Meeting Minutes: 6th July 2023
KIMBOLTON & STONELY PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES of the Council meeting held at 7 p.m. on Thursday 6 July 2023 in the Youth Hall at the Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton.
PRESENT Councillors P Seabrook; J Gray ; K Hutchinson; Mrs D Hellett ; Ms C Jessup; Mrs J Stainer; R Gooderham and L Farrer
IN ATTENDANCE District Councillor J Gray and Lionel Thatcher, Clerk to the Council
96/23 APOLOGIES were received from Councillors Mrs R Lloyd; Ms H Bradbury; M Buckley and County Councillor I Gardener
97/23 PUBLIC FORUM was not used.
98/23 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST.
None were made
99/23 COUNTY COUNCILLOR Ian Gardener was unable to be present.
100/23 MINUTES of the Council meeting of 25 May 2023 were read, approved and signed as a true record of that meeting, subject to the following:
Councillor Ms Jessup said that she had asked to know the arrangements for the Stattie Fair.
101/23 MATTERS ARISING
- Neighbourhood Watch. No report
Councillor Mrs Stainer said that it was pointless keeping this as a regular agenda item and suggested it be removed. This was agreed. A representative, however, was still required and currently it was Councillor Farrer. He expressed a wish to stand down and Councillor Gray volunteered to take his place.
- Pound Lane A further quote has been received and a Working Party meeting will be held next week on site. It appears that the different types of material used on the ground, whether mud control mats or a grid each have their own requirements and costs in terms of preparation and laying. Some are cheaper to purchase but cost more in labour and materials than other, more expensive, materials.
- Cemetery Wall repairs. The second quote having now been received, it was agreed to accept the quote of E Farrer & Son, this being the lower of the two, .
- MVAS signs A replacement battery is still awaited and there was discussion regarding the possibility of charging the batteries by solar power. The Chairman will investigate.
- Street Market is to be held on 19 August 2023 on Castle Green. Councillor Mrs Hellett said that all is in hand and so far she has 18 stalls booked.
- Christmas Event to switch on the Christmas lights will be held on Sunday 3 December. The application for a road closure has been submitted to County Highways and the Traffic Management Company has been booked.
- The Butts. Concerns were expressed as to the ongoing maintenance of the site. No specific arrangements for this had been made and it was suggested that Rotary be approached to see whether they wished to be involved. Councillor Mrs Hellett proposed that the whole area be mown and this was agreed. Enquiries will be made regarding a suitable machine that would do the job without destroying the saplings planted.
Councillor Gooderham joined the meeting
102/23 PLANNING
The following application was considered –
23/00934 The Orchard, 11 Bedford Rd Pertenhall. – erect single and 2 storey side and rear extension
It was proposed by Councillor Ms Jessup, seconded by Councillor Mrs Stainer and recommended for approval.
23/01042 8 Station Rd, Kimbolton – erect detached garage.
It was proposed by Councillor Mrs Hellett, seconded by Councillor Mrs Stainer and agreed to recommend approval, with the recommendation that a condition be imposed preventing this from becoming a separate dwelling.
22/00793 37-41 Main Rd Stonely – renovate and extend listed building, demolish and reconstruct building at rear.
There was considerable discussion on this item and the Chairman said he was opposed to the proposal. Nevertheless, it was proposed by Councillor Mrs Stainer, seconded by Councillor Ms Jessup and agreed to recommend approval.
Councillor Farrer joined the meeting
23/00947 11 London Rd Kimbolton – lawful development certificate to define residential curtilage.
Councillor Hutchinson said that a certificate cannot be given as the land concerned is not in the ownership of the occupant, it being owned by the County Council. This fact had been pointed out to the applicant over many years and indeed there is a Land Registry letter dated November 1990 confirming this. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that it is not a part of the highway. There is also the point that this council has not been consulted on any listed building application in respect of the works which have been carried out.
It was proposed by Councillor Hutchinson, seconded by Councillor Ms Jessup and agreed to recommend refusal.
Councillor Gooderham mentioned that damage had been caused to Pound Lane by the installation of fibre cables for Gigaclear, in that rubbish had been put in the ditch and the hedge rooted out. The Clerk will write to the company.
He also remarked about the skip which is now on the football pitch and the overgrown nature of the ground behind the container.
Councillor Gooderham left the meeting
103/23 REPORTS
It was noted that advertising signs were appearing around the village, primarily on The Causeway and these should be removed. Mention was also made of the signs advertising the Equestrian Centre at Keysoe and the Clerk was asked to write to Highways regarding these.
Allotments. Councillor Mrs Hellett said that spraying and trimming is still needed. There is glass and metal by the vehicle gate and the old sheds on plot 28 need removing.
Playpark. Lower branches on the tree need removing.
Pound Lane. Someone has put stickers over the goal end wall and the bolt is still required on the exercise equipment.
Halls Meadow. There is a dead tree at the Station Road end.
Cemetery Cottage. The Clerk reported a quote of £780 to re-decorate the hall and stairs of the cottage. It was proposed by Councillor Mrs Hellett, seconded by Councillor Mrs Stainer and agreed to proceed with this.
Personnel. It is time for staff appraisals and the Clerk will try to arrange a date for the meeting.
District Councillor Jonathan Gray joined the meeting
Road Sweeping and Weed Spraying.
It is noted that roads have not been swept and gutters have not been weed-killed for a long time and enquiries will be made of Highways whether it is intended to undertake this work.
Carnaby bridge. Treads appear to have lifted and could be a trip hazard. Clerk will advise Highways.
Outside Bodies.
Mandeville Hall. Councillor Hutchinson said that he had not recently attended a meeting of the committee.
Kimbolton School Governors. There had been a recent ‘away day’ for Governors said Councillor Mrs Hellett. The School is extremely full of pupils. The new Head Teacher commences work in September.
104/23 GRASSCUTTING
The Clerk reported on the difficulties caused by being let down by our grass cutting contractor, at the height of the growing season. It had not been possible to contact the company, so it is still not know what has happened.
It proved necessary to employ a contractor at short notice to try to recover the situation, especially as complaints were coming in from residents. The contractor did a good job, but it cost the council £7360 – about three quarters of our previous annual grass cutting costs.
Quotes were obtained for the ongoing annual grass cutting in the parish and two were received; one in the sum of £18,000 and the other in the sum of £35,000.
The Clerk suggested that, in the view of the considerable increase in cost, council gives consideration to bringing the cutting ‘in house’.
It is appreciated that the initial expenditure will be considerable, but over the years we should start to benefit and we would at least, be masters of our own destiny.
Our grounds contractor has indicated that he is willing to work an extra day each week and would be happy to undertake grass cutting. In addition to that, a commercial- grade mower would be needed and an Ariens Zenith 53 mower at a cost of £7300 is recommended.
Of course, the next problem would be where to keep the mower and it is proposed that a 20ft container be purchased at a cost of £2500 and that this be sited, ideally, at the cemetery.
Councillor Hutchinson pointed out that although siting a container for storage does not normally require planning permission, there might be difficulties if this is near a listed building.
It was thought that if necessary it could be sited at Pound Lane.
The only mower currently owned by the council is a domestic size Hayter, many years old, which may very well need supplementing by a smaller modern mower to enable mowing in awkward places and around headstones.
The options were discussed and, following a proposal by Councillor Mrs Stainer, which was seconded by Councillor Mrs Hellett, it was agreed to purchase the Ariens Zenith 52 mower and a 20ft container at a total cost of £10,000 exclusive of VAT.
105/23 CORRESPONDENCE
- Street works. Notification has been received of further streetworks to take place at the end of this month and beginning of August in connection with fibre cable laying.
- Community Ownership Fund. Government has announced changes to the fund, which should be beneficial in the event that councils needed to purchase important buildings which may otherwise be lost to the community.
106/23 ACCOUNTS
- The following were approved for payment –
K & M Lighting streetlight maintenance 384.45
MG Recycling Skip hire 781.20
L Allen Emergency grass cutting 7360.00
Lindsay Shelton Decorating cottage 780.00
1st Kimbolton Scouts Room hire 190.00
Vision ICT Email hosting 43.20
Arthur Ibbett Wheelbarrow etc 90.07
Hunts DC Fitness instructor hire 172.80
Concept Leisure Co Generator, tables, chairs 1189.20
G R Dixon Internal auditor 60.00
Phantom Power Stage, sound and light 1800.00
Grafton Projects Paper & ink cartridges 91.02
Seabrook Farms Painted bars & Butts ground 744.00
Fire Service Benevolent Fund Donation 100.00
Mandeville Hall Donation 500.00
H Brace Services Groundwork 2131.58
Payroll costs Pay, PAYE & NIC 3074.59
- To receive the Internal Auditor’s report re 2022/2023 accounts.
107/23 DISTRICT COUNCILLOR Jonathan Gray presented his report. He said that problems still continue with the Planning Department. The statistics look good on the face of it, but they are not measuring the time between submission and validation of applications.
Interviews take place this week for the post of Managing Director.
The intention to charge for green bins is still on the table, with a meeting soon to make the final decision. The likelihood is that it will be approved and all residents will be required to pay £57.50 per annum for the use of a green bin and foodstuffs will not be permitted in the green bin in future, but will have to be put into the grey bins.
108/23 HIGH ST CAR PARKING no report
109/23 MEMBERS’ POINTS OF INFORMATION
Councillor Mrs Hellett said that only two councillors had turned up to help with the litter pick.
She asked that the purchase of a Coronation commemorative bench be placed on the agenda for the next meeting and that a standing item for Flooding also be on the agenda.
A meeting has been held with the recommended website provider and it was agreed to change to him now, rather than waiting until the year end when our present contract expires.
Councillor Mrs Stainer again raised the question of the potholes in Newtown and Newtown Lane. She also said that Carnaby bridge and footpath needed attention.
Councillor Ms Jessup asked that the purchase of a coronation oak tree be placed on the agenda.
Councillor Hutchinson reminded members to be careful when expressing opinions, for fear of pre-determining matters.
110/23 RESOLVED to exclude the Press and public from the next item in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960.
111/23 CORRESPONDENCE WITH ICO The Clerk reported upon correspondence received and the reply he proposed sending, following agreement with the third party. This was noted.
112/23 NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Council will take place on Thursday 27 July 2023, commencing at 7pm in the Youth Room at the Mandeville Hall.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 2240 hours.
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