Minutes of Parish Council meeting 21st May 2018

Present.  

Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson (chairman) G. Place,  K. Lord,  R. Batt, D. Barrass

    J.Stibbons (clerk)

The chairman opened the meeting at 7.31pm, 

1. Election of Chairman. It was proposed by Cllr. Lord that Cllr. Wilson should remain chairman for another term. This was seconded by Cllr. Batt and approved. The chairman then signed the acceptance of office.

2. Apologies  Cllr. J. Dovey,  Dist Cllr. M. Knowles.

3. Declarations of interest. Cllr. Batt declared an interest in item 9 (East Beckham disused churchyard).       Cllr. Wilson declared an interest in item 11 (Chestnut Trees)

4.  The minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 8th March 2018 having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Place that they be accepted as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Batt and approved by the members present.

The chairman then signed the minutes.

5.    Matters arising from the Minutes.  Cllr. Dovey will be the point of contact with the Felbeck Trust and keep the council informed of progress.

6   Reports There were no reports from the Police, County or District Councillors

7. Solar Community Fund Committee.(Report)

 The allotment track will need attention in the near future. The old bench has been replaced. 

Allotment uptake is much better. The entire West side is not taken and four plots on the East side  have been allocated for this years crops. There is a problem with Daffodils and trees on the East side and it may require a digger to remove the trees.

A water catchment scheme is being investigated. The chairman offered to provide a 1000 litre tank if the project went ahead.

A “Village Clean-up” had been arranged for 28th April but due to very bad weather it had to be cancelled.

Another date will be set a little later in the year.

A suggestion box has been placed in the bus shelter and the household information sheet is to be reviewed.

8. West Beckham Village Sign The present sign is not correct and should be revised when a new one is produced. The church should have a round tower. Possibly the solar farm could also be included.

Four quotations for supply have been received. The design favoured by the members was for a double sided sign produced in cast aluminium. The quoted price was £5700+VAT and installation. This quote would be held until 9th July. It would take approximately one year to complete. It was proposed by Cllr. Place that the aluminium sign should be ordered on the understanding that the final draft of the design be approved by the council. This was seconded by Cllr. Barrass and approved. Cllr. Lord will place the order.

9. East Beckham Churchyard. The churchyard shows up on the definitive map of registered common land but appears to be included in the adjoining land on the Land Registry map. This will be discussed at a further meeting.

10. Risk Assessment. A revised risk assessment was presented to the meeting. It was proposed by the chairman that this should be adopted for the Beckham Parish Council. This was seconded by Cllr. Lord and approved.  An annual re-appraisal will be carried out to ensure all items remain up-to-date.

11. Maintenance of the two Chestnut Trees at Chestnut Farm.  Both trees have a Tree Preservation Order on them. NCC highways suggested that they should be felled. A safety inspection was undertaken. The alternative to felling is to reduce the crown and remove dead wood. NCC highways then concluded that the trees were old boundary trees and  were not the responsibility of County Highways. It was suggested that the trees should become village property. No decisions will be made until the Safety inspection report has been scanned and circulated to all committee members. This item will be discussed further at the next parish council meeting.

12. General Data Protection Regulations. The terms of reference for the Beckham Data Protection committee was discussed. It was proposed by the chairman that these terms of reference should be adopted by the parish council. This was seconded by Cllr. Place and carried.

13. Financial matters.

Audit The Certificate of Exemption was approved by the members and signed by the chairman and Responsible Financial Officer.

The Annual Governance statement was agreed by the meeting and signed by the chairman.

The accounting statement was reviewed by the committee and approved. The chairman signed the accounting statement.

Bank Balances at 21/5/2018 Current a/c £2338.29  Savings a/c £6613.81

To approve the following payments and sign cheques.

Cheverton Printing £76

Internal Auditor Audit £30

NALC Subscription £132.75

J. Stibbons (clerk) Salary and expenses £578.45

H.M.R.C. P.A.Y.E. £122.80

14. Correspondence  New ward boundaries map was inspected by members

15. Matters for information or the next agenda.

The seat at Allotment Lane has been damaged beyond repair. An insurance claim will be made.

There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 9.32pm

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