Minutes 4th December 2018

MINUTES OF SWAFFHAM BULBECK PARISH COUNCIL
MEETING NUMBER 469
Held at Downing Court on Tuesday 4th December 2018 starting at 7.30pm

Present: Cllr Sue Romero (SR); Cllr Peter Raby (PR); Cllr Nicky Bates (NB); Cllr Lynn Reed (LR); Cllr Mary Smith (MS); Cllr Gordon Reid (GR); Cllr Robin Sewell (RS); Cllr Kay Ballard (KB);
Clerk: Mrs D Bayliss
DC Allen Alderson;
CC Mathew Shuter;
0 Parishioners
Meeting opened at 7.30pm

4568 TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Cllr John Trapp;
4569 MEMBERS DECLARATION OF INTEREST FOR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA & REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATION
None
4570 OPEN FORUM FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None
4571 TO APPROVE MINUTES OF MEETING 468 6th NOVEMBER 2018
It was proposed by Cllr NB and seconded by Cllr MS that the minutes of meeting 468 held on 6th November 2018 are approved and signed by the chairman.
CARRIED
Cllr GR abstained from the vote as he was not in attendance at the meeting.
4572 MATTERS ARISING including REPORTS FROM CLERK AND COUNCILLORS (For information only)
• The District Councillor pointed out that his report is usually included in the Beacon.
• Cllr SR attended the Cambridgeshire Local Council’s Conference on 23rd November where she found the Neighbourhood Planning session very timely and the networking with other councillors and clerks very useful. Also a parish profile was provided by Cambridgeshire Insight which has some very useful information about the village.
• The Clerk has purchased the book on Local Council Administration by Charles Arnold-Baker.
• The Clerk is booked on the SLCC Practitioners Conference in February 2019.
4573 COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORTS Noted
The District Councillor’s report was read at the meeting and will be included in the Bulbeck Beacon.
It was agreed that proposed locations for the dog-fouling signs would be sent to the clerk by Friday 7th December, so that she can forward them to the District Council.
• The County Councillor attended the meeting and reported that the safety works on the A1303 had been completed. The lights are on, and the resurfacing work at Quy roundabout is now done. Unfortunately the junction with Heath Road was not part of this scheme which was funded by the Department for Transport. He suggested that the parish council might make an application to the Local Highways Improvement Fund in order to make modest improvements to the junction i.e. improvements to the signage. The parish council requested that he support them in their request for improvements as outlined in their letter to the County Council.
• The government have allocated £6.6m in the budget to help with repairing pot-holes across the County; the money has to be spent by the end of the financial year. The County Council has asked the government to make the money more widely available and are hoping to make a specific allocation for pavements.
4574 PLANNING MATTERS
a) Planning Applications
18/01551/FUL Single storey side and rear extensions at 37 Maryland Avenue, Swaffham Bulbeck for Mr & Mrs B Smith – the council agreed not to comment on the application.
b) Tree Works
18/01504/TRE & Trees /Swaffham Bulbeck/ CA Tree Work Approval at 58 Commercial End, Swaffham Bulbeck for Mr Cole. Noted
4575 NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING UPDATE
a) Cllr Romero reported on the meeting held on 19th November. Councillors have all been sent a copy of the meeting notes. It was agreed that the regular reports from meetings will be included in the Beacon, posted on the website and sent to councillors. Terms of reference for the steering group will be written and brought back to the Council for approval.
It was proposed by Cllr MS and seconded by Cllr PR that a dedicated email address is set up at a cost of £18 per annum.
CARRIED
b) It was proposed by Cllr KB and seconded by Cllr MS that the whole parish is put forward as the designated area for the Neighbourhood Plan.
CARRIED
4576 FINANCES INCLUDING APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF OUTSTANDING ACCOUNTS
a) It was proposed by Cllr SR and seconded by Cllr RS that the Bank Reconciliations for November are approved.
CARRIED
b) To Note Receipts
Burial Fees £713
c) To Pay December Accounts
It was proposed by Cllr LR and seconded by Cllr MS that the December accounts are approved and paid.
CARRIED
Payments Since the Last Meeting
BACS Mrs D Bayliss Clerk’s Salary Confidential LGA 1972 s112
BACS Inland Revenue Income Tax Confidential LGA 1972 s112
Payments for Tonight’s meeting:
BACS Mr J Sugg Handyman Payment £276.11 £0.00 £276.11 Open Spaces Act 1906 ss9 & 10 LGA 1972 s214
BACS Mrs D Bayliss Travel/Telephone £33.58 £0.00 £33.58 LGA 1972 s174
BACS JCS Bookkeeping Payroll £20.40 £4.08 £24.48 LGA 1972 s112
BACS Herts & Cambs Ground Maintenance Grass Cutting £60.00 £12.00 £72.00 Open Spaces Act 1906 ss9 & 10 LGA 1972 s214
BACS SLCC Charles Arnold Baker 11th Edition £107.99 £0.80 £108.79 LGA 1972 s111
4577 TO CONSIDER BUDGET PROPOSALS AND SET THE PRECEPT FOR 2019/20
a) On behalf of the finance working group Cllr GR presented the proposed budget for 2019/20. The group had looked at the income and expenditure to date and were reasonably confident in the accuracy of the current year’s accounts. After considering the income and expenditure for the next financial year, the working group agreed to propose to this meeting that the precept be set at £27,500 which may bring the reserve down by another £2,500 during the year. Clerk
b) It was therefore proposed by Cllr RS and seconded by Cllr GR that the precept should be set at £27,500 for the year 2019-20.
CARRIED
A note of thanks to the clerk was recorded for making the budget process easier over the last few years.
4578 DEFIBRILLATOR
a) It was proposed by Cllr PR and seconded by Cllr NB that the council look into the practical arrangements for installation of the defibrillator including insurance requirements.
CARRIED
Cllr SR will thank the family and pass the clerks contact details to Mrs Lawrence so they can make the necessary arrangements.
4579 PAVILION MATTERS
a) Cllr Raby reported on the progress being made by the pavilion re-development group. The different options for the project will be published in the January edition of the Beacon as previously discussed.
4580 DENNY AND PLAY AREA MATTERS
a) • The play area inspection was carried out by Cllr Raby, the Denny is generally in good condition and the few items that need attention will be passed to the handyman for completion.
• The works recommended by Fenland Leisure Play are to be completed this month.
• A new rota is to be sent out to councillors up to April 2019. A further rota will be drawn up after the elections in May. Clerk
b) It was proposed by Cllr RS that the surface under the parallel bars is turfed.
There was no seconder to this proposal.
It was therefore proposed by Cllr NB and seconded by Cllr LR that the council accept the quotation from Fenland Leisure Play for re-surfacing under the parallel bars at a cost of £1424.25 +VAT.
4 in favour
4 against
As there was a tied vote the matter will be reconsidered at a future meeting.
4581 GUTTER BRIDGE WOOD MATTERS
a) In the annual tree inspection, one tree was identified as needing to be felled and this has now been removed by Eastern Tree Surgery and paid for by the National Trust. Noted
4582 CEMETERY MATTERS
a) The cemetery working group has not yet met. Clerk
b) The council will contact the County Council Highways Department to request a dropped kerb opposite the cemetery gates. Clerk
4583 HIGHWAYS MATTERS
a) Cllr Bates has received feedback from ECDC regarding possible ways of deterring illegal encampments on the Denny, who have confirmed that as the verges belong to the Parish Council any ‘banking’ that might be considered would be at a cost to the parish council. Further research into the possibilities for securing the area will continue and a report will be brought back to the February meeting for consideration. NB
b) A date has not yet been fixed for the first ‘Speed Watch’. Enquiries will be made into how to obtain the necessary signage. Clerk
c) A letter has been received from the County Council acknowledging the Parish Councils’ concerns about the junction at Heath Road/A1303. Noted
4584 ACTION PLAN
a) It was agreed that the updated Action Plan will be uploaded to the website. Clerk
4585 CORRESPONDENCE/MATTERS FOR INFORMATION ONLY
a) CAPALC Bulletin Noted
b) Cambridgeshire Matters Noted
c) NALC Funding Bulletin Pav W/G
4586 Date of Next Meeting:
January 8th 2019 (PR Apologies)
The meeting closed at 9.27pm