NORTH NIBLEY PARISH COUNCIL

2018


THE ORDINARY MEETING OF NORTH NIBLEY PARISH COUNCIL WAS HELD ON MONDAY 5th MARCH 2018, AT THE VILLAGE HALL, NORTH NIBLEY, AT 7.30 PM.

Present: Mr Ken Brown (chair), Mrs J Burton, Mr K Larkin, Mr D Palmer, Mr L Smitherman, Mr R Symons and one member of the public.

District Councillors: Mr K Tucker

County Councillor: Dr J Cordwell

The Clerk: Mrs E Oakley.


The Chairman opened the Parish Council Meeting.


  1. The Chairman invited apologies. Apologies had been received from Cllr D Purnell, District Cllr C Braun and District Cllr G Butcher.


  1. Declaration of Interests. The Chairman invited members to declare any Interests relating to this Meeting. Cllr J Burton declared an interest in Planning Application S.18/0389/HHOLD.


  1. The Council approved and signed the Minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting held on 5th February as a true record. The Minutes of the February Ordinary Meeting of the Council had previously been distributed to all members and displayed on the public notice boards and the website. All members agreed the Minutes should be signed, as a true and accurate record. The Minutes were duly signed by the Chairman.


  1. The Council noted matters arising from the Minutes, not covered by agenda items.


  1. The Chairman closed the Meeting for Public Discussion and Questions. The chairman welcomed a member of the public to the meeting who requested the sign at the bottom of Wood Lane be removed now that the steps up to the monument have gone.



The Chairman re-opened the Meeting without further discussion.



  1. The Council considered and commented upon the following Planning Applications:



Application Number: S.18/0195/HHOLD Location: 4 Stancombe View, North Nibley, Dursley, Gloucestershire. Application Type: Householder Application Description: Erection of white aluminium Garden Room to rear of property.


The council agreed to make no comment.


Application Number: S.18/0183/HHOLD Location: Site For Annexe at Brookside Cottage, Park Lane, Stancombe, Gloucestershire. Application Type: Householder Application. Description: Retrospective application for the erection of perimeter support to platform area, and new timber posts and fence.


The council agreed to make no comment.


Application Number: S.18/0389/HHOLD Location: Grooms Cottage, Isle Of Rhe, Nibley Green, North Nibley. Application Type: Householder Application. Description: Rear extension to dwelling house to form a dining and family room area.


The council agreed to make no comment.


  1. To note the following Planning Applications decisions by Stroud DC Planning:


Application Number: S.18/0027/FUL Location: Millmans Farm Wotton Road North Nibley Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire. Description. Erection of an all-weather private horse riding arena. Permission.


Councillors noted the request to refer Planning Application Number S.17/2688/FUL to the Development Control Committee from District Cllr C Braun. The chairman, Cllr K Brown, confirmed he would attend the DCC meeting on the 24th April.

8. To receive a written District Council Report. The Council received a written report from District Councillor K Tucker on behalf of the ward’s District Councillors. The chairman thanked Cllr K Tucker for his very thorough report.



9, To receive a written County Council Report. The Council received a written County Council Report from County Councillor Dr J Cordwell. The Chairman thanked Cllr Cordwell for his report who highlighted the money reduced from the government, and that the sums the county was now responsible for had gone down considerably.



10. To receive and discuss Reports of Committees and Meetings attended by Parish Councillors and the Clerk. Cllr K Brown reported he had met all three contractors as previously identified and on site to discuss and receive quotes for the cemetery tree work and for the Holm oak in the churchyard.

  1. Parish Council Finances:



1/To approve the Invoices and draw up cheques for items on the enclosed Payments Schedule. Councillors agreed the annual GAPTC membership subscription be paid in the following financial year from 1st April and this would be an item for the April agenda.



2/To consider quotes for scheduled work. After discussion of the different and comparable elements of the four contractor quotes received in all, councillors agreed to accept George Harper’s quotes subject to receipt by the chairman of the contractor’s appropriate documentation to show insurance cover. The quote was price competitive and there were advantages in one contractor for the various separate elements of the work required in the cemetery and for the Holm oak in the churchyard.

George Harper, cemetery work: £450.00


And Holm oak tree (payable by family): £150.00



3/To confirm arrangements for 2017/ 2018 audit procedures. Cllr K Brown confirmed that he had recently spoken to the new internal auditor and she was happy to assist with the internal audit requirements for the financial year 2017/2018 from April 2018.



4/ To receive and note expenditure to date for financial year 2017/2018. Councillors acknowledged clerk’s summary of the financial year expenditure to February 2018. Whilst these were interim figures ahead of the end of the financial year at the end of March 2018, they showed the overall pattern of expenditure and against individual budget items. The figures confirmed total annual expenditure would be at a threshold over £25,000 to include key capital items spent on cemetery improvements. The clerk confirmed this overall expenditure would trigger the full external audit under the new audit regime with new auditors now appointed.

5/To receive, discuss and approve applications for Parish Council grants. Councillors acknowledged receipt of grant applications for 2018. They agreed to award grants according to the schedule below. However, this was with the proviso the clerk request the Pre-School applicant forward estimates or direct quotes for the individual and separate cost of their items which were previously given as a combined figure only on their application form.


Organisation

Purpose

Grant awarded

North Nibley School

Support addition of extra learning space for children’s activities.

£1,000

Citizens Advice Bureau

Support IT costs of weekly outreach session in Wotton under Edge.

£100

Cotswold Vale Talking Newspaper

Buying local books and magazines to use as source material for stories on memory sticks.

£50

North Nibley Preschool

Purchase of play kitchen and tablet computer.

£350

On The Edge

Contribution towards printing costs and occasional colour pages.

£300


Total of grants awarded

£1,800



Councillors agreed the new procedure that when grant cheques are issued, the council need request evidence of how the grant is spent. The clerk would include wording in the grant awarding letter this year to request this be supplied to the clerk on expenditure and either by post or by a scanned copy by email.

Councillors agreed a new procedure from the next grant awarding year that the application form be amended to request itemization of each item to be bought as individual items, include direct mention that items for which grants are awarded are subject to receipts, and state that as public money is allocated accountability is key.

12/ To receive and approve Cemetery and Closed Churchyard Reports. Clerks note. Due to the severe weather in early March the normal monthly site inspections had to be moved to later in March. However, a visit to the cemetery had taken place during mid-February before the bad weather moved in.

Cllr D Purnell had informed the clerk he had removed the cemetery notice board to update it with the new Burial Clerk’s contact details. There is evidence of both badger diggings and now some mole diggings in the cemetery. The clerk noted the previously approved plinth work for the memorial garden outstanding for which she had left messages by phone and email to secure a date for start of the work. A light green mould or lichen was now appearing on the surface of stonework on the new arm of wall of the memorial garden extension area.

The clerk had received an enquiry as to whether the cemetery was consecrated ground by the Church of England and passed this to the Burial Clerk to reply that it is in part. The Burial clerk has confirmed her agreement with the terms and conditions discussed and agreed at the February council meeting as a voluntary role with the option to claim expenses.

Councillors noted receipt of the photograph of the headstone and the new additional inscription for Mrs Farrant and that the internment of Mrs Farrant's ashes was planned for the 21st of March.

13/ To consider items towards the annual review of Standing Orders. Councillors agreed the additional paragraph amendment to Section 6 of the standing orders to cover co-option procedures.

After review of the recruitment process councillors agreed to amend the council Standing Orders to state that during co-option of councillors, all candidates would be interviewed by the Council.”

14/ To consider the annual review of Financial Regulations. Councillors noted this opportunity for an annual review but concluded no amendments were required. Advice on future amendments required would be likely supplied by the Gloucestershire Association of Parish and Town Councils.

15/To consider the annual review of systems of internal control including risk management. Councillors considered this opportunity for an annual review but concluded no amendments were required. The clerk advised some small changes to two sections had been made in July 2017 to reflect the new clerk’s office working and IT practices.

16/ To receive an update on issues relating to rural housing. Councillors noted the clerk had requested an update from the rural housing manager on initiatives to identify sites through the district authority. However there had been little news on request and councillors felt overall that slow progress was being made. District Cllr K Tucker undertook to pursue progress with the district authority planning strategy manager Mark Russell at a meeting the following day on behalf of the council and to report the outcome.

17/ To discuss planning gain for benefit of the Parish, Section 106 statement. Cllr D Purnell had informed the clerk he was due to meet to discuss the previous offer related to a planning gain for recreational purposes. After discussion councillors agreed that if it had not proved possible to meet the potential benefactor by next month, then a letter would be sent to him to request an update by the clerk on behalf of the council.

18/ To consider issues relating to ivy growth by the closed churchyard. Cllr R Symons informed councillors that he and Cllr D Purnell had conferred on a prospective date to meet the neighbour concerned and this was now arranged for the 16th March.

19/ To receive update on broadband project. The clerk reported she had received two written responses from parishioners in response to her article in OTE requesting feedback. Their overall service was variable especially by property location up to 4.2Mb speeds. Councillors reported their experience as variable to include 13Mb and 27Mb speeds but this better service was secured after one or more call outs to engineers to the property concerned.



20/ To consider arrangements for the annual Village Clean-up Day. The clerk reported that all arrangements were in hand, the hall booked and the equipment ordered for both adults and children for the 17th March. However, on ordering the equipment she had been informed of new requirements by the district authority for both a risk assessment ahead of the main event, and an induction on the day itself for volunteers. Cllr K Brown undertook to assess the risks before the event and carry out the ensuing induction required. Councillors noted that the previously compiled listing of territories already included some risk assessment element as certain areas were already designated as safe areas for families.

21/ To note forthcoming new rules for data protection. The clerk informed councillors there was a new briefing that the General Data Protection Regulations were currently going through Parliament with the Bill shortly having its second reading. More information would be available thereafter as to the implications for councils. However, the best current advice to date was that the legislation is mainly about protecting sensitive information on individuals. The clerk undertook to check the information retained by the council on individuals, for example registers of Interests of people who are no longer councillors, and recruitment documents for those not appointed or not currently employed and dispose of them by shredding.

22/To receive for information details of Correspondence received. The clerk informed councillors of receipt of Cllr D Palmer’s recent report on the condition of parish footpaths, notice of a schedule of planned road re-surfacing works between 1st April and 30th June, and confirmation from Cllr D Purnell he has arranged for the planting of a Christmas tree on the wide verge between the Jubilee tree and the recreation field at the cost of £45.00. Councillors noted from Cllr J Burton the forthcoming extraordinary meeting for the village shop.



23/Additional items. For the forthcoming Annual Parish Meeting on the 9th April councillors agreed to write a short councillor report and the clerk undertook to put up notices to include on the website, in posters, and to write an article for OTE within the next week.



There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.10 pm. The next Meeting of the Parish Council will be held in the Village Hall on Monday 9th April 2018.

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