MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SPIXWORTH PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT
7.30pm on TUESDAY 1 JULY 2008 at SPIXWORTH VILLAGE HALL

PRESENT
COUNCILLORS: Mr Fitt (Chairman) (later)
Mr Ward (Vice-Chairman)
Mr Barrell
Ms Cullum
Mrs Doy
Mrs Holdroyd
Mr Manning
Mr Mills
Mr Potter
Mr Sadler
Mr Thompson (later)
Mr Watson
District Councillor C. Thompson (also Parish Councillor)
County Councillor A. Williams (later)
PCSO Watts
Sergeant Atherton: Police Traffic Division
CLERK: Mrs R. Rose

MR WARD took the Chair and welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1. APOLOGIES were accepted from District Council B. Kular.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Sadler: as a member of Broadland Standards Committee and Broadland Community Partnership (public bodies); a member of the Executive Committee of NCAPTC; Vice-Chairman of the Norwich Airport Joint Consultative Committee; a personal interest in any matter relating to the Code of Conduct or the bodies stated.
Item 6.1: a prejudicial interest as the recipient of expenses.

3. THE MINUTES of the previous meeting held on 3 June 2008, which had been circulated, were agreed, and signed by the Chairman as a true record with the following amendments:
Item 9.2.1, penultimate sentence: amend ‘if’ left for monitoring… to ‘i.e.’
Item 13, last sentence: amend ‘adopt’ all possible methods to ‘support’.

4. MATTERS ARISING

4.1 Public payphone unit, Park Road
Councillor Kular had canvassed opinion from local residents, who wished to retain the unit. Broadland District Council has also contacted the Clerk, who had responded similarly, stating that (apart from a regularly vandalised unit) this was the only one available in the village for emergency use.

5. POLICE MATTERS

5.1 Crime Statistics / Traffic Matters
The figures for June had been received and circulated; 43 calls had been taken by the Control Room from/regarding the parish, and 15 crimes had been logged. PCSO Watts enlarged upon these, particularly those for criminal damage, where those responsible had been identified.

Councillor Potter recounted a recent incident where the alarm on the pharmacy was sounding. He had called the non-emergency Police number as he could not get in touch with a keyholder himself, but the Police had not responded with any urgency and it appeared that they had not checked out the premises for intruders.
Sergeant Atherton recommended calling 999 in these circumstances.

Sergeant Atherton was attending the meeting to discuss the monitoring of the
7.5 tonne weight restriction in the village and speed issues in general. The Clerk had contacted Highways about further signing on the Buxton Road (item 5.2 of the previous minutes) as recommended by the Traffic Division, but Highways had responded that additional signing close to Crostwick Lane on Buxton Road would confuse those vehicles that had entered the zone for unloading as to where the restriction started and ended.

Sergeant Atherton informed the meeting that the area force was being re-organised, and that the traffic officers were being co-ordinated from the Acle office; he would let the Clerk know the new contact details.

The Community Speedwatch initiative needed more volunteers form Spixworth; the Clerk would put a notice on the website and village noticeboards. The groups were now being co-ordinated by Sgt Andy Hood at Acle.

(Councillor Thompson entered the meeting at this point).

Councillor Sadler agreed that the Speedwatch initiative could help to deter motorists from speeding, but that only Police officers could enforce the law. He had seen a Police motorcyclist with a camera who seemed to be having some success in logging speeding motorists. Sgt Atherton explained that he may have been a member of the Safety Camera Partnership, which had considerably more funding than the regular Police force. The Partnership officers responded to areas of complaint, but would not be able to deal with weight restriction issues. He outlined the different areas of responsibility between the Police traffic division and the Safety Partnership, explaining that the Police tried to educate drivers on the speeding laws as well as enforcing them.

Councillor Thompson sought Sgt Atherton’s view of the Community Speedwatch initiative, as there was a difference between civilians logging a speeding vehicle and the Police being able to enforce the law immediately. Sgt Atherton responded that all initiatives were designed to calm traffic speeds, but did point out that the Safer Neighbourhood Team initiative (of which Community Speedwatch was a part) did have enhanced funding for up-to-date equipment that his Police division struggled to find.

Sgt Atherton agreed to liaise with his colleagues at Acle to make a concerted effort on enforcing the weight restriction.

(Councillor Fitt entered the meeting at this point, but agreed that Councillor Ward should continue in the chair)

5.2 Items to be raised at the next SNAP meeting

It was agreed to seek retention of monitoring the weight restriction zone in and around Spixworth as a specific task at the next SNAP meeting to be held on
21 July at Old Catton.

There was discussion on the proposed closure of some Police stations. The Sprowston base would not be closed, but the response officers would be based elsewhere, thereby increasing response times. However, Sgt Atherton pointed out that no decisions had yet been ratified.

Sgt Atherton and PCSO Watts were thanked for attending, and they left the meeting.

(County Councillor Williams entered the meeting at this point)

6. FINANCE

6.1 Balances were noted.
Cheques and Payments detailed on the attached schedule and totalling £9,008.98 were authorised for payment.

6.2 Applications for financial assistance
None received.

6.3 Street lighting defects
A report had been received from the street lighting contractor outlining non-urgent defects, such as bowl required and re-aligning brackets. Councillor Barrell agreed to survey the columns concerned and report back to the Council.

6.4 Annual Accounts 2007/08
6.4.1 The meeting noted the Internal Auditor’s report and the recommendations for reviewing the Financial Regulations and Risk Assessments.

6.4.2 The meeting APPROVED the annual accounts and completed Section 2 – the Annual Governance Statement –by answering Yes to all questions.

6.5 Budget Control Report
The meeting noted the income and expenditure for the 1st quarter to 30 June 2008. The meeting of the Finance & General Purposes Committee would look at the reports available in the accounts software system and decide on an alternative report format.

6.6 Broadland District Council – Delegated Functions
The Cabinet was due to review the scheme of delegated functions and the Council’s comments were sought on their continuation or any changes to the scheme. The Parish Council AGREED to continue with the scheme.

6.7 Finance & General Purposes Committee
A meeting date was AGREED for 17 July 2008 at 7.30pm.

With the meeting’s agreement, the Chairman brought forward Item 14 on the agenda.

14. REPORT FROM DISTRICT / COUNTY COUNCILLORS

County Councillor Williams reported that the County Council had just undergone its biennial inspection; the report was expected in September.

The Northern Distributor Route issue was due to be debated at Cabinet on 14 July, and he anticipated that the scheme would continue its progress. The start date was still expected to be end 2010/beginning 2011. Even if all funding had not been secured by this date, it was anticipated that the work could be phased, starting with the Postwick interchange.

The Boundary Committee was due to publish its initial findings and first recommendations for consultation on the unitary status of Norfolk on the following Monday at mid-day. Councillor Sadler reported that he had been invited as a member of the Executive Committee of NCAPTC to view the workings of the unitary council in Herefordshire

County Councillor Williams was thanked for his report, and he left the meeting.

7. PLANNING MATTERS

7.1.1 Planning Committee
Councillor Mills reported on his re-election to the chair of the Planning Committee at the meeting held immediately prior to the County Council meeting. He enlarged on the applications discussed and the decisions reached; the meeting ratified those decisions.

7.2 Permissions and Enforcement Matters
No matters to report.

8. CORRESPONDENCE & REPORTS OF MEETINGS 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.

9. HIGHWAYS MATTERS

9.1 Highways Committee
The minutes of the Committee meeting held on 3 June 2008 were RATIFIED.
Members had looked at examples of lantern fittings in other parishes, and AGREED to hold a further Committee meeting on 17 July to decide on a design.

9.2 Maintenance Matters
The Clerk reported that, following the intervention of County Councillor Williams, the paint on the road in Russell Avenue had been removed.

Councillor Potter reported that he had been apprised of a flooding situation in Godfrey Road, which had been reported to Highways by the parishioners themselves in 2007 and some work programmed. Councillor Potter was surprised that Highways had not informed the Parish Council of this work, in view of the officers’ knowledge of the Council’s maintenance monitoring scheme, and also that no work had yet been carried out. The Clerk had asked the Assistant Highway Engineer for an update, which was awaited.

9.3 Any Other Highways Matters
The Clerk would pursue the following matters with the appropriate authorities:
junction sign for Crostwick Lane from Buxton Road for traffic travelling south;
a GPO concrete post at the junction of Ivy Road and Buxton Road laying in the verge;
a broken bus stop sign in Buxton Road;
the road name sign for Old Hall Lane;
the trimming back of the hedges and scraping back of the grass on the cycleway.

10. AMENITIES MATTERS

10.1 Greg's Meadow
The Clerk would ask the General Assistant to remove the vandalised litter bin on Greg's Meadow.
Councillor Manning had been monitoring the grass cutting in Greg's Meadow and in the parish generally. It was AGREED that a date for an Amenities Committee meeting would be set at the August Council meeting.

10.2 Any Other Amenities Matters
The Clerk would report a fly-tipped mattress on Quaker Lane.

11. SPIXWORTH VILLAGE HALL

11.1 Spixworth Village Hall Management Committee
The meeting noted Councillor Potter’s report on the Committee meeting held on 24 June 2008.
Following the result of the Parish Poll in June, discussion took place on the next steps in the process of transferring trusteeship to the Parish Council. **

12. NORWICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Councillor Sadler gave a verbal report on the Joint Consultative Committee meeting held on 30 June 2008.
There had been criticism of the new arrangement of a 5-minute luggage drop-off point.
The new Operating Framework Agreement had been drafted. The Broadland District Council Strategic Director and Chief Planner and Norwich City Council had had sight of it, and they would scrutinise it with the Airport Managing Director at a further meeting.

It had been ascertained that the Airport was testing engines in an area without planning permission. Questions had been asked at the Joint Consultative Committee meeting about enforcement measures and penalties

A presentation had been given about helicopter operations and training. Practical training was carried out from Norwich, and there were some 40 helicopter movements per day servicing 50 oil rigs. There had been 60,000 helicopter movements in and out of Norwich Airport in the previous year, and this number was growing.

The Operations Director had visited many of the surrounding villages to take decibel readings, which had proved to be high. Pilots had been asked to adhere to flight routes; it was admitted that there was a problem in Spixworth, and pilots could be warned about overflying.

In July the CAA-approved instrumental landing system would come into operation, meaning more control of local air space for the Norwich control tower.

In August the fire training ground should be moved to the Petans site, so that engine testing could be carried out on the old training site.

13. NCAPTC

13.1 Resolutions for Debate at the AGM
None proposed.

13.2 Nomination of Officers
The meeting AGREED the following nominations:
President: Mrs Gillian Shepherd
Hon. Treasurer: Mr Lawrence Hardy

13.3 Summer Conference
The meeting AGREED to meet half the fee (£17.50) for the Clerk to attend the joint NCAPTC/SLCC Summer Conference, the remainder to be paid by Buxton with Lamas Parish Council.

There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.45pm

** Councillor Potter felt that the Parish Council should be more proactive in getting the trusteeship transferred.
(Agreed amendment at subsequent meeting)

(C) Spixworth Parish Council