Full Council Minutes 22nd January 2014
MINUTES of the Meeting of the HARWICH TOWN COUNCIL
held at
The 1912 Centre, Cow Lane, Harwich
on Wednesday 22nd January 2014 at 7.40pm
| Present: | Councillors Brown, Calver, Day, Flavell, Fowler, I Henderson, J Henderson, King, Nicholson, C Powell, F Powell, Thompson, Thurlow and Todd |
| In the Chair: | Councillor McLeod |
| Clerk: | Mrs Lucy Ballard |
| Also present: | 9 members of the public and 1 member of the press |
| Prayers were said by Rev Mann | |
| 133/13 | APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Cllr Morrison |
| 134/13 | DECLARATIONS OF MEMBERS’ INTERESTS None |
| 135/13 | PUBLIC QUESTIONS Betty Holbrook asked Councillors when the efforts to site a new flood siren would progress. Cllr Day explained that it was a complicated process and a meeting has been arranged with Trinity House to progress matters but it could still take 6 months to come to fruition as there are still a number of consultations to conduct aswell as the Emergency planning considerations. Cllr I Henderson further explained that it was an in-depth process and more difficult than first thought; and emphasised the issues with fitting the Siren and its operation into the district’s Emergency Plan, and the other agencies that that the Council need to liaise with. Cllr Calver thanked both Cllr Day and Henderson for their achievements so far. Martin Adams of the Harwich Town Residents’ Association raised concerns over the slow progress made with 20 Market Street following the fire almost 2 years ago and asked Cllr McLeod if he would ensure it features on the next agenda of the meeting of Tendring District Council. Cllr McLeod agreed but mentioned that there were civil processes in place such as insurance claims which are thought tobe causing the delay. He agreed that TDC need to look nicer in the interim. Cllr I Henderson shared the frustration of the residents, particularly with the adjacent building being affected. Cllr Flavell said that TDC were not taking ownership for the problem despite the property being in the heart of the conservation area. He made reference to the small enforcement budget and felt this was why little action was being taken against the property owner. |
| 136/13 | MAYORS ANNOUNCEMENTS The Mayor gave an account of some of his engagements since the last meeting, which included attending The Harwich and Dovercourt High School’s presentation evening, The Rotary Club Christmas dinner, the HDCA AGM, The Stroke Club open day, a carol service at the Central Church and Stena’s New Year celebrations. |
| 137/13 | MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING RESOLVED: That the minutes and confidential minutes of the meeting of the Town Council held on 11th December 2013 (previously circulated) be approved by the Chairman and signed as a true record. |
| 138/13 | MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES Cllr Flavell referred to 118/13 in relation to the proposed move to new premises of the Church Street Post Office, and having spoken with the owner, confirmed that they intend to keep the ATM for as long as possible. Cllr I Henderson referred to min 116/13 in relation to the Part Night Street Lighting and raised further concerns following the publication of the mapping, which highlighted the areas affected by the scheme. He stated that due to the late-night economy in Harwich, aswell as the potential for large groups of people to congregate in one small lit area, it was justification to keep the entire area lit. He raised further concern that walking pass Cliff Park after midnight would be a scary ordeal for some. He felt that the consultation with police on crime hot-spots had not been taken into consideration. RESOLVED: To submit further comments to ECC Highways. FURTHER RESOLVED: To write to Insp. Willis to confirm the mapping reflects the submission made by Harwich Police under the consultation. |
| 139/13 | FEEL GOOD ABOUT RECYCLING TDC Recycling Officers gave a PowerPoint presentation on the Council’s new campaign to encourage more recycling in the district. A Q&A session followed when members asked about the possibility of introducing a collection for green waste, glass and low-grade plastics; what was the main reasons why some households didn’t recycle, and whether the area will become saturated with bring sites to the point where it would be better to include more materials in the weekly collections. |
| 140/13 | 20 MARKET STREET Cllr Flavell relayed his concerns to members about the lack of progress in reinstating the building since it suffered fire damage almost 2 years ago. He suggested a timetable for action was needed. RESOLVED: To request that TDC publish a timetable for action. |
| 141/13 | A120 Members briefly discussed the deteriorating condition of the A120 and the previous unsuccessful attempts to establish the responsibility for maintenance and obtaining a plan of action. Members suspended Standing Orders in order to liaise with representatives from RPPC who were in attendance and who had request support in tackling the issue. Cllrs Elmer and Donn requested that HTC send letters to the Highways Authority and put pressure on for them to bring the road up to the standard that is needed for the type and volume of traffic that it bears. RESOLVED: To write to the Highways Authority with copies to RPPC, Harwich International Port, Bernard Jenkin MP and Ministry of Transport. |
| 142/13 | VESSELS ENTERING UK WATERS Cllr Todd reported that the release of the draft regulations had been delayed until the end of January due to administrative issues but was expecting to hear shortly. He confirmed that some cruise liners had announced they would cease operating in Europe from 2015 due to the financial strain the new regulations would have on them, and that DFDS had asked the EU for an extension to the implementation of the regulations due to them not having the funds to modify their vessels. HTC were in support of the request to extend the deadline and considered writing also to the EU to request an extension. |
| 143/13 | MINUTES OF THE LAST ALLOTMENTS COMMITTEE MEETING RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting of the Allotments Committee held on 18th December 2013 (previously circulated) be received. |
| 144/13 | MINUTES OF THE LAST ENVIRONMENT & COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE MEETING RESOLVED: that the minutes of the meeting of the Environment & Communities Committee held on 8th January 2014 (previously circulated) be received. |
| 145/13 | ACCOUNTS Payments and receipts, current balances, financial activity against budgets and earmarked funds were noted. RESOLVED: to authorise payments as presented |
| 146/13 | BRIEF REPORTS BY MEMBERS
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| 147/13 | CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED IN THE POST OR RAISED BY MEMBERS The Clerk read out letters of thanks from Dovercourt Theatre Group following works carried out on the Hill School site which resulted in a smooth pathway having been constructed. Cllr Calver thanked Cllr Thompson for his time at Chair of the Hill School Sub-committee, which first addressed the issue of access to the rear of the property, and Cllr I Henderson thanked Cllr Day as Chair of the Finance & General Purposes Committee for overseeing all the works. The Clerk read a letter of thanks from Chris Scott of Harwich Rock School Club for HTC’s support. The Clerk read an email from Inspector Willis regarding ‘Community Speed Watch’. He confirmed two volunteers had come forward but six were needed to qualify for the scheme and asked if anyone was aware of any other potential volunteers across the town, to let him know. |
| 148/13 | DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting of Harwich Town Council will be held on Wednesday 12th February 2014 at The 1912 Centre, Cow Lane, Harwich, at 7.00pm, or at the rise of the Town Planning Committee, whichever is the later. |
The Chairman closed the meeting at 8.43pm.