The Chairman, Cllr Charles welcomed everyone to the Annual Meeting and then introduced Councillors to members of the public present.
- Apologies for Absence: Apologies were received from District Councillor Mclean, Cllr Clegg and Cllr Bartlett.
- The Chairman presided over a Meeting of 5 Parish Councillors, County/District Councillor Humby, District Councillor Miller, Mrs A Collins (Clerk), PCSO Slater along with another Police representative and 3 parishioners.
- The Minutes of the previous Annual Parish Assembly held on 4th April, 2017 were read, confirmed and signed as a true and correct record of the Meeting.
- Matters arising. A question was asked last year about the road which keeps sinking in Heathen Street. This has been reported many times and is still a problem. A major road repair is required because there is running sand underneath the road. CC Humby asked the Clerk to send him an e-mail and he will chase this up.
- Chairman’s Report – Councillor Sam Charles gave a Chairman’s Report. He detailed the activities which the Parish Council has been involved in over the year and also thanked his fellow County, District and Parish Councillors for all their help and support. He also thanked the Clerk for all her hard work over the year. A Report is attached as Appendix 1.
- Financial Report – Clerk, Mrs Anne Collins. A detailed Report of the Income and Expenditure was given by the Clerk. A sum of £16,000 was received from Persimmon Homes to help with future maintenance costs towards the road upkeep in the turning area. The Accounts have been verified by the Internal Auditor and will now go to the External Auditor. A detailed Financial Report is attached as Appendix 2.
- Highways Report – Cllr Kerry Pitter presented a Highways Report. Cllr Pitter regularly reports pot holes in Durley and takes photographs to help HCC see where the pot holes are. The double yellow lines at the end of Manor Road and Beech Corner have been marked ready for installation shortly. Cllr Pitter said that pot holes are difficult to report at the moment because they are filled with water. However, he will go round the village soon in the drier weather and take some photographs and then report any pot holes he finds.
- Hall Report – Chairman of Hall Committee, Cllr Marie Smith gave a Hall Report. The Caretaker is unwell at the moment and Councillors wished to convey their best wishes for a speedy recovery. Donna Shorney has kindly stepped in to cover the caretaking duties. Hall hire is up a little and the Hall is well used. The sound system has been replaced and is ready for use. The Hall floor is being replaced and quotes are being sought for the work. A detailed Hall Report is attached as Appendix 3.
- County Councillor’s Report – County Councillor Humby gave a detailed Report outlining the work that HCC is doing to keep our road network safe, especially during the bad winter weather which we have had this winter. CC Humby is involved in many Meetings which involve going to the House of Commons, visiting local residents and everything in between. Taking responsibility for the highways and environment in Hampshire is a vast amount of work and deciding on the budget for these issues is a big responsibility. Adult and child social care takes up a large amount of the budget so juggling the figures to accommodate all that is required is not easy. CC Humby informed residents about the work that Skanska are doing on our highways and the new machines that they use, e.g. the Dragon Patcher to fix pot holes more efficiently. CC Humby was thanked for all his hard work in Durley over the year.
- District Councillors’ Report – District Councillors Humby, Miller and Mclean. DC Miller gave the District Councillors’ Report and outlined the work that our 3 District Councillors do at WCC and the duties that they carry out. DC Miller spoke about the various Grants that are available, facilities that have been purchased recently by WCC, including hopefully having a sports facility in the southern parishes . High class offices are also needed in Winchester. A more detailed Report is attached as Appendix 4.
- Police Representative’s Report. PCSO Slater was present, along with a colleague and gave a Report from the Police. She stated that the overall crime statistics for Durley was down this year. She had also visited Durley Lunch Club with Trading Standards Officers to talk to them about scams etc. on the telephone, social media etc. The Police might be able to have a stand at the Church Fete so the Clerk will give PCSO Slater the contact details for the Organiser.
- Questions to Council Members. There were no questions asked to Council Members which had not already been asked.
- THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS THE CHAIRMAN THANKED EVERYONE FOR ATTENDING AND REFRESHMENTS WERE THEN SERVED. THE MEETING CONCLUDED AT 9.15 p.m.
