Appointment of New Vicar for the Parish of Ford
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December 2020 January 2021 Appointment of new Vicar for the parish of Ford and etal Residents of Ford Parish will be pleased to learn, after nearly three years without a resident Rector, that The Rev. Charlotte Osborn has been appointed to be the new Priest in Charge of Lowick, Ford, and Ancroft Parishes. Charlotte will take up her post in the New Year, when she will be licensed by Rt. Rev. Christine Hardman, Bishop of Newcastle, at a special service, details of which are expected shortly. Charlotte has recently been Assistant Curate in the Oakham Team Ministry in the Diocese of Peterborough, but along with her husband Leo, who is a former President of the Methodist Church, she has strong connections with the North East. The position she is to take up will be a half time post, reflecting current trends within the Diocese to reduce the number of full time stipendiary clergy, and it is expected that Charlotte and Leo will take up residence in the Lowick Vicarage in due course. The three parishes have been in an Interregnum since the retirement of Rev. Victor Dickinson in January 2018. During that time, Church services have been taken by various visiting clergy, while other church duties have been covered by the Rev. Rob Kelsey, in his capacity as Area Dean. Other recent changes in clergy posts relevant to this parish include the appointment of The Rev. Catherine Sourbut Groves as Archdeacon of Lindisfarne, and the Rev. Sarah Hills succeeding Rev. Rob Kelsey as Area Dean for the Norham Deanery of which Ford Parish is part. In the meantime, prior to the licensing of Charlotte Osborn, any parishioner with any query relating to the use of the Parish Church at Ford, or the church at Etal, should contact either one of the Churchwardens, or the Area Dean, Rev. Sarah Hills on 01289 389 216. ETAL MYSTERY ! Does anyone know the history of this cup? It has a decoration printed with “A present from Etal”. If you have any information then please contact us at [email protected] or call 01890 820205 1 Extract from the Draft Minutes of Ford Parish Council meeting. Tuesday 10th November 2020 at 5pm via Zoom platform 2. Members present - Cllr Baker, Chairman, Cllr. Gray, Cllr. Beattie, Cllr. Watson, Cllr Mills, Steve Taylor, Clerk Jan Brian, Member of Public 3. Apologies for absence – Cllrs. Bell and Keating 5. Co-option of councillor. Jan Brian was co-opted onto the Parish Council. The Declaration of Acceptance of Office was signed and she agreed to get that and the Declaration of Interests form to the clerk. 6. Police Report - “Here is a report since your last meeting in July. Since your last meeting there have been 10 incidents. This includes 2 incomplete 999 calls, 2 complaints re male, 2 reports of heavy machinery movement, a concern for a dog in a car and a report of a dog loose. There has also been one crime reported. This was criminal damage to a farm gate. Please could you remind people to report any suspicious activity – especially concerning rural crime.” 8. Matters arising from previous minutes. a) The chairman reported that the playground was re-opened in August with new signage relevant to the Covid 19 pandemic. Sovereign had eventually come and replaced the bolts on the slide. He thanked Ford and Etal gardeners for their work keeping the grass cut and making the playground look tidy. Under the current Covid 19 restrictions the playground is allowed to stay open. b) Item 16 – Planning – Signs at Letham Hill road end. The chairman reported that apparently there were some issues with the position of the sign for the sawmill. 9. Budget – to consider the Budget report, review the budget for 2020/21 and set the budget for 2021/22. The budget report was discussed and the following points were made: 1. A small reserve is held for maintenance and repairs to bus shelters and playground. 2. Some discussion was held over the clerk’s wages. Based on the clerk’s attempt to record the number of hours spent on council business in order to pay the minimum wage a large increase would be necessary. 3. The clerk is happy to accept a smaller increase for the FY 2021-22 with a view to a further increase the following year to try to reach a minimum wage figure. 4. It was thought unnecessary to make provision for community support during and after the current pandemic. Contingency could be used if necessary. 5. It was agreed that it was highly unlikely that there would be a contested election for the PC in May 2021 therefore provision for election fees was unnecessary. The current budget was reviewed and the budget for 2021-22 was discussed and set. (See attached) Main points: • Clerk’s wages to be increased to £850 with a view to reach a minimum wage hourly rate over the next couple of years. • Include an amount for software such as Internet Security and Zoom in case it is required. • Keep figure for improvements and repairs as this will need to cover replacement defibrillator pads and possibly new battery. • Precept can stay the same to avoid increasing reserves unnecessarily. It was agreed that the clerk would circulate the draft budget to all councillors for their approval. Once agreed the Precept forms can be submitted to NCC. 10. Precept. The Precept was provisionally set at £1500 and once all councillors have had a chance to look at the proposed budget and have agreed the precept for the FY 2021-22 the clerk will submit this to NCC. 11. Grants Policy The clerk explained that this was a suggestion that the council should hold a Grants Policy which can be published on their website and makes it clear which organisations or charities the council would normally consider giving a grant or donation to. Councillors agreed that the clerk should put a draft policy together for discussion and agreement at the next meeting. 12. Hampers – to discuss email from Jane Pannell re Christmas Hampers It was agreed that councillors would send the clerk suggestions of recipients for a Christmas Hamper from Glendale Connect by 17th November at the latest. He will then forward this list to Jane Pannell. 13. Monthly Tourism Report. Cllr. Baker reported that the season has now finished and the Halloween week was probably the busiest one there has been. Elspeth Gilliland has left her post as Tourism Officer and a new person has taken over the role. 14. Highways. Cllr. Baker reported that some work has been done in Etal Village but although they sent a team of approx. 10 men and 4 vehicles on a Friday, the work was not completed due to either lack of time or lack of Tarmac. They have not been back yet to complete the work. The work on the Hay Farm/Slainsfield loop has been postponed until January. Other councillors reported very poor road surfaces in Ford Village and the road through Crookham. Councillors and the clerk will report these problems. Cllr. Grey reported that he had informed NCC about a broken street light. It was supposed to have been repaired but is still not working properly. The chairman asked the clerk to write to Cllr. Glen Sanderson, Paul Jones and Graham Bucknall to keep them up to date with the various highways issues in need of addressing. 17. Finance. a) It was agreed that the clerk should cancel the monthly subscription for Zoom as the council is not using it enough to warrant the expense. If the platform is still needed for future meetings they can be conducted using the shortened free version. Financial report and Bank reconciliation Expenditure Income Balance Bank balance 22/06/20 3224.34 Expense 10/08/20 T Howe – computer repair 85.00 3139.34 Income 07/09/20 Precept 750.00 3889.34 Expense 28/09/20 N E Engravings and Signs 153.00 3736.34 Bank Balance 05/11/20 3736.34 19. Any other business – Cllr. Gray announced that he is resigning from the Parish Council as he will be moving from the area in the near future. The chairman thanked him for his contribution to the council and wished him well in his new home. The clerk will report the vacancy to NCC. 20. Date of next meeting,–Bi monthly meeting - 12th January 2021 – time and venue to be agreed. 2 Supporting the Berwick Food Bank This has been an incredibly tough year and for some people it has meant that they have had to rely on a food bank for the first time. Due to the current restrictions we, in Crookham, are unable to collect donations for the food bank in the usual way, however donations can be made at Asda and Morrisons in Berwick. Berwick Community Trust, who operate the local food bank, are always grateful to receive non- perishable food items, adult and children’s toiletries and they also try to keep a stock of cat and dog food to support those with pets at home. They are currently running low on the following:- Tinned Peas, Tinned Carrots, Sweetcorn, Corned Beef, Hot dog Sausages, Tinned Ham, Rice Pudding and Tinned fruit. As the festive season is approaching I am sure donations of advent calendars, chocolates and seasonal treats would also be appreciated. If you are unable to get to either of these supermarkets then you can donate money online via https://berwicktrust.org.uk/food-bank-donations/ All money donated goes towards purchasing any food there is a shortage of and towards the rent of the room.