Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Trimdon Parish Council held in Trimdon Community College, Trimdon Village on Tuesday 19 September 2019 at 7:00pm.
Present: Councillor John Burton (in the Chair) and Councillors Eileen Dickinson, Rob Gilbert, Margaret Hughes and Les Oliver.
Anne Delandre (Clerk to the Council) was in attendance to record the minutes and County Councillor Peter Brookes was in attendance to report on County Council matters.
- APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Denise Davison, George Elliott, Margaret Elliott, Bernadette Oliver, Ian Quinn, David Smith, Keith Thompson and Paul Trippett.
Resolved that the above apologies be approved.
- DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no declarations of interest.
Resolved that the above be noted.
- PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
There were no members of the public in attendance.
Resolved that the above be noted.
- REPORT FROM COUNTY COUNCILLOR PETER BROOKES
County Councillor Peter Brookes reported on the following items:
- Complaints received from residents regarding agricultural vehicles parking on Village Green. Police and County Council staff responding, but suggested Parish Council should write to the offender regarding mis-use of Village Green
- Repairs carried out to footpath on Church Road
- Big BRASS Bash was a very successful night - AAP Funding used to deliver workshops to a number of schools in support of the event
- Bluebell Meadow OFSTED Report has resulted in the school being placed in Special Measures with the requirement to look to transfer to an Academy
- St William’s RCVA Primary School to transfer to Carmel Education Trust
Resolved that the above be noted.
- MINUTES OF THE ORDINARY MEETING HELD ON 16 JULY 2019
The minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 16 July 2019 had been circulated with the Agenda. It was noted that the minutes incorrectly recorded Eileen Dickinson in attendance.
Resolved that, with the above amendment, the minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 16 July 2019 be approved, to be signed by the Chairman.
- UPDATE ON PROGRESS OF RESOLUTIONS FROM THE LAST ORDINARY MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON 16 JULY 2019
The Clerk advised that the Phil Wilson, MP, had written to the Home Office regarding the recent fraudulent bank transaction. A response has been received advising that the Home Office is unable to intervene in any operational decisions made by law enforcement with regard to reports of crime.
Resolved that a formal complaint regarding Action Fraud be lodged with the City of London Police.
- PLANNING APPLICATIONS
There were no planning applications for consideration.
Resolved that the above be noted.
51. FINANCIAL
a) The Clerk was pleased to report that confirmation has been received from Mazars, External Auditors, that Sections 1 and 2 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return is in accordance with Proper Practices and no other matters have come to their attention giving cause for concern that relevant legislation and regulatory requirements have been met. In addition, there were no other matters affecting their opinion to be drawn to the attention of the authority.
As a result of the above, the External Auditor Report and Certificate 2018/2019 has been issued.
The Notice of conclusion of the audit Annual Return for the year ended 31 March 2019 has been displayed on the website and on the three parish noticeboards, as required.
Resolved that the above be noted.
b) The Clerk reported on items of expenditure approved by the Chairman under Section 4.1 of the Financial Regulations.
Resolved that the items of expenditure approved be noted.
c) The Clerk detailed expenditure requiring payment by cheque/BACS.
Resolved that the payments be approved.
d) The Clerk submitted the schedule of payments made between 1 July 2019 and 31 August 2019
Resolved that the schedule of payments be approved.
e) The Clerk submitted the schedule of receipts received between 1 July 2019 and 31 August 2019.
Resolved that the schedule of receipts be approved.
f) The Clerk submitted the bank reconciliation statement (Instant Access Account) for the period ended 31 August 2019. This was cross referenced with the Bank Statement.
Resolved that the bank reconciliation statement (Instant Access Account) be approved and the Chairman sign the Bank Statement as confirmation of the balance.
g) The Clerk submitted the bank reconciliation statement (Current Bank Account) for the period ended 31 August 2019. This was cross referenced with the Bank Statement.
Resolved that the bank reconciliation statement (Current Bank Account) be approved and the Chairman sign the Bank Statement as confirmation of the balance.
- CLERK’S REPORTS
a) A report on the pledge to join Durham County Council and other organisations in County Durham to reduce single use plastics had been circulated with the Agenda.
Resolved
- That the report be noted.
- That Trimdon Parish Council signs up to the County Durham Single Use Plastic Pledge.
b) Durham County Council has proposed a Deed of Variation between The County Council of Durham and Trimdon Parish Council (lease dated 27 January 2009 relating to 364 square metres of land at Elwick View, Trimdon Village) to formalise St Williams RVCA to have periodic use of the Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), subject to prior agreement with the Head of Bluebell Meadow Primary School.
Resolved
- Durham County Council be advised that the Parish Council agrees, in principle, to this request, but that the wording contained in the letter (Schedule 3) explicitly states that any periodic use would only be granted with prior agreement of the Head of Bluebell Meadow Primary School.
- Durham County Council be advised that the Parish Council does not intend to seek independent legal advice in relation to the Deed of Variation, therefore, they will not be charging a fee.
c) An email has been received from a resident at Skerne Close regarding incidents of anti-social behaviour at Skerne Play Park. Two local residents have offered to open and close the gate to the Play Park and do not require payment.
The Clerk advised that she had contacted other parish councils regarding local residents carrying out similar duties and updated the committee on the various responses, including a response from Peterlee Town Council who cautioned against locking Play Parks and their positive experience when they ceased doing this.
Resolved that the situation regarding the anti-social behaviour be monitored and the residents advised that the Parish Council does not wish to take up their kind offer at the present time, but may consider this at a future date.
d) A quotation has been received from Design 365, who manage the Parish Council’s website, to carry out work to install SSL Certificate and to make the website GDPR compliant. In addition, work will also be carried out to ensure that the website complies with legislation which comes into force next year for public bodies so that it can be used by as many people as possible.
Resolved that the quotation from Design 365 for upgrades to the website be accepted.
- CORRESPONDENCE
a) A copy of a letter from the Environment Agency detailing changes to Environment Agency Water Resource Licensing had been circulated with the Agenda.
Resolved that the above be noted.
b) A copy of the National Association of Local Councils Magazine: Summer 2019 had been circulated with the Agenda.
Resolved that the above be noted.
- COUNCILLOR MATTERS – FOR INFORMATION ONLY
There were no matters for discussion.
Resolved that the above be noted.