Issue - meetings

This report requests the Council to confer such parish council powers on the Kelston Parish Meeting as requested by the Parish Meeting.

The Council considered a report requesting parish council powers to be conferred on the Kelston Parish Meeting at their request.  In the light of extra information received after the publication of the agenda, an update report and revised recommendations had been circulated.  The update information is set out below;

The Council was informed on 14^th September 2016 that the 69 “Target properties” in Kelston and 39 “Target properties” in North Stoke have been identified for the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) programme.  These are all of the properties in the two Parishes areas and include some businesses. These must be included in the Phase 2 Programme tender for Connecting Devon and Somerset, which is due to start in January 2017 and be completed by the end of 2017. Kelston is in the North Somerset and B&NES part of the tender.

The programme ensures that the installation of the broadband is free. While the Parish Meeting can still request the conferring of powers to borrow money for their own broadband solution, this is another option available for delivering high speed broadband to Kelston. CDS have made it clear that applicants who receive the £500 grant for the Broadband Voucher Scheme for those below 2Mbps will still be able to benefit from the Phase 2 works as and when it is rolled-out.

In addition, Kelston Parish Meeting have requested that the Council confer full parish council powers to them, not just for borrowing. 

On a motion from Councillor Paul Myers, seconded by Councillor Alison Millar, it was

RESOLVED unanimously

1.  to make an order under Section 109 (1) of The Local Government Act 1972 Act (1972 Act) to confer on the Kelston Parish Meeting the powers of a parish council which are required to deliver the Kelston broadband project as set out in the report;  and

2.  to delegate to the Monitoring Officer the finalising of the Order in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Chair of the Kelston Parish Meeting.