Parish council

GREAT & LITTLE GIDDING PARISH COUNCIL

ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

Minutes of the meeting held at Great Gidding Village Hall  on Tuesday 18^th May 2021

Present:  Cllrs Hodson, Hill, Cotton, Maciag and Pudney, District Councillor Alban and the Clerk

001.21 Apologies for absence were received from County Councillor Gardener who was in attendance at another meeting

002.21 Election of Chairman and signing of Declaration of Acceptance of office.

There were no nominations for the position of Chairman.  Cllr Hodson agreed to continue as Chairman.

Proposed by Cllr Hill and seconded by Cllr Cotton

003.21 Election of Vice Chairman and signing of Declaration of Acceptance of office.

There were no nominations for the position of Vice Chairman.  Cllr Pudney agreed to continue as Vice Chairman.

Proposed by Cllr Hodson and seconded by Cllr Hill

004.21 Adoption of Standing Orders – there were no changes made to the Standing Orders.

            Cllr Hill proposed and Cllr Hodson seconded          

005.21 Adoption of Financial Regulations – the following amendment has been made Financial Regulations

At the meeting held on 21^st April 2020 (see item 008.20)

Cllr Pudney proposed the use of internet banking rather than cheques to make payments during lockdown period (and thereafter).  This was seconded by Cllr Hodson.

Cllr Pudney proposed adoption of the Financial Regulations and Cllr Hodson seconded.                 

006.21 Declaration of Interests – annual review. There have been no changes to the Interests of Councillors in the last year.           

007.21 There were no member of the Public and Press in attendance

008.21 Items raised at the Annual Parish Meeting – this was the Council Tax enquiry (see 011.21 District Councillor Alban’s comments).  A letter of response has been sent to the resident who enquired about the increase in the parish percentage and no further correspondence has been received regarding this matter.  An item will be added to the next issue of the Clarion (to be distributed in June).

009.21 To approve the Minutes of the Parish Council  meeting held on 20^th April 2021

            Cllr Pudney approved and Cllr Maciag seconded.

010.21 Matters arising from those Minutes that will not be discussed later in the meeting

Clerk was asked about the replacement bin at the crossroads opposite the shop.  Clerk advised that the charge for a bin to be emptied weekly would be £252.64 and there is a recommended bin, price of £164.00 +VAT (£196.80)

Cllr Hodson proposed the purchase of the bin, Cllr Hill seconded.

011.21 Reports from Councillors:

District Councillor Alban – following the decision to recommence in person meetings, rather than online meetings, a request has been made to the Democratic Service Officer to request that County and District Councillors are permitted to attend meetings online as this enabled County and District Councillors to attend several meetings within a day/evening rather than being restricted to being present at one meeting.

The Annual meeting of the District Council will be held at the Burgess Hall in St Ives on 19^th May, the venue allows for the require COVID distancing for Councillors and this is likely to remain the venue for the foreseeable future.

Pot holes along Milking Slade Lane and the Bullock Road have been reported and markings have appeared on these roads to identify areas to be repaired/resurfaced.

The Enforcement Officer has updated Councillor Alban regarding the land adjacent to 21 Mill Road and the Clerk confirmed that the Enforcement Officer has emailed the current position.

Following the Annual Parish Meeting, Councillor Alban had enquired of the Council Tax Team Leader if the District Council element of Council Tax was similarly affected (see attached document).  It was agreed that an item will appear in the next issue of the Clarion to address the question around Council Tax that was posed at the Annual Parish Meeting as it was felt this the best way to inform all parishioners.

Huntingdon District Council leisure centres are now open again.  There is no indication of when Sawtry Leisure Centre, now independent of Huntingdon Leisure Centre, will re-open as they are carrying out a refit and refurbishment programme.

*** District Councillor Alban left the meeting.

Cllr Maciaig advised that the Planning Application in respect of the MUGA was not yet registered on Huntingdon District Council’s planning list that appears on their website.

Cllr Hill – there have been no further developments regarding the LHI bid

Cllr Cotton and Cllr Hodson – nothing to report

Cllr Pudney – advised that there was another fly tipping incident in Back Lane, consisting of bags of grass clippings, which he has removed.

012.21 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

a) to note Barclays Bank statements

b) to note the Budget control statement and the cash flow forecast

c) PAYMENTS AND ACCOUNTS – to approve BACS online payments in respect of the following:

	Who	What for	Amount	VAT	Authorised	Authorised
6	J R Trolove	Wages for March –  28 hours	£xxx	NONE	JRT	PH
7	CAPALC	Annual subscription	£208.87 or £258.87	NONE	JRT	PH
8	Bradgate Fencing	Grass cutting	£199.32		JRT	PH
9	BHIB Insurance	Insurance for Parish Council	£490.33	NONE	JRT	PH

No 7 The Data Protection Officer option was discussed.  Cllr Pudney offered to take on the role of Data Protection Officer for the Parish Council.  Cllr Cotton forwarded the following  link https://www.ukauthority.com/articles/relief-for-parish-councils-in-new-data-protection-law/   regarding Parish Council requirements.  An amount of £208.87 will be paid to CAPALC.

No 8 incorrect amount shown on Agenda – £99.66 should be £199.32 for 2 cuts of grass.

No 9 It was proposed by Cllr Hodson to accept the renewal premium, seconded by Cllr Pudney

Cllr Hill advised that the Vodaphone contract was due for renewal (through his personalaccount).  Vodaphone offered 18 months or 24 months contract

Cllr Hodson proposed renewal for 24 months and this was agreed by all.

Receipts:

PRECEPT for 2021-22 – £11052.00

VAT to end of 2020-21 financial year – £121.58

d)  to approve Clerk’s hours worked between 1^st and 30^th April (36   hours) – these   were agreed.

e) End of year accounts for 2019-20 – preparation for the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) – there were no additional comments or observations regarding the end of year accounts.  A draft of the AGAR and Variances Report had also been forwarded to Councillors.  Clerk and Cllr Hodson will meet to complete the required paperwork in readiness for approval and signature at the June meeting.

013.21 Planning matters:

Cllr Hodson observed that, in the light of the variety of planning matters that the Parish Council was receiving, some training on how a Parish Council can respond to planning applications and other planning issues was required to gain further understanding of the process and to ensure consistency in the future. (Clerk advised there were currently no training sessions arranged in respect of Planning – CAPALC/SLCC).  He requested the Clerk to contact Councillor Dick Tuplin (Sawtry Parish Council), who had formerly served on the Planning Committee of the District Council, to ask him to deliver a training session to our Parish Council.

a) 65 Main Street:

Ref: 20/00243/ENTRÉE – removal of hedge – nothing new to report.  This is being dealt with by the Planning Enforcement Officer and will no longer appear on the agenda.

Further Planning Application at this address for a 2 storey extension to provide a garden room and bedroom (Reference: 20/02564/HHFUL)   *** Clerk has asked the Planning Department to extend the period in which the Parish Council may submit their comments on the application, the Planning Officer has agreed.

Following discussion regarding this application and the outstanding enforcement matter, it was proposed that an objection be made to the Planning Application, on the grounds that the hedge has not yet been replaced and the construction of the extension is of a size that precludes the re-instatement of the hedge.

Councillors voted on this proposal:

2 were against the motion and 3 were in favour.

Cllr Hill requested that it be recorded in the minutes that he did not support this refusal.

Huntingdonshire District Council will be advised of this refusal and the reasons.

b) Report no 34428 – Blocked public footpath (No 6) between Chapel End and Mill Road.  Cllr Hodson advised that he has removed the rope from the gate again in recent weeks.

Clerk will contact the Footpath Officer to enquire what actions the Parish Council can take to ensure access along the length of a footpath.

c) land adjacent to 21 Mill Road – Update received from Enforcement Officer, due to the ongoing enforcement investigation, no details can be shared

014.21 Recreation Ground Update:

Cllr Hodson has removed 2 of the waste bins (stored in the container) and emptied 1 other bin.

An estimate to refurbish the “Huntingdon” bench from Wicksteed (Materials @ £935, labour @ £360 = £1295+VAT) was not accepted.  Cllrs Pudney and Maciag will price up materials and assess the work required.

MUGA (see 011.21)

015.21 Request from parishioner for Clerk to act as “hub” for village WhatsApp groups.

            The Clerk has sought advice and should not act as a hub for sharing such information.

            Details of the WhatsApp groups and contact details will be included in the next issue of the Clarion.

016.21 Request to Parish Council from the Great Gidding Charity Trustees in respect of rental of village Allotments on an annual basis – this will be added to a future agenda.

017.21 Vacancies for Parish Councillors – notice to be displayed.

018.21 Parish Pound – resident’s proposal for the upkeep of this Parish asset.

            Cllr Hodson confirmed that the Pound is an area in the ownership of the Parish Council, but not registered with the Land Registry.  All present agreed that resident is welcome to maintain this area.

019.21 Review of Parish Council Asset Register – preparation for the Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR).  Items on the Asset Register were agreed by all.

020.21 Correspondence received since 20^th April 2021 (other than that discussed in agenda items above).  Due to COVID 19 restrictions emails have been shared almost immediately.

a) East Anglian Childrens Hospice – newsletter – this Parish Council does not make donations to charity.

021.21  Items for decisions at next meeting:

               Completion of the Annual Governance Statement and Certificate for Audit

              Councillor Training

              Allotment agreement

              Co-option of Parish Councillor, should no one come forward in response to the vacancy.

022.21 Date of next meeting – Tuesday 15^th June 2021, starting at 1930 hours

            At Great Gidding Village Hall (unless we return to ZOOM meetings).

The meeting closed at 9.27PM

GREAT & LITTLE GIDDING PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the online meeting held, via Zoom, on Tuesday 20^th April 2021

Present:  Cllrs Hodson, Hill, Cotton, Maciag and Pudney, District Councillor Alban and the Clerk

198.20 Cllr Hodson welcomed those present to the meeting.

199.20 No apologies for absence were received.

200.20  Cllr Hodson declared an interest in matters on the agenda regarding allotments.

201.20 No members of the press or public attended the meeting

   202.20 The minutes of the meeting held on 16^th March 2021 were confirmed as a correct record by Councillors Pudney and Hill.                         

203.20 There were no matters arising from those Minutes that will not be discussed as an agenda item.

204.20 TO RECEIVE REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS:

            District Councillor Alban advised that there has been no progress regarding the

            Land adjacent to 21 Mill Road.  He explained that the District Council had 4 officers dealing with approx. 1000 cases, coupled with COVID issues and therefore additional time is required.  He will continue to monitor the case.

            Cllr Maciag asked a general question of Cllr Alban regarding planning matters, namely regarding extensive delays to planning applications/site visits and the planning process.  Cllr Alban advised that COVID restrictions have had a major impact on the Planning Department and staff and the recommendation was to continue with contact/questions/etc.

            Cllr Maciag advised that the submitted planning application for the MUGA has not yet appeared on the District Council Planning List.

            Cllr Hill has spoken to Jo Challis of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Highways – the works to our village roads are not imminent.

            Cllr Hodson advised that the School are making a member of staff redundant due to low number of children on the school roll and funding issues.         

205.20 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

a) to note Barclays Bank statements

b) to note the Budget control statement and the cash flow forecast

c) PAYMENTS AND ACCOUNTS – to approve online payments in respect of the following:

	Who	What for	Amount	VAT	Authorised	Authorised
1	J R Trolove	Wages for January – 28 hours	£xxx	NONE
2	SLCC	Annual subscription	£36.00	NONE
3	Bradgate Fencing	Grass cutting	£99.66	16.61
4	J R Trolove	Purchase of Microsoft Office and anti virus package	74.98	tba
5	AWA	Rec Field water rates	30.83		Direct debit

d)  to approve Clerk’s hours worked between 1^st and 31^st March ( 28  hours)

      Approved by Cllr Maciag and seconded by Cllr Pudney

206.20 Planning matters – Clerk to obtain updates on all matters prior to meeting:

a) Ref: 20/00243/ENTRÉE 65 Main Street – the hedge is unlikely to be replaced in the near future, partly due to COVID restrictions and now the dry weather – this item will be removed from future agendas.

b) Report no 34428 – Blocked public footpath (No 6) between Chapel End and Mill Road.  Other Rights of Way outstanding matters

c) 2 Gains Lane –  the conservatory remains on Chorus Homes property, we have been advised that COVID has restricted access to the property.  This item will be removed from the agenda as now in the hands of the landlord.

d) land adjacent to 21 Mill Road – ongoing case for Enforcement Officer  (as discussed above).

207.20 Recreation Ground Update:

Planning application for a MUGA to be sited on the Recreation Ground has been submitted to HuntsDC – Cllr Maciag has submitted a Supporting statement and a revised location plan on 26/3/2021 (see 007.21 above).

Cllr Pudney advised that there had been an offer of help with the project.

Outside funding will be required, and potential fund raising events in the village too.

208.20 Social Media comment/statement – Cllr Hodson advised that his preference would be for the Parish Council to use a standard response to any posts made on social media, rather than enter into discussion.  Therefore the Clerk has circulated to Parish Councillors a proposed wording to be posted in response to comments made regarding the Parish Council on Social Media (Facebook).  The wording was unanimously approved and, as the Parish Clerk does not access Facebook, Cllr Pudney will post this response (copy attached) as and when required.

209.20 Request to Parish Council from the Great Gidding Charity Trustees in respect of rental of village Allotments on an annual basis (see attached report) – Cllr Hodson explained the requirement for a Parish Council to provide Allotments.  The village allotment site is owned by the Great Gidding Charity.  The proposal would be for the Parish Council to rent the Allotments from Great Gidding Charity for a sum of £400 per annum.  In return the Parish Council would receive income from annual rents.  The Charity would continue to pay water rates for the site.  The Clerk will check with Parish Council insurers if they would cover the allotments, making the insurers aware that the land was owned by another organisation, and report back to the May meeting – this will then clarify who should pay for insurance.

            The next Gidding Charity Trustees meeting will be held on Tuesday 4^th May, at which a document will be drawn up to reflect the changes.

            Cllr Pudney proposed acceptance of the Proposal and this was seconded by Cllr Cotton.

210.20Appointment of an Independent Internal Auditor for 2020-2021  – Clerk requested that CANALBS be requested to carry out the annual audit

            Cllr Hodson proposed that CANALBS be instructed, Cllr Pudney seconded

211.20 Parish Clerk’s annual appraisal – Cllr Hodson offered to carry out the appraisal and if, as a result an appeals panel is required, this should be made up of other Parish Councillors.  Cllr Cotton agreed.

1:1 meeting, therefore delayed until COVID restrictions permit

212.20 Correspondence received since 16^th March 2021 (other than that discussed in agenda items above).  Due to COVID 19 restrictions emails have been shared almost immediately.

a)         email from Elections Public, Hunts DC – re. 6^th May 2021 – this will be discussed in the Village Hall meeting following this meeting

b)         email from TradeWasteTeam – re bin at crossroads – this falls within the remit of the Street Cleansing Team at Huntingdonshire District Council.  Clerk has contacted them asking for details of size/capacity type of bin and price for emptying (price given as £252.64, this would be a once weekly collection.)

c)         email from PFK Littlejohn regarding external auditor instructions

d)         email from County Councillor Gardener re. Highways Initiative Bid

e)         email from District Councillor Alban – report on various matters (this has been added to the village website)

f)          email from Wicksteed – follow up regarding work identified in annual report – Cllr Macaig had assessed the bench and felt that all slats should be replaced, the fixings are corroded and bench securely fixed in the ground.  Clerk will obtain a quote from Wicksteed to replace all the slats on the bench.

g)         email from BHIB Insurance brokers – renewal of insurance policy for 1/6/2021

212.20  Items for decisions at next meeting:

Renewal of Parish Council insurance

Parish Pound  

213.20 Date of next meeting – Tuesday 18^th May 2021, starting at 1930 hours

It is to be confirmed if this is ONLINE via ZOOM or in the Village Hall