Bolnhurst & Parish Council The Annual General Meeting was held on 21st May 2018 in Keysoe Village Hall at 7.30pm

Present: PCllr R Bellamy, PCllr R Heming, PCllr S Bates, PCllr R Smyth, BCllr T Wootton, Mrs G Wiggs (Clerk), Mr A Woodward, & 9 member of the public.

1. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN & VICE CHAIRMAN It was RESOLVED to appoint PCllr Bellamy as Chairman & PCllr Heming as Vice Chairman.

2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE PCllr M Perry

3. DECLARATIONS OF MEMBERS LOCAL & PECUNIARY INTERESTS IN THE BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED HEREUNDER None.

4. APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES No amendments were made to the current allocation of roles.

5. TO VERIFY THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS PARISH COUNCIL MEETING These were approved.

6. MATTERS ARISING GDPR - The Clerk had approached DPO Ltd who had agreed to provide DPO service at the lower price band. However, since then the BATPC have reported there is now a proposal to remove the requirement for Parish Councils to appoint a DPO. This matter will be closely monitored to ensure the Parish Council is compliant. Nextdoor.co.uk – The Clerk had received limited & mixed feedback from other Parishes & this had been circulated. SID – PCllr Heming reported there would be difficulties finding suitable places to erect a SID as they usually go on street furniture, & there are limited numbers in the Parish. has had the same issue & has purchased 4 poles at cost of £70 each. Progress in Little Staughton will be monitored before taking this further. Mole Holes – PCllr Heming reported this work is now completed. Litter Pick – PCllr Heming reported that this had been carried out by the Community Payback Team & had been very successful. They can come back if there is a project they can do in the Parish. Standpipes – PCllr Heming is continuing to work on this. He has cleaned & repainted the one outside his house with black & gold paint & it looks good. There are 19 in total to be done. The handyman could do them but it would take a long time, & the logistics of needing a water supply is a challenge. Alternatively, residents who live near to one could do them. Two residents have already offered to do the ones adjacent their homes.

7. OPEN FORUM FOR MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK Pot Holes – PCllr Heming reported that from experience he has found the Borough Council on-line reporting system to be easy & the pot hole gets filled quickly if it meets the criteria. He encouraged residents to use it if they spot a pot hole.

Village Voice – PCllr Bellamy commended Alan Woodward & the Village Voice team on the fantastic job done over many years. Over and above supporting the Parish Council with articles & inserts, Mr Woodward has also attended Parish Council meetings & reported on them, which has been very helpful. A vote of thanks was offered to Mr Woodward & the team by the Parish Council on behalf of the Parish.

A member of the public asked how residents would read Parish Council minutes in future, & it was explained that this is due to be discussed under item 15. Bolnhurst & Keysoe Parish Council A further resident explained that she would be happy to produce a monthly news sheet for an initial period of 6 months and review it after that. Mr Woodward confirmed there would be funds left available for ink & paper for the first year, & he would enquire if any of the existing delivery people would be willing to deliver it. Thanks, were offered to this resident for her generous offer.

Bike event – A resident reported there is the Annual bike event behind the Chequers PH this weekend. They had dropped a note to local residents. The event runs from Friday – Sunday, with a Temporary Event Licence for music until late. He added that last year the event went off smoothly with minimal disruption, so hoped it would be the same this year.

BCllr Wootton – A meeting had been attended with Alistair Burt MP to discuss the A1 routing options. They are currently aiming for 2030 implementation. The Black Cat changes were also discussed, & it is hoped to have the preferred option announced later this year. The Local Plan 2035 is being reconsidered as the Colworth Village is no longer going forward due to a break down in negotiations with Santa Pod. It is possible the Plan will be amended to run until 2030 instead of 2035, so that the housing allocation required will be lower, & therefore can be met without the Colworth village. The Ward fund is open.

8. PLANNING APPLICATIONS RECEIVED FOR COMMENT: 18/00817/LDE – Certificate of lawful use & development (existing) - The extent of the residential curtilage – 4 Greensbury Farm Barns, Rd, Bolnhurst – no comments.

18/00856/OUT – Outline permission with all matters reserved for demolition of existing agricultural buildings & erection of three dwellings with access from Hatch Lane & associated parking & hardstanding – Briar Barn, Hatch Lane, Keysoe. The Parish Council RESOLVED to object to this application. The proposal does not comply with the NPPF for such developments. It adds no community benefit to the Parish, as opposed to the PDR development which provides much needed smaller and affordable homes.

18/00991/FUL – Canopy to link existing house to existing garage/outbuilding - Ashfield Farm, Kimbolton Rd, Bolnhurst – no comments.

DECISIONS: 18/00601/FUL – Permission granted for two storey rear extension, first floor side extension, part garage conversion and single storey rear extension – Strathmore, Rd Keysoe

18/00712/FUL – Permission granted for one & two storey side extension – 1 Greensbury Farm Barns, Thurleigh Rd, Bolnhurst.

OTHER PLANNING MATTERS: 16/01209/LDE - land at Mill Hill - The Clerk was asked to request an update on this application from Borough Council – Action The Clerk

9. TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING PAYMENTS: Bank Account Reconciled 24/4/18 - £22,869.65 Payments approved: St Dunstans – grant £250.00 St Marys – grant £250.00 G Wiggs – Clerks account £451.56 S Woodward – odd jobber £30.00 Beds Pension Fund £147.28 HMRC – Income Tax £81.60 B Bellamy -expenses £5.99 Bolnhurst & Keysoe Parish Council Pape Woodward – noticeboard repair £30.00

10. YEAR END ACCOUNTS 2017/18 a) Year End Financial Report - This was received & approved b) Internal Auditors Report – this was received and no anomalies were reported c) Annual Review of Internal controls - this was received & approved d) External Auditors Certificate of Exemption for Councils with turnover under £25k - It was RESOLVED to approve the certificate & it was signed for submission. e) External Auditors Return – It was RESOLVED to approve Annual Governance Statement & signed for publication. f) External Auditors Return – It was RESOLVED to approve Accounting Statement & was signed for publication.

11. ADOPTION OF REVISED MODEL STANDING ORDERS It was RESOLVED to adopt the revised NALC Model Standing Orders.

12. PLAYING FIELD PCllr Heming reported that the repainting had been completed to a very high standard & some minor repairs completed.

13. HIGHWAYS Nothing reported.

14. COMMUNITY SAFETY PCllr Bellamy had been unable to attend the last Police meeting, however he had confirmed the Parish Priorities as nuisance dogs, speeding & visible policing. He has also asked for information about the Police Speeding Enforcements Strategy, as there did not seem to be any apparent recent activity in this Parish.

15. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT In light of the impeding cessation of the Village Voice, PCllr Bellamy had produced & circulated an analysis of the potential impact on the Parish Council.

Legal requirements - As far as the Parish Councils legal requirements are concerned, we are required to publish the agenda on the noticeboards & website 3 days before the meeting. There is no legal requirement to publish minutes in a magazine. They are published on the Parish Council website, or a copy is available on request from The Clerk.

Website – The Parish Council is required to have a website & publish certain information on it. The number of visits has grown over the years, & so far this year has averaged 135 per month.

Noticeboards – These are used to publicise meetings, events & other useful information.

Parish Council Quarterly Newsletter – This was started several years ago, in order to meet one of the criteria for the Quality Status scheme in place at the time. This requirement no longer applies, plus the Parish Council opted out of the revised Quality Status Scheme when it changed some years ago. There is therefore no need to produce this newsletter going forward.

In light of the kind offer from a resident during the Open Forum to set up a monthly news sheet, it was considered that this matter will be reviewed again at the next meeting.

16. REPORTS FROM MEETINGS/TRAINING ATTENDED DURING THE MONTH None. Bolnhurst & Keysoe Parish Council

17. CORRESPONDENCE BATPC – GDPR update (emailed 23/4/18) OPCC – Invitation to Annual Report event 3/5/18 (emailed 23/4/18) Police – Priority setting meeting 16/5/18 (emailed 25/4/18) BBC – Town & Parish Network agenda 1/5/18 (emailed 25/4/18) Police – crime stats (emailed 25/4/18) BATPC – GDPR update (emailed 26/4/18 16/5/18) BATPC – BUGLE (emailed 27/4/18) BATPC – Pay scales 2018/19 (emailed 27/4/18) Police – change to PCSO for group 4 (emailed 30/4/18) BBC – Local Plan update (emailed 10/5/18)

18. CLOSE OF BUSINESS - NEXT MEETING 18/6/18, 7.30pm – Keysoe Village Hall.

Signed……………………….………… Date……………………