next year.
General: nothing to report

(b) Planning Applications Received - None

Planning Applicationd Determined by HDC Planning:
0900385FUL - Erection of dwelling, land adjacent 2 Great North Road - permission granted
0900391FUL - Erection of metal clad steel frame over roof – Research Centre, Woolley Road - permission granted.

(c) Bramble End: Monthly inspection: Carried out by Mrs Williams. Wetpour surface had again shrunk in the dry weather. Clerk to speak with manufacturers. The ROSPA Safety Inspection had been carried out. It was recommended that the shackles on the swings be lubricated. Clerk to action.

Re-development (Mrs Williams and Mr Watson):
Mrs Williams had organised a meeting with residents of Bramble End inviting them to inspect the proposed plans. This had been well attended with positive feedback. Dog fouling in the area was a particular concern, hence several residents had asked that, from a health and safety viewpoint, the area should be fenced. This would cost an extra £8,000 from the favoured supplier. Because of the grant application, the additional two companies that had originally been asked to quote should also re-quote including fencing. Three quotes should also be obtained to refurbish the existing equipment. Mr Watson had prepared a draft fund application to WREN. A meeting with the Clerk, Mr Watson and Mrs. Williams to be arranged to finalise the application.

17. Correspondence
Traffic Complaints - received about the increase in heavy plant using the Great North Road due to the business operating from New Farm, Alconbury Weston. It appeared there had been some ambiguity with past planning permissions, and the planning department needed to regularise the situation. Highways were also being pursued to rectify the damage being caused to Buckworth Road by the movement of heavy plant.

Possible Visit by HDC's Standards Committee - members had expressed an interest in attending some Parish Council meetings.

CPALC - Outreach Training. It was agreed that some general training should be organised for later in the year. Clerk to organise.

RAF Molesworth/Alconbury Community Events. Any interested councillor should contact the Clerk for details.

18. Responsible Finance Officer's Report
Clerk reported that the Annual Return had been signed by the Internal Auditor with no adverse comments. To date no members of the public had asked to inspect the accounts. The inspection period ended on 28th May. Councillors were reminded of their responsibility in committing to the Annual Governance Statement. The accounts were then approved and the Annual Return was duly signed by both the Chair and the Responsible Finance Officer. The arrangements for 'spot checks' by Mrs Aylott would continue.

Cheques for signature:
Pipex Internet April 09 (paid by D/D) - £14.67
Demon - Webhosting May 09 (paid by direct debit) - £11.50
Grafton Projects - Stationery - £3.97
Grafton Projects - Newsletter - £117.20
Playsafety Limited - ROSPA Inspection - £144.90
CPALC - Allotment Training - £165.00
Clerk‚Äôs Salary May 09 - £419.21
Hall Hire - Youth Group - April-June 09 - £87.75

Payments were proposed by Mrs Adams and seconded by Mrs Elphick.

Cleared Balances:
C/A £1798.18 Current bank statements were not available for the Deposit Account or the Youth Group account.

19. Date of Next Meeting
30th June 2009 at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall.

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