January 2020 Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Harmston Parish Council held in the Harmston Memorial Hall, School Lane, Harmston on Tuesday 21st January 2020 at 7.30 pm
PRESENT: Cllr M Jones (Vice-Chair), Cllr I Edgar, Cllr P Wallace, Cllr M Shepherd, Cllr B Hamilton.
Also present: Hayley Keeling (Clerk), DCllr Lucille Hagues
104 PUBLIC QUESTION TIME
A resident raised concerns over planning application 19/1085/FUL Pig Fattening Unit. It was noted that recently a separate planning application had been refused on the grounds of Policy LP17 Landscape, townscape & views. The commercial image of the structure is far more imposing than an agricultural building such as an open sided cattle unit. Surely a precedent must have been set if other applications have been refused on this basis. Cllr M Jones will email planning.
The odour report raised several issues including spreading on land & the venting of stored slurry on site. The applicant has been asked to re-model several features which to date has not been received. The PC submitted a further report regarding weather conditions such as mist & fog where the stagnant air will be prominent.
DCllr Lucille Hagues is liasing with Cllr M Jones and suggested a letter be sent to all DCllrs to gain support. It was noted this should be done approximately one month prior to the committee meeting.
Action: MJ
105 APOLOGIES AND REASON FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Cllr J Martin-Hoyes (Chair) – Reasons accepted. It was proposed by Cllr P Wallace, seconded by Cllr I Edgar & it was RESOLVED that Cllr M Jones chair the meeting.
106 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST ON ANY ITEM ON THE AGENDA
Cllr P Wallace declared an interest on item 12 Allotments.
He is a member of The Harmston Allotment Interest Group.
107 MINUTES
It was proposed by Cllr P Wallace, seconded by Cllr B Hamilton and it was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held on 19th of November 2019 to be approved.
108 REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES
a) Local Police – No representatives were in attendance. The letter inviting PC Hansen to the meeting has received no response. It was noted that PC Hansen has now retired & a replacement has filled the position.
b) District Councillors – DCllr Lucille Hagues was in attendance. DCllr Marianne Overton’s newsletter & all other correspondence has been circulated.
c) County Councillor – No representatives were present.
109 CLERK’S REPORT
a) The Register of Members Interests form & GDPR Security Compliance Checklist have been completed by Cllr M Shepherd & submitted to NKDC.
b) NALC Standing orders have been uploaded to the PC website.
c) Cllr M Shepherd has been added to the list of the Cllrs on the PC Website and vacancies changed to one.
d) The potholes on Harmston Hill have been reported & repaired.
e) An advert has been placed in the Graffoe Link for land for the use of allotments / communal garden.
f) A plaque for Frances Mansaaker’s memorial bench has been ordered.
g) The operational inspection has been completed & received from The Play Inspection Company LTD. The findings are low risk or very low risk. A few items need attention such as sanding sharp edges etc. The lack of fencing was not mentioned.
h) The re-declaration has been submitted to The Pensions Regulator & previous details of Cllr F Mansaaker have been removed.
i) The training scheme for the new year has been released by LALC.
j) The latest LALC & NALC newsletters have been received & forwarded to all.
k) A new ink cartridge & office supplies for the PC have been purchased with petty cash. (See petty cash report.)
l) The petty cash will need reconciling to £200.
m) The Salvation Army donation has been posted along with a thank you letter.
n) Christmas lights – details for unmetered supply have been received from WPD.
o) Cllr I Edgar has dismantled & removed the village Christmas tree.
p) A new cheque book has been ordered & received.
q) Street Lighting:
Repair made in village – Invoiced & paid.
110 FINANCIAL MATTERS
a) To note balance as at 24/12/2019
Treasurers Account £16,198.19
Uncleared payments:
Income received (included in balances): nil
Income received (excluded in balances): nil
b) To Note payments made between meetings:
c) To note Payments made on 21/01/2020
nil
d) To note the petty cash report for November/December
Christmas Switch on:
Mulled wine: £75.00
Plates, napkins, sweets, juice: £32.05
Mince pies: £91.00
Printer ink cartridge: £52.25
Paper: £4.50
To note a cheque for £56.75 is required to reconcile the petty cash back to £200.
e) The clerk has forwarded a budget figure projector for all Cllrs to consider prior to the meeting. The following will be taken into consideration for finalising the budget:
The main increases in spends this financial year have been streetlighting & maintenance. Based on a monthly average to the end of the financial year the cost of supply has a 36.2% increase from the previous financial year. It was noted that a change of supplier should be considered. The streetlights within the village also raised concern as a drastic increase in maintenance shows how the ageing streetlights are requiring more frequent repairs.
It was agreed £500.00 has been allocated for a new laptop due to battery failure.
The village sign donation & Christmas light switch on expenses have been allocated for 2020/2021. With 533 residents on the electoral role with the allowance of £8.32 per elector for 2020/2021 there can be no more than £4434.56 spent on section 137 items. (The number of electors may vary slightly on 1st April 2020)
Speedwatch: The brackets for the device will need to be purchased & fitted. A replacement battery is approximately £170 which presumably costing would be shared among the participating villages.
Training: The new costs of training days with LALC will start on the 1st of April 2020. £22.50 + VAT for a morning/afternoon/evening course & £55.00 + VAT for a full day.
Play Area: The amount budgeted will depend on the decision to agree fencing.
Costs to be considered allow for supply, fitting, treating & maintenance also adding a grass cutting allowance for the newly fenced off area if agreed. Should the costing for supply & fitting come in under £3,500.00 it was agreed it would go ahead. This will be looked into & considered at the next meeting.
The PC continues to manage its budget effectively and has now rebuilt its reserves from the expenditure of the play park. Very tight financial controls are exercised through its reporting systems and through carefully managing costs the PC suggested to increase the precept by only 3.92% for the financial year of 2020/2021. It was proposed by Cllr B Hamilton, seconded by Cllr I Edgar and it was RESOLVED that the precept increase by 3.92% therefore an increase of £1.81 per household.
f) An invoice for the defibrillator has been requested.
111 PLANNING
TREE WORKS
a) 20/0010/TCA - T1 Bay Fell – Ophira, Chapel Lane, Harmston
The following planning applications were received:
b) 19/1582/HOUS Shepherds Cottage Church Lane Harmston.
c) 19/1589/FUL The Thorald Arms High Street Harmston.
The following planning decisions were noted:
d) 19/0585/HOUS Bottom House Chapel Lane Harmston – Refused.
e) 19/1582/HOUS Shepherds Cottage Church Lane Harmston – Approved.
f) Change of house name from The Annexe at The Old Garth to Cabbage Hall, Chapel Lane, Harmston – Approved.
112 PLANNING 19/1085/FUL PIG FATTENING UNIT
See item 104
113 TRAFFIC AND SPEEDING WITHIN THE VILLAGE
a) Cllr P Wallace & Cllr I Edgar will submit the locations to Dave Mitchell. He would like the complete form submitting again with new clerk’s details, SID placement & Insurance details. Insurance details have been sent to Stacey Knowles and Dave Mitchell. As the location of the A607 is not suitable it was suggested that the second placement could be halfway down Vicarage Lane on the left hand side as you drive into the village from the A607. This is subject to approval from Highways.
b) The Cliff Cluster speed indicator device has now been received and is at Bracebridge Heath. The device will be shared between each village & will remain for 2 weeks before moving to the next village.
c) No residents were present to report on traffic & speeding within the village. It was noted that PC Hansen has now retired and a replacement has filled his position. The clerk should request his details and send a welcome letter.
Action: PW, IE
It was noted that previously the Station Commander at RAF Waddington had supported the PC with tackling commuting traffic through the village. It agreed the clerk would find the details of the new Station Commander & Cllr M Jones & Cllr I Edgar will draft a letter.
Action: HK
Concerns were raised over the traffic and the implications of works commencing for the new bypass at the junction of the A15 & Tower Lane.
Action: HK, MJ, IE
114 VILLAGE SIGN
a) Cllr B Hamilton provided an update from the village sign committee. Members of the village sign committee agreed the amended design was a good representation of the Harmston community working together. Feedback led to the design of the sign being based on a community theme of residents working & socialising together rather than the geographical or historical elements of the village.
Generous donations have been received through fundraising events of a casino evening & handcrafted fair. The Thorald Arms also have a collection jar. Further events are being arranged, a High Tea has been scheduled for the 26th of April.
The finished sign will be one sided & is intended as a work of art, therefore should be positioned in a part of the village where residents & visitors can easily access it.
The committee has suggested the well outside the Memorial Hall. The PC suggested the sign be placed within the grounds of the Memorial Hall therefore presenting fewer issues with regards to Highways approval. Cllr B Hamilton will feed the suggestion back at the village sign committee meeting scheduled for April. It is hoped the sign will be finished, paid for & ready for installation in the summer.
Action: BH
115 ALLOTMENTS
a) An advert has been placed in the Graffoe Link for land to lease to be used as allotments / communal gardens. No response has been received to date.
116 MEMORIAL BENCH FOR THE LATE CLLR F MANNSAKER (CHAIR)
a) It was agreed should funding allow the playpark to be fenced off, the memorial bench should be placed within this & and fixed to the floor. The plaque has been ordered.
117 HARMSTON PLAY AREA
a) It was agreed an email should be sent to ask if the works required on the operational report from the Play Inspection Company are covered under warranty.
Action: HK
b) It was agreed Cllr M Jones would look further into the costing of buying and fitting a fence. It was previously agreed that the fencing required would be 100m in total. A 25m square including one double gate. It was agreed the fence should be oak. Should the costing for supply & fitting come in under £3,500.00 it was agreed it would go ahead. This will be considered at the next meeting.
Action: MJ
118 CLIFF CLUSTER
Cllr P Wallace attended the latest meeting & noted:
a) Election of Officers - A new Chairman & Vice Chairman have been elected.
Speed Indicator Device – Now purchased and at BraceBridge Heath.
Navenby Youth Club – Is currently well used by youths from Navenby & surrounding Cliff Villages.
Grass Cutting – NKDC have been cutting grass verges 3 times a year as safety cuts on behalf of LCC but are to now stop doing this and handing back the responsibility to LCC. PC’s can take on the responsibility of doing this and claim money from LCC.
Crime Update - PC Hanson was thought by some to have now been replaced but the name of his successor was not known.
Sharing Best Practice and Village issues - Navenby gave an update on Mrs Smith’s Cottage
BBH explained they have had more large planning applications for new houses.
Leadenham have had a planning application for an extension to the Polo Club.
Harmston residents are still concerned about the old village roads being used as a cut through and now PC Hanson has (possibly) been replaced we will be again looking for action to be taken to enforce the law. Residents are also concerned about the Pig Rearing planning application. The date it will be called to committee was not known.
The Village Pub the Thorold Arms is open and all are welcome.
Ward Boundary Changes - There is a Ward Boundary review ongoing and Local people have until 16 March 2020 to submit their views in this consultation. Further information on the review and interactive maps of the existing wards can be found at www.lgbce.org.uk (residents can also make comments and suggestions about this)
The aim of the electoral review is to recommend ward boundaries that mean each District Councillor represents approximately the same number of voters. Harmston was mentioned as being a contender for change from the ‘Cliff Villages Ward’ to ‘Bracebridge Heath & Waddington East’ Ward.
Action: PW
This information will be added to a Harmston PC update within ‘Harmston Matters’ and placed on the village notice boards.
Action: HK
Date of next meeting – 18th March 2020 at Navenby 19.30.
b) VE Day is on Friday 8th May. The question was asked if Harmston are doing anything in the village to celebrate this? Cllr B Hamilton will enquire with HMH.
Action: BH
MATTERS RAISED FOR THE NEXT MEETING
a) The costing for supplying & fitting of fencing for the play park should be considered and a final decision made as to whether this is affordable for the PC.
DATES OF FUTURE MEETING
The next meeting will be Monday 2nd March 2020, 7:30pm at Harmston Memorial Hall. This has been brought forward as the original date coincided with the committee meeting for planning application 19/1085/FUL Pig Fattening Unit.
OTHER MATTERS
a) Cllr M Shepherd would like to attend the New Councillor course on 15th September 2020. The clerk is to book this.
Action: HK
There being no further business the Chair closed the meeting at 9.48pm