Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting
held on Monday 29 April 2002 at 8pm in the Community Centre Annexe
Present: RJ Farrington (chair) EH Baker JE Coston R Day CJ Lock
IF May PK Oldham B Jefferson TJ Siggs HM Smith
RT Summerfield LC Twinn
The clerk SJ Daniels and 14 residents
Minute 198/02
1 Introduction
RJF welcomed everyone and explained that RLE Waters was unable to attend. He
thanked all the councillors for their hard work during the year and stressed
that they were all volunteers; he thanked the clerk also. In reporting that
RLEW was standing down as chairman of the Parish Council he expressed his
gratitude on behalf of the Council and village for his 8 years of service.
Councillors introduced themselves to the meeting.
2 Apologies for Absence
M Ellwood DJ Lee RLE Waters E Craddock A Macpherson N Hodgson
3 Minutes
The minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 25 April 2001 were
confirmed and signed as a true record.
4 Youth Centre
HMS reported that MPC, IVC, the football and cricket clubs were co-operating
to improve the facilities on The Sycamores Recreation Ground. A skate board
park was proposed for the area behind the basketball court in the hope that
youngsters would use this in preference to the more hazardous sites that
they using at present. The cost would be met by grants.
The youth centre was operating in a temporary building three nights per
week, four from September if staff could be found. It was hoped to increase
the daytime use of the building eg young carers initiative, Kids'R'Us. Plans
to extend the sports pavilion to accommodate better facilities for the
sports clubs and to include an area for the youth centre were being
discussed. The steering group would need to make an application to the
Lottery Community Fund.
HMS believed that the village should support its young people. There
appeared to be less anti-social behaviour in the village when the youth
centre is open. There were three adults at each session - so that one could
work with the youngsters outside.
The incidents of fires caused concern. There had been a strong police in the
village recently. If residents see vandalism, arson etc happening then the
police must be called.
The County Council were providing two outreach workers during the next three
months.
The aims of the Youth Committee were to provide somewhere for the young to
meet and to socialise and to encourage them to contribute positively to our
community.
Issues raised from the floor:
a) The youth centre would be better located elsewhere as it was too close
to a residential area.
b) The barrier in the car park had been successful in reducing the number
of cars racing around the car park.
c) The youth leaders stayed until all the youngsters attending the centre
had left.
d) The young should be rewarded for their good behaviour not their misuse
of the facilities provided. For example there was a huge amount of
rubbish around the basketball court - perhaps the young should be
advised that they would have a skate park only if they could keep the
area tidy and clean. The clerk reported that it was hoped to employ
someone to clean up the litter on the recreation grounds in the near
future.
e) Should not the local residents be consulted about the skate park?
5 MCC
The Milton Community Centre and Recreation Grounds Management Committee
(MCC) and the Parish Council (MPC) worked closely together. RJF chaired the
MCC Committee. There were 15 clubs affiliated to the MCC and some elected
members on the committee. Six members of staff were employed by MCC.
Three main committees - the Buildings, Recreation Grounds and Finance were
working to improve the facilities.
A committee had been working very hard for 15 months to provide a community
minibus for use by any village organisation. An application for lottery
funding had just been made. Both SCDC and MPC had pledged support. It was
hoped that the County Council would also support the venture.
The minibus would be stored in the scout building on Coles Road Recreation
Ground. MCC would not fund the minibus - it was expected that it would be
funded by outside agencies and would "break even".
6 Draft Accounts 2001/02
The unaudited accounts were presented to the meeting. There was an income
of £92,339 expenditure of £88,547. The Balance Sheet showed a slight
increase in net assets.
7 Charities Report
A copy of the accounts was received. Income from farm lands was divided
into two funds - one for general benefit and one for individuals.
8 Crime
PC Shulver gave a brief report. A unit of 8 officers could now be sent into
the village if a problem arose. Recently this group had patrolled the
village to good effect.
Crime figures showed an increase during the first three months of this year.
He liaised with the youth centre regularly. He emphasised that if residents
saw anything suspicious they should telephone the police. He would discuss
ehe Neighbourhood Watch Scheme with RLEW.
9 County Councillor's Report
a) JEC thanked the electors for re-electing her in 2001.
b) The new cabinet system made it more difficult for Councillors to be
effective if they were not cabinet members.
c) JEC had been on patrol with PC Shulver - once being called to an
accident on the A14 - and was full of admiration for the work that the
police do.
d) The main issue during the year was the new settlement proposal for
Waterbeach. JEC hoped to present Waterbeach's case at the Public
Inquiry in the Autumn.
e) The cycle bridge had been delayed because of a possible "wobble" -
work should start in July and take approximately 12 months. Underground
works had been done.
f) Waterbeach hoped to purchase about 50 acres of land near the river for
recreational use. The support of local people was needed to make sure
this project succeeds.
g) JEC was hoping to negotiate an improvement in the bus service and was
in the process of sending out questionnaires to every household.
h) She was pleased to work with and support MPC and the district
councillor.
i) SCDC had asked the Rowing Trust to re-submit the rowing lake application.
The application would be going out to consultation.
10 District Councillor's Report
a) This was the first year for the new local government structures. SCDC
found that the cabinet system aided the decision making process.
b) The main offices were due to move to Cambourne in two years
- larger offices were needed
- there were no suitable offices in Cambridge
- it would cost more to stay in Cambridge than move
- the present offices and depot at Oakington would be sold; the refuse
vehicles would be based at Dickerson's
- a small shop front presence would be kept in Cambridge.
c) The green box scheme was proving successful in helping meet Government
targets for recycling and the reduction in landfill waste. Recycling
credits would be paid to the parish at £5.71 per tonne to give to
charitable purposes. RTS had made representations on behalf of the
village and hoped that in future Milton would not have to go two
weeks without a refuse collection at both Christmas and Easter.
d) SCDC were trying to meet Government targets for "e-government".
e) The Council Tax was made up of four elements:
- County Council
- Police Authority
- MPC
- SCDC - for a Band D house this element had gone up from £50 to £70.
The services provided equate to £108. There would be an increasing
trend upwards as the reserves are used up. (Previously there had
been three years of refunds, three of no tax, and three of £50). At
the same time the Government subsidy had gone down.
f) The Boundary Review having looked at various options for Milton had
finally agreed to keep the status quo but with Milton having two district
councillors as from 2003. Milton would therefore go from having the
highest number of electors per councillor to the lowest.
g) RTS enjoyed his working relationship with JEC.
h) Funds were available from the County and District Councils to build a
pinch point in Ely Road to slow traffic coming into the village from
the north.
A request was made from the floor that SCDC should look at low cost housing
especially at its Oakington site.
11 Question and Answer Session
Field near Tesco - MPC had at one time tried to purchase this land. Noted
that it was in Green Belt.
Allotments - no progress had been made about laying a junior football pitch
at this site.
Towpath - the clerk reported that Patrick Joyce of the County Council would
like to tarmac the path from Baits Bite Lock to the Pike and Eel.
Car Park The Sycamores - MCC would deal with the large puddle at the
entrance to the car park.
Web Site - congratulations to PKO for the excellent village website.
Sewage Works - MPC had no information of the possible reduction in size of
the sewage works to accommodate other development.
Milton Archaeological Trail - RTS had managed to obtain £300 from SCDC to
print 500 copies of an excellent leaflet - the "Milton Archaeological
Trail". WD Booth was arranging the print.
Puddles - MPC were trying to have the problems at Coles Road and Butt Lane
rectified..
Roundabout at Tesco - minute 367/02 July 01 agreed "to wait for the
completion of the cycle bridge and its associated planting before
deciding on a course of action."
The meeting ended at 9.45pm.