Minutes of the Annual Parish Council meeting held at the Village Hall on
Monday, 15th May 2023 at 8.25pm.
- Present
- Cllr M Gillett (Chair), Cllr D Turner, Cllr K Wilkinson, Cllr M Mann, Cllr S Budd, Cllr H Stanford, Cllr S Baker
- In Attendance
- J Blackburn - Clerk
ES07/23/24 – Election of Chair
Cllr Gillett declared the meeting open.
Cllr Stanford proposed that Cllr Gillett be elected as Chair, which was seconded by Cllr Baker. Decision – Cllr Gillett was duly elected Chair.
Cllr Gillett signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and then took the Chair for the remainder of the meeting.
ES08/23/24 – Election of Vice-Chair
Cllr Stanford proposed that Cllr Turner be elected as Vice-Chair, which was seconded by Cllr Wilkinson. Decision – Cllr Turner was duly elected Vice-Chair.
ES09/23/24 – To Receive Apologies of Absence
None had been received.
ES10/23/24 – To Receive Declarations of Interest
None had been received.
ES11/23/24 – To Receive Applications for Dispensation
None had been received.
ES12/23/24 – To Approve the Minutes of the Meeting Held on 6th March 2023
It was AGREED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 6th March 2023 be approved as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
ES13/23/24 – To Appoint Representatives to Outside Bodies
- Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC) – Decision – All Cllrs.
- Village Hall – Decision – Cllr Gillett was appointed representative to the Village Hall.
- Church – Decision – Cllr Stanford was appointed representative to the Church.
- Community Emergency Village Hall Key Holders – Decision – Cllr Turner and Cllr Gillett were key holders for the Village Hall.
- Earl Stonham Trustees – Decision – Cllr Budd and Tony Turner were appointed representatives to the Earl Stonham Trustees.
- Recorder Publication – Decision – Cllr Turner was appointed representative for the Recorder Publication.
- Recorder Distribution – Decision – Cllr Baker was appointed representative for the Recorder Distribution.
- Carols on the Green – Decision – Cllr Stanford was appointed representative for the Carols on the Green.
- Footpaths – Decision – Cllr Turner, Cllr Budd and Cllr Wilkinson were appointed representatives for the Footpaths.
ES14/23/24 – Authorisation of Annual Subscriptions
It was AGREED: That the annual subscription of £293.21 be paid to the Suffolk Association of Local Councils in order to renew the Parish Council’s membership.
ES15/23/24 – Public Forum
Four members of the public were present but no issues were raised.
ES16/23/24 – To Receive the County Councillor’s Report – Cllr Hicks
It was NOTED: That the County Councillor submitted a report to the Annual Parish Meeting that was held prior to this meeting.
ES17/23/24 – To Receive the District Councillor’s Report – Cllr Hardingham
Newly elected Cllr Hardingham was not present at the meeting and a report had not been received.
ES18/23/24 – To Receive the Clerk’s Report and Financial Matters
a) Clerk’s Report
The Clerk had nothing to report.
b) To Receive the Clerk’s Financial Report
The Clerk reported on the Council’s current financial position and movements since the last meeting. It was reported that the balance in the accounts on 9th May 2023 was £13,507.65.
c) To Authorise Payments and Note Receipts
The Clerk reported the following payments be authorised:
- Jennie Blackburn - Laptop maintenance reimbursement - £24.00
- HMRC - PAYE for 2022/23 - £212.20
- M Gillett - Creosote for posts reimbursement - £12.65
- SCC - Street lighting - £661.32
- Jennie Blackburn - Clerk's Pay (April) - £280.75
- Jennie Blackburn - Clerk's Office Allowance/Exp (Apr) - £26.00
- Jennie Blackburn - Clerk's Pay (May) - £280.75
- Jennie Blackburn - Clerk's Office Allowance/Exp (May) - £46.41
- SALC - Membership Renewal - £293.21
- Vertas Group Ltd - Grass Cutting (April to June) - £377.78
- ES VH - Half of Recycling Credit - £166.17
- Trevor Brown - Internal Audit 2022/23 - £160.00
- Tony Turner - Various items for Village Sign - £46.57
- Di Brenig-Jones - Paint for Village Sign - £100.47
- MSDC - Bin Emptying - £422.21
- Spencer Wix - War Memorial repointing works - £144.00
- Barbara Heard - Village Walk Refreshments - £7.94
- Great Bricett PC - Contribution to Ink Cartridges - £117.24
- Lindsey Stone - APM Refreshments - £30.00
It was AGREED: That payments totaling £3,409.67 be approved.
The following receipts were also noted:
- MSDC - Locality Grant for Streetlight replacement - £1,097.17
- JTS - Recorder Advert - £30.00
- Kevin Hollins - Recorder Advert - £30.00
- MSDC - Recycling Bin Credit - £332.35
- MSDC - Precept (1st Instalment) - £3,665.00
- MSDC - CiL Money - £1,791.64
- HMRC - VAT Reclaim 2022/23 - £664.44
d) Asset Register
It was AGREED: That the Asset Register be approved.
e) Annual Governance Statement
The Annual Governance Statement was completed by the Council and signed by the Chair and the Clerk.
f) End of Year 31st March 2023 Statement of Accounts
The Statement of Accounts was presented for approval. Decision – approved and signed by the Chair and the Clerk.
g) Exemption Certificate
The Exemption Certificate was approved and signed by the Chair and Clerk.
h) Internal Auditor’s Report
The Internal Auditor’s Report was received and it was noted that no recommendations had been made.
i) CIL Report
The CiL report was approved and signed by the Chair and Clerk.
ES19/23/24 – General Power of Competence
It was AGREED: That the Parish Council met the conditions of eligibility set out in the Schedule to the Parish Council (General Power of Competence) (Prescribed Conditions) Order 2012, thereby enabling it to use the General Power of Competence. This would remain valid until the Annual Meeting following the next Ordinary Election in May 2027.
ES20/23/24 - Planning Applications
Ref: - DC/23/01201 - Full Planning Application - Change of Use of agricultural land to residential amenity land to serve Angel House - Land to the Rear of, Angel House, Norwich Road, Earl Stonham
It was AGREED: That the Parish Council had no objection to the application. Clerk to action.
ES21/23/24 - Planning Decisions
The following decisions were noted:
Ref: DC/23/00297 - Application under S73 for Removal or Variation of a Condition following grant of Planning Permission 1082/94 dated 20/05/1999. (Retention of change of use of building from domestic storage/workshop to residential and office accommodation) Town and Country Planning Act 1990.- To remove Condition 2 - (Removal of Permitted Development Rights) - In order to allow permitted development rights to current owner imposed under original planning permission condition - Lingwood Barn, Angel Hill, Earl Stonham - Granted
Ref: DC/23/00362 - Application for Outline Planning Permission (Access Points to be considered, Appearance, Layout, Landscaping and Scale to be Reserved) Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) - Erection of 4 No. dwellings and new vehicular access Land North Of, Stowmarket Road, Earl Stonham - Refused
ES22/23/24 – Church Trustee Renewal
The Clerk informed members that Frankie Wicks’ term of office as P.C. nominated Church Trustee ended on 25th June 2023. She was prepared to stand again for a further four years if required.
It was AGREED: That Frankie Wicks be appointed as P.C. nominated Church Trustee.
ES23/23/24 – Speeding
Cllr Gillett reported that speeding was becoming an issue in Middlewood Green where vans and larger vehicles were driving erratically and at speed. Cllr Gillett would speak with Highways to see if anything can be done to slow the traffic down.
It was suggested that if any vehicles were speeding and had company lorries, let the Clerk know who could then telephone the companies involved.
It was AGREED: That the Clerk email those companies to notify them of the problem.
ES24/23/24 - Footpaths
The following issues were ongoing:
- Fingerpost still against the tree – edge of Chapel Lane – Clerk to follow up
- Beechwood Farm – fingerpost still broken – Clerk to follow up
- Hedge remains overgrown opposite Village Hall – Cllr Budd to arrange for it to be cut
ES25/23/24 – Kings Coronation
Cllr Turner reported that the weekend had been very successful with approximately 120 people attending on Sunday for the lunch, which was a very good turnout. The Parish Council expressed their thanks to everyone involved.
Cllr Gillett also wished to thank the volunteers, Tony Turner, Brian Heard and Di Brenig-Jones for their refurbishment of the Village Sign on the Green.
ES26/23/24 - Update on the Village Hall
There was nothing to report.
ES27/23/24 - Update on Street Lighting
It was reported that Suffolk County Council were currently going through a tender process to replace the contractors for Street Lighting. Therefore, there will be a delay in replacing the street lights until the autumn.
ES28/23/24 – War Memorial
The Clerk confirmed that the repointing works had been completed.
ES29/23/24 - Matters to be Brought to the Attention of the Council
- Fen Lane / Mill Lane – road defects still present – Clerk to follow up
- Pothole Opposite Fen View – Clerk to report
- Fly-tipping – rear of Red House Farm – had been reported
- Stiles needed repairing – Cllr Budd to send the Clerk further information
- Weight Limit Sign at the north end of Blacksmiths Lane missing – Clerk to report
ES30/23/24 - Dates of 2023/24 Meetings
It was AGREED: That the following dates be approved for the 2023/24 meetings:
- Monday, 3rd July 2023
- Monday, 4th September 2023
- Monday, 6th November 2023
- Monday, 8th January 2024
- Monday, 4th March 2024
ES31/23/24 – Date of Next Meeting
Monday, 3rd July 2023 at 7.30pm
The meeting finished at 9.10pm.
Chairman: …………………………………………… Dated: …………………………………………