November meeting
Any resident who has views on Amble and the area and ideas for the future is very welcome to join Amble Community Forum. If you wish to be included on the emailing list, please send your email address to Anna[at]ambledevelopmenttrust[dot]org[dot]uk
Amble Area Community Forum
6pm, Monday 7th November 2011
Fourways 2, Amble
Notes of the meeting
Present:
Les Bilboe – Amble Town Council (Chair), Julia Aston – Amble Development Trust, Ken Graham – Hauxley Parish Council, Craig Weir – Amble Town Council, Helen Lewis – Amble Town Council, Elaine Brown – Amble Town Council, Ian Hinson – Amble Town Council, Rev Velda Nicholson – Amble Town Council, Vic Brown – Coquet Shorebase Trust, Rev Lynda Coulthard – Trinity Methodist Church, Angela Manktelow – Coquet Youth Team, Andy Sim – Amble Development Trust/Amble Social History Group, Anna Williams – Amble Development Trust (Minutes)
1a. Welcome and Introductions
Les Bilboe welcomed everyone to the meeting.
1b. Apologies received
Angela Manktelow left word to say she might be late
2. Minutes and Matters Arising
Previous Minutes accepted.
Re Item 4: Homes For Northumberland’s community event had been very well attended. Some lanterns had been made for the Torchlight Procession.
Re Item 5: There had been a meeting between Julia Aston, Sara Jenson-Boon, Maureen Middlemiss and Angela Manktelow. £10M was available from the Community Against Crime Innovation Fund, not £50M as previously stated. They were looking to see if anything can be done with the Pavilion at the Welfare. Any application needs to be made by Dec 1st, so another meeting is planned. LB asked to be advised of this meeting.
Re Item 6: Craig Weir said there had already been a lot of response at the Town Council meeting. Another meeting is due on 8th Dec at 4pm at the Council Office and he restated that more input would be welcomed. They are looking at holding an event on 4th June. He would like as many people involved as possible.
There was a discussion about the Olympic Torch which is due to pass Amble on June 15th. It was agreed that it would be good if the torch could pass down Queen Street. The Chairman suggested further discussions about the event should be held when there was more information.
3. Parish Meeting
Helen Lewis informed members about the Annual Parish Meeting for people in the parish, which in the past has been hosted by Amble Town Council.
ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
Parish Meetings are quite distinct from meetings of the Parish Council, although the two are often confused. The confusion arises as often the Annual Parish Meeting has taken place on the same evening as the AGM of the Parish Council.
However:
- A Parish Meeting is a meeting of the people of the parish.
- Any matter pertinent to the parish may be discussed at a Parish Meeting.
- if present, the Chairman of the Parish Council must chair the Parish Meeting;
- the Clerk to the Parish Council organises and takes the minutes of the Parish Meeting;
- With the exception of the Chairman, Councillors rank the same as other members of the Electorate.
- Agendas for Parish Meetings- a skeleton Agenda is usually published ahead of the meeting, but often items are added up to and even during the meeting.
- Any member of the Electorate may request items to be put on the agenda of a Parish Meeting.
- Any person on the Electoral Register of the Parish is entitled to speak at a Parish Meeting.
- The Press and general public have a right to attend Parish Meetings, but anyone not on the Electoral Register of the Parish is “stranger” and does not have the right to speak or vote.
In England, the annual parish meeting of a parish with a parish/town council must take place between 1st March and 1st June, both dates inclusive, and must take place no earlier than 6pm.
It was agreed that the Community Forum would host the next Parish Meeting, sometime between March and June. It would be chaired by the Town Council chairman and minuted by the Town Council clerk. Any other town councillors would be there as ordinary citizens. It is an open forum where members of the public can talk as long as they like. HL suggested an article I the Ambler beforehand to publicise it. There could be several issues people may want to talk about: Tesco, The Olympic torch procession, Jubilee celebrations.
It was agreed that the Parish Meeting would be held at 6pm on Monday 23rd April at Fourways2 and would replace the Community Forum for that month.
3. Young People
Angela Manktelow arrived in time to tell the meeting that she knew of one local young person who had applied to carry the Olympic torch. It was agreed that it would be nice to have some sort of sporting event in Amble around the time of the Olympic torch visit.
It was agreed that Angela would see about organising a committee of young people
AOB
Julia Aston updated the meeting on the picnic tables for the Little Shore area. They are still not in yet, but Warkworth Harbour Commissioners have decided where they will be sited. DP are pricing to concrete them in. WHC will also be taking responsibility for them.
DONM
Monday 6 February at 6pm Fourways2
