Minutes of a meeting of The Full Parish Councilheld on Wednesday, July 8th2015at 7.30pm
Present: Cllrs Riddle, Morris, Emerick, Laxton, Chisnall, North, Rayson, Tuplin, Scott, Custance, District Cllr Tysoe
Correspondence had been received after the agenda had been issued. Following discussion it was agreed that in accordance with Standing Order 38 the correspondence was referred to the next Full Council meeting on September 9th.
110/15 / Apologies For Absence – Cllrs Day, Alexander, County Cllr Bywater111/15 / To Sign And Approve Minutes Dated June 10th 2015 – approved. Signed by Cllr Riddle.
112/15 / Matters Arising From Previous Minutes (for information only)
113/15 / Members’ Declaration Of Interest for items on the Agenda:
Cllr Rayson – item 119/15 – cheque payable to a business partner of his son.
Public forum – no members of the public were present.
114/15 / To Receive Reports From Representatives Of Outside Bodies
Sawtry Sports and Leisure Association – Cllrs Tuplin/Chisnall
Cllr Tuplin advised that he had been elected treasurer. Once the paperwork and cheque book had been handed over from the previous treasurer he would arrange payment of the rent to the Parish Council.
The Clerk was asked to pass on Cllr Riddle’s thanks to Mike Patchett for showing the councillors around the facilities at Greenfields last week and for answering their questions.
Sawtry Show – Cllr Tuplin
The schedule is now available.
Sawtry Carnival – Cllr Emerick
The de-brief meeting is to be held next week so final figures are not yet available. It was a very successful event despite the weather. There is a short video of the whole day compacted into a few minutes available.
Cllr Emerick was asked to pass on the Council’s thanks to the organising committee for doing a fine job in difficult weather conditions.
Sawtry in Bloom – Cllr Rayson
Nothing to report.
District Council – Cllr Tysoe
Cllr Tysoe passed on an email and grass cutting maps to the Clerk. It was agreed that the Parish Council would like to be involved in a District Council project trying to identify ownership of all the various grassed areas around the village.
District Council – Cllr Tuplin
A response has been received from the Planning Department to Cllr Tuplin’s question relating to when the play area and allotments would be available on the new Mulberry Estate:
Although the trigger of over 50% occupancy has been reached the developer has not actioned any of the above.
It was confirmed that the developer is still responsible for the landscape management plan and the District Council have written to them asking them to action the cleaning out of the attenuation pond.
Under the terms of the planning application the developer should use all reasonable endeavours to enter into a PCT (now Clinical Commissioning Group) contract
County Council – Cllr Bywater:
E mail update received from Cllr Bywater regarding his comments to the boundary commission requesting that Sawtry be included in the name of the new district.
115/15 / To Receive The Chairman’s Report:
The chairman has attended
- The carnival and had a very good day.
- A meeting at CARESCO on the future of the food bank
- A brownie meeting – ‘I’m a Brownie Get Me Out of Here’ and took part in the ‘jungle challenges’
- The next chairman’s challenge will be a motorbike and sidecar laps of the Fenland Cycle track at Woodwalton.
116/15 / To Receive And In So Far As Required, Ratify Recommendations Contained In The Minutes Of The Following Committees:
Amenities
June 17th – minutes attached. Appendix 1
All the proposals were approved.
It was agreed that Cllrs Custance and Rayson maintain contact with SYP.
It was also agreed that the Clerk would contact SYP and ask that a representative from their group attend the Amenities committee on a co-opted basis.
Play park maintenance:
Wet pour quotes (correspondence) – for information and referral to the next Amenities meeting.
Due to the urgent nature of the repair to the surface under the pedestal slide Cllr Riddle approved the expenditure of £2,680 + VAT.
It was noted that the actual cost could be £5379.85 if the concrete base needs replacing. The expenditure was approved.
Financial Report:
It was agreed to allocate £3,888 from the Sawtry in Bloom budget to the play park repairs budget to cover the above costs
Picnic Tables at St Judith’s:
The chairman advised that within 24 hours of one of the picnic tables being installed it had been vandalised and nearby trees damaged. This has been reported to the Police – any information to the Clerk or the Police.
It was agreed to spend up to £1,000 on a multi-coloured picnic bench for installation in the play park in Green End Road.
Cllr Riddle advised that members of the Committee visited various sites around the village – The Green, Greenfields, the play park, St Judith’s Field and the allotments.
It was agreed not to plant any more trees on The Green in order to preserve it as a village green. The Royal Oak will become a lot bigger over the next few years.
It was agreed that the Clerk would contact the tree warden and ask that the Parish Council are kept informed of any proposed planting or removal of trees and that their permission is sought before any work takes place.
Churches and Civic – No meeting
Community – No meeting
Finance and General Purposes – June 24th – minutes attached – Appendix 2
All proposals were approved.
Boiler specification – Cllr Scott presented his report. It was agreed that the specification should be sent out.
It was agreed that the protected budget is reviewed at the budget planning meeting in November and to take appropriate action.
To agree a policy for donations from the Youth Project Fund for young people’s activities – it was agreed that each request would be considered on it’s own merits
it was agreed that Jacquie Wilson is appointed as internal auditor for 2015/16 under the terms included in the attached minutes.
Membership of Local Council Public Advisory Service (LCPAS) – it was agreed that a subscription for a year is taken out.
Archive Policy – it was agreed to adopt the document with the amendment that Pension paperwork is retained for 3 years.
Forward/business planning policy – it was agreed that Cllrs Riddle, Emerick and Morris continue the work they have started on this.
Chairs of Committees to begin looking at the possibilities within their remit for which grants are available.
The Clerk to identify potential grants.
Parish Council involvement with Facebook/Sawtry Scene – it was agreed that more thought needs to be given to this but it was not dismissed out of hand. The Clerk to ask other Councils about their experiences – positive and negative.
It was agreed to upgrade the current website from bronze to silver to include the use of a blog and a contact sheet. The expenditure of £145 development costs and an extra £100 a year for maintenance of the site (currently £100) was approved.
National SLCC Conference on 16th October – it was agreed that the Clerk attends at a cost of £95 plus travel.
HDC Consultation – Draft Statement of Licensing Policy – no comments.
Planning – June 24th – minutes attached – Appendix 3
117/15 / To Report Any Changes To Committee Membership
Cllr Laxton to come off F & GP and go on Community.
118/15 / Financial Report:
1.To note summary of Receipts and Payments as at June 30th2015 – filed separately
2.To note bank reconciliation at May 31st2015 – filed separately
3. To note Cllr Custance reviewed the process of receiving and recording cash – June 23
119/15 / To Approve Payment And Signing Of Cheques – payment was approved and cheques were signed by Cllrs Custance and Tuplin.
Cheque
No / Invoice No / Budget Heading / To / Amount / NET / VAT
305917 / 27 / Pension Conts / CCC Pension Fund / 1901.31 / 1901.31 / 0.00
305918 / 28 / Tax & NI / HMRC / 878.62 / 878.62 / 0.00
305919
-
305923 / 29 – 33 / Salary/Wages (5 members of staff) / Admin / 4098.01 / 4098.01 / 0.00
305924 / 34 / Petty Cash / CASH / 300.00 / 300.00 / 0.00
305925 / 35 / Subscription / Local Council Public Advisory Service / 100.00 / 100.00 / 0.00
305926 / 36 / Office Expenses / Walters Ltd / 38.17 / 31.81 / 6.36
305927 / 37 / Play Park Maint / A T Fabrications / 250.00 / 250.00 / 0.00
305928 / 38 / Chairman’s Challenge (Benches at St Judith’s) / Evershed Products / 958.80 / 799.00 / 159.80
305929 / 39 / Internal Audit / Canalbs ltd / 118.87 / 118.87 / 0.00
305930 / 40 / Office Expenses / Viking / 74.94 / 62.45 / 12.49
305931 / 41 / Cycle Marking Kits / Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner / 435.00 / 435.00 / 0.00
305932 / 42 / Office Expenses – Cemetery Package Software / Scribe 2000 Ltd / 174.00 / 145.00 / 29.00
305933 / 43 / Property Maint / Trade UK Account / 14..99 / 14.99 / 0.00
305934 / 44 / Refurbishment / Furniture at Work / 720.00 / 600.00 / 120.00
305935 / 45 / CARNIVAL – replacement of cheque 305911 / Julia Keightley / 272.20 / 272.20 / 0.00
305936* / 46 / S137 / Royal British Legion / 100.00 / 100.00 / 0.00
TOTAL / 10434.91 / 10107.26 / 327.65
* Additional cheque – agreed November 2014 and May 2015
120/15 / The following direct debit payments were noted:
BT - £61.25
HDC – Rates St Andrews - £64
Eclipse Internet - £14.95
British Gas – Electricity Old School House - £137.58
British Gas – Gas Old School House - £304.67
British Gas – Electricity Old School Hall - £178.41
British Gas – Gas Old School Hall - £349.35
Anglian Water – Old School Hall & House - £228.77
Anglian Water – Allotments - £23.90
The Clerk was requested to include the gross figure in the lists of direct debit payments with the VAT figure in brackets on future agenda.
121/15 / Correspondence:
For referral:
- Cambs CC – Rights of Way Grass Cutting – to Planning and Highways
- Wicksteed – Safety Surfacing Quote – to Amenities
- Local Councils Update – June 2015
- Martech – Spring/Summer 2015
- A P Partnership – June 2015 & Summer 2015
Cllr Morris updated the Councillors on the recent emails received from the County Council regarding the Community Centre (Private minutes).
122/15 / Next Meeting – September 9th 2015 at 7.30pm
Appendix 1
Minutes of a meeting of the Amenities Committee held on Wednesday June 17th 2015 at 7.00pm in the Old School Hall .
Present. Cllrs Riddle, Emerick, Rayson, Custance, Chisnall, Tree Warden Janet Spencer, 4 members of the public and Sally Dalley Assistant Clerk
1 / Election of Chairman - Cllr Riddle was re-elected as Chairman2 / Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Tuplin and Cllr Laxton and accepted
3 / Minutes of the meeting held on 15th April 2015 were agreed
4 / Matters arising from previous minutes (for information only)
5 / Members’ Declaration Of Interest for agenda items - Cllr Rayson 8.2
6 / Sawtry Sports and Leisure Association:
6.1 Notes of recent meetings had been circulated and it was noted that Cllr Tuplin was attending their AGM this evening
7 / Allotments: Letters had been sent to the six tenants who are not working their plots
8 / Village – Green Spaces, Play areas and Maintenance
8.1 Referral from Full Council – discussion regarding working with Sawtry Youth Project.
Cllr Rayson proposed that 2 councillors attend a SYP meeting for an informal discussion (Cllrs Rayson and Custance willing to attend with Cllr Emerick in reserve) He also proposed that a member of SYP could be invited to sit on the Amenities committee. It was agreed to put these proposals to full council.
At this point the meeting was suspended to allow a member of the public to address the meeting. Adam Ward spoke about the lack of facilities for young people in the village. He felt Sawtry was stuck in the past and was being left behind by neighbouring villages. He asked the PC to address this issue. Meeting recommenced
8.2 Play park maintenance – due to worn areas at both slides a quote had been obtained from Wicksteed to replace the safety surfaces under play equipment. (Springers £816. Cradle Swing £836, Pedestal slide £3,162, Multi Unit £11,092 Committee members paid a site visit and agreed to propose to full council replacing the surfaces rather than patch repairs. Clerk to query requirement for Heras (£300) and Storage (£300) on the quote. Cllr Rayson informed the meeting that work to repair the catch on the play park gate was due to be carried out on 18th June
8.3 To note kick wall for St Judith’s Field has been ordered – Cllr Chisnall asked for CCTV to be on the next agenda
8.4 To note picnic tables for St Judith’s Field purchased from the Chairman’s Challenge fund have been ordered and are being delivered on 18th June – siting of these on St Judiths Field would be early July as ground work by the caretakers needs to be carried out.
9 / Sawtry in Bloom
9.1 Cllr Rayson informed the meeting that the planters and signs had all been replanted for the summer.
10 / Trees:
10.1 To note tree maintenance work has been carried out
10.2 To consider replacement of the dead tree that was removed from The Green – it was agreed to ask Cllr Tuplin for advice on type of tree that would be suitable for this site bearing in mind the future growth of all the other trees on the green
10.3 Tree Warden report Janet reported that there had been some strimmer damage to the trees on the green – clerk to mention to grass cutters and if suitable further tree guards could be installed. At St Judith’s field the dogwoods are growing well, a group of trees on the hill have died and will be removed and there is a dead tree in the rough area. Cllr Chisnall and Janet agreed to meet to discuss possible hedge planting at Greenfields and report back to the next meeting
11 / Financial Report – Cllr Rayson agreed that the Sawtry in Bloom budget could be reduced to £1,000 therefore allowing £3,888 for reallocation
12 / Notices and Correspondence - Nil
13 / Date of next meeting – September 16th at 7.00pm
Appendix 2 – Minutes of a meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee held on Wednesday June 24th 2015
Present: Cllrs Riddle, Emerick, Rayson, Alexander, Morris, Day, Laxton and Scott
1 / Apologies For Absence – none2 / Minutes of Last Meeting Dated April 22nd – previously circulated
3 / Matters Arising From Previous Minutes (for information only) – none
4 / Members’ Declaration Of Interest for items on the Agenda – none
5 / Property:
5.1 Old School Hall
- Boiler Replacements – update from Cllr Scott – it was agreed that Cllr Scott would prepare a specification for Full Council in July. With the recommendation that this would then be sent out immediately with a request that the tenderers confirm the validity of the tender documents.
5.3 Garage on The Green and Old Lock Up:
- To note tenancy agreement signed for the Garage on The Green – the deposit and first month’s rent has been received and a direct debit set up for future rent
6 / Finance:
6.1 Financial Report – noted
6.2 Review of protected budget – it was agreed to recommend to Full Council that the protected budget is reviewed at the budget planning meeting in November and to take appropriate action.
6.3 To agree a policy for donations from the Youth Project Fund for young people’s activities – it was agreed that each request would be considered on it’s own merits
6.4 Internal Auditor Report – May 2105 – noted
6.5 To appoint internal auditor for 2015/16 to carry out half year audit of procedures, policies, risk management etc., followed by an end of year audit which will review financial controls once the Annual Return Form has been approved and signed together with the minuted approval of the year end accounts by the council at a meeting. Currently Jacquie Wilson (canalbs ltd) – rate for 2015/16 to remain at £37.50 per hour plus 45p per mile – it was agreed to recommend to Full Council that Jacquie Wilson is appointed for 2015/16.
6.6 To consider membership of Local Council Public Advisory Service (LCPAS) – it was agreed to recommend to Full Council that a subscription for a year is taken out.
7 / To agree Archive Policy – it was agreed to recommend the draft document to Full Council for approval with the amendment that Pension paperwork is retained for 3 years.
8 / To consider forward/business planning policy – it was agreed to recommend to Full Council that Cllrs Riddle, Emerick and Morris continue the work they have started on this.
Chairs of Committees to begin looking at the possibilities within their remit for which grants are available.
The Clerk to identify potential grants.
9 / To consider Parish Council involvement with Facebook/Sawtry Scene – it was agreed that more thought needs to be given to this but it was not dismissed out of hand. The Clerk to ask other Councils about their experiences – positive and negative.
10 / Staffing Matters:
10.1 Staffing – the date for the staffing committee to meet was set as October 7th at 9.30am
10.2 Request from Clerk to attend National SLCC Conference on 16th October – information attached – it was agreed to recommend to Full Council that the Clerk attends at a cost of £95 plus travel.
11 / Next Meeting – September 23rd at 7.30pm
Appendix 3 – Minutes of a meeting of the Planning Committee held on June 24th 2015
Present: Cllrs Day, Riddle, Custance, Emerick, Tuplin, Scott, Morris, Alexander, Laxton
1 / APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE / None2 / MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING / June 10th 2015
3 / MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES (for information only) – none
4 / MEMBERS ‘DECLARATION OF INTEREST – none
5 / PLANNING APPLICATIONS
5.1 15/00911/FUL – Telephone Exchange Old Great North Road – Change of use of Telephone Exchange to Day Nursery (temporary period of five years):
Recommend Refusal:
- The mobile would reduce the number of available car park spaces and reduce the turning space
- The car parking is totally inadequate especially when there will be young children in the vicinity
- The planned building work on the telephone exchange taking place while the nursery is in operation raises concerns of safety
- There should be a separate entrance and exit to prevent reversing into the road
- The plan includes the removal of healthy mature trees
- Visibility on exit needs to be improved
- It is imperative that parking is not allowed on the highway
- It is requested that the County Council Highways departments comments are received before deciding on the application
- There are concerns regarding the access to the Parish Council Cemetery opposite the site being blocked by parents who cannot access the site
6 / PLANNING DECISIONS – none
7 / NOTICES & CORRESPONDENCE – none
8 / NEXT MEETING / July 8th at 7.00pm