There were two members of the public present, one of whom wished to speak (see attached notes).

Present:

Cllr D E Cracknell (Town Mayor)
Cllr N J Chard
Cllr Mrs B Charlton
Cllr N R G Clarke
Cllr D R Cole
Cllr M F J Daly
Cllr Mrs L C Ford
Cllr N W Light
Cllr W S Rippon-Swaine
Cllr Mrs V A Sullivan
Cllr B H Terry

In Attendance:

Terry Simpson, Town Clerk
Jo Stannard, Deputy Town Clerk

C/4565 Absence

Apologies for absence had been received from Cllr P Chambers.

C/4566 Declarations of Interest

There were none.

C/4567 Presentation of Grant Aid Cheques

Cllr Ford presented a cheque for £200 to Mr Roger Bettle who accepted it on behalf of Avon Valley Concerts. Mr Bettle thanked the Council for its support and said that it would not be possible to bring such high quality music to the town without the financial support of local authorities.

C/4568 Minutes of Previous Meetings

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Annual Meeting held on 24th May 2006, having been circulated, were approved and signed as a correct record.

C/4569 Communications to be received

The Mayor announced the following:

i) Letter from Trinity Church thanking the Council for its support for its Chernobyl Fundraising Event to raise money for the 19 children coming to the town in August. It was noted that £480 had been raised on the day.

ii) Letter from Chris Johnson thanking the Council for his Community Award.

iii) The new Town Council website was now online at www.ringwood.gov.uk and was a big improvement on the previous site. It was hoped that all basic information would be uploaded by the beginning of next week and noted that there were plans for further development of the site. The Deputy Town Clerk was thanked for her work in getting this up and running.

iv) Draft minutes of meetings would in future be emailed to councillors and a full set of paper copies would be sent out at the end of each month with the agenda for Full Council. Paper copies would continue to be sent each week to those councillors not on email.

v) Ringwood School featured on the BBC Politics Show last Sunday following their presentation at Intec and at the Annual Assembly. The programme could be viewed on the BBC website.

vi) The Ringwood Festival leaflet was now available and had been widely distributed. It was noted that Ringwood Junior School had agreed for its playing field to be used as a campsite for members of the Sealed Knot.

C/4570 Questions of the Mayor

Cllr Daly: asked when plans for making Kings Arms Lane would be implemented. It was noted that a scheme was provided for in the Local Plan and that this had previously been advertised twice by the County Council but, for various reasons, had not been proceeded. The Deputy Town Clerk reported that the Town Council had agreed that this scheme should be brought forward for further consideration when other identified measures, such as Quomp, Bickerley Road and High Street, had been implemented.

However, it was noted that the District Council had agreed to look at side road issues in conjunction with a review of parking restrictions in Bickerley Road due to be carried out in Autumn 2006, and was agreed that Kings Arms Lane should be included in this review.

Cllr Mrs Sullivan: asked if it was possible to ask for a survey of the town’s outdated sewers to be carried out, as she was concerned about the impact of infill building overloading the system. It was agreed that a letter would be sent to Wessex Water.

C/4571 Reports from County and District Councillors

County Councillor N Clarke submitted a report (Annex ‘A’), which was circulated to members. He reported that the County Council had now submitted its comments on the South East Plan and had expressed particular concern about the provision of adequate infrastructure, such as water, roads, schools and electricity supply.

District Councillor C Ford reported that she was a member of the Steering Committee looking at the future of the South West corner of the Furlong Car Park and that she had asked that no promise of a community facility be made to the local people until such time as it was known exactly where and when it would be built.

She also reported that the first year progress report of the partnership between Test Valley Borough Council and New Forest District Council had been very positive and the arrangement was working well for both councils.

Finally, the Crime and Disorder Panel had debated the CCTV report, which she had supported as, aside from a reduction in crime, it provides social and other benefits to the town.

District Councillor C Treleaven submitted a report (Annex ‘B’).

In response to Cllr Treleaven’s comment as to who might benefit from building on greenfield sites, Cllr Cracknell said that he hoped young people would benefit. He said that 250 students left Ringwood School each year, who would all need somewhere to live and work.

Cllr Light asked if the Town Council would be included in discussions about the possible provision of a community facility. Cllr Treleaven replied that the District Council would ensure that all views were considered, particularly those that came out of the Town Council’s consultations for the Market Town Healthcheck.

Cllr Rippon-Swaine was concerned that the creation of the National Park could lead to overdevelopment of the town. He was also anxious about the campaign by the owners of the former Wellworthy site to build houses on a site designated as employment land. He said he would be disappointed if employment sites in the town were lost to housing, particularly if those houses could not be guaranteed for Ringwood people.

C/4572 Planning, Town & Environment Committee

Cllr Clarke presented the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee held on 26th May 2006.

P/4321 Cllr Ford was disappointed at the Council’s response to questions 41 and 42 relating to the agricultural economy in the district.

P/4325(iii) Cllr Chard was concerned that an item relating to signage had been discussed under Urgent Business as it was a controversial issue with members having differing views. He therefore recommended that this item be referred back to the Committee for further consideration.

RESOLVED:

1) That the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee held on 26th May 2006, with the exception of P/4325(iii), be approved and adopted.

2) That the issue of signage be referred back to the next meeting of the Committee for further consideration.

C/4573 Recreation, Leisure & Open Spaces Committee

Cllr Light presented the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure & Open Spaces Committee held on 7th June 2006.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure & Open Spaces Committee held on 7th June 2006 be approved and adopted.

C/4574 Policy & Finance Committee

Cllr Rippon-Swaine presented the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee held on 21st June 2006.

F/3955(ii) The Town Clerk reported that, if the casual vacancy was contested, the cost to the Town Council would be approximately £3,500, including £610 for poll cards. However, it was noted that poll cards were discretionary and he therefore asked members if they would wish for poll cards to be issued.

RESOLVED:

1) That the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee held on 21st June 2006, including the recommendations contained therein, but with the exception of F/3958, be approved and adopted.

2) That, if the casual vacancy is contested, no poll cards be distributed.

C/4575 Ringwood School Awards Evening

The Town Clerk reported that he had been approached by a representative of Ringwood School asking if the Town Council would like to sponsor a student award.

RESOLVED: That, under s137 of the Local Government Act 1972, the Council sponsor the Year 7 Award for Activities with Citizenship to the value of £60.

C/4576 Forthcoming Meetings

C/4577 Exclusion of Public and Press

RESOLVED: That under section 100 (A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information. (Annex ‘C’).

C/4578 Mount Pleasant Lane

RESOLVED: That minute F/3958 of the Policy & Finance Committee held on 21st June 2006 be approved and adopted.