March 2017 Minutes
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NUNNEY PARISH COUNCIL Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held at Nunney Village Hall on Monday, 6th March 2017 at 7.30pm. Present: Ken Lloyd (Chairman), Simon Forrester (part), Cliff Garrod, Francis Hayden, Richard Masters, Pia McGee, Lisa Ramsay, Russell Sadler. Also present Beverley Palmer (Clerk). In attendance: David van Dyk (District Councillor). 1. Apologies for absence Sheelagh Capstick-Dale, Sue Ellis (holiday), Ron Warwick (away from Nunney). 2. Declarations of Interest – None declared. 3. Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council 6th February 2017 Agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman. The Chairman invited Cllr van Dyk to speak. Cllr van Dyk advised that Council Tax will be increased by 1.99% this year and went on to explain that the Council’s plans for outsourcing back-office operations continue with staff being “rearranged”. Simon Forrester arrived. 4. Clerks Report & Items for Information – noted. Letter and emails – as directed at the meeting 6-2-17. Market Place Appeal Still waiting for an Inspector to become available. Freedom of Information Schedule updated and uploaded to nunney.org. Works at the Old Quarry Gardens, Byfields Cemetery and the playground are now completed. Gravel for the OQG was kindly donated by Torr Works and collected by Richard; a letter of thanks has been sent to Torr. Also at the OQG, the dead oak and maple by the gates at OQG have been removed and replaced with tulip tree, and Mendip have added the new bin to their emptying schedule. The invoice from Haines Gardens is presented for for payment under Item 14. Civil Contingencies Unit Request for an emergency contact passed to the Village Hall Committee. Community Speed Watch Lisa Ramsay advised that although over four hundred leaflets had been distributed only one person had volunteered. It was unanimously agreed not to progress this further. Mendip Local Plan Part II Green Spaces and Sports Provision MDC asked to add two areas to the Plan for Nunney as agreed 6-2-17. Village Shop Plunkett Foundation has been joined. The subscription for 2017 is £75 and the invoice is presented for payment under Item 14. Pia McGee said the action group has not had another meeting. War memorial Ownership of the memorial has not yet been established; information is awaited from MDC who look after the closed churchyard. Pia McGee has applied for a grant from the War Memorial Trust for work but as their pre-application process may take up to 10 weeks, it was agreed to go ahead with works anyway. Names to be added were discussed again and it was agreed that Private F(rancis) Noakes and G(eorge) Daniels would be added; the Clerk suggested advertising this on the Parish notice board (before the masons are advised) and this was agreed. The Clerk advised that cleaning should be completed by April (names will be added when the weather permits). Action: Clerk. Page 1 of 4 060317 …………………………Chairman Parking & Traffic Congestion at Glebelands & Flowerfield Mendip have offered a site meeting, Ken Lloyd and Lisa Ramsay will attend (on 23-3-17). Action: KL, LR. 20mph speed limit through the village Somerset Highways have been asked to revisit the 2012 plan and can attend a site meeting on 16-3-17 which Lisa Ramsay and the Clerk will attend. Action: LR, Clerk. Footbridge Plans for the new bridge were discussed. It was noted that the installation will require the removal of some of the bushes on both banks; this was agreed as inevitable and Ken Lloyd will take a look and advise the near-by residents. The work is expected to happen July- Oct (after the breeding season of the White Clawed Crayfish); this may affect the Street Fayre and the Clerk has asked if it can be installed before 5th August – SCC have put this into the work plan, but are not hopeful - NCA advised. Burial Ground fees Updated schedule of fees t be effective from 1-4-2017 (for 3 years). Memorial inscription for Violet Arney approved. Nunney School The school is delighted with the newly installed storyteller’s chair. Photographs were viewed and it was agreed that the Council is equally pleased. The invoice is presented for payment under Item 14. Clerk’s leave Councillors agreed that the Clerk can carry over any unused leave from this year to 2017-18. 5. Correspondence – General correspondence is forwarded to Councillors as/when appropriate; it is duly noted by this Meeting. Rural Service Network, CPRE – eNewsletters, press releases and other information. Frome Town Council Invitations, meeting agendas/minutes and other information. MDC Details of the Great British Spring Clean on 3-5 March. MDC Details of the updated draft Supplementary Planning Document of Marketing and Business Evidence to Support Planning Applications. Somerset Waste Partnership – Monthly briefing notes for February 2017 and dates for bank holiday collections. MDC Link to the parish information bulletin for February. Email from a member of the public complaining about the shed at the dipping place. The Chairman has written to the sender explaining the history to the area and the Clerk has downloaded a copy of the Caution Against First Registration (taken out by NPC in 1994). Email from a resident on Ridgeway asking that a 30mph limit be explored for the lane. The Clerk advised that moving the 30mph sign from the top of Berry Hill to the burial ground cost £1250 in 2011 and had to be paid by the Parish Council. It was agreed to ask Highways for advice and to ask them to clear the no through road” sign opposite Ridgeway Cottage. CPRE Annual subscription for 2017-18 is £36 and it was unanimously agreed to join again. Letter from a resident of Nunney asking to plant a commemorative maple tree at the Old Quarry Gardens and hold a small family BBQ on 8-10-17 was agreed unanimously. 6. Affordable Housing The Clerk explained that in 2009 it was decided that Nunney needed nine affordable houses and the parish Council pursued this by talking to MDC, talking to housing associations/developers and the owners of possible sites. Events were overtaken however by Barratt Homes proposing to buy land off Green Pits Lane for development. It was suggested that affordable homes be revisited, but before too much work is put into the project the Clerk was asked to find out from Mendip how many people are registered as looking for homes in Nunney. Possible sites for up to ten dwellings were discussed and David van Dyk said that the recently released White Paper highlights the desperate need for new housing and this is need is likely to take precedent over local plans and other land allocations. Action: Clerk. 7. Allotments Tenancy Agreement It was agreed to update the tenancy agreement in line with the NALC model agreement circulated to Councillors and to include the special clauses suggested which are specific to Nunney. The Chairman said that (as the Council is planning to manage the allotments) he and the Clerk would attend the next plot holders meeting. Action: KL, Clerk. Page 2 of 4 060317 ...............................…Chairman 8. Annual Parish Meeting 2017 The Clerk has not yet been able to identify a speaker on adult exercise; Simon Forrester said someone who lives in the village is a personal trainer and he will approach her. Action: SF. 9. Clerk’s Job Description Not yet updated. Action: Clerk. 10. Grass Cutting and Grounds Maintenance 2017-2020 The quote from Parsons Landscapes of £7,398.00 per year inclusive of VAT was discussed. The Clerk explained that the VAT is reclaimed annually. It was noted that this contract includes not only grass cutting, but comprehensive grounds maintenance including strimming the grass within the bike track, managing the pond and (once per contact period) pollarding 50% of the willows. It was agreed unanimously. It was furthermore agreed to pay by equal monthly instalments and to do this by Standing Order – see Item 14 iii. 11. Nunney Walking Trails leaflets MDC used to produce two walking trails leaflets of Nunney. These are no longer available, but it was agreed they are “nice to have”. However their content is in need of updating and it was suggested that the school be asked if they would like to take this on as a project. Action: PM. 12. Playground for Flowerfield/Glebelands Several locations were discussed for a play area and Cliff Garrod and Russell Sadler volunteered to see which are the most appropriate and to establish ownership of the site(s). Action: CG, RS. 13. Replacement Swings for the Playground The Council has two quotes from GB Sports and Leisure and Playdale, for replacement of the existing swings with a direct modern equivalent (not wood) and Sovereign will make a site visit on 20-3-17 to provide another quote – Ken Lloyd will meet them. Action: KL 14. Finance The Clerk advised that an additional invoice to Haines Gardens was being presented. i) Accounts for Payment: Cheque 1421 – £ 30.34 Aster (Hire of hall 3-1-2017) Cheque 1422 – £ 475.00 Rocketworld MX Ltd (Maintenance of bike track) Cheque 1423 – £ 75.00 Plunkett Foundation (subscription for 2017) Cheque 1424 – £ 435.03 Beverley Palmer (salary for Feb 2017 & admin costs £60.62) Cheque 1425 - £ 18.14 Bristol Wessex Billing Services Ltd (Water to OQG 12-8-16 to 6-2-17) Cheque 1426 - £ 530.00 Big Wood Play Systems (Storyteller chair donated on the occasion of the school’s 120th anniversary) Cheque 1427 - £ 36.00 Campaign to Protect Rural England (subscription for 2017-18) Cheque 1428 - £2,175.00 Haines Garden Services (Work at OQG, playground & burial ground) ii) Receipts: £ 1.47 Bank interest (Jan 2017) £ 120.00 Dignity Funeral Services Ltd (Re interment of Violet Arney and additional inscription on memorial stone) iii) Standing Order A standing order form in respect of Parsons Landscapes Ltd was signed as agreed under Item 10.