Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held at the North Luffenham Community Centre at 7.30pm on Thursday September 13^th 2012.

PUBLIC FORUM There were 20 members of the Public present including representatives from the sub-group who had been involved with organising the Jubilee events on June 4^th 2012. Members of this group expressed concern that money raised from donations at the event (£531) had originally been intended to go to a local charity but had now been appropriated by the Parish Council to partially offset the cost of the day. The Chairman replied that it had never been made clear what the donations were in aid of and people could have reasonably assumed that some of the donations were to partially offset the Parish Council’s costs. The Chairman pointed out that this issue was already on the agenda (item 8) when Cllr Tobin will be putting forward a proposal.

A further question concerned the trees on Pinfold Lane. These overhang the pavement by Geoff Sewell Close. The Chairman agreed that we will investigate this (Action = Clerk)

A member expressed concern that the Street Light on The Fox & Hounds is out. The Clerk will investigate (Action = Clerk)

Mr P Risi asked for an update on the Digby Farm compost site issue. This will be covered on the agenda under item 10

There being no further comments from the Public Forum the Meeting Proper was convened.

1. APOLOGIES

Received from County Cllr Bool and Cllr Miss Lloyd

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Cllr Sewell declared an interest in Item 14 (Jubilee Wood) by virtue of being the tenant. Cllr Ellis declared an interest in item 10 (Digby Farm) by virtue of family connection.

3. MINUTES OF MEETING ON JULY 11^th 2012

Cllr Read said that he did not agree to help resolve the issue of the bottom gate on the Oval. The Clerk will alter the Minutes accordingly.

AGREED that when this change is made The Chairman may sign the minutes as being a true record.

Cllr Overington

3. MATTERS ARISING

Code of Conduct. The Clerk reported that the new Code of Conduct was in place and has been circulated to Councillors and to the Monitoring Officer at RCC

Pridmore’s Field. Cllr Sewell reported that Mr Pridmore has advised him that the field edge will remain as a walkway as it must by DEFRA law but there is no permissive right of way

Trees on Ketton Road. Cllr Sewell reported that, in addition to the 3 previously reported gaps, some of the trees need work doing. He and Cllr Cade will investigate and come back with a proposal

Archival Storage Mrs Janet Whittaker (present in the public area) said that she had been offered a further metal filing cabinet but may still need another one. There is no availability at Leicestershire County Council storage at Wigston

Cllr Cade

Cllr Sewell

5. CORRESPONDENCE

Letter from Clement Keys (external auditor) confirming that an unqualified audit had been given

Letter from Audit Commission confirming that Grant Thornton are our external auditors from September 1^st 2012. It appears that the audit fee will reduce from £135 to £100 (+vat)

Letter from Rutland County Council giving details of the localisation of Council Tax

Letter from Mrs Sylvia Lawson commenting on the trees on the Oval and expressing concern about the proposed Jubilee Wood. The Chairman commented that both topics were agenda items for discussion. The Clerk will send a formal response.

Clerk

6. FINANCE

The Finance report had been circulated prior to the meeting. The Clerk highlighted the list expense of £335 for a planning application which had given rise to a refund of £167-50 as a Parish Council pays half the usual fee.

AGREED all invoices approved for payment.

Clerk

Car Park in School Lane. There had been concern about a proposed car park being built when School Lane was being resurfaced. The car park was not on the original planning application and has been stopped for now although it may be the subject of a subsequent application. It was noted that as part of the resurfacing works it was necessary to remove a lime tree.

Garden room at 5 Chapel Lane There was no objection raised by the Parish Council.

8. INCOME RAISED AT JUBILEE EVENT

Cllr Tobin proposed that this topic should be re-visited as he and others felt that there could be no doubt that the monetary donations received on the cake stall were for a local charity, as all of the items had been donated. Whilst the situation was less clear cut in respect of other donations received, he nevertheless proposed that all of the funds raised should be treated in the same way.

AGREED that the Parish Council will hold the £531 in trust, to be applied for the benefit of a local charity in accordance with the instructions of the Jubilee Committee, subject to such instructions being formulated in a form which the Parish Council is able to accept at its next ordinary meeting.

Councillors agreed with Cllr Read that the Jubilee Committee should be thanked for all its hard work. Mr David Leather (speaking from the public area) thanked the Parish Council for putting up the money that enabled the event to take place.

Cllr Read

(At this point in the meeting Cllr Ellis left)

Clerk

Clerk

10. DIGBY FARM COMPOST SITE

For the benefit of those in the public area, the Chairman explained that this issue had arisen due to complaints from residents affected by an unpleasant odour from the site on occasion, and due to concerns about pedestrian safety, and dust nuisance, arising from the heavy vehicles accessing the site via Warren Lane. An informal group of disaffected residents had been formed, 2 members of which were in the public area. The Chairman went on to say that on Monday September 10^th he, Cllr Cade and the 2 residents’ representatives had attended a meeting with RCC and the Environment Agency (EA). The purpose of the meeting was to register residents’ concerns with RCC and EA, to explore the justification for the site having expanded to the extent that it has, to discuss RCC’s intentions concerning its future use of the site and to understand the respective responsibilities of RCC and EA in regulation of the site’s operation. The meeting had been useful, but there were outstanding questions, especially on how the suitability of the site had been assessed, and over the status of the access track – particularly whether it had been adopted by RCC, and RCC’s obligations and powers over the condition and safety of the track. These questions will be followed up.

Concern was also expressed that the EA reported that it had been able to validate only 4 of 64 complaints made over a 6 month period. This raised questions over their ability to respond quickly to check out these complaints.

County Cllr Miss Waller asked if she could be given a list of questions that we would like resolved by RCC officers. The Chairman agreed to do this

Cllr Overington

Cllr Overington

10. COMMUNITY RECREATION FACILITY

Cllr Read handed out 2 papers (a) listing existing recreational facilities in the village and (b) giving details of The Community Centre. He asked that Councillors come back with comments at the next meeting

10. BONFIRE NIGHT

This event will be held on Monday November 5^th

AGREED that as last year Cllr Cade is authorised to spend up to £1000 + vat on the purchase of fireworks

Cllr Cade will organise people to do the catering, First Aid, advise police. Colin Heasell speaking from the public area announced that he will not be available to build and light the bonfire this year. He was thanked for his hard work in previous years.

13. OVAL (For this item the Council is acting as Corporate Trustee)

Trees T90/T91/T92 have been cut back but only to the extent allowed by RCC. The Parish Council believes that there is still a safety issue with all 3 trees but RCC will not permit a more drastic cut without the evidence of an arboricultural survey.

AGREED Cllr Cade will ascertain the cost of a Rope survey

In relation to comments from the public area earlier regarding bleeding canker, the Chairman commented that the Parish Council may need to take expert advice. An arboricultural survey was undertaken some 4 years ago and that may need to be repeated in the near future.

Rising grass Colin Heasell will cut this when he does the final Oval edge cut of the season

Cllr Sewell left the meeting at this point

14. FIELD GARDENS (for this item the Council is acting as Corporate Trustee)

Allotments. Prior to the meeting Cllr Cade gave a list of the allotments that are in poor condition to the Clerk who will write appropriately. Cllr Cade will also advise the Clerk about re-designated allotments

Jubilee Wood For the benefit of the public, the Chairman explained that the Parish Council acts as Trustee of the Field Gardens, which includes some 14 acres of land rented out on an agricultural tenancy. Prompted by the chance of grants from the Forestry Commission as part of Jubilee initiatives the PC are considering creating a woodland recreational area on the site, but no decision has yet been taken on the area to be planted, if any at all. In order to keep all options open, planning permission for tree planting is being sought and the PC is considering serving 12 months notice on the tenant by October 11^th 2012 to take back the land in October 2013. During the 12 months of the notice period, a consultation exercise could be carried out in the village for views on how the land may be used to best advantage for the village.

AGREED not to send out a questionnaire round the village on only a woodland proposal

AGREED to use the services of a Land Agent to advise on serving notice, at a cost of up to £400 + vat

AGREED to hold an extraordinary PC meeting before October 11^th 2012 to decide whether to serve notice on the tenant.

AGREED to consult with the residents of the village over the next 12 months on potential use of the land, to include uses other than for woodland.

15. DATE OF NEXT ORDINARY MEETING Tuesday October 23^rd 2012

Cllr Cade

Cllr Cade

Cllr Cade

Clerk

Cllr Cade

Clerk

Cllr Overington

Signed………………………………….Chairman Date__________________

1. APOLOGIES

Received from Cllr Sewell

2. CODE OF CONDUCT

The existing Code of Conduct had become defunct as at June 30^th 2012 and Parish Councils needed to adopt a new code to comply with The Localism Act as soon as possible after that date. Model codes had been produced by NALC and RCC and had been circulated to Councillors before the meeting.

AGREED that we would adopt the NALC code as our model.

The Chairman proposed 2 further provisions to be added to the NALC code. First, that a member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (DPI) should be required to leave the meeting. This proposal was defeated. In respect of the second proposal

AGREED that even though a DPI is recorded in the register it should still be declared at the meeting if there is a relevant agenda item.

The Clerk then handed out the new “Register of Members’ Interest” forms and asked that they be returned to him by July 25^th so that they can be sent to The Monitoring Officer at RCC by the deadline of August 6th 2012.The Clerk will now prepare the North Luffenham Parish Council Code of Conduct as now decided, circulate it, publish it, and send a copy to the Monitoring Officer at RCC.

In response to the invitation from RCC, there were no candidates nominated for the RCC Conduct Committee.

All

Clerk

Clerk

Clerk

3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Cllr Read declared an interest in item 6 by virtue of being Chair of Rutland CAB

Cllr Ellis declared an interest in item 9 by virtue of family connection.

3. MINUTES OF MEETING OF MAY 16^th 2012

The Minutes had been circulated, and proposed by Cllr Tobin and seconded by Cllr Read it was unanimously agreed that they were a true record and were signed by the Chairman at the end of the meeting.

5. MATTERS ARISING

Pridmore’s Field Nothing further to report. Carry forward

Internal Auditor The Clerk reported that Alan Swindley has agreed to continue in this role

Grass cutting at Ancaster Way The Clerk had now established that the Public areas should be maintained by RCC. The RCC Officer was unwilling to give details of the complaint or complainant but the situation appears to be resolved

Way Leave rent. The Clerk reported that we have hitherto received £28-75 every 5 years in consideration of there being a cable under the Oval. The last two payments were on December 31^st 2003 and December 31^st 2008. The payments are now changing to £5-75 pa and the payment date is changing hence we received £4-60 as a one-off adjusting payment

Return to External Auditor – The Clerk reported that this was sent on June 20^th well in advance of the deadline of July 9^th.

Trees on Ketton Road – Nothing further to report. Carry forward.

Cllr Sewell

6. CORRESPONDENCE

Letter from Rutland CAB acknowledging our donation.

Letter from the Audit Commission advising that from September 1^st 2012 Grant Thornton will be our external auditors and giving us the opportunity to raise any objection by June 29^th. The Clerk contacted members of the Finance Committee about this and none had raised any objection. It appeared to the Clerk that the fee may reduce from £135 to £100.

Letter from Mrs Janet Whittaker re her History and Photographic exhibition at the village Jubilee event. She also enclosed her expenses invoice (listed under item 7). She points out that there is now a sufficiently large amount of archive material to warrant more storage space and Cllr Read agreed to contact Janet to explore possible solutions

Invitation to attend the Institution of Rev David Nicol at Empingham on Sept 6^th. The Clerk had sent this to all Councillors on June 25^th . The Clerk is required to respond by August 14^th if anyone wishes to attend.

Clerk

Cllr Read

Clerk

AGREED The sum of £531-15 should be used to offset the cost of the Jubilee event.

(Cllr Coogan left the meeting at this point)

8. PLANNING

Rose’s Woodyard Development. Cllr Tobin reported that he had had a meeting with the developer and expects a copy of the plans to come through at any time. The only concern on the outline plan is the absence of a footpath on the south side of Edith Weston Road between Oval Close and Woodyard corner. Cllrs Tobin, Overington and Read are meeting with Mark Longhurst of RCC on July 12^th to discuss developer contributions. This could include some £35000 for village projects. County Councillor Miss Waller re-iterated that s.106 contributions for education go to the County and are not necessarily passed on to the village.

Warren Lodge, Pilton Road There has been an application for new stables. The Planning committee are not objecting.

Ketton Wind Turbine proposal The Clerk had summarised the purport of the Supplementary Planning document and posted the summary on notice boards together with details of how to submit comments and by when. Cllr Tobin had responded to RCC advising them that the PC supported the content of the document but had no specific comments to add.

10. COMMUNITY RECREATION FACILITY

There is nothing further to report. Carry forward.

10. WEBSITE

Cllr Coogan had circulated a paper on this. It was felt that more work needs to be done before we commit to spending money on this.

10. OVAL REPORT (For this item the Council is acting as Corporate Trustee)

Trees T90/T91/T92 Prior to the meeting the Clerk had circulated 3 quotations for pollarding these 3 trees.

AGREED that we would ask Roecliffe to do the work (as it is the cheapest) subject to their providing satisfactory references and insurance certificates.

Bottom gate There is nothing further to report.

Rising Grass It was decided to leave this as it is to the end of the season

Bulging walls It was decided to review this in the 2013/14 financial year

13. FIELD GARDENS (For this item the Council is acting as Corporate Trustee)

Allotment complaint letters Cllr Cade reported that he had responded to the letters from Mr Wyatt and Mr Jefferies

Allotments not being maintained Cllr Cade will advise the Clerk who are the holders of such allotments and the Clerk will then write asking them to rectify the situation or risk eviction.

Jubilee Wood In anticipation that we may want to serve notice on the tenant before October 11^th 2012 we need to start now getting permission for change of use. This urgency is also relevant as planting needs to start by December 2013 in order to qualify for all available grants. If the project were to proceed, the area to be wooded has yet to be decided. It therefore makes sense for the application to include the whole area as the cost, in any event, is approximately £350.

AGREED we will apply for planning permission for all 5 ha.

14. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

This will be on Thursday September 13^th 2012 (note – this is a change from that originally planned)

Cllr Sewell

Cllr Cade

Clerk

Cllr Overington

Clerk

Signed………………………………….Chairman Date__________________

£75-00

£100-00

£135-00

£570-60

£391-21

£1540-00

£734-73

£50-00

£1500-00

£253-00

£36-72

£650-00

£350-00

£257-06

£200-31

£41-10

£127-15

£140-92

£4,920-38

£5,427-60

£330-00

£145-20

£299-13

£150-00

£433-00