Public Questions

Meeting of Great Bentley Parish Council

Held on 2 June 2016

MINUTES

Present: Cllr J Hills (Chair), Cllr L Edwards, Cllr R Taylor, Cllr B Herbert, Cllr R Adams, Cllr P Drew and Cllr K Plummer. Also in attendance were ECC Cllr A Goggin, TDC Cllr L McWilliams and in the region of 20 members of public.

Public Questions 1. There was a request for the Councillors to speak clearly in order to be understood by those in the public gallery. 2. It was noted that Forge Lane was flooded recently after rainfall.

06.16.045 Apologies for absence: Apologies were received from Cllr Wright and Cllr Balbirnie.

06.16.046 Minutes of the last meeting: The minutes of the meeting held on 5 May 2016 were proposed by Cllr Edwards, seconded by Cllr Plummer and agreed by the members as a true record of proceedings.

06.16.047 Declarations of Interest: None offered.

06.16.048 Information & Reports: None.

06.16.049 County and District Councillors Reports: To receive reports from; a) District Councillor - Cllr L. McWilliams reported changes to the TDC Cabinet. Confirmation was given that Gt Bentley has progressed to the next round of the Village of the Year competition.

b) County Councillor – Cllr A. Goggin tabled a list of dates for various ECC related meetings (attached as Appendix A). He suggested that a submission is made to rectify the problems in Forge Lane. Cllr Goggin referred to the upcoming public meeting on 21 June with Roger Hirst on 21 June, details of which are on the parish Council website.

06.16.050 Other Reports: a) PCSO: no report received. b) TDALC: The minutes of the annual meeting held on 25 May 2016 are attached as Appendix B. c) Transport: Mr P. Harry indicated there is nothing to report this month. d) Footpaths: Network Rails’ proposal to close three local crossings was reported. The Chair and Clerk intend to attend the consultation meeting in Colchester on 17 June. e) Caretaker: The swing in the play area that was faulty has been repaired and is back in operation.

06.16.051 Correspondence: To consider correspondence. a) Network Rail Anglia Level Crossing Reduction Strategy: Dealt with under item 050d above. b) Letter of complaint from Mrs Evans-Jones: Noted. c) South Heath Road – Response from the ECC Highways Dept.: The response was noted. A suggestion was made that in this case we should possibly challenge the norm. d) Funding available for open space projects: The paperwork was passed to Cllr Plummer for his consideration.

06.16.052 Parish Clerk Report: The Clerk’s report (attached as Appendix C) was read out by the Chair. It was noted that there is now just one person left on the Speedwatch team. The VAS needs realigning. The Chair agreed to look at ownership.

06.16.053 Finance Report: a) To approve the monthly expenditure report: Attached as Appendix D, was approved. b) To approve the 2015/16 annual governance statements as set out in the 2015/16 annual return: c) To approve the 2015/16 annual accounting statements as set out in the 2015/16 annual return: d) To approve the 2015/16 year end budget: e) To consider the Internal Audit Report and agree a plan of action to address the recommendations:

Councillors were not prepared to approve items b – e without further explanation from the Clerk. A proposal was made by Cllr Edwards and seconded by Cllr Taylor.

Resolved: (a) To agree to not approve items b - e. (b) To convene a Finance Committee meeting and then if necessary schedule an extraordinary meeting of the Parish Council.

06.16.054 Village Green Working Party: Cllr Herbert presented his report, attached as Appendix E.

There was a discussion about the Cricket Club placing tables and chairs and leaving the cricket nets out on the Green. Cllr Edwards declared a non-pecuniary interest as a member of the Cricket Club.

It was agreed to write to the Club asking them to refrain from putting tables and chairs on the green and establish the intentions regarding the nets (i.e. how long is it planned to leave them on the Green and are there any winter storage arrangements in place)

06.16.055 Public Engagement Working Party: Cllr Drew advised that she had nothing to report this month.

06.16.056 Management of Motor Vehicles: a) The imposition of a 20 mph speed limit through the Village and/or the introduction of speed bumps in strategic locations: Cllr Taylor advised that he awaits a response from the Parish Council he wrote to. He requested that this is an agenda item next month. b) The introduction of boundary marker blocks along Southside Track to stop the track widening: It was suggested to write to the residents explaining the advantages of the proposal.

06.16.057 Fibre Optic Broadband: Cllr Edwards explained the current situation advising that junction boxes are being installed and fibre-optic broadband will be available in Great Bentley over the next 14 months. 06.16.058 Memorial Request: Cllr Hills proposed, Cllr Drew seconded and Resolved: To approve a request for a bench and plaque as a memorial to Jodie Josie.

06.16.059 Future Agenda Items: Closing of the Clerk’s pension?

Public Questions 1. Notices of events should be taken down from the noticeboards after the event. 2. Complaint about the Cricket Club, add to the letter. 3. The drains from the Station to the Cinder Path to be cleared in summer

APPENDIX A Dates from Alan Goggin

 June 16. - ECC Local Highways Panel meeting. Weeley. 17.00 to 19.30. Public & Council question time. Any new items for agenda please advise. Weeley.  June 21. - Police & Crime Commissioner open/public meeting. Brightlingsea Community Centre. 18.30 hrs to 20.30. Open to all. Invitation for whole Tendring.  July 12, - Full Essex County Council meeting – Chelmsford.  July 14. - ECC People & Families Committee. – Chelmsford. Written questions option.  July 21. - ECC Locality Board. Weeley. 18.00 to 20.00 hrs  July 26.- AG ECC clinic. Brightlingsea Library. 16.00 to 18.00 hrs. No appointment needed.  Aug 4. - Locality Board. Change of venue to Jaywick 18.00 to 20.00 hrs.  Sep 27. - AG ECC clinic. Brightlingsea Library. 16.00 to 18.00 hrs. No appointment needed.  Sept 29. - ECC Locality Board. Weeley. 18.00 to 20.00 hrs  Oct 20. - ECC Pre-meeting Local Highways Panel. Any new items for agenda please advise. Weeley. No public.  Oct 27. - ECC Local Highways Panel meeting. Weeley. 18.00 to 19.30. Public & Council question time.

 TELEPHONE 01 206 30 80 23

 EMAIL [email protected] APPENDIX B Tendring District Association of Local Councils Minutes of the Annual Meeting held at Beaumont Village Hall on Wednesday, 25th May 2016, starting at 7.30 p.m.. Members present: * Alresford A Frank Belgrove Little Clacton Martyn Reed * Linda Belgrove John Cutting Ardleigh * Dave Halsey Little Oakley Andrew Cullen Deputy Rep * Lee Partridge Manningtree * Jason Charlesworth Beaumont A Tracy Stevens Bradfield Mistley Martin Rayner Brightlingsea * Vivien Chapman Deputy Rep. Andrew Birch Secretary * Janet Russell Ramsey and Parkeston * George Elmer Elmstead A* Nick Bell * Rob Passmore Frating Terry Cuthbert St Osyth * Mike Talbot Deputy Rep Robin Buck Tendring Pat Goodman Frinton and Walton * Robert Bucke Richard Cronin * Jack Robertson Thorpe-le-Soken A Helen Rich Great Bentley - Chairman A Robert Taylor Vice-Chairman * Josè Powell Great Bromley Kate Strowbridge Thorrington * Pam Sadler Great Oakley * Joseph Tierney * Samantha Turner Harwich Andrew Erskine John Damant * Dave McLeod Weeley * Gilliane Foster Lawford Peter Peacocks * Anita Bailey Little Bentley Variable Wix A Kerry Mitchell Little Bromley Wrabness Richard Colley Also in attendance - Cllr Lynda McWilliams, Tendring District Council. Apologies for absence - those marked with “A” above. The Vice-Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. The Minutes of the meeting held on 23rd March were agreed and signed as a correct record of that meeting after deleting “Section 22 of” under ‘Matters of Concern - Weight Limited Roads’. Matters Arising from those Minutes: Weight-limited Roads. It was reported that when an overweight vehicle was reported on a weight limited road, Trading Standards responded with words to the effect that the vehicle was seeking access to a site on that road, despite having been given evidence that the entire stretch of the road had been travelled and the vehicle had continued to a further destination. It was suggested that an invitation be issued to someone to attend a future meeting of this organisation to clarify the situation. Litter. The amount of litter on the A120 and A133 was raised again as it had been noticed that dead animals were no longer being removed but left to disintegrate, decompose or be eaten by carrion. In addition, a large section of tyre had been left for at least four weeks. The meeting was told that an obstruction should be reported to the police if it posed a danger to traffic and they would respond. It was then reported that the person at Tendring District Council to whom reports of excess litter or a large dead animal should be made was Mike Badger. It was believed that the reason for neglecting these dead animals was a lack of money and people to deal with them, however, incidents should still be reported. It was agreed that a letter be sent to Environmental Services at TDC to ask what they could do to solve the problem and why dead animals were no longer removed from roads? As to litter being left uncleared, it was pointed out that the lane leading to Slough Lane, Ardleigh, had been built as a condition of granting planning consent to the gravel extraction site and Ardleigh Parish Council would check the legality of vehicles from the waste transfer site using that lane. The meeting was reminded that it cost £20,000 to clear the central reservation, mainly due to the amount of time taken to close a lane to protect the workforce, putting up notices and coning it off then opening it up again when the works were done. It was pointed out that the fine for fly-tipping had been raised from 1st May to £400 for a first offence and that fixed penalty notices could now be used, eliminating the need to go to court to prosecute, but it was essential that proper procedures were followed and supporting evidence was produced to avoid an appeal being upheld in court should the offender decide to appeal. It was then reported that fly-tipped waste was sorted to find an address from which the rubbish had come and it was that person who was responsible for disposal and liable to a fine, so it was important that members of the public should make sure that they employed an authorised waste disposal company which held a Waste Transfer Licence prior to paying to have their detritus removed. Locality Board - It was pointed out that Cllr Paul Honeywood (TDC) had been appointed to be first port of call on any matter relating to Jaywick. Chairman’s Report - The Chairman’s written report, having been previously circulated, was tabled and received. Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2016 - It was proposed by Cllr Talbot, seconded by Cllr Halsey and agreed that the accounts be adopted subject to examination. It was also agreed that the Secretary chase up those Parishes and Towns which had not paid their subscriptions yet. Election of Officers for the ensuring year: Proposed by Seconded by Chairman Robert Taylor Josè Powell Mike Talbot agreed unanimously Vice-Chairman Josè Powell Mike Talbot Dave Halsey agreed unanimously Secretary Janet Russell Mike Talbot Vivien Chapman agreed unanimously Matters of Concern to members Neighbourhood Plans - It was reported that villages should be encouraged by TDC to undertake the creation of a Neighbourhood Plan so that they could be aligned with the Local Plan when it was finally agreed and signed off - it appeared that the officers did not understand the process and their responsibility to encourage and advise parish and town councils. One parish reported that it had employed expert consultants, at a cost of £15,000 to help and advise on drawing up their Neighbourhood Plan and the consultants had advised that it was a straightforward process with a duration of approximately eight weeks to obtain a Neighbourhood Area Designation for the village only to be told by TDC officers: 'that they were unsure as to whether agreeing the Neighbourhood Designating Area was a straightforward process and they would need to know more about the Council's intentions for the Neighbourhood Plan...' TDC are making it more complicated and time-consuming and therefore are delaying Neighbourhood Plans from progressing. It was pointed out that any Neighbourhood Plan was to express preference for what additional sites could be used for development not to remove sites from the Local Plan. It was reported that parishes were concerned that the delay in producing and agreeing the Local Plan at TDC meant that several villages would have all their green spaces built-up and it would be too late to protect village communities. The future of devolution of powers to parishes was unclear but it was believed that parishes could become mini-planning authorities and able to determine some types of planning application. It was agreed that an invitation be issued to Gary Guiver to attend a future meeting to speak about Neighbourhood Plans and devolution. Speeding Traffic and Other Police Matters - The lack of traffic police appeared to exacerbate the problem. Also Colchester police area was reported to have the highest crime rate in Essex but an increase in burglaries was not showing up in the crime figures. It was pointed out that the recent election of Police and Crime Commissioner there ha been 10,000 spoilt ballots, a possible cause for this was a lack of understanding the system and another that people had no other means of protesting against the existence of PCCs. Social Media - It was reported that, properly used, social media were a source of valuable publicity for parish councils which wished to inform the electorate about what they had achieved and what was proposed. Disposal of TDC Assets - A newspaper report that TDC was considering the sale of its Weeley Offices was drawn to the attention of the meeting. It was pointed out that this had been a suggestion by one member of the Council and that the Cabinet had yet to discuss the implications of any action to dispose of property. Various opinions about the value of the Weeley site were expressed: that it was central to the district, it had parking facilities and development potential, it was not a listed building, Clacton Town Hall was listed and had limited parking facilities and could be used for other community purposes. It was stressed that no decision had been taken yet. Police Hubs - The existence of Police Hubs was raised as there was a public understanding that these were to be the places where the public could go to report to the police. It was pointed out that these had been set up so that the Police, TDC, Social Services, Health Authorities, etc., could sit down round a table to talk to each other. It was agreed that Leanne Thornton (Community Safety Partnership Manager, TDC) be invited to speak at a future meeting. Implications of Withdrawal of Rate Support Grant - It was reported that the Government had announced that the Rate Support Grant, which had been reducing gradually over several years, would cease completely in 2020 and a list of some 27 items were being considered by TDC’s Cabinet to reduce expenditure in the intervening years. Litter Problems in Parishes/Towns - It was reported that Harwich used to have a Harwich Environmental Action Team - a group of volunteers which picked litter - and it was hoped that this could be revived in the near future and that other parishes/towns would take up the scheme in order to keep our towns and villages clear of litter and more attractive for residents and visitors alike. It was reported that Brightlingsea had a similar group which worked very well. Drugs and Gang Culture - It was reported that an Assistant Chief Constable from the Midlands had been seconded to the area for six months to deal with this problem. There being no further business, the Vice-Chairman closed the meeting at 9.25 p.m.. Next meeting – 20th July 2016, at 7.30 p.m, at Beaumont Village Hall.

APPENDIX C PARISH CLERK REPORT

2 JUNE 2016

1. Shrubs encroaching on Station Approach: Further to a third letter to the managing agent, a telephone call was received advising that that work to cut back the shrubs will be undertaken sometime after 31 July 2016.

2. Japanese Knotweed Infestation: Advice received indicates that this infestation is not notifiable in the current situation. Cllr Herbert will provide an update of the current position. 3. Wayleave Request: Further to the last meeting, the Clerk despite various attempts was unable to contact anyone to discuss the BT Openreach wayleave request. Instead, a written response was made stating that the Parish Council is prepared to allow the installation of 55m of underground duct but is unwilling to allow a box to be erected on the Village Green.

4. Speedwatch: Sgt. Dan Heard has been in contact and proposed 12 June 2016 as the date for the training of Speedwatch volunteers. The correspondence was forwarded on to Cllr Taylor for consideration.

5. New Allotments – Erection of a Fence along the access way: Wright Ruffell (Sturricks) Ltd has indicated that the work to erect the new fence along the access will begin week commencing 6 June 2016.

6. Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS): Further to a report from a resident that the VAS on Heckford’s Road is faulty, there appears to be uncertainty about which authority is responsible for the upkeep of these highway signs. A response to a Highways enquiry is awaited.

7. Recording of Parish Council Meetings: Technical problems have been experienced, which have resulted in the recording of the meeting on 5 May not being published on either the Parish Council or the Audio Minutes websites. Further investigations need to be conducted. In the Clerk’s absence, the meeting on 2 June will not be recorded.

APPENDIX D Items of Expenditure for Approval 2 June 2016 Agenda item 06.16.053a

02/06/16 DD Verilocation (Jun 16) G010 Grass Cutting/Green(inc.Gas oil for Tractor) 15.00 3.00 18.00 02/06/16 DD Sys3 Ltd (1-06-16) A030 Parish Comms (Newsletter/Web Site) 9.00 1.80 10.80 02/06/16 SO Mr K Harkin (mth2) A010 Clerks Salary 827.31 827.31 02/06/16 101674 Mr K Harkin (stationery) A028 Post, Print & Stationary 6.66 1.33 7.99 Statement 02/06/16 DD E.ON (Jun 16) L010 Energy 0.00 awaited Statement 02/06/16 DD TalkTalk (May 16) A065 CRC Rent, Equip, Maint & General Costs 0.00 awaited 02/06/16 101675 GBVH CRC (Jun 16) A065 CRC Rent, Equip, Maint & General Costs 195.00 195.00 02/06/16 101675 GBVH (Hall Jun 16) A060 Village Hall Hire 46.00 46.00 02/06/16 101676 Agrii G020 Green Reinstatement/Track/Maintenance 620.00 124 744.00 02/06/16 101677 Friends of Historic Essex (subs) A100 Subscriptions 10.00 10.00 02/06/16 101678 Ms P Drew (beacon reimbursement) G070 Clock/Noticeboards/Benches/Bins 299.00 59.80 358.80 02/06/16 101679 Landscape Services G020 Green Reinstatement/Track/Maintenance 60.00 12 72.00 02/06/16 101680 Brian Birt Carpets A065 CRC Rent, Equip, Maint & General Costs 316.00 £ 63.20 379.20 02/06/16 101681 Bruce Landscapes Ltd B010 Play Equip.repairs & Maint/Inspections 40.00 £ 8.00 48.00 02/06/16 101682 Mr W Herbert (JKW provisions) G020 Green Reinstatement/Track/Maintenance 24.97 £ 4.99 29.96 02/06/16 101683 Mr R McWilliams (May 16) A013 Village Caretaker 69.24 69.24 02/06/16 101684 Heelis and Lodge A026 Audit Fee 195.00 195.00

TOTALS £2,733.18 £278.12 £3,011.30

APPENDIX E Green Report 0616

Meeting held Sunday 9am 29th May 2016

Those present Cllrs Adams and Herbert and contractor M. Dorling. We inspected the Japanese Knotweed and were satisfied with the progress in destroying it. There are still youngsters whirling around on the grass in cars late in the evenings. The Southside Track is much improved after Mr Glover levelled it. The Cricket Club seems to have extended its drinking area onto The Green even when there is no cricket in progress. The nets are being left out permanently now. A member of The Cricket Team was attacked by a loose alsatian dog and badly bitten while he was maintaining the pitch. MD has asked for permission to cut back low branches, where they interfere with the progress of the tractor, as is usual at this time of year, and level the area round the new trees to assist with mowing. We are still waiting for the new dog and waste bins for the spinney area. There are concerns that the fair is getting too big for the area that it parks on. End of meeting

Road traffic accident 18th May At Green Corner, a hit and run driver damaged a house, hedge and garden. May have been more than one vehicle involved.