Open Session:

There were no members of public present.

Apologies

There were no apologies for absence.

Declarations of Interest

There were none declared at this time.

Present:

Cllr B H Terry (Town Mayor)
Cllr P Chambers
Cllr N J Chard
Cllr N R G Clarke
Cllr D Cole
Cllr L C Ford
Cllr J Heron
Cllr Mrs G O’Reilly
Cllr W S Rippon-Swaine
Cllr Mrs J Terry
Cllr Mrs M Urwin
Cllr Mrs A Wiseman
Cllr Mrs B Woodifield

In Attendance:

Mr T Simpson, Town Clerk
Mrs J Stannard, Deputy Town Clerk
Mr M Townsend, Finance Manager (for part of meeting)

C/4868 Minutes of Previous Meeting

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2008, having been circulated, be approved and signed as a correct record.

C/4869 Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee

Cllr Chard presented the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee meeting held on 3 December 2008.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee meeting held on 3 December 2008 be received.

C/4870 Planning, Town & Environment Committee

Cllr Clarke presented the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee meeting held on 5 December 2008.

He reported that further information had been received in respect of the application for a Variation of the Premises Licence for David Lloyd Leisure (P/4609 refers).

It was noted that the only objection to the application had come from the Police. However, this had now been removed following the negotiation of conditions to be attached to the Licence, which appeared to address the concerns raised by the Town Council.

It was further noted that if there were any incidents of noise disturbance in the future, residents should report these to the District Council’s Environmental Health department, which has the power to call in a Licence for review. In the light of this further information, the Chairman had agreed, in consultation with officers, to the Council’s representation being withdrawn.

RESOLVED:

1) That the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee meeting held on 5 December 2008, with the exception of P/4609, be received.

2) That action taken, in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee, to withdraw the Council’s representation regarding the Variation of Premises Licence for David Lloyd Leisure be noted and referred back to the Committee for approval.

C/4871 Policy & Finance Committee

Cllr Heron presented the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee meeting held on 10 December 2008.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee meeting held on 19 November 2008, with the exception of F/4335, be received and the recommendation at F/4338 be approved.

C/4872 Council Budget and Precept 2009/10

Members considered the recommendation F/4335 from Policy & Finance Committee, which outlined the Council’s budget and precept for 2009/10.

It was noted that the budget provided for an increase of £4.53 per year in the amount payable by a householder in a Band D property. This would mean that, in 2009/10, Council tax payers in band D properties in Ringwood would be paying £69.19 per annum for Town Council services, an increase of less than 9p per week.

Cllr Heron reported that Members were acutely aware of the current economic climate and the need to prioritise necessary expenditure. The budget proposals had been considered twice by each committee and Policy & Finance Committee had made further revisions. The need to use the more expensive red diesel in Council vehicles would cost an additional £3,000 and inflation had added £18,660.

Falling interest rates would reduce income by £9,000. The Council therefore had to find in excess of £30,000 before looking at service delivery. However, it was not prepared to stand still and Members had therefore agreed to focus on providing services for the community, particularly for young people, and to deliver some of the short-term objectives identified in the Town Plan.

Members thanked the Finance Manager for helping them to maintain a firm understanding of the Council’s finances throughout the year. They felt that he had done an exceptionally good job and the Council was fortunate to have him in their employment.

RESOLVED:

1) That the recommendations of the Policy & Finance Committee relating to the Council budget, at minute F/4335 of the meeting held on 10th December 2008, which provides for an overall net budget of £392,310 and a transfer from the general reserve of £15,380 be approved;

and

2) That the Council’s precept for 2009/10 be set at £376,930. The Finance Manager left the meeting.

C/4873 Communications to be received

The Town Mayor reported the following:

1) When Michael Thierry was Mayor, he introduced something he called a Certificate of Recognition. This Certificate was intended to record the Town Council’s appreciation of some specific work undertaken on behalf of the community by either a commercial organisation, voluntary and charitable organisation or club.

The Mayor felt that this was a very worthwhile way of rewarding those organisations who make a significant contribution and asked Councillors to consider whether there were any organisations in the town to which this type of award should be made this year.

2) The Heritage Lottery Fund had approved the first round application of Ringwood Meeting House.

3) Expressed sadness at the loss of Raymond Brown, who had been the stalwart of charities in the town for many years. It was agreed that a letter of condolence be sent to the family.

4) Reminder about Civic Service and drinks reception.

C/4874 Reports from County and District Councillors

District Councillor Ford presented her written report (Annex ‘A’).

County Councillor Clarke presented his written report (Annex ‘B’).

District Councillor Treleaven had submitted a written report, which was circulated to Members (Annex ‘C’).

District Councillor Heron reported that a number of councils across the country had decided to cease the collection of recyclable materials. However, contracts for the District Council were still in place.

C/4875 Forthcoming Meetings

There being no further business, the Town Mayor closed the meeting at 7.26pm.

RECEIVED AND ADOPTED