Manorbier.com
Notes of Manorbier Community Council Meetings held on the 2nd and 9th December 2003
Tourism Growth Area
Both County Councillor Howells and County Councillor Codd failed to turn up for the community council meeting that they had arranged with the clerk for 7.30 on the 2nd December. Several councillors felt that county councillors, who are paid out of the rates and frequently emphasise the importance of involving the local community rarely turn up arranged meetings.
Donation to Football Club
The football club had requested £150 from the Community Council. They had provided a letter requesting this amount but although the letter provided details of local donors no figures were given for the financial viability of the club. Councillor Thompson proposed that as the football team were doing so well and there was a need for more active sport in the community the club should be supported financially from the rates.
Informal Communication meeting between Community and County Councillors
Councillor Griffiths was asked how many turned up and replied that there was the usual poor attendance. Councillor Wales informed the meeting that he felt that he was asking all the questions and Councillor Cavill from Penally even implied that he was hogging the meeting. County Councillor Brian Hall had sent an e-mail informing the council that because he had made an appearance at the informal meeting he would not now be coming to a meeting with the community council as arranged. Councillor Wales felt that he should still be requested to attend a meeting as personally he had many questions to ask him. He informed the council that Councillor Hall made a big fuss about the petition he had organised regarding the footpath saying that 19 of the signed letters came from owners of caravans at Tudor Glen caravan site and not residents of the village. At this stage Councillor Calver asked Councillor Wales to clarify the suggestion at the last meeting that the footpath was now estimated to cost £500,000 with £250,000 going to compensate landowners. Surely the landowners were going to provide the land free of charge as Councillor Griffiths had suggested to Councillor Wales when he proposed the footpath originally. The reason Councillor Griffiths had asked Councillor Wales to give the land for free was to match the magnanimous gesture of owners of the land connected to Manorbier Nursery who had given, without expectation of payment, the land to construct the footpath to the school. Councillor Wales was fully aware of the progress to on the survey because as one of the landowners affected by scheme he had been kept informed, but intimated that not all the landowners were prepared to donate the land free of charge. Councillor Calver then informed the meeting that Mr Bill Phillips, one of the land owners, had informed him that he had asked to be consulted when the survey was been carried out but had not had been contacted since the initial request.
Dustbin at Skrinkle Play area
County Council employee Kevin Duckett informed the council that as they had asked for a dustbin to be placed on the beach car park the only option was to take that one away and place it in the play area. Councillor Calver reminded the council that the last one that had been placed there had been damaged and surely it was better to educate children to take their litter home with them, which had been the practice when he was a youth, something which he had encouraged his own children to do. Councillor Griffiths then made the suggestion that perhaps the time has come for the community council to start paying for the provision of bins. Councillor Calver reminded Councillor Griffiths that she was part of the Pembrokeshire County Council which seemed to be opting out of providing anything and wondered what we are getting for our rates and perhaps this is all they wanted us to start doing. A letter was to be written to the Pembrokeshire County Council employee informing him provide a litterbin for the play area.
Correspondence from Mr McCabe regarding the sports field.
Mr McCabe had indicated to that he had spoken to his solicitor over the council's request regarding the building and sports field.
Jameston Community Association Funding
Councillor Wales a committee member of the association which fully supports the construction of the proposed £400,000 amenity centre suggested that the £6,000 request for funding for his association was not really a request just that the vice chairman Mr Beddoes wanted a safety net for the project. Councillor Calver pointed out that a safety net was exactly that and if we granted this application they could draw down the full amount. Councillor Wales then informed the meeting he would go back to his association for further instructions. Councillor Morgan again requested a full financial viability assessment for which the community council was still waiting. Councillor Wales felt that his association would provide it for the council at the appropriate time.
Speeding on Roads
Councillor Wales campaign to have more speed traps and cameras on roads received a set back as the police were not aware of the scheme which he had highlighted for residents to operate speed traps throughout the county and further afield. Councillor Wales had suggested that residents undergo training in the operation of the equipment but when questioned by Councillor Calver who would want to do this how would they go about apprehending people who were caught. Councillor Wales could not explain. He then suggested that Community Councillors should be trained to carry out this operation but there did not seem to be any other councillors willing to carry out this service other than Councillor Wales. Councillor Griffiths informed the meeting that the police would surely not have the manpower, as all we seem to have got from the massive amount of increase in the police budget which was levied by Pembrokeshire County Council through the rates last year, was simply six extra policemen. Councillor Calver felt that we already have enough cameras throughout Wales, which only seem to be set up to extract extra revenue out of motorists for the exchequer. The community council was to write to Pembrokeshire County Council after Councillor Calver pointed out the poor visibility at the junction area near Penuel Chapel. He pointed out that the signs, which to him seemed far too large actually restricted the visibility splay on the junction. He also pointed out that the junction with Pembroke Road could not be seen at night and although he knew the junction well it was still difficult to see it at night. Councillor Griffiths agreed and said she had turned in fact nearly turned into the entrance to Norton Farm on her way to the meeting tonight. Councillor Calver remarked that he was not that blind as the entrances were 60 yds apart. Several councillors were concerned that the bus companies were still not using the flagship bus stop, constructed in the wrong place by Pembrokeshire County Council under their integrated transport scheme, with passengers still having to cross the main road for a bus. Councillor Griffiths informed the meeting there was more money available so they would be moving the bus stop to a different place. Councillor Calver felt that this was another flagship scheme carried out by Pembrokeshire County Council that had been a waste of taxpayers' money and wondered who was going to be accountable for this waste.
Jameston Playarea
Councillor Calver asked for a letter to be written to Pembrokeshire County Council requesting a dog ban sign play area as he had been contacted by several parents in Jameston over dogs wandering into the play area.
Newsletter and Community Council Accounts.
A discussion took place regarding the newsletter costs and council accounts after Councillor Calver voiced his concern that Manorbier Community Association did not seem to be able to provide full accounts for work they had carried out. He pointed out that this had been happening for several years and when he had proposed at last year's precept meeting that they should be investigated more fully he could not get a seconder for his proposal. The clerk informed the meeting that she had tried to get support from the council over various issues regarding the newsletter over the last year but had failed. Councillor Calver agreed with the clerk and proposed that a special meeting be called to try and sort out the situation before this year's precept meeting. Councillor Beynon and Thompson felt that as there was not much of a discrepancy in the figures, they could be rectified by adjusting the figures. Councillor Calver again proposed that we hold a special meeting to audit the council's accounts, as without we would just be carrying the problem over for another year. It was at this stage that Councillor Wales seconded the proposal which when taken to the vote was supported by two other councillors Councillor Meyrick and Davies. It then took the casting vote of the chairman to hold a meeting as he could see several councillors were unhappy with the present situation.
Declaration by Councillor Griffiths at start of meeting held 9th December 2003
County Councillor Griffiths felt that although she had failed to support the proposal to call a special meeting at the last council meeting she had since asked the District Auditor to carry out an audit of the community council books and informed the council that they must not carry out any inspection of the council books. Councillor Calver queried on what authority she had taken this action, as it should have been a council decision. He also wondered who was going to pay for this service, as far as he was aware, Manorbier Community Council could only pay for work authorised by them. He was sure that if his proposal had received more support from the majority of councillors at the last meeting, it had been allowed to run its own course then we would not have incurred further costs and it could have been sorted out.
Councillor Wales indicated that he had also contacted Mr Hugh James after the last meeting but did not inform the council regarding what he had said.
Village appraisal organised by Pembrokeshire County Council
Councillor Griffiths informed the meeting that she had checked the number of appraisals returned and proposed that the community council authorise the processing of the appraisal as over 400 appraisals had been received which was sufficient for the processing of the data, which was final stage of the appraisal to go ahead. She informed the meeting that by Manorbier Community Council agreeing to her proposal now that she was happy the required number of appraisals had been returned, that it would allow the final amount of original WDA money (£5,500) to be released after the data had been processed. Councillor Calver was surprised that the number has been reached because most of the residents of the village, to whom he had spoken, had not returned the questionnaires as they felt that the survey was too long and invasive. Councillor Morgan supported Mrs Griffith's proposal after learning that the required quota had been achieved.