Parish Council Meeting Minutes -

Present: Councillors Clive Hawkins (CH) (Chairman) Ed Walsh (EW) (Vice Chairman), Clive Morris (CM), Diane Donat (DD), Stephen Russell (SR). County Councillor Andy Mellen (AM) and District Councillor Richard Meyer (RMe).

Public Forum

One member of the public from Long Thurlow in attendance. No questions or topics raised.

Cllr Mellen reported that the £77m funding requested from the Govt for the ‘Bus Back Better’ scheme had been rejected and no monies had been allocated. AM had also reported his concerns regarding local sewage overflows to Anglian Water and requested up to date information as to how many times the waterways had been breached. Cllr Mellen also reported the many potholes in Back Lane and requested they were dealt with.
Cllr Meyer had emailed his report ahead of the meeting which had been circulated to all. No specific topics were highlighted.

Apologies

Richard Morris (RM), Lesley Yates (LY).

Declarations of Interest and Requests for Dispensations

Councillor Hawkins re 6.7
None.

Minutes

The minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 8 March 2022 were approved and signed by the Chairman.
The Clerk reported that the spiked blocks of wood on the verge at Long Thurlow had been removed by Suffolk County Council (Agenda item 6.6 on 8 February 2022).

Clerk’s Report and Correspondence

The Clerk confirmed that the two annual meetings – Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Parish Council Meeting – are due to be held on 10 May 2022 and requests had been emailed out for the annual reports of the various societies/organisations.
The Chairman requested that the Clerk minute the Parish Council’s grateful thanks to Mr Roy Woodfine for all his recent help in Long Thurlow regarding the bus shelter, new dog bins, noticeboard and potential defibrillator. It was very encouraging to be able to make progress in Long Thurlow.
No update re the Broadsheet due to Councillor R Morris’ absence.
The Clerk reported that the paperwork was all in place for the new Street Cleaner although no contract had yet been signed.

Environment

A proposal was tabled, following various residents’ requests, for the playing field and children’s playground to be separated in order to free up the playing field for all residents (to include dog walkers). The Clerk was asked to obtain quotes for additional green metal fencing in order to make the playground secure and safe for children. Concern was expressed about the likelihood of dog fouling on the playing field but the project was approved in principle with final agreement to be made when costs were known.
The request for funding towards a new cemetery was made and discussed. Unfortunately, as in the past, it is NALC’s considered opinion that Parish Councils should not contravene the LGA Act of 1894 in relation to funding of church matters through Parish Council finances. It might however be possible to finance the car park of 19 spaces at the new cemetery through a CIL funding request in October. The Clerk was asked to communicate this to the Vicar and members of the PCC.
No response had been received from Anglian Water re electricity from the sub-station for a possible external defibrillator on the wall of the sub-station in Long Thurlow. However, the Clerk had sourced a stand-alone solar powered defibrillator cabinet and defibrillator which would be placed alongside the bus shelter in LT. This was voted unanimously as the way forward to assist the residents of LT and an order should be placed as soon as practical.
Councillor Walsh provided the readings from the two solar SIDs at either end of the village. These were much as expected and in line with readings taken over the last few months. By far the vast majority of drivers adhered to the speeding limits within the village 30mph zone.
After five months work on the project to provide broadband to the village hall, the current owner of the village hall drive had withdrawn his permission to have a pole erected to carry the cabling. The decision was therefore made to cease any further work on this project at the present time. It is hoped that we are able to pick this up again in the future should the ownership of the village hall drive change.
The Village Hall Committee had requested funding of £250 to cover the cost of bunting for the Platinum Jubilee planned events at the Village Hall and Playing field on Sunday 5 June. This request was approved.
The Vice Chairman handled this item submitted by Councillor Hawkins on behalf of the Village Hall Committee. It was for a sum of £2844 being the balance of the quote of £4740 after receiving a grant £1896 from MSDC. This refers to Item 8 on the previously agreed Village Hall project list. This was unanimously agreed by the Councillors noting Cllr Hawkins’ abstention. It is anticipated that this item will be completed in time for the Platinum Jubilee event.
The village gates project in Long Thurlow has hit a stumbling block in that Elite Fencing do not hold a NRSWA licence which is required by SCC for contractors to work on either the verges or highways therefore they are unable to commence work. The Parish Council are considering alternative ways forward and are waiting to hear from a prospective new contractor.
The Chairman reported a very successful Spring Clean weekend on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 April. In addition to the Parish Councillors and their families, it was very pleasing to see so many residents volunteering for an hour on either day and the Chairman requested that sincere thanks were recorded to everyone who took part. MSDC collected the 16 bags of rubbish from the village hall the following day.

Planning

Progress of recent planning applications are as follows: DC/22/01462 Mill House, Badwell Ash, Suffolk IP31 3DJ – APPLICATION GRANTED

To consider a planning application request letter relating to planning application DC/22/01653 - The Old Vicarage, The Street, Badwell Ash IP31 3DH. The Councillors recorded no objections to this planning application.
To consider a planning consultation request letter relating to planning application DC/22/01250 – 4 Warren Close, Badwell Ash, Suffolk IP31 3ER. The Councillors recorded no objections to this planning application.
To consider a planning consultation request letter relating to planning application DC/22/01340 – 5 The Paddocks, Badwell Ash, Suffolk IP31 3LW. The Councillors recorded their objections to the third floor roof extension for the following reasons: invasion of privacy; overdevelopment; not in keeping with the surrounding area; potential noise levels emanating from a cinema/games room; loss of enjoyment in adjacent private gardens.

Finance and Policies

The Councillors considered the issue of the following payments:
- £274.89 – March salaries
- £19.95 – Collins plaque for bench
- £240.38 – Glasdon 2 dog litter bins for LT
- £82.80 – SALC 6 month payroll
- £316.64 – SCC annual lighting costs
- £850.00 – JPM pollard tree in village hall car park
- £70.63 – Vertas’ last payment
- £78.98 – Clerk’s expenses
- £405.00 – HMRC Q4 taxes
It was resolved that these payments could be made. The Chairman signed an approval for these to be paid by BACS.
The Clerk would submit a request for CIL funding for the LT defibrillator in the MSDC May funding application round of approx. £3000.
Staff pay increases of approximately 20p/30p per hour had been approved by NALC and MSDC and would be implemented with effect from 1st April. This was unanimously approved.
The Clerk reported that she had concluded the year end accounts for 31 March 2022 and that these would now be deposited with the internal auditor for his consideration.

Next Meeting

Date of next Parish Council Meeting – Tuesday 10 May 2022.

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
20 April 2022

Parish Council Meeting Minutes