Among matters considered and discussed at the recent March monthly meeting of Pembroke Dock Town Council, held at the Pater Hall, were the following:

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

A member of the public raised the question over the proposed relocation of footpaths in the Barrack Hill area and felt that the correct process was not being followed and wanted the town council to comment.

He had noticed that a number of signs had already been removed and paths blocked and a specific style of gate had been installed, which did not allow disability access.

He had contacted the county council who confirmed the paths were not being moved. However, the Golf Club had confirmed the paths were to be moved and the gates had been installed to prevent motorcycles accessing the course. Some of the footpaths were part of the Heritage Trail that had been granted from the Welsh Office, but a number of the 'Acorn' signs had again already been removed.

The town clerk stated that some of the work in that area formed part of the Safe Routes Project and Shaun Tilling, of PCC, would be invited to the April meeting to explain more about the work that was being undertaken.

The town clerk also reported that a number of complaints had been received regarding the re-siting of the public footpaths on the Barrack Hill and there had been a number of rumours that some paths were closing and gates were being introduced.

It was commented that there were two paths that the Golf Club wished to close, but this was not allowed to happen as they were public rights of way. It was further commented that none of the paths on the course would be changed.

The member of public further stated that the Golf Club were carrying out work in the area to the paths by cutting down trees and blocking the paths, along with the installation of gates, and provided evidence to show this.

It was commented that the town council should contact the county council to ask their confirmation of what was happening with regards to the footpaths.

The town clerk confirmed that a letter would be sent to Matt Cloud asking him to confirm the current work carried out and what developments might be and inviting him to the April meeting of the town council.

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

St. Govans Centre and Alley: It was questioned if any response had been received from the owner of the St. Govans Centre. The town clerk said that the caretaker of the centre had been contacted and was now invited to the Town Regeneration meetings and it was hoped that the caretaker would be able to implement some positive changes in due course.

Town council vacancy: The town clerk stated that the vacancy application deadline was Friday, March 7, and four applications had been received.

REPORT OF

THE TOWN CLERK

Training for town council staff - NVQ business and administration: The town clerk had been looking at courses to put together a training programme for staff to ensure that they were building on skills with the qualifications to back up the skills. The town clerk had recently completed the NVQ 2 in business and administration and felt it was a good starting base, and felt other members of staff would benefit from taking this course. The course was a 12-month work-based course, assessed by Pembrokeshire College, with the assessor visiting the office at planned dates. The town clerk had spoken with the admin support officer and she was happy to undertake the work to gain the qualification. The course would cost £150, with all material provided. The town clerk requested agreement to enrol the admin support officer at a cost of £150 and this was agreed.

Christmas lighting: The town clerk had recently met with the Christmas lighting supplier, Festive Lighting, and electrician to discuss the lighting theme in Dimond Street for this year. A photographic example of the suggested lighting scheme on a three-year lease was provided.

The budget for 2014 for Christmas lighting was £13,000.

The lease would cost £2,620.38 per year for the next three years, which was cheaper than the previous £2,728 per year for the lighting scheme in Dimond Street.

The town clerk asked for agreement for these lights to be ordered.

It was commented that some residents had voiced a dislike of the mainly blue theme of 2013. The town clerk stated that as the sample photo showed, the new scheme would be red and green for 2014, with a small element of the blue ones being phased out completely by 2015.

It was questioned whether the across the street strings of lighting could be used, as it was thought there had been a past problem with this. The town clerk stated that there would be no problem with the new scheme as the height of the lighting would still allow for large goods vehicle access through the town.

It was resolved that the revised lighting scheme and new lease with Festive Lighting at a cost of £2,620.38 per year be implemented for Christmas 2014.

Closure of Minor Injury Unit, South Pembs: A letter had been received from Mr. Chris Martin, chairman of the Hywel Dda Health Board, regarding the closure of the Minor Injury Unit at South Pembs. Hospital.

In his letter, he stated: "The Health Board has taken the decision to deploy available service in what we believe to be the most effective way possible.

"We have a duty to monitor the impact of the service change and as part of that will assess the impact on alternative local services and feedback received from the general public and representative bodies such as yourselves."

He went on to confirm that the Choose Well leaflets were distributed door to door.

It was commented by a number of councillors that the leaflets had definitely not been received within the town and they asked that confirmation be sought by the town clerk as to which streets had been covered by the leaflet drop.

It was further commented that the provision of Argyle Street surgery as a replacement service was not a good substitute, as walk-in slots were not provided by the surgery and you still needed to book an appointment.

FINANCIAL REQUESTS

Dyfed Powys Victim Support: A request for financial support had been received from Dyfed Powys Victim Support.

Victim Support is a national charity which supports victims of crime with a dedicated team of volunteers and helps victims of crime rebuild their lives, access justice and build confidence in their communities.

It was felt that as a national charity, it fell outside the constitution of the town council grants criteria and no support could be given.

Pembroke Dock Sea Cadets: A grant request form had been received from this organisation. The Sea Cadets instruct children in boating and land-based qualifications in the tradition of the Royal Navy.

They had requested funding towards yearly running costs. A grant would enable the group to continue running the unit without charging the children who use the facilities.

It was questioned whether giving financial assistance towards running costs would set a precedence for other groups and that the town council did not want to offer support in this way.

It was commented that no financial assistance should be given at this time, but should the Sea Cadets have any specific projects they wanted help with, then further applications could be made when these arose.

Pembrokeshire Cruse Bereavement: This organisation had requested funding for their running costs for 2014/2015 and to enable them to support their volunteers.

It was felt that as a national charity, this fell outside the town council grants criteria and no support could be given.

NSPCC: This organisation had requested funding to help towards the running of the Child Line Schools service.

It was felt that as a national charity, this fell outside the constitution of the town council grants criteria and no support coud be given.

PRISM: This organisation had requested funding towards developing a range of interventions aimed at helping to sustain recovery from problem alcohol and drug use.

It was felt that as a national charity, this fell outside the constitution of the town council grants criteria and no support could be given.

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program

The organisation had requested to attend a meeting of the council to highlight the current project which they were developing.

The group has been developing a Welcome Friends project which focuses on isolation and loneliness amongst over 50s. Their main aim is to let as many people in Pembrokeshire know about the free service.

The town clerk suggested that the group be invited to the June meeting to give further information on the project. Those present felt that an invitation should be sent.

Hanging Baskets

Pembroke Dock Regeneration Group had been looking at a number of ways to make the town look more appealing and welcoming to visitors. It had been commented that the hanging baskets which the town council currently provided had a positive effect on the town and it was questioned if the scheme could be extended across London Road.

There were 18 lamp-posts across London Road and the town clerk suggested that baskets be put on every other lamp-post which brought the number down to nine.

The town clerk had been in contact with the county council to see if they had any spare baskets which could be used across London Road, which they had kindly provided; the town council then only required new brackets and for them to be filled.

The town clerk sought agreement for the hanging baskets scheme to extend across London Road with an extra nine baskets, with the purchase of nine brackets to suit.

Clr. P. Gwyther stated that perhaps the supermarkets within the town might be willing to contribute financially to the scheme in their immediate vicinity. It was felt that this might be a good idea to approach them and ask the question.

It was also questioned whether the hanging basket scheme should be extended to cover Law Street and this may be an area that would be covered as the scheme expanded year on year.

It was resolved that the town clerk tenders for the filling and installation of the baskets and purchases the extra brackets required and the floral scheme be extended to go across London Road.

Action Plan for Pembroke Dock

The town clerk had been approached by the sustainable communities officer for Planed, Becky Turrell, regarding working with the town council to produce an Action Plan for Pembroke Dock.

Planed's approach is to develop community engagement through what they call Visioning Workshops. The workshops are co-ordinated and facilitated by Planed, for which they are funded to do so, and therefore there would be no cost to the community or town council for the promotion or hosting of this process.

The workshops encourage community members to take a fresh look at their community and identify new and innovative projects that will meet needs both now and in the future. The result of the workshops is the production of an Action Plan which contains all of the ideas, possible projects and aspirations of the community. The Action Plan provides a framework for a community to work within and is of great help.

The town clerk had spoken with a number of neighbouring towns who had produced their own action plans and they had stated that the documents produced were useful, especially at the time of regeneration in many areas.

The town clerk asked members if an Action Plan should be formed for Pembroke Dock and it was agreed that Planed should be contacted to progress this.

Rent for use of Offices - Pater Hall

The town clerk reminded the meeting that a resolution from the discussion regarding the Pater Hall in the meeting held on February 6 was: 'Bring this item back to the next meeting of the town council to enable the clerk to looked at the lease'.

The town clerk and previous town clerk had looked at the lease and the sub-lease, and it appeared that the sub-lease, which included information regarding the rental agreement, was never completed. It seems that the sub-lease was to be completed once the town council offices had been relocated on the ground floor. There was no further information to confirm if the sub-lease had been completed.

The notice of motion which was brought to the last meeting was proposed by Andrew McNaughton; seconded by Jane McNaughton - that Pembroke Dock Town Council pays the rent for the offices on a monthly basis in advance on the first working day of the month.

The town clerk sought views and proposals from those present.

Clr. P. Gwyther stated that he had asked Mr. Ian Jones about the lease/sub-lease and Mr. Jones had confirmed that copies should be held by the trust and the town council and Mr. Jones was sure this had been done. However, he could not locate a copy.

It was suggested that the solicitors who prepared the lease/sub-lease be contacted to provide copies.

After discussion, it was felt that there was no immediate rush to obtain copies of the sub-lease, so this would be put aside for now.

Clr. P. Gwyther also stated that the trust had no problems with the town council paying the rent on a monthly basis as proposed in the motion set out by Clr. A. McNaughton and this was agreed.

Clr. A. McNaughton questioned Clr. P. Gwyther to clarify a recent email received by the town council from the Pembroke Company of Archers who were unable to access the Main Hall on February 6 due to the council holding their meeting there.

Clr. Gwyther stated that Mr. Ian Jones confirmed he would contact the archers. It was further commented that no formal request had been received by the council requesting them to relocate to an alternative meeting room and any request to relocate must be submitted to the council the previous month to enable it to be included in the agenda for discussion.

A general discussion ensued about the merits of using the Warrior Room for future council meetings as the room was accessible to all people, including those with a disability. There was concern over the temporary ramp required to access the Warrior Room entrance in Lewis Street as, due to its length, it could not be used if vehicles were parked directly outside the entrance. The ramp was also of heavy construction and required two people to manoeuvre it into position.

Clr. M. Colgan felt town council meetings should return to the council chamber and she would table a motion at a future meeting for this to be discussed.

Clr. A. McNaughton stated that the council could not relocate back to the chamber as access to that room did not fulfil full disabled access policies and it would only need one time for access to be needed and failed that the council would be breaking the law on disabled access.

Clr. Colgan stated that the stairlift was sufficient for any disabled person to gain access.

Clr. A. McNaughton stated that if Clr. Colgan brought any motion to a future meeting, as she had mentioned earlier, then a recorded vote must take place to highlight those councillors who were breaking the law on disability access.

After further discussion, the outcome of the council meeting venue would be to remain in the Main Hall unless notice of a prior booking was provided in advance.

REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES

Police Forum: Clr. M. Murton informed the meeting that there had been a lively session of the Police Forum at which two issues of anti-social behaviour had been discussed. The areas that were proving problematic were near to Barclays Bank and near to the old Commodore building. These areas were being monitored by the police and PCSO's.

Pater Hall Trust: Clr. P. Gwyther informed the meeting that bookings were in a reasonable state and there had been a good number of events recently, including two dances, which were both well attended, and a kick-boxing event that was also well attended and attendees were well-behaved. There was a possibility of another boxing event in May.

Clr. Gwyther also said that the trustees had applied for a full-licence for provision of a bar facility and it was hoped that would be presented at the April Town Council meeting.

COMMUNITY ISSUES

Trinity Road street-lighting: It was questioned whether one street light might be left on during the period of midnight to dawn as youngsters were using this area as a cut-through and hiding and this was making residents unhappy.

It was stated that any incidences of anti-social behaviour must be reported to the police and if the police were to comment to PCC, the request might be viewed more favourably.

Clr. T. Wilcox stated that unfortunately the lighting situation had to be one of all on or all off and this was due to insurance purposes.

Village Green status: The town clerk stated that the law for applying for Village Green status was changing in the near future, so if there were any areas that they wished to put into this category, then the applications must be submitted before September 2014. The new law would make it virtually impossible to obtain Village Green status. It was commented that the areas in Queen Street and Charlton Place were two areas that should be looked at.

Planning application by Ledwood Engineering: It was commented that a few residents were now asking town councillors what was happening with this application for the development of a plant to manage oily sludge on the Waterloo Industrial Estate, as there were many concerns.

Clr. P. George stated that the residents of Cosheston were forming an action group to protest against the application.

The application had been discussed by the planning sub-committee of the town council and there being insufficient information for them to make any informed decision, it had been requested the application be taken to full council at PCC.

Clr. P. Gwyther raised concerns about the consultation period for the application. He stated that the 14 days period given was nowhere near long enough for such a controversial application.

Town councillors were suggesting to concerned residents that they write individual letters of objection to PCC, as opposed to petitioning.

MAYOR'S REPORT

The Mayor commented that she had attended the recent Town Regeneration meeting, an event at RAF Brawdy as a guest of the 14th Signal Regiment for their St. David's Day celebrations and also a lunch at PRP Training within the town, again to mark St. David's Day and the start of National Apprentice Week, where the lunch was prepared by catering students undertaking courses via PRP.