Minutes of Council meeting 16 October 19

Wednesday 16 October 2019

Held at 7.30pm in Helperby Village Hall

Present: Cllr Chris Owens (Chairman), Cllr Andy Topps, Cllr Peter Mitchell, Cllr Nigel Denison, Cllr Pam Jackson-Vickers, Roger Clements (Clerk) plus 4 members of the public.

1. Apologies for Absence
   1. Cllrs Cuthbert and Darwin sent their apologies.
2. Declarations of Interest not already declared under the Council’s Code of Conduct or members Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.
   1. Cllr Denison declared an interest in Item 8.4. Cllrs Owens and Mitchell declared an interest in Item 6.5.
3. Public Forum
   1. No points were raised.
4. Minutes of the last meeting, held on 18 September 2019
   1. The minutes were agreed to be a true record and were signed accordingly by the Chairman.
5. Clerk’s report – use of Facebook for Council news items appeared to be gaining a growing audience and Council website visits were also increasing. Hambleton DC had been asked for advice on how to proceed with maintenance of the trees in Main Street as 3 were the subject of Tree Preservation Orders.
6. Finance
   1. Financial Report – A Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payment of £668.50 had been received from HDC; CIL money may only be spent on infrastructure in the parish.
   2. Bank Reconciliation – the Financial Working Group confirmed the Council’s bank reconciliation to be correct.
   3. Process for precept submission – Chairman outlined the process to be adopted for submission of the FY 2020/21 Precept request. It will be modelled on the format used to submit this year’s request which was based upon expenditure from Brafferton PC and Helperby PC. Clerk and Chairman will draft a budget which will be circulated in advance of the next meeting and Cllrs will be invited to comment. The budget (revised as necessary) and the Precept it generates will then be presented for approval at the next meeting.
   4. Invoices received and approved for payment:
      1. A Metcalfe £175
      2. N Buchanan £1,000
      3. Clerk September salary
      4. Kyle & Upper Ouse Drainage Board £3.69
   5. Request for grant to Helperby Village Hall (VH) – Chairman summarised a letter from the VH Chairman which had been circulated to Cllrs; a grant was requested to defray the running costs of the dovecote and playground which are regarded as community assets rather than of direct benefit to the VH. Cllr Jackson-Vickers proposed that a grant of £545 be made to the Village Hall and, with Cllrs Owens and Mitchell, abstaining it was so resolved.
   6. Change of bank and move to online banking – Clerk presented a case for changing banks as the current bank had rather cumbersome processes more akin to those needed for big business. Unity Trust Bank is an online bank used by many parish councils and had procedures tailored for this type of client. Its online banking procedures mirrored the Council’s current security methods with 2 Cllr signatories authorising either cheques or online payments. Cllr Owens proposed that the Council transfer its banking to Unity Trust Bank establishing both current and deposit accounts. Cllrs resolved unanimously to move the Council’s banking to Unity Trust Bank.
   7. Staff salary issues – in accordance with Standing Order 5.1 this discussion took place with members of the public excluded and is not minuted publicly.
7. Highways and Transport
   1. Update on repairs to Main Street & Raskelf Road – rain had caused some delays but the work was being completed to a sound standard with the contractor reacting to issues as they were found. Parts of Raskelf Road had the base layered deepened and where damage was found in drainage pipes and manholes these were made good. The Council was assured that a spur drain would be laid to eventually link with the new drainage planned as part of the village hall drive project.
8. Planning Matters
   1. Planning Application 19/00323/FUL, proposed alteration of roof space into residential accommodation at 3 The Oaks, Raskelf Road, Brafferton – approved on Appeal APP/G2713/D/19/3232798 by the Secretary of State
   2. Planning Application 19/0653/LBC, proposed kitchen extract vent at The Golden Lion, Main Street, Helperby – awaiting a decision by Hambleton District Council
   3. Planning Application 19/01938/CAT, proposed work to trees at 6 Brafferton Hall Gardens, Brafferton – the Council had no objections to the proposal
   4. Planning Application 19/02016/CAT proposed work to trees at The Doctor’s House, Main Street, Helperby – the Council had no objections to the proposal; Cllr Denison abstained
9. Business Matters
   1. Bonfire Night fireworks display – preparations were in place for the bonfire and fireworks display. The Community Association (CA) had control of the practical arrangements for the event and had notified NY Fire & Rescue. Arrangements were in place for the CA to collect the fireworks which would be paid for by the Council. Cllr Owens proposed and it was resolved that the Council would issue a cheque for an amount up to £1,600 to Jimmy’s Fireworks Limited once the cost of the fireworks was confirmed. No other tenders were sought for this purchase as the fireworks planner acted to both plan the display and procure the fireworks. In addition, the Community Association Chairman undertook to make a donation to the Council for the cost of the fireworks.
   2. Update on Village Hall cobbles project – Cllr Denison provided an update.
      1. Cobbles: A project to install the cut-off drain across the village hall driveway had been agreed by NYCC Highways as part of the road re-surfacing project; funding had been largely covered by Cllr Sowray’s environmental fund.  The spur would run from the centre of the drive across the front of ‘Kirkholme’ to join the existing gulley.  The intention was to replace the cobbles ourselves, and to re-lay them in the spring again along with the other cobbles around the war memorial when the ground had settled.  It is possible that there may be disruption to the cobbles around Remembrance Sunday.  The project team will continue to compile the photogrammetry record.  The maps detailing the cobbles and other areas of manorial waste have been sent by the Parish Council’s solicitors to the Church Commissioners.  The transfer process is likely to take some time.
      2. Allotments: Raskelf Road. Fitzgerald Harte have submitted application on behalf of the Council for Possessory title to 15 x plots along the Raskelf Road as follows: 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 – 20. There is some concern that part of Plot 5 is already registered and this may risk the whole application. Plot 2 & Plot 3 and the Lamp Shed on Back Lane, which are believed to be owned by the Council, have been registered to other parties and work will be required to clarify the situation.
   3. Replacement of litter bin at The Fountain – an email had been sent to Hambleton DC to arrange for the purchase of a replacement bin.
   4. Update on progress to install defibrillator on Helperby surgery wall – the cabinet was installed and the defibrillator would come into use as soon as replacement pads were received; the Council gave approval for payment of the bill for £49.14 from Cardiac Science (afternote: the defibrillator was declared ready for use on 18 Oct 19)
   5. Village traffic issues and planned responses – Cllr Topps gave an illustrated presentation on the hazards faced by pedestrians throughout the village but especially in Main Street. Over time traffic had increased in density and in the numbers of large HGVs and farm machinery and some of this traffic exceeded the speed limit. Concurrently car ownership had also increased and parked vehicles frequently forced pedestrians to walk on the road edge – this was especially so for users of pushchairs as the cobbles made the road edge the only good surface. Rather than wait for an accident to provoke action the Council was minded to look for solutions itself. Four areas were identified as the most likely to produce results: use of a speed camera; illuminated speed signs; the introduction of a 20mph speed limit and the provision of better chicanes including an additional chicane at the south end of Main Street. Cllr Topps agreed to research the establishment of a Community Speed Watch and monitoring of traffic speed through the village. The Clerk to contact NYCC for advice on vehicle activated speed signs and a 20mph speed limit. The Council would have to consider including an amount for the signs in the FY 2020/21 budget. Finally, Cllrs believed that by not repainting the road centreline drivers would be persuaded to take more care of their speed and road positioning – advice on this would also be sought from NYCC in advance of the village road markings being reapplied in the spring of 2020.
   6. Update to repairs to allotments boundaries on Raskelf Road – repairs to both stretches of damaged boundary hedge were complete.
   7. Village litter pick contract – Helperby PC had run an informal litter pick contract at £30 per month which became defunct on 31 March 19. It was believed that HPC had provided the litter picker with a hi-vis tabard and gloves plus litter tongs and bags. The Council was minded to undertake a similar contract in the New Year; in the meantime, Clerk to invite Mrs White to undertake litter picking at £30/month from Oct to Dec 19 after which a new contract would be considered.
10. Correspondence
    1. Citizen’s Advice (CA) letter – advice had been provided to 37 people concerning 150 issues within the Ward which includes this parish and the CA requested financial help. Cllr Denison proposed and it was resolved to send a grant of £100 to Citizen’s Advice under the Power of s142 2A(a) LGA 1972.

Date of next Meeting Wednesday 20 November 2019