Present: Councillors Hodson, Maciag, Sanders, Moody, Hargrave and Bolton, and the Clerk.
064.23 Councillor Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present
065.23 Apologies and reasons for absence
County Councillor Gardener – holiday
Councillor D’Altilia – work commitment
066.23 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Interests – Councillor Hodson for 075.23
067.23 No members of the public or press were present.
068.23 Minutes of the meeting held on 18th July 2023 were confirmed as a true and correct record by Councillors Bolton and Hargrave
069.23 Matters arising from those Minutes that will not be discussed as an agenda item.
County Councillor Gardener has forwarded his report following the July meeting and followed up the repairs to Main Street footpath, it has been confirmed by Highways Dept that is awaiting a date for commencement of work.
070.23 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk:
Clerk’s appraisal completed with Councillor Hodson and a copy had been shared prior to the meeting – there were no comments.
Councillor Maciag advised that an application has been submitted to the Department for Levelling Up for funding in respect of the Neighbourhood Plan, a total sum of £6000.
Information Commissioners Office have confirmed continuing cover.
071.23 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.
Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 4/8/2023 £15699.35
Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/8/2023 £16,061.85
Defibrillator account – £246.39
b) PAYMENTS – the following online payments were approved by Councillors Hargrave and Sanders:
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised | |
| J R Trolove | Wages for June ( 38 hours ) | Xxx | NIL | JRT | ||
| Bradgate Ground Maintenance Ltd (no xxxx) | Grass cutting of Recreation Field | Clerk reminded them and invoices awaited | ||||
| Wicksteed Leisure Ltd | Annual inspection of Rec Field | 158.40 | 26.40 | JRT | ||
| Viking | Office supplies | 143.77 | 23.96 | JRT | ||
| Parish Online | Subscription – for use with Neighbourhood Plan | 48.00 | 8.00 | JRT | ||
| CAPALC | Councillor training for JB | 75.00 | – | JRT |
- to approve Clerk’s working hours for July – total of 27
- PKF Littlejohn, External Auditor, have confirmed and accepted that this Parish Council is exempt from further audit requirements until 2023/24.
072.23 PLANNING applications and other planning matters:
There are no new planning applications as at 9th August 2023
Enforcement/Conservation Officer has responded re. 65 Main Street – Councillors Moody and Hodson advised that the Officer had focused on the position of the gate and it was the lack of re-instatement of the wall in accordance with the Planning Permission that was the concern, given that this property lies within the Conservation Area of the village – Clerk will contact the Officer.
Registering properties in the Parish for Listing or as Assets of Community Value (and areas of land for this latter option) – details had been shared prior to the meeting and, after discussion, the Clerk will complete an application for an Asset of Community Value in respect of the school playground, this will be shared with Councillors prior to the next meeting.
School – assessment of site for future community use, CambsCC advise site is not currently available to view/assess. Councillor Moody felt the response inferred that the site would be completely cleared, including play equipment, and this was not the preferred action for the Parish Council as the hope was to retain the play equipment, and the playground surface for community use. Clerk will contact CambsCC for clarification and to make them aware of this proposal. Cllr Maciag asked that a request again be made to view the site as, it is not understood why it was safe for children and staff to access the site, but not for Parish Councillors. A request will also be made to access the school house to assess if that has value as a community building (the building is owned by Milton Estates Peterborough and leased to CambsCC until May 2024). Councillor Sanders pointed out that, if they intend to erect further “safety” fencing, as the site is in the village Conservation Area, this will require planning approval.
073.23 Policy Documents
Freedom of Information Policy – the template from Information Commissioners Office had been shared prior to the meeting, partially completed by the Clerk. Councillor Hodson requested that a minimum charge of £5.00 be applied to this document, also that the preferred method of payment should be made by BACS as there are no Petty Cash arrangements in place, and this was agreed by all Councillors.
Risk Management Policy – the Clerk had compiled and shared a suggested layout and wording prior to the meeting, this included the Village Hall and Recreation Field. Councillor Moody suggested that Village Hall and Recreation Ground should be included in the title to reflect this. Some additions are required, such as limits of indemnity, parish trees, dates when policy documents are reviewed. Clerk will make the revisions and submit to the September meeting for final approval.
074.23 Recreation Field – Clerk met with Bradgate representative – removal of wooden play equipment will take place in the autumn.
075.23 Allotment renewal notices – Councillor Hodson declared an interest – Clerk advised there is now a waiting list of 3 residents. Various options were discussed regarding changes to the allotments themselves and/or the terms of the tenancy agreement (copy of the tenancy agreement had been sent to Councillors prior to the meeting). Clerk suggested that a covering letter should be sent with the invoices for the annual rent, advising of the waiting list and asking if tenants wish to share their plot or may be considering relinquishing their plot in the next 12 months – this was agreed
076.23 Anglian Water – there have been a series of burst and leaking pipes in both Main Street and Chapel End recently. Clerk had compiled and shared a list of known dates prior to the meeting and will send this to Anglian Water with a letter (copied to District and County Councillors and MP), asking when the pipes around the village will be replaced.
077.23 Correspondence received since 18th July 2023:
a) NALC newsletters – Chief Executives Bulletin, NALC events list,
b) Cambridgeshire County Council – Cambridgeshire Matters monthly newsletter, request for volunteers for winter gritting programme, Traffic Management Centre incident reports for July 2023 (2 in Huntingdonshire), DEADLINE for Priorities Capital fund is 24th September *** Councillor Hargrave had been unable to access the related information.
c) Huntingdonshire District Council – press release re. St Neots town centre, Michelle Sacks appointed as permanent Chief Executive, consultation on the Council Tax Support Scheme, press release – green flag for Huntingdonshire Parks, press release – posters for recycling advice, press release – inviting residents to have their say on a Public Space Protection Order: Dog Control proposal, possible industrial action by Hunts DC staff, Electric vehicle charging points availability – deadline extended to 18th September,after much discussion it was agreed that the village itself, and the Village Hall as a venue, were unlikely to be favourable sites for a charging point
Sports Facilities Strategy – both indoor and outdoor sporting facilities (Gidding is noted as having NONE) https://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/news/district-council-announces-new-sports-facility-strategy/ – Clerk has read through the outdoor facilities report (see page 153 (of a total of 170) for MUGA information).
d) CAPALC –,
e) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority – Armed Forces drop in sessions,
f)Greater Peterborough/Greater Cambridge Partnerships
f) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc – News from the Courts emails, scam alert re. one time passwords, Herbert Protocol for carers of dementia sufferers, Police & Crime Commissioners latest report, WhatsAPP scammers target community groups, QUISHING – scamming via QR codes,
h) Cambs Acre – Cambridgeshire Home Energy Support Service – poster, Staying In Touch newsletter, EVENT – conserving nature and boosting diversity by greening your community spaces – ZOOM, 12th September at 5PM (clerk will attend)
i) HedgehogsRUs – Hedgehog Highways Project
j) NHS Peterborough and Cambridgeshire – posters for the importance of hydration
k) Parish Online newsletter – Clerk advised that the website links on the Parish Online site were not working, resulting in her submitted a Freedom of Information request in an attempt to gain access to the maps and information..
078.23 Items for next meeting:
079.23 The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 19th September 2023 at Great Gidding Village Hall
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