Minutes of Council meeting 20 November 19

Wednesday 20 November 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, Roger Clements (Clerk), Cllr Peter Sowray (NYCC) and members of the public.

1. Apologies for Absence
   1. All Cllrs were present.
2. Declarations of Interest not already declared under the Council’s Code of Conduct or members Register of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.
   1. No declarations were made.
3. Public Forum
   1. Mr Connor raised the issue of the current level of Public Transport through the village (recently reduced to a single daily return journey during term times only to and from York College). He believed that NYCC had not fulfilled its responsibilities to carry our transport needs research and identify suitable alternative transport provision for the villages affected. He hoped the Council would support a local group who were pressing NYCC to fulfil its responsibilities and write accordingly to the County Council. Cllrs agreed that such a letter should be sent.
   2. Mr Laux described the state of the cobbles and approach slope to the village surgery. Not only was the area unsightly but the cobbled route to the surgery entrance was difficult for the elderly and wheelchair visitors. He suggested that a clean-up was needed and thought give to improving access. Item to be an agenda item at the next Council meeting.
4. The Minutes of the last meeting, held on 16 October, were agreed to be a true record and were signed accordingly by the Chairman.
5. Clerk’s report – all decisions of the Council at the last meeting had been acted upon and, where appropriate, outcomes or progress were subject to agenda action. Cllrs were asked to note the amended agenda format adopted for this meeting; unless other proposals were received this would be the format for future meetings.
6. Financial matters
   1. Financial Report – the four payment for authorisation at item 6.8 were the only transactions since the last meeting. No running account was presented to this meeting as a more complete summary was about to be discussed in the budget at item 6.5.
   2. Replacement bank signatory for Cllr Cuthbert (resigned) – Cllr Topps volunteered to be a bank signatory and was duly authorised by the Council.
   3. Report on progress to establish a new bank account with Unity Trust Bank – the application to change banks had been placed on hold following Cllr Cuthbert’s resignation. The application could now go ahead and Clerk would obtain the necessary signatures once the application was re-printed and submit it to the Unity Trust Bank. Cllrs authorised the issue of a cheque for £500 which would provide the initial transfer of funds to the new account.
   4. Financial Standing Orders – the standing orders had been revised to reflect the Council’s move to an online bank. The revised standing orders were approved.
   5. Draft budget – Chairman presented a draft budget for discussion. Expenditure for the year was expected to exceed the budget by over £5,000 (as a result of the costs of running with two Clerks for 6 months, works to trees caused by new guidance issued to councils and unplanned expenditure on a new printer, the defibrillator cabinet, a replacement litter bin to replace the ‘vanished’ original and repairs to an allotment boundary following a crash by a vehicle which then mysteriously vanished). Significantly, the Council was involved in Land Registrations, started by Helperby PC in 2015, and in developing a project to improve the heritage cobbles throughout the village – despite being awarded grants totalling £9,000 it was acknowledged that additional funding would be needed to drive forward the initial phases of the project (the village hall driveway cobbles and those around the War Memorial). Local Councils are recommended to hold reserves of 1-2 x their precepts and the predicted outturn for this Financial Year (FY) of around £7,000 will be at least £4,000 below target for the Council’s reserves. The draft budget was adopted by the Council.
   6. Precept submission to Hambleton District Council – see discussion at 6.5. Cllr Mitchell proposed that the Council request a precept of £13,500 from Hambleton District Council for FY 2020/21. It was unanimously resolved to request a precept of £13,500 and to publish details of the budget which produced it. A letter will go to parishioners in the New Year explaining the rationale which will lead to an increase in the precept element of rates, for occupants of a Band D property, by about £10 for year 2020/21.
   7. Defibrillator Maintenance – new pads for the defibrillator could be required at short notice. It was resolved to authorise the Clerk to purchase additional pads, when required, for the defibrillator.
   8. The following accounts were approved for payment and cheques issued:
      1. A Metcalfe £135 Maintenance of the Hornby
      2. H&B War Memorial Committee £17 Wreath laid on behalf of the community
      3. Hambleton District Council £372 Replacement litter bin
      4. Clerk’s salary Confidential under the terms of Standing Order 5.1
7. To receive information on the following ongoing issues and decide further action where necessary
   1. Report on village cobbles project – Cllr Denison reported that Heads of Terms documents (to formally pass ownership of the Helperby cobbles to the parish council) had been sent to the Church Commissioners (CC) for consideration. The cost to the Council of the transaction was likely to be around £1,870 to cover the CC’s costs and a like sum for the Council’s solicitors from whom an estimate is awaited. Land Registrations costs will add a further sum likely to be in the order of £200. A suitable desktop PC had been identified at a cost of £1,070 to handle the cobbles photogrammetry survey – a monitor and MS Office software were to be priced and the whole will be proposed for purchase soon. Discussion turned to the recent re-laying of cobbles by NYCC after installation of a spur from the Main Street drains. Cllr Sowray amplified questions posed by NYCC and the clerk is to clarify the Council’s position to NYCC on the different specification required for re-laying cobbles in the verge gulley and in the general cobbled areas.
   2. Litter bin at The Fountain – a new bin was in place.
   3. Repair work to The Fountain – an injury to the stonemason had delayed the work but it was now expected in December.
   4. Village litter pick contract for 2019 and 2020 – decision deferred to the next meeting.
   5. Action regarding village vehicle speeding issues – Vehicle Activated Signs were considered too expensive for purchase at present and a 20mph speed limit is not supported by the most recent speed survey carried out in 2017. Current legislation dictates what road markings are used and Main Street width predicates a marked centreline. The 95 Alive road safety partnership appeared to offer the best mechanism at present to combat vehicles speeding through the village. Cllr Topps will brief the Council on the scheme at the next meeting.
   6. Bonfire & Fireworks event – the delayed event went well and the fireworks display was spectacular. Attendance was down by about a third probably due to the enforced delay caused by the wet weather. The Council wished to record its congratulations to the Community Association for its effective organisation of the event.
   7. Update on progress by the village shop Working Party (WP) – Chairman summarised the interim report by the WP. Of the series of options/locations which had been considered all were rejected for a number of reasons. The high cost of property purchase, build or refurbishment posed a serious problem. Allied to the known issue of lack of support to the last 5 shops in the village the future looked bleak but the WP will meet again in January to assess the impact to the village 3 months after the closure of the Helperby Deli.
8. To consider the following Planning matters
   1. Street Naming on land of new development northeast of Old Star Cottage, Back Lane, Helperby – the Council supported the selection of Craven Court
9. To receive the following Planning decisions/information
   1. Planning Application 19/02016/CAT proposed work to trees at The Doctor’s House, Main Street, Helperby – granted by Hambleton District Council
   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 – granted by Hambleton District Council
10. Matters for consideration
    1. Plans for VE Day 75^th anniversary celebrations May 2020 – Friday 8 May is to be the Early May Bank Holiday (VE Day). Chairman suggested that a programme for the day including a street/village hall party and a special service at 3pm could provide the basis for a plan. It was decided to discuss the matter further at the next meeting following approaches to the vicar and HVH.
    2. Grant from NYCC towards the cost of installing a drain at the Village Hall driveway – Council wished to record its thanks to Cllr Sowray for his help in securing a grant of £5,000. It was noted that acceptance of the grant is to be actioned by 6 February 2020.
    3. Defibrillator Maintenance Plan – daily, monthly and annual checks of the AED are required. The Clerk will undertake the monthly and annual checks but asked for help in completing the very brief daily check. Cllr Denison will attempt to agree a rota with residents who live adjacent to the surgery.
    4. Resignation of Cllr Cuthbert – the standard notices have been displayed and the Clerk will be informed by Hambleton District Council after 28 November whether an election will be required. If no election is called the co-option process will commence.
    5. Election of a new Vice-Chairman – Cllr Mitchell volunteered and was elected unanimously.
11. To consider new Correspondence received and decide action where necessary
    1. None presented.
12. To notify the Clerk of matters for inclusion on the agenda for the next meeting
    1. None notified.
13. Confirmed date of the next meeting – Wednesday 18 December 2019