Town Clerk 17 June 2021 Mr E Reilly CMgr FCMI FSLCC Council Offices, The Priory, St Neots, PE19 2BH Tel: 01480 388911 / Email: [email protected]/ www.stneots-tc.gov.uk To: All Town Councillors Copies: County Councillors - J Wisson, S Taylor, & D Wells District Councillors - N Johnson, D Wells, Dr P Gaskin, & K Prentice Local Press, Town Council website NOTICE IS GIVEN that a TOWN COUNCIL MEETING will be held in the PRIORY CENTRE, The Priory, St Neots, PE19 2BH on WEDNESDAY 23 June 2021 at 7.15pm. Members of the Council are HEREBY SUMMONED to attend to consider the following business: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There will be a 10-minute public participation before the meeting to allow any resident to address the Council on any matter appearing on the agenda for this meeting. A G E N D A 1. Apologies for Absence To receive Councillors’ apologies for absence. 2. Declarations of Interest To receive from Councillors’ declarations as to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and/or Non Statutory Disclosable Interests along with the nature of those interests in relation to any agenda item. 3. Minutes To approve the minutes of the following Town Council meetings as a true and accurate Attachment 1 record. • 27th April 2021 • 4th May 2021 - ATCM • 5th May 2021 - ECM 4. Delegated Action (10 mins) Members to note the actions taken by Officers under delegated action. Attachment 2 5. Annual Internal Audit Report (10 mins) Members to note the Annual Internal Audit Report together with the Final Internal Attachment 3 Audit Report for 2020/2021 6. AGAR – Section 1 Annual Governance Statement – 2020/2021b (10 mins) Members to resolve to approve the Annual Governance Statement for 2020/2021 Attachment 4 7. AGAR – Section 2 Accounting Statements 2020/2021 (10 mins) Members to resolve to approve the Accounting Statements for 2020/2021 Attachment 5 8. Bedford Borough Dennybrook Garden Village Proposal (10 mins) Members to resolve to approve a response to the Bedford Borough Dennybrook Attachment 6 Garden Village Proposal 9. Standing Orders Members to review the current adopted Standing Orders for 2021/2022. Attachment 7 Page 1 of 2 Town Clerk 17 June 2021 Mr E Reilly CMgr FCMI FSLCC Members to approve the amendments to Section 19 and to make the entire Standing Orders gender neutral as recommended by the Personnel committee. 10. Boundary Review (10 mins) Members to agree action following proposed boundary changes by the Boundary Commission for England. 11. Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) – Poets and Painters Estate (5 mins) To receive an update from the Clerk on the request to HDC for a CPO. 12. Hogarth Place (10 mins) Members to consider a proposal from Cllr D Giles that St Neots Town Council applies to Cambridgeshire County Council to reinstate the original play area located adjacent to the land at 9 Hogarth Place Eaton Ford. 13. St Johns Ambulance Building (5mins) Members to consider a proposal from Cllr D Giles that St Neots Town Council requests that The St John Ambulance organisation offers back the freehold of the site currently occupied by their temporary training portacabin known as Andrews House, Cemetery Road, St Neots at a price similar to that which the organisation paid St Neots Town Council in 1995. H Broughton LOCUM TOWN CLERK Page 2 of 2 ATTACHMENT 1 Council Offices, the Priory, St Neots, PE19 2BH Tel: 01480 388911 / Email: [email protected]/ www.stneots-tc.gov.uk Minutes of the MEETING OF ST NEOTS TOWN COUNCIL Held REMOTELY on TUESDAY 27 APRIL 2021 Present: Cllrs Ferguson (Chairperson), Simonis (Deputy Chairperson), Chapman, D Giles, S Giles, Pitt, Davies, Banks, Johnson, Poodle, Maslen, Christine Green, Gregson, Speed, Presland, and Thorpe. In attendance: Deputy Town Clerk, Responsible Financial Officer, & Locum Clerk – J Gellatly PUBLIC PARTICIPATION There were three members of the public present. They did not wish to address the Council on any agenda items. 203 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received from Cllrs Collins and Cooper-Marsh with valid reasons. Cllrs Caroline Green and Terry were recorded as absent. 204 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Clerk Note - Cllr Poodle joined the meeting at 7.19pm. There were none. 205 OUTSTANDING RESOLUTIONS Sue Jarrett Memorial It was proposed and seconded that this Council formally recognise the outstanding contribution made by Sue Jarrett as a teacher, historian, and community leader, and offer our sincere condolences to her family and investigate options for a permanent memorial for Sue Jarrett. RESOLVED to accept. Update 23/3/21 – Cllr Banks to co-ordinate memorial ideas and to liaise with St Neots Initiative about their plans for a memorial. Update 27/4/21 – there were no further updates. The Chairperson suggested that members should Transforming Places Through Heritage It was proposed and seconded that this Council expresses an interest in purchasing the Oast House and/or working with other parties to bring it into public use, resolves to work with the existing owner to conduct a project viability study, to seek written confirmation from the Oast House owner, agreeing to feasibility work being carried out on the property, which would likely take 6 months to complete and to apply for grant funding to support this venture. RESOLVED to accept. Update 23/03/21 – communications are moving forward with the owners. Update 27/4/21 - agreement preparation in progress with building owners of The Maltings building to support the Council’s AHF grant application for £15k to carry out a feasibility study and giving first option to the Council to purchase the building. Acre Report It was proposed and seconded that this Council forms a working party to review the recent ACRE report commissioned by the Council on it’s community centres and reports back with their recommendations to the next Full Council meeting. RESOLVED to accept. Update 23/03/21 – The working party will have a business plan ready for September 2021. Members of this working party are Cllrs Pitt, Cooper-Marsh, Chapman and Simonis. HDC CIL Funding Grant HDC have voted to spend £5m of CIL funding in St Neots further details to be shared with members when they become available. Update 27/4/21 – no further updates available currently that aren’t already in the public domain. St Neots Market Square Pedestrianisation Cambridgeshire County Council has confirmed a deed of agreement exists between CCC, HDC, the Rowley’s and Wendy Fair Markets, a copy of which has been shared with the Town Council. We have also been advised there are currently no plans to review the agreement. St Neots Town Council should therefore consider seeking legal advice to investigate opportunities to obtain the Market Charter rights in the future. Update 23/03/21 – DTC to contact G Beadsley at CCC to find out if the agreement were renewed after it is expiry in 2005 and that the Council would wish to be consulted as an interested party. APPROVED – pending Page 1 of 4 Update 27/4/21 – no further update currently. It was noted that this is to acquire the tenancy of the market rights. Youth Council It was proposed and seconded that the Youth Council immediately co-opt a “steering group” of 6-12 young people who will help to define the role of the Youth Council and to decide how it will elect its members (in a way that reflects the diverse nature of youth in this town). RESOLVED to accept. It was proposed and seconded that the Youth Council appoint a professional adult facilitator with relevant experience who will guide the Council in its decision making (a role that is similar to that of a town clerk) from the Youth Council budget, at an hourly rate. RESOLVED to accept Update 23/03/21 – The Youth Council elections will take place in May. Update 27/4/21 – The Youth Council’s first meeting will be held at the beginning of June and they will elect their own leadership committee. Town Green Order It was proposed and seconded that this Council submits to Cambridgeshire County Council a letter of support for a Town / Village Green application (under section 15(2) of the Commons Act 2006 for the area known as Peppercorn fields off of Peppercorns Lane in Eaton Socon. The Chair to submit the letter on behalf of the Council. RESOLVED to accept. Update 23/02/21 – This item deferred until the time is appropriate for a letter to be issued. Update 23/03/21 – The application will go to public consultation on 25 March 2021. Update 27/4/21 – The Chairperson is waiting for information from Cllr Giles and Chapman to include in their letter. Cllr Giles confirmed that this would be provided. Play Areas The Town Mayor to write to HDC recommending that they install the same communication boards in HDC play areas within the St Neots catchment area. Update 27/4/21 – Cllr Johnson to assist the Chairperson with this. Eaton Community Centre - Solar Panels Members received an update from the Tender Board panel. The reason for installing solar panels is to reduce carbon emissions. It was proposed and seconded that this is reviewed by the Finance & Governance committee. RESOLVED to accept. Update 27/4/21 – to be included on the agenda for the next F&G committee meeting. Hogarth Place Members to consider a motion from Cllr Derek Giles that St Neots Town Council requests that Cambridgeshire County Council replace the play equipment on the play area adjacent to 7 Hogarth Place Eaton Ford PE197RL or allocate this play area to St Neots Town Council for the purpose of a play area for children with a disability.