ALLOTMENTS COMMITTEE
Minutes of the meeting of the Allotments Committee held at 7.45pm on Thursday, 23 September 2004 at The Institute. Cllr Fisk, Chairman, presided over Councillors Helyar, Thomas and the clerk. No members of the public were present.
001 ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN- It was proposed, seconded and agreed that Cllr Fisk would serve as Chairman for this year.
002 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE- Cllr Blades due to personal reasons
003 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – None.
004 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
The Minutes of the meeting held on 22 April 2004, having previously been circulated, were approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Chairman.
005 REVIEW OF GROUNDSWORK, ENTRANCE AND WATER SUPPLY
Cllr Fisk reported that the groundswork for the actual allotment gardens was now complete and all plots were now ready and marked out. Grass seed had been sown on the pathways. The entrance had been cleared although hard core was not yet in place. Cllr Helyer is to investigate local suppliers for quotes as well as the Clerk in order to arrange for this to be done as promptly as possible. The Clerk is also to obtain a quote for the plastic type matting which could be placed over the car parking section rather than hard core. It was recognised that tenants would need to use the field sensibly with regards to transport depending on the conditions of the ground.
The Clerk reported the water bowsers were due to be delivered very shortly to the contractor who had prepared the ground as he was also going to fill the bowsers and tow on to the site. Cllr Helyer reported that he may be able to obtain sponsorship for the dip tanks and was again going to investigate this possibility as soon as possible.
006 REVIEW OF BUDGET AND GRANT AID OPPORTUNITIES
The Clerk reported the project was within budget due to the decision to have bowsers rather than a mains water supply at this stage. Cllr Thomas suggested that grant aid opportunities would be improved by the formation of a management committee of tenants as grant aid to local council’s was very restricted.
007 REVIEW OF TENANCY AGREEMENTS AND ALLOCATION ARRANGEMENTS
It was proposed, seconded and agreed to recommend to full council on 30 September that the basic tenancy agreement from the National Association of Local Councils should be used with a few amendments to exclude any livestock, to allow wooden type sheds and for well controlled dogs to be allowed on the gardens. The annual rent would initially be set at £20. It was recognised this amount would be subject to reconsideration on an annual basis depending on levels of financial input which may be considered by the Parish Council.
Following the open meeting on 21 September, prospective tenants had generally expressed approval for the plots to be allocated on a ‘names out of hat’ basis. It was proposed, seconded and agreed to recommend to the full council on 30 September that a copy of the tenancy agreement to be completed should be sent to all prospective tenants held on the data base at this stage with a letter inviting them to apply officially for an allotment garden. It was further proposed, seconded and agreed to recommend to full council on 30 September that pensioners and the registered disabled would where possible be allocated a plot near the water supply.
008 TERMS OF REFERENCE, DELEGATED POWERS AND MEETING TIMETABLE
It was proposed, seconded and unanimously agreed that the terms of reference and delegated powers remain as in Standing Orders 45 & 46 and that the meeting calendar remain as agreed at full Council on 26 February 2004 with any alterations being made when necessary .
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting was arranged for 21 October at 8.30pm 2004.
There being no further business, the meeting was closed at 9.00 pm.