GRINDLEFORD PARISH COUNCIL – MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 12 May 2022 at 7 pm at the Pavilion.

Present:  Robert Wilson, Chair; Andrew Battarbee, John Mottershaw, Peter O’Brien, John Morton, Ray Whiteley, Rob Tamlyn, Hilary Hart, Elizabeth Coe.   Sarah Battarbee, Clerk.   

Helen Ware from Peak Rural Housing Association gave a short presentation on affordable housing.  The new proposed legislation on levelling up may include an initiative which will allow local communities to vote on what sort of housing they want.  Grindleford has affordable housing and a good supply of small houses and large houses but nothing in between. Some three bed semis for growing families and downsizing older couples are needed.  Helen did not think this was the sort of thing her Association could help with, but we were pleased to get her contact details for future reference if needed. 

APOLOGIES  Cllr Sutton, PC Anthony Boswell.  

1. COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT – there was none as Cllr Sutton had given his apologies, but he had confirmed that he has allocated a further £200 to Grindleford to complete the phonebox and for the Jubilee, details to follow.  

2. DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT – in re BBQs on the moorland, the DCC had agreed to monitor activities and outcomes for six months to assess the problem.  Ditto dog fouling.  Families hosting Ukrainian refugees get support eg a dispensation on Council tax, and there is debate about extending this to all families hosting refugees from any nation.  APB asked what the rationale was for keeping dispensations only to families hosting people from Ukraine.  The Civic Chair came to welcome Grindleford’s first refugee family.  Once other families have arrived, the PC might like to hold some sort of reception.  The Council is assessing the feasibility of bringing refuse collection back in house.  Perhaps to share with another Council.  The contract with Serco could be ended because they are in default.

3. POLICE REPORT – there was none, PC Boswell had reported no crime in the area.   It was agreed to press PC Boswell about new speed cameras.  

4. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING  P’OB clarified that it was PDNPA who approved Newfoundland Nurseries, not Eyam PC.   A mistake on the date of the next meeting was rectified.  They were agreed as a true record pro JSM sec JRM.  

5. MATTERS ARISING: 

20s Plenty stickers – HH kindly agreed to get some, 90 was the agreed number.  There was discussion about what constituted private property in the wake of advice from DCC about where they could be sighted.    

Queen’s Jubilee and phone box update – Clerk gave an update.  The map would not be completed in time so Clerk would arrange to get a temporary one done.  Work on the information and photo panels was progressing.  Fitting out was going well.  Clerk presented a mini-budget of income and expenditure for the box and Jubilee which was agreed by Council.  This will be transferred to the main budget.  It was decided to manage without the Jubilee mugs.  By agreement the idea of a bar was shelved.  JRM finally has the memory stick with old photographs; the light panels above the phonebox have been ordered in accordance with Cllrs’ earlier agreement; Clerk still pursuing the lit beacon idea.  

Deer signs – DCC have advised that we cannot have any, and visitors to the Park should know that there are likely to be deer and drive cautiously.  Agreed that RW would write back.  

Website article – Cllrs were content with RW’s draft of the first monthly article from Council, and JRM was happy to put it on the website.  

Puddle by Old Post Office –Clerk will contact DCC.    There is no map of where the drains run, but RW was able to make a sketch. 

SIDS.  It was unanimously agreed that these were prohibitively expensive, but that didn’t mean that problems with traffic speed and noise had gone away, particularly at the Calver end of the village and at Stoke.  RW to write to Cllr Sutton and invite him to visit us on a sunny weekend day, to experience the problem at first hand.  It was also agreed to invite the Police Commissioner to one of the Parish Council meetings.  A recording of some of the bike noise would also be helpful, although nobody was identified to action this.  It was agreed that static signs would be worth investigating further.  

P’OB added an item, Severn Trent are replacing the current pumping station with one by Folds Farm.  He will get in touch. 

6. FLOODING – NEW STANDING ITEM 

Sewage in the rivers – HH spoke about information on the amount of sewage in rivers, including the Derwent, because of storm drain overflow.  It was agreed that this was unacceptable.   HH to contact the village river WhatsApp group (Clerk to supply details).    

Review of village meeting and progressing actions – Clerk had drafted a summary the village meeting on flooding, and which actions were for the Parish Council to pursue.  At the June meeting it would be helpful if Cllrs could volunteer to take on responsibility for the actions.  It was agreed to set up a working group of one or two Parish Council members, and interested residents.  EA had promised to contact Severn Trent about removing the debris by the pipe.  Clerk to chase.  

CLIMATE EMERGENCY DECLARATION STANDING ITEM 

Review of Action Plan.  Again, Clerk had drafted a summary of actions, and volunteers, mostly to act as liaison points for work which is already going on, would be helpful.  

7. HIGHWAY MATTERS

SIDS (speed indicator devices)  It was agreed that these were too expensive, and there were no suitable lampposts to affix them to.  This didn’t solve the problem of motorbikes speeding through Stoke, or cars speeding down from Hathersage past the school, although parking opposite the Maynard had done wonders for speeding down from Fox House.  To go onto the June agenda 

8. PLANNING MATTERS

NP/DDD/0422/0506 https://portal.peakdistrict.gov.uk/  Cayley Lodge, Maynard Road, Grindleford.  S.73 application for the removal of variation of conditions 2, 6 and 7 on NP/DDD/1220/1215

NP/DD/0422/0546 https://portal.peakdistrict.gov.uk/  Newstead, 14 Padley Hill, Nether Padley, Grindleford.  Proposed replacement extension to dwelling

9. PLANNING DECISIONS:

NP/DDD/0222/0222 Proposed extension to dwelling 14 Eyam Woodlands,                                           Grindleford.  Granted.

10. ACCOUNTS 

It was agreed, after consideration of the budget, to write a further cheque to Grindleford and Eyam playgroup for £250 as per their original request.  It was Pro JRM Sec JSM that these accounts be paid.  

12 . CORRESPONDENCE:

Draft Budget 2022/23.  Now that the audit was completed it was possible to give accurate figures for 2021/22.  Clerk had made some proposals for the 2022/23 budget for discussion.  PO’B asked that items which had not yet been agreed be grouped under an umbrella heading ‘Village Projects’.  Clerk would make this amendment and circulate for agreement by correspondence.  

AGAR papers  – all agreed as correct and complete.  Clerk to forward the declaration of non-compliance to the external auditors, and display all the other AGAR papers in the noticeboard for the month of July.  David Turner has agreed to continue for another year.  

DATE OF NEXT MEETING – 12 May 2022.  

As there was no further business the Chair closed the meeting at 8.40 pm. 

Sarah Battarbee 

Clerk to the Council