Present:

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

In Attendance:

Mr T Simpson, Town Clerk
Mrs J Stannard, Deputy Town Clerk
District Cllr C Treleaven

C/4994 Apologies

The Town Clerk reported that apologies for absence had been received from Cllr Urwin and Student Advisors Ed Fullick and Ashley Finch.

C/4995 Declarations of Interest

There were none.

C/4996 Minutes of Previous Meeting

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Meeting held on 13th January 2010, having been circulated, be approved and signed as a correct record.

C/4997 Certificate of Merit

The Town Mayor presented a Certificate of Merit to Mrs Janet Dolby in recognition of outstanding service to the community. She said that Mrs Dolby’s marvellous work over and above the call of duty at Greyfriars had been greatly appreciated by residents of the town. Mrs Dolby said that it had been a pleasure to serve the local people using Greyfriars and it was a great honour to receive the Certificate.

C/4998 Grant Aid

The Town Mayor presented a cheque for £750 to New Forest North Citizens Advice Bureau to Mr Lingham-Wilgoss and Mr Jeff Newsome. Mr Lingham-Wilgoss thanked the Council for its continued support, for which they were truly grateful.

C/4999 Planning, Town & Environment Committee

Cllr Clarke presented the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee meeting held on 8th January 2010.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee meeting held on 8th January 2010 be received.

C/5000 Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee

Cllr B Terry presented the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee meeting held on 13th January 2010.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee meeting held on 13th January be received.

C/5001 Policy & Finance Committee

Cllr Heron presented the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee meeting held on 20th January 2010.

F/4526: Cllr Heron was pleased that the plans to create access to the land between Castleman Trail and the Millstream were progressing and that this would provide a useful piece of open space for residents of the town and would be a lasting memory to the late Raymond Brown.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee meeting held on 20th January be received.

C/5002 Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee

Cllr B Terry presented the minutes of the Recreation, Leisure and Open Spaces Committee meeting held on 3rd February 2010.

OS/5177: Cllr Terry was pleased at the response to the creation of mini allotments at
Hightown Road and noted that this had been reported both on BBC South Today and BBC Radio 2.

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

C/5003 Planning, Town & Environment Committee

Cllr Clarke presented the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee meeting held on 5th February 2010.

P/4734: It was noted that a meeting of the Committee earlier in the evening had amended the observation on planning application number 09/94791 to Refusal (2).

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Planning, Town & Environment Committee meeting held on 5th February 2010, with the exception of the observation on planning application number 09/94791, be received.

C/5004 Policy & Finance Committee

Cllr Heron presented the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee meeting held on 17th February 2010.

F/4532: Cllr Heron noted the Festival Steering Committee’s proposal to increase the length of the route for the Pedal Car Grand Prix. Members of the Policy and Finance Committee had approved this proposal, which would enable additional vehicles to participate in the race and would greatly enhance the profile of the town.

F/4538: Cllr Heron encouraged all members to attend the training offered by the District Council on the Code of Conduct.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Policy & Finance Committee meeting held on 17th February be received.

C/5005 Communications to be Received

The Town Mayor reported on the following:

1. Code of Conduct Training
Apologies had been received from the District Council for cancellation of the Code of Conduct training session scheduled for Thursday 8 April. This had been rearranged for Thursday 24 June, at 7.00pm in the Council Chamber, Appletree Court, Lyndhurst. There would also be a session at 7.00pm on Tuesday 30th March.
All Members were encouraged to attend this very important training.

2. Seats in War Memorial Gardens
She thanked the Royal British Legion which has kindly agreed to meet the cost of refurbishing one of the benches in the War Memorial Gardens. There may also be funds forthcoming for more refurbishments.

3. Councillors’ Community Engagement Grant
She had chosen to award a £500 grant for the Raymond Brown Nature Reserve interpretation notice board. This will describe the natural flora and fauna to be seen in this new reserve, which will provide river access for citizens and visitors to Ringwood.

4. Twinning
It was noted that a letter had been received from the Mayor of Pont Audemer and that the Twinning Committee hoped to arrange a weekend visit to Ringwood for the two deputy mayors.

C/5006 Reports from County and District Councillors

County Councillor Rippon-Swaine presented his written report (Annex ‘A‘).

Cllr Wiseman referred to the new stepped access to Hightown Road opposite Ringwood Junior School, which she felt was a great improvement. However, she asked if there were plans to improve the crossing in this location.

There were currently no plans to create a formal crossing at this point, but a meeting would be arranged to discuss minor alterations to the steps. However, there were proposals to create a new crossing of Hightown Road between its junctions with Quomp and Kingsfield. A one-day trial had been carried out, which had been successful in reducing vehicle speeds. A number of issues had arisen as a result of the trial and this would be discussed in detail prior to progression of the scheme.

District Councillor Treleaven presented his written report (Annex ‘B‘).

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

C/5007 Forthcoming Meetings

There being no further business, the Town Mayor closed the meeting at 7.45pm.

RECEIVED AND ADOPTED
31st March 2010