Stanhoe Parish Council
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting
Held on Thursday, 9th July 2020 at 6.00pm
via BT Conference Call
Clerk to the Council – , tel 01485 518570
Present:
Mr D. Lord (DL) Chairman
Miss R. Brown (RBR)
Mrs J. Lord (JL)
Mrs R. Birkin (RB)
Mr M. Wilson (MW)
Mr B. Gorton (BG)
Apologies: None
In attendance: None
1. To consider apologies for absence: All Councillors were present on the call.
2. To consider approval of the minutes of the last meeting held on 21st May 2020: No queries were raised and it was agreed the minutes would be signed by the Chairman when possible.
3. To record declarations of interest in any item to be discussed: No declarations of interest were made.
4. MEHM Annual Contribution: A. £410 contribution to the MEHM Trust (Cheque Number 100797) had been unanimously agreed by Councillors, by email, since the last meeting. This was to cover the use of the village hall for the preceding 3 financial years at £100 per year and £110 for the current financial year.
5. Better Broadband for Norfolk (BBfN) Update: Solution 2 of the Fibre to the Property (FTTP) upgrade (Bircham Road in the main) was now complete. However, some residents on Church Lane had reported that they were still not able to upgrade to FTTP. The Clerk would contact the Programme Director for BBfN to request an update on the affected properties on Church Lane.
6. Review of Parish Council Policy Documents: The Chairman had looked at the Parish Council policy documents currently in place and had noted a few minor amendments were required. The Chairman would update the documents and pass to Councillors, prior to the next Parish Council meeting, for comment.
7. Review of the Proposal to Install a Picnic Area near the Playing Equipment, to be Delineated by a Low Spaced Picket Fence: The MEHM Trust had asked the Parish Council whether it would consider funding the installation of a picket fence around the children’s play equipment. An initial estimate of costs indicated that the total cost would be in the region of £2000. Whilst Councillors were keen to support the MEMH Trust a couple of questions were posed:
Would the MEHM Trust make a contribution to the overall cost?
Could the Jack’s Lane Wind Farm Fund Committee be approached, by the MEHM Trust as the landowner, to see if a grant would be available?
In addition, it was noted that a picket fence had previously been in place but had been removed as it had not stood the test of time.
On the theme of the children’s play equipment MW advised Councillors that he had now replaced the defective buffalo board.
Finally, whilst the Government had granted permission, from 4th July 2020, for outdoor play areas to re-open, the BCKLWN were still awaiting clarification on the cleaning regime required for unmanned sites. On this basis, the Parish Council agreed that the children’s play area should, until clarification had been sought, remain closed.
8. SAM 2 Update: The SAM 2 had been returned to Westcotec for repair and was now back in operation. The issue had been a faulty radar at a cost of £730 to replace, which, after insistence by the Chairman, was covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. The warranty had now expired. The SAM 2 had not been particularly reliable since initial installation and had been returned to Westcotec for repair on a number of occasions. With this in mind, and looking to the future, Councillors requested that the Clerk contact the Highways Engineer to ascertain whether Norfolk County Council had another preferred supplier for speed display and monitoring signs.
9. Public Rights of Way: MW advised Councillors that Public Rights of Way in the village, including footpaths and bridleways, were limited. Apart from one down Barwick Road and one down Station Road there were no other ‘official’ rights of way. It was imperative therefore that signage for these routes remained in place, and in good order, to prevent residents and visitors straying onto private land.
10. Parish Partnership Scheme 2021/22: Applications under the Parish Partnership Scheme for FY2021/22 had to be submitted by 4th December 2020. Whilst no requirement for funding immediately sprung to mind, Councillors would consider this during the coming months.
11. Pond Update: DL and BG had undertaken a feasibility study with a view to the installation of a bore hole to enable the pond water level to be replenished during periods of drought or water loss. Early indications were that to drill a bore hole to the required level in the water table (35m – 45m deep) and install an electric pump to draw the water when required would cost in the region of £7.5K to £12.5K, based on estimates received to date. The Jack’s Lane Wind Farm Fund Committee could be approached with a view to an application being submitted for a grant of £5K. Whilst still in the early stages, the concept was fully supported by all Councillors. In addition, Councillors felt that removing the silt in the pond may also be beneficial. DL and BG would gather further information in readiness for the next meeting.
12. Illicit Mobile Homes in the Paddock, Parsons Lane: DL reported that the mobile homes in the paddock area of Parsons Lane were the subject of an ongoing Court case. Whilst a Court hearing had been set for 30th June 2020 this had been deferred until 1st September 2020 for a hearing court. It was understood that the situation had been going on for approximately 2 ½ years and was a concern for the residents of the village, particularly those along Parsons Lane.
13. Planning Applications and Information: Whilst no applications had been received there were a number of ‘planning related’ matters.
Sloe House was the name of the new property on Church Lane
A decision on the replacement dwelling for Station Farm Cottage was still awaited.
A letter had been received from Councillor Jim Moriarty, Borough Councillor for Castle Acre Ward and Vice-Chair of the Corporate Performance Panel regarding the consultation of Parish Councils on planning applications. The issue had previously been tabled in 2018 and was now due for further review. Councillor Moriarty requested a current update on the Parish Council’s position. The Chairman had responded reiterating that Stanhoe Parish Council still felt that planning represents one of the most important parts of the deliberations of the Council and that the removal or ignoring of our concerns/input seriously puts in question the value of our efforts in a crucial area of local importance
14. End of Year Accounts, Financial Report and approval of payments: The End of Year Accounts had now been inspected by the Internal Auditor, who raised no observations. Council agreed unanimously that the Chairman and Clerk should now sign the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2019/20 and forward the Exemption Certificate to the External Auditor.
Up to date income & expenditure accounts, budget report and bank statements had also been emailed to Councillors by the Clerk. No queries were raised.
The Chairman wished Councillors to note that the net cost of the BT Conference Call for the last meeting was likely to be in the region of £40 once a credit had been applied to an originally overcharged bill.
Approval was sought and agreed for the following payments:
| Chq No | Payee | Reason | £ |
| 100798 | R. Canwell | Internal Audit | 35.00 |
| 100799 | J. Faulks | Cemetery Maintenance | 150.00 |
| 100800 | Playscape | Play Equipment Replacement Board | 102.00 |
| 100801 | ICO | Annual Fee | 40.00 |
| 100802 | W. Leighton | Salary May & June 2020 | 317.92 |
| 100803 | HMRC | PAYE May & June 2020 | 79.40 |
15. Resident’s Concerns/Issues Raised after the Agenda was Published:
Great British Spring Clean
The Great British Spring Clean had been rescheduled to take place from 11-27 September. A provisional date of 19th September was set for Stanhoe Parish Council to take part.
16. Items for the Next Agenda – Meeting of 17th September 2020:
Pond Bore Hole
SAM 2 – Update
BBfN - Update
Review of Parish Council Policy Documents
Mobile Homes in the Paddock, Parsons Lane
Children’s Play Area
No other items were discussed and the meeting closed at 7.30pm.