10 members of the public.

In attendance Tony McKenzie(clerk), David Lake(Footpaths Officer and Tree Warden), Nobby Clark (Somerset County Council )

Apologies were received from Rob Hembrow, Barbara Berks, Alex Morrice and Freek Vierling.

Minutes of the last meeting had been signed at the parish council meeting held on 9^th May 2005.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for attending

In 2004 – 05 the Parish Council have met 12 times for council meetings. She said when looking back on the year it was good to see what had been achieved. The new Village Hall was nearing completion and the seven low cost houses are being built with a completion date targeted for the end of July 2006.

The Parish Council were consulted on the name for the new Village Hall and are pleased that the name " Williams " is being kept. The allocation of the new houses both to let and for sale had been done by Falcon Rural Housing in the strictest confidence following searching interviews. The Parish Council was not involved in this process.

The new bus service is excellent and the driver’s of the Cooks Coaches most obliging. There is also the Slinkly bus which operates until late evening and details can be obtained from the Clerk.

She thanked David Lake, the footpath officer, for as always doing a wonderful job in supervising the footpaths.

The burial ground looks neat and tidy. The ditch is being filled by the owner, having been piped for drainage first and then a hedge will be planted around the top end.

The highways authority had attended to all problems promptly but there is still a problem with the edges of the road eroding due to wide vehicles.

She said she was hoping that the problems with young peoples behaviour is being monitored. She contrasted this with the performances and professionalism of the Youth Theatre who have to thank Liz Brown for the time and energy devoted to them.

She thanked Nobby Clark, County Councillor for attending all our Council meetings as well as giving money towards the new Meals on Wheels service and play equipment for the playing field from his small community fund.

She thanked her fellow councillors and both the old and new clerks for their hard work and reminded members of the public to come along to the meetings to see the work done by the Council.

Parish Council Accounts An abridged version of the draft accounts was given to all present . The precept of £ 6000 forms the major part of the income. Grants had been made to the CAB, the Air Ambulance, playing fields ,poppy appeal and the new Meals on Wheels service. The other major expenses were £ 425.53 for the memorial stone at the entrance to the playing field and £623.25.for the planning application costs for the new Village Hall.

The accounts will now audited by David Lake.

The precept for 20056– 07 is £ 6000 again.

Village Web Site Dave Evans reminded everyone that the website was only as good as the information sent to him and asked village organisations to send items to him. He also advised that there were pages devoted to the Active Age Alliance and encouraged all organisations to have a look at these.

Playing Field Accounts Jean House thanked the Parish Council for the extra £1000 given towards the new BMX track.She reported that new trees had been planted and that the 10k run had been very successful with income from this being up on last year. She also thanked Simon Williams and other helpers who had given their time free. Dennis Silk congratulated Jean on her 10 years as treasurer as she has now retired from this position and is being replaced by Tom Stobie. Dennis also advised that the playing field committee will be working with the Youth Club and providing some funding for equipment require.

Village Hall Accounts Tony McKenzie circulated the financial report that had been prepared for the Charity Commissioners and explained that because of the sale of the old hall income for the year was above £100k and the accounts had to be completed in a different and more detailed format. He also confirmed that there were no outstanding items for the old hall.

New Village Hall Progress Report David House reported that new hall was progressing well and the contactors were on schedule to complete on 31^st May.

Julia Clewes reported that heavy lorries delivering aggregate to the site had been causing problems in Curload and that these had been dealt with by the builders .

Reeves Feast David House explained that the Reeves feast is a very old charity dating back to medieval times originally founded to give to the poor at Christmas time. The last feast was held in 1865. The money comes from a small amount of money that has been invested. There are three trustees: the vicar, ex-officio, and two others chosen by the parish council and this year £15 had been distributed in gifts.

Footpaths Officer/Tree Wardens Report David Lake reported another busy year and that all problems that built up while we were denied access to the paths have now been overcome. Stiles have been kept clear and repaired when necessary and way markers have been positioned wherever a decision has been made.The dangerous footbridge in Fieldway has been removed and a new access via a Bristol gate created thanks to the land owner.

He also reported that as the village planting scheme had come to an end there were no longer opportunities to distribute trees and hedging plants but it was pleasing to see many landowners carrying on with this work. He had also carried out the tasks of checking hedge removals and commenting on tree preservation orders and the work done on the trees in question.

He asked everyone to let him know if they see any work that needs doing.

1. The Clerk advised all present of the consultations taking place on " Tomorrows Taunton Deane" and that a public exhibition is taking place on Saturday 6^th May at North Curry Village Hall from 10am – 12noon.

2.The Clerk read out a reply from Jeremy Browne MP advising his support to the Councils letter re the proposed closure of the Post Office Card Accounts scheme. The Clerk also advised that there was now a petition against this for people to sign at the Post Office.

3.Dennis Silk thanked Sue Hembrow for her dynamic approach and work on the Playing Field committee.

4. Sue Hembrow queried deliveries of the current village newsletter and was advised that there had been a small delay in deliveries to houses in her area. It was also requested that the newsletter be included on the village website.

5.Ross Young expressed concern about the amount of rubbish in the village. Sue Hembrow asked if this could be put on the agenda for the next Parish Council meeting.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.30pm.