The monthly meeting of the Pailton Parish Council was held on 11 April 2005 at the Village Hall.
Four parish councillors were present together with county councillor Phillip Morris-Jones and 6 members of the public.
During the open part of the meeting the Chairman introduced Mr. Bernard Brindley, one of three licensees of the White Lion, who addressed the meeting about the changes to the licensing law due to come into force later in the year. The hours that he has applied for are 10am to 2am. Mr. Brindley does not expect to remain open to 2am on more than a few days a year when required to for special occasions. His present licence allows residents to purchase alcohol for 24 hours a day. Mr. Brindley assured those present that there would not be any disturbance to the residents of Pailton as a result of the new law.
The Chairman congratulated the Village Trust on the improvements to the Village Hall, and thanked all concerned.
The Annual Parish Meeting will precede the AGM and Parish Council meeting on Monday 9th May 2005.
The Chairman had received a report of two incidents in
It is hoped to re-establish a Neighbourhood Watch group in the
village, a meeting will be held in the village hall at 7.30pm on 25th
April at which Mr. Vaughn Owen, Chairman of the
A mobile police station is to visit the village on a monthly basis.
Work on the Pailton Parish Plan continues under the chairmanship of Cllr. Alan Parfrey. A Village Design workshop was held on 9th April and followed by a meeting on 22nd April at which the Design stage of the Plan will be discussed.
The Chairman informed the meeting that the delay in completing the Traffic Calming scheme was due to problems encountered in making the necessary signs. Cllr Morris-Jones suggested that an approach should be made to the Traffic Group to obtain replacement bollards for the two village gateways which have already suffered collision damage.
Plans for the restoration of the War Memorial are proceeding. Samples of the stone to be used will be shown to the council in May.
Recent firework displays held on the outskirts of the village has caused distress to residents and animals. WCC Trading Standards are to be asked for advice.
There being no further business the meeting ended at 8.45pm
A special meeting was held in the village hall on Monday 18 April to discuss the new licensing law and the problem of substance abuse in Pailton. All members of the Parish Council were present with guest speakers Cllr Heather Timms of the Rugby Borough’s Misuse of Substances, drugs and alcohol committee, Sarah Stilgoe from Rugby Licensing Team Leader and Mr. Bernard Brindley, licensee of The White Lion in Pailton who each addressed the audience of some 30 villagers.
Cllr. Timms warned of the potential dangers of extending the licensing hours as allowed under the new law, with greater opportunity of excessive drinking possibly resulting in anti social behaviour and vandalism. She also pointed out that villages such as Pailton do not have the immediate resources such as adequate policing and emergency medical facilities to deal with the possible outcome of abuse of alcohol and drugs.
The only application so far, for extended hours, has been made by Mr. Brindley for the White Lion. He told the audience that the extension to 2am will be used only 2 or 3 times a year for special occasions and will not be a nuisance in the village. The White Lion is a ‘food led’ premises and heavy drinking has never been encouraged, Mr Brindley has had cause to ban members of the public from his premises for inconsiderate behaviour, and will continue to do so if required. Because his establishment provides accommodation he holds a 24 hour license at present (for his overnight guests) this has never caused a problem. He reassured the audience that he does not envisage any noticeable difference in the way he conducts his business following the introduction of the new law.
The Ex-Servicesmen’s Club situated on the edge of the village on Coventry Road is run by 2 trustees, a committee of four and the bar steward. They stressed that the club encouraged the young members to use their premises to play pool, watch the large screen TV and play the juke box. Behaviour of all age groups was carefully monitored, alcoholic drinks were not served to underage members, no anti social behaviour was tolerated and members could be barred if their actions warranted it.
The trustees and committee were urged to apply for the renewal
of their licence under the new law as soon as possible, the licensing team
anticipates a delay when the expected 450 applications from the
It was pointed out that the excessive drinking and anti social behaviour that has been attributed to club members has in fact been due to other members of the public using the playing field adjoining the club to congregate for drinking sessions, using bottles and cans of alcohol obtained from the very many outlets that supply the public. The litter left behind by these groups usually contain empties of brands that are not obtainable at the club, proving it could not have been purchased there. The steward and staff are very careful to ensure that their members do not exceed a safe drinking limit.
The problem of drug use in Pailton was touched on briefly. The
audience was told that certain people were being kept under surveillance and
that the matter was receiving
attention from the authorities. The drug problem in the wider area of
The licensing officer outlined the rules under the new law that comes into force in November 2005. Provided they have a legitimate reason members of the public may appeal to have a licence ‘reviewed’ to decrease the hours given or types of entertainment provided or to reduce the noise etc. It must be remembered that the new law applies to the premises and not to the individual who is in charge. It therefore follows that if a publican sells his interest in the establishment the licence will be passed to the next owner of those premises, it can be seen form this that great care must be taken in the issuing of the original licence.
The meeting expressed regret that the Village Hall was not used more often to provide leisure and sport facilities for the younger people in the village, to occupy their time in positive ways.
On occasions when the Village Trust requires a licence to hold an entertainment in the hall they will be able to apply for a ‘temporary events licence’ under the new law, while one of the committee members, holding a personal licence, must be in attendance while drinks are being served.
Following this wide ranging discussion of the new law and its implications for the village also of worries that the villagers have had concerning the behaviour of small groups of individuals it was felt the meeting had been successful in reassuring those present that their concerns had been noted and would be responded to by those whose task it is to administer the law and set standards within our community.
The Village Trust Annual General Meeting will be held in the village hall on Saturday 7 May 2005 at 11 am. The hall will be open from 10 am to enable villagers and friends to see the recent improvements to the hall and enjoy light refreshments before the meeting begins