Belford Parish Council May Minutes 2010
The Parish Council of Belford
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Thursday 27th May 2010 at 7.00pm, in Bell View Belford.
Present: M Young, (Chairman) Parish Councillors I Carruthers, C Rosby G O’Connell & Mrs. B Jackson Clerk Mrs. I Hunter County Councillor Mrs. P Scott, PC Zoe George Terry Garnick & Dave Campbell Northumberland County Council 4 Members of the Public
Apologies: Mrs. B Stanton, (Vice-Chairman), Parish Councillor J Barbour
Declarations of Interest- None
Election of the Chairman for 2010/11- Parish Councillor G O’Connell proposed & Parish Councillor Mrs. B Jackson seconded Mr. M Young as Chairman, this was agreed and Mr. M Young accepted the position.
Election of the Vice-Chairman for 2010/11- The Chairman proposed & Parish Councillor G O’Connell seconded Mrs. B Stanton as Vice-Chairman, this was agreed
Election of Representative to the Belford Development Trust- Parish Councillor G O’Connell proposed & Parish Councillor Mr. I Carruthers seconded Mrs. B Jackson for the position this was agreed.
Election of Representative to the Bell View- Parish Councillor G O’Connell proposed & Parish Councillor Mrs. B Jackson seconded Mrs. B Stanton, for the position this was agreed.
Min 551- Police Report- The Chairman welcomed PC Zoe George to the meeting, the Chairman read out a letter he had received from E Robertson the Church Warden about theft and vandalism from St. Mary’s Church. PC Zoe George informed the meeting that this is a local priority for the Police, and they are appealing for witnesses to come forward, as the Police need evidence. Parish Councillor G O’Connell raised the issue of the disorderly tenants at a property in Burnside, County Councillor Mrs. P Scott advised the meeting that she had taken this matter to the April LMAP meeting and she would keep the Police informed of the progress on this matter. County Councillor Mrs. P Scott informed the meeting that she had also taken the letter which the Parish Council had received from Mrs. Dunn Re Cheviot House to the April LMAP meeting and Judith Davis (Safer Communities Officer) is working on this matter. PC Zoe George informed the meeting that there had been 11 crimes recorded with in the beat area, of which 3 of crimes were the same incident, and three of the incidents are for criminal damage, however there is a 50 % detection rate.
PC Zoe George left the meeting at this point
Min 552- Allotments – The Chairman welcomed Dave Campbell from Northumberland County Council and thanked him for attending the meeting to explain the Transfer of Allotments to the Parish Council. Dave Campbell asked the meeting what information they were exactly looking for. Parish Councillor G O’Connell advised the meeting that there are 11 allotments in Belford between the two sites at the Meadows and William’s Way, the allotments at William’s Way do not have any water, he went on to say the Parish Council do not know exactly what responsibilities they have i.e. will they need to have a Public Liability Insurance cover for the allotments. Parish Councillor G O’Connell then said that if about 6 people submit a petition to the Parish Council asking for allotments?, the Parish Council have to find land for allotments, and he asked would Northumberland County Council be willing to find the land. Dave Campbell replied that Unitary Councils are unable to run or manage allotments as the Parish Councils are the Councils who have the statutory authority to run allotments, Northumberland County Counil inherited the allotments from Berwick Borough Council when the Unitary Council came into being in April 2009, and agreed that they would be transferred to the local Parish Council. Dave Campbell also informed the meeting that Berwick Borough Council collected the rents and the Parish Council would now be eligible to collect the rents.
Members raised concerns that this was only Northumberland County Council making their savings and Parish Councils would have to raise their precepts to allow the services to continue. Parish Councillor G O’Connell said that if Northumberland County Council does not have the statutory authority to run or manage allotments then they do not have the power to transfer them to the Parish Council. Dave Campbell agreed to go back to the County Council solicitors and get chapter and verse on this matter. The meeting agreed that the information should have been available in advance of the meeting, and if necessary a Northumberland County Council solicitor should attend the next Belford Parish Council meeting to explain the situation. County Councillor Mrs. P Scott informed the meeting that the Local Charter will be an agenda item for the Area Committee meeting with Parish Councils. Terry Garnick re-iterated that Northumberland County Council only held the allotments until they could be transferred to the local authorities. Parish Councillor G O’Connell raised concerns about the Parish Council having to undertake Risk assessments, Health and Safety checks as well as inspections.
Parish Councillor G O’Connell went on to say he had attended a meeting the previous day and concerns were raised there that Northumberland County Council do not undertake regular inspections. Terry Garnick confirmed that every district play area has a weekly inspection. Terry Garnick advised the meeting that Morpeth Town Council has set up a self management group to run the allotments in their area and he agreed to provide the Parish Council with a copy of the documentation pack that Morpeth Town Council used, he also said that the current rent is £10 per site, however the Parish Council would need to have an Agreement for each allotment site and the Insurance would be part of the agreement. Parish Councillor C Rosby asked if there was a list of names and sites for the allotments. Terry Garnick confirmed that no plans or tenancy agreements came from Berwick Borough Council so he is currently working on this matter with Berwick Archives. Parish Councillor Mrs. B Jackson stated that the Parish Council is unable to take the allotments on until they have the full details. Parish Councillor G O’Connell asked if the allotments will have to be taken on by March 2011. Dave Campbell replied yes and he explained that Play areas for example can be run by a Service Level Agreement with Northumberland County Council, this means that the Parish Council pay Northumberland County Council to carry out the work on behalf of the Parish Council. Dave Campbell agreed to supply the Parish Council with a revised plan of the allotments as there are small amendments to the original plans, he also agreed to check to see if the Parish Council have Compulsory Purchase Orders as this will help them purchase land for allotments if this became necessary.
Dave Campbell and Parish Councillor Mrs. B Jackson left the meeting at this point
Min 553- Local Charter- The Chairman thanked Terry Garnick for attending the meeting to discuss the local charter. Terry Garnick informed the meeting that the Local Charter is under review and he read the current list on appendix 2 which is the services that are to be transferred to Town and Parish Councils, and said this is the best way to add to the current service. Parish Councillor G O’Connell raised the problem of burial ground in Belford as the Parish Churchyard is due to be full in the near future, and the only option Berwick Borough Council gave the Parish Council was that residents could use Tweedmouth cemetery. This is not satisfactory as there is a 30- 40 miles round trip. Parish Councillor G O’Connell said that he was led to believe that under statutory legislation when the Churchyard formally closes the Parish Council have three months to say they will not take on the responsibility, as the Parish Council have no experience of the liability for Churchyards especially as some of the headstones are already sloping, and the Parish Council do not know what costs will be involved, he then went on to ask Terry Garnick if the Parish Council do not take on the responsibility who will be responsible for the closed Churchyard. Terry Garnick replied that under 1977 Cemetery Orders the Parish Council have to take on the responsibility, but agreed to speak to Stephen Ricketts the County solicitor on this matter. Parish Councillor G O’Connell asked what space and funding is available for a new cemetery as there are on average 12 burials per year in Belford and the current population is 1200. Terry Garnick said that Northumberland County Council has commissioned Strategic Leisure to look at all green info structure in Northumberland, this looks at all green spaces in the Parishes, and the Parish Council should have been consulted. The Parish Council confirmed that they had not been consulted. Terry Garnick went on to say that PPG17 of the local plan looks at the deficits of the area and Section 106 funding can be used to provide what is needed within the Parish, so land for a cemetery could be one of the options. Parish Councillor G O’Connell agreed to chase the Section 106 funding from the recent agreed development for 96 houses.
Terry Garnick left the meeting at this point.
Minutes: Then the Minutes were signed as a true record of the Meeting held on 15th April 2010 by the Chairman
Matters Arising:
Min 554 (Min 543)- Belford Development Trust- The Chairman advised the meeting that Mrs. Simpson had contacted him by phone inviting him to photo call where the Belford Development Trust would present Belford Parish Council a cheque for £2223.14 which is the balance from the War Memorial Account. Instead the cheque was handed over at the Parish Council meeting and the meeting agreed to open a separate account for the War Memorial Funds. Parish Councillor G O’Connell advised the meeting that part of the original funding was used to purchase glass exhibition cases at a cost of £800-900, so therefore they will be an asset of the War Memorial Fund. Parish Councillor G O’Connell said the Carnival Funds were shown in the 2007 Accounts of the Development Trust, but as no further accounts have been presented it is not known where this funding is, the meeting agreed that Parish Councillor G O’Connell should draft a letter to the development Trust asking for confirmation of where the Carnival Funds are and exactly how much is in the account. The Chairman also advised the meeting that Belford Development Trust will be holding their AGM at the end of June.
Min 555- Annual Audit- The Clerk presented members with a balance sheet, the Annual Governance Statement was completed, then the Chairman sign the Annual Audit Return which completed the Annual Audit for year ending 31st March 2010.
Min 556.Accounts:
•Barclays Premium A/c£ 576.35
•Barclays Community A/c£ 4405.60
Min 557- Accounts for Payment:
•Mrs. E I Hunter £ 150.00Clerk’s Salary
• Mrs. E I Hunter£ 14.96Petty Cash
• NALC£ 192.84Subscription
• Les Carr£ 280.00Toilet Cleaner
• Bell View£ 20.00Hire of Room (April Mtg)
• E Rathbone£ 40.00Internal Audit
• C Rosby£ 65.93Planting
• Tennyson Insurance Co.£ 468.35Annual Insurance Premium
Min 558-- Planning Applications- No Observations
10/B/0141- Full Planning Application- Erection of new porch- West House Ross Farm Belford NE70 7EN Unsure if this is within Belford Parish
Min 559-- Planning Applications- Observations
10/B/0178- Full Planning Application- Erection of summerhouse, verandah & screen fence to the front- 19 West Street Belford NE70 7QB. Members felt this was out of proportion, and too big and it should be removed. A letter of objection is to be sent to the Planning Department at Northumberland County Council
Min 560-- Planning Approvals
10/B/0081- Full Planning Application- Removal of conditions 7 & 8 on previous application 07/B/0297 4 Bricksheds Station Road Belford NE70 7DT
10/B/0061- Full Planning Application- Proposed rear extension- 9 The Meadows Belford NE70 7NZ
Min 561-- Planning Refusal
10/B/0037- Listed Building Consent- Replacement of Windows – 1 Clark Place Belford NE70 7L Parish Councillor G O’Connell informed the meeting that BEST had organised a meeting at the Ferguson Hall in early June with residents to discuss planning permission for replacement windows in Conservation Areas, and Asif Khan from the Planning Department of Northumberland County Council is hoping to attend.
Min 562- Correspondence:
•SLCC- Invite to Regional Conference. The Clerk advised the meeting that she was attending this conference as Ord Parish Council is willing to pay the costs Belford Parish Council agreed to make a contribution.
•Johnson & Gaunt- Acknowledgment of letter Re land behind Community Centre. The Clerk was asked to write asking for a full reply before the June meeting.
•Blue Bell- Reply to letter
•NCC- Consultation on Street naming
•Clerks & Councils Direct- Newsletter
•NCC- Employment Land Review Parish Councillor G O’Connell agreed to complete the survey on behalf of the Parish Council
•NCC- Consultation of Berwick East Arc Area Action Plan
•NCC- Letter RE Composite Traffic Regulation Orders
•CE Electric UK- Newsletter
•NCC- Letter RE Review of Local Charter
Any Other Business
Min 563-.Street Names-The Clerk read a letter from Northumberland County Council asking for the Parish Council’s comments on the suggested names for N B Clarks’ new housing scheme in Belford. The suggested names were Raynham Road, Dun Moor Road, Yearvering Court, Cushat Close, And Rowan Court. Members were disappointed that the names the local school children has suggested were not included and asked the Clerk to write back to Northumberland County Council asking why those names were not accepted and to ask for the children to be consulted again for further suggestions.
Min 564- Dog Control Laws-Parish Councillor G O’Connell advised the meeting that Northumberland County Council are currently consulting on the policy for Dog Control laws, which will provide four fineable offences:-
1.Failing to remove dog faeces
2.Not keeping a dog on the lead
3.Not putting, and keeping a dog on a lead when directed to do so
4.Permitting a dog to enter land from which dogs are excluded
The meeting agreed to submit a letter of support to the Laws as there is a current problem with dog fouling in the play areas.
Min 565- Town Twinning- The Chairman advised the meeting that the official signing of the document will take place in France at the end of August, he agreed to circulate to members the e-mail he had received and asked members to feedback as soon as possible with their comments Re the e-mail. Members agreed to support the twinning.
Min 566- Information Exchange.
Parish Councillor C Rosby- Raised concerns about the press coverage on the proposed signs for Belford, as the sign in the newspaper was never agreed at the Parish Council, he explained to members that the horse and carriage will not be accepted by the Department of Transport, because it is classified as being too confusing. Parish Councillor G O’Connell raised concerns about the proposed carriage drawing which is to be used on the signs. The members present took a vote and it was agreed to accept the proposed sign (a copy is attached to the file minutes) which will be accepted by the Department of Transport, Parish Councillor G O’Connell voted against the proposed sign. Parish Councillor C Rosby suggested that the sign advertising Belford Services should be re-instated on the A1 at the south end of the village, members asked the Clerk to contact A-one Highways. Parish Councillor C Rosby suggested setting up a sub-committee to speak to A-one Highways about a longer slip from the A1 at the south junction into Belford to give traffic a safer exit from the A1. Parish Councillor G O’Connell confirmed that he had written a report on this matter and had passed this on to the Highways Department at Northumberland County Council and he still had a copy of the report. Members asked the Clerk to organise a meeting with A-one Highways.
County Councillor Mrs. P Scott- Informed the meeting that Beadnell Parish Council is holding a meeting in the Beadnell W.I. Hall on 16th June at 6.30p.m. on how Parish plans can influence Planning Re housing. She confirmed that Stephanie Linnell and Peter Rutherford from the Planning Department of Northumberland County Council and a County Council Housing Officer will be attending.
