GRINDLEFORD PARISH COUNCIL – MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 9 MAY 2024 AT 7 PM IN THE PAVILION
Present: Andrew Battarbee, Chair, Hilary Hart, Peter O’Brien, Esther Stewart, Ray Whiteley, Elizabeth Coe, Simon Hutchinson. Sarah Battarbee Clerk
Apologies: Dave Kirkup, Alex Erskine, Alasdair Sutton, Simon Ripton, PC Boswell. RW had been recorded on the agenda as away but was in fact present at the meeting.
- COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT – postponed because of the parish meeting but Cllr Sutton has offered a face to face meeting with individuals or the group at any point if there is something we would like to discuss with him. He feels this is more effective and useful.
- DISTRICT COUNCILLOR’S REPORT. Cllr O’Brien deferred as the meeting was to be kept short to accommodate the parish meeting which followed.
- POLICE REPORT – postponed because of the parish meeting.
- MINUTES OF LAST MEETING. These were agreed as a true record, Pro ES sec EC.
- UPDATES ON MATTERS ARISING
Network Rail letter. A further letter to Network Rail has been sent by the clerk. Planning permission for the signal box had been refused, so the box will not be removed. There are still issues to be resolved about maintenance up to an acceptable standard.
- OTHER MATTERS
AGAR papers. AGAR papers were presented to the Council in draft. They were with the auditor and would be presented again at the June meeting for formal approval. As time was short due to the follow-on parish meeting, it was agreed to postpone the signing of declaration of business interests until the June meeting.
Update on DCC liaison forum. Clerk attended. She spoke to Dan McCrory, lead on public EV charging in Derbyshire, and Alan Tulloch, his counterpart in Highways. DCC’s current thinking is around booms which are sited in residents’ gardens and swing out across the pavement. The paper on alternatives drafted by the HVCA backed group was handed over to them. The trail has gone cold since then.
War memorial. Clerk to circulate the Council’s insurance policy for 2023/24 for clarity about the war memorial.
MATTERS FOR DECISION
Budget forecast. The clerk presented the budget forecast for 2024/25. Chair proposed that this should be approved. All in favour.
Finance group. Chair proposed that a Finance sub-group should be set up in the Council to make detailed discussion of the budget, asset and risk registers, and budget forecast easier and put financial decisions on a sounder footing. The group would report back to main Council. Agreed in principle pro P’OB sec RW. With a view to setting up a group of three Councillors, nominations for membership including self-nomination would be put on the agenda for the June meeting.
- HIGHWAY MATTERS.
Severn Trent works: there will be a meeting on 15 May for residents. There is an outstanding issue about buses which are above the 7.5 tonne weight limit. The Chair agreed to write to the chief executive of Severn Trent. The Clerk will talk to GPFA about parking.
Village Gates. There has been progress. The quarry will supply the stone with a sizeable discount. Paul Blackburn has been commissioned to do the foundations pro bono. Cllr Erskine will do some drawings. HH has contacted Cllr Cupitt, who has advised us to apply for a stone structure adjacent to the highway licence. Contacting PDNPA and our insurance company is on the radar. Jane Newman, who will help us with the planning aspects, has been contacted; options around supporting road markings are being considered.
- PLANNING MATTERS
There were none.
- ACCOUNTS
There were no accounts to be paid.
There being no further business the Chair closed the meeting at 8.46 pm.
Date of next meeting: 13 June 2024.
Sarah Battarbee
Clerk to Grindleford Parish Council