Among matters considerd and discussed at last month's meeting of Pembroke Dock Town Council were the following:

MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

Welcome signage: It was questioned whether any response had been received from the Trunk Road Agency. The town clerk stated that a written request had been sent to the highways department of the county council asking them to keep the town council aware of any changes the TRA might have for roads around Pembroke Dock.

CCTV freedom of information request: It was questioned which way round the town clerk had requested information on CCTV - directly to Dyfed Powys Police or via a formal FOI request. The town clerk stated that the formal process was to submit an FOI request initially. It was further commented that the police had responded stating that the CCTV information should be requested from Pembrokeshire County Council as it was not Dyfed Powys Police. Further correspondence received from PCC informed the town clerk that the CCTV cameras in question were in fact operated by the police force and therefore would need to be requested from them after all. The town clerk stated that as Dyfed Powys Police had closed the original FOI request, she had sent a further request for the information.

There followed a discussion on the CCTV currently within the town and whether the monies charged for the monitoring of this could be better used elsewhere. The town clerk stated that the CCTV was 'passively monitored', meaning that the camera recordings would be available for viewing should it be required for any reason. It was noted that the recordings would not be held indefinitely as most CCTV systems held data for between 21 and 30 days only.

The town clerk also stated that she had distributed a document amongst some councillors for review, which was a consultative document from the Police and Crime Commissioner's Office on provision of CCTV in Pembrokeshire. She requested that this document be reviewed by councillors prior to the visit in January of the PCC, Christopher Salmon.

REPORT OF THE

TOWN CLERK

Adverse possession of the old railway lines: The town clerk stated at the meeting of the council on November 27, she raised the proposal from the regeneration group regarding the council taking an adverse possession on a section of the old railway lines. At the meeting, members questioned the costings and police comments. Comments had since been received from the police, who would only be happy for the area to be cleared if there was to be lighting installed.

Installing lighting in the proposed area would not be easy and could be very costly to the council. The town clerk had looked into the insurance costs for the land and it would be approximately £200 extra per annum for the land to be covered.

Due to the comments from the police, the town clerk felt this project would not get the full permissions required from the county council and therefore advised that council do not progress the adverse possession for the land. She asked for members' further comments.

A discussion followed in which it was mentioned whether the decision of the police could be put into question as it would be sad that they could not take the opportunity to tidy up the area, especially in light of the fact that work had commenced on the new transport interchange off Water Street. Being able to open up the old railway lines would provide a lovely walkway into the town centre.

It was further mentioned that the Pembroke Dock Chamber of Trade had suggested that if the town council took the adverse possession, then the council could transfer the land to the Chamber of Trade for them to take on the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of the area. The town clerk stated that transferring of the land would not be an option from the council to another organisation.

It was then questioned whether the town council should formally write to Govan Davies Estates and ask them to clean up the middle section of the railway lines (between Gordon Street and Water Street) as this section of land was owned by their subsidiary company, Justima Limited, and therefore should be their responsibility to keep clear. The emphasis of any correspondence must state that the area must be tidied up to ensure that vermin problems do not arise because of all the rubbish.

It was stated that perhaps the Chamber of Trade should take on the adverse possession route for the unregistered section of land between Gordon Street and St. Govans Shopping Centre (next to Parfitts Carpets).

Council tax band - precept request: The town clerk informed the meeting she had received notification from the county council that they had set the tax base for Pembroke Dock, with the band D equivalent of £3,348.04. The town clerk had sent the precept requests to the county council, the precept amount being £150,720, which was the same as last year. The precept would be paid in three installments, as it had been in previous years.

Off-street parking variations - Gordon Street and Lower Meyrick Street Car Parks: The county council had sent proposed information regarding changes to these car parks. They had proposed that the two cars parks have seasonal and winter periods introduced. The periods were as follows:

Seasonal period - March 1 to October 31, 0900-1900 hours; winter period - November 1 to February 29, 0900-1700 hours.

Review of electoral arrangements for the county of Pembrokeshire: The town clerk stated she had received copies of the final proposals for the electoral arrangements for Pembrokeshire which had been submitted to the Welsh Government for consideration. The proposals were as follows:

Llanion and Central Ward to merge; Pennar and Market Ward to merge.

The information was available in the office to view if any councillor wished.

It was questioned what implications this would have for the town? The town clerk stated that there were currently no proposals for changes to the town council, but with the proposed changes, the town would end up with one extra county councillor.

Pembroke Dock Library: Further to the proposals set out in the November meeting regarding the change of hours at Pembroke Dock Library, the town council had been asked if they would consider taking on the extra costs to keep the library open for the same hours which it current stands.

The town clerk had been informed that the approximate cost to keep this service going would be £12,438.05 per annum.

It was commented that it was a statutory obligation for the county council to provide library services and the town council should not pay any extra funds towards keeping the library service open.

Savings consultation - town and community councils: Pembrokeshire County Council, like other local authorities, needed to make savings in order to balance their budget. There were recently two savings consultations held with town and community councils, which identified potential areas where savings could be made. At these sessions, it was agreed that town and community councils should be contacted to formally ask them for assistance in helping Pembrokeshire County Council to meet their savings target.

The town clerk stated that, as members were aware, the town council already provided some street cleaning services for 16 hours a week. The town council felt that it may be worth having a seasonal worker for the summer periods in order to expand this service; this would fit in with the hanging baskets and she further suggested that the Pump House roundabout be taken over for planting during 2015.

Further areas where the town council could assist, for example, might include supplying orange bags from the office and even maybe expanding the service further by assisting with blue badge and bus pass applications.

It was commented that as a town council they were taking on too much expenditure and should not take over the planting of the Pump House roundabout. However, it was further commented that the provision of a seasonal worker would be a good idea and definitely carry on with the floral displays during the summer months as they were a feature of the town.

It was stated that perhaps investigating a company who could carry out the full watering and feeding regime, as well as the initial planning of the floral displays, would be a good idea and a way of comparing costs against employing a seasonal worker.

The town clerk asked members to let her know if they had any further ideas of ways that the town council could assist with current county ccouncil services. It was commented that before any of these extra tasks were formally taken on, any implications to the office staff should be looked at.

Mayoral Civic Dinner: The town clerk had been informed by Tenby Town Council that their civic service was planned for Friday, May 8, 2015, and this would be the same date as their own civic dinner. She asked members if they wished to change the date of Pembroke Dock's civic dinner or awere members happy to hold it on the same evening as Tenby?

It was noted that prior to 2013/14, Tenby had always had their civic dinner towards the end of May.

It was commented that since the inception of the town council in 1986, the civic dinner had always been the first Friday of May and, therefore, it was agreed that they should go ahead with the usual date - this being May 8, 2015.

On this subject, a general discussion ensued on a choice of venue for the dinner and whether to use the Cleddau Bridge Hotel or hold at the Pater Hall, as the latter had been very successful for 2014. It was decided that the Pater Hall worked very well and this should be chosen again for 2015.

Front Seat boatyard: The town clerk had received a letter from David James, of the West Wales Maritime Heritage, who were currently working on opening the boatyard on Front Street to members of the public as a tourist attraction. They plan to utilise the building which is already in situ with no changes. They have been informed by the county council that they would be required to submit a planning application to allow for consent to allow public entry into the yard.

Clr. P. Kraus suggested to Mr. James that the town council may be able to assist by submitting the application on their behalf, along with the fee of £330. David James had stated that he would be able to prepare all the paperwork for council to examine before submission to the county council. The town clerk asked for members comments.

It was commented that as the application would be sent to the town council for their review as a consultee, then it could be seen that they already had a prejudicial interest if they submitted the application on behalf of the WWMH. It was suggested that the group apply for a one-off grant to the town council for the £330 fees required for the application.

Clr. A. McNaughon stated that as the area formed part of the proposed development of a marina in the town, he could not see how they could consider a grant and on this basis he proposed that the request to help the group be declined.

It was proposed by Clr. A. McNaughton, seconded by Clr. G. Goff and resolved that the request from WWMH for assistance to submit the planning application be refused.

Access issues - 1 Lewis Street: For information, the town clerk had received a letter from Mr. N. Owens regarding the issues he was having with accessing his property at 1 Lewis Street. He stated that cars were parking across the access to his property. Mr. Owens had spoken with the local policing team and also the county council who had advised him to contact the town council. There were double yellow lines in place on the road, but Mr. Owens was asking for double yellow lines to be installed onto the pavement.

The town clerk had passed Mr. Owens letter onto the county council and advised them that this was an issue which the county council were to deal with and not the town council.

It was commented that perhaps double red lines could be an idea, which do not allow parking of any sort, including blue badge holders.

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT OF THE TOWN CLERK

Oily sludge planning application: This application was due to have been heard at the planning and rights of way meeting on December 16, but was withdrawn. The planning committee of the the town council had met to discuss and agree a plan of action. It was agreed at this meeting that letters would be sent to a number of people, including the AMs and MPs, to highlight the issues residents of Pembroke Dock would be facing with this application.

It was questioned as to the reason for the withdrawal of the application from the agenda. It was stated that the applicants were making a number of changes to the final application, plus the county council had received a number of letters of objection from residents of Pembroke Dock, which they wanted to look into.

Plans for town council offices: A meeting had taken place on December 18 with the chair of the Pater Hall Trust regarding the plans for the new proposed offices. During the meeting, it was stated that the approximate size of the office space would be 15ft x 11ft, the wall between the offices and the Warrior Room would be sound proof and the windows would require some form of secondary glazing.

The chair of the Pater Hall Trust stated that the offices would be handed back to the council as a plain skimmed wall finish, and the council would then install its own electrics, flooring etc. The town clerk had provided copies of plans for members to view.

The Pater Hall Trust was looking for agreement from the council for the proposed plans. The town clerk had looked at the plans further since the meeting, and the space of the offices was slightly larger than they have now, but she did have concerns regarding the office security. If the proposed council access was going to be used for users of the hall, the town clerk felt this would make the office and equipment vulnerable when the offices were closed, even with the security alarm system in place.

It was questioned why the town council would have to take ownership of a 'shell' and then complete the office electrical works and fit out when, as a tenant of the Pater Hall Trust, surely they should expect a fully completed space. It was commented during the discussion that the two organisations should work together on the office relocation project and regular review meetings must be instigated and regularly held throughout the process to ensure that the tender process and build works were completed in a fair manner.

It was commented that following the Pater Hall Trust annual general meeting held earlier in December the proposed plans for the office formation would not now be submitted until after the January meeting of the Trust.

The town clerk commented further about the possible security issues of a shared entrance for council offices and community users of the Warrior Room. The Pater Hall Trust did not manage the entrances once they were opened for users of the rooms within the hall and therefore anyone from the street could access the entrance and perhaps gain access to the council offices without knowledge of any of the trustees or caretaker.

Clr. A. McNaughton wished to put a proposal to members, namely that the council meet with the Pater Hall Trust to request the new offices were completed fully and the final costings were shared via one tender process on completion.

It was resolved the town council share costs for the new offices once they were fully completed.

REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES

Police Forum: Clr. M. Murton stated that the police were looking into ways of forming links with local businesses and pubs/clubs that had CCTV operating in or around their premises. It was not sure how this would or could be implemented at this stage.

Some complaints had been received about the business within Park Lane due to a floodlight being on until 2 am in the morning whilst work was carried out.

The police were implementing a 'zero tolerance' on alcohol with immediate effect.

Further problems within the town had included a spate of burglaries across a number of streets towards the west of the town. Clr. A. Lee stated that Victim Support offered a mini-alarm system that was attached to door handles and was an audible alarm should your door be tried by someone. These alarms were approximately £5. Perhaps information could be placed on the noticeboard or website?

Priorities for the month included dog fouling. Some of the officers had been patrolling with the dog warden and this had resulted in one person being fined £75.

Pater Hall Trust AGM: Clr. P. Gwyther commented that the annual general meeting had taken place earlier in December and that he was pleased to report a full quota of five community trustees had been reached. The Trust had also finalised their accounts for the year ended March 31, 2014.

Lantern Parade: Clr. D. Earl commented that the recent Winter Festival Lantern Parade had been a successful evening and the new addition of the Christmas market was a big draw in getting people to the old market building afterwards.

Louisa Sanders Trust: The Mayor, Clr. P. George, stated that she had attended a recent meeting of this small charity who only met once or twice a year. The recent meeting had included applications from six very deserving causes who had received varying amounts of financial assistance.

COMMUNITY ISSUES

Pennar Point: Clr. P. Gwyther stated that he had received an email from a resident of Pennar Point who was concerned about some anti-social activity outside his premises and therefore wanted the street lighting not switched off overnight. The resident had been in touch with the police and an incident resolution team advisor had advised him to approach the town council as they were responsible for the street lighting. Clr. Gwyther commented on concerns about the wrong information being given to residents when they approached different organisations and asked if this could be highlighted with the police resolution team.

Gashouse Lane: Councillor P. Kraus had carried out a litter clear-up within Gashouse Lane following some complaints received from residents.

Staff Christmas bonus: The Mayor, Clr. P. George, commented that the staff of the town council had worked hard during the year and payment of a £50 bonus should be given to them as a gesture of appreciation for their work. This was agreed.

MAYOR'S REPORT

The Mayor, Clr. P. George, commented that she had attended the following events over the last few weeks: Winter Festival Lantern Parade - well attended by the people of the town and the new destination of the Heritage Centre worked very well; Santa's Grotto and Christmas Fayre at the Pater Hall - again well attended and the fayre stall-holders had some lovely items for sale; Townswomen's Guild - Christmas service; Neyland carol service; Swimming Club anniversary event and medal presentation; Pembroke Dock Community School - the end of term awards assembly where the winners of the recent competition to design a logo for the Regeneration Group were presented with their prizes.