MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SPIXWORTH PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT
7.30pm on TUESDAY 2 OCTOBER 2007 at SPIXWORTH VILLAGE HALL

PRESENT
COUNCILLORS:
Mr Fitt (Chairman)
Mr Barrell
Ms Cullum
Mrs Doy
Mrs Holdroyd
Mr Manning
Mr Mills
Mr Potter
Mr Sadler
Mr Thompson
Mr Watson
District Councillor C. Thompson (also Parish Councillor)
County Councillor A. Williams (later)
CLERK: Mrs R. Rose
One member of the public

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 Mr Ward (Vice-Chairman).

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Sadler: as Chair of Broadland Standards Committee and a member 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.
Councillor Fitt: a personal interest in Item 12 as a member of a user group of the Village Hall.
Councillor Fitt: a personal interest in Item 5.3 as a referee for the original funding bid.
Councillor Potter: a personal interest in Item 12 as a former employee of the Social Club and a member of a user group of the Village Hall.
Councillor Watson: a personal interest in Item 12 as a member of the Social Club Committee.

3. THE MINUTES of the previous meeting held on 4 September 2007, which had been circulated, were agreed, and signed by the Chairman as a true record after two spelling corrections.

4. MATTERS ARISING

4.1 Millennium Bench for Churchyard (5.2.3 of previous minutes)
The Rector had suggested a form of words for the bench inscription and the meeting AGREED on "Donated by the Parish Council in celebration of the Millennium", which would add approximately £53 to the cost of the bench.

4.2 NCAPTC Executive Committee (13.2 of previous minutes)
Councillor Sadler reported that he had been re-elected to serve as a Broadland member on the Executive Committee. He received the meeting's congratulations.

5. FINANCE

5.1 Balances were noted.
Cheques and Payments detailed on the attached schedule and totalling £4,377.98 were authorised for payment.

The meeting noted that the fee for Councillor Sadler's lunch at the NCAPTC AGM was returned by him to the Council as he had been unable to eat anything offered.

5.2 Letter from Street Lighting Contractor
T.T. Jones Electrical Ltd had informed the Council that in future they would be passing on to end users the manufacturers' WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) levy charges, and showing these on invoices.

5.3 Playground Equipment
The group raising funds for the new under-teens play equipment to be sited at the Village Hall were applying to Broadland District Council for the remainder of the funds required to realise the full scheme. The District Council's policy was to secure a pledge that any equipment installed through its funding assistance would be maintained and/or replaced as necessary, and the group sought such an assurance from the Parish Council.

The meeting instructed the Clerk to explore the insurance company's policy and likely premiums on this matter.

6. PLANNING MATTERS

6.1 Planning Committee
6.1.1 The minutes of the committee meeting held 4 September 2007 were RATIFIED.

6.1.2 Councillor Mills gave a verbal report of the Committee meeting held immediately prior to the Council meeting.

There was discussion on the application for a 2 metre high fence for 1 St Peters Way. The owners had been requested by Highways personnel to trim back the overgrowing hedge, and had submitted the application for a fence to preserve their privacy. The Council's normal policy was to object to a fence this high at the front of a property, but agreed that, as this was a corner plot, the application should be supported.

The Council AGREED the other recommendations on applications, and the Council's response to the appeal against refusal of permission for four bungalows on land at 10 Sydney Road.

6.2 Permissions and Enforcement Matters
There were no matters to report from Broadland District Council.
However, Councillor Mills reported that the building at 3 Marshall Close, which had been the subject of a recent enforcement case, had been re-erected after discussion with the Planning Department at Broadland District Council and would be the subject of a future planning application.

7. CORRESPONDENCE & REPORT OF MEETINGS ATTENDED

7.1 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 expressed an interest in the invitation from the Broads Authority for two members.

7.2 Responses to Consultations / Invitations
The meeting AGREED the delegate's fee of £25 for Councillor Sadler to attend the NCAPTC Autumn Seminar.

(County Councillor Williams entered the meeting at this point)

7.3 Post Office Closure Programme
The Area Planning for Norfolk would commence in January 2008. Prior to this there would be a pre-consultation period when District Councils should be liaising with Post Office Limited and Postwatch to ensure that certain criteria were taken into account before considering a particular Post Office for closure.
The Clerk was ascertaining which officer at Broadland District Council would be dealing with this matter, and would also raise it in a forthcoming meeting with the Chief Executive.

7.4 Meetings Attended
7.4.1 The Clerk reported on her attendance at the SLCC Regional Conference where a speaker had given information on the benefits for Parish Councils should the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill be enacted. Those Councils satisfying the Quality criteria would have the option under the 'Power of Well-Being' not to be restricted to the current S.137 limits for spending.

7.4.2 Councillor Sadler reported on his attendance at the NCAPTC AGM. He deplored the lack of a speaker, but felt that the motions presented had generated a healthy debate.

8. HIGHWAYS MATTERS

8.1 Highways Committee
8.1.1 The minutes of the committee meeting held 13 September 2007 were RATIFIED, with the correction of two spelling mistakes.

8.1.2 Update on Action Taken from Committee Meeting
Lilian Road Footway resurfacing - County Councillor Williams had spoken to the Area Manager about an explanation for the postponement of the work from the current year's Programme. The latter would be contacting the Clerk.

Maintenance - The Clerk had taken digital photographs of the items on the recent maintenance list that were programmed for monitoring, so that the rate of any deterioration could be gauged.

Beeston Lane - the Clerk had ascertained that the closure order was by means of 'Prohibition of Motor Vehicles' but access to properties was allowed and the signs would carry a sub-plate to this effect. Work to install the signs was scheduled for 22 October.

Trees on Buxton Road - the Clerk had written to the landowner to ask if he would trim back the trees around the street lights, but no reply had been received to date. The Contractor had asked the Council if he should trim back the trees as usual; the Council agreed this action, but also to ask the landowner for a contribution to the costs.

8.2 Update on Matters Raised at Previous Council Meeting (Item 6.3.1)
Lafarge Plant and Church Lane crossing:
Damping down - a dust sprinkler system was due to be installed within the next 6 months.
Mud and sand deposited on road - the company would arrange for the site to be swept every day. If this did not work it would have to consider surfacing the areas on either side of the haul road.
Highway sinking at Church Lane crossing - the Highways Inspector had visited and repairs had been programmed.
Missing 'Stop' warning sign to drivers on haul road - now replaced.
Request for 'Heavy Plant Crossing' signs - the Parish Council should request this through the usual channels; it was likely to be approved due to the daily number of traffic movements. The Clerk was instructed to pursue this.

8.3 Broadband Cabling
A parishioner had sought the Council's views on Virgin Media cabling to improve Broadband connection times in the parish. He was asked to contact the company to see if it was interested in carrying out the installation.

8.4 Any Other Highways Matters
8.4.1 The Clerk would pursue the trimming of brambles and overhanging foliage on the cycleway.

8.4.2 Councillor Sadler commented that he had heard that powers to control illegal parking would be passed from the Police Authority to the County or District Councils. It was noted that there was a problem with this in the Park Road/ Rosetta Road area.

9. AMENITIES MATTERS

9.1.1 Abandoned Car, Cedar Avenue
The Clerk reported on action to be taken by Broadland District Council to remove this car.

9.1.2 Missing Dog Bin, William Peck Road
Councillor Barrell and the Clerk reported on the background. It was AGREED that the Clerk should liaise with Broadland District Council for their approval for the proposed action; report the theft to the Police and write to all households in the vicinity to ask if they had any information as to the bin's whereabouts.

9.1.3 Greg's Meadow
The Chairman and Clerk would pursue a specification for repairs to the central path on Greg's Meadow, and would look at a worn area between the Jenny Road and Russell Avenue entrances.

10. POLICE MATTERS

10.1 9.1 Crime Statistics
The figures for September had been received and circulated; 22 calls had been taken by the Control Room from/regarding the parish, and 2 crimes had been logged.

10.2 Items for Safer Neighbourhood Action Panel
Items to be put forward for consideration at the meeting to be held on 9 October:
Parking on footways; parking around schools;
Speeding (specifically Buxton Road and North Walsham Road);
Rowdy/nuisance behaviour: between 4.30 and 7.30pm on Greg's Meadow; at the Village Hall; and on the amenity area at Arthurton Road;
Checking on CCTV tapes for possible drug trafficking on the Village Hall car park.

11. NORWICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

11.1 Security Poster Scheme
The meeting AGREED to display posters in the Council noticeboards.

12. SPIXWORTH VILLAGE HALL

The meeting received and noted Councillor Potter's report of the Village Hall Management Committee's meeting of 25 September. The draft Village Hall management structure proposed by the Parish Council had met with a mixed response, some members having to take the proposal back to their own organisations for consideration before expressing a view. The Social Club Committee's response had been positive. A further tri-partite meeting would be held on 4 October.

13. REPORTS FROM DISTRICT / COUNTY COUNCILLORS

13.1 Councillor Thompson reported that, despite having CCTV evidence of dog fouling in Cedar Avenue, the District Council had not been able to take action as it had proved hard to positively identify the dog owner.

13.2 County Councillor Williams reported that representatives of the Boundary Committee were due to meet leaders of the County, District and City Councils on 17 October, despite the relevant legislation not yet being passed. Their Terms of Reference were, as yet, unknown but would be published. Councillor Williams urged active opposition during any future consultation period if proposals for unitary authorities in general, and Spixworth specifically, were unacceptable.

Councillor Sadler confirmed that he and the Chairman were due to attend a meeting of the NCAPTC Working Group on 16 October to look at the effects of unitary authorities on Parish Councils. He further confirmed that representatives of Parish & Town Councils would have a chance to meet the Boundary Committee representatives during their visit to Norfolk.

14. AOB

14.1 Councillor Potter suggested that a volunteer could be found to man the office when the Clerk was unable to attend during the published opening hours.
The general feeling was not to proceed with the idea at this time as the present situation was satisfactory for the needs of the parish.