The Annual Council Meeting was held on Wednesday 10th May 2017 and commenced at 8.00pm in the village hall. The Chairman, Mr. Arthey welcomed the following Parish Cllrs to the meeting – R Corcoran, M Hainsworth, Mrs R Howe, Mrs F Moore, D Waldron and A Sturgeon to the meeting. Also present were District Cllr. B. Hurren (in part) and Mrs V Waples (Clerk).
District Cllr. Bryn Hurren requested and was allowed a few moments to address the Council prior to the commencement of the meeting and stated that Babergh's Development Control Committee had unanimously backed the planning application submitted for Falcon Hall 15-0. He was grieved that the application had been referred to the planning development control committee as a controversial application and not as a member call-in. He confirmed that he would be writing a letter with regards to the issues this raised and the way that this particular application had been dealt with and also the fact that the Parish Council's response had been reduced to a single line by the Case Officer. He also confirmed that he was assisting with an ongoing planning issue in the village. This application had gone before the Development Control Committee a couple of months previously and a decision had been deferred until a site meeting had been held. This was now some 2 months ago and he would be chasing this up on behalf of the Parish Council. Mr Hurren was thanked for his assistance in these matters.
A statement was read out indicating that, in accordance with the changes in legislation, the public and councillors were permitted to film, record, photograph or use social media in order to report on the proceedings of the meeting. A full transcript of the statement is available from the Clerk upon request.
Election of Chair
- It was proposed by and agreed by all that Cllr. Arthey be elected to the position of Chairman. As there were no other nominations and Cllr. Arthey was willing to accept the nomination, it was unanimously agreed by all that Cllr. Arthey be elected to said position, aif. It was agreed that he would sign his Declaration of Acceptance of the Office of Chairman prior to the next meeting.
Apologies of Absence
- There were no applicable apologies of absence.
Declarations of Interest
- There were no declarations of interest for the agenda under discussion. There were also no declarations of gifts of hospitality received exceeding £25.
- There were no requests for dispensations for the agenda under discussion.
Minutes of Previous Meetings
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting of 8th March 2017 were approved by all present and signed as true and accurate records, aif.
To Receive and Consider Reports on Matters Raised at Previous Meetings
There were no matters to be considered.
To Consider Issues Raised Within the Public Forum
There were no members of the public present.
Correspondence
General correspondence was brought to the Council's attention and in particular:
- SALC - Broadband - an email from SALC detailing the Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme was brought to Council's attention. It was agreed that the article would be put into the next newsletter for all to review. Having checked the Better Broadband to Suffolk website it appeared to show that Lindsey was confirmed as having partial or no coverage, under consideration for upgrade between 2017 and 2019. Council was in agreement that this appeared to be a different timescale than previously quoted. The nearest enabled box to take faster broadband was thought to be Edwardstone for the 01787 exchange and Stackyard Green for 01449. It was also reported that 4G coverage was getting better and covered a large part of the village. It was also mentioned that County Broadband did not appear to be interested in the project.
Financial Report
- To consider and receive the schedule of Receipts - it was confirmed that income in the sum of 1387.60 (VAT reclaim of £27.60 & 1st Installment of Precept £1360.00) had been received since the last meeting.
- To consider and approve the verified items awaiting authorisation - a copy of the Schedule of Verified Invoices awaiting payment was circulated to all members and discussed. It was recommended that the schedule be approved, aif. A copy of the details for these payments can be seen at Appendix A on minute page 537.
- To consider the Council's financial position to date - the financial position of the Parish Council as at 10th May 2017 was presented to the Parish Council. Council's funds stood at £781.15. A copy of the financial position can be seen on minute page 537.
- To approve the submission of an application to the Transparency Fund to cover staff hours and hosting of website - it was discussed and agreed that the Clerk would submit a claim for staff hours associated with website work; hosting of website; dedicated laptop for Lindsey along with associated software.
- To consider donations to be made under LGA 1972 s137 - having confirmed that the appropriate sum for the purpose of section 137(4)(a) of the 1972 Act, Council was in agreement that it would provide a donation in the sum of £50.00 to Headway Suffolk as its preferred Charity for 2017-2018. In accordance with the provision of the Act, Council was made aware that this was a capped amount of expenditure that could be incurred for the benefit of all or some of the community within Lindsey. Confirmation was forthcoming that the services of Headway Suffolk had been utilized by some members of the village. It was also agreed that the Parish Council would be proactive and place an article in the next edition of the Village Newsletter stating that this was their Charity of the Year and ask residents to consider the charity when making their own donations.
- To consider the receipt of the internal audit report from SALC - Council considered the Internal Audit Report carried out by one of the auditors working for SALC and noted the comment regarding its low reserves. As it was working towards establishing a workable reserve balance it was agreed that no further action was now required. It was also agreed that Points 2 and 3 under Section 13 did not apply to the Parish Council and must have been 'copied and pasted' in error. Council agreed to accept the Internal Audit point apart from Points 2 and 3 under Section 13, aif.
- To consider and approve the accounts for the year ending 31st March 2017 - Acceptance of the accounts was proposed by Cllr. Corcoran, seconded by Cllr. Hainsworth and approved by all and signed as such by the Chairman and the RFO. A copy of the Annual Accounts can be seen at Appendix B page 538.
- To consider and approve the Annual Governance Statement for 2016/17 as per Section 1 of the Annual Return - having received the Annual Return from the external auditor, BDO Stoy Hayward and in accordance with guidance issued by BDO, Council considered the Statements made under Section 1 of the Annual Return and agreed that all statements should be answered in the affirmative and that the Clerk and Chairman be authorised to sign the return as so approved by Lindsey Parish Council, aif.
- To consider and approve the Accounting Statements for 2016/17 as per Section 2 of the Annual Return - having previously circulated the accounting statements with the agenda, these were presented to the Council and following approval of the statements as written, were signed by the RFO and Chairman. It was noted that the Council's 30 working day period for the exercise of public rights commenced on 5th June 2017 and the Clerk confirmed that she had placed notices on the noticeboard and the website confirming this and giving details on how the public could inspect the council's records. It was noted that the Annual Return along with associated papers should be submitted to the external auditors by 12th June 2017.
- To note that the Clerk has completed the Declaration of Compliance with the Pensions Regulator - the Clerk confirmed that she had completed the declaration of compliance with the Pensions Regulator under the Pensions Act 2008 and had received confirmation that this had been accepted and recorded.
- There were no other matters coming forth for the Council to consider.
Planning Application
- Council noted the following planning determinations:
- Permission for the erection of cartlodge / store @ 7 Canada Cottages, Lavenham Road
- Permission for the change of use from residential annex to holiday let @ Old Rectory, The Tye.
- Council noted correspondence from Babergh District Council Planning Department over Falcon Hall and noted that the application had been granted approval at the Development Control Committee Meeting earlier that day. It was agreed that the Parish Council was also disappointed at the reporting of the Parish Council's consideration of this application by the Case Officer and thanks were offered to the Chairman for speaking on behalf of the Parish Council at the meeting that morning. It was felt that the comments submitted by the Parish Council were measured and had been taken on board by the Development Committee. Council was also made aware of correspondence from the owner of Falcon Hall thanking the Parish Council for its support and assistance on this matter.
- Council noted correspondence from BDC Planning Department over recent CIL payments.
- Council noted that there had been 2 sites submitted under Babergh and Mid Suffolk Public Site Submissions 2014 and 2016. The submission of these sites and their listing in the document was only a factual record of sites promoted to Babergh through the Local Plan process at any one time and that it was not a comprehensive schedule of current planning applications. It was also understood that the schedule bore no relationship to the likelihood or status of any future planning applications.
- Babergh and Mid Suffolk - Joint Local Development Scheme - the meeting noted the Local Development Scheme (LDS) which set out the timetable for adopting new planning documents which would guide development in both Districts. It was noted that the new Local Plan would cover a 20 year period up to 2036 and expectation was that it would be adopted in Spring 2019.
Parish Councillor's Reports
- Crossroads - Bildeston to Hadleigh Road / Kersey - it was agreed that the inaction on the part of Suffolk County Council had not diminished the risks this junction posed.
- Trees on boundaries - it was confirmed that trees on the roadside verge were generally the responsibility of the riparian owner.
- Lindsey - Kersey road - it was reported that the verges along part of this road were in need of attention and that the tenant who farms this land should be approached to trim the hedgerow / verges back.
- The Rose - it was expected that the pub would be opening under new ownership in time for the bank holiday weekend.
There being no other business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.05pm.
Date of Next Meeting
Parish Meeting on Wednesday 12th July 2017 commencing at 7.30pm in the Village Hall, Church Road, Lindsey.
Appendix A - Financial Report
Items received since the last meeting
| Expenditure | Description | Nett | VAT | Gross | Ref | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.03.2017 | HMRC - VAT Reclaim | 27.60 | BACS | |||
| 08.04.2017 | BDC - Precept 1 for 2017/18 | 1360.00 | BACS |
Items to be Authorized for Payment
| Expenditure | Description | Nett | VAT | Gross | Ref | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.05.2017 | SALC - Internal Audit | 94.00 | 18.80 | 112.80 | 403 | LGA 1972 s151 |
| Suffolk.cloud - Hosting of website | 100.00 | 0.00 | 100.00 | 404 | LGA 1972 s111 | |
| SALC - Subscription 17-18 | 129.91 | 0.00 | 129.91 | 405 | LGA 1972 s143 | |
| Lindsey Village Hall - hire of hall 16-17 | 90.00 | 0.00 | 90.00 | 406 | LGA 1972 s111 | |
| V Waples - Clerk's Salary & Expenses | 261.76 | 0.00 | 261.76 | 407 | LGA 1972 s111&112 | |
| Headway Suffolk - Donation | 50.00 | 0.00 | 50.00 | 408 | LGA 1972 s137 |
Financial Report
| Date | £ | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Balance | 8th March 2017 | 138.02 |
| Add Income Received | March - May 2017 | 1387.60 |
| Less Expenditure Incurred | March - May 2017 | 0.00 |
| Less Expenditure from verified list | 10th May 2017 | 744.47 |
| Closing Balance | 10th May 2017 | 781.15 |
Bank Reconciliation
| Community Account | Statement 94 | 263.02 |
|---|---|---|
| Less unlogged cheques | At 10th May 2017 | 841.87 |
| Plus unaccredited income | At 10th May 2017 | 1360.00 |
| Reconciled Total | 781.15 |
Appendix B - Financial Accounts for 2016 -2017 - Payments and Receipts Basis
Income Received
| 31.03.2016 | INCOME | 31.03.2017 |
|---|---|---|
| 2115.00 | Precept | 2221.00 |
| 51.00 | Local Council Tax Support Grant | 25.50 |
| 0.60 | Consols Dividend | 60.69 |
| 423.52 | Transparency Fund | 276.45 |
| 0.00 | VAT Reclaim | 35.90 |
| 2590.12 | Total Income | 2619.54 |
Expenditure Incurred
| EXPENDITURE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1408.38 | Clerk's Salary | 1592.21 | LGA 1972 s112 |
| 0.00 | Audit Fees | 105.60 | LGA 1972 s151 |
| 164.61 | Administration Costs | 104.13 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| 155.10 | Council Insurance | 159.73 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| 123.00 | Subscriptions | 126.26 | LGA 1972 s143 |
| 50.00 | S137 Donations | 0.00 | LGA 1972 s137 |
| 80.00 | Hire of Village Hall | 70.00 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| 12.00 | Training | 0.00 | |
| 35.00 | Registration with ICO | 35.00 | Data Protection Acts |
| 200.00 | Grant to St Peter's Church for Grounds Mainteance | 200.00 | LGA 1972 s214(6) |
| 200.00 | Grant to Village Hall Committee | 200.00 | LG(Misc Prov) 1976 s19 |
| 100.00 | Diamond Jubilee/Royal Wedding Events | 0.00 | LGA 1972 s142 |
| 87.50 | 2015 Election Expenses | 0.00 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| 0.00 | LCAS Registration Fee | 60.00 | LGA 1972 s111 |
| 2615.59 | Total Expenditure | 2752.39 |
Cumulative Fund Balance
| 324.48 | Balance b/fwd from 01.04.16 | 299.01 |
| 2590.12 | Add Income Received | 2619.54 |
| 2914.60 | Total Income | 2918.55 |
| 2615.59 | Less Expenditure Incurred | 2752.93 |
| 299.01 | Balance as at 31.03.17 | 165.62 |