Parish Council - 1 October 2008

MINUTES of the MEETING of the PARISH COUNCIL held on the
1 October 2008 in the KNEBWORTH VILLAGE HALL at 8.00 p.m.
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Present: Mr John Bantick (Chairman), Dr Graham Fothergill, Mr Ian Gilmore, Mr Richard Haigh, Mr Barry Hall, Mrs Rosemary Pateman, Mrs Caroline Presland, Mrs Carol Smith, Mr Robin Smith, Mr Anthony Titmarsh and the Clerk

Apologies: Mr Hunt has a prior engagement
Ms Smith is on holiday

In attendance: Inspector Taybert and PC Harding

1. Declarations of Interest

There were no declarations of interest

2. Police

PC Harding reported that there had been 81 recorded crimes from July to date compared with 87 in the same period last year. Twenty of the crimes were thefts from the Coop and an arrest has been made. There were three burglaries and good progress had been made. There were seven thefts from motor vehicles.
Inspector Taybert is to introduce methods of recording abstraction rates for PC’s so that the time spent on their rural area is easier to obtain. Abstraction rates should be no more than 20%. The rural team has Kate Hill, a problem solver and PCSO Sinclair.

3. Approval of Parish Council Minutes

It was proposed by Mr Titmarsh, seconded by Dr Fothergill and

RESOLVED “that the Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council, held on 9 July 2008, be approved and signed.

Unanimously agreed.

4. The Council Noted the Minutes of the Committee Meetings

Minutes of the Meeting of the Recreation Grounds Committee held on 23 July 2008.
Minutes of the Meeting of the Village Hall Committee held on the 10 September 2008
Minutes of the Meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee held on the 10 September 2008
Minutes of the Meeting of the Planning and Environment Committee held on the 21 July 18 August & 8 September 2008.




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5. Website

Mr Haigh has made some adjustments. It was suggested that a synopsis of the minutes might be useful. It was agreed that the chairman’s monthly Parish News report would highlight salient points and this would be included on the website.

6. HCC Lease

No response has been received from Lambert Smith Hampton regarding the Parish Council’s comments to the heads of terms of reference. A meeting is to be arranged with a LSH representative and Mr Morgan once he has returned from his holiday.

7. Effectiveness of the Internal Audit

Mr Titmarsh and the clerk are to review the system of internal audit and report back to the next parish council meeting.

8. Allowances

Mr Gilmore reported that Parish Council allowances must be set by an independent panel, which would need information from councillors to reach an annual figure. A basic allowance is awarded to councillors with the chairman receiving more. There are a number of arguments for and against allowances. The allowance could be used to cover costs of mileage, telephone calls, printing costs etc. Currently of the 33 parishes in North Herts no one pays allowances at the moment. There were differing views on allowances and the chairman recommended that councillors review the proposal and it will be discussed at the next meeting.

9. Parking Initiative

The group has decided to issue a simple questionnaire to decide if residents are serious about trying to resolve the parking problems with a holistic approach, which will cost money with parking permits, restricted parking etc. The solution might cost residents £100 per annum to park their car. If there is negative response the parking group will close. Alternatively a professional survey could be commissioned at a cost of £30,000. Questionnaires will be delivered at the beginning of November and returned by 23 November. The Council agreed to pay the printing costs.

10. Straw Polls

Mr Gilmore raised his concerns over the use of straw polls to make decisions and considered that the voting procedures had been misused. It was recommended that straw polls might be used to produce a proposal but there should be no debate on a proposal once it had been made.
HAPTC had been contacted and advised that they were a useful tool to gauge opinion and should not be included in Standing Orders.


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11. Parish Update

The next Parish Council update is to be delivered in November with the parking questionnaire. Delivery costs are to be saved with councillors and residents distributing them.

12. Knebworth Clean Up Campaign

Mrs Green from Welwyn has been running a clean up group in Welwyn which comprises volunteers who meet once a month and target specific areas. Serco, the waste contractor is contacted and collects the bagged rubbish free of charge. Mrs Culley of the WI has recently organised a clean up and is willing to coordinate a similar group in Knebworth. The Parish Council agreed to purchase necessary equipment to support such a group. The clerk is to contact NDHC to ensure that its contractor will remove the rubbish.

Mrs Brookes has a group of people who wish to pursue removing the use of plastic bags in Knebworth and has requested the Council’s support.

13. Villager of the Year

Mr Bantick wished the council to consider introducing an award for Villager of the Year in recognition of people’s contribution to the village. The ceremony would comprise of a gathering of leading lights of the groups in the village to say thank you for what they have done.

14. CPRE

It was proposed by Mr Gilmore, seconded by Mr Haigh and

RESOLVED “that the Council should subscribe to CPRE for another year. The funds being taken from s137 allowance.”

Unanimously agreed.

15. Accounts for Payment

It was proposed by Mr Titmarsh and seconded by Mr Bantick and

RESOLVED “that the list of accounts paid during Accounts Period 3 2008/09 be approved.

Unanimously agreed.

Mr Titmarsh reported that he had agreed the monthly bank reconciliations to 31 August 2008

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16. Any Other Urgent Business

16.1 Dog Fouling
Mr Haigh reported that dog fouling on the pavements has increased. The dogs, or their owners, need to be reported to the dog warden. Alternatively if the offence occurs at a known time the dog warden can be informed and will visit the area.

16.2 Hedge, Stockens Green
The clerk is to contact Herts Highways regarding the hedges which are overhanging the footpaths in Stockens Green.

16.3 Blenheim Reality
The developer has been contacting residents around the village to try to obtain gardens for development. Mrs Presland is concerned about 19 Stockens Green which has been empty for a while. This is part of the conservation area and development should not be permitted.

16.4 Lytton Fields Deanscroft
Mr Hall reported that significant work is being undertaken on a property which was given to NDHC specifically for disabled residents. He wished the council to remind North Herts Homes of the condition. Mr Smith stated that the NHH is aware.

16.5 Planning
Mr Gilmore asked if the new regulations could be reviewed. It has been suggested that there will be 25% fewer planning applications because of the new rules.

16.6 Christmas Lights
Mr Titmarsh confirmed than the surgery is willing to have lights on the building. The landlord wishes the insurance position to be clarified.

16.7 Gateway
The gateway has not been repaired and is unlikely to be in the near future due to lack of funds.

16.8 Finance Training Session
Mr Titmarsh reported that he had attended a finance training session and wanted to report that he considered Knebworth to be a good council in the way it manages its affairs.

There being no other business the meeting closed at 10.00 p.m.