Stanhoe Parish Council
Draft Minutes of Parish Council Meeting
Held on Thursday, 10th January 2019 at 6.00pm
in the village Reading Room
Clerk to the Council – , tel 01485 518570
Present:
Mr. D. Lord (DL) Chairman
Mr. D. Bridge (DB)
Miss. R. Brown (RBR)
Mrs. J. Lord (JL)
Mrs. R. Birkin (RB)
Mr. M. Wilson (MW)
Apologies:
Mr M. Roche (MR)
In Attendance:
2 Members of the Public and Councillor Andrew Morrison
1. To consider apologies for absence: MR had given his apologies.
2. To consider approval of the Minutes of the last meeting held on 8th November 2018: No queries were raised and the Minutes were passed and signed by the Chairman.
3. To record declarations of interest in any item to be discussed: No declarations of interest were made.
4. To adjourn the meeting to allow for public participation: A member of public in attendance requested an update on the BBfN upgrade. The Chairman explained that BBfN was an agenda item and would be covered during the meeting.
5. Budget Setting for 2019/20: Councillors agreed unanimously that a budget increase, from £6500 to £7000, would meet the proposed expenditure for FY 2019/20. The Chairman advised Council that due to an increase in the number of properties in Stanhoe since the last budget increase, the likely annual increase for residents, reflected in their Council Tax, would be around 60p per household.
6. Precept Request for 2019/20: The Clerk would now complete the Precept Request for 2019/20, based on the agreed budget of £7000, and return it to the Borough Council.
7. Upkeep of the Village Pond: The Clerk had contacted the Bircham Parish Clerk and ascertained that the Bircham Pond was owned by the Sandringham Estate. The landscaping had been undertaken by the leaseholder with assistance from CITB students. In terms of the Stanhoe Pond, which Councillors agreed was a focal point of the village, the Chairman suggested that a sub-committee be set up to look at options and costings for landscaping and general aesthetic improvements. The Chairman, DB, RB and the Clerk agreed to form the sub-committee. A sub-committee meeting would be arranged and would report back at the next Parish Council meeting.
8. Fly Tipping in Cross Lane: DB had been informed by a resident that fly tipping had taken place in Cross Lane. DB had spoken with the householder responsible. A note would be placed in Saints Alive reminding residents not to fly tip in the village. The Clerk will ask the Rangers to clear the storm drain blockage affected by the tipping.
9. Checking on those Not Seen: DB questioned what responsibility the Parish Council may have in relation to checking on permanent residents in the village, particularly those living alone, who had not been seen for some time. The Clerk was requested to contact the NALC to establish whether any guidance was in place. In addition, a note would be placed in Saints Alive.
10. Playing Field:
Play Equipment Inspection: The Clerk confirmed that the annual inspection of the children’s play equipment took place on 5th December 2018. The Inspector provided a comprehensive report which highlighted some very low/low risk issues which would require monitoring. MW volunteered to carry out the monthly inspection of the play equipment and would he monitor the risks raised and advise the Parish Council should remedial action be required.
11. Better Broadband for Norfolk (BBfN) - Update: The Programme Director for BBfN had confirmed that the 1st Solution of Fibre to the Property was now live and residents could check availability using the following link: https://www.homeandbusiness.openreach.co.uk/fibre-broadband/when-can-i-get-fibre.
Notwithstanding, a resident in Parsons Lane had reported to the Chairman that, despite ‘upgrading’, speeds remained very low (1-2 Mbps). The Chairman would contact the Programme Director to highlight this significant issue and seek an early resolution.
12. Go to Town Bus: Councillors were extremely disappointed that the Saturday service had been withdrawn with effect from 7th January 2019. In addition, one Councillor, a regular user of the Service, did not feel that the statistics provided by West Norfolk Community Transport (WNCT) on the use of the Service were 100% accurate. The Service user would record personal future usage so it could be double checked against future statistics. The Chairman agreed to write to WNCT regarding the loss of Service.
13. Request for Support – Wells Community Hospital: A request for financial support had been received from the Wells Community Hospital. At the present time Councillors were in agreement that they were not in a position to offer any financial support.
14. Setting Parish Council Meeting Dates for 2019: The following dates were agreed for 2019:
7th March
[9th May (Parish Council Meeting and Annual General Meeting)] – Subsequently proposed to be 23rd May
11th July
26th September
14th November
15. Planning applications and information: No applications had been received.
16. Financial Report and approval of payments: Up to date income & expenditure accounts, budget report and bank statements were circulated by the Clerk. No queries were raised.
The Chairman recommended to Council that the Clerk’s salary rise from £9.34 to £9.77 per hour with effect from 1st April 2019, in accordance with the pay scales set by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services. Councillors agreed unanimously to this increase.
Approval was sought and agreed for the following payments:
| Chq No | Payee | Reason | £ |
| 100750 | Burnham Market PC | Training for 3 x Councillors | 48.00 |
| 100751 | D. Bracey | Playground Inspection | 96.00 |
| 100752 | NPFA | Subscription 2019/20 | 20.00 |
| 100753 | W. Leighton | Salary November and December 2018 | 303.86 |
| 100754 | HMRC | PAYE November and December 2018 | 76.00 |
17. Resident’s Concerns/Issues raised after the Agenda Published: The following items were brought to the attention of the Clerk after the Agenda had been published:
SAM 2 Update: The Chairman advised Councillors that the following speeds had been recorded:
| Date | Time | Speed | SAM 2 Position |
| 31 October 2018 | 5.20pm | 85 mph | Leo Facing Burnham Market |
| 29 December 2018 | 11.10am | 85 mph | Long Wall Barn Facing Bircham |
Village Gateways: Following a visit by the Highway Engineer on 16th November 2018, a Preliminary bid for funding had been submitted to the Parish Partnership Scheme for the provision of 3 sets of village gates. In essence, whilst the overall cost for the supply and installation of 3 sets of gates would be in the region of £5300, the net cost to the Parish Council would be approximately £1200.
Dog Bin for Playing Field: The Clerk was requested to order a dog waste bin, to be located by the Reading Room away from the children’s play area, and arrange installation and emptying.
18. Items for the next Agenda – meeting of 7th March 2019:
Upkeep of the Pond
Village Gates
SAM 2 Update
BBfN Update
No other items were discussed and the meeting closed at 7.40pm.