Present:
Mr Brown (Chairman), Mr. Senior, Mrs Adams, Mrs Aylott, Mrs. Dyer, Mr Hardy, Mrs Hathaway, Mrs Watkin, Mr Watson, and Mrs. Williams. County Councillors: Peter Brown and Laine Kadic. Mrs. Lancey (Clerk). 18 members of the public.

The Clerk reminded the meeting that the purpose of the Annual Parish Meeting was for the Council to report to its electorate on what it had accomplished during the last year, and to hear reports from County and District Councillors.

1. Apologies for Absence
None received.

2. To sign and approve minutes of previous meting held on 30th May 2006
Proposed by Mrs Aylott and seconded by Mr Senior. Minutes duly approved and signed.

3. Chair’s Report
The Chair welcomed all Parish Councillors and Parishioners and presented his report as attached to these minutes.

4. Responsible Finance Officer’s Report
The Responsible Finance Officer presented her report as attached to these minutes.

5. Reports from District and County Councillors
A report had been prepared by District Councillor Keith Baker which had been circulated to all Councillors and made available to members of the public.

County Councillors Peter Brown and Laine Kadic had also prepared their report which was circulated to all Councillors and members of the public. Peter Brown emphasised the concern felt by both County and District Councillors of the possible sale of the land occupied by Truckstop and the dramatic impact this would have on the surrounding roads and villages if the facility were to close. He would ensure the Parish Council was kept informed of any developments to the site.

6. Public Discussion
It was agreed that when the village shop was debated at the AGM following this meeting, standing orders would be relaxed in order that the public could participate in any discussion.

Grave concerns were expressed over the dangerous crossing on the corner of Rusts Lane where the public footpath was dissected by the road. This crossing had been the subject of a Jointly Funded Minor Improvement bid 2006/2007, which unfortunately had been unsuccessful. It was felt that Rusts Lane had become even busier due to the speed restrictions along the Great North Road, and many of the vehicles coming through the village were driven by American service personnel. The Parish Council assured the public that Rusts Lane was one of its top priorities and that it would continue to try to obtain funding for some kind of traffic calming measures in this area. It was also explained that continuous dialogue took place with RAF Molesworth trying to get American personnel to use the by-pass rather than travelling through the village.

The replacement bus shelter was of great concern, having no seats and no sides. Many elderly people would no longer travel by bus as they were unable to wait without a seat and shelter from inclement weather. The Parish Council explained that it had only agreed to the replacement shelter on the understanding that the new one would have a seat and sides for those residents wishing to use the bus service. It would continue to pursue this problem with the Community Safety Partnership who was responsible for the replacement shelter, and it was hoped that the shelter would be modified within the coming weeks.

As there were no further items raised, the meeting closed.

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