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February 2023

Minutes of Monthly Meeting of Llangunnor Community Council held remotely at 6.30pm on Thursday 16th February 2023

PRESENT: Councillor Geraint Bevan (Chair), Paul Totterdale, Lee Whatley(*), Elwyn Williams, Joan Evans, Jennifer Slate, Charlie Evans, Matthew Williams, Ally Wadeward and Graham Slate >

APOLOGIES: None

Also present Howard Davies (Clerk) and one member of the public present Robin Griffiths(*)

Declaration of Interest

To be recorded during agenda items

3. Chair's Announcements

• Pleased to receive a letter of thanks from Ysgol Llangynnwr for our cheque following the recent vandalism of play equipment
• I would like to pass on our congratulations to the swim centre in Pensarn on them receiving gold standard accreditation in the commercial pool of the year awards
• Pleased to be able to call in with a bunch of flowers for former Cllr Sandra Thomas to mark her retirement from the council after eight years of active service
• I’ve been contacted by a local resident about traffic issues at the entrance to the trading estate by the Post Office sorting office. I would like the clerk to see if we could get a report from the Highways department to see how hazardous the road it
• The recent review of the road building programme has identified four areas impacting on our community. The Nantycaws junction will be progressed due to safety concerns. The improvements projected on the A48 from Cross Hands to Pensarn will be undertaken. The Improvements from on the Carmarthen to St Clears corridor are to be progressed and the work on the A40 Carmarthen to Llandeilo corridor is also to be progressed
• Note with sadness the passing of the Rev Wyn Vittle. Wyn has lived in Llangynnwr for many years and passed away after Christmas following a brief period in hospital
• Finally, I’m sure you would like to join me in congratulating the members of the Mid and West Wales Fire Service who volunteered to go to help with the recovery effort following the awful earthquake in Turkey and Syria. I’d like to ask Elwyn as Chairman of the Fire Authority to send our thoughts and best wishes to them through the Chief Fire Officer. It is clear his staff have made a real difference

4. Public Questions

Robin Griffiths wished to bring to the Council’s attention that some of the lights on Carmarthen Bridge were not working. He was also concerned with the increasing number of potholes appearing on our local roads. Action Point: Clerk agreed to report the outage to Carms C C Public Lighting.
Robin Griffiths wished to advise the Council that Llangunnor residents were worried that the popular bus service operated by Morris Travel was under threat, following the withdrawal of the Covid Grant at the end of next month. Councillor E Williams responded by saying that all Covid Bus Grants were being withdrawn in England at the end of March, but here in Wales the Assembly had agreed to continue to support Operators until the end of June 2023, during which time a review of the number of passengers currently being carried would be undertaken, and a decision made once the findings were known. Carmarthen C C was going to carry out their own survey asking how individuals and families were going to utilise public transport post covid to enable them to further assess the situation. He would provide a further update at our March Meeting
Robin Griffiths also challenged County councillor E Williams to ask the Council to request that the Scarlets Rugby region repay their loan to Carms C C, the payment from which could then be used to support vital services, and in particular local Bus Routes. Councillor Williams responded by saying this was unlikely in the short to medium term given the plight of Welsh Rugby, and the Scarlets own financial position.
RG also questioned the cost of the metal sign erected by the Council in Johnstown at a purported cost of 100k, and the policy to invest in electric buses where there was a current shortage of electric charging points.

5. Minutes

It was agreed and RESOLVED to approve as a correct record the minutes of the monthly Council meeting held on the 19th of January 2023. (Minute 02/03–5) Noted Cllr Whatley abstained

6. Committees

i) Finance

Noted that a meeting took place on the 26th of January. Draft minutes had been circulated and uploaded to our webpage. Further meeting to be arranged

ii) Park & Environment

Noted the minutes of the meeting held on the 25th of January had been circulated and uploaded to our webpage. Further meeting to be arranged

iii) Web & Media

Noted the minutes of the meeting held on 1st February had been circulated and uploaded to our webpage. Further meeting to be arranged

iv) Events

Noted the minutes of the meeting held on the 22nd of February had been circulated and uploaded to our webpage. A further meeting had been arranged for Wednesday 22nd March

7. The Park / Environment Committee

Following a brief discussion the recommendation from The Finance Committee to increase the Precept to £38000 was ratified, with 7 votes in favour, and Cllrs Totterdale and Whatley voting against. (Minute 0223–7)

8.

After a robust discussion it was agreed to proceed to apply to Barclays our Bankers for a Commercial Credit Card with a £1000 Limit in the name of Llangunnor Community Council, to facilitate purchases to be made on behalf on the Council, and thereby eliminating the need for Councillors to purchase items personally, and having to wait to be re imbursed, which has happened in the past. Equally it would give us enhanced cover in situations such as disputes, and the supplier ceasing to trade. The Card is to be held by and used by the clerk and will be controlled via monthly scrutiny of activity by the full Council of any statement received ensuring full audit trail is maintained for any purchases made. The card incurs an annual fee currently £42. Seven Councillors voted in favour, of the provision of a Credit Card, with both Cllrs Whatley and Totterdale recording abstentions (Minute 02/23-8)

9.

The Clerk provided brief updates to the Council on the following matters: a. The Christmas banners that we place around the tree sites have been safely stored by Carmarthen Town Council. The banner displayed near Babell has been kindly stored by Cllrs Slate. b. Following our request and completion of their assessment Carmarthen C C have agreed to provide a Grit Bin at Rhodfa Morgan Drive.

10.

Following the retirement of Cllr Sandra Thomas, it was proposed and agreed unanimously that C councillor E Williams would become Chair of The Planning Committee until our AGM, where a successor will be appointed. In a similar vein it was unanimously agreed for the Chair to approach Mrs Sandra Thomas to continue as a Council Representative Governor of Llangunnor school, but in the capacity of a non-Councillor Governor representative appointed by the Full Council which is now allowed following a change in qualifying criteria. If she were to agree this would be a seamless change due to her lifelong experience of the education sector, and thus alleviating a new incumbent having to complete the mandatory Governor Training Modules, which are both extensive and time consuming. (Minute 02/23 -10)

11.

As no estimate had been received from Iwan Green in time for this meeting it was agreed to defer discussions until our April meeting

12.

The request from Brithdir Residents Association for the supply of an additional grit bin to be located near its junction with Llangunnor Road, was discussed, and the Councillors felt in the first instance that clerk make the request of Carm C C Highways to consider supplying such. It was also mentioned that as the estate road to the Brithdir estate was “unadopted” then this might be against their policy, however we would await their decision.
Cllr Totterdale did point out that during periods of icy weather, residents report that grit was being taken from the bin situated near the Haulfryn junction and applied to the Brithdir junction. We have purchased a small number of bins on rare occasions in the past, for residents, who live on unadopted estate roads such as Ger y Nant but am unsure who purchased the original bin situated halfway up the Brithdir Estate. Matter to be placed on next months agenda for further discussion.

13.

Cllr Jenny Slate introduced her motion:

“To consider purchasing a laptop to enable the clerk to undertake all Council work, on a Council owned and maintained Laptop, to fully comply with The Financial Health check review and GDPR”

The motion was seconded by Cllr G Slate. After a thorough discussion it was agreed in principle to supply the clerk with a Council Laptop to undertake his duties. It was felt that the computer should be serviced annually and ideally supported initially via service contract. A vote was taken where Councillors unanimously supported the motion. The motion was therefore supported. Given the expertise of Cllrs M Williams and C Evans in this field, they were asked to assist the clerk in drawing up a specification for the new Laptop, where a budget of & £700 plus Vat which would be reclaimable would cover. Action point: Clerk to strive to source three quotes and to report back to our March meeting. (Minute 02/23–13)

:: At 7.35pm both Cllrs C Evans and G Slate had to leave the meeting ::

14. Cllr Jenny Slate her motion:

“to increase the number of Councillors to 9 members to sit on the Events sub Committee thereby drawing on the existing skill set, experience, and local knowledge of our Councillor. This will enable the Committee to deliver relevant events for our Community. The increase numbers sought will only to apply to the Events committee”

The motion was seconded by Cllr P Totterdale. After a robust discussion a vote was taken where six Councillors supported the motion, with Cllr L Whatley Abstaining. The motion was therefore supported. (Minute 02/23–14)

:: Cllr A Wadeward joins the meeting at 7.40, and Cllr C Evans re-joins (Connectivity issues) ::

16. County Councillor Report

Councillor E Williams advised that regrettably a further planning application for a house at Nant Y Caws under “local needs” had again been turned down, and a resubmission was likely. It was likely that the Council Tax increase for Carmarthen C C would be 6.8% and this to be confirmed shortly. He informed the Council that when he enquired of Carms C C re Oil spill at Nant y Caws the following Monday he was told that a major incident had been declared, and the relevant Agencies had been contacted. He had nothing further to impart.

16. Reports from Members Representing Council on other Bodies

Riverside Association -

One Voice Wales - Cllr Lee Whatley had attended the recent One Voice Wales Area Committee Meeting and provided the following update. Rod Thomas from Dolen Teifi gave a quick overview of this community transport scheme which aims to provide affordable and accessible transport to individuals, organisations, and groups, they do cover Carmarthen and have a number of vehicles available. More information can be found on their web site. (https://www.dolenteifi.org.uk) Majority of the meeting was spent with a quick update from the councils represented with news and reports of good practice they had been doing. Mentioned the Finance & Governance toolkit, not much time spent on this in all honesty - he did point out that all councillors should be aware of the toolkit to ensure that they knew what their council should be doing better. Next meeting planned for 25th April, likely to be in Llanelli.

School Governors - Cllr E Williams advised that he had attended the Staffing Committee meeting at Llangunnor School, in his capacity as County Councillor Governor Representative, and was extremely pleased to inform that the school’s current financial positive having derived surpluses through cut back in activities and cost savings due to Covid that finances would allow them to maintain the current staffing level for this financial year

Carmarthen Town Forum - Cllr C Evans stated that he was having difficulty attending the meetings of Carmarthen Town Forum as they were being held throughout the working day, but nevertheless was regularly reviewing minutes to keep himself abreast of developments

Training -

17. Approve the Schedule of Accounts

Resolved to approve with (Minute 02/23–17) Councillor Elwyn Williams declared an interest as his brother is the handyman.

A) Council is requested to consider and approve the following items of expenditure:

Payee	Info	(£) Amount
E Williams	Playing Field (31/01/23)	97.00
E Williams	Cut hedge to clearing space for toilet	22.00
Howard Davies	Salary - Feb 2023	667.38
	Office Allowance - Feb 2023	100.00
	IT Allowance - Feb 2023	40.00
	Zoom Monthly Payment	14.39
	Stamps	5.44
	Get well card Mair Lloyd	1.79
	Three extra Meeting	120.00
Clay Shaw Butler	Fees for rework to correct clerk’s payroll file, and negotiating with HMRC PAYE	300.00
Carms C C	Ground Maintenance Q3 Llangunnor Park	731.02
	Annual repayment on Led Lights Loan	1709.70

Extra Meetings
Park & Environment 25th January 2023
Finance Committee 26th January 2023
Extra Council Meeting 13th February 2023

3 X £50 = £150 this equates to £120.00 after tax. (Extra meetings - @ £50 meeting – salary includes 11 meetings + AGM, all others treated as extra meetings over 4 hours will be paid at £100. (Minute 0920-F4)

B) Council to note receipt of income: None

18. Correspondence

The following correspondence be noted/action taken:

No	Nature of Correspondence	Agreed Action
1	Carbon Literacy Training
2	Skill for Bees Cymru
3	Ombudsman new appointments
4	The importance of County and Town Councils in building resilient spaces for nature
5	Technical Advice Note – TAN 15 Development, flooding, and coastal erosion further developments
6	Offer letter from Carms C C re-funding cost of Electricity connection to park from 106 monies
7	Planning Consultation re upgrade of Base Station at Bolahaul farm, Llangunnor
8	Planning Consultation re upgrade of Base Station at Penrhiw, Nant Y Caws
9	OPCC Bulletin
10	Site consultation for new Hospital
11	The Biodiversity and Resilience of Ecosystems Duty Report
12	Cllr Aled Evans Cabinet Minister Carms C C on their nature and climate change initiatives
13	Hywel Dda C H C
14	Letter from Brithdir Resident Association re concerns over lack of gritting during freezing conditions and grit bins on the site
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19. Community Awards

19.The following nominations had been received for a Community Awards a) Emma Reynolds for help with Council run Community Events. b) Staff at Llangunnor School – keeping the school operational during the ongoing Covid pandemic. c) Jacqui Smith -Brynmeurig Stores- Services to the Community of Llangunnor. d) Kevin Green – for keeping Roman Park and Rhodfa Morgan Drive pavements tidy and clear of weeds at his own cost. e) Clive Thomas former clerk for his 10 years of service to the Community of Llangunnor, and the ongoing assistance provided to our new clerk Howard Davies, when required. f) Members of St Cynnwr W I for their help with Council run Community Events. G) Sandra Thomas for a lifelong of service to the Community Of Llangunnor, Llangunnor Church, and the Community Council itself where she had served all the major offices with dignity. These will be further discussed along with any others received at the March Meeting.

20.

20.a The Council received a short presentation from Cllrs M Williams and C Evans on the suitability of Babell Zion Newydd Chapel and Yr Aelwyd as to their suitability as a venue for our Hybrid meetings. Whilst it was felt that both had individual merits, it was felt that Babell edged it based on a significant stronger Internet speed, and better visual aids as they already had television screens in place, that would allow us to ask presenters to speak virtually via the screen if required. Internet speed recorded at Yr Aelwyd was much slower, where they have been waiting for Carms C C to install super-fast Broadband for a number of years

A robust discussion followed where the seven Councillors voted to move full Council meetings to Y Babell, at a cost of £30 per meeting, with one voting to stay at Yr Aelwyd, with Cllr Whatley Abstaining. (Minute 02/23–20a)

20.(b It was also Committee meetings will continue for the present via Zoom, as this medium works well for this type of meeting. (Minute 02/23-20b)

21. Councillor's Report

• Cllr Whatley wished to report the litter build up on Stephens Way, Business Park, caused by a lack of Bins, especially around Charlie’s and Aldi’s. Action Point: Clerk agreed to report to Carms C C
• Cllr Totterdale wish to report that some of the lights were not working on Carmarthen Bridge, Action point: Clerk to report the outage to Carms C C Public Lighting.
• Cllr Charlie Evans wished to have a further discussion around the 20mph speed limits being introduced nationally by the Welsh Assembly and asked for this to be placed on the agenda for next month’s Council meeting. Action point: Clerk to add to next months agenda for meeting of full Council.
• Cllr A Wadeward wished to remind everyone that a travel survey was being placed through resident’s doors by Carmarthen C C as part of a travel consultation they are undertaking in Carmarthen, to ascertain how people propose to travel post Covid and to determine their travel requirements, which will then help them form a picture of how public transport will be utilised going forward. With the Llangunnor Bus service falling under threat it was imperative for all Cllrs to encourage our residents to complete this survey, and for as many people as possible in the interim period to travel on the Llangunnor bus, as unless its supported it could well be withdrawn, if passenger numbers do not cover costs.
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. Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on Thursday 16th March with format and location to be agreed

Meeting closed 8.35pm

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