HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL HELD IN THE MEMORIAL HALL ON THURSDAY 14 DECEMBER 2017 at 7.30pm

Present: Councillors: Kane, Watkins, Hicks, Duggan, Griggs, Henderson, Porter, Brotherston, Mrs Watts (Parish Clerk), County Cllr Reynolds (arrived 7.35pm), District Cllr Brown and two members of the public

Apologies for Absence – Cllr Matthews and Wilson

Chairman’s Announcements: Kate McCall-McCowan has resigned as Councillor. Cllr Kane thanked her for her time on the Parish Council. The Parish Clerk has notified CDC and a Vacancy Notice pursuant to section 87(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 has been posted locally and on the website. In the event that CDC receives no request for an election, the vacancy will be advertised locally and filled by co-option.

Declarations of Interest: there were none.

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 9 November 2017 and Matters Arising
Cllr Watkins proposed that the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 9 November 2017 be resolved as a true and accurate record of the meeting. This was seconded by Cllr Hicks and passed unanimously.

Report of the Planning Co-Ordinator on Planning Applications – (Annex 1)
Six planning/TCA applications had been received since the last meeting. The Parish Council has objected to 17/02292/F – erection of new house at Byeways, East End.
Cherwell District Council (CDC) had granted nine applications. Felling of trees on land adjacent Braeside, Rope Way 17/00353/TCA was approved in part; i.e. Tree Preservation Orders (TPO 37/2017) have been attached to 1 x Beech and 1 x Blue Atlantic Cedar.
Oxfordshire County Council approved MW.0066/17 – additional capping to former quarry/refuse tip at Belle Isle Farm, Sibford Road.
Oxfordshire County Council has gone out to consultation about ABS/253/10.15 – diversion of part of bridleway under S119 Highway Acts 1980 at Swerford Park Farm.
The Parish Council has received a number of complaints from residents about work which has started on the Gladman site in Sibford Road 17/00950/REM. CDC has confirmed that work there is of an exploratory nature of the site only.
Cllrs Hicks and Duggan were due to attend an OALC training course at West Oxfordshire District Council in Witney on 13 December; How Local Councils Fit into the Planning System; Effective Responses to Planning Application. However, due to poor weather conditions the course was cancelled. It will be re-scheduled in the new year.

To Invite Members of the Public to Comment on Planning Applications: there were no matters arising.

Reports of Working Groups

Recreation
• Cllr Kane is obtaining a quotation for a see-saw & monkey-bars for the play area.

Cemetery and Allotments
• Cllrs Kane and Hicks recently met with Friends of the Cemetery on site to discuss future plans for the cemetery. The Friends were assured that the Parish Council will fund any minor purchases to enable the volunteers to continue with their valued work.
• The Friends asked again if they could plant a stock-proof thicket hedge to stabilise the bank in the cemetery. Young whips would take 3-4 years to grow and although Councillors were previously unwilling to allow a hedge to be planted there because of future maintenance costs, the Friends assured Councillors that they would maintain the hedge once grown. Cllr Kane proposed that the Friends be allowed to plant this hedge. This was seconded by Cllr Hicks and agreed unanimously.
• Repairs to the wall in the cemetery were meant to have been completed by the end of the year but the inclement weather has put back the start date.
• Weather permitting, Eco Control Solutions will re-visit the cemetery on 2 January 2018 to continue their work on eradicating the Japanese Knotweed.
• Having checked other Parish fees locally, Cllr Hicks proposed that cemetery fees for 2018 should remain the same as the 2017 fees – (Annex 2). This was seconded by Cllr Brotherston and agreed unanimously. The Parish Clerk will notify local undertakers.
• Cllr Hicks proposed that allotment rents for 2019-2020 should remain at £24 per full plot and £15 per half plot. Reminder letters for rent will be charged at £10 per letter. This was seconded by Cllr Duggan and agreed unanimously.
• New tenancy agreements for allotment holders were sent out on 1 November. Twenty-seven of the forty-five tenants have returned their signed agreements. The remaining tenants have until 28 February 2018 to return their agreements.

Environment
• Cllr Kane has ordered a set of white gates for the Firs Garage entrance to Hook Norton from Glasdon UK Ltd. The cost is £1,198.22 plus VAT.
• The bottle banks outside the primary school are to be removed as soon as possible. One suggestion was that they be moved to the Sports and Social car park. Cllr Kane will approach the Sports and Social Club to see if they have any objections to this.
• Ben Acreman has started remedial works on Parish Council owned trees. He had hoped to finish this tranche by the end of the year but the inclement weather has put the end date back.
• Mrs Smart from Crushill Farm has advised the Parish Council that she no longer insures the path between her land and Ironstone Hollow as it is not her responsibility. Walkers now use the path at their own risk as the owner of the path is not known.
• Cllr Kane proposed that a salt/grit bin should be purchased for the corner of The Grange/The Sidings if OCC will agree. Cllr Brotherston seconded this and it was passed unanimously. The Parish Clerk will take the matter forward.
• Cllr Kane asked Councillors to agree to the purchase of six more “20 is Plenty” advisory road signs. Cllr Duggan seconded this motion and it was agreed unanimously. Councillors have already placed several “20 is Plenty” signs around the village in an effort to persuade drivers to lower their speeds.
• County Cllr Reynolds and Cllr Kane had raised concerns with Ian Hudspeth at OCC about safety issues on the two school buses that currently serve Hook Norton children travelling to Chipping Norton School. These are old double-decker buses that do not have seatbelts fitted. At one point recently some children were forced to stand on the moving bus due to lack of seats. Concerns had also been raised about the speed that these buses travel at along narrow country roads, with unrestrained children sitting on both upper and lower decks. Cllr Kane had not received a satisfactory reply from Ian Hudspeth and she will raise an FOI enquiry with OCC asking for their risk assessment details. County Cllr Reynolds will speak to OCC officers again.

Hook Norton War Memorial Hall
• The roller-blind mechanisms on three blinds have broken. Cllr Watkins will arrange for a local tradesman to repair or replace them.
• New banqueting chairs have been purchased and delivered.
• The Parish Clerk has submitted the annual return for 2016-2017 to PRS for Music.
• The Terms and Conditions of Hire of the hall will be altered to include a “no naked flames” policy. This will ensure that the Insurer’s conditions are met.

Hook Norton Library Funding: Jane Orchard, Chairman of FOHNCL had written to ask the PC to continue contributing towards the cost of keeping the library open for a further two years. A slight increase was noted. The PC has contributed £4,000 per annum for the past four years. Cllr Kane proposed that the PC contribute £4,338 per annum towards library costs for the next two years. This was seconded by Cllr Griggs and agreed unanimously.

Finance/Schedule of Receipts and Payments for Authorisation by the Council:
The Parish Clerk presented the schedules of receipts and payments for December 2017 totalling £2,907.80 for the Parish Council (Annex 3) and £2,350.30 for the Memorial Hall (Annex 4). Cllr Duggan moved acceptance of the payments detailed. This was seconded by Cllr Hicks and agreed unanimously.

Report on District Council Matters. District Cllr Hugo Brown reported:
My report in the Minutes of 9th November 2017:
17/131/1 – I was mistaken when I said “…this investment would involve CDC acquiring the 15% which it does not own …”. In fact CDC owns 15% and so would be acquiring 85%.
17/131/4 – The final sentence can now be seen to have been couched in very ambiguous language: – “The Leader confirmed that CDC would be responding but cautioned that this would not necessarily result in fewer houses in Cherwell ….”. In fact, as we now know, the Leader of CDC, together with the Leaders of all other Oxfordshire Councils, have confirmed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer their united desire to stick with the 100,000 new houses figure – as Philip Hammond specifically mentioned in his Budget
Castle Quay: As mentioned in the previous minutes, CDC is interested in acquiring Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury.  This comes to Full Council on Monday 18 December.  A dis-proportionate amount of my time has been spent on this issue.
Among other matters coming to Full Council on 18 December are:
An address by the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police (Francis Habgood) and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley (Anthony Stansfeld) on 29 November. I circulated an e-mail to all Parish Clerks asking if they had any issues they would like me to raise.  None responded.
A proposal to consider the creation of a capital budget of up to £2.5m for a pilot scheme of 10 bridging loans to assist those who wish to build a bespoke or custom-build house, but who would normally find it difficult to obtain finance.  Council is being asked to approve that this be considered by the Executive at its January meeting

Report on County Council Matters. County Cllr George Reynolds reported:
Oxfordshire County Council’s major budget announcement regarding housing and infrastructure almost entirely affects the south of the District.

Correspondence:
The Parish Clerk had forwarded all correspondence to Councillors during the month.
To Invite Questions and Comments from Members of the Public: there were none.

AOB:
Mr R Davis asked the Parish Clerk to furnish him with PC account details for 2016-2017.
Could other areas in the village have grit bins? Cllr Kane explained that if residents feel that a salt bin is need in their area, they should put their request in writing to the Parish Clerk. Councillors will consider each request but it must be noted that Oxfordshire County Council will not necessarily agree to proposed locations.

The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on 11 January 2018 at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall.

There being no further business Councillor Kane thanked everyone for attending and closed the public meeting at 8.33pm.

HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL HELD IN THE MEMORIAL HALL ON THURSDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2017 at 7.30pmMINUTES OF THE MEETING OF HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL HELD IN THE MEMORIAL HALL ON THURSDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2017 at 7.30pm

Present: Councillors: Kane, Watkins, Hicks (left 8.25pm), McCall-McCowan, Duggan, Griggs, Henderson, Wilson, Porter, Mrs Watts (Parish Clerk) and one member of the public

Apologies for Absence – County Cllr Reynolds, District Cllr Brown, Cllrs Brotherston and Matthews

Chairman’s Announcements: there were no announcements.Declarations of Interest: there were none.

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 12 October 2017 and Matters Arising
Cllr McCall-McCowan proposed that the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 12 October 2017 be resolved as a true and accurate record of the meeting.  This was seconded by Cllr Hicks and passed unanimously.

Report of the Planning Co-Ordinator on Planning Applications – (Annex 1)
Eight planning/TCA applications had been received since the last meeting.  Councillors objected to 17/00390/TCA, removal of a specimen Tulip Tree on common land east of Beanacre Cottage and south east of Rope Way.
Cherwell District Council (CDC) has granted six applications.  There were no objections to five of these.  Recommendations had been made regarding 17/01740/F, 13 The Bourne.
17/00377/TCA Scotland Mount Road. A Five-Day Notice was granted on 24 October to fell an Ash tree.
The Parish Council has received a number of complaints from residents about work which has started on the Gladman site in Sibford Road 17/00950/REM.  Issues have been raised about safety for the primary school children.  Councillors are particularly concerned that work appears to have started before all planning applications have been approved and that the site entrance being used by heavy machinery is not the one on the plans, which is further up the road.  The Parish Clerk will write immediately to the Planning Department and District Cllr Hugo Brown.

To Invite Members of the Public to Comment on Planning Applications: there were no matters arising.

Reports of Working GroupsRecreation
a) A joint on the rota-bounce in the play area has failed and the apparatus is out of use.  The supplier is going to replace the equipment free of charge.
b) Repairs to the baby-swing have been arranged.
c) Cllr Kane is obtaining a quotation for a see-saw & monkey-bars for the play area.    d) Tree works were carried out in the play area this week by Acremans Arboriculture Ltd.

Cemetery and Allotments
• Cllr Griggs had obtained three quotations for repairing walls in the cemetery.  Cllr Kane proposed that the quotation from Chris Hobbs of Chipping Norton be accepted.  This was seconded by Cllr Hicks and agreed unanimously.
• Councillors thanked Mr Collier for supplying a number of spring bulbs for the cemetery.  Cllrs also thanked Cllr Griggs for planting them.
• Treatment of the Japanese Knotweed in the cemetery is visibly taking effect, with the weed wilting and dying-off.
• Cllrs Kane and Hicks will meet John Blackham on 18 November to discuss any future plans for the cemetery.
• New tenancy agreements for allotment holders were sent out on 1 November.  Tenants have until 28 February 2018 to return them to the Parish Clerk.
• Cllr Kane recently met with Pat Groome of the Allotment Association to discuss the allotments in general.

Environment
• Cllr Kane proposed that the quotation of just under £4K from Ben Acreman for dealing with a number of trees identified in Sacha Barnes’ tree survey 2017 as needing urgent attention, be accepted.  This was seconded by Cllr Hicks and agreed unanimously.  Work will commence as soon as possible.  Medium and low priority issues will be dealt with over the next two years.
• Cllr Kane thanked Cllr Griggs for dealing with nettles and weeds in Ashburton Lane.
• Cllr Kane will obtain a quotation from Glasdon for purchasing a set of white gates for the Firs Garage entrance to Hook Norton.
• The blue and brown bin outside the primary school gates are being misused and will be removed.
• The bottle banks outside the primary school will be removed as soon as an alternative site can be found for them.
• Formal Consultation – new Disabled Persons’ Parking Place in Hook Norton.   Oxfordshire County Council has reported that the ‘calling-in’ period has now ended and the Cabinet Minister has decided not to approve the proposed disable bay in High Street as there was not enough demand for it.  Only two disabled people asked for it and one of those is leaving the village in the next few months.  They were asked to canvass more support from other badge holders locally but no more people came forward.

Hook Norton War Memorial Hall
a) The roller-blind mechanisms on three blinds have broken.  Cllr Watkins will arrange for a local tradesman to repair or replace them.
b) New chairs have been ordered for the hall.  They will be delivered by 20 November.
c) Glass in the damaged double glazed window in the lobby has been replaced.

Finance/Schedule of Receipts and Payments for Authorisation by the Council:
The Parish Clerk presented the schedules of receipts and payments for November 2017 totalling £5,934.53 for the Parish Council (Annex 2) and £731.99 for the Memorial Hall (Annex 3).  Cllr Watkins moved acceptance of the payments detailed.  This was seconded by Cllr McCall-McCowan and agreed unanimously.

Budget and Precept 2018-2019:  the Parish Clerk, having discussed the matter with the Chairman, had emailed a proposed budget for 2018-2019 to Councillors before the meeting (Annex 4).  Following a short discussion, Cllr Kane proposed that the precept should remain at £80K next year. This would allow for an increase in the cost of grass cutting, repairs to walls, removal of Japanese Knotweed from the cemetery, maintenance of play areas on new housing estates and other services which OCC is seeking to transfer to parishes.  Any spend over and above that will be taken from reserves.  This was seconded by Cllr McCall-McCowan and agreed unanimously.

Appointment of Internal Auditor for 2017-2018 Accounts: Mr David Ralls AAT; ACCA, Springfield Avenue, Banbury carried out last year’s internal audits.    Cllr Kane proposed that Mr Ralls be appointed again to inspect both the Parish Council and War Memorial Hall Trust accounts for 2017/2018.  This was seconded by Cllr Griggs and agreed unanimously.

Report on District Council Matters.  District Cllr Hugo Brown reported:
Castle Quay Shopping Centre:  Cherwell District Council (CDC) is potentially making an investment in the Castle Quay Shopping Centre.  If approved at Full Council, this investment would involve CDC acquiring the 15% which it does not own, thus giving it 100% ownership.  There are numerous hurdles to be overcome before it is taken to Full Council, including scrutiny by the Budget Planning Committee and the Accounts, Audit and Risk Committee, but if this is ultimately approved, it will give an exciting opportunity to re-vamp this significant part of the Banbury retail and leisure scene.
Cherwell Design Guide: At the Executive Meeting held on 6 November, it was proposed that a brand new Cherwell Design Guide be put out to consultation  The Design Guide covers all aspects of new housing development, architecture, street-scape, road layouts etc.  It is an extremely long but well put-together document and can be found on the CDC website.
Developer Contribution: In November 2016 CDC published a draft Developer Contributions Supplementary Planning Document (SDP) and undertook a six-week formal public consultation.  The document was drafted to complement and operate alongside an emergency Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule.  Government has now ‘paused’ the introduction of CIL which has necessitated a substantial re-drafting of the SPD.  Given the extent and nature of these changes, it is necessary to undertake a further public consultation prior to the adoption of the SDP.  Further refinement may be necessary following the Autumn Statement.  At the Executive Meeting on 6 November, it was proposed to approve the public consultation.  The full document can be found on the CDC website.
Strategic Housing Market Assessment:  At the group meeting on 1 November, District Cllr Brown asked the Leader of the Council whether or not CDC would be responding to the consultation (closing 9 November) into the proposed revised methodology for assessing housing need.  If this proposed revised methodology is accepted, the revised housing numbers for Oxfordshire fall from 100,000 to 68,000 (for the period 2011-2013) and for Cherwell from 22,800 t0 15,200.  The Leader confirmed that CDC would be responding but cautioned that this would not necessarily result in fewer house in Cherwell due to the significant economic growth enjoyed within and planned for the District.

Report on County Council Matters.  County Cllr George Reynolds had nothing to report.

Correspondence:
The Parish Clerk had forwarded all correspondence to Councillors during the month.  A letter from Friends of Hook Norton Community Library requesting further funding from the Parish Council will be discussed at the December meeting.

To Invite Questions and Comments from Members of the Public: there were none.

AOB:
Concerns were raised again about safety issues on the two school buses that currently serve Hook Norton children travelling to Chipping Norton School.  These are old double-decker buses that do not have seat-belts fitted.  At one point this week some children were forced to stand on the moving bus due to lack of seats.  Concerns were also raised about the speed that these buses travel at along narrow country roads, with unrestrained children sitting on both upper and lower decks.  Cllr Kane will write immediately to Ian Hudspeth of Oxfordshire County Council (c.c. County Cllr Reynolds) to express the Parish Council’s concerns.

The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on 14 December 2017 at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall.
There being no further business Councillor Kane thanked everyone for attending and closed the public meeting at 8.40pm.

HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF HOOK NORTON PARISH COUNCIL HELD IN THE MEMORIAL HALL ON THURSDAY 12 OCTOBER 2017 at 7.30pm

Present: Councillors: Kane, Watkins Hicks, McCall-McCowan, Duggan, Griggs, Brotherston, Matthews (left at 8.00pm), Wilson, Porter, County Cllr Reynolds, District Cllr Brown (left at 8.05pm), Mrs Watts (Parish Clerk) and one member of the public

Apologies for Absence – Cllr Henderson

Chairman’s Announcements: “Further to the Parish Council’s confidential discussion at the last meeting (i.e. regarding a dispute between two allotment holders), I, as you know, had a telephone call from the National Allotment Society’s legal advisor and a further letter from the Chair of Hook Norton Allotment Association. I explained to both the exact circumstances surrounding the issue and both now seem to understand why the Parish Council took the decision that it did  – to take no further action.However, I do feel that not only has the reputation of the Parish Council been questioned but also my personal reputation has been maligned and my impartiality has been called into question. I object really strongly to that. The grief I have had over this episode has verged on harassment and I hope that the matter is now closed”.

Declarations of Interest:  Cllr Matthews declared an interest in OCC planning applications MW.0080/17 and MW.0081/17.

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 14 September 2017 and Matters Arising
Cllr Hicks proposed that the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 14 September 2017 be resolved as a true and accurate record of the meeting.  This was seconded by Cllr Brotherston and passed unanimously.

Report of the Planning Co-Ordinator on Planning Applications – (Annex 1)Eight planning/TCA applications had been received since the last meeting.  Cllr Matthews, having declared an interest in OCC MW.0080/17 and MW.0081/17, left the room whilst the two applications were being discussed: Councillors did not have enough information to make an informed decision and the Parish Clerk was asked to forward the OCC website link so that the applications could be considered further.  Cllr Matthews returned to the meeting.Cherwell District Council (CDC) had granted three applications.  There were no objections.To Invite Members of the Public to Comment on Planning Applications: no comments.

Reports of Working Groups
Recreation
a) A joint on the rota-bounce in the play area has failed and the apparatus is out of use.  The supplier is going to replace the equipment free of charge.
b) Cllr Kane is obtaining a quotation for a see-saw & monkey-bars for the play area.
c) Tree works are to be carried out in the play area by Acremans Arboriculture Ltd.
d) It has been reported that children are accessing the fenced-off play area on the Taylor Wimpey (TW) estate.  The Parish Clerk contacted CDC, and they in turn contacted TW asking them to make the site more secure until such time as it officially opened for use.  The Parish Clerk has received confirmation from CDC that TW have secured the site.
e) A resident has noticed a moped being ridden in the play area.  Residents should report anti-social behaviour to the Police, using the non-emergency number 101.
Cemetery and Allotments
a) Cllr Griggs has obtained two quotations for repairing walls in the cemetery.  A third is awaited.
b) Grass cutting – a resident had asked the Parish Council to pay the contractor to remove grass cuttings in the cemetery.  At a previous meeting Councillors had unanimously decided that the additional price for this was cost-prohibitive.
c) Friends of Hook Norton Cemetery have asked to meet the Chairman on site to discuss any future plans for the cemetery.  Volunteers to join this group are still needed.
Environment
a) Cllr Griggs has asked Ben Acreman to give an updated quotation for dealing with a number of trees identified in tree survey as needing urgent attention.
b) Nettles and weeds have been reported as becoming a problem in Ashburton Lane.  Cllr McCall-McCowan will check the area.
c) Residents are asked to cut back shrubs overhanging pathways to ensure that pedestrians have safe access.
d) The Parish Council has purchased some daffodil bulbs; these have been planted in the verges.
e) The rubbish bin by the bus stop is damaged and will be r-hung.
f) Mixed rubbish is being put in the blue and green bins at the recycling point outside the primary school.  Residents are asked to separate rubbish from recyclable materials; failure to do so will result in the bins being removed by CDC.  If the bins are full, please take rubbish home.  The primary school cannot be expected to clear away dumped rubbish.
g) Some drivers and cyclists are being observed driving the wrong way down Queen Street.  Residents are asked to note that this is a one-way street.
Hook Norton War Memorial Hall
a) New crockery and cutlery has been purchased.
b) Minor repairs to the hall are complete.
c) Cllr Brotherston has inspected the rail-ends of the curtains and the roller-blind mechanisms following a complaint about damage but no issues were found.
d) Hooky Players and the Film Society have each agreed to pay £800 towards the cost of new chairs for the hall.  Cllr Brotherston will contact Cllr Henderson to discuss the type of chairs users would like the Parish Council to purchase.  Cllr Brotherston proposed that Councillors agree in principle to the chairs being purchased in time for the Hooky Players’ production in January.  This was seconded by Cllr Hicks and passed unanimously.
e) A double glazed window in the lobby has been broken by persons unknown.  A quotation of £313.20 for repair has been obtained.  Cllr Kane proposed that this be accepted.  This was seconded by Cllr Watkins and passed unanimously.

Finance/Schedule of Receipts and Payments for Authorisation by the Council:
The Parish Clerk presented the schedules of receipts and payments for October 2017 totalling £4,731.10 for the Parish Council (Annex 2) and £706.16 for the Memorial Hall (Annex 3).  Cllr McCall-McCowan moved acceptance of the payments detailed.  This was seconded by Cllr Brotherston and agreed unanimously.

Charity Commission – War Memorial Hall Accounts 2016/2017:The Parish Clerk reported that she had sent required details of the 2016/2017 accounts for the War Memorial Hall to the Charity Commission.

Report on District Council Matters.  District Cllr Hugo Brown reported:
Domestic Council Tax – At the Executive Meeting on 4th September, it was resolved that there will be no change to the current Council Tax Reduction Scheme or Council Tax Discounts for 2018/19.  Broadly, (i) furnished chargeable dwellings that are not the sole or main residence of an individual (i.e. second homes) do not receive a discount, (ii) unoccupied and substantially unfurnished properties receive a discount of 25% for a period of six months and thereafter to zero, (iii) chargeable dwellings which are vacant and undergoing major repair work to render them habitable receive a discount of 25% for a period of 12 months, (iv) for dwellings that have been empty for more than 2 years, a premium of up to 50% of the council tax payable can be charged.
Business Rates Relief Scheme – At the Executive Meeting on 4th September, it was resolved to adopt the local Discretionary Business Rates Relief Scheme for 2017 / 18.  This scheme runs from 1 April 2017 to March 2018 and offers relief to those qualifying ratepayers whose bills have increased due to the 2017 Revaluation.  CDC has approx. £620,000 set aside to assist with Business Rates Relief.  Various rules apply but broadly, (i) the property needs to have been occupied on 31st March 2017, (ii) the 2017 Rateable Value has to be £200,000 or less.  If anyone would like help in applying, please contact Cllr Brown.
Pubs Relief Scheme – At the Executive Meeting on 4th September, it was resolved to adopt the Pubs Relief Scheme for 2017/18.  Again, this is a one-year scheme available to pubs with a Rateable Value of £100,000 or less.  Publicans can apply for a business rates discount of £1,000.
Horton Hospital – At the Executive Meeting on 4th September, it was resolved to submit a Notice of Renewal for a Judicial Review of the flawed consultation process by the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group and its decision to make permanent the freestanding midwife-led unit at the Horton.
Naming of Streets on new developments in honour of fallen Armed Forces personnel – At the Meeting of Council held on 17th July the following Motion was agreed and adopted “To mark the centenary of the end of WW1, this council recognises those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Great War of 1914-1918 and conflicts since then from North Oxfordshire and wishes to honour those who gave their lives and commemorate the local families they left behind. Council – 17 July 2017.  To this end, we as the principle planning authority, let it be known that if Towns and Villages within the Cherwell District wish to honour those who died and are recorded or are on the local War Memorials by naming roads and streets in new developments after the fallen from within the parish we will look favourably on the request. Cherwell will work with those Towns and Parishes to research and where possible accommodate such a request in any new developments that the towns and villages may have within the parish boundaries in the coming years.”
BT Telephone Boxes (Hook Norton has two of these)  – At the forthcoming Meeting of Council on Monday 16th October, one of the proposed motions is that “the Council (CDC) formally request BT tidy up and clean up their phone boxes around our District.  We want them presentable, on the inside and out, or we do not want them at all”
The new CEO of CDC (Yvonne Rees) is instigating a review of the way CDC works and responds to its council-tax-payers.  The intention is to drive CDC’s priorities of financial sustainability, service excellence, organisational transformation and supporting economic growth to the next level.  As part of the process the Local Government Association is to undertake a Corporate Peer Challenge.  The Peer Team will be made up of Senior Officers and Leaders of various Borough and District Councils.  I will be taking part in a Peer Challenge Focus Group in early November.

Report on County Council Matters.  County Cllr George Reynolds reported:
Salt: The Parish Council must advise OCC if any salt bins in the village need re-filling.  A bulk bag of salt is also needed (to be kindly held by Banbury Plant Hire for distribution as necessary).  The Parish Clerk will deal with this.
OCC Area Operations Team is responsible for the delivery of all local highway maintenance activity and arboriculture works on the public highway.  Points of contact will be emailed to the Parish Clerk.OCC has cancelled the contract with Carillion for building new properties.  The company continues to carry out maintenance at the moment.Burford has asked for a vehicle weight limit to be imposed through the village.  This could impact on other villages (e.g. Chipping Norton).Cllr Reynolds is questioning the lack of seat-belts in some school buses with OCC.

Correspondence: The Parish Clerk had forwarded all correspondence to Councillors during the month.A complaint had been received about the apparent speed of vehicles using Bourne Lane and alleged vehicle damage to a grass verge and wooden posts.Paul Cann had written to the PC asking for support to take forward Hooky Phoenix, an outreach scheme which will offer a variety of activities for over 65s in the village.

To Invite Questions and Comments from Members of the Public: there were none.

AOB: Clive Timms has retired from Heath Allotment Trust.  Councillors thanked him for many years of service as Chairman and trustee to the Trust.  Cllr Brotherston proposed that Harry Smith be approached to join the Trust.  This was seconded by Cllr Kane and passed unanimously.

Confidential Item: this item was cancelled.

The next Parish Council Meeting will be held on 9 November 2017 at 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall.
There being no further business Councillor Kane thanked everyone for attending and closed the public meeting at 8.20pm.Signed ……………………………………..Hook Norton Parish CouncilDated 9 November 2017