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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF HADDENHAM PARISH COUNCIL held on Wednesday 12 th December
2012 at 7.30pm at the Arkenstall Village Centre, Station Road, Haddenham, Cambs.
Attendance: Cllrs Bush, Fairchild, Goddard, Haigh, Hugo, Lyon, Norman, Page, Smith, Tindall, G Wilson,
P Wilson and County Cllr Hunt.
In the absence of Cllr Parr (Chairman) the meeting was chaired by Cllr Tindall (Vice Chairman)
1.
MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING having been circulated to all members were taken as read. Cllr
Fairchild proposed and Cllr Lyon seconded that subject to the following amendment: Item 15 deletion of
the words “and future maintenance” the minutes should be signed as a true record of the meeting.
Motion carried by a show of 10 hands Cllrs P Wilson and Hugo abstained.
2.
MATTERS ARISING (For Information Only)
a.
Changes to Development Envelope: (See Minutes MM 10/2012 Item 24) Following the submission of
the comments relating to the proposed changes to the envelope in Aldreth the Clerk had received
confirmation that the line along the back of The Borough and Meadowbrook would remain where it was
originally.
3.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE were received from Cllr Parr – ill health.
4.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
All councillors present declared a pecuniary interest in Item 8 and the Clerk advised that dispensations
were in place for all councillors to discuss matters relating to setting the Precept.
5.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
No members of the public wished to speak.
6.
ACCOUNTS
The following accounts were submitted for authorisation:
Name
Service
SLCC
Subscription 2013
Total
Amount
£162.00
Chq No/
Method
2108
Fenman
Services
Site visits, baiting and final inspections to deal
with infestation of rats on The Mound
£160.00
2109
A King
Builders
Supply and fit replacement toilet door at Pavilion
£380.00
BACS
Arkenstall
Centre
Committee
Recycling Caretaker Duties for 2012
£150.00
BACS
Haddenham
Library
Insurance premium 2012/13
£541.66
BACS
HM Revenue
& Customs
Clerk’s NI & Tax October – December 2012
£950.63
BACS
£1161.69
BACS
J Manning
(Nov 2012)
K Fergusons
Ltd
(Nov 2012)
Itemised
Clerks salary
Stationery
Postage
£1123.05
£37.26
£1.38
Cut grass @ Burial Ground
Grass cutting @ all other areas
Litter bins
Litter pick
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£110.00
£196.00
£144.00
£125.00
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Cut footpaths @ Fairchild’s Meadows
Cut hedge at Aldreth Play Area
Clear leaves and pollard lime trees @ Churchyard
VAT @ 20%
£70.00
£140.00
£490.00
£255.00
£1530.00
BACS
Cambs
Pension Fund
Clerks pension November 2012
£463.28
BACS
Westcotec Ltd
Street light maintenance December 2012
£128.39
BACS
E-ON
Energy charges November 2012
£567.48
BACS
AmeyCespa
(East) Ltd
Wheelie bin + Duty of Care charges for November
2012
£54.84
BACS
Cambs ACRE
Membership 2013
30.00
2110
Cllr G Wilson proposed and Cllr Page seconded that all of the above accounts should be authorised for
payment. Motion carried unanimously.
7.
CORRESPONDENCE
The Clerk had received notification that the Area Joint Committees would be disbanded during
December. A Cabinet member for Community Infrastructure has been delegated by the County Council
Leader to exercise the powers within the policies of the County Council regarding traffic management
issues within the County. A consequence of this is that parish council representation and participation in
the decision making process on traffic and highways issues will cease. The Council was somewhat
concerned at this new concept but Cllr Hunt assured them that he would be their advocate and their
views could be expressed through him to ensure they are heard. The Clerk will write a letter expressing
the Councils concerns but also advising that they are happy for Cllr Hunt to speak on their behalf when
issues arise. The progress of this new regime will be monitored over the coming months.
8.
POLICE REPORT
3rd – 24th November
PCSO Annie Austin had attended the Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph in London on Sunday 11 th
November as part of a chosen few representing Cambridgeshire Police. Patrols were carried out in
Haddenham & Aldreth during the month and enquiries were made regarding the theft of 100 litres of
diesel from two farm vehicles in Aldreth overnight on the 15th/16th November. Annie had also spoken
to local farmers regarding mud on the road in Aldreth. Two parking tickets have been issued in
Haddenham High Street during the month. There was some discussion on how it could be made more
public that tickets are being issued, which might help deter illegal parking but it was agreed the usual
reports and availability of minutes are as much as the Council can do to highlight the situation and
drivers should already know that parking on yellow lines is illegal.
9.
INFORMATION FROM DISTRICT & COUNTY COUNCILLORS
Cllr Hunt spoke to the Council regarding the County Council budget for 2013/14 and advised that a small
increase in Council Tax may be unavoidable. Other topics covered were wind turbines on County Land,
superfast broadband in Cambridgeshire by 2015, the Science Park Station, the guided bus, County
Council gritters and salt, Soham Railway Station, HCVs through the villages, Ely By Pass, the 106 bus
service and the new secondary school in Littleport. He also wished everyone a very Happy Christmas
and positive New Year.
Cllr P Wilson advised that the District Council had won a £5 million bid to improve recycling collections.
She had attended a meeting to discuss discretionary rates and a seminar relating to the proposed Ely
Gateway.
Cllr G Wilson reported that he had attended meetings to discuss the District Councils audit and treasury
policies, parking charges in Ely and an alternative site for Park & Ride and bed and breakfast charges.
Planning permission has been granted for an additional solar farm in Stretham and the appeal hearing
for Hod Hall Lane had been held with a result expected in 6 – 8 weeks time. He had also attended a
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meeting to look at the Village Visions, which will be going out for consultation shortly and he urged the
parish councillors to look at the visions for Haddenham & Aldreth to ensure they are happy with them. A
full council meeting had been held to discuss the Community Infrastructure Levy.
10. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES, WORKING PARTIES & GROUP REPRESENTATIVES
There were no reports this month from Planning, Burial Areas, Open Spaces, Road Safety, Street
Lighting, Wayman’s Pits and Aldreth Community Association.
A.
Finance & Emergency: A meeting had been held on 11th December and the Clerk would circulate the
draft minutes and associated papers as soon as possible.
B. Allotments: Some allotments need tidying up and rotovating and this will be done in the New Year
before all vacant plots are allocated to new tenants. A letter will go out to all tenants to advise that the
control of vermin is their responsibility. All of the plots need to be clearly numbered and prices for stakes
and numbers will be obtained ready for the January meeting.
C. Christmas Lights: The lights are all up and looking very nice although Cllr P Wilson reported a problem
with the ones on Top Corner and this will be investigated.
D. Fairchild’s Meadows: The rubber matting has been installed in the wet areas. The sheep are now out
and the bull is back in residence.
E.
Green Footpaths & Trees: A meeting will be held next week to discuss the situation with the Horse
Chestnut tree at the Recreation Field (see Minutes MM 10/2012 Item 23) and a recommendation will be
made back to the January meeting.
F.
Haddenham Youth Club: Two new members of staff have taken over and a meeting will be held with
them in the New Year.
G. Haddenham Library: The AGM had been held on 28th November with a reasonable attendance. The
officers remain the same as before. The Friends are having difficulty in finding new volunteers and
would welcome anyone who is able to help. The computers are due for an upgrade in the near future.
The next meeting will be held on 27th February 2013.
H. Pond: There are concerns that illegal fishing is taking place and a lot of litter is also being left as a
consequence. The Pond Committee would like to reinforce the No Fishing policy but it is difficult to know
how to do this when they are unable to catch the people. It was agreed this should be put on the agenda
for January to be discussed more fully. Cllr Norman advised that a suitable memorial tribute to the late
Nicholas Guppy is being looked into.
I.
Recreation: The pitches will be spiked, harrowed and fertilised when the weather allows. There has
been some internal damage at the Pavilion and the accounts are being finalised. The new custodians,
Nicky and Iain Butterworth, have now taken over their duties. Cllr G Wilson had attended the Cambs
Funding Fair and obtained a lot of information relevant to the next proposed refurbishment project for
Aldreth Play Area.
J.
Arkenstall Centre: Decorating has been carried out in the main and small halls. The AGM was well
attended and during that meeting new committees were set up. Quotes for the toilets are still awaited.
11. SECTION 106 INVESTMENT STRATEGY
A letter had been received advising that the current funding available to Haddenham is £22,762.18 to be
allocated to projects to improve the community infrastructure. It also advised that the system for
collecting developer contributions may change as the District Council proposes to introduce a
Community Infrastructure Levy, which will work on the basis of charging a standard levy for each unit of
development and this funding will then be allocated by the District Council towards a prioritised list of
strategic and local projects.
12. ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW GROUP
Cllr Goddard proposed and Cllr Fairchild seconded that the proposal put forward by Cllr Lyon to form an
“umbrella” group to liaise and coordinate the needs of the various working parties should be adopted
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and given a trial for 12 months to see how it would work. Motion carried by a show of 11 hands, Cllr P
Wilson was against. Cllr Lyon will organise an initial meeting in January to discuss setting this up and
report back to Full Council in due course.
13. MEETING DATES FOR 2013
The following dates were agreed for 2013:
Wednesday 16th January
Wednesday 13th February
Wednesday 13th March
Wednesday 10th April
Wednesday17th April (Annual Parish Meeting)
Wednesday 8th May
Wednesday 12th June
Wednesday 10th July
No meeting in August
Wednesday 4th September
Wednesday 9th October
Wednesday 13th November
Wednesday 11th December
Finance & Emergency and Planning Committee meetings will be arranged as necessary.
14. PRECEPT 2013/14
Cllr G Wilson proposed and Cllr Lyon seconded that the Precept for 2013/14 should be set at
£77,727.00 this is an approximate 2.06% increase on last year. Motion carried unanimously.
The breakdown will be as follows:
Administration
Burial Areas
Groundsman
Recreation
Section 137
Staff
Street Lighting
£9160.00
£500.00
£12,695.00
£8500.00
£165.00
£23,397.00
£7500.00
Haddenham Library
Arkenstall Village Centre
Haddenham Youth Club
Village VOICE
Aldreth Village Centre
Road Safety
£3810.00
£2500.00
£2500.00
£1200.00
£1300.00
£4500.00
15. CLERK’S SALARY
Cllr Wilson explained that historically the Clerk has been paid for the month she has worked at the
following Full Council meeting, which means she has to wait an additional two weeks for her salary. The
Finance & Emergency Committee wished to put forward a recommendation that her payments should be
brought into line with immediate effect so that she is paid at the end of each month. Cllr Fairchild
proposed and Cllr P Wilson seconded that this recommendation should be accepted. Motion carried
unanimously.
16. WORK AT ARKENSTALL CAR PARK AND NO5 STATION ROAD
(See Minutes MM 10/2012 Items 18 & 19) Cllr Fairchild reported that Mr Skeels had no objections to his
order for the work being cancelled. It was agreed that subject to the receipt of an acceptable revised
quote from Mr King the Council would give Cllr Fairchild plus two other members of the Finance &
Emergency Committee the authority to accept it and give permission for the work to proceed. Cllr
Fairchild proposed and Cllr P Wilson seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
17. DEDICATED CONTACT FOR GROUNDSMAN
Cllr Hugo proposed and Cllr Bush seconded that Cllr Lyon should be appointed as the dedicated contact
for K Ferguson’s Ltd. Motion carried unanimously.
18. RENEWAL OF CONTRACT FOR RECREATION FIELD
The grass cutting contract with K Ferguson’s for the Recreation Field will be due for renewal on 1 st April
2013 and the Recreation Committee wished to recommend that it should be extended for a further
twelve months. There was some discussion regarding the possible necessity to go out to tender and
also that it could be renewed for a further two years to bring it in line with the end date of the
Groundsman contract. Cllr Lyon will investigate the situation and report back to the January meeting.
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19. REQUEST FROM HADDENHAM CONSERVATION SOCIETY
The Conservation Society would like to organise regular litter picking events in the village and had
approached the Council with a request for the purchase of the relevant tools, bags, etc. The Clerk
advised that the District Council holds a stock of these items, which they lend out to community groups
and it was agreed this would be a much better option. She will pass on the contact details to the
Conservation Society.
20. TRACTORS
Several complaints have been received regarding the speed of tractors in the High Street and that some
drivers are using their mobile phones whilst driving. Cllr Goddard was asked to take this issue to the
next Neighbourhood Panel meeting and the Clerk will also ask the local PCSOs to keep an eye on the
situation.
21. LOCAL MINOR HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS BID 2013/14
Two possible bids were discussed; making the centre of the village into a 20mph zone and further traffic
calming measures in Duck Lane. Cllr G Wilson proposed and Cllr P Wilson seconded that the 20mph
bid should be submitted but this proposal was defeated by a show of 2 hands for and 10 against. Cllr G
Wilson then proposed and Cllr P Wilson seconded that the Duck Lane bid should be submitted and this
was carried by a show of 9 hands for and 3 abstentions.
22. LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME – INVESTMENT IN PARTNERSHIP CONSULTATION
Cllr Lyon proposed and Cllr P Wilson seconded that the advice received from Barry Parr, Pensions
Consultant, that there was no need to respond to the consultation should be accepted. Motion carried
unanimously. The Council also wished to record its thanks to Barry for his help and advice during the
year.
23. OUSE WASHES HABITAT CREATION CONSULTATION
Cllr Lyon proposed and Cllr Goddard seconded that as there was no clear consensus of opinion over the
proposals no comments should be returned. Motion carried by a show of 11 hands, Cllr Norman
abstained.
24. MATTERS TO REPORT
Cllr Smith enquired about progress with repairs to the path in Hop Row, which was reported last month
(see Minutes MM 10/2012 Item 25). The Clerk advised that it had been reported and is in hand and she
would forward the email correspondence to Cllr Smith.
Cllr Hugo reported that he had received several glowing comments about the hedge cutting around
Aldreth Play Area and what a good job had been made of it.
Cllr Norman advised that the Friends of Haddenham would like to plant some wild flowers with an
Olympics theme on The Mound. They will cover the costs involved but it will be well into next year before
the ground is in a suitable state to plant. The Council would be pleased to accept this offer.
Haddenham Conservation Society would like to erect a memorial seat in the Closed Cemetery in
memory of the late Freda Crofts and it was agreed that in principle this would be acceptable but final
details would need to be submitted at a future meeting for permission to be formally granted.
A review of the wish list for dog bins will be carried out at the January meeting.
25. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be held on 16th January 2013 at 7.30pm at the Arkenstall Village Centre, Station
Road, Haddenham, Cambs.
There being no further business Cllr Tindall wished everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year and closed the meeting at 9.48pm.
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