Open Session:

There were no members of public present.

Apologies

Prior to the meeting, the Town Clerk reported that apologies for absence had been received from Cllr M A Steele. .

Declarations of Interest

There were none. .

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
Student Advisor James Fullick

C/4901 Minutes of Previous Meeting

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 25th March 2009, having been circulated, be approved and signed as a correct record

C/4902 Planning, Town & Environment Committee

Cllr Clarke presented the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee meeting held on 27th March 2009.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee meeting held on 27th March 2009 be received.

C/4903 Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee

Cllr Chard presented the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee meeting held on 1st April 2009.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee meeting held on 1st April 2009 be received.

C/4904 Policy & Finance Committee

Cllr Heron presented the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee meeting held on 15th April 2009.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee meeting held on 15th April 2009 be received and the recommendation at F/4386 be approved.

C/4905 Communications to be Received

The Town Mayor reported the following:

1) Following new guidelines issued in 2008 on the permitted use of red diesel by agricultural vehicles, there was doubt about the use of red diesel in the Council’s grass maintenance vehicles.

The Town Council drew this issue to the attention of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) with a view to the NALC taking steps to ensure that this Order does not apply to tractors, ride on mowers or similar equipment used by Town and Parish Councils.

The matter was also referred to Hampshire County Council and New Forest District Council with a view to those authorities seeking support for the motion from the Local Government Association. The District Council did not consider any action was necessary.

It was therefore interesting to note that, according to the Local Government Association (LGA), one local authority has now been contacted by Revenue and Customs to pay a significant sum in excess duty as a result of its tractors being dipped for red diesel. The LGA is requesting further information on the effect of the changed red diesel guidelines on local authorities.

2) A Certificate of Membership had been received from Community First New Forest.

3) He had attended the Ringwood and Fordingbridge Lions evening last Saturday and was delighted to have been presented with a cheque for £250 for the Mayor’s Charity.

C/4906 Reports from County and District Councillors

District Councillor Rippon-Swaine reported on a meeting of the Southampton Road Environmental Improvements Steering Group. A public exhibition would be held in a vacant shop unit adjacent to the site where improvements were proposed (33A Southampton Road – previously Chinese Herbs and Acupuncture) on Wednesday 13th May between 10am and 8pm and Saturday 16th May between 10am and 1pm. Unfortunately, there was insufficient funding to improve the entire area, but it was hoped that works to improve the northern end would be carried out in early 2010.

District Councillor Ford had submitted a written report, which was circulated to Members (Annex ‘A’). She added that she was continuing to lobby for replacement toilets for the town.

County Councillor Clarke reported that he had attended a Members Briefing to discuss Local Area Agreement Performance Indicators relating to congestion and accessibility. He also reported that the County Council had been carrying out testing with regard to regulatory weights and measures and, in particular, checking fuel dispensers at supermarkets and weighing machines in hospitals.

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

C/4907 Forthcoming Meetings

There being no further business, the Town Mayor closed the meeting at 7.17pm.

RECEIVED AND ADOPTED