Among matters discussed at the January meeting of St. Mary Out Liberty Community Council were the following:

planning applications

Park House Court Care Home: Advice of approval was noted by council.

finance

The clerk advised that the final instalment of the 2007-2008 precept had been received. He then advised that the annual request to set the precept for the year 2008-2009 had been received from Pembrokeshire County Council. A lengthy discussion took place. An increase of three per cent was suggested, but not everyone was happy. Chairman Clr. Johns and Clr. Morris both felt that prudence was the action that council should have in mind at this time. Clr. Morris suggested that they should try and keep below the inflation figure and suggested an increase of two per cent. The chairman seconded this increase. On voting, both the amendment and the proposition were tied, and it took the casting vote of the chairman to settle the matter. In conclusion, an increase of two per cent was agreed and the clerk was to advise Pembrokeshire County Council of the decision.

appeals

British Heart Foundation: A donation of £10 was proposed by Clr. Morris, seconded by Clr. Nash. In addition to the donation, it was agreed that the clerk should pass the information about the 'Valentine' event to the VHMC to see if they were able to help. Pembrokeshire YFC: It was agreed to note this appeal only.

county cLR. mrs. c. cavill's report

Street lighting: At the last meeting, several councillors commented that even with the new street lighting there were still a few dark places along the village road. The street lighting officer would be grateful if a list of the places could be made and he would inspect them. Members agreed that the best course of action was to await the completion of the new street lighting work at the lower end of the village, and to then inspect the whole scheme. Waterwynch Beach: The platform and rail were programmed to be completed any time now. The National Park ranger was monitoring the path with regards to waterlogging etc. The chairman reported that he had inspected the footpath at Waterwynch in recent days. It was very muddy due to the recent weather and he felt that some work was certainly needed to maintain a safe route to the beach. Clr. Morris was very concerned. This matter had been ongoing for over 12 months. They were approaching another season when Easter was very early and all they got was promises from National Park that did not get implemented. If it was that muddy, Clr. Morris felt that bark should be put down to enable a safe passage. He agreed to inspect it himself in the next few days. County Clr. Mrs. Cavill agreed to report back to National Park expressing the council's concerns. It was agreed that if there was no progress shortly, then a site meeting with the relevant officers should be requested. Bus stop markings: The order had definitely been issued to complete the work, but to date there had been no action Footpath, Broadfield Hill: Work on this project was still ongoing. Cars for sale at Twycross Roundabout: The street care officer had assured Clr. Mrs. Cavill that this area had been monitored on a daily basis. During the past few weeks, Clr. Morris was continuing to record and advise Pembrokeshre County Council. The problem did seem a little less recently, but the safety concerns still existed and would be monitored.

Playing Field and Village Hall

The clerk advised that Clr. Hall had removed the Christmas tree with the help of Mr. George Nash, whom they were most grateful to for his assistance. There were a few matters that Clr. Hall had ongoing and would report later.

Police Camera

The clerk advised that he had written to Dyfed Powys Police enclosing the council's contribution of £100 towards this project, requesting that they should be reimbursed if the project ever produced a surplus of funds. He went on to report that a letter had been received acknowledging the council's agreement to assist the project and stating that the camera had been purchased and was now in full operational use. The cheque was returned to council uncashed.

correspondence

The chairman read letters from One Voice Wales, from Pembrokeshire County Council and from the Society of Clerks, which was passed to the clerk to deal with. Brochures were received from Pippa Post and the local council review; these were circulated to members. There were several other matters of correspondence that had been dealt with earlier in the agenda.