Stanhoe Parish Council
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting
Held on Wednesday, 13th July 2022 at 6.00pm
in the village Reading Room
Clerk to the Council – , tel 01485 518570
Present:
Mr D. Lord (DL) Chairman
Miss R. Brown (RBR)
Mrs R. Birkin (RB)
Mr B. Gorton (BG)
Mr T. Fitzjohn (TF)
Dr S. Shaw (SS)
Mr W Leighton Clerk
Apologies:
Mr M. Wilson (MW)
In attendance:
2 members of the public
1. To consider apologies for absence: MW had given his apologies.
2. To consider approval of the minutes of the last meeting held on 11th May 2022: 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: As the lead councillor for item 14, SS wished to advise Council that, whilst having no association, he was Chair of Wells Community Hospital.
4. To adjourn meeting to allow public participation: The members of the public present wished to further understand why the Parish Council had objected to the planning application in relation to High Barn and what the process entailed. The Chairman explained the process and reiterated the Parish Council comments that were in the public domain on the BCKLWN planning website. In essence, the Parish Council had unanimously objected to the initial application and objected to the reconsultation by majority. The members of the public asked what effect did the fact that the property could not be seen from the road have – the Chairman advised that this was not a factor. The members of the public expressed their content with the responses they had received, they thanked the Chairman and left the meeting.
5. Constitution and Conduct of Council: The Chairman recognised that Stanhoe Parish Council was in a good place, with no current vacancies, and he felt encouraged by this. The Chairman went on to say that Councillors should do as much as and when they could but if they did feel they needed to ‘step-down’ they should give as much notice as possible to enable a replacement to be sought. The Chairman concluded by thanking all Councillors for their contributions to date.
6. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations: The Chairman announced that the Jubilee Lunch, despite the indifferent weather, had been hugely successful, with a net income of £555.38. It had been agreed that the income would be distributed as follows:
Defibrillator £505.38 (including £200 grant from BCKLWN)
MEHM Trust £100.00
All Saints Church £100.00
Hunstanton Choir £50.00
The Chairman expressed his thanks to all those involved.
7. Parish Partnership Scheme 2023/24: Whilst there was no immediate need to take advantage of the Parish Partnership Scheme, the Chairman asked Councillors to bear the opportunity in mind and come back, before the closing date of 9 December 2022, should the situation change.
8. Parish Emergency Plan: It was acknowledged that the current Parish Emergency Plan was significantly out of date. TF agreed to review the current plan and map and he would share his thoughts in time for a further discussion at the next meeting.
9. SAM 2 Update: The fastest recorded speeds within the 30mph limit for May 2022 had been:
| Date | Time | Speed | Sign Position |
| 31st May | 00.45 | 60mph | Pond facing Burnham Market |
June, July and August data would be made available at the next meeting. During May 29,400 vehicles passed the speed sign indicating, in view of the sign’s position that approximately 60,000 vehicles would have travelled through the village in May. SS had relocated the SAM during the holiday absence of DL and offered to do so going forward.
10. Egmere Meeting – 16th June 2022: MW and DL had been unable to attend the meeting due to other commitments. DL had requested a copy of the minutes – these were still awaited. BG took the opportunity to advise Council that whilst not connected to Egmere, other tractors were still travelling through the village too fast.
11. Cats Eyes: As reported in the previous minutes, a resident highlighted that cat’s eyes in the road surface are not a legal requirement in areas where there is a 30mph speed limit and found the noise created by vehicles driving on cat’s eyes annoying. Furthermore, the resident understood that an agreement had been reached with Highways a number of years ago that when the cat’s eyes required checking/servicing/repairing they would be removed. The Clerk had established that cat’s eyes were only on parts of Bircham Road and at the junction by the pond. Notwithstanding, Councillors agreed unanimously that cats eyes are a safety feature and should remain in place.
12. War Memorial: The Chairman had received a quotation from a local monumental mason company. The company did not recommend re-lettering the War Memorial and therefore only offered a quotation for cleaning - £1500 plus VAT. The Chairman would seek clarification as to why re-lettering was not recommended. In addition, BG agreed to ask a stonemason he knew to come and take a look at the War Memorial and give an opinion.
13. Docking Football Club: MW had confirmed with a member of the Docking Football Club that they had no intention of using the Stanhoe playing field for home games.
14. Provision of a Defibrillator: SS had now obtained an official quotation from London Hearts for a defibrillator and an external heated locked cabinet - £1241.00 (net after deducting a £300 contribution from London Hearts) and including P&P. Additional costs would include installation and annual running costs of approximately £15 per year for electricity. The defibrillator would come with an 8 year warranty and, with the exception of a monthly check which SS agreed to undertake, was maintenance free. Whilst Councillors agreed unanimously to underwrite any purchase, up to £800, pending further fund raising, a meeting with trustees of the MEHM and Parish Councillors would need to be held to agree siting, ownership etc. In addition, and for transparency, further quotations would also need to be obtained.
15. Public Footpaths and Rights of Way: TF would arrange to meet with the Clerk to look at existing public footpaths and rights of way in the village.
16. Planning Applications and Information: No planning applications had been received or decided upon since the last meeting but the Parish Council had been informed that the planning application in respect of High Barn would go before the Planning Committee on 20th July 2022.
17. Financial Report and approval of payments:
Up to date income & expenditure accounts, budget report and bank statements had been circulated to Councillors, via email, by the Clerk. No queries were raised.
Approval was sought and agreed for the following payments:
| Chq No | Payee | Reason | £ |
| 100863 | B. Gorton | Play Equipment Parts | 64.49 |
| 100864 | NPFA | Annual Subscription | 20.00 |
| 100865 | J. Faulks | Village Maintenance | 355.00 |
| 100866 | ICO | Annual Fee | 40.00 |
| 100867 | W. Leighton | Salary May & June 2022 | 374.38 |
| 100868 | HMRC | PAYE May & June 2022 | 93.60 |
18. Resident’s Concerns/Issues Raised after the Agenda was Published:
Contact by EON: RBR had reported that a number of residents had received correspondence from EON that may have been a scam. Accordingly, RBR had reported this but had yet to hear back.
19. Items for the Next Agenda – Meeting of 14th September 2022:
Parish Emergency Plan
SAM 2 – Update
Egmere Minutes – 16th June 2022
War Memorial
Provision of a Defibrillator
Public Footpaths and Rights of Way
No other items were discussed and the meeting closed at 7.40pm.