Meeting of the Parish Council,

Wednesday 4 January 2023 at 7.30pm,

Reed Village Hall

Minutes

Download printable version (opens as PDF document) Minutes of the meeting held on 4 th January 2023 at 7.30pm held at Reed Village Hall. Present Cllrs: K Langley (Chair), C d’Ayala (Vice Chair), and N Payne. In attendance the Clerk Catharine Toms, County Cllr. F Hill and Dist. Cllrs. G Morris and A Hunter, and 2 members of the public. This meeting would be recorded for the purpose of the minutes. 1.01.23 Attendance. As listed above. 2.01.23 To receive apologies for absence. Cllr. E Kilby (other commitment) and Cllr. B. Blower (on holiday). Apologies were accepted. 3.01.23 To receive Members Declarations of Interest. Cllr. d’Ayala (item 15.01.23). 4.01.23 To approve the Minutes of the Meetings of the Parish Council held on 2 nd November 2022 and to authorise the Chairman to sign them as a true record. It was proposed, seconded and all voted in favour to approve. Resolved. Approved minutes to be posted on the website. Action: Clerk/Webmaster Standing Orders were suspended. 5.01.23 To invite Members of the Public to address the meeting. A resident reported that Herts County Council (HCC) Highways had made a really good job clearing the pavement along the A10 and had also fixed a hole in the pavement with 7 days of it being reported. She had also reported that high winds had caused a telephone wire to become slack and likely to get caught by high passing vehicles. HCC Highways had been informed. Another resident was present to seek advice regarding siting a storage container in his front garden. He was advised to contact North Herts Council (NHC) Planning Department to find out if planning permission was required. The Chair agreed to suspend Standing Orders again at items on the agenda, should members of the public wish to make comment. Standing Orders were resumed. 6.01.23 To receive Chairman’s Report. (See Appendix A). It was reported with great sadness the recent death of former Parish Councillor Peter Lawrence. He had served as a Parish Councillor for over 40 years and had been involved with many other village organisations during his life. It was a huge loss to Reed and sincere condolences were extended to Peter’s family and friends. Standing Orders were suspended. 7.01.23 To receive report from District Councillor – Cllr. Morris reported that since the recent bad weather flooding at Reed End was as bad as ever again and that generally there were pot holes everywhere. There were sewage problems in Therfield/Kelshall and Barkway where the Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) were not coping with demand and as a result discharging raw sewage at unacceptable levels into the rare and protected chalk streams of the Rivers Rib and Quin. He had emailed NHC Planning to request that all future planning applications should have a condition that no further dwellings could be occupied until the STPs were upgraded. Determination on the Nicholl’s Yard planning application was still outstanding, awaiting consideration by the NHC Planning Control Committee. Dist. Cllr. Hunter mentioned that the NHC Cabinet had approved a proposal to change purple bin collections to a 3 weekly cycle and to increase the charges for brown bin collections. 8.01.23 To receive report from County Councillor – Cllr. Hill reported that NHC had agreed to include Willow Close on their grass cutting schedule. With regards to around the Green, they would be cutting on land that was owned by NHC, so to the edges of the ditch, and no further. If areas of sightlines on the 5 entrances to the Green were not being cut then that would be the responsibility of the landowner. It was reported that there were already a lot of road safety signs in place near the school to encourage careful driving in the area. Cllr. Hill would set up a meeting between HCC Highways, the Parish Council and the School, so that the school would be aware that if no parking markings were put outside the school, just how restrictive this would be for parents and staff and nearby residents. She indicated that the flooding problem at Reed End was both a HCC Highways issue and a landowner issue so was being difficult to resolve quickly. She had expressed concern over the proposed weight restriction on A507 due to the impact it would have on Royston and villages along the A10 and she had objected to the Nicholl’s Yard development planning application. Dist Cllrs. and County Cllr. were thanked for their reports. Standing Orders were resumed. 9.01.23 To review action points from the meeting on 2 nd November 2022 – reviewed. Action Points from this meeting (see Appendix B). 10.01.23 To receive report from the Clerk on current financial position – A list of monies received and payments to be authorised had been previously circulated to all Cllrs. Accounts showed a bank balance of £24,511.26 of which, £10,133.35 was Push Energy Community Contribution (ring-fenced for special projects), £4,610.00 was Bonfire Night reserves, £690.75 was P3 grant balance, £651.87 was S106 Sustainable Transport Reserve, £1,000.00 Play Park Reserve, leaving General Reserves at £7,425.29. Income received since the last meeting: £2,575.10 Donations from Bonfire Night. 11.01.23 To agree accounts for payment. Payments to be authorised at the meeting were Clerk’s salary and PAYE. £350.00 payment for annual grass cutting in Play Area to C & M Grounds Maintenance. Proposed, seconded and approved by all. Resolved. The Clerk to contact C & M Maintenance to let them know that their work grass cutting over the past season had been done well and that the Council would like them to continue. Action: Clerk 12.01.23 To consider and agree budget 2023/24 and associated Precept request for 2023/24 – Information had been previously forwarded to all Cllrs. The proposed budget was considered to be appropriate and it was proposed, seconded and agreed to request a small increase in Precept, to the effect that it would not reflect in any increase in the Parish Council element of the Council Tax bill in 2023/24 for a Band D property. Resolved. The Clerk to submit Precept request to North Herts Council. Action: Clerk 13.01.23 To consider and make comment on planning application: Full Permission Householder : Erection of single storey front extension adjoining existing garage to provide home gym (as a resubmission of Development B of planning permission 22/02565/FPH which was refused on 15.11.2022) Mill Corner Farm, Jacksons Lane, Reed, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 8AB. Case Ref No: 22/03153/FPH – After consideration of the application, it was proposed, seconded and agreed by all that there was no objection to the application provided that North Herts Planning Authority was satisfied that this revised application resolved the issues that were the reason for its refusal of the previous application. Resolved. The Clerk to respond to NHC. Action: Clerk 14.01.23 To consider and make comment on planning application: Full Permission Householder : Part single storey part two storey rear extension to include hip to gable roof extension, partsingle storey part two storey side extension and erection of detached single storey equipment/storage/outbuilding following removal of existing detached shed. Glebe House, Church Lane, Reed, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 8AL. Case Ref No: 22/03262/FPH - After consideration of the application, it was proposed, seconded and agreed by all that there was no objection to the application. Resolved. The Clerk to respond to NHC. Action: Clerk 15.01.23 Save The Cabinet Action Group (SCAG) to receive update – It was reported that SCAG had been in regular contact with Mr Ian Fullstone, the Regulatory Director at NHC. The complaint submitted to NHC by SCAG was still open as a Stage 2 complaint. SCAG needed to respond to indicate if they were satisfied that their complaint had been resolved. The owner’s appeal against the NHC decision to refuse the planning applications had been given an extended deadline by the Ministry of Justice until 9 th January. NHC Enforcement Officer Mr Braybrooke had visited site twice recently to inspect an outside storeroom and a railway carriage. Evidence indicated that they were being used as rest rooms and not as habitable accommodation. SCAG were continuing to closely monitor matters. 16.01.23 Highways Matters – to receive update – (refer to item 8.01.23) 17.01.23 To receive update on project to preserve ponds and agree any action required – No report. 18.01.23 To receive and consider NHC Annual Play Area Inspection Report and agree any action required – There were only 2 items which had produced a moderate risk factor in the report. These were the tyre swing and the adventure trail. These would require monitoring. There was no emergency action needed. It was suggested that the Play Area Working Party should take the report into consideration, along with the results of the Play Area Survey when planning the future development and management of the Play Area. Action: KL/BB 19.01.23 To receive bi-monthly Parish Council play area inspection report and agree any action required – (See item 18.01.23) 20.01.23 To receive update from Play Area Working Party and agree any action required – to be deferred to the March meeting. 21.01.23 To receive update and agree arrangements for the maintenance for the ditches, verges and edges around the Green – (also see item 8.01.23) Cllr. Hill had sent an email to NHC to request that the verges were, in addition to cutting, also strimmed to the edge of the ditch. The ditches themselves were now overgrown and were a Parish Council responsibility and Cllr. d’Ayala would work on ascertaining options/costs to deal with the ongoing maintenance required. Action: CD 22.01.23 To receive update on request submitted for installation of a kissing gate on Reed 020 – The Access Project Officer from HCC had visited the site and agreed the proposed location for the kissing gate. Permission had since been granted by the landowner. A completed Public Safety & Misuse of Public Rights of Way Evidence Form had been submitted, to justify the need for the kissing gate and measurements taken of the width of the path. The Clerk was now awaiting details of suppliers from HCC in order to obtain quotations for the gate and the installation. It was agreed that monies left in the P3 grant reserve and the S106 Sustainable Transport reserve could be used towards the cost but no monies were to be used from general reserves. HCC would pay for some of the cost. Action: Clerk 23.01.23 To receive update on training to be able to share the task of website maintenance – Cllrs. Kilby and Payne were scheduled to meet on 13 th January. Action: EK/NP 24.01.23 To receive update and agree any action on Push Energy Fund Project - Community Noticeboard – Cllr. d’Ayala had met with members of the Village Hall Committee and had been given an old noticeboard for renovation. She hoped to be able to carry out the repair work and in due course agree with the Village Hall Committee a suitable location for siting of the noticeboard. Action: CD 25.01.23 To agree purchase of an additional dog bin – It was proposed, seconded and agreed by all to purchase a dog bin, at a cost of approx. £300 to be sited on Jacksons Lane at an appropriate place. Resolved. The Clerk to place an order with Glasdon UK and Cllr. Langley to purchase a bag of postcrete ready for installation. Action: Clerk/KL 26.01.23 To receive matters for report or referral to next agenda. (Information only) Ponds protection project, Play equipment project and grant funding, Community noticeboard / Push Energy fund expenditure, maintenance of ditches around the Green, HCC Warm Space initiative, Crime awareness session, Bi-monthly play area inspection, Quotations for Kissing gate on Reed 020, Website maintenance. 27.01.23 To note correspondence received. (Information only) – Nothing not covered elsewhere in the meeting. 28.01.23 To agree date of next meeting - Weds 1 st March 2023. Agreed. There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.57pm. Appendix A: Chair’s Report January 2023 Printable/downloadable version The following to report since the November 2022 meeting of the parish council: • In November I circulated to other councillors and the clerk the login detail for the Circuit website where the status of the village defibrillator is recorded as part of a national register. • I wrote to the Head of Reed School about the concerns over speeding raised in the November meeting. She replied undertaking to pass them on to parents and staff. She was already alert to the likely impact of forthcoming building work at Gladstone Villas. • In early December I joined fellow parish councillors and the clerk in an informal meeting to prepare the annual PC budget to be set at this meeting. • I was given a courtesy call by Paul Harrison to notify the council of his intention to submit a planning application, which duly appears on this agenda. • Finally, I have sadly to record here the death on 17th December of Peter Lawrence. Peter served on Reed Parish Council for 40 years before standing down at the end of 2020. He also served the village tirelessly on the Village Hall committee and as a founder member of the cricket club. He was an unflagging supporter of village causes. Villagers and this Council benefited hugely from his unrivalled knowledge of Reed and his deep love of the village. An obituary notice has been placed on the Parish Council website and we extend our sympathy and thoughts to Peter’s family and his friends. His funeral takes place tomorrow. That completes this report. ..