Stanhoe Parish Council
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting
Held on Thursday, 10th May 2012 at 7.00pm
in the village Reading Room
Clerk to the Council – , tel 01485 518409
Present:
Mr. T. Austin (TA)
Mrs. P. Austin (PA)
Mr. D. Bridge (DB)
Mrs. R. Brown (RB)
Mr. M. Roche (MR)
Mrs. P. Roche (PR)
Mr. J. Seedhouse (JS)
Two members of the public were also present.
1. Election of Chairman and Vice-chairman
TA and DB vacated the Chair and Vice-chair but indicated that they would be willing to serve another term. TA was proposed as chairman by DB and seconded by PR. TA accepted and resumed the Chair. DB was then proposed as Vice-chair by RB and seconded by PA. DB accepted. All remaining councillors thanked both for agreeing to another term and for their work on behalf of the parish council.
2. To consider apologies for absence
All councillors present.
3. To consider approval of the Minutes of the previous meeting of 8th March 2012
These were passed and signed by the Chairman.
4. To record declarations of interest from members in any item to be discussed
No declarations made.
5. To adjourn meeting to allow public participation
No public present.
6. SNAP
TA had not attended the last SNAP meeting and was still awaiting a draft of the Minutes. The next meeting would be in July (date yet to be confirmed) and TA encouraged other councillors to attend.
7. Broadband provision in Stanhoe
A village resident had been in discussion with the local M.P. and with BT regarding the possible provision of high speed broadband to the village. The current provision comes via the Docking exchange and BT confirms that, at present, there are no plans to update Docking exchange to provide a high speed service. TA urged everyone to put pressure on BT in order to prove the demand existed for a high speed service.
8. Area of playing field fenced off by owners
Some of the fencing had been vandalised and some posts stolen which made the area unsightly. It was agreed that the owners must be aware of the situation. No further discussion or action at present.
9. Village Cross
RB reported that the new mortar, which had been applied to the base of the village cross last year, was already crumbling in places. This will be inspected by councillors during the village inspection.
10. Village Inspection
Councillors agreed to meet at 7.00pm. on 14th June 2012 to carry out a walking inspection of the village to identify any maintenance and/or repair issues.
11. Updates on ongoing matters
a) Cross Lane traffic – no developments
b) Bottle bank – the clerk is still trying to persuade BCKLWN to install a soundproof liner.
c) Blacksmith’s workshop – no developments. MR to contact Mrs. Ralli senior to establish ownership of the workshop and to enquire if there are any plans to prevent further deterioration of the building.
d) Review of polling districts and stations – a decision is still awaited.
e) Overgrown hedges – the Borough has again sent letters to those concerned and outcome awaited. Legal action may be taken.
f) Wind Farms Appeal – decision was delayed but is now scheduled for 28th May 2012.
g) Geese on the pond – a gosling has hatched. Adult geese are very protective of their young and hiss if people go near but no specific problems reported.
12. Diamond Jubilee
Planning is going well and everything is in hand for the village celebration. TA thanked JS for all his work in connection with this event.
13. Dog Waste Bin
The current bin is unstable and may need to be replaced. There is a rumour that the Borough Council are going to dispense with dog waste bins and will ask people to put the plastic bags of waste in the normal bin going to landfill. The clerk will try to find out the Borough’s intentions. This item to be added to the Updates item in the Agenda in future.
14. Planning Decisions
The clerk reported that the application to demolish “The Chantry” on Bircham Road and to erect two detached houses on the site had been withdrawn. Permission was granted for the erection of a cart style garage at Westfield House in Parsons Lane and both planning permission and listed building consent was granted for the alterations to the Coach House at Stanhoe Hall.
15. Year End Accounts/Financial Update/Insurance for 2012/3 & Approval of Payments
The clerk circulated copies of the accounts for the year ended 31st March 2012. DB queried the cost item for specialist shredding of documents. This was for the secure disposal of old parish council documents which were no longer required and were being stored by a previous clerk. No other queries were raised and acceptance of the accounts was proposed by PA, seconded by PR and unanimously agreed. A financial update was also circulated for the period up to the date of the meeting.
The clerk had received a quotation for annual insurance renewal from the current brokers Came & Co. with insurance cover by Aviva. The quote for a renewal of 1 Year was ££669.84 including IPT, a 4.7% increase on the previous year. The brokers were also offering a 3 year agreement for the reduced price of £636.01 including IPT for the current year with the next 2 years having only a small increase each year. After some discussion, it was decided to proceed with the 3 year agreement. Payments were approved for the annual subscriptions to NALC and Norfolk RCC and also for the clerk’s salary.
At a previous meeting, it had been decided that all annual subscriptions and donations to other bodies should be discussed at the meeting held in May each year when the annual accounts were presented. Accordingly, after discussion, it was agreed that annual subscriptions should be paid for 2012/3 to the CPRE and Norfolk RCC and donations given to the Burnham Market Car Scheme and the Tapping House Hospice.
16. Meeting Dates for 2013
Following the usual pattern of having meetings on a Thursday of alternate months, the dates were set for 2013 as:
- Thursday, 10th January
- Thursday, 14th March
- Thursday, 9th May
- Thursday, 11th July
- Thursday, 12th September
- Thursday, 7th November
All meetings to be held at 7.00pm. in the village hall.
A provisional date 11th April 2013 was set for the Annual Parish Meeting.
17. To receive items for the next Agenda
The following items were raised for the next meeting due to be held on Thursday, 12th July 2012:
- Recruitment of new councillors
- Village Inspection Report
- SNAP report
- The usual updates
Prior to the next meeting it was agreed that a letter should be sent to PCSO Owen James thanking him for his talk to residents at the annual Parish meeting in April.
Also, pot holes in Cross Lane, on Bircham Road near Church Farm and near Longwall Barn should be reported to the highways department.
No other matters were discussed and the meeting closed at 9.10pm.