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COMMUNITY TRUST
PARISH COUNCIL
Agendas
& Minutes
Accounts
CHURCHES
LOCAL
GROUPS
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Minutes
ANNUAL MEETING OF CRASTER PARISH COUNCIL
Thursday 19th May 2016 - 7:15pm in the Craster Memorial Hall
2028. Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman
Chair - Cllr Owen
Proposed: Cllr Gallon
Seconded: Cllr Craster
Vice Chair – Cllr Gallon
Proposed: Cllr Owen
Seconded: Cllr Smith
Present
Chair: Cllr Owen
Parish Council members: Cllr
Craster, Cllr Pearson, Cllr Brooks, Cllr Gallon, Cllr Smith, Cllr
Sutherland
Clerk: Ruth Younger
2029. Declaration of interests
None declared
2030. Apologies received.
Cllr Punton and Cllr
Baird
2031. Minutes of the previous meeting
Resolution: unanimous vote to accept the minutes as an accurate record
Proposed: Cllr Smith
Seconded: Cllr Craster
2032. Matters arising from the minutes not covered
elsewhere on the agenda.
None
2033. County Councillor's update. (this report was
given at the end of the meeting)
Cllr Cairns provided an
update on her work in the Parish over the last 12 months. Her report is
summarised below:
Grasscrete installation – I allocated £22,000 of my members fund
to provide a sustainable solution of new grasscrete in three locations
around the church and on Heugh Wynd.
Visitor Parking Problems
– I have continued to work with the Parish Council and officers at
County Hall on the problem of visitor parking in the village.
Drainage and surface
works – Flooding has been an ongoing problem, and NCC Highways team has
contributed significant time and resources in clearing drains, ditches
and culverts and carrying out repairs to structures at the bottom of
Tower Bank and in Dunstan.
Planning - Planning
applications often bring concern to residents of Craster. I am always
happy to speak up on behalf of local residents to ensure their views
are heard by the decision makers so we can ensure that any development
is as sustainable as possible.
Pavements – I have been
working with Officers at NCC to see if despite tight constraints of the
2016/17 budget, speedy work can be carried out on Heugh Road to repair
the pavements which are cracked and uneven and pose a particular
problem to the elderly and less abled.
2034. Nomination of Councillors to represent the
Parish Council on the Embleton Joint Burial Committee, the Craster
Community Trust and the Arnold Nature Reserve.
EJBC: Cllr Owen and Cllr Pearson
Proposed: Cllr Craster
Seconded: Cllr Smith
Craster Community Trust: Cllr Craster
Proposed: Cllr Owen
Seconded: Cllr Smith
Arnold Nature Reserve: Cllr Brooks
Proposed: Cllr Gallon
Seconded: Cllr Craster
2035. Review of Standing Orders
Cllr Owen reported that
the Parish Council currently post the full agenda of meetings on the
two notice boards. This happens on the Sunday prior to the meeting,
along with the notice of the meeting. This is not a legal requirement
and places an unnecessary strain on officers. He proposed that the
standing orders are amended to indicate that the agenda is available on
the internet, and then the yearly schedule of meetings can be posted
once.
Existing:
3.3.
Public notices will be posted in conspicuous places informing members
of the public of the venue, time, date and business to be transacted at
the meeting. The notice will be posted at least three clear working
days before the meeting.
Proposed:
3.3.
Public notices will be posted in conspicuous places informing members
of the public of the venue, time, and date of the meeting. The
business to be transacted will be published on the internet at least
three clear working days before the meeting.
Resolution: a unanimous vote in favour of accepting Cllr Owen’s proposal
Proposed: Cllr Craster
Seconded: Cllr Smith
2036. Risk analysis
Cllr Owen reported that
the Parish Council is obliged to review how we ensure we do not run the
risk of misusing public funds. He reported that the Parish Council has
procedures for tendering; limits on spending; cheque book only
transactions; the cheque book controlled by the Clerk who is not a
signatory; and a requirement for two Councillors to sign each cheque
after reviewing the validity of the reason. He concluded that the risk
was minimized as far as possible, with no further action required. This
was agreed unanimously.
2037. Parish Council vacancy
Cllr Owen reported that
the period in which a request can be made for an election to be held
does not expire until Monday night. No request has been received so far
and if none is received, Cllr Owen suggested the Clerk should then
advertise the vacancy on Monday, giving two weeks for applicants to
notify the Clerk that they are prepared to serve. This will give time
for the co-option to be dealt with at the June meeting.
Resolution: unanimous vote
to accept this course of action.
Proposed: Cllr Smith
Seconded: Cllr Gallon
2038. Planning Matters
a. Pre-app for 7 holiday chalets adjacent to Chapel
Row.
Following a discussion
at the Parish Meeting, agreement was reached that the Parish Council
would not comment on this pre-application.
b. 16/01230/FUL 9 Whin Hill Craster NE66 3TP.
A submission was made as
agreed by email between the Parish Councillors.
Cllr Owen reported that
following the challenge to the planning review process, a change has
been made to the procedure. Parish Councils will now be notified the
application is to be dealt with by delegated powers before the final
decision is made. Cllr Owen said this is more open and transparent and
allows for additional inputs from Parish Councils if there is a belief
the full information may not be available.
2039. Circulation of planning applications for
comment
A discussion was had
about how planning applications are viewed and commented on by
Councillors. A sample procedure from Newton on the Moor Parish Council
was circulated before the meeting and used as a starting point. It was
agreed that Cllr Gallon will make the amendments as discussed and bring
a revised version of the procedure to the next meeting for approval.
In summary, the Clerk
will circulate the planning application electronically and comments
should be made by ‘replying to all’ by email. A hard copy will also be
circulated and brought to the drop in session at the Memorial Hall on a
Saturday morning. Seven days before the deadline, the Clerk will
produce a consensus view from the comments received. If this is not
clear, the Chair will assist.
2040. Parish Meeting
Cllr Owen reported that
the meeting was a success with 54 residents present. The Parish Council
need to contact David English and a representative from a local coastal
Parish Council (like Bamburgh) to take part on the next Parish Meeting
– which will discuss Neighbourhood Plans. Dates will be circulated once
speakers are confirmed, but it is expected to take place in July.
Cllr Pearson raised the
issue of IT skills individuals needed to be part of the Parish Council.
After some discussion, it was agreed that reassurance should be given
to anyone that they would supported. However, it should also be
recognised that there is a commitment at County and national level to
move towards electronic communication.
2041. NALC Coastal Survey
Cllr Gallon had
circulated his initial responses by email prior to the meeting. It was
agreed that these should be submitted, but should include the
contributions from Cllr Sutherland and Cllr Brooks.
2042. Minute archive
Cllr Owen reported that
the last minute book is in the Craster Community Trust safe and not
under the control of the Parish Council. He suggested it is taken to
Woodhorn to be properly archived. He also reported that there is a gap
between the end of the minute book and the start of posting on the web.
The Clerk is going to report back to the next meeting after looking
through the paperwork held. It was unanimously agreed that this was a
sensible course of action.
2043. Local Transport Plan
Cllr Owen reported that
the Local Transport Plan had been circulated with the agenda and it
does indicate that work can proceed on our three objectives, but it
does not say when.
Cllr Owen added that
Richard McKenzie is the officer responsible it is his understanding
that the Craster speed limits and traffic calming measures are being
dealt with by Neil Snowdon and the Parking Task Force. Our second
priority is the footpath down the tower bank. Once we have agreement
from Howick estates, NCC can take the project over and the funding is
available. It will be dealt with as one of the accident prevention
measures. The third priority, the bottom of Smith Bank, can also be
covered by the accident prevention measures. This includes the
extension of the speed limit and the introduction of warning signs.
Cllr Owen said that the
Parish Council need to plan for their next priorities, which he
suggested can pick up the foot path along the Bogue Road and up Smithy
Bank and Traffic Calming measures on Heugh Wynd.
2044. Dunstan Road Works
Cllr Owen reported that
the field at the west of the village is heavily waterlogged and it will
take some time for the re-established drain to get the accumulated
water away. However, all the drains are now running. Minor
modifications are being made to the road to try to ensure that any
water from the field does not flow down the road. There have also been
some minor modifications to the road edging to prevent water flowing
from the road into the bungalow gardens to the south of the road.
2045. EJBC
Nothing to report.
2046. Craster Community Trust
Cllr Craster reported
that the CCT will charge the Parish Council £20 every time they use the
Memorial Hall. This was unanimously agreed.
The screen and projector
are still being investigated. Cllr Craster will provide an update at
the next meeting.
2047. AONB
Nothing to report.
2048. Fixed asset maintenance.
Cllr Gallon will liaise
with the contractor to establish the work that needs to be done –
particularly with the litter bins. He will report back to the next
meeting with some estimates of cost.
2049. Tourist Amenities / Grant Funding
The signage was
discussed. Cllr Owen reported that the Parish Council would be
investigating the availability of LEADER funding to fund signs at the
footpath entrances to the village and on the path from the quarry car
park to the harbor. He will report back on pricing at the next meeting.
Cllr Craster suggested
the Northumberland Wildlife Trust were included. Cllr Brooks will take
this up and report back at the next meeting.
It was reported that the
footpath through the Harbour Lights garden is becoming unsafe and the
sign needs to be replaced. The Clerk will raise with NCC.
2050. Car Parking
a. Quarry Car Park
Cllr Owen reported that
the survey is being carried out to determine how large an extension can
be safely made. The report will be ready by the end of June. The funds
are available.
b. Residents’ parking
Cllr Craster spoke to
the report he circulated in advance of the meeting. Cllr Sutherland
also voiced the concerns he raised in the report he circulated in
advance of the meeting. A wide-ranging discussion followed about the
traffic management and parking issues within the village. Cllr Craster
summarised the discussion by stating that the Parking Task Force noted
Cllr Sutherland’s concerns about overcrowding and agreed that effective
traffic management was the solution. However, he confirmed they would
continue to look at ways of dealing with the displaced traffic, and
anticipated the maximum capacity for around 200-250 across the two car
parks. He concluded that incremental changes would have to be made to
deal with the problems.
Cllr Smith thanked the
Parking Task Force for their continued efforts.
Cllr Sutherland
suggested that the National Trust meet with the Parish Council to
discuss the parking problems and the role they can play in solving
them. Cllr Craster is to take this up and report to the next meeting.
2051. Transparency Fund
a. Parish Council Website
Cllr Owen reported that
we are waiting for a recommendation from NALC to see if it fits the
requirements of the Parish Council
b. Application for grant for Computer and Scanner
Some discussion of the
application followed Cllr Sutherland’s admission that he was unable to
complete the form. Cllr Gallon will complete the form and circulate it
prior to submission.
2052. Financial matters.
a. Current Account Balance: £3938.72
b. Spent & Received
c. Clerk/HMRC wages & expenses: £233.19
d. Cheques required: Clerk’s wages and expenses only.
The fixed term deposit
has reached maturity. The current balance is £18309.17. After some
discussion, it was agreed that £11,000 should be put back into a high
interest account and the rest will be left available for the
maintenance of the bins, the new signage and any other expenditure.
Cllr Smith agreed to liaise with Lloyds bank to make the transfer.
Kevin Brown raised the
issue of the Parish Council purchasing some new picnic tables for the
area between the playpark and the football pitch. It was agreed in
principle that this was a good idea and suggested a formal proposal was
brought to the next meeting for formal deliberation.
2053. Correspondence received.
a. Historic England: Embleton War Memorial – Clerk to respond to explain it is not
a Craster Parish Council asset, but hosted by Embleton.
b. NCC: Parish Cemetary Double Charge Issue – noted.
c. Highways England: A1 – noted.
d. NCC: Love Northumberland Hate Litter Campaign – noted
2054. Items for Next Agenda
None
2055. Information Share
Earlier in the meeting,
Cllr Brooks raised the issue of stones from the wall being placed in
the side of the burn. Cllr Gallon is to take this up with
Northumberland County Council and report back at the next meeting.
2056. Date and Time of Next Meeting
Thursday 16th June 2016
at 7:15pm in the Craster Memorial Hall
Open to Press and Public
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