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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF HADDENHAM PARISH COUNCIL held on Wednesday 9 th July 2014 at
7.30pm at the Arkenstall Village Centre, Station Road, Haddenham, Cambs.
Attendance: Cllrs Bush, Goddard, Haigh, Hugo, Lyon (Chairman), Norman, Page, Parr, Smith, Tindall,
G Wilson and P Wilson
1.
MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING having been circulated to all councillors were taken as read. Cllr
Tindall proposed and Cllr Haigh seconded that the minutes should be signed as a true record of the
meeting subject to the following amendment: Item 18 para 7 should read Chewells Close not Lane.
Motion carried unanimously.
2.
MATTERS ARISING (For Information Only)
a.
Trees at Station Road: (See Minutes FC 06/2014 Item 9G): The Highways Officer had advised that
trees should be a minimum height of 15 metres if they overhang a carriageway but even if they were
found to be lower than this the County Council would only consider enforcing trimming if they were
posing a danger to passing traffic and sweeping straw off onto the road does not constitute a danger.
They would not pursue enforcement for trimming, as this would be very costly. If the trees were unstable
or dropping branches on the road then it would be a different situation but as things stand Highways
would not be prepared to carry out trimming themselves either. This information had been reported
back to the resident in Station Road.
b.
Haddenham War Memorial: (See Minutes FC 06/2014 Item 18 para 9) The Clerk had received a
donation of £25 from Hibbitt & Sons as compensation for the damage caused to the plants and grass
and this will be passed on to the Arkenstall Centre at the request of Mr & Mrs Chapman.
3.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE were received from County Cllr Hunt.
4.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were none.
5.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Mr James Morris wished to thank the Parish Council, on behalf of the British Legion and the people of
Haddenham, for having the war memorial cleaned.
6.
CO-OPTION OF COUNCILLOR TO FILL VACANT SEAT
Cllr Lyon advised that three applications had been received plus one late application received on 5th July
after the specified deadline of 5pm on Friday 4th July. Cllr Parr proposed and Cllr Smith seconded that
the late candidate should be allowed to stand making a total of four candidates. Motion carried
unanimously.
The four candidates, Mr Toby Bush, Mr Stephen Cheetham, Mr Richard Marsden and Mr James Morris
were in attendance and Cllr Lyon invited each one to introduce themselves and answer any questions
the Council might have. He then asked them to leave the room whilst a secret ballot was carried out.
The outcome of the first ballot was a tie of 6 votes each for Mr Bush and Mr Cheetham, thereby
eliminating Mr Marsden and Mr Morris.
It was agreed a second ballot should be held between Mr Bush and Mr Cheetham and the result was
again a tie of 6 votes each and the Chairman then used his casting vote to elect Mr Cheetham.
The candidates were informed of the result and all thanked for their interest. The three unsuccessful
candidates were advised that there will be a full council election in May 2015 and were all urged to stand
again at that point.
Mr Cheetham then signed his Declaration of Acceptance of Office and joined the Council at the table for
the remainder of the meeting.
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7.
FINANCIAL MATTERS
a.
AmeyCespa (East) Ltd invoice: The Clerk advised that the total amount for the AmeyCespa invoice
listed in the June minutes (FC 06/2014 Item 6a) should read £63.06.
b.
Accounts to be authorised:
Name
Service
AmeyCespa (East)
Ltd
Cemetery Wheelie bin May 2014
£11.95
DD
BT
Library phone June – Aug 2014
£46.18
DD
J Manning
Clerk’s salary June 2014
£1221.07
BACS
07.07.14
David Lowe Plumbing
& Heating Ltd
Capping off Changing Room C shower
services at Pavilion
£79.20
BACS
Hibbitt & Sons
(Masonry) Ltd
Cleaning and associated works to Haddenham
Memorial
£1236.00
BACS
K Fergusons Ltd
(May 2014)
Grass cutting @ Burial Ground
Grass cutting @ all other areas
Grass cutting @ Feast’s Green
Litter bins
Litter pick
Additional grass cutting @ Aldreth
Grass cutting @ Fairchild’s Meadows
VAT @ 20%
£220.00
£672.00
£84.00
£144.00
£100.00
£84.00
£42.00
£269.20
£1615.20
BACS
Grass cutting @ Recreation Field
Strimming @ Recreation Field
VAT @ 20%
£240.00
£80.00
£64.00
£384.00
BACS
£435.39
BACS
£70.25
BACS
£288.00
BACS
£25.00
BACS
£35.03
BACS
£550.72
BACS
£1024.43
BACS
£568.98
BACS
£318.75
BACS
£534.00
BACS
K Fergusons Ltd
(May 2014)
Itemised
Westcotec Ltd
Street lighting maintenance April – June 2014
BHMA Ltd
Signs for Cemetery & Fairchild’s Meadows
Ken Skeels Builder
Emergency repairs to Pavilion & Bier House
roofs
Arkenstall Village
Centre
J Manning
(June 2014)
Donation from Hibbitt & Sons
Stationery
Postage
Mileage Jan – June 2014
LGSS Pension Fund
Clerk’s Pension June 2014
HM Revenue &
Customs
Clerk’s Tax & NI April – June 2014
E-ON
Energy charges June 2014
J Last
Spraying thistles in Long Meadow Fairchild’s
Meadows
Spraying thistles in Middle Field @ Fairchild’s
Meadows
Sweepfast
Deep clean to MUGA court
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£5.00
£2.03
£28.00
Total
Amount
Chq No/
Method
£193.75
£125.00
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FC 07/2014
AmeyCespa (East)
Ltd
Cemetery wheelie bin June 2014
£35.86
DD
AmeyCespa (East)
Ltd
Wheelie bin and Duty of Care charges June
2014
£63.06
DD
NALC
Local Council Review Subscription 2014/15
£17.00
2146
Cllr Parr proposed and Cllr G Wilson seconded that all of the above accounts should be authorised for
payment. Motion carried unanimously.
c.
August Invoices: Cllr Parr proposed and Cllr G Wilson seconded that the Clerk should be given
permission to make any necessary payments during August due to the fact that there would be no full
council meeting until September. Motion carried unanimously.
8.
CORRESPONDENCE
The Cambridgeshire Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) has now been adopted and can be
viewed at www.cambirdgeshire.gov.uk.
The Highways Officer will hold “Drop In Sessions” at the Parish Rooms, High Street, Stretham between
2pm and 4pm on the following dates; 24th July, 14th August, 11th September, 16th October, 13th
November and 11th December, although these may be subject to change. Residents from Stretham and
surrounding villages are invited to call in with any highway issues they would like to discuss.
9.
INFORMATION FROM DISTRICT & COUNTY COUNCILLORS
Cllr P Wilson reported that the District Council had received an application for the wind farm at Berry
Fen but it had not yet been registered. The mast has not been erected either but REG Windpower have
now met all the pre planning conditions. She also advised that elsewhere in the country information from
masts have to be made public and information has to be gathered for 6 months. All District Councillors
will be notified about the plan but not necessarily Parish Councils from surrounding villages to
Haddenham & Aldreth.
On 8th July she had attended a Commercial Services Committee meeting and site visits had been made
to the Ely County Park and the swimming pool. The Park is looking good and there are plans to extend
it. Other items discussed were assets of community value, buildings of interest and service champions.
The Section 106 grant process has been changed and the capping limit for applications over £5,000 to
be decided by committee has been removed completely, despite Cllr Wilson’s proposal for it to be
capped at £50,000. In future all Ward District Councillors will be notified of all applications. Other usual
grants were discussed and annual reports from outside bodies were also received.
Cllr G Wilson advised that applications for 100 houses in Haddenham and 128 in Witchford had been
withdrawn in consultation with Gladman Developments. The District Inspector will report back on the
Local Plan on 11th July and the planning applications will probably come back in August/September.
Outline permission has been granted for Tesco to build a larger store in Angel Drove but a lot of
conditions will be applied to the permission.
An application for housing development on an industrial site at Bottisham was refused due to there
being no employment use of the site but this did not appear to be the case to some of the councillors.
The proposed Community Land Trust site in Stretham/Wilburton appears to have some disadvantages
regarding archaeological issues and access but the plans themselves are quite good, with provision for
affordable housing and a doctor’s surgery being included. CLT should be for local residents and the
tenancy conditions must be rigorous and set out correctly before permission is granted.
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10. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES, WORKING PARTIES & GROUP REPRESENTATIVES
A.
Finance & Emergency: The next meeting would be held on Tuesday 29th July.
B. Planning: The next meeting would be held on Monday 14th July.
C. Allotments: The group had met on 24th June to discuss a rent and regulations review and the provision
of further water tanks at both sites. These items would be discussed later on the agenda. Several
tenants had also been contacted regarding the untidy state of their plots.
D. Burial Areas: Cllr Lyon will speak to Ferguson’s regarding complaints about grass being thrown onto
graves from the cutter. Cllr P Wilson asked the Clerk to check when a person has been buried before
approving an application for a headstone because she is worried that some stones are being installed
too quickly and this is causing them to subside.
E.
Environmental Overview: The next meeting would be held on Monday 14th July.
F.
Street Lighting: Cllr Smith advised that the group would like to install two replacement low energy
lanterns in the Churchyard to assess how effective they would be before consideration is given to
replacing others around the parish. This will be an agenda item for September to authorise the
expenditure. He also advised that there are actually 7 not 6 lights at the Social Club (see Minutes FC
01/2014 Item 14) and it was agreed that the extra light should be included in the maintenance
agreement with Westcotec Ltd.
G. Aldreth Community Association: Cllr Page reported that sadly Tinderbox Pre-School had closed at
the end of June (see Minutes FC 06/2014 Item 2b) but the committee is hoping to start a Mother &
Toddler Group instead. The Village Centre is now looking for additional sources of income. The
Association also is looking at ideas for a new Blossoms & Bygones event.
H. Arkenstall Centre: An Executive Committee meeting had been held on Tuesday 8th July and a
Management Committee meeting would be held on Tuesday 15th July. The cost of the refurbishment
work for the toilets has unfortunately risen since the original quote of two years ago and six members of
the committee are trying to negotiate and monitor the contract. Cllr Tindall proposed and Cllr Parr
seconded that the Clerk should write to the Arkenstall Committee and advise that other than the money
already agreed, the Parish Council will facilitate the work with the £31,000 grant from WREN and funds
already earmarked in the Precept but the Arkenstall Committee will be expected to pay any additional
amounts above that. Motion carried unanimously. It is hoped that the work will start in September and
there will be some inconvenience whilst the work is in progress but portable toilets will be provided in the
car park and most meetings should not be affected.
I.
Haddenham Youth Club: The report for May/June showed that 26 young people had attended the
Club. The second Junior Youth Council meeting had been held and fundraising ideas were discussed.
The Youth Council had completed a successful application for the Waitrose coin drop and this will
hopefully run during July. A number of ideas for a stall at the fete in July had also been discussed. The
Club opening times have changed to 6-8pm to encourage younger members to join. Letters have been
sent to all parents to update them and remind them of club rules and request registration forms and
contact details for all members. The better weather has enabled the Club to organise outdoor games
such as swing ball and rounders. Whilst the girl’s hour is running some male members have taken part
in these activities or played football. The girl’s hour has been developed as a six-week project to try to
attract more girls to the Club and activities include jewellery making, mini top hat making and decorating
place mats. This has proved popular and two new members have joined. Future activities will include
flower making and decorating mugs and the final session will be a “mad hatters tea party”. Other club
activities have included a healthy eating week and quiz. Members of the Youth Council have produced
an excellent poster to promote the girls hour.
J.
Guppy’s Pond: The bench seat and observation area were completed by a work party on 3rd May and
members wished to thank the member of the work party who provided materials worth in excess of £60
at his own expense, as well as his skilled labour to lead the construction. Several positive comments
have been passed on by visitors in appreciation of the work done. There has been further evidence of
fishing and this was reported to the Parish Council and PCSO Annie. No action has been taken yet to
inspect or work on the fallen willow tree but this will be tackled around the time of the Annual Boating
Day on Sunday 7th September as it requires access from the water. The Boating Day will run from 2
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to 4 pm. The next committee meeting would be held on Monday 21 July.
K. Recreation: The Group met on 17th June to discuss the play inspection reports and actions required
and the Clerk and Chairman are now putting these in place. Cllr G Wilson has been progressing the
Aldreth Play Area refurbishment but it had been highlighted that not all councillors are aware of the
exact plans and it was agreed that an extraordinary full council meeting should be held on Friday 18 th
July to give everyone the chance to discuss and understand the plans, costs and other associated items
such as the rocking horse and slide.
Cllr Lyon had met with the architect for a preliminary look at the pavilion and surrounding area and his
proposals are awaited. This will go to the Recreation Group first then to Full Council and it is expected
that the work would need to be carried out in phases.
Cllr Norman queried why the net fencing, posts and netball hoop had been removed from around the old
netball court. Cllr Lyon explained that work to remove the fencing had been agreed in the Precept
because it was in a poor state and the netball hoop had been removed because it was rusty and not
used much. Kestrel Fencing had retained the hoop and Cllr Norman will retrieve it from them.
A coach had contacted Cllr Parr to ask if he could set up tennis coaching sessions at the Recreation
Centre. The MUGA court would be suitable but there are no nets/posts available. The Group were in
favour in principle and Cllr Parr had replied advising this and that there would be a hire charge for the
use of the facility but she had heard nothing further. Other items discussed were pitch and grounds
maintenance and accounts.
L.
Fairchild’s Meadows: Cllr Norman is obtaining fencing quotes for the Bonfire Field ready for the next
group meeting on Monday 1st September.
M. Wayman’s Pits: A site visit and meeting is planned for the near future.
N. Haddenham Charities: The next meeting would be held on Wednesday 16th July.
11. PROPOSED PILOT PARISH CONFERENCE
Following the decision to cease the Neighbourhood Panels proposals had been received for a pilot
parish conference to be held in September. It was agreed that the proposed forum for the meeting
sounds interesting and encouraging and the Parish Council would support an initial meeting by sending
a representative once the confirmed date is received.
12. PENSION DISCRETIONS POLICY
Further to the adoption of the Policy in June 2014 (see Minutes FC 06/2014 Item 16) it had come to light
that four amendments/additions were required and these had been circulated to all councillors. Cllr Parr
proposed and Cllr Hugo seconded that the Policy should be amended and re-adopted to include those
alterations. Motion carried unanimously.
13. HADDENHAM SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB
(See Minutes FC 06/2014 Item 18 para 1) The Clerk advised that the Sports & Social Club is
responsible for the maintenance of the car park and she was asked to write regarding several potholes
that are in need of repair.
14. TREE WORK AT NON-CONFORMIST BURIAL GROUND
(See Minutes FC 06/2014 Item 9D) Cllr Parr proposed and Cllr P Wilson seconded that an order should
be issued to Conway Tree Specialists to carry out the trimming work required as reported at the June
meeting. Motion carried unanimously. The work will be programmed once official permission has been
received from the Tree Officer.
15. CIRCUS TYANNA VISIT
Cllr Page proposed and Cllr Parr seconded that permission should be given for Circus Tyanna to visit
again in 2015, dates to be confirmed nearer the time. Motion carried unanimously.
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16. POLLING DISTRICT, PLACES AND STATIONS REVIEW
It was agreed that the review for Haddenham and Aldreth was accepted, with no proposals to alter the
existing venues and arrangements.
17. REVIEW OF ALLOTMENT RENTS
A review of the allotment rents had been carried out by the Allotments Group and in view of the fact that
they had not been increased since October 2010 Cllr Parr proposed and Cllr P Wilson seconded that
with effect from 1st October 2014 they should be increased to £10 per full plot and £5 per half plot.
Motion carried unanimously.
18. REVIEW OF ALLOTMENT REGULATIONS
Cllr Bush proposed and Cllr G Wilson seconded that the amended Allotment Regulations, as circulated
to all members, should be approved to take immediate effect. Motion carried unanimously.
19. INSTALLATION OF ADDITIONAL TANKS AT ALLOTMENT SITES
Due to the expected level of expenditure for this item the Clerk will try to obtain two further quotes and
therefore the matter was deferred until the next meeting in September. The work may have to be done in
two phases to allow for funding to be Precepted for next year.
20. REPAIRS AT HADDENHAM PLAY AREA & SKATEPARK
Repair items for Haddenham Play Area were deferred until the September meeting.
Cllr Parr proposed and Cllr Page seconded that an order should be issued to Batramps for repairs to
the large quarter pipe in the skatepark at a cost of £325. Motion carried unanimously.
Local Government Act 1894 s8(1)(i)
21. HADDENHAM & ALDRETH ADVENT EVENT 2014
Details of a proposed event, Haddenham & Aldreth’s Living Advent Calendar, had been received from
Mrs Miranda Pratt. The event will be launched on Sunday 30th November with a Festival of Light, to
include music, stalls and Father Christmas with reindeer, etc. The event will cover the 24 days of Advent
with a local organisation or local person hosting an event for a charity of their choice. From 1 st to 24th
December one or more events will happen each day in Haddenham and/or Aldreth and the event can be
of any size and whatever people wish it to be. The living advent calendar will conclude at the Holy Trinity
Church Crib Service on 24th December. Cllr Hugo proposed and Cllr Bush seconded that the Parish
Council would be prepared to make a one off grant of up to £500 to cover costs associated with printing
leaflets, a snow machine and an advent sign. The Council would also grant permission for The Green to
be used for the event. Motion carried unanimously. The Clerk will advise that approval for funding is for
this year only and future requests would need to be considered as separate applications. The village
Christmas lights will be erected on 22nd/23rd November and the Council would ask Miranda to attend the
Annual Parish Meeting in 2015 to give a report on the success of the event.
Local Government Act 1972 s145
22. AMENDMENTS TO THE LIST OF COMMITTEES, WORKING PARTIES & GROUP
REPRESENTATIVES
Cllr Lyon and the Clerk had amended the list to show more clearly the status of the Working Parties and
Groups and this had been circulated to all members. It was agreed that the new layout should be
accepted.
23. MATTERS TO REPORT
The electrical recycling event would be held the next day, although most of Hillrow will be closed for
resurfacing. The Clerk had advised Paul Duggan at Wiser Recycling of the problem.
The Arkenstall Committee is considering tractor rides to open gardens instead of Blossoms & Bygones.
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Cllr Goddard advised that the Hillrow post box is still missing and the Clerk will chase this up. He also
reported a blocked drain outside the Porch House and his on-going concerns about Station Road Bridge
despite assurances from the Highways Officer that it is monitored and checked regularly. He also
mentioned water leaks that had occurred in the village.
The dog sign at Aldreth Playing Field has disappeared and the Clerk will order a new one.
(See Minutes FC 05/2014 Item 11) The Clerk advised that the County Council replacement lighting
scheme is being carried out in villages but Haddenham has not been programmed in yet. She will
enquire again in November/December when more details should be available.
A letter of congratulations will be sent to Haddenham Pre-School for their recent outstanding Ofsted
inspection and report.
The Clerk advised that she would be on holiday on Friday 11th July and from Monday 11th to Monday
25th August inclusive and the Parish Council office will be closed for that period. She will return to work
on Tuesday 26th August.
24. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 3rd September 2014 at 7.30pm at the Arkenstall Village
Centre, Station Road, Haddenham, Cambs.
There being no further business the meeting was closed at 9.41pm.
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