2024-25 Parish Council Meeting Agendas

November 24 Agenda & Reports

The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on

Wednesday 6th November 2024
  at Hogsthorpe Village Hall.

This meeting will be preceded by a meeting of the Playpark Committee at 5.00 p.m.

Prior to the meeting there will be a Public Forum commencing at 6.00 pm. Members of the public and press are welcome.  Members of the public may ask questions or make short statements to the Council. 

The council meeting will commence at 6.30pm or at the closure of the public forum – whichever is the sooner.

This notice summons all members of the council to attend from 6.00pm or submit their apologies to the clerk at the earliest opportunity.  

Signed   Kath Hayes             Kath Hayes – Clerk to the Council        Dated   30th October 2024

A G E N D A


1. Apologies
2. Declarations of Interest
3. Approval of minutes of meetings 16th October 2024
4. Clerk’s report on matters outstanding
5. Confirmation of Councillor responsibilities
* Staffing Committee – Cllrs Rolph, Banks and Smith
* Finance – Cllr Banks
* Churchyard/Cemetery – Cllr F Wilson
* Playpark – Cllr Smith (Chair) Cllr Hanson
* Allotments – Cllrs Wilson and Rolph
* Highways / village maintenance – Cllr Hornby
* Heritage Garden – Cllr Wilson
* Planning – Cllr Banks
* Police liaison/speeding – Cllr Rolph
* Policies and Procedures – Cllr Hanson
* Dog fouling monitoring – Cllr Perry
* Public Paths - TBA
6. To receive reports from outside bodies and other meetings
7. General Correspondence
8. Financial Matters  
i) Budget 2025-26
ii) Grant and purchase of Notice Board
iii) Payment of accounts 
9. Churchyard/cemetery maintenance – update report
10. Village maintenance – update
11. Grasscutting contract
12. Planning
13. To confirm time and date of next meeting -  WEDNESDAY 4th December 2024
14. AOB for note only or next agenda
 

 

 

CLERK’S REPORT FOR COUNCIL MEETING 6TH NOVEMBER 2024

 

It has been a busy three weeks since the last meeting with various issues which needed resolving.

 

CHURCHYARD / CEMETERY

See separate report

 

VILLAGE ISSUES

See separate report

 

HSBC FUNDS

It has now been agreed that the funds being held in an account for the Hogsthorpe Plan Steering Committee will be paid back into the Hogsthorpe Parish Council Account within the next 20 days.

 

BANK MANDATE CHANGES

One signatory has been added (Cllr Hanson) after a double check on an approval signature.  Paperwork for two others (Cllr Wilson and Hornby) has been completed and sent to Barclays.

 

BUDGETS

I have now completed the draft budgets – there is an agenda item (8i) to discuss any items and agree.

 

GRANTS

I am awaiting decisions from the meeting before applying for District Councillor Grants

 

CHRISTMAS TREE

An order for a Christmas tree for the churchyard has not yet been placed.

 

AGENDA ITEMS

I now plan to take off the agenda the items of ‘Playpark’ and ‘Allotments’.   Anything there is to report can be noted under the Reports from Outside Bodies.

 

 

Kath Hayes

Clerk   02/10/2024

 

 

VILLAGE MAINTENANCE REPORT FOR PARISH COUNCIL  MEETING 6th NOVEMBER 2024

 

 

  1. A complaint to the Parish Council at the last meeting concerning rubbish bins being left out on the pavement on High Street making it a hazard for pedestrians has been investigated.  The clerk has spoken with ELDC waste monitoring officer who has spoken with then tenant.   This tenant is unable to keep the rubbish bins in the back garden as the access gate is kept locked.  The officer will contact the owner of the property to see if they have taken this up already with the neighbour but this may take a while as they are in Spain until March next year.  The only course the officer can take would be to remove the bins and the residents place the rubbish in bags outside where the bins are now.  This is not considered an ideal situation as it might encourage vermin.   There is no immediate action which can be taken.

 

  1. A further complaint concerning dog fouling was reported by Cllr Rolph to ELDC but the dog warden no longer visits the sites.   She asked that every proven incident is reported to her so that prosecutions could be made.  This problem needs to be monitored.

 

  1. Regarding bins being dumped by the bin collectors – this was reported by Cllr Rolph and will be taken up by ELDC.

 

  1. Grasscutting for the village – LCC have not yet been contacted regarding the Parish Council taking over the village verge cutting as the year starts from beginning of April.   Rob Aldrich has been asked to send in a quote for this – see agenda item 11

 

  1. Cllr Rolph is taking it up with Highways where to put the speeding camera posts.   Cameras will be put back when the posts are ready.

 

  1. Regarding the Parish Council Notice Board.  Cllr Wilson and Clerk looked at this.  Bearing in mind that the notice board in the cemetery area will need to be loaded from the front and the current notice board is loaded from the back, it was thought that it would be better to purchase a new one for the cemetery and leave the current one as is until the Spring when it can be refurbished and repainted – see agenda item 8ii for ratification.

 

  1. Still to be completed – car boot signs replacement and cleaning of bus shelter.

 

  1. The village maintenance is an ongoing situation and will be dealt with as and when problems arise.

 

 

KMH: 31/10/24

 

 

 

CHURCHYARD / CEMETERY REPORT FOR COUNCIL MEETING 6TH NOVEMBER 2024

 

  1. The cemetery is now looking very much tidier but there were still some items being worked on, most of which will need to be left until the Spring.

 

  1. The updated regulations are now being sent to all new enquirers about burials or memorials.  They have not yet been circulated to all undertakers / memorial masons.  I am waiting for expert advice as to where to put them on the web site.

 

  1. The War Graves commission have replied that they are not responsible for the main war memorial in the churchyard.  We are trying to source someone (possibly a stone mason) to reinstall the lettering.

 

  1. Phil Joyce will be cutting down the metal post and taking away the gate during the next few days.

 

  1. Robert Aldrich has been asked to put in a quote for a 3-year grassscutting contract.

 

  1. Rob Cooke has been asked to put in a quote for tidying the end of the fallen wall.

 

  1. Front trees and hedge will be cut back in November

 

  1. The oak tree should be re-planted in November

 

  1. A person responsible for one of the plots has complained that the newly planted grass had been dug up.  On investigating, it was discovered that it was the work of badgers.  Clerk explained that we could only remove the shredded grass and rake it over until the Spring when we would attempt to grass it over again.

 

  1. There are still some graves which need to be cleared of gravel and memorabilia.  This is being dealt with as time allows.

 

  1. Discussion on a notice board for the cemetery is on the agenda.

 

 

 

 

 

Kath Hayes

Clerk   30/10/2024