AND BARNEY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES of the Parish Council meeting held on Monday 4th April 2016 in the Old School Hall, Fulmodeston

Present: Mike Marshall (Chairman) Josephine Marston Jacqueline Bryony Nigel Janes Andrew Lee David Parker Mary Runciman David Ramsbotham (County Councillor) Kevin Webb (Clerk) Eight parishioners

Apologies for absence - S. Ward (District Councillor)

Minutes of the meeting held on 1st February 2016: All agreed that these should be signed as a true record of the meeting.

NNDC Report (forwarded by email by Councillor Ward)

Sending my apologies and report for Mondays parish meeting. NNDC has released £1 million towards better broadband for (bbfn), their are scheduled works across the county in the next rollout and work seems to be progressing well. One of your members contacted me regarding whether their was plans for better broadband areas along Croxton road and road. I have been in contact with Karen O'Kane from County council and can confirm that there are plans for a new broadband cabinet that will cover these areas later this year. The current area along Croxton road are receiving broadband from , hence the slow speeds. At Februarys Full Council the budget was set out and agreed, council tax remains frozen for the forthcoming year with no increase. There are also planned meetings to discuss the upcoming ward Boundaries for our district. As I am aware, there will be consultation with all parish councils regarding this. As always, If you or any members have any queries about anything then please let me know. I have had a couple of parish members approach me on different issues and I am pleased to have helped answer their queries quickly and efficiently.

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NCC Report Councillor Ramsbotham gave details of the present position at County Hall. The Rainbow Alliance has 41 seats, the Conservatives have 41 seats and there are two non- aligned members. The AGM is due to take place in the near future. The 2016/2017 Budget was passed and savings of a further £42M are to be found in the coming year. There is to be an increase of 3.99% in Council Tax with additional savings of £60/£70M needed in the next two years. The public has been asked to report any children who they suspect of being neglected. It is the intention to carry on with the Parish Partnership Scheme this year. Devolution, incorporating Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, is only a proposal at this stage. The Northern Distributor Road is due for completion in 2018. Concern was expressed with the policy of converting schools to academies and it was asked whether the land and buildings are being transferred to the ownership of the government. There was also surprise at the creation of the new Enterprise Zone at Egmere although it is known that there will be no further wind farms in .

Updated information and matters arising from the minutes (i) Mr. Lee reported that the application made to the British Heart Foundation for two defibrillators had been unsuccessful as all funds had been utilised. It is hoped, however, that a further tranche of money will be announced in the future. (ii) It had not been possible to get a grant from the EDP to assist with replacing the oil tank in the Old School Hall. Attempts were now being made to obtain funds for the further refurbishment of the kitchen. The Chairman expressed thanks to who are collecting vouchers for Fulmodeston. (iii) The Chairman had written to Ed Mumford-Smith regarding the hedge that needs cutting. This has not yet been done. (iv) A survey has been carried out to provide a faster broadband cabinet for Fulmodeston. Unfortunately, Croxton is still some distance away and is very unlikely to receive 10 Mbs. Mrs. Runciman has been in contact with Karen O’Kane, Norfolk’s Programme Director. Mr. Lee has spoken to Councillor Ward who has advised that Croxton will be receiving better broadband but this appears not to be the case. The cost of satellite broadband is high and not a realistic alternative. Councillor Ramsbotham said that there is a report due out in May which will update the situation. There may also be EU funding. Mr. Lee is to advise Mr. Ward that his understanding of the situation is incorrect.

Police Report No Police Report received

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Proposed meeting with Councillor Fitzpatrick to discuss District Councillor

The Chairman’s notes on this meeting are below:-

Meeting at North Norfolk District Council: Tuesday, 22nd March, 2016: :

Present : Cllr. Tom FitzPatrick [leader of NNDC], Emma Duncan [Head of Legal Services, NNDC], Val Hart [Chair, Swanton Novers Parish Council], Jim Hayes [Chair, PC], Mike Marshall [Chair, Fulmodeston PC], Jeff Smallbones [Clerk, Swanton Novers PC]. Written comments were available from Wood Norton PC.

Purpose : To try to resolve the poor, almost non-existent, working relationship between Cllr. Ward and 4 of the parishes in Astley Ward as shown by his refusal to attend any parish council meetings or to consistently represent the communities in the ward for which he was elected. His attendance at NNDC meetings in 2015 was 2 out of 8 'Expected Attendances'.

Absent, no apologies : Cllr. Steven Ward [District Councillor, Astley Ward].

Background : Astley Ward comprises the 7 parishes of , Fulmodeston, , Melton Constable, Swanton Novers, Thurning and Wood Norton. Steven Ward was elected as Conservative District Councillor in May 2015, having previously represented a ward in .

Fulmodeston : Since May 2015 Ward has not attended any parish council meetings in Fulmodeston or any other parish events. On occasion he has promised in writing to attend and a note to this effect has been put in the parish Newsletters. He has then not attended giving a variety of reasons connected with his personal and family commitments, and stating that parish council meetings were held at inconvenient times for him. On the instructions of the parish council I emailed Ward offering to meet with him at any time and place convenient to him. He did not reply. I sent 3 reminders, none of which received a reply or were acknowledged. It seemed unlikely that Ward ever intended to meet with us, even going so far as to boast that he never felt the need to attend any town council meetings in Fakenham during his term of office.

On the instruction of the parish council I contacted the other 6 parishes in Astley Ward. It transpired that 3 were having comparable experiences and were considering a formal complaint to North Norfolk District Council. One council did not wish to make any comment and two did not reply.

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Together with the 3 parishes it was agreed to ask Cllr. FitzPatrick to host a meeting with Ward at the NNDC offices in Cromer at a time and on a day suitable to them. This he was willing to do. As the chosen date [as above] came nearer it became apparent that Ward was not going to attend and that Cllr. FitzPatrick had decided to ask the Head of Legal Services to be present. I would emphasise that none of the parish councils requested this and we were not asked if we agreed. After some discussion we decided to go ahead with the meeting and to use the opportunity to get some legal advice on the situation.

The Meeting : Probably the worst local government meeting that I have attended in nearly 40 years of involvement with parish, town, district and county councils. It was obvious from the start, and from the continuing body language of both FitzPatrick and Duncan, that they regarded parish councils as a nuisance and unreasonable in expecting elected councillors to attend parish council meetings or any other parish events. Whilst it is accepted that district councillors are under no legal obligation to attend, nor is it covered in the Code of Conduct or in the Protocol on the Representational Role of Councillors, it should be normal for some sort of connection to be made. We were immediately asked why any elected councillor would want to attend any parish council meeting when they could only expect to be verbally abused, be given at the most two minutes to report and no opportunity to answer any questions from members of the public, who themselves were not allowed to participate other than for a very limited time. Do you recognise Fulmodeston PC meetings from this description? I hope not. We were told that we are out of date and did not understand modern methods of communication [ interesting that we comply with the Transparency Code ] and that Facebook and Twitter are undoubtedly how it should be done. Unfortunately for this argument research shows that Ward had not used either method to communicate on parish and district business in 2015. Ward has sent only one report to all parish councils in the 10 months since his election and claims to hold a ward surgery in Fakenham on a Thursday morning – times and place not available at this point. FitzPatrick and Duncan thought that both of these situations were acceptable. I was accused by FitzPatrick of going to the meeting with the specific intention of making a formal complaint because I had asked if, as Duncan was going to be present, she would also advise us. This was obviously not going to be offered as obviously we were in the wrong. I would re-iterate that Duncan's presence was decided by FitzPatrick without any consultation with the parish representatives. We had also stated quite clearly that we regarded a formal complaint as the very last resort and that the meeting was requested to try to establish a working relationship with Cllr. Ward. This equally obviously will not be possible and in the view of FitzPatrick and Duncan we will just have to accept the situation for the next 3 years until elections take place.

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For parish councillors I will bring hard copies of subsequent emails from Swanton and Melton representatives at the meeting. I have had no further correspondence or contact with NNDC or Ward since the meeting.

I would note that two of Ward's sponsors are absolutely appalled at his attitude. When they wrote to him in late 2015, he said that in the New Year he would consider offering his resignation. He has not made good that offer.

Conclusion : As an effort to fulfil it's purpose the meeting was a total failure, mainly due to the antagonistic attitude of Cllr. FitzPatrick and Emma Duncan, together with Ward's refusal again to meet with us.

Personal Comment : I deliberately did not write this report until I had time to consider my thoughts and reactions in a calmer moment. I have to say that whenever I think of the meeting and the way we were treated my anger returns. However, I see little to be gained by pursuing our wish for Ward to actually represent this parish. Certainly the amount of time and effort [not to say the financial cost] of continuing to endeavour to get adequate representation from Ward or any form of understanding from Fitzpatrick and Duncan is not in my view an investment that I wish to make. When I returned from the meeting I was angry, very angry, and disillusioned. I am regretfully coming round to a common view that NNDC as presented at this meeting and by Steven Ward does not listen and is antagonistic to parish councils. After working in local government for many years and having confidence in local government paid staff sadly this confidence has been severely reduced. My recommendation to Fulmodeston Parish Council is to learn from this, but to take no further action. As individuals you may wish to take other public and private action.

Mike Marshall Chairman, Fulmodeston Parish Council 28th March 2016

NOTE: District Councillors' Allowances are now £5000 per annum plus expenses including Child Care.

Since the meeting, the roles and responsibilities of an elected member to North Norfolk District Council have been perused. On page 176 of the Constitution, it states: there is a clear Constituency Role for Members in representing the community within the District and a requirement to attend meetings of the key partners and stakeholders in the District such as town and parish councils.

The District Council meeting due to be held at Cromer on 27th April is to be attended at which the matter will be raised. Swanton Novers Parish Council are tabling an item for the agenda. Mrs. Runciman is to contact Councillor Ward’s sponsors to make them aware of the situation.

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Playing Fields update/Norse contract The Norse contract has started and the first cut has been done. The Clerk will remind them of the agreement to provide him with a confirmation e-mail after each cut. The Chairman had spoken to Richard Riseborough and offered to host a meeting with Norse to discuss any particular requirements of the Cricket Club. Mr. Riseborough decided not to accept this offer. Mrs. Marston said that her son would be prepared to remove the dead elm trees on the playing field free of charge. Mr. Parker said that the matter needs to be discussed with the Estate as the ownership of the trees needs to be established. Mrs. Marston will speak to Astley Farms and Richard Riseborough (Barney Cricket Club).

Sale of church land Mr. Lee said that a suggestion had been made to sell the two medieval ruins sites for a nominal sum. The owner of Croxton House was prepared to consider buying St. John’s, Croxton. The permission of the Church Commissioners was required and a list of restrictions had been drawn up for any purchaser. The building is grade 2 listed and the general view is that is should remain as monument use. The matter is to be opened up by the Church Commissioners for further public consultation.

Parish land The Chairman’s note below gives full details of the current situation: 1) The parish owns 4 plots of land, all in Barney, which are all rented out to tenants under licence every 3 years – from the first day of April. Invoices are sent out annually. Licences can be terminated by either party giving 6 month's notice. As far as I am aware no notices of termination have been received from or given to current tenants. 2) The parish council currently has 'Possessory Title for 12 years to July 2016, at which time a claim for 'Full Title' needs to be made to the Land Registry. 3) I informally inspected all 4 plots on the 28th March: a. Plot 3 in The Street, Barney [24'x90'] is mainly down to grass, but the leylandii hedge on the south boundary urgently needs cutting. b. Plot 2B in Little Barney Lane [¼ acre] is also currently mainly down to grass. The boundaries of this plot are not clearly marked, but do not include the access track which presumably belongs to Astley Farms. c. Plot 2A in Little Barney Lane adjoining plot 2B but with direct access from the road [¾ acre] is mainly down to grass. d. Plot 1 in Little Barney Lane [two and a half acres] is currently largely down to grass and uncut vegetation and is very wet towards the river, with standing water in places. This plot includes shooting rights. 4) Tenancies on all 4 plots changed recently following changes in family circumstances of all four tenants. 5) Rental income is currently £1228 per annum.

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Notes : 1.Plots 2A and 2B need considerable attention to remove accumulated rubbish; on plot 2A builder's waste has been deposited [probably by the tenant] in contravention of the licence agreement. 2) Some years ago the parish council considered the possible sale of all the plots, but a decision was made not to sell unless there was a need for capital for other community projects. Also the parish council still had to prove ownership. That situation will now change in July and I would suggest that the council should re- consider that decision in light of the need for funding for both the Old School Hall and the Playing Fields Association Pavilion [on the Barney playing field] together with new play equipment on both playing fields.

The Clerk will contact the tenant of Plot 2A to request the removal of rubble and associated material.

Highways (flooding and road closure) Work on the drains and ditches has been done and thanks were expressed to Steve White (Highways Department) for the efficient way this has been arranged. A few items remain from the January action list and news is still awaited on the eroded area caused by BT Openreach and Anglian Water. A list of potholes, which will be reported online, is being collated.

Newsletters The Parish Council provides the paper for the newsletters. The cost of production has increased slightly and is presently about £150 per annum. The newsletters provide a highly valued service to the community and thanks were expressed to all involved.

Clerk’s new computer The Clerk had recently been obliged to purchase a new computer. It was agreed to contribute the sum of £110 to the cost. Proposed by Mr. Parker and seconded by Mr. Lee. All in favour.

Road safety (minuteman) The recording device was installed on Croxton Road for a week. Results regarding speeds will be provided in due course.

Election of Police and Crime Commissioner This election is to take place on 5th May 2016

EU Referendum The referendum will take place on 23rd June 2016

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Planning (i) Old Station House, 93 The Street, Barney (PF/16/0021) – erection of detached detached garage – comments were passed to the Planning Department and, as a result, an amended application was submitted which covers the points raised (Mrs. Marston declared an interest – she lives next to this property) (ii) Croxton Cottage (PF/15/0917) – there was concern with the height of the garage and new windows which have appeared that weren’t on the plans. Appropriate comments will be made.

There was general alarm at the District Council’s decision to forward planning applications to Parish Councils by electronic means only. It was felt that the applicant should include a copy of the plans for the Parish Council. A number of members do not have an internet connection and the opportunity to discuss planning applications in open forum at meetings will be seriously diminished. These views would be made known to the District and County Councils.

Finance Income

14/3/16 Norfolk ALC (Transparency Code payment) £792.01

Expenditure

31/3/16 K. Webb (New laptop – Unique Computers) £320.00 31/3/16 K. Webb (Clerk’s pay from 1/10/15 to 31/3/16) £650.58 31/3/16 K. Webb (Clerk’s expenses from 2/2/16 to 31/3/16) £1.89 31/3/16 North Elmham P.C. (contribution to new computer) £110.00 4/4/16 Norfolk ALC (annual subscription) £122.31 4/4/16 NNDC (annual rates for pavilion) £136.68 4/4/16 Thinking Rural (payroll from October ’15 to March ’16) £12.00 4/4/16 Community Action Norfolk (annual membership) £20.00

(Expenditure agreed by all)

Balance (as at 24/3/16) - £10,013.97 credit

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Correspondence 1) Clerks and Councils Direct magazine for March 2016 2) Community Action Norfolk – Signpost magazine 3) Letter from J. Marston re dead trees on the Playing Field 4) Letter from J. Marston re Barney PCC churchyard (to be discussed at next meeting) 5) Notice of SNAP meeting on 11/5/16 6) Norfolk CC – better broadband update (February 2016) 7) Norfolk CC – local list for validation of planning applications consultation draft 8) Magpas Air Ambulance – request for donation 9) Norfolk County Council – closure of C316 on 4/4/16 10) North Norfolk DC – electronic sending of planning applications to Parish Councils 11) Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday commemorative medal 12) New Broadband Universal Service Obligation Consultation

Date of next meeting – Monday 23rd May 2016 at 7.30 p.m. (Annual Meeting of the Parish Council)

This part of the meeting closed at 9.40 p.m.

Confidential item: Clerk’s contract of employment The Clerk’s contract is for two hours per week and it was felt that in recent times there had been a significant increase in workload. The requirements of the new Transparency Code would also have an impact. It was agreed that the Chairman and Mr. Parker would set up a review with the Clerk. In the interim, the paid hours of the contract would be increased to 3.5 hours per week. In addition, the rate of pay would be adjusted upwards from £12.51 to £13.64 per hour, in line with the Clerk’s other Parish Council employers.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 9.54 p.m.

……………………………………………………….. ……………… Date Chairman

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