Minutes of Parish Meeting - 18th January 2023
Meeting held at Bellingham Town Hall - 7.00pm
Councillors Present: Cllr Dickson-Green, Cllr Irving, Cllr Wilkinson, Cllr Tilley, Cllr Kirkbride, Cllr Huddleston, Cllr Moore.
In attendance: Clerk
Part A - Public Participation - None
Part B - Parish Council Meeting
1. Apologies - None received
2. County Councillor Report - None received
3. Declarations of interest - No new updates
4. December 2022 meeting minutes - agreed with no amendments
5. Matters arising from the minutes
5.1 The Clerk noted that the quotes for repairs to St Cuthbert’s gravestones were still outstanding.
5.2 Kompan had finally been in touch regarding the outstanding repairs to the zip wire. The Clerk was to meet with them on Friday to discuss repairs. (Clerk to action)
5.3 The Clerk had submitted the precept documentation to NCC and pay letters to contractors. NCC had been contacted regarding adoption of the steps at Percy Terrace but had not received a reply.
5.4 The Clerk had contacted Cllr Riddle regarding the withdrawal of Embracing Care from the area. NCC had replied to say that they were looking at ways to attract more care workers to the area, but that this was a national problem.
5.5 A job description had been circulated for a village cleaning operative, as well as for a playground/cemetery operative and these descriptions were to be reviewed by all councillors for comment at the next meeting. (ALL to action)
5.6 The Clerk had undertaken the legal advertising needed for someone to fill the vacant council seat. If no election was required, he was to advertise for anyone interested in co-option to the parish. (Clerk to action).
5.7 Planning for the coronation events was discussed, with proposals for a music event in the town hall, as well as memorabilia. This is to be investigated further.
5.8 Cllr Kirkbride noted that there had been little interest from school children as to the installation of a skate park in Bellingham. The new speed check scheme was to be advertised (Clerk to action). Cllr Irving was to investigate angling the security light on the Fire Station to cover the play area (Cllr Irving to action)
5.9 Cllr Moore was to look into if repair to the tyres in the play area was possible or if they needed removing (Cllr Moore to action).
5.10 Cllr Moore had received a response from Northumberland Estates regarding the proposed contract amends for the Fairstead area. As there Estates were unwilling to clarify the terms of future rent reviews, or repair broken drains and boundaries before the lease was signed, it was not felt that the contract met good due diligence requirements and it was agreed to inform Northumberland Estates that the Parish would not be able to proceed under the proposed terms, (Clerk to action) Cllr Dickson-Green expressed the Council’s thanks for the work Cllr Moore had undertaken on this matter.
5.11 Chapel lighting was to be left as a point forward (Cllr Dickson-Green to action). WeFibre had been in touch to confirm that their phase 2 rollout was expected to start Feb/Mar and that they would be looking to do more event sponsorship in the village in the coming months. Christmas light warranty claims would be managed with David Allen (Cllr Dickson-Green to action).
6. Planning applications - None received
7. Finance
7.1 Income, expenses, bank balance and budget review
Income for the month:
- Interest: £7.07
- Toilet honesty box: £13.39
- Allotment income - £37.50
Invoices to be paid:
- B Dickson-Green (clerk pay) = £212.51
- CM Commercial (landscaping) = £957.60
- Hostworld (.gov.uk) = £100.80
- E Taylor (handyman) = £312.50
- Town Hall (rental for Dec) = £20.00
- DD - Wave (water rates) = £19.00
- N Green (cleaning) = £154.34
- NTRCP (storage for the year) = £120.00
- K Irving (expenses - defibrillator) = £151.99
Bank account balances at 13/01/23 were:
- Current account - £27,985.59
- Reserves Account - £11,223.83
- Cemetery Maintenance Fund - £4,741.36
8. Correspondence
8.1 Northumberland Neighbourhood Watch had been in touch to discuss if any local support was needed. No further support was felt to be needed.
8.2 The Parish had been copied into complaints from several local residents to NCC regarding planning concerns over the Mart Field. It was noted that NCC had still not finalised s106 or other aspects of the planning process, which would be needed before the Parish could comment further.
8.3 A copy of the Ray Wind Fund annual report had been provided and was available to any councillors for review.
8.4 A resident had expressed concerns over the building waste outside the Black Bull. It was agreed to mention this to the Black Bull, though the issue was largely fixed as the refit was almost finished.
9. Borderlands - No further reports were available on this
10. Reports
10.1 Tyne Bridge Drains
10.1.1 These were blocked, causing some flooding on the bridge. Clerk to contact NCC and arrange for cleaning. (Clerk to action)
10.2 Highways issues
10.2.1 The Clerk noted that issues with standing water at St Cuthbert’s Church had been forwarded again to NCC but no reply had been received. It was agreed to send these outstanding issues again but copy in Cllr Riddle and Cllr Sanderson. (Clerk to action)
10.3 Environmental Health
10.3.1 Cllr Irving noted a resident in Callister Court had issues with rats, possibly due to the building work at the new estate. It was noted this was an Environmental Health matter that could only be managed by NCC.
10.4 Community Transport
10.4.1 Cllr Kirkbride noted the idea had been previously raised to operate a minibus for local groups in the area. It was agreed that the rules and costs would need to be ascertained, along with interest from local groups. (Cllr Kirkbride to action).
10.5 Schools Update
10.5.1 Cllr Kirkbride noted that the school community facilities were starting to become available for use by local residents. There were continuing to be ongoing issues with a lack of engagement by NCC with the Middle School, a lack of funding and what the Governors felt were continuing efforts to hamper the viability of the Middle School. It was agreed to ask Glen Sanderson and Guy Opperman to attend a meeting to discuss this (Clerk to action).
10.6 Mart Field Development Concerns
10.6.1 It was noted that a number of residents were in the process of complaining to NCC regarding the planning process for the Mart Field site. It was agreed to wait for final confirmation of the planning before undertaking any more action. However, the process for s106 decisions was to be queried with NCC. (Clerk to action)
10.7 Cemetery Fees
10.7.1 It was agreed that going forward, even if a plot had been purchased under the old pricing structure, the new internment fees would be applied. This would be consistent with those buying plots in the future.
10.8 Car Chargers
10.8.1 As part of a Government funded scheme, a company had approached the PC and offered to install car chargers in the village. Revenue would be shared with the PC. It was agreed to get more information on the scheme. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)
11. Any urgent issues for consideration at the next meeting
It was agreed to source a memorial plaque for the playground in memory of Les Mole. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)
12. Date of next meeting February 15th 2023.
Meeting was closed at 8.40 pm.
