3 January 2006

Last updated: Tuesday, 03 January 2006, 06:42 AM

Members Present

I. Storr (Chairman)
G. Chamberlain (Vice Chairman)
M. Farmer
R. Grenfell
G. Atkinson
A. Jones

Also present:
L. Howells (Clerk to the Parish Council)
D. Baldwin (County Councillor – 2nd half)

Apologies for absence

Jim Stewart, Ron Lewis-Smith and Alan Freeman.

Minutes of Meeting held on 22nd November 2005 agreed as a true and accurate record without amendment.

Open session

There were no members of press or public present.

Matters Arising from previous minutes (for information only)

A copy of the fund raising directory is to be sought via the library. The Clerk has a meeting at the Library concerning CAP on 19th January and will raise it then.

Jim Rogers has carried out an investigation into the village pond overflow.

The silt pit chambers are to be suctioned clean on the recreation ground. An order has been placed for this work.

The St Neots Rd manholes have been repaired by CCC. Unfortunately the 1st manhole is still dangerous as you turn onto St Neots Rd, this will be reported again. Also as one turns right into Cambridge Road a channel is forming where the road surface is breaking up.

HPC Planning application – location of cricket nets
Correspondence has been received concerning the location of the Cricket nets that planning permission is being sought for. This is to be passed to Chris Fuller. Comments on the location of nets have been received.

The completion and payment for the traffic calming at Toft End is to be investigated.

Other Matters

A) Play Park Inspections
Worcester Avenue has been inspected. No faults were found, but the swings have been pushed over the top of the supports. Alterations to the walls have been made.
Grenadier Walk has been improved with the removal of the large tree behind the bench. The root has been ground out. The equipment is sound.
On the skate park approximately 80 rivets have been replaced. The skate park is free from rubbish.
Egremont Road and the Church will be inspected during the coming week.
The paving slabs in front of the pavilion need some attention and SCDC are to be contacted to weed around the building.

B) Budget – HPC draft budget for 2006/07 was presented to Hardwick Parish Council
The current financial position for 05/06 was discussed. After all known expenditure is accounted for there will be approximately £6-7,000 available to special projects.
Grenville Chamberlain proposed that a sum of £4,500 be made available from the 05/06 financial year to support the New Scout & Guide Hut building project, which has recently received full planning permission. This building is a community facility and will also be available for appropriate village use outside of times required for Scout & Guide use.

Richard Grenfell declared an interest and did not take part in the debate or vote.

CALC advise that under Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, section 19 Recreational facilities, that a local authority may provide inside or outside its area such recreational facilities as it thinks fit, including (d) premises for the use of clubs or societies having athletic, social or recreational objects.

It was proposed by Grenville Chamberlain and seconded by Grace Atkinson, carried unanimously that a contribution of £4,500 be made in the financial year (05/06). It was proposed by Grenville Chamberlain and seconded by Malcolm Farmer that a further £4,500 is made available in the coming financial year (06/07).

These funds will be money put aside in Parish Council reserves, to be released on confirmation that the project is proceeding, as advised by CALC.

It is recognised what an excellent contribution to Hardwick village life this new building will provide and the benefit it will bring to young people within the scout & guide organisations as well as to the wider village community.

Hardwick Parish Council wishes every success to this project.

The draft budget for 06/07 had been put together by the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Responsible Financial Officer. This had been circulated and was debated. The main concern of the Parish Council was to implement a rise of 5% or less whilst maintaining adequate provision for the needs of the coming year. The budget was agreed and will require Hardwick Parish Council to precept for £44,500. It was proposed by I Storr, seconded by G Chamberlain and carried unanimously that the budget be adopted and HPC precept for £44,500 for 06/07 (this compares with £43,000 in 05/06 and is a 3.5% increase).

County Councillor, Mr Denzil Baldwin, arrived at this point and the meeting was briefly closed to allow comment from Mr Baldwin.
Mr Baldwin said that tough decisions had to be made as CCC needed to keep its budget increase below 5% to avoid capping. Some non statutory services, such as libraries and heritage may have to be cut. Grenville Chamberlain was concerned that future education benefits will be lost with the closing of libraries etc. He suggested that both SCDC and CCC should look hard at their premises and locations in an effort to find savings before cutting valuable services. The Parish Meeting was reopened.

C) Maintenance
Sadly, our village cleaner, Mr Claude Shepherd, has suffered a stroke. The thoughts and best wishes from Hardwick Parish Council go out to Mr Shepherd and his family. The position of village cleaner is to remain for Mr Shepherd in the hope he makes a good recovery. The Parish Council will advertise for a temporary cleaner to cover the period of illness. The position is for 4 hours a week, with a rate of pay of £7.50 per hour.
Work should start on the disabled ramp and kitchen hatch this January at the Pavilion.

Correspondence

A) SCDC –
From April 2006 there will be no further recycling credits paid to HPC as a result of kerbside collection. These have been removed to offset part of the £420,000 environmental health shortfall at SCDC due to capping. It was felt that the area by the bottle bank has become increasingly messy with people leaving carrier bags of tins, bottles and broken glass around. A notice is to go into the Hardwick Happenings explaining that these banks will be removed at the end of March because the green box collection scheme addresses the glass and can collection need.

Council Tax Capping – Footway Lighting
SCDC is withdrawing funding from Footway lighting from April 2006. Footway lighting, which may be a single light or system of lights, is lighting installed mainly in rural areas, to assist pedestrian movement at night. Cost of maintenance and power for Hardwick would be approximately £32.67 per light. There are 40 lights shown in Hardwick of which 30 are classified as footway lights, a further 10 meet the CCC criteria for adoption and it is thought payment for these will come from CCC. Hardwick Parish Council will seek further information on this issue.

B) CALC – comment on above
Dale Robinson has been delegated to answer questions concerning the non funding of footway lighting by SCDC, with relation to safety and other legal issues, his response is expected in the near future.

C) CCC Traffic Streetlight SC1
An apology from CCC concerning the light at Cahill’s corner. The contractor should be carrying out connection work soon.

D) SCDC Parish Precept
Correspondence to be completed.

E) CCC Parish Paths Partnership
Possible rights of way improvements were discussed. This application will be completed.

Correspondence Table Review

A) Carillon – A14 – Trunk Rd
B) ROSPA 2006
C) CALC Workshops & Bulletin
D) News@com – newsletter
E) Statement of Community Involvement
F) Cambridgeshire Local Access Forum
G) CALC

Planning

A)S/2260/05/FMr & Mrs Crow, double garage – no recommendation

B)S/2310/05/FHardwick Parish Council – 2 bay cricket net – approve

C)S/2297/05/FTaylor Woodrow Anglia – 42 dwellings St Neots Rd – no recommendation. Comments: sensible wheelie bin storage to be built in, there appears to be a shortage of Off Road Parking, query one access road.

Account presented for approval for Payment

A)700.00C J Bays
B)587.50Ash Reid Design Ltd
C)2303.00MS Ford Assoc.
D)672.90L Howells (Clerk)
E)117.00C Shepherd
F)264.37Homebuild Eastern
G)560.00Victoire Press
H)85.00Warton & Clark
I)880.00Jason Kirby
J)810.75Burleigh Tree Surgery
K)1092.75Burleigh Tree Surgery
J)660.98Inland Revenue
L)35.65Admin Expenses

Income

A)99.88NSIB
B)50.00Hardwick Netball Club
C)240.00Hardwick & Shepreth Cricket Club
D)764.50Hardwick Happenings

Any Other Business

(Councillors & Clerk comment for future discussion)

Missing Street names to be chased.
HSSC is to be asked for a copy of the new licensing application notice that they have displayed as no member of HPC had seen it.
The Car Park opposite Egremont Rd is very dirty at times; a notice in the parish magazine is to be placed to ask residents not to drop rubbish and to care for their village.
HPC will write to SCDC to request that next Xmas & New Year they keep alternating green and black wheelie bins.
Yobbish behaviour has been reported by villagers concerning teenagers hanging out at Egremont Rd. This issue is to be reported to be dealt with by PC Bradley and his superior.

Anne Jones gave a HAGSC meeting report; A Hardwick Youth Partnership is to be created to work with young people and create a Youth Parish Council. Outreach workers, employed by Diana Cook, Vice Principal Community Education are to come to Hardwick between Jan-April 2006. A meeting of this new group is to be held in the near future and possible attendees from all sections of the community will be invited by Susannah Harris. A constitution is to be set up and a bank account opened to enable an LNF grant to be applied for.
Date and Time of the next meeting of Hardwick Parish Council is to be Tuesday 24th January at 7.45pm in the Staff Room Hardwick Community Primary School.