Stanhoe Parish Council

Minutes of Parish Council Meeting

Held on Thursday, 12th January 2017 at 7.00pm
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 (RB)
Mr M. Roche (MR)
Mrs. J. Lord (JL)
Mr. D. Vincent (DV)


Apologies: None

In Attendance: -

 

1. To consider apologies for absence: All Councillors were present.

2. To consider approval of the Minutes of the last meeting held on 10th November 2016: 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 made.

4. To adjourn the meeting to allow for public participation: No members of the public were present.

 5. Co-option of a new Councillor: The Chairman reported that due to other obligations the individual under consideration would have to, for now, withdraw his interest in becoming a Parish Councillor. The Chairman was still keen to co-opt a least one additional Councillor and asked fellow Councillors to canvass for suitable candidates and report back at the next meeting.

 6. Village Maintenance Duties: Bill Punter had notified the Council of his retirement and thanked them for their support – The Council thanked Bill for all his work over the years in maintaining aspects of the village. RB suggested that Derek Scales may be a suitable replacement as he already did similar work. RB, with the support of the Council, agreed to contact Derek regarding the vacancy.

 The Clerk reported that he had been approached by Willie Shackcloth regarding a number of dead trees around Cross Lane pond. Willie would be willing to cut down the trees, at no expense, subject to Council approval. Councillors thanked Willie for this very kind gesture and were content that he remove the dead trees as necessary. The Clerk would inform Willie accordingly.

 7. Playground:

 Formal Equipment Inspections: DV had recently contacted the playground inspector on a number of occasions but had received no response. DV would make one further attempt, with a view to arranging an inspection, before considering an alternative inspector.

 Waste Bin: The Clerk had contacted the Borough Council to discuss the emptying of the waste bin. This could be routinely emptied by the Council contractors at a cost of £98 per annum provided the Parish Council provided a ‘bin housing’, the cost of which was likely to be in the region of £500. Councillors did not consider this to be a sensible spend of Parish Council funds and asked that the Clerk go back to the Borough Council to ascertain whether the installation and emptying of a ‘doggy bin’ would be more cost effective.

 Sign: The amendment or replacement of the playground sign would be placed on hold until the final decision on the BT Payphone had been made – the consultation period is due to end on 20th January 2017.

 8. Parish Precept Setting Information 2017/2018: Councillors agreed that the Parish Precept should remain at the same level as last year – £6500. The Clerk would respond to the Borough Council accordingly.

 9. Community Transport/Go to Town: RB advised that a new ‘Go to Town’ bus service was introduced in July 2016 by West Norfolk Community Transport with the aim of making rural communities ‘better connected’. Whilst the bus calls at the CITB Reception and Monks Close, it does not connect with Stanhoe. The Clerk would contact West Norfolk Community Transport to ascertain why Stanhoe is excluded from the route and whether, in future, Stanhoe could be included.

 10. Highways Meeting 6th December 2016: Further to the meeting, a submission of intent had been made to Norfolk County Council for a SAM2 sign. Applications would be considered in January 2017 and decisions notified by March 2017. Councillors agreed that as part of the Annual Parish Meeting to be held in May 2017 a discussion on the ‘possible’ installation of ‘village gates’ should be held with residents.

 11. White Lines: RB advised that the white lines at the Station Road/Docking Road junction had faded. In addition, RB had been approached by a villager who was concerned that the centre lines on Bircham Road had also faded. Other highways issues discussed were a pothole on Church Lane, a pothole adjacent to the entrance to Church Farm and the pothole adjacent to the Cross on Cross Lane which was still ‘temporary’. The Clerk would notify the Highways department of these issues.

 12. Stanhoe.org Website – Support for Webmaster: The Chairman would contact the Webmaster to establish a definitive way forward. The Clerk would contact Norfolk County Council to ascertain whether financial support from the Transparency Fund could be used to maintain the Parish Council aspects of the website.

 13. Grit Bin and Supplies for Reading Room: RB advised that previously a grit bin had been positioned outside the Reading Room allowing residents to help themselves to grit for personal use. The Clerk would contact the Borough Council to establish whether this service was still available.

 14. Cross Lane Cross: Concern was raised by Councillors regarding the safety of the Cross Lane Cross as tyre marks were apparent on the grassed area surrounding the Cross. Some residents had observed the refuse lorry being ‘very close’ to the Cross as it exited Cross Lane on to Docking Road. The Clerk would raise the issue with the Borough Council to establish whether the refuse lorry could ‘tweak’ its route. In addition, the Clerk would research the possibility of installing railings around the Cross, similar to the railings around the monument in Bircham, to afford some protection.

 15. Information Circulation: Notwithstanding information received was forwarded to Councillors by e-mail, the Chairman suggested, and Councillors agreed, that once per month a ‘hard copy’ of such information should be circulated to Councillors for comment. The Clerk would ensure this started on the 1st February 2017 and would continue on the 1st of each month thereafter.

 16. Planning applications and information: No new applications had been received. The Chairman reported that he had attended a planning seminar in Kings Lynn in November 2016. The Chairman agreed to forward the information he had received as it may assist Councillors when considering future planning applications.

 17. Financial Report and approval of payments: Up to date income & expenditure accounts, budget report and bank statements were circulated by the Clerk. DB requested that if, in future, the Clerk could produce a table showing the actual % of expenditure against budget. The Clerk would ensure this was produced. Approval was sought and agreed for the payment for the repair to the notice board and a temporary repair to the pothole by the Cross, village maintenance, the purchase of OS maps and the salary due to the Clerk from 1st November 2016 to 31st December 2016. The Clerk advised that he had received a letter from HMRC requesting all customers to pay PAYE electronically in future. The Clerk did not have the authorisation to do this through on-line banking so suggested that in future he should be paid ‘gross’ and make PAYE payments personally. Whilst Councillors were content with this, for transparency the Clerk would first contact the auditor to confirm that there was no issue with this.

18. Updates on items Previously Discussed:

Broadband Update – Efforts continue to examine alternative sources of broadband in the event that BT are further delayed. WiSpire recently conducted a preliminary survey of Stanhoe for these purposes.

Closer Liaison with other Parish Councils – The Clerk had contacted 5 Parish Councils bordering Stanhoe. So far 3 positive responses had been received.

Public Rights of Way – The Clerk had purchased OS maps covering Stanhoe. The Chairman will contact Norfolk County Council for further advice regarding this issue.

Stanhoe’s BT Payphone – The consultation period is due to end on 20th January 2017.

Ownership of the Cross – The Clerk had contacted English Heritage and the Borough Council but had not been able to ascertain who owned the Cross. DV had some contacts who may be able to provide some information – DV would check and report back.

19. Items for the next Agenda – meeting of 9th March 2017: 

  • Co-option of new Councillors (All)
  • Stanhoe.org website – support for Webmaster (DL)
  • Thoughts for the Annual Parish Meeting (All)

No other items were discussed and the meeting closed at 8.55pm.