- Councillors Present
- Matthew Lunn (Chair) Robert Wardley Vashti Mouncer Nick Hopewell-Smith Kevin Shelver Sam Steward*
- Apologies for absence
- Received and accepted from Cllr. Dearing (health issue). *Cllr Steward arrived during the public session, having advised that he would be late. Cllr Calver was absent.
- In Attendance
- Lydia Kirk (clerk) 9 residents
- Apologies
- County Councillor Burroughes and District Councillor Langdon-Morris
Declarations of Interests
There were no declarations of interests.
Minutes
The Minutes of the meeting of 24th July 2023 were approved as a true record of the meeting and signed by the Chair.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
It was agreed to bring the public session forward due to the number of residents attending.
Public Session
A number of issues regarding traffic in the village were raised. Residents asked if any traffic-calming measures are currently being considered, what the SID data shows, why the item regarding the parked car is on the agenda & what the Council’s response would be to it, what can be done to reduce speeding in the village and how the village can be made safer for pedestrians.
The Chair responded that SCC would not consider traffic-calming measures along the A1120 as it is an A road. Recent traffic surveys have come back saying that most vehicles are not going at an excessive speed and some of the Councillors also did not consider speeding was an issue in the village currently. The SID & ANPR cameras can only be placed in certain approved locations and cannot be within 100 metres of a bend. The parked car item was on the agenda as several residents have been complaining about it and it was thought that the Parish Council should consider it. However, it is taxed, insured and not parked on a bend or on yellow lines. Suffolk Police have confirmed that they do not have any issues with it being parked there and as such, the Parish Council has nothing further to add on the matter.
The Parish Council can ask how often speed cameras visit the village and request more enforcement. Rumble strips were considered as a measure to slow vehicles but these can be very noisy and disruptive for nearby residents, especially if empty trailers travel over them at night. A Community Speed Watch Group could be formed, and interested residents are invited to get in contact and then the PC can look into acquiring a speed gun. Residents are encouraged to report accidents to the police for their crashmap data and to report issues with pavements to Suffolk County Council’s online reporting tool.
The Chair thanked the residents for coming and raising their concerns.
Shirley Cunningham reminded Councillors to send her news items for posting on the website, and urged that this village resource is better used and more widely advertised by the Parish Council.
Chair’s Report
The Chair attended the latest Community Partnership meeting in July. He reported the 3 key needs identified by the local CP group and advised that money is available for projects that help with these needs. He will advise the primary school that there may be funding to run the Bikeability scheme through the CP. He also advised that pensioners can each get a £100 non-means tested voucher to travel on public transport, and will ask that this is advertised in the next newsletter and on the website.
The Chair advised that unfortunately Cllr. Schofield did not complete her Declaration of Acceptance of Office within the required timeframe and has therefore forfeited her position. The Notice is currently being advertised and, subject to an election not being called, the vacancy can then be filled via co-option at November’s meeting.
Clerk’s Report
The clerk advised that Barclays Bank has now shut in Framlingham and the Woodbridge branch is due to close later this year. The Council might have to consider switching to an alternative bank if this causes difficulties.
Responsible Financial Officer’s Report
- The following payments were approved:
Reference Number Amount Payee Details P13 23-24 £20.00 Dennington Village Hall Room hire September P14 23-24 £80.00 Treeincarnate Oak post P15 23-24 £117.60 Adrian Neill (Hadleigh Tyres) Tractor mower battery - Receipts and payments since the last meeting were noted:
- P12 23-24 R. Wardley Wood preservative
- Receipts:
- 25/05/2023 £8.00 R. Wardley 2 x Coronation mugs
- 05/06/2023 £15.58 Barclays Interest
- 05/06/2023 £13.73 Barclays Interest
- 24/07/2023 £84.00 Various Coronation mug sales banked cash
- The bank balances as at 31.08.2023 were:
- Current account £4,766.94
- Equipment account £7,487.30
- Savings account £6,599.69
- The bank statements and bank reconciliation were reviewed by the Examining Officer.
- The year-to-date receipts and payments account was considered alongside the budgeted figures. It was noted that the Council has overspent on Asset Maintenance, mainly due to the high cost of replacing the footbridge.
Highways and Footpaths Issues
Cllr. Lunn reported that one of the SIDs has developed a fault which requires the manufacturers to attend to it on site.
As discussed during the public session, a resident is parking their car on The Street which is an A road and some people are complaining about it. However, the car is parked legally and the Parish Council does not intend to do anything further about this matter.
The Parish Council could consider purchasing 30mph roundel stickers to go on residents bins as a reminder of the speed limit and this will be discussed further at the next meeting.
Cllr. Mouncer will contact residents near the Chapel where hedges are overhanging the pavement to ask them to trim them to make the paths more accessible.
Cllr. Wardley advised that replacing the gateway near the sign on Badingham Road plus the cement and fixings would cost approximately £400. The clerk advised that this purchase should have been explicitly included on the agenda for consideration but Councillors agreed to authorise this.
Social Media Engagement
Cllr. Mouncer suggested the Parish Council should use social media as another way to engage with residents. She suggested this would have also been a good way to advertise the potential bus service to Diss. It was agreed to set up a Dennington Parish Council Facebook page with Cllr. Mouncer and the clerk as admins who are both able to publish posts once they have the other’s agreement. The page will allow the PC to post but people cannot reply and instead will be directed to our website for contact information.
Volunteer Lawn Mowers
Since the last meeting, one of the volunteer lawn mowers has stepped down after many years of cutting the village green and allotment areas. The Chair has posted locally asking for extra volunteers and there is now a team of 8 mowers. Cllr. Wardley will cut the sports green and he will set up a rota for the other mowers to do the allotments and village green. He will also train them, show them the areas to be mown and provide them with a copy of the risk assessment.
Correspondence Received
The insurance renewal quotation was considered. An alternative quotation is awaited imminently. As the policy expires before the Council next meets, Cllr. Lunn proposed accepting the current provider’s quotation unless the alternative quotation is on similar terms and is cheaper. This was seconded by Cllr. Mouncer and carried unanimously.
No Councillors volunteered to attend the Suffolk Climate Change Partnership Community Networking Event on Sat 4th November.
Cllr. Hopewell-Smith will attend the Community Partnership’s inaugural Ward event on 10th October.
The Casual vacancy notice regarding Geraldine Schofield was noted. This also leaves the Council without a SALC representative. Cllr. Mouncer will attend the next SALC event, with a view to possibly becoming the Council rep, and report back.
Commemorative Coronation Mugs
There was a discussion on what to do with the remaining stock of 75 commemorative coronation mugs. It was agreed to split them between the new playschool and the Village Hall.
Councillor Reports
Cllrs. Wardley and Shelver have replaced the broken wooden post near the church.
Cllr. Mouncer asked if a list of jobs that need doing in the village could be created and shared. Cllr. Lunn will do this.
Matters to be Raised at the Next Meeting
To consider bulk purchase of 30mph roundel bin stickers
The next meeting was confirmed as on Monday 13th November. There being no further business, the Chair thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 9.15pm.
Signed …………………….. …………………………
Chair Date