Draft Minutes of Parish Meeting - 21st June 2023
Meeting held at Bellingham Town Hall - 7.00pm
Councillors Present:
Cllr Wilkinson, Cllr Tilley, Cllr Richards, Cllr Irving, Cllr Knudsen, Cllr Armstrong, Cllr Turner, Cllr Moore
In attendance: Clerk, four members of the public
Part A - Public Participation
i. Fiona Wardlaw of Escape attended to share news about their work. Escape are a local charity offering free confidential support (including one-to-one phone calls, online help, group sessions and training) for families affected by substance abuse. More information is available at https://escapefamilysupport.org.uk/
ii. Martin Dickson-Green and Christine Billany from North Tyne and Rede Community Partnership attended and screened an informative video about their work in Bellingham. Further discussion explained their work elsewhere in the area and their links with both NCC and Community Action Northumberland. Their remit is to improve the wellbeing of local people and this is done in a variety of ways from bringing folks together over soup and sandwiches, to offering reduced rent rates to local businesses and facilitating those offering training or apprenticeships in our area. Their role is generally one of connecting organisations together where a need has been identified. https://www.ntrcp.org/index.asp
A member of the public raised the following three points:
iii. The area by Cuddy’s well is not looking good. Mess is being caused by Moles and the overflow of water. Cllrs to investigate and consider solutions.
iv. The riverside path has not been improved yet at the boards in particular which head towards Boat House are very poor, likely dangerous. CW & the parishioner to follow up with Tim Fish.
v. At a recent site meeting with Esh at the mart site those present stated they did not know who owns a particular section of the railway cutting. This has been found to be NCC. This will be reported back to Esh.
Part B - Parish Council Meeting
1. Apologies - Cllr Kirkbride,
2. County Councillor Report - None received
3. Declarations of interest - No new updates
4. May meeting minutes - Agreed with no amendments
June's extraordinary meeting minutes - Agreed with no amendments
5. Matters arising from the minutes
i. Road Closure: Currently there are no plans to fully close the road, at a recent site meeting Esh revealed they are committed to exhausting other methods and are seeking external advice. The original planned closure order will be allowed to expire at the start of July and a new one will not be submitted without the knowledge of the locals and Parish Council.
Information received by Cllr. Knudsen clarifying the situation about the Road Safety Audit states that it is essential and should have been conducted at the pre-application stage.
ii. Toilet Block Renovation: the work has been tentatively scheduled for late September with the plumber to visit before the painter. An updated quote from Michael Bell was approved.
iii. Jubilee Play Area Improvements: These are now completed as the final adjustments to the see saw area now mean it meets the highest safety standards. CW to contact the Wind Farm and inform them this completed project can now be publicised.
iv. One tender was submitted for the street cleaning contract. Cllr Tilley proposed Ian Woodcock be appointed, seconded by Cllr Irving. Ian is to begin the work as soon as possible. Cllr Moore will liaise with Cllr Kirkbride about getting access to the storage shed containing the cart.
v. Quotes to cut down the conifers at Foundry Lane were discussed, further information is awaited before a decision can be made.
vi. Plans to hold a community litter pick have been put on hold. It was felt the foliage is quite high meaning some litter is now obscured and it was noted that the intended date clashes with the coming up Pre-loved clothing Sale to be held at the Town Hall on Sat 29th of June.
vii. The requested dropped kerb near Kendal House is still not in place despite the work being approved by NCC in April. CW to follow up.
6. Planning applications - No notices received
7. Finance
7.1 Income, expenses and bank balance
Income:
Allotment Fees - £12.50
Cemetery Fees - £160
Interest - £12.97, £7.99
Honesty Box (Toilets) - £64.90
Invoices paid:
Anglian water - £111.13, £4, £17
Invoices to be paid:
C Holbrow Exiam (Village Maintenance): £162
Chris Mowatt (Landscaping) - £968
C Woodcock (Clerk Wages) - £205.95
Natalie Green - £199.33
M Bell (drinking fountain repair) - £75
C. Mowatt (planters) - £180
Bank Accounts as of 12/06/24
Treasurers Account - £21,290.51
Cemeteries Account - £7,014.21
Reserve Account - £11,391.32
All expenses authorised
ii. A donation request from Citizens advice is to be turned down as donation money is to be spent within the parish only.
8. Correspondence
i. A member of the public queried the new signage at the garage which is backlit in a small change in style. This was felt to be a similar replacement to existing signs, it is not known whether planning permission would normally be required for this.
Concern was raised among Councillors about the proliferation of sandwich boards across the village.
ii. A complaint was received about the Cemetery looking messy. Several councillors attended to check. It was agreed that, between the long cut grass which hadn't been removed and the broken artificial flowers which have spread around, the area was not presentable. It was noted that very wet weather had allowed the grass to grow long while preventing the landscaper from accessing the area. This has resulted in the excess grass which should be rectified on his next visit, scheduled for this week. CW to ask that the paths be treated with weedkiller promptly. It was mentioned that the street cleaner or volunteers should also visit the Cemetery to remove the flowers and debris. The rules allow the council discretion to remove and tidy decorations used on the graves.
9. Borderlands
Cllr Kirkbride is the official liaison between BPC and Borderlands, in his absence Cllr Tilley gave an update. The scheme is progressing albeit slowly. It was decided to give serious consideration to a capital project on which the £3 million designated for the area could be spent. There are various caveats to be considered. When invited, an application is to be made within a short three week window.
10. Reports
i. The drinking fountain attached to the toilet block has been repaired by M. Bell.
11. Any urgent business
i. Rubbish at Fairsteads is needing attention, this area generally does not fall under NCC jurisdiction so the Street Cleaner or volunteers may be required to remove it.
ii. The school has been granted funding to enable it to operate summer camps for 12 days of the school holidays, supporting 30 children and providing a free lunch to each. These will happen in 3 day blocks and include among other things a football camp.
iii. To address the problem of speeding in the village, police speed cameras have been in operation, with plans for this to happen more often.
iv. A councillor has been approached by a member of the public who raised the issue of the skatepark at Fairshaw. It was acknowledged that in 2023 the council minuted that there was no interest in this (done following a discussion with children at the school), there is now some dispute over this dismissal and some in the community hope to see this idea revisited. The council welcome expressions of interest and could explore potential funding avenues if the idea is shown to have merit.
12. Restricted Business - none
Agreement of date of next meeting - Wednesday July 17th - 7pm
Meeting was closed at 9.01 pm
