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Guests: 4, Members: 0 ...
most ever online: 76
(Members: 0, Guests: 76) on 09 Jul : 03:33
Members: 10
Newest member: Mark Thompson |
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Council, Committees, Sub-Committees and Groups
The Parish Council conducts much of its business through a committee system. The work of the council and various committees, sub-committees and groups is outlined below:-
Planning & Development Committee
(Present membership - John Francis (Chairman), Brian Comer (Vice-Chairman), Ted Howlett, John Shaw, Toni Van Der Bergh, Trevor Wainwright, Chris Wells and Peter Woolston) makes observations and, where appropriate, objections to local planning applications, and continues to make observations and, where appropriate, objections to local planning applications, and to question decisions made. It has been consulted on 62 GYBC planning applications between 1.4.09 and 31.1.10 - this figure compares with 81 for the same period last year, and the reduction appears to be consistent with a reported nationwide reduction in planning applications submitted, largely caused by the economic downturn. These applications included proposals for alterations to the Premier Store to accommodate Bradwell Post Office, for a re-arrangement of the caravans on the Beaumont Park site to accommodate three new ones, and for changes regarding the ongoing development of the Blue Sky Gardens and Kings Drive sites.
The Head of Planning & Development at Gt Yarmouth Borough Council met with the committee in September 2009, and discussed the parish council’s concerns on its ‘review’ of the decision to approve planning application 06/08/0217/F, Proposed detached bungalow in rear garden area, 1 Crab Lane, and the committee also raised an objection to a proposal from the Borough Council’s Property Department to sell a ‘corner’ of land on the edge of the Primrose Way open space site to the occupier of an adjoining house, on the grounds that such a sale would set an unfortunate precedent for the future, and would be against the interests of the parish of Bradwell.
The committee has continued to respond to various consultations regarding the ‘Local Development Framework’ future planning documents which will eventually replace the current ‘local plans’, from Gt Yarmouth Borough Council, the Broads Authority, and Norfolk County Council (re transport, mineral extractions & waste disposal), and ‘GO-EAST’, and this process will continue for some time to come.
Amenities and Highways Committee
(Present membership - Mick Marshall (Chairman), Brian Comer (Vice-Chairman), Stephanie Beckett-Moore, Ted Howlett, Mick Huggins, Maurice Joel, Maurice Johnson, Eddie Macdonald, Bill Morrow, John Shaw, Trevor Wainwright, Chris Wells, Peter Woolston) receives an annual ‘concurrent functions grant’ from Gt Yarmouth Borough Council (£18,861 during 2009/10, + £3,000 ‘capital’), which it uses to maintain Green Lane Playing Field, Leo Coles Pavilion, Gipsies Green and seven bus shelters; a portion of this grant is also passed on to St Nicholas Parish Church PCC, for maintenance of the burial ground. The ‘capital’ contribution has been put aside with the intention of replacing an inadequate bus shelter on Market Road with something more suitable.
Improvements to the football pitch, involving overseeding, fertiliser and loam application, continue to be carried out, and arrangements have been made for the pitch to be installed in two slightly different positions from one season to the next, to minimise problems of worn grass in the pitch centre and goal-mouth areas. Three local football teams, El Sol, Gt Yarmouth Town Hall and Gt Yarmouth Postals, play their home games here. The site, including Gipsies Green and the Bradwell Bowling Green area, has once again passed its annual ‘health and safety inspection’ with no serious problems identified (this does not include the play equipment or hard court, which is separately monitored on behalf of Gt Yarmouth Borough Council.)
The committee has taken the opportunity to improve the ‘height barrier’ at the entrance to the site, following vehicle damage to the old one, and a payment from the vehicle’s owner to recompense the cost of the damage. Following a number of ‘vandalism’ incidents over the past few months, and ‘harassment’ of some of the neighbours, plans have been drawn up to install CCTV cameras around the site later this year. Also, due to a high level of ‘dog fouling’ incidents, more waste bins and warning signs will be installed shortly.
Another successful ‘additional rubbish collection day’ was held in April 2009, and will be repeated on 24 April 2010. The parish allotments continue to be popular and in demand, and many new tenants have taken on a plot this year - the committee is once again grateful to the Probation Service Unpaid Work Unit for its efforts in improving various overgrown plots on the Cley Road site, to make them workable for the new tenants The committee has recently obtained planning permission to build a small annexe to the Bradwell Bowling Green (Golden Jubilee) Pavilion, which should be built at the end of this summer, after the bowling season has finished.
The committee is in the process of recruiting volunteers for a ‘Speedwatch’ team, which will monitor vehicle speeds in the Bradwell area, in conjunction with Norfolk Constabulary. Enquiries are being made as to whether it will be possible for the council to be deemed as registered owner of the Gipsies Green common land. Over the year, the committee has received presentations from, and raised questions with, local officers from the Norfolk Youth & Community Service (twice), an officer of the Gt Yarmouth Borough Council Environmental Ranger Team, and the local network planner of First Eastern Counties Buses Ltd.
Finance & General Purposes Committee
(Present membership - Eddie Macdonald (Chairman), Bill Morrow (Vice-Chairman), John Francis, Ted Howlett, Mick Marshall, John Shaw and Peter Woolston) holds the purse strings, and keeps a close check on the Council’s finances. The Council’s draft accounts for the 2009/10 financial year were presented at the Annual Parish Meeting.
Just over £1,500 was granted to Bradwell Reading Room Trust during 2009/10 towards the running of the Bradwell Community Library service, most of which is needed for the maintenance of the building, and the provision of utility services. £100 was given to the James Paget Hospital Palliative Care Appeal, following Mr Hugh Sturzaker’s presentation to the Annual Parish Meeting in May, and other grants totalling £500 have been made to Macmillan Cancer Relief, East Anglian Children’s Hospice, Norfolk Accident Rescue Service and Norfolk Lowland Search and Rescue, towards their local work.
This committee has two sub-committees - ‘Public Relations and Publicity’, which oversees production of the ‘Bradwellian’ publication and provision of the website, and the ‘Crime Review Assessment Group’, which meets twice a year to consider measures to combat local crime. Another ‘thank you’ evening for ‘Bradwellian’ deliverers was arranged in July.
The Parish Council
(Chairman Ted Howlett, Vice-Chairman Bill Morrow, see ‘membership and staffing’ page for membership details) meets to oversee the work of its committees; hear reports from and raise issues with County and Borough Councillors and the Local Police; receive reports from its School Governors and its representatives on outside bodies.
The council was consulted regarding the ‘unitary council(s)’ proposals made last year, and a response was submitted reflecting members’ individual views. Another ‘internal training’ meeting took place in September, and members and the clerk have also attended various training sessions arranged by the Norfolk Association of Local Councils and the Society of Local Council Clerks during the year - the council rejoined the former organisation in April, after a ten-year absence.
Four members and the clerk attended a Borough Council ‘refresher’ seminar regarding the ‘Members’ Code of Conduct’ - the Chairman of the Council, who is a member of the Gt Yarmouth Standards Committee, also attended a national conference on this subject in Birmingham, with representatives from the Borough Council.
There is an opportunity shortly after the start of each meeting for ‘public participation’, and a similar opportunity exists within all the ‘main’ committee meetings. The council meets approximately ‘bi-monthly’ (i.e. in May, July, August, October, December, February and April.) Two other council committees meet occasionally - ‘Staffing’, which oversees staff appointments, terms and conditions of service and reviews, and ‘Allotments Advisory’, a committee of allotment holders.
Members of the public can normally attend all meetings of the council and its committees and sub-committees. You can find agendas for any meetings happening within the next few days on this website - click 'recent minutes' (bottom of list of 'quick links' at the top right of this page), then 'archive of committee minutes', then any 'agendas' heading where a file is shown. You can also find minutes for council and committee meetings which have taken place over the last twelve months within this sub-section of the site. Copies of the council’s meeting minutes can also be seen at Bradwell Community Library.
The Annual Parish Meeting takes place each year at Mill Lane Centre, and gives Bradwell parishioners the opportunity to hear about what the council and various other organisations have been doing over the past twelve months, and what their future plans are. The 2010 meeting took place on Wednesday 21st April 2010.
Parish Council minutes of long ago
The council was created in 1894, and copies of most of its meeting minutes have been preserved – those over 10 years old are held by Norfolk Record Office. However, there is a ‘gap’ in the records between 1946 and 1956, where all such minutes appear to have been lost – if you know where any such copies of minutes may possibly be stored, please telephone 01493 444478 or click here |
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