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Draft Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council
Meeting Held on Thursday 12th May 2022
Present. Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, (chairman), G. Place, D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey, K. Lord T.Toyne,
District Cllr. S. Butikofer J.Stibbons(clerk)
The Beckham Parish Council meeting opened at 7.55pm.
1. Apologies County. Cllr. E. Varley,
2. To elect the Chairman and Vice-chairman for the coming year
It was proposed by J. Dovey that R. McNeil Wilson should remain as chairman. This was seconded by K. Lord and approved by the meeting.
It was proposed by R. McNeil Wilson that G. Place should be elected as vice-chairman, this was seconded by T.Toyn and approved.
3. There were no Declarations of Interest.
4. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 10th March 2022 having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Toyn that they be confirmed as an accurate record of the meeting. This was seconded by Cllr. Dovey and approved by the members.
The chairman then signed the minutes
5. There were no matters arising from the Minutes.
6. Comments and Questions on the agenda from members of the public and former committee members of the Solar Community Fund.
The solar fund has donated a trophy for the Horticultural show. The show committee thanked them for their support.
7. Reports from County, District or Parish Councillors.
County Cllr. E. Varley. A written report was sent to all Beckham councillors.
A copy of this report is included at the end of these minutes.
8. Jubilee. Two commemorative apple trees have been planted. One at the West Beckham old allotments and one at the East Beckham allotments.
9. Playing Field -Inspection by K. Lord-. The plastic spikes have been removed from the
swings for safety reasons as the plastic was broken.
Some fencing posts are broken but still standing. The Pic-Nic bench is becoming very rotten. It
was proposed by G. Place that a new bench should be purchased. This was seconded by R. Batt.
and approved. It was agreed that a re-cycled plastic seat would be preferable. The clerk was
instructed to investigate suitable suppliers and report back.
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10. Financial matters.
The Certificate of Exemption from Full Audit was approved by the meeting and signed by the chairman and clerk.
The annual governance statement was approved by the members and signed by the chairman.
The accounting statement was approved by the members and signed by the chairman.
The members were made aware of the Public Rights to View the accounts by appointment. The period for public examination is from 20th June 2022 to 20th July 2022.
Bank Balances at 12/5/2022 Current a/c £6233.33 Savings a/c £30885.50
The following outstanding invoice were approved and cheques signed:-
J. Stibbons Salary and expenses £664.60
HMRC PAYE £140.40
R. McNeil Wilson Fruit Trees £54
Chevertons Jubilee flyers £48
D. McNeight Web hosting – Tank Tap £83.84
D Barrass Tree removal £70
11. Correspondence
A letter from the Bodham and Beckham Village Hall committee notifying the parish council that the fees are to be increased to £7 per hour.
12. Matters for information only or for the next agenda.
It was noted that Anglian Water has solved the problem of the pump but there are still problems
during heavy and prolonged rain.
Repairs to the footbridge are in hand.
There being no further business the chairmen closed the meeting at 8.47pm
The next meeting of Beckham Parish Council will be held on Thursday 14th July 2022
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Written report from County Cllr. E. Vardy.
Norfolk County Council owned companies encouraged to cut carbon
This first item is one that I fully support. As from the 1st May I became the County Councils Cabinet Lead on the Environment and Waste.
Council-owned companies are being encouraged to reduce their carbon emissions, as part of the county council’s efforts to help Norfolk become carbon neutral.
Norse Group, Hethel Innovation Ltd, Repton Property Developments Ltd and Independence Matters are the focus of a report to the county council’s cabinet on 3 May.
Each company will be encouraged to set out carbon reduction targets once it better understands its own carbon footprint.
If cabinet backs the proposal, there will be a follow-up report which outlines the progress of each company in establishing specific carbon reduction targets.
Further report to follow when initiates are instigated.
Uptake for apprenticeships in Norfolk continues upward trend
The upward trend in apprenticeship starts is continuing to increase in Norfolk. A 35% increase in apprenticeships has been reported between August 2021 and January 2022,
with 3026 new apprenticeships started in the last 6 months.
Apprenticeships are a government-funded scheme which gives individuals of any age the opportunity to build a new future whilst earning and learning and enables businesses
to harness new skills and improve their productivity and sustainability at the same time.
Local employers, training providers, and Norfolk County Council’s dedicated team of experts at Apprenticeships Norfolk, boosted by incentives and grants, are all working
together to make apprenticeships easier to access and to understand for individuals.
Norfolk Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans
Norfolk County Council has secured a revenue grant from central government to support the development of a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for Norfolk.
The LCWIP for Norfolk plays an important part in delivering the Government’s strategy for encouraging everyone to cycle and walk more, especially when making short journeys
in towns and cities. Increased levels of active travel, especially for shorter journeys in towns, will help to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and benefit the environment and local economy.
The County Council is working in partnership with all district and borough councils to create the plan. The Norfolk LCWIP builds on plans already completed for Great Yarmouth,
King’s Lynn and Greater Norwich.
The objective of the plan is to develop a countywide walking and cycling network, and identify infrastructure improvements over the short, medium and long term.
The development of the Norfolk LCWIP also supports the delivery of a low carbon, well-connected transport network in Norfolk.
The plan for Norfolk is in the early stages of development and to support with the development of the plan the County Council has created an online survey to help obtain
insights into current levels of cycling and walking within Norfolk and to identify places where people feel they want to be better connected on foot or cycle.
The initial Norfolk LCWIP engagement runs from the 5 April to 30 May.
to review and comment on detailed proposals within the Norfolk Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan in Autumn 2022 go to www. Norfolk.gov.uk
The initial Norfolk Cycling and Walking Survey is open from 5 April to 30 May.
Councillor Eric Vardy. County Councillor for Holt Division.
