Minutes of the Second Meeting of Woodhouse Eaves Parish Plan
Monday 15th December 2003
Present
[Names have been removed from this copy (both here and below) for Data Protection reasons]

Preamble
There was a brief discussion about a particular local planning matter, leading on to the role of Parish Plans in this process.  Charnwood Borough Council is very unlikely to go against Design Plans produced as part of Parish Plans, once they have been adopted. (Supplementary Planning Guidance is not statutory).   However, national interest may overrule them.  Parish Plans cannot determine WHETHER development takes place, as this is decided by the Local Plan and the elected Borough Council.  Members were urged to examine the planning application concerned at the consultation stage and then to write to the Borough Council with their objections.  Any Design Plan produced by our group will feed into the next Local Plan due in 2006 [we won't be finished in time for the current consultation].

Appointments
Chair:	xxxxxxx agreed to take the Chair [nominated at the previous meeting in her absence].  She works for the Strategic Health Authority and is also a member of the Parish Council.
Treasurer:	xxxxxxx agreed to be Treasurer [needed to administer any grants and expenses and run a bank account].
Secretary:    xxxxxxx agreed to write and distribute Minutes.

Representation of other organisations on the Parish Plan Steering Group
xxxxxxxxx explained that all members should try to identify any other local groups and organisations that should feed into our work.  For example, youth, sports and elderly citizens' groups.

Action: All members to bring details of any groups/organisations 
we should include to the next meeting.

Constitution
xxxxxx explained that we need a Constitution so that we can bid for funds.  A draft from the RCC was tabled and will be distributed with these Minutes. 

Action: All members to send comments to the Chair 
by 24 December 2003

Parish Plan Process
The Parish Plan must be based on the views of the whole parish and it was agreed that a questionnaire was the best means of doing this. xxxxxxx advised us to issue a questionnaire to all households [rather than to each person], with an envelope for confidentiality, collected by hand so that queries and assistance can be handled [e.g. elderly and partially sighted people may need help].  A Youth Appraisal would also be helpful so that their views are included.  Sample question banks will be given to sub-groups [e.g. see the tick boxes accompanying these Minutes].  NB: There are around 1351 households in Forest Bradgate Ward.

The draft questionnaire should go to 'service providers' for comment [e.g. Primary Care Trust, Police, Councils] before any pilot.  The questionnaire would take the form of topic areas.  Questions on each topic would be drafted by sub-groups of the Parish Plan Group. Volunteers to be part of these groups were needed.  Sample question banks will be given to sub-groups [e.g. see the tick boxes accompanying these Minutes].

Action : All members to consider the list of issues attached to the previous Minutes and how they can be grouped/classified/added to & send  to the Chair or Secretary by 24 December 2003

Action: All members to decide which TWO sub-groups 
they would like to join by 24 December

We should aim for around 60 questions in total.  Although we can examine other parishes' questionnaires, xxxxxx advises that we consider our own unique issues and ideas and work from these.  We are advised to work with paper questionnaire responses rather than attempting to enter data onto the RCC website.  Software to analyse the data is available to us.  It allows for a wide variety of analyses [e.g. by age].

Other forms of communication we can use include Roundabout, Parish Magazine, Loughborough Echo, and notice boards.  Members also suggested local delivery systems that might help e.g. newsagents, free newspapers.  It was suggested that a brief article publicising the parish plan and inviting ideas and issues should be submitted to Roundabout, Parish Magazine, etc prior to the design of the questionnaire.  We could also organise open meetings at key points, such as immediately prior to the distribution of the questionnaire, and to feedback the results..

Action: xxxxxxxx will write the article

Funds
The Chair, Treasurer and Secretary will meet on 29 December to draft a bid to the Countryside Agency for funds.  Typically it takes 3 months from submission to receipt of funds.  A likely amount is around £2000 [the source of this fund ceases at the end of March 2004] although we will bid for more, up to £5000.  The Parish Council has to contribute, and so far, this means the meetings in the village hall are free of charge.  There may be more.

Action: Chair, Treasurer, Secretary

Timetable
Assume funds arrive by February.  Sub-groups develop their questions from January.  Comments from service providers sought when a draft is ready.  The final version of our Parish Plan is likely to go out around June 2004.  This could include a draft Design Statement [a more complex document that we could work on concurrently].  The Design Statement has to be passed by the Planning Committee, and this may take 4 months.  It will then become supplementary planning guidance. The final Plan has to be passed by the Planning Committee, and this may take 4 months. It then feeds into the Borough Council Corporate Plan [which indicates that all parishes will produce a plan].  The Rural Partnership will formally respond.  Service providers [e.g. the Primary Care Trust] have indicated that they are keen to include Parish Plan results.

Date and Time of Next Meeting
Wednesday 21st January, 7.30 p.m.  VENUE TO BE CONFIRMED

xxxxxxxx

 
Parish Council Website: http://www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org/index.php?subareaid=17 and follow the link
[our Agendas and Minutes also appear there]

Woodhouse Eaves Parish Plan

Sub groups to develop questionnaire sections

This is only an indication of the possible sub groups, so please suggest others if you feel they're needed.

Tick no more than TWO [ideal group size is 4-5 people]

I would be interested in working on the following groups:

Sub group of questionnaire	Tick here	
Communication		
Design & land use		
Education		
Employment		
Environment		
Facilities & services		
Health and welfare		
Housing		
Leisure and recreation		
Local government		
People		
Religion		
Traffic & transport		
Young People		
Others - please name		
1 		
2 		
3 		
4 		

My Name is ___________________________________

Please let the Chair know by 24 December 2003
xxxxxxxxx