Minutes of Parish Meeting - 21st July 2021

Meeting held at Bellingham Fire Station - 7.00pm

Councillors Present: Cllr Dickson-Green, Cllr Wilkinson, Cllr Riley, Cllr Brebner, Cllr Kirkbride, Cllr Irving, Cllr Moore

In attendance: Clerk, one members of the public

Part A - Public Participation

None

Part B - Parish Council Meeting

1. Apologies - Cllr Tilley

2. County Councillor Report - None received.

3. Declarations of interest - None noted.

4. Minutes of June Meeting - agreed with no amendments

5. Matters arising from the minutes

5.1 Cllr Dickson-Green noted that draft Standing Orders and Financial Regulations had been circulated by the Clerk. All councillors had had chance to review them and they were accepted with no amendments. Cllr Dickson-Green also noted that two councillors had yet to provide bios for the website and asked for this to done as soon as possible.

5.2 The Clerk had obtained the key to tighten the zip wire and would look for this to be done as part of the playground safety actions to be noted later. The Jubilee Field path gravelling quote had been accepted and was due to begin shortly. The bench at Hillside was in progress. Town Hall insurance had been due too soon after the date of the previous meeting to investigate cost savings, but this would be actioned next year. NCC had been contacted regarding drop kerbs and a reply was being awaited. The Clerk was still awaiting a quote for handrails at the Jubilee Field steps.

The Clerk noted that it appeared that NCC had actioned a previous request to repair the footpath past the golf club as well as cutting the grass on the path along the allotment. However they had not stated that they had done this, so it was possible it had been a resident. Chris Mowatt had quoted £40 per month to cut the verges between Fountain Cottage and the old railway bridge. This was felt to be too expensive for the work required, and Cllr Moore suggested he would be able to undertake the work himself (Cllr Moore to action). Cllr Kirkbride asked if the current contract represented value for money, but the Clerk noted it was a fixed contract for the next several years and had been the best value for money when the contract was agreed.

5.3 Cllr Moore noted that he and the Clerk had discussed repairs needed to the playground equipment and that the Clerk had been in touch with Kompan and was awaiting a quotation/further information regarding the repairs.

5.4 Cllr Dickson-Green discussed the final review of roles and responsibilities with Cllr Irving looking after Health and Safety issues for the PC. Clerk to create a check sheet for the safety ring (Clerk to action). Cllr Brebner was to look after business and tourism, while Cllr Moore would take responsibility for outdoor areas, such as parks and playgrounds.5.5 Cllr Kirkbride noted that the Environment Agency was planning to investigate the area near Nichol’s Arch but that this was not likely to be for some time.

5.5 Cllr Riley mentioned that the meeting with the Head Teacher of the Middle School had had to be cancelled, but a new meeting would be arranged in the next semester after summer. Cllr Dickson-Green asked if the PC should consider offering a donation to the school to help with repairs to the vandalism damage. It was agreed that this would only be considered if requested by the school.

5.6 Cllr Kirkbride had met with Cllr Moore, Cllr Dickson-Green and a parks manager from Newcastle Council and had identified improvements for the cemetery to be discussed under reports. He noted that the speed watch schedule wasn’t possible as it depended on volunteers and needed to work around their schedules. He had bought 30kg of play sand and added it to the sand pit at the Jubilee Field. Cllr Kirkbride noted that he had discussed issues with the handyman employed by the council to be discussed later. Cllr Dickson-Green noted that it would be best to include the Clerk in any employment or contractor discussions going forward, which Cllr Kirkbride wished to investigate further.

6. Planning applications -

6.1 21/02631/ABE - erection of information boards at Hareshaw Linn

This was supported by Councillors. Cllr Dickson-Green noted that this would include space for local services directories, etc, to attract visitors to Hareshaw Linn into the rest of the village.

7. Finance

7.1 The following items of income and expenditure were noted:

Income:

• Interest = £0.04
• Cemetery Fees = £585

General Expenses: 

• B Dickson-Green (clerk pay) = £179.00
• Water rates = £57.00 (DD)
• C Mowatt (Landscaping) = £957.60
• M Dickson-Green (Timber, signs, Zoom, repairs) = £532.15
• E Taylor (handyman) = £519.44
• Natalie Green (cleaning) = £130
• Country Store (consumables and paint) = £142.17
• M Bacon (wall repairs, installation of life ring) = £110.00
• Insurance = £1,222.70
• RoSPA (playground inspection) = £177.00
• Town Hall (car charger electricity) = £134.98
• Cllr Kirkbride (play sand) = £15.00

Cemetery Expenses:

• NCC (Cemetery safety check fee) = £1,489.48

Bank balances as at 15th May were: Main account £37,591.16, Jubilee Field account £2,706.08, Instant access account £2,216.96. The Clerk noted that the money available for investment at the end of the month would be £24,931.57. The Clerk also pointed out that as a control, the bank statements for each month would be included in the Clerk’s notes to the agendas for councillors.

7.2 The Clerk stated that he wished to sign up to the SLCC - the Society for Local Council Clerks. This would cost £5 joining fee and £80 per annum. This would give the clerk access to legal and practical updates as well as training courses such as CILCA at a reduced rate and general support. Cllr Kirkbride queried the usefulness of the many subscriptions the PC paid for. The Clerk noted that NALC was the only subscription the PC currently had. Cllr Dickson-Green noted that the NALC subscription gave important updates and the option of training courses to all Councillors and the Clerk on a regular basis. It was agreed to subscribe to the SLCC. (Clerk to action)

8. Correspondence -

The Clerk noted that there had been a large amount of positive feedback from residents regarding the improvements to PC benches and the painting of the footbridge behind the vets.

A resident had been in touch regarding ongoing campaigning for school transport to be paid by NCC for the Middle School. This was part of ongoing discussions with NCC and Cllr Riddle.

NCSC had been in touch regarding a concern over a possible vulnerability in the PC website. This had been referred to the PC’s web hosts who said that this had been resolved.

The Town Hall had offered its thanks for the support of the PC regarding its insurance cover.

Details had been received regarding the work to be done on Redesmouth Bridge. The road is to be closed for 13 weeks in the near future for repairs and then a further 14 weeks for painting in January 2022

The Clerk had been in touch with Bellingham Surgery and asked for them to review their lighting so it did not cause a nuisance at night for residents. They had asked for more details, but Cllr Irving noted that the lights were no longer causing an issue.

Complaints had been made regarding grass cutting around the gun and the allotment walk. These had now been dealt with. Cllr Dickson-Green noted there were some issues to be discussed with the PC’s contractor for grass cutting at the cemetery and in other places. (Clerk to action)

The Clerk was still having ongoing issues finding out who was responsible for the drains underneath the Fairstead, with NCC, Northumberland Estates and NW all claiming the other was responsible for the drains. Clerk to update when more information is received. (Clerk to action)

The Clerk noted that a safety report had been received from RoSPA. This had several issues to manage - some of which needed formal repairs. He had been in touch with Kompan and was awaiting more information on the process and costs. Clerk to send around a list of issues to be dealt with. (Clerk to action

Wark Parish Council had been in touch to ask how to set up a community speed watch in the area. Cllr Kirkbride to discuss with them. (Cllr Kirkbride to action)

The Clerk had received an email from NCC Highways complaining about the new parking sign outside Barclays Bank. The Clerk had replied to say it was temporary and was there to manage parking in the village until Highways finalised plans to deal with the parking issues.

Cllr Riley had been in touch with the Tyne Rivers Trust to provide information on schools and youth provision in the parish to help them plan potential activities in the area.

The Clerk noted the poor level of communication from several NCC departments such as lighting, streetscape and highways. It was agreed for him to contact Cllr Riddle and discuss the problems the parish was facing when dealing with NCC.

An ex-resident had been in touch regarding a possible error on the list of First World War soldiers at the lichgate. The Clerk had investigated and this appeared to be correct. Clerk to discuss with Peter Lloyd who has official records before getting a price to amend the tablet. (Clerk to action)

A resident representing Redesmouth Residents Association had been in touch to ask the PC to submit a request for funding to the wind farm to get additional speeding signage on the main road at either end of Redesmouth. The association wanted to raise £3,000. It was agreed to contact NCC initially and see why this had to be resident funded if it was a health and safety issue. (Clerk to action)

Sport Tynedale had been in touch asking for suggestions of what projects would be of use in the Bellingham area and asking for donations. Councillors requested more information from the charity regarding what their activities include. (Clerk to action)

Otterburn PC had been in touch asking for information on how Bellingham PC had created its business directory. Cllr Dickson-Green had contacted them to explain.

NCC had finally purchased fly tipping signage to be placed on the old railway line. They were uncertain of a timeframe as to when the signs would be put up.

A resident had noted a theft from the rear of the buildings in the past week. They had also received word that NCC were planning on introducing traffic calming measures past the cemetery due to speeding traffic along the road.

The Clerk had been in touch with Highways regarding the last year’s transport priorities. They had sent a letter asking for the PC’s current priorities. They had then claimed that they had never received the priorities for last year from the Parish. The Clerk had sent them evidence it had been sent and asked why it had been ignored, but had yet to receive a reply.

NCC had been in touch about the Love Northumberland Awards. It was agreed to publicise this and circulate it to all councillors. (Clerk to action)

A resident had asked about verge cutting on Percy Terrace, which is to be referred to NCC. (Clerk to action)

A resident had asked about making the parking area outside the main shops one hour only. The Council noted that this would be controversial and would have to be done by NCC. It was decided that this would be part of the overall discussion regarding parking planning which had been promised by NCC in the near future.

South Cambridge District Council had been in touch to request information on Bellingham’s car chargers so that they could show their own parish councils how to get their own. Cllr Dickson-Green had replied to them regarding this.

NCC had removed all barriers and cones from outside the Co-Op - including a number that did not belong to them - the Clerk had contacted them to get them back.

A local resident had updated the council on the Noble Street development. There had been few changes, but the resident had asked for a written submission ready for any meeting regarding substation planning. It was agreed for this to be produced. (Clerk to action)

There had been several comments regarding how well the public toilets were being kept by the new contractor.

A resident had suggested that the business directory for Bellingham was reprinted and put up in the Jubilee Field notice board. This was agreed, along with the need to buy new backing for the noticeboard which was starting to perish. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)

A resident had been in touch regarding rubbish at a garden at Bridgeford View. It was agreed to get in touch with the Environmental Health Office at NCC to flag the issue. Cllr Kirkbride to provide the Clerk with relevant points to make. (Cllr Kirkbride to action)

9. Reports

Reports were reviewed in a different order to the original agenda to allow Cllr Kirkbride to leave early for work commitments.

9.1 Cemetery update - Cllr Kirkbride had undertaken several visits to the cemetery, along with Cllr Moore and proposed cutting back the yew trees on the path to the chapel, topping out some trees and removing lower growth on perimeter trees to tidy up the site. It was felt that volunteers would be able to do this in a couple of days. Green waste would need to be planned for, but with access to a chipper, this could be managed. Paths also needed sweeping and weed killer applying to keep them safe. It was noted by Cllr Moore that much of the work on the trees would need to be done in winter to avoid damage to them. Cllr Dickson-Green suggested that the other work on the paths, weeding and railings could still be done by volunteers in the meantime. Cllr Moore agreed to provide a rough schedule of when works could be done and Cllr Kirkbride to look at a date for volunteers. (Cllr Moore, Cllr Kirkbride to action)

Cllr Dickson-Green noted that after trying to obtain multiple quotes, only one final quote had been received for work at the chapel for around £1000 for plaster skimming and painting of the walls which were in poor repair. This was agreed by Councillors. (Clerk to action)

The Clerk explained the results of the safety tests at the Croft Cemetery, with 42 monuments failing the safety tests. NCC could fix 28 of these for £800. The remaining 14 could be fixed by a memorial mason for £2,250. Cllr Dickson-Green stated that while this was more than was in the cemetery fund at the current time, future burials would pay for any over-spend and the PC had sufficient money to cover the health and safety costs up front.

Cllr Kirkbride stated that repairing the monuments was a waste of money and that they should be flattened to make them safe. The Clerk stated that NCC had stated that doing so was no longer recommended or best practice, but Cllr Kirkbride argued that this was what other councils were doing. The Clerk recommended that more information was found as quickly as possible and an interim meeting called to finalise the decision on the repairs, including clarifying what work would be done to make the memorials safe. Cllr Dickson-Green noted that the tests had to be done every 5 years but had never been done by the Parish Council before. The repairs this time were therefore likely to be higher they would ever be in the future. Cllr Brebner noted concerns that any remedial work needed to be done promptly to comply with health and safety rules. (Clerk to action)

Cllr Dickson-Green had met with the PCC and they had suggested that due to issues with water logging of the lower cemetery at St Cuthbert’s and health and safety issues with access to it, the site should not be cleared and should be left as a nature area. It was agreed to put up a sign at the entrance to the lower graveyard explaining this. Cllr Dickson-Green also suggested offering brass plaque memorials at the cemetery in line with past activities. This was agreed with a price of £100. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)

9.2 Handyman equipment - Cllr Kirkbride had met with the village handyman and investigated how to maximise efficiency given the changing levels of visitors to the village. After discussion it was agreed to increase hourly pay to £12.50, look to source a commercial recycling bin for the Fire Station and purchase a new barrow to make it faster and easier for him to empty the bins around the village. The cost of the barrow was estimated to be £800. This would free up time for the handyman to undertake more work at the cemetery, as well as providing a parish asset for volunteers to use if needed. Cllr Dickson-Green expressed concern that the larger barrow would be too heavy for the handyman to use, but it was agreed that it matched his requirements. Clerk to remind the handyman that he is allowed to claim petrol used during his activities.  (Clerk to action)

Cllr Kikrbride left the meeting at 9.15pm.

Police update from the original agenda to be carried forward to the next meeting.

9.3 Cllr Dickson-Green noted that the PC had agreed to look at gaining accreditation for its operations. Part of this required all councillors to be aware of their responsibilities regarding crime and biodiversity. The Clerk had circulated this information before the meeting. A resolution that the council confirms that it recognises its duties in relation to biodiversity and crime and disorder was passed unanimously.

9.4 Full reopening of public toilets - it was agreed that due to the relaxation of government rules, these could now be reopened 7 days a week, with cleaning every other day.

9.5 Cllr Dickson-Green suggested making two small noticeboards with PC contact details and meeting dates for Redesmouth and Charlton. This could be done for little money, but would give greater transparency for residents of the villages - both of which are within the parish. This was agreed. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)

9.6 Christmas lights - Cllr Dickson-Green noted that replacements for failed lights and expansion into the trees planned last year would cost around £720 ex-VAT. There had been a huge positive response to the lights last year from traders, residents and surrounding parishes. It was agreed to proceed with this expenditure with Cllrs Brebner and Riley suggesting the PC considers increasing the size of the decoration footprint each year.

9.7 Public consultation meeting - Cllr Dickson-Green noted that by the year end the PC had wanted to offer residents a formal chance to feed back on their priorities. He recommended within Aug/Sep having a formal meeting in the town hall with key stakeholders and members of the public. This could involve rotating attendees through different themed tables staffed by parish councillors. This was agreed, with a possible date being investigated with Cllr Tilley on his return. (Cllr Dickson-Green, Cllr Tilley to action)

9.8 Defibrillators - Cllr Irving noted that there were a good number of defibrillators in the village but that many of them were inside buildings. He suggested looking for funding for the installation of two new enclosures to allow this to happen. This was agreed. (Clerk to action)

9.9 Cllr Moore had been approached by a resident who was concerned about the poor state of the road markings in the village. Cllr Irving noted since the last resurfacing of the road, large puddles were forming outside St Cuthbert’s Church which were not draining away. These were both agreed to be referred to NCC Highways. (Clerk to action)

9.10 Cllr Moore had been asked about the possibility of a new litter bin outside Station Yard. It was agreed to source one and place it on the pole of the road sign next to the bench. This would give the only litter bin along this road. A resident had asked about dog waste bins up towards Hareshaw Linn, but it was noted this was National Parks land. (Clerk to action)

9.11 Cllr Dickson-Green noted that the indoor market was at capacity and was largely food, with craft making up a minority of stalls to ensure it was full. Going forward food would be a priority.

10. Any Urgent Business

Cllr Dickson-Green noted that the new Gigabit Broadband would be installing shortly. He noted that since the announcement of the new government funded network, OpenReach had started to install its own fibre to the premises as well. This meant Bellingham would soon have two separate high speed internet networks.

11. Next meeting - 15th September, 7pm - Bellingham Fire Station

12. Restricted business

It was agreed not to co-opt prospective candidates onto the Parish Council.

Meeting closed at 10.15pm.