11th November 2021
MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday 11th November 2021
Held in Follifoot Village Hall, following the relaxation of Government guidelinesregarding the coronavirus pandemic.
PRESENT: Chairman N MacDermid, Vice Chairman A Dewsnip, Councillors C Dickinson, J Locke and S Riley. In attendance, M Richards (Clerk), and 3residents.
1.Apologies: Apologies for absence were received and accepted from Cllr T Hall who was on holiday and Cllr T Martin and who was unwell.
2. Declaration of Interest and Notification of changes in the Members’
Register of Interest: None.
3. Public Participation session: The Chairman welcomed the three residents
to the meeting and confirmed that they were able to comment on any issues raised.
4.Minutes of the meetings held on 14th October 2021:CouncillorDewsnip proposed the minutes to be a correct record, seconded by CouncillorDickinson. The Chairman then duly signed the minutes.
5. Matters arising from the previous minutes: Dealt with as part of the
agenda.
6. Chairman’s communications
The Chairman reported that he had been notified of an incident of fly
tipping. He will forward details to the clerk for notification to HBC. Other
councillors also reported incidents of fly tipping which had been reported
directly to HBC.
b) The Primary School – installation of a higher gate. The clerk had replied
formally to the School that Councillors were happy in principle with the
proposal as long as it meets planning regulations.
7. Clerk’s correspondence received
a) Dog fouling – as reported previously, there had been an increase in dog
fouling, both in the hedge along Radcliffe Close and also in Follifields itself.
The clerk has reported the matter to the HBC Dog Warden and asked her to
visit and conduct occasional patrols. It is suspected, unfortunately, that the
relevant dog owner is a local resident and the clerk is to contact the Housing
Association to ask for a letter to be sent to all Radcliffe Close residents,
requesting all dog owners to act responsibly and control their dogs with
regard to this unacceptable feature. (Cllr Riley undertook to provide the
address of the Housing Association to the clerk)
b) Christmas Crafts. The clerk had circulated details of an organisation
providing “a craft workshop in a pack with all the materials and instructions
you need to try out a craft activity, delivered right to your doorstep”
Councillors thought it a good idea but was not particularly relevant for the
Parish Council. The Chairman, as the Parish Council’s representative, will
forward the details to the Village Hall Committee for consideration.
8. Follifields.
a) Maintenance update. The clerk reported that the fence post holes had now
been filled in and the cutting back of the wildflower area and buddleia is due
to be undertaken this week. Councillors discussed the condition of the
wildflower area which was felt to be too overgrown with weeds and thistles.
The clerk will consult with the HBC Parks and Gardens Officer for advice on
the best way to restore the area to its original state with perhaps more
wildflowers being seeded.
b) ROSPA inspection report. There were no significant issues of concern
reported, the most important one being the missing nut from a retaining bolt
on the basket swing, which the Chairman had already repaired before the
report was received. Other minor matters will be dealt with.
9. Parish matters
a) Plompton. No new matters to report. The clerk had raised the resident’s
concerns over the safety of the A661/Plompton road junction (entrance to
Plompton) with the NYCC Highways Safety Officer and he agreed to
investigate but, based on pictorial evidence (and reports from NY Police on
the recent road accident) he did not feel any further action would be deemed
necessary as there is already adequate signage and road markings.
b) Road safety.
i) Picket fences – the clerk confirmed that he had received the fences from
the supplier and the approved contractor had quoted a price for installation
based on 2 days work. The clerk explained that a significant issue affecting
the quotation was NYCC Highways requirement that traffic lights be
deployed and furthermore, there was also the possibility that the lights be
manually operated which would give rise to an even higher cost. Councillors
expressed surprise at the relatively high cost of the quotation and the clerk
was instructed to seek another quotation, before the contract is awarded.
ii) VAS. Cllr Dickinson had again extracted the data for the latest period
which revealed little difference month on month. The Parish Council
will continue to collect and share the data to see if there are improvements
over time, but in the first instance, Cllr Dickinson will contact the equipment
supplier to enquire whether the device can also capture data on outgoing
traffic, travelling away from the village, before consideration is given to
actually reversing the direction of data capture. A resident commented, as a
general point, whether it would be of benefit if traffic data (speeds/volume)
were published on the website/FB page? Councillors agreed to consider.
c) Radcliffe Close – Cllr Riley reported that residents had affixed “No
Parking” signs to the fencing down Radcliffe Close (on fencing owned by the
Parish Council) Councillors discussed but had no issues with this action.
d) Fireworks. Residents had recently expressed concern over the impact of
loud fireworks on animals. It was accepted that Bonfire Night fireworks are
the norm and can be catered for, but unadvertised ad hoc displays,at random
times throughout the year, can be problematic. The Chairman requested that
all residents holding such firework displays should follow the lead of Rudding
Park, and give due notice via social media or other appropriate means.
10. Finance and Governance:
a) Balance at the bank on 31st October 2021, Current Account £2,304.69
and Deposit Account £28,222.56 (total £30,527.25) Bank statements to be initialled by the Chairman in confirmation, as part of his payment
authorisation process.
b) Monthly Reconciliation – reconciliation as at 31st October was provided
with receipts and payments in the period 30th September to 31st October,
reconciling to the account balances shown above at a) Councillors
then unanimously agreed the 7 amounts below for payment.
| M Richards | Clerk’s salary- Oct. | £307.28 | Bank Transfer |
| HMRC | PAYE – Oct | £76.83 | Bank Transfer |
| Stuart Bush | Grasscutting & m’t’ce | £362.50 | Bank Transfer |
| M Richards | Defib pads | £54.00 | Bank Transfer |
| C Dickinson | Plants and compost | £39.90 | Bank Transfer |
| M Richards | Goal nets | £111.86 | Bank Transfer |
| Vinyl Fencing Ltd | Picket fences | £684.00 | Bank Transfer |
c)The Chairman then ran through the budget spreadsheet, explaining the
updates following the expenditure recorded above. The Cumulative worksheet
demonstrates on a monthly basis, the Parish Council’s financial position, and
the summary sheet provides comparisons with the the annual budget. He
explained that the “forecast year to go” column in the Cumulative worksheet
had now been updated to show both the actual and estimated payments
expected, up to the year end, and therefore displayed the best estimate of the
year end outturn. Councillors were content with this explanation and had no
questions to raise.
d) 2022/23 Precept. The clerk and Chairman had liaised to produce a draft
budget and precept demand, which had been circulated prior to the meeting.
The Chairman explained the content of the draft budget, highlighting such
areas as the provision for maintenance, both general and for Follifields, and
also the potential for further expenditure on traffic calming measures. To meet
this projected budget, the clerk had provided the various percentage
increases in precept needed and the associated demands on reserves.
Lengthy discussion ensued with councillors considering the various options. It
was resolved ultimately that, given the current financial climate, a small
precept increase of 2% (significantly below the expected rate of
inflation/increase in CPI) would be demanded.
e) Governance. i)The internal auditor’s comments regarding the Council’s
updated Financial Regulations and Risk Assessment had been circulated
previously. Councillors undertook to review both documents (updated with the
auditor’s suggested amendments) prior to formally approving for adoption at
the December meeting.
ii) The internal auditor also suggested a further improvement of governance
arrangements would be to introduce a Register of Attendance for residents.
This would help enhance and formalise the conduct of meetings. Councillors
agreed and the clerk will arrange for a suitable register to be available.
11. Planning:
a) Applications Received
None.
b) Notifications
i) 21/02604/FUL – Change of use of parkland to holiday use and siting of 8
holiday lodges and ancillary communal service building for temporary staff
accommodation with access and landscaping works. – Rudding Park Hotel
APPROVED
The Chairman acknowledged the above approval but expressed some
disappointment that the various conditions specified in the Parish Council’s
response in supporting the application, all of which had been agreed by
Rudding Park senior management, were not included in the Planning
Authority’s list of approval conditions.
ii) 21/03384/FUL – Erection of two storey extension and demolition of
existing single storey rear extension. – Aketon Cottage Spofforth Lane
Follifoot REFUSED
Councillors noted the above notification.
12. Any other business
There being no other business, the meeting closed at 9.10pm
Date of next Parish Council meeting: –
Thursday 9th December 2021. To be held at Follifoot Village Hall, commencing at 7.30pm