Minutes of a Meeting of Trimdon Foundry Parish Council held on Tuesday 12th November 2019 at 6.00 pm in May Crescent Community House
125/19 Present:
Councillors Carole Bell (Chairman), Gail Elliott, Gary Elliott, Mike Gilvin, Brian Ferguson, Jean Loverance
126/19 Apologies:
Councillor M Lenehan-Ferguson (dispensation)
127/19:- In Attendance
County Councillor Lucy Hovvels Parish Clerk Kate Holmes
No members of the public.
128/19 Notice of Motion
The notice of motion to call the meeting was proposed by Cllr C Bell and seconded by Cllr Gail Elliott. This was carried.
129/19 Declaration of Interest
Cllr Ferguson announced that he has recently joined the National Pensioners' Organization, an offshoot of the UNITE union. Through this, he can access information and advice on matters such as the benefits system. He agreed to submit a declaration of interest form to cover this.
130/19 Dispensations for Declared Interests None required.
131/19 Exclusion of the Press and Public
It was RESOLVED that as no members of the public were present, no exclusion would be necessary..
132/19 Open Session
132a/19 Police and Wardens' Report
PCSO Foreman had supplied the usual report, which was noted.
It was noted that the concern raised about youths congregating at the rear of the chapel was well founded, as over the previous weekend one of the windows had been broken. Minister Terry would report this, and had already discussed informally with PCSO Foreman. It was RESOLVED that the Clerk should suggest to Minister Terry that moving the rubble from the demolished wall would reduce the risk of recurrence.
132b/19 County Councillor's Report
Cllr Hovvels reported the following:
- Residents of properties with accumulated rubbish in garden/yard are being pursued to remove it. Notice has been served on one property.
- Winter planning is underway involving the various health and social care
- Durham City's Lumiere Festival is approaching its 10th anniversary, at end of
- The County Council has a staff resource for the 'Join the Dots' information ad support initiative in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Care. This will be available to anyone with a cancer diagnosis, plus their families.
- Poverty-proofing work is going on in schools by Children NorthEast; information has been provided to Deaf Hill Primary School, and there is potential for collaborative work with other local schools.
- She attended the Service of Remembrance at Durham Cathedral on Sunday lOth November.
- A new joint post between the Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group has been created to improve commissioning of health and social care services locally.
- Following a rise in the number of people begging in Durham City, teams from housing and the 3rd sector are working to ensure that all homeless people who want accommodation have it, and have been mostly successful. As street beggars may be part of organized criminal gangs, we are urged not to give them money.
- The scheduled meeting of the AAP has been postponed because of pre-General Election purdah.
- She visited the carpet shop to discuss the problems of parking in the area and on Luke St and received a helpful response. The chapel car park is available for use by shoppers. Traffic Wardens will be visiting the area and will issue fines to offenders.
- She visited the Skerne Medical Practice about the parking issues. Practice Manager Neil Bunney has already put up parking advice notices. A free source of chippings is available to improve the car park at the rear, but he does not have money to cover the spreading and rolling cost. If this were done, practice staff might park behind the surgery. In addition, if the entrance gate were moved to the side and extra signage put up, this would encourage more people to use the rear car park rather than the road.
- She has contacted Lee Mowbray of Highways Department to ask for his suggestions
- Regarding possible dropped kerb for Nattrass Terrace, a site visit concluded that this was not appropriate in the desired location.
- Dropped kerbs between Low Hogg Street and the shops are included in the current plan for installation, but there is a potential need for eight further kerbs to be installed to provide full access to the cemetery from the village.
132c/19 Public Participation None
133/19 Minutes
It was RESOLVED to accept the minutes from the Parish Council meeting on the 16th July 2019 as a true record, subject to correction re. Chief Constable Mike Barton's retirement.
134/19 Policy Review
The draft Information Governance Policy was approved.
It was RESOLVED to allow Members time to review the draft Cemetery Policy; approval deferred to next meeting. CIIr Ferguson requested a more formal statement of the role of Cemetery Officer in line with the legal obligations placed on the holder. It was RESOLVED to add the word 'further' to the statement that no vaults are permitted. The latest update to the cemetery fees notice was approved: this allows for an administration charge when burial takes place in a previously-purchased plot.
135/19 Finance
It was RESOLVED to accept all but one automatic and due payments reported by the Clerk, as evidenced by initialling by the Chairman and a Member. The exception is the environmental maintenance payment, which will be deferred pending reconciliation of actual activity performed against that specified in the contract.
Further matters to be covered in Finance Committee meeting to follow this meeting
136/19 CCTV Provision in Playground Area
Cllr Bell had forwarded the CCTV shop's email as expected, but it did not contain the expected link..
137/19 Planning
No applications had been received from within the Parish. Cllr Bell agreed to supply the Clerk with details of activity that may be occurring either without planning permission or without the Parish Council being informed of the application.
138/19 Chairman's Report
Cllr Bell opted to include the majority of her report in the individual agenda items. It was noted that a resident who had requested an allotment tenancy had withdrawn the request as she had moved to a house with its own garden. The Clerk was reminded to submit an invoice for allotment clearance work to the former tenant.
It was noted that a large trailer tent routinely parked near the Top Shop is causing difficulty with visibility, and no road tax is payable for it. In another location within the parish, a caravan is often parked in a driveway but protruding through open gates onto the pavement. It therefore obscures vision and inconveniences or potentially endangers pedestrians. It was RESOVED to raise this issue with PCSO Foreman.
139/19 Clerk's Report
No separate report was delivered: covered in other agenda item.
140/19 Councillors' Reports
CIIr Gary Elliott asked the Clerk to obtain an update from PCSO Foreman about the investigation into the damaged fence at the Parish Corner. air Hovvels stated that it would be added to DCC's list for repair, and requested the Clerk to forward her pictures of the damage
It was agreed that the new litter bin should be delivered to CM- Gary Elliott's brother's home, as there would be day-long access for delivery there.
CIIr Ferguson reported his observation of a survey of telegraph poles for possible overhead installation of fast broadband cables, instead of the expected underground provision. It was noted that the intended reduction of cost by overhead installation could be compromised by the need to replace the many unsound poles, and then by the installation's higher susceptibility to storm and other damage. Concern was raised that the project as a whole might become unaffordable, and be delayed or cancelled.
CIIr Gilvin reported that he had requested publicity material for the Winter Wonderland from Rachael, in order to put details on the Parish website. These were due to arrive early the next week.
141/19 Car Parking around Skerne Medical Practice
Discussed earlier during County Councillor's Report
142/19 Provision of Fast Broadband in Parish
Covered in Councillors' Reports.
143/19 Samaritan Tree (*)
The Clerk reported that DCC had advised her that they could not provide electric power for lighting the tree, and to contact Northern Powergrid. CIIr Hovvels agreed to forward contact details.
144/19 CCTV Provision in Playground Area
CIIr Bell confirmed that the e-mail she had received from the potential supplier had not contained the necessary link, but the proposed solution was a supposedly vandal-proof `CanCam' that costs £99 plus VAT.
145/19 Christmas Lights Switch-On
Arrangements for event on Friday 29th November 2019 were confirmed as follows:
- Householder with plot adjacent to green has agreed to have a gazebo placed partly on his garden, and to provide electric power.
- Popcorn/hotdog stall booked.
- Kevin Mangles, as Santa in his sleigh, will lead a procession of children from the school Winter Wonderland at 5.15pm. Once tree is lit and carols sung, he will give out selection boxes, and then change and provide music/entertainment for the rest of the evening.
- CIIr Hovvels will perform the switch-on.
- Tree will be delivered Thursday 21st. Clerk to give lights to CIIr Gary Elliott.
146/19 Cemetery Water Feature
Designs to be sent to CIIr Bell by weekend. Proposed to include bulrushes and lily pads. Then will have meeting on site to agree.
147/19 VE Day 75th Commemorations — 8th May 2020
CIIr Gilvin reported that an initial meeting with DHWRP Manager had been positive, in that he stated he was 'happy to work with' the Parish Council. Malvern Crescent was suggested as a possible location for a street party.
After a discussion of the various options available, it was RESOLVED that the Clerk should press the DHWRP Manager for a formal response to her earlier letter suggesting co-operation and the use of the Station Road Community Centre for a celebration.
148/19 Correspondence Received (*)
E-mails on the appended list were forwarded to online Councillors and a hard copy list supplied to CIIr Ferguson.
Local Electricity Bill — request for support. Is this something the Members wish to endorse?
149/19 Items for Future Agendas
No new items requested.
150/19 Close of meeting
The business of the meeting was concluded at 7,25pm.
These minutes were agreed as a true record at the meeting of Council held on 12th November 2019.
| Signed: | (Chairman) |