Community

Minutes of the meeting of the Village Hall and Recreation Ground Charity Trustee meeting held on 18th August 2015

Present: Trustees Alexander (Chair), Giddens, Howden, Hayden and the Clerk
Members of the public: None

52.15 Apologies and reasons for absence
Trustees Hodson and James sent their apologies and these were accepted.
53.15 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
None.
54.15 To confirm and accept minutes of 21st July 2015
Minutes were, unanimously, approved as a true record of the meeting. Trustee Alexander signed and dated them.
55.15 Matters arising from minutes (information only)
None.
56.15 Update of 48 Main Street boundary, inc:-
Letter received from prospective purchaser 29th July 2015
Letter received from The Tall House 5th August 2015
Additional letter which should have been on the agenda
Letter received from Land Registry 22nd July 2015
The letters were reviewed. The Clerk also informed the PC that the prospective buyer had contacted her by email, ahead of this meeting, to request a brief meeting with a Trustee or Village Hall Committee member to establish the access measurements ahead of his imminent exchange of contracts on the property. The Chair of the committee had offered to meet with him.
Trustee Alexander explained that The Tall House had withdrawn their claim of right of way over the Parish Council’s land, however, if the new owners intended to place a claim, they could start the process again.
57.15 Items for discussion on next agenda
Continuing discussions, no new items.
58.15 Date of next meeting
15th September 2015
Meeting closed 9.05pm

Minutes of the Meeting of Great & Little Gidding
Parish Council held on 18th August 2015, 7.30pm

Present: Cllrs Alexander (Chair), Giddens, Howden, Hayden and the Clerk
Members of the public: 0
D Cllr: Tuplin
Key: CCC Cambridgeshire County Council
HDC Huntingdonshire District Council

172.15 Chairman’s Welcome
173.15 To receive apologies and reasons for absence
Cllrs Hodson and James sent apologies and these were accepted.
174.15 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
None.
175.15 Public and press participation session with respect to items on the agenda
None.
176.15 To confirm and accept minutes of 21st July 2015
Minutes were, unanimously, agreed as a true record of the meeting. The Chairman signed and dated them.
177.15 Matters arising from minutes (information only)
None.
178.15 Communication from District and County Cllrs
Apologies received from C Cllr Bywater.
D Cllr Tuplin reported to the PC that there was to be a boundary review for wards represented by Huntingdonshire District Councillors. He also informed the PC that the lower end (less than a metre) of the 18c brick wall on Main Street, had been removed, as was permitted.
At this point D Cllr Tuplin left the meeting.
179.15 Communication from Parish Cllrs Reports were heard from the Parish Councillors.
Cllr Giddens reported that the grass on the pathways had been trimmed and that she understood that a member of the public, with his family, was kind enough to have swept the jitty of debris. The Clerk was requested to write and thank him.
Cllr Howden reported that the Clerk had sent a letter to all allotment holders reminding them not to use hosepipes to directly water the allotments.
Cllr Hayden reported that a member of the public had noticed some of the new drains in Gains Lane were protruding, approximately, an inch above the road surface. Cllr Alexander to take some pictures for the Clerk to refer to CCC for clarification.
Cllr Alexander reported that the barbed wire fence along the jitty, near the gateway had fallen or been cut down.
180.15 Communication from Village Hall Charity Committee
Clerk to forward the most recent minutes to the Cllrs when she received them.
Cllr Alexander reported that the questionnaire was to go out to all villagers regarding use of the hall and that committee member, R Downer, had resigned. He added that a member of the public had, very kindly, offered his professional services to remove a wasp nest that was causing a nuisance in the hall. The Clerk was requested to write and thank the member of the public.
181.15 Clerk’s report, inc:-
Review of tenants’ contracts to ascertain whether sub-letting is allowed.
Clerk reported that she had reviewed both contracts and although it was not directly stated, both contracts implied that sub-letting was not allowed.
182.15 Correspondence received, inc:-
a) Email – East Northamptonshire Council, Notification of Submission of the North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy
PC noted.
b) Email – HDC, Bridget Halford, Basic Tree Inspection Course
PC noted.
c) Email – BT, line rental going up by £1.00 per month
PC noted.
The following correspondence came in after the agenda was published and the PC allowed it to be reviewed
d) Email – Sue Jarvis, Village Produce Show committee, regarding a correction to the Summer CLARION
To clarify, the Village Produce Show is not run by the Village Hall Committee, as was the impression given in the CLARION. It is run by an independent society whose profits go to supporting various local community groups. The Clerk informed the PC that she had already apologised for the misunderstanding and that she had offered to clarify this again in the next CLARION publication.
The Clerk also informed the PC that Kim Wells, Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, had contacted her to request that, in the next CLARION, she would like it removed that she works with the police as this is not the case. PC noted.
e) Email copying in the PC – Bernard Watson, regarding ‘Men at Work’ signage left behind after works completed
PC noted.
183.15 Finance, inc:-
a) Payment of accounts
All payments were, unanimously, approved and all associated paperwork was initialled by two signatories.
Expenditure
£305.21 – Salaries (STO)
£14.34 – BT July payment (DD)
£1.00 – Milton (Peterborough) Estates Company (CHQ 100919)
£6.48 – Stationery (stamps) (CHQ 100920)
Receipts
None
The Clerk confirmed that she had received and banked (contingency) £179.00 from the VH Committee for the cancelled WW2 event
b) To note the reconciled bank account balance
£10,904.91 Current Account
£15,780.14 Deposit Account
184.15 Planning
None.
185.15 Health & Safety matters, inc:-
Update on :
a) Gains Lane, overhanging branches – Clerk
The Clerk reported that Les Middleton would be covering Gidding whilst Tony King was being replaced. Les had informed that he wasn’t able to identify the owners of individual trees, however, he would try and source a more informative map to help with this. He also advised that he would tried an pin down a more definitive date on when works would commence and he would also try to provide the PC with the contractor’s brief.
b) Brook at the back of the jitty, update – Clerk
The Clerk advised that when she contacted Anglian Water she had been referred to the Environment Agency. Alan Jones had suggested it would be useful to have a Cllr present when he reviewed the brook and Cllr Alexander had offered. As yet, it had not been possible for Cllr Alexander to make contact with Alan. The Clerk was requested to contact Alan again and report back.
186.15 Update regarding the recent Chapel End works – Clerk
The Clerk read aloud the response from Les Middleton after she had sent pictures to him of apparent ‘shoddy’ work, for clarification. He advised that CCC would not get involved unless there was a defect of more than 50mm. He suggested the PC could refer this to the Street Works Dept. but he did not expect them to take this up unless there were holes, etc, more than 50mm deep which the Clerk’s pictures did not appear to show. The PC were satisfied.
187.15 Discussion regarding the benefits of Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) membership and the possible Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Association of Local Councils (CAPALC) membership
The Clerk advised that the differences were that SLCC supported the Clerk to do her job, they did not advise the PC separately. If she had a grievance with the PC, SLCC would support her. CAPALC was felt to be more like an insurance policy. They supported the PC directly and if the Clerk had a grievance against the PC, CAPALC would support the PC. The Clerk informed that she could not recommend one over the other. She added that if the PC felt they needed support in a legal capacity, CAPALC would attend a meeting where as SLCC would not.
The Clerk advised that she understood that SLCC membership could be split between her other PC’s of which one is currently also a member.
A discussion was had, however, no decision was reached.
To be reviewed in the November budget.
188.15 Discussion of Parish Councillor’s/Trustee’s training needs
It was, unanimously, decided to defer this to the following meeting’s agenda in the hope that more members would be present.
189.15 Play equipment on the recreation ground, update – Cllr James
Via the Clerk, Cllr James informed that the PC were unsuccessful in their funding request with the Community Chest Fund. She requested this item be removed from the agenda until she managed to source another funding avenue. This was, unanimously, agreed.
190.15 Tree Survey, update – Cllr Alexander
Cllr Alexander reported that he had sent an aboriculturalist a village boundary plan and he was awaiting a cost to review and number the trees owned by the PC. To be reported at the next meeting.
191.15 Village Hall notice board replacement, update – Cllr Alexander
Cllr Alexander reported that he had purchased and positioned the new aluminium framed notice board. Cllr Alexander to provide the Clerk with the invoice.
192.15 Update on village sign work – Cllr James
Via the Clerk, Cllr James reported that she was waiting on a couple more quotations and she would report at the next meeting.
193.15 Approval of ‘Welcome Pack’ for new residents to the village
The Cllrs reviewed and unanimously, approved the design and content, bar the removal of any business information that was not deemed as an amenity. Cllr Giddens to organise the delivery of the welcome packs to new residents. The Clerk was requested to thank the member of the public who produced the packs.
194.15 Policy review, inc:-
Risk Assessment, update – Cllr James
Via the Clerk, Cllr James reported that she was in the process of producing the risk assessment document.
195.15 To consider maximising investments
It was, unanimously, agreed to defer this item to the next agenda when it was hoped that more members would be present. The Clerk was requested to find out how much percentage each of the held accounts were offering.
196.15 Items for the next CLARION
Apart from the items mentioned in the correspondence, Speedwatch and the Village Hall Committee questionnaire were included.
197.15 Items for discussion on next agenda
Continuing discussions plus a review of the grass cutting schedule.
198.15 Date of next meeting
15th September 2015.
This section of the meeting was closed to the public
Staffing Matters
199.15 To discuss an increase in the Clerk’s weekly hours
It was, unanimously, agreed to defer this item to the next agenda in the hope that more members would be present.
200.15 To discuss the purchase of a reference book to aid the Clerk’s role
The Clerk suggested she purchase the ninth edition of the Arnold-Baker Local Council Administration reference book and she advised that the Amazon Website sold this for, £74.60 plus £2.80 p&p. The purchase was, unanimously, approved and the Clerk to purchase and be refunded at the next meeting.
Meeting closed 8.40pm

Minutes of the meeting of Great Gidding Charity Trustee meeting held on 21st July 2015
Present: Trustees Alexander (Chair), James, Giddens, Hodson, Howden and the Clerk
Members of the public: None

31.15 Apologies and reasons for absence
Trustee Hayden did not attend.
32.15 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
None.
33.15 To confirm and accept minutes of 21st April and 17th February 2015
Minutes were approved. Trustee Alexander signed and dated them.
34.15 Matters arising from minutes (information only)
None.
35.15 Finance, inc:-
To confirm the end of year accounts
The bank statement for the end of year was provided by the Clerk and Trustee Hodson requested the Clerk put together an Income and Expenditure list, to file for next year.
36.15 To confirm the Charity Commission Annual Return has been completed
The Clerk confirmed this had been completed.
37.15 Date of next meeting
20th October 2015.
Meeting closed 9.45pm

Minutes of the meeting of the Village Hall and Recreation Ground Charity Trustee meeting held on 21st July 2015
Present: Trustees Alexander (Chair), James, Giddens, Hodson, Howden and the Clerk

Members of the public: None
43.15 Apologies and reasons for absence
Trustee Hayden did not attend.
44.15 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
None.
45.15 To confirm and accept minutes of 16th June 2015
Minutes were approved. Trustee Alexander signed and dated them.
46.15 Matters arising from minutes (information only)
None.
47.15 Update of 48 Main Street boundary
It was noted that there was a SOLD, estate agent, sign up relating to the bungalow, however, no correspondence had been received by neither Tall House Developments nor Land Registry. Trustee Alexander offered to contact Land Registry to clarify the situation and report back.
48.15 To confirm the Charity Commission Annual Return has been completed
Trustee Hodson confirmed this had been actioned.
49.15 To discuss what the Trustees would do in the event of the Committee being unable to raise sufficient funds to keep the Village Hall running
It was reported that in this event, it would cost the PC £1500.00 per year just for the Village Hall to stand, unused.
Trustee Alexander advised that the Committee were to send out a questionnaire to village residents to ascertain if they wished to attend events and if so what kind of events interested them.
It was agreed for this discussion to continue after the results of the questionnaire where available.
50.15 Items for discussion on next agenda
Continuing discussions, no new items.
51.15 Date of next meeting
18th August 2015
Meeting closed 9.35pm

Minutes of the Meeting of Great & Little Gidding
Parish Council held on 21st July 2015, 7.30pm
Present: Cllrs Alexander (Chair), Giddens, Hodson, Howden, Hayden, James and the Clerk
Members of the public: 1
D Cllr: Tuplin
C Cllr: Bywater
Key: CCC Cambridgeshire County Council
HDC Huntingdonshire District Council

145.15 Chairman’s Welcome
146.15 To receive apologies and reasons for absence
None.
147.15 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
None.
148.15 Public and press participation session with respect to items on the agenda
None.
149.15 To confirm and accept minutes of 16th June 2015 Minutes were, unanimously, approved by the PC.
The Chairman signed and dated them.
150.15 Matters arising from minutes (information only)
None.
151.15 Communication from District and County Cllrs
Reports were heard from D Cllr Tuplin and C Cllr Bywater.
C Cllr Bywater offered to support the PC in any applications for the Local Highways Improvement initiative (LHI).
D Cllr Tuplin advised that he had been notified about an 18c wall in the village and that he had requested HDC contact the owners, before it is taken down.
At this point D Cllr Tuplin and C Cllr Bywater left the meeting.
152.15 Communication from Parish Cllrs Reports were heard from the Parish Councillors.
Cllr James reported that:
• There had been no update from Cambridgeshire Future Transport.
• Works to reduce the overgrown vegetation on the bend by the recreation ground had been put out to tender.
• She had photographed areas outside the thatched cottage on Chapel End which appeared to be unsatisfactory work.
• She had discovered a fallen bough of an ash tree across the bridleway accessed from Luddington Road. Debris had been removed. She advised that attention was needed on the remainder of the tree.
Clerk was requested to report the apparent, unsatisfactory, Chapel End work to CCC and to advise David Buttery (Joliffe Daking) regarding attention to the ash tree.
153.15 Communication from Village Hall Charity Committee
Clerk to forward the most recent minutes to the Cllrs.
Cllr Alexander reported that the grant application for new curtains had not been successful and the facia board at the front of the hall was to be replaced. Cllr Hodson reported that the end of year accounts had been recorded on the Charity Commission website.
154.15 Clerk’s report, inc:-
Status of invoicing for parish land
Clerk reported that the tenants of the parish land had been invoiced and they had communicated when they would pay. Clerk was requested to review the contracts to establish whether it was allowable for the tenants to sub-let.
Clerk advised that she was taking annual leave on Thursday 23rd July.
155.15 Correspondence received, inc:-
a) Email – CCC, Local Highways Improvement initiative
PC noted.
b) Email – CCC, Part-night Lighting implementation
PC noted.
c) Email – HDC, Gambling Act 2005 Draft statement of Principles consultation
PC noted.
d) Email (letter) – CCC, Public Rights of Way grass cutting update
PC noted.
e) Email – HDC, Licensing Act 2003 Draft Statement of Licensing Policy consultation
PC noted.
f) Email – HDC, Houghton and Wyton Submission Neighbourhood Plan
PC noted.
g) Email – The Rural Services Network, survey
PC noted.
h) Email – East Northamptonshire Council, Pre-Submission North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy
PC noted.
i) Email – Village Hall Committee – WW2 event cancellation and Parish Council contribution
PC noted.
Following a discussion, it was, unanimously, agreed for the Village Hall Committee to retain the costs incurred in preparing for the event – £50.00 band deposit, £21.00 alcohol licence. The remaining £179.00 was to be returned to the Parish Council funds. Clerk was requested to communicate this with the Village Hall Committee.
156.15 Finance, inc:-
a) Payment of accounts
Expenditure
£305.21 – Salaries (STO)
£14.07 – BT June payment (DD)
£102.89 – CGM, grass cutting (CHQ 100916)
£40.78 – Anglian Water, Rec Field (DD)
£2.50 – Stationery (paper) (CHQ 100917)
£35.00 – Data Protection Registration renewal (CHQ 100918)
Receipts
None
All payments were, unanimously, approved. Paperwork and cheques were signed by two signatories.
b) To note the reconciled bank account balance
£11,052.94 Current Account
£15,780.14 Deposit Account
157.15 To receive a quotation from CGM Group to spray weeds in the areas of hard standing around the Village Hall, not including the removal of dead weeds.
The PC reviewed the quotation of £320.83, inc VAT, for 5 sprays per annum and it was, unanimously, agreed that the village maintain the hard standing area on a voluntary basis.
158.15 Planning
None.
159.15 Health & Safety matters, inc:-
Update on :
a) The state of the jitty – Clerk
The Clerk reported that CCC has advised that after reviewing the jitty, they considered it to be clear of debris and in a satisfactory condition. Cllr Giddens felt it would be a good idea to sweep the area and offered to do this with the assistance of another member of the public. Cllr Giddens also expressed her concern regarding some tree branches she considered were in need of trimming. It was resolved for individuals to report concerns of this nature, personally, on the CCC website, fault reporting page,
www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk
b) Gains Lane, overhanging branches – Clerk
Clerk was requested to add this information to the website.
The Clerk reported that she had been advised by CCC that the branch trimming work was due to commence in the next couple of weeks, approximately. Clerk was requested to gain a definite date of works commencement and request a copy of the brief that the contractors would be working from. The Clerk was also requested to contact Les Middleton to ascertain who would be covering the Giddings area in the absence of Tony King and to request that that person to visit with a couple of Cllrs to ascertain which trees in Gains Lane belong to whom – CCC/Milton Estates?
At this point Cllr Hayden left the meeting.
160.15 Play equipment on the recreation ground, update – Cllr James
Cllr James reported that she expected an answer by the end of the week. To be reported at the next meeting.
161.15 Tree Survey, update – Cllr Alexander
Cllr Alexander reported that he had organised for another tree surgeon the review the trees. To be reported at the next meeting.
162.15 Village Hall notice board replacement, update – Cllr Alexander
Cllr Alexander reported that he had sourced an aluminium framed, magnetic, notice board at £199.00. He was requested to compare the price against a similar product, however, the PC were satisfied with the product and price. To be reviewed at the next meeting.
163.15 Update regarding use of Community Payback Team (CPT) – Cllr James
Cllr James reported that after several attempts, she had not received back any communication from the CPT and it was, unanimously, agreed not to continue pursuing this avenue.
164.15 Update on village sign work – Cllr James
Cllr James reported that she had emailed two sources to gain quotations for the works, however, as yet, she had been unsuccessful. It was, unanimously, agreed that she continue.
165.15 Approval of ‘Welcome Pack’ for new residents to the village
Cllr Giddens provided a copy of a leaflet that had been, kindly, put together by a member of the public. It was discussed and agreed that an electronic version be emailed to all Cllrs. To be discussed at the next meeting.
166.15 Policy review, inc:-
Risk Assessment, update – Cllr Alexander
Cllr Alexander explained that he had not had time to address this and it was suggested that another member take ownership. Clerk to email a model version of the Risk Assessment to Cllr James to be reviewed and approved at the next meeting.
167.15 Items for the next CLARION
Clerk to print the CLARION this coming week and Cllr James to deliver.
The member of the public left the meeting at this point.
168.15 Items for discussion on next agenda
Continuing discussions. Actions from the Clerk’s Appraisal – Clerk’s hours, CAPALC membership discussion, assessment of Trustee’s training needs plus to consider maximising investments.
169.15 Date of next meeting
18th August 2015.
This section of the meeting was closed to the public
Staffing Matters
The Clerk was requested to leave the room while the PC discussed the following two items.
She returned and minuted the outcome of the discussions.
170.15 To confirm the completion of the Clerk’s annual appraisal and confirm actions
Cllrs Howden and Giddens confirmed that the Clerk’s annual appraisal had been completed on Monday 20th July 2015.
The associated actions are listed above for discussion at the next meeting.
171.15 To discuss a request from the Clerk for her to work from home during school holiday periods
The PC, unanimously, agreed for the Clerk to work from home during this current summer holiday period, ending on 3rd September 2015. This was to be seen as a trial run and was not to be assumed that permission was granted for the Clerk to work from home during any future school holiday period. The PC requested the Clerk put up a notice on the office window advising the public that she was working from home and to provide a mobile phone number for those wishing to contact her. The PC also requested the Clerk forward the office phone to her mobile.
The Clerk agreed to these stipulations and thanked the PC was their flexibility.
Meeting closed 9.25pm
Date of next meeting
18th August 2015