Minutes of with Dagworth & Parish Council

Wednesday 4th September 2019 at Old Newton Village Hall commencing at 7.30pm

Present: J Miller (Chair), M Clements (Vice-Chair), M Reeve, K Baker, J Harbidge, A Perkowski, M Helliwell K Hall-Price (Clerk), District Cllr K Welham, and 5 members of the public. County Cllr Andrew Stringer arrived late.

1. Apologies: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the September meeting. Apologies were received from District Cllr R Eburne. Cllr K Goudy passed his apologies for tonight at the August planning meeting as he is away on holiday. Chairman raised that a long-standing member of the parish council Sue Hill had passed away two weeks ago. The Chairman requested a minutes silence to remember and honour Sue in recognition of her contribution to the parish council and the village. The Chairman thanked the Parish Council and the meeting continued.

2. Dispensations: a) To consider any requests for dispensations – No new requests received. b) To note existing dispensations. The standing dispensation for Cllr Clements in respect of the proposed development land between Silver Street and Finningham Road and Cllr Reeve in respect of the proposed development of the Greenacres Site.

3. Co-Option – 1 x Vacancy – Candidates given a few minutes to speak to the council and then vote to be taken. Christina Barber, Heather Thomas and Andrew Tween spoke to the parish council about standing for the vacant position of parish councillor. Will Ratcliffe spoke to the parish council at the extra planning meeting on 7th August and apologies received for not being in attendance at tonight’s meeting but he is away on holiday. All candidates were asked to leave whilst a vote was taken and the position of Cllr following multiple votes was won by Will Ratcliffe… Clerk asked to write to all candidates and thank them for their offer of service to the parish council. Clerk to contact Will and inform him of the vote and ask him to attend and sign his office of acceptance papers at the October meeting.

4. To receive any declarations of personal/prejudicial interest. Cllr Perkowski declared a personal and prejudicial interest in planning application DC/19/03760 - Demolition of existing bungalow and redevelopment of the site to provide 4no two- storey two/three bed houses and 1no two bed bungalow. Location: 27 Church Road, Old Newton, , IP14 4ED.

5. To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 3rd July 2019, Extra Planning Meeting on 24th July 2019 and additional Extra Planning Meeting of 7th August 2019. It was proposed and seconded to approve all sets of the minutes and they were signed accordingly by the Chairman.

6. Clerks report following previous meeting. • Crier submission was submitted for the August and September edition. • RTI and Nest Pension submissions were completed • All cheques for payment following the July meeting and August sign off were issued. • All planning application responses were submitted to BMSDC by the agreed deadline dates. • Clerk has forwarded to all Cllrs the minutes from the neighbourhood planning committee • Clerk has received a quote for replacement laptop. New 15.6” Laptop for Parish Council as follows: either: Acer ES15 with 8Gb, 240Gb SSD, Windows 10 £440.00 or: HP Probook 450 with 8Gb, 240Gb SSD, Windows 10 £630.00. Either machine would be suitable for normal Parish Council purposes, but the HP one has a faster processor (i3) and higher resolution screen (full HD 1920 x 1080). Price includes transfer of Office 365 licence, installation on new machine, update of all software to current, and transfer of any data stored locally on the old machine. Chairman to investigate the pricing of an overhead projector as this is not something that Faxbase Ltd can assist with as it is outside their normal remit. After discussion it was proposed and seconded for the Clerk to order the Acer ES15 with 8Gb, 240Gb SSD, Windows 10 as this should be more than adequate for the parish council needs moving forward • Full Cleansing Grant funding has been applied from MSDC for qtr ending June 2019 £160.10. • Annual CAS membership has been applied for. This is of zero cost to the Parish Council. • To date the Clerk has received feedback on the PiiP from two village organisations. PiiP is an agenda item for tonight’s meeting. Separate report has been provided to all Cllrs. • Clerk has drafted the meeting dates for 2020 and has issued to all Cllrs this evening.

684 Cemetery - There was a complaint raised regarding the cemetery and how it was sad to see that little care and attention was being paid to the pathways and the headstones etc, also behind the memorial wall was very overgrown again. Clerk raised this with Adam Alexander who agreed to sort it. Lady who made the initial complaint has confirmed that the cemetery is looking lovely again and thanked all concerned for taking her comments on board. She has also mentioned that there are some mole / rabbit holes that are making some of the headstones unsteady… She has agreed to monitor this on my behalf as she knows there is very little we can do regarding rabbits and moles in the cemetery.

Adam has also stated that there was some broken glass from a solar light on one of the graves that cut through his work shoes, this is potentially a hazard and has asked if it was possible for any signs to be made asking people not to put lights on the graves. Cemetery committee to walk round and enforce the rules. Report back for the next meeting.

Online system of graves / burial – clerk to investigate packages.

Police Report / Crime Map Statistics • Police are appealing for information following a theft of farming machinery in Creeting St Mary. A Kabota UTV, registration AY68DXA was stolen from an open sided building on All Saints Road. The theft occurred between 6pm Friday 23rd and 8am Saturday 24th August. At the same location, during similar timeframes, two pedal cycles, power tools and fishing tackle were stolen from a shed.

• The home in Lime Tree Place was broken into sometime between 9am Monday 19th & 4.15pm Wednesday 28th August after a window was forced open. Once inside an untidy search took place throughout the property and cash was stolen.

• Bogus telephone scams are about again claiming to be from HMRC.

• Police are urging residents to keep garages and outbuildings secure, and to remain vigilant of suspicious activity, following a series of burglaries in the mid-Suffolk area. There have been 12 incidents reported in the area over the last month, details of which were provided to the meeting. Officers are currently keeping an open mind regarding whether these incidents are linked and enquiries are ongoing.

MONTH DETAIL OF INCIDENTS / CRIMES

May 2019 1 x Violence / Sexual offence on or near Greenacres 1 x Vehicle Crime on or near Cross Green June 2019 1 x theft (other) on or near Falconer Avenue

July 2019 1 x theft (other) on or near Brown Street 1 x Violence / Sexual offence on or near Brown Street August 2019 Data not yet available

7. Financial matters & Financial report Scottish Widows have confirmed the Clerks contact details have now been amended. Bank Account Balances: • Barclays July Statement Balance £25,811.13 (30.07.19) • Barclays August Statement Balance £21,229.07 (30.08.19) • Scottish Widows 60 Day account balance = £3,378.20 (01.07.19) • Scottish Widows Deposit account = £253.43(01.07.19) • Public Works Loan – Annual Statement – Balance outstanding at: 06.04.19 - £26,892.38

Accounts for payment – July 2019: • KAREN PRICE - Salary July incl. holiday pay, expenses and less tax & NI and pension = £1,042.06 Chq 101165. • HMRC – PAYE NI & Tax – Employee NIC £33.87, Employer NIC £38.95 = £72.82 Chq 101166 • NEST Pension Contribution DDR – employee 5% £40.06, employer 3% £30.04 = £70.10 • Adam Alexander cemetery maintenance July 19 - £210.00. Chq 101167 Cheques all approved and signed off by Cllrs Miller and Harbidge on 3rd July 2019 as agreed at the June meeting. Cllr Harbidge does need to sign the invoices as well as the cheques and cheque stubs when authorising the parish council cheques.

685 Accounts for payment – August 2019: • KAREN PRICE - Salary August includes holiday pay, expenses and less tax & NI and pension = £889.38. • HMRC – PAYE NI & Tax – Employee NIC £11.02, Employer NIC £12.68 = £23.70 • NEST Pension Contribution DDR – employee 5% £32.44, employer 3% £24.33 = £56.77 • Adam Alexander cemetery maintenance August 19 - £255.00 • Chipper-Tech Tree removal Ward Green £1,272.00 • CGM grass cutting village hall July £170.96 • Data Protection Fee £40.00. This can be done by DDR and will receive a reduction of £5 or can be paid by cheque as has been done historically. Proposed and seconded to pay by DDR • Public Works Loan Repayment – DDR 27/08/19 - £2,613.62 Monies Received – July & August 2019: • Coop Cemetery fees received for Mr John William Eldred £50.00 (payslip: 100116)

Proposed and seconded to pay the accounts. All Cllr’s present agreed. The cheques were signed accordingly.

8. Correspondence Received & Circulars: • Silver street complaint as there are two days for collection and some are not being collected at all. • Claire Pizzey – Stowupland Parish Clerk – Training re: Gang Culture and County Lines training. • SCC Highways - Grit Bins – Update / Guidance • SCC Highways – Response regarding footway works scheduled next week • Cemetery Complaint received • Footpath complaint received • MSDC – CIL Bids – round 4 – 1st October • Network Rail changes to level crossings Various circulars received for information purposes. File circulated during the meeting.

9. To receive District Councillor’s Report – Mrs Rachel Eburne / Mr Keith Welham. Clerk to forward report. • Bin collection day change - The Council is grateful to everyone for their patience while we transitioned to our new collection rounds. This was a huge undertaking for the waste team, as well as an essential step to make the routes more fuel efficient and ensure there is capacity to meet future growth. Crews are bedding into their new routes with the support of the officer team. If you have any questions about the changes, please visit the FAQs on the MSDC website or alternatively, get in touch with the waste team. Complaints have been made regarding the new days for collection Old Newton is currently having three separate days each week. Complaint letter to be forwarded to Cllr Welham by the Chair. • MSDC Finances - District Council’s first quarter finances show that the Council has a surplus of £180,000. This is caused primarily by a large increase in planning income, of £521,000, which is offset by increases in IT costs of £176,000, CIFCO and Gateway 14 expenses of £98,000 and a reduction in income of £169,000 from the PV panels. • Gateway 14 expansion - Mid Suffolk District Council’s subsidiary company Gateway 14 Ltd has completed the purchase of the Stowmarket East site adjacent to the Gateway 14 site. This means that the Council owns a block of land between A14 and the railway line to the east of A1120. • Draft Joint Local Plan Consultation - A number of public events have been held across the District to discuss the draft Joint Local Plan with residents, with 9 more planned this month before the consultation ends on 30 September. These include a drop-in event in Bacton Village Hall on 9 September from 2.30 to 6.30. The draft Joint Local Plan proposes a set of planning policies that will be used to inform decisions on planning applications and appeals over the next 18 years, up to 2036. Residents can take part online, or by visiting one of the remaining public consultation events. Bacton Village Hall are hosting a public event on 9th September 2.30pm – 6.30pm. Are the parish council going to be submitting a response. • Traffic and Parking near schools - A request for a PCSO to witness the drop-off and pick-up at the school was made and a visit has taken place. We have asked for further visits during the autumn term. Keith Welham raised the problem of road safety near schools at a recent Police and Crime Panel meeting and, as a result, a task group is to be set up to scrutinise the roles of the Police and County Council; the aim is to come up with recommendations on how improvements can be made. • Locality Budget - This fund is available for local projects run by Parish Councils or other local groups, or for new projects. If you have a project which will be of value to the community, please contact Keith Welham for an application form for an informal discussion. Reminder in the crier. Deadline for applications 15th October. Decisions will be made by end of October.

686 Public Gallery / Cllr Comments • Cllr Welham confirmed that commercial land and light industrial workshop units and catering facilities will be on both sides of the A14.

Rachel Eburne Keith Welham 01449 673311 01449 673185 [email protected] [email protected] Joint Mid Suffolk District Council Ward Members (Green Party) for the Ward of Haughley, Stowupland & Wetherden – including Old Newton (with Gipping and Dagworth)

10. To receive County Councillor’s Report – Mr Andrew Stringer Hundreds of children still unsure about school transport arrangements - In September 2019, Suffolk County Council’s new Home to School transport policy will be implemented. Children moving to a new school will only receive free transport from the council if it is their nearest school and more than 2 miles from their homes. All eligible parents were asked to opt-in and apply for transport, and those who were not eligible for free transport were offered the opportunity to buy a spare seta on SCC school buses. However, 472 applications for home-to-school transport remained outstanding at the end of August, with families unsure of whether they would be allocated a seat on an SCC school bus in time for the start of the new school year.

First stage of Boundary Commission review - The Local Government Boundary Commission for is currently undertaking a review of Suffolk County Council, to determine both the number of councillors and the boundaries between divisions. For the first stage of the review, the Liberal Democrat, Green and Independent Group submitted a proposal to keep councillor numbers in Suffolk at a minimum of 75, with the potential for an increase to 80. This was based on the need to ensure proper local representation and encourage diversity amongst councillors, which consequently requires a more manageable workload. Furthermore, given the predicted population growth in Suffolk and the reduced funding that local government is receiving, it is likely that councillor workloads will only continue to increase in the future. The Conservative and Labour Groups submitted a joint proposal asking for a reduction to 70 councillors. The next stage of the review will determine the new division boundaries and will include two public consultations. The review is expected to be completed by July 2020.

Public Gallery / Cllr Comments – Nothing raised

11. Planning Applications Received DC/19/03760 - Proposal: Demolition of existing bungalow and redevelopment of the site to provide 4no two-storey two/three bed houses and 1no two bed bungalow. Location: 27 Church Road, Old Newton, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 4ED. MSDC comments requested by 6th September 2019. Cllr Perkowski left the meeting. Opened to allow members of the public to raise their concerns with the Parish Council. The access and highways letter within the application states that it is not ideal and Cllrs still strongly believe that access and visibility is not deemed sufficient for the plot. Church Road is already a narrow small road and will not easily take additional uplift in traffic that will in turn have an impact on the junction at the Shoulder of Mutton cross-roads. The B1113 is already a designated lorry route and Church Road has several farming businesses whereby large lorries are already struggling on this road. T10 – Highway considerations in development apply.

This was objected to previously by the parish council and Cllrs believe that the original objections still apply. The proposed building line is not in keeping with historically what is already in existence and the building line is still too far forward.

It was proposed to object as the access points are still not addressed. Cllrs do not feel that the access and visibility have been sufficiently changed to make a positive difference. The impact on the neighbours is also a concern with roadways running adjacent to rear fences, also the necessary investigations into wildlife concerns need to be fully investigated. Proposed and seconded unanimously to object to this application. Application REFUSED by all Cllrs present at the meeting. Cllr Perkowski was asked to return to the meeting.

• DC/19/03836 - Proposal: Householder Planning Application - Erection of a single storey side extension and insertion of a door and canopy. Location: 22 Knights Close, Old Newton, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 4JS. MSDC Comments requested by 4th September 2019. Cllrs comments are that although the extension seems large it does not seem too big for the plot and is in keeping with neighbouring property. Proposed to accept, seconded all in favour. Parish Council Approve with unanimous vote.

687 12. Planning Decisions from MSDC • DC/19/03492 Householder Planning Application - Erection of a traction engine storage building at 104 Silver Street, Old Newton, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 4HE. This application has now been withdrawn. • DC/19/01896 & DC/19/01897 – Erection of single storey rear extension, relocation of bathroom window and removal of porch and listed building consent. Both these applications have been withdrawn • DC/19/03269. Erection of rear extension (following demolition of existing rear extension). Location: 2 Bridge Cottage, Stowmarket Road, Old Newton, IP14 4PD. MSDC Planning Permission has been granted. • DC/19/02613 – Appearance, landscaping, layout and scale for erection of two detached dwellings (phase 2b only) on Land South East Of, Chapel Road, Old Newton, Stowmarket Suffolk IP14 4PP. MSDC Reserved Matters has been approved. • DC/19/02613 - DISCHARGE OF CONDITION(S) TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990. Proposal: Discharge of Conditions Application for DC/19/02613- Condition 4 (Archaeological Works). Location: Land South East Of, Chapel Road, Old Newton, Stowmarket Suffolk IP14 4PP. • DC/19/03264 - Outline Planning Application (some matters reserved - access and layout to be considered) - Erection of up to 5No dwellings and construction of car park for primary school use. Land To The East Of, School Road, Old Newton, Suffolk. MSDC Planning Permission has been refused • DC/19/03135 - Land South East Of Applewhite House, Finningham Road, Old Newton, Stowmarket Suffolk IP14 4EU. MSDC Planning Permission for approval of reserved matters has been granted

13. Footpath 52 & 53 Update / Safe Route to School Update - Charlotte Ditchum – SCC Area Rights of Way Officer - Meeting to discuss footpaths 52 & 53, Cllrs Miller, Goudy and the Clerk met Peter Godden and Charlotte on site at 11am on 12th July. There is a hole in the hedge-row allowing access and the footpath has been agreed to go around the graves rather than over them. Peter agreed to make the pathway clear and visible. Additional discussions with Charlotte regarding the safe routes to school scheme and the downs footpath with suggestions on how we can improve both sections were promising however Charlotte has met with senior management within the rights of way team mean that this might not be as easy as we had hoped. Adam Alexander had cut the nettles back at the boardwalk and either side on Thursday 27th June prior to the July meeting. Clerk walked the footpath on Thursday 4th July and confirmed with the chair and Vice chair that the footpath is almost clear, the worst parts being the Hill land end with the side verges being slightly overgrown on the Wrinch land. Cllr Clements spoke with Mr Hill who confirmed he would cut the footpath on Tuesday 9th July following baling on his land, this was gratefully accepted. Cllr Clements strimmed back the edges of the Wrinch land.

14. PiiP Working Document – Village groups / organisations consultation returns. In red indicate not really necessary for inclusion within the PiiP The priorities seemed to be “top heavy” in respect of these young people to the detriment of the remaining members of the community.

• Sheltered housing for the elderly is not considered until year eleven onwards. This type of housing is not likely to come to fruition for possibly twenty years. It was felt that it is important to consider this aspect much earlier. • The Parish Council when considering planning applications for housing development ought to have a written policy of recommending a mix of housing types. There is a need to be cognisant of the need for bungalows which could be occupied by elderly people. Pass this on to the neighbourhood plan committee. • It was agreed that some form of footpath for use by children and their parents walking to the school from the village is desirable but the barriers to the implementation of that project were recognised. (A member mentioned that the land by the side of Church Road outside the properties which are adjacent to the Village Hall is owned by the householders in those properties. It was, apparently, a condition of the purchase of those properties that the grass verge would also be purchased.) It was strongly debated, however, that the parking problem in the vicinity of the village school currently presents a far greater risk to road safety and the Parish Council is urged to do all that it can to address this problem before a serious accident occurs. Agreed that this was not something for the Piip as is being addressed by rights of way and safer routes to school within SCC. • The issue of community transport should be considered much more urgently than eleven years – the Parish Council should take every opportunity to lobby for improved public transport provision, especially when the village population is due to increase. • There does not appear to have been any thought given to “Green issues” in the PiiP. It was accepted that the plans for changes to the Village Hall included renewable energy sources. The Parish Council should have energy efficiency, nature conservation and similar environmental concerns in mind when it makes observations on future housing developments within the Parish. Our village groups such as ONEG, ONCE, ONGAA all have been consulted too.

688 Under 5’s comments • Village play equipment rated higher than 6-11years. Upgrading of equipment in the wooden zone = it is tired despite having received a number of repairs. Village Hall Committee aware • Agreed that pathways from all areas of the village to the school are vital. By providing suitable pathways it will encourage more families to walk to school.

For our group, we are currently looking to improve our outdoor space to provide more outdoor learning and activities. The improvements that we intend to make will enhance the overall look of the outdoor space for the village hall. If the Parish Council are able to contribute towards this project, then any assistance will be greatly received.

A long-term aspiration would be to have a purpose build Preschool in the village. As this would give us more scope to provide extended childcare services to the community. We appreciate that the village hall is having a refurbishment, so I have discussed this with Mr P Groom, chairperson for the Village Hall and he raised no objections to us suggesting this within our email.

Old Newton WI Comments At the May meeting members discussed the PIIP. Two points were raised by members; We assume the sentence Community Pub should read Community Hub and we would express the need for footpaths to the school be immediate rather than the proposed 1-5 years. These are our only comments. Thank You. Diane Tween

Piip Meeting to be held by Cllrs on Wednesday 25th September meeting in order that the revised PiiP can be adopted and issued at the October meeting. This will also give the opportunity to include any additional comments from village organisations not received yet.

15. SID Batteries Quote / Order Approval. – Cllr Clements apologised and asked if this could be deferred to the October Meeting as he had not got the information to hand for tonight’s meeting.

16. Neighbourhood Plan Update / Minutes – Clerk has attempted to create a new page on the village website but presently is struggling to link it to the minutes – This is a work in progress. All Cllrs have received copy of the minutes provided by Janet Pearson. It would appear that the Clerk as the RFO will need to attend all future meetings. Cllr Perkowski has had to withdraw from the committee due to work commitments.

17. Ward Green – Grass Cutting / Fallen Tree and pond maintenance - On 30th July following some high winds a large limb off the big tree around the pond on Ward Green came down by the side of Goose Neck Cottage weighing down the telephone cables and falling into the garden and brushed against the house. This was reported by the owners of Gooseneck Cottage. Clerk rang Ben Stearn who was working out of the area and suggested we contact Chipper-tech who came out to assess the tree the same evening and attended the next day to make it safe and remove the dead branch. The whole tree was deemed unsafe and with any further high winds or storms was hazardous and on advice from the Chairman and Vice Chairman the clerk gave permission to remove the remainder of the tree down to a safe level. Invoice presented for payment at tonight’s meeting. Clerk has since had two parishioners claiming damage has been caused by the tree fall and has asked the Clerk to arrange for repairs. Clerk has spoken to our insurance - Zurich who have advised that any damage to resident’s properties was caused by the tree during the high winds, therefore they are able to make a claim on their own property insurance under storm peril. In order to claim off our insurance policy they have to prove that the parish council were negligent and as we inspected the trees annually and dealt with the fall and the removal at the earliest opportunity our Public liability insurance doesn’t kick in and according to Zurich we are not negligent. Clerk to respond to both homeowners accordingly following tonight’s meeting.

Residents have contacted the Clerk informing the parish council of a neighbourhood gathering on the green that took place on Saturday 24th August. Resident asked if the grass would be cut or if they could cut a small area. Clerk said that this was ok as the Scarff family have informed the clerk they are not in a position to cut the grass this year and although the clerk has asked for quotes from CGM who currently cut the village hall and Adam Alexander who tends the cemetery with a view to this being done approximately 3 times during the year, suggested April, July and end September – It would not be done in time for the gathering on 24th August. Permission was granted but Clerk did request that permission / information be more in advance if this was to become an annual occurrence. Mr Hills son in law has asked if he could quote for the hay as he would be interested in cutting it. Possible take it away at no cost to the parish council.

Clerk asks permission this evening to instruct Ben Stearn to assess the pond and the trees and complete the annual tidy up of the fenced area around the pond on Ward Green. Proposed, seconded and all Cllrs present agreed.

18. SALC Meeting – 5th September – Anything Cllrs wish Cllr Clements to raise with SALC. 689

19. Councillors Matters to be bought to the attention of the Council • New Dog bin on Falconer Avenue has not been collected again – Cllr Clements has sent a request for it to be emptied as soon as possible. • SID is back up – The readings from Church Road were encouraging and an improvement from last time.

20. Public Forum • Nothing – Members of the public had already left the meeting.

21. Additional Matters for inclusion on the agenda for the October 2019 meeting. • Piip Document • Neighbourhood Plan • Ward Green Report – Grass / Hay cutting / Pond Maintenance • SID Batteries Quote / Order Approval • Cemetery Report / Digital packages for cemetery plots.

22. Date of the next Parish Council meeting – The October meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 2nd October 2019 at 7.30pm. Meeting closed at 21.42hrs

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