Corton

Parish Council meeting - A meeting of Corton Parish Council was held in the village hall on July 7. David Butcher was in the chair and those present included county and district representative Mary Rudd, county representative Bruce Provan, district representative David Coulam and 12 members of the public.

Village Hall: It was learnt that before negotiations for the sale of the village hall could proceed a document would be needed stating that the hall management committee were also the hall's trustees. No document existed and the Charity Commission needed to be sure that the members of the committee were in fact the village' authorised representatives. Mr Butcher had now been told that if no agreement over the sale could be reached in the village the county would go ahead with plan B which involved increasing the capacity of the school by extending the buildings within the present site. Mr Butcher pointed out that the hall was little used and that a point would be reached where increased maintenance costs would make it a liability rather than an asset. An arrangement by which the county bought the hall, but kept it available for community activities, would be the surest guarantee of its future. On the question of selling the hall, but not the bowling green, he said that the county had shown no interest in treating the two as separate sites. Bowls Club secretary Tony Long said that the provision of a replacement green was not only a matter of timing but also cost. With the present green estimated at �10,000 and a replacement estimated at �100,000 it would be almost impossible to bridge the gap. Mr Long questioned the wisdom of announcing the official valuation of the bowling green publicly saying that it left the trustees little room for manoeuvre in their negotiations with the county. In reply Mr Butcher said that the disclosure of the figure was an important factor in allowing members of the public to judge the issue and form their own opinion. Discussion in the public forum centred on the possibility of selling the hall but not the bowling green and concern for the future of the hall if it was not taken over by the county. It was decided to hold a public meeting to discuss the sale of the hall, the bowling green and the expansion of the school, with July 28, at 7.30pm, as the suggested time.

Letter of thanks: It was agreed to send a letter of appreciation to former county councillor Keith Patience in thanks for the support and reports received during his term of office. Mary Rudd was congratulated on her success in the county election and Bruce Provan was welcomed as a new representative.

Donation: For the playing field committee Mr Butcher said that �25 had been donated to the British Heart Foundation in memory of former treasurer Dave Scudder.

New treasurer: Anne Shreeve had been confirmed as the new treasurer.

Dugouts: The committee had agreed to fund the construction of dugouts on the Mills Drive side of the northern pitch.

Poor's Land Trust: For the Poor's Land Trust it was noted that the housing vacancy had been filled and that the ban on sheds on the allotments was written in the conditions of tenancy.

School news: School governor Lynne Pavey wrote that the recent exhibition of plans for the school attracted interest and useful comments. A table top sale had raised �100 and an open art exhibition had been held featuring work by every child. Arrangements for this year's leavers included the traditional barbecue and disco.

Crime: A written report from police stated that there had been six crimes in the last month consisting of damage to a vehicle, two thefts from holiday sites, a theft from an automatic machine and a case of driving over the limit together with licence fraud. Two youths had been arrested in connection with heath fires on July 5.

Caravan Club: As in the previous year permission has been given for members of the respected Caravan Club of Great Britain to use the north west corner of the playing field this year from July 21 to 27.

Church services - On Sunday there will be no morning service at St Bartholomew's Church as the congregation join in celebrating St Margaret's Patronal Festival, at Hopton, at 10.30am. In the afternoon there will be a service of baptism at 2.30pm. The morning service at Corton Methodist Church at 11am will include sacrament and will be led by Rev R Searles and Mr A Watts.