MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SPIXWORTH PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT
7.30pm on TUESDAY 5 JANUARY 2010 at SPIXWORTH VILLAGE HALL

PRESENT
COUNCILLORS:
Mr Fitt (Chairman)
Mrs Doy (Vice-Chairman)
Mr Barrell
Ms Cullum
Mrs Holdroyd
Mr Manning
Mr Mills
Mr Potter
Mr Sadler
Mr Watson
P.C. Graves
Two members of the public
CLERK: Mrs R. Rose

THE CHAIRMAN welcomed everyone to the meeting.

A note of the items raised in the Public Speaking session is attached to the signed copy of these minutes.

1. APOLOGIES were accepted from Councillors Thompson and Ward,
District Councillor B. Kular, County Councillor A. Williams and Sergeant P. Scott

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Sadler: as a member of Broadland Standards Committee and Vice-Chairman of Broadland Community Partnership (public bodies); a Vice-President of Norfolk ALC; Vice-Chairman of the Norwich Airport Consultative Committee; a personal interest in any matter relating to the Code of Conduct or the bodies stated.
Councillor Potter: as Secretary of Spixworth Sunday FC, a personal interest in Item 6.4 - discussions on the income derived from the Football Clubs for the Village Hall.

3. POLICE MATTERS

3.1 Crime Statistics
The figures for December had been received and circulated; 19 calls had been taken by the Control Room from/regarding the parish, and 5 crimes had been logged.

Sgt Scott had sent his apologies as he was training with the laser speed gun. P.C. Graves reported that the Police were interested in a specific vehicle for one of the burglary crimes. The Clerk would advertise this information on the Council website. Sgt Scott had sent some posters regarding rogue traders to the Clerk.

3.2 Matters for action by the Safer Neighbourhood Team
There were no specific areas to report.

3.3 Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel
It was understood that a SNAP meeting would be held in Old Catton on 20 January but no details were known.
P.C. Graves explained that his employment prior to joining the Police was in dealing with anti-social behaviour cases. He would endeavour to use this experience to engage with the young people in all three parishes in the SNAP area.
Councillor Sadler then showed the Council presentations that had been made to him recently by the Norfolk Police Authority and Norfolk Constabulary on the occasion of his final meeting with them after 17 years as representative of the Norfolk ALC. These took the form of an illuminated address and two engraved wine glasses. The meeting congratulated and thanked Councillor Sadler for his representation.

P.C. Graves and his companion were thanked for attending and they left the meeting.

4. THE MINUTES of the previous meeting held on 1 December 2009, which had been circulated, were agreed, and signed by the Chairman as a true record.

5. MATTERS ARISING

5.1 Sustainable Communities Act Amendment Bill (8.1.1)
The Clerk reported that Alastair Burt MP was taking up this Bill, and she had sought the local MP’s support by asking him to sign the Early Day Motion.

5.2 Status of Dedicated Footpath (5.3)
The Clerk had obtained and circulated definitive advice on the difference in status between this type of path and one obtained using the Modification Order process.

5.3 Spixworth Post Office
It was reported that Mr Singh the proprietor of the newsagents had been successful in his application to run the Post Office. It was hoped that an opening date would be available in the next fortnight. The Clerk would express the Council’s thanks and support to Mr Singh.

6. FINANCE

6.1 Balances were noted.
Cheques and Payments detailed on the attached schedule and totalling £4,798.56 were authorised for payment.

6.2 Applications for Financial Assistance
None received.

6.3 Finance & General Purposes Committee
The meeting ratified the minutes of the Committee meeting held 16 December 2009.

6.4 Budget and Precept Level for 2010/11
Councillor Ward (as Chair of the Amenities Committee) had been unable to attend the Finance & General Purposes Committee meeting, but the Chairman had had the opportunity to discuss its recommendations with him. Councillor Ward had expressed his strong objection to the Council obtaining a loan.

The Chairman explained to the meeting that this budget set out to address both the Council’s continuing recovery of a safe level of reserve balances (which had been raised by the External Auditor two years previously), and the Council’s responsibilities as sole managing trustee of the Village Hall. The latter was in urgent need of repairs to the roof, and items such as separating the electrical wiring of the Hall and Social Club were highly desirable.

In addressing these two matters without an unacceptably large rise in the precept level, the Finance & General Purposes Committee meeting were recommending that the Council obtain permission to borrow from the Public Works Loan Board sufficient funds (in the region of £25,000) to carry out the major works to the Village Hall. It was the optimum time to apply for a loan while the interest rates were extremely low, and annual repayments over 5 years would equate to the same amount as the Parish Council had granted to the Village Hall in recent years. If the same amount were added to the precept, it would equate to a rise of 32% for the forthcoming financial year. At the time of recommendation, the Fixed Rate interest rates stood at 2.02%; however, this was updated daily and there was no guarantee that this rate would pertain at the time of applying for a loan.”

The meeting debated the budget with particular reference to the loan issue. Councillor Mills commented that he had originally objected to a loan, but that the Committee meeting had been well-constructed and all options had been talked through. He felt there was a good justifiable reason to borrow.

Councillor Manning was concerned that a loan would not cover all that needed to be done at the Village Hall and that further loans might be needed. The Chairman responded that this measure was needed in order to maintain the integrity of a village asset. The Management Committee’s reserves and income would not allow for major works of this kind, and the Parish Council would be fulfilling its role as managing trustee. It had a mandate from the parish to ensure that the Hall would continue to be a viable and safe building for both parishioners and external hirers. The Management Committee could then concentrate its resources on the day-to-day running of the Hall. Improvements were still needed to the football facilities, but it was acknowledged that the upgrades already made to enable Anglian Combination league football to be played would benefit local players and had already resulted in increased income for the Hall complex. Councillor Manning wished his objection to securing a loan to be recorded.

There was discussion on other calls on Parish Council funds, such as upgrading the lighting stock. Councillor Sadler felt that the budget had been well thought out and addressed all the Council’s responsibilities as regards the Village Hall roof and Health & Safety considerations.

Proposed by Councillor Doy and seconded by Councillor Potter, on a vote of 8 for and 2 against, the budget was APPROVED and the precept for 2010/11 was set at £82,500.
Mr Roper (public) left the meeting at this point.

7. PLANNING MATTERS

7.1 Planning Committee
7.1.1The minutes of the meeting of 1 December 2009 were RATIFIED.

7.1.2 Councillor Mills gave a verbal report of the Committee meeting held immediately prior to the Council meeting; the Council AGREED the recommendations on applications made.

7.2 Permissions and Enforcement Matters
7.1.1 There were no new or outstanding cases to report.

7.2.2 The Clerk would ascertain whether planning permission had been needed for the smoking shelter outside Spixworth Motel.

8. CORRESPONDENCE AND REPORTS OF MEETING(S) ATTENDED

8.1 Correspondence List
A list of the correspondence received had been circulated, and was updated at the meeting; all items were available from the Clerk. A list is attached to the signed copy of these minutes.

Councillor Sadler would attend the Norfolk Police Authority Budget Consultation meeting on 21st January.

A reminder had been received from the Department for Communities and Local Government that Parish Councils were responsible for the maintenance of war memorials. Councillor Barrell expressed his concern that the benefice Remembrance Day services were now being held at St Faiths and the memorial wreaths for Spixworth were not quickly transferred to the memorial window at St Peter’s, Spixworth. The Clerk would pass these concerns on to the Rector.

8.2 Parish Plan
The meeting agreed that the Spixworth Parish Plan could be available on Broadland District Council’s website.

9. HIGHWAYS MATTERS

9.1 Contract with Norfolk County Council for grass cutting
The meeting AGREED to continue with the contract for the 2010 season; the Chairman and Vice-Chairman would sign the agreement.

9.2 Maintenance Matters
9.2.1 Cycleway – the Clerk would report as a matter of urgency the collapse of the verge opposite Quaker Lane (due to an earlier impact by an HGV) and the resultant non-functioning of the drains.

The Clerk would also report that leaf clearance was needed on the cycleway.
9.2.2 Street lighting –Norfolk County Council was proposing to switch off some street lights between 12 and 5am. In order to be prepared with the financial position, the Clerk was instructed to enquire into the cost of converting the parish’s street lighting stock from photo-electric cells to timer switches, or to install solar panels on each light.

10. AMENITIES MATTERS

No matters were raised.

11. SPIXWORTH VILLAGE HALL TRUSTEES

A committee meeting date was confirmed for 13 January 2010 at 7.30pm

12. NORWICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

No matters were raised.

13. STRUCTURAL REVIEW OF NORFOLK

Following the Boundary Committee’s advice for a single unitary council for the whole of Norfolk, a period was now allowed for representations directly to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Despite it not being an option for consideration during the earlier consultations, the Council agreed to ask the Secretary to consider retaining the status quo, as both the County Council and Broadland District Council were councils with high performance levels and the Parish Council would not wish to see the current good local government in the county disrupted.

14. REPORTS FROM DISTRICT/COUNTY COUNCILLORS

None of the Councillors were present.

There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.05pm