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1) Minutes of the last Annual Meeting were circulated. There were no matters arising.

2) Apologies were received from Adrian Flook MP and Bernie Withams.

3) Chairman’s Report. The Chairman welcomed invited guests and members of the public. She introduced the new councillors, Sue Hembrow, Irene Browning & Trevor Williams, who will take office in May, (together with Ian Parker). She congratulated the Junior Drama Group on their fourth win at the Five Counties Festival. The Parish Council supports the Youth Drama and is happy to help other local charities.
During the year the Jubilee celebrations had included a party for the village children, and she thanked Anne Merritt and the Friends of the School for organising the party. The children had also been presented with mugs.
There have problems during the year with speeding, potholes, parking, etc. The Parish Council helps where it can but relies on people to be considerate of others.
Flooding has not been a problem this year, apart from one or two incidents resulting from blocked ditches or drains.
She concluded by thanking the district councillor, David House, the footpath officer, David Lake, and her fellow councillors for their support over the past year, particularly those who were retiring after long years of service.

4) Financial Records. The financial reports were circulated and the clerk gave a brief explanation.

5) Playing Field The accounts were circulated. Mrs Jean House said a drainage grant was received for the football pitch. The total cost of the works was over £900. The Somerset Playing Fields Association Grant of £25.00 was a contribution towards the portable goals, cost £262.00. New showers had been installed in the pavilion and new kitchen units had been donated and installed. There was a deficit of £480 at the end of the year but a lot of money had been spent on improvements.

6) Village Hall & New Village Hall Mr John Lowe, treasurer, presented the accounts for the village hall. Income was £3,505, an increase on the previous year.
David House reported that at present the estimated cost of building the New Village Hall is £580k, which has risen slightly since the lottery bid was submitted. Grants have been promised from Taunton Deane BC, Somerset CC and the Parish Council. £151k is definitely available and there is a balance of £55k in the bank. Further donations may be available from other charities. It is hoped that sale of the Village Hall will realise approx. £90k. A bid for £198k has been submitted to the lottery. The land has been purchased. £138k has still to be raised.
A representative of the lottery made a preliminary visit to the village yesterday.
The hall is being marketed and will be sold when the lottery bid is confirmed. This is necessary because the village has to match the stage payments.
Roz George, the architect, confirmed that the village will be without a hall for 12 – 18 months. The housing market may be cooling down and it would be best to take advantage of the current prices. Alternative arrangements will have to be made for the user groups, eg: school children may have to be bussed to North Curry, at the expense of the LEA, while the village is without a hall.
Graham Joll asked how many years it would take to raise the shortfall. RG explained that other charities have expressed an interest but will not commit themselves until other funding is secure. The project can go out to tender as soon as the lottery grant is confirmed. The lottery grant has to be drawn down in one year. If there is a shortfall in the finances, savings will have to be made on the internal works. They have tried to draw up a schedule of cash inflow and outflow but the situation keeps changing.

7) The Reeves Feast David House presented the accounts of the Reeves Feast. The balance in the bank stands at £403.00.
He gave a short history of the fund, which goes back to 1340 and may be even older. The last feast was held in 1865 and the funds were divided between three villages and converted into a charity. Three people administer the fund, one of whom is the vicar, ex officio. David House & Ken Court expressed their willingness to stand again and were elected. Proposed: Anne Lowe, Seconded: John Hembrow.

8) Footpaths & Trees David Lake reported that after years of enquiries, etc, the path from Huntham Close to the Post Office is now open and walkable. New stiles and steps have been installed in various locations and the ditch at Polkesfield cleared. New legislation on access to the countryside means that we can take a second look at the footpath map and old paths that have fallen into disuse can be reopened, particularly where a circular route or disabled access can be created.
The tree & hedge planting scheme has been well supported and is now a victim of its own success – the free trees will now cost £10 – but TDBC will deliver them. Forms will be available from DL later in the year. He said that the village is fortunate to have so many caring landowners.
He was asked if he could resume the guided walks as these had been very popular. DL said he hoped to do this.

9) Parish Appraisal Accounts were circulated by David Evans. He explained that the project was funded by the Countryside Agency with a small contribution from the Parish Council but a lot of people had given their time freely to the project. The main costs have been maps, a model for the village Open Day and a gas heater for the school.
Graham Joll said that the project has to be finished by December and is on time. A questionnaire will be delivered personally to each resident in the village in the week 3 – 11 May. It will be collected 19 – 22 May. They have communicated with the village by leaflets delivered to each house, presentations most of the clubs and organisations and a brainstorming session with the youth. Some interesting ideas had come out of the youth session. The Showcase had been very successful with over 170 visitors. There had been opportunities to comment on the questionnaire and this is now being piloted on 10 houses. The completed questionnaires are confidential and will be analysed professionally by someone outside the village. A draft report will be compiled by August. It will be presented to the Parish Council on 5^th November and there will be a closing event in December when the results are presented to the whole village.

10) General Discussion
a) The chairman introduced Mr Freek Vernon, the new chairman of the pre-school playgroup. He said that he had taken office in October. The group are still trying to relocate to the school but a lot of money is needed.
b) Mrs Paddy Scott said that she had heard of a vehicle for the disabled, which could become available to the village. The Council for Voluntary Services would insure the vehicle but volunteers under the age of 70 will be needed to drive it. Training will be given at Yeovil.
Graham Joll confirmed that there is a need for such a vehicle not just for the elderly and disabled. It would be useful for taking people to the surgery in North Curry, etc. A grant could be available.
c) Cllr Watson said that Council Tax will rise by 12% this year, included in this rise is an increased precept payable to Avon & Somerset Police of 30%. There is a growing opinion in the County Council that Avon & Somerset being an urban and a rural community. The costs of education, residential care, etc are all increasing.
It was pointed out that old age pensions have not risen to keep pace with the rises in taxation.
d) Jane Wilkinson, Chairman of the Drama Group, said that it is their 20^th anniversary. She thanked the Parish Council for their support. The Youth Group has won the Five Counties festival for the fourth year running. The youth and the adult players are very talented therefore the low audiences for the Christmas pantomime had been disappointing and there had been a loss of £316.00. She urged everyone present to support the next production in September.
e) Stuart Wilkinson, Chairman of the Playing Fields Committee, said that there was a lot of work involved, particularly in the organisation of the Fun Run. He and the secretary, Sheila Hembrow, were hoping to retire from the committee but had been unable to find successors. He thanked Eric Hembrow, who had been an active supporter of the playing fields for many years. He said that the football team is looking for more players – there is no upper age limit!
f) The vicar explained that the Church Clock is not, in fact, a church clock but a Parish Clock, having been funded by public subscription in honour of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Maintenance costs had been low up until now and had been borne by the Church. However, now it was estimated that it would cost £4.5k to repair and the congregation could not be expected to bear this cost.
David Lake, the churchwarden, said that it was proving difficult to obtain quotes. The motors of the clock are old-fashioned, it is a day’s work to dismantle and lubricate them. They were made using imperial measurements and it would be difficult to get new motors to line up.
g) David House asked if he could conclude the meeting by paying tribute to the four councillors who were retiring in May. Valerie Parker s first association with the Council was in 1971, when she was clerk for six years. She returned as an elected councillor and had been chairman. Anne Lowe had been a member of the Council since 1981, being particularly supportive of the youth groups in the village. Bernie Withams had been District Councillor for 8 years from 1991. He paid particular tribute to Eric Hembrow who had served the community as a councillor since 1976. He had been actively involved with the playing fields, planning, sub-committee, police committee, emergency planning and his expertise on flooding, drains and other aspects of village life would be much missed.
Mr Hembrow replied that he had enjoyed being a parish councillor and wished the new council a happy and interesting term of office.

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