Minutes of Parish Meeting - 20th October 2021
Meeting held at Bellingham Town Hall - 7.00pm
Councillors Present: Cllr Dickson-Green, Cllr Wilkinson, Cllr Moore, Cllr Brebner, Cllr Tilley, Cllr Riley, Cllr Huddleston, Cllr Irving, Cllr Kirkbride
In attendance: Clerk, one member of the public
Part A - Public Participation
A local resident expressed concern over the state of the road surface on the bank down to the Boat Road, which had been badly damaged by water main leaks earlier in the year. Initial contact by residents with the county councillor had not been successful, so it was agreed that the Parish Council would raise the issue with Highways (Clerk to action).
Part B - Parish Council Meeting
1. Apologies - None
2. County Councillor Report - None received
3. Declarations of interest - None noted
4. July and August meeting minutes - agreed with no amendments
5. Matters arising from the minutes
5.1 A quote for amending the war memorial, the handrail at Jubilee Field and the planter next to Bellingham school was awaiting responses from various tradesmen (Clerk to action). The new litter bin had been placed ay the Fairstead. Planning comments regarding the Mart Field had been published online and the Clerk noted that he had the Parish Council’s account upgraded by NCC to being a full consultant.
5.2 The AGAR had been published for 2020-21. Priorities had been submitted to Highways with confirmation received that they had been processed by NCC this year.
5.3 The Town Hall had been booked for all upcoming parish meetings. Dates for the next meetings had been forwarded to NCC to arrange for a meeting with Glen Sanderson/a member of the cabinet and this was likely to be December or January.
5.4 The Clerk had drafted a reply to NCC regarding the climate emergency request they had sent to the parish. NCC had been notified about overgrown signs near Station Yard and subsidence on the footpath along the riverside.
5.5 Playground maintenance checklists had been sent to Cllr Riley and new signage had been put up at the Jubilee Field play area to replace the existing worn out signs. The Clerk noted that he had managed to get Kompan to provide two posts for the play area under warranty and that these (along with the necessary parts for the repairs) would arrive by the end of the month. Once they had arrived he would contact NCC and book in their staff to undertake the repairs. Kompan had quoted £6114 for the new flooring at Briar Hill so alternatives were to be sought. (Clerk to action)
5.6 Cllr Moore had passed the detail of the tree that needed removing near the cemetery and this had been passed onto the landowner, who was making arrangements. Cllr Moore had received the strimmer and was planning to deal with verges past Fountain Cottage over the weekend, as well as checking on the clearance of overgrown shrubs blocking the sign at Brownrigg. (Cllr Moore to action).
5.7 The Clerk noted that there were two tradesmen looking to quote for the work in the chapel, but that neither had been received as yet.
5.8 Cllr Dickson-Green had passed on the brand logo stickers to the handyman for his new cart. Notice boards for Charlton and Redesmouth were still outstanding (Cllr Dickson-Green to action) and he noted that the water filling point and honesty boxes were to be installed shortly (Cllr Dickson-Green to action).
6. Planning applications -
6.1 20/02416/FUL Substation Land North of Noble Street, Bellingham
The Clerk stated that the substation had been approved with no amendments to the plans being made.
6.2 21/03415/FUL Land North of Mart Field, Bellingham
Councillors reviewed the comments made by the developer in response to the Parish. It was agreed to respond using the draft comments provided by the Clerk. Councillors did not feel it appropriate or necessary to meet the developers in person at this point in the planning process. (Clerk to action)
6.3 20/04062/FUL/FUL Former Nixon’s Workshop, Burnside
This had been approved by NCC.
7. Finance
7.1 Income, expenses, bank balance and budget review
Income for the month:
- Interest - £0.04
- Indoor Market fees - £230.00
Invoices to be paid:
- B Dickson-Green (Clerk pay) - £179.00
- B Dickson-Green (expenses) - £62.49
- CM Commercial (landscaping) - £957.60
- E Taylor (handyman) = £666.52
- Bellingham Town Hall (market, meeting rental) = £70.00
- Bellingham Country Store (toilet consumables) = £94.74
- Kompan (parts for playground) = £48.00
- DD - Wave (water rates) = £44.00
- N Green (cleaning) = £130.00
- Northumberland Estates (rent for public toilets) = £45.00
- K Irving (defibrillator pads) = £86.40
- M Dickson-Green: £959.24 made up of:
- Paint (bridge and playground railings) = £86.00
- Magnets for refurbished notice board = £17.98
- Honesty boxes = £97.77
- Playground signs = £97.00
- Village directories = £40.09
- Water fountain = £620.40
Bank account balances at 16/10/21 were:
- Current account - £43,454.23
- Jubilee Field account - £2,217.02
- Cemetery maintenance fund - £1,162.19
Investment fund available at the end of September was approximately £22,500.00.
7.2 VAT Return
The Clerk noted that this had been submitted to HMRC for around £1515.
8. Correspondence
The new head of the Board of Governors for Bellingham schools had asked if the Parish Council wished to have a councillor represent them as a governor. It was agreed that Cllr Kirkbride and Cllr Riley would consider this on a rotation basis. Clerk to raise with the Board of Governors (Clerk to action).
The Clerk had had a meeting with NCC Highways to discuss traffic calming signage at Redesmouth, leading to this being included within transport priorities for the year. A resident had been in touch requesting a road crossing between Station Yard and Hillside. It was noted that this would be down to NCC so Highways would be contacted, though the site may not be suitable for a formal crossing giving the proximity to the road junction. (Clerk to action) Another resident had raised concerns over the parking problems in the village over the last year. He had been given NCC/Cllr Riddle’s contact details as they have stated that they are looking into this matter. Another resident was concerned about difficulty in visitors finding houses in Briar Hill/Bridgeford View. They asked for an arrow to be put on the road sign and this was agreed (Clerk to action). Two visitors to the village had praised the PC for its EV charging facilities but complained about the chargers being blocked by non-EV vehicles. It was explained that the land was owned by NCC and could not therefore be marked out by the PC.
Borderlands scheme representatives wished to attend the next meeting of the Parish to discuss the scheme and how money from it could be spent. It was agreed for Councillors to consider possible areas where funding could be requested. (Action all)
The Clerk noted that an independent market reviewer had attended the previous indoor market at Bellingham and highly commended it. There had also been a great deal of positive feedback to the PC’s detailed comments on the proposed houses on the Mart Field site.
A resident had been in touch regarding issues with parents being unable to apply for their children to attend the Middle School due to online access problems, though this now seemed to be fixed. Several FOI requests to NCC had not been provided to in time by the resident and another complaint to the FOI Commissioner looked set to be needed.
NCC had provided the recycling bins requested for the village handyman free of charge and provided information on what could be put in them.
The Ray Wind Farm fund had now reopened its grants to non-COVID projects.
NCC Highways had put some missing drop kerbs into Cairns Road. Two local disabled residents had expressed their thanks and the Clerk had passed this onto Highways.
A resident was in the process of paying for a new plaque on the wall of the cemetery. The Clerk had passed the details of local contractors onto a cemetery plot-holder for the repair of a sinking gravestone.
A local charity that offers support for people with dementia and music therapy had contacted the council. It was agreed to get a free information pack to understand the operations of the charity in more detail. (Clerk to action)
The Clerk and Cllr Moore had been in touch with the Northumberland Estates who confirmed that they were in the process of discussing leasing of the Fairstead with the Golf Club and would be in a position to discuss the leasing of the Faristead further once the Golf Club had finalised its plans.
A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, had offered to donate towards the cost of the paint for the redecoration of the chapel.
A local resident had raised concerns over youths breaking into the toilets after dark. This had been flagged to the local police who had spoken to the youths in question. Cllr Dickson-Green had set the toilets to lock earlier at around 6pm but noted that the magnetic locks were not strong enough to prevent youths from breaking in. It was agreed to monitor the situation but also to get quotes to improve the door locks to make it harder for antisocial behaviour. (Clerk to action)
A resident had been in touch to complain about the decision to keep the lower graveyard as a wild area. Cllr Dickson-Green noted that the land was owned by the PCC and they were happy for the land to be left for wildlife, as well as the great uncertainties over the costs to bring the area back into use. It was agreed to contact the resident and explain in more detail the reason for the decision. (Clerk to action)
9. Reports
9.1/9.2 Cllr Brebner noted concerns of local residents in Briar Hill over the speed of traffic entering the estate. This is particularly the case due to the presence of the play area and the fact that children play in the street nearby. It was noted there had been several near misses in recent months. The issue of signage was mentioned and it was agreed for the PC to look into this with NCC Highways to see what could be done quickly (Clerk to action). A local resident had complained about the poor state of the play ground but had been told a plan was in place to improve this in the coming months.
Highways was also to be approached to look into putting together locally designed ‘slow down’ signs outside the school. (Clerk to action)
9.3 Cllr Dickson-Green noted that the Christmas Shopping Night was booked for December 8th, with stalls at the Town Hall and the Cheviot as well as a brass band and mince pies at the MURC. Businesses in the village were to be contacted and asked to stay open late on that night. It was agreed that the PC would design and pay for signage advertising the event that could be put up in the week beforehand. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)
Cllr Huddleston noted that she had been passing on details of the Christmas Tree display at St Cuthbert’s church to local organisations. The cost was £10 and this went to charity. If anyone could think of businesses who had not received a leaflet they can let Brenda know and she will get a form to them. It was agreed that the PC would also enter a Christmas tree this year. (Cllr Riley, Cllr Dickson-Green to action) There was discussion of the proposed timber wagon procession and it was hoped this would not be on the same night as the Christmas shopping night to avoid congestion.
9.4 Cllr Irving noted that Highways had not dealt with the standing water outside St Cuthbert’s. The Clerk had chased this the previous week and it was agreed to ask the PCC to raise the issue with Highways as well. (Cllr Irving to action)
9.5 Dog waste has become an increasing issue along the lane towards the allotments, in spite of a dog waste bin being located there. CCTV was felt to be impractical at this time, so NCC would be contacted to ask for periodic trips from enforcement officers. (Clerk to action)
9.6 Cllr Dickson-Green noted that NT&RCP had agreed to fund the purchase and installation of an exterior defibrillator at Station Yard. Cllr Irving had been able to source a defibrillator itself for free. Prices for the locked cabinets were being investigated (Clerk, Cllr Kirkbride to action). It was agreed that once this was installed, consideration would be given to a further defibrillator at the Fire Station to ensure good coverage of access to a defibrillator throughout the village. This would be added as an agenda point onto the next meeting, and the Ray Wind Farm contacted regarding funding for this. (Clerk to action)
10. Any Urgent Business
10.1 Cllr Riley discussed her and Cllr Dickson-Green’s meeting with the Bellingham Middle School Headmistress earlier in the day. BMS wished to have stronger links with the community and was keen to look at ways of allowing access to outdoor sports facilities and community rooms to the wider village. It was agreed for the Parish Council to receive the newsletter and publicise this more widely to raise awareness. (Cllr Dickson-Green to action)
11. Next meeting - 17th November 2021, 7pm - Bellingham Town Hall (Main Hall)
Meeting closed at 8.28pm.
