Full Council Minutes - 2nd August 2021

Those Present: The Mayor, Councillor Marcus Harris, Councillors: Beatty, Beauchamp, Gibbon, Holder, Holford, Kidley, Lester, Whelan

In Attendance: The Senior Officer, Mrs T.D. Collins, The Administration Officer, Miss E.J. Perry (minute taker)

Public Attendance: District Councillor George Levy was in attendance

The meeting commenced at 19:00 (7:00PM)

127/21  APOLOGISES

The Town Clerk/ RFO and the Locum Town Clerk’ apologies were received

Apologies were received from Councillors Hughes, Keats- Rohan and Sinkinson

Councillors Cattermole, McGregor and Wilder were not present

128/21 DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

A Councillor with voting rights who has a disclosable pecuniary interest or another interest as set out in our Council’s Standing Orders code of Conduct (Item 13) in a matter being   considered at a meeting is subject to statutory limitations or restrictions under code of conduct and his right to participate and vote on the matter (guidelines are available and all Councillors have received a copy prior to the meeting)

No interests were declared

129/21 MINUTES 

To resolve that the minutes from the meetings of Full Council on the 28^th June and 12^th July are a true and accurate record of those meetings, and authorise the Chairman to sign them

It was proposed by Councillor Beauchamp, seconded by Councillor Kidley and RESOLVED THAT the minutes from the meetings of Full Council on the 28th June and 12th July are a true and accurate record of those meetings and the Chairman is authorised to sign them as such (unanimous)

130/21 COMMITTEE MINUTES 

Council to receive the following Committee minutes (previously signed as a correct record and circulated to Councillors):

• Personnel Committee held on 22^nd June 2021
• Planning Committee held on 21^st June 2021

It was proposed by Councillor Whelan, seconded by Councillor Lester and RESOLVED THAT these Committee minutes be adopted by Full Council (unanimous)

131/21 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Members of the public who wish to speak at this meeting please email the  Administrator at admin@wallingfordtowncouncil.gov.uk

District Councillor Levy reported briefly on the Winterbrook House working group and an event linking up with Wallingford Museum, the decriminalisation of on-street parking in autumn 2021, and informed Council that Town and Parish Councils can now call in planning applications to Committee directly when they object to them

132/21 MAYORS COMMUNICATIONS

• Presented to Council about Sustainable Wallingford’s ‘Great Big Green Week’; any plans for a Town Council stall on 18^th September will need to come back to Full Council for approval

Administration Officer to forward details onto Councillor Keats- Rohan

• Congratulated Councillors Holder and Keats- Rohan on being elected Chairpersons of the Communications Working Party and The Bull Croft Trust Charity, respectively
• Attended the maiden flight of Illusion Fireworks Ltd’s new hot air balloon and is in talks about a Wallingford Balloon Festival
• Visited the Wallingford Rifles and met LCpl Ambler, the Mayor’s Cadet
• Presented to Council about the Queen’s Canopy tree-planting project for the Platinum Jubilee in 2022
• Touched briefly on a potential music event in September that would be funded by a sponsor (to be discussed in the Confidential Session)

133/21 RIVERSIDE SUBSIDENCE ISSUES

River Users’ Group to give an update

Councillor Whelan reported that the River User’s Group has not been able to meet yet. This agenda item is adjourned to the next Full Council meeting

134/21 ST JOHN’S SCHOOL WISH TO ADOPT THE TELEPHONE BOX

Councillor Lester to give an update following minute 772(ii) from the Full Council Meeting on the 26^th April 2021:

Councillor Lester passed this over to Councillor Holder who reported that the St. John’s and St. George’s telephone box projects will be linked, and renovated and restored together by a group of volunteers including Duke of Edinburgh Award students from Wallingford School

135/21 POTENTIAL TWINNING WITH RENAC, BRITTANY

Council to consider twinning with the town of Renac, Brittany following email dated 22/04/2021 (previously circulated to Councillors)

It was proposed by Mayor Councillor Harris, seconded by Councillor Beatty and RESOLVED THAT Wallingford Town Council will write a letter to the town of Renac lead by the Communications Working Party, thanking them for inviting Wallingford to Twin with them, but Wallingford is already twinned and is not looking to twin again at the moment (unanimous)

136/21 STRATEGIC PLAN 

To consider formulating a Strategic Plan and to agree a date for an informal meeting  with a facilitator to aid discussion

Councillor Harris asked the Office to find a September date to suit Councillors (using Doodle Poll) for an evening meeting with a facilitator to create a strategic plan

137/21 VIRTUAL ‘PAY AND DISPLAY’ PARKING TICKETS

Council to recommend the use of this method of parking payment; information from  SODC previously circulated

Councillors noted that the new option for payment was through an app and this option is for on-street parking. The date for objection had passed and informed District Councillor Levy that the current app used in SODC car parks was not particularly user-friendly, and requested that this app be made more so

138/21 APPOINTMENT OF MAYOR’S CADET

Councillors to note that Cadet Lance Corporal Izzy Ambler has been appointed     Mayor’s Cadet for the 2021-22 Municipal Year – Noted

139/21 Wallingford Railway 

To consider how this Council may support Wallingford Railway with its future events for the benefit of the whole town

• Councillor Holder reported that the Town Council had supplied the Railway with 3000 more leaflets
• The Office to look at getting the Christmas decorations up early (in November to coincide with the Polar Express event)
• Council to look into managing the vintage bus route through the town for the visitors to the Polar Express at the W&C Railway

140/21 MEETING CALENDAR

To resolve that the timetable of meetings for Jul- Dec 2021 (previously circulated) is acceptable

It was proposed by Councillor Kidley, seconded by Councillor Holder and RESOLVED THAT the timetable of meetings for July-December 2021 is acceptable (unanimous)

141/21 WALLINGFORD BEACH

Senior Administrator to give an update:

Mrs Collins reported that she is talking with SODC to arrange a meeting in September involving the Bridge Estates Charity to discuss SODC’s plan-in-progress regarding designating Wallingford Beach as bathing water, and how Wallingford Town Council can help

142/21 ELECTION OF COUNCILLORS COMMITTEE’S AND OUTSIDE PARTIES

Co-opted Councillor Paul Gibbon to join from the following options:

• Parks, Gardens, Allotments and Open Spaces Committee
• Tourism and Economic Development Committee
• Planning Committee
• Bull Croft Trust Working Party
• Communications Working Party
• Grants Working Part

It was proposed by Councillor Kidley, seconded by Councillor Beauchamp and  RESOLVED THAT Councillor Gibbon be elected to the Tourism and Economic Development Committee and the Grants Working Party (unanimous)

143/21 MUSIC EVENT IN SEPTEMBER 2021

To receive hypothetical plans for a September event, and work to a resolution:

It was proposed by Councillor Gibbon, seconded by Councillor Beatty and RESOLVED THAT Wallingford Town Council will plan and execute a 1-day music event in Wallingford Market Place on the 4^th September  2021, funded by a private sponsor (4 Councillors for, 4 Councillors against; Mayor Councillor Harris casted the deciding vote for the motion). Councillor Lester requested that her objection to this motion be specifically minuted

144/21 WALLINGFORD NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN APPENDICES

To receive and approve recently produced policy regarding the environment and major infrastructure

It was proposed by Councillor Kidley, seconded by Councillor Beauchamp and RESOLVED THAT Wallingford Town Council approves these appendices

145/21 FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

To consider any future agenda items

• Riverside Subsidence Update – Councillors Whelan and Cattermole

146/21 EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

To resolve that due to the confidential items about to be transacted that Members of the public and press are asked to withdraw from the meeting

District Councillor George Levy left the meeting

CONFIDENTIAL SESSION CONTINUES ON PAGE 46.