The Parish Council has published the August Newsletter which will be displayed on Noticeboards throughout the Parish and submitted via WhatsApp, Facebook and here on the Giddings website.
If you are aware of anyone in the parish who cannot access the noticeboards or the community social media platforms, please contact the Parish Council so a printed copy can be made available for them. If you would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly newsletter via email, please contact the Parish Council.
Lets talk Scything, a bit of a renaissance hobby at the moment
Mid month a group of scything enthusiasts met in the KW to help drop the grass headland alongside the brook and a bit more besides. Powered by tea and cakes the group was able to get stuck into some decent mowing. It was raked over and rowed up and then baled.
Scything is usually seen as the allotmenteer’s weapon of mowing choice. This has spread to user groups tending nature reserves, churchyards and amenity grass.
Nothing wrong with the power or electric strimmer, you just don’t have to dress up and feed* the scythe as you do with the powered options.
The down side is the raking up but if you want to improve your grass sward then you need to pick up the mown grass anyway.
Time to get online!
Using an old scythe that has hung in the cowshed for 60 years isn’t the way forward, the blade is rusty and worn out and the handle is so ridden with woodworm it crumbles in your hand. Obviously Internet shopping is the answer. A height matched snath and a selection of blades along with whetstones for sharpening and a little device for peening (which I’ll talk about on national peening day) is all that’s required.
YouTube offers some scything techniques, suffice today if you mix skiing and Tai-chi movements you’ll find a scything rhythm that suits, otherwise get tuition.
If you treat scything as a hobby it offers fitness and an agreeable peaceful recreation.
Wildflowers
The wildflower strip is still fabulous, pulling in winged insects from far and wide. Not quite as vibrant with the ox-eye daisy going over but still plenty of nectar rich flowers available. Hopefully there will be a good seed set for next year.
Lack of rainfall
The trees have grown tremendously well. I justhope the lack of rainfall does not send them into an early leaf fall.
The pond depth at months end is 0 mm which is 0” in old money, evaporation has outpaced 14 mm of early June rainfall.
*A pack of “Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers” will power me for a morning’s scything.
As has already been mentioned, three options for reforming the major local councils in Cambridgeshire have recently been announced.
Further details are available on the Huntingdonshire District Council website www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk but in short, each option would see either a merger of Huntingdonshire with Fenland and Peterborough, or a merger of Huntingdonshire with Fenland, East Cambs and Peterborough or a merger of Huntingdonshire with Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire; all the options will include an incorporation of the services currently carried out by Cambridgeshire County Council.
The ultimate decision will be taken by Central Government, who started this whole process off but please do take the opportunity to participate in the survey.
SAWTRY SWIMMING POOL
Having spoken in support of the pool as a resource for the villages in our area, I was delighted when funding was secured to reopen it. The current target for reopening is Spring 2026 but this may be subject to change as work progresses.
ANEROBIC DIGESTER APPLICATION IN LUDDINGTON
Further to my article in March this year, the councillor in North Northants I was liaising with is no longer a council member so I have written to two others who represent Luddington to ask them for an update on what is happending with this application. I will submit provide further information once it becomes available.
WORKING TOGETHER
My fellow ward District Councillor, Marge Beuttell and I believe in collaborative working. As well as working closely with County Councillor Ian Gardener, we continue to set up meetings for local Parish Councils, where common issues and hopefully, resolutions to issues can be shared. We are currently working to arrange the next meeting date, where we hope to invite a County Council Highways Officer.
Tim Alban
District Councillor for Stilton, Folksworth & Washingley Ward
In the following months I hope to inform, entertain and give an insight into planting and managing a brand new wood in the Huntingdonshire landscape. Actually we are already one and half years into the project but then woodlands are long term so it’s easy to backtrack and recall what’s already happened.
For ease of writing the King’s Wood will be the “KW” henceforth.
Some hard numbers
The KW is 10 acres (4.2ha)
We planted 7730 trees as 32 species, Oaks being the most numerous.
Planted in 4 week during December 2023 and January 2024 and then it rained, lots!
In the short time since planting we’ve added numerous elements to bring a wide and diverse backdrop of environmental benefit each of which we’ll cover in future blogs but I am very pleased with the wildflower mix. Every seed of the 17 species seems to have grown. This is a clay land mix that brings pollen and nectar availability to the insect world. Quite honestly I’ve never seen so many meadow brown butterflies.
Two more things to mention
There’s a notice board by the KW handgate and on it a monthly species list, calendar of events and a test blog! Check them out.
The final element to mention is the monthly KW “walkabout” , always the last Monday of the month at 7pm. Just a ramble around the KW with some nature topic(s) to be discussed or questions that need answers, usually lasts an hour.
Next blog
Next blog will land in the first week of July as we need to include monthly rainfall figures and pond depth…….its a farmer thing!
The Parish Council has published the June Newsletter which will be displayed on Noticeboards throughout the Parish and submitted via WhatsApp, Facebook and here on the Giddings website.
If you are aware of anyone in the parish who cannot access the noticeboards or the community social media platforms, please contact the Parish Council so a printed copy can be made available for them. If you would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly newsletter via email, please contact the Parish Council.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL GOVERNANCE &ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN (EXEMPT AUTHORITY)
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 Sections 25, 26 and 27
The Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/234)
NOTICE
NOTES
1. Date of announcement 30th May 2025
2. Each year the smaller authority prepares anAnnual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR). TheAGAR has been published with this notice. It will not be reviewed by the appointed auditor, since the smaller authority has certified itself as exempt from the appointed auditor’s review.Any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of the AGAR, theaccounting records for the financial year to which it relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those recordsmust be made available for inspection by any person interested.For the year ended 31 March 2025, these documents will be available on reasonable notice by application to: Julie Trolove, Parish Clerk At the Parish Office, Main Street, Great Gidding, Huntingdon, PE28 5NU EMAIL: ggparishcouncil@outlookcom TEL: 01832 293068 commencing on Tuesday 3rd June 2025 and ending on Monday 14th July 2025 3. Local government electors and their representatives also have: The opportunity to question the appointed auditor about the accounting records; andThe right to make an objection which concerns a matter in respect of which the appointed auditor could either make a public interest report or apply to the court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful. Written notice of an objection must first be given to the auditor and a copy sent to the smaller authority. The appointed auditor can be contacted at the address in paragraph 4 below for this purpose between the above dates only. 4. The smaller authority’s AGARis only subject to review by the appointed auditor if questions or objections raised under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014lead to the involvement of the auditor. The appointed auditor is:PKF Littlejohn LLP (Ref: SBA Team)15Westferry CircusCanary WharfLondon E14 4HD (sba@pkf-l.com) 5. This announcement is made by Julie Trolove, Parish Clerk
(a) Insert date of placing of the notice which must be not less than 1 day before the date in (c) below (b) Insert name, position and address/telephone number/ email address, as appropriate, of the Clerk or other person to which any person may apply to inspect the accounts (c) Insert date, which must be at least 1 day after the date of announcement in (a) above and at least 30 working days before the date appointed in (d) below (d) The inspection period between (c) and (d) must be 30 working days inclusive and must include the first 10 working days of July. (e) Insert name and position of person placing the notice – this person must be the responsible financial officer for the smaller authority
LOCAL AUTHORITY ACCOUNTS: A SUMMARY OF YOUR RIGHTS
Please note that this summary applies to all relevant smaller authorities, including local councils, internal drainage boards and ‘other’ smaller authorities.
The basic position
The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (the Act) governs the work of auditors appointed to smaller authorities. This summary explains the provisions contained in Sections 26 and 27 of the Act. The Act and the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015 also cover the duties, responsibilities and rights of smaller authorities, other organisations and the public concerning the accounts being audited.
As a local elector, or an interested person, you have certain legal rights in respect of the accounting records of smaller authorities. As an interested person you can inspect accounting records and related documents. If you are a local government elector for the area to which the accounts relate you can also ask questions about the accounts and object to them. You do not have to pay directly for exercising your rights. However, any resulting costs incurred by the smaller authority form part of its running costs. Therefore, indirectly, local residents pay for the cost of you exercising your rights through their council tax.
The right to inspect the accounting records
Any interested person can inspect the accounting records, which includes but is not limited to local electors. You can inspect the accounting records for the financial year to which the audit relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records. You can copy all, or part, of these records or documents. Your inspection must be about the accounts, or relate to an item in the accounts. You cannot, for example, inspect or copy documents unrelated to the accounts, or that include personal information (Section 26 (6) – (10) of the Act explains what is meant by personal information). You cannot inspect information which is protected by commercial confidentiality. This is information which would prejudice commercial confidentiality if it was released to the public and there is not, set against this, a very strong reason in the public interest why it should nevertheless be disclosed.
When smaller authorities have finished preparing accounts for the financial year and approved them, they must publish them (including on a website). There must be a 30 working day period, called the ‘period for the exercise of public rights’, during which you can exercise your statutory right to inspect the accounting records. Smaller authorities must tell the public, including advertising this on their website, that the accounting records and related documents are available to inspect. By arrangement you will then have 30 working days to inspect and make copies of the accounting records. You may have to pay a copying charge. The 30 working day period must include a common period of inspection during which all smaller authorities’ accounting records are available to inspect. This will be 1-14 July 2025for 2024/25 accounts. The advertisement must set out the dates of the period for the exercise of public rights, how you can communicate to the smaller authority that you wish to inspect the accounting records and related documents, the name and address of the auditor, and the relevant legislation that governs the inspection of accounts and objections.
The right to ask the auditor questions about the accounting records
You should first ask your smaller authority about the accounting records, since they hold all the details. If you are a local elector, your right to ask questions of the external auditor is enshrined in law. However, while the auditor will answer your questions where possible, they are not always obliged to do so. For example, the question might be better answered by another organisation, require investigation beyond the auditor’s remit, or involve disproportionate cost (which is borne by the local taxpayer). Give your smaller authority the opportunity first to explain anything in the accounting records that you are unsure about. If you are not satisfied with their explanation, you can question the external auditor about the accounting records.
The law limits the time available for you formally to ask questions. This must be done in the period for the exercise of public rights, so let the external auditor know your concern as soon as possible. The advertisement or notice that tells you the accounting records are available to inspect will also give the period for the exercise of public rights during which you may ask the auditor questions, which here means formally asking questions under the Act. You can ask someone to represent you when asking the external auditor questions.
Before you ask the external auditor any questions, inspect the accounting records fully, so you know what they contain. Please remember that you cannot formally ask questions, under the Act, after the end of the period for the exercise of public rights. You may ask your smaller authority other questions about their accounts for any year, at any time. But these are not questions under the Act.
You can ask the external auditor questions about an item in the accounting records for the financial year being audited. However, your right to ask the external auditor questions is limited. The external auditor can only answer ‘what’ questions, not ‘why’ questions. The external auditor cannot answer questions about policies, finances, procedures or anything else unless it is directly relevant to an item in the accounting records. Remember that your questions must always be about facts, not opinions. To avoid misunderstanding, we recommend that you always put your questions in writing.
The right to make objections at audit
You have inspected the accounting records and asked your questions of the smaller authority. Now you may wish to object to the accounts on the basis that an item in them is in your view unlawful or there are matters of wider concern arising from the smaller authority’s finances. A local government elector can ask the external auditor to apply to the High Court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful, or to issue a report on matters which are in the public interest. You must tell the external auditor which specific item in the accounts you object to and why you think the item is unlawful, or why you think that a public interest report should be made about it. You must provide the external auditor with the evidence you have to support your objection. Disagreeing with income or spending does not make it unlawful. To object to the accounts you must write to the external auditor stating you want to make an objection, including the information and evidence below and you must send a copy to the smaller authority. The notice must include:
confirmation that you are an elector in the smaller authority’s area;
why you are objecting to the accounts and the facts on which you rely;
details of any item in the accounts that you think is unlawful; and
details of any matter about whichyou think the external auditor should make a public interest report.
Other than it must be in writing, there is no set format for objecting. You can only ask the external auditor to act within the powers available under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014.
A final word
You may not use this ‘right to object’ to make a personal complaint or claim against your smaller authority. You should take such complaints to your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau, local Law Centre or to your solicitor. Smaller authorities, and so local taxpayers, meet the costs of dealing with questions and objections. In deciding whether to take your objection forward, one of a series of factors the auditor must take into account is the cost that will be involved, they will only continue with the objection if it is in the public interest to do so. They may also decide not to consider an objection if they think that it is frivolous or vexatious, or if it repeats an objection already considered. If you appeal to the courts against an auditor’s decision not to apply to the courts for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful, you will have to pay for the action yourself.
Present: Councillors Maciag, Hargrave, Bolton and Hodson and the Clerk.
0192.24 Chairman’s Welcome
0193.24 To receive apologies and reasons for absence
District Councillor Alban – at another meeting
County Councillor Gardener – at another meeting
Parish Councillor Moody – holiday
0194.24 There were no member’s declarations of interests for items on the Agenda
0195.24 No member of the press or public were present.
0196.24 Minutes of the meeting held on 18th March 2025 confirmed as a correct record – proposed by Cllr Hodson and seconded by Cllr Hargrave
0197.24 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk.
Clerk:
Annual Parish Meeting will take place on 20th May, with a 7PM start time. Our Speaker will be Sarah Marsh of Connecting Cambridgeshire. On the noticeboard and website w.e.f. 28th March and included in the village newsletter in April.
Clerk enquired of Bradgate regarding their increased charges, received explanation and instructed them to continue.
Village Newsletter – requests for email delivery and hand delivery. The newsletter is added to the village website, displayed on the noticeboard at the Village Hall (or in the Parish Office window if space is not available), on the village WhatsApp group. Residents can collect a copy from the Parish Office.
Cllr Hargrave – the recent event in the Village Hall resulted in a £154.00 donation.
Cllr Hargrave enquired about co-option of Parish Councillors. She will approach one resident and another will be contacted to invite them to apply.
0198.24 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) Bank statements from Barclays Bank
***Interest rates on the Deposit Account are decreasing from 1.35% to 1.25% with effect from 13th May 2025. This applies to Village Hall and Charity Deposit accounts too.
Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 4/3/2025 £678.18 (includes £500 bequest)
Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/3/2025 £25,676.65 ***
Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/2/2025 – £102.59
b) PAYMENTS
Cllr Hodson had updated the Cash flow spreadsheet and the Reserves spreadsheet to the end of March and talked through the content.
The following payments were approved:
Who
What for
TOTAL
Invoice includes this VAT amount
Authorised
Authorised
J R Trolove
Wages for January (26 hours) + backdated pay for the previous 2 months due to hourly rate increase error (£76.61)
Xxx
NIL
JRT
J R Trolove
Re-imbursement in respect of Microsoft package annual payment
84.99
none
Manor Farm Tree Services
Removing dead elms from the Pound, beside B660
£3180.00
£530.00
CAPALC
Annual subscription (Data Protection available through insurers, so exclude)
284.53 amended to 234.53
none
SLCC
Annual Subscription
36.00
none
Catalyst
Extra 10GB of storage
48.00
none
Hunts D C
Rates for Recreation Field
13.18
none
Clerk’s working hours for March, a total of 27, were approved. Clerk had queried her tax code with Payroll Services and that conversation highlighted an error, her hourly rate had not increased since April 2021, therefore back pay was due – Clerk waived the interim amount, but the hourly rate will be increased from April 2025 and backdated payment made for those months.
PKF Littlejohn are the appointed external auditors for this year’s audit. The Clerk will commence the annual AGAR process and reports.
0199.24 PLANNING applications and matters:
There were no planning applications as at 11th April
School site – Parish Council’s response to the Secretary of state regarding the proposed Section 77 change. Cllr Maciag shared his notes, these will be typed up, shared with Councillors for amendment and submitted by the deadline of 18th April.
District Councillor Alban forwarded an update on the Anaerobic Digester application, via Councillor Shacklock (North Northants) and this appears on the village website – an extension of time has been granted to the applicants.
0200.24 Recreation Field – Sawtry Colts representative had enquired about regular use for training sessions and weekend matches as Greenfields at Sawtry is fully occupied. After much discussion all agreed that, due to parking issues on and around the field, this would not be approved.
0201.24 Village Maintenance
a) Noticeboard – another location was identified and it was agreed to replace the board outside the former school. Clerk will complete a Huntingdonshire Futures grant in respect of this noticeboard.
DECISION to purchase a noticeboard up the the value of £1500 – proposed by Cllr Maciag and seconded by Cllr Hodson
b) Milking Slade Lane will be closed on 19th June to enable an electricity pole to be replaced – information has been added to the village website.
0203.24 Correspondence received since 18th March 2025 :
a) NALC newsletters – dated Chief Executives Bulletin NALC events,
b) Cambridgeshire County Council –Cambridgeshire Matters monthly edition, Traffic Management Centre incident report for roads (92 in Cambridgeshire in March), Highways events planned for April – none locally,
Huntingdonshire District Council – Town and Parish Council newsletter forwarded to Parish Councillors , update on waste minimisation, Communities Service team notice, press release about, advance notice of the Town and Parish Council Forum on 19th June at Burgess Hall, St Ives, survey about play areas in Huntingdonshire completed,
d) CAPALC –newsletter, future training dates
e) Cambs Acre – Staying in Touch newsletter for March
f) Combined Authority Cambridgeshire and Peterborough/Greater Cambridge Partnership – nothing
g) Huntingdonshire Community Policing meetings – invitations to join online meetings on 24/9 and 15/12, both at 7pm.
h) Response from Sam Carling MP regarding Broadband issue – will follow up if a further request is received.
i) SLCC sent a link to a webinar about Devolution of Councils.
0204.24 Items for next meeting:
Donations to Charities – Cllr Moody to present a draft policy.
0205.24 The next meeting will commence with the Annual Parish Council Meeting, to take place on Tuesday 20th May starting at 7.30pm in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding.
This will be preceded by the Annual Parish Meeting, starting at 7.00pm
