West Dereham Parish Council -May

DRAFT MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF WEST DEREHAM PARISH COUNCIL

HELD AT WEST DEREHAM VILLAGE HALL at 7.30 pm

THURSDAY 1 MAY 2014

PRESENT (6 Councillors):- Pam Bullas (PB), Claire Cann (CC) – Chairman, Lorraine Hunt (LH), Paula Kellingray (PK), Claire Page (CP), Pam Walker (PW). Clerk: - Sarah Thorpe. Borough Councillor: - Trevor Manley (TM). CountyCouncillor: Brian Long (BL).

6 members of the public were in attendance.

Papers presented to Councillors:  (i) Financial Management Report (spread sheet); (ii) expenditure (for approval);

(iii) Glazewing Report.

The Chairman welcomed everyone present and opened the meeting.

1. Election of Chairman and declaration of office.

A proposal was made by CP and seconded by PB that CC should be elected as Chairman. No further nominations were received. It was agreed by all that CC should be elected as Chairman. CC accepted the role and signed the declaration of office.

2. Election of Vice Chairman.

A proposal was made by CC and seconded by PB that PK and PW should both be elected as joint Vice Chairmen. No further nominations were received. It was agreed by all that PK and PW should be elected as joint Vice Chairmen.

3. Nominations of Councillors with special responsibility.

3.1          Finance: A proposal was made by CC and seconded by CP that PK should be elected to the post. No further nominations were received. It was agreed by all that PK should be elected to the role.

3.2          Footpaths: A proposal was made by CC and seconded by PK that CP should be elected to the post. No further nominations were received. It was agreed by all that CP should be elected to the role.

3.3          Police: A proposal was made by CC and seconded by PB that PK should be elected to the post. No further nominations were received. It was agreed by all that PK should be elected to the role.

3.4          Village Hall: A proposal was made by CC and seconded by LH that PK should be elected to the post. No further nominations were received. It was agreed by all that PK should be elected to the role.

3.5          Youth: A proposal was made by CC and seconded by PK that PW and LH should be elected to the post. No further nominations were received. It was agreed by all that PW and LH should be elected to the role.

4. Apologies for Absence.  Apologies have already been accepted for Cllr Tom Foy during his deployment in Afghanistan.

5. Declarations of Interest. No declarations were made.

6. Minutes of the Parish Council Meetings held 3 & 22 APRIL 2014**.** The Chairman confirmed all Councillors had seen the minutes of the last Parish Council (PC) meetings held 3 & 22 April 2014. These were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.

7. Reports.

7.1          Chairman’s Report.

A summary of the report given by the Chairman at the Annual Parish Meeting was provided. It gave details of the PC activity for the past 12 months.

Personnel

Tom Foy – returned to the PC in June last year from Afghanistan. He was redeployed there last month.

Mark Dawson – resigned July last year due to pressure of work. The PC is grateful for his expert contribution.

Lorraine Hunt – co-opted in September last year. She works in local government and is already a valued Councillor.

Clerk – it has been a tough year. Jane Scarrott went to work for NALC. Mandy Maguire worked for the PC from May – August last year. Sarah Thorpe, who is highly qualified, was appointed in January 2014.

Handyman – Ben Peach was appointed in December 2013. There are signs of his work round the village – bridge railings/allotment gates.

Conferences/Seminars

The following have been attended – NALC Summer/Autumn/Spring Conferences. Seminars on Pathways/Green Burials/Norfolk Records Office/Basic Training.

Allotments

Inspections took place in May, September, December and March. The tenancy contract has been redrafted. The PC wishes to express thanks to Richard French, Allotment Liaison Officer.

Village Assets Inspection

The annual inspection took place on 1 March 2014.

Policy Documents

Reviewed – Standing Orders & Financial Regulations

Updated – Risk Assessment & Code of Conduct

New – Publication Scheme; Business Continuity Plan; Data Protection Plan; Cemetery Risk Assessment; Community Engagement Strategy; Clerk’s Contract/Appraisal Review; Travel & Expenses Policy; Grievance & Disciplinary Policy; Health & Safety Policy; Equal Opportunities Policy; and Media Relations Policy.

Broadband

According to Norfolk County Council (NCC) and British Telecom (BT) they are on course for broadband in West Dereham by the end of September this year.

Farm Business Tenancy

The contract has been amended to provide a two metre buffer zone adjacent to the allotments and gardens. There is increased rental income as a new three year contract has been agreed.

Cemetery Extension

The extension has been levelled, grassed and planted with poppies and bulbs.

The Chairman ended her report by expressing thanks to all of the Councillors for their hard work.

7.2          Clerk’s Report.

7.2.1.     Grange Farm. A reply has been received from NPS stating that the Environment Agency (EA) have told them to remove the soil that was dumped. CC had a conversation with EA and was told that it is not everything that was dumped, as the soil and bricks can remain. NPS said that this would be done shortly and would close the matter as far as they are concerned. The PC disagrees with this and still wants a meeting to discuss several issues that remain, including the future of the site and the proposal for pig farming. NPS said that anything else would need to be discussed with Andrew Crossley, Client Officer with NCC. Attempts to contact him have proved unsuccessful, so far, as he is currently on leave. To contact by telephone next week on his return. BL requested to continue to be copied into any correspondence which will also be sent to Elizabeth Truss MP. The PC continues to be disappointed by NPS and NCC regarding their failure to address this issue and persistent delays.

7.2.2      CGM Landscapes Ltd. The PC has requested a change to the way we are invoiced. Other PC’s receive invoices when work has been done and are given a date of when the work has been completed. The PC has asked for the contract to be split, so that the cost is shown for each item, and then a bill to be send after the work has been completed. It was noted that grass cutting at the Cemetery has only been done twice so far this year and that the footpaths have not been cut at all. The area at the side of Church Road to the Village Hall has been cut tonight for the first time.

7.2.3      Flood risk and damage leaflets. These have been ordered for each household and will be delivered when received.

7.2.4      Community Payback Scheme. Information has been obtained on how this scheme works and the PC will be making a list of suitable work that could be undertaken. When sufficient work has been identified the organisers will be approached.

7.2.5      Woodland Trust Community Trees. An application is to be made for trees from the scheme which will be placed in the Cemetery and the Village Hall. The planting of these trees is a task that could be undertaken by the Community Payback Scheme.

7.3          Handyman’s Report. The Handyman was not present at the meeting and no report was received from him prior to the meeting. Clerk to contact him regarding this matter.

7.4          Police report. PK advised that she had spoken to PCSO Jane Edwards and that she was still on light duties. There had been an incident of anti-social behaviour at the Village Hall over the Easter weekend with items being removed from the notice board. This matter had been reported to the police. LH advised that a suggestion had been made that a mobile skate park could be borrowed from the BC and it was agreed that this could be requested for the school holiday period.

7.5          Village Hall Report. PK advised that, following a very busy April, bookings were down for May. There is currently £1000 in the bar account to be transferred to the Village Hall account.

7.6          Broadband Report. PW advised that there was no further update to the report given last month that West Dereham is expected to be able to receive broadband by the end of September 2014.

7.7          Glazewing Report. Glazewing had issued their May report by email covering the period from 28 March to date. Two incidents have been reported:

• The PC had reported that rubbish along College Road to Station Road, and by the river and on the south side of the cut off channel in the direction of Hilgay. Glazewing advised that they have litter picked the area and although they are happy to be neighbourly they felt that a large proportion of the waste collected was domestic waste that would not have come from their vehicles. The PC disagreed with this point and felt that it was still most likely that the rubbish had come from their vehicles due to the location of it and also that this type of waste could have been put in skips.
• On 4th April they received a letter requesting the adjacent field to be cleared of blown litter. They wished to apologise to the land owner and advised that they had immediately cleared the area.

8. Finance.

8.1          Accounts.  Accounts for approval and the monthly financial management report were submitted by the Clerk. She advised that the accounts are now for the new financial year 2014/15 and that the budget for the year has been inserted, as well as the income and expenditure for April 2014. Other figures shown are expected income and expenditure for the rest of the year.

All the above payments were considered and approved. Cheques to be signed at the end of the meeting.

8.2          Change to the two signatory requirement. The law has been amended resulting in there no longer being a requirement for PCs to have two signatories for payments. Most PCs are not making any changes in their current procedures as it is generally felt that two signatories is a measure of good internal control. It was agreed to continue with the current arrangement.

9.            Amendments to Cemetery Rules. It was agreed that the rules should be amended to include plot numbers being placed on the back of headstones. They should be chiselled into the stone, 1.5 inches high in ordinary number format, not roman numerals. They should be on the bottom corner on the opposite side to the stonemason’s details. Website to be updated to include these details.

10.          Handling Complaints Policy. Several amendments have been made to the original NALC model document. It was agreed to adopt this policy. Confirmation to be obtained that NALC are happy to be included as a point of reference in the policy.

11.          Planning Applications.

11.1.      14/00237/F – Construction of occupational dwelling, together with a reception/utility/storage building at Camping Site Woodstock, Gibbet Lane – An amendment has been made to the original application due to a query over the access point by Highways. The PC have therefore been asked if they wish to make any further comments. It was agreed that this amendment did not affect the original decision of the PC to SUPPORT the application.

11.2.      14/00490/F – Proposed extension and alterations at 1 Grange Farm, Lynn Road, Crimplesham – An amendment has been made to the original application to include a rear porch. The PC have therefore been asked if they wish to make any further comments. It was agreed that this did not affect the original decision of the PC to make NO OBSERAVATIONS either in favour or against the proposal other than to state they the PC believes that the information provided with the application stating that the extension will not be visible from the road to be incorrect.

12. Correspondence.

12.1.      Willow Lane – Footpath – a letter has been received from Ros Hickling of NCC regarding the removal of vehicular rights on part of the U21266 Willow Lane. The PC will be sending a reply giving its reasons for wanting small amendments to the route of the existing footpath. The suggested new route has the agreement of the PC; the owners of Willow Farm; and the adjoining land owner. Furthermore, if this is approved, the village will continue to enjoy the benefit of additional footpaths that are currently allowed, around the fields of the adjoining land owner, as a gesture of goodwill.

12.2        Advertisement material received by the PC - Information has been received from a company offering cavity wall insulation. It was agreed that the PC was unable to put this type of information on its website as it could be interpreted as an endorsement of the company concerned.

12.3        Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS) – Information has been obtained from Westcotec regarding options for VAS. It was agreed to consider this further at the next discussion group.

12.4        Burial Fees – A request has been received for information on burial fees from members of the public. The contact details were given to the Clerk for her to provide the information.

13.          Other Business – Any Additional Reports and Items for Inclusion on the next Agenda.

13.1.      CP reported that there are a number of issues at the junction of Wereham Road (West Dereham Road) and Church Road. The white lines need repainting, the “Give Way” sign is leaning over. It was suggested that a “Stop” sign and reinstatement of the island would be an improvement to safety at the junction. To be put on the next Agenda.

13.2        PB raised a query regarding the additional discussion group on 28th May to consider amendments to the Standing Orders and Financial Regulations. It was agreed that the start time was 6pm. PB also advised that the Cemetery Rules would still need to be reviewed. PB had attended a Healthwatch event earlier that day and she advised that it had been mainly for health care workers.

13.3        It was noted that College Road and Wereham Road have had loose chippings laid by Highways.

The official meeting concluded at 8.40pm and was opened to the floor for general comment.

Open Forum.

• A parishioner asked if a request could be made by the PC for the kerb stones to be repaired near the Old School on the corner of Church Road and Wereham Road. The pavement around the corner needs re-kerbing on the ground to the right, opposite where Highways recently repaired the kerbing. It needs to be positioned up to where the road ends not where it has been eroded. It was agreed that the Clerk would contact Highways.
• A discussion took place on the reinstatement of the footpaths near Willow Farm and Watering Cottages that has recently been sprayed by the land owner to allow access across the field.

Closure. The Chairman thanked everyone for attending and final closure of the meeting was at 8.50 pm.

Next ordinary meeting of the Parish Council is on Thursday 5June at 7.30pm with Open Surgery from 7.00pm.

Clerk: Sarah Thorpe

Email: clerk@westderehamparishcouncil.com

Telephone: 01945 430930

Chairman’s signature ……………………………………             Date ……………………………