Smaller authority name: GREAT AND LITTLE GIDDING PARISH COUNCIL
NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL GOVERNANCE &ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN (EXEMPT AUTHORITY)
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024
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 (a) Friday 31st May 2024 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, the accounting records for the financial year to which it relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records must be made available for inspection by any person interested. For the year ended 31 March 2024, these documents will be available on reasonable notice by application to: b) Parish Clerk, The Parish Office at the Village Hall, Great Gidding, Huntingdon, Cambs, PE28 5NU Email: ggparishcouncil@outlook.com commencing on (c) Wednesday 19 June 2024 and ending on (d) Wednesday 31 July 2024 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 2014 lead to the involvement of the auditor. The appointed auditor is: PKF Littlejohn LLP (Ref: SBA Team) 15Westferry Circus Canary Wharf London E14 4HD (sba@pkf-l.com) 5. This announcement is made by (e) Julie Trolove, Parish Clerk |
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 1-12 July 2024for 2023/24 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.
| For more detailed guidance on public rights and the special powers of auditors, copies of the publication Local authority accounts: A guide to your rights are available from the NAO website. | If you wish to contact your authority’s appointed external auditor please write to the address in paragraph 4 of the Notice of Public Rights and Publication of Unaudited Annual Governance & Accountability Return. |
This meeting will take place on Tuesday 21st May 2024
Starting at 7.00PM
At Great Gidding Village Hall
This is not a formal Parish Council meeting. It is an opportunity for residents of Great and Little Gidding to find out more about the work that the Parish Council are doing, to raise any issues regarding the parish and comment on plans for the coming year.
All residents are welcome to attend.
AGENDA:
- Chairman’s welcome
- Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 16th May 2023
- The Chairman’s Annual Report from the Parish Council
- Police Community Support Office Martin will attend the meeting to discuss rural policing matters.
- Update on current tasks within the Parish and plans for 2024-25
- For members of the public to present, discuss and resolve any other matters related to Great and Little Gidding Parish.
Below are the draft Minutes from the 2023 Annual Parish Meeting:
DRAFT MINUTES of the 2023 Annual Parish Meeting of
Great and Little Gidding Parish Council
Tuesday 16th May 2023, 7.00PM at Great Gidding Village Hall
PRESENT: District Councillor Tim Alban, Parish Councillors Hodson, Maciag, Hargrave, Moody, Bolton and 4 members of the public.
APOLOGIES received from County Councillor Gardener and Parish Councillor D’Altillia
Councillor Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting and gave an overview of the past year, mentioning the work associated with the closure of the village school, the recent Coronation weekend events and noting that 3 members of the Neighbourhood Plan group were present at the meeting. He expressed thanks to the Neighbourhood Plan Group who, with those representatives from neighbouring villages, have approached the task with enthusiasm and driven it forward with great success.
Paul Hargrave, representing the Neighbourhood Plan group, gave an outline of the project which will represent the character and diversity of the Giddings, Hamerton and Winwick. They had studied the requirements of Huntingdonshire District Council’s Local Plan, which contained 38 directives, and devised two questionnaires, one for households and the other for businesses, to gather thoughts and views. Survey documents have been delivered and responses are being completed and returned, both online and via paper copies.
Using the content of the survey responses, the group will compile a report, any specific aspect relating to an individual parish will be included. The next stage of the project is to compile a first draft, this will be sent to Hunts DC for their perusal and advice, a second draft will then be written, back to Hunts DC and then sent on to an independent examiner. A grant application to cover the costs of the project has been made to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It is hoped that the project should be concluded by the end of the year, with residents being involved in future stages, and a copy of the final document available to all.
District Councillor Alban complimented the work that had been undertaken by the group thus far, and this was echoed by Councillor Hodson.
The meeting closed at 19.24.
Present: Councillors Hodson, Moody, Hargrave, D’Altilia, and Maciag and the Clerk.
172.23 Cllr Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting
173.23 Apologies for absence:
County Councillor Gardener – at another meeting
Councillor Sanders – work commitments
Councillor Bolton – not available
174.23 Cllr Hodson declared an interest in agenda item 181.23
175.23 There were no members of Press or Public in attendance
176.23 Minutes of the meeting held on 20th February 2024 were declared as a correct record – proposed by Cllr Moody and seconded by Cllr Hargrave
177.23 Reports from Councillors and Clerk:
Cllr Maciag had attended a meeting with HuntsDC and other members of the Neighbourhood Plan group to discuss the draft policy. They were advised that some re-editing was required, particularly with regard to policies and planning matters. Once this has been completed, the Plan will be re-submitted to HuntsDC.
Also, monies left in the Neighbourhood Plan budget will have to be returned to the Department of Levelling Up after the end of the financial year on 30th March 2024, and then re-applied for in respect of the 2024-25 budget.
Clerk – PCSO Sergeant Martin has accepted the invitation to attend the Annual Parish Meeting.
Clerk has completed an online survey from CambsCC regarding the re-introduction by the Council to spray weeds with chemicals – the request was made to include our Parish in weed spraying schedules.
Clerk had forwarded to Councillors the recently received email about alternative plans for those who have not signed up to the Garden Waste Subscription Service. Larger villages will have a monthly collection, Great & Little Gidding fall into another category where they were offered up to 10 bins to be sited/emptied from Parish Council owned property. Lengthy discussion followed regarding locations and logistics. District Councillor Alban joined the meeting during this discussion, having been at the Folksworth & Washingley Parish Council meeting, where similar questions and observations were made. On the whole it was felt that the District Council was transferring many problems and issues regarding green waste disposal to Parish Councils and the Clerk was asked to compile an email of comments and observations and send to the District Council (cc to Cllr Alban).
District Cllr Alban reminded those present of the District Wide Parish Council meeting to be held on the evening of 20th March at Norman Cross Motel.
Cllr Hodson asked if anything further had been heard about HuntsDC Call for Sites report (Clerk had checked their website and there was no mention) – he will enquire about its progress.
178.23 Financial Matters
a a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.
- Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 4/3/2024 £2323.92 (includes £500 bequest)
- Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/3/2024 £26,286.99 (1.85% interest applicable)
- Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/3/2023 – £248.84
b) PAYMENTS – Clerks wages and Village Hall payments were approved
* see 182.23 regarding the Microsoft payment.
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised |
| Microsoft * | Purchase of Microsoft 365 annual subscription | £59.99 | NONE | ||
| J R Trolove | Wages for January (31 hours) | *** | NONE | ||
| Village Hall payments | |||||
| Inkwell Printers | Flyers for VH committee members | £40.00 | n/a | ||
| Allied Westminster | Insurance | 856.00 | n/a |
c) Clerk’s working hours for February were approved as a total of 30.5.
179.23 Planning applications and other planning matters
61 Main Street – extension to form orangery.
As this was a resubmission of a lapsed permission, the Parish Council have no objections.
180.23 School playground – proposal from Milton Estates. Cllr Maciag had advised Milton Estates that the Parish Council would not be buying or leasing the School House from them. Milton Estates then asked if the Parish Council would continue with the project to convert the school playground to a MUGA – Councillors agreed that Cllr Maciag should advise Milton Estates that the Parish Council are still interested in this site.
181.23 Allotments – Cllr Hodson requests approval for installation of 8 x 6 shed, to replace an existing shed on his allotment – approved by Cllr Moody and seconded by Cllr Hargrave.
182.23 IT and online storage – Clerk has had issues with the laptop as storage capacity of 5MB was overfull and emails could no longer be sent or received. She has deleted lots of non-essential documents and emails, stored documents on memory sticks and this has alleviated the problem for the very short term, and was grateful for advice from a resident. Part of the problem is due to the expiry of the Microsoft package. Discussion followed about payment for the Microsoft package, now only available online via payment by debit/credit card, which the Parish Council does not have.
Clerk was asked to enquire how other Parish Clerks overcome this.
Clerk was recommended to purchase an external hard drive to increase storage capacity.
183.23 Highways, Byways and Footpaths
Hemington Lodge Road – Temporary Traffic Road Closure mid-April for repairs. Clerk had been contacted by Clearchannel and directed them to CambsCC Highways Dept to answer their specific enquiries.
Chapel End – Temporary Prohibition of through traffic between 12th and 18th March – this was thought to be another water leak issue between the Mill and Gains Lane, but details are not known
184.23 Recreation Ground – application to HuntsDC for bio-diversity grant was unsuccessful. Councillors agreed not to reapply.
185.23 Village Maintenance
Benches in Main Street – one quote has been provided, Cllr Hodson felt this was too high, various suggestions made about how to get this work done and this will be added to the April meeting agenda.
Cllr Moody requested Clerk to enquire of Highways Dept if 2 x 3 seater benches can be sited on the area of grass opposite the shop (intersection on the Luddington Road/Winwick Road).
186.23 Correspondence received since 20th February 2024:
a) NALC
b) Cambridgeshire County Council
- Help at home – care micro enterprises
- www.volunteercambs.org.uk – ways to volunteer and where
- Traffic Management Centre monthly report
- Easter Holiday Activities and Food Programme
c) Huntingdonshire District Council
- Installation of cigarette butt bins in centre of Huntingdon
- Community bio-diversity grant scheme
- Police & Crime Commissioner election on 2 May 2024 – poster re identification requirement
- Festival of Huntingdonshire – slides from the online session
- Reminder that householders can still sign up for Green Bin collection
d) Cambs ACRE – staying in touch, Kirsten Bennett to step down as Chief Executive,
e) CAPALC – March training sessions, selling D DAY 80 Flag of Peace,
f) eCOPS etc – tackling speeding, parking and anti-social behaviour, news from the Courts, Police Community Engagement sessions, Action Fraud
g) Parish Online – newsletter
h) Jon Parsons – email request to metal detect on Parish Council property – Clerk will respond as Parish Council does not own land that can be detected.
i) Barclays Bank – scams and how to avoid them
j) Ian Clarke Dip Arb L4 (ABC) TechArborA, Arboricultural Consultant, S P Landscapes & Tree Contractors Ltd – offer to survey trees in the parish – Clerk will retain this information for the future survey of trees in the Parish.
187.23 Items for next Meeting (including Annual Parish Meeting):
21st May is the date of the Annual Parish Meeting – preparation of annual review
Preparation of Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR)
Appoint an Auditor to carry out Internal review
188.23 The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on
Tuesday 16th April 2024 at Great Gidding Village Hall, starting at 7.30PM
Present: Councillors Hodson, Bolton, Moody, Hargrave, County Councillor Gardener and the Clerk.
159.23 Cllr Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting
160.23 Apologies and reasons for absence:
District Councillor Tim Alban – at other meetings
Councillor Maciag – work commitment
Councillor D’Altilia – work commitment
161.23 There were no member’s declarations of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda
162.23 No members of the Press or Public were present
163.23 Minutes of the meeting held on 16th January 2024 were confirmed as a correct record, proposed by Councillor Bolton and seconded by Councillor Hargrave
164.23 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk
District Councillor Alban – combined Parish Meeting on 20th March at Norman Cross
County Councillor Gardener :
The future of Kimbolton Fire Station will be discussed at a meeting on Tuesday 19th March at Kimbolton, to which Councillors are encouraged to attend.
Cambridgeshire County Show is back, taking place on 1 June 2024, with a new venue of Abbots Ripton Estate.
County Council element of Council Tax will rise 4.99%
Weeding of highways is to be re-instated as it was found that more damage was caused by not weeding, gullies blocked, safety of footpath users.
20MPH scheme applications should be submitted by Friday 15th March
The Combined Authorities Mayoral Tax is to increase – one of the measures is to improve local bus services, including the Ting bus
Crime and Police Commissioner will increase Council Tax by £12.96
Fire Authority will increase their element of the Council Tax by 3%
Huntingdonshire District Council meet on 21st February to confirm their Council Tax increase.
Councillor Gardener left the meeting.
Councillor Hodson advised that he will not continue as Chairman, with effect from the 2024 Annual Parish Council Meeting.
There were no further reports from Councillors, or the Clerk.
165.23 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) Barclays Bank statement had been forwarded to Councillors prior to the meeting.
- Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 2/2/2024 £2905.06 (includes £500 bequest)
- Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 2/2/2024 £26,189.05 (1.85% interest applicable)
- Defibrillator account – balance as at 2/2/2023 – £247.91
b) PAYMENTS – to approve online payments in respect of the following:
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised | |
| J R Trolove | Wages for December (31.5 hours) | Xxx | NIL | |||
| JRB Enterprises | 3 x packs of dog waste bags | 110.52 | 18.42 | |||
| Refund to Julie Trolove | Disposable gloves for dog waste bin+other supplies | 16.27 | NONE | |||
| SLCC | Annual Subscription Due 1/4/2024 |
Councillor Hodson had provided his monthly Cashflow forecast and Budget update. He had included Neighbourhood Plan budget (in place of Contingency), and updated Village Maintenance with the purchase of the second speed awareness camera.
- Clerk’s working hours for January were approved as a total of 31.
166.23 PLANNING applications and other planning matters:
- School playground area/School House – Mark Freer at CambsCC is overseeing this site and was asked for an update on the timeframe and process – his response is awaited.
b)Community Asset meeting – held on 6th February, all sites within the Parish were considered and discussed.
c)Anaerobic Digester – nothing further heard on 9/2/2024. There is currently a new building appearing at Rectory Farm, a “hotel” or accommodation block for seasonal workers – North Northants Highways raised concerns prior to planning approval, considerable traffic being generated along Hemington Lodge Road, rather than Gypsy Lane (as outlined in the application) – Application Number: NE/23/01036/PDU.
Clerk will enquire, via HuntsDC, if we can apply for CIL in respect of this development.
167.23 Roads, footpaths and bridleways:
a) LHI bid for 20MPH scheme for Church Lane, Little Gidding has been submitted by Councillor Bolton today. The Clerk will forward this to Parish Councillors and County Councillor Gardener.
b) speed camera installed – has been “noticed” by many
c) Flytip on the Bullock Road reported on 2/2/2024
168.23 Village Maintenance
- Benches – refurbishment/repaint or install replacement(s) – clerk will seek quotes for refurbishment to enable comparison of prices with replacement benches. Councillor Moody enquired about the grass area opposite the shop (WInwick Road/Luddington Road) and whether a bench might be sited there in the future – this is County Council owned land, this area is included in their grass cutting programme, although they are only obliged to cut once a year, therefore the Parish Council include this area in their grass cutting contract to keep the area looking tidy.
- Volunteer for emptying of dog waste bin (Chapel End) has changed – supplies purchased (see payments above). Clerk has emailed thanks to those involved.
- Litter Pick and tidy up tasks around the Parish – due to the very wet ground conditions, and grass already growing well, this will not take place.
(There is a day of clearing and tidying planned for Saturday 24th February in Jubilee Wood starting at 9.30AM – also cancelled due to wet ground conditions).
169.23 Correspondence received since 19th January 2024:
a) NALC newsletters –NALC events list, Legal update, Consultation to update the Model Financial Regulations, Legal Update (including fire safety for non-domestic buildings)
b) Cambridgeshire County Council –
- Cambridgeshire Matters monthly newsletter
- Traffic Management Centre – reports for incidents in February
- Highways report in respect of damaged sign on Hemington Lodge Road
- Understanding children who self harm
- Micro Asphalt road treatments – NONE locally
- Advert for Youth Work role in St Neots
- Hi-VIS event for Huntingdonshire Blind, 10am -12 noon on Friday 14th June at Huntingdon Library.
- A proposed change to the Highways Operational Standards relating to weed control.
- Public Health Campaign to Raise Awareness of cases of Measles
- Invitation to ‘Relationships for mental wellbeing’ at a symposium event on 29th February.
- Grant fund offering to enrich the lifelong learning and skills offer for adults who are aged 19+ and residents of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- Cambridge Carbon Footprint who offer community events/activities across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- Flood Resilience Day, at the Wisbech Library, Ely Place, Wisbech, PE13 1EU on Saturday 24th February from 10am to 1pm
- Road surface dressing program – nearest to us is Upton
c) Huntingdonshire District Council –
- invitation to Waste Minimisation event – Weds 28th Feb at Pathfinder House – vermicomposting systems
- Shop front grant scheme for St Neots and Ramsey
- report on One Leisure Parish Sports Summer Programme
- Community Tree Planting Day at Sapley Playing Field – 15th February
- Festival of Huntingdonshire – online meeting 19th February 2-3PM (Clerk will attend)
- CAPALC– several emails about the various training courses available, January bulletin forwarded to Councillors prior to meeting, some important changes in fire safety legislation recently following the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2023,
Section 137 funding for 2024/25 is £10.81 per elector
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority –
- Combined Authority Local Transport and Connectivity Plan team
f) Greater Peterborough/Greater Cambridge Partnerships
g) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc – bus stop posters warning of scams, Sarah’s Law-protecting children, monthly newsletter,
News from the Courts emails,
Thieves target vans
h) Cambridgeshire ACRE – Staying in touch newsletter, Centenary Community Buildings Conference: Celebrating 100 years of village halls invitation to Thursday 21 March 2024, at the Gardiner Memorial Hall, High Street, Burwell, Cambridge, CB25 0HD (must sign up in advance),.
i) Parish Online Newsletter
j) Gigaclear – keeping in touch, no further news.
k) from County Councillor Ian Gardener – invitation to meeting on Tuesday 19th March regarding closure of Kimbolton Fire Station
l) VCSE Data and Insights National Observatory – survey to be completed
m) 5/2 – Email of introduction from PCSO Sargeant Anna Martin, who covers this area – she will be asked to attend the Annual Parish Meeting.
n) Cambs YFC – County Show at Abbots Ripton Estate on Saturday 1st June – poster for printing
o) Portrait of the King available to Town and Parish Councils – FREE – it was decided that this was not required.
170.23 Items for next meeting:
Annual Parish Meeting
171.23 The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on
Tuesday 19th March 2024 at Great Gidding Village Hall, starting at 7.30PM
Meeting closed at 20.50
Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 16th January 2024
Present: Councillors Hodson, Bolton, Maciag, Moody, Hargrave, D’Altilia and Sanders, and the Clerk.
146.23 Cllr Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting
147.23 Apologies and reasons for absence were received from:
County Councillor Gardener – attending another meeting
District Councillor Alban – attending another meeting
148.23 Member’s declaration of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda were made by Cllr Hodson in respect of 155.23 – Allotments
149.23 No members of Public & Press were in attendance
150.23 Minutes of the meeting held on 19th December 2023 were confirmed as a true and correct record by Cllrs Bolton and Maciag.
151.23 Reports from Councillors and Clerk:
Cllr Bolton – Cllrs had agreed, prior to this meeting, not to submit an LHI bid for the current round of assessment and funding. The details of the next round of 20MPH bid process had been received and Cllr Bolton agreed to resubmit the application in respect of Church Lane, Little Gidding.
Cllr Hargrave will attend a meeting on infra-red heating (for the Village Hall) on 24th January.
Cllr Maciag advised that the first draft of the Neighbourhood Plan is on track to be sent to Hunts DC by the end of January.
Cllr Moody had read through the accompanying documents for the recent CambsCC Budget meeting (Clerk and Councillors had not been available to attend the online meeting). Her summary was that there were many budget cuts to be made, but nothing that would greatly impact on our residents.
Clerk had corresponded with the developer of the Gains Lane property regarding items left on the roadside – he advised the landscaping of the property is to be completed when better weather arrives, and the former property owner has an outstanding matter to complete.
Gidding News had been distributed at the end of December – so far there have been no responses to questions/requests made.
152.23 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.
- Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 4/12/2023 £6048.11 (includes £500 bequest)
- Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 22/12/2023 £26,189.05 (1.85% interest applicable)
- Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/12/2023 – £247.91
b) PAYMENTS – the following online payments were approved by all:
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised | |
| J R Trolove | Wages for November (30 hours) | Xxx | NIL | |||
| Inkwell Printing | Printing of newsletter | 40.00 | NIL | |||
| Catalyst Design (invoice awaited) | Additional storage for website | 48.00 | 8.00 | |||
| Cameo Print & Display (for Neighbourhood Plan) | Display boards | 279.72 | 46.62 | |||
| Cambs ACRE | Annual subscription | 60.00 | 10.00 | |||
| Village Hall & Recreation Ground Payments | ||||||
| A C Cleaning Services | Village Hall cleaning-December & January | 22.50 | N/A | |||
| Fenland Fire | Annual inspection of appliances | 134.82 | N/A | |||
| British Gas Light | Electricity DIRECT DEBIT | 79.24 | N/A |
- to approve Clerk’s working hours for November – total of 31.5. These hours were approved by all.
Cllr Hodson advised that, after updating the cash flow forecast, the budget figures were all adequate but, due to the various additional issues that had arisen during 2023, the wages budget would be exceeded.
It was agreed that a further £50 should be added to the Website budget to cover any future storage/amendment requirements.
153.23 PLANNING applications and other planning matters:
- School playground area/School House – the registration of the area as an Asset of Community Value was unsuccessful. Contact is now John MacMillan of the Property Team at CambsCC (Jonathan Lewis to leave the employ of the County Council in the near future).
An additional meeting of the Trustees of the Village Hall & Recreation Ground will be held in February, to consider all community assets and the way forward.
- Anaerobic Digester – nothing further heard on 10/1/2024
- Galliford Try/Cornerstone – have acknowledged the “no objections” email sent following the December meeting, regarding the proposed telecommunications base station to be sited at Longbrook Farm, Thurning, PE8 5RG
154.23 Roads, footpaths and bridleways:
a) Clerk has obtained a quote for an additional speed camera, to be sited on the second post opposite Manor Site Farm – Cllr Moody proposed the purchase of another unit, seconded by Cllr Hargrave.
Further road safety measures were discussed for presentation as a future bid for LHI funding.
b) Ian Gardener/Tim Alban/Highways Department – correspondence regarding Milking Slade and Bullock Road potholes – Highways Department had visited and will take action. District Cllr Alban has also reported the damaged name plate on the sign for Hemington Lodge Road – Clerk had measured the sign and this will be replaced by CambsCC contractor.
155.23 Allotments – it was agreed that the rent should remain at £25 per allotment. No additional terms or amendment to the tenancy agreement were required.
At the next meeting of Gidding Charity Trustees (owner of the allotment site), the water meter/high increase in water charge will be discussed
156.23 Correspondence received since 21st December 2023:
a) NALC newsletters –NALC events list, Legal update, Consultation to update the Model Financial Regulations, Legal Update (including fire safety for non-domestic buildings)
b) Cambridgeshire County Council –
- Cambridgeshire Matters monthly newsletter INCLUDING
- Traffic Management Centre – reports for incidents in December
- Request for volunteers to join schools admissions panel
c) Huntingdonshire District Council –
- Press release – 4/1 first Community Biodiversity Grant awarded.
- Press release – 8/1 regarding St Neots Town Centre Improvement project.
- Press release – 37 community spaces awarded funding
- Various emails from Emergency Planning Tactical Co-Ordinating Group (TCG) regarding flooding incidents
- Town and Parish Council Newsletter – forwarded on 10/1/2023 prior to meeting
- CAPALC– several emails about the various training courses available, January bulletin forwarded to Councillors prior to meeting, some important changes in fire safety legislation recently following the introduction of the Building Safety Act 2023,
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority –
Combined Authority Local Transport and Connectivity Plan team
f)Greater Peterborough/Greater Cambridge Partnerships
g) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc –
News from the Courts emails
Tackling lorry thefts across Cambridgeshire and how to protect your lorry
h) Cambridgeshire ACRE –
i) Parish Online Newsletter – January
j) email from resident suggesting showing of film “6 Inches of Soil” – Cllr Hodson thought this should be explored further. The resident will be requested to provide further information.
k) Gigaclear have forwarded the slides that were used in their December presentation
l) BHIB Councils (Parish Council insurer) have changed name to Clear Councils from 1/12/2023, email regarding hints and tips for dealing with winter weather.
m) North Northants Council advise (22/12/23) on 7 December 2023, the meeting of the Full Council approved the adoption of the East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2. http://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/ENLP
n) from Abigail Benson, Milton Estates, to advise that the Dryer Yard is to be marketed for sale.
o) Cambridgeshire Home Improvement Agency – offer to advise/guide on available grants and products – Cllr Hargrave had expressed an earlier interest in this scheme and it had been mentioned on the December issue of Gidding News.
157.23 Items for next meeting:
Village litter pick and tidy up tasks
20MPH scheme for Little Gidding
158.23 The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on
Tuesday 20th February 2024 at Great Gidding Village Hall, starting at 7.30PM
The February meeting will be followed by a Village Hall & Recreation Field meeting.
Meeting closed at 20.35
Easter Communion at St Michael’s Church, Great Gidding
There will be a service of Holy Communion at St Michael’s Church at 11.30am this Easter Sunday.
Everyone is very welcome
NB. The service scheduled St John’s Church, Little Gidding has been cancelled as restoration work has overrun due to wet weather.
Present: Councillors Hodson, Bolton, Maciag, Moody, and the Clerk.
Joined by a representative from Gigaclear
132.23 Cllr Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting.
133.23 Apologies were received from:
Cllr Hargrave – family commitment
Cllr D’Altilia – work commitment
County Councillor Gardener – ill health
District Councillor Alban – at another meeting
Cllr Sanders – work commitment
134.23 There were no declarations of Disclosable Interests relating to items on the Agenda
135.23 No member of press attended the meeting. See 139.23 e) regarding Gigaclear
136.23 Minutes of the meeting held on 21st November 2023 were confirmed as a correct record by Cllr Moody and Maciag.
137.23 Reports from Councillors and Clerk:
County Councillor Gardener sent the following regarding County Council issues:
The Mayor is consulting on his proposed bus improvements, please go on the Combined Authority website and give your views. One proposal is to make the Ting service a more rural service, rather than it providing a service for residents within St Neots, who already have a bus service. Thus freeing up the service for rural residents.
The proposed closure of Kimbolton Fire Station will be discussed at tomorrow’s Fire authority meeting before consultation begins.
LHI Bids need to be in by the 12 January 2024
District Councillor Alban sent the following report on District Council matters:
District Council’s Early Bird Discount for the Green Bin Scheme, is now live. I am still against thi, but feel I should mention that, by signing now, residents can save themselves £7.50 a year for the first 3 years.
The District Council’s Development Management Committee have just refused planning permission for a large solar farm in Haddon; only time will tell if this will go to appeal.
There were no reports from Councillors
Clerk had sent a note of thanks to resident MA, who displayed the poppies for Remembrance Sunday
138.23 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.
- Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 4/12/2023 £7012.26 (includes £500 bequest)
- Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/12/2023 £26,189.05 (1.85% interest applicable)
- Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/12/2023 – £247.91
b) PAYMENTS – the following online payments were approved by Cllrs Bolton and Maciag:
| Who | What for | TOTAL | Invoice includes this VAT amount | Authorised | Authorised | |
| J R Trolove | Wages for October (44 hours) | Xxx | NIL | |||
| Transfer to Village Hall for Neighbourhood Plan Group | Hire of Hall | 25.89 | NIL | |||
| Allgood Agricultural Contractors | Cutting around Townsend Pond | 84.00 | 14.00 | |||
| Cambs Acre | Subscription renewal | 60.00 | NIL |
- to approve Clerk’s working hours for November – total of 30, approved by Cllrs Maciag and Bolton.
139.23 PLANNING applications and other planning matters:
- Revised planning application APPLICATION REF. 23/01474/FUL
Conversion of farm outbuildings to form two residential dwellings, demolition of cattle shed and erection of one residential dwelling and erection of double garage to serve No.41 Main Street – Comments by 1st December 2023 – further emails sent with No Objections on provision that no significant changes to exterior appearance or access onto Main Street. There has been no further correspondence from Hunts DC and, when Clerk checked the Planning website, this application was approved on 15th December.
- School playground area –Clerk has registered an Asset of Community Value on 6th October (8 weeks before decision received) – they enquired about buildings on part of site, later about access to the site. Clerk has emailed a request for an update (response arrived on 20/12/23, the application was unsuccessful).
- School House and site – discussion of collaboration with Milton Estates and future uses for the site. This agenda item has been deferred until February when, it is hoped, that all Councillors will be available to consider potential options will be discussed and considered – Cllr Maciag and Clerk will compile preparatory documents. Clerk will contact Jonathan Lewis of CambsCC for an update on the current situation.
- Anaerobic Digester –
- CambsCC Highways Dept response to Application. Cllrs remarked that Highways Dept response was the best that can be hoped for, given the “over the boundary” location of the site.
- Email of thanks from resident re. Parish Council’s response.
- Cllr Shacklock or North Northants Council advised there has been no further action/activity regarding this proposal
- Gigaclear – a representative gave a presentation of the works proposed. Further details will be known in Spring 2024.
- Letter from Galliford Try/Cornerstone – proposed telecommunications base station – Cllrs requested that a letter be sent, advising that this Parish Council has no objection to the proposed site at Longbrook Farm, Thurning, PE8 5RG
- Neighbourhood Plan – Cllr Maciag advised that the recent sessions at Great Gidding, Winwick and Hamerton had been well attended, with engagement and feedback from residents.
Cllr Hodson expressed thanks to the members of the Neighbourhood Plan for their time and input on this project.
Clerk reminded the group that invoices should be sent through for expenses ASAP
140.23 Roads, footpaths and bridleways
a) Local Highways Improvement Bid CLOSES 5PM on 12 JANUARY 2024 – 2024-25 Suggested scheme for Hemington Lodge Road from junction with B660/Main Street to County boundary or 20MPH application
b) location of speed camera – 2 x emails from residents asking for the camera to move the other location at the Glatton end of the village. Cllr Hodson proposed that, as the camera at Village Hall/Church Farm is proving successful at slowing traffic in the centre of the village, a second camera should be considered for the other post at the Glatton end of the village. This proposal was seconded by Cllr Moody, and the Clerk will enquire about price and availability.
141.23 Parish Council owned property – contractor consulted for Parish Pond, Parish Pound and Recreation Ground. Quote awaited.
142.23 Recreation Field: Contractor asked to consider work required and quote accordingly
Community Grant application acknowledged and decision awaited. Clerk confirmed that the application complied with the Fields in Trust criteria. This matter will be discussed at the Village Hall and Recreation Ground Meeting (043.23)
143.23 Correspondence received since 21st November 2023:
a) NALC newsletters –NALC events list, Legal update, Consultation to update the Model Financial Regulations, Legal Update (including fire safety for non-domestic buildings)
b) Cambridgeshire County Council –
- 29/11 Cambridgeshire Matters monthly newsletter INCLUDING item on surviving winter, highways fault reporting, Swaffham Prior renewable heat initiative, free spaces on Holiday Activity programme,
- Traffic Management Centre – reports for incidents in November
- Update on regional and coastal flooding group
- Older Adults post hospital discharge Grants – application form and information
- 24/11 Street lighting – starting January 2024 – more efficient LED lighting
- TEAMS meeting – 11th January at 6.15PM to discuss annual budget (see email 13/12)
- Highways stakeholder survey – closing date 28th February 2024
- Street lighting stakeholder survey – closing date 28th February 2024
c) Huntingdonshire District Council –
- 21/11 – slides and information from Planning and Development Management training session
- Staying healthier and stronger for longer
- Sustainability of settlements – our response to survey acknowledged
- Press release – CCTV in Huntingdon
- Press release – plans for the Priory Centre in St Neots
- Press release – Climate Conversations events photographs
- Press release – announcement of Council Tax Support Scheme
- A Christmas card from Chief Executive, Michelle Sacks
- 27/11 – Invitation to apply for CIL funding, also details from Tim Alban
- 23/11 – Precept – Council Tax Support figures
- Winter wise toolkit
- 14/12 – Police and Crime Commissioner Election on 2 May 2024 – Village Hall booking
- 27/11 – Garden Waste Subscription service – early bird discount also invite to Waste Minimisation meeting (on 6th December), and 11/12 further information about the charges etc
- 11/12 – review of Huntingdonshire Local Lists by Development Services – see print out at meeting, compile responses to the survey – deadline 14th January
- Invite to carol service at St Marys Huntingdon on Monday 18th December
d) CAPALC – several emails about the various training courses available/AGM online on 14th December, December bulletin forwarded to Councillors prior to meeting,
e) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority –
f)Greater Peterborough/Greater Cambridge Partnerships
g) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc –
News from the Courts emails, Ram raid campaign launch, launch of ATM watch campaign, launch of podcast series, monthly newsletter from Police & Crime Commissioner, frosty morning advice, crackdown on drink and drug driving, warning about courier scams, request for views on cybercrime, how to save Police time, another newsletter, the 12 frauds of Christmas, survey from Police and Crime Commissioner, a Chrismas card from ECOPS
- Cambridgeshire ACRE – learn more about embarking on a social venture
h) Parish Online Newsletter
j) Keep Britain Tidy – January 2024 is Buy Nothing New Month – “buy nothing new, protect your planet”
k) Alcoholics Anonymous poster – request to display
144.23 Items for next meeting:
Allotments – any changes needed to rents or terms of tenancy agreement
Suggestions of a speaker for the Annual General Meeting in May
145.23 The next meeting will take place on
Tuesday 16th January 2024 at Great Gidding Village Hall
Meeting closed at 20.47
This meeting was followed by a Village Hall & Recreation Field meeting.
A reminder of the request that was included on the recent issue of Gidding News:
Parish Councillors, together with Trustees of Gidding Charity, and Village Hall & Recreation Ground, will meet in February to discuss the various community sites and buildings in our Parish (Village Hall, Recreation Field, Jubilee Wood, Orchard and Allotments, Charity owned fields, pound and ponds) We will also take the opportunity to discuss sites that may become available to the Parish in the near future, such as the School House and the School Playground.
If you have thoughts and ideas to suggest how residents can benefit and make use of these areas for the future, please make contact on ggparishcouncil@outlook.com (use heading of Community Sites) or put a note (anonymous if you wish) through the Parish Office letterbox BEFORE Friday 2nd February (please do not respond through the website).
This initial meeting will be closed to the public, a further open meeting will be held later in the year.
GREAT & LITTLE GIDDING P A R I S H C O U NC I L
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The current Parish Councillors are Paul Hodson (Chair), Jan Maciag (Vice), Jack Bolton, Fabio D’Altilia, Andrea Hargrave, Karen Moody and Lee Sanders who can be contacted via the Parish Council email, detailed at the bottom of the page. The Clerk can be contacted through the same email, or you can call in to the Parish Office on Fridays between 2pm-4.30pm. Alternatively you can telephone and leave a message, which will be answered at the earliest opportunity. Enquiries relating to the Village Hall or the Recreation ground should also be made through these contact methods.
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PLANNING
The Neighbourhood Plan Group has held a series of public events (in Great Gidding, Winwick and Hamerton) to discuss the initial responses to the Neighbourhood Plan. Further events will be held in 2024.
There have been many and varied planning matters throughout 2023, details (of most) can be found on the Huntingdonshire District Council website:
https://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/planning/ planning-applications/search-comment-or-track-an-application/
OR a list appears in the Hunts Post each week.
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TRAFFIC
The speed awareness camera data makes interesting reading – the changes in traffic movements connected with the school day, occasional crazy speeds by individual drivers but, in the main, most drivers are doing 30MPH (in both directions) at the Village Hall/Church Farm area of Main Street.
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ANGLIAN WATER
Anglian Water are not convinced that our village needs replacement water mains – please provide dates, details and photographs to the Parish Clerk, who has compiled a list of leaks so that we can keep up the pressure (even if water pressure is lacking).
SCHOOL SITE
Contractors are still busy emptying the contents of the School (most of the equipment has been relocated to other schools). We understand that the portacabins are to be relocated too. In the meantime, what would you like to see happen to the school house and playground? The Parish Council remains in conversation with Cambs County Council and Milton Estates regarding the site and would be interested to hear residents’ views to guide them in the ‘next steps’ to take.
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COFFEE MORNINGS
Coffee Mornings continue to take place on the first Wednesday of every month between 10.30am and 12pm in the Village Hall.
Huntingdonshire District Council’s ‘Action on Energy’ campaign wishes to provide our communities with advice on how to maximize the energy efficiency of their homes, save money on their energy bills and cut their carbon emissions. The Parish Council will invite a representative from ‘Action of Energy’ to a future Coffee Morning. Details of this will be published when a date has been confirmed. To assess your eligibility for financial support, please complete the survey on the website:
https://www.actiononenergycambs.org/
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NO ACCESS TO THE INTERNET?
We are aware that there are several residents in the Parish who do not have access to the internet, therefore missing out on information that the Parish Council shares on the village website (we do not use social media platforms). If you are one of those residents, please put a note of your name and address through the Parish Office letterbox and we will endeavor to get a paper copy to you if you are housebound, or make copies available for you to collect from the Parish Office.
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JUBILEE WOOD
Dog mess, particularly from owner(s) of large dogs has increased. It is not pleasant for anyone to find on the walkways, worse still if they tread in it. PLEASE be considerate – deal with it, remove it and take it home to place in your own grey bin or in one the Huntingdonshire District Council bins located around the parish.
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