Minutes of the Meeting held on Thursday, 9th September 2014 in the Community Centre, May Terrace, Trimdon Station at 6.30pm.
Present: Councillors M Eadsforth, Mr G. Elliott, Mrs G. Elliott and B. Ferguson. Also present was Durham County Councillor L. Hovvells and several members of the press and public. There were no apologies for absence as all Councillors were present.
The meeting began with the election of a new Chair after the resignation at the last meeting of Mr. Grigg. Cllr. M. Eadsforth was elected and duly signed the Declaration of Office, witnessed by the Acting Clerk, J Irvine.
1090. Minutes
The minutes of the monthly meeting held on 12th August 2014 were agreed as a true record, as were the minutes of the extraordinary meeting held on 27th August 2014.
1091. Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
1092. Opportunity to address the Council
A representative of the Police gave a full report about the recorded crime in the Village over the last month. These were down 64% on the previous month and there had been no theft, burglary or violence reported. Concerns were expressed regarding the off-road bikes still active in some areas. Speeding was also highlighted, particularly in Station Road and Purvis Terrace. It was suggested the Highways Dept. from County Hall could be invited to a future meeting.
Durham County Councillor Hovvells reported about the Community Action Team being involved again with the Village in January 2015, as well as the success with the shop front grants in Trimdon Colliery. An outside gym would be opening on 27th September at 1pm in Trimdon Colliery and Mental Health day would be on 10th October. The Children’s Centre consultation was being processed by Durham County, as was information on Garden waste disposal. Changes will be taking place with the bus service 21 and 21A, with fewer buses. The problems with the burned-out property in Station Road were in hand but were taking a long time to come to fruition. Parents were urged to let schools know about being on benefits, as it affected the funding the schools could claim.
At this point members of the public asked questions regarding the current Councillor vacancies in the Parish, the parking at the ‘Top Shop’ and the problems with a ‘cancelled’ meeting at Trimdon Station Community Centre.
The four Councillors then gave their reports on meetings they had attended and places they had visited. These included a Mental Health Conference at Middlesbrough, an induction to the new Planning system at County Hall, a visit to the local Primary School to highlight the problems with dog fouling and inspections of parish facilities. Appeals were made to the public to assist with the opening and closing of the play area gate at the Recreation Ground and an assurance was given that the already purchased salt bin would be installed at the Primary School. Further investigation would be made regarding the situation with dog bins in the area, as some were no longer usable.
A request was made to locate the items formerly stored in the demolished building at the Recreation Ground.
1093. Correspondence
(a) A questionnaire from Durham County Council regarding the proposed no-smoking in play areas was completed.
1094. Consultations on Planning
There were none.
1095.Accounts
Agreed that the accounts for the past month totalling £2081.18 submitted to the meeting be approved for payment.
1096. Planters
County Councillor Hovvells had obtained funding of £4000 for planters, which were to be placed in Station Road East and West, as well as St. Aiden’s Terrace. A full investigation would be needed by Highways to ensure they were correctly located and did not affect pedestrians or traffic. The projected design would be appearing on the Trimdon Times website. Discussion took place regarding the maintenance of these planters and it was hoped that local residents would help with the watering. No firm decision was made but the Parish were in favour of maintaining them if necessary.
1097. Memorial Garden
The Acting Clerk gave an update he had received from Groundwork that morning. It was suggested an opening ceremony would be best taking place near to the November Armistice day and this was agreed. The Acting Clerk would also liaise with Groundwork to see that all work there was completed to the satisfaction of all concerned.
1098. Exchange of Information
There was no business under this heading.
9. To discuss Workforce matters
The Chair decided to close the meeting to press and public at this point.
Discussion took place about the vacant Clerk’s position and an advert was prepared. It was decided to reduce the hours worked from 16 to 14 but to maintain the salary at the same hourly rate. All correspondence on this matter would be dealt with by the Acting Clerk. It was hoped to hold interviews in the week beginning October 6th.
The meeting closed at 8.10pm.
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Trimdon Foundry Parish Minutes for 9th September 2014