MELBOURN PARISH COUNCIL MINUTES
Minutes of a Parish Council Meeting held on
Monday, 22nd October, 2012 at All Saints’ Community Hall at 7.15pm.
Present: Cllrs. D.Mowatt, I. Bloomfield, K. Crosby, R. Gatward, J. Hales, M. Linnette, M. Sherwen, P. Simmonett, C. Stead, and M. Townsend.
In attendance: The Clerk and CCllr S.van de Ven
PC74/12 Apologies for absence: Cllr Barrett
PC75/12 Declaration of Interest:
Cllr. Simmonett declared a Pecuniary Interest in Item PC/83/12 as he is a cheque recipient
Cllr. Bloomfield declared a Non-Pecuniary Interest in Item PC/83/12 as an employee is a cheque recipient.
Cllr Gatward declared a Pecuniary Interest in Item PC/83/12 as a cheque recipient
PC76/12 Minutes of the meeting held on 24th September, 2012. It was proposed by Cllr. Hales and seconded by Cllr. Simmonett that the minutes of the meeting held on 24th September 2012 be signed as a true record.
PC77/12 Matters Arising:
PC71/12: The Clerk has written
PC64/12: Nothing to report. Cllr Hales is to arrange a meeting with Juli Stallabras, the Licensing Officer. Cllr Mowatt has talked to the owner of the kebab van about the new hours, some of which he is not taking up at the moment but wants to retain the option if he can going forward. No anti-social behaviour has been reported.
PC78/12 To receive a report from C Cllr S. van de Ven
Superfast Broadband – The sign-up rate in Melbourn is very lowand while it is understood that most of Melbourn is ‘covered’ by good service from Virgin, I’ve heard from a number of residents who are frustrated that they are unable to benefit from it. I would urge people to sign the Superfast Broadband register to help the overall effort and make sure Melbourn doesn’t miss out any potential improvements for people who need it: www.connectingcambridgeshire.co.uk.
Flood Risk Register: In its new flood management liaison role the County Council is mapping known flood risk areas. I am meeting the relevant officer to see what has been registered for the Melbourn area, and what is missing. I’ve asked Cllrs Simmonett and Hales if they would meet us on our site visit at the end of next month.
School Crossing Patrol vacancy: It’s great to be able to report that the assessment for the School Crossing Patrol at the junction of the Moor, the High Street and Norgett’s Lane in Melbourn has resulted in a recommendation that the post be re-advertised. This advertising process will commence directly after half-term. A detailed formulaic assessment of traffic and pedestrian movements during morning and afternoon peak times has now been carried out on site. While these results did not meet nationally agreed criteria for a School Crossing Patrol, other factors were also taken into account and it was on the basis of poor visibility at this bend in the road that the decision has been made by the council’s School Crossing Patrol Manager to re-instate the patrol. I’ve written to thank the team.
Free cycle stands for the local community: Community groups, voluntary sector organisations, charities, surgeries and places of worship can all apply for up to two new cycle parking stands from the County Council. Each stand holds two bikes neatly and securely. The recipient is responsible for installing them on their own premises, in a location agreed with the scheme organiser. The community cycle parking scheme is being run by a social enterprise called Park That Bike. The £9,000 scheme is funded through the Dft Local Sustainable Transport Fund.
To apply for a pair of cycle stands visit www.parkthatbike.info to download an application form, or phone 01594 564 344. Park That Bike will process the application, and then arrange a site visit. Only a limited number of stands are available – so it’s first come, first served!
A10 Cycle campaign I receive a variety of queries relating to cycling on the A10 between Royston and Cambridge and feel it would be useful to organize a small campaign group to further the cause.
Bikes on Trains: please be aware of the Meldreth-Cambridge 8:10 train’s cycle-on-train restriction policy, on safety grounds. FCC have said that they will have to take action and impose penalties if the matter doesn’t resolve itself. I’ve written to sixth forms in Cambridge since incoming students may not be aware, but please could people help spread the word.
The Care Network has a new county-funded post for Melbourn, starting in November, to help with liaising on projects to support older people. Cllrs Barrett, Hales and I will be meeting her to learn more.
PC79/12 PC79/12 To consider an Insurance Quote from Came & Company re: Little Hands Nursery: The council considered the quote and accepted it. However, The Clerk to check with Little Hands Nursery about its own insurance for its activities and about the terms of its lease which is to be renewed shortly. Cllr Simmonett to talk to the Head Teacher about these matters. The valuation of Little Hands Nursery is to be reassessed as part of the Valuation of all the Parish Councils assets in the near future. The rent may be reassessed as a result of the new valuation.
ACTION: The Clerk and Cllr Simmonett
PC80/12 To receive a proposal to accept a donation for the Community Hub from a local company: IT WAS PROPOSED BY CLLR SIMMONETT, SECONDED BY CLLR BLOOMFIELD THAT THE COUNCIL ACCEPTS A DONATION OF £50,000, UNFETTERED AND WITHOUT OBLIGATION, FROM A LOCAL COMPANY, TTP, TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY HUB.
This was CARRIED.
The Clerk to write with thanks.
ACTION: The Clerk
PC82/12 To receive an update on the Old Police Site
Cllr Hales reported that the council is still awaiting a start date.
Cllr Sherwen asked about the possible naming of the Cul-de-Sac. This is the responsibility of South Cambs District Council.
To receive a recommendation with regards to the accounts: It was proposed by Cllr Hales and seconded by Cllr Wakerley that this item be considered in camera. This was agreed.
PC82/12 To receive details of cheques to be drawn on the Parish Council’s Account as detailed or amended by late payments. To approve payment and agree the amount(s) to be transferred from the Business ‘No Notice’ Account to the Current Account.
[At this point Cllrs Simmonett, Bloomfield and Gatward withdrew from the meeting]
The Clerk recommended the transfer of £10,000 from the No Notice Account to the Current Account.
It was proposed by Cllr. Townsend that the cheques be approved and signed. Seconded by Cllr Stead and approved.
[At this point Cllrs Simmonett, Bloomfield and Gatward returned to the meeting].
PC84/12 Correspondence:
(a) Letter from Cambridgeshire County Council re: Winter Gritting Volunteers 2012-13 was noted.
(b) Letter from Victim Support re: supporting people in Cambridgeshire affected by crime. This was discussed and remitted to the Finance & General Purposes Committee for consideration.
PC85/12 E-mail from Sarah Galbraith re: dog fouling. General sympathy was expressed about this The Clerk to investigate the possibility of siting a new dog bin in the vicinity.
(d) E-mail from Ansar Ali, Independent Candidate, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Cambridgeshire requesting help in producing and distributing his campaign message and meeting with the Parish Council. Both were refused.
Cemetery and Churchyard Inspection Report for September:
Cllr Townsend presented the report which she carried out on17th October:
(a) New Road Cemetery: The wooden gate is working OK, the mud on the road has been cleared, the bed to the left-hand side is cleared and the hedging looks good. However, there are some broken trees which need to be removed. There are two watering cans. The flower beds need weeding and ornaments removed from some graves. The path is uneven and the tarmac splitting. All the benches need oiling after dry spell enables them to dry out.
(b) Orchard Road Cemetery: The latch is working, the dustbins need emptying and the benches need oiling. The maintenance of the graves needs to be continued. The Village Plan Team has been asked about the possibility of volunteers helping with the cemetery.
PC86/12 Urgent matters:
(a) Cllrs Hales reminded councillors of the Chairman’s reception and the need to nominate for awards;
(b) The Clerk requested that a small team was needed to plan the Chairman’s Reception.
There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.12pm