Meeting Minutes: 30th May 2024

KIMBOLTON & STONELY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES of the annual Council meeting held at 7 p.m. on Thursday 30 May 2024 in the Youth Hall at the Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton.

PRESENT Councillors P Seabrook (in the Chair); K Hutchinson; Mrs R Lloyd; L Farrer; M. Buckley; Ms H Bradbury; Mrs D Hellett : J Lee and R Gooderham .

IN ATTENDANCE County Councillor I Gardener; District Councillor J Gray and C L Thatcher, Clerk to the Council

Prior to the commencement of the meeting, the Chairman invited all present to stand in silent tribute to John Burton and Chris Ayrton, former members of this Council, who had recently died.

69/24 ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN for the year 2024/2025

Councillor Seabrook said that he did not intend to seek re-election for a further year and so nominations were invited.

Councillor Mrs Hellett was proposed by Councillor Hutchinson and seconded by Councillor Ms Bradbury. There being no further nominations, Councillor Mrs Hellett was duly elected as Chairman and signed the acceptance of office.

Councillor Mrs D Hellett in the Chair.

She laid out her plans for the future and said that she wished to improve relationships with the Cricket Club and Mandeville Hall. She also wished to have ‘action points’ on the minutes.

Councillor Hutchinson said that he wished to propose a vote of thanks to the retiring Chairman, Councillor Paul Seabrook, for his many years of service. He is the longest serving member of Council present and has served as Chairman on several occasions, most recently for the past 10 years.

Councillor Hutchinson’s words were endorsed by Council.

70/24 APOLOGIES were received from Councillors Mrs J Stainer and Ms C Jessup

71/24 PUBLIC FORUM was not used.

72/24 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST.

None were made.

73/24 COUNTY COUNCILLOR Ian Gardener said that a full Council meeting had recently been held and appointments made to the various committees. He will now serve on Highways; Environment; Communication and Social Mobility and planning and will also remain a member of the Fire Authority.

A decision will soon be made upon the appointment of a new Chief Fire Officer.

An Ofsted inspection of Cambridgeshire local authority-controlled schools had resulted in a decision that overall they require improvement.

74/24 MINUTES of the Council meeting of 25 April 2024 were read, approved and signed as a true record of that meeting. Councillor Mrs Hellett challenged minute 57/24 f) suggesting that it was misleading, as the Clerk had earlier stated that the cost would be £400. The Clerk agreed that he had been originally told that the cost was going to be £400, but this had later been amended to £200-£400. Councillor Mrs Hellett was asked to provide the quotes which she had received, for the record.

75/24 MATTERS ARISING.

MVAS signs . Councillor Ms Bradbury had circulated the readings from the MVAS, which showed that most traffic kept to a reasonable speed, though there were some notable exceptions.
Proposed closure of Fire Station. Councillor Gooderham said that the Fire Service had originally wanted guaranteed availability but had now agreed that the on-call stations should operate a rota system of immediate availability at weekends between 0800 and 1800. This would be of benefit to Kimbolton. The calls for service at Kimbolton were well up on last year and they have 4 or 5 new trainees.
War Memorial Gates. Councillor Farrer will remove the trip hazard and fit the bolts to the gates.
Cemetery Cottage shower room. Confirmation of the scope of the quote is still awaited from the Letting Agent.

Councillor Gooderham left the meeting

Website. Councillor Mrs Hellett announced that the new website had gone live and that it looked good. The Clerk expressed his concern that it had not been shown to members or him prior to going live and Councillor Mrs Hellett said that was because of the need to publish it before the removal of the old website, which was imminent. The Clerk said that nevertheless, it would have been as well to give others the opportunity to look at it first. He had taken a quick look at it and has found a few errors which need correcting. Furthermore, Council agreed that the Clerk would have responsibility for the content relating to this Council, yet he had had no input to this and had not been informed how to update the website.
Pound Lane Car Park Quotes. The Clerk reported having received one more quote, based upon the original specification, which gave a true comparison with those received earlier. Councillor Lee was unhappy that the specification which he had produced for inviting quotes had not been used, but Councillor Seabrook said that the content of that did not accord with what Council had decided or the planning approval. Councillor Lee said that his form was the correct way of inviting quotes and although there may be items which are not required within the quote, they can be taken out later if necessary and only the required parts of the quote used by the contractor.

The Chairman pointed out that the specification also forms a part of the contract.

District Councillor Jonathan Gray joined the meeting.

76/24 PLANNING

The following applications were considered.

24/00593 31 High St Kimbolton – erect garden shed

Councillor Farrer declared and interest and took no part in the discussion or vote.

It was proposed by Councillor Mrs Lloyd, seconded by Councillor Ms Bradbury and

agreed to recommend approval.

24/00782 1A Easton Rd, Stonely – single storey rear extension etc.

It was proposed by Councillor Hutchinson, seconded by Councillor Buckley and

unanimously agreed to recommend approval.

24/00626 45 Hatchet Lane, Stonely – demolish conservatory; erect single storey side extension

rear infill extension and two storey front porch.

It was proposed by Councillor Mrs Lloyd; seconded by Councillor Buckley and

unanimously agreed to recommend approval.

24/00836/FUL & 24/00775/LBC 18 – 18b High St Kimbolton – air source heat pump and air

conditioning.

It was proposed by Councillor Farrer; seconded by Councillor Ms Bradbury and

unanimously agreed to recommend approval.

24/00877 21 Stow Road, Kimbolton – convert attached garage to bedroom.

It was proposed by Councillor Hutchinson; seconded by Mrs Lloyd and unanimously

recommended for approval.

County Councillor Ian Gardener left the meeting

77/24 REPORTS

Allotments. It was reported that the tenant of half of allotment 1 and half of allotment 18 had left.

It was reported that the water pressure when a hose is attached to the tap was poor at the tap in the middle of the allotments.

Councillor Seabrook suggested that cherry or fruit trees be planted on the former bonfire site to help tidy it, as the removal of the pile of earth and rubbish could cost several thousand pounds.

Cemetery A request has been received for the use of the hand drawn hearse for a funeral in late June. It was agreed to permit this without charge.

Footpaths. The Chairman will ask Sarah Walker if we can have any left-over bark chippings for the footpath between Carnaby and Bull’s Close.

Maintenance. Councillor Ms Bradbury referred to the encroachment of grass on the narrow footpath alongside Park Lane. She asked that our Grounds Staff deal with it. The Clerk said that our Grounds Staff, at this time of year, are fully committed to grass cutting to the extent that they do not have time to deal with their other duties, let alone new ones. This was discussed and it was agreed to investigate employing someone on a temporary basis to help at a rate of £12 per hour, for 16 hours per week. Councillors Bradbury and Lee both knew of someone who might be suitable and they would ask them to contact the Chairman.

It was also suggested that our Grounds Keeper be asked whether she would be willing to attend Council meetings , for which an hour’s pay would be paid.

A major concern is the state of the weeds in gutters and suggestions were made that our staff be asked to spray the gutters. The Clerk pointed out that the County Council had now agreed to reverse their decision and undertake spraying, so he will enquire when they expect the be visiting Kimbolton.

REPORTS BY REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES.

Mandeville Hall Committee. Councillor Hutchinson said that a new member has joined the Committee. He is John Gray, a former member of this Council. At the last meeting they had a presentation on marketing.
Kimbolton Trust Councillor Seabrook reported that Caroline Seabrook had joined as a Trustee and that two applications for support were being considered. An advertising campaign is being planned.
Kimbolton School Governors. Councillor Mrs Hellett said that three speech days had been held and the Vice Lord Lieutenant of the county had been speaker. The swimming pool refurbishment is going well and is ahead of schedule.

78/24 ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRMAN

Councillor Mrs Hellett proposed Councillor Hutchinson and this was seconded by Councillor Mrs Lloyd. Councillor Hutchinson confirmed that he accepted the nomination and was duly elected.

79/24 CHAIRMAN’S ALLOWANCE

It was agreed that the Chairman’s Allowance, which last year was increased from the usual £200 to £500 because of possible expenses in connection with the Coronation, should this year revert to £200.00.

80/24 WORKING PARTIES – TO CONSIDER MEMBERSHIP

The following working parties and members were agreed –

Website – Councillors Ms Bradbury and Mrs Hellett.

Allotments – Councillors Mrs Hellett and Mrs Lloyd

Footpaths – Councillors Mrs Lloyd; Mrs Stainer and Ms Jessup

Grounds and Car Parking – all members

Playgrounds – Councillors Buckley and Ms Bradbury

Planning, Structures and Supervision of Property – all members

Environmental & Trees – Councillors Gooderham; Ms Stainer and Ms Jessup

Personnel – Councillors Hutchinson; Farrer and Buckley

Pound Lane – Councillors Hutchinson; Gooderham; Farrer and Lee.

Events – Councillors Lee ; Ms Bradbury; Buckley and Mrs Hellett

Grants – Councillors Buckley and Lee

Halls Meadow – Councillors Ms Jessup; Ms Bradbury and, co-opted, J Gray.

The Chairman and Vice Chairman are ex officio members of all Working Parties.

The Chairman will contact Ms Mugglestone to let her know she is no longer needed for the Pound Lane working party.

Representatives to Outside Bodies

Civil Protection – Councillor Gooderham

Mandeville Hall – Councillor Hutchinson

Kimbolton Trust – Councillors Seabrook and Hutchinson

Kimbolton School Governors – Councillor Hellett.

81/24 GENERAL POWER OF COMPETENCE

The Clerk said that at present we just qualify for the General Power of Competence, the requirement for which is having a qualified Clerk and that 66% of members must have stood for election. However, should we lose another member and replace him/her by co-option, then we would no longer qualify and would cease to be able to use the Power until at the earliest 2026.

82/24 FEES AND CHARGES

Allotments. It was agreed that the rents charged are at the correct level and therefore proposed by Councillor Mrs Lloyd, seconded by Councillor Seabrook and agreed to maintain the present fees for the next year.

Cemetery. Cemetery costs have increased and it was proposed by Councillor Seabrook, seconded by Councillor Mrs Lloyd and agreed to increase the fees overall by 2% or by £5, whichever is the greater. This will take effect from 1 August 2024.

83/24 ANNUAL WALKABOUT It was agreed that this should take place on Thursday 20 June, commencing at 6.30pm from the Mandeville Hall car park.

84/24 GRASSCUTTING

The Clerk said that the Grounds Staff were having considerable difficulty in keeping up with the growth of grass due to this being the growing season and due to the very wet weather. Added to this was the Ariens mower having suffered a breakdown by virtue of a bolt holding the cutting deck in place having snapped. Ibbetts were unable to supply a replacement bolt and we were informed that there isn’t one available in the country. They were asked if a loan machine was available, but they did not have one. They would, however, hire one to us at the rate of £250 per week. There was little option but to accept this, as complaints were coming in about the length of the grass and we could not afford to allow it to grow to the point where we would be unable to cut it at all.

There was considerable discussion on the way forward and the suggestion was made that we should see whether Ibbetts would sell the hired mower to us and take the Ariens in part exchange. Councillor Seabrook will speak with Ibbetts tomorrow and see if anything can be arranged.

Councillor Farrer will speak to Ben Burgess. Councillor Lee suggested we look at taking out finance to purchase a new mower.

85/24 ACCOUNTING AND CEMETERY SOFTWARE

The Clerk said that currently he prepared accounts manually and, whilst he did not mind doing that, our financial activity had increased greatly over the years and he now thought it time to take advantage of computerisation to at least enable better analysis of expenditure to take place.

There are software packages available for this and for cemetery mapping, which is now – with the new cemetery – essential. It was agreed that Councillor Mrs Lloyd would liaise with the Clerk to select suitable packages.

86/24 DISPOSAL OF WASTE VEGETATION

The Clerk was concerned at the cost of skip hire for the disposal of green waste and wondered whether it might be worthwhile to establish an area for instead composting it. He thought the allotments would be the logical place as that is where compost produced could be used.

Thought was given to the means of doing that and the transportation of matter for composting to the allotments and it was considered that this could prove too costly in staff time, so it was agreed to take no action for the time being.

Councillor Lee said he would speak to Mick George to change the skip hire contract to only have it emptied when it’s full.

87/24 CORRESPONDENCE

a) A letter had been received from a resident asking about the sale of amenity land at Hunters Way. At present we have no information.

b) An organisation called Rural Services Network has been established to champion the work of councils in rural areas and members were asked whether they wished to subscribe to it, the annual fee being £50. It was proposed by Councillor Buckley, seconded by Councillor Mrs Lloyd and agreed to join the network.

c) A circular has been received from Peterborough United Foundation to announce that they are holding ‘healthy lifestyle’ sessions at Keyston. Councillor Mrs Hellett said she will make contact with them and find out whether they might undertake them in Kimbolton.

88/24 ACCOUNTS

The following were approved for payment –

K & M Lighting Maintenance 128.15

Hunts District Council Fitness instructor 93.60

Grafton Projects Stationery 47.29

Arlo Creative Website maintenance & hosting 840.00

Zurich Insurance. Premium re mower hire 153.58

Manor Farm Churchyard tree surgery 1980.00

G R Dixon Internal audit fee 60.00

H Brace Grounds contractor 1540.00

Payroll Pay, NI and Tax 3194.98

C L Thatcher reimbursement petrol + fees 290.19

The accounts for 2023/24 were received
The Annual Governance Statement was read & signed
The Annual Accounting Statement was read and signed
The Internal Auditor’s Report was presented and read.

89/24 DISTRICT COUNCILLOR Councillor Gray said that the District Council recently had an external peer review from the Local Government Association.

More Council Tax was being charged by the elected Mayor in respect of bus services. Under 25 can travel for £1 – but there are few services in this area.

It was decided at the annual meeting of the Council to update the constitution and the Chairman will hold office for 2 years only.

Sometime over the weekend of 16/17 June there will be an opportunity to meet the candidates in the General Election at a Q and A session in St Andrews Church.

90/24 HIGH ST CAR PARKING no report

91/24 MEMBERS’ POINTS OF INFORMATION.

Councillor Mrs Lloyd noted that CAPALC were again holding remote seminars on planning , which she wholly recommended.

Councillor Buckley said that it could be useful to know what skills and experience each member had and he asked that all provide him with a brief synopsis.

Councillor Mrs Hellett said it would be useful to have a dozen pairs of gloves suitable for litter picking.

Councillor Lee commented that the 40mph buffer zones, the installation of which were promised at the beginning of May, had not yet appeared.

Councillor Ms Bradbury thought a defibrillator near to the Medical Centre could be a good idea. The Chairman will contact the surgery. She also asked whether an ‘In Post’ mail locker could be provided somewhere in the village, where parcels could be deposited.

Councillor Mrs Lloyd said that Rotary are running a litter pick on 15 August.

Councillor Mrs Hellett thought that the commercial banners which had appeared on the bridge should be removed.

A graffiti removal product should be obtained to remove graffiti in Stow Rd and elsewhere.

It is intended that Councillor Farrer will install the Coronation bench on Saturday.

The benches in the playpark need replacing, ideally with reconstituted wood.

The benches at Constables Leys/Halls Meadow and on The Causeway need cleaning.

The Ginnell needs spraying.

Can we purchase a litter bin for Pound Lane. The Clerk has ordered one.

There are no timetables at some bus stops and the one opposite Castle Gardens is still lying on the ground.

Could we get a debit card for the grounds staff to use to buy fuel with a £100 limit. The Clerk said that he has enquired but we need to have been with our new bankers for a year.

The Chairman read an email from Dr Hunter asking if there was anywhere that we could make a sensory garden and include a table tennis table.

The Chairman said she would like to attend the September CAPALC training course on the role of the Chairman. The Clerk will arrange.

The Clerk stated that he intended to resign and, although he is required to give one month’s notice, he will give three, so that there is the opportunity for a proper handover to the new Clerk. He will therefore terminate his employment on 31 August 2024.

92/24 NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Council will take place on Thursday 27 June 2024, commencing at 7pm in the Youth Room at the Mandeville Hall..

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 2305 hours.

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