Minutes of Parish Meeting - 17th February 2021

Meeting held by Zoom - 7pm

Councillors Present: Cllr Allen, Cllr Wilkinson, Cllr Dickson-Green, Cllr Tilley, Cllr Irving, Cllr Kirkbride, Cllr Huddleston, Cllr Moore

In attendance: Clerk, 1 member of the public
 

Part A - Public Participation

A reporter from the Hexham Courant was present for the meeting.

Part B - Parish Council Meeting

1. Apologies - None

2. County Councillor Report - None

3. Declarations of interest - The Clerk noted that a query had been raised regarding three councillors being on the Board of Trustees of the Town Hall and the impact this would have on their ability to vote on the matter of the Indoor Market. The Clerk reminded Councillors of the need to put any charitable links on their declarations of interest (DOI). He stated that he had spoken to the Monitoring Office, the Head of Democratic Services at Northumberland County Council (NCC) and NALC and they felt that it was unlikely that there was an issue. However, to be certain, the affected councillors had submitted an application for dispensation to allow them to be part of the discussion and voting on the Indoor Market proposal. The affected councillors left the meeting while this was discussed by the remaining five councillors, who agreed unanimously to approve the dispensation - after which the three councillors returned to the meeting.

4. Minutes of January Meeting - agreed with no amendments

5. Matters arising from the minutes

5.1 The Clerk stated that the agreed precept had been sent to NCC. The safety reviews of the cemetery were still ongoing and he was going to have a meeting with the NCC representative about this shortly (Clerk to action). The grass cutting of Foundry Yard had been cancelled and the planning for the substation near Bridgeford View had been objected to.

The Clerk had been in touch with the National Park regarding risks to users of Hareshaw Linn due to a lack of possible social distancing. The National Park confirmed that they had no legal ability to close the right of way.

The Clerk had been in touch with NCC’s Highways Department regarding widening of Percy Terrace. They had stated that it would not score highly as it would be minimal benefit due to the narrow nature of the verge and would be very expensive due to the need to do some of the work in the gardens of Redesmouth Court residences. As such they suggested that it would be very unlikely to proceed.

The Clerk had also been in touch with the potential co-optees to the parish council vacancy and mentioned that co-option would not now take place due to the proximity to the local elections.

5.2 Cllr Allen had met with Cllr Moore to discuss the possible planting of trees near the Fairstead, This was to be left as a point forward due to issues regarding ownership and rights of way at the Fairstead which are under investigation. (Cllr Allen to action)

Cllr Allen noted that he had not heard back from the proposed contractor for drainage work on the Fairstead but would chase for information. (Cllr Allen to action) Cllr Allen also confirmed he had updated his DOI.

5.3 Cllr Kirkbride confirmed he had sent a list of sports funding to the Clerk to pass onto the Playground Committee. (Clerk to action) He also confirmed that the deliveries of Snow Warden kits by NCC had all been received and he wanted to thank Eddie Taylor for his work keeping the streets clear of snow.

Cllr Kirkbride also gave a local police update. The police had been contacted regarding the numbers of people visiting Hareshaw Linn. They confirmed there was no legal basis to stop people visiting as current government travel restrictions are advisory. The police cannot stop visitors parking around Foundry Farm and the roads leading to it as these roads have no parking restrictions. Should residents have concerns about people staying at the local caravan parks, they are being asked to ring 101.

5.4 Cllr Dickson-Green noted that he had been in touch with NCC regarding the criteria for grit bins and they had confirmed that there is a points based system depending on category of traffic, gradient of the street and whether they are within 200m of an existing grit bin. This is why Percy Terrace and the Boat Road were refused bins.

6. Planning applications -

20/03438/FUL - Retrospective Installation of Shipping Container Fell View - the Clerk noted that this application had been withdrawn.

21/00070/FUL - Replacement of Poultry Shed at Blakelaw - this application had been granted planning permission.

7. Correspondence

A local resident had been in touch to thank the council for its work and stated that the precept was very good value for money. Several residents had also been in touch to say that they thought the newly redesigned website was excellent.

Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA) is looking for each council to nominate a councillor to become a member of the NNPA council for the next four years. The Clerk will forward the relevant information to any councillors interested in being nominated. (Clerk to action)

The Clerk noted that three councillors had not yet been in touch to confirm that they accepted the code of conduct. He reminded them that if this was not done within two months of them being notified it meant that their seats on the parish council would become vacant and NCC would be notified of the vacancies (Cllr Moore, Cllr Wilkinson, Cllr Irving to action).

Confirmation had been received from NCC that the double tax payment they will make to the parish council for the cemetery would be £109 and should be received shortly.

The Clerk had provisionally booked the Town Hall after discussion with Cllr Allen for three months of parish council meetings from May onwards. This is due to the current non-renewal of the legislation allowing online meetings. If the law is extended and depending on the social distancing rules at the time, this can be cancelled with no cost to the parish.

Marie Hunter had been in touch regarding the building of steps at St Cuthbert’s Church down to the Penine Way. She confirmed that funding had been secured and that work would likely commence in April 2021. She noted that the parish had asked for railings along the wall and she wished to meet with a councillor to discuss this shortly. (Clerk to action)

The Clerk highlighted that a copy of the Local Housing Needs Survey undertaken by NCC had been received and was circulated to all councillors as well as being publicised on the parish website. A local resident had been in touch to express their concerns that NCC had not publicised this sooner. They suggested this was because the new housing developments in Bellingham did not meet the needs identified in the survey, leading to NCC avoiding the its publication. The resident also provided an update on the complaints raised regarding the new development near Bridgeford View which have been escalated to the Local Government Ombudsman.

A grant application had been received by Citizens Advice Northumberland. After discussion it was decided that this did not meet the current grant awarding criteria for the Parish Council.

A letter had been received from the Land Registry giving notification of an adverse possession claim by N MacPherson on land at the Poor Man’s Allotments in Bellingham . The council noted that this was not land owned by the Parish and so no objection could be made. However there were concerns over the right of way claimed on the document. This had been discussed with Northumberland Estates who own the land over which the right of way was being claimed and they were proceeding with an investigation. (Clerk to action)

8. Reports -

8.1 Cllr Dickson-Green noted that there was no safety ring near the river at the Jubilee Field. It was noted by other councillors that there had been one in place some years ago. The cost of a new safety ring was £206 (ex-VAT). It was agreed to investigate with the local fire brigade if they had any funding for this purpose. (Cllr Allen to action)

8.2 Cllr Dickson-Green raised the issue of gating access to the Fairstead allotments due to the significant damage being done to the ground by vehicles. A discussion on this was delayed until the status of the rights of way over the Fairstead have been established by Northumberland Estates.

8.3 Cllr Dickson-Green stated that he was investigating the cost of clearing the lower cemetery at St Cuthbert’s and maintaining it on an ongoing basis. He was currently gathering quotes to present to the council. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)

8.4 Cllr Dickson-Green gave an update on the WeFibre broadband scheme to bring gigabit fibre broadband to the local area. He noted that the village needed 100 households to sign up for a voucher for a no-obligation installation of fibre broadband at wefibre.com/grants by 31st March for the scheme to go ahead. There were currently 25 households that had done so. It was agreed to advertise the opportunity to all residents through posters, leaflets and online to try and get to the target of 100 households. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)

8.5 Cllr Dickson-Green discussed a proposal to boost tourism in the village ready for the end of lockdown. He noted that there was a significant predicted rise in the number of visitors and people having holidays in rural locations later in the year - the village was already seeing large numbers of people visiting Hareshaw Linn. Proposals included better signposting and a review of signage in the village, information boards at Hareshaw Linn car park to direct people back into the main village and shops, tourist board on the side of the public toilets with information about local tourist attractions, repurposing the information board outside the Country Store and turning it into a local business directory and map, creating a village centre visitor/resident free wifi service and information boards regarding historic sites in the village. He noted that plans to improve parking in the village were already progressing according to Cllr Riddle. It was agreed for councillors to consider the proposals in detail and come to the next meeting with a plan for which proposals they felt the parish should adopt. (All councillors to action)

8.6 Cllr Dickson-Green discussed another proposal to bring a new indoor market to Bellingham which would be sited in the Town Hall. This would focus on local producers and businesses and provide an additional service for local residents, as well as for tourists. The stallholders would be curated carefully to ensure they complemented the existing shops in Bellingham instead of competing and signage would also drive people towards the shops when they had finished at the indoor market. The proposal would be self-funding through charges to stall holders. Questions were raised over why the Town Hall was not running the market itself. Cllr Dickson-Green argued that the Parish Council would have a stronger brand for a market and it would be easier to convince stallholders to join and other parishes to advertise the market. It was also asked about footfall at current events regarding the sustainability of a market in Bellingham. Cllr Tilley mentioned that the proposal had received a large number of positive feedback on Facebook, but that the footfall varied for existing Town Hall events. Cllr Dickson-Green pointed out that the new market would be heavily promoted in the entire area which would help to boost visitor numbers. Concerns were mentioned about parking, but it was anticipated that this would be smoothed out if the market ran for most of the day. The council agreed the proposal was acceptable and it was agreed for further work to be done to investigate the interest levels of local businesses to take stalls in the new market ready for the next meeting, to ensure the proposal is feasible. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)

8.7 Cllr Dickson-Green raised the issue of the cleaning of the public toilets when they reopen later in the year. The advertisement for a local cleaner had attracted 7 applicants. Only two applicants were from Bellingham and it was felt a local provider would be the most appropriate. The two local candidates were discussed and one selected. A contract is to be created for the work and circulated to the council for approval before being sent to the successful candidate. The work will also require a risk assessment as well as guidance for cleaning the toilets during the COVID pandemic. (Clerk and Cllr Dickson-Green to action)

8.8 Cllr Moore had been approached by a resident who wished to improve parking around Westlands by the creation of more parking spaces out of sections of the larger grassed areas. The council noted that the areas are often difficult to drive round due to the number of residents having to park on the street and that this could be hazardous for emergency vehicles. Cllr Allen noted that the land was owned by Karbon Homes. It was agreed for the Clerk to contact Karbon to discuss what could be done to progress this matter. (Clerk to action)

9. Finance

9.1 The following items of income and expenditure were noted:

Income:

Interest = £0.07

Expenses: 

• B Dickson-Green (clerk pay) = £179.00
• Water rates = £57.00 (DD)
• C Mowatt (Landscaping) = £957.60 (monthly rise due to VAT registration)
• M Dickson-Green (new website domain and hosting) = £108.00
• E Taylor (handyman) = £350.50
• M B Handyman (repairs to the toilets) = £50.00
• Northumberland Estates (toilet rental) = £10.00
• TyneRede (previous clerk tax return) = £138.00

Bank balances as at 11th February were: Main account £28,530.01, Jubilee Field account £2216.86, Instant access account £6,295.76.

9.2 The Clerk noted that the internet banking was now up and running with Cllrs Tilley, Dickson-Green and Wilkinson all signed up as authorisers and others in process. However nothing had been received for Cllr Allen so the Clerk was to resend the information on this. (Clerk to action)

9.3 A grant application had been received after the publication of the agenda from Age UK and had been circulated in advance of the meeting to all councillors. It was agreed that the application would be refused as it duplicated funding provided before Christmas. (Clerk to action)

10. Any Urgent Business

The Clerk noted that the Lib Dem candidate for the County Council election had been in touch regarding attending the next meeting to discuss election issues. It was agreed that this was not something the parish council would support, as the parish council is currently made up wholly of independent candidates and is strictly neutral on wider political issues. (Clerk to action)

enable the parish council to be accredited for its work in engaging with the public and having appropriate internal systems in place. The cost would be around £100. It was agreed that this would be useful to be worked towards. The Clerk also noted that he had finished the ILCA qualification and that the CLCA qualification would allow the parish to move towards getting the General Power of Competence. The CLCA qualification would cost around £800 but the possibility of splitting this with another parish council would be investigated.  (Clerk to action)

Cllr Huddleston noted that there were issues with rubbish and scrap being dumped in fields near Nichols’ Arch on the approach to Bellingham. This was to be investigated. (Clerk and Cllr Kirkbride to action)

11. Date of next meeting - March 17th