A working group is to be set up to look at options for the Bradley Stoke Town Council office.

We were live at the council’s meeting at the Jubilee Centre on Wednesday: check our blow-by-blow account of the evening.

Highlights of the meeting:

• The latest on the council’s office location – and the Jubilee Centre redevelopement
• An update on the Beacon Play Scheme
• An update on youth provision in the town
• South West RDA apologises for criticising Bradley Stoke

If you are on the homepage click into the ‘more’ link to read what happened at the meeting.

(Newest updates at the top)

2.30pm on Thursday: Mark Forsyth kindly sent the link for the expensive cup of tea for the councillor …

9.10pm: And press and public have been excluded so the council can discuss staffing. So … goodnight to all. Thanks for reading.

9.08pm: The South West RDA has apologised for having a go at Bradley Stoke.

9.07pm: The working party will meet within the month.

9.05pm: Working party is passed.

9.04pm: Ben points out there was no due process to move to the Willow Brook Centre.

9.03pm: Rob proposed a working party. Brian says we’ve got to do it quickly, but Mark says “due process” again. Brian says it was last year the suggestion was first mooted, and if they don’t move quickly interest rates will rise and they’ll miss an opportunity to get cheap loan.s

9.02pm: “We’ve got to look at the other options or we’re open to question,” says Mark.

9.01pm: Mark asks David if a working party was set up for Bailey’s Court. Yes is the answer. A town council office working group could be set up to decide what to do.

8.59pm: Mark says due process means they can’t just do it – and Rob points out that the drawings, as featured on this site, were not to council’s requirement. Brian says the council needs to “galvanise” this.

8.57pm: Jubilee extention could cost £350,000 or some £38,000-per-year mortgage costs. Brian says that cost could significantly decrease because of the market crash.

8.54pm: Jubilee Centre now. David Chandler has been talking to the project manager of Bailey’s Court. Options include putting an office on Brook Way, putting an office in the Willow Brook Centre, move into Brook Way itself, or stay put. It could go through a working party which needs to assess the other options apart from extending Jubilee: David says the formal process needs to be gone through.

8.51pm: Sports hire now – something Rob Jones has added to the list. He says there should be more advertising for pay and play sports such as tennis and bowls. He asks if the office should draw up a leaflet to go out with the annual report. Rachel says the council gains a lot of revenue from the tennis. A budget of £350 is given to the project.

8.50pm: Governership of Meadowbrook. David Skeet has resigned from his post and the council don’t need any further representation.

8.49pm: Twining Association: they’ve had a letter from France which is going to be passed to the chair of the association.

8.46pm: Times will be confirmed – they’ve asked us to put info up here which, of course, we will do. Watch this space.

8.44pm: Skips to go to the Jubilee/Brook Way/Bailey’s Court centres with a letter going to the district asking for help to clean up Oaktree. It’s passed.

8.43pm: Now talk about the mess at Oaktree Crescent … There’s discussion about giving the area a “blitz”.

8.39pm: There’s a litterpicking day on 30 April. It will be concentrating on the Jubilee Green. They’re deciding where to put the skip. Sarah Pomfret suggests Oaktree Crescent. Mark worries that it’ll be used for fly-tipping. Mark suggests putting the skip centrally and using the coming-soon-litter-picking-van to ferry the black bags around. As an aside, interviews for the mobile cleaning operative are due soon.

8.38pm: Parish Charter working group membership – David Chandler will continue his role here.

8.36pm: Moving on … next is the business plan. Mark has done the business plan but didn’t bring it. That report is due to be sent around to councillors. It’s deferred to the next meeting.

8.28pm: Talking about cost of funding CAB at the moment. Keith Cranney asks if they are value for money. Mayor Rob Jones asks if a report should be compiled for the next meeting. Jon asks about the costs of broadband which are different between a few of the activity centres. Rob Jones asks “how fast is it”, which causes a little laugh. Apparently there’s wifi here, not that I can get on to it!!! The whole issue (see comments below) about the lack of speed of broadband in Bradley Stoke is due to go before the district council soon.

8.24pm: Okay, can’t find that story. If anyone knows where it is, e-mail me and I’ll add it.

8.32pm: Currently approving bills and direct debits.

8.21pm: Town clerk David Chandler is now saying the family support scheme is asking for a contribution of £2,500 from each of the parishes it covers. Southern Brooks runs the service and we’d get 14 hours of help. We have 12 families here currently getting support from them. The money is approved.

8.18pm: Internal audits and money matters now. Apparently the auditor did a “very thorough check” of internal systems and apparently they’ve been given the thumbs up. I’m still looking for that story about the councillor that went for a pee.

8.15pm: Morgan Baynham getting up for a coffee causes a chuckle as Mark says it might cost him £20,000 … you’ll have to hunt around the ‘net for the story, if you don’t get it.

8.10pm: Mark says they should only be allowed to spend up to £2,500 – above that it goes to full council. Mark proposes, Jon seconds, it’s passed.

8.05pm: Mark Forsyth is arguing that the full council should have the final say on spending – and that there needs to be “checks” in place, Ben Walker says it would be giving the youth sub-committee a “ball and chain”. “It’s a covering exercise,” Mark adds. Rachel says buying items can be fast-tracked by e-mailing the committee chairs.

8.01pm: Just discussing who has authority to spend the money. Sub-committee or full council …

7.59pm: Jon Willims explains how an underspend from Southern Brooks would “underwrite” the period up until July where tenders are going out but the town council has to continue the youth centre.

7.56pm: Still discussing Patchway’s involvement. Brian says having them in would perhaps gain the club access to further funds as Bradley Stoke isn’t counted as an area of depravation. Oh, and I’m the only member of the public here now. I’d better pay attention!

7.48pm: Now on to the youth sub-committee – and reporting back from the meeting. Brian Hopkinson says it was a “good meeting”, “discussions about how we would launch the new youth initiative. Proposed to be done in July”. Could be open Monday, 6 July 2009. There is due to be a meeting with South Gloucestershire Council to feed back what was discussed by the town council. A plan is due to come back after that to the town council to approve any scheme. “Meeting has not been arranged yet,” says Brian. Bids will then go out to tender. The current arrangements will continue at the Jubilee Centre until July when the youth centre will move to Brook Way, the town council will bear costs until then. There’s some discussion about Patchway Town Council and their involvement. Brian explains it would be for youths living on Patchway Common.

7.42pm: Beacon Play scheme update. Tenders out and deadline is April 3. Firms will then have three weeks to start the building work, and five weeks to complete it. They’re hoping for it to be finished by the Bradley Stoke Town Festival weekend. Jon William asks if the final plan has been decided. Sarah Pomfret says aside from a few minor changes all is as per the previous plans shown by the council. Finance officer Rachel Pullen says there isn’t yet a provision in the budget for next year for maintenance. Next, they talk about if crime reduction advice has been sought for the scheme. Brian Hopkinson says the police were involved in the planning of the scheme.

7.41pm: Just going over some previous minutes …

7.37pm: We hear David Skeet, who sends his apologies for this meeting, is very unwell at the moment. John says if there are circumstances stopping him performing his duty he would “revise” his statement.

7.31pm: Submissions from the public … John from Safer, Stronger Bradley Stoke man … the next meeting is 28 April. There was a good attendance at the last meeting, apparently. He’s now talking about the arson incidents recently in Bradley Stoke. His neighbour lost both cars from near here. He praises the quick action of the fire service. Apparently, no members of Bradley Stoke Town Council visited after the family’s terrifying experience. Councillor David Skeet is coming under some criticism for not attending meetings and being “virtually unknown” in the ward, according to John.

7.30pm: Evening all. All the councillors here, but … oooh … all of me and one other from the public in attendance. Oh well. You’re keeping us company at home, right?