Parish council

Minutes of the online meeting held, via Zoom, on Tuesday 16^th March 2021

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

181.20 Cllr Hodson welcomed those present to the meeting.

182.20 County Councillor Gardener gave his apologies as he was attending another meeting.

183.20 Declarations of interest were given by Councillors Hodson, Hill and the Clerk in      respect of 193.30 relating to the Great Gidding Charity

184.20 No members of the Public & Press were present.             

185.20 Minutes of the meeting held on 16^th February 2021  were confirmed as a true and correct record.  Cllr Pudney proposed, Cllr Cotton seconded                        

186.20 Matters arising from the Minutes of the February Meeting:

                        Cllr Hodson queried the amounts that were mentioned in County Councillor Gardener’s report – Clerk confirmed that £20 million was the figure stated to be spent on footpaths and £2.73M to be spent on flood prevention.

                        The waste bin opposite the shop is not being emptied by the volunteer.  It was agreed to remove this as soon as possible – Councillor Pudney will undertake this action.

                        *** District Councillor Alban joined the meeting

187.20 TO RECEIVE REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS:

District Councillor Alban advised the District Council budget meeting voted there would be a 0% in respect of the District Council element of Council Tax.

Fly tipping continues to be a problem along the B660 corridor, particularly alcohol bottles.  The Enforcement Team are following up where addresses have been found.

Land adjacent to 21 Mill Road – the allocated Enforcement Officer has emailed Cllr Alban and the Parish Clerk and it is hoped that progress will be made.  Cllr Hodson thanked District Cllr Alban for his ongoing support with this matter.

District Council will become responsible for civil parking enforcement as regards double yellow lines – this is likely to start in 2 years time.

Cllr Alban and Cllr Beuttell are proposing that, when restrictions allow, a meeting for Councillors and Clerks within his District Council ward can be held to enable views, ideas and experiences to be shared.

***      District Councillor Alban left the meeting.

Councillor Hill – he has presented the LHI bid in respect of Mill Road and Luddington Road, online.  We will learn the outcome in June 2021.

Councillor Hodson – allotments were still very wet.

There were no further reports from Councillors

188.20 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

a) to note Barclays Bank statements

b) to note the Budget control statement and the cash flow forecast – it was noted that the speed awareness camera will not be purchased until 2021-22 and therefore a surplus will be shown in the overall budget at the end of the financial year.

Grass cutting budget – the current contract has cost much less than anticipated.

Contingency fund – this has not been spent this year.

Website maintenance – there has been an overspend on this budget due to the requirement to bring the website content in line with current required legislation.

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

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

Payments and clerk’s hours agreed by Cllr Hill and Cllr Cotton.

189.20 Planning matters:

a) Ref: 20/00243/ENTRÉE 65 Main Street (Andrea Dollard,  Enforcement Officer at HuntsDC) – removal of hedgerow  – Clerk has emailed to enquire which party has been requested to replace the hedge, response awaited.

b) Report no 34428 (Zaria Bettles, Footpath Officer) Blocked public footpath (No 6) between Chapel End and Mill Road reported online – she has responded to advise that Jury Duty had delayed her work and she was asking the various landowners to work together – Clerk has queried the comment about working together as only one landowner/property is related to the blockage.

Cllr Hodson enquired of the Clerk if Parish Council could legally remove the obstruction – Clerk to research.  Cllr Pudney read out the wording relating to the Rights of Way Section 137 of the Highways Act – Clerk will ask a direct question of the Footpath Officer regarding the requirements to enable this to be resolved.  Cllr Pudney suggested a direct request be sent to the Footpath Officer regarding action that the Parish Council can legally take to remove the obstacle.

c)          2 Gains Lane – aerial removed, conservatory still in situ – Chorus Homes ( SARAH CINCIUS, NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES MANAGER, also referred to Neighbourhood Officer, Cameron Keysell) had emailed a response to the Clerk to advise that this was ongoing and delayed by access issues due to COVID.

d) land adjacent to 21 Mill Road (REF: 18/00246/ENURES) – Acting Planning Enforcement Officer Sally Granshaw has made telephone contact with the occupier, and plans to phone him again on 17^th March 2021 to discuss further, and will then advise the Parish Council and District Councillor Alban of the outcome.

190.20 Recreation Ground Update:

            Planning application for the MUGA – payment has been made, Clerk advised that the Planning Application is not yet showing on the Huntingdonshire District Council planning list (as at 10.3.2021)

            As a result of the latest issue of the Gidding News, a resident has offered to get involved with the MUGA project.

            Cllr Hodson advised that Bradgate had cut the grass and, as the prices, terms and conditions of the contract with Bradgate remain the same as last year, he proposed that we retain them in this role.  Cllr Hill agreed.

191.20 Annual Parish Meeting – with the uncertainties around COVID restrictions, particularly in person events, after much discussion it was agreed that the Annual Parish Meeting should take place at the start of the April meeting (20^th April at 7.30PM), this will be online and notices will be displayed 14 days prior to the event to advise parishioners (noticeboards/website/shop).  Parishioners will be invited to join via ZOOM.

192.20 Parish Council use of social media. 

            From time to time comments have been made about this Parish Council on social media sites that exist within the village.  At present the Parish Council do not use social media.  It was discussed at length, with all Councillors expressing their view how to respond, or if a response is required, or if a social media “presence” is required and if so on which platforms.

            Cllr Maciag pointed out that parishioners are given the opportunity to ask questions and air their views by attending the monthly Parish Council meetings and, more recently, join the online meetings.

            It was suggested that an official statement/comment should be used on occasions when it was felt that the Parish Council needed to respond.  Clerk will devise a wording for approval and adoption at the April meeting.

193.20 Charity proposal had not been included in the associated documents for this meeting and this item will be deferred until April meeting.

194.20 Rights of Way and Footpaths – Cllr Pudney has offered to take on this role as one of his responsibilities.  Clerk had shared with Councillors a list of rights of way and footpaths within the Parish, with associated landowners where known, together with details of outstanding issues within the Parish and will keep Cllr Pudney informed about current and future matters.

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

            a) a letter from Freshwater Habitats Trust to request to sample water at Townsend Pond – this was agreed.           

196.20  Items for decisions at next meeting:

            Request to Parish Council from the Great Gidding Charity Trustees in respect of rental of village Allotments on an annual basis

             Social Media – official statement to be adopted                               

197.20 Date of next meeting – Tuesday 20^th April 2021,

starting at 1930 hours ONLINE via ZOOM

            Meeting closed at 20.45

Minutes of the online meeting held, via Zoom, on Tuesday 16^th February 2021

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

162.20 Cllr Hodson welcomed those present to the meeting.

163.20 To receive apologies and reasons for absence – there were no absences.   

164.20 There were no Declarations of Interest.

165.20 No members of the Public & Press were present.              

166.20 Minutes of the meeting held on 19^th January 2021  were confirmed as a true and correct record.  Cllr Hill proposed, Cllr Cotton seconded                        

167.20 There were no matters arising in respect of the minutes of the January meeting.  

168.20 TO RECEIVE REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS:

District Councillor Alban advised the District Council budget meeting would be held next week and a 0% increase was to be proposed in respect of Council Tax.

He was working alongside District Councillor Simon Bywater to address flooding concerns and pot hole issues.

He has emailed the Planning Enforcement officer regarding the enquiry for land adjacent to 21 Mill Road, particularly the sewage issue.  Cllr Hodson thanked District Cllr Alban for his ongoing support with this matter.

County Councillor Gardener advised that the Council Council budget meeting had agreed an increase of 1.99% for Council Tax.

There would be an increased in funding for Transformation and £20 million has been set aside for Highways footpaths, in addition £2.3 million has been allocated to flood prevention.  Cllr Gardener is now part of the HuntsDC flooding group.

There is a project being undertaken in respect of a Responsive Transport Scheme for West Hunts area.

Local Highways Initiative bid – as a member of the Committee, Cllr Gardener is unable to vote on our Parish submission, but he offered to present the application should Cllr Hill be unable to join the meeting via ZOOM (this meeting to take place on 24February).

***      County Councillor Gardener left the meeting.

There were no further reports from Councillors

169.20 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

a) to note Barclays Bank statements

b) to note the Budget control statement and the cash flow forecast – it was noted that the planned works associated with the LHI bid are unlikely to take place until April, therefore the purchase of the speed awareness camera is likely to be part of 2021-22 budget.

Cllr Maciag enquired about the Planning Application fee for the Recreation Ground project – this will be funded by the Village Hall account.

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

d)  to approve Clerk’s hours worked between 1^st and 31^st January ( 27 hours)

Agreed by Cllr Hill and Cllr Cotton.

170.20 Planning matters:

a) Ref: 20/00243/ENTRÉE 65 Main Street – removal of hedgerow (Andrea Dollard,  Enforcement Officer at HuntsDC) – replacement hedging still to be planted, weather and COVID are causing delay (Jan 2021).  Clerk asked to check who is being asked to replace the hedge.

b) Report no 34428 (Zaria Bettles) Blocked public footpath (No 6) between Chapel End and Mill Road reported online – Parish Clerk has given details of field owners to Footpath Officer to enable her to pursue this matter.  Footpath Officer on Jury Duty, returns 15^th February 2021.

c) 2 Gains Lane – aerial removed, conservatory still in situ – remains the same at the date of the meeting.

d) land adjacent to 21 Mill Road – ongoing case Enforcement Office has been unable to contact resident (Jan 2021).  Photographs or the entrance gateway, with name and address of resident applied to the postbox – sent to Enforcement Officer

e) planning application for a MUGA to be sited on the Recreation Ground – Cllr Maciag enquired if there is a preferred size, according to the sport to be played – it was agreed that the application should be submitted based on a tennis court size.  Cllr Maciag will now forward the application to HuntsDC

171.20 Recreation Ground Update:

            Safety report and maintenance requirements – Wicksteed annual report has been received, items were discussed.  Cllr Hodson advised that he felt the slats on the bench could be replaced – Cllr Maciag will take a look at the requirements of refurbishing the seat.

***      District Cllr Alban left the meeting.

172.20 Bins – litter and dog waste bins/bag stores update – Notices had been attached adjacent to all bins asking for volunteers to contact Parish Clerk

            Clerk advised that a volunteer has taken on the maintenance of the bin near Chapel End Pond, and another resident has offered to act as backup.

            Dog waste bins at the Main Street End of the Jitty and on Jubilee Wood have been removed as no volunteers came forward to offer help.  Bag dispenser will remain at Jubilee Wood.  Cllr Hodson advised that there were Hunts DC bins opposite the Fox and Hounds Pub and outside the School, these were regularly emptied by the District Council, and could be used for all types of waste/rubbish.

            Cllr Hodson asked Clerk if the cost of a further bin was known.  Clerk advised that there is an online application form, this sets out the needs/requirements of a waste bin and, no cost/prices appear on the website, but it would appear to be assessed on the need.

***      Member of the public joined the meeting.

173.20 Gidding News – Clerk thanked Cllr Hill for his work on the layout and edit of the various articles for the next newsletter.  Cllr Maciag recommended that, in view of the decision about size of MUGA, this item should be reworded.  Cllr Hill will make the final change and the Clerk will then forward to the printers.

174.20 Pond – opposite Recreation Field.  FWAG had advised that as the surrounding vegetation is mature, this provides an important wildlife habitat and therefore the pond would not be considered for the scheme.

175.20 Local Highways Initiative Bid:

            a) to discuss and approve changes to the proposal – the dragons teeth at the entry to the 40 MPH zones would not be part of the 2020-21 scheme as the available budget had been exceeded. Cllr Hill had advised Highways Dept of Cambs CC to proceed on this basis. It is hoped this work will be implemented in Spring 2021.

            b) to discuss and approve the Parish contribution to the 2021-22 LHI scheme.  In order to reduce the cost of the Mill Road, and Luddington Road works it had been decided to remove the high viz white gates from the scheme.

176.20 Roles and Responsibilities of Parish Councillors – the list had been shared with Councillors prior to the meeting, many of the categories are not applicable to our Parish

            Cllr Hodson      – Allotments and Recreation Ground.

            Cllr Maciag      – Planning

            Cllr Cotton       – Community buildings (the Village Hall)

            Cllr Hill             – Highways and Traffic calming

177.20 Grass cutting contract – request has been sent to existing contractor regarding terms of contract and pricing for 2021/22, nothing heard at time of meeting and this was not discussed – hold for March meeting.

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

            There was none.

179.20  Items for decisions at next meeting:

            Request to Parish Council from the Great Gidding Charity Trustees in respect of rental of village Allotments on an annual basis

            Grass cutting contract

             Annual Parish Meeting – ideas for event (subject to COVID restrictions) or online meeting

            Social Media (regarding road closure)                                   

180.20 Date of next meeting – Tuesday 16^th March 2021,

starting at 1930 hours ONLINE via ZOOM

            Meeting closed at 20.39

GREAT & LITTLE GIDDING PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the online meeting held, via Zoom, on Tuesday 19^th January 2021

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

147.20 Cllr Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present at the meeting.  Cllr Dear has resigned from the Parish Council as she is soon to move out of the village, Cllr Hodson wished to express his thanks to her for all that she has done for the village and villagers, both prior to and during her time as a Councillor – Clerk will send her a letter of thanks.

148.20 Apologies were received from:

County Councillor Gardener – at another meeting, plans to join later

District Councillor Alban – at other meetings

149.20 There were no declarations of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda

150.20  No members of Public & Press were present.

151.20 Minutes of the meeting held on 15^th December 2020 were confirmed by Cllr Hill and seconded by Cllr Pudney                         

152.20 Matters arising from those Minutes that will not be discussed as an agenda item –

there were none.       

153.20 TO RECEIVE REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS:

            Cllr Hill – has heard nothing further on works related to the LHI bid

Cllr Hodson – allotments were under water/extremely wet.

Asked that “Roles and Responsibilities” be added to the next agenda

Cllr Pudney – whilst the village itself suffered no flooding incidents during recent heavy rainfall, he had found most roads leading to the village were impassable or heavily flooded and this was a matter of concern for access to the village.  Clerk advised that District Councillor Alban was compiling details of the recent flooding incidents and there was to be a meeting with District Councillor Simon Bywater and Sawtry Parish Councillors to collate information, discuss options and actions.

There were no further Councillor reports.

154.20 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

a) to note Barclays Bank statements

b) to note the Budget control statement and the cash flow forecast – Cllr Hodson advised that the grass cutting expenditure was much less than anticipated, the contract is due for renewal and this will be discussed at the next meeting.

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

            Payments were agreed by Cllr Hill and seconded by Cllr Pudney.

d)  to approve Clerk’s hours worked between 1^st and 31^st December ( 23  hours)

155.20 Planning matters:

a)Ref: 20/00243/ENTRÉE 65 Main Street – removal of hedgerow (Andrea Dollard, Enforcement Officer at HuntsDC) – nothing further heard

b)Report no 34428 (Zaria Bettles) Blocked public footpath (No 6) between Chapel End and Mill Road reported online – Parish Clerk has given details of field owners to Footpath Officer to enable her to pursue this matter.  Clerk will contact Zaria Bettles for an update ready for February meeting.

c) 2 Gains Lane – aerial removed, conservatory still in situ

d) land adjacent to 21 Mill Road – Andrea Dollard, to follow up with Hunts DC colleague – nothing further heard from HuntsDC, Clerk will request an update.

e) Neighbourhood Plan – a letter of “approval” has been received from HuntsDC, which enables the process to commence.  Clerk advised that the next step was to seek volunteers to form a research group.  Cllr Maciag recommended that this be delayed until after lockdown and better weather, to allow for volunteers to meet together.

f) Cllr Macaig has completed the planning application form in respect of the MUGA for the Recreation Ground, a couple of queries required clarification.  Cllr Pudney suggested that, if the storage container were moved to the other side of the toilet unit, this would enable the MUGA to be sited closer to the hedgerow.  Cllr Hodson confirmed that the container could be easily moved to enable this and Cllr Maciag will rework the site plan and share with Councillors before submission to HuntsDC.

156.20 Recreation Ground – Wicksteed are still to carry out the annual inspection of play equipment – weather conditions/lockdown may have caused a delay

157.20 Bins – litter and dog waste bins/bag dispensers

            With Councillor Dear leaving the village, one of her roles was to empty and maintain all bins within the parish, this was discussed and the following decisions made:

            The dog waste bin at Little Gidding will be removed within the next couple of days (Clerk had asked for a volunteer amongst Little Gidding residents but, as they are not permitted to keep dogs, therefore no volunteer was found).

            The litter bin opposite the shop is constantly full, mainly alcohol bottles, and is heavy and cumbersome – this will be removed as soon as possible.

            Dog waste bins at the end of The Jitty between Main Street and Gains Lane, the Jubilee Wood, and Chapel End Pond – notices will be attached, seeking volunteers to take on responsibility of each bin, 10 days given for volunteers to contact Parish Clerk, after that date bins will be removed.  Situation will be monitored and reported back at February meeting.

            Clerk will request a further waste bin from HuntsDC to be sited close to the shop (there is already one bin opposite the Fox and Hounds PH, any waste can be deposited in this bin, and it is regularly emptied by HuntsDC)

            Cllr Hodson asked that parishioners are encouraged to continue reporting fly tipping incidents to HuntsDC.

158.20 Gidding News – an issue will be compiled, ready for the February meeting, particularly to promote completion of Census forms, share details about the proposed MUGA, CARESCO activities that may benefit residents.  Cllr Hill offered to compile the final copy and Clerk will forward content to him.    

159.20 Parish Pond opposite Recreation Field.  Possibility of creating bio diversity habitat and applicable grant application –Lucy Jenkins from FWAG had visited the site at the end of December, her response is awaited. 

160.20 Correspondence received since 15^th December 2020 (other than that discussed in agenda items above).  Due to COVID 19 restrictions emails have been shared almost immediately.

CENSUS 21

Post Office Van – village visiting times (to include this in the Gidding News)

Cambs County Council – flood risk reporting flowchart

161.20  Items for decisions at next meeting:

            Roles and responsibilities for Parish Councillors

            Grass cutting contract

            Bins – update on volunteers and/or removal of bins

            Annual parish meeting – start preparation

162.20 Date of next meeting – Tuesday 16^th February 2021,

starting at 1930 hours ONLINE via ZOOM

MEETING CLOSED AT 20.34

GREAT & LITTLE GIDDING PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the online meeting held, via Zoom, on Tuesday 15^th December 2020

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

132.20 Cllr Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present at the meeting

133.20 Apologies were received from:

County Councillor Gardener – at another meeting

Cllr Dear – Clerk was unable to contact via telephone

Cllr Macaig    

134.20 There were no declarations of Disclosable Interests for items on the Agenda

135.20 Public & Press participation session:

              Cllr Alban – he had contacted the enforcement officer in Hunts DC Planning Department, requesting an update regarding the potential “dwelling” adjacent to 21 Mill Road.  He had received advice that this matter was still ongoing.  He advised that all Departments of the Council are working to the best of the ability, given the circumstances that COVID presents. Cllr Hodson enquired about Sawtry Leisure Centre re-opening but Cllr Alban advised that, as the property/business is no longer owned by the District Council, he was unable to answer this,  Cllr Pudney advised that through his children’s attendance at Sawtry College, he was aware that it was the intention to re-open the Leisure Centre as soon as virus restrictions and compliance allow.  Cllr Alban gave his best wishes to all for Christmas and New Year.

Cllr Alban left our meeting to rejoin Folksworth Parish Council meeting at 19.38.

136.20 Minutes of the meeting held on 17^th November 2020 were confirmed by Cllr Hodson and seconded by Cllr Cotton                         

137.20 Matters arising from those Minutes that will not be discussed as an agenda item.

            Cllr Hodson thanked those who submitted items and compiled the newsletter, all copies have been distributed to residents of the parish.

138.20 TO RECEIVE REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS:

            Clerk advised the following:

            a) the annual CIL tax return has been submitted to Hunts DC

            b) the annual Precept request has been submitted to Hunts DC

c) a VAT return was submitted to HMRC – a total of £356.04, and this amount was paid into the bank account on 15 December 2020.

d) AGAR report has been received from external auditor, PKF Littlejohn.  There were no comments regarding the report, and this will be published on the village website.

Clerk had attended an online Society of Local Council Clerks meeting and advised that there is the possibility that Parish Councils could become involved with the rollout of the COVID vaccination programme, details not yet known.  Also Parish Councils will be asked to assist with the 2021 census returns – details to follow, and see 144.20 – Correspondence received.

Cllr Hodson – Due to avian flu outbreaks, all poultry on the allotments is now housed indoors and undercover.  The allotments and Jubilee Wood are very wet underfoot due to excessive rain but there are many people walking around the wood and making use of the facility.  Michael Trolove continues to remove blackthorn when time and weather conditions allow.

Cllr Hill – had met with Jo Challis to confirm the siting of the post at the Glatton end of Main Street, but it had been difficult to find a suitable site for a second post at the Winwick end of Main Street due to the proximity of housing to the road, required sight lines etc.  Cllr Hill had requested that the project go ahead with just one post for the camera for now, to ensure that the installation project was not delayed, and further thought and investigation will be given to a second post in the future.  The Clerk had consulted Holme Parish Clerk, as their parish has had speed cameras for a few years and recently installed another post, it was confirmed that moving the camera from time to time was beneficial and reflected in the results obtained from their camera.

There were no further Councillor reports.

139.20 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

a) to note Barclays Bank statements

b) to note the Budget control statement and the cash flow forecast – Cllr Hodson explained that, whilst the forecast shows an overspend on website provision, this was an essential expense to bring the website into line with current legislation.

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

            Payments were agreed by Cllr Pudney and seconded by Cllr Cotton.

d)  to approve Clerk’s hours worked between 1^st and 30^th November ( 27  hours)

Pay scales for Parish Clerks have increased, this Clerk is on SCP14 of the pay scale, which has increased to £12.00 per hour

Cllr Pudney proposed the increase in hourly rate and this was agreed by Cllr Cotton.                        

140.20 Planning matters:

a)Ref: 20/00243/ENTRÉE 65 Main Street – removal of hedgerow (Andrea Dollard, Enforcement Officer at HuntsDC) – nothing further heard

b)Report no 34428 (Zaria Bettles) Blocked public footpath (No 6) between Chapel End and Mill Road reported online – Parish Clerk has given details of field owners to Footpath Officer to enable her to pursue this matter.  Nothing further heard but Cllr Hodson has walked the footpath and, once again, the gate was tied with string, although no further dumping of vegetation.

c) 2 Gains Lane – aerial removed, conservatory still in situ

d) land adjacent to 21 Mill Road – Andrea Dollard, to follow up with Hunts DC colleague – see District Cllr Alban’s report at 135.20

e) Neighbourhood Plan update – it was agreed by all that the letter and accompanying map should be sent to Hunts DC to start the process.

f) proposed telecommunications mast – application to site at Luddington in the Brook, although objection refers to sites “offered” around Great Gidding parish – East Northants DC Planning Dept have advised that planning permission is not required as this application falls under Permitted Development .  No further action or information.

g) Cllr Macaig has completed the planning application form in respect of the MUGA for the Recreation Ground, once this has been shared with other Councillors, it can be forwarded to Hunts District Council Planning Department.  It was agreed by Councillors that it would be courteous to inform residents adjacent to the proposed site and then inform all villagers of the plans through an issue of the Gidding News in Spring 2021 or, if permitted at an event in the Village Hall.

*** Clerk phoned Cllr Dear, no response

141.20 Recreation Ground Update:

            Safety report – Cllr Hodson had checked the field (report to follow) – the replacement bench slats still to be addressed.

Wicksteed will be asked to carry out the annual safety inspection.

            Funding of MUGA – to be discussed at a future meeting

142.20 Public Footpaths –

            a) Clerk has obtained National Farmers Union signs to be used on Public Footpaths, which includes a reminder to dog owners to clear up after their dog.

            b) following a resident’s request for the Parish Council to address the increased incidents of dog fouling on grass verges and public property, an article was added to Gidding News (distributed early December) to remind dog owners. 

            c) Dog waste bins – as Cllr Dear was not present at the meeting, we did not have any information or update. 

143.20 Parish Pond opposite Recreation Field.  Possibility of creating bio diversity habitat and applicable grant application – the Clerk was aware of a flood prevention scheme associated with the Alconbury Brook which is adjacent to the pond, this scheme is linked with the Environment Agency and the first point of contact is Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group.  Clerk has contacted the representative sending initial information and a site map and, during the course of the meeting, received advice that a visit will be made to site in the next few days by Lucy Jenkins from FWAG. 

144.20 Correspondence received since 20^th November 2020 (other than that discussed in agenda items above). 

Due to COVID 19 restrictions emails have been shared almost immediately.

CENSUS 21 – advice – it was agreed that the next issue of Gidding News, in February 2021 would promote this exercise.

145.20  Items for decisions at next meeting:                        

146.20 Date of next meeting – Tuesday 19^th January 2021,

starting at 1930 hours ONLINE via ZOOM

MEETING CLOSED AT 20.31