Gt Blakenham Parish Council Meeting Minutes

Meeting Date:

Summary
This summary is generated by AI and may contain errors. It does not form part of the official minutes.
Exciting news for Great Blakenham! The community is set to benefit from solar panels and the Gipping Meadow project, with updates expected soon. Additionally, the cemetery will see improvements as NSK Landscapes begins work on the soil stack. Stay tuned for more developments on these projects.

Minutes of Gt Blakenham Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 9th May 2024 in the Parish Room, Stowmarket Road, Great Blakenham at 7.30pm.

Present
Cllr Steve Plume (Chairman), Cllr Debbie Kemp, Cllr Nick Leonard, Karen Grimwood (Parish Clerk), District Cllr Addrienne Marriott, SCC Cllr Chris Chambers.

Minutes

  1. To elect the Chairman of Great Blakenham Parish Council — Cllr Kemp nominated Cllr Plume and Cllr Leonard seconded.
  2. To elect the Deputy Chairman of Great Blakenham Parish Council — Cllr Plume nominated Cllr Leonard and Cllr Kemp seconded.
  3. To receive and approve any apologies for absence.
    • Cllr Will Durrant
  4. Declaration of any pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests
    1. Councillor's declaration of interest appropriate to any item on the agenda.
      • Cllr Plume to leave room on item 10d
    2. To receive written requests for dispensations for disclosable pecuniary interest (if any)
      • None
    3. To grant any requests for dispensations as appropriate.
      • None
  5. Co-option of parish councillor(s) / to sign declaration of acceptance.
    • None
  6. Public Forum
    1. To receive the report from the County Councillor — See attached report
    2. Cllr Chambers to advise on update to Chalk Hill Lane drain repair.
    3. Cllr Chambers to advise on weed killing areas in the village.
    4. To receive the report from the District Councillor — See attached report
    5. To receive questions from members of the public (allow 15 mins)
      • None
  7. To approve the Draft Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 11th April 2024.
    • Approved
  8. To note the Clerk's update from previous Meetings.
    • NSK Landscapes have been awarded the work to remove the soil from the soil stack at the cemetery. Noted
    • Port One community gain offer of solar panels and the Gipping Meadow project will hopefully be signed off imminently and then we should receive timeframes.
      • Clerk to email MSDC to gain update and plans
    • Lockstop plank replacement is going ahead but waiting for end of fish breeding season. Noted
  9. Planning
    1. To consider the following planning applications.
      • None
    2. To note any planning determinations.
      • None
    3. Any other planning matters to note — None
  10. Growth, Highways, and Infrastructure
    1. Update on painting of white bridge — Response from SCC
      • Repainting the parapets is a significant and costly undertaking due to the long length of the parapets, the sensitive location over the river, and the preparation works that will be required prior to painting. Unfortunately, repainting of these parapets is not currently on our forward maintenance programme due to other higher priority works being required on other bridges throughout the County.
  11. Governance
    1. Finance end of year reports — The financial year-end reports have been authorized and signed off. The clerk will proceed to publish them on the website, send the signed CIL report to MSDC, and finalize all necessary forms for the internal audit commencing in the week of June 10, 2024.
    2. Finalise project budget allocation — See attached finalised projects.
    3. Note Nest pension scheme set up and SALC managing contributions.
      • Noted
    4. Chairman's allowance — Cllr Plume left the room whilst attending Cllrs discussed and agreed to a 5% increase to the allowance. £1000.00 increased to £1050.00.
  12. Allotments
    1. Compost bins missing from allotment — The Clerk was informed about the disappearance of a composting bin on Plot 4. Upon visiting the allotment, the Clerk searched for any signs of them being mistakenly moved, but found nothing. It was brought to the Clerk's attention that the gate had been left open overnight on multiple occasions. To address this issue, the Clerk will send an email to all plot holders to remind them to close the gate.
    2. Note ongoing allocation of empty plots being arranged.
      • Noted
  13. Village Maintenance
    1. Discuss village maintenance — The clerk should inform the maintenance contract regarding the tree damage caused during grass strimming and advise against cutting the grass during the blooming season of daffodils and tulips at Hackneys corner next year. It has also been observed that some litter is not being collected in the village.
    2. Improvements to Hackneys Corner — Councilors agreed on enhancing the appearance of the area behind Budgens near the seating area due to its messy look. The clerk will post on social media to invite local landscapers to submit their quotes for the project.
    3. Hedgehog tunnels — The Parish Council has acquired 50 hedgehog tunnels and has decided to distribute one tunnel per household. They are asking for a £1.00 donation on a first-come, first-served basis, with all proceeds going towards a local hedgehog sanctuary. Clerk to post on social media.
  14. Churchyard and Cemetery
    1. Burial fees review — The councilors agreed that cemetery fees should be raised. The clerk presented a comparison of costs for cemeteries in Ipswich, Stowmarket, and Bramford to help them make an informed decision. The new fees will be included in the cemetery booklet, updated on the website, and posted on the noticeboard.
    2. Cemetery rules review — The cemetery rules have been reviewed and agreed.
  15. Training and Development for Councilors and Clerk
    1. Confirm numbers for cemetery training on July 17th 2024 — Agreed that Cllr Leonard and Clerk to attend.
  16. Finance
    1. To consider approving and making the following payments:
      • Shades Hackneys Corner Maintenance as per tender - £2462
      • Shades Grounds Maintenance as per tender - £2461
      • Shades Street Cleaning as per tender - £2460
      • Monthly Payroll - Clerk Month ending April 2024
      • SCC Streetlight maintenance - £9542812
      • Three Mobile phone April 2024
      • Reimbursement for wifi/mobile to clerk - £2135.00
  17. Reports
    1. To receive reports from Councilors assigned to the following:
      • Gt Blakenham Village Hall — Cllr Debbie Kemp — See attached report. Note that some trustee members have switched positions within the organisation.
  18. Correspondence
    1. Email asking what is being burnt at the new Pyrolysis plant. - The clerk replied to the email, providing advice based on the information shared by the developers and Cllr Chambers, stating that it would have minimal effect on the village.
  19. Future meetings
    1. To note invitation for items to be considered in the next meeting.
    2. To note the date of the next scheduled Meeting on Thursday 13th June 2024 and any items for the agenda.

Karen Grimwood
Clerk to Great Blakenham Parish Council
Email: pc@greatblakenham.suffolk.gov.uk
Phone: 07508830777
Parish Council website: www.greatblakenham.suffolk.cloud

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