Minutes of the Kensworth Parish Council Meeting
held at Kensworth Village Hall on Thursday 9th March 2017
Present: Chairman P Mitchell, Parish Councillors I Lowery, G Blackburn, J Worboys, J Murray, J Bradley, M Peploe & P Woods, Ward Cllr R Stay & K Collins, Clerk Maxine Whiting, 3 members of the public
1. APOLOGIES
There were no apologies for absence.
2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no declaration of interests.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held 9th February 2017 were a correct record and signed by the Chairman
4. PROGRESS UPDATE FROM LAST MEETING
Planning application CB/17/00298/FULL Commercial Yard, Watling Street, Caddington LU6 3QP, retrospective planning application for commercial building for vehicle storage, was granted planning permission by the CBC Development Management Committee on 1st March.
5. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Hedges in Common Road are overhanging public footpath from the shop to Spratts Lane.
Resident has booked the village hall Sunday 16th April for a children’s party and requested permission from the parish council to use the rear hardstanding for a double decker play bus. Councillors advised resident the access track is very narrow at the side of the hall and damage may be done to the hedge and track surface, and therefore not suitable for large vehicles. Councillors agreed to the bus being parked in the front car park and access given to cars to use the rear hard standing for parking. Also advised resident to take photos of access and speak to bus hire company so they can carry out their own risk assessment of the site and access issues.
6. POLICE
Clerk circulated Police crime data spreadsheets link to Councillors. 5 offences reported in February.
Cllr Mitchell reported that Beds Police Rural Crime team were addressing the issues with G&Ts, following their commitment to the community back in December by creating Operation Sentinel. The rural police team spent two days in the Billington area where there are G&T sites with problems, two arrests, eight traffic offences, 19 vehicles seized and four offenders reported for other offences. This was an excellent response for the Police that will have spread through the G&T community. It is hoped they will extend their operations to the A5 sites as soon as possible. Hopefully this will make the G&Ts more wary of committing any offences and will deter the itinerant travellers from stopping in Bedfordshire.
7. CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE COUNCIL
Ward Cllr Collins made objections to planning application CB/17/00298/FULL Commercial Yard, Watling Street, Caddington, but there were no planning reasons to refuse the application.
It was AGREED Cllrs Mitchell and Worboys meet with Caddington Parish Council to discuss development of a study on the A5 ribbon development and produce proper evidence and objections with photographic evidence to support objections to further development and planning applications in this area.
It was AGREED to inform CBC planning enforcement that the Packhorse are now carrying out car repairs as well as car sales. Clerk to ask for timescales of when enforcement action will be taken.
Traffic management committee have discussed the disabled parking space application and although no reason to refuse, they are reluctant to fund and aware the estate is lacking in parking.
CBC deputy leader Morris Jones is stepping down as deputy leader. Brain Spurr is taking on responsibility of health, and Ian Dalgarno is taking on responsibility for community services, which includes highways.
Newly appointed PCSO Prayful Sudiwala attended recent Ward Councillor surgery and has been briefed by Insp A Clarke to get involved with as many community events and organisations as possible. PCSO’s will be the eyes and ears of police in local communities. 4 PCSO’s were in attendance and Ward Cllrs briefed them on all areas within the ward and identified hot spots where issues are. Beds Police have been rated inadequate by Inspectors which was not an enormous surprise. Cambs police receive £108pp funding and Beds Police £134pp, however Bedfordshire police have many Metropolitan police issues and an airport.
Large fly tipping in Dovehouse Lane required the closure of the lane to clear, and Hollicks Lane is another fly tipping hotspot. The envirocrime team are working with Beds Police, local residents and neighbouring Dacorum Council and Herts Police. They have CCTV cameras and powers to act.
Parking at the Industrial Estate on Common Road is still causing issues and hard to find a solution. There will always be conflict with commercial activities running in a residential area. Residents advised to speak to business owners direct.
8. PLANNING
No applications received.
9. LUTON AIRPORT NOISE MONITORING RESULTS
Luton Airport Environment Officer Nicole Morris met with Cllrs Mitchell & Blackburn this morning. The decibel readings on the report were an average and Cllr Blackburn has requested maximum readings. Councillors agreed the issue regarding noise levels are that they aren’t a constant and it’s the changes in levels that cause disruption. Pilots are currently lowering their landing gear over Kensworth, however this summer pilots will be lowering this later, presumably over Caddington.
The airport is running virtually at capacity and a new communications person has started.
Internal works have taken longer than expected and are still ongoing, however the dual carriageway to the airport is due to be finished by summer.
Cllrs Mitchell and Blackburn both raised additional questions and Nicole will respond with answers.
9:05pm Cllr J Bradley left the meeting
10. PARKING ISSUES
Cllr Lowery has monitored areas again and due to lack of parking spaces, residents are using turning circles as parking bays. He also was unable to find any suitable sites for signs to be attached to.
11. FOCUS GROUP FOI TO CBC & SOUTH BEDS NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM GROUP
The Focus Group have requested the parish council to forward an FOI (Freedom of Information) request to CBC. It was AGREED to send the following Freedom of Information request to CBC:
Kensworth Parish Council are concerned by numbers of school age children seen during school hours and wish to know
i) How many children are home educated within Central Bedfordshire?
ii) How do these numbers compare nationally?
iii) How many achieve GCSE Maths and English ‘C’ grade and above?
The focus group are also gauging interest in setting up a Neighbourhood Forum Group with a group of villages to make a neighbourhood plan more viable and cost effective to produce. Councillors agreed there could be conflict with their own Neighbourhood Plan and wouldn’t wish to jeopardise the progress made so far with this.
12. GRASS CUTTING, GRITTING AND MAINTENANCE CONTRACT
Clerk emailed nine contractors on 9th February with below contract details, requesting quotes for the grass cutting, gritting and maintenance contract to be received by 6th March.
CBC Land
Grass Cuts: Cuts to be no more than 2 week rotation and a minimum of 13cuts per year. Includes hand mowing of gardens in flats. Removal of all grass cutting, and blowers to be used to remove grass left on paved surfaces. Total area of approx 26,700m2
Areas are: Clayhall Road, Common Road (Rural Area, outside of 30mph zone), Common Road (within 30mph zone and including service road), Dovehouse Lane, Green Lane, Hollicks Lane, Maple Way, Plewes Close, Ridgeway, Russell Close and The Chilterns.
Hedge Cutting: Cut twice per annum including tops, sides and ends, first cut end of April, second cut early October.
Areas are: Russell Close hedging total area of 66 Metres, Side Arm Works in the Ridgeway total area of 13 Linear Metres, and Common Road service road.
Shrub Bed Maintenance: Trim to shape a total area of 430 m2. 12 cuts throughout the growing season, following best horticultural practice and including disposal of waste.
Areas are: Green Lane, Maple Way to Poplar Road, Alley Way, Ridgeway, The Chilterns and Woods Close.
Parish Council Land
Grass cuts no more than 2 week rotation and a minimum of 13cuts per year.
Weed maintenance for play area.
Hedge cut tops, sides and ends of boundary hedge twice per annum, first cut end of April, second cut early October.
Gritting
Supply and grit all vehicle access routes/roads as stated below and exclude the gritting of any service yard areas. Application rate of 10g/sqm to be applied and a maximum of 10 runs. Necessity determined by CBC gritting schedule, MET office reports and own experience of local variants.
Areas are: The Chilterns – 277metres, Village Hall Car Park – 50metres, Poplar Road and Green Lane – 295metres, Maple Way – 230metres, Ridgeway (road and loop) – 321metres, Plewes Close – 16metres, Russell Close (ex garages) – 124metres, Service Road – 278metres, Dovehouse Lane to TC Feeds – 180metres and Common Road jct with New Road to Green End Farm 533metres.
Reminders of quote deadline were sent to all contractors again on 2nd March in hope to receive three quotes. Below are the budgets agreed for 2017/18. Only four responses were received, including two refusals to quote due to not taking on any extra business.
Budget 17/18 / Village Garden Serv / Countrywide Grounds Main.CBC Land (income £5346) / £6,700.00 / £ 5,335.00 / £5,348.00
Parish Council Land / £2,700.00 / £1,760.00 / £2,221.00
Gritting / £2,500.00/total / £139.50/grit / £375.00/grit
Village Garden Services also offered a 3 year term based on same price year 2 1% increase year 3.
It was AGREED that current contractor Village Garden Services had provided an excellent service for the last few years and was very helpful.
It was RESOLVED to renew and accept a 3year contract with Village Garden Services from 1st April 2017 to 31st March 2020, details of quote as below:
Recreation ground and play area: Grass cut £110 per cut approx. @ 13pa, boundary hedge cut £320 @ 1pa = £1760 + VAT per annum
CBC contracted areas: Grass verges £255 per cut approx. @ 13pa, hedge cut £340 @ 1pa, shrubs maintenance £140 @ 12pa = £5335 + VAT per annum
Gritting: £139.50 + VAT per grit run.
13. ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
The Annual Parish Meeting will take place on Thursday 13th April at 8:15pm following the full council meeting. Grant recipients will be invited to collect their cheques and event advertised in the Parish Link, noticeboards and website. Cllr Mitchell to purchase and provide refreshments from her Chairman’s allowance.
14. CLERK SALARY
It was RESOLVED to increase the Clerk’s salary scale to NALC LC2 Point 35 from 1st April 2017.
15. STANDING ORDERS & DIRECT DEBIT PAYMENTS
It was RESOLVED to continue to authorise Standing Order from Barclays Bank current account on 1st of each month for £620 to Clerk Maxine Whiting for salary payment until further notice.
It was RESOLVED to continue to authorise Variable Direct Debit payments to BT for CCTV broadband service package and line rental and F&R Cawley for Village Hall bin emptying.
16. CHAIRMAN REPORT
I was totally dismayed to hear how much dog mess had to be removed from the football pitch area for the EB Lions to recommence playing matches on the Recreation Field. I have watched people walking their dogs across the field, they are often talking to their children or a friend and take no interest in the dogs roaming across the field; they conveniently do not notice when their dogs do their toilet and leave a mess. I would like to look at the suggestion of signage that dogs must be kept on a lead at all times on the recreation field, because of the danger to children playing football on the field and children playing on the field itself. I know that responsible dog owners will not be happy with this, but maybe if we threaten that we are thinking of doing it, then owners will become more responsible.
It was AGREED to put up signs regarding dog fouling.
Thank you to John for helping me with the Great British Clean up last Saturday, we had 8 adults all together and three children and we managed to collect about 13 bags of rubbish and found a tool box thrown into the hedge by John Murray's house. It looks as though this is where all the stolen goods are dumped after the thieves have taken what they want from the stolen property. One of the children actually reached half way into the hedge to retrieve this tool box. It was a good effort but I am disappointed that we don't get more from the local school. Volunteers have offered to help again and some residents also given equipment to assist them in continuing to keep the village tidy.
I have agreed to set up a meeting in the village hall on 21st March to see if anymore residents are interested in being trained for Speedwatch. Two more people are being trained on 1st April so we should then be ready to have a time slot for the equipment to catch speeding motorists in the village.
17. CORRESPONDENCE
Bedfordshire Bugle March 2017 – email fwd Cllrs 1/3/17
CBC Leisure Strategy Engagement consultation – email fwd Cllrs 6/3/17
NHS BLMK Transforming Health and Care Services in Beds, Luton & MK Venue date – email fwd Cllrs 3/3/17
Cawleys price review effective 1st April 2017
Falcon Motor Club March Hare Classic Trial 5th March cancelled – email fwd Cllrs 28/2/17