Minutes of Council meeting 18 September 19

Wednesday 18 September 2019

Held at 7.30pm in Helperby Village Hall

Present: Cllr Chris Owens (Chairman), Cllr Andy Topps, Cllr Peter Mitchell, Cllr Nigel Denison, Cllr Mark Darwin, Cllr Pam Jackson-Vickers, Cllr Peter Sowray (NYVCC), Roger Clements (Clerk) plus 3 members of the public

1. Apologies for Absence
   1. Apologies were received from Cllr Cuthbert.
2. Declarations of Interest not already declared under the Council’s Code of Conduct or members Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests
   1. None were declared.
3. Public Forum
   1. No points were raised from the floor.
4. Minutes of the last meeting, held on 21 August 2019
   1. The minutes were agreed to be a true record and were signed accordingly by the Chairman.
5. Clerk’s report
   1. The old Helperby PC noticeboard had been re-varnished and would soon be joined by the old Brafferton PC board. Both would then be re-labelled Brafferton & Helperby Parish Council.
6. Finance
   1. Financial Report – Clerk reported the planned outturn was currently £6,976 when recent unbudgeted purchases (printer, AED cabinet, notice boards, laptop and work to trees) were accounted for. However, incoming grants of approximately £1,300 were expected.
   2. Invoices received and approved for payment
      1. S Windross Final salary and redundancy settlement (not yet finalised)
      2. Clerk £130.80/£502.80 reimbursements for Printer and AED cabinet
7. Highways and Transport
   1. Repairs to Main Street & Raskelf Road – Cllr Sowray reported that the repair work was now planned to start on 2 Oct; letters to residents were prepared and were expected to be distributed from 19 Sep. He anticipated that road surface skimming would reveal the areas where deeper repairs would be required. These faults would be made good and resurfacing then completed. Any subsequent subsidence would be assessed for further remedial work prior to top dressing next year when road marking would then be applied. Chairman asked that the closure plan should include, whenever possible, access for businesses, surgery, important deliveries and school buses. The Council will seek clarity on these matters. Agreement was near on the inclusion of a spur drain link between Main Street drainage and the village hall outfall – this was a necessary precursor to work on the village hall driveway 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 – permission was refused by Hambleton District Council but an Appeal process started on 15 July 19 by means of a Householder Appeal Service (HAS). Appeal allowed by the Planning Inspectorate and planning permission granted.
   2. Planning Application 19/00941/FUL proposed change of use of land for the siting of 12 timber holiday cabins at Brafferton Manor Farm, Brafferton – granted by Hambleton District Council
   3. Planning Application 19/0653/LBC, proposed kitchen extract vent at The Golden Lion, Main Street, Helperby – awaiting a decision by Hambleton District Council.
9. Business Matters
   1. Quotations for work to trees in Main Street and at the Brafferton Pinfold – 3 quotations were discussed. Chairman proposed and it was resolved to accept the quotation from English Tree Care. It was noted that a large bough had partially fallen, several years ago, from a tree between Dunroyal (river end) and Swale Green. The bough was above the footpath and appeared to be deteriorating. Clerk to ask English Tree Care to assess the tree when completing the Main Street work with a view to making the tree safe.
   2. Preparations for the Bonfire Night fireworks display – preparations for the bonfire and fireworks display on 2 November as a joint venture by the Parish Council and Community Association (CA) were nearly complete but were not yet ratified by Council and CA. Russ Moxham confirmed that the Risk Assessment was being prepared and qualified First Aiders confirmed. He hoped to have an agreed form of words for the event title confirmed by both parties very soon. Council to consider purchase of the fireworks that are recommended by the CA. Cllr Darwin to liaise between the Council and the CA. Clerk to submit the event Risk Assessment and site map to the Council’s insurer and confirm that first aiders, stewards, firing party etc were classed as authorised volunteers and therefore covered under the Council’s Employers Liability section.
   3. Village Hall cobbles project – Cllrs thanked Cllr Denison and Steve Laux for their efforts and progress in moving the project forward. Cllr Denison summarised preparations to date: the Council’s registration for Public Sector Mapping had enabled it to produce Land Registry compliant maps without cost, potentially saving the Council several hundred pounds. Requests to transfer ‘manorial waste’ (the cobbles) into parish council ownership were underway with mapping already submitted to the Church Commissioners (Helperby cobbles) and shortly to be submitted to the Christian Faith Society (Brafferton cobbles). Preparations to begin the Village Hall driveway project were progressing and it had been agreed that the Main Street road repair contractors will lay a spur from the main drain to enable the driveway drain to be linked at a later date; disrupted cobbles will then be re-laid temporarily until full reinstatement in the New Year.  Contact has been made with a specialist recently retired from Historic England who will advise on details which will form the basis of the Cobbles Plan.  Mr Jarvis – Clerk to Helperby PC in the late 60s – had been able to add information about land use and ownership from that period which would be valuable when submissions are made to the Land Registry on other parcels of land believed to be owned by the parish council.
   4. Litter bin at The Fountain – Clerk to produce a proposal at the next meeting.
   5. Installation of defibrillator at Helperby surgery – the ordered cabinet had been received and all was ready for the surgery’s electrician to install cabinet and power supply on the surgery wall. Clerk to liaise with the surgery Practice Manager and to check condition of the defibrillator’s existing pads and battery.
   6. Village traffic issues and responses – the presentation was deferred to the next meeting but a preliminary discussion took place. Cllrs wished to see more effective traffic calming through the village and would consider chicanes, illuminated warning signs (some research necessary to identify price and which signs were permissible) and better marking of the road edge in Main Street. The Council now has the Helperby PC speed camera so a Community Speed Watch scheme may be considered.
   7. Repairs to allotments boundaries on Raskelf Road – one boundary has been repaired and a date for the second is awaited from the contractor.
10. Correspondence
    1. No new topics were introduced.

Date of next Meeting Wednesday 16 October 2019