Minutes of the meeting of Ringsfield & Weston Parish Council held on Friday 20March 2015 at 7.30 pm at Ringsfield Village Hall
Councillors Present :Cllr P Johnson (Chairman),Cllr P Fearn,Cllr C Leggett, Cllr A Wheeler, Cllr R Sherriff
Also Present: Mrs T Hazell (Clerk)
1.Apologies : Cllr L Rees, Cllr S Saunders, Cllr K Springall, Cllr D Ritchie, PCSO Le Surf.
2.Declarations of Interest :None
- To confirm the minutes of the Parish Meeting held on 20 February 2015 at 7.30 pm
On the motion of Cllr Wheeler, seconded by Cllr Fearn, it was unanimously agreed that the minutes be signed as a true and correct record.
The meeting opened for public consultation.
a.Residents’ Questions : None
b.Report from the Police : PCSO Le Surf was not present as she is on maternity leave.
c.Report from Suffolk County Councillor : Cllr D Ritchie had sent apologies.
d.Report from the District Councillor : Cllr Springall had sent apologies and an email thanking the parish councillors for their hard work over last 4 years and saying he will be standing as District Councillor again and hopes to continue in May, and although his job situation means he cannot attend many parish council meetings, he is always contactable via email.
The Chairman closed the meeting for public consultation.
- Chairman’s Matters :
Regarding World War 1 commemorations, the Chairman reported that he and Helen Kerridge had met Richard Thornburgh, the Vicar at Ilketshall St Margaret’s Church and he had taken some photos of the WW1 Commemorative Book there, which he showed councillors. He stated that if we do this for our parishes, we could laminate sheets and bind them into a folder, with a copy to also go into Beccles Museum as well as Ringsfield Church and Weston Church. It was felt that it was important to enter those who had survived WW1 as well as those who had died. The Chairman will make sure Helen Kerridge is aware of this, but she is willing to do this research and produce this commemoration for expenses only. Councillors were all in agreement and delighted that Mrs Kerridge is happy to take this on.
Spring Newsletter : It was agreed to produce one as soon as possible and the clerk was asked to send Cllr Rees the news items she had and the Chairman agreed to produce a report asap. The main topic of this should be an appeal for parishioners to stand as Parish Councillors in the forthcoming elections, as nomination forms need to be in by 9th April 2015.
Dates to be included in the newsletter should be Saturday 25th April for the Litter Pick meeting at 10 am at the Village Hall and finishing at 12 noon at the Horseshoes for refreshments. He clerk was asked to apply to Waveney Norse for the plastic sacks etc.
Cllr Sherriff also asked for mention of the recreational facilities which are for hire in the village, i.e. tennis courts and cricket pitch.
Community Council news :
The clerk updated councillors on progress made via emails with Mrs Lanchester and Robert Horn of CAS. However we need to produce a legal lease and the clerk has asked SALC who are asking Pretty’s Solicitors to quote for this purpose. The clerk also mentioned that she had met the Chair of Wangford PC at a recent meeting and they have had the same situation and would be glad to talk to us regarding their arrangements. The Chairman stated that he would make contact with him.
- Clerk’s Correspondence
The clerk had circulated her Correspondence Report and ran through all letters/emails received. Several items of correspondence were discussed :
(a)A reply had been received from the Planning Inspectorate regarding the proposed wind turbine at Shipmeadow stating that the case it subject to a further legal challenge in the Court of Appeal and the whole matter is sub judice and they cannot comment at this time, although the Inspector’s decision will either be upheld or quashed. If the challenge is successful the appeal will be returned to the Planning Inspectorate to be decided again, at which point the Secretary of State would be able to consider recovering the appeal.
(b)Mark Kerridge, Suffolk CC had emailed the clerk in response to the queries raised at the last meeting. Regarding the flooding in Cucumber Lane, SCC are aware that in at least three places the bank adjacent to the road is failing which in times of heavy flows has subsided causing issued. The work is complicated by the nature of the river and the environmental constraints, so an accurate timescale of the works is difficult to predict. They are also looking at the junction with Cucumber Lane to see if the surface water can be disposed of more efficiently. The amount of silt washed to this low point does not help. The actual watercourse is a main river and falls under the Environment Agency with whom they are consulting.
The Ringsfield Road sign is maintained by Waveney DC and our query has been passed to them. Nikki Childs is the person to contact if this is not attended to in due course (01502 527100).
SCC will look at the potholes in question. Cllr Wheeler stated that the pot hole near the silos in School Road has been attended to but has sunk already. The clerk to report this.
SCC will look at the metal post on the bridge in Kings Lane.
(c)The clerk had received all the nomination papers from Waveney DC and handed them out to those councillors interested in standing for election. As Cllr Rees was not present, the clerk was asked to post this to her. Papers have to be hand delivered by 5 pm on 9th April.
(d)A Temporary Traffic Order had been received for the road closure at Cromwell Road on 8th to 9th March. However, Cllr Wheeler stated that no notice had been received for the School Road closure for 8 days from 23rd March and wondered why. The clerk was asked to investigate.
- Councillors’ reports on meetings attended
a) The clerk had attended the last meeting of the Waveney Area of SALC, where she had received a 30 minute election training session by Mr Jim Friend. She had found this useful.
6. Planning Applications
None
7. Finances
a)On the motion of the Cllr Wheeler, seconded by the Cllr Leggett, it was unanimously agreed to sign the following cheques :
Mrs P A Hazell (Clerk’s net salary £152.76 + Mileage
allowance to Bungay (SALC meeting £12.15)£164.91
HMRC (Clerk’s PAYE) £38.00
Community Action Suffolk (Subscription 15/16) £30.00
P Johnson (Chairman’s Expenses – Carols on Green) £17.94
8. Matters Arising
a)Cllr Fearn asked if anything further had been heard about the proposed southern relief road. Cllr Wheeler thought this was still going through planning but needs to be built by 2016.
11.Date of Next Meeting : Friday 17 April 2015 at 7.30 pm.
There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.20 pm.
Chairman …………………………………. Dated ………………………………..