GRINDLEFORD PARISH COUNCIL – MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 10 December 2020 at 7.30pm.
This meeting was held remotely by Zoom.
Present: Robert Wilson, Chair; Elizabeth Coe, Andrew Battarbee, Hilary Hart, John Mottershaw, Peter O’Brien, Rob Tamlyn, Ray Whiteley. Sarah Battarbee, Clerk. Cllr Judith Twigg.
Apologies: John Morton.
1. County Councillor’s report. A request for a barrier by the former dentist’s building to stop parking had been put forward to DCC by Cllr Twigg. The response was that this path was not classed as highway and instead was marked as a public footpath, and so the decision about a barrier should be directed towards Rights of way – Derbyshire County Council. The action was superseded by John Morton’s intervention which seems to have solved the problem. Cllr Twigg was thanked for her generous donation of £400 for tree planting.
2. District Councillor’s report. DDDC have agreed to spend considerable funds on leisure facilities in the District. PO’B reported that DDDC is now under no overall control.
3. Police report. As local police are under pressure policing lockdown and PC Boswell had not been able to attend a meeting for some time, it was agreed that Cllrs would sign up to Derbyshire Alert to keep abreast of police and neighbourhood issues.
4. Minutes of the last meeting had been circulated to all members before the meeting. They were pro EC sec PO’B as being a true record approved and signed. PO’B asked about the contract for the Potting Shed Ladies for the maintenance of Jubilee Gardens. Clerk agreed to check with DALC, and Grindleford Parish Council’s Financial Regulations.
5. Matters arising:
Flooding. PO’B had written to the DDDC and been referred to the County Council. It was agreed that RW should write a letter to Barry Lewis, Leader of the Council, Clerk to draft.
Speedwatch. Ray Whiteley kindly agreed to set up Speedwatch training in the new year.
Grindleford Traffic Group. Minutes had been circulated. It was agreed that the group should join forces with the 20’s Plenty group and the work the Peak Park Parishes Forum was doing in this area. PO’B spoke to the idea of making our village streets more friendly and accessible to residents which would help to reduce the speed of traffic. Other issues discussed were school concerns, the adoption of a black box in the summer months, and using the village newsletter to determine the views of residents. Cllr Twigg will be invited to attend the next meeting. The Breedon cement works planning application was also raised for anyone to comment on if they wished.
Meadow Hey, Adlington Lane, Grindleford. Extension to the existing dwelling and internal alterations. No objections.
8. Planning approval. NP/DDD/0820/0800 The Smithy, Main Road Grindleford. Change of use from a single surgery dental practice to a two-bedroom holiday cottage. Granted. The issue of parking was noted.
9. Accounts. The following cheques were presented, pro EC sec JRM that they should be paid:
| Chq | Date | Payee | Amount | Description |
| 988 | 10/12/20 | Potting Shed Ladies | £80 | Jubilee Gardens |
| 989 | 10/12/20 | Sarah Battarbee | £47.17 | Various stationery |
10. Meetings for next year. Due to an accounting error three meetings next year will not be on the second Thursday of the month. Cllrs agreed that this would be acceptable if plenty of warning were given. Clerk to publish a list on the noticeboard after approval at the next meeting.
11. Draft budget. Clerk presented a draft budget for 2021-22. All were in favour. All noted and the agreed the notes which accompanied the budget. The key discussion points were around distribution of the surplus which had accumulated, over and above the £10K which it had previously been agreed to ringfence, for emergencies and any potential election expenses should there be competition for a vacant Cllr seat. Cllrs agreed that:
12. £2000 should be donated in principle to the playground upgrade project but may be a forward commitment;
£50 should be paid to the Peak Park to support the sphagnum moss project;
Renewal of the noticeboard would be discussed at the January meeting;
It might not be necessary to spend £200 on the upkeep of the pinfold each year.
13. Precept. There was lively discussion. The question was whether or not to raise the precept, which is relatively low alongside some other comparable councils, so as to make headroom for supporting village projects such as the playground upgrade. On the one side there was support for keeping the precept the same, marginally raised or even lowered in this very difficult year. On the other, the sums involved – between £4 and £16 a year for an average household – were so minimal that villagers might be glad to pay them to see benefits to the village. An argument that other councils have higher precepts to pay for the upkeep of playgrounds, sports facilities, etc, which is done by volunteer groups in Grindleford, was countered by the fact that volunteer groups cannot raise the money by themselves and need support. It was finally agreed that the Council should use the timely production of the village newsletter to get views from the village. Clerk to action. The decision as to how much to raise the precept if at all would be taken at the January meeting.
14. Collaboration with HVCA projects. HH pointed out that HVCA have a different structure to our Parish Council. Clerk is a member of HVCA. There was discussion about keeping in touch with them on relevant topics, and also with other Parish Councils as there seems to be a move toward working together.
15. Increasing Biodiversity across the Dales. DDDC were interested to hear of any proposals for increasing biodiversity in the District. Any proposals should be made to the Clerk who will collate them. The deadline is end of January. One proposal already raised is roadside verges.
- School crossing patrol. It was agreed that Clerk would write to DDDC supporting a new school crossing patrol in Grindleford. The letter would emphasise the dangerous nature of the topography and the fact that more than 20 children would use it to cross the road to school.
As there was no further business the Chair closed the meeting at 9.15 pm.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING– Thursday 14 January 2021
Sarah Battarbee
Clerk to the Council