Public Questions
(a) Kent County Council - Cllr Brazier said work to repair winter damage with 7 new local contractors to roads is just about to start and should be complete by autumn.
This is being funded by £1 million from the county council and £2.4 million from the government.
(b) Sevenoaks District Council - Cllr Ramsay said there had been a pay freeze this year, but bill will go up by £250,000 due to increments due. Council hopes to save
£250,000 this year by partnerships with other Kent authorities.
(c) Brambledown Flats - Mrs Sharp and Mr Swain raised concerns about the plans of the West Kent Housing Association to reduce the age for the sheltered flats there to
45. Mr Swain said the residents had not agreed to it, and it was originally said that nothing would be done without their consent. He had been told WKHA had tried to
stop a residents meeting and had gone round to some flats. Cllr Gaywood said they can't comment until they meet WKHA.
(d) Burial Ground - Mr Shipston reminded the council they told him to raise his concerns about photo plaques with the Burial Grounds Committee, but when he did they
decided not to discuss it. He said HPC had been advised by the Institute of Cemetery Management to negotiate, but have not done so. Cllr Gaywood replied there was
no halfway on this. He wants the rules to be kept, there is nothing more to say, their only hope is to persuade councillors to bring it back onto the agenda.
Burial Grounds
The Committee had met on 23 March.
(a) Path - they agreed to pay £300 to lay slabs up to the bins.
(b) Regulations - they agreed and full council ratified 10 votes to 0 to amend the rules to allow gardens on graves. They further refused a request for a memorial because
they said the sculpture was out of keeping.
(c) Garden of Remembrance - a family requested a plaque for a relative from Gorsewood Road whose ashes are not buried there, or if council preferred they offered to
bury half the ashes in Hartley. Committee agreed to allow a bronze plaque on the wall so long as the family concerned buried half of the ashes of the deceased there.
(d) Churchyard - maple tree in memory of John Field had been planted.
(e) New Burial Ground - they had received quotations for groundwork but now realise their regulations mean they must advertise it in the local paper. They also want to
install a rabbit proof fence.
(f) Parking - someone had complained about parking at the church, they will write to the Rector.
(g) Photo plaque - they merely noted the report from Mr Shipston without discussion, claiming it contain any new material
Planning
See
Planning List.Payments
Payments of £11,900 for April were agreed. Cllr Ramsay said while the financial report appears to show a £5,000 surplus for the year, there are outstanding bills of £8-9,000.
Meeting closed 8.29pm
