PC Minutes: 29th February 2016

FULL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING ON MONDAY 29^TH FEBRUARY AT 8 PM THE PAVILION 

Present: Mr Dalton, Mr Dinsdale, Mrs Hoar, Mrs Handley, Ms O’Callaghan, Mr Webster and in the Chair, Mr Tebbit

Apologies for Absence: Mr Prince, Mrs Pritchard

The minutes of the Full Council meeting on Monday 18^th January 2016 and the Planning Minutes of 1^st February 2016 were approved as a true and accurate record.

Open Forum for Public Participation A member of the public gallery asked if the Council were planning a Litter picking activity in the Village.   It was agreed that the Council would add this to the 4^th April agenda to decide a suitable date. Mr Tebbit will contact SCDC once the date has been agreed to borrow the equipment.

Lina Joseph introduced herself to the Parish Council as the Conservative Candidate for SCDC May Elections. Ms Joseph said that she had distributed some surveys around the Village to ascertain the view of voters and would send to Clerk to distribute to Parish Council.

There were no Declarations of Interest. Matters Arising

1. Speedwatch – The equipment had been ordered from Westcotec and would be delivered within 2-3 weeks. Mr Tebbit informed the meeting that a Speedwatch flyer was being distributed along the main stretch through the Villages asking for more volunteers to operate the system.   The Clerk will check the maintenance agreement on the purchased equipment
2. WEEE Recycling – Agreed for Wednesday 16^th March 2016 with £0 rebate.
3.  Harry Stebbings Workshop had contacted the Clerk to report that the Village Sign will be back with us in 2-3 weeks. The cheque is raised in finance so that it can be paid on delivery.
4. Eversden Brass Band Donation – It was agreed that the Brass Band were not to receive regular funding, however it was agreed that the Council would fund when a need arose, as on this occasion.
5. OSP 148 – All outstanding issues have been agreed including Mortgagee in Possession and the Principle of Selling the Land.  SCDC and Accent Nene are now in final discussion regarding the legal agreements.   Accent Nene are putting pressure on SCDC to speed up the process.

Eversden Oil Club The Oil club has accumulated a rebate of £175.00 this year. The Village Hall had requested the donation to purchase new curtains and table cloths for the Village Hall. It was resolved that the money would be given to the Village Hall for this purpose.

Planning

• S/0262/16/FL

Two Storey semi basement side extension and repairs to end elevation 17 Wimpole Road, Great Eversden, Cambridge, CB231HR Following discussion it was resolved that the Council would “Refuse” the application with the following comments:

• The building is out of scale with pre existing design;
• Concerns over the amount of glass and light pollution aspect,
• It is inconsistent with the rules applied to the Barn in the next door development.
• The property is also on Green Belt.

Mrs Glasse joined the meeting at 8:50 pm.

• S/0266/16/FL

Alterations to roof and associated alterations to chimneys and first floor fenestration 4 Kingston Road, Great Eversden, Cambridge, CB23 1HT “Approved.”

• S/0322/16/LB

Replace 3 no. existing modern windows and 2 no. glazed modern doors Home Close Cottage, 18, High Street, Little Eversden, Cambridgeshire, CB23 1HE “Approved”.

• S/2767/15/LB

Alterations and conversion of barn to residential unit (Revised scheme to that previously approved under application S/2170/13/LB Unit 17, Black Barn, Merrys Farm, Wimpole Road, Great Eversden, CB23 1HR “Approved”.

Finance All payments were approved.

Eversden Brass Band                                                        £200.00           LGA 1972 s.145

Tailcorn Funding                                                               £250.00           LGA 1972 s.142

Cambridgeshire County Council (Street Lighting)    £274.14           PCA 1957 s.3

Churchyard Grant                                                           £1000.00         LGA 1972 s.124

Harry Stebbings Workshop (Village Sign)             £1356.00         LGA 1972 s.226

Correspondence was circulated before the meeting by the Clerk.

Report from Councillor Sebastian Kindersley.

2% on the council tax for Cambridgeshire raises about £4.8 million and costs the average band D property owner about £22/year. We are allowed to raise the basic rate by 1.99% per year. This year we also were allowed to raise a further 2% for Adult Social Care – so we could have raised 3.99% in total. At the budget meeting the council was split between the Tories on the one hand and UKIP, Lib Dems, Labour and the Independents on the other. When a 1.99% council tax increase and not taking the Adult Social Care precept (1.99 plus 0) was proposed it was rejected accordingly. There was some attempt to broker an alternative around 1.99 and 1 but that was always going to be difficult for UKIP to swallow as UKIP believe in no Council Tax increase ever for anything (it’s a key party commitment). Then the Indies agreed to support the Tories on 0 plus 2 and when the latter agreed to run an enhanced budget consultation next year the budget went through. Just.

The end result was firstly to take the Adult Social Care precept. That’s good because the National Living Wage is now mostly funded for 2016/17 and for subsequent years. However, the other part of the decision was not to increase council tax otherwise. That means that funding which CCC would have got from the 1.99% and will now not receive will have to be taken from reserves. And because we’ve not taken the opportunity to raise council tax this year when we get to next year we’ll miss it again and for every year thereafter. So we haven’t just deprived Cambridgeshire of about £5 million to spend on necessary services in 2016/17 but of the same amount in every subsequent year. Life won’t get any easier and this decision just makes it harder again. Many of us believe that we got it wrong and that most people in Cambridgeshire would agree. We had an open door for 1.99% and 2% and we chose not to go through it. Bad for Cambridgeshire and bad for the Council which in general had been working hard and successfully to develop the sort of honest compromises that enable the committee system to work.

Devolution: As if there wasn’t enough to do in local government and less to do it with there is now substantial pressure from Above (not God, Mr Osbourne) for Cambridgeshire to enter into a devolution agreement with Suffolk and Norfolk. The new organisation will have a directly elected Mayor based around the London model.  The Councils have been asked what they would like from this deal so obviously we’ve all said we want complete freedom to keep our business rates, keep our Council housing and make our own decisions about the things that impact on local people. So that will be ignored. What is very troubling about this is the speed that Government is forcing on Council Leaders to make a decision – at one stage giving Leaders just 24 hours to decide whether or not this is a good plan for the community they represent.  No public engagement possible and so we are all disenfranchised.  It’ll be decided within two weeks of us being made aware of it, and indeed may well be done and dusted by the time you read this. We have substantial concerns aside from the democratic deficit. We have different interests, concerns and approaches simply based on our geography. Lastly do you want decisions over your local area – Parish, District or County – to be made by someone who might live and work in a completely different area.

Next Meetings Planning on Monday 14^th March 2016, if required, and Monday 4^th April 2016 Full Parish Council. Little Eversden Parish Meeting in the Pavilion on Monday 7^th March 2016.