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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Mr John Sladen
County Councillor Simon Walsh
District Councillor Simon Howell
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MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
These were agreed to be a true record of the meeting of June 11 and signed by the Chairman.
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MATTERS ARISING
None arose which were not covered elsewhere.
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MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING HELD ON 15 MAY 2015
These were agreed to be a true record and signed by the Chairman.
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MATTERS ARISING
It was agreed that all pertinent issues had either been covered at the previous meeting or were on the current agenda.
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BROADBAND PROJECT
The Chairman summarised the origins and outcomes of the public meeting held on 2nd July. It was very well attended and the presentation by the possible broadband providers was well received. There are many residents who run businesses from home and would welcome an efficient service. A small team of volunteers have been recruited to ascertain the level of interest. The cost is likely to be £30 per month for a 30 Mbps service with a guarantee of 18 Mbps minimum.
The Chairman has asked for references from the company and will contact villages already receiving their services to assess their satisfaction. The church will derive some benefits including its own wi-fi zone. Additionally there will be a ‘hot-spot’ in the village hall. Hopefully there will be further information at the next meeting.
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CORRESPONDANCE
A certificate had been received marking Hempstead’s runner-up spot in its section of the Best Kept Village competition. Mr Weedon was thanked for his organisation of the entry.
The council had been approached to see if it could help with the community service aspect of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for two teenagers from the village. A list of possible jobs was agreed and Mr Weedon would organise resources and sign off their efforts.
Certificates had been received for the owners of the sites nominated as community assets
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PLANNING
The Clerk updated the Council on a previously seen application for French windows to replace an existing window at Blagdens House. There was agreement that no comments were necessary.
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HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY
Large Tractors – There had again been an influx of very large four wheel drive tractors taking huge and noisy trailers to a local biomass plant near Thaxted. There had been complaints from residents about the size of the vehicles, the excessive speed and anti-social hours. One resident had sent a photograph of a near miss between her small car and one of the vehicles on Anso Road where they had been only able to pass with great difficulty.
The Council agreed that because this is only a seasonal problem it was already too late to address it this year. Action should be taken to try to alleviate the problem next year. Particularly the council were keen to ensure that the use of Anso Road should be excluded from their route. County Councillor Simon Walsh had been informed and had promised to help.
Councillor Drane Report – Some further repairs had been carried out outside the Plough in Radwinter and on the road towards Hempstead. Repair of railings at Church Farm, Pollards Cross and Anso Road were still being chased. Mr Drane had sent Google Earth images to clarify the locations. Some work had been done on Footpath 19 which had been causing problems.
Footway Project – The Chairman reported that he had been told by the resident concerned with the outstanding section that the legal issues were definitely moving, though the county had not yet received anything concrete.
The Chairman also reported that he had helped to make a short promotional film about the project that would appear at a national conference.
Local Highways Panel Meeting – Mr Welbourn had addressed this meeting that he attended with the clerk. He had spoken in support of the three schemes that the Parish Council had put for forward for road safety measures with extension of speed limits, clearer signage and the re-classification of Anso Road as a ‘C’ road. The Panel under its new Chairman, County Councillor Simon Walsh had listened sympathetically but were at an early stage in considering the next tranche of schemes.
More valuable was the opportunity to talk though the schemes in depth with Rissa Long of Essex Highways after the meeting and gain a realistic picture of what might be achievable. She was fully aware of the difficulties caused by Anso Road and promised to look at the schemes with the appropriate departments and inform the parish council of possible progress.
The next meeting of the panel is Monday September 21st at 6pm
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ENVIRONMENT
Flooding – Mr Sladen had made a little progress by managing to ensure the sites of concern around the village were established onto the annual programme of proposed works. This may even lead to some action soon.
Pond Refurbishment – Still no definite quote had been received. Time was running out for the grant application. Mrs Scott agreed to chase up the quote and liaise with Mr Weedon on its completion.
Village Green Registration – The possible use of the Open Space Society questionnaire was discussed. It was quite long and not very easy to use. Mr Welbourn said that it was unlikely to produce the depth of evidence that would be useful in progressing the registration.
The Chairman thought that there were some old files in existence that might clarify the issue. It was agreed that the Clerk would contact John Cockman to ascertain details of access to the Village Hall Loft and that he and the Chairman would try to find them.
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POLICING
The new PSCO, Claire Aherne had contacted the Parish Council. It was agreed that the clerk would supply her with contact details for the Chair and himself and send details of meeting dates.
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FINANCE
Cheques were signed to – Julian McCarthy £100 Glebe Clearance, Julian Basham £300 grass cutting, HMRC £37.44 PAYE, Rural Community Council of Essex Subscription £48 and Campaign for the Protection of Rural England £36
Radwinter Pre-School Group – had asked for the second grant of £500 as agreed in principle last year. They had experienced staffing and recruitment difficulties. This was unanimously agreed and a cheque signed.
Banking Arrangements – The Clerk asked that the council consider changing the banking mandate in order that he could use internet banking facilities and pay some bills by direct transfer. He and the Chairman both pointed out that risk management was covered by the parish council’s insurance policy which covered embezzlement etc. up to a £25 000 for employee dishonesty, well beyond the council budget. This was agreed up to a limit of £500 on items already agreed in principle in the budget or subsequent discussions.
Any items paid must be reported at the next council meeting if not agreed at a previous meeting. The Clerk had explored the use of alternative banks, but found none that were suitable, so it was agreed to continue with our current bankers, Barclays. A letter of instruction to change the mandate was signed.
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COMMUNICATIONS
Mrs McNeill reported that some of the older items on the neighbourhood watch section of the village website had now been removed.
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VILLAGE HALL
Bluebell 2 social afternoon was planned for July 12th after the success of the first such event. A Home and Garden Auction is planned for 12th September. Fundraising will be crucial in the future if the Pre-School group discontinue their use of the hall, as they are one of the most important sources of letting revenue.
