Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting

Meeting Date:

Summary
This summary is generated by AI and may contain errors. It does not form part of the official minutes.
Residents might be interested to know that the playground project has been completed under budget, allowing extra funds for the next stage. Traffic calming measures are being explored, including new road markings in Long Thurlow. Additionally, the council is seeking your ideas on how to spend future infrastructure funds.
Present
Councillors Clive Hawkins (CH) (Chairman), Clive Morris (CM), Diane Donat (DD), Ed Walsh (EW), Stephen Russell (SR), County Councillor Andy Mellen (AM) and District Councillor Richard Meyer (RMe).

Public Forum

No members of the public in attendance.

  1. The County Councillor’s report had been circulated by email. AM confirmed he was looking into the Back Lane parking situation with SCC and would report further. He is also looking into the issues with Austin Close and the surface causing damage to the pavement and a health and safety problem for pedestrians. The weak bridge at Stowlangtoft is likely to cause traffic problems for the next 18 months or so. Councillor Mellen also commented that he was aiding Long Thurlow in getting 30mph signs written on to the surface of the roads in white paint as an extra traffic calming measure. AM left the meeting at 7.30pm.
  2. The report from the District Councillor had been circulated by email. RMe explained about the funding available through CIL and MSDC which is different from Parish Council CIL funding and encouraged parishes to apply. He also explained that the residential plans at Shepherds Grove in Stanton had now be converted to commercial and industrial plans. RMe left the meeting at 8.15pm.

Apologies

Richard Morris (RM) (approved by the Clerk). The Clerk emphasised the need to have Parish Councillors’ apologies approved prior to a meeting to ensure they are bona fide and also to ensure the meeting remains quorate.

Declarations of Interest and Requests for Dispensations

  1. Councillor Donat re 6.8.
  2. None.

Minutes

  1. The minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 13 October 2021 had previously been circulated. It was resolved that these were an accurate record of the meeting and accordingly signed by the Chairman.
  2. None.

Clerk’s Report and Correspondence

  1. The Clerk distributed the final expenses sheet for Stage 1 of the playground which was now complete. The project had come in £10,000 under budget which was very satisfactory and the balance would be put forward to Stage 2 of the playground project. The Chairman recorded the Council’s thanks to the Clerk for all her hard work over the preceding 18 months on this project.
  2. The Clerk shared a copy of the current Asset Register with the parish councillors which showed an increase in assets of approximately £3,000 over the preceding year. This was due to the purchase of new bins, benches, and picnic tables in the village.
  3. The Council wished to tighten up publishing and distribution times for the Broadsheet this month to ensure that no more village events are missed due to lack of publicity to the residents. Sarah had advised that there is a maximum of 10 days at the end of the month required to cover production, publishing and distribution.
  4. The Councillors agreed to ask the residents of the parish for suggestions to spend the current and potential CIL money on in 2022. The suggestions would have to meet certain infrastructure whether physical, social or green.
  5. No response had been received from the three candidates who had sent in applications for the Parish Council vacancy. This would continue to be advertised and put on the agenda for the December meeting.

Environment

  1. The CPR event on 23 October had been successful and Steve, the paramedic trainer, had been a very good speaker. The Parish Council are to give a £50 donation to SARS in lieu of a fee for this event. Steve had also managed to resurrect the old defib saved from the exterior of the village hall walls. With some new parts and a new cabinet it is looking possible to use this again and it will again be placed outside the village hall. The Parish Council are actively looking at ways to supply a defibrillator for Long Thurlow but an electricity source is critical to keep the defib warm in a heated cabinet. Obviously electricity expenses would be paid to anyone able to supply a suitable site.
  2. Suffolk County Council had requested a lorry survey to be completed by the Parish naming the three main problems experienced. After discussion it was agreed that whilst we experienced lorries through the village, we were unable to identify three main and regular problems. It was therefore agreed not to complete the survey and inform Councillor Mellen of our decision.
  3. Councillor R Morris was in the process of contacting playground equipment suppliers for Stage 2 of this project and would be in a position to give a full report at the December meeting.
  4. Councillor Walsh presented the first data reports from the two new SIDs placed at either end of the village. Surprisingly the majority of traffic was within or close to the legal 30mph limit with only a small percentage exceeding the limit. It was agreed to review this data for at least 3 months and then form an opinion. Grateful thanks were expressed to Councillor Ed Walsh for all his work on the SIDs and computer programmes.
  5. Openreach had failed to attend the first appointment at the Village Hall to assess a broadband connection so a 6 hour wait wasted by the Clerk. It had now been rescheduled for Friday 12 November and would again be reported back at the December meeting.
  6. A new grit bin had been purchased and installed on the corner of St Marys Crescent as requested by the elderly residents in St Marys. The Clerk will ensure that SCC fill this new bin with grit before the winter. All existing grit bins in the village had already been filled with new grit.
  7. Orchard Way footpath – no significant progress regarding Orchard Way footpath. The Clerk again requested to write to Chelsteen Homes pointing out that they remained liable for any accidents that occurred in terms of uneven surfaces or slippery or dangerous vegetation or growth.
  8. Austin Close update – Councillor Mellen is liaising with Suffolk County Council Highways regarding this constant problem of grit and stones falling on to the pavement and roadway and has asked them to look at permanent solutions and will report back.
  9. The Clerk had asked SCC Lighting department for an update on Stage 2 of our LED lighting update of the streetlights. No date had been supplied yet despite the quote being accepted earlier this year. The Clerk to chase and monitor.

Planning

Progress of recent planning applications are as follows:

DC/21/04381 Land North Of The Broadway, The Broadway, Badwell Ash, Suffolk IP31 3DR- Discharge of Conditions - APPROVED

  1. To consider a notification letter relating to Planning Appel – AP/21/00068 – 3 The Paddocks, Badwell Ash IP31 3LW. It was resolved to let the Appeal Directorate know that the Parish Council stood by its decision made in May 2021 and repeated the wording for the benefit of the Inspectorate.
  2. To consider a planning consultation request letter relating to planning application DC/21/05920 – Shackerland Hall Farm, Richer Road, Badwell Ash IP31 3EU. It was resolved to advise MSDC that the Parish Council had no objections to this planning application.

Finance and Policies

  1. The Councillors considered the issue of the following payments:
    • £269.49 – October salaries
    • £29.80 – Bench nameplates, screws, bolts
    • £45.10 – S Brown for Broadsheet
    • £211.92 – Vertas Q3 quarterly charge
    • £50.00 – SARS donation for CPR
    • £99.95 – Grit bin for St Mary’s
    It was resolved that these payments could be made. The Chairman signed an approval for these to be paid by BACS.
  2. The District Councillor had suggested the council consider a PIIP (Parish Infrastructure Investment Plan) which the Clerk had produced documentation for. It was a relatively simple document to complete but it was decided to wait for residents’ responses to suggested spending for 2022 before completing this.
  3. The Clerk produced a very rough budget for discussion in readiness for a decision at the December meeting regarding the precept for the upcoming year and the Council’s anticipated spending with the parish. It was agreed to discuss this at the December meeting with a look towards finalising it at that point. The precept has to be submitted in January.

Next Meeting

Dates of next Parish Council Meeting - 8 Dec 2021.

Dates for Parish Council Meetings 2022 – 2nd Tuesday of the month

  • 11 Jan, 8 Feb, 8 Mar, 12 Apr, 10 May, 14 Jun, 12 Jul, 9 Aug (if needed), 13 Sept, 11 Oct, 8 Nov, 13 Dec

Carole Rose, Parish Clerk
14 November 2021

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