Minutes of Great Blakenham Parish Council Meeting
- Present
- Chair Cllr Nick Leonard, Vice Chair Cllr Debbie Kemp, Cllr Will Durrant, Cllr Matthew Powell, Karen Grimwood (Parish Clerk), SCC Cllr Chris Chambers, MSDC Cllr Adrienne Marriott and 2 members of the public
1. Apologies for Absence
None
2. Declarations of Interest
- Councillor's declaration of interest appropriate to any item on the agenda. — Cllr Leonard 8e
- To receive written requests for dispensations for disclosable pecuniary interest (if any)
- To grant any requests for dispensations as appropriate.
- Co-option of parish councillor(s) / to sign declaration of acceptance. Karen Wheeler was co-opted as councillor by all members
3. Public Forum
- To receive the report from the County Councillor — See attached report.
- A member of the public inquired about Suffolk County Council's decision not to extend the contract for library management by Suffolk Libraries, expressing the belief that the organisation had performed well and that 20,000 people had signed a petition for Suffolk Libraries to be reinstated. Cllr Chambers recognised the valuable contributions of both volunteers and staff but indicated that he was unable to elaborate on the reasons for the decision to return the service to Suffolk County due to legal constraints. He anticipates that additional information will be released in the coming days.
- To receive the report from the District Councillor — See attached report. Cllr Kemp thanked Cllr Marriott for her assistance in resolving the flooding problem affecting the residential cottages on Stowmarket Road.
- To receive questions from members of the public — Question - Could we please receive an update regarding the Meadows? The site remains under the ownership of Port One, with its management being supervised by MSDC. MSDC has asked Suffolk Wildlife Trust to develop a management plan, but to our knowledge, it is still in the processing stage.
- Question — Could we have an update on the boulders in Blue Barn Lane? Clerk will contact Highways again to obtain a response on a resolution of this issue.
4. Planning
- To consider the following planning applications. DC/25/00800 Snoasis Site At Masons Quarry, Bramford Road, Great Blakenham, Suffolk. Request for an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Opinion under Regulation 6 (2) of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (as amended) - Proposal to extend Port One to the northwest OBJECT. The councillors raised many concerns regarding this application and its potential impact on the village and its residents. It was decided to formally object to further industrial expansion in the rural area.
5. Approval of Minutes
To approve the Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 13th February 2025. Approved.
6. Clerk's Update from Previous Meetings
- Thank you letters received from EAAA, Chinwags, Citizens Advice and Headway for donations received. Noted
- SALC confirmed that we can just keep electronic copies of information. Noted
- Tenders have been sent out and had some interest already. Noted
- Clerk has posted awareness posters for dog fouling and contacted environmental health for advice. Noted
7. Growth, Highways, and Infrastructure
- Street Lighting - Suffolk Highways has informed us that street light units 81, 83, and 84 on Stowmarket Road are malfunctioning and require new lamp heads, as replacement parts are no longer available. The cost for replacing the lamps is £1,440 plus VAT, while the total cost for renewing both the poles and lamps is £2,385 plus VAT. The councillors agreed that the lamps should be replaced but expressed the need to inspect the lamp poles first to determine if they also need replacement before making a final decision.
- Highways reported that the street light unit 203 on Chalk Hill Lane is inaccessible because of overgrown plants. Additionally, units 312 and 313 are out of service and require new lamps. There seems to have been excavation work done between these two units, which has resulted in exposed and damaged cables. Highways has been advised to reach out to the landowners regarding the excavation and the overgrown vegetation, as this area does not belong to the Parish. Councillors will wait for a response before making a decision on replacing the lamp heads.
8. Governance
- Discuss email domains - NALC has been promoting the adoption of .gov.uk domains for parish councils, as this provides a more professional and secure form of identification. Suffolk.cloud has proposed to facilitate this transition for a fee of £30 for clerks' email addresses, with additional charges for extra emails. Cllr Powell will explore whether the parish council can implement this change independently at no cost or at a lower price. The councillors also considered the possibility of establishing a secure shared email inbox for councillors, which would eliminate the need to purchase additional laptops for new members.
- Parish Rooms flooring — Deferred until next meeting
- Gipping Valley Bowls Club Update — Bowls club have now obtained funding for a new kitchen and flooring but have asked for support for the heating instalment. Decision deferred until next meeting.
- Internal Audit — Audit booked with SALC week commencing 14th April 2025
- Sea Cadets Donation request — Deferred until next meeting
9. Allotments
- Email from concerned plot holder. The plot holder expressed great disappointment over the license expiring and offered assistance in any way possible to maintain the allotment past October 2026
- Allotment site — Councillors reached a decision to register a Community Asset Notice with MSDC concerning the land.
10. Village Maintenance
- Bank Clearance — NSK Landscape has provided a quote of £1,476.00 for clearing the bank on Bramford Road during the Spring and Autumn seasons. This quote has been approved, and the clerk will inform the contractor accordingly.
- Working party plan — Deferred until next meeting
11. Churchyard and Cemetery
- Topple testing — Stability testing of headstones in the churchyard and cemetery was conducted in compliance with regulations by Cllr Leonard and the Clerk on February 17, 2025. Several headstones were identified as being quite unstable, prompting the decision to lay them flat on the ground to eliminate any risk of falling. The Clerk will reach out to the appropriate relatives to notify them of the circumstances and arrange for the safe reinstallation of the headstones.
- Untidiness at cemetery - The condition of the cemetery on Chalk Hill Lane has raised concerns, as it has become quite cluttered with unauthorized items left on the gravestones. The decision has been made to send a letter to relatives, informing them of the regulations regarding what can be placed at the site, emphasising that all unapproved items will need to be removed. The parish council understands the sensitivity of this matter for everyone affected, but maintaining a safe and aesthetically pleasing environment for the remembrance of loved ones is of utmost importance.
- Churchyard maintenance - Deferred until next meeting
- Cemetery shelter — Deferred until next meeting
12. Training and Development for Councillors and Clerk
- New Councillor training — Clerk to book basics training for Cllr Powell and Cllr Wheeler
13. Finance
- To consider approving and making the following payments: Approved
| Description | Amount | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll Ending 31.02.2025 | £1050.22 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| Nest Month 10 Ending 31.01.2025 | £50.61 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| EE/K Grimwood WIFI/mobile reimbursement | £28.04 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| Shades Maintenance/street cleaning as per tender Inv 2627 | £2507.50 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| Shades Hackneys Corner maintenance as per tender Inv 2626 | £2135.00 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| Shades Street Cleaning as per tender Inv 2625 | £1316.67 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| Three Clerk phone contract | £13.00 | LGA 1972 s111 |
- Payments outside of meeting — None
- Money Received — HMRC VAT - £1,609.09 Noted
- Coop Cemetery fees - £2650.00 Noted
- Bank Balance @ 28/02/2025 Unity Trust Current Account Balance - £172,047.88 Noted
- Unity Trust Saver Account Balance - £11,965.39 Noted
14. Reports
To receive reports from Councillors assigned to the following:
- Village Hall — A query was raised regarding whether the playground has undergone its annual maintenance inspection and if signs prohibiting dogs and providing a disclaimer will be installed. The clerk will reach out to the committee for further information.
15. Correspondence
See 9a
16. Future Meetings
- To note invitation for items to be considered in the next meeting.
- To note the date of the next scheduled Meeting on 10th April 2025 and any items for the agenda.
Karen Grimwood - Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer
Great Blakenham Parish Council
Email: pc@areatblakenham.suffolk.gov.uk
Phone: 07463329570
Signed ……………………………………… Date 10.04.2025