PARISH COUNCIL

DRAFT Minutes of the meeting of Chollerton Parish Council held on Wednesday 25th January 2017 at 7.30 pm in Village Hall

Present: Cllr Edward Heslop; (Chairman); Cllr Jennifer Dover (Vice Chairman); Cllr Fiona Browell; Cllr Lee Buckingham; Cllr Fiona Charlton; Cllr Alan Gibson; Cllr Maud Jupp Miss Linda Pinkham (Clerk) Cllr Rupert Gibson ( County Council)

2017-01/1 Welcome and Apologies for Absence Cllr Steven Campbell

2017-01/2 Opportunity for Members of the Public to Raise Matters There were no members of the public at the meeting and no items had been raised.

2017-01/3 Declarations of Interest from Members None

2017-01/4a. Minutes of the Previous Meeting Minute 11/16-04 to be amended to read ‘Cabling was being installed by Avonline Networks’. With this amendment, the minutes of the meeting of Chollerton Parish Council held on 30th November 2016 were agreed and signed by the Chairman as an accurate record.

2017-01/4b. Matters Arising from the above minutes not addressed elsewhere on agenda  Northumberland County Council (NCC) had responded about traffic calming measures/rumble strips for Gunnerton and Barrasford and suggested that these could be considered in April 2018. Options for signage to be sought.  County Cllr Gibson had made enquiries about provision of school bus transport to St Joseph’s Middle School, and reported that the situation, whereby non-Catholic pupils attending the school were not entitled to transport, appeared to be an anomaly. There was a suggestion that an objection to the apparent discrimination be made however it was agreed that it was up to the individuals concerned to take the matter further if required.  The footpath in Colwell was still in a bad state, along the whole length of the village. NCC to be contacted again to expedite clearance.  The exact location of the Japanese Knotweed infestation on Dalla Bank to be passed to NCC (on the C216, 50 yards south of junction with the C220)  The horse chestnut tree at Barrasford had now been trimmed back by the County Council.  Further to the letter from Mr Bullock, NCC’s surveyor had found a cracked pipe under the road by the entrance to North Farm, Gunnerton. NCC would add this to the list of work and should be completed by summer 2017.  County Cllr Gibson had progressed the proposal for joint annual playground safety inspections for the individual parishes within his ward. Further details would be fed back to the next meeting.  The bin at Tip Corner, Gunnerton was now being emptied by the County Council.  The Carers’ Survey had been completed.

2017-01/4 County Councillor Report Update from County Councillor for Ward: Cllr R Gibson  Bellingham bridge had been closed for repair. The closure would now continue longer than anticipated because further work to repair drains was needed.  bridge would be shut for 6 weeks in October 2017 for repairs. This will have a major impact on vehicle movements including for access to the doctor’s surgery and for the aggregate companies and emergency services. County Cllr Gibson hoped that night- working could be possible to minimise traffic disruption.

2017-01/5 Parish Council Elections Parish Council elections will be held on May 6th 2017. Nomination papers would be available late February/early March and completed forms would need to be submitted to

DRAFT Minutes of meeting held on 25th January 2017 Page 1 of 4 These minutes remain draft until ratified at the next meeting of Chollerton Parish Council CHOLLERTON PARISH COUNCIL

NCC by hand, not electronically, no later than 4th April 2017. Councillors would need to submit an expenses return even if the total involved was zero. The Chairman considered that there was currently a very good team in place on the Parish Council and he hoped that all the Parish Councillors would be putting themselves forward to continue.

2017-01/6 ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION a. Transport i. Local buses from the parish into Hexham had initially been terminating at the new bus station, Loosing Hill but the Chairman had contacted Kirsten Francis, Transport Team at NCC and the bus service provided by Adapt was now picking up/dropping off passengers outside Beales as well as at the new bus station. ii. It was agreed that the Parish Council would like to take part in the Get About project being proposed by Community Action Northumberland. The Parish Clerk to respond to Julia Plinston, CAN. b. Highways County Cllr Gibson updated the Parish Council on surface patching having initiated a discussion paper at NCC on Colwell. The Chairman thanked him for this but also asked for a site meeting with NCC’s engineers to discuss the best options to help to move forward the surface repairs in Colwell, particularly the back lane. County Cllr Gibson and the Parish Clerk to liaise. c. Playing Fields i) Barrasford It was reported that NCC required all groups receiving S106 fund money to submit a receipt for reimbursement before the money could be paid out. This had caused difficulties for Barrasford Playing Field Association which was a small group without sufficient balances to pay out the £17,000 required. Fortunately a local benefactor had stepped in with a short term loan. However the Parish Council felt that this policy disadvantaged small group and that it should not be necessary for a group to take out a loan for however short a period of time. It was agreed that NCC should be asked to review their procedures with regard to reimbursement of agreed expenditure against such funds. It was noted that the financial issue had also meant that the payment was made before final snagging and one of the sets of swings needed to be lowered. The equipment company was now demanding an additional £800 + VAT to complete this. ii) Gunnerton  The damaged wall around the playing field was still in need of repair.  The Parish Clerk was reminded to follow up the invitation to Joshua Bird to become involved with the work of the playing field committee.  The Parish Clerk had recently spoken to Carol Orrick, Treasurer of the playing field committee and the lack of an annual inspection since the equipment was installed in 2013 had been discussed. There were currently no plans in place and the Chairman recognised that this may now not be resolved until the joint arrangements being proposed by County Cllr Gibson(as in Minute 2017-01/04b above) are implemented.  The Parish Council had received a verbal report about dog fouling taking place on the playing field. It was noted that the NCC dog warden had recently visited the village but this had been with regard to another matter however Cllr Heslop agreed to follow this up informally in the first instance. iii) Chishillways. No update was available at the meeting. A full public discussion was being planned at the start of the next Parish Council meeting to look at options, including the possible transfer of the asset to the Parish Council and the maintenance requirements for the site. The Parish Clerk to liaise with the County Council. iv) Colwell. Nothing to report. d. Maintenance Noticeboards. As the replacement of the damaged noticeboard at Barrasford was now well overdue, the Chairman agreed to seek clarification from James Feeley on whether production of the noticeboards could be completed within the next four weeks. If James Feeley was unable to complete the work an alternative supplier would need to be sought.

DRAFT Minutes of meeting held on 25th January 2017 Page 2 of 4 These minutes remain draft until ratified at the next meeting of Chollerton Parish Council CHOLLERTON PARISH COUNCIL

As the noticeboard was to be located within the bus shelter it was noted that the use of safety glass should also be checked.

County Councillor Gibson left the meeting. e. Website i) The new website for Chollerton Parish Council had gone live at the beginning of January 2017 and Councillors welcomed the clear, simple layout. Updates were still required, including several photographs from the Parish Councillors and any amendments/errors were to be notified to the Parish Clerk. Training on uploading documents was still required from Credere Media. ii) NALC had circulated details of their new portal for parish councils in Northumberland. It was agreed that a request to include links to parish councils who had their own web-sites (as was now the situation for Chollerton Parish Council) should be followed up. f. Grasscutting The procedure to seek tenders for the next 3-year contract for grass- cutting April 2017 – March 2020 was agreed. The area to be cut would be as for the 2014-2017 contract plus Barrasford and Chishillways play areas and the fenced area and former swings site at Colwell. An advert to be placed in the Hexham Courant. As at least two quotes will be needed to ensure a competitive process it was agreed that James Dickinson and Northumberland County Council be invited to tender. Parish Clerk to make the appropriate arrangements.

2017-01/7 Correspondence a. Consultations received for consideration:  Planning application validation checklist – the Chairman had reviewed the documentation and reported it to be straightforward.  Pre-application advice protocol - noted b. Other Items. The list of items received was tabled and noted. The following items were highlighted: 1) Charlotte Straker Nursing Home, Corbridge has received 3-year funding to provide a community respite bed which can be used free of charge by anyone from the area for 2 weeks at a time. 2) Replacement litter bin, Old Station, Barrasford. It was agreed that the replacement bin being provided by NCC should be situated where the previous bin had been and that a notice highlighting that this was a community bin should be provided. 3) The membership of the Ray Windfarm Community Fund committee was noted. As the Vice Chairman of the Ray Windfarm committee was also on the Green Rigg Windfarm grant committee, some concern was voiced about potential conflict of interest and whether the arrangement deprived other organisations of a place on the committee. The committee is overseen by CAN and minutes of meetings are publicly available so there was transparency but it was agreed to keep the situation under review.

2017-01/8 Financial Matters a. Requests for Assistance Community Action Northumberland: Help Our Village Halls crowd-funding – this was not considered an appropriate request for the Parish Council to support. b. Accounts to be authorised and paid. The following cheques were authorised:  J Dickinson - Grasscutting: £1,710.00 (cq 602). This was the final payment of the 2014-2017 contract and the Parish Clerk was asked to send a letter to James Dickinson thanking him for the good work carried out over the last three years.  Parish Clerk salary Quarter 3: £382.50 (cq 603)  Credere Media i) website set-up fee £600 (cq 604) ii) annual fee £102 (cq 605)  Wark British Legion – wreath and donation: £50 (cq 606)  Parish Clerk expenses £257 (cq 607). The expenses and mileage claim from April 2016-January 2017 was agreed. The Chairman requested that in future agenda papers be mailed out to Parish Councillors rather than hand delivered. Cllrs Heslop and Buckingham also offered to put up notices on the noticeboards. c. Bank balance: £9,712.57 as at 29th December 2016 (statement 291)

DRAFT Minutes of meeting held on 25th January 2017 Page 3 of 4 These minutes remain draft until ratified at the next meeting of Chollerton Parish Council CHOLLERTON PARISH COUNCIL d. Confirmation of Precept 2017/18 The precept of £7,750 for 2017/18, as discussed at the November 2016 meeting, was agreed as there had been no additional requirements notified by Northumberland County Council. Precept form to be submitted to NCC by 27th January 2017.

2017-01/9 Planning  Applications for consideration: 16/04296/OUT Outline (Some Matters Reserved) – Construction of a two storey dwelling, Colwell Industrial Workshop. Following consideration by the Lead Member for Planning, who had sought the view of the other Parish Councillors, comments had been passed on to the Planning Team regarding the reference to bus services which no longer operated and also regarding the small size of the site. No objections had been raised.  Decisions issued on applications: 16/04296/OUT Outline (Some Matters Reserved) – Construction of a two storey dwelling, Land North East of Coal Burn Cart Shed Colwell Northumberland – permission GRANTED  Lead Member for Planning for February/March 2017: Cllr Jen Dover  The County Council had been notified of the caravan and hardstanding near Smallburn as discussed at the last meeting. No update had yet been received although the Enforcement Officer had requested clarification of the exact location.

2017-01/10 Review of Statutory Documentation a) Code Of Conduct - deferred b) Standing Orders - deferred c) Risk Assessment – Following the approval of the amendments at the last meeting, the Parish Clerk reported that there were some further minor updates required. It was agreed that the Chairman and Parish Clerk would review these. .

2017-01/11 Information Items Noted

2017-01/12 Any Other Business i) There had been an escalation of dog fouling in Barrasford between Willie’s garage and Barrasford Quarry and along Fell Lane. County Cllr Gibson offered to provide signs and it was agreed that the dog warden to asked to visit. ii) Several highway and maintenance issues were noted: a. Pothole at the junction of Woodbine Terrace, Barrasford and the main road b. Blocked drain on the Chipchase to Birtley Road (NY888769). It was reported that the gulley-sucker had visited the area in the past few days. c. A bump (raised road surface) between Hatchery House and the first house in Barrasford. d. The road edges along West Crescent, Gunnerton were breaking away next to the kerb.

2017-01/14 Date and Venue for Next Meeting: Wednesday, 29th March 2017 (Barrasford)

It was agreed to move the Annual Meeting forward to Wednesday, 17th May 2017 (Barrasford) as this was closer to the May election results.

Provisional dates for 2017: 26th July (Colwell); 27th September (Barrasford); 29th November (Gunnerton)

DRAFT Minutes of meeting held on 25th January 2017 Page 4 of 4 These minutes remain draft until ratified at the next meeting of Chollerton Parish Council