• Minutes of Parish Council Meeting on 15 November 2017

    Meeting held on Wednesday 15 November 2017 in Claxton Village Hall at 7.30pm

    In attendance:  Councillor Pat Clare (Chair, presiding), Councillor David Hamblin, Councillor Mary Button, Councillor Jason Cantrill and Councillor Sarah Kennedy, and Mr Mike Balmer (Clerk).  Also attending:  5 Parishioners.  District Councillor and County Councillor both absent.

    17.78 Approved absences – there were none.

    17.79 Declarations of Interest – there were none. (more…)

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting on 13 September 2017

    Meeting held on Wednesday 13 September 2017 in Claxton Village Hall at 7.30pm.

    In attendance:  Councillor Pat Clare (Chair, presiding), Councillor David Hamblin, Councillor Mary Button, Councillor Jason Cantrill and Councillor Sarah Kennedy, and Mr Mike Balmer (Clerk).  Also attending:  7 Parishioners, District Councillor Jaan Larner and County Councillor Barry Stone. (more…)

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting on 12 July 2017

    Meeting held on Wednesday 12 July 2017 in Claxton Village Hall at 7.31pm

    In attendance:  Councillor Pat Clare (Chair, presiding), Councillor David Hamblin, Councillor Mary Button, Councillor Jason Cantrill and Councillor Sarah Kennedy, and Mr Mike Balmer (Clerk).  Also attending:  5 Parishioners.  No District or County Councillor present.

    17.50 Approved absences – there were none.

    17.51 Declarations of Interest – there were none.

    17.52 Minutes of the meeting held on 17 May 2017
    The minutes of the above meeting, which had been circulated beforehand and placed on the notice board and website, were approved and signed.

    17.53 District and County Councillors
    Barry Stone had been unable to attend but had sent in his usual monthly report, which had also been put on the website.  Jaan Larner had e-mailed the Clerk shortly before the meeting to apologise for not being able to attend, as he was stuck in traffic on the way back from London.

    17.54 Parishioners’ Questions
    A parishioner drew attention to the hole which remained unfilled since electrical connection work some two years previously alongside the footpath behind the cottages from Home Piece to the Church.  It was potentially very dangerous as it had grown over and was almost invisible.  The Clerk offered to approach the people responsible in a private capacity.

    There was discussion prompted by Barry Stone’s July report about the proposed roundabout where George Lane in Loddon meets the A146.  It was the generally held view that the conditions attached to the original planning application which had required the roundabout to be built before construction started had been gradually watered down, resulting in further delays and the potential for the County Council to now meet a significant part of the overall cost.

    17.55   Windfall Litter Pick prize
    The village had been selected to receive an additional £200 following the spring Litter Pick and the Chair asked for ideas on how to spend it.  One suggestion was a refurbishment and tidying up of the village sign which had been erected in 2012.  It was difficult to read the village name as the letters had not been painted in a different colour, and it was also suggested that the area around the base of the sign might be dug and planted with seasonal flowers to brighten it up and draw attention to it.  The Council approved this suggestion which will be taken forward in due course.

    17.56   Planning
    There was one current application – 2017/1373 at East View, Church Lane, with the owners requesting that the north wall be clad in black feather board.  The deadline for comments is 25 July 2017.  Councillors had no objection.  There was a question over whether such a project actually needed planning permission.  Nonetheless the Clerk was instructed to register the Council’s support on the SNC website.

    17.57 Finance
    A detailed financial statement had been made available to Councillors (in advance) and parishioners, and Councillors had seen the complete list of proposed payments well in advance, so there were no surprises.

    a) The bank balance at 12 July was £3,518.11.
    b) Receipts – A credit of £220 had been received that morning from South Norfolk Council (see item 17.55 above).
    c) Grants – none.
    d) Payments

    *   The first payment above had been made on 31 May under the terms of the Council’s Standing Orders and retrospective approval was sought (and given).  The schedule was approved for payment, and cheques signed by Pat Clare and David Hamblin.

    17.58   Clerk’s Report
    The Clerk reported that he had contacted CPRE to tell them the Council would not support their planning campaign, circulated a draft response to the Community Governance Review survey, had it agreed and completed it online (21 June), and had been in contact with SNC over the Litter Pick additional £200 payment (see 17.55 above).  He had also over the past few days been discussing with Norfolk ALC whether it was possible to bid for funds for a computer and other equipment for any successor, given that he used his own equipment at home and there was no guarantee the Clerk would want to do the same.

    17.59   Correspondence
    The Clerk tabled a list of correspondence which had been e-mailed or circulated to Councillors or received prior to the meeting.  Items included:

    • Norfolk ALC Newsletters
    • Community Action Norfolk’s June/July newsletters
    • NDR updates
    • Clerks and Councils direct July 2017

    17.60   Items for next Agenda
    Community defibrillator.

    Date of next meeting – Wednesday 13 September 2017.
    The last meeting in 2017 would be on Wednesday 15 November.

    The meeting closed at 7.50pm.

  • Minutes of Annual Meeting of Parish Council on 17 May 2017

    Meeting held on Wednesday 17 May 2017 in Claxton Village Hall at 8.36pm.

    In attendance:  Mrs Pat Clare (Chair, presiding), Mrs Mary Button, Mr David Hamblin, Mr Jason Cantrill and Ms Sarah Kennedy (Councillors) and Mr Mike Balmer (Clerk).  Also attending:  9 Parishioners.

    17.35 Approved absences – none.

    17.36 Election of chairperson
    There being no other candidates Pat Clare confirmed that she would stand again as Chairman, and there being no other nominations, this was seconded by David Hamblin.  Pat Clare also proposed that David Hamblin should be re-elected as Vice-Chairman, seconded by Mary Button.  Both Declarations of Office were signed and witnessed by the Proper Officer.

    17.37 Appointment of Representatives – the following were agreed for the next year:

    Village Hall liaison – Mary Button
    Church/churchyard – Paul Carter
    Allotments – Pat Clare
    Tree Warden – Sarah Carter and (to be confirmed) Ian Cummings
    Footpaths and Green – Julia Kaye and Helen Balmer
    Notice board – Clerk
    Parish Plan and Pits Trust – All Councillors
    Website – Clerk

    17.38 Declarations of Interest

    There were none.

    17.39 Minutes of the meeting held on 15 March 2017
    The minutes of the above meeting, which had been circulated beforehand and placed on the notice board and website, were approved and signed.

    17.40 Parishioners’ Questions
    A parishioner asked whether, in the event a replacement tree was planted at the front of the Village Hall, some recognition of the contribution made by the late Linda Clitheroe could be associated with it.  This was received positively by the Parish Council.

    17.41 Community Governance Review
    The deadline for comments by Parish Councils and the public had been put back a month, to 12 July, because of the general election.  The Clerk explained that Councils and the public were being asked to complete a short online survey saying what they thought of their local Councils and making any suggestions for the future structure, including expansion or being merged with another Council.  The relevant links were on the website.  The Councillors agreed that the Clerk should send round a draft reply for agreement or change, to be agreed and submitted before the 12 July deadline.

    17.42   Audit Commission Annual Return
    The Clerk had sent advance electronic copies of the Return to all Councillors but had forgotten to bring the actual paper copy with him to the meeting.  As it had to be dispatched before the next meeting the Council agreed to approve the Return which would be signed after the meeting by the Chair and the Clerk.

    17.43   CPRE request regarding development sites
    CPRE was asking Parish Councils to sign their pledge demanding that all existing development sites be built on before new ones were identified.  A short discussion indicated that none of the Councillors were in favour of signing and the Clerk was asked to respond to CPRE declining their invitation.

    17.44   Possible alternative footpath round Claxton Corner
    It was confirmed that the land in question belonged to Claxton Manor Estate.  The owner had been approached with a request that he allow it to be used as a permissive path but he had declined to give his permission.  There was evident disappointment at this news.  However given that it is private land without any historical patterns of use as a footpath there was nothing further to be done.

    17.45   Planning Matters
    A recent application to erect a building on farm land off Folly Lane had been withdrawn a few days earlier.  There were no further applications.

    17.46 Finance
    A detailed financial statement had been made available to Councillors and parishioners alike, and Councillors had seen the complete list of proposed payments well in advance, so there were no surprises.

    a) The bank balance at 17 May is £4,869.58. The Budget/Financial Report has been circulated separately.
    b) Receipts – 3. First half of 2017-18 Precept and Council Tax Support Scheme Grant totalling £2,089.50. Refund of 2016-17 VAT – £372.06.  Claxton Mill Residents Association Soakaway Licence 2017-18 – £85.21.
    c) Grants – none.
    d) Payments

    On a proposal from Pat Clare, seconded by David Hamblin, the schedule was approved for payment, and cheques signed.  There was also an expected payment to Norfolk ALC for Sarah Kennedy’s training course on 26 May but no invoice had been received so approval could not be given.

    17.47   Report from Clerk
    The Clerk reported that he had chased up Highways re Staines Barns encroachment but to no avail, had contacted RSM Clerk re a conservation area around Hellington Beck and been told there were no current plans, had contacted County re bus service proposals and helped get a change to the midday service introduced from 18 April.  He had informed both tenderers of outcome of tree work tender, and the tree has now been cut down, and had identified a training course for Sarah Kennedy and liaised with SNC over her appointment.

    17.48 Correspondence
    The Clerk tabled a short list of correspondence which had been circulated to Councillors or received prior to the meeting.  Items included:

    • NDR updates
    • Norfolk ALC Weekly updates and Training Programme for 2017
    • Community Action Norfolk April and May Newsletters
    • Clerks and Councils Direct April and May 2017

    17.49   Items for next Agenda
    None

    The next meeting is on 12 July 2017 but neither the Chair nor the Vice-Chair can make it.  If the remaining 3 Councillors are available, it will go ahead as planned (NOW CONFIRMED).

    Dates of remaining meetings in 2017
    Wednesday 13 September – Regular Parish Council Meeting
    Wednesday 15 November – Regular Parish Council Meeting

    The meeting closed at 9.15pm.

     

  • Minutes of Annual Parish Meeting on 17 May 2017

    Held on Wednesday 17 May 2017 in Claxton Village Hall at 1930 hours.

    Present:  Mrs Pat Clare (Chair, presiding), Mrs M Button, Mr D Hamblin, Mr J Cantrill and Ms S Kennedy (Councillors), Mr M Balmer (Clerk) and 15 Parishioners/Members of the Public. (more…)

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting on 15 March 2017

    Meeting held on Wednesday 15 March 2017 in Claxton Village Hall at 7.31pm.

    In attendance:  Councillor Pat Clare (Chair, presiding), Councillor David Hamblin and Councillor Mary Button and Mr Mike Balmer (Clerk).  Absent with apologies:  Councillor Jason Cantrill.  Also attending:  9 Parishioners.  No District or County Councillor present.

    17.17 Approved absences – Jason Cantrill.

    17.18 Declarations of Interest – there were none.

    17.19 Minutes of the meeting held on 18 January 2017
    The minutes of the above meeting, which had been circulated beforehand and placed on the notice board and website, were approved and signed.

    17.20   Co-option of a new Councillor
    Sarah Kennedy had come forward to fill the vacant position after it had been advertised for the appropriate period.  She was duly co-opted onto the Council and signed her Declaration of Acceptance of Office, which was witnessed by the Clerk.  She took her seat on the Council.

    17.21 District and County Councillors
    Barry Stone had been unable to attend as he was covering Bergh Apton PC’s meeting this time.  Jaan Larner had e-mailed the Clerk to apologise for not being able to attend.  There were no reports from either.

    17.22 Parishioners’ Questions
    Before any parishioner spoke, the Chair offered the Council’s thanks to Peter Lancaster for his swift action in removing a tree at Hellington Beck and to Claxton Manor for removing the large fir trees at the back of the Village Hall, as well as to Michael Button for his work sorting out the mole problem at the back of the Village Hall.  One parishioner noted that it had become dangerous for any pedestrians to navigate Claxton Corner, given the sharpness of the bend and the speed of some vehicles.  He wondered whether there might be an alternative route from Church Lane where the bridge crossed the Beck, alongside the Beck and on to the road south of Marsh Barn.  Checks will be made to confirm who owns the land and the feasibility of such an arrangement and it will be discussed at the next meeting.

    17.23   Community Governance Review
    The Clerk explained that this was the latest review which covered the size and make-up of individual Parishes.  Much of the information was on the website and the Council was invited to make a submission by 12 June.  It was agreed that all Councillors would consider the information already available and make their views known by the next meeting, in good time for a response to issue by the deadline.

    17.24   New Bus Schedule
    The new schedule had been running for a month.  The availability of a bus first thing in the morning and in the evening was welcomed.  The County Council had suggested it could move the departure from Norwich back an hour from 12pm to 1pm if the community wanted it.  There was support for such a move which the Clerk will pass on.  The only other issue was the connection between the X22 and 85A at Loddon around 5pm, where passengers had been told this was a school bus only and could not be used by other passengers.  The Clerk will seek clarification on this as well.

    17.25   B4RNorfolk’s Rural Broadband project
    David Hamblin reported back on the B4RNorfolk project meeting held at Claxton Village Hall on 1 March. This offers householders Hyperfast (1000Mps) broadband and is a community not-for-profit scheme.  B4RNorfolk have also held meetings at Rockland St Mary with a further meeting planned at Loddon on 22 March.  In order to properly gauge the interest in the Parish and given that a minimum of 20% uptake is needed for viability, it was agreed that a steering group would be set up to assess the true level of interest.  David agreed to action this and to report back at the next Council meeting.  He had also spoken with the Better Broadband for Norfolk (BBfN) programme and they had confirmed that during the next phase of high-speed (24Mps) broadband rollout Claxton would receive 3 roadside cabinets, in October 2018 and March 2019 with the third one (serving 19 houses – so probably in Church Lane) following at the end of 2019.

    17.26   Tenders for tree work at the Village Hall
    The Clerk had received two quotes and the Council approved the lowest one (£320).

    17.27 Slade Lane blockages
    The Clerk had visited the site and calculated that the caravan was at least 2 feet outside area owned by the developer, and clearly blocking much of Slade Lane.  He had taken photographs and sent them to the Highways department but had not had any response to date.  Efforts had been made to bring a low-loader down to take it away but it could not get down Church Lane to do so.  He was asked to chase a response.

    17.28   Hellington Beck Conservation Area
    One parishioner was concerned that the area on either side of Hellington Beck behind The Street in Rockland was still vulnerable to development, even though there were no plans to seek permission.  He felt the best way to safeguard this area would be to create a Conservation Area.  The Clerk was asked to find out from his colleague in Rockland what, if any, progress had been made to this end.

    17.29   Request from Norfolk Accident Rescue Service for a financial contribution
    The letter is circulating but the Council did not feel able to agree to this request.

    17.30   Planning
    There had been no new applications.  The application for a new garage and workshop at Cart Barn had been approved on 8 February.

    17.31 Finance
    A detailed financial statement had been made available to Councillors and parishioners alike, and Councillors had seen the complete list of proposed payments well in advance, so there were no surprises.

    a) The bank balance at 15 March was £3,013.61.
    b) Receipts – none.
    c) Grants – none.
    d) Payments

    Cheque Payee Amount Description
    100341 M A Balmer 267.30 Salary (£193.50) Feb-Mar 2017 & Admin Fees (£73.80) Jan-Mar 2017
    100342 HM Revenue and Customs  257.60 PAYE for Mike Balmer Q4/16-17 (Dec 2016-Mar 2017)
    100343 Community Action Norfolk 20.00 Subscription 2017-18
    100344 Claxton Village Hall 96.00 Hire of Hall 2016-17

    On a proposal from Pat Clare, seconded by David Hamblin, the schedule was approved for payment, and cheques signed.

    17.32   Clerk’s Report
    The Clerk reported that he had helped promote the Rural Broadband meeting on 1 March, finally sorted out the Bank Mandate giving us 3 current signatories, notified South Norfolk Council of the Precept we required for 2017-18, contacted Highways over encroachment by caravan at Staines Barns, publicised new bus schedule changes and provided hard copies to those in the village without internet access (and at the Community Café) and co-ordinated the village Litter Pick on 6 February.

    17.33   Correspondence
    The Clerk tabled a list of correspondence which had been e-mailed or circulated to Councillors or received prior to the meeting.  Items included:

    • Norfolk ALC Newsletters
    • Community Action Norfolk’s January/February newsletters
    • NDR updates
    • Clerks and Councils direct February and March 2017

    17.34   Items for next Agenda
    District Councillor attendance record.  Alternative footpath at Claxton Corner.  Response for Community Governance Review.  B4RNorfolk update.

    Date of next meeting – Wednesday 17 May 2017 after the Annual Parish Meeting.

    The meeting closed at 8.40pm.

  • Minutes of Parish Council Meeting on 18 January 2017

    In attendance:  Councillor Pat Clare (Chair, presiding), Councillor Mary Button, Councillor David Hamblin and Councillor Jason Cantrill and Mr Mike Balmer (Clerk).  Also attending:  County Councillor and 11 Parishioners.  No District Councillor present. (more…)

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