MINUTES OF ORDINARY MEETING OF WINSTON PARISH COUNCIL THURSDAY 13th MARCH 2014 HELD IN THE VILLAGE HALL @ 7.00pm Notice of the meeting had been given in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972

Present: Cllrs Pattison, Smith, Fenwick, Cook and Race.

Public Present: Mr Ian Dalton

1. Apologies for Absence Apologies for absence had been submitted by Cllrs Taylor and Barnett.

2. Declarations of Interest There were no Declarations of Interest.

3. Minutes of the Previous Meeting The minutes of the previous meeting held on 13th February 2014 were proposed by Cllr Cook as being a true record and seconded by Cllr Race. They were then duly signed by the Chair.

4. Planning Matters The Clerk reported that since the last meeting a planning application had been submitted by Mr and Mrs C Robson, 1 Primrose Cottage, Darlington Road, Winston to erect a detached garage and garden store with first floor workroom above. It was AGREED that the Parish Council has no objections to this application. ACTION: The Clerk to inform Jayne Pallas, DCC Planning Officer of the Council’s decision.

5. Financial Regulations The draft Financial Regulations circulated prior to the meeting were AGREED for adoption with immediate effect.

6. CiLCA Update The Clerk reported that since the last meeting she had attended the 3rd CiLCA Mentoring Session on 27th February 2014 which focussed upon Modules 13-19. Modules 20-24 will be covered in a session to take place in April 2014 and then a final session will be held in early May 2014 to review individual portfolios for submission. The Clerk is happy with her progress to-date and the feedback received from attending the Mentoring Sessions.

7. Website Update The Clerk reported that since the last meeting she had spoken to Alan Foster of Design365 and as a result circulated a recommendations paper to all Cllrs prior to the meeting. It was AGREED:  To purchase the winstonparishcouncil.org.uk domain name; Parish Clerk: Jane Ayre (Mense House Farm, Lartington, Barnard Castle DL12 9DW Telephone: 01833 650699 Email: [email protected]

 Amend ‘Welcome To Winston’ leaflets for the next print run with the new domain name;  Commission Design365 to produce a brochure site using the content already approved;  When appropriate, launch the new website with articles in the Teesdale Mercury, Parish Magazine plus posters throughout the village. ACTION: The Clerk to inform Design365 and request an invoice be raised for the 25% upfront fees. ACTION: Cllrs to forward to the Clerk any photographs of Winston. ACTION: All Cllrs to have their photographs taken at the next meeting for inclusion in the website.

8. Teesdale Action Partnership The last TAP meeting had taken place on Wednesday 12th March 2014 at Hamsterley Village Hall. Topics of discussion included information on the Fire and Rescue Service’s Integrated Risk Management Plan consultation and the outcomes of the consultation on Durham County Council’s budget.

9. Teesdale Local Councils Forum Cllr Smith reported that he had attended the last Forum meeting on 10th March 2014, 7pm, Marwood Social Centre. The following key points were reported:  The wifi upgrade currently being installed by Durham County Council will soon go live within several locations in Teesdale, however, this will not be at superfast broadband speed.  The Warm Up Scheme provides financial assistance in the form of a repayable loan to replace boilers older than 15 years as well as the installation of roof and cavity insulation.  The Forum is proposing to hold an open meeting to discuss the implication of the long-term A67 road closure between Carlbury and High Coniscliffe. Whilst a date is yet to be organised there will be representatives from Darlington Borough Council as well as Northumbrian Water.  David Kinch will soon be circulating electronically (via Clerks) a consultation paper relating to Parish Councils with a budget of less than £25,000 per annum. ACTION: The Clerk to ensure this paper is forwarded to Cllrs for their consideration.  The Teesdale Local Councils Forum AGM will take place on Wednesday 14th May 2014, 7pm, Eggleston Village Hall.

Cllr Cook reported that he had attended an open meeting organised by Gainford Parish Council to consider the impacts of the future closure of the A67. The closure is due to 2 landslips, the one previously identified as well as a smaller one further up towards High Coniscliffe. The road closure will allow 2 programmes of work to take place:  Re-routing the water pipes around Piercebridge and Durham Road. This work will take 3 months to complete. The re-routing Parish Clerk: Jane Ayre (Mense House Farm, Lartington, Barnard Castle DL12 9DW Telephone: 01833 650699 Email: [email protected]

of pipes is relatively straightforward whilst the reconnection pits will be more problematic to ensure there is no affect upon water supply.  Repairing the road (as opposed to a bypass). Money has now been secured from central government. Tenders have been obtained but contractors have yet to be identified who will install soil nails from vehicles located on the road. At this point there is no timescale for the road repair work. Meeting attendees expressed their concerns as being the alternative road routes, gritting arrangements and road flooding.

10. Smaller Local Councils Forum The last Forum meeting had taken place on 14th February 2014, however, no minutes have yet been received from this meeting nor notification received about the date of the next Forum meeting.

11. Village Works Cllr Cook reported that on Friday 7th March 2014 sandblasting had taken place at Bramble Cottage in the village. Due to the weather conditions debris had blown down through the village to the concern of several residents. Mr Dalton expressed his concern that such a procedure is required by law to take place within a controlled environment and as such he had contacted Durham County Council (DCC) on Saturday 8th March to register his concerns. No response was received by DCC and residents then raised their concerns with Cllrs Taylor and Cook. Cllr Cook reported that he had spoken to the householder on Saturday 8th March 2014 and to the contractors (MDS of Stanley) on Monday 10th March 2014. In addition, Cllr Cook had spoken to DCC Environmental Health on Monday 10th March 2014 as the body who has responsibility for investigating any associated environmental/health concerns. Environmental Health had no record of Mr Dalton’s call, however, they requested Mr Dalton contact them direct in order to address/progress any outstanding concerns. Mr Dalton expressed his thanks to the Parish Council for assistance but also voiced his concerns about DCC’s lack of response which had resulted in a week’s lost evidence.

12. Public Participation Apart from Mr Dalton, no other members of the public were in attendance at this meeting.

13. Insurance Renewal The Clerk reported that an insurance renewal quote had been obtained from the Parish’s current insurer, Zurich Municipal, for £243.80. It was AGREED to accept this quote and to renew the insurance policy.

14. Payment of Accounts The Clerk reported that the following accounts required payment: Zurich Municipal (Insurance Renewal) £243.80 AGREED: Cllrs Pattison and Fenwick signed cheque. ACTION: Clerk to ensure cheque is posted Parish Clerk: Jane Ayre (Mense House Farm, Lartington, Barnard Castle DL12 9DW Telephone: 01833 650699 Email: [email protected]

The Clerk reported that currently the Parish Council has £544.17 in its current account and £8661.93 in its reserve account. It was recommended that £1000 be transferred from the Parish Council’s reserve account to the current account. This was AGREED. ACTION: Cllr Pattison and the Clerk signed the transfer paperwork. ACTION: The Clerk to liaise with the NatWest to transfer money.

15. Date and Time of Next Two Meetings AGREED as 10th April 2014 and 8th May 2014. It was AGREED the meeting on 8th May would be the AGM and Annual Parish meeting as well as Ordinary Parish Council meeting.

Meeting closed at 7.55p.m.

Jane Ayre (Parish Clerk)

Parish Clerk: Jane Ayre (Mense House Farm, Lartington, Barnard Castle DL12 9DW Telephone: 01833 650699 Email: [email protected]