August 30 2022 - Minutes
NOCTON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of Nocton Parish Council held at 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday, 12th July, 2022 in Nocton Hub.
PRESENT: Councillor Ian Goldsworthy (Chair)
Councillors Andy Hone*, Richard Marshall, George McDonnell and MaryAnn Williams
(* - present for part of the meeting only)
20 plus members of the public were also in attendance
Nocton Hall and former RAF Hospital Site
Prior to the start of the formal meeting, Mr Ben Wills gave a brief update on the current situation regarding the proposed development of this site. Although there had been limited progress since his last report to residents, he was hopeful that the long-awaited report on the costs associated with the three options for the future of the Hall would be available shortly; this being the basis of critical discussions with Historic England on the way forward and ultimately influencing the scale of any development. He was due to meet with Leda Properties on the following day to discuss a range of issues and would provide a statement of the outcomes, etc to the Parish Council which would be published on its website. He would be attending the next Parish Council meeting on 11 October when he hoped to be in a position to provide considerably more information than he had been able to this evening.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS UNDER STANDING ORDERS, ETC
No questions had been submitted in advance and none were raised at the meeting
1. Welcome
The Chair welcomed councillors and members of the public to the meeting.
2. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Mike Kaye (his reasons being accepted) and also from County Councillor Ian Carrington who was attending a LCC Planning Committee
3. Declarations of Interest
There were no declarations of interest.
4. Minutes of the Meeting held on 12 July, 2022
MOVED by Councillor MaryAnn Williams; SECONDED by Councillor George McDonnell and RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 12th July, 2022 be approved.
The minutes were then signed by the Chair.
5. Application for Co-option
MOVED by Councillor Maryann Williams; SECONDED by Councillor George McDonnell and RESOLVED unanimously that the application from Mr Andrew (Andy) Hone to become a Co-opted Member of Nocton Parish Council be approved. Councillor Hone signed his Declaration of Acceptance of Office and subsequently participated in the remainder of the Parish Council’s business.
6. County and District Councillor Reports
No Councillors were present. However, it was agreed that the Acting Clerk contact County Councillor Ian Carrington seeking his support in ensuring the prompt removal of the obscene and offensive graffiti which had appeared earlier in the week on the road immediately outside Nocton Parish Church.
7. Temporary Responsible Financial Officer’s Report
(i) Work Undertaken/In Hand
Details of the work which had been completed by the RFO since her appointment at the last meeting and that currently in hand, were noted.
(ii) Financial Report
(a) The balances as at 24August in the various Parish Council’s accounts were noted as follows:
Main Account £5,207.32;
Hub Account £4,762.11
Interest Account £30,659.13 (includes £659.59 held on behalf of Nocton 200 Club)
Equals Card (to end July 2022) £53.51
(b) The following payments made between 11 July and 24 August 2022 were noted:
(iii) Appointment of Internal Auditor 2022/23
MOVED by Councillor MaryAnn Williams; SECONDED by Councillor Richard Marshall and RESOLVED that the Parish Council advise LALC that for continuity purposes it would wish to use the same internal auditor who was appointed to carry out the audit for 2021/22. The cost of £210 can be met from within the existing budget.
(iv) Payment of Responsible Financial Officer
MOVED by Councillor MaryAnn Williams; SECONDED by Councillor Richard Marshall and RESOLVED that a payment of £787.50 (plus a £15.00 Office Allowance) be paid to Ruth Keillar, the temporary RFO in respect of the work she had carried out (including that associated with rebuilding the Parish Council’s website) since her appointment on 13 July to 24 August, 2022.
The Chair confirmed that he had inspected both her time-sheet and work diary for the period in question, both of which documents were available to other parish councillors should they also wish to see them.
8. Acting Parish Clerk’s Report
(i) Correspondence
Following the decision at the last meeting, the Acting Clerk had written to both Mr Peter Sowerby and NPML Ltd regarding a number of issues at Nocton Park. Extracts from the letter received from Mr Sowerby were noted, together with a response from NPML which indicated that because of holiday commitments it was unable to respond at the current time.
The Parish Council was not convinced that the explanation given for the failure to resurface Wegberg Road and to deal with the condition of the road bridge and vacant builder’s report was entirely satisfactory.
It was, therefore, MOVED by Councillor George McDonnell; SECONDED by Councillor Richard Marshall; and RESOLVED that the offer by Councillor Andy Hone to contact the local Planning Authority to ascertain whether enforcement action was possible to deal with these long-standing problems be accepted.
(ii) Nocton Cricket Club
It was noted that a request had been received from the former Nocton Cricket Club to store its old records, etc in the Nocton Hub. Whilst sympathetic to the request, given the shortage of storage within the building and anxious not to set a precedent should other groups make similar requests in the future, the Parish Council was unable to agree. It did, however, ask the Acting Clerk to write to the former Cricket Club offering to store the documents in the Council-owned garage whilst it (the Club) explored a more permanent arrangement.
(iii) Website Update
The Parish Council noted that the RFO was making good progress in rebuilding the platform on which its website was hosted.
9. New Model Code of Conduct for Councillors and Co-opted Members
It was noted that NKDC had recently adopted the Model Code of Conduct for Councillors which was developed and published by the Local Government Association in response to the recommendation of the Committee of Standards in Public Life Local Government Ethical Standards 2019 that there should be an updated Model Code, appropriate across all tiers of local government. NKDC has recommended that the Code be adopted by all Parish Councils so that there is consistency across the area.
It was MOVED by Councillor MaryAnn Williams; SECONDED by Councillor George McDonnell and RESOLVED that the Model Code of Conduct referred to above, and having been circulated to all parish councillors, be adopted by Nocton Parish Council with immediate effect. It was noted adoption of the new Code will require all parish councillors to complete a new Declaration of Interest Form, available for public inspection. A copy of the new Code will be posted on the Parish Council website.
Finally, it was noted that as a matter of good practice the Parish Council is also required to review all of its other polices, etc and a report on this will be presented to the next meeting.
10. Street Lighting
It was noted that E.ON had recently completed a survey of all the street lights for which the Parish Council is responsible and as a consequence had identified a number which require attention as set out below (in priority order):
Although there were significant financial implications for carrying out all of the work proposed (the Parish Council’s budget for street lamp maintenance not being sufficient for a programme of this scale), nevertheless it could not ignore the recommendations. It was, therefore, MOVED by Councillor Andy Hone; SECONDED by Councillor George McDonnell; and RESOLVED that Items Nos 1 and 2 in the schedule above be carried out at the earliest opportunity with Item No. 3 being dealt with later in the financial year when Parish Council’s overall budget position would be clearer. The remaining items would then need to be addressed as part of a phased replacement programme, the funding for which would need to be considered as part of the 2023/24 budget setting exercise.
11. Nocton Hub
(i) Maintenance and Other Issues
(a) It was noted that NKDC had advised that planning approval was not required for the new noticeboard. The Acting Clerk would now contact Dyson Farming to arrange for its delivery to the Hub and Councillor McDonnell kindly offered to arrange for it to be installed
(b) A response was still awaited from the Ripon Arms as to the specification for the paint to be used in the Cellar Room.
(c) The wording and design of the commemorative plaque, as proposed by Councillor MaryAnn Williams, was agreed subject to inclusion of the Parish Council in the list of those groups and organisations involved in the rebuilding. The plaque would be on clear acrylic with dark grey lettering and “stand-off” mounts. The cost of approximately £80 can be met from within the Hub’s current budget.
(d) It was noted that as a result of new working and other arrangements, it was no longer necessary to put a lock/key code to the Store Room door nor to install a sink therein.
(e) It was noted that the splashbacks to the urinals in the men’s toilets had now been installed.
(f) It was agreed that Councillors George McDonnell and MaryAnn Williams explore options for providing automatic opening to the main Hub entrance door to improve access for people with disabilities, including the availability of grant funding to meet the costs involved.
(g) It was noted that the Fire Escape door to the Events Hall was difficult to open and close when it expanded as a result of being exposed to the heat of the sun. It was agreed, therefore, to accept the kind offer of the Hub Manager to donate a canopy (unused) which Councillor George McDonnell agreed to install over the door in question to see if this provided a solution.
(ii) Hub Hire Charges
Earlier in the year, it was agreed by the Parish Council to defer any decision on new hire charge rates until July by which time it was intended that more up-to-date information regarding the overall budget position for the Hub would be available. In the event, however, and for various reasons, this did not prove possible but with the appointment of an RFO, this issue is now being addressed.
Whilst The Hub is benefitting from a fixed-rate tariff from E.ON which is in place until 2024 (and so should thus be largely protected from the widely publicised increases in energy costs) there are, nevertheless, considerable concerns regarding current energy consumption in the building. A detailed investigation is currently hand to better understand why this might be.
It was, therefore, agreed that a review of current hire charges be deferred to the next meeting by which time the investigation referred to above will have been completed, more budget data available together with the details of comparative charges currently in place in other local halls, etc.
(iii) Hub Manager’s Report
The Hub Manager’s report was noted and the following actions agreed:
(a) The RFO to ascertain the current position regarding donations from the Easyfundraising scheme so that any proceeds could be put towards building improvements, etc.
(b) The Hub Manager to set up a new Hub Facebook account, as the existing one (which had not been updated/used for more than a year) could no longer be accessed by the Hub Manager for various technical reasons.
(c) To purchase a further storage unit for the remaining larger tables to enable them to be stored in the Events Hall. it was also agreed that it would be more useful for the smaller white tables to be kept in the Events Hall with the red plastic chairs being kept in the garage.
(iv) Establishment of a Hub User Group
Moved by Councillor George McDonnell; SECONDED by Councillor MaryAnn Williams and RESOLVED that (a) a Hub User Group be established in accordance with the Constitution and Terms of Reference attached as an Appendix to these minutes; (b) Councillors McDonnell and Williams be the Parish Council’s representatives thereon; and (c) the Acting Clerk write to those local groups identified asking for a representative to attend a first meeting.
(v) Disposal of Chairs
It was MOVED by Councillor George McDonnell; SECONDED by Councillor Andy Hone and RESOLVED that 15 of the older red plastic hairs (which are surplus to requirements) be gifted to Nocton Parish Church for use in connection with its fund-raising and other activities.
(vi) AG Property Consultants
The Acting Clerk reported that Councillor Mike Kaye had been in contact with a local firm of solicitors and obtained an estimate of the legal costs involved in removing the various restrictive covenants on the land on which the Hub was built and dealing with other issues, etc following the discussions and provisional agreement reached with the AG Property Consultants. In order to comply with Financial Regulations, It was agreed that Councillor Richard Marshall contact another firm with a view to obtaining a second quote.
12. Planning, etc Issues
It was agreed to support the proposal for the construction of a single-storey rear extension at 20 Nocton Park Road. The Parish Council offered no comment on the proposal for certain works to two sycamore trees adjacent to 24-26 Nocton Park Road.
13. Use of Nocton Hub for Defibrillator and CPR Training Workshops
It was agreed to make accommodation at the Hub available to Mr Steve Read free of charge for the purpose of providing Defibrillator and CPR training to local residents.
14. Parish Council Vacancies – Letter to Residents
As previously proposed, it was agreed to send a letter to all residents (to be distributed with the September edition of the Limespring) pointing out the potentially serious implications for the village if, at the time of the Parish Council elections in May 2023, insufficient people come forward to stand for election. It was hoped that there would be a positive response to the letter so that the Parish Council could arrange for appropriate training, mentoring and support for those residents expressing an interest in becoming a parish councillor.
The cost of printing the letter was £71.46 which can be met from the current budget.
15. Date of Next Meeting
It was noted that the next meeting would be held on Tuesday, 11 October, 2022 commencing at 7.00 p.m. This would, however, be preceded by a presentation from Mr Ben Wills on the Nocton Hall, etc site as mentioned above. Further details would be publicised nearer the time of the meeting.
16. Public Questions
There were no public questions.
There being no further business the Chair ended the meeting at tbc.
Chair............................I. GOLDSWORTHY..............................Date..........................11 OCTOBR 2022