Castle Bromwich Community Website

A Macmillan Coffee Morning hosted by Castle Bromwich Parish Council raised a total of £784.68.

The Parish Council would like to thank all who gave gifts and contributions to help make the event such a success.

PLEASE NOTE: This is an observers report of the Castle Bromwich Parish Council Meeting held on March 30th 2011 and is not an official record of the meeting.

There has been a request for a report on the meetings held by Castle Bromwich Parish Council. This is an observer's view of what transpired at the meeting held in the Spencer Lounge of Arden Hall at 7.30pm on March 30th 2011. Anybody requiring the official minutes of the meeting should check the Parish Council website.

Access to the meeting proved difficult as the door was security controlled and nobody was responding to my ringing the bell. I eventually gained access by entering the front of the building and making a request that the door be released for me. Having gained entry, I found that unusually for a Parish Council Meeting there were a reasonable number of members of the public in attendance. It soon became clear that this was due to an interest in item 15 on dog byelaws. It was difficult to follow most of the proceedings of the meeting due to the poor sound insulation and the speakers competing  with the noise of the dance class being held in the Spencer room, the traffic noise emanating through the emergency exit which had been left open for ventilation and the noise of the refridgeration unit. A PA system was in use by the Chairman, but other Members and the Officer of the Council struggled to make themeselves audible to the members of the public, particularly those of us not sat in the front row.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting A query was raised by a Council Member as to whether a letter had been sent to the Chief Constable regarding local policing. The Officer of the Council confirmed that a letter had been sent to the Chief Constable requesting a clear statement on how community policing was to be carried out in the Parish. A response is still awaited and no news has been received regarding who is taking over from Sgt Hewitt.

Questions from the Public (1) Borough Councillor Richards advised that there was a continuing problem with motorists parking on grass vergers and pavements. Attempts by the Borough Council to curb this by putting notices through doors or on vehicles are often countered with aggressive replies. Cllr Richards advised that by the end of the year, new regulations should be in place which will allow the Borough Council to fine offenders. He requested that anybody with knowledge of persistent offenders should contact him with details. A resident from Green Lane advised that there is a growing prevalence amongst motorists to park on pavements behind yellow lines particularly in Windleaves Road and by the Infant School on Hurst Lane North. He felt that this caused particular difficulties for people with mobility problems.

Questions from the Public (2) Borough Councillor Richards asked whether it would be possible to issue details of the Residents Concerns referred to in the Agendas and Minutes. The Officer of the Council felt that there was a need to protect the identity of residents as the information is provided to the Council in confidence. However, following discussion by Councillors, it was agreed to issue a copy of the concerns to the Borough Councillors who were often called upon to help resolve the issues.

Questions from the Public (3) A resident requested that his views on the proposed dog byelaws be taken into account. He felt that it would be distressing for many dog owners if they had to keep their dogs on leads in the park at Arden Hall as there was no other sensible facility in Castle Bromwich where dogs could be walked off lead. It was his opinion that the fencing in the open land areas by the Collector Road was abominable and if dogs were allowed to run free there, it would inevitably result in accidents as they strayed onto the road. Furthermore, he felt that such areas created a safety issue for women. Moreover, he struggled to see how the proposed new byelaws could be enforced.

Questions from Councillors On behalf of a Parishioner, a request was made that the Parish Council ascertain the current position regarding the proposals subject of a planning application of the land bordered by Bradford Road, Old Croft Lane and the Green. The Officer of the Council and Borough Councillor Richards advised that a Planning Application has been officially received by Solihull Council and notices have been placed at the site. The details of the application will be on the Solihull Council website by the end of the week and in line with regulations will be heard within an 8 week period.

Communications The Officer of the Council advised that there had been a communication regarding a proposed installation of a road hump by the Junior School in Hurst Lane North. Details of this had been received too late to be considered by the Plans Committee and it was suggested that anybody with a view should make a personal response.

WALC - Renewal of Annual Membership The Officer of the Council advised Council Members of the cost of membership. There was some concern expressed that the amount was a little excessive, but the Officer of the Council commended the value of the advice received and stated that she would be extremely concerned if the membership was not renewed. It was agreed that this advice should be taken and the membership renewed.

Annual Parish Meeting The meeting was advised that the Annual Parish Meeting serves two purposes (1) to report back on the achievements of the year (2) an opportunity to set out the stall for the coming year. It was also agreed that the meeting should offer local organisations the opportunity to put up noticeboards publicising themselves, showcasing opportunities and offering the possibility of recruiting new members. It was agreed that anybody in the community who wished to take advantage of this opportunity should be allowed to do so.

Working Party - Arden Hall A working party report on the proposed refurbishment of Arden Hall was presented. The proposal presented was that there should be two phases.

Phase1 - To take place over three weekends in July/August. Replace the windows in the Spencer Hall with double glazed windiows with integrated blinds. Refurbish the front of the stage, redecorate and tidy. Any money remaining from the budget to be used to tidy up the Windsor Room. This work should be seen as a short term scenario.

Phase 2 - To take place when budget allows probably in 21/2 - 3 years time. Specer Hall to have new doors, over-haul heating, ventilation and electrics, new ceiling and renovate back of stage. Windsor Room - new windows, new ceiling and renovate floor etc.

Phase 1 was voted through.

HS2 Issues - It was agreed that Arden Hall should host an exhibition to publicise the details of the High Speed Link in the area and to show its possible impact. A similar exhibition will be held at the Link Water Orton.

Standards Committee - Members were urged to read the report of the Standards Committee Meeting held on January 18th 2011 particularly with regard to review of Good Practice on Declaration of Interests. It was suggested that training in this area would be beneficial.

Dog Byelwas Consultation A number of Councillors spoke against changing the dog byelwas stating a change in regulation would in all probability be setting themselves up to fail. One Councillor rhetorically asked why Police walk around with big dogs before answering that it was so they weren't challenged. In just the same way it was felt that Park Wardens would be put in a difficult position if asked to enforce a dog on leads rule. Moreover, it was felt that a change in the rules would result in more dogs walking off lead in the roads around the park.

Another Councillor stated that as a Council there was an obligation to look at all views and opinions fairly and as a result of doing so had changed their opinion as to what should happen. The Councillor stated that whilst orginally in favour of a dogs on leads ruling they now felt that the enforcement issue was a concern and that they accepted that the lack of boundary fences and the openess of other areas to road was an important consideration suggesting that reserving the right to ban entry to the park to nusiance users might be a better option.

Standing orders were suspended to allow members of the public to have their say. One audience member felt that unruly dogs were policed by other dog owners who reported them to the wardens. Another felt that most dog owners were responsible and cleared up after all dogs.

After discussion, Councillors voted to leave the dog byelaws unchanged. The Officer of the Council stated that staff were grateful for the support of dog walkers and had noticed a big improvement in relationships with the public.

Reports of Representatives to Outside Bodies It was reported that the Youth Council would be planting further plants in the garden on the Green on April 17th and that two bird boxes had been placed in the trees on the Green and one on Whateley Green.

Report of the Chairman It was reported that 2 roses had been donated by a resident to the Memorial Garden in memory of her Mother-in-law and Grandmother. It was also reported that the Quiz held on March 25th in aid of the Chairman's Charity raised £239.50.

Complaint - Land Adjoining Village Green A complaint had been received from a resident regarding cars parked in the road by the disused building at night. There was also concern expressed about drinking, smashing bottles, suspicious behaviour  and a foreign lorry parked there for two days. It was queried whether access to the road could be blocked until redevelopment work commences. It was reported that the Police would patrol the area whilst on duty.

Solihull Council has published the Notice of Election for all of Solihull's Parish and Town Councils. Those elected will represent their communities for a four year period until 2015.

Parish and Town Councillors have an active interest and concern for their local community. They represent loacl people and work in patnership with them and others when necessary.They help with decisions on local services and Council policies. They are not paid and have to abide by a local government code of conduct.

Nominations for positions on the Parish and Town Councils need to be received by Noon on Monday April 4th and, if required, elections will be held on Thursday May 5th.

Full details can be found HERE