Nick Woodhead 2 Myrtle Cottages Laxfield Parish Council Clerk Mill Road, Tel: 01728 638884 Woodbridge, Email: [email protected] Website: www.laxfield.online IP13 8LQ

Laxfield Annual Parish Meeting

Monday May 14th starting at 8pm

Village Hall

Forty-two residents of the parish of Laxfield attended.

1. Minutes The minutes of last year’s minutes were agreed to be a fair and accurate reflection of proceedings.

2. Parish council chairman’s report Tony Oakes said that while the council needs to ensure it has good cash reserves, but in 2017-18 we have invested where we needed to. We need to encourage our clubs and businesses to thrive on their own, but helped out where we could. Look at the Laxitude event at the Royal Oak or our efforts in making the Low House an Asset of Community Value. We need to preserve and improve what we value – hence restoration and renovation works to the pond, war memorial, cemetery gates, standpipe and children’s playground. We need to make our roads safer, roads that weren’t built for fast traffic. We’ve installed a portable speed indicator device for use on three of our approach routes. But more than anything we need to make Laxfield a vibrant place for the future. And that means homes - affordable homes - and a framework to work to. A dedicated working party is putting together a Neighbourhood Plan on behalf of the parish council and we will hear from them later. In the meantime we can celebrate new flats and bungalows on Noyes Avenue and the first phase of homes on Mill Road, eight of which are available at affordable rents. Let me draw your attention to the plan on the easel. The site is the one opposite Laxfield Primary School and we hope broadly to forge a partnership between developers, district and parish councils, the village and the school to make the best use of this asset. Gather round at the end of the meeting. There is a great deal to be happy about but I have to end on a sad note. We were all sorry that our planning chairman Derek Watkins, who has championed the affordable homes initiative left the village in February to move close to family in Northumberland. But the tragic blow was the sudden loss at the end of January of Ian Williams, such a kind and gentle man. Many of you will have attended the celebration of his life here in this building. Happily, we have co-opted Richard Simmonds and Ian Boulton and wish them well. It’s not always easy and we don’t always get it right. Being a councillor is a commitment, yet turnout through the year stands at 70% so I am very grateful to my colleagues for their work.

3. Parish council finance chairman’s report By Lisa Auchterlonie The chairman has reported on a year of investment in the fabric of our village, but this of course comes at a cost. Funds were set aside from reserves for renovation of the pond and the installation of Speed Indicator Devices but the other projects have been completed within the appropriate categories. All costs appear in the accounts for the year, so there is a paper loss of just under £8,000.

RECEIPTS Grants are made up mainly of a contribution of £2,250 from MSDC that offsets part of the pond renovation overspend.

PAYMENTS The obvious overspend is on the pond where the final bill came to £7,300. Remove the district council grant and that’s £5,000 of the £8,000 annual deficit. The £4,000 cost of the Speed Indicator Device appears under Miscellaneous and accounts for the rest. Repairs and maintenance is very high because of an unbudgeted £1,600 spend on repairs and renovations to the war memorial railings and cemetery gates.

BUDGET Looking briefly to this year. The council tax payment per Band D household has been pegged at £111 (£2.15 per week) but because of the increase in the tax base - the number of people in the parish paying council tax, the precept has risen £2,000 to £41,500.

BANK ACCOUNTS YEAR BEGINNING Current £4,636.82 31/03/17 Saver £6,958.76 31/03/17 Reserve £55,997.20 31/03/17 Opening Balance Total £67,592.78 31/03/17

Budget Actual Variance % v Bud RECEIPTS 2017-18 Cemetery Fees £1,100.00 £2,018.00 £918.00 183% Grants £225.00 £3,066.40 £2,841.40 1363% Miscellaneous £500.00 £308.38 -£191.62 62% Bank Interest £175.00 £146.39 -£28.61 84% Precept £39,500.00 £39,500.00 £0.00 100% VAT Reclaim £2,800.00 £2,027.29 -£772.71 72% Total £44,300.00 £47,066.46 £2,766.46 106%

PAYMENTS Clerk's Salary £5,720.00 £5,720.00 £0.00 100.00% Expenses/Stationery £450.00 £542.56 -£92.56 120.57% Chairman's Allowance £500.00 £0.00 -£500.00 Parish Room Cleaner £260.00 £260.00 £0.00 100.00% Street Lighting £1,400.00 £1,525.61 -£125.61 108.97% Pond/Vill Hall/Paths £1,200.00 £7,988.75 -£6,788.75 665.73% Street Cleaning £1,000.00 £800.00 £200.00 80.00% Parish Room Lighting £120.00 £111.22 £8.78 92.68% PWLB £11,290.00 £11,289.18 £0.82 99.99% Neighbourhood Plan £0.00 £75.00 -£75.00 Cemetery Caretaker £900.00 £735.00 £165.00 81.67% Subscriptions £650.00 £511.83 £138.17 78.74% Insurance £1,200.00 £903.09 £296.91 75.26% Churchyard/War Mem £4,500.00 £4,323.70 £176.30 96.08% Section 137 £1,500.00 £1,665.00 -£165.00 111.00% Bin emptying £2,000.00 £546.00 £1,454.00 27.30% Rental fees £200.00 £425.00 -£225.00 212.50% Training £250.00 £0.00 £250.00

Cemetery Expenses £3,750.00 £3,199.78 £550.22 85.33% Repairs & Maintenance £650.00 £1,726.36 -£1,076.36 265.59% Playing Field £3,700.00 £6,545.66 -£2,845.66 176.91% Village Hall £350.00 £876.85 -£526.85 203.92% Church clock £0.00 £180.00 -£180.00 Miscellaneous £250.00 £4,224.99 -£3,974.99 1690.00% Audit £650.00 £612.00 £38.00 94.15% PAYE £110.00 £108.00 £2.00 98.18% Election £700.00 £0.00 £700.00 Total £43,300.00 £54,895.58 -£12,595.58 Balance £68,592.78 £59,763.66 £8,829.12

BANK ACCOUNTS END OF PERIOD 12 Current £4,384.86 31.03.18 Saver £4,258.50 31.03.18 Reserve £51,120.30 31.03.18 Total £59,763.66 31.03.18 Variance to balance £0.00

2017-18 'Loss' on year -£7,829.12

Funds earmarked from reserves for 2017-2018 Spend Vehicle activated speed signs £7,000 £3,900 Pond clearance and bank replanting £10,000 £7,300 Guildhall preservation study £2,000 Nil

4. Charities a. Snook Bequest This is a charity run by the parish council. Its objective is to help the needs of the elderly but for a number of years has funded only the annual Christmas dinner. It is not a registered charity. The balance at April 1 2017 was £16,581 and at March 31 2018 it was £16,202. Christmas dinner costs were £417 and the account generated interest of £34. b. Village Hall The village hall works on a January-December financial year. At the end of 2017 the accounts showed a balance of £12,500. Bar takings and grants were down on 2016 but fundraising and exercise classes showed an increase. It has been another good year for the village hall with a variety of events and regular bookings ensuring that the hall continues to be well maintained and financially secure. Last year it hosted a number of interesting events including an Oktoberfest, Belgian night and local touring theatre groups. Early this year, thanks to the efforts of Gordon Thorburn and his team, the village pantomime raised £3,000 for hall funds. This alone will cover the financial shortfall in 2018.

Financial Statement for Year Ending 31/12/17 2016 Description 2017 Income £691.75 Art / Dance Classes £559.75 £560.00 Exercise Classes £1,120.00 £3,783.79 Fundraising Events £5,512.37 £1,959.50 Private Hire & Parties £1,878.50 £966.00 Youth Group £336.00 £839.00 Theatre / Film Nights £775.00 £250.00 Election £250.00 £135.00 Toddler / Pre School £135.00 £3,105.95 Bar Takings £1,680.02 £735.00 Weddings / Funerals / Christenings £735.00 £108.75 Exhibitions / Events £352.50 £1,784.50 Grants Received £443.03 £28.93 Bank Interest £15.64 £89.72 Donations Plaques £22.50 £0.00 Misc Income £32.91 £15,037.89 Total Income £13,848.22 Expenditure £896.59 Electricity £1,039.72 £654.01 Water Accounts £645.50 £1,751.87 Insurance £1,812.63 £3,407.63 Repairs / Maintenance / Supplies £2,770.77 £417.76 Licences £414.57 £522.48 Telephone / Internet £638.72 £0.00 Website £240.00 £0.00 Bar £72.77 £3,368.40 Caretaker £3,136.40 £868.00 Events £908.50 £225.64 Misc Expenses £0.00 £0.00 Returned Deposit £90.00 £12,112.38 Total Expenditure £11,769.58

£2,925.51 Surplus / Deficit £2,078.64

Bank Reconciliation Bfwd 01/01/17 Current £6,165.34 Bfwd 01/01/17 Savings £6,251.50 Add Total Income 2017 £13,848.22 Sub total £26,265.06 Deduct Total Expenditure 2017 £11,769.58 Deduct Income shown in 2016 £2,078.64 Sub total deductions £13,848.22 TOTAL £12,416.84

Represented by Current Account 31/12/17 £6,165.34 Savings Account 31/12/17 £6,251.50 Total £12,416.84

Plus unpaid invoices £0.00 TOTAL £12,416.84 Variance £0.00

Laxfield Playing Field Association This is a registered charity that has the parish council as its custodian trustee. All its expenses are met by the precept so the only figure supplied to the Charities Commission is a cost. It works on a January to December financial year and the expenditure for 2017 was £10,063. The main item was grass cutting, but the majority of this (£2,940) covered work completed in 2015 and 2016. Accounts are now far more current.

Relief In Need This is the charity that runs the Guildhall and, largely because of insurance costs, it runs at a loss. In recent years low interest rates mean its investment portfolio has not yielded enough capital to make this an irrelevance and the trustees are always aware of the possibility of structural repairs.

5. Council Cllr Julie Flatman said the merger with Babergh has been put on hold. One of the reasons was because the county council has decided to consider unitary government. The county council has engaged Respublica consultants to look at the way unitary government might work in Suffolk. The review is also to consider how an enhanced two-tier system might work. Move to Endeavour House This was successfully completed in October/November and staff are well settled in now with the options of working from home, at the office or at any of the access points in and Sudbury. Most of the staff appear to be happy with these arrangements. We have also moved to having one phone number and one email as contact which, after a few teething problems, appear to be working very well. Cabinet member for housing Jill Wilshaw has had quite a lot of experience with this as she must contact the council in her role as an Adviser at the CAB, which initially took over 40 minutes and now takes 20 seconds to get connected. If anyone is having problems with this new system, then please let me know. HQ Site There were two evenings held in Needham for anyone to go along and see what we have planned for the site. Two options have been considered for the site, consisting of a 100% residential development, or a mixed residential and retail development, each striking a different balance, with associated masterplans drawn up. The proposals the Council are considering would see much of the existing offices – the non-listed buildings in particular – demolished and a new development built in their place and on the former office car park. The Needham Market School Site This consultation was held in conjunction with the HQ site consultation and most people who commented were for the change of use for housing although there were worries regarding the access.

Locality Budget This year all district councillors were given £6,000 to spend as their locality budget. £200 from all councillors went to the refurbishment of a new vehicle for the coffee caravan which was stolen from Great Ashfield. The rest I divided between my three parishes Laxfield, Stradbroke and Wilby. I have now allocated all locality money and beneficiaries as follows:

1 Stradbroke Over 60's Indoor Kurling Set £ 320.00 Village Pond 2 Laxfield Parish Council Renovation £ 2,250.00 Scaffold tower for 3 Wilby Village Hall Village Hall £ 250.00 Pictorial map for 4 Stradbroke Parish Council Stradbroke £ 500.00 Responsible 5 Fressingfield Scouts weapons training £ 350.00 Refurbish room for 6 Stradbroke Courthouse & Library Trust village archive £ 1,000.00 Projector for 7 Stradbroke Sports & Community Centre community use £ 1,000.00 Chiller & Ice 8 Wilby Village Hall Machine £ 330.00 In addition, I gave £200 towards the new coffee caravan which was unfortunately stolen. The new one has a tracker attached in case the thieves attempt a return.

New council homes MSDC has built 29 new council homes this year, 23 in Great Blakenham, a mixture of one-bed flats and two or three bed houses, 11 of these being shared ownership. I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of the new houses in Laxfield in March. They consist of two two-bed houses and four one- bed flats. These homes are lovely and spacious. There are more to be completed this year.

Mill Road site Residents have been moving into the new houses thus freeing up larger homes for families. Phase 2 has been passed and should commence end of May, hopefully with the absence of mud. Speaking with residents on 2/5/18 they were very complimentary of the build and very happy to be in Laxfield.

6 All Saints’ Church By Liz Hammond & Richard Simmonds While we were grateful for a year without the disruption of building projects, we still eagerly await the installation of a glazed panel behind the balustrade above the oak screen. The glass that is required for the panel needs to be hand blown and safety compliant, and the process is taking far longer than could have been anticipated. We are also getting closer to installing both new lighting in the church and also a handrail to improve access up the steps at the back of the church. We hope that all three of these projects will be completed during 2018. It has been inspiring to see how the new kitchen and toilet facilities have enhanced the usage of the church building for the benefit other charities and organisations. This year, as well as our own fund-raising events, and the monthly Community Market, we have been able to host in the church a Macmillan Coffee Morning and a sleepover in December in aid of The Ipswich Winter Night Shelter. With the ancient west doors open wide, the kitchen was used in August for a Jan Williams’ tea party in aid of kidney research. Since September, the church has been used weekly by the Laxfield Community Choir. Our enthusiastic team of bell-ringers continue to spear-head the fund-raising for an ambitious plan to restore and improve the church bells. Fund-raising is going extremely well and the village has responded most generously to the appeal. We are very fortunate to have bell ringers willing and available to ring for weddings and special occasions, and we are all looking forward to completion of the project. Work from All Saints’ Primary school is regularly displayed in the church and our link with the school most definitely enriches the life of the church. We continue with the sale of second hand books at the back of the church, where there is also a generously supported collection point for goods for the Waveney Foodbank. Thank you to Rev David Burrell and Rev Ron Orams for all that they do for us, and to those who help with the services in so many ways. Responsibility for the care of our exceptional church building can seem daunting and onerous at times. It is the people of the parish and their contributions who make All Saints’ a living church, and we are very blessed to have such a large band of people who help in a huge variety of ways. Thank you to everyone who works so hard to look after the building – to clean it, to decorate it with flowers and to organise and support our fundraising. It was wonderful to end the year with such a large congregation of almost 400 for the Christmas Eve Carol Service.

7 All Saints Laxfield Primary School By Lucy Hammond, Head of School Lucy Hammond, Head of School said there are 105 pupils, divided into five classes. At the beginning of April, we converted to academy status and are now part of the All Saints Schools Trust along with Stradbroke Primary, Fressingfield Primary, St Peter and St Paul (Eye) Primary and Wortham Primary. Mrs Barrow (our Executive Head in our federation with Stradbroke Primary) becomes the Co- Executive Principal along with Mr Carlyle – Head of St Peter and St Paul. She is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust. Our Chair of Governors, James Hargrave, has been elected to Chair the Trustees. Each school will retain its own identity. Being part of the Trust will give us opportunities to collaborate and share good practice. There is already talk of joining up to promote the PE curriculum with some shared competitions and events. We benefit from working closely with both the church and the chapel. Rev David, Liz Hammond and Pastor Tim regularly lead assemblies within the school and we are pleased to hold services in the church at Harvest, Christmas, Easter and when our Year 6s are leaving. We have an Ethos Committee of adults who consider ways to keep the Christian ethos of our school strong and a Pupil Ethos Committee who feed into the adult committee, lead prayers etc and ensure the pupil voice is heard. We follow the Values for Life scheme that means that each half term we consider a different Christian Value eg Hope. We value our place within the community and were glad to welcome Jo and Candida into the school recently to talk about the Neighbourhood Plan. We have completed some work about what is important to the children within the village and the school and have plans for more. Thanks to the continued financial support of the trustees of Smith and Ward, our garden continues to flourish. We find this is an excellent resource for teaching about plants and growing (part of the science curriculum). It also enables pupils to do something practical and nurturing. Educational visits are an important part of our curriculum. As well as visits which take place within the school day, Years 4 and 5 spent three days at the Horstead Centre, near Norwich, Year 5 and 6 will spend an extended day of water-based activities at Whitlingham and Year 6 head off to Hollowford (Derbyshire) in July. The Friends of Laxfield School continue to be very active, with events to tempt children and adults alike. We are grateful for the time and effort they put in to raise valuable funds for extra resources and to provide social opportunities. At the end of this academic year, I am leaving the school to spend more time with my family and take a career break. I have loved my five years at Laxfield and have so many great memories and still time to make more. I am leaving it in safe hands, with a first-class team of adults, both paid and voluntary, to continue inspiring and caring for our brilliant children. Mrs Minns, who is currently at Scole Primary school, will become the new Head of School. I know she will be made most welcome.

8. 1st Fressingfield Scout Group By Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne, Group Scout Leader. Membership dropped slightly from the previous year. In April we had membership of 120, including leaders and the Executive committee, down from 136. Over the financial year 2017/2018 the 1st Fressingfield Scout Group generated an income slightly over £26 000 and had expenditure of almost £22,000. This is a general account that supports the operation of the group. Our Explorer Unit is actively raising funding for next Easter’s expedition to Kenya (circa £8,000) and we continue to top up and spend the HQ Development account (balance around £21,000). The Scout Group continues to provide exceptional opportunities to our young people from five-year- old Beavers to 17-year-old Explorers and to our growing team of volunteer adult leaders, to whom I pay a sincere vote of thanks. We have recently extended our youth provision by having a Network based at Fressingfield. These are young adults aged between 18 and 25. We have started work on our new headquarters and expect that progress will be made in the coming months. We have made a big effort to engage with the neighbours of the site and have produced two newsletters to keep the wider community engaged in the progress. We have launched our ‘Building on Community Foundations’ campaign and invite organisations and individuals to support us. The main Scout HQ building will have an approximate footprint of 370 sq metres and the ground- works for the building is estimated to be in the region of £18,000. The ‘Built on Community Foundations’ Appeal is asking for individuals, families, organisations, businesses and community groups to sponsor a square metre plot each for a donation of £50. Multiple plots can be secured. All donations will receive a certificate of thanks and donors names will be displayed in a framed ‘Built on Community Foundations’ plaque that will be displayed in the reception area.

9. Laxfield Museum Acting chairman Barry Cable said the museum had another successful year in 2017, with visitor levels at about the same as in previous years. This year, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the inaugural meeting held in March 1968 Lynne Ward presented “The History of the Museum “ at our opening event last month. We have been fortunate in being able to recruit two new members onto the committee. Jan Williams helped to design and create a new child-friendly area, the idea being to keep children occupied while parents peruse the exhibits. Our thanks go to Heveningham Hal Country Fair Trust for financial support for the project. As a tribute to Ron Fuller, a good friend to the Museum, who helped design our Singing Classroom, many people have been kind enough to loan us their own memorabilia to display for the season, in memory of this talented man. Our landlords, the Laxfield Charities in Need, are experiencing some wood-worm problems in the attic and elsewhere in the building, which will mean that a lot of our stored artefacts, especially clothing, will have to be removed to an odour-free area while the work is being done, at the end of the season. Thanks are due to the numerous people from in and around the village who help us with the stewarding - we could not operate without them. Our thanks also go to the parish council for its continued and generous support, both financial and moral.

9. Neighbourhood Plan The Neighbourhood Plan is an opportunity for Laxfield to prepare a plan that both supports the district council in completing its statutory obligation to allow for planned national housing growth and the parish council and community to set a development strategy that retains the village. There are two working groups, one covering community awareness, consultation and engagement and the other site allocation, planning policies and principles. Initially the group has focussed on identifying the village’s assets and facing up to what we are missing and potential shortcomings. We seek the development of the village but as a continuous process of change with decisions being made whilst plan-making progresses. From the community engagement process interest groups identify actions and propose a 15-year community development strategy identifying projects and resources required to create a place we enjoy and improves livelihoods for all. The whole process will take as long as it takes – at least a couple of years and will involve exhibitions, meetings, a household questionnaire, the use of a consultant and it will end in a referendum. The crucial first stage is public consultation, from which a draft plan can be put together. So far Candida and Jo Lofthouse have held discussions with a number of clubs and societies and a stall has been held at the monthly community markets. Ian Pettit is investigating land ownership and working on site allocations.

10. Suffolk County Council Cllr Guy McGregor said the county had ‘failed’ the community over the standard of the roads with the dreadful pot holes. Nor was the delay over the extension of the 30mph limit on Station Road acceptable. He also referred to the continuing campaign he was spearheading to preserve school buses for over 16s in our community.

Meeting closed: 9.25pm