At the October meeting of St. Mary Out Liberty, the following matters were discussed:

MatterS arising

The clerk advised that he had written a letter opposing the development of the new civic amenity site next to the Brooklands Nursing Home. Clr. Mrs. Leyshon confirmed that she had discussed the matters requested at the village hall management committee.

Council vacancy: The clerk advised that he had been informed by Mrs. King at Pembrokeshire County Council that council could now co-opt a person to fill the current vacancy that existed on the community council. Acting chairman Clr. T. Morris introduced Mr. Robert Thomas to the members present, advising them that Mr. Thomas was interested and prepared to serve on the council. Clr. Morris then formally proposed that Mr. Robert Thomas be co-opted to the council. This was seconded by Clr. D. Nash and was carried unanimously. Mr. Thomas was welcomed to the council and completed the necessary papers agreeing the code of conduct of the council.

Appeals

Bobath Therapy Centre and Macmillan Cancer Support: A donation of £10 to each was proposed by Clr. D. Nash, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Leyshon.

County Councillor Mr. Jon Preston's report

Clr. Preston reported as follows:

Hywel Dda Health Board: I would like to feedback to the community council information I have been given whilst attending presentations given by the Hywel Dda Health Board during the consultation phase. I have asked the administration staff to provide me with the names and the roles of the members of the board who made the recent presentation at Narberth Queen's Hall, but unfortunately I have still not received any correspondence from them. The panel was made up of a number of health care professionals, including a consultant heart surgeon who presented the main part of the current proposals. There is a substantial amount of information to consider and digest; however, I will try and provide a general outline of the proposals we are being asked to consider. Hywel Dda aim to provide the right care at the right place at the right time. At present, 80 per cent of hospital resources are spent on treating just 20 per cent of patients and 40 per cent of patients are in hospital when they could be treated more effectively in a support network closer to home.

Hywel Dda proposes to provide centres of excellence which will be far better equipped to treat patients and will have the expertise and experience in a single location. This means a patient will immediately be transferred to the unit within Hywel Dda that is best resourced to deal with the problem.

Preventative care is also to be provided by utilising the vast amounts of family medical information general practitioners hold. Due to many illnesses being hereditary, the health board will be able to identify at risk individuals and provide the necessary screening to identify problems before they arise.

The proposed closure of the Minor Injuries Unit remains a major concern, as do many of the apparent flaws in these proposals, the main one being that these plans will only be affective if the General Practitioners are in agreement. We have no confirmation that any agreement has been reached at this time.

Street cleaning schedule: I have raised the question of the frequency and effectiveness of street cleaning throughout the village. I have asked for a schedule of street cleaning in New Hedges. I will be able to update the community council on this matter at the November meeting .

Dog fouling: Councillors are asked to highlight any problem areas within the ward where dog fouling/stray dogs are a problem. I will forward this information to Pembrokeshire County Council's environment committee who will seek to address any issues we may have.

'No entry' sign at Waterwynch: I have attempted to resolve this issue of the misleading sign at the top end of Waterwynch lane via the National Park highways office. At present, I am not satisfied with the outcome. I will now escalate this matter until I reach an acceptable conclusion.

New bus shelter: The following works are scheduled to take place commencing October 8 - Twycross (Cross Park ), demolition of existing block shelter and installation of a new standard shelter along with the construction of bus boarding platform; New Hedges central (Hunters Park), construction of bus boarding platform etc.

Prayers for April Jones: I would like to pass on our thoughts and prayers to the family of little April Jones who has been missing from her home since October 1. I would also like to pay tribute to the community of Machynlleth who have shown great strength, courage and determination during this difficult time.

Village Matters

Dog fouling: County Clr. Preston had given a detailed update on this matter. Clr. Mrs. Leyshon reported an improvement in the problem recently. The clerk advised that a request had been received to have the litter bin/dog fouling bin moved a small distance from the seat near the new bus shelter south-west side of the road at Twycross. Clr. D. Brace agreed to look into this matter.

Tree near Hunters Park bus shelter: This had been examined and it was felt that it was not an obstruction to traffic leaving the village hall car park, as had been reported. It was also felt that if the tree was pruned, it would spoil the shape. It was agreed to take no action on this matter.

Litter within the village: The clerk advised that he had written to Mr. Codd at Pembrokeshire County Council. County Clr. Preston was also dealing with this matter.

Christmas tree and lighting; The clerk agreed to contact Mr. Lewis at Hean Castle to enquire if he was able to assist with the provision of a Christmas tree for the village again this year. The clerk also agreed to examine the lights etc. to see what was needed with reference to replacements.

Playing Field and Village Hall

Clr. Mrs. Leyshon advised that she had discussed with the village hall management committee the safety issues that had been drawn to the attention of the community council. There was nothing further to report.

Ironman Wales 2012

Clr. Morris reported that the event had been a success and that the use of the village hall and facilities had been appreciated. Clr. Nash proposed that council consider making a donation to the village hall for any expense that had been incurred. The clerk agreed to look into the matter by the next meeting.

Correspondence

The chairman read a communication with reference to the modernisation of the bus shelters on route number 381.

The clerk read correspondence from One Voice Wales with reference to councillor training. Clr. Mrs. Leyshon expressed an interest in obtaining training. The clerk would contact One Voice Wales and report back.

A letter was received from Tenby Town Council referring to local people using buses to access the Tenby hospital ward at Park House Court. The provision of additional bus shelters for passengers on Route 381 would be a welcome addition. Council agreed, but also felt that an outcome to the planning application for the proposed retirement village which had certain transport facilities built into the proposals should be awaited. The clerk was requested to advise Tenby Town Council of St. Mary Out Liberty's opinion on the matter.

A letter was read from Mrs. Ayling with reference to the difficulties that had arisen over the provision of local clothes banks. This matter was passed to County Clr. Jon Preston to discuss with the cabinet member for environment and regulatory services, Clr. Ken Rowlands.

Any other business

It was reported that the footpath to the beach at Waterwynch was still in a dangerous condition due mainly to the very wet weather. The clerk would contact Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Clr. Mrs. Leyshon reported that the new bus shelter at Twycross, which had been reported as very untidy, now looked very clean thanks to Mr. Brace.

She also reported graffiti on the green box outside the village hall car park near the bus shelter. The clerk agreed to examine this to determine what action was required.

The next meeting of council will be on Tuesday, November 13, at 6.30 pm.