The Parish Council has published the October Newsletter which will be displayed on Noticeboards throughout the Parish and submitted via WhatsApp, Facebook and here on the Giddings website.
If you are aware of anyone in the parish who cannot access the noticeboards or the community social media platforms, please contact the Parish Council so a printed copy can be made available for them. If you would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly newsletter via email, please contact the Parish Council.
The Parish Council has published the August Newsletter which will be displayed on Noticeboards throughout the Parish and submitted via WhatsApp, Facebook and here on the Giddings website.
If you are aware of anyone in the parish who cannot access the noticeboards or the community social media platforms, please contact the Parish Council so a printed copy can be made available for them. If you would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly newsletter via email, please contact the Parish Council.
The Parish Council has recently agreed to publish a monthly Newsletter which will be displayed on Noticeboards throughout the Parish and submitted via WhatsApp, Facebook and the Giddings website.
If you are aware of anyone in the parish who cannot access the noticeboards or the community social media platforms, please contact the Parish Council so a printed copy can be made available for them. If you would prefer to receive a copy of the monthly newsletter via email, please contact the Parish Council.
Minutes of the Annual Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 21st May 2024
Present: Councillors Moody, Hargrave, Bolton, D’Altillia and Maciag and the Clerk.
Apologies for absence:
District Councillor Alban – at another meeting
Councillor Sanders – work commitments
Councillor Hodson – family commitments
Annual Parish Council meeting:
Chairman – Councillor Maciag proposed as Chairman by Councillors Moody and Bolton. He has signed the Declaration of Office.
Vice Chairman – Councillor Hargrave proposed as Vice Chairman by Councillors Bolton and Moody. She has signed the Declaration of Office.
Councillors Bolton and Hodson have advised they will remain as Councillors. Councillors Moody and D’Altillia will remain as Councillors, but advised that work commitments may impact their attendance at meetings. Clerk will contact Councillor Sanders. No other persons had expressed an interest in joining the Parish Council.
022.24 There were no declarations of interest regarding items on the agenda
023.24 No members of Press or Public in attendance at this meeting
024.24 Minutes of the meeting held on 16th April 2024 were declared as a correct record – proposed by Cllrs Moody and seconded by Cllr Hargrave
025.24 this item not used
026.24 Reports from Councillors and Clerk:
Councillor Hargrave had met with residents who expressed an interest in the Village Hall, a committee has been formed. They will hold monthly meetings, setting short term and long term objectives. A separate email address will be set up for bookings/correspondence.
Councillor Maciag advised that the Neighbourhood Plan Group aim to get the revised plan to HuntsDC in September.
027.24 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.
Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 3/5/2024 £12614.08 (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 – the following payments were approved by Cllrs Maciag and D’Altillia, subject to the Clerk checking the cover applicable to CAPALC’s data protection offer:
c) Clerk’s working hours for April were approved as a total of 26
d) a first draft of the AGAR was shared at the meeting. Clerk and Cllr Hodson will meet to finalise figures for discussion and presentation at the June Meeting.
028.24 PLANNING applications and matters:
a)Nothing further heard from CambsCC regarding the school playground site, although we did not request a response in respect of any points made.
b) APPLICATION REF. 24/00821/HHFUL
Single-storey Garage Extension, The Mill, Mill Road, Great Gidding Huntingdon PE28 5NT
Response required by 6th June 2024
There were no objections or observations in respect of this application.
c) the application for the mast, antennas and equipment at Longbrook Farm, Thurning has been refused – Clerk from Hemington, Luddington, Thurning Parish Council will keep us updated.
d) the application for the anaerobic digester is marked as “Decided” but no further details are known at present. Clerk is in contact with North Northants Councillor Shacklock and Hemington, Luddington, Thurning Parish Clerk.
e) District Cllr Alban had enquired about the outcomes of the Call for Sites exercise. Hunts DC advise that there is nothing to report at present.
029.24 Recreation Field – it was agreed to instruct Wicksteed, £132 for unaccompanied annual inspection.
030.24 Correspondence received since 16th April 2024:
a) NALC newsletters – dated Chief Executives Bulletin NALC events,
b) Cambridgeshire County Council –Cambridgeshire Matters, Road Safety Education Newsletter,
c) Huntingdonshire District Council –16/4 HDC launches capital grant funding for Rural Businesses, Town & Parish Council April newsletter, grants of up to £2,500 for initiatives that support their communities and the Huntingdonshire Futures Place Strategy, Huntingdonshire District Council has teamed up with Cambridgeshire Police and Cambridgeshire Fire to conduct a trial using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel, Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is celebrating the opening of the East Anglia Energy Academy in St Ives, which will bring forward new jobs, skills and investment into the district, powerpoint slides from the Parish Council information session for EV Charge points, District Council launches Online Climate Hub ***the Clerk had passed the information from the previous meeting to Little Gidding Trust as they own the car park at Little Gidding, and were interest in the potential of this scheme
d) CAPALC –newsletter, May training dates, Martyn’s Law – protection of premises from Terorism Act
f) Cambs Acre – Staying in Touch newsletter,
g) Combined Authority Cambridgeshire and Peterborough – posters encouraging use of concessionary bus passes
h) Parish Online newsletter
i) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc – News from the Courts email
j) CARESCO offering to visit to explain their services for older residents
035.22 Items for next meeting:
Approval and signing of the AGAR
036.22 The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 18th June 2024
Tuesday 21st May, 7.00PM at Great Gidding Village Hall
PRESENT: Parish Councillors Maciag, Hargrave, Moody, Bolton, Neighbourhood Policing Team Sergeant Martin and 5 members of the public.
APOLOGIES received from District Councillor Alban and Parish Councillor Sanders
***Parish Councillor D’Altillia and 2 members of the public joined later in the meeting.
Councillor Maciag, as Vice Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting.
Councillor Hodson was unable to attend the meeting, his annual report (copy attached) was read out at the meeting.
Councillor Maciag gave an update on the Neighbourhood Plan – it has been reviewed by Huntingdonshire District Council and changes and additions are to be implemented before it is returned to Hunts DC for approval.
Sergeant Anna Martin of the Neighbourhood Policing Team gave an overview of police involvement in our rural area, advising that our Parish has a very low crime rate. She encouraged engagement with the Team through the Cambs Police Website (https://www.cambs.police.uk/), particularly the live chat option for crime reporting.
Questions from members of the public:
Anaerobic digester – concerns about traffic and transport – no decision has yet been published. As the site is in the neighbouring county, Clerk is continuing correspondence with North Northants contacts. SB encouraged building a good relationship with the developer to enable future discussions.
A second speed camera has been installed recently – results are monitored in both directions and act as an advisory measure to drivers.
Councillor Bolton advised that a 20MPH limit has been applied for in respect of the lane down to Little Gidding – decision has not yet been made by Cambridgeshire County Council. SB recommended the Parish Council apply for a 20MPH limit throughout Great Gidding.
Call for sites – Huntingdonshire District Council have not yet published any decisions on sites. RG had read on the Hunts DC website that results will be known in July.
Advertising the Parish Meeting – DU advised that Annual Parish Meeting should have been better advertised. Clerk advised the notice had been placed on the village website and the Village Hall website, earlier than the required 2 week notice period. It was felt that new residents were unaware of events/services/facilities in the village and means of communicating with residents should be improved.
The meeting closed at 20.06
Chairman’s report:
Thank you for attending tonight, I am sorry that, due to unforeseen circumstances, I am unable to attend in person.
The last year has been challenging, rewarding and hugely frustrating.
I would like to thank my fellow councillors for their hard work and dedication to the Parish ( and of course where would we be without Julie, who does a fantastic job as Clerk.)
Just a few of the things we have dealt with in the last 12 months
The Parish Plan – We have a great team working extremely hard to produce a plan which reflects the wishes of our residents, we have more steps of the process to complete, but we are progressing well. A huge thank you to the team
Call for sites – Earlier in the year the Council asked people to suggest parcels of land that might be suitable for housing, we appreciate that the submission by Milton Estates caused a lot of concern, but as of today, we have not heard back from the Council, we will of course let you know as soon as we do. Even if a site is agreed as potential development, the owner would still have to apply for planning permission as normal.
Anaerobic Digester – After months of no news at all, the website now says “decided” but does not say, what has been decided. We did all we could and will continue to do all we can to stop this development.
The School House – Now that the school has closed, we considered using the brick school, building as a village community building, but the financial economics just didn’t work, so we have advised Milton Estates that we are not interested in leasing the building from them
School Playground – Again we were considering purchasing this from the County Council, as a village amenity, but the conditions the County Council placed on the sale made the risk too great for us to contemplate
After several years as Chair, I have decided it’s time to stand down, I will remain on the Council for a smooth transition, but if anyone would like to join the PC please let us know.
Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 16thth April 2024
Present: Councillors Hodson, Moody, Hargrave, Bolton, and Maciag and the Clerk.
001.24 Cllr Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting
002.24 Apologies for absence:
County Councillor Gardener – at another meeting
District Councillor Alban – at another meeting
Councillor D’Altilia – work commitments
003.24 There were no declarations of interest regarding items on the agenda
004.24There were no members of Press or Public in attendance
005.24 Minutes of the meeting held on 19th March 2024 were declared as a correct record – proposed by Cllr Moody and seconded by Cllr Hargrave
006.24 Reports from Councillors and Clerk:
Clerk advised that the Parish Office will be closed on Friday 27th April as she is attending a funeral.
007.24 Financial Matters
a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.
Parish Council (everyday) Account – balance as at 4/4/2024 £1660.18 (includes £500 bequest)
Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/4/2024 £26,286.99 (1.85% interest applicable)
Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/3/2023 – £248.84
b) PAYMENTS – the following online payments were approved – Cllr Hargrave confirmed
Who
What for
TOTAL
Invoice includes this VAT amount
Authorised
Authorised
REFUND to J R Trolove for purchase of Microsoft
Purchase of Microsoft 365 annual subscription
£59.99
NONE
J R Trolove
Wages February (30.5 hours)
***
Huntingdon District Council
Rates for Rec Field
5.49
NONE
LGS Services
Payroll services
79.20
NONE
Groundworks UK (Dept of Levelling Up)
Refund of unspent monies for Neighbourhood Plan
2217.97
NONE
c) Clerk’s working hours for March were approved as a total of 28
d) Clerk had provided a breakdown of spending for 2023/24 to the year end of 31st March 2024 and Cllr Hodson had updated the Bank Reconciliation/Cash Flow Forecast and Reserves spreadsheets. Discussion followed regarding various aspects.
Clerk confirmed that Section 137 budget was up to £9.93 per elector during 2023/24.
Cllr Hodson advised that allocated reserves should be equal to at least one year of precept and, in addition, this Parish Council has reserves for identified future costs within the Parish.
Cllr Moody recommended that the budget for wages be increased to £5500 for 2024/25.
008.24 Planning applications – no applications received since the last meeting.
009.24 School playground – the day after the March meeting an email was received from CambsCC, setting out their terms regarding the sale of the playground to the Parish Council, and giving 10 days to respond. The Clerk had then received a telephone call from CambsCC enquiring potential use by the village, and a further request for a written decision by 5PM on Friday 19th April.
CambsCC email appeared to indicate that the cost and responsibility of removing the portacabins would fall to the Parish Council, and clearance of the site was unclear. At present the Parish Council have not been able to view the site. Access to the site for construction/demolition is problematic and would have to involve Milton Estates. Also this did not reflect the indications that were given by Cambs CC representatives during meetings held regarding closure of the school.
An email will be sent to CambsCC advising that, as the offer would appear to have changed, and with many unknown factors, the Parish Council do not wish to proceed with the acquisition of the playground – this was a unanimous decision by all Councillors present at the meeting.
010.24 A copy of the current Parish Council asset register had been shared prior to the meeting and was agreed as a correct record.
011.24 CANALBS have carried out the internal audit in the past and will be appointed for the 2023/24 review.
012.24 Neighbourhood Plan – Cllr Maciag gave a resume of the Neighbourhood Plan. It has been presented to Hunts DC and recommendations for changes and additions are now being implemented. The plan will be returned to Hunts DC in the future. Whilst the remaining grant is to be refunded to Groundworks, a further application will be made for 2024/25 funding.
013.24 Green Waste bin collection – following the March meeting, clarification of aspects of the scheme to offer 10 green bins to smaller parishes had been asked of HuntsDC. Councillors felt this was an insufficient number (a total of 10 to be shared between Great and Little Gidding) but also the Parish Council does not own an area of land where these bins could be safely stored and collected.
014.24 Parish Council insurance policy is due for renewal on 1st June. The clerk will summarise the cover provided and advise Councillors at the next meeting.
015.24 Village Maintenance
Benches in Main Street – Cllrs Moody and Hargrave approved the existing quote but requested Clerk will to obtain a comparative quote by the end of April.
CambsCC have not yet responded about siting benches opposite the shop.
The owner of the property in Gaines Lane will be asked to clear the building materials from the Gaines Lane/Chapel End junction.
Clerk has been advised by the hedging contractor that partly due to the wet ground he will not be able to carry out work as requested. On his advice a request has been sent to a tree surgeon to provide a quote for work on the surround of the Pound and the Parish Pond.
016.24 Correspondence received since 19th March 2024:
a) NALC –
b) Cambridgeshire County Council –
*** an email was received hours before the meeting regarding the provision of electric vehicle charging stations, a survey to be completed with a deadline of 22nd April – this will be forwarded to Councillors but the discussion indicated that the Parish Council does not have land to site these devices.
The Library Presents events brochure, Cambridgeshire Matters –https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKCAMBSCC/bulletins/38e2858, 24th April 2024, 19:00-22:00 at Ely Maltings, Kempen Room, how the council can support communities to benefit from the transition to a clean energy system, TMC incident report for traffic in March – NONE for our parish,
c) Huntingdonshire District Council – Town and parish council newsletter, Local Government Association (LGA) Corporate Peer Challenge 15-17 May – Wednesday 15 May 14.50-15.40 in Pathfinder House (with an option to join via Teams) – registration required, green waste project (see 013.24)
d) Cambs ACRE – March Newsletter
e) CAPALC – April news, training opportunities,
g) Parish Online – newsletter
h) Ecops/Neighbourhood Watch etc – election on 2nd May
i) Hemington, Luddington, Thurning Parish Council response to diversion of footpath around Mobile Phone Mast site.
j) North Northamptonshire Council – consultation regarding Kettering Energy Park and invitation to a public exhibition on Saturday 20th April 2024, 10.30 to 1.30 at Finedon Community Centre, NN9 5LG
188.23 The next meeting of the Parish Council:
This will be preceded by the Annual Parish Meeting at 7.00PM
Tuesday 21st May 2024 at Great Gidding Village Hall, starting at 7.30PM
The meeting will commence with the Annual Parish Council meeting, at which Officers will be appointed.
Preparation for the Annual Internal Audit and the Annual Governance and Accountability
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 CircusCanary WharfLondon 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.
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.
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:
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
