Minutes – Full Council – 16/04/2025

Cllr Darren Mayor and Cllr Ian Jones

No declarations of interests were made.

Wetlands Grant was approved by Powys, total funding was £14,700, no funding needed from Town Council. VAT will be reclaimed. Work has started.
Brilliant Basics Grant was also successful and was specifically for the Wetlands Boardwalk. This was a match funding grant £17,040 will be funded by Grant and £6,240 will need to be funded by the Town Council. Need to discuss how to use this within the constraints of the grant – potential to extend the Boardwalk into Cae Bodfach – we have until end of the year to claim.
Play Park has been repaired and re-opened ready for Easter.

a) PCSO Meeting. Police Station still not put up for auction yet, it is still being occupied in the meantime.

County Councillor reported on the following:
a) Llwyn Wood Lease, has gone to the solicitors. Funding is ready to be released. Access arrangements have been agreed.
b) Leisure Centre review also back on the table, any further consultation details will be shared as they become available.
c) Repairs are being carried out to the Ford to reduce damage to vehicles.

Management Committee met to review and conclude key actions from the Grant Funding. Following identified as initial requirements
- Both gates to be adapted/replaced to allow better accessibility.
- Dog Free Zone mapped out and will require fencing.
- Identified an area that could be used to provide much needed allotments.
Quotes will be obtained for all works. Public Meeting to be scheduled to discuss on-going use and maintenance.

Street cleaning issues raised by local resident. Town Clerk advised that provisions have been made with the existing grounds maintenance contractor for weekly litter picking of the Car Park, High Street, Town Square and the Play Park.
Cllr Nazar suggested creating a community Litter Picking Campaign, including ‘Little Litter Pickers’ to encourage local families with children to get involved in keeping the town tidy – needs to be advertised and supported by Town Council.

b) Bank Account Changes: RFO recommended changing the Town Council banking provider to make changes easier
to enact. Agreed to review options and come back with a report to the next meeting.

No planning items to discuss.

a) VE Day Street Party : Monday 5th May 12-3pm. Several food vendors already confirmed. Community Singing 14:30 – 15:00 on Monday afternoon. Cllr Wilkinson to contact Vivace to see if they would be willing to lead this. Bunting to be put up and Town Council to fund refreshments for the Street Party. Back up plan for bad weather
The Public Institute. Budget agreed at £500.
b) VE Day : Thursday 8th May – Bell Ringing, Wreath Laying at 8:30pm. Back up plan for bad weather is St Myllins. Wooden cross will be covered in hand knitted poppies. Cllr Lewis to follow up on the beacon needed for Cae Bodfach. VJ Day – in August – to be added to June agenda for discussion.
c) St Myllins Day: Agree we need a presence, all Town Councillors to be available on the day to cover the Town Council stall. Agreed to fund the Apex Market Stalls for the event if the organisers would like them.
d) Christmas Market: Changed to 28th November to deconflict with Oswestry and Welshpool. There will be no charge this year. It was agreed to set up a new Events Committee at the AGM.

Cllr Wilkinson raised concerns about the lack of affordable housing for local resident’s vs placements being prioritized from other areas both via Powys CC and private landlords. Town Clerk to request information from Powys CC on the statistics and the current local housing waiting list.

Cllr Wilkinson raised concerns about recent incidents related to drugs and knife crime. Council Tax has increased with a significant proportion for policing and yet we have no local police presence outside of the PCSO who have no police powers. Pub Watch Scheme is being created by local licensee’s but this will not resolve the lack of police presence when enforcement is needed. Cllr Cowham and Cllr Wilkinson to draft a letter to Dyfed Powys Police raising concerns about policing levels in the Town. Town Clerk will send on behalf of the Council.

Cllr Williams raised issues with large lorries and tractors using Brook Street and New Road. With no pavement between Vine Square and Bron-y-Gaer it will only be a matter of time before there is a serious accident. Town Clerk to review planning application for any conditional constraints when planning was agreed for the farm.
Highways have confirmed that yellow lines will be added to Brook Street the next time they have planned work in the area.

Cllr Cowham raised similar issues as Brook Street, significant damage to pavements. Town Clerk to contact Highways Department to request an onsite review of both Market Street and Brook Street to ascertain what can be done to improve safety.

The Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 21st May, 18:45 at The Public Institute, Llanfyllin. This will be followed by the normal monthly meeting.