Great Gransden is a parish in Cambridgeshire, in the Huntingdonshire District. This web site includes information about the Parish Council, the village facilities it manages, the date and agenda for the next meetings, the minutes of previous meetings and the policies under which it operates - please see the links below, in the menu bar above, and in the sidebar on the left. (Note: the sidebar might be hidden if you are viewing this device on a mobile device.)
Great Gransden has 9 Parish Councillors
- Andrew Pett, Giles Scott, Jeff Gorton, Nick Ginn, Michael Capps,
Nigel Day and Peter King, who were returned following an uncontested
election in 2018; James Catmur, who was co-opted later that year; and Lisbeth Ricciardi, who was co-opted in 2019.
Your Parish Council always welcomes your questions, comments and suggestions. See our contact page for info on how to get in touch. And you can attend our meetings via Zoom - see below - and join in the Open Forum section of the meeting.
The Parish Council takes care to safeguard the privacy of personal data supplied to us, in whatever form. A copy of our current privacy notice can be viewed on our privacy page. Apart from formatting changes (to improve accessibility) and a change to the contact details in December 2019, the current version was last edited in May 2018, to ensure conformance with the newly-introduced GDPR legislation.
In order to improve accessibility, the site appearance was changed in December 2019, and several pages revamped. A new Accessibility Policy is being developed, and will be announced here when it has been adopted by the Parish Council.
Parish Council meetings
Meetings are normally held in the Reading Rooms. However, to comply with the rules on social distancing - and to allow those self-isolating to participate - we held our meetings online during the Covid-19 pandemic. (During the pandemic, Government regulations permitted online meetings, but the rules reverted to normal in May 2021. We used Zoom (https://zoom.us/, meeting ID 313 378 5045, passcode 941083), which allowed the Councillors and the Parish Clerk to be online together, and also allowed interested parties to watch and listen in. During open forum sessions, members of the public were able to participate.)
The agenda for a PC meeting is published at least 3 clear days in advance. For the regular monthly meetings, the clerk's report is also available to download before the meeting, with a link to it on the agenda page. Meetings are normally the 1st Monday of each month (unless that is a bank holiday, in which case the meeting is normally the following day or on the 2nd Monday); extra meetings are sometimes held to allow the parish Council to discuss an urgent matter, such as a planning application where we have to give our input before our next scheduled meeting. Gransden 2020 VisionGreat Gransden is in the process of establishing a Neighbourhood Plan (also known as a Neighbourhood Development Plan), which is an opportunity for the community to have more say in the way the village develops over the next years. The Parish Council has delegated authority to a Steering Group to oversee this work, and there is a separate website giving information about progress, and details of steering group and other meetings - see 2020vision.gransdens.org/, and their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GreatGransdenNDP
What follows is a number of posts containing information that might be of interests to parishioners, along with announcements by the Parish Council. If there are a lot of posts, they may continue onto other pages, with a link to them at the bottom of this page. Old posts about parish council meetings will be moved to the meetings page; other posts will be moved to the old posts archive before being eventually deleted - though if they are very temporary notices, for example about road closures, they may be just deleted once they are no longer of relevance.
(Some posts may contain links to other sites, but the Parish Council has no control over the contents of the referenced sites, nor their privacy and accessibility policies; please exercise reasonable caution when visiting them. Indeed, the owners of those sites may make changes that invalidate the links we have supplied, so please let us know of any problems! Likewise, any attachments to or images or quoted texts (indicated by colour and indentation) within the posts are as supplied to us and are provided here for your convenience, but the Parish Council cannot speak for the accuracy and accessibility of this information.)
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Neighbourhood plan Steering Group meeting, May 2021
The May meeting of the NP steering group is tonight, at 7pm. You can join in via Zoom: Topic: Neighbourhood PlanTime: May 12, 2021 19:00 LondonJoin Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/97213053449?pwd=Ty9IK0VMSytRaDMyWUNGU2ZlY3J3Zz09Meeting ID: 972 1305 3449Passcode: 0342741. Apologies 2. Declarations of Interest in the agenda of the meeting 3. Minutes of previous meeting of 31 March for approval 4. Open forum - 15 minutes for members of the public to ask questions 5. East-West Rail Link consultation James Catmur/ALL 6. Update on actions from previous minutes
10. AOB |
Vacant slot on the Parish Council
Notice of Vacancy in office of Parish Councillor on the Great Gransden Parish CouncilNotice is hereby given pursuant to section 87(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 that due to the resignation of Councillor Jeffrey Gorton there is a vacancy on the Great Gransden Parish Council. If, within 14 statutory days after the date of this notice, a request for an election to fill the vacancy is made in writing to the Returning Officer, Huntingdonshire District Council, Pathfinder House, Huntingdon PE29 3TN by ten electors of the Parish an election will be held. If no such notice is given the Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option.If any member of the Parish would like to be considered for co-option please contact the Parish Clerk. Dated: 10th May 2021 Signed by the Parish Clerk Address: 37 West Street, Great Gransden, Sandy, Beds, SG19 3AU |
Minutes of Annual Meeting, 2021
The minutes of the meeting follow below, and are also available in PDF form. There are also some appendices (listed below, and referenced in the text of the minutes) that are available in PDF form:
Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 22nd April 2021Those present were:
1. The meeting was opened at 7.30pm with a silent prayer. 2. Apologies. There were apologies from Parish Councillors Nigel Day and Lisbeth Ricciardi. 3. Minutes of the previous Annual Parish Meeting, held on 19th April 2019 had been circulated to councillors soon afterwards and were considered at the Parish Council meeting on 13th May 2019. The minutes were then approved and accordingly initialled. At this meeting the initialled minutes of 19th April 2019 were approved and accordingly signed by the chairman. Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, there was no Annual Parish meeting in 2020. However, all reports from that year are available on the website. At the invitation of the Parish Council, Rebecca Neal joined the meeting to introduce herself and her role within the Wildlife Trust at Gransden and Waresley Woods. Primarily, Ms Neal’s role will be focused on people engagement not access and management. However, it is hoped that having a named point of contact will help to alleviate communication breakdowns that have happened in the past. 4. Chairman’s Report. The Chairman spoke about the unprecedented challenges of the past year. At the start of the year in May 2020 it was agreed that all Officers of the Parish Council remain in their current roles, to ensure continuity until such time as face-to-face meetings could be resumed. With Lockdown in place at the beginning of the year, the Bluebell-19 Group were given great assistance by Councillor Catmur in setting up a database to render support to the village. During the year there have been numerous notices on Touchbase offering help and assistance to parishioners. Special thanks were made to the Basra’s and all their staff at the Village Shop for the way in which they have provided for village needs during this time The Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Group has continued working hard throughout with monthly meetings, updates to the Parish Council and now most of the written sections of the report are available to read on the website. There is hope that by the fourth quarter of 2021 the plan should be ready to go to consultation. David Prest, the Chair of the group and Anne Constantine, the Secretary have been the driving forces but the whole group has worked hard towards its goal. A survey undertaken by the NDP Group had shown that residents were keen to see improvements to road safety within the village, improved sports and leisure facilities and better access to open spaces. It has become vital to improve road safety and to that end Councillor Scott produced a compelling application for Local Highways Improvement Funding this year. The bid made the case for priority narrowing measures for both Ladies Hill and on Middle Street. The Council is still pushing for safety signs along Meadow Road to moderate speeds. This year the Parish Council decided to raise the precept by £10,000 to allow for similar improvement measures to cope with an anticipated increase in traffic generated by the A428 upgrade and also greater usage of village facilities generated by the changes in working habits. Flooding has been a popular theme at meetings due to one of the wettest winters in the recent past and some progress has been made on drains in Middle Street, East Street and Church Street although drains in general around the village still remain a problem, with many being completely blocked. The Parish Council continues to press for a ‘village-wide’ clearing on a regular basis. During the year the long-time caretakers of the Reading Room retired necessitating the appointment of a new tenant for the cottage. Georgia Yarrow accepted the role of Caretaker at the Reading Room, effective 1st November, and signed a new tenancy agreement. The Reading Room Committee requested that the Parish Council consider resurfacing the car park to the rear of the Reading Room. However,the overall cost is outside the Parish budget at this point, although low level lighting is being considered for the future. Other improvements noted this year have been:
The number of Consultations seems to have proliferated this year, all of which are of vital importance for Great Gransden. These are:
Finally, Councillor Julie Wisson was thanked for always been extremely informative and helpful in opening doors for the Parish Council on County matters such as Highways & Drains. Councillor Richard West was thanked for attending all the Parish Council meetings and for fielding a tide of complaints about the Planning at HDC with great forbearance. His wholehearted support for this village is well documented and very much appreciated. The Chairman expressed thanks to all his fellow Parish Councillors, especially Councillor Gorton who is due to retire this year after 27 years’ service to the Parish Council. Finally, thanks were given to all other Councillors who have worked hard all year to maintain the very high standards of this Council and village, and to the Clerk for her hard work and assistance. Councillor Capps expressed his confidence and thanks to the Chairman on behalf of his fellow councillors. 5. County Councillor Julie Wisson reported that during the last 12 months, officers at all councils were deployed to pick up roles in areas that were needed in the emergency, such as contacting residents that were shielding and distributing food parcels. The service director for Education Jonathan Lewis has been praised for his role in keeping communication open with all schools in the county and interpreting government guidance for schools whilst education settings came to grips with Covid lockdowns and providing an educational setting for key workers children. The preferred route for the A428 has now been submitted in detail with plans for junctions, borrow pits and compounds to the Planning Inspectorate and is available to be seen on the PINS website. a decision from the government is expected later this year with a construction start date in 2022. There is now further clarity on the 5 route options for an east West rail link between Oxford and Cambridge and the 6 possible stations. The preferred routes are the most northern routes keeping the infrastructure in one travel corridor with the railway and the new A428, to be named A421 once opened. Later this year the county council will be moving to their new hub at Alconbury Weald named New Shire Hall away from Shire Hall in Cambridge; making the building more accessible to residents. Finally, Cllr Wisson thanked Parish councillors and District Councillor West for their continued support 6. District Councillor Richard West spoke about his roles at the district council have the role of (Chairman of the Employment Committee, and Chairman of Hinchingbrooke Country Park Joint Group working with Cambridgeshire County Council). Councillor West is also a member of the Corporate Governance Committee and member of Licensing Committee / Licensing Protection Committee. Councillor West felt that service levels at district level had been a cause for concern. However, the district council are investing in equipment and staff to reduce and improve waiting times for the telephone to be answered. The planning service have had a change of leadership and senior management. This is expected to further improve service delivery to meet the expectations of both applicants and residents. Councillor West passed on his sincere thanks to Cambridgeshire County Councillor Julie Wisson for her dedicated and balanced support during her time on the council, wishing her a very happy retirement, Similarly, Councillor West thanked Councillor Gorton for his tireless service in the best interests of village residents – also wishing him a very happy retirement. His report is filed hereafter as Appendix No. 2. 7. Financial Statement. The clerk’s summary for the year had been circulated. The summary is filed hereafter as Appendix No. 3. 8. The Poor’s Land Charity. The Chairman reported that there had been one new request this year for financial assistance with 5 villagers now receiving 5 payments per annum at a total overall cost to the Charity of £3375. Various grants had also been made to village organisations including the Tennis Club, Gransden Foxes, the PCC at the Parish Church and other Great Gransden activities. The trustees are the Chairman, Councillor Scott and Councillor Gorton who had met on 3 occasions discussing the objects of the charity and its income which is available for the benefit of Great Gransden residents. The charity has a moderate risk strategy and the trustees are guided by the charity’s financial advisor. The aim in the long term is to grow capital and maintain income. The strategy and active ongoing daily management has helped to protect the portfolio in what are unprecedented times and the recovery to date further demonstrates the necessity to remain invested through difficult times rather than to try and time the markets. Trustees have analysed the performance of the investments over the last 6 and 12 months. The portfolio has shown a strong recovery from the lows experienced immediately after the COVID 19 lockdowns in 2020 and, pleasingly, is now standing above the levels at the end of December 2019 (£455,723) prior to the pandemic. Over the 6 and 12 months to 1st April 2021, net of fees and all underlying portfolios costs, the investments increased in value by 7.1% and 21.9% respectively. The target Income yield for Poor’s Land is c2.5% with Capital Growth in addition to this, albeit the income yield has fallen somewhat below 2% given the pandemic and economic uncertainty this year. 9. The Parish Council Cemetery. Jeff Gorton presented the report that is filed as Appendix No. 4. The grass cutting within the cemetery was excellent last year. This year, the Parish Council have decided to use an alternative contractor who also services Abbotsley cemetery to a good standard. The first cut has now taken place, and all seems well. The Memorial Garden continues to be well maintained, but it will be necessary to look to replace the boundary dwarf privet hedging around the garden since numerous shrubs have succumbed to privet blight and a more sustainable shrub type may have to be substituted. The heavy rain during winter has caused flooding on the banks of the brook that divides the cemetery and the graveyard, and flotsam had blocked the watercourse in a number of places. A work party successfully cleared the obstructions so that water flow is now satisfactory. However. the rear fencing to Rectory Farm has collapsed towards the brook, and a tree on their land has also fallen and is bridging the brook. The retaining wall at the side of the brook (cemetery side) near the bridge is showing signs of breaking up, and is starting to lean. Should this collapse, it will cause a major blockage. During the next 12 months this retaining wall needs to be examined by a structural engineer, and remedial action taken. The agreement between the Parish Council and the owners of the Dole Field, to acquire a strip of land adjacent to the cemetery for a cemetery extension, has now been finalised although the additional land will not be required for a number of years. 10. Reading Room Management Committee. Peter King read out the report prepared by Anne Constantine on behalf of the Reading Room Management Committee. The report is filed as Appendix No. 5 together with the accounts. The pandemic has had a devastating effect on activity in the Reading Room. Full closure was required in the first lockdown and only childcare activity allowed in subsequent lockdowns. A full COVID risk assessment was drawn up and approved by the Management Committee in July to enable limited re-opening for Barneys Club. The Club made use of the Reading Room and the school (for different ‘bubbles’) for a short while when parents went back to their workplaces but subsequent restrictions led to a drop in numbers which made continuation unviable. In theory lettings were possible in the early autumn but numbers were limited to 14 because of the distancing rules and only one small letting took place in addition to Barneys. Hirers were obliged to sign an addendum to the hiring agreement confirming adherence to the COVID measures set out in the risk assessment. The Management Committee will consider how something similar needs to be explicit in the hire agreement itself in future. Lettings income was £4968.70 in 2020 compared to £9,236 in 2019 and £7,837 in 2018 (affected by summer closure for re-thatching). This substantial loss of lettings income was entirely due to COVID and the enforced closure of village halls and will continue into 2021. It is not known when village halls will be able to re-open or return to normal or whether the experience of COVID will have a longer-term effect on hiring. The Management Committee will devise a marketing strategy for the Reading Room and ensure that the highest standards of hygiene remain in place permanently to reassure potential users. Huntingdonshire District Council has been providing businesses forced to close with financial support for loss of income and village halls have been included in this. The Reading Room received £11,334 in support from HDC in 2020 and has already been notified of further support for 2021. 11. The Gransden Sportsfield and Recreational Association. Councillor Ginn summarised the main points taken from the minutes of the AGM of the GSRA held on 31st March 2021. These minutes along with the unaudited accounts are filed as Appendix No. 6. Currently, there is approximately £46,000 in the bank. The Committee wants to keep a reserve fund to cover 2 years’ expenditure (approx. £20,000). £10,000 has been committed to the tennis club to support the installation of a new toilet block. Approximately £5000.00 is needed for new security gate, pending finalisation of details. The remaining amount (circa £15,000) is available for other projects. Options include car park repair, field drainage, outdoor gym etc. 12. The Gransdens Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Society. In Deb Greenland’s absence, Jeff Gorton presented the report that is filed as Appendix No 7. There have been some changes to plot assignment this year as some people moved on, and new members joined. All plots are allocated at this time, and there are few people on the waiting list. It is expected that some plots (or half plots) will become available in the Summer. The Autumn 2020 Risk Assessment was conducted and, apart from the need to keep abreast of compost bin turning to disrupt vermin, things have improved. The Pest Controller from HDC was called out twice last year. There being no other business this meeting was closed at 8.19pm. |
PC Meeting, May 2021
Agenda for the Parish Council meeting on May 4, 2021click here to get a copy of the agenda in PDF form, and the Clerk's notes are available via this link. A copy of the minutes follow the agenda, or you can download a copy of the the minutes in PDF form. From Catherine Fox, Parish Clerk:
The
Next Meeting of the Parish Council will be held at 7:30 on TUESDAY 4th May 2021 via remote conferencing on Zoom (Meeting ID 313 378
5045, Password 941083 or via this link) with Andrew Pett in the chair.
Please Note: Due to restrictions currently in place around COVID-19, there will be no physical meeting. Those who wish to comment on any item on the agenda are invited to join the Parish Council via ‘Zoom’. Councillors will not be making decisions about items not on the agenda. Any personal information given will be dealt with in line with the Parish Councils General Privacy Notice, full details of which can be found on the website. All members of the Council are
hereby summoned to attend for the purposes of considering and resolving
the business to be transacted at the meeting as set out below.
1. Silent Prayer.
2. Election of Chairman. 3. Apologies for absence.
4. Declarations of Interest. (a) Councillors to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest in any items on the agenda;
(b) Councillors to declare any other interest in any items on the agenda. 5. Election of Officers.
6. Minutes. Consideration of the minutes of the meeting on 12th April 2021. and of the APM on 22 April. 7. Open Forum for 15 minutes to enable members of the public to bring any matters to the attention of the Parish Council. 8. Matters Arising.
9. Reading Room Cottage fence replacement 10. Reading Room Cottage. Insurance renewal for 2021/22 11. Parish Council Insurance for 2021/22. To consider the renewal premium and sums assured. 12. Clerk’s Financial Statement. For April 2021 and Budget Review. 13. Payments for Approval. 14. Audit of our Accounts for y/e 31st March 2021 15. Approval of the Annual Governance Statement – Section 2 2020/21. 16. Highways.
17. Correspondence. 1. Sand Road 2. Tennis Club Grant Application 18. Planning At the time of publication of the agenda, there were no planning matters for consideration. 19. Next Meeting Monday 7th June 2021 at 7.30 pm (To be confirmed)
Minutes of the Parish Meeting held on 4th May 2021Those present were:
1. The meeting was opened at 7.30 pm with a silent prayer 2. Election of
Chairman. It was proposed by Andrew Pett, seconded by Peter King and carried unanimously that Giles Scott be elected chairman. It was agreed that Giles Scott sign the appropriate Declaration of Acceptance of Office at the next meeting on 1st June. 3. Apologies. Apologies were received from Parish Councillor Michael Capps who will join the meeting later, and County Councillor Julie Wisson. 4. Declarations of Interest. There were no declarations of interest. 5. Election of Officers. 5.1. Vice Chairman. It was proposed by Nick Ginn, seconded by James Catmur and carried unanimously that Nick Ginn be elected vice chairman. The remaining officer elections were taken and unanimously agreed so that: 5.2. Nigel Day elected Cemetery Manager. (proposed Nigel Day, seconded Giles Scott). 5.3. Andrew Pett elected Playing Field Manager. (proposed Andrew Pett, seconded Jeff Gorton). 5.4. Peter King elected to the Reading Room Management Committee. (proposed Peter King, seconded Andrew Pett). 5.5. Michael Capps elected representative to the Gransden Society.(proposed Michael Capps, seconded Giles Scott). 5.6. Nick Ginn and Andrew Pett elected Sportsfield Representatives. (proposed Giles Scott, seconded James Catmur). 5.7. Michael Capps appointed Tree Warden. (proposed Michael Capps, seconded Giles Scott). 5.8. Nick Ginn elected representative to the Little Gransden Airfield Consultative Committee and also to the Gliding Club Consultative Committee. (proposed Nick Ginn, seconded Andrew Pett). 5.9. Nigel Day elected Communications Officer. (proposed Nigel Day, seconded Jeff Gorton). Councillor Gorton confirmed that he would be stepping down as a Parish Councillor following this meeting, having served 27 years. Councillors wished to thank Councillor Gorton for his contribution to the work of the Parish Council and for his dedication and tireless commitment during his time in office. 6. Minutes of the
previous monthly meeting held on 12th April 2021 had been circulated.
These minutes were approved and will be signed accordingly by the Chairman. The
minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 22nd April 2021 were
approved for recommendation to the next year’s Annual Parish Meeting and
initialled by the Chairman. 7. OPEN FORUM. The meeting was closed for twenty-one minutes. Councillor Richard West reported his ongoing frustrations with HDCs Enforcement Team’s responses to the numerous breaches of condition by the Sand Road developer. In particular, around the light pollution, blocked drain and incomplete works around the Sand Road/East Street Junction. Councillor West regretfully acknowledged that the deadline of 28 days for the developer to rectify the breach of condition 20 had passed. Councillor West has written to Ian Winfield to suggest that the drains be cleared and any costs should be charged back to the developer. At the time of the meeting, no response had been received. Councillor West reported that unfortunately, despite continuing pressure and correspondence with Andrea Dollard, there is no definitive answer as to how HDC are taking adequate enforcement action in the best interests of the residents. Councillor West reported on the East West Rail proposal, commenting that the district council were in support of Route E. A representative from County Broadband commented on the positive response from residents around the County Broadband initiative. The feedback already received had been good; with 50 per cent of the target number required to make installation viable already achieved in the first three weeks. A full presentation will be made to the village in the near future; a representative from the Parish Council will be invited to attend. 8. Matters Arising: 8.1 Neighbourhood Development Plan. Councillor Pett reported on the progress of the NDP. The steering group is now in a position to apply for the Locality grant for 21/22. Cambridgeshire ACRE support has been discussed with Rachel Hogger. COVID restrictions last year meant that only the first part of last year’s planned work was able to be carried out. The intention is to base this year’s proposal on completion of the planned support to be taken to consultation by December 2021 so that the referendum can be held in early 2022. The ACRE day rate has increased by £50 to £450, meaning that some of the input will be reduced and more of the work will be carried out by members of the steering group wherever possible. Hunts Planning will also be approached for support and advice as appropriate. 8.2 Risk Assessments. Councillor Pett confirmed that he and Councillor Scott had undertaken risk assessments on the street lights and also the seats around the village. It was noted that some of the lamp posts are leaning and some are attached to telegraph poles. Pictures will be taken at each inspection to monitor this and the Clerk will make enquiries around who is responsible should they become unsafe. The bench on Caxton Road remains in a poor state of repair, Councillor King is in the process of obtaining quotations for the replacement of 4 new slats that can be fitted to the concrete base. Once received, this quotation will be presented to the Parish Council for their consideration. It was noted that one of the metal benches in the playing field has corroded and requires attention. Clerk to make enquiries around the costs of removal and replacement. 8.3 EWR Consultation. Further to the Parish Councils request for any comments around the EWR proposal to be submitted, one has been received. It was agreed that the Clerk should draft a document that incorporates the points raised at the previous Parish Council Meeting and also those in the correspondence received. This document would then be reviewed, amended and submitted by a working group convened for this purpose only, consisting of Councillor Scott, Councillor Catmur, Councillor Ricciardi, Councillor Day and District Councillor West. 9. Reading Room Cottage Fence Replacement. The fence surrounding the tiny garden area has become dangerous. In line with requirements, attempts had been made by the Caretaker to obtain 3 quotations to replace the fence on a like-for-like basis. The one quote that was received was from Huntree Fencing for £665.00 ex VAT. In light of the concerns raised by the immediate neighbour to the property and the urgency of repair work required, Councillors unanimously agreed to approve the quotation provided agreeing that approval could be justified under section 11.1 of the financial regulations. 10. Reading Room Cottage Insurance 2021/22. Councillors considered the renewal premium and sums assured. Due to the specialist nature of the insurance policy required and in line with previous years, only one quote has been sought. The renewal premium is £495.05. This is an increase of £50.32 on last year’s premium of £444.73 and includes a mutual bonus saving of £87.35. Approval was proposed by Councillor Gorton, seconded by Councillor Scott and unanimously agreed. 11. Parish Council Insurance 2021/22. The renewal quote from Parish Protect had been circulated. This year, Parish Protect have re-tendered the Parish Protect scheme to the UK insurance market and as a result, The Military Mutual have been selected as the new Parish Service provider. Parish Protect were not able to offer a single policy that would cover the Reading room and the remainder of the Parish assets. Instead, two policies were required, one exclusively for the Reading Room (underwritten by Zurich) and a separate policy covering the remainder of the assets. The combined cost for these policies was £1784.76. A second quote had been obtained from BHIB. The premium here being £1548.15 or £1473.68 on the long-term agreement of 3 years. As in previous years, this was for one policy covering the Parish assets as well as the Reading Room. At the underwriter’s request, due to the thatched roof on the property, additional and detailed information had been provided. After due consideration, it was proposed by Councillor Pett, seconded by Councillor Scott and carried unanimously that the quote from BHIB for £1,473.68 on the 3-year undertaking be accepted. 12. Financial Statement for April 2021. The sheet filed as Appendix No. 1 had been circulated. The statement was unanimously approved and will be signed by the chairman. Councillors also noted the budget review as at the end of April 2021. 13. Cheques for approval. The following payments were approved: Proposed James Catmur, seconded Peter King.
Automated Payments payable May 2021
14. Audit of accounts for y/e 31st March 2021. The accounts for audit had been circulated to councillors and were unanimously approved (proposed by Councillor Scott and seconded by Councillor Pett). 15. Approval of the Annual Governance Statement – Section 2 2020/21. Councillors considered the Accounting Statements in Section 2, page 5 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2020/21. Approval was proposed by Councillor Gorton, seconded by Councillor Scott and unanimously agreed.Councillor Capps joined the meeting. 16. Highways. 16.1. Councillor King had met with Ian Winfield from Highways regarding the installation of additional signage on Meadow Road. A second site meeting will take place between Ian Winfield, a road safety engineer and Councillor King on May 12th where any further actions will be discussed. 16.2. The drain outside 1 Meadow Road despite being marked is still sunken and appears to be worsening. Clerk to look into this. 16.3. Concerns have been raised around the increase in the number of speeding vehicles along Caxton Road. Councillor Catmur confirmed that the Speedwatch team would be out again from Wednesday 5th May and that Caxton road was an area to be covered. 17. Correspondence. 17.1 Sand Road. Several residents had copied the Parish Council into correspondence with the HDC enforcement team around various and ongoing breaches of the planning conditions. In particular, concerns had been raised around the works on the pavement on the junction of Sand Road and East Street which appears to be less than the minimum 1.2m width stipulated in the planning conditions. The pavement is at its narrowest width at the most dangerous point despite repeated assurances that the developer would take remedial and definitive action. Councillors felt that the Parish Council should write again to the Enforcement team to express its dissatisfaction with the pavement to support and the echo the comments made by individual residents. It was sadly noted that a limited response is expected from HDC who Councillors believe have not made full and adequate use of their enforcement powers from the start. Photographs of the blocked drain caused by works undertaken by the developer had been sent to the Clerk and circulated to Councillors. It was agreed that the clerk would write to Highways to highlight the problems that this could cause to an already struggling drainage network and ask for action to be taken. 17.2 Tennis Club Grant Application. A request had been received from David Prest as representative of the Tennis Club. The letter of support from the Parish Council previously agreed needs to be slightly amended to meet the requirements of the full application. The changes required are confirmation of the right of use agreement, consent for the work to go ahead and a statement of safeguarding arrangements. Councillors unanimously agreed the proposed changes with no further comments. 18. Planning. There were no planning applications on which the Parish Council had been asked to comment. 19. Date of Next Meeting. In light of the removal of the ability to meet remotely from May 7th, and also the restrictions on meeting face to face. It was agreed that for the purpose of approving payments, the next ordinary meeting of the Parish Council would be held in the outdoor area of the Reading Room. The agenda will be reduced and all other items will be carried to the July meeting when it is anticipated that all restrictions will have been lifted. The Next Meeting has been arranged for Tuesday 1st June 2021. This meeting closed at 8:39pm. |
Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting of Great Gransden Parish Council will be held online on Apr 22, 2021 at &:30pm. Zoom details are: Meeting ID: 313 378 5045 Passcode: 941083https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3133785045?pwd=MFB3UjJ6blZ6UU40ckhGbFNmOVlPZz09The agenda follows, and is also available in PDF form. - as is the financial statement up for consideration in item 7, and the minutes of the last APM (for item 3). Agenda:(Due to COVID, there was no Annual Parish Meeting in 2020) 4. Chairman’s Report. 5. County Councillor Julie Wisson 6. District Councillor Richard West. 7. Financial Statement of income and expenditure last year. 8. The Poor’s Land Charity – report by the Chairman. 9. Parish Council Cemetery – report by Jeff Gorton. 10. Reading Room Management Committee. 11. The Gransdens Sports field and Recreational Association. 12. The Gransdens Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Society. 13. Any other business. |
EAST WEST RAIL CONSULTATION
PC Meeting April 2021
Clerk's call and minutes for the Parish Council meeting on April 12, 2021click here to get a copy of the agenda in PDF form, and the Clerk's notes are available via this link. The minutes can also be downloaded in PDF form, and a copy of the minutes (with layout amended for online reading) follow below.
From Catherine Fox, Parish Clerk:
The
Next Meeting of the Parish Council will be held at 7:30 on Monday 1st
March 2021 via remote conferencing on Zoom (Meeting ID 313 378
5045, Password 941083 or via this link) with Andrew Pett in the chair. Please Note: Due to restrictions currently in place around COVID-19, there will be no physical meeting. Those who wish to comment on any item on the agenda are invited to join the Parish Council via ‘Zoom’. Councillors will not be making decisions about items not on the agenda. Any personal information given will be dealt with in line with the Parish Councils General Privacy Notice, full details of which can be found on the website. Those present (by remote conference) were:
and 6 members of the public . 1. The meeting was opened at 7:30 pm with a silent prayer. 2. Apologies. No apologies were received. 3. Declarations of Interest. There were no declarations of interest. 4. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting held on 1st March 2021 which had been circulated, were approved and will be signed accordingly by the Chairman. 5. OPEN FORUM. The meeting was closed for 16 minutes. District Councillor West expressed his continuing frustrations with HDCs responses to residents regarding Dutton Gardens. In response to concerns raised by residents, the planning authority have decided that the compound lighting is positioned in such a way that it offers no nuisance or pollution. The lighting consists of use of 60w white light and is in line with the number and position confirmed on site which was subject to the written agreement of the local planning authority. Councillor West confirmed that, following difficulties experienced by residents and customers in contacting the district council by telephone, the council is investing in a better technical solution which is expected to go live this week. The Task Finish Flooding Group have met via Zoom with representatives from Anglian Water, Cambridgeshire County Council and the Environmental Agency. These discussions were positive with actions to be agreed on a flooding migration strategy. Four residents wished to make the Parish Council aware of their concerns around the proposed handrail that will run from the “Potton” development to Fox Street. Residents felt that the design was not in keeping with the village; nor was it appropriate for one of the main entrances to the village. It was strongly felt that no other options had been duly considered and that suggested alternatives had not been acknowledged. It was noted that the Parish Council had made previous comment in 2018 around this. Residents wished to know what part the Parish Council could play at this stage. This item will be considered further at item 15.3 on the agenda. 6. Matters Arising 6.1 Neighbourhood Development Plan. The end of grant report is being prepared for the period April 20 – March 21.The amount originally awarded was £5050 but due to COVID restrictions only £300 has been spent on support from Cambridgeshire ACRE. The balance of £4750 will have to be repaid to Locality and then a new application made for the period 2021-22. It is expected that this will allow the plan to be completed through to examination and referendum, aiming for Q4 2021. The NDP Steering Group continue to meet virtually by Zoom, with the next meeting being scheduled for Wednesday 12 May at 7pm. It is hoped that face to face meetings will be able to resume after the planned easing of restrictions in June. The Societies Fair, postponed from last year, is planned for the afternoon of Saturday July 10th in the Reading Room and garden. This will include a display on the NDP and is an opportunity for specific consultations Two more draft sections are available on the NDP website for public comment. Section 3 lists the key issues that have been identified through community engagements. Section 4 expresses an overall vision for Great Gransden into the future, and then defines the objectives that need to be covered by the plan, grouped by theme. Any comments and suggestions would be welcome and residents are strongly encouraged to engage wherever possible. The Rationale for Development Boundary and proposals for the designation of Local Green Spaces has been discussed pending further consultation with landowners who may be affected before finalising the proposals. Finally, in response to consultation comments, further discussions have been held with two possible suppliers of superfast broadband. The steering group will facilitate discussions with residents and businesses but do not plan to make a specific recommendation. 6.2 Update on Meeting with Highways (Meadow Road signage). Councillor King confirmed that he had met with Les Middleton from Highways to discuss the dangers of Meadow Road. Previously, in response to concerns raised by residents, the Parish Council had agreed to fund the installation of new signage on Meadow Road warning motorists of the possibility of pedestrians and horses in the road. Les Middleton had agreed at the site visit that the road was dangerous and would require more substantial safety measures; forwarding his concerns to Matt Staton (road safety partnership development) and also the Accident Investigation Team. Unfortunately, this was not progressed any further with Highways suggesting an LHI Bid application instead. As previous applications have already been made, Councillors did not feel that this was a viable option instead opting to continue to investigate the possibility of installing additional signage as originally requested. Clerk to follow up on this. 6.3 Update on Cemetery Land Transfer. All outstanding paperwork relating to the Transfer had been completed and returned to Adlams by the Parish Council. Once the transfer has been returned by Mr and Mrs Foster duly executed, registration of the title can be finalised. 6.4 Feedback from Community Warden Meeting. Councillor Ricciardi had attended the presentation by Age UK around the possibility of joining a Community Warden Scheme. Little Gransden Parish Council had suggested that due to the costs involved it would be a jointly funded initiative. The details of the scheme are such that one person would be employed for 15 hours per week spending approximately 1 hour with each client and only being able to offer relatively limited support. The overall costs were expected to be in the region of £11,000 per parish. Councillors felt that the costs for the scheme were too high and that it did not offer any extra benefits not currently being met by Bluebell-19. It was agreed that in future, if additional needs were identified, more cost-effective solutions should be investigated. 6.5 Update from GSRA Meeting. Councillor Ginn reported on the GSRA AGM held on 31st March 2021. Nancy Kyle has stepped down as Chair following the end of her 4-year term. No replacement had been appointed; instead members of the committee have agreed to Chair the meetings on a rotational basis. Jon Smith has been re-elected as Treasurer and Chris Butterworth will take on the role of Secretary. There have been no further changes to the committee, though new members are always welcomed. The GSRA had given rent holidays to those groups/users of the facilities during the COVID period. Despite this, the committee remains in a healthy financial position; retaining a fund that covers all expected expenditure over a two-year period. This is in addition to the £10,000 ear-marked for the new Tennis Club toilet facilities. Development remains ongoing at the sports field. The condition of the car park is being monitored although the cost of resurfacing is estimated to be around £50,000. Temporary repairs will be done. Finally, the GSRA have agreed to charge anyone using the Sportsfield for commercial purposes. Questions were raised around the charging policy at the MUGA (which is addressed at item 15.4) 6.6 Return to Face-to-face meetings. Revised Government legislation states that face-to-face meetings must resume on the 7th May 2021. This causes some logistical problems for the Parish Council who are still not permitted to meet indoors. In light of this, it was agreed that the next meeting date of Monday 10th May be moved to Tuesday 4th May at 7:30pm so that it can be held via zoom. 7. Financial Statement for March 2021. The sheet filed as Appendix No. 1 had been circulated. The statement was unanimously approved and signed by the Chairman. Councillors also noted the budget review as at the end of March 2021. 8. Payments for approval. The following payments were approved: Proposed Councillor Pett, seconded by Councillor Scott. 1. Clerk’s expenses for March 2021 £33.56 2. SSE – Street Lighting Feb/March 2021 £209.69 3. HMRC - PAYE (period ending 5th May) £55.00 4. CAPALC Affiliation Fee 2021/22 £417.68 (As in previous years, to include Data protection Officer Membership Scheme) 5. Algar Signcraft (Playing field car park sign) £153.60 6. South Cambs DC - Dole Field Rates 2021/22 £154.69 7. Cambridgeshire ACRE Invoice no 7172 £360.00 (Support with NDP) 8. The Mower Shed (Grass Cutting Cemetery - March) £120.00 9. R McIntosh – Garden of Remembrance £7.50 1. DD BT – Broadband Reading Rooms £30.17* (13th April 2021) 2. SO Caretaker Salary – April 2021 £653.78** (28th April 2021) 3. SO Clerk’s Salary – April 2021 £704.45 (28th April 2021) *Increase of £0.18 p/m due to an adjustment to the plan by BT. This increase is determined according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation as announced in January 2021, plus an additional 3.9%. Changes effective 31st March 2021. **Pay amount adjusted to reflect increase in National Living wage to £8.91 p/hr effective 1st April 2021. 9. Review of cemetery charges, contribution towards churchyard maintenance, ‘Roundabout’costs,review of clerk’s core hours. 9.1 Cemetery charges. It was proposed by Councillor Pett, seconded by Councillor Gorton and carried unanimously to keep the charges unchanged so that:-
Charges will continue to be increased by 100% for those residing outside of the village. 9.2 Payment for Churchyard Maintenance. The Parish Council is responsible for this closed churchyard and pays the PCC for maintaining it. The PCC organises volunteers to carry out the work. It was unanimously agreed that the payments for the churchyard should remain at £1,600pa. 9.3 Payment for Old Chapel Graveyard Maintenance. The Parish Council is responsible for this closed burial ground. It was unanimously agreed that the payments made for this should remain at £130pa. 9.4 Contribution to Roundabout Costs. This was last increased in 2016 from £100 to £125. Councillors unanimously agreed that the contribution should be increased to £140. 9.5 Review of Clerk’s Core Hours. At the Clerks request, there will be no changes to the current core hours. 10. Review of Risk Management Policy, asset check and risk assessment. The policy document had been circulated and councillors agreed that no changes were necessary. The Risk assessment forms had also been circulated by the Clerk. Risk assessments will be undertaken prior to the next meeting in May. 11. Review of Internal Control and Appointment of Internal Auditor. Councillors reviewed the internal controls considering them to be adequate and effective taking into account, cheque signing, quarterly verification of bank reconciliations by a council member who is not a cheque signatory, consideration of the internal auditor’s report and any matters raised and reviewing financial regulations. Councillors agreed to appoint LGS Services as internal auditor. Approval was proposed by Councillor Pett, seconded by Councillor Scott and unanimously agreed. 12. Approval of the Annual Governance Statement 2020/21 – Section 1. Councillors considered the Annual Governance Statement in Section 1, page 4 of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2020/21. Each of the 9 statements were read out and unanimously approved by councillors, answering yes, to those numbered 1-9. Approval was proposed by Councillor Pett, seconded by Councillor Scott and unanimously agreed. 13. Highways 13.1 There is a pot hole half way up Crow Tree Street. Clerk to report to Highways. 13.2 There is a loose dropped kerb on Middle Street (outside Apple Tree Cottage). Clerk to report to Highways. 13.3 The drain cover on the corner of Fox Street and Caxton Road still remains unstable and is being replaced regularly by residents so that it does not cause injury. The locking mechanism is broken and will need to be replaced completely to ensure a permanent fix. Clerk to contact Highways. 13.4 The grass area at the end of the layby on Middle Street has been damaged, possibly by HGVs. The Parish Council will continue to monitor its condition and may seek to take remedial action in the future. 14. Consultations Councillors noted the EWR second non-statutory consultation (closing date 9th June 2021) Councillors discussed the proposed routes, noting the information on each previously provided. In order to best represent the views of the Parish, it was agreed that a working party should be set up to collate responses from residents. This working group will act within its remit as agreed by the Parish Council to collate the information provided and itemise it into a sensible and cohesive order. A meeting of this working group will be convened at the end of May. Clerk to place notices in the Roundabout, on the notice board, on the website and on Touchbase requesting that all comments from residents be sent to the Parish Council for inclusion by the 4th May 2021. 15. Correspondence 15.1 Request for financial assistance Bluebell-19/Benefice. The Parish Council had received a request from the Bluebell -19 group for financial assistance with printing costs of a new publication for the four villages. The intention is to have a booklet containing some historical information about each parish and then current information. As it is Church led there will be details from Reverend Rachel Blanchflower regarding weddings, funerals, baptisms, etc. There will also be links to a variety of sites, (e.g each Parish Council, sports facilities and clubs, Brownies) As information around the precise costings was not available, Councillors agreed to consider the request again at a future date. 15.2 SLCC Membership Request for Clerk to join SLCC (Society of Local Council Clerks) was unanimously approved. (proposed Councillor Scott, seconded Councillor Pett). There is a £10 joining fee and an annual subscription fee of £144.00 payable by the council. 15.3 Proposed footpath – Potton Road development. Councillors thanked those residents who had commented during the open forum session. Councillor Scott clarified that, according to the plans, the railings will not run the full length of the footpath; they will only be where there is a retaining wall and therefore a need to protect users from the ditch. The ditches are not owned by Highways but by private landowners meaning that the planning permission has been sanctioned only up to the boundaries. As Highways do not own the land, they would not be responsible for undertaking any suggested works to fill the ditches, or for incorporating piping and culverts to negate the need for a handrail at all. Councillors suggested that the private landowners could seek to unite and approach the developer to raise the question of them completing the works to fill the ditches in if the correct permissions were given. Alternatively, the landowners could request that the developer look to amend the approved plans. Councillors were keen to stress that they would support any actions by landowners. 15.4 Commercial use of the MUGA. Currently, there is ‘no booking’ policy in place meaning that users must compromise to ensure fair usage. The GSRA have taken the decision to charge for commercial usage of the Sports field (eg training bootcamps) Councillors were concerned that in the case of adverse weather, these commercial enterprises may look to move to the MUGA and, as they have paid a fee to the GSRA, would feel that this entitles them to usage of the MUGA – constituting a booking by proxy. Councillors unanimously felt that in order to preserve the ethos of the MUGA and to ensure it remained as a facility available to everyone in the village, commercial use would no longer be permitted. 15.5 Playing Field Car Park pothole. The pot hole at the entrance to the playing field car park has worsened considerably. It was suggested that a temporary solution should be sought. This would include planings being placed in the hole with a binder to ensure that it was robust. As the Sports field Car park is also undergoing temporary repair, Councillor Ginn will make enquiries around the possibility of purchasing a larger amount and splitting the cost so that both car parks can be dealt with. Councillor Capps will also make separate enquiries around contractors and suppliers. 15.6 War Memorial Graves Sign Placement. Following a meeting with the GGPCC, it was unanimously agreed to approve the location of the War Memorial Graves sign as proposed. 16. Planning 16.1 PARISH COUNCIL CONSULTATION – APPLICATION REF. 21/00264/HHFUL. 14. The Next Meeting has been arranged for Tuesday 4th May 2021 at 7:30pm. Raise existing garage roof to 1.5 storey to form an office. Loft conversion to provide additional bedroom and en-suite bathroom. 38 Winchfield Great Gransden Sandy SG19 3AN. Councillors had no objections to the above application, voting unanimously to submit no further comments. 16.2 PARISH COUNCIL CONSULTATION – APPLICATION REF. 20/02610/HHFUL. Erection of 1.2m fencing around boundary. 9 Fox Street Great Gransden Sandy SG19 3AA. Councillors had no objections to the above application, voting unanimously to submit no further comments. The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on Thursday 22nd April at 7:30pm. This meeting closed at 9:28pm. |
Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Meeting on 31st of March
The next meeting of the Steering Group developing a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish is on Wednesday, 31st of March at 7pm. All are welcome to attend via Zoom; the agenda and Zoom sign-in details can be found on the Steering Group's website. |
PC meeting, March 2021
Agenda for the Parish Council meeting on March 1, 2021click here to get a copy of the agenda in PDF form, and the Clerk's notes are available via this link. You can download a copy of the the minutes.
From Catherine Fox, Parish Clerk:
The
Next Meeting of the Parish Council will be held at 7:30 on Monday 1st
March 2021 via remote conferencing on Zoom (Meeting ID 313 378
5045, Password 941083 or via this link) with Andrew Pett in the chair.
Please Note: Due to restrictions currently in place around COVID-19, there will be no physical meeting. Those who wish to comment on any item on the agenda are invited to join the Parish Council via ‘Zoom’. Councillors will not be making decisions about items not on the agenda. Any personal information given will be dealt with in line with the Parish Councils General Privacy Notice, full details of which can be found on the website. All members of the Council are
hereby summoned to attend for the purposes of considering and resolving
the business to be transacted at the meeting as set out below.
1. Silent Prayer.
2. Apologies for absence.
3. Declarations of Interest. (a) Councillors to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest in any items on the agenda;
(b) Councillors to declare any other interest in any items on the agenda. 4. Minutes. Consideration of the minutes of the meeting on 1st March 2021. 5. Open Forum for 15 minutes to enable members of the public to bring any matters to the attention of the Parish Council. 6. Matters Arising.
7. Tree Survey Review of report from OMC Associates and further action required. 8. Gransden Sports field
and Recreational Association (GSRA). Report from Nick Ginn on the status of the GSRA. (To include future of the committee and to confirm Licence Renewal). 9. Clerk’s Financial Statement. For February 2021 and Budget Review. 10. Cheques for Approval. 11. Highways. Any repairs or maintenance. 12. Correspondence.
13. Planning.
Installation of renewable energy apparatus - photovoltaic (PV)/solar panels for water heating and ground source heat pump for space heating.
22 Little Gransden Lane Great Gransden Sandy SG19 3BA. 14. Next Meeting. Monday 12th April 2021 at 7:30 pm. Annual Parish Meeting: 22nd April 2021 at 7:30pm. |
NDP steering group meeting, February 2021
The NDP steering group held an online meeting on
Wednesday February 24 at 7pm. The agenda and minutes follow. 1. Apologies 2. Declarations of Interest in the agenda of the meeting 3. Minutes of previous meeting of 13 January for approval 4. Open forum - 15 minutes for members of the public to ask questions. 5. Update on actions from previous minutes
7. Village boundary DWP 8. NDP document
10. Next Meeting 11. AOB 1. Apologies Apologies were received from Fiona Coulson and Jostein Kristensen 2. Declarations of Interest in the agenda of the meeting AC declared an official interest as Chair of the Reading Room Committee in the County Broadband item to be discussed under AOB as CB offers free broadband to village halls as part of installation projects to households in rural villages. MD and SB also declared this interest as Trustees of the Reading Room. 3. Minutes of previous meeting of 13 January. The minutes were approved as a correct record. There was no attendance at Open Forum. 5. Update on actions from previous minutes.
JK has confirmed that he will complete the GSHP tasks at the weekend.
The suggestions were circulated by DWP. Action: All to volunteer to lead on one of the ideas and submit postings to Elaine Boyd. ALL. Action: DWP to send the 2019 village quiz to JB. 6. Local Green Spaces. DWP requested more justification for the proposed LGSs. It was felt that the Riddy was the only one that was rather light on justification. Two other sites were mentioned but these cannot be included until the landowners have been consulted and have agreed. In some cases there was insufficient evidenced public support. If members feel strongly about other sites, they need to email their support and justification to DWP. The corner of Fox Street and West Street was felt to justify inclusion. Action: Emails to DWP about other sites that justify inclusion as LGSs with evidence. ALL 7. Village boundary. DWP explained that the justification for the village boundary is a new proposal rather than starting from the old boundary. The two industrial estates will be outside the boundary unless HDC insists otherwise. Ownership of Sand Road Industrial Estate still not known. Action: All to endeavour to find this out from friends etc. ALL Action: DWP, ND, AC to meet again to finalise the proposal and the map and initiate conversations with owners of certain properties on the boundary. 8. NDP document Sections still to complete are: Local Green Spaces; village boundary, a separate extract from the policies of the community action plans in a table; photographs, formatting. Does there need to be more on Views? Action: ND to complete the formatting. 9. Consultation. The Societies Fair should be feasible in late June/early July. It was agreed that it should be outside as far as possible and could therefore take place at the Reading Room. Action: Provisional bookings to be made for the Reading Room and the village marquee SB Confirmed that the dates of 26 June and 3 July have been provisionally booked. Action: ND to put the supporting documents on the website. Action: The draft document to be presented at the April Parish Council meeting. 10. AOB – County Broadband. JB briefed the group on his discussion with CB and advised that it was worth looking into further. Key questions are: to what extent would customers be locked in and the rental costs. Action: JB, ND and DWP to organise a forum discussion with CB. 11. Next Meeting Wednesday 31 March via Zoom |
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