Stoke Ferry Parish Council - March Meeting minutes

Parish Clerk stokeferrpc@gmail.com / 0779 500 6811 www.stokeferryparishcouncil.co.uk Initialled by Chairperson: DATE Page 1 of 6 STOKE FERRY PARISH COUNCIL Draft Minutes Subject to the Approval at the next Meeting Ordinary Meeting of the Parish Council Wednesday 7 March 2018 at 7.00 pm Stoke Ferry Village Hall Attendance: Cllr Sue Lintern Chair Cllr Daphne Clements Cllr Mandy Leamon Cllr Trudy Mann Cllr Jim McNeill Vice Chair Cllr Grant Tomkins Cllr Shirley Cordner Cllr Gail Reeve Helen Richardson Parish Clerk and Financial Responsible Person Also, in attendance: Cllr Martin Storey Norfolk County Council Cllr Colin Sampson Borough Council of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Mr Chris Philpott Footpath Warden Members of the Public: 12 48/18 Apologies and Welcome There were no apologies received for absence. 49/18 Consider Declarations of Interest on Agenda Items and Dispensation Requests There were no declarations of interest. 50/18 Parish Council Co-option The Chair advised that Kit Hesketh-Harvey had applied to be a Parish Councillor and the Parish Council had met with him earlier during the evening. Cllr Grant Tomkins proposed that Kit Hesketh-Harvey be appointed as a Co-opted Parish Councillors, this was seconded by Cllr Shirley Cordner, and all were in favour. The Chair advised that Cllr Kit Hesketh-Harvey had received the Stoke Ferry Parish Council Code of Conduct and Declaration form to read before hand and confirmed he understood the contents, he subsequently signed both forms in the meeting at this point and joined the Parish Council. The Chair advised for clarity the Parish Council would vote on the Co-option of Gail Reeve again, her co-option to the Parish Council was proposed by Cllr Mandy Leamon and Seconded by Cllr Trudy Mann, all were in favour. 51/18 Minutes of the Meeting dated 7 February 2018 The minutes of the Ordinary Parish Council Meeting held on 7 February 2018 were approved. Proposed. Cllr Jim McNeill, Seconded Cllr Grant Tomkins, eight were in favour, one abstained. 52/18 Matters Arising from the Minutes The following items were raised as matters arising: a) Streetlighting electricity costs would be on the April agenda where the Council would be reviewing quotations received from alternative suppliers. b) Dukes Head – The Clerk advised that she would be contacting the BCKLWN Conservation Officer for an update on this property, but to date this was not available. Parish Clerk stokeferrypc@gmail.com / 0779 500 6811 Page 2 of 6 Chairman’s signature: Date: c) The Parish Council affirmed that the Grit Bins were in place for public use. The Clerk agreed to enquire about their re-filling following the recent bad weather. d) The Emergency Village Plan would be on the April agenda and an officer of the BCKLWN Emergency Planning Team had confirmed their attendance. e) Cllr Trudy Mann advised that she and Cllr Shirley Cordner had checked the meterage for yellow lines on the Furlong Road and confirmed that there would be sufficient room. There was a concern raised about who would monitor the yellow lines. The Clerk agreed to place it on the April agenda to discuss the placement of the yellow lines. It was agreed that householders nearby should be consulted with at an early stage by Cllr Shirley Cordner. 53/18 2Agriculture Update The Chair advised that the Parish Council had received communications via email back from an Inspector of the HSE who had advised that the issues identified had been dealt with and they would not be attending the Parish Council meeting. The Chair proposed that the Parish Council continue to take forward their concerns about the safety of the Mill with Elizabeth Truss MP who had been previously booked to provide surgeries to residents and there currently was spare time on the schedule for a meeting. The Chair added that the Parish Council would be best to list questions and concerns that it had to share with her, and if anyone such as the public wished to add anything to let the Parish Council know. The Chair shared that she had started to draft a list of questions which mainly centred around the possibility of amending the permit with the Environment Agency. The Chair shared that the agency bodies namely the BCKLWN, Environmental Agency and the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) who the Parish Council had dealt with to date, regarding the concerns for safety, didn’t appear to communicate between themselves any measures that it had bought within their own jurisdiction. She added that every time the Parish Council had mentioned specific concerns about the Mill they advised that the Mill was operating within a Permit or licences, but specifically the Environmental Agency permit needed to be reviewed particularly as there had been no changes to it since 2002. It was agreed that assurance was needed that the Mill was being monitored correctly by the three agency bodies who were responsible in governing them for safety. And assurance that the buildings near the Mill were being worked on. It was also felt that good transparency and assurance would be paramount going forward. Following a letter being sent as agreed after the February meeting to the Mill, Cllr Shirley Cordner felt that the response from the factory was very standard and they had missed an opportunity to put something right and bring assurance. It was agreed that there was a danger of alienating the Factory through members of the public communications in the way they had been projected, and communications needed to be kept open. It was agreed that the Parish Council needed to remain neutral to represent all views amongst the community. Following discussion, it was pointed out that the mill had provided some good within the village such as jobs and supporting local community projects, but this shouldn’t condone bad management of safety. It was also highlighted during discussions that the HSE, from its recent communications, had advised that the mill was safe at this time. There was discussion about the plans for the factory site if it did ever move out of the village, and it was suggested the neighbourhood plan could form a view of the sites future. The Chair shared that everyone in the community needed to be assured that the mill had passed the HSE inspection and was currently safe, she also highlighted that according to the permit they are not obliged to tell the Parish Council if there are instances of fire or otherwise. Parish Clerk stokeferrypc@gmail.com / 0779 500 6811 Page 3 of 6 Chairman’s signature: Date: A Councillor highlighted from the HSE report that it had said ‘the legal responsibility for controlling the risk at the mill rests with the employer’. The Clerk advised that for the Parish Council meeting with Elizabeth Truss MP would be a working party meeting and anything discussed at the meeting using questions agreed would be fed back at the following Parish Council meeting and no decisions would be made until then. The Clerk confirmed that the meeting would therefore not be extended to members of the public to ensure focus in the brief time scheduled. The Chair added that she and the Vice Chair were unable to attend, and Cllr Trudy Mann agreed to facilitate the asking of questions and the Clerk would make notes. Cllr Shirley Cordner added that klaxons had been sounded recently, and the Clerk agreed to find out what they were for. DECISION: It was agreed that the following needed to be actioned because of discussions: a) The Parish Council would ask questions during a working party meeting with Elizabeth Truss MP and report back at the following Parish Council meeting. b) The Clerk would ask the mill what klaxons had been sounding recently and why. 54/18 Indigo Road Development The Clerk advised that she had been in contact with the developer who advised that work had started on site behind the Village Hall, and soon the whole site would be fenced off for safety. She added that he had advised that the builders had been asked to invert the fencing near the Village Hall at weekends should parking spaces be needed. The Clerk shared that the developer had advised that from the end of April there would be more operatives on site and the village hall car park would be complete around 10 weeks after as an approximation. She shared that he again had advised the top piece of land at Indigo Road would eventually be used for building a community amenity but for now there could be possibility of residents parking along side any construction traffic. The Clerk advised that he had indicated that he was attending a site meeting at the end of the week and after he would be able to confirm arrangements further. Following a request from Councillors the Clerk agreed to contact the developer to ask that the top piece of land be kept tidy as possible. 55/18 Gardens Refurbishment Cllr Shirley Cordner proposed that the village be asked to come forward with ideas of what could be included in the Gardens area, and perhaps people could be requested to donate plants. The Clerk advised that the PC needed to be cautious about donations of plants to ensure that correct identification was possible, and any were not invasive species. During discussions there was suggestion that the school could be invited to get involved in the project. It was agreed that shrubs and perennials should be used to ensure that long term maintenance was a low cost. The Clerk agreed to place a notice in the village pump to ask what plants should be used and if there were any volunteers to help including the notice board too. Cllr Jim and Cllr Trudy to lead on it and bring back costs for approval. 56/18 Cemetery Hedge The Chair advised that someone in the village had contacted the Clerk to advise that they and others would like to volunteer their time to apply for free hedge saplings from the Woodland Trust and plant them at the entrance to the cemetery. The Clerk had circulated the email to Councillors and highlighted that the idea would be at no cost and therefore hadn’t progressed with quotations at the current time. The Clerk agreed to arrange a site meeting with the volunteer and Councillors. 57/18 Handyman/Rangers or Public Right of Way The Chair advised that a site meeting regarding all Public Right of Ways would be arranged for April or May with the Public Right of Way Officer of NCC, involving the Chair, the Clerk and the Footpath Warden, and any other Councillor that wished to attend. Parish Clerk stokeferrypc@gmail.com / 0779 500 6811 Page 4 of 6 Chairman’s signature: Date: The Clerk agreed to report a pot hole outside the mill entrance opposite the village hall. Cllr Daphne Clements agreed contact the British Legion to find out if there was prescribed time for the movement of war memorial wreaths after they had been laid. The Clerk agreed to resolve the bus stop sign pole which had been broken. Cllr Jim McNeill suggested a visit to the entrances of the village to see how they could be improved, the Parish Council agreed that this was a good idea and he and Cllr Gail Reeve agreed to do so, and the Chair advised she would attend if able. The Clerk advised them to let her know should there be decisions needed on any future agenda such as costs. 58/18 Draft Anti-Harassment and Bullying Policy The Parish Council had received a copy of a draft Anti-Harassment and Bullying Policy from the suite of policies available from the Norfolk Association of Local Councils for the Parish Council to adopt for its needs. The Clerk confirmed following a query that whilst this was for the Clerk, it was also for the protection of Councillors and for any instances of harassment by the Clerk and by Councillors. She highlighted that this also specifically included harassment and bullying from contractors and members of the public to the Clerk and Councillors. The Clerk advised that she had reviewed the policy and had included additional clarity that it included harassment from the public. Following a query, the Clerk advised that support for the Clerk within the policy from harassment or bullying as definitions included, would come from the Parish Council, the Chair and Vice Chair in the first instance, and it was held mainly within Employment Law and agencies who could provide assistance such as the SLCC and NALC, and any acts by the Clerk, the Parish Council would be responsible to deal with. She added that for bullying experienced by Councillors from other Councillors or the Clerk, the BCKLWN Monitoring Officer would be called upon within their jurisdiction as well as the Parish Council and Clerk itself in the first instance. Following a further query about the bullying or harassment within the definitions described within the policy by members of the public towards the Clerk or Councillors, the Clerk advised that it was different as any incidents could become a Police matter and monitoring of such matters would be important in doing so if this step was necessary. During discussions the Parish Council agreed that there were different contingencies involved in instances of bullying and harassment, verbal was one but also email was another. Cllr Grant Tomkins proposed that the Parish Council consider a Communication Protocol or Policy in addition to the Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy for dealing with communications from members of public. It was highlighted that parish council matters were one area of communications, but it was not acceptable for private or personal matters to be raised in the same way and therefore a communications policy or protocol would help to sift and deal with such communications in a standard format. It was proposed by Cllr Grant Tomkins to adopt the draft Anti-Harassment and Bullying Policy as presented, seconded by Cllr Trudy Mann, all were in favour. The Clerk agreed to draft a Communication Protocol for review at the April meeting. 59/18 Parish Councillor Training The Chair advised that a place on the Chairman’s training run by NALC had been secured for June, particularly as there were elections for this position in May. The Chair suggested that a holding place for the Vice Chair. The Clerk agreed to place on the May agenda for cost approvals. It was agreed that following the May meeting the Parish Council would review its training needs. The Clerk confirmed that other Parish Councils could be invited to group training arranged within the parish. 60/18 Planning App 18/00300/RMM Client of Ian J M Cable Architectural, Reserved Matters, Construction of 15 Dwellings, Valmes, 13 Wretton Road, Stoke Ferry, PE33 9SQ. The Parish Council agreed that it had no objections, and the Clerk agreed to return a comment that descriptions about how they are going to be Parish Clerk stokeferrypc@gmail.com / 0779 500 6811 Page 5 of 6 Chairman’s signature: Date: environmentally friendly were a bit vague and no detail. Proposed by Cllr Mandy Leamon, Seconded Cllr Grant Tomkins, all were in favour. 61/18 Approval of Payment of Bills Supplier Payment for Net                VAT           Total Clerk Clerks Wages and Expenses - Feb 18                  268.59              0.00          268.59 HMRC  Feb-18                                                         62.40              0.00            62.40 Mr A Stannard Handyman- Feb 18                          40.00              0.00           40.00 CGM Grounds Maintenance Account Resolution   156.00              0.00         156.00 Westcotec Street Lighting Maintenance Feb 18       15.44              3.09            18.53 Westcotec Street Lighting Maintenance March 18   15.44               3.09            18.53 Glazewing (DD) Cemetery Bins                                15.58               3.12           18.70 EON (DD) Streetlights Electricity - Jan 2018            57.44                2.87           60.31 SF Village Hall Village Hall Hire March 2018            30.00                0.00           30.00 Zurich Playing Field Insurance                                687.44              82.49          769.93 BCKLWN Dog Waste Bins Emptying                       205.92              41.18           247.10 1,554.25             135.84       1,690.09 The Chair advised that quotes for playing field insurance had been initially quoted at £1100 but significant savings were saved on the final agreed amount of £769. Proposed Cllr Daphne Clements, seconded by Cllr Shirley Cordner, all were in favour 62/18 Neighbourhood Plan Presentation It was noted that this community open presentation was due to be held on Wednesday 21 March at 7 pm. 63/18 Mid-Summer Fayre 2018 The Chair agreed to arranged dates of those who wished to plan for the fayre and email around. 64/18 Urgent Items as agreed by the Chairman There was none. 65/18 Forward Agenda List This was noted. 66/18 Public Participation and Councillors Items a) Bin on the Common – The Parish Council discussed a re-sited bin next to the war memorial that had previously been on the common unused and covered in brambles. It was suggested that a bin be placed back on the common and the Clerk agreed to investigate the emptying cost and add to the next agenda and email examples possible of bins. b) Cllr Martin Storey – Advised that in the press there will be further about bus services, and some local bus companies had taken most of the routes that were at risk. He added that it may be a fortnight before full information is available, but it was good news as the situation was much better as previously predicted. He added that Stagecoach also had further information on their website. More information can be from the communication from NCC 01603 228888. Cllr Martin Storey advised that over the last week with the bad weather 49 gritters and ploughs had been out and at times working through the bad weather and night. He added that there had also been sixty farmers who had been working in conjunction with Norfolk County Council and this should be commended as they had pulled together for their communities. He also shared that at the recent County Council budget meeting it had been decided not to cut the gritting or bus service budgets. He shared that increased for the following financial year from County Council would be 6% for Band D property for County Parish Clerk stokeferrypc@gmail.com / 0779 500 6811 Page 6 of 6 Chairman’s signature: Date: Council which was £75 per annum or £1.50 a week, 3% of it is ringfenced for adult social care. The police and crime panel had agreed a 5.5% increase for them which was equivalent to 23p a week. c) Cllr Colin Sampson – He shared that a press release would soon be published about the Borough Council’s lottery run by an external firm which could be played online, and it would be possible to nominate local good causes who would receive a share of the money. Cllr Colin Sampson also shared that that the Borough Council was going to conduct a survey to find out how much of a problem dog fouling was in the borough and whether to employ someone to rove around and stop people walking dogs. Cllr Colin Sampson advised that litter was also being looked at in the same way. d) Following a query about what the village felt about the mill, the Chair advised that it was split of views either way. She shared that good communication was paramount, and the position of the Parish Council was that the factory’s health and safety was secure and not at risk, and the Parish Council would be checking until it was assured of this even within the limited powers that it has. e) A resident shared that there was dog mess along the Wretton Road and Furlong Road. f) A resident shared that a tractor tyre had been dumped on the land behind Buckenham Drive. Following a request Cllr Colin Sampson agreed to ask the Borough Council who owned the land that it be put back on their grass cutting schedule. g) The Playing Field advised that they were now running a car boot every month from April and notices would be going up and including in the Village Pump. h) A resident commented that their seemed to be a build-up of rubbish and litter on the bypass verges and the Clerk agreed to add to the Rangers list. i) A resident suggested raising with Elizabeth Truss MP about the Sustainable Transformation Service, East Anglia Service as there had been warning signs that it was going awry. The Chair advised that the Parish Council needed to discuss the village issues first with her. 67/18 Date and Time of Next Meeting - Wednesday 4 April 2018 at 7.00 pm. Meeting closed at 8.56 pm