The General Meeting of the Penally Community Council was held on Wednesday, December 12 at the Village Hall, Penally.

Present were P. Bradbury (Chair), C. Bradbury, J. Preston (County Councillor and Vice Chair), J. D’Arcy, J. Rilstone, M. Neal and S. Robinson.

Clr. P. Bradbury thanked everyone concerned for their help with putting the village Christmas tree up and along with the Light up The Lanes all agreed that the village is looking very festive.

It was also reported that the first meeting of the Finance Sub Committee had been held and although it was a long meeting a lot had been achieved.

Clr. D’Arcy advised that members of the Penally History Society are corresponding with the person who approached the Council requesting certain information to assist in the tracing of their family tree.

Following Clr. Preston’s observation that Penally’s Remembrance Service was not depicted in the Tenby Observer, along with other smaller local villages. The Clerk will make arrangements to ensure that Penally’s Remembrance Service is represented in the Tenby Observer from 2019 onwards. This has been diarised for the September Meeting.

Planning –

1, Gocygfa Corau, Penally: Alteration and extension of dwelling and creation of first floor roof terrace. All Councillors agreed that they have no concerns or objections regarding this application and fully support it.

2, Land North of Penally Heights, Strawberry Lane, Penally: Erection of one fixed timber holiday unit with decking, pedestrian link and landscaping (resubmission). The Clerk advised the Council that a letter of objection to this planning application has been received. Following a lengthy discussion Clr. Bradbury proposed that Penally Community Council object to this planning application and raise the concerns as discussed; Clr. Neal seconded the proposal with all Councillors in full agreement. The Clerk to write a suitable letter of objection to the Planning Authority including all the points raised by the Council.

3, St Teilo, Penally: Remove rear conservatory and replace with a two storey extension. The Council considered that this property is situated within the Conservation area of Penally and although the application is for a considerable size extension, it is to the rear of the property and the front elevation facing the Village Green will remain as is.

It was agreed by all Councillors that they have no concerns or objections regarding this application.

The following correspondence received was considered:

• Notices received from Pembrokeshire County Council advising of the dates when refuse will be collected over the Christmas Holidays. These were distributed for public display.

• Email received from the Speed Watch Organisers requesting the contact details for the Village Hall. The Clerk to forward the appropriate information.

County Budget: Pembrokeshire Councillors attended a budget seminar at County Hall on Monday, November 26. Despite the 12.5 per cent Council Tax increase for financial year 2017 / 2018 many front line services are still facing budget cuts. Council tax for the financial year 2019 / 2020 will depend on what Pembrokeshire receives from the Welsh government settlement, however despite newspaper reports of ‘an end to austerity’ this in real terms is not the case and in my view a reduction in council tax is unlikely and an increase above 10 per cent is not out of the question. A draft budget will be presented to full council at the December Full Council meeting where five council tax options are to be presented for consideration. The options are based on a Band D property with option 1 being an increase of £1.00 per week per household up to option 5 which would be an increase of £5.00 per household. The recommendation put forward by the Cabinet is Option 2 which would be an increase of £1.89 per week per Band D household. If approved this would equate to a 10 per cent increase and would generate an additional £5.3million of revenue. All options will now be considered by the overview and scrutiny committees before coming back to full council.

Village Playing Field: Following on from last month’s update the Clerk and Responsible Officer, Melanie Priestley, has asked the Estates Officer to draft a proposal for the consideration of the Community Council. The successful formation of a boules / Petanque club will help support the possibility of funding to finance a community project. The Clerk requested specific information regarding our responsibilities in regard to grounds maintenance should Council decide to proceed with a formal application for a Licence or a Lease. The Clerk has written to the Chairman of the newly formed Petanque Club and explained Penally Community Council’s current position.

Tourist Information Centres: Pembrokeshire County Council has been considering the closure of Tourist information Centres in the County. Generally it is believed that visitors to Pembrokeshire are able to access much of the information they would normally receive at a TIC on a number of internet sites. In the case of Tenby, a high percentage of visitors to Tenby are now second home owners and seldom require the use of the TIC due to making frequent visits to the resort. The data collected by staff at Tenby TIC suggests that 90 per cent of visitors to the Tenby TIC are seeking tourist advice whilst the remaining 10 per cent are seeking PCC services. The Clerk has asked for evidence of this data and how it was collected. In the event of Tenby TIC closing the Clerk has been told that options are being considered in terms of an alterative customer facing service for residents to access some PCC services.

Local Development Plan: A candidate site application has been submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council in regard to the land opposite the former Night Owl building. The area of land which is currently a car park is to be considered for development and inclusion in the draft Local Development Plan. Details of the submission will be published this December along with other candidate sites prior to public consultation. Preparation will start in April 2019, with the document expected to be published for formal consultation by October 2019. Information can be obtained by visiting https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/local-development-plan-review where members of the public can also register for updates from Pembrokeshire County Council.

349 Bus Service: The 349 bus service was again unable to pass through the village recently due to a vehicle being parked on the bus route. The car in question was left near the bus stop near the village church. I have asked First Cymru bus drivers to record details of any vehicles that cause an obstruction so that we may speak with the drivers and have the evidence to support a report to our local PCSO’s.

The Consideration of the position for new Councillors: The Clerk advised Councillors that:-

• She had spoken with the Returning Officer at Pembrokeshire County Council and advised her that Penally Community Council now has two spaces for Councillors.

• The Notice for Vacancies was publicly displayed on December 10, 2018 (on the village notice board and the website).

• If an Election is not requested within 10 days, then a Notice will be placed in the Tenby Observer and publicly displayed stating the Penally Community Council are able to coopt two Councillors.

• If any persons are interested in being considered for the position of Community Councillor for Penally they should contact the Clerk on 07525 007068

Village Warden: Discussion took place, while considering the precept, whether firstly the Village Warden is a justified spend of Community Council’s money and how the allocated hours granted to the Warden can be manged in a more productive manner. It was agreed that Clrs. C. Bradbury and Robinson will study the Village Warden’s past job sheets and draft a new schedule for 2019. This will be presented at the January meeting for further consideration.

Discussion took place regarding the 2019/2020 budget in particularly to:

• The fact that the Council must budget for the possibility of Penally Community Council being charged by Pembrokeshire County Council circa £4,300 to contribute to the costs incurred for any Election called (this is only Community or County Councillors positions).

• The Grounds Upkeep Contract – This is due for renewal April 2020. The Council commented that there are no concerns with the upkeep of all grass areas in Penally.

• Penally Crow News – The Council discussed the possibility of local businesses sponsoring a page of this five issues a year newsletter from April 2019 at a proposed cost of £100 a page per year. The Clerk to draft a Sponsor Request for the January meeting.

• The Clerk advised the Council that confirmation had been received from One Voice Wales of the 2019/20 Pay Scale for Community Clerks, (as per NALC)

• Cost of village Christmas tree – The Clerk to make enquiries as to whether a Sponsor could be found to either donate or pay for next year’s Christmas Tree.

• Consideration to be given to the decisions made regarding the Remuneration for Councillors as agreed upon in the November meeting.

The budget for Penally Community Council was discussed by all Councillors. (Figures and report available upon request to the Clerk or as posted on the Council’s website)

Clr. P Bradbury proposed that Penally Community Council apply for a precept for 2019/2020 of £14,500 (an increase of £3,000); Clr. Rilsone seconded the proposal. Clr. Preston proposed that Penally Community Council apply for a Precept for 2019/2020 of £14,000 (an increase of £2,500); Clr. D’Arcy seconded the proposal. A vote was recorded with the majority in favour of the Penally Community Council precept of £14,000 be applied for.