Councillors Present
- Present
- Matt Lunn (Chair), John Calver, Vashti Mouncer, Sam Steward, Kevin Shelver (until item 13), Robert Wardley
- Apologies
- Cllr. Doris Dearing (health issue)
- Absent
- Nick Hopewell-Smith
- In Attendance
- Lydia Kindred (clerk), 2 residents
- Apologies Sent
- County Councillor Stephen Burroughes
Declarations of Interest
Councillors Lunn, Mouncer and Steward declared an ‘other interest’ in item 12 as they have children at the school.
Minutes Approval
The Minutes of 6th January 2025 were approved as a true record of the meeting.
Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
Chair’s Report
The Chair has installed reflective markers around the Jubilee Oak in the Square. He has replaced two batteries on the mini 300 Speed Indicator Device (SID) that alternates between Saxtead Road and The Street.
Clerk’s Report
The tractor mower has been retaxed.
Councillor gov.uk email addresses have been set up and Councillors will need to change their passwords when they have access. The web domain will change later this week and there may be a short transition period where the website is not available.
The retrospective planning application for storage at White House Farm has been permitted (DC/24/4193/FUL).
The clerk has begun preparations for the financial year-end and the internal audit. She reminded Councillors that the period from March to May is the busiest time of the year for clerks and that much of her work will be behind the scenes.
A VAT claim has been submitted for the period up to 28th February.
The clerk attended East Suffolk Council’s ‘Town and Parish Council Planning Forum’ on 4th February. Slides from the presentation have been circulated.
East Suffolk Council has recently published new village profiles based on data from the 2021 Census. Dennington’s profile has been circulated and will be published on the website.
Suffolk Association of Local Councils (SALC) continues to provide regular updates on the devolution process in Suffolk. A dedicated page is available on their website, and the next East Suffolk SALC Councillor Forum on 27th March will focus on this topic.
Responsible Financial Officer’s Report
- The following payments were approved:
Amount Payee Details £330.00 Suffolk Cloud Registration of gov.uk domain for 2 years, Setup of 20gb mailbox storage for 2 years £1,003.15 L. Kindred Pay to 31.03.2025 £231.20 HMRC PAYE to 05.04.2025 £22.80 SALC 6 months’ payroll services £20.00 Dennington Village Hall Meeting room hire- March £17.81 M. Lunn Reimbursement for reflectors £120.00 Soames Engineering SID batteries - There have been no receipts or additional payments since the last meeting.
- The bank balances as at 28.02.2025 were:
- Community account £1,347.20
- Equipment account £14,657.07
- Savings account £5,734.53
- The year-to-date receipts and payments account was noted. The following were confirmed as being banking mandates: Matt Lunn, Robert Wardley, John Calver, Doris Dearing, Kevin Shelver and Lydia Kindred.
Highways and Footpaths Issues in the Village
The Clerk has submitted a formal complaint to Suffolk County Council (SCC) regarding the repeated flooding along the A1120, and a response is awaited.
Councillors noted that highways signage has been replaced in neighbouring villages along the A1120. It was agreed to contact SCC to inquire why Dennington has not received similar replacements.
The oak post at The Square requires replacement. Cllr. Wardley will obtain a quotation from the contractor who previously carried out this work and report back.
The solar-powered Speed Indicator Device (SID) requires new high-powered batteries. It was agreed to approve expenditure of up to £400 for this purpose.
Nic Fell has kindly agreed to take on maintenance and moving of one of the SIDs. The clerk will draft a Risk Assessment in this regard.
Registration of Sports Club with HM Land Registry
Following discussion, Cllr. Steward proposed that the Council allocate up to £2,000 for registering the Sports Club land with HM Land Registry, covering legal fees, search fees, and Land Registry fees. The motion was seconded by Cllr. Shelver and carried unanimously. The Chair signed the solicitor's new Client Terms of Business, and Cllr. Wardley will liaise with the solicitor.
Suffolk County Council’s Community Self-Help Scheme
It was agreed that the Council will join SCC’s Community Self-Help Scheme. Additionally, Cllrs. Lunn and Wardley volunteered to undertake the necessary training to become qualified Lead Volunteers for community work parties near the Highway.
Volunteering Opportunities
Unfortunately, the open-evening had to be cancelled at short notice. It was agreed to hold another meeting on the same evening at the Annual Parish Meeting on Friday 9th May. Cllr. Mouncer suggested that new volunteers to mow the sports pitches would need training before this date and she will liaise with Cllr. Wardley in this regard.
Dennington CEVAP School 150th Anniversary
Councillors Lunn, Mouncer and Steward left the meeting.
Comments passed on from Cllr. Dearing were noted. After discussion the remaining Councillors agreed to donate £500 to the school to be used to purchase books and SEN equipment, to remain as a legacy after the event.
Councillors Lunn, Mouncer and Steward returned to the meeting.
Heritage Finger Posts
It was agreed to approach the County and District Councillors for support to help fund these signs when the next financial year begins. If these grant applications are not successful, the Council can consider this again.
NALC’s Financial Regulations
It was agreed to adopt the regulations with the proposed amendments.
Request for CPR and AED Training
Following this request from a resident, the Council agreed to organise a CPR and AED training session for residents, using a local training provider who quoted £100 per session for up to 14 participants. The clerk will coordinate with the trainer to arrange a suitable date with him and the Village Hall and create a poster to promote the event. Cllr. Mouncer will manage a sign-up sheet at the café.
Correspondence
- 2024 Report from Village Recorder – Councillors thanked Pene Welham for producing such a detailed and interesting report. It will be shared on the website and a link to the report will be included in the next newsletter.
- East Suffolk Council Business Rates demand for the Sports Clubs- This totals £179.64 and will be split across 3 direct debit payments this year.
- Suffolk County Council Section 19 Flood report for Dennington – this was noted and will be shared on the website.
- Barclays- Interest rate dropping 0.10%
- Email from resident supporting a possible permissive footpath from Owl’s Green Pene
- ESC Planning consultations on Guidance for Climate Change and Housing
- Notice from SCC that the County Council elections on 1st May will likely be postponed for a year or longer due to the devolution discussions- it was agreed to write to SCC to voice our concerns about postponing the elections when Councillors were elected for a four year term.
Public Session
A resident who owns land between Owls Green and the village centre expressed reluctance to install a permissive footpath across this area, as it lies at the heart of their conservation zone. The resident noted that several existing footpaths at Owls Green primarily lead toward Laxfield.
Councillor Reports
Cllr. Hopewell-Smith reported that he will visit The Hold this week to review further historical footpath records in the village.
Concerns were raised regarding the lack of a pedestrian path leading to Little Oak Nursery. It was agreed to contact a nearby resident to gauge their willingness to explore the option of creating an official footpath on a section of their land. The Chair and clerk will liaise in this regard.
Cllr. Mouncer highlighted ongoing issues with dog waste at the allotments. She suggested that the bin either needs emptying more frequently, relocating, or an additional waste bin might be needed.
Annual Village Litter Pick
The annual village litter pick was scheduled for Monday, 31st March. It will be advertised in the newsletter and on the website. The clerk will make a poster for the event and order the necessary equipment and arrange waste collection.
Matters to be Raised at the Next Meeting
Annual accounts, reports and reviews
Next Meeting
The next meeting was confirmed as being the Annual Meeting of the Council on Monday 12th May 2025. There being no further business, the Chair thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 8.40pm.
Signed …………………….. …………………………
Chair Date