DRAFT Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council Meeting
Held on Thursday 19th November 2015
The meeting opened at 7.38pm
Present. Cllrs. R. Wilson, (chairman), B.Powell, J.Dovey. G.Place, R.Lewis, R.Moreton, A. Sweeney, J. Stibbons (clerk)
1. Apologies
County Cllr. M. Baker. Dist.Cllr. M. Knowles PCSO Bridges
2. Declarations of Interest.
Cllrs. Dovey and Sweeney declared at interest in item 7(Community Fund) on the agenda.
3. The Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 10th September 2015, having been previously circulated, were approved by the members present and signed by the chairman.
4. Matters arising from the Minutes.
It was noted that the goal posts have been removed from the playing field and put in the shed.
5. Reports. There were no reports.
6. A148 Lodge Corner.
A letter from Upper Sheringham has been received asking if the E&W Beckham parish council would share the cost of a Vehicle Activated Sign (VAS). with The National Trust and Upper Sheringhgam PC.
Quotations for two solar signs with corner flashers and including ten years maintenance were £13544. Norfolk County Council would fund half leaving £8126 split three ways giving a sum of £2708 to be paid by Beckham parish council.
The closing date for a bid for the grant is 15th December 2015.
It was proposed by Cllr Wilson that Beckham PC should contribute to a triangular sign saying either Slow Down or Cross Roads, but not a sign showing the speed. This was seconded by Cllr. Dovey and unanimously approved. It was agreed that payment for the signs should be taken from the Scottish Widows account.
7. Community Fund Committee. Report.
The meeting was handed a summary of the results of the survey. All the comments and votes have been analysed. There were over 100 replies to the survey.
The main findings were that there was no wish to spend money on the church at present. This may change in the future, but the on-going running costs could cause difficulty.
The War Memorial – there could be a grant available and this is being followed up.
Cemetery – A volunteer group has shown interest in making this into a wildlife site.
The cemetery gates will not close and the gate posts need replacing.
The trees on the common and the village green need inspecting. Advice is to be sought from North Norfolk District Council.
There was hope that an allotment committee could be established to make the best use of the East Beckham allotment for food production. It was hoped other uses could be found for West Beckham allotment, i.e. dog walking or a wildlife area.
There was support for grit bins to be placed in East Beckham.
There was support for a Defibrillator.
A proposal for the provision of Street lights was not supported.
There was an offer to design and host a web site.
It was proposed by Cllr. Powell that two grit bins should be purchased for East Beckham and the War Memorial should be renovated. This was seconded by Cllr. Place and approved. It was agreed that up to four hundred pounds could be spent on the grit bins.
Further enquiries are to be made of the PCC in order to progress the repair of the War memorial.
The following proposals are to be investigated further and reports given at the next Parish Council meeting. Namely, The Web Site, Defibrillator, News Letter, Tree Survey and Parish Map.
The council members thanked Mrs. Dovey and her committee for all their hard work.
8. Allotments.
The allotments are now being administered by the parish clerk.
The chairman proposed that the allotments at East Beckham should have some improvements made and all the allotment gardens consolidated here for the time being.. The tenants of the West Beckham allotments, which are in a poor state, should have their tenancy agreements terminated and be offered alternative plots at the improved East Beckham allotments. This proposal was seconded by Cllr. Dovey and carried by five votes with two abstentions.
Mr. Wilson offered to plough the West Beckham allotment field and plant pollen and nectar perennials. This should improve the land over the next two or three years. The suitability of providing allotment gardens at West Beckham could then be assessed again.
9. Finances.
The budget proposals for 2016-2017 were discussed and approved. It was proposed by Cllr. Powell that the precept for 2016-2017 should be £2800. this was seconded by Cllr. Lewis and carried.
Cheques approved and signed:-
Bodham Village Hall Hire fee £72
J. Stibbons Salary and expenses £448.23
HMRC PAYE £92
10. Correspondence.
A late planning application had been received after the agenda had been published.
Planning ref. PF/15/1486 Variations of conditions 2,10 and 13 of PF/13/0772 to permit additional lights, to remove scrapes and amend site layout on Land at Hall Farm, East Beckham.
The council did not object to this application with the comment that there should be no light pollution.
Letter: NCC Highways – Improvement in partnership wit Parish Councils to allow Rangers to repair pot holes on minor roads. Cost about £300 for half a days work. Noted.
Norse Services – offer of grounds maintenance.
11. Matters for information or the next agenda.
It was noted that no hedging has yet been put in place at the solar farm at Pond Farm, Bodham.
The seat at the Village Green needs replacing.
There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 10.17pm
