2024-08-20 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council meeting

2024-08-20 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council meeting

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 20th August 2024

Present:  Councillors Hargrave, Bolton, D’Altilia and the Clerk.

069.24 Cllr Hargrave, acting as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting

070.24 To receive apologies and reasons for absence

            County Cllr Gardener – at another meeting

            District Cllr Alban – other commitment

            Cllr Moody – holiday

            Cllr Hodson – holiday 

            Cllr Maciag – work commitments

            Cllr Sanders – has resigned due to work commitments

071.24 There were no Declarations of Disclosable Interests.

072.24 No members of the Public or Press were present

073.24 Minutes of the meeting held on 16th July 2024 were confirmed and accepted – Cllrs Bolton and D’Altilia, signed by Cllr Hargrave.

074.24 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk

            Clerk re. Chapel enquiry – will not be pursued.

Clerk will commence the Co-option process and requested Councillors to forward contact details of any interested residents.

Cllr Hargrave updated on the Village Hall:

It would be too expensive to go through the Alcohol Licensing process, therefore they will continue applying for TEN for events.

MacMillan Coffee Morning will take place on 28th September – already advertised and assistance offered.

Suggestion of table tennis sessions will be investigated.

Parking at the village hall – request to be added to newsletter to advise Parish Clerk, signage to be re-instated.         

075.24 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

             a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.

  • Parish Council (everyday) Account  – balance as at 4/8/2024 £9590.25  (includes £500 bequest)
    • Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/7/2024  £26,385.30 (1.85% interest applicable)
    • Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/7/2024 – £249.77

b) PAYMENTS – the following payments were approved.

*** Clerk is checking whether this Parish Council qualifies for free subscription to Parish Online through insurance company renewal.

WhoWhat forTOTALInvoice includes this VAT amountAuthorisedAuthorised
J R  TroloveWages for June (33 hours)XxxNILJRT 
Great Gidding Village HallRental of the village hall and Parish Office800.00NIL  
Parish OnlineSubscription ***48.008.00  
  • Clerk’s working hours for July, a total of 24, were approved.

076.24 PLANNING applications and matters:

            None, as at 16th August

077.24 Recreation Field – tree surgeon and hedging contractor are aware of works to be completed (DEFRA prevent any cutting until 1st September).

            Wicksteed have advised a delay in carrying out safety inspections, but will make contact before they visit.

078.24 Village Maintenance

a) Cllr D’Altillia proposed noticeboards to be installed at either end of the village – various locations were discussed, some discounted, and others will be investigated (JB and Clerk).

 Clerk requested:

  • a larger noticeboard for Parish/District/County Council information to be sited at Village Hall so that the newsletter could be included(and existing board to be relocated to Jubilee Wood for community use)
  • OR a second noticeboard, one for Council notifications, the other for village
  • Clerk – the noticeboard, sited on the approach to School and Church,  she has been advised it was not Church property.  If it was School property, it is no longer needed, therefore it was agreed not to replace this in the future.

b) Bench refurbishment takes place at end of August.  *Bench in Churchyard, purchased with Bertha Green’s bequest, is a Parish Council asset.  Clerk will now check to see if it is in good order.        

c)  model biodiversity policy from NALC, in association with DEFRA – Clerk had read through and, in the main, our Parish is compliant with requirements and suggestions.

d) Soil improver available from HuntsDC – it was agreed this offer should be taken up, tipped at the allotment site (vacant half plot).  This will be offered to the village through the monthly newsletter and then, after one month, the remainder will be available to allotment holders.

d)

  • water leak outside 48 Main Street reported to WAVE on 11th August – repaired
  •  AWA/WAVE work currently taking place a treatment plant for phosphorus filters to be updated (soaps and cleaning products).
  • Chapel End will be closed on 31st October between Mill Road and Back Lane to flush out system and camera research.

079.24 Allotments – a draft rental renewal letter had been shared prior to the meeting, the content was approved and this will be sent out to allotment holders in September.

080.24 Review of Financial Regulations – document shared prior to meeting.  Clerk will amend and update for final approval at a future meeting.

081.24 Newsletter – various items had been forwarded to Cllr D’Altillia for the September issue.

            There had been no Parishioner feedback from August issue.

082.24 Correspondence received since 16th July 2024:

            a) NALC newsletters – dated               Chief Executives Bulletin                   NALC events,

b) Cambridgeshire County Council –Cambridgeshire Matters monthly edition, Road Safety Education Newsletter, Traffic Management Centre incident report for roads, chemical weed treatment reinstated within 40MPH areas,  Proposed road closures during next 18 months, including Great Gidding (email dated 11/7), Community Energy action plan, Micro Asphalt programme – nothing in the Giddings or surrounding villages, Highways Department Active Travel Survey to be completed, (via CAPALC),

Briefing Note: The Kings Speech – Legislative Programme for this Parliament, Local Highways 2025/26 Capital Maintenance projects – nothing for our parish or any local villages is planned,

c) Huntingdonshire District Council – Green flags awarded to various venues, Shop Front Grant Scheme, Town and Parish Council newsletter, Street Cleansing Team – explanation of their service, Oliver Morley invites to sessions ‘What makes a good life in Huntingdonshire?’ , Wild about Huntingdonshire events – 28/29 September at Hinchingbroke, Save the date for Annual Climate Conference – Burgess Hall, St Ives on Weds 6th November, Temporary Traffic Restriction Order for Chapel End (see 078.24 above).

d) CAPALC –newsletter, training dates for August, Remembrance Sunday survey – Clerk completed form to advise no events in our parish.

f) Cambs Acre –  Staying in Touch newsletter

g) Combined Authority Cambridgeshire and Peterborough/Greater  Cambridge Partnership – links to online meetings, invitation to bus franchising consultation meetings (19th September – Huntingdon, 3 October – P’boro).

h) Parish Online newsletter

i) 17 July – email from Fields in Trust – survey about environmental issues that have been implemented, or plan to introduce – Clerk will complete for the Rec. Field.

083.24 Items for next meeting:

                        Request for Section 137 funding (PH)

                        Resident request re ANPR cameras

                        Co-option of Councillor            

084.24 The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 17th September  2024

            in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding.

Village Hall  payments were approved

Meeting Closed at 20.41

2024-07-16 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council Meeting

2024-07-16 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council Meeting

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 16th July 2024

Present:  Councillors Maciag,  Hargrave, Bolton, Hodson, D’Altilia, County Councillor Gardener and the Clerk.

052.24 Councillor Maciag, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting

053.24 To receive apologies and reasons for absence

            District Councillor Alban not available

            Cllr Moody – work commitment       

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

055.24 No members of the Public & Press were present

056.24 Minutes of the meeting held on 18th June 2024 were confirmed as a correct record by         Councillors Bolton and D’Altilia

057.24 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk

  • The Clerk had emailed CambsCC representative regarding the Parish Council response, sent in April, regarding the School playground, and in turn it was acknowledged that the response had been received and the Parish Council do not wish to accept the terms of the County Council proposal for that site.  County Cllr Gardener offered to contact the County Council departments to find out what is proposed for the site

                        The Clerk contacted North Northants Council for an update regarding the Anaerobic Digester proposal and was advised that an extension of time has been given in respect of this application.

  • Cllr Hargrave gave an update on the Village Hall and the meeting of the Committee on 15th July:

            It was agreed that Village Hall matters can be included as part of the Parish Council agenda.

            It was agreed that £2000 could be spent before Trustees need to be consulted – proposed by Cllrs Hodson and seconded by Cllr Maciag.

            The committee are considering applying for an alcohol licence.

            The committee are considering applying for Huntingdonshire DC Food Hygiene rating scheme for the Village Hall kitchen.

            A request was made to increase the Village Hall rent to £800 (it has been £550 for some years, which was an amount set to cover the insurance premium).  Approval was proposed by Cllr Maciag and seconded by Cllr D’Altilia.

            The first event will be a McMillan Coffee Morning on 28th September.

  • Cllr Maciag advised that work on the Neighbourhood Plan is ongoing.
  • County Councillor Gardener advised that he is now on the Highways Committee, Environment committee, Communities committee and Fire Authority panel.
  •  

058.24 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

             a) Barclays Bank statements were shared prior to the meeting.

  • Parish Council (everyday) Account  – balance as at 4/7/2024 £10949.65  (includes £500 bequest)
    • Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/7/2024  £26,385.30 (1.85% interest applicable)
    • Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/7/2024 – £249.77
    • Councillor Hodson’s cashflow forecast had been shared prior to the meeting and there were no questions and comments.

b) PAYMENTS – the following payments were approved:

WhoWhat forTOTALInvoice includes this VAT amountAuthorisedAuthorised
J R  TroloveWages for May (33 hours)XxxNILJRT 
CANALBSAnnual internal audit99.00NONE  
BradgateGrass cutting (invoices 2108 and 2087)432.0072.00  
CatalystWebsite hosting311.85NONE  
Information Commissioners OfficeAnnual subscription40.00NONE  
  • Clerk’s working hours for June were approved as a total of  33

059.24  PLANNING applications and  matters:

            None, as at 12th July

060.24 Recreation Field – Clerk had shared the risk assessment she carried out in June, there were no questions or comments.

            She was asked to share the rota for risk assessments again.

            Cllr Bolton, preferred a spreadsheet format and will devise one and share with Councillors.

061.24 Newsletter Feedback from July issue – one response of thanks via website, also an email to offer to deliver items around the village.  Items for the August newsletter should be sent to Cllr D’Altillia or the Parish Office.

062.24 Village Maintenance – Cllr Maciag will accompany the tree surgeon to assess the works required.

            The Clerk had failed to find a comparative quote for refurbishment of the benches and so the only contractor will be asked to carry out the work.

063.24 Allotments – Cllr Hodson and Clerk will devise and carry out risk assessments for this site.

064.24 Review of Standing Orders – document shared prior to meeting, no changes were felt to be necessary.

065.24 Review of Financial Regulations – deferred to next meeting.  Clerk believes there are some changes to these but requires access to the NALC website and has contacted CAPALC, who provide the passwords to access documents.

066.24 Correspondence received since 18th June 2024:

            a) NALC newsletters – dated               Chief Executives Bulletin                   NALC events,

b) Cambridgeshire County Council –Cambridgeshire Matters monthly edition, Road Safety Education Newsletter, TMC incident report for roads – none in this Parish, chemical weed treatment reinstated within 40MPH areas,  Proposed road closures, including Great Gidding (email dated 11/7), Community Energy action plan,

c) Huntingdonshire District Council – Shop Front Grant Scheme, Town and Parish Council newsletter, Street Cleansing Team – explanation of their service,

d) CAPALC –newsletter, training dates for July,

f) Cambs Acre –  Staying in Touch newsletter

g) Combined Authority Cambridgeshire and Peterborough/Greater  Cambridge Partnership – links to online meetings

h) Parish Online newsletter

i) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc – News from the Courts email

j) Insurance renewal confirmation from Clear Councils Insurance

k) Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) – request to include article in a newsletter

l) Thank you to Parish Council, via village website see 061.24

m) Offer from residents to deliver newsletters etc – see 061.24

n) Ron Bailey, Parliament UK – Safety of Lithium ion Batteries and e-bikes and scooters – support for campaign requested (it had been put on hold for Parliamentary Election)

o) Church Growth Trust – email dated 8th July in respect of Great Gidding Baptist Chapel – Clerk will contact them and advise they should discuss their plans with the Conservation Officer for Huntingdonshire DC.

067.24 Items for next meeting:

             Clerk’s annual appraisal – Cllr Maciag will undertake this.

068.24 The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 20th August 2024

            in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding.

Meeting closed at 20.57

2024-June-18 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council meeting

2024-June-18 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council meeting

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 18th June 2024

Present:  Councillors Moody, Hargrave, Bolton, D’Altillia and Maciag and the Clerk.

037.24 Councillor Maciag, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting.

038.24 Apologies were received from:

            Cllr Hodson – holiday

Cllr Sanders – delayed at work

            County Councillor Gardener – at another meeting

            District Councillor Alban – at another meeting

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

040.24 No members of the Public or Press attended the meeting

041.24 Minutes of the meeting held on 21st May 2024 were confirmed as a correct record by Councillors Bolton and Moody

042.24 To receive reports from Councillors and Clerk

Clerk – amended information booklets have been delivered to 3 x new households in the Parish. 

Clerk will email Declaration of Interest Forms to Councillors for completion and return.

043.24 FINANCIAL MATTERS:

             a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account.

  • Parish Council (everyday) Account  – balance as at 4/6/2024 £10824.83  (includes £500 bequest)
    • Parish Council Deposit Account – balance as at 4/6/2024  £26,385.30 (1.85% interest applicable)
    • Defibrillator account – balance as at 4/6/2024 – £249.77

b) PAYMENTS – to approve online payments in respect of the following:

WhoWhat forTOTALInvoice includes this VAT amountAuthorisedAuthorised
J R  TroloveWages for April (26 hours)***NILJRT 
Milton EstatesRental of footpath to Rec Field£1.00NIL  
VikingPrint carridges£105.1617.53  

*** not received from Payroll Services, will be circulated by email for approval once available. 

  • to approve Clerk’s working hours for May – total of  33 – approved by all
  • AGAR – the Internal Auditor had an online review with the Clerk on Friday 14th June, the report had been received, Clerk read out the content and will share via email. Cllr Maciag and the Clerk signed the AGAR documents.
  • VAT reclaim submitted on 31st May and received for £615.06

044.24  PLANNING applications and  matters:

            None, as at 14th June

045.24 Recreation Field – Wicksteed will carry out inspection within 16 weeks.

            Green Flag accreditation for community spaces – Power Point slides available – not discussed.

            The internal auditor had highlighted the need to complete regular risk inspections (preferably monthly, but at least quarterly).  Survey forms will be sent to Councillors

046.24 Communication with parishioners.  Cllr D’Altillia suggested a monthly newsletter, shared via the community WhatsApp page (currently viewed by approx 70 persons).  This can then be added to the village website (also circa 70 regular viewers), and on the noticeboard at the Village Hall).  Cllr D’Altillia offered to compile the newsletter/WhatsApp post and this was accepted by all.

047.24 Village Maintenance – Clerk has been in correspondence with  tree surgeons  in respect of the Pound, the Parish Pond on Winwick Road and the around the entrance to the Recreation Field – they have requested an accompanied visit to these sites to assess what is required.  Cllr Maciag will meet with them.

            Cllrs Hargrave and Moody expressed concern at the vegetation growing over the Main Street footpath.  Clerk to research who is responsible, especially around the school site, and contact Cambs County Council via the online report webpage.

048.24 Allotments – DEFRA poultry register changes with effect from 1st October 2024 – Clerk will revise the content of the allotment holder’s tenancy agreement for approval at the June meeting.

The internal auditor had highlighted the need to complete regular risk inspections (preferably monthly, but at least quarterly).  Survey forms will be sent to Councillors

049.24 Correspondence received since 21st May 2024:

            a) NALC newsletters – dated               Chief Executives Bulletin                   NALC events,

b) Cambridgeshire County Council –Cambridgeshire Matters monthly edition, Road Safety Education Newsletter, Remembrance Day events 2024, Highways events for June (nothing in our Parish, but Gigaclear works in Glatton on B660 – 14-18 June),  TMC incident report for roads – none in this Parish,  Revised plan on weed control – within 40mph limit area only – twice a year, Summer holiday scheme – activities and free school meals – poster (see Parish Office window),

c) Huntingdonshire District Council – poster for Active Health at One Leisure, Parliamentary Election notices and information for display (Parish Office window will be used, as AGAR documents are in the noticeboard).

d) CAPALC –newsletter, training dates, 29/5 pre-election guidance from NALC, shaping our new and improved bus routes – various events between 10-13 June,

f) Cambs Acre –  Staying in Touch newsletter, affordable rural  housing presentation – 11th July (need to book),

g) Combined Authority Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

h) Parish Online newsletter

i) Neighbourhood Alert/ECOPS etc – News from the Courts email

j) Cllr Ian Gardener – Mental Health Event at Sawtry Academy on Sunday 14th July (poster in Parish Office window)

k) Ron Bailey at parliament.uk (email 5th June) – request for support on campaign regarding the safety issues around lithium ion batteries

050.24 Items for next meeting:

             Completed Declaration of Interest forms from all Councillors

                        Review Standing Orders and amend where required

                        Review Financial Regulations and amend where required

051.24 The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 16th July 2024

            in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding.

            The July meeting will be followed by a Village Hall Trustees meeting.

Meeting closed at 20.38

2024-May-21 Minutes of the Great & Little Gidding Annual Parish Council Meeting and the Parish Council meeting

2024-May-21 Minutes of the Great & Little Gidding Annual Parish Council Meeting and the Parish Council meeting

GREAT & LITTLE GIDDING 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:

 WhoWhat forTOTALInvoice includes this VAT amountAuthorisedAuthorised
 J R TroloveWages for March (28 hours)XxxNILJRT 
 Bradgate Ground Maintenance – 3 invoices 1966, 1945,1873Grass cutting£216 each =£648£108  
 CAPALCAnnual subscription£235.88 (+£50 for data protection)NIL  
 Monies received from Hunts District CouncilPrecept£11605   
 Village Hall payments for R S BaxterElectricians temporary work210.80   
 3 Shires ElectricalVarious electrical works and PAT testing465.00   
 A C Clark (invoice no 0713)Cleaning22.50   

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

            in the Village Hall, Main Street, Great Gidding.

Meeting closed at 21.02

2024-May-21 DRAFT Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting for Great and Little Gidding

2024-May-21  DRAFT Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting for Great and Little Gidding

DRAFT MINUTES of the 2024 Annual Parish Meeting of

Great and Little Gidding Parish Council

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.

St John’s Church, Little Gidding reopens after refurbishment

St John's Church, Little Gidding reopens after refurbishment

I’m pleased to say that the renovation works at St John’s Church, Little Gidding have now been completed and the church is now open as previously. 

Visiting St John’s Church, Little Gidding, Cambridgeshire

The church is open between the hours of 10.00am and 5.00pm everyday of the week. There is parking in the car park adjacent to the Church. We look forward to welcoming you.

Rev Canon Fiona Brampton – Chaplain to Little Gidding

Notice of the 2024 Annual Parish Meeting of Great & Little Parish Council

Notice of the 2024 Annual Parish Meeting of Great & Little Parish Council

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:

  1. Chairman’s welcome
  2. Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 16th May 2023
  3. The Chairman’s Annual Report from the Parish Council
  4. Police Community Support Office Martin will attend the meeting to discuss rural policing matters.
  5. 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.

Newsletter from District Councillor Tim Alban

Newsletter from District Councillor Tim Alban

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and is looking forward to the two Bank Holiday weekends coming up in May.

Most, if not all district councillors might say the same but I really do think the Stilton, Folksworth & Washingley ward is one of the most special in Huntingdonshire.  

There is a mix of villages, each with their own charm, as well as their own challenges.  They also have areas and issues in common and it is with that in mind that, along with my fellow ward councillor, Marge Beuttell, I have organised joint meetings for the Chairs and Clerks from the various parish councils and parish meetings.

The most recent two being held in the Milestone Hotel at Norman Cross, where we have received presentations from Huntingdonshire District Council’s Chief Planning Officer and representatives of Cambridgeshire Police.

Most importantly though, these meetings continue to provide an opportunity to meet with each other, to share common problems and exchange ideas; I am pleased that Marge and I have been supported in this by County Councillors Simon Bywater and Ian Gardener.  I am also pleased that the Great & Little Gidding Parish Council has been represented at each of these meetings.

Our next meeting will hopefully be in the autumn, where I intend to invite a representatives from the district council’s Operations team to discuss the changes in the garden waste collections.  Speaking of which…

I have received direct correspondence and seen comments on social media about the changes, most – although not all – have been negative.  Without being too political, I feel it appropriate to confirm that I remain unconvinced that there was a need to introduce a green bin charge and didn’t vote in favour of it;.  That said it was democratically voted for by the majority of elected district councillors and the changes have been made.

The new arrangements, including the offer of up to 10 large bins at a central site in villages such as Great Gidding have prompted further comments (particularly about communication levels) and I have followed these up with council officers.

During the Spring & Summer, anyone, whether they have paid the green bin charge or not, can take their garden bin to be emptied into a freighter (dust cart) at a specified location, on a Saturday morning once a month; the nearest for residents of Great & Little Gidding are Stilton and Sawtry.  

Further information, including the schedule and locations can be found via https://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/bins-waste/garden-waste-subscription-service/garden-waste-initiatives/freighter-locations-and-schedule/

On Thursday 2nd May there will be elections for the post of Police & Crime Commissioner and one change from the last time we voted is that, anyone voting in person (rather than by post) will need to show Photo ID.  Acceptable forms of ID can be found via https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voting-and-elections/voter-id/accepted-forms-photo-id

From the fens in the East to the Huntingdonshire Wolds in the West, and from Little Gidding in the South to the river Nene in the North, the Stilton, Folksworth & Washingley ward is one of the largest in the Huntingdonshire District and I continue to enjoy working with Marge to represent the people who live here.  With such a wide area, Marge focusses on the North and I focus on the South; to contact me, please email me via tim.alban@huntingdonshire.gov.uk or call 07903 518967.

2024-03-19 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council meeting

2024-03-19 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council meeting

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.

WhoWhat forTOTALInvoice includes this VAT amountAuthorisedAuthorised
Microsoft *Purchase of Microsoft 365 annual subscription£59.99NONE  
J R TroloveWages for January (31 hours) *** NONE  
Village Hall payments     
Inkwell PrintersFlyers for VH committee members£40.00n/a  
Allied Westminster Insurance856.00 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

2024-02-20 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council

2024-02-20 Minutes of Great & Little Gidding Parish Council

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:

 WhoWhat forTOTALInvoice includes this VAT amountAuthorisedAuthorised
 J R TroloveWages for December (31.5 hours)XxxNIL  
 JRB Enterprises3 x packs of dog waste bags110.5218.42  
 Refund to Julie TroloveDisposable gloves for dog waste bin+other supplies16.27NONE  
 SLCCAnnual 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:

  1. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Volunteer for emptying of dog waste bin (Chapel End) has changed – supplies purchased (see payments above).  Clerk has emailed thanks to those involved.
  3. 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