Present: Cllrs Hodson, Bolton and Pudney, County Councillor Gardener and the Clerk.
154.21 Cllr Hodson, as Chairman, welcomed those present to the meeting.
155.21 There were no apologies for absence
156.21 There were no Member’s declarations of Disclosable Interests
157.21 No members of the Public or Press attended the meeting
158.21 Minutes of the meeting, held on 18th January 2022, were confirmed as a true and correct record. Acceptance proposed by Cllr Bolton and seconded by Cllr Pudney.
159.21 There were no matters arising from those Minutes that will not be discussed as an agenda item.
160.21 Reports from Councillors and Clerk:
Clerk enquired of County Councillor Gardener details of the proposed change of Parliamentary Constituency boundaries, whereby our Parish may become part of South Peterborough (currently North West Cambridgeshire). This is a process that takes place from time to time as area populations increase to level up the constituency areas – consultation period has now closed and decisions are awaited.
County Councillor Gardener
Councillor Steven Ferguson is now Chairman of the County Council.
The County Council element of Council Tax will increase by 1.99%, and Adult Social Care to increase by 3%. The income generated is anticipated to be £6.9m and this will be allotted to Council Reserves.
There will be an increase of £20 to those persons receiving Universal Credit.
Cllr Gardener left the meeting after advising on item 163.21a
161.21 FINANCIAL MATTERS:
a) to note Barclays Bank statements for Parish Council account
b) Annual Finance review – a list of spending to date, together with a budget spreadsheet were shared at the meeting. Cllr Hodson explained about precept/income and expenditure/assets and budgets to Parish Councillors.
c) PAYMENTS of the following items was approved by Cllrs Bolton and Pudney
| Who | What for | TOTAL | VAT | Authorised | Authorised | |
| Catalyst Design | Setting up Noticeboard page on website and training of Clerk | 336.00 | 56.00 | JRT | PH | |
| CAPALC | Annual subscription | 57.00 | ~ | JRT | PH | |
| J R Trolove | Wages for December (18 hours) | Xxx | ~ | JRT | PH | |
| WAVE/AWA | Final invoice for Rec Ground toilet unit | 5.06 | ~ | Direct debit | PH | |
| Paul Hodson | Capping off Toilet unit supply | 15.92 | ~ | JRT | JP |
d) Clerk’s hours worked between 1st and 31st January (29 hours) approved by Cllr Bolton and Pudney.
162.21 Planning Applications and Planning matters: NONE received as at 11/2/2022
163.21 Highways and Footpaths:
a) LHI bid for 2022-23 – Nick Hill had submitted a presentation to Parish Council and Cambridgeshire County Council. A response from CambsCC indicated that there would be minimal improvement to traffic calming/road safety if the proposed measures were implemented. County Cllr Gardener advised that the proposal could still be submitted, but would be unlikely to gain sufficient support to be successful based on the County Council comments. Cllr Gardener has had considerable experience of the Local Highways Bid Scheme and suggested an approach for a future bid for the Little Gidding junction. He offered to arrange an on-site meeting with a Highways officer to consider the options.
Based on these comments, Cllr Hodson proposed that the current application be withdrawn, with a revised proposal to be submitted for 2023/24 bid. This proposal was seconded by Cllr Bolton.
b) Parishioner requested discussion of condition of various public footpaths + another enquiry. Emails have been received with concerns regarding aspects of various footpaths in the Parish. CambsCC have contacted the Clerk regarding one of the enquiries and the Clerk has requested a meeting or discussion with a CambsCC representative to address other issues regarding public footpaths.
164.21 Training opportunities for Councillors and Clerk
February 16th – Councillor Training, split session – 6.30 to 9PM
23rd – Councillor training, split session – 6.30 to 9PM
More online training options are now being offered by CAPALC and details are shared on their monthly newssheet, a copy of which is forwarded to Councillors.
165.21 Recreation Ground:
Mole problem will be addressed by Arrestapest
Toilet unit has been disconnected from the Main Sewer and final invoice received from WAVE/AWA. The toilet will be removed when ground conditions allow. The concrete base that the toilet stood on will remain in situ.
166.21 Correspondence received since 18th January 2021 (other than that discussed in agenda items above).
See attached list, discussion on the following items:
j) Cllr Hodson and the Clerk will attend a meeting to share thoughts and ideas with District Councillor Alban and other local Parish Council Chairmen and Clerks on Wednesday 9th March.
l) CambsCC response dated 7/2/2022 to request for a further grit bin on Chapel End. A price has been quoted and CambsCC would need to identify a site where road visibility was not impaired. Councillors discussed and agreed that this bin would not completely solve the problem of ice on the roads and footpaths in this area. A request has been made on the most recent parish newsletter for volunteer footpath gritters and, at this stage, a grit bin will not be ordered.
p) following a request for the provision of equipment for litter picking around the parish, the Clerk will research prices and submit to the March meeting.
167.21 Items for decisions at next meeting:
Prepare for Co-option of Parish Councillor
168.21 The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 15 March 2022
starting at 1930 hours in the Village Hall, Great Gidding.
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