Beckham East and West Parish Council

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 8th July 2021

    Page  204

    Draft  Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council

     Meeting Held on Thursday 8th July 2021

    Present. 

    Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, (chairman),G. Place,  D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey,  K. Lord,  T. Toyne,  County Cllr. E. Vardy.  Dist Cllr. P. Butikofer.J.Stibbons(clerk)

    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.00pm.  

    1. There were no apologies.

     

    2. There were no Declarations of interest. 

    3.   There were no comments and questions on the agenda from members of the public.

     

    4.   The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 20th May 2021  having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that they be accepted as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Place and approved by the members present. The chairman then  signed the minutes.

    5.    Matters arising from the Minutes. The members of the former Solar Community Fund Committee were invited to attend the Parish Council meetings.

    It was noted that the hedge at the Playing Field had been cut.

     

    6.    Reports from County, District or Parish Councillors.

    County Councillor Eric Varney   introduced himself. He is a retired police officer, now living at High Kelling. He served twenty eight year in the force. 

    Potholes seem to be a problem with many parishes. The number for reporting these is 0344 800 8020.

    District Councillor P. Butikofer. Read the District Council Chairman’s report given at the annual general meeting. A copy of the report is attached to these minutes. 

    Cllr Toyn reported that there had not been much progress with the community shop in the past few weeks.

    Cllr. Dovey has met with the Felbeck Trust. Over the three sites in excess of one thousand hours work had been carried out. The West Beckham allotment site is working well. There is already a rare butterfly on the site. There will be a meeting there on 30th July to discuss progress. Future improvements include the track, seating, signage, bird screen and hide. The estimated cost is £3600 over three years. A educational board and possibly a donation box.

    Dog walking will not be permitted during the ground nesting season.

    It was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that a donation of £500 should be made. This was seconded by Cllr. Lord and carried.

    A notice board with a published plan is needed at the gate which should include details of permitted dog walking and any other restrictions. 

    7.  Affordable Housing   Mr. Ed. Munford-Smith (Broadland Housing)  was unable to attend the meeting.  He will be invited to the September meeting.

    8. Solar Community Fund.    In future agendas the Solar Fund will be at the beginning of the meeting to allow any former committee members present to speak.

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    9. Playing Field  There is no further update on the fence or the renewal of the lease at present.

    The Safety Inspection for July/August was carried out by T. Toyn.  There is Ivy growing on the fence posts which Stuart Thurtle will be asked to remove.

    Inspection for  September/October will be carried out by R. Wilson.

    10. Flooding at the sewage pumping station. Work has been carried out to reduce flooding at the

    Pumping station. There is now a continuous smell and the pump can be heard running.

     

    11. Financial matters.

    Bank Balances at 8/7/2021   Current a/c £7367.68 Savings a/c £20429

    The following outstanding invoice were approved for payment:- 

    Rospa Playing Field Inspection £86.40

    J. Stibbons Salary/expenses £582.45

    HMRCPAYE£122.80

    12.   Correspondence  There was no correspondence

    13. Matters for information only or for the next agenda

    The allotment rents have been collected by Kathryn Lord and banked.

    Here being no further business the chairmen closed the meeting at 8.37pm

    The next meeting of Beckham Parish Council will be held on Thursday 9th September

     

  • Draft Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council Meeting Held remotely by Zoom on Thursday 11th March 2021

    Page 199

    Draft  Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council

     Meeting Held remotely by Zoom on Thursday 11th March 2021

    Present. 

    Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, (chairman),G. Place,  D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey,  K. Lord,                   Dist. Cllr. P. Butikofer, Ed Mumford-Smith (Broadland Housing), Anna Clarke (NNDC Housing) J.Stibbons(clerk)

    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.04pm. and welcomed  Ed Mumford-Smith and Anna Clarke.

    1.  Apologies Cllr. Toyne, County Cllr. S. Butikofer.

     

     2.  Declaration of Interest   Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson and R. Batt declared an interest in item 7.

    3. There were no comments or questions from members of the public.   

    4. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 18th January  2021, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that they should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Place and carried.   The chairman will sign the minutes at a later date.

    5. Matters arising from the Minutes

     All minutes of meetings held on zoom are now signed up to date.

    The sign board belonging to Browns estate agents has now been removed from Lodge Corner.

    6. Reports from County and District Councillors.

    Dist Cllr. P. Butikofer  

    Covid cases in North Norfolk at the beginning of March were down to 53 per 100,000. This means North Norfolk is 304thout of 314 council areas. 

    Vaccinations are going well with centres at North Walsham, Cromer and Fakenham. 

    Hardship funds are being distributed,  £54 million have been paid out in grants so far.  

    NNDC Budget. The NNDC part of the council tax is to be frozen but there will be an increased amount for the Police and Norfolk County Council. 

    Splash is expected to be finished by the 12th of August. 

    Shannon Court has been compulsory purchased and is to be demolished next week 

    Cromer Pier will open on the 8th of March for walking only. 

    The census will take place on March 21st.

    7. Affordable Housing.Anna Clark works closely with affordable housing at NNDC. There is a large housing register in North Norfolk. Exceptional housing policy states that it must fulfil a local need for local people and not for profit. It is to be a joint venture and must be adjacent to 10 other properties. Tenants eligible for affordable housing must have a local connection in the top three tier bands. Development also need a willing landowner.

     Ed Mumford-Smith Broadland housing is cooperating with North Norfolk district council but also  covers all of Norfolk. The size of the village dictates the appropriate scale of development. Designs have  traditional appearance. There must be an environmental commitment to reduce the carbon 

    Page 200

    footprint and improve energy efficiency. The policy is aimed at customers who cannot afford the cost of a house outright. A market priced  house is included in the development to bridge the cost gaps.  Some pictures of the proposed developments were then shown to the meeting. They were of traditional design but very efficient. Shared ownership is protected in perpetuity. Purchase ownership can only be up to 80% of the value of the property, but the average percentage ownership is 40%.  It is proposed to have six properties in the Sheringham Road at the corner of Back Lane and four properties near the Wheatsheaf.  The first step in the process is a community consultation. The second step is a preplanning applications. Third step is due diligence investigations Fourth step is to prepare a planning application.

    Each property will have two parking spaces.

    It was pointed out that there was an ongoing sewage problem in Sheringham Road and this should be investigated by the Environment Agency.

    It was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that the provision of affordable housing should be taken forward. This was seconded by Cllr. Barrass and unanimously approved.

    8. Solar Community Fund Committee.   It was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that, as so much research was undertaken for the design of the new West Beckham village sign this information should be used to produce an information board. Expected cost was under £100 This suggestion was approved by the councillors present.   An information board is to be placed in the village hall

    The Allotments, Play area and Broadband were still under discussion by the Solar committee  

    9. Playing Field  there is no update from NNDC on fence repairs or renewal of lease at present.

    10. Flooding from the sewage pumping station into Sheringham Road.

    This problem was initially discussed in 2007 and 2009. There has again been problems

    with sewage overflow again this winter.

    Cllr. Place  has been in contact with Anglian Water but they are reluctant to admit

    liability. Anglian Water seem content with the situation but this seemed to happen when

    all the holiday homes were un-occupied. The situation would also be made worse if the

    proposed affordable houses were built. The ditch on the west of the Sheringham

    Road past The Garth and the sub-station would take the road water away.

    It was agreed to contact Anglian Water and invite them to the next parish council

    meeting. Environment Agency and NNDC Environmental health are also to be

    contacted.

     

    11. The review of the triangle opposite Chestnut Farm is being discussed with Highways

    12.  Budget Review. A copy of current expenditure against budget was presented to the

    meeting and a breakdown of the Solar Fund expenditure by item.

    It was agreed the future precepts should be increased to balance the budget and not rely

    on the Solar Fund.

    It was proposed by Cllr. Wilson that a separate business bank account should be set up

    for the Solar Fund money. This was seconded by Cllr. Dovey and agreed by a majority.

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    13.  Financial matters.

    Bank Balances at 11/3/2021   Current a/c £7459.80 Savings a/c £20428.55

    Outstanding invoice were approved:- 

    Zurich Insurance Renewal £541.33

    NALC Subscription £139.54

    14. Correspondence – Appeal from Citizens Advice for a donation. To be discussed at a later meeting.

    		  

    15. Matters for information only or for the next agenda.

    The sleepers forming a bridge over a drain on  the West Beckham footpath have slipped,

    Norfolk County Council are to be informed. 

       

     

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 18th January 2021

    Page  194

    Draft  Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council

     Meeting Held remotely by Zoom on Thursday 18th January 2021

    Present. 

    Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, (chairman),G. Place,  D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey, 

    K. Lord,  T. Toyn.                 Dist. Cllr. P. Butikofer,  J.Stibbons(clerk)

    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.04pm.

    1.  Apologies County Cllr. S. Butikofer,  

         Declaration of Interest  Cllr. Barrass informed the meeting that he was now the treasurer of the Felbeck Trust,

    2. There were no comments or questions from members of the public.   

    3. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 12th November  2020, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that they should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Batt and carried.   The chairman will sign the minutes at a later date.

    4. Matters arising from the Minutes

     The Brown&Co sign board at the junction of the Sheringham Road and the A148 has still not been moved.  The clerk is to contact Highways again.

    5. Reports from County and District Councillors.

    Dist Cllr. P. Butikofer.   The budget for the next financial year has been balanced and there are no cuts in services. Only 9.5% of the council tax levied is allocated to the District Council.

    Face to face contact with council officers during lock-down are by appointment only.

    Car parks and toilets will remain open during the lock-down.

    Covid infection have raised and the rate for North Norfolk is 390/100,000.  The rate for Norfolk as a whole is 529/100,000.

    Work on the Vatenfall wind farm will begin in 2023.

    County Councillor Sarah Butikofer is seriously ill with Covid 19 but is improving slowly.

    The Beckham Parish Councillors sent their best wishes for a speedy recovery.

    Cllr. Batt  Allotments A meeting with Mr. Witham was held to discuss improvements to the allotment track. Water run off is eroding the surface and it was suggested that a trench should be dug at the side of the track and a water harvesting container could be put in place at the lowest point.

    Cllr. Toyn. Community Shop. A grant of £750 has been secured from the Plunkett Foundation to register the project and open a bank account.

    The Red Hart have opened a small shop during the present pandemic but it will cease to operate after lock down. The Post Office have been asked to open a counter in the 

    Community shop when it is operational and a letter of support will be sent from Beckham parish council.

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    Cllr. Batt noted the run-off of water from the field containing free-range pigs, at the top of Gibbet Lane, was bringing mud and water down the hill and could be a contaminant.

    6. Solar Community Fund Committee.   An information board, to be placed in the village hall, giving details of the former  RAF West Beckham is being designed.

    A board giving local information is to be placed in the bus shelter

    It was proposed by the Solar Committee that laptops should be provided for home learning.

    There are thirteen pupils in East and West Beckham who either lack hardware or broadband.

    During a general discussion the following points were noted:-

    Money or hardware should not be given to individuals. It could be given to the school for them to decide, the computers would then be the property of the school for the benefit of children in the parish.

    It was suggested that members should donate any old laptops they were no longer using.

    Broadband in East Beckham was a particular problem. Cllr Barrass gave a list of the options available but there seemed to be no easy and cost effective answer.

    It was proposed by Cllr. Lord that funds should be made available to the primary and secondary schools, this was seconded by Cllr. Batt.

    It was then proposed by Cllr Toyn that £2000 should be available for provision of this equipment,£1500 to the Secondary school and £500 to Gresham primary school.

    This was seconded by Cllr. Lord and carried by five votes with two abstentions.

    It was pointed out by the chairman that the Solar Fund is finite and projects already undertaken will need funds in the future.

    The Head Teachers of both schools are to be contacted to decide the best way to achieve a satisfactory distribution.

    7. Playing Field  The clerk reported that a decision on renewing the lease and repair of the fence was still awaited from NNDC.

    8.  Grass Triangle West Beckham. It was decided to enquire if the “Give Way” sign could be

    moved as the triangle was becoming crowded with signs.

    9. Financial matters.

    Bank Balances at 14/1/2021 were, Current a/c £13668.33  Savings (SCFC) a/c £17944.91

    The following outstanding invoice were approved  for payment:- 

    J. Stibbons Salary and Expenses £599.10

    HMRC PAYE £122.80

     S. Thurtle Grass cutting and maintenance £781

    10. Correspondence –  All email correspondence was forwarded to councillors on receipt for immediate attention  . There was no correspondence received through the post.

    11. Matters for information only or for the next agenda

    It was decided to review the budget at the March meeting

     

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.19pm

    The next meeting of Beckham parish council will be held on Thursday 14th January 2021

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 12th November 2020

    Page  192

    Draft  Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council

     Meeting Held remotely by Zoom on Thursday 12th November 2020

    Present. 

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

      Dist. Cllr. P. Butikofer,   

              J.Stibbons(clerk)

    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.04pm.

    1.  Apologies County Cllr. S. Butikofer,  There were no Declaration of Interest

    2. There were no comments or questions from members of the public.   

    3. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 24th September  2020, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Batt   they  should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Toyn and carried.   The chairman will sign the minutes at a later date.

    4. Matters arising from the Minutes

    Cllr. Place has contacted the estate agents on two occasions to ask for the notice board at Lodge Hill Corner to be removed as it is obstructing the view from the East when entering the A148 from Sheringham Road . At present his requests have been ignored.

    Cllr. Toyn has agreed to join the Community Shop committee.

    The new village sign has been installed. The councillors thanked the volunteers who had carried out the installation.

    The hedge at the entrance to the playing field has been cut back.

    5. Reports from County and District Councillors.

    Dist Cllr. P. Butikofer.  Pretty Corner is now open after the gale damage. Car parks and toilets will remain open doing the lock-down

    £140000 is to be provided for housing for homeless people. Sand scape at Bacton has been a success and won an award for climate resilience. 

    The District Council has bought fogging machines to be used in the car parks play areas and  conveniences.

    Holt Hall is due for closure but there is an online petition to save the facility. 

    Business grants of up to £3,000 per month are to be made available during the lock-down.

    Page 193

    6. Solar Community Fund Committee.  The track on the allotment is eroded. Councillors are to meet the installer to see what improvements can be made. Grass is growing in the track and

    Cllr, Barras will spray the weeds with Round up.

    The  Mulberry Tree at the church was blown over during the gales and it is proposed to replant it with a cherry tree. 

    There will be no Christmas party for the over 70s this year and it was suggested that some form of present should be given such as mince pies to the over 70s in Beckenham. This suggestion was not carried forward.  

    It was proposed by Cllr. Lord that the Good Neighbours scheme helpers should be given a gift at Christmas. This was seconded by Cllr. Wilson. It was agreed that they should each receive a bottle of wine.

    7. Playing Field  In his inspection of the playing field Cllr. Wilson reported that there were three or four Ivy plants growing up the wire and they should be cut down to reduce the weight on the fence. He agreed to carry out this work. 

    It was asked where the the boundary was with the council houses. Is it the chain link fence or the bank? This should be answered when the reply from North Norfolk district council is received concerning the renewal of the lease.

    8. The Budget Proposals for 2021-2020  which had been submitted to the councillors were discussed.

    It was decided that the precept for 2021-2020 should be set at £3500.  

    It was proposed by Cllr. Barrass that the budget should be approved. This was

    seconded by Cllr. Toyn and carried.

    9. Financial matters.

    The Bank Balances at 12/11/2020 were, Current a/c £13668.33  Savings (SCFC) a/c £17944.91

    The f0ollowing outstanding invoice were approved  for payment:- 

    Bodham Village Hall Meeting room £18

    J. Stibbons Salary and Expenses £599.10

    HMRC PAYE £122.80

    P. Buck. Playing field maintenance £150

    10. Correspondence –  All email correspondence was forwarded to councillors on receipt for immediate attention  . There was no correspondence received through the post.

    11. Matters for information only or for the next agenda

    It was proposed that a review of the triangle opposite Chestnut Farm should be undertaken as the increase in the number of signs being erected was getting out of proportion.

    It was suggested that the village should have a flagpole to celebrate special occasions.

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.19pm

    The next meeting of Beckham parish council will be held on Thursday 14th January 2021

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 24th September 2020

      Page  192

    Draft  Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council

     Meeting Held remotely by Zoom on Thursday 24th September 2020

    Present. 

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

    County Cllr. S. Butikofer,  Dist. Cllr. P. Butikofer,  Mr. C. Ringer (community shop)

              J.Stibbons(clerk)

    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.02pm, and welcomed everyone  

    1. There were no  Apologies or Declaration of Interest

    2. There were no comments or questions from members of the public.   

    3. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 16th July  2020, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Lord  they  should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by

    Cllr. Dovey and carried. 

    The chairman will sign the minutes at a later date.

    4. There were no Matters arising from the Minutes  which are not covered later in the agenda. 

    5. Reports from County and District Councillors.

    County Cllr, S. Butikofer. There was a disappointing meeting of the County Council recently with no cross party cooperation. There is a budget deficit of £55million Main discussions were on food poverty and the environment.

    The possible closure of Holt Hall was announced. The Project Manager is to enquire what consultation should be undertaken.

    A new system of Track and Trace has been implemented. The focus must be on how to control Covid and help for businesses.

    Dist. Cllr. Butikofer,  

    Electric vehicle charge points have successfully been launched in two car parks Albert street in Holt and Morris street in Sheringham. This is part of on-going works to get electric vehicle charge points in six locations across the district.

    They use a web-based system called “genie-point” to operate charging and payment.

    Two different charging tariff – standard 08:00 to 18:00 0.30p/KWh +50p connection fee plus 

    normal parking fee. Resident tariff  18:00 to08:00 30p/Kw h ( no connection fee) plus parking is free between these hours.

    Successful prosecution of a man in Stalham pleaded guilty to three noise offenses including a noise abatement notice. He was playing amplified music over the Christmas period. He was fined £68, victims surcharge of £32 and costs of 31325, totaling £1425 with  forfeiture order

    New sea-side car park opens giving easy access to Bacton’s beautiful sandy beaches which has been brought about by the recent landscaping project. 

    The car park will be operating on a pay and display basis.

    Council awarded funding to regenerate historic North Walsham town center. Secured a double funding boost from Historic England and government throughout the New Anglia Local enterprise Partnership (LEP). Received £975K from Historic England’s High Streets Heritage action zone and the LEP gave £1.17M, part of the Getting Building fund. Key features – town center “re-stitching” 

    Page  193

    improved connectivity and access through the town center via likes and gateways. To support improvements to current buildings and business premises and support new businesses or uses of vacant space, making Market Place more accessible and attractive for users and repair and restoration of the Cedars (old council offices)

    There is an understanding that another branch of funding is coming down from government. NNDC has already given over £52M

    The new splash is progressing well and is currently on target to be completed next year

    6. Community Shop (Report given by Mr. C. Ringer). A short presentation of the history of shops in Bodham was given.

    The results of the survey conducted in Bodham and Beckham received 166 replies, 103 from Bodham which was 40% of the households.  83% of the people who replied would use the shop at least once a week. 

    A preliminary meeting was held at the Red Hart on 10th of September. No chairman or committee was selected at this meeting which was attended by the district and county councillors. Unfortunately no Parish Council members attended from either parishes.

    The parishes have a high population of young people and many of them are willing to get

    involved.

    A volunteer Steering Committee is to be formed in October and if possible this should include a representative from Beckham. This committee will be independent from both parish councils. 

    Initially the idea is to take on a an area of land, possibly the car park with a modular building or on land opposite the Red Hart. Another alternative is to use the village hall which would be multi-purpose.

    All these ideas are to be explored further by the steering committee.  

    The chairman thanked Mr. Ringer for his presentation. Mr. Ringer left the meeting 7.56pm

    The proposal of a community shop was then discussed further by the members. All wished the project well but agreed that it must be run on business lines and have the commitment of the community.

    An item will be placed in the Beckham news letter asking if anyone from the parish would like to join the committee. 

    7. Solar Community Fund Committee.  The Felbeck Trust have cut and cleared the docks and weeds on parts

    of the West Beckham Old Allotment to boost the restoration process. Some areas of longer vegetation will be

    left to encourage bio-diversity. A circular path has been created around the property.

    A visit from the Operation Turtle Dove project manager confirmed that the area already has many of the

    required conditions for  breeding Turtle Doves.

    There have been complementary comments on the bench at the bus stop, it makes the village look very

    welcoming.

    With the present Covid restrictions there will be no chance to celebrate the installation of the new village

    sign.

    8. Playing Field

    The following  quotations were submitted  for the replacement of the fence.

    Simon’s Landscaping £6500     Prestige fencing £4835     Dodd & co £3171 

    It was agreed to circulate these quotations and enquire if NNDC will extend the lease before any final

    decision was made.

    The trees near the gate need cutting back. Cllr. Lord will obtain quotations for the trimming of the whole hedge.

    9. Extension of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

    It was proposed  by Cllr. Barrass that the parish council should press for both East and West Beckham to

    come within the AONB  This was seconded by Cllr. Lord.

    On a show of hands the proposal was approved by a majority of five in favour with two against. 

    Page 194

    10. Financial matters.

    Bank Balances at 16/9/2020   Current a/c £12883.23  Savings a/c £6495.54

    Outstanding invoice to be approved:- 

    K. Lord Paint £12.34

    Chevertons Printing £100

     

    11. Correspondence there was no correspondence.

    12. Matters for information only or for the next agenda.

    An advertising board has been placed at the Lodge corner junction by a local estate agent advertising business premises for lease. This board is restricting the view towards Cromer. Cllr. Place will arrange to have the board relocated.

    Dog walkers are not keeping to the footpaths and an article is to be put in the next news letter. Visitors in holiday accommodation are also the be informed.

    Cars are speeding through the village. It was asked it 30mph signs could be put near the village gates.

    The hedge at allotment lane has become overgrown as have various garden hedges with a road frontage.

    Highways are to be contacted.

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.59pm

    The next meeting of E&W Beckham parish council will be held on Thursday 12th November 2020

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 28th May 2020

    Page 187

    Draft Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council
    Meeting Held remotely by Zoom on Thursday 28th May 2020

    Present.
    Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, (chairman),G. Place, D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey, K. Lord, T. Toyn.
    County Cllr. S. Butikofer. Dist Cllr. P. Butikoffer one member of the public J.Stibbons(clerk)

    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.02pm, and welcomed everyone to the first Zoom meeting of
    Beckham parish council.

    1. There were no Apologies

    2. There were no comments or questions from members of the public.

    3.There were no declarations of interest.

    4. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 12th March 2020, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Batt they should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Dovey and carried.
    The chairman will sign the minutes at a later date.

    5. Matters arising from the Minutes Pictures of the new village sign for West Beckham were shown. The sign is ready to be delivered but the post may not fit the existing R,S.J`s. It was suggested that the base fitting was needed in order to make the necessary adjustments. The chairman agreed that the sign could be stored at Rookery Farm.

    6. Reports from County and District Councillors.
    Dist Cllr. P. Botikofer. To assist in the Coronavirus lock down eleven hubs were set up to give advice and help with supplies to the isolated population. These have now been reduced to three, being North Walsham, Sheringham and Fakenham.
    Emergency phones are still active but all toilets and car parks have been shut.
    A discretionary fund has been set up to help businesses that have not had help so far.
    Count Councillor S. Butikofer There is a shortfall of £19 million at the moment. £4 million have been spent on personal protection equipment (PPE).
    A consultation is underway to determine the route of the Northern Distributor Link.
    The widening of pavements in some towns is being considered to help with social distancing.
    Most shops have received grants from central government to help with business rates.
    Track and Trace. Councils will have authority to put in place local lock-downs if needed.
    Shops should be opening from 15th June. Beach huts can be used but chairs must be kept off the promenade to allow for social distancing. There will only be three lifeguards in the North Norfolk district at present.

    7. Covid 19
    Report from Mel ClarkeWe have had contact with 336 villagers (some in same house, so that is people not houses).
    207 in Bodham, 15 in Lower Bodham, 1 in Gresham, 25 in East Beckham, 89 in West Beckham

    Page 188

    Demands have been steady throughout, there has been no slow down as yet.  We are covering Prescription collection from Holt, Boots, Cromer and Aldborough.  Weekly shopping and general calls to check up on people.
    Through our calls, we picked up on an elderly gentleman who had a fall and was on his floor for over 24 hours, got him Social Services help and he is now back home and we are supporting him by cooking food, shopping and prescriptions.
    To date we have covered 206 actual shopping/prescription calls.  The volunteers have been absolutely fantastic, particularly my own daughter Kerri and Roger and Fiona Ward, they have consistently done the very large shops, which have at times been really stressful.
    To date we have spent £9.88 of the money given to us.  This is exclusively for the ones who use our account to pay for their shopping and then do a payment over the phone.  We get charged 2.5% of each transaction.  We only have one person using this means.
    I am concerned that some of the people we are currently supporting are going to rush out when lock down eases and end up catching the virus.  We have only had a couple of cases in the villages to my knowledge and both recovered.  One actually caught it when she was taken to hospital for an existing problem!
    This whole thing has highlighted that there are several people in the villages who need help all the time.  It is my intention to continue supporting those on our list for as long as they need us.
    As an additional aside to the support group, over the weeks I put out requests for various things, wool, material, cotton and buttons among them.  As a direct result of these donations, to date we have been able to complete:
    90 Laundry Bags
    205 Covid Heart Pairs
    373 Ear Guards
    41 Scrub Hats
    4 Complete sets of Scrubs
    9 Blankets (For care homes)
    21 Face masks
    Some of the villagers have been helping with these, they do a few which makes them feel that they are helping.
    We have four more sets of scrubs in the process and two more Scrub Tunics.
    For small villages I think that this is a phenomenal effort.
    The parish council sent Mrs Clarke their best wishes and thanks.

    8. Solar Community Fund Committee
    Cllrs. Wilson and Dovey are to have a meeting with Felbeck Trust at the West Beckham allotments on 1st July.
    East Beckham common is looking good with a marvellous display of Bluebells in the early spring.
    The leaflets giving details of walks within the parishes are going out very quickly and more need to be produced.
    Work is underway on the noticeboard giving details of the part played during the war by the RAF in West Beckham.
    Page 189

    9. Playing Field. A guide price of the cost of replacing the fence at the Playing field was £
    It was agreed to obtain further quotations to be presented at the next meeting.

    10. Certificate of Exemption from a full Annual Audit. It was by Cllr. Place that the application for
    exemption from a full audit should be approved. This was seconded by Cllr. Barrass and approved

    11. Financial matters.
    Bank Balances at 28/5/2020 Current a/c £13288.77 Savings a/c £12167.05

    The following invoices have been paid during the lock-down:-
    Mrs M Clarke (Covid 19 volunteer group) all members agreed by email £200
    NALC Subscription £139.54
    Mrs M. Clarke (Covid 19 volunteer group)To be refunded by grant £500
    J. Stibbons Salary and expenses £595.25
    HMRC PAYE £122.80

    12. Overgrown Trees in Old Church Yard, W. Beckham
    Branched need cutting back and weeds need strimming in the old churchyard at West Beckham but the Parochial Church Council has no money. It was pointed out that this work should be undertaken by the church not the Parish Council.
    The councillors agreed to give a donation of £100 as a one-off payment to cover this cost of the work for this year only.

    13. There was no Correspondence

    14. Matters for information only or for the next agenda.
    Agenda items for the next meeting are Village sign and Playing field fence.

    It was agreed that the next Beckham parish council meeting would be held on Thursday 16th July 2020 not the 9th July as previously advertised.

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.26pm.

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 12th March 2020

    Page 187

    Draft Minutes of East and West Beckham Parish Council
    Meeting Held on Thursday 12th March 2020

    Present.
    Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, (chairman),G. Place, D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey, K. Lord, T. Toyn.
    J.Stibbons(clerk)
    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.04pm,

    1. Apologies Dist. Cllr. P. Butikofer

    3.There were no declarations of interest.

    4. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 9th January 2020, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Toyn they should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Lord and carried.
    The chairman then signed the minutes.

    5. Matters arising from the Minutes NCC Highways will attend to the Holly tree which has partly blown into the road at the Nature area and have cut the hedge and cleared the ditch at the Garth.

    6. Reports from County, District or Parish Councillors
    Dist.Cllr. P. Butikofer. A written report was read to the meeting.
    A copy of the report is attached to these minutes.

    7. Solar Community Fund Committee
    V.E.Day is on the 9th and 10th of May. The village hall will be open and there will be a large screen
    television.
    It was proposed by Cllr. Lord that a display board of local interest during the war years should be
    installed in the village hall. This would be a permanent feature and the estimated cost would be
    £250. This proposal was seconded by Cllr. Toyn and approved by the members.
    The old West Beckham village sign will be removed so the base can be painted before the new sign
    arrives. The new sign may not be delivered until after March.
    It was agreed to obtain quotations for the cost of a new wooden bench to be placed in the bus
    shelter.

    8. Playing Field.
    The inspection for January/February was carried out be Cllr, Toyn. The fencing near the road and the back fence near the sports wall are in poor repair. All fencing is to be kept under review and inspected regularly.

    9. Insurance renewal The value for insurance purposes on the bus shelter has been increased from £2652 to £6000 and the new village sign has been included at £6500.
    The premium has remained virtually the same at £473.78, the previous year being £467.27

    10. Financial matters.
    Bank Balances at 12/3/2020 Current a/c £7930.14 Savings a/c £17926.36
    The following invoices were approved:-
    The Village Sign People Invoice 141 £5675.00
    Zurich Insurance Renewal 473.78
    Page 188

    11. Correspondence
    Letters of thanks for donations were received from NARS, Priscilla Bacon Hospice and Air Ambulance
    A publication concerning the Bio Diversity awards.

    12. Matters for information only or for the next agenda.
    It was noted that the access to the Village Green was becoming very overgrown.

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.26pm.

    Copy of the Report from District Councillor P. Butikofer

    At full council meeting, held on 26th Feb 2020, the council tax for all properties has gone up. The increase of 3.99% is the maximum allowed. This is a £4.95 increase for NNDC (excluding town and parish precepts), a £54.27 increase for Norfolk County Council and a £9.99 increase for Norfolk Police and `crime Commissioner.
    For every pound that is paid in council tax only 8p comes back to the district. NNDC delivers around 83 (63%) of the 137 essential local government services. It does that currently for a Council Tax charge of £148.77 for Band D domestic Council Tax properties.
    NNDC also continues to have a Council Tax charge which out of over 190 District Councils in England, is amongst the lowest.
    Following February’s storms and subsequent damage to the Splash Leisure Centre in Sheringham, NNDC is pleased to confirm it has commissioned essential repairs to the roof and the swimming pool is set to re-open, hopefully, at Easter.
    The high winds damaged roof panelling and made it necessary, for safety reason, to close all pool access and commissioned a safety report.
    Land adjacent to Splash is being sold in order to help overall funding towards the construction.
    The council has bought two houses. These will be used for temporary emergency accommodation. At present the council have families having to live in the Spixworth area. There are currently 42 families requiring emergency housing – normally we have 12 but the rapid increase is due to landlords not taking on families that are on Universal credit.
    Funds are in place to purchase another three properties.
    These properties will eventually go into the property company currently being set up.
    20,000 trees out of the 109,000 have currently been planted with1,500 being planted this week in Holt country park.
    A new play area was unveiled in Holt Country Park. This included a modern zip line, bug see-saw and three different swings, one of which is an inclusive bucket swing and a ‘me and you’ swing where parents and toddlers can swing together..
    The new area replaces the old playground which has been in place for 12 years and required updating and was funded by NNDC.
    NNDC working in partnership with East Suffolk Council have taken the initiative to express concerns about the proposed onshore National Grid cable connections and wider implications for the district, in a letter to Dept of Business, Energy and Industrial Energy
    Under proposed plans, both local authorities will see 40% of UK offshore wind generation pass through their districts.
    The letter proposes that the Government explores the development of an Offshore Ring Main to minimise construction impact on the coastal region. The ring main would connect to the National Grid through one single cable connection, potentially saving the North Norfolk countryside from widespread infrastructure works delivered over many years.
    Onshore wind turbines at Selbrigg and Bodham, NNDC is seeking additional legal advise and hopefully will make a decision in the very near future.

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.26pm.

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 14th November 2019

    Present.
    Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, (chairman),G. Place, D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey, K. Lord, T. Toyn.
    Dist. Cllr. P. Butikofer. J.Stibbons(clerk)

    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.00pm,

    1. Apologies None

    3.There were no declarations of interest.

    4. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 12th September 2019, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Dovey they should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Toyne and carried.
    The chairman then signed the minutes.

    5. There were no Matters arising from the Minutes

    6. Reports from County, District or Parish Councillors
    Dist.Cllr. P. Butikofer.
    Splash – started construction. Careful consideration  had been given regarding wave machine. proved to be too expensive.
    Sandscape project completed. After the latest storm, some sand has been moved, but then it was always known that some sand would shift and it is not a concern.
    Won a bid for the heritage High `street Action Zone Fund. government initiative £975K. North Walsham has been the beneficiary. All of it has to be spent on heritage projects.
    Passed a bid for electric vehicle charging points. received a grant from OLEF.

    Long term empty properties, looking at higher council tax – 200%-300%. Will be next year dependent on how long they have been empty.

    Corporate plan – will be coming to full council. This will be implementing the Lib Dem manifesto which outlines the strategic direction of the council for the next four years. This included – local homes for local people, environment, quality of life, coast climate change, financial sustainability and boosting and sustaining business growth.

    Year Four of `Sporting `centre of Excellence initiative. To encourage children with talent for sport to get involved and take advantage of specialist coaching at Gresham’s. Running from October during school term – hockey, netball, cricket and running.
    Prosecution of asbestos offences – two firms fined over £30K. BES Safe Removals Ltd (1st Choice Asbestos) – six offences fined £30K. Park Wright Training Services £800 – non removal of asbestos – not following procedures.

    Successful application for local investment in future talent (LIFT) grant towards cost of skills training workshops for people employed in small business – tourism and hospitality – b&B, cafes, restaurant, leisure. Workshops will run from November 2019 to February 2020
    Solar farm – planning given for extension from 20years to 40 years.
    Karen ward has been nominated as the PPC for Lib Dems replacing Sir Norman Lamb.
    Wind turbines at Selbrigg – still with the planning inspectorate.
    Graham Allen Award winner 2019 – just announced. Winner was the Lookout on the Holkham Estate. Its an esteemed award given each year to the project considered to have made the most significant contribution to the build environment within the district.
    No Broadband in East Beckham was discussed and Cllr. Butikofer explained how parts of Aylmerton had obtained connection from the Rural Broadband Scheme with grants obtainable.
    A survey needs to be carried out to get all households and businesses involved.

    7. Solar Community Fund Committee.
    The committee are reviewing past projects and considering new ideas.
    The new West Beckham village sign will be completed in 2020. No decision has yet been taken on
    what to do with the old sign.
    Heavy rain has caused some washing down of the East Beckham allotment track and the
    Cllr. Barrass has agreed to keep the channel at the top of the track cleared. The bonfire heap at the
    top of the allotments is now becoming a tip, with old carpets being dumped. Enquiries are to be
    made to find someone who will pull the pile apart and burn it. It should not be burnt in situ as there
    may be hedgehogs hibernation in the foliage
    The Felbeck Trust have planted 350 trees at the West Beckham allotments.

    8. Playing Field.
    The gate has been repaired and replaced. The October inspection was completed by Cllr. Batt. It was noted that the condition of the equipment was satisfactory but the fence would soon need attention.

    9. Financial matters.
    Bank Balances at 14/11/2019 Current a/c £8957.59 Savings a/c £7083.30
    A provisional budget for 2020-2021 was circulated to members. This included a precept figure of £3250.
    It was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that the budget should be approved. This was seconded by Cllr. Barrass and carried.
    The request for the payment of the precept for £3250 was then signed by the chairman and clerk.

    The following invoices were approved and cheques signed:-
    Chevertons Printing £100
    J. Stibbons Salary and expenses £595.30
    HMRC PAYE £122.80
    Bodham Village Hall fee for meetings £54

    10. Correspondence None

    11. Matters for information only Highways are to asked if SLOW can be written in the road at
    Church Corner (approaching from Gresham) and at Long lane. Also the ditch needs cleaning and
    the hedge cutting near The Garth to prevent more flooding.

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.08pm.

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 12th September 2019

    Present.
    Cllr. G. Place, (chairman), R. Batt, J. Dovey,, T. Toyn. J.Stibbons (clerk)
    Dist. Cllr. P. Butikofer.
    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.00pm,

    1. Apologies Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson, D. Barrass, K. Lord.

    3.There were no declarations of interest.

    4. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 11th July 2019, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that the minutes should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Toyne and carried.
    The chairman then signed the minutes.

    5. There were no Matters arising from the Minutes

    6. Reports from County, District or Parish Councillors
    Dist.Cllr. P. Butikofer.
    A decision not to proceed with the North Norfolk Sports Hub because the exchange of land
    between the tennis club and the school did no happen. There will be other investments in tennis
    across the district.
    Egmere Enterprise Zone. Is not financially viable without a tenant signed up for at least one
    unit. Tax payers money cannot be spent on speculative development. It will still keep its Enterprise
    status at no extra cost. No more money will be spent until a new contract is signed.
    Sheringham Leisure Centre It was decided not to proceed with a wave machine at the
    because of the additional cost. There were 2000 signatures on the petition for a wave machine but only 400 of them were from Norfolk.
    Work on the Leisure Centre will start on 16th September and be complete by September 2021.
    A Deep History Marathon and half-marathon will take place on May 17th 2020. This will
    draw attention to the beauty of the coast line and the importance that NNDC attaches to physical and mental health in the community.
    Better Broadband goals have been achieved with NCC and other district councils to provide
    high speed broadband. By end of March 2020 North Norfolk should have 92% coverage.
    Planning enforcement teams have been active. A Demolition Order for a two storey building
    has been served on a property which had been in breach of planning control and alleged further
    amendments to an unlawful dwelling. This included a swimming pool and an area of hard standing.
    Electrical vehicle charging points are to be installed in six council owner car parks with a
    total of 48 points.
    The Felbeck Trust have won an Environmental Award.

    7. Solar Community Fund Committee.
    It is planned to try and establish a “Good Neighbours” scheme. This will be discussed further at the
    next committee meeting.
    The members agreed that a reserve of between £5000 and £10000 should be retained in the Solar
    Fund account to cover on-going maintenance in the future.

    8. Allotment Track Repairs.
    The roadway and car park have been repaired in a very satisfactory manner by S. Witham.
    It was agreed to ask Withams to cut the road hedges back when they were in the area.

    9. Playing Field.
    The gate has been removed for repairs. The monthly inspection was satisfactory.

    10. West Beckham Allotments.
    The Felbeck Trust have agreed to put a plan in place for the maintenance of the West Beckham allotment site. A short letter of approval for this scheme to be added to the existing agreement was urgently required and was signed by the Vice-chairman in the absence of the chairman.
    It was proposed by Cllr. Dovey that a donation of £1700 should be made to the Felbeck Trust to assist in the first phase of four cuts and cleaning up at the West Beckham old allotment site, Also the planting of trees. The shed will also be made secure for the storage of tools and other equipment.
    This proposal was seconded by Cllr. Toyne and unanimously approved by the members present.
    11. Financial matters.
    Bank Balances at 11/7/2019 Current a/c £12238.01 Savings a/c £7072.98
    The following invoices were approved and cheques signed:-
    K. Lord Travelling (Village sign inspection/commission) £42.14
    S. Witham Allotment track repairs £2160
    Felbeck Trust Donation (see item 10) £1700

    12. Correspondence None

    13. Matters for information only
    Norfolk County Council have agreed that “Lefty`s Lane, East Beckham is listed as a public
    carriageway. It was accepted as a road but never surfaced.
    It was reported that many road side hedges were becoming very overgrown in places and are
    encroaching onto the carriageway.
    There was an accident at Lodge Hill Corner on 12th August when a car coming from the Beckham
    Road was in a collision

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.08pm.

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting Held on Thursday 11th July 2019

    Present.
    Cllrs. R. McNeil Wilson (chairman) G. Place, D. Barrass, R. Batt, J. Dovey, K. Lord, T. Toyn.
    Dist. Cllr. P. Botikofer. Mr. C. Ringer J.Stibbons (clerk)
    The chairman opened the meeting at 7.00pm,

    1. Apologies County Cllr. S. Botikofer

    2. Cllr. R. Batt declared an interest in item 9.

    3. The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 9th May 2019, having been previously circulated, it was proposed by Cllr. Lord that the minutes should be confirmed as correct. This was seconded by Cllr. Dovey and carried.
    The chairman then signed the minutes.

    4. Matters arising from the Minutes It was noted that the shackles on the swing were not a danger at present.

    5 Reports from County, District or Parish Councillors
    Dist.Cllr. P. Botikofer.
    Wind Turbines. The court of appeal has refused another appeal hearing. The applications will be decided by an planning inspector. All representations must be received before the end of September.
    The council leader will be holding surgeries to allow residents to ask questions and give their views. These will be half hour appointments held on 30th July, 27th August, 24th September, 29th October, 26th November and 17th December.
    Successful prosecutions have taken place for fly-tipping. 34 more trade waste customers are being licensed to collect waste.
    Palm oil is being cleared from the beaches.

    The chairman invited Mr Callum Ringer to address the meeting.
    Work has started to collect comments and plans for a Community Shop, probably in Bodham.
    The Plunkett Foundation have been very helpful with advice and possible funding.
    Would Beckham be interested in joining the venture?
    Questionnaires will be distributed with the Bodham village news letter.
    Beckham parish councillors were thoroughly in favour of the idea and agreed to put questionnaires in their news letter to gauge the results.

    6. Solar Community Fund Committee.
    Water harvesting is working well.
    A coloured version of the village sign is being prepared

    Page 180

    7. Allotment Track Repairs.
    Several companies did not wish to quote for this work.
    A quotation had been received from S. Witham to supply and spread Road Planeings at a cost of
    £1800+VAT being £900 for the track to fill in the two wheel ruts. and £900 for the car park.
    Cllr. Wilson proposed that this quotation should be accepted. This was seconded by Cllr. Dovey
    and approved.

    8. Playing Field.
    The Playsafe (RoSPA) report was studied. The gate is to be fixed. The bars on the climbing cube are to be painted and a new back board installed to the Basket Ball net.
    It was planned to replace the cube at a later date.

    9. Planning
    PF/19/1009 Solar Farm, Church Road, W. Beckham. Variation of condition to extend maximum operational lifetime to 40 years. This was supported by the parish council with the hope that the grant would be extended.

    The clerk asked if members would indicate their wishes to him on future planning applications.
    If there was opposition to any plans an emergency meeting could be called. If there was no reply to a
    planning application sent out then it would be assumed that there was no objection.

    10. West Beckham Allotments
    The Parish Council did not agree to the compromise proposal for mixed use of grazing paddock,
    trees and meadow/pond creation.
    Instead, it was proposed by Cllr. Barrass that the Felbeck Trust should be appointed to manage the
    whole four acres. This proposal was seconded by Cllr. Place and unanimously approved.
    The meeting agreed that this would lead to the feeling of ‘open access’ to all members of the
    community, simplicity of management in the longer term, and specific nature conservation.

    11. Financial matters.
    Bank Balances at 11/7/2019 Current a/c £12238.01 Savings a/c £7072.98
    The following invoices were approved and cheques signed:-
    Playsafe Ltd (RoSPA) Inspection £86.4
    J. Stibbons Salary and expenses £598.08
    HMRC PAYE £122.80
    S. Thurtle Grass cutting £305

    All councillors expense claims for Nil amount were completed.

    12. Correspondence None

    There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8.47pm.