Council Meeting – 10 July 2024

Minutes of the Meeting of Great Longstone Parish Council

held at 7.00pm on Wednesday 10th July 2024

in Great Longstone Village Hall, DE45 1TB

Present: Cllr Long (Chair), Cllr J Rigby, Cllr A Douglass, Cllr J Cox

In attendance: Simon Headington (Clerk), plus 1 parishioner and District Councillor Kelda Boothroyd.

71/24 Apologies for absence from members.

Cllr Briggs, Cllr P Barrett, Cllr J Cox.

72/24 Declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest relating to items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interest.

73/24 Minutes of the meeting of Great Longstone Parish Council on 15th May 2024 were approved.

74/24 Minutes of the meeting of Great Longstone Parish Council on 24th June 2024 were approved.

75/24 Standing Orders suspended to allow for public comments

Standing Orders were suspended at 19:05 Cllr Boothroyd provided an update on the progress and plans of the District Council. Key points included:

• The snap election caused a significant amount of work for Officers of the District Council, though all was managed smoothly.
• An ongoing issue for DDDC has been meeting the legal requirement to provide approved sites for eligible traveller families. DDDC will be meeting on 22nd July to review options for long term temporary sites.
• The Monsal Head car park toilets are now being managed (and funded) again by DDDC. This arrangement is expected to be formalised at a meeting on 25th July that DDDC.
• On the 30th July a review on empty homes and local housing needs is expected to be presented, along with a Nature Delivery Plan.
• DDDC has funding available in the “Hug” (Home Upgrade Grants) for families living in homes with poor EPC ratings, which are not connected to the gas mains and have an annual household income below £36,000. Funding is also available for funding of insulation for people with significant medical conditions.

Standing Orders were resumed at 19:22

76/24 Appointment of Proper Officer (Clerk) and RFO: Proposal to appointment Simon Headington as Proper Officer (Clerk) and Responsible Financial Officer to the Parish Council.

Approved

77/24 Village/Neighbourhood plan: Cllr Douglass and the Clerk to explore the feasibility of having stands at the FOLS and LASRA events to promote the proposals. Looking at a launch in September following up on an article in the September edition of UTE.

78/24 Recreation Ground

1. Playground.

1.1 David Longden has completed further repairs to the “Chuckling Charlie” wooden ship / climbing frame, at a cost of £500. Payment approved.

2. Equipment for years 11+ and Tennis Court / MUGA:

2.1 Update on staining of wooden storage unit by tennis courts: Awaiting an update from Cllr Cox

2.2 The clerk reported that new nets for the basketball hoops had been purchased at a cost of £18 + VAT from SportsEquip. Payment Approved.

3. Proposed New Sports and Recreation Association (LASRA): Update and report on progress.

3.1 Update on registering proposed new sports and recreation association, as a charity. Application has been submitted to the Charity Commission. 3.2 Update on transfer of ownership of Tea Hut and Pavilion from Cricket Club to Parish Council: The aim is that this will happen once LASRA has been registered that the buildings will be transferred from the Cricket Club to the Parish Council, and then leased to LASRA. The Clerk distributed a copy of the draft “Heads of Terms” for what we hope will result in the granting of a 1972 LGA Section 127 compliant lease to the new sports and recreation association.

4. Sports Day – 20th July

4.1 This event, to launch the new village sports association (LASRA) is being run by an ad hoc Parish Council working party that consists of Cllrs Long, Barrett and Douglas along with prospective trustees of LASRA and other local supporters. The working part is chaired by Mike Meurer.

4.2 County Councillor Alasdair Sutton has arranged for a grant of £500 from the County Council towards the cost of the bunting and other expenses associated with this event.

4.3 The Clerk reported that our new insurers, Zurich Municipal, have confirmed that the Council’s policy provides them with public liability cover for this event.

5. Tea Hut and Pavilion – Update on repairs:

5.1 Replacement of glass/doors to use safety glass: Cllr Douglass reported that the clear film has been applied to both sides of the glass on the doors and to one side of the glass in the windows.

5.2 Repairs to roof of pavilion. Awaiting an update from Cllr Cox.

6. Managing bookings for use of the Recreation ground

6.1 To note existing bookings

6.1.1 12th & 14th July for cricket matches
6.1.2 16th July – School Sports Day
6.1.3 20th July – Sports Day 6.1.4 6th September – Fell Race

6.2 New Requests for discussion / approval

6.2.1 Various dates for Jay’s Fitness in July and August

7. Update on staining of benches: Waiting for suitable weather.

8. Tree Removed: It was noted that N&G Tomlinson had removed the dead Rowan Tree, from just below the tennis court. The quote for this job was £150 + VAT and the clerk was instructed to pay the invoice, on presentation.

79/24 Village Greens

1. Staining of benches – awaiting update from Cllr Cox

2. The tender for the maintenance of the village greens for 2025-28 needs to be published later this year. The Clerk was instructed to present draft documents to the next meeting of the Parish Council.

80/24 Allotments: The water supply project, led by Cllr Barret, has been completed at a total cost of £1,243.36 against an allocated income of £1,158.51. It is expected that the balance of £84.85 will come through in donations later in the year.

81/24 Village Hall

1. Repairs to the roof and gutters have been completed.

2. Clerk to arrange for a letter box, for shared use, for the building.

3. The chair confirmed that the Village Hall Management committee had renewed the buildings insurance policy.

82/24 Closed Churchyard

1. An update on the biodiversity project, prepared by Sara Barrett, was reviewed by councillors, who were very satisfied with the current progress.

2. The tender for the maintenance of the closed churchyard for 2025-28 needs to be published later this year. The Clerk was instructed to present draft documents to the next meeting of the Parish Council.

83/24 Footpaths and Highways

1. Road closures. The council has been notified of the following planned road closures:

1.1 Main Street and Church Lane Great Longstone for STW repairs 30th July to 1st August 2024

1.2 Longreave Lane Rowland for STW pipe repair 5th August to 9th August 2024 The clerk was instructed to arrange for this information to be published on the village Facebook account.

2. Issue of sections of some roads in the village having no pavements. Cllr Douglass presented a short paper on this issue. It was agreed that he would follow-up with PDNA to find out more about how they help Youlgreave village to deal with similar issues.

84/24 Village Week:

This is due to take place between Sat 13th and Sat 20th July. Volunteers led by Will Turner have oAered to put up the new Parish Council bunting on the evening of Thursday 11th. A Well Dressing team, led by Jane Littlefield are working on this year’s project. It is expected that it will be put into place on the evening of Friday 12th and the blessing will be conducted by Rev Clive Thrower at 1pm on Sat 13th. The “Friends of Longstone School” summer fair will start immediately after the well blessings.

85/24 Planning Applications

1. Recent – for information

1.1 NP/GDO/0322/0431 – GDO Notification – New building for mixed agricultural use – Middle Hay – GLPC not notified. Appeal to SoS following refusal. Appeal was granted and the development of new agricultural buildings on this site may go ahead.

1.2 NP/DDD/0524/0473 Alterations to existing extension and windows. Barley Lees Farm, Main St. GLPC made no comment. PDNPA decision due 26th July 2024

1.3 NP/DDD/0524/0534 – Change of use of The Old School to dwelling. GLPC comments submitted 1st July. PDNPA decision due 26th July 1.4 NP/TPO/0624/0584 – Barley Cross, Church Lane. Works to trees subject to TPO. Accepted

2. New – for consideration in meeting

2.1 NP/DDD/0624/0630 – Single Storey Extension, Grange Cottage, Station Road. Comments by 26th July. PDNPA decision due 21st August 2024. GLPC Response “No comment”

86/24 Council Administration

1. Clerk Training

1.1 The clerk has started the “Certificate in Local Council Administration” (CiLCA) training course.
1.2 The Clerk attend the “Finance Training for new Clerks” course on 9th July 2024

2. Ongoing Land Registration project

2.1 Fields, track and quarries. Clerk still needs to visit Matlock Records Office
2.2 Recreation Ground: Correcting incorrect ownership details. No updates
2.3 Updating Parish Council address on all Land Registrations. No updates.

3. Vacancies for Parish Councillors.

3.1 The required notice about vacancies on the Parish Council has been published and there was no call for a bi-election to fill these posts. Therefore the Council has a 6 month “window” in which they can fill these posts by co-option.
3.2 It was proposed to start a campaign to highlight these vacancies and to prepare a formal “Co-option” policy for adoption at the next meeting of the Council. The Clerk was instructed to prepare and distribute a draft Co-option Policy.

4. Asset Register. Clerk was instructed to have a first draft available in time for the annual inspection of Parish Council Property and other assets. This document needs to integrate with the Council’s Risk Register.

5. Parish Council Insurance. The Clerk reported that this has been arranged through Zurich Municipal.

6. Publication Scheme. The clerk reported that he had not been able to locate a copy of the council’s publication scheme. He was instructed to prepare a draft of a new publication scheme for adoption at the next meeting of the council.

7. Inspection of Parish Council Property and other Assets. This has been set for 10am on Sunday 29th September 2024.

87/24 Financial Matters
1. Bank reconciliations – 2 months to 30 June 2024.

INCOME

• Bank interest £46.14
• Agricultural Rents £230.42
• Quarry Rent £37.48

Total Income = £314.04

EXPENDITURE = £7,723.80

BALANCE OF A/Cs:

• RBS current a/c £1,000.00
• RBS deposit a/c £24,603.62
• Unity a/c               £5,621.74
• Credit Cards           – £314.47

BAL AVAILABLE = £30,910.89

2. Budget review / Two monthly Report

The two monthly report was reviewed.

3. To accept and approve payments since last meeting.

3.1 Markovitz Allotment Project                             £368.44 + VAT
3.2 Peak Waste Skip for Allotments Project        £245.00 + VAT
3.3 Markovitz Allotment Project                               £14.56 + VAT
3.4 J Cox Hire of Digger for allotments project   £150.00
3.5 Adobe Window Films for Pavilion & Tea Hut £60.00 + VAT
3.6 Simpson Electrical Pavilion & Tea Hut safety checks £195.00 + VAT
3.7 Zurich Municipal Parish Council Insurance      £695.00
3.8 ICO Annual Registration Fee (Direct Debit)       £35.00
3.9 Will Bradley Mowing contracts                            £739.30
3.10 Cox Contractors Repairs to Village Hall roof  £260.00 + VAT
3.11 One Stop Promotions New bunting                £1,300.00 + VAT
3.12 Unity Bank Credit Card fee                                     £18.00
3.13 Lloyds Bank Bank Charges April to June @£3 per month £6.00

4. To accept and approve new payments:

4.1 Will Bradley Mowing contracts (Rec & Churchyard) £739.30
4.2 David Longden Repairs to playground equipment £500.00
4.3 Sports Equip Basketball nets                                          £18.00 + VAT
4.4 Kashflow Finance Software (owed to clerk)              £120.00 + VAT
4.5 DALC CiLCA Training for clerk                                   £350.00
4.6 DALC Finance Course for clerk                                     £30.00
4.7 Bruno Cardona Mowing contract – half year        £2,150.00
4.8 Bruno Cardona West Green – trimming trees            £45.00
4.9 N&G Tomlinson Tree removed on Rec Ground        £150.00 + VAT

5. To note that Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) Form 3 has been submitted to the External Auditors.

6. To note that application submitted to add Cllr Douglass to Unity Account.

88/24 Correspondence

• 15/5 Public Rights of Way Minor Maintenance Agreement 2024-25
• 16/5 PDNP – Planning Application Number – NP/DDD/0524/0473 Barley Lees Farm
• 17/5 Sarah Dines MP – Offering to run Q&A sessions in the village
• 20/5 DDDC – Reminder about the Monitoring of Public Spaces Protection Order & encouraging responsible behaviour in parks, recreation grounds & public open spaces
• 27/05 DCC – Notification of Road Closure Main Street/Church Lane 30 July to 1 Aug
• 04/06 PDNP – Planning Application Number: NP/DDD/0524/0534 The Old School
• 19/06 DDDC – Notification that GLPC can fill casual vacancies by co-option
• 20/06 Felling licence consultation – 017/2295/2024 Thornbridge Outdoors
• 23/06 DCC Notification of Road Closure Longreave Lane 5-9 August
• 02/07 Notification of MCLS Gant from DCC
• 04/07 Planning Application Number – NP/DDD/0624/0630 Grange Cottage, Station Road

89/24 Items of Late Correspondence

• 10/07 Confirmation from DDDC that Moor Road verges will be cut w/c 29th July.

90/24 Dates of next Parish Council meetings

• 11th September 2024
• 13th November 2024

The chair closed the meeting at 8.37pm

Simon Headington
Clerk to Great Longstone Parish Council
parishcouncil@greatlongstone.org
Tel: 07968 295258