MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL AND MONTHLY MEETINGS OF THE BILTON IN AINSTY WITH BICKERTON PARISH COUNCIL

HELD IN TOCKWITH SCHOOL ON MONDAY 15 MAY 2017

Present:

Councillors: Mr S Mackouly (Chairman), Mr A J Pratt, Mrs D Podlewska, Mrs J Hanson, Mr T Smithson

Mr L T I Grant (Clerk/RFO)

District Councillor: Mr T Myatt

1. / Apologies for Absence
Community Beat Manager Marie Scott
2. / Public Questions and Statements
No questions or statements have been received.
3. / Annual Reports
Report from the Chairman of the Parish Council.
The report had been circulated to all Cllrs. There were no questions or comments on the report.
Responsible Financial Officer’s Annual Report
The report had been circulated to all Cllrs. There were no questions or comments on the report.
District/County Councillor’s Annual Report for 2016-17
The District Cllr Mr T Myatt outlined the work that he had been involved with in his first year and confirmed that Area 6 of Highways NY attracted much criticism, with few issues being successfully addressed. He also confirmed that he would be standing down as District Cllr in 2018 to reduce his workload.
4. / Date of Next AGM
14 May 2018. To be held in Tockwith School at 7.30 pm (subject to confirmation of venue).
5.
5.1 / Annual Election
Election of Officers
a) Chairman
Cllr Mr S Mackouly confirmed that he was prepared to stand again as Chairman in the absence of any other Cllr wishing to be considered for the role. All Cllrs present without abstention approved the election of Cllr Mr S Mackouly as Chairman for the next year.
b) Vice Chairman
Cllr Mrs J Hanson agreed to stand again for the Vice Chairman’s role. All Cllrs present without abstention approved the election of Cllr Mrs J Hanson as Vice Chairman for the next year.
c) Members of the Finance Working Group
The members of the group will include the Chairman, Vice Chairman and one other Cllr (to be decided) assisted by the Clerk/RFO.
5.2 / Chairman Acceptance of Office
The elected Chairman Cllr Mr S Mackouly agreed to sign the official Form accepting the Office
The Annual Meeting was followed by the Monthly Meeting of the Parish Council.
6. / Minutes of the Meetings Held on 19.04.17
The minutes of the monthly meetings held on 19.04.17 were approved as a true record by all Councillors present without abstention.
7. / Matters Arising from the Minutes of the Monthly Meeting Held on 11.04.16
7.1 / Highway Matters
  • No known problems
Cllrs commented on the arrival on site of Area 6 staff to undertake the drainage improvement scheme to the footpath between Tom Cat Lane and Turnpike Lane Bickerton. It had been known that the scheme had been included in the maintenance schemes which were to be undertaken in the 2017-18 expenditure year.
On successful completion of this scheme, there will be no outstanding works required by Area 6 in the Parish.
8. / Police Matters
The Beat Manager is not on duty this evening and was unable to attend. The crime statistics for April 2017 have recently been circulated.
9. / Finance Matters
9.1 / Funds Received.
  • £3530.00 HBC precept for a half year.

9.2 / Bank Balances at 30.04.17 were:
  • Business Money Management £13,171.76
  • Community Account £0.00
Cllrs checked the bank statements for April 2017 to confirm the figures. There were no comments or queries from Councillors about the PC’s Bank Accounts or financial statements circulated recently.
9.3 / Invoices Received and to be Paid
Total payments of £1,675.50 was approved by all Cllrs present without abstention, with corresponding inter account transfer.
  • Tockwith School £25.20. Meeting Room Hire 15.05.17
  • Came & Co Parish Council Insurers £364.64, Annual Insurance Renewal
Retrospetive approval was included for the following payments
  • Andrew Ellis £55.00, annual internal audit fee (paid on 08.05.17)
  • Andrew Scott Electrical Ltd £230.66 (£192.22 + £38.44 VAT), installation and connection of power to new heated defibrillator cabinet in Bilton in Ainsty (Paid on 28.04.17)

9.4 / S137 Community Grant
Cllrs agreed that the £1,000 community grant offered to the Springbank Surgery Ultrasound scanner appeal could now be released, following receipt of the banking details.
9.5 / Report by Internal Auditor on the annual accounts of the Parish Councillor
The report had been circulated which confirmed that the PC’s accounts were in order with no issues and that the Audit form had been correctly completed.
9.6 / Urban Grass Verge Cutting 2017
The agreed grass verges have now been cut twice by HBC’s staff in both Villages. As the local volunteer is no longer able to cut the verges to the West end of Main Street Bickerton, a request has been sent to HBC’s Officers asking that this new section of highway is added to the works already agreed in Bickerton. There has been no confirmation that it will be carried out.
9.7 / Chequer’s Inn Car Park lease renewal
Cllr Mr A Pratt confirmed an interest in this item.
Before leaving the room, he outlined the reasons why he had requested that Punch Taverns seek early renewal of the lease for the car park for a period longer than the 5 year period, that had been the norm previously.
In Cllr Mr A Pratt’s absence, remaining Cllrs discussed a possible way forward. The Clerk was asked to seek professional help to find the current market value that should be used for the lease, whilst also asking the value of the plot, if it was offered for sale. The Clerk will ask a local Surveyor to value the car park and will report at the next monthly meeting. Cllrs agreed that the Clerk should ask the Wetherby Solicitor who acted previously, if he is prepared to act for the Parish Council again with preparation of the new lease. / LTIG
9.8 / HMRC PAYE Accounts Errors
The Clerk/RFO confirmed that there had been no response from HMRC, following the involvement of the MP. The HMRC Account had however been checked on line prior to this meeting and it was noted that the errors had been corrected.
10. / Planning and Related Matters
10.1 / Planning Applications Received and to be Determined
  • None received

10.2 / Planning Decision Notifications Received
  • None received.

11.1 / Neighbourhood Plan – Parish Design Statement Update
The draft had been checked by all Cllrs and only minor spelling errors were noted. The draft will now be sent to HBC for general comment. The Chairman confirmed that he did not have any named personnel to whom the draft will be sent as interested parties. If none are available, the draft will be sent out for comment.
An open meeting will be arranged for the end of the summer, when the final draft can be introduced to local residents for comment.
Cllr Mrs J Hanson had been contacted by members of the working group who were carrying out similar work in Walton.
11.2 / Defibrillator Bilton in Ainsty
The Chairman has agreed with first responders in Bilton in Ainsty that they will form a rota to monitor the defibrillator, which currently requires a new battery. The batteries in each defibrillator are not rechargeable and have a life of 4 years. The Clerk agreed to check with Geoff Farmworth in Bickerton before ordering a replacement battery, as both Village defibrillators have the same age.
12. / Councillor’s Business items for the Next Meeting
Nothing identified
13. / Dates for Future Meetings
10 July, 18 September, 16 October & 20 November 2017
All meetings to be held in Tockwith School at 7.30pm (subject to availability)
Clerk to the Parish Council: L T I Grant Tel: 01423 359961 Email:
Chairman: S Mackouly Tel: 01423 358092 Email:
PARISH Web Site Address: WWW. biltonandbickerton-pc.gov.uk

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