Stoke Ferry Parish Council - February Meeting

STOKE FERRY PARISH COUNCIL Minutes of the meeting held on 10th February, 2016 Borough Councillor County Councillor Parish Clerk Members of the public Mrs D Clements Mrs C Hardy MLeamon S Lintem J Nicholas- Letch M Precey Mrs J Taylor C Sampson M Storey Mrs J M Markwell 7 Attendance: Chairman Vice Chairman Councillors 1. Emergency Evacuation Members and members of the public were advised of the emergency evacuation procedures for the Village Hall. 2. Apologies There were no apologies for absence. 3. To received Declarations of Interest from Members on any item to be discussed There were no Declaration of Interest 4. To agree Minutes of the last meeting held on 13th January, 2016 Proposed - Cllr Mrs Taylor Seconded - Cllr Mrs Hardy 'That the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 13th January, 2016 be approved' For-5 Abstention - 1 5. Matters arising Cllr Mrs Clements gave Mr Philpot copies of the course notes received when she had attended a recent course on Public Rights of Way. It was noted that the grit bins had not been filled; the Clerk advised that she had spoken to NCC Highways but would call them again. They had advised that this would only be done on a general run to fill local bins and a special one off trip would not be made. Cllr Nicolas-Letch advised that the parking around the Academy had improved and the car which was parking at the junction of Oak Road had moved. .. ·· .. .

Concern was still raised on the condition of the footpath in front of the Fish and Chip shop. It was agreed that the Clerk would write to them asking if they could repair the pathway to make it safer for their customers. 6. To consider Public Rights of Way (Footpaths/Bridleways) All members received a copy of the letter from David Mills, Public Rights of Way Officer for Norfolk County Council who explained the various ways forward on footpaths which were overgrown and difficult for walkers to navigate. It was reiterated that it is necessary for members to walk these paths in order to make sure they were accessible. 7. To discuss letters requesting Parish Council Funding i. Stoke Ferry Playing Field Trust A letter had been received dated the 20th October, 2015 asking for funding for the playing field. Members were advised that because there was no power to the porta cabin it was making it extremely difficult to have fund raising events. It was agreed that if the Playing Field Trust could provide figures for the cost of reinstalling power this could be something that the Parish Council could support. This would then allow the Playing Field Trust to hold fundraising events. ll. Stoke Ferry Village Hall There was a full discussion on the condition of the Village Hall and what would be the most appropriate \vay for the Parish Council to support it. Members were advised that the cost of repairing leaks to the roof would be in the region of £3570. It was felt that there should be a 3 - 5-year programme of repairs and then it would be possible for the Parish Council to budget each year for funding. It was agreed as there were funds available within this financial year that there could be an immediate payment made towards the repairs to the roof. Proposed - Cllr Mrs Taylor Seconded - Cllr Mrs Hardy 'That the sum of £1700 be donated to the Village Hall Committee for repairs to the roof in the financial year 2015/16 and a further £1000 be given in April 2016 (financial year 2016/17) All in favour It was also agreed that this would be reviewed in December, 2016 for possible further funding. iii. Car Scheme Cllr Nicholas-Letch advised that in the four years the scheme has been running they have only asked for £703 in funding. Figures will be given in March for the current years funding request. Members were advised that the drivers get 45p per mile of which the passenger pays 30p per mile. There were very few people wanting to sign up to be drivers for this scheme. It is an important initiative as not every resident in Stoke Ferry has access to transport and therefore this scheme has helped them to attend doctors or hospital appointments. Concern was raised that that the payment to the drivers is excessive as fuel cost have reduced significantly recently. It was noted that 45p per mile is the accepted amount for all Councils and it was the same for private businesses. It should be noted that the drivers can spend a considerable time at the hospital as some appointments can take 2 - 3 hours. 8. To discuss an event to celebrate the Queen's 90th Birthday It was felt that there should be an event on the playing field eg barbeque for everyone to attend and join in the celebrations for the Queen's birthday. The Village Hall Committee should be involved as well. One suggestion was a treasure hunt around the village which would incorporate the foot paths. This could be over a period of time with the winner being announced on the event on the playing field.

9. To Approve Payments to be made Proposed - Cllr Mrs Taylor Seconded - Cllr Precey That the bills as per the attached schedule be approved for payment. All in favour 10. Correspondence Received All members had received a copy of recent correspondence received. 11 To receive Further Information or suggested items to be considered for the next meeting Agenda (Councillors/Public) Cllr Nicholas-Letch suggested that all meetings should be recorded as this would help alleviate problems if someone felt that the minutes did not record the correct detail of a meeting; this could then be checked and, if necessary, minutes amended before approval. Proposed - Cllr Nicholas-Letch Seconded - Cllr Mrs Taylor That a recording device be purchased up to the value of £80.00 All in favour Cllr Nicholas-Letch suggested that the bank accounts needed to be available for the Clerk, in order that the financial position of the Council can be assessed at any time. Currently paper statements are sent to the Chairman of the Council. It was also suggested that online banking could be investigated. It was noted that some of the policies of the Council may need to be reviewed, e.g. Emergency Planning, Standing Orders, Freedom of Information.

Cllr Clements reported on the last SNAP meeting which included advice to walkers using the roads. The forthcoming priority areas are speeding on the Howdale, Downham Market, Paradise Road, Downham Market and Runcton Holme. The next SNAP meeting will be in April. Cllr Clements also reported that considerable amounts of money are being spent on translators by Norfolk Constabulary, Borough Council and the Hospital. Adrian and Michael were thanked for taking the Christmas tree down. Funds raised over the Christmas period were given to the Playing Field Committee, Youth Club and the Village Hall Committee, with each receiving £50. Cllr Precey was extremely concerned over the costs of the Car Scheme and therefore it should not be supported by the Parish Council. He had figures which he felt showed that the drivers could be making money; as explained above (item 7iii) the rate of 45p mile is the accepted figure for many government organisations and private companies. Other members thought it was an extremely good scheme which helped the less able in the village and was of great value to residents. Figures for the financial year 2015/16 would be presented to the Council at the March meeting. It was requested that there should be a breakdov.'11 of numbers and the destinations o fthe various trips. Cllr Sampson advised that devolution is still being discussed, but does keep changing as the process is taken forward. Cllr Storey responded to a previous question by Cllr Mrs Taylor on the costs of the refurbishment of the foyer at Norfolk County Council offices. The reception area has been costed at approximately £l.2m and further upgrades to County Hall will cost £30m. The NCC Budget will be agreed at a meeting on 22nd February, 2016. A member of the public queried the condition of the hut on the playing field. It was reported that the original hut was condemned and the Playing Field Committee raised the money to get a new one, but funds were needed to reconnect the electricity. The play equipment was also condemned and ne\v equipment was purchased with grant funding at a cost of £46,000. 12 Date and time of next meeting - Wednesday 9th March, 2016 at 7.30pm The meeting closed at 9.30pm.

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