Cllr Cooke welcomed Mr Nouhan, who is the Recycling Manager at Sevenoaks District Council. Mr Nouhan gave a short slide presentation and reported that in some areas of the district one freighter is used, which is divided into two sections; one for black sacks and one for recycling sacks. The more rural areas have two freighters due to the narrow lanes. The bags are separated in this way to avoid contamination of the recyclable items. The freighters take the rubbish to the Sundridge transfer station , and the recycling bags are then taken to a recycling factory in Rainham, Essex. The black sacks go to Allington in Kent, an energy centre, not landfill. This facility has been in operation since March this year. The contents of the black sacks are cut into small pieces and are then fed into a furnace. The energy that is produced every day is the equivalent electricity used by 50-60,000 houses in Kent. The omissions from the energy centre are less polluting than other fossil fuels. All households in the district are given free of charge 20 black sacks and 25 recycling bags, which equates to 1 black sack and 1¹/₄ recycling bags per week. More are available to purchase from SDC, or the Clerk has a quantity which can be given to residents free of charge.

The recycling centre at Rainham handles 50,000 tons of waste per year. The bags are sorted by hand to remove anything that is unable to be recycled, then the items are placed in a big drum in order to separate the paper, which is baled. The cans and plastic bottles are separated by a magnet; cans are squashed and bottles are sorted into milk and other bottles, and are sorted again by hand into colour. Food trays are not able to be recycled due to the risk of contamination of the other goods, particularly paper. Glass is not collected from the roadside yet, as broken glass contaminates paper because glass fibres mimic paper fibres and ruins the recycling machines. Large items can be collected from homes for a £10 charge. Kent County Council has a contract with the processing facility, who sell the recyclables onto the highest bidder.

Questions

1. Cllr Barratt stated that the sorting process looks labour intensive. Other districts ask for items to be already sorted before collection. Mr Nouhan advised that in 2001, SDC carried out a consultation and residents wanted weekly collections and a simple process. The current system is very successful and allows for the existing freighters to be used and also that residents do not have to have so much storage space at home.
2. Cllr Mrs Ward advised that District Cllr Mrs Cook reported that SDC wishes to reduce its carbon footprint. Mr Nouhan advised that this is energy related. SDC hope to reduce the use of electricity in their offices and make better use of water etc. Cllr Mrs Ward suggested that this is cascaded down to the rate payers to see what they can do. Mr Nouhan agreed, advising that there are schemes for cavity wall insulation for example. Cllr Mrs Ward advised that Bore Place is hoping to produce electricity by using small wind turbines, which may also benefit the local area.
3. Cllr Cooke asked if energy saving requisites will be added to planning approval. Mr Nouhan responded that the building firms are resisting such a move.
4. Mrs Margaret Cooke asked whether redundant computers can be recycled. Mr Nouhan advised that KCC waste sites will soon have areas for electrical goods such as toasters, computers, televisions etc. There will soon be new legislation in the next year or so, which makes companies remove old items when a new one is purchased. Some companies, such as Dell Computers, already offer this service.
5. Mrs Lorna Galbraith asked whether people who do not recycle at all will get a gentle nudge. Mr Nouham advised that the refuge teams can test the occasional bag during their collection round to see what rubbish people are disposing of. This information is fed back and the householder might be approached. The next step would be for an Environmental Inspector to make sure that rubbish is separated properly. SDC has the power of enforcement, but currently does not use it.

   2.   Apologies for Absence were received from Cllr Cottrell and Cllr Durrant and their reasons for absence were
         accepted by the Parish Council. Apologies were also received from District Cllr Mrs Cook.

3. The Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 26^th April 2006 were approved and duly signed. Proposed by Cllr Barratt, seconded by Cllr Mrs James.
    

4. Chairman’s Report of Activities 2006/07

   Cllr Paddy Cooke reported that the Parish Council has had another good year. We have been predominantly occupied with the affordable housing in Chiddingstone Causeway. Unfortunately, the application for the refurbishment of the Chiddingstone Causeway Village Hall was not successful, and the process is a long one, but Cllr Cooke advised that he is confident that it will happen eventually. Past parish projects are going well: the tennis club is successful and has a large membership, the additional car parking spaces opposite the cemetary are well used, although in the winter the area suffers from poor drainage. The Parish Council had hoped that it would be possible to extend the number of spaces, but it has not been possible. As far as car parking is concerned, the Parish Council is in discussions with the Trustees of Chiddingstone Castle in order to try and get a car parking area inside the castle grounds, which would take the pressure off the limited parking available in the village and would enable to castle to be more closely linked with the village. The speed reactive sign in Chiddingstone Causeway is working well and does influence vehicle speed. The Parish Council is endeavouring to obtain a second sign for the other end of the village, near Knotley Hall but funding at the moment is an issue. Graffetti is not bad, and the reported incidences of the pillbox by the Vexour bridge and the BT box in the layby by St. Luke’s church will forwarded onto Kent County Council. Any highway faults can be reported to the Clerk, or on the KCC website www.kent.gov.uk. Finally, Cllr Cooke reported that the Parish Council’s website www. chiddingstone.org is up and running and a newsletter is in the process of being delivered to all households.
    

5. Planning Report

   Cllr Howard Williams, who is currently the Chairman of the Parish Council’s Planning Committee, reported that there have been approximately 50 applications this year, the most prominent being the affordable housing scheme and the refurbishment of the Chiddingstone Causeway hall. The reasons that the application was refused and the appeal was dismissed on the hall were inappropriate development in the Green Belt and the limited amount of car parking. The Planning Committee has a policy to do site visits whenever possible and to be willing to discuss planning applications with applicants before they submit their plans.
    

6. Finance Report

   The Clerk, who is the Responsible Financial Officer of the Parish Council, reported that the Parish Council’s financial year runs from 1^st April until 31^st March. The Precept for the year 2006/07 was £24,150, which was increased from the previous year’s precept of £22,500 in order to gradually save towards future parish projects. The Parish Council currently has £25,000 held in earmarked reserves for future projects. This year, annual memberships have been renewed to the following: Kent Association of Parish Councils, CPRE, Eden Valley Museum Trust and Kent County Playing Fields Association. A grant of £1,000 has been given to Chiddingstone Primary School towards the purchase of new musical instruments and a grant of £200 has been given to Edenbridge Voluntary Transport, who provide an excellent service transporting local people to hospitals and doctors’ surgeries. Income of £222.24 has been generated from our investments. Our internal audit was undertaken again this year by Mr Andrew Bradley, for which we are grateful, and his report was included in the Annual Audit Return. The Audit Commission has signed off our Annual Return and confirmed that the accounts are in order and no problems were identified.
    

7. Reports by County and District Councillors

   County Cllr Peter Lake reported that the KCC Council Tax increase for 2007/08 has been kept at 4.95%, despite a real term decrease in government funding of 5.3%. As a result, KCC has had to make savings through central staff efficiencies, managing vacancies, transforming services such as libraries, highways and children’s services. KCC remains a 4-star council and has been top rated by the Audit Commission for the last 4 years. KCC has to bear the extra cost on Kent’s roads as the major UK/Europe transit route, and has to accept the placement of Social Care clients, both young and old, into Kent by London boroughs. The Government has decreed the building of two major housing growth areas in Thames Gateway and Ashford, without providing sufficient funding for community infrastructure and services. There is a first-class primary school in Chiddingstone and there is real achievement across Kent with improved literacy, numeracy and social skills.

   As part of the Towards 2010 project, KCC is piloting a free travel scheme for 11-16 year olds, and has launched the Kent Apprenticeship Scheme and the extension of vocational and skills training. There is a group in Hever who are tackling the problem of low-flying aircraft and some planes are flying over this area at 2,000 feet instead of 3,500 feet. County Cllr Lake thanked Cllr Paddy Cooke for all he has done as Chairman of the Parish Council and wished him luck in the District Elections.

   District Cllr Donald Spence reported that the SDC’s precept increase for Council Tax calculation was kept to 4.8% for 2007/08. However, the total increase, after taking the others into account, reached 4.9%. Under Planning, the Swaylands development in Penshurst is coming along nicely, but the future of the polytunnels remains in obeyance until the appeal is heard on May 15^th. Figures released by Kent Police reveal that during the period April to December 2006, Sevenoaks District was the safest in the whole of Kent in terms of crimes reported. Sevenoaks Playhouse has reopened under new management and is rapidly getting back to normal. Chiddingstone Hoath’s Conservation Area appraisal and management plan was agreed by the Environment Select Committee, and is part of an ongoing process covering the 40 Conservation Areas in the District, and the other ones in the area will be done in due course. District Cllr Spence reported that he has been a councillor for 20 years, and is retiring at the next local elections on May 3^rd.

   In the absence of District Cllr Mrs Alison Cook, Cllr Debbie James read her report. District Cllr Mrs Cook congratulated the Parish Councillors on their diligent stewardship and thanked them for all their hard work on behalf of the parish. During the year, 8,000 residents have been consulted on key plans and policies of the District Council, including the Budget proposals, the Community Plan, the Young People’s Action Plan and the Local Development Framework, which brings together planning, transport, economic development and quality of life issues. The Community Plan is in its third year and is in the process of being reviewed, and its purpose is the lead the community and work to improve the quality of life in the District. SDC has supported the voluntary sector by giving grants of £250,000. SDC has been especially active in respect of the environment in terms of encouraging the reduction of waste, so minimising the use of landfill, and by increasing the opportunities to recycle, tackling pollution in respect of air, light and noise. SDC has been assessed as the sixth most efficient Council in England out of 314. SDC has recently undergone its second Comprehensive Performance Assessment and although the final verdict will not be known until July, all the indicators are extremely promising. SDC is fortunate to have remarkably dedicated staff of high calibre and enthusiasm and is a Council which has a philosophy of openness and honesty to its public.
    

8. Reports by Village Organisations

Reports were made by the following parish organisations:

1. Mark Streatfeild – Chiddingstone Cricket Club
2. Clare Gant – Chiddingstone Causeway Stoolball Club
3. Wendy Hollands – Chiddingstone Causeway WI
4. Heather Williams – Chiddingstone Over 60’s
5. Lorna Galbraith – Tuesday Group
6. Margaret Aitchison – Chiddingstone Brownies
7. Janey Ramsay – Youth Club
8. Margaret Cooke – Chiddingstone School
9. Jill McCoy – Chiddingstone Nursery
10. Gill Howard – Sunday School
11. George Harding – Probus
12. Ian Harrison – Chiddingstone Churches

3. Questions from the public, matters for reporting and diary dates

None.

Cllr Cooke thanked everyone for attending – approximately 35 parishioners – and all the members of the parish clubs and societies deserve credit for all they do for the parish. Cllr Cooke thanked Cllr Peter Lake, as County Councillor, and Cllr Donald Spence and Cllr Mrs Alison Cook as District Councillors. Also thanks went to all the members of the Parish Council and the Clerk for all their hard work and support over the year.

The meeting closed at 9.50pm.