309 OUSDEN PARISH COUNCIL Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 12th November 2019 Councillors present: John Gale, Ian Harding, Geoff Ingham, Sylvia Pettitt, Guy Holland-Bosworth and Chris Ridge Also present: Joanne Kirk (Clerk). District Councillor Mike Chester arrived at 7.10pm. County Councillor Mary Evans arrived at 7.30pm. 1. Acceptance of apologies for absence Apologies were received from Alan Johansen. 2. Declaration of Interest in items on the agenda and dispensation requests No councillors declared an interest in any items on the agenda and no dispensations were requested. 3. Approval of minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 10th September 2019 It was resolved that the minutes were correct. The chairman then signed them. 4. Police issues There were no police issues to report. 5. Update on list of actions agreed at the last meeting There were two outstanding councillor actions. 6. District Councillor’s report District Councillor Mike Chester emailed a report ahead of the meeting which was circulated to councillors. The key points in the report were: • He thanked those who attended and contributed to the four public meetings hosted by the Rural Task Force (RTF). A draft report from the RTF will be presented to the West Suffolk District Council Cabinet on November 12th. More consultations are planned for November, these remaining meetings will conclude the work of the RTF with the final recommendations going to Cabinet in January 2020. • West Suffolk Council is consulting on its Strategic Housing Land and Economic Availability Assessment (SHELAA). The final SHELAA will be published in late 2019. • West Suffolk Council is also carrying out a Sustainable Settlements Review. The draft Sustainable Settlements Study will be published in early 2020 alongside the Issues and Options West Suffolk Local Plan. • A planning application to transform the former Cornhill Post Office in Bury St Edmunds town centre has been passed by the Development Control Committee. The plans will turn 17-18 Cornhill into 12 flats, two commercial units and widen Market Thoroughfare. Much of the existing structure will be demolished but the historic façade will be retained. • County Lines drug dealers are targeting West Suffolk. The term County Lines refers to the mobile phone lines used in the illegal trade of drugs. • WSC’s list of building acquisitions is increasing with a diverse portfolio intended to create sustainable income enabling less reliance on Government funding. • The Mildenhall Hub opening late 2020 will include a new school, children’s centre, new leisure facilities, a health centre, facilities for Suffolk Police, West Suffolk Council and Suffolk County Council, as well as a library, job centre and Citizen’s Advice centre. • Newmarket Leisure Centre is undergoing a major facelift, due to be completed by Christmas, this £1.8 million investment will make the building fit for the 21st century. 7. Report by County Councillor Mary Evans County Councillor Mary Evans emailed a report ahead of the meeting which was circulated to councillors. The key points in the report were: • She apologised for having to cancel the rural crime meeting on 15th October because Sgt Calver was called away at very short notice. She is planning to re-arrange it. Ousden Parish Council – 12th November 2019 310 • A new and improved recycling centre will open in Bury St Edmunds at the end of November. The flagship site in Fornham Road will replace the current recycling centre at Rougham Hill, Bury St Edmunds. The new centre will be the first open air site in Suffolk where all containers can be accessed by the public from ground level, removing the need for struggling up steps. Visitors will be able to recycle the same wide range of materials currently available at the Rougham Hill Recycling Centre. A charity Reuse shop, which will take materials suitable for reuse from recycling centres, will also be opening on the site towards the end of the year. • Suffolk’s care homes have improved markedly in recent years so that the Care Quality Commission now rates more than 87% of our care homes as good or outstanding. • The local government boundary commission for England is reviewing Suffolk County Council to bring the divisions into line as the population size can vary from just over 5,000 to nearly 9,000. Currently there are 75 County Councillors. The number will be cut to 70. The decision to reduce to 70 means division sizes will be about the size of the existing Clare division but she expects there will be changes in the make-up of the division. • Suffolk Trading Standards are warning people not to participate in sharing an Argos giveaway post claiming that everyone who shares and takes part will have a chance to win £1,000 in vouchers. The post is currently circulating on Facebook. This post is fraudulent and has no connection to Argos. • She is no longer portfolio holder for Highway. She has now taken over the role of cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills. She has launched a review of the implementation of the new home to school transport policy which is being led by Suffolk’s Fire Chief Officer Mark Hardingham. She is also focussing on children’s mental health, improvements to the support we provide to the young people leaving care and provision for more school places for children with SEND. • The area in Lady’s Green where Anglian Water has a storage depot its current work in the area will be visited by the Network Technical Manager for Suffolk County Council. Anglian Water has been told that they need to keep the road clear of mud. 8. Police issues There were no police issues to report. 9. Finance a) Approval of any payments and signing of the Schedule of Payments It was resolved that the following payments would be approved: • McGregor Services – grass cutting - Open Spaces Act 1906, ss.9 and 10 – £60.00 • J P Kirk - expenses - LGA 1972, s111 – £12.25 Geoffrey Ingham and Sylvia Pettitt signed the Schedule of Payments. The Chairman then countersigned it. b) Approval of payments authorised between meetings One payment was authorised between meetings – West Suffolk Council – election costs – Representation of the People Act 1983, s36 - £21.34 c) Statement of receipts and payments (including online payments) made since the last meeting Receipts Details Amount Payments Minute Method Amount reference 11/09/19 306/9a J P Kirk - expenses Online £14.08 11/09/19 306/9a McGregor Services - grass cutting Online £60.00 11/09/19 306/9a Risby PC - 1/6 of cost of print cartridge Online £6.24 11/09/19 306/9a Risby PC - phone costs Online £21.61 11/09/19 306/9a Business Services at CAS Ltd - insurance Online £356.72 11/09/19 293/8g Risby PC - pension payment S/O £15.00 30/09/19 293/8f Staff costs S/O Ousden Parish Council – 12th November 2019 311 01/10/19 298/8f Eon - electricity St Barnabas D/D £44.51 01/10/19 Authorisation West Suffolk Council - election costs Online £21.34 slip 001 02/10/19 297/8f McGregor Services - grass and hedge cutting Online £132.00 03/10/19 306/9g Royal British Legion - donation Chq no £40.00 000530 10/10/19 293/8g Risby PC - pension payment S/O £15.00 30/10/19 293/8f Staff costs S/O d) Bank balances as of 31st October 2019 Current account: £1,417.43 Reserve account: £6,707.90 Geoffrey Ingham and Sylvia Pettitt verified and signed the bank statements. e) Councillor to complete the checklist of internal controls Geoffrey Ingham and Sylvia Pettitt signed the checklist of internal controls. f) Inspection of council property It was agreed that the following follow up actions would be carried out in spring 2020: • Clean the village sign (JG) • Clear the lichen off the circular oak seat (GI) • Stain the circular oak seat (JG) g) Budget 2020/21 and budget report It was resolved that the Parish Council would increase the precept to cover the ongoing costs of running the village hall. It was also agreed that receipt of the recycling credits would be transferred to the Village Hall Management Committee. It was resolved that the precept increase would be £7,932. This is an increase of 36.67% which equates to £18.07 per annum per band D household. The parish council element for a band D household will be £67.35 per annum an increase from £49.28. The contribution to the village hall will be reviewed annually. It was also resolved that details of the proposed increase would be included in the neXt newsletter with an explanation as to why this decision has been made. In the recent village survey, of the 74 households which returned the survey, 82% thought it would be fair that ongoing annual costs for maintaining these facilities be shared among Ousden residents by an appropriate increase in the precept. h) Additional financial support for the village hall See 9g above. i) Recycling credits See 9g above. j) Possible subscription to Scribe for new accounting software. It was resolved that the Council would subscribe to Scribe’s accounting software for parish councils for one year initially. It will be a single user licence shared between the clerk’s six parish councils. The cost will be £56.16 including VAT (LGA 1972, s111). k) SLCC membership – cost £76 per annum It was resolved that the Council would not subscribe to SLCC as the cost is too high, particularly as Ousden Parish Council already subscribes to the Suffolk Association of Local Councils.