A range of topics were discussed by Ponthir Community Council at its October monthly meeting.

Topics included poppies, Christmas lights, audits and bank forms, a charter with Torfaen County Borough Council and more.

The meeting, held on October 14, saw attendance from councillors, community members, and the council clerk at Ponthir Village Hall.

In attendance was chairperson Cllr I Danaher, Cllr A Lang, Cllr M Leighton, Cllr L Ryan-Scales, Cllr R Morgan, Cllr P Buffrey, clerk Clare Danaher and Cllr C Gauden from Torfaen County Borough Council.

Apologies were received from Cllr P Matthews.

Cllr Gauden expressed gratitude towards the efforts made by the Community Council for the village's benefit.

Ms Danaher was specifically commended for her work addressing village issues.

The meeting proceeded with the approval of the minutes from the September 9 meeting, as proposed by Cllr Ryan-Scales and seconded by Cllr Morgan.

The minutes were signed by the chairperson as an accurate record of the previous meeting.

Various matters arising from the previous meeting were addressed.

The clerk is still awaiting the outcome of the 2023/2024 audit and Cllr Leighton is in the process of updating the bank account with her as an additional signatory.

It was suggested that another additional signatory be considered.

An update on this is to be provided in the next meeting.

The clerk attended a meeting with Dave Leech and clerks from three other councils regarding the charter between TCBC and the Town and Community Councils of Torfaen, which is being amended.

The updated charter will be presented at the Local Councils Partnership Committee meeting on October 31.

The council also expressed concern about the lack of response from the PSCC.

The chairperson will attend the PSCC AGM on October 16 and provide an update at the November meeting.

Issues about the village hall sign and bookings were sorted out, with a sign put up on the wall of the hall noting meeting times.

Booking enquiries will now go straight to the hall following a change on the website.

The responsibilities of the council have been published and displayed on noticeboards and the website.

The clerk distributed bulbs to be planted by councillors and it was confirmed that the poppies would be put up as in previous years by the Caerleon British Legion.

The council discussed the cost of Christmas trees and lights, with Chris Mellon quoting the same price as 2023, £950 for a tree at the hall and a small tree at All Saints Llanfrechfa.

Enervo quoted £2,765 plus VAT for putting up, taking down, and maintaining the Christmas lights in Ponthir and Lower Llanfrechfa.

The council also discussed the lack of response regarding the biodiversity plan from the PSCC. This came after the council received information from the county council and Ponthir School for the plan.

Information regarding biodiversity for people to use in gardens will be published in the next newsletter.

The council agreed to cover the cost of £48 for 1,000 leaflets to be distributed locally to advertise the PSCC Christmas fair.

The proceeds will be split between Friends of Ponthir School and another charity yet to be decided.

The clerk will contact Gwent Archives regarding the council's legal obligation to keep records and the process involved.

The council approved the adoption of the protocol on Member and Officer relations and discussed the quarterly figures for July to September 2024.

Several planning applications were noted, and the council expressed support in principle for the proposed parking restrictions at School Close, Ponthir.

The meeting concluded with the date of the next meeting set for November 11 at Ponthir Village Hall at 7pm.