Councillors Present
- Present
- Matthew Lunn (Chair), John Calver, Doris Dearing, Nick Hopewell-Smith, Vashti Mouncer, Kevin Shelver, Sam Steward, Robert Wardley
- In Attendance
- Lydia Kirk (clerk), Shirley Cunningham
County Councillor Burroughes and District Councillor Langdon-Morris sent their apologies.
Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
Minutes
The Minutes of the meeting of 13th November 2023 were approved as a true record and signed by the Chair.
Matters Arising
Cllr. Wardley has been working on a revised Emergency Plan and hopes to have the draft ready for consideration at March’s meeting.
Chair’s Report
Since the Speed Indicator Device has been returned from the manufacturer, it has again developed the same fault. A replacement part will be sent to the Chair for fitting.
He has been contacted by a resident who is suffering flooding from run-off from a local spring. This is exacerbated by a broken drain under a nearby pavement. The Chair will draft a letter to the County Councillor to see if he can help get this resolved.
Clerk’s Report
There have been no responses to our request for Community Speedwatch volunteers as yet. Suffolk Police will provide a speed radar and all necessary equipment to run a CSW scheme, so there is no need to purchase one from Framlingham Town Council.
The clerk is attending a day’s Community Self Help training on Wednesday which will then allow the Council to conduct work parties near highways, clear verges and pavements and clean signs etc under the scheme.
The clerk asked Councillors to send her photos of signage in the village that is in poor condition.
Framlingham Town Council will be holding a Public Flooding Meeting on 21st January and she will be attending and can report back. Framlingham has commissioned a report into the flooding in their town which should be completed much sooner than SCC’s report.
The Chair has confirmed that he will be speaking to the Sports Club to see whether they wish to apply for a Protected Space Order to restrict dogs at the playing area.
To date, no response has been received from Orwell Housing Association regarding their reason for wishing to fell the sycamore trees near Bardolph Cottages.
The clerk shared the dates of additional SALC Councillor Basics Sessions and encouraged Councillors who have not yet had any training to sign up.
Responsible Financial Officer’s Report
- The following payments were approved:
Reference Number Amount Payee Details P26 23-24 £207.00 HMRC PAYE to 05.01.2024 P27 23-24 £1,116.40 L. Kirk Pay to 31.12.2023 & backdated pay rise from 01.04.2023 P28 23-24 £33.32 SLCC Share of membership P29 23-24 £20.00 Dennington Village Hall Hall Hire January - No payments had been made since the last meeting. The following receipts were noted:
- 04/12/23 £26.92 Barclays Interest
- 04/12/23 £23.04 Barclays Interest
- The bank balances as at 31.12.2023 were:
- Current account £5,450.64
- Equipment account £9,534.28
- Savings account £6,640.41
- The bank statements and bank reconciliation were reviewed by the Examining Officer.
- The year-to-date receipts and payments account was noted.
Highways and Footpaths Issues
Cllr. Wardley has reported various issues around the village to SCC, including large potholes, blocked gullies and flooding on the footpath at Badingham Road. He has written to our local Highways Liaison Officer asking him for a site visit at Wash Farm to see first-hand the drainage problems there. The Chair thanked Cllr. Wardley for reporting all of these issues and was pleased to note that SCC has already agreed to rectify some of these issues.
Shirley Cunningham is suffering from flooding to the front of her property. Cllr. Wardley has had a site meeting with Anglian Water in this regard and their representative said the problem is due to the sheer volume of water locally at present. Cllr. Wardley has asked AW to repair the manhole cover here which might help alleviate the flooding a little.
It was noted that the ditch next to the pumping station has very little water in it which suggests there may be a blockage near here. The Chair confirmed he would speak to SCC about this.
Cllr. Hopewell-Smith expressed concern for pedestrians’ safety at Owl’s Green. There is no pavement and large agricultural vehicles are using this road in both directions, despite there being an informal agreement that it should only be used one way. He asked if signs warning that there is no footway could be erected here. The clerk advised that it would be far simpler and cheaper if they could be erected on private land, rather than having to get SCC’s consent and use their approved contractors. Cllr. Hopewell-Smith will look into possible locations for signage for further consideration at the next meeting.
The Chair noted that other local villages have recently installed heritage fingerpost signs. He is concerned that if SCC is not replacing signage, Dennington’s heritage signs might at some point be removed.
Action: Clerk to research costs of additional fingerpost signs.
Sports Club
The Chair has spoken with the Chair of the Sports Club to discuss possible improvements to the play equipment. To date, three quotations have been received and a fourth is awaited. Cllr. Mouncer asked how the village is being included in this project and asked if residents are being consulted on what equipment they would like etc. The Chair responded that parents are being asked in the playground and a questionnaire is being sent via the school.
Budget
Budget figures for 2024-2025 were discussed and ratified. The forecast suggests the general reserves at the end of this financial year will be around £4,000.
Action: ML will try to break down the draft budget figures so routine and anticipated expenditure does not need ratifying at a meeting before it can be carried out as this can cause unnecessary delays.
Precept
The clerk gave details of what the increase to the Parish Council element of the Council Tax would be based on different precept levels. Cllr. Lunn proposed setting the precept for 2024-2025 at £11,175 which would likely equate to a 3.41% increase. This was seconded by Cllr. Wardley and approved unanimously.
Tractor Mower
It was initially agreed to fund up to £500 for the annual service for the tractor mower which has been booked for 09.01.2024. However, Cllr. Wardley asked what would happen if the costs exceeded this. This led to conversations on the service and it was agreed that the Chair would obtain quotations for a service to ensure it was below this amount.
Correspondence
Correspondence received since the last meeting was considered. East Suffolk Council’s consultation on the Local Validation List was noted. The Council has received confirmation of a planning breach regarding the mound at Little Oak Playschool. This has now been rectified and ESC has closed the case. D. Cllr Owen’s flooding report on villages in his ward- including Dennington- was noted, as was the update on Storm Babet from SCC and the Environment Agency.
Public Session
There were no issues raised.
Councillor Reports
Cllr. Mouncer reported issues with cars parking on the pavement at Swainstons Way. It was hoped that this could be easily resolved by residents there, but if necessary this can be brought to a future Council meeting for consideration.
The Chair hopes to attend the public flooding meeting at Framlingham on 21st January.
Matters for Next Meeting
- Reimburse Cllr. Calver for telephone kiosk paint
- Consider the more detailed breakdown of routine costs in the budget
- Receive an update on the play equipment replacement project
Next Meeting
The next meeting was confirmed as being Monday 11th March 2023. Other meetings for the year will be held on May 13th (Annual Parish Meeting- it was noted that the clerk would not be able to attend on this date), May 20th (Parish Council’s Annual General Meeting), 1st July, 2nd September and 4th November. Additional meetings will be held as necessary.
There being no further business, the Chair thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 9.00pm.
Signed …………………….. …………………………
Chair Date