Minutes of the Tilsworth Council Meeting held at Stanbridge and Tilsworth Hall on Monday 16th July 2018

Present: Chairman P Rowbotham, Parish Councillors C Quantrill, P Mitchell, P Dillamore, D McCormack, S Pamplin, Clerk M Whiting, 3 members of public

Sadly Chairman Phil Pennington passed away earlier this month. Thoughts are with his family at this sad time. A minute’s silence was held in his honour. 1. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN & DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE It was RESOLVED that Phil Rowbotham be elected Chairman of the Council for the forthcoming year and duly signed the declaration of acceptance of office and agreement to abide by the code of conduct.

2. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRMAN & DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE It was RESOLVED that Declan McCormack be elected Vice Chairman of the Council for the forthcoming year and duly signed the declaration of acceptance of office and agreement to abide by the code of conduct.

3. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received and accepted from Ward Cllr Versallion

4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declaration of interests.

5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 21st May 2018 were a correct record and signed by the Chairman

6. PROGRESS UPDATE FROM LAST MEETING Cllr Quantrill confirmed he has the parish council strimmer.

7. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION Charlotte Gurney, CBC locality Manager for South Beds & Clerk to PC, introduced herself & happy to help with any items, including licensing for residential and G&T sites. Resident complained there has been more dog mess by the Dyke and Dickens Lane. Cllr Pamplin will put up stickers at suitable locations to alert dog owners it is an offence no to clean up after dogs. Layby from Dickens Lane to A5 has rubbish dumped. Clerk to request CBC to erect ‘No Fly Tipping’ signs and clean area.

8. POLICE REPORT No Police crime data spreadsheets available at present due to system upgrade. Chairman is in contact with Rural team and has a provisional meeting on 27th July to discuss setting up a working group. Stanbridge & Tilsworth Facebook page is being monitored by Police due to recent unacceptable posts, now removed. An Anglian Water Board officer is investigating recent reports of drain hole covers being lifted. It is understood the officer received ASB from minors during his visit and these were reported to Police to investigate. Cllr Mitchell has visited the Police on 3 occasions and each time no officers were available to speak to.

9. CENTRAL COUNCIL Help & Advice Surgery dates with Ward Cllr Versallion have been advertised in the notice board.

10. PLANNING No planning applications received.

11. KINGSWOOD NURSERY PLANNING UPDATE Case officer Peter Vosper REFUSED application CB/18/01747/FULL on basis: 1) The site is in the Green Belt and the development comprises inappropriate development in the Green Belt. Very special circumstances therefore need to be demonstrated to clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt, and any other harm. Other identified harms are the adverse impact of the proposal on the openness of the Green Belt, the development representing encroachment in the countryside, and visual impact and prominence in the locality. The lack of other known alternative sites for potential occupiers at the moment, and limited details of the potential occupiers of the additional

1 Signed by Presiding Chairman ------24th September 2018 Minutes of the Tilsworth Parish Council Meeting held at Stanbridge and Tilsworth Hall on Monday 16th July 2018 caravans and their personal circumstances weigh in favour of the application. However, these considerations do not clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt, and other harms. Therefore, very special circumstances do not exist. The proposal would therefore conflict with Policy BE8 in the South Bedfordshire Local Plan Review, January 2004, Sections 7 and 9 of the National Planning Policy Framework, March 2012, and Planning Policy for Traveller Sites, August 2015. 2) The proposal would result in the intensification of use of a vehicular access which has inadequate driver / driver intervisibility, caused by a brick wall built to the site frontage. This would lead to a condition of danger for all highway users. The proposal would therefore conflict with Section 4 of the National Planning Policy Framework, March 2012 which requires proposals to achieve safe and suitable access to sites for all people. Ward Cllr Versalion advised he had received, verified, anonymised and submitted 61 objections. Anonymous objections will now be given full weight, whether anonymised by Ward Cllr or requested by the objector to be anonymised, thereby removing need for Ward Cllr to continue to redact them. When CBC are provided the details, they will not make those addresses public in either the report or on the website. Mrs Liz Robinson, Senior Environment Agency Officer for Land and Water attended the Kingswood Nursery on Road on 27th June and spoke to the resident on site. She reported there were 4 caravans on site and recently installed a new sewage treatment plant. This discharges next to the discharge point from the Evergreens caravan park. This treatment plant was installed by the same company as installed the Evergreens and was able to speak to the installer as he was also on site at the same time. A sample was taken and although the ammonia levels were slightly high it would be classed as minor environmental impact. However, the resident will still need to apply for a permit and she will progress this when I can. The Environment Agency planning team have responded to the planning application and have stated that a permit is required and the correct treatment is put in place for any extra caravans. Mrs Robinson is also working with the local authority and other associated agencies to ensure that the site is operating appropriately. It is believed there has been recently been a lack of water and sewage at the site. Anglian Water Board authority are aware and are investigating.

It was AGREED Tilsworth Parish Council believe the site is not monitored and are disappointed by the complete lack of enforcement from CBC. The Parish Council have lost confidence in planning enforcement case officer Mike Bailey and request another officer to deal with the site. Previous application 12/01271/FULL was approved on appeal with conditions and these remain to be complied with, indeed the parish council do not believe there is any intention to comply with this consent. Tilsworth Parish Council therefore request CBC enforcement to take immediate action to return Kingswood to a condition prior to any intentional unlawful development having taken place. We are aware there are currently staff shortages within the CBC enforcement team, however recently environmental officer Jeff May placed a burning abatement notice on Home Farm, Tilsworth to stop bonfires ever taking place again and enforcement officer Mike Duffett has taken action on unauthorised activities at Land on Billington Rd, Stanbridge (CB/EN/17/0304) It is therefore frustrating that the same attention and actions aren’t being taken at the Kingswood Nursery site and there continues to be additional unauthorised activities taking place due to this. Clerk to email to Planning Enforcement, Ward Cllr Versallion, David Hale, Sue Cawthra, Mike Duffett, Richard Carr, MP Selous, Police.

12. HYDE FIELD Max Costin apologises for delay as he has been busy with silage and hay and is waiting for an update on drainage and will then forward plans. Clerk has requested these are forwarded to parish council prior to CBC submission. Cllrs Quantrill and Rowbotham to check details with land registry and also tenancy agreement.

13. HIGHWAYS WALKABOUT Cllrs Pamplin & Quantrill inspected Tilsworth highways and footpaths on 2nd June and noted defects and took photos which were passed to CBC Principal Highways officer Rob Porter. He responded that most defects are standard potholes and logged via the website for inspection, however from the pictures it would appear the majority are not actionable at this time and in line with CBC policy. Drains have a cyclic programme along with further programmes for dig outs and connection issues, these are being scheduled for this year and is an ongoing problem. Cllr Mitchell advised a number of Public Footpaths require clearing and maintenance. Cllr Mitchell to forward details and footpath numbers to Clerk to forward to CBC Rights of Way Officer. Clerk emailed CBC Steve Lakin, Strategic Transport Team Leader, on 22nd May and again on 9th July, regarding an assessment of Tilsworth for speed calming measures. Clerk to chase again and also contact Speed Watch for data.

2 Signed by Presiding Chairman ------24th September 2018 Minutes of the Tilsworth Parish Council Meeting held at Stanbridge and Tilsworth Hall on Monday 16th July 2018

14. NEWSLETTER It was AGREED Cllr Rowbotham to draft and circulate a newsletter for approval at the September meeting.

15. BANKING ARRANGEMENTS & SIGNATORIES Cllr Phil Rowbotham has taken his details to the Barclays Branch for processing. Clerk awaiting confirmation from Barclays. Due to the passing of Cllr Phil Pennington, a third signatory is now required. It was RESOLVED to remove Phil Pennington and AGREED third signatory as Cllr Declan McCormack. Clerk passed the Barclays Bank mandate change forms to Cllr McCormack to take into a branch with ID.

16. COMMUNITY HALL REPRESENTATIVE It was AGREED Cllr P Dillamore will be the Community Hall parish council representative.

17. DICKENS LAND DRIVEWAY ACCESS Caravans have been seen parked on the green access way in Dickens Lane. Permission was given previously by the parish council many years ago to allow access across this area of green, but not parking. The caravans haven’t however been seen recently and it is hoped they have been put into storage and it was only temporary action. Cars parked on the Upper Green have been leafleted with a note to say it is against byelaws and seems to have stopped. It was AGREED to request a TPO for trees on the village green. Clerk to email CBC tree officer Andy Jones.

18. 1ST QUARTER SPEND AGAINST 2018/19 BUDGET 2018/19 2018/19 2018/19 Staff Costs 1st Qtr Spend Year End Predict Budget Clerks Salary & expenses £ 1,078.38 £ 4,590.00 £ 4,590.00 NI & Tax £ 162.80 £ 976.80 £ 985.00 BCC Pension £ 255.20 £ 1,531.20 £ 1,480.00 TOTAL £ 1,496.38 £ 7,098.00 £ 7,055.00 Administration Office expenses £ 150.00 £ 150.00 Auditors, GDPR & Professional Fees £ 248.00 £ 500.00 £ 500.00 Insurance £ 419.26 £ 440.00 £ 440.00 Training, Subscriptions £ 300.00 £ 300.00 Printing £ 100.00 £ 100.00 TOTAL £ 667.26 £ 1,490.00 £ 1,490.00 Highways & Amenities Village Enhancement & Repairs £ 400.00 £ 400.00 Allotments £ 15.93 £ 100.00 £ 100.00 Tree Surgery £ 100.00 £ 100.00 TOTAL £ 15.93 £ 600.00 £ 600.00 Section 137 Grants £ 700.00 £ 700.00 TOTAL £ - £ 700.00 £ 700.00 Parks Public works loan repayment (PWLB) £ 414.58 £ 830.00 £ 830.00 TOTAL £ 414.58 £ 830.00 £ 830.00 Projects WW1 £ 100.00 £ 100.00 Christmas Tree £ 150.00 £ 150.00 TOTAL £ - £ 250.00 £ 250.00 VAT £ 150.00 £ 150.00 GRAND TOTAL £ 2,594.15 £ 11,118.00 £ 11,075.00

3 Signed by Presiding Chairman ------24th September 2018 Minutes of the Tilsworth Parish Council Meeting held at Stanbridge and Tilsworth Hall on Monday 16th July 2018

19. BANK RECONCILIATION The following bank reconciliation and accounts had been provided to Councillors prior to meeting: Balance at 31.03.18 b/fwd £ 11,405.42 Plus income to date £ 11,867.00 Subtotal £ 23,272.42 Less payments to date £ 2,594.15 CLOSING FUNDS BALANCE £ 20,678.27

Represented by balance at 30.06.18 Community Account £ 20,678.27 less unpresented cheques £ - CLOSING BALANCE £ 20,678.27

DIFFERENCE -£ 0.00 In accordance with Financial Regulation 2.2, Cllr McCormack signed the bank reconciliation and the original bank statements as evidence of verification.

20. GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION The Clerk and Councillors are still working towards compliance. Councillors to complete and return GDPR checklist for Councillors to Clerk.

21. CORRESPONDENCE CBC Community Safety Partnership Survey – email fwd 5/6 Beds Police & Crime Commissioner newsletter – email fwd 1/6 Beds Police PCC Events Schedule 2018 – 4/7 email fwd Bedfordshire Bugle July 2018 – 2/7 email fwd th CBC Town & Parish Council conference 18 July invitiation – 26/6 email fwd All Saints Church, Tilsworth, Thank you for grant letter – 16/7

22. AUTHORISATION OF PAYMENTS It was RESOLVED by full council to authorise the following accounts for payment and two authorised signatories were instructed to sign the below cheques: 31/05/2018 DD Public Works Loan Board Loan to purchase recreation ground £ 414.58 01/06/2018 SO Maxine Whiting Clerk salary & expenses £ 350.00 01/07/2018 SO Maxine Whiting July Clerk salary & expenses £ 350.00 03/07/2018 DD Anglian Water Allotments water 08/03/17-07/06/17 £ 13.45 16/07/2018 101009 Maxine Whiting June Balance Clerk salary & expenses £ 6.39 16/07/2018 101010 Bedfordshire Pension Fund Pension contributions £ 127.60 16/07/2018 101011 HMRC PAYE £ 81.40 16/07/2018 101012 Maxine Whiting July Clerk salary & expenses £ 18.09 16/07/2018 101013 Bedfordshire Pension Fund Clerk pension contributions £ 127.60 16/07/2018 101014 HMRC PAYE £ 81.40 16/07/2018 101015 Buckingham River Ouzel IDB Allotment land drainage rates £ 3.46 01/08/2018 SO Maxine Whiting Aug Clerk salary & expenses £ 350.00 01/08/2018 101016 Maxine Whiting Aug Balance Clerk salary & expenses £ 6.39 01/08/2018 101017 Bedfordshire Pension Fund Pension contributions £ 127.60 01/08/2018 101018 HMRC PAYE £ 81.40

Meeting Closed at 9:05pm

4 Signed by Presiding Chairman ------24th September 2018