BEPTON PARISH COUNCIL
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Chairman: Mr. Howard Ewing
Clerk: Mrs. Lorraine Grocott, BEM, BA Hons (Local Policy)
23 West Meade, Milland, Liphook, Hampshire, GU30 7NB
Tel 01428 741393… Email: postmaster@milland-wsc-pc.gov.uk
Website – http://www.bepton.org

MINUTES of the Meeting of BEPTON PARISH COUNCIL
Thursday 25 January 2018 at The Park House Hotel, Bepton Road

Present: Mr H Ewing (in the Chair), Mrs R Hart, Mr J Beckett, Mrs C Bower, Dr J Wilkinson, Mrs L Milner
Cllr K O’Kelly (County Councillor)
Cllr C Neville (Districtt Councillor)
One Member of the Public (part)

606. Apologies – Mrs A Cunningham
607. Declaration of Interests of Members on Agenda –

608. Minutes of the Meeting 25 November 2017 were agreed and signed.

609. Report County Councillor – Cllr Kate O’Kelly
• The County have decided to close the Members Big Society Fund (MBSF) and Small Grants Fund (SGF)and move to an arrangement of crowdsourcing fo the Community Initiative Fund. Overall community grants are being halved. Previously the MVSF was £300Ka and the SGF (previously for resident’s well-being) was £80K.
• Health and Social Care (HASC) group is under big pressures, looking at future predictions for need there may be a massive sale up required. The County needs to build resilience.
• Highways member day. A new maintenance contract is being discussed with three Contractors in the bidding. There are plans to decrease Winter maintenance from 41% coverage to 28%. This will affect minor roads locally.
• The County is looking at subsidised bus services. There are no definite plans, but they are looking at how they can make savings on the subsidised bus routes.
• Easebourne Primary School consultation to increase pupil capacity is not progressing. There were 91 objections and 120 comments to the consultation. The Council is planning to consult local schools and stakeholders. It will consult again later in 2018.
• Highways have agreed to allow Midhurst Area Cycling group to apply for funds for 2 bollards on the North footway at the Half Moon to improve visibility of the crossing.
• The next North Chi CLC meeting will be held on 6 March at Wisborough Green. There will be a briefing on the new online crowdfunding model which will support projects from a single funding pot, alongside others who may wish to contribute to the projects.
• Drop-in sessions – Milland Stores 1st February–10.30am—12.30pm & Harting 8th February 1-3pm.

There were two questions from the Chairman.
Q.1. Highways have opened the footway on Bepton Road to Severals Road. Can they be persuaded to redefine the footpath from Bepton to Midhurst?
Q.2 Highways responded very quickly to the flooding/drainage problem on Bugshill/Bell Lane before Christmas. The Cowdray Estate will be doing more drainage work to resolve the issues however the cover over the drain needs to be replaced. Could the County Councillor ask Steve Hodd to do this as it is very heavy.
The Chairman asked Cllr O’Kelly to extend sincere thanks to Steve Hodd for his response.

Minutes of Bepton Parish Council meeting 25 January 2017

Report District Councillor – Cllr Caroline Neville
• At the December Joint Meeting of the North and South Community Forums there was briefing on planning including the decision process and enforcement. Parish Councils feel that their objections and comments are not being listened to. A document will be sent to parish councils which will provide an understanding on the way planning decisions are made and the enforcement process. Parish council are consultees in the process.
• Planning and granny annexes – Because of the increasing ageing population, the closure of many care homes and the need for increasing provision of social care, members of the Health and Social Care committee, of which Cllr Neville is a member, have suggested that parishes consider possible sites for new care homes in their areas so that elderly parishioners can stay living where they are familiar and add them in their parish plans or design statements. It was also suggested that householders provide granny annexes so that families can support elderly relatives in their own homes.
• The Midhurst’s Vision document sets out how it is planning to help new local independent business by offering grants for new shop fronts and for apprenticeships. There will be retail training workshops
• The Easebourne BP garage is to close for 3 weeks in February to reopen as a Marks and Spencer’s food store. The car wash will close to provide extra parking, but petrol will still be available.
• There is an increase in the number of rough sleepers in Chichester – many are very intelligent people who have had problems. A new outreach worker has been sought to help them back to work and to find accommodation for them.
• 2018-19 – There will be nil council discount for 2nd homes Nil discount for vacant, unoccupied and substantially unfurnished properties. Nil discount for properties in neeed of major repair. Empty home premium 50%
• Welfare Reform – CDC has approved and updated its housing payments policy for 2018-19 to enable officers to make sure resources are used to the best effect to assist those most affected by the changes to Universal Credit.

611. Chairman’s Items –

Bepton Down – The Chairman had engaged in correspondence with the Farms Manager, Cowdray Estate, and with the Chief Executive Officer, Cowdray Estate. He had also sent an email to the Nigel Hiscoke, Lead Adviser, South Downs Team for Natural England setting out the concerns about the management of the site. Nigel Hiscoke, Natural England, has advised that they are working with the estate to ensure the site is in good condition for the spring, to secure light cattle grazing through the summer to benefit the restoration of the site. Natural England have updated representatives from the local group with the proposed works.
Similar replies had been received from Cowdray who had also clarified the status of the land. Cowdray were working closely with Natural England and the local livestock owner, who had grazing rights. They were all committeed, under the management plan, to work together to improve the SSSI; however, this was a long term process.

The Council discussed the correspondence. They took the view that Natural England were the proper ‘regulators’ of the SSSI since they controlled the financing and determined whether the land was being managed in accordance with the requirements of the legislation and appropriate scheme. The Chairman would pass the correspondence on to the Conservation Group.

Minutes of Bepton Parish Council meeting 25 January 2018

612. Finance report – Mrs. Grocott, RFO

a) Statement of Accounts – Payments for approval

The above payments were approved by the Council.

b) VAT will be reclaimed for 2017-18 before the end of March.

613. Planning Report – Mrs Hart

COUNCIL’S RESPONSE TO APPLICATIONS: –

SDNP/16/06305/FUL
Bepton Hotels Ltd (Park House Hotel) requests permission to change the use of field into an overflow car park. Written appeal by the Planning Inspector. Appeal and application to award costs refused.

SDNP/17/05050/HOUS
Mr Mark Bilsland of Padwicks Farm requests permission to change the use of the cart barn to facilitate use as home office/studio. Approved.

SDNP/17/05619/CND
Mr James Keyes of Hopkiln, Bell Lane requests permission to vary conditions 1, 6 and 7 from planning permission SDNP/14/02424/FUL. Approved.

SDNP/17/06395/FUL & SDNP/17/06396/LIS
Mr Mark Bilsland of Padwicks Farm requests permission for a barn extension and change the use to a holiday let.

Minutes of Bepton Parish Council meeting 25 January 2018
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614. West Sussex Joint Minerals Local Plan: Proposed Modifications
The South Downs National Park Authority and West Sussex County Council are being forced to make several major changes to the policies and site allocation in their Joint Minerals Local Plan following its independent examination by a planning inspector. The inspector identified several essential modifications which he said, if not made would mean the plan would be found unsound. They include major changes to policies on soft sand. The inspector wants the park to move from its draft policy of only allowing quarries outside the park to allowing them inside ‘in exceptional circumstances and in the public interest’. In line with the inspector’s requirements, the parks’ committee looks set to recommend the full authority to undertake a single issue soft sand joint review after the rest of the plan has been adopted. The review should start within six months to be re submitted for examination within two years. It was noted that the soft sand is not in Bepton Parish.

615. Lottery Application for Community Use Defibrillator in Telephone Kiosk – The National Lottery Awards for All application to provide funding for the project has been submitted. It may be sometime before the Council will know whether it has been successful.

616. Data Protection – Data Control Officer –

a) The Data protection registration has now been confirmed by the Registration Team.

b) NALC have advised through SALC that the Data Protection Bill had its third day of Report Stage in the House of Lords and considered several amendments regarding the impact of General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) on parishes. Three amendments were put forward seeking to place a new duty on the Information Commission (IC) to support smaller organisations including parish councils, provide for a discounted or no charge for parish councils regarding registration fees, and requiring the IC to undertake an assessment of the economic consequence of measures they have taken for public authorities, in particular, parish councils. The IC has agreed to issue advice to parish councils and recognised issues in relation to parish councils. One item that has been clarified is that they have confirmed their agreement with SALC’s view that clerks and Responsible Finance Officers cannot be the Data Protection Officer (DPO). Therefore, although the Clerk had undergone training she will not be able to the DPO. Mr Beckett was asked to consider this role and to undertake the necessary SALC training. The Clerk would provide him with details of training days.

617. Operation Watershed projects – audit – In 2015 the Council received £21,749.93 for raising the footway about road level outside Frogmore on the Bepton Road and £1,167.60 fo ditch clearance on Severals Road from Operation Watershed Active Community Funding. West Sussex County Council are carrying out an audit of the work. This entails a simple visual inspection and a short informal chat around how the project worked for the community. Invoices and records associated with the work which the clerk has emailed to Mr Rustell will be noted. The Chairman will meet Mr Rustell on site.

618. Highways & Byways & Environment

a) WSCC Rights of Way Management Plan (Draft) consultation has been taking place. There were no comments from the Council.
b) Clearance of ditches and drains – Mrs Bower to include an item reminding landowners or their responsibility to clear their ditches and drains particularly where they are close to main roads.
c) The end of Severals Road /B272 junction – Concern about the deepening gullies at the edges of the road partially cause by lorries removing timber and by rain water and the need for a proper lay-by. Highways had advised that works will be undertaken to make the area safe. Unfortunately, currently, there are no funds available to construct a formal lay-by at this location.

Minutes of Bepton Parish Council meeting 25 January 2018
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619. Other meetings
North Chichester County Local Committee meeting, 7pm 6 March at Wisborough Green.

620. Date of next meeting – 7pm, 22 March 2018, The Barn at The Park Hotel, Bepton.

Chairman: …………………………………. Date: ……………………

These Minutes are unconfirmed untiled signed by the Chairman