November 2024
MINUTES OF THE HOGSTHORPE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
HELD ON WEDNESDAY 6th NOVEMBER 2024
Present: Cllrs Diane Hanson (Vice Chairman) Chris Rolph, Mary Banks, Ellen Smith, Bernadette Hornby, Ray Murray
Clerk: Kath Hayes
Also present: 7 members of the public (3 of which left after the Public Forum)
PUBLIC FORUM
A member of the public asked if the Parish Council could help with a very large hedge next to her property on Mill Lane. It had been promised that it would be cut down when the birds finished nesting. Nothing has happened yet. This is now hanging over and is blocking out a large part of her garden. Cllr Banks will take this up with the farmer concerned.
A member of the public understood that there would be two notice boards in the village. The clerk explained that it was only ever intended that there would only be one Parish Council Notice Board which would remain where it is and a further notice board would be placed in the cemetery for regulations etc. There is an agenda item to discuss this.
This person also congratulated Cllr Smith for all her efforts in making the car boots such a success.
She asked that the person who had done the new village sign should be congratulated. Clerk noted that she did not wish for any compensation but had been given a small gift.
1. APOLOGIES - Cllr Fran Wilson, Cllr Pauline Perry
2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST - None
3. APPROVAL OF NOTES OF MEETING
The Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting on 16th October 2024 were unanimously approved and signed by the Vice Chairman.
4. CLERK S REPORT
The clerk noted details from Clerk s report which had been published with the Agenda.
Of note was the Christmas tree clerk will order this and discussion took place on who could erect it and fix up the lights. This will be agreed when it is known when delivery will take place Clerk to notify those concerned.
5. CONFIRMATION OF COUNCILLOR RESPONSIBITIES
i. Staffing Committee - Cllrs Banks, Rolph and Smith
ii. Finance - Cllr Banks
iii. Churchyard & cemetery - Cllr Wilson
iv. Playpark - Cllrs Smith and Hanson
v. Allotments - Cllrs Wilson and Rolph
vi. Highways / village maintenance - Cllr Hornby
vii. Heritage Garden - Cllr Wilson
viii. Planning - Cllr Banks
ix. Police liaison and Speeding - Cllr Rolph
x. Policies and Procedures - Cllr Hanson
xi. Dog Fouling Monitoring - Cllr Perry
xii. Public paths - Cllr Murray
6. REPORTS FROM OUTSIDE BODIES
i. Cllr Banks reported that a meeting was being held for Charity Farm at which it would be agreed that charity payments would be made as usual this Christmas.
ii. Village Hall Open day was a complete waste of time. Blood transfusion Service had now booked the hall and it was hoped that this service would benefit the community.
iii. Cllr Smith reported that the table tops in the village hall (replacing the car boots for the winter) had been extremely well attended. The playpark committee needed more volunteers to be on the committee. She would ask at the meeting of the school governors. New signs would be sorted.
7. CORRESPONDENCE
Nothing to report.
8. FINANCIAL MATTERS
i) Budget for 2025-26 was unanimously approved by a show of hands as per the details already published to the Councillors.
ii) Grant & purchase of notice board. Clerk explained that having looked again at the Parish Council Notice Board, it was not possible to re-site this in the cemetery as documents are loaded from the back and this is not possible for the cemetery sign. Details of the proposed sign for the cemetery were handed to the councillors and they agreed to the purchase of the Shield Wood effect freestanding noticeboard with sunken posts at a cost of £646+VAT. Clerk would complete the Dist Cllr Grant proposed at £600. The current notice board will be refurbished in the Spring. With regard to the further District Grant, she was in correspondence with the councillor concerned and was looking at either a grant for the repair of playpark equipment or a small fence in the churchyard where the wall had collapsed. Further information at the next meeting.
iii) Cheques were signed at the meeting for £34.22 for clerk expenses, £686.40 for Clerk s salary, £171.60 for HMRC, £23.58 to Sid Dennis for bin emptying, £30 for Village Hall hire, £38 to F.Wilson for purchase varnish, £100 to British Legion, £640 to Robert Aldrich for grasscutting.
iv) Of note was Bank Mandate had been changed to include Cllr Hanson as a signatory. Confirmation was still awaited on the inclusion of Cllrs Hornby and Wilson.
v) Also of note was that HSBC had agreed to repay funds to the Parish Council Account.
9. CHURCHYARD/CEMETERY MAINTENANCE
The report as published with the Agenda was accepted. Of note were:-
i) The Burial Regulations would be posted in the notice board when purchased together with any other notices -see agenda item 8ii.
ii) It had been agreed that the oak tree would be replanted where an old tree had been uprooted - this should be completed in the next couple of weeks.
iii) Grave Memorials - the Clerk reported that there was still one grave she had been unable to contact and another which although it had been agreed that the gravel would be removed, this had not been done - clerk to keep under review.
iv) There is a problem with badgers digging any fresh earth, in particular one burial plot. The owners had been pacified that this was not caused by vandalism but by badgers which, being a protected species, we have no control over. The grave had been tidied and levelled off.
v) The wall at the end of the fallen wall will be neatened quote since meeting of £160 received - to be ratified via email with Councillors.
vi) Gate and gateposts will be removed.
vii) Clerk will be in touch with memorial stonemasons regarding replacement of the lettering on the war grave memorial.
10. VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
Report as presented with the Agenda accepted. Of note
i. Replacement of the Parish Council notice board - see agenda item 8ii
ii. Cllr Rolph reported that he had taken up the complaint of dog fouling with ELDC. Their reply had been that the warden no longer regularly visited the areas but any incident should be reported directly to them.
iii. He had also taken up the matter of bin men dumping bins anywhere. Any further incidents should be reported direct to ELDC who will look into this.
iv. Clerk reported that the complaint regarding keeping of bins on the pavement had been taken up by ELDC who would keep it monitored.
v. Cllr Murray queried what was happening with the burned out bungalow. It was explained that the owners of this were not insured so it remains in this state.
11. GRASSCUTTING CONTRACT
i. Clerk had contacted LCC regarding the Parish Council taking on responsibility for the village grasscutting as marked on the plan in red from the 1st April 2025. There would be reimbursement from them of a figure in the region of £730 per annum. She had confirmed that this contract could be terminated by 2 month s notice from either side.
ii. Robert Aldrich had submitted a quote for 2024/26/27 which included the churchyard, cemetery, grasscutting in the village which he is already maintaining and two other village areas as agreed. The councillors wished that a further tender be put forward before accepting this quote. Clerk to take this up with another contractor.
iii. Clerk reported that she had been in contact with the owner of the ground at the end of Wilkinson Way and they had agreed to tidy this up in the next 2 weeks.
12. PLANNING
Planning application for 2 houses on the Dance Studio site has been accepted.
13 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting was arranged for 6pm Wednesday 4th December 2024.
14 ANY OTHER BUSINESS FOR NEXT AGENDA
Nothing of note.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 7.15p.m.
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