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Draft Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council
Meeting Held on Thursday 11th January 2024
Present.
Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, (chairman), D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey, R. Lewis, G. Place, T. Toyn,
Dist. Cllr. Callum Ringer. J.Stibbons (clerk)
The chairman opened the meeting at 7.00pm.
1. Apologies County Cllr. E. Vardy, PC J. Houghton
2. There were no Declarations of interest for items on the agenda.
3. There were no Comments or Questions on the agenda from members of the public and former committee members of the Solar Community Fund.
4. Reports from County, District or Parish Councillors
County Councillor E. Vardy.
A written report was circulated to members and is attached to these minutes.
District Councillor Callum Ringer.
Affordable housing – a breakdown of households on the waiting list was given. It is hoped that building work on the affordable houses will start soon.
Biodiversity – contact details for the link to Statutory Biodiversity duties for public bodies.
NNDC will dispose of Christmas Trees
NNDC can supply equipment for litter picking and disposal of the rubbish collected.
The full text of these report are attached to these minutes
5. To approve the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 9th November 2023.
It was proposed by Cllr. Toyn that the minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 9th November 2023 should be agreed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Dovey and approved by the members.
6. Matters arising from the Minutes.
The map board in East Beckham has been replaced.
Tree guards have been delivered and will be put in place.
Litter is still being dumped in Long Lane.
7. Planning There were no planning applications to consider.
8. Broadland Housing (Update email from Ed Mumford-Smith 7th Dec.2023)
The planning application for the proposed affordable housing has been approved.
Sewage disposal will be by the existing sewage system. On-site treatment is not possible as The Environment Agency that regulates permits to discharge from on-site treatment works, is unwilling to permit on-site treatment where a main sewer exists, however poor its performance.
It was noted that no reply had been given for our request for a gate and fencing to be provided to the playing field. Ed. Mumford-Smith is to contacted further for clarification.
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9. Allotments It was agreed that the tenancy agreements should be revised to bring them up to date.
All plots are taken. Six plots are used by one tenant. These have been rent free for the last year to clear the land. It was agreed that if the keeps all plots clean he will be asked for payment for three.
It was proposed and agreed to raise the rent to £25 per plot.
10. Playing Field Safety Inspection Jan/Feb. D. Barrass
A letter is to be sent to Broadland Housing to clarify that they are to install a gate from the new housing development to the play area and provide new fencing as agreed.
11. Financial matters.
Bank Balances at 11/01/2024 Current a/c £ 3052.80 Savings a/c £39537.33
It was noted that the final payment from Grantscape (Hall Farm Solar) is overdue. Reminders are to be sent again.
The following outstanding invoice to be approved and cheques signed:-
Bodham village hall Rent £81
S. Thurtle Land maintenance £893
J. Stibbons Salary and expenses £664.60
HMRC PAYE £140.40
12. Savings account. The savings account with The Cambridge Building Society is now open and arrangements are to be made to transfer £35,000.
13. Correspondence
The following correspondence was sent to members by email:-
Planning Roadshow 1st Feb. 2024 at Holt
Ostead Community Benefit newsletter
NALC final collection for 2023
NALC subscription notice
14. Matters for information only or for the next agenda
The Beckham Bulleting are ready for distribution. A letter of thanks for preparing this edition is to be sent to Kathryn Lord.
Cllr. Toyn(chair of the village shop committee) reported that the village shop project is not progressing very well. The committee are now considering a “Pop-Up” shop which would visit the village every week.
There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.25pm.
The next meeting of Beckham Parish Council will be held on Thursday 14th March at 7pm.
Written report from County Councillor E. Vardy.
SHORT BREAKS FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
Proposals to increase the range of short breaks for children with disabilities and open them up to siblings and other family members are to be discussed by councillors tomorrow.
Norfolk County Council wants to change how it supports children with disabilities, by funding short breaks that best meet children’s needs, are closer to their homes and can support their wider family.
It follows consultation over the summer, which looked at moving from a model that assigns a specific budget to a family, based on a child’s disability, to a new approach that would look at a child’s needs and work with their family to find the right activities to help them flourish.
The budget for short breaks will continue to be £3.5m per year and the council has pledged that children will not have their activities reduced. The approach, which is also used by other local authorities, is much more focused on children’s outcomes and interests, rather than their disability. It also means the council has greater flexibility to buy services for multiple children from some activity providers, meaning that more children could benefit from a break.
The council wants to expand the activities it buys for families, to offer more options and flexibility. This might mean changes in some of the funding parents receive to buy activities directly, but the value of the package of breaks will remain the same, or increase.
Part of the council’s strategy is also to support existing activity providers to support children with disabilities, where it is appropriate for the needs of the child, so that they can access fun inclusive activities in their own community alongside their peers.
The proposals and the feedback from public consultation will be discussed by the council’s People and Communities Select Committee when it meets on 17 November.
Cllr Fran Waymark, Chairman of the People and Communities Select Committee, said: “Short breaks provide fun activities for children and respite for their families. We know that they are a real lifeline for families, which is why it’s important that we get any changes to what we are offering right and why we consulted with families who use the service before implementing any changes.
“I welcome any proposal which focuses on looking at what is best for individual children, and their families, and which provides greater choice and more local activities, particularly given the rural nature of Norfolk.”
Norfolk County Council ran a consultation with families between 27 June and 2 August and had more than 200 responses, 43% of people agreed or strongly agreed with e change in the assessment process and 31% disagreed or strongly agreed. The remainder didn’t answer, didn’t agree or disagree, or didn’t know. Eighty-two percent agreed or strongly agreed that activities should be opened up to family members, including siblings.
If agreed, the changes would apply to new children accessing short breaks from April 2024. Other children would move to the new model gradually, as their package comes up for review.
County Deal for Norfolk update for a directly elected Leader.
At a full council meeting on 12 December 2023, Councillors accepted a £600 million devolution deal for Norfolk. The deal will also mean that decisions can be taken in Norfolk, for Norfolk.
The council voted to accept a county deal devolution agreement with the Government to transfer significant funding, powers and decisions to Norfolk.
Government funding will start transferring to Norfolk next summer if councillors vote in July 2024 to stage the first election for a leader in May 2025.
The full council agreed the following recommendations:
Council:
• Recognises the work carried out during 2023 to consult with the public, inform Members and prepare plans in relation to the ‘in-principle’ County Deal brought to Council in January this year
• Commends the work undertaken by the Leader and Officers to secure additional benefits for the Norfolk County Deal and resolves that the Deal should be accepted
• Agrees that the election for the Directly Elected Leader should be held alongside the county council elections in May 2025 to enable the widest possible engagement with the electorate
• Agrees that the resolution adopting the new governance arrangements should be brought to the Full Council meeting on 23 July 2024 to facilitate that election date
Report from District Councilor Callum Ringer – Gresham Ward
Affordable Housing
Before Christmas all parish council’s should have received a copy of a leaflet explaining the numbers of those households with strong connections to each parish who are currently on the housing waiting list. I hope that this information will provoke conversations at parish councils about whether there is potential for new small affordable housing schemes in our villages. These would be exception housing schemes which would meet LOCAL housing need, rather than the general housing list. The district council’s affordable housing enabler Anna Clarke can speak to councils, landowners etc to discuss. Two recently approved schemes in West Beckham (5 homes each) are due to begin soon and are being built to an exceptional environmental standard. For the Gresham ward this shows:
Christmas Trees
Residents with garden waste subscriptions are able to leave their Christmas trees alongside their brown bin for nndc collection until 20th January. Alternatively they can be taken to the tip, and some animal sanctuaries are taking them too.
Statutory biodiversity duties for public bodies.
I know some councils have already embarked on this process of considering biodiversity, and others have wanted more information. This link provides a summary of what the duties for public bodies are: https://gowlingwlg.com/en/insights-resources/articles/2023/statutory-biodiversity-duties-for-public-bodies/
Attached I have a template biodiversity which has been shared with me and may be useful for parish councils developing their plans.
Late last year I did share a link to the Norfolk County Council ‘Trees for connectivity’ programme which is funding tree planting in certain areas. https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/What-we-do-and-how-we-work/Campaigns/1-Million-Trees-for-Norfolk/Get-involved/Grant-funding-in-North-Norfolk-and-Breckland-areas
There is also tree packs available to public bodies from The Woodland Trust. Applications open shortly for November 2024 https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/ NNDC can also provide litter pickers, sacks, hoops and collection of waste for communities wishing to hold a litter pick. Let me know and I can sort that out. The Great British Spring Clean (organised by Keep Britain Tidy) is taking place in March.
Footpath Challenge
As I have previously reported, I have been walking every mile of every footpath in the Gresham Ward over the past couple of months. There are over 100 in total. So far I have walked 31 of these, covering 41.3 miles (correct as of 7/1/22). I am reporting things as I go round.
NNDC Planning Roadshow
North Norfolk District Council are organising a series of sessions across the district that aim to provide an introduction to Town & Country Planning and how Town & Parish Councils can best respond to and get involved with the Town Planning system.
This initiative was launched at the Town and Parish Council Forum today with the first session being held on 20 November at The Maltings in Wells. The next event is in Holt
Date: Thursday 1 February 2024
Venue: The Meeting Room, St. Andrews Church, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 6BB
Time: 6.30pm
The session should finish by 8.30 at the latest.
Any member of a town or parish council can attend. Please register interest via the link below.
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=0S9nn4KYRUWRKz6BMQvmcnTU8AeLjHJMo3mI9XalHD1UQklHVzVOT1hZVExBUFI5MFU0U0lCQ041US4u
I have a facebook page, where I post useful community information, just search Cllr Callum Ringer – Gresham Ward. I try and keep it updated with community events, relevant NNDC information (and county where appropriate). Do give it a ‘like’ if you are on social media.
