Minutes 9th January 2018 – Swaffham Bulbeck Parish Council

MEETING NUMBER 459

Held at Downing Court on Tuesday 9th January 2018 starting at 7.30pm

Present: Cllr Sue Romero (SR); Cllr Mary Smith (MS); Cllr Gordon Reid (GR); Cllr Nicky Bates; Cllr Lynn Reed (LR); Cllr Kay Ballard (KB); Cllr John Trapp (JT);
Members: 9 Quorum: 3
Members of the Public:
Clerk: Mrs D Bayliss
D Cllr Allen Alderson;
0 Parishioners
Meeting opened at 7.35pm

4389 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Cllr Peter Raby; Cllr Robin Sewell; C Cllr Mathew Shuter;

4390 MEMBERS DECLARATION OF INTEREST FOR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
None

4391 OPEN FORUM FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
None

4392 TO APPROVE MINUTES OF MEETING 458 5th DECEMBER 2017
It was proposed by Cllr MS and seconded by Cllr KB that the minutes of the meeting held on 5th December 2017 are approved and signed by the Chairman.
CARRIED
Cllr JT abstained from the vote as he was not at the last meeting.

4393 MATTERS ARISING including REPORTS FROM CLERK AND COUNCILLORS
(For information only)
Cllr GR asked if there had been any response from ECDC re the obscured street light in Commercial End. ECDC recommended that the matter should be reported to the County Council to see if they can take any action.
Cllr SR reported that she had completed the monitoring form required by Amey Cespa (grant funding for Denny play equipment) to be submitted every year for 5 years. Clerk

4394 COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORTS
County Councillor
The council expressed their disappointment that there was still no report from the County Councillor.
Clerk
District Councillor
The District Councillors report was distributed before the meeting.

4395 PLANNING MATTERS
a) Planning Applications
17/02130/FUL Construction of new double garage at The Abbey, Abbey Lane, Swaffham Bulbeck for Mrs Clare Burke – no objection. Noted
b) Planning Approvals
17/01782/VAR Variation of condition 1 (Approved plans) of previously approved 16/01318/FUM for change of use to equine use, construction of 3No dwellings and 3No stable blocks at New England Stud, Heath Road, Swaffham Bulbeck. Noted
c) Other Planning Matters
I. 17/01952/TRE & Trees/Swaffham Bulbeck/CA Tree work approval at 70 High Street, Swaffham Bulbeck.
II. 17/01980/TRE & Trees/Swaffham Bulbeck/CA Tree work approval at Mill Lodge, Mill Lane, Swaffham Bulbeck.
III. Planning Application at Hillside Mill – Cllr SR and Cllr NB attended the planning committee meeting where this application was considered and approved. The council expressed their thanks to Cllr Allen Alderson for representing the parish council at the planning committee meeting. Clerk

4396 CLT UPDATE
Cllr SR reported that the CLT project with Laragh Homes is still on track although progress has slowed recently. It is understood that Laragh homes have appointed an architect and they are seeking a pre-application meeting with East Cambs District Council to discuss the mix and possible layout of housing. Laragh homes are still very keen to develop this project with the community. The CLT is still hoping that they might be able to work with the developers at Hillside Mill and a meeting to discuss this has been arranged.

4397 TO CONSIDER PRODUCING A NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN FOR SWAFFHAM BULBECK
Cllr NB presented a paper on the possibilities of developing a Neighbourhood Plan for Swaffham Bulbeck. The making of a Neighbourhood Plan may help the village manage development/growth in future years and carries statutory weight in the planning process. It was agreed that the Council will invite Mark Deas from Cambridgeshire ACRE to come to a future parish council meeting to discuss the matter further.

Clerk

4398 PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE AND EMAIL MATTERS
d) Cllr MS presented the information about a new website which had been received from Andy Black Associates and distributed to councillors before the meeting.
It was proposed by Cllr NB and seconded by Cllr KB that the council go ahead with the new website and parish council email addresses (.org.uk) at a cost of £500 set up fee + the cost of the email accounts (to be confirmed)and the annual maintenance fee of £100.
CARRIED
4399 FINANCES INCLUDING APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF OUTSTANDING ACCOUNTS
a) PKF Littlejohn have been appointed external auditor for Swaffham Bulbeck Parish Council for the next 5 years.
b) It was proposed by Cllr GR and seconded by Cllr SR that the bank reconciliations for November and December are approved.
CARRIED
c) The Quarterly Budget Reports (December 2017) were received by the Councillors. Noted
d) The Clerk will be attending the SLCC Practitioners Conference at Kenilworth on 22nd/23rd February 2018. Noted
e) To Note Receipts
Burial Fees £135 Noted
f) To Pay January Accounts
It was proposed by Cllr SR and seconded by Cllr LR that the January accounts are paid.
CARRIED Clerk
Payments Since the Last Meeting
BACS Mrs D Bayliss Clerk’s Salary £501.70 £0.00 £501.70 LGA 1972 s112
BACS HMRC Tax & NI £125.60 £0.00 £125.60 LGA 1972 s112
300185 Wave (Anglian Water) Cemetery Water Rates £241.36 £0.00 £241.36 Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977
Payments for Tonight’s meeting:
BACS Mr J Sugg Handyman Payment £80.00 £0.00 £80.00 Open Spaces Act 1906 ss9 & 10 LGA 1972 s214
BACS Mrs D Bayliss Travel/Telephone £48.84 £0.00 £48.84 LGA 1972 s174
BACS JCS Bookkeeping Payroll £17.00 £3.40 £20.40 LGA 1972 s112
BACS Mr J Sugg Insurance Premium £104.93 £0.00 £104.93 Open Spaces Act 1906 ss9 & 10 LGA 1972 s214

Grand Total>>> £1,119.43 £3.40 £1,122.83

4400 DENNY AND PLAY AREA MATTERS Clerk
a)

MS carried out the play area inspection and expressed concern at the amount of damage that has been caused by the strimmer to some of the wooden equipment.
The benches on the Denny need some maintenance work – specifically rubbing down and re-staining. The Denny working group will meet in the spring to identify the areas that need attention and agree a plan of action.
The village sign is in need of repair. The handyman will be asked to assess the condition of the sign and quotations will be sought for the work. (A small sum of money had been left by Frank Turner in 1978 for the upkeep of the sign).
It was proposed by Cllr JT and seconded by Cllr LR that the quotation for the additional surfacing for around the table tennis table is approved.
CARRRIED

4401 HIGHWAYS MATTERS Noted
a) An email has been received from Adam Cobb thanking the parish council for increasing their contribution towards the cost of the zebra crossing from £5,000 to £7,000 which had been accepted. Clerk
b) Community Speedwatch is a Cambridgeshire Constabulary led volunteer initiative designed to reduce speed and make communities safer. If Swaffham Bulbeck wished to set up a group they would need a co-ordinator to organise sessions and to be responsible for the kit, a minimum of 3 volunteers attending each session, and someone to submit an excel spreadsheet following every Speedwatch session. Training and equipment is provided by the Constabulary. (The kit may be purchased by the parish at a cost of £2750 + VAT)
It was agreed that Cllr SR would draft an article for the Beacon asking for volunteers to operate the speed watch team; this would be distributed to councillors for comment before publication.
c) Roadworks on the A1303 Bottisham to Quy are to be carried out as soon as possible as they are EU funded. Cllr SR will draft an article for the Beacon notifying parishioners of the works.
4402 SWAFFHAM BULBECK ACTION PLAN
a) It was proposed by Cllr JT ad seconded by Cllr NB that the Swaffham Bulbeck Action Plan is adopted.
1 abstention
CARRIED

4403 DATE AND AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING
February 6th 2018
Any business and payments, to be considered at Parish Council meeting must be delivered to the Clerk for inclusion on the agenda at least 7 days prior to the meeting.
 Telephone Box in Commercial End.
The meeting closed at 9.35pm