Nether Kellet Parish Council
Minutes of the Annual Meeting and Parish Assembly held on 4th May 2016
Annual Meeting
Those present:- Cllrs, David Manning, George Smith, Ian Williams, Peter Riley, David Whitaker, Chris Halhead; Michael Watson (Clerk); City Cllr. J Roger Mace & 2 others
1Apologies for absence: Cllr Judith Bentham
2Minutes from last year’s annual meeting and assembly 13th May 2015(distributed with agendas): were agreed and signed as a true record.
3Treasurer’s Report: Detailed accounts had been prepared and distributed and were available to all present. These were fully explained and no queries were raised other than the absence of the £1 donation and fee of £1 regarding the playing field. Clerk to make enquiries with the bank with the help of City Cllr RogerMace who explained the history of the payments. The precept remained at the same level as in the previous year and had remained unchanged since 2009.
The accounts were approved unanimously.
4Playing Field Report:No report
5Lodge’s Charity Report: The accounts were presented and the proceeds from the fund, which now stands at £353.07 realised a return of £27.76 as compared to £35.05 last year. It was felt that the purpose of the fund be publicised via Round and About and the qualifications for application to the fund be set out.
6Chairman’s Report: The chairman submitted a full report which set out the activities of the Parish Council over the past year. He expressed thanks to his fellow councillors, the clerk and to City Cllr J Roger Mace for their help and services over the past year. He also singled out others who had contributed to the well-being of the village. He also high-lighted the close relationships that continue to exist with the local quarry operators, and in particular the kind donation of the defibrillator. Full details of the report are available.
A vote of thanks was extended to David Manning from all those present.
7Election of Officers:
(a)Treasurer and Responsible Finance Officer: Michael Watson
(b)Chairman:David Manning
(c)Vice-chairman:David Whitaker
(d)Lodge’s Charity:Ian Williams and David Manning
(e)Planning Committee:All councillors
(f)LALC Representatives:David Manning, David Whitaker
(g)Playing Field Committee:All Councillors
(h)Village Hall Committee:Peter Riley
(i)Quarry Liaison Committees
(i)LaFarge Tarmac
(Leapers Wood and Dunald Mill)All Councillors
(ii) Aggregate Industries (Back Lane)Ian Williams, George Smith
(j)Twinning AssociationJudith Bentham
All the above appointments were agreed unanimously by all councillors present and all nominees agreed to continue in the appropriate roles
N B With regard to item 7e it was agreed that details were now circulated to all councillors by email, with the exception of Cllr Peter Riley, that all councillors had the opportunity to express their views on applications which needed to be responded to prior to the next parish council meeting. Peter would also be advised of the application and would be able to access details via Cllr Halhead’s computer. Where a planning application was notified while the clerk was absent for any reason, on his return the clerk would immediately circulate details and request an extension to the statutory 21 days limit for response to City Planning, if necessary.
8Next Annual Meeting: 4th May 2017
Parish Assembly
1Twinning Association Report:A number of fund-raising events had taken place over the past year. The forthcoming visit to Bussieres scheduled for the period Thursday 28th July to Tuesday 2nd August is to proceed and should anyone else be interested they should contact the secretary of the association Mrs Christine Holdsworth whose details are in “Round & About”.
2Projects Report: Cllr Peter Riley is to obtain a firm quotation for the information board. It was hoped that details together with a final design would be ready for the next meeting of the council.
3Footpath report: A full and detailed report was presented by the clerk, which highlighted the many improvements that had been made over the past years. The footpaths are all free form obstruction and well sign-posted with additional yellow direction arrows strategically placed. It also identified possible improvements many of which were in hand.
4Neighbourhood Watch: Steve Marsden mentioned the importance of a recent meeting held with the local police establishment. This stressed the reliance that the police made upon the support of the public and in particular the importance of the neighbourhood network. With the reduction in police resources this would become all the more important in the future. Fortunately, Nether Kellet does not suffer a high degree of crime but all should remain vigilant. More Neighbourhood Watch signs would be made available shortly. Steve would appreciate more neighbourhood volunteers. Steve also mentioned speed monitoring initiatives made at Natland in Cumbria. Mr Steve Marsden was thanked for his services and the usefulness of the full reports included in “Round and About”.
5Defibrillator: A public awareness session was held on the 19th April with a follow up session on the 3rd May, both held at Over Kellet Village Hall. These were very useful and well attended by residents of Nether Kellet. The defibrillator was donated by the quarries for whichthe parish council on behalf of the residents of Nether Kellet are very grateful. The gratitude also extended to Mrs Leslie Gee who has largely been responsible for the installation of the cabinet in Over Kellet and arranged the aforementioned sessions. Additionally a coffee morning organised by Nether Kellet Women’s Institute on the 7th May is to raise funds for the housing of the defibrillator. An offer of generous financial assistance has also been made by the local Rotary Club and for this thanks are extended to them and in particular to Mr Eddie Hignett. Following the coffee morning,the housing will be purchased and in conjunction with the village hall the device will be installed. Once installed it is to be hoped that a further public awareness session will be arranged for Nether Kellet and following this a more practical first aid follow up session such as was held on the 7th May.
6Wind Turbine Grant: This year’s contribution was incorporated into the existing funds (refer item 3 of annual meeting) However, it is noted that this sum is ‘ring-fenced’ for use in connection with the interests of the village. The fund was rising steadily and now stood at £2010 and would rise by a further C£1015 in June or July this year.
7Lodge’s Charity: Dealt with above
8Open Forum: Nothing