Parish Council Minutes December 2009

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council held on 14th December 2009 in the Supper Room of the Parish Hall at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Tulip, Mills, Reid, Dunhill, Eakins, Heslop, and Stephenson. Also present were Cllr Anne Dale, 14 members of the public and one member of the Press. Mr Stephen Rickitt, the Principal Solicitor from County Hall was in attendance.

1. Apologies: None

2. Minutes of last meeting: These were agreed as a true record, subject to a rewording as noted on the master copy.

3. Matters arising:
a) Cllr Eakins queried whether there was any further progress on the Covenants Policy. It was noted there was nothing further to report at present. The Chairman confirmed that the revised policy would be brought back to Council for final approval once the sections on Change of use and Charging policy were complete.
b) Cllr Dale had queried the legality of apologies from the Parish Council with the Standards Officer at County Hall. She quoted the main part of his email relating to past actions: ‘I cannot envisage any circumstances under which individual parish councillors could be held liable personally for past conduct of the Parish Council. A Parish Council, as a separate legal entity, will, of course be responsible for continuing liabilities irrespective of any changes of its membership. Ordinarily a Parish Council would not be compelled to apologise in the brief circumstances described short of a court order. Otherwise it would be entirely up to the Parish Council. Relating to an error by the Clerk he suggests that if an apology is considered appropriate, it may be made by the Clerk, the Chairman, all Councillors or a combination of all the above.’
c) Cllr Stephenson and Cllr Heslop noted they did not agree with the wording of the letter sent to Mr Young. Cllr Eakins said he was unhappy about the process used.
d) Following receipt of a summary of the retention schedule, there was a query about the keeping of planning applications. These are only kept for a year unless there is an ongoing appeal or problem. They are always available for the Planning Department. Longer retention periods might be necessary in light of the new Covenants policy.
e) The Alder tree had been cut down very efficiently. The trees on the Main Road were those near to Dove Shield but were part of the County’s remit. The Wellington will be chased again about the laurel trees. A tree near the Burn belonging to a property on Long Rigg had been felled at the homeowner’s expense.
f) Weir: The fencer was being contacted to look at the cost and siting of a safety fence until such time as action was decided on the Weir.
g) Cllr Tulip asked for a note to be included in the minutes thanking his Vice-Chairman, the Councillors and the Clerk who had all helped in the last 2 months.

4. Budget/Precept: Cllr Eakins summarised the budget sheets sent out to Councillors previously – what has been spent to now, what is left to spend till the end of the financial year. There is an estimate of £8500 overspend, without any further unknown expenses. It was suggested leaving most headings the same except for Legal and Audit which should be increased to £6000. Miscellaneous was increased; there are no figures for any work on the weir; there is repayment for the bus shelter which was deferred from last year and if Millfield Road goes ahead, there will be ~£2300 per year. This makes an estimated Precept of £28000, an increase of 14%. The problem of the Weir could be left for a year other than some work possibly needing doing on the retaining walls. This can be discussed in the Spring which is the earliest any work could be considered. The proposed Precept of £28,000 was agreed by all.

5. Millfield Road: The Chairman agreed to take questions from the floor to himself or Mr Rickitt on this particular issue only.
After the current meeting, a letter will be circulated to all frontagers asking for their final decision on the questions asked. There were a couple of questions arising from letters already sent in to the Council: A query on the specifications of the work – they were those provided by the County Council to include new kerbs, new road surface, footpaths; drop kerbs where necessary and some new drainage.
The breakdown of costs were as budgeted: £77000 from NCC; the PC made it up to £88500 dealing with the road in two sections and £10000 for the bridge. The discussions the PC held were on the percentage breakdown of costs as already presented to the frontagers in October. Borrowing the money to do the work will cost ~£2300 per year over 30 years, approximately £5.80 per household per year. Cllr Heslop reiterated his belief the whole works should have been done at the time of the 2007 referendum. Cllr Stephenson wished to speak but was reminded she held a prejudicial interest and could take no part in the discussion. She was allowed to stay in the meeting to listen however. Mrs Penn raised concerns. Mr Young reiterated arguments about the accessibility to amenities via Millfield Road. Mr Bundick from Broomhaugh suggested that as a non-Millfield road resident, he believed everyone should share the costs. Various points of view were put supporting the ideas of fair sharing. Cllr Dale pointed out that if adopted, the road would be maintained at the public expense in future. Mr Rickitt summarised the three options: that the PC pay for everything; the PC and the residents share the costs; or leave as it is. Mr Rickitt offered to draft the letter to the frontagers as a local government lawyer. Cllr Tulip thanked all for their participation. Most members of the public left at this stage. The Council agreed to ask Mr Rickitt to draft the letter with the different options as previously discussed. This would be distributed to all frontagers with a cut- off time limit, yet to be decided. Cllr Tulip thanked Mr Rickitt on behalf of the PC for his invaluable input.

6. Planning:
20090819 Porch, Greenlea, Whiteside Bank Conditional permission.
Cllr Dunhill pointed out that two TPOs had been up for planning without the hard copies being received by the Parish Council. This was in contravention of the new planning procedures. NALC were querying this and Cllr Dale also agreed to ask about it.

7. Correspondence:
a) General
b) East Tynedale Forum: Comments on the Wind Farm had been requested. Cllr Dunhill stated that the PC’s position was largely neutral on this matter.
c) Tynedale Visitor: the regular request for a short piece had again been received. Cllr Stephenson kindly agreed to do this.

8. January Meeting: It was proposed that the January meeting be cancelled because of the long holiday period and the subsequent short gap between a possible January meeting and the February one. This was agreed.

9. Finance:
The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.
The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

MF Anderton Salary/November – £407.74
MF Anderton Exp/November – £63.85
Tree surgeon – £874.00
Northumbria water – £12.37
Marchburn Lane Res. Ass./S.137 – £30.00
SLCC Subs 2010 – £95.00
MF Anderton Salary/Dec – £407.74

10. Minor matters: Mrs Bundick asked about signs which differentiate more properly between Broomhaugh and Riding Mill. Cllr Dale agreed to find out what could be done.

It was noted that congratulations were in order for the excellent work done on the Parish Hall.

The meeting closed at 9.20

Parish Council Minutes November 2009

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council held on 9th November 2009 in the Church Cottage at 7.45pm.

Present: Councillors Mills, Reid, Dunhill, Eakins, Heslop, and Stephenson. Also present were Cllr Anne Dale, and 7 members of the public.

1. Apologies: Apologies were received from Cllr Tulip.

2. Minutes of last meeting: These were agreed as a true record.

3. Matters arising:
a) Pack Horse Bridge: Thanks were noted to Cllr Dunhill and Mr Padgett who had cut off the dangerous tree limbs.
b) Trees/main Road: The trees causing the most problem appeared to belong to the property Dove Shield on the north side of the Main Road to the East of the Wellington. Also the laurel bushes at the east end of the Wellington were overgrown. It was agreed the Clerk would write to the owners, asking them to cut back branches. Cllr Heslop also raised the matter of slippery leaves in the roadways and footpaths. Although the Council has an arrangement whereby these are meant to be swept regularly, Cllr Dale pointed out that there is currently only one sweeper for the whole of the County. She would point out the issue however.
c) Alder tree: Although there is doubt as to the ultimate responsibility for the tree near the tennis courts, it was felt the Parish Council should take on the matter and ask for the work to be done as soon as possible from the lowest quote obtained. The Tennis Club monitor trees etc. and it was suggested they continue to do this and liaise with the Council if there are perceived problems.
d) Spinney: Thank you notices had gone out as previously agreed together with a request for anyone interested in further work there to get in touch with Cllr Reid.
e) Cllr Heslop suggested that as there was a problem selling all raffle tickets, in order to continue supporting the Parish Hall, it should be noted for next year, that the Parish Council should offer to run a Book stall at the next Village day.
f) One of the lights on the station footpath was not working. Councillors would let the Clerk know its number before it could be reported. It was also partially covered by branches which needed cutting back.

4. The Weir:
Cllr Reid summarised the issues. Cracks were appearing in the side wall (adjacent to the seat side of the river) Preliminary advice was taken from both Mr Rosby and from Mr Peel in their engineering capacities. Provisional estimates in the range of £3000 to £7000 were given. However, the Environment Agency said that no work could take place between 1st October and 1st May because of the salmon running. This leaves the Council more time for a considered approach as to what actions are needed in the long term. In the meantime, there is a safety issue and it is suggested a simple fence be erected to supplement the tape and notice that is there currently. There appears to be a solid underground part which might make fence posts difficult. The Clerk will ask the regular fencer for a quote and ask him to liaise with Cllr Stephenson on the matter.

5. Covenants Policy: (Cllr Stephenson declared an interest).
This had been left in the public domain for more comments to be given as to the wording of the document. Comments had been received from Mr Young which were partially read out and some wording changes had been suggested by Mr McKendrick. It was important to highlight the differences between a request for an extension where a voluntary release is called for and between a plot division where a valuation is called for. Further clarification on the charging policy of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) would again be sought to ensure the details were correct in the policy. (Mr Young – calls Council corrupt). The Legal advice received was not under discussion. The District Auditor considers that matter closed. Cllr Reid wished it be noted that the complaint resulting in the new Policy had cost the Parish Council £16,000 excluding VAT which would affect the budget for the precept in the coming year. Cllr Eakins suggested a change of wording and Cllr Heslop also mentioned that in future, a number of houses could possibly be demolished to make way for flats etc. which would be plot splits. After some discussion it was agreed that the current wording was probably satisfactory. It was noted that the legislation when going to the Lands Tribunal is not balanced between the two parties. This needs to be considered. (Mr Young– called process extortion). Cllr Dale agreed to ask the Standards officer/Solicitor at County Hall about the legality of decisions taken by past members of the Council. Cllr Reid asked Councillors to accept the draft Policy, subject to change of use being considered and subject to clarification of the Valuation methods. Cllr Dunhill seconded the motion and it was carried with 4 in favour and one abstention.

6. Retention Policy:
Mr Young had complained about a file of correspondence at the Records office in Woodhorn. Cllr Stephenson had looked into the matter and summarised it with input from the Clerk for the other Councillors. Files had been deposited at the Records office in 2005, comprising over 35 files, about half of which had been inherited by the Clerk from the previous clerk. The particular file was labelled correspondence from Mr Young relating to the Millennium Hall. It was seen by Mr Young with two others this year. Records showed it had not been seen by any one else since it was lodged in 2005. As a result of the complaint the Archivist placed the file on restricted access and took legal advice at County Hall and informed the Clerk. This was not to Mr Young’s satisfaction and he requested it be destroyed. Further discussion between the Archivist, the Clerk and the Chair of the Parish took place during the summer. The Clerk asked, on behalf of the Parish Council, on the 2nd October 2009, that the file be destroyed. Cllr Stephenson was thanked for her work in putting this together. She had several proposals: that documents should be deposited annually; that the decision about which documents should be deposited should be made by more than one person. After some discussion, it was agreed the Clerk would continue to manage the records but would bring a brief summary of the retention schedule used to the next Council meeting for Councillors to see. Legal requirements mean some documents are kept permanently, some for a limited period of time and some, unless it has relevance and goes into a specific file, is either archived or destroyed after 12-18 months. The huge number of files deposited in 2005 was a one-off exercise. There was also discussion as to whether to apologise to Mr Young for the alleged offence. As the records have been destroyed it is impossible to check this offence. Cllr Dale agreed to ask the Advisory solicitor at County Hall about the responsibility of the Parish Council for alleged offences. It was agreed that instructions to the Solicitors should be in writing in conjunction with a Councillor who would report back to the Parish Council.

7. Millfield Road update:
The Acting Chairman read out a statement on behalf of the Parish Council which had been put together by himself and the Chairman. Following this, he agreed to take comments from members of the public who were not at the recent meeting held by Mr Rickitt, the County solicitor.

“We wish to report the current position regarding Millfield Road. Over the past year the Council has been in discussion with Northumberland County Council seeking a way forward on an issue that has been on the village agenda for many years. On the 28th of October the frontagers of Millfield Road were invited, by the County Council Solicitor Mr Stephen Rickitt, to attend a meeting . Prior to this his legal appraisal had been sent to each of the invitees, this document will now be placed on the village web site. (MR)

To assist in this process your Council considered carefully the costing information provided by the NCC Highways Department. An estimated figure for works and supervision, of £88000 was established for both sections of road being brought up to adoptable standard. The bridge will be downgraded to a 3 tonne limit with the appropriate signage and will have a 6’6” width restriction. The Council will fund the £10000 bridge costs. The Council resolved to offer the frontagers a 50/50% share of the road cost to bring this matter to a successful conclusion. The frontagers are therefore being asked to fund £44000.

In this regard the Council are mindful that they are frontagers by their ownership of the amenity land. They also acknowledge that the Parish Hall is also a frontager and the Hall is solely dependent on the village for its income. A further resolution was therefore approved that the Council would contribute their share of £2000 and also £2000 on behalf of the Parish Hall, thus leaving a sum of £40000 for the frontagers.

Your Council is mindful that this subject has in the past polarised village opinion. Not least in causing this is that a repair fund of approximately £14000 held for the upkeep of the road by the now defunct Millfield Road Property Owners Association, an association of some 40 years standing, was returned to the membership in 2004. Countering this however it is undeniably true that Millfield Road has been used as a through route for many years.
The offer is ‘on the table’ for consideration by the frontagers. We have requested an initial response by the end of November, after which we shall give a further report.

The Council wishes to make it clear that this is a once only offer to solve this problem. The Parish Council and Northumberland County Council will not revisit this issue again in the foreseeable future. If the offer is not accepted, Millfield Road will revert to being a private road.

Your Council believes this is a fair offer for all, and sincerely hope that the frontagers will avail themselves of this opportunity to bring closure to this long outstanding issue.”

There was some discussion about the general issues. Cllr Heslop commented that he felt the division of costs was a potential problem. The Parish Council/NCC position is not fixed in stone and is flexible. If there is general support for the proposal, there are a number of options which could be considered. Mrs Rowntree made a similar comment and Cllr Heslop also suggested that the loan facility be used to pay for the whole project to get it done and out of future agendas. Mr Bryson suggested there might have to be a referendum in that case. Overall it was agreed to wait until the end of November, by which time the Council had asked for a preliminary response from frontagers. Cllr Reid agreed to put the statement into the Parish News, onto the notice boards and possibly elsewhere such as the website or in Bobby’s shop. MR

(During this discussion, Cllr Eakins left the room for a few moments during which time Mr Young placed a chair under the door handle, preventing his return or anyone else’s exodus thus creating a potential health and safety issue for Cllr Eakins returning or the rest in the event of a fire. He was asked to remove said chair and did so reluctantly). Because of the time taken to get to this point in the Agenda, it was agreed to defer the item on the Parish Plan until the next meeting.

Also included here are two further resolutions taken in the confidential discussions of the September PC meeting relating to the above matter:

If the frontagers agree to proceed with the adoption and meet their share of the work, the Parish Council will implement the following work;

  • adoption of the road and turning heads
  • bridge works for restriction to 3 tonnes
  • Parish Hall car park.

If the frontagers decide not to proceed, the Parish Council will implement the following work:

  • installing the turning head beside the Parish Hall (subject to planning permission)
  • bridge works as above
  • Parish Hall car park.

Any decision on the future standard of the road would be devolved to the residents.

8. Correspondence:
a) General
b) Network Rail: it was noted that Network Rail had replied to a letter about the station footpath light but would not consider it as it is a PROW.
c) East Tynedale Community Forum: The Forum is conducting a survey on grass cutting with a view to looking at other schemes for delivering the service in the associated parishes. It was agreed to do this in the first instance.

9. Finance:
a) The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.
b) The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

MF Anderton Salary/October – £407.74
MF Anderton Expenses/October – £36.06
Jack Robinson – comps.slips – £34.50
Royal British Legion – £40.00
Cricket Club – grass cutting – £360.00

c) Budget: it was agreed that Cllr Eakins would work with the Clerk to draw up a preliminary budget to circulate to Councillors. Any thoughts to be sent by email to Cllr Eakins. JE/Clerk

10. Minor matters: None

The meeting closed at 10.25pm

Parish Council Minutes October 2009

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council held on 12th October 2009 in the Church Cottage at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Tulip, Mills, Reid, Dunhill, Eakins, Heslop, and Stephenson. Also present were Cllr Anne Dale, and 4 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. Apologies: None

2. Minutes of last meeting: These were agreed as a true record, subject to several small amendments.

3. Matters arising: a) Trees: Alder tree – the exact location needs to be noted as this will decide the responsibility for treatment, whether the Parish Council or the Tennis Club. Cllrs Tulip and Stephenson would look. FT/LS
b) Spraying of verges etc. – Cllr Dale was still checking over the list of grass cutting areas; the loose kerbstone is part of the transition area; the footpath light is being looked at.
c) Cllrs Tulip and Reid had walked the area that Cllr Heslop said was dangerous and felt there were insufficient problems to call out the Highways people. However, Cllr Dale had asked them to have a look next time they were in the village. A small piece had been put in the Parish News asking homeowners to check the overgrowth and if necessary cut it back;
d) Car parking at the entrance to the small lane leading over the iron bridge to join the lane to Wentworth Grange is also being looked at by NCC.
e) Work has been started clearing the Spinney. It was agreed to put a letter on the Notice Board and a piece in the Parish News to thank all those involved. Further work remains to be done and Cllr Reid suggested a date be found when the councillors could complete the work. Discussions about opening out the Spinney for walking was discussed and there are varying points of view – wild versus park like. It was suggested a meeting be held, of interested parties, before anything else is done. Cllr Reid agreed to organise something for the Parish News and the website. MR

Following a number of letters against the proposal to create a footpath through the Spinney and a petition of a further 40 signatories, it was agreed that the plan might not be viable – at any rate in the immediate future. Cllr Heslop insisted that Mr Niven’s letter on this be read out. There is a safety issue with extra parking being a problem at school starting and finishing times.
A much bigger safety issue is the need for a pedestrian crossing on the A695. It was noted the council had tried to progress this on several occasions, but without success so far. However, it is intended to continue pursuing the issue.

4. Millfield Road – update: Cllr Tulip advised the meeting that at the request of the County Solicitor, Mr Rickitt, a meeting had been called for frontagers only to be held on 28th October in the Millennium Hall to discuss options for the way forward.

5. Covenants Policy: (Cllr Stephenson declared an interest); some comments had been received on the Legal advice but it was reiterated that this was not for discussion. Some comments had been received on the Policy and more were made at the meeting. These covered details of wording to prevent parishioners objecting for the sake of it, the methods used by the District Valuer’s office to calculate the amounts charged and clarification between consent and release. Thanks were noted to Cllrs Reid and Mills for their ongoing efforts on this matter. It was agreed to put another note out about the Policy on the Notice board and in the Parish News and leave it open for comment for another month in the hope of ironing out most of the niggles. JM/MR

6. Parish Plan review: Cllr Eakins and Cllr Reid had recently looked again at the Parish Plan drawn up in 2003/4. While some issues have been addressed and others were now of doubtful relevance, several still remained to be tackled. A brief note listing some of these had been circulated to Councillors. Various ways of tackling these were discussed, including working parties drawn from any interested parishioners, not just councillors. It was agreed each councillor would email Cllr Eakins with their top three priorities for action. Cllr Eakins would then collate these into a single priority list to be discussed at the next meeting. JE/All

7. Planning:
20090579 3 Hollin Hill Terrace, listed consent; (replacement roof lights): Consent Given
10090388 Saward, Long Rigg Variation of building conditions: Withdrawn

8. Correspondence: a) General

9. Finance:
The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.
The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

MF Anderton Salary/Aug £407.74
MFAnderton Expenses/Aug £99.04
MFAnderton Overtime/backpay £150.62
VHT S.137 Grant £2,000.00
Viking Stationary. £155.87
Wardhadaway Legal advice £6,900.00

10. Minor matters
Remembrance Day – Cllr Heslop agreed to lay the wreath again and would tidy up. The Vicar was proposing a slightly different format. CH
A skip for Christmas trees was requested. Cllr Dale agreed to ask about this. ( Since agreed).
Cllr Helsop had raffle tickets for sale but so did other Councillors. It was agreed to sell what was possible and return the rest. All
Cllr Reid had attended a meeting in Whittonstall where there are two planning applications for a wind farm and for open cast extraction: the latter is still at the scoping stage. As a neighbouring parish , views will be requested. There is along lead in time to make views known. Cllr Dunhill will be getting information from the East Tynedale Forum on this and will keep Councillors in touch. He was thanked for his continued attendance on this. AD/MR
Cllr Stephenson had arranged for some grass cutting to be done at the west end of the village by the planters. Mr Hinds who had been doing the cutting at the Broomhaugh end had been thanked for his hard work. Cllr Dunhill raised the matter of weed killer, which had been raised at the East Tynedale Forum as being a widespread issue. He also asked that the trees at the Pack Horse Bridge be looked at again.
The High Plains footpath need clearing.
A flashing speed sign on the A695 has also been suggested. It was agreed to exhaust the full pedestrian crossing solution first.
A complaint about the bus shelter opposite the Wellington had been received. Cllr Tulip had looked at it and although the supports were solid, a panel had been removed and vandalised. This would be looked at further. FT
Cllr Dale also reported on a drain problem which was being sorted and some speeding complaints and the problem of parking in Station Close.
Cllr Mills agreed to attend the joint NALC/NCC meeting for Parish and Town Councils in Hexham on the 27th October.

The meeting closed at 9.15pm

Parish Council Minutes September 2009

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council held on 14th September 2009 in the Millennium Hall at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Tulip, Mills, Reid, Dunhill, Heslop, and Stephenson. Also present were Cllr Anne Dale, and 5 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. Apologies: Apologies were received from Cllr Eakins and from Cllr Williams who had tendered his resignation. Cllr Tulip apologised if his email on the resignation had been lost.

2. Minutes of last meeting: These were agreed as a true record.

3. Matters arising: a) The Spinney footpath: There had been much discussion in the public part of the Parish Council meeting on this, much of which was against the idea. Some correspondence had been received by both the Chairman and the Clerk and was included in the correspondence file. The comments and suggestions made had been noted by Cllr Reid and the other Councillors. Cllr Reid made it clear that there is a long consultation period. Any decision regarding church land rests with the Diocesan Board and it would only consider a recommendation from the PCC (Parochial Church council) that has general support.
It was noted that no Councillors would be available to manage the proposed Spinney clean up. Some concern was expressed that the Council’s insurers would require risk assessments etc. for work done by someone else. It was agreed to ask the Clerk to remind Mr Lockey and Mrs Stephenson from the school about these matters.
b) Footpath light: a spotlight type of light was not feasible according to the County. Cllr Dale would enquire further about a solar light and Network Rail would be contacted about the matter as well.
c) Alder Tree: this was the responsibility of the Tennis Club. However, the Clerk would let them know that Cllr Stephenson had three quotes available for the work. Access to the tree over the bridge is difficult and the costs are high because small pieces are required for removal.

4. Verge Treatment: some Councillors had walked the village to note where weed killer had been used. There was much discussion as to how to approach the problem. Certain areas not adjacent to hedgerows, grass or woodland were safe and sensible to use weed killer on but other areas should not have it used. The list of areas cut by the County would be checked over before a decision is made.

5. Pack Horse Bridge: during the summer, a member of the public had expressed concern about the state of the Bridge and the County had been informed. They considered it not much worse than when it was resurfaced but agreed some work should be done. The Clerk would chase this up.

6. Planning:
20090252 Woodside, Sandy Bank, access Conditional permission
20090437 The Lodge, Shepherds Dene, extension. Conditional permission
20090438 The Lodge, Shepherds Dene, listed consent. Conditional permission

7. Correspondence: a) General

b) Mrs Rowntree/Himalayan Balsam: Mrs Rowntree had asked whether anything could be done about this down by the river. She was suggesting we get a party of probationers possibly to join in the river –long project undertaking in the Spring of ‘Balsam Bashing’. The land however belongs to the Dickinsons so their permission needs to be sought. The Clerk would follow up on this. (Cllr Dale also agreed to check the permissive footpath notice).

c) Mr Niven’s letter related to the proposed spinney footpath and was added to those in the correspondence file.

8. Finance:
a) The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.
b) The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

M F Anderton Salary/June/July – £804.80
M F Anderton Expenses/June – £114.32
T Smith Playpark gate – £224.32
W. Robe planters – £38.94
Northumbrian water – £1.26
M Stewart benches – £270.00
Cricket Club grass cutting – £320.00
MFAnderton Exp/July – £44.34
CWC(June) knotweed – £172.50
Playsafety (ROSPA) – £79.35
CWC(Aug.) knotweed – £172.50
Northumbrian Water – £15.65
M F Anderton Salary/Aug – £403.90
M F Anderton Expenses/Aug – £68.45
VHT Rent – £55.00
J. Mills Mirror expenses – £154.25
Dennis Castelow Fixing mirror – £75.00

9. Minor matters
a) A Councillor asked that a letter be sent to a household about rubbish piled in their garden as it spoiled the appearance of the village;
b) Cllr Heslop noted a loose kerb stone in Broomhaugh;
c) There was a reminder about the grant to the VHT which had been deferred. This would be on the next Agenda;
d) Cllr Heslop queried whether a letter could be sent about the Brown bins for the Parish Hall being FOC: Cllr Dale advised that the County would not allow this;
e) Cllr Heslop also noted overgrown trees on the Main Road which were impeding travel by pedestrians. This would be investigated; A request to homeowners could go in the Parish News;
f) Parking at the end of the lane leading over the iron bridge to join the lane to Wentworth Grange was also raised by Cllr Mills. This had been raised some time ago. A request to reinstate the footpath would help. The Clerk would find the old correspondence to forward to Cllr Dale.

10. Covenants Policy: Cllr Stephenson declared an interest but remained to listen to the discussion. Cllr Reid summarised that there were now two papers: a solicitors letter of legal advice to clarify points raised by the District Auditor in response to a complaint; and a draft new Policy document. Cllr Reid noted there had been lots of controversy since 1973; the Parish Council has a legal obligation to maximise its assets and a moral obligation to be fair to parishioners. The First policy was developed in 2005 following the Counsel’s Opinion and with a lot of additional legal and professional advice. The new Policy, taking the letter of legal advice into account, broadly agrees with the existing Policy. The draft covenants Policy and the letter are available to look at on the website and a copy is available for viewing at Bobby’s shop. The Working party believe it would be wrong to release a covenant without neighbours having an option to object, therefore planning permission would be a requisite before a release of covenant. If planning permission is given and if any neighbour still objects, he or she would have a month to apply for an injunction; otherwise the covenant release process will continue. Comments on the Policy will be considered so the final version can be approved at the next meeting.

11. Confidential Item: to discuss legal advice from the County Council:’Pursuant to section 1(2) of the Public Bodies ( Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 it is resolved that, because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted, the public and the press leave the meeting during consideration of the above item 11 of the agenda.’

The press and the public and Cllr Stephenson, (having declared a prejudicial interest), left the meeting. Cllr Heslop also left the meeting. The matter was satisfactorily discussed.

The meeting closed at 10.45pm.

Parish Council Minutes June 2009

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council held on 14th September 2009 in the Millennium Hall at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Tulip, Mills, Reid, Dunhill, Heslop, and Stephenson. Also present were Cllr Anne Dale, and 5 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. Apologies: Apologies were received from Cllr Eakins and from Cllr Williams who had tendered his resignation. Cllr Tulip apologised if his email on the resignation had been lost.

2. Minutes of last meeting: These were agreed as a true record.

3. Matters arising: a) The Spinney footpath: There had been much discussion in the public part of the Parish Council meeting on this, much of which was against the idea. Some correspondence had been received by both the Chairman and the Clerk and was included in the correspondence file. The comments and suggestions made had been noted by Cllr Reid and the other Councillors. Cllr Reid made it clear that there is a long consultation period. Any decision regarding church land rests with the Diocesan Board and it would only consider a recommendation from the PCC (Parochial Church council) that has general support.
It was noted that no Councillors would be available to manage the proposed Spinney clean up. Some concern was expressed that the Council’s insurers would require risk assessments etc. for work done by someone else. It was agreed to ask the Clerk to remind Mr Lockey and Mrs Stephenson from the school about these matters.
b) Footpath light: a spotlight type of light was not feasible according to the County. Cllr Dale would enquire further about a solar light and Network Rail would be contacted about the matter as well.
c) Alder Tree: this was the responsibility of the Tennis Club. However, the Clerk would let them know that Cllr Stephenson had three quotes available for the work. Access to the tree over the bridge is difficult and the costs are high because small pieces are required for removal.

4. Verge Treatment: some Councillors had walked the village to note where weed killer had been used. There was much discussion as to how to approach the problem. Certain areas not adjacent to hedgerows, grass or woodland were safe and sensible to use weed killer on but other areas should not have it used. The list of areas cut by the County would be checked over before a decision is made.

5. Pack Horse Bridge: during the summer, a member of the public had expressed concern about the state of the Bridge and the County had been informed. They considered it not much worse than when it was resurfaced but agreed some work should be done. The Clerk would chase this up.

6. Planning:
20090252 Woodside, Sandy Bank, access Conditional permission
20090437 The Lodge, Shepherds Dene, extension. Conditional permission
20090438 The Lodge, Shepherds Dene, listed consent. Conditional permission

7. Correspondence: a) General

b) Mrs Rowntree/Himalayan Balsam: Mrs Rowntree had asked whether anything could be done about this down by the river. She was suggesting we get a party of probationers possibly to join in the river –long project undertaking in the Spring of ‘Balsam Bashing’. The land however belongs to the Dickinsons so their permission needs to be sought. The Clerk would follow up on this. (Cllr Dale also agreed to check the permissive footpath notice).

c) Mr Niven’s letter related to the proposed spinney footpath and was added to those in the correspondence file.

8. Finance:
a) The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.
b) The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

M F Anderton Salary/June/July – £804.80
M F Anderton Expenses/June – £114.32
T Smith Playpark gate – £224.32
W. Robe planters – £38.94
Northumbrian water – £1.26
M Stewart benches – £270.00
Cricket Club grass cutting – £320.00
MFAnderton Exp/July – £44.34
CWC(June) knotweed – £172.50
Playsafety (ROSPA) – £79.35
CWC(Aug.) knotweed – £172.50
Northumbrian Water – £15.65
M F Anderton Salary/Aug – £403.90
M F Anderton Expenses/Aug – £68.45
VHT Rent – £55.00
J. Mills Mirror expenses – £154.25
Dennis Castelow Fixing mirror – £75.00

9. Minor matters
a) A Councillor asked that a letter be sent to a household about rubbish piled in their garden as it spoiled the appearance of the village;
b) Cllr Heslop noted a loose kerb stone in Broomhaugh;
c) There was a reminder about the grant to the VHT which had been deferred. This would be on the next Agenda;
d) Cllr Heslop queried whether a letter could be sent about the Brown bins for the Parish Hall being FOC: Cllr Dale advised that the County would not allow this;
e) Cllr Heslop also noted overgrown trees on the Main Road which were impeding travel by pedestrians. This would be investigated; A request to homeowners could go in the Parish News;
f) Parking at the end of the lane leading over the iron bridge to join the lane to Wentworth Grange was also raised by Cllr Mills. This had been raised some time ago. A request to reinstate the footpath would help. The Clerk would find the old correspondence to forward to Cllr Dale.

10. Covenants Policy: Cllr Stephenson declared an interest but remained to listen to the discussion. Cllr Reid summarised that there were now two papers: a solicitors letter of legal advice to clarify points raised by the District Auditor in response to a complaint; and a draft new Policy document. Cllr Reid noted there had been lots of controversy since 1973; the Parish Council has a legal obligation to maximise its assets and a moral obligation to be fair to parishioners. The First policy was developed in 2005 following the Counsel’s Opinion and with a lot of additional legal and professional advice. The new Policy, taking the letter of legal advice into account, broadly agrees with the existing Policy. The draft covenants Policy and the letter are available to look at on the website and a copy is available for viewing at Bobby’s shop. The Working party believe it would be wrong to release a covenant without neighbours having an option to object, therefore planning permission would be a requisite before a release of covenant. If planning permission is given and if any neighbour still objects, he or she would have a month to apply for an injunction; otherwise the covenant release process will continue. Comments on the Policy will be considered so the final version can be approved at the next meeting.

11. Confidential Item: to discuss legal advice from the County Council:’Pursuant to section 1(2) of the Public Bodies ( Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 it is resolved that, because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted, the public and the press leave the meeting during consideration of the above item 11 of the agenda.’

The press and the public and Cllr Stephenson, (having declared a prejudicial interest), left the meeting. Cllr Heslop also left the meeting. The matter was satisfactorily discussed.

The meeting closed at 10.45pm.

Parish Council Minutes May 2009

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council and Annual General Meeting held on 11th May 2009 in the Supper Room of the Parish Hall at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Tulip, Williams, Mills, Reid, Dunhill, Heslop, Eakins and Stephenson. Also present were Cllr Anne Dale, and 13 members of the public and one member of the Press. Cllrs Dale and Heslop arrived part way through the meeting.

Cllr Tulip explained that following the discussion by Councillors on the Auditor’s recommendations, he would allow, in this instance, members of the public to make short representations if they felt there was additional information it would be useful for the solicitors to have sight of. He asked that all questions be supplied in writing within 7/10 days of this meeting.

1. Apologies: None.
( Cllr Tulip asked the Clerk to note that Mr Young said the Council ‘were guilty of extortion.’ ).

2. Approval of Standing Orders, including amendment: ‘That the County Councillor may participate fully in the regular business of the parish council.’ This was carried unanimously.

3. Elections: Chair: Cllr Tulip was proposed by Cllr Eakins and seconded by Cllr Mills. Agreed by all.
Vice-chair: It was proposed that Cllr Reid continue in this role. Agreed by all.
Planning: Cllr Tulip came off this committee. It was agreed that Cllrs Mills and Dunhill would continue in the role. Contentious applications would be referred to a full Council.
Cllr Dunhill agreed to continue monitoring the Playpark.
VHT: Cllr Williams agreed to continue as a representative. Cllr Heslop’s willingness to continue would be clarified at the next meeting.

4. Motion to accept or reject the district auditor’s recommendations: relating to the Parish’s Policy on Covenants as follows: ‘to commission and consider expert legal advice on the Public Law aspects of the enforceability of the covenants generally and in the northern area particularly where there is some doubt in the current advice on their enforceability: frame its revised policy with regard to this advice and deal explicitly with the issue of enforceability; and devise and implement a reporting system which demonstrates how the policy is being applied.’
Councillor Tulip proposed that the council accept the above recommendations. This was unanimously agreed.
It is hoped that the matter can be settled once and for all. In accordance with his preliminary remarks, Cllr Tulip asked members of the public to suggest questions, or additional information, which they would be prepared to put in writing to add to the evidence. Some members of the public made statements rather than supply questions, suggesting the Council did not have all the relevant information; a meeting was suggested – the Councillors would consider the offer. Another two members of the public raised questions on enforceability matters . Another member of the public commented on the continual muttering by those behind her such that she could not hear what was being said.

5. Minutes of last meeting: Agreed as a true record.

6. Matters arising: None

7. Education: Cllr Reid raised the matter of the consultation document from Northumberland County Council as a follow up from the ‘Putting the Learner first’ from 2/3 years ago. This related to changing from a three tier system of schools to a two tier system. He was particularly concerned that the statistics developed by the County appeared to be erroneous and would skew any outcomes. He had written directly to the County Council, raising those points. He was asking that the Parish Council support him in this action. There was some discussion on the matter in that several councillors felt this was a matter for the individual rather than the group. It was also felt the current system worked well in a rural area. The question of leadership and management was considered to be far more important to the children overall. It was agreed that as Cllr Reid had not had any response from County Hall, the Clerk would write on behalf of the Parish Council, requesting a response, copying in Cllr Dale so she could follow the matter up directly at County Hall.

8. Planning:
20090127 Freshfield, Sandy Bank Garage rebuild Refused
20090196 Brockencote, Slaley Rd. Extension Certificate of lawfulness granted

9. Correspondence:
a) General; the two files were split
b) Area Committees: The County Council have sent round a notice of the Area Committee meetings and a list of all the dates of meetings. Cllr Dale recommended that Councillors attend the AC meetings where possible to maintain a link in what is happening. There is the opportunity to ask questions as well. It was noted there was no Agenda and the Clerk would email Cllr Dale asking her to find out why not. The Clerk would also copy the dates of meetings to Councillors for future note.
c) Probation Service: It was drawn to the Council’s attention that should any suitable project need undertaking in the future, there is a supervised workforce available. Contact details are available. The Council noted the matter.
d) Garden waste charge: A copy of the notification going to all home owners re future charging for the collection of Garden waste had been received. It was felt this could be the thin end of the wedge as far as the County was concerned and their green credentials were seriously suspect. The Council considered that charging for anything should be uniform across the County and it was known that at present this does not apply. It was agreed the Clerk should write commenting on this aspect.

10. Finance:
a) The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.
b) The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

Hexham Courant/APM Ad. – £22.60
Hexham Courant/Audit Ad. – £135.59
NALC/annual subs – £146.98
VHT rent – £77.00
M F Anderton/(back pay 08/09) – £133.12
M F Anderton/Salary/Apr – £403.90
M F Anderton/Expenses/March – £96.70
M F Anderton/Expenses/Apr. – £24.04
Clerks Direct/subs – £10.00
Viking/Printer/paper – £250.04
BDO/Audit, including standard fee plus cost of work on complaint
(06/07 accnts.) – £3225.75
BDO/audit 07/08 – £327.75
Hexham Courant/Audit Ad/post vote – £135.58
SLCC/reg.conf – £56.35

Cllr Tulip then pointed out that because of the public complaint about the Audit in 06/07 and the costs associated with this that the Council has to pay, it will be necessary to transfer – £5000 from reserves to the current account to help pay expenses until the Autumn when the next tranche of precept is paid. Councillors approved this transfer.
c) The audited accounts for 2006/2007 had been received, signed off. Council were asked to accept those and the comments made on them. The main comment referred to the outcome of the public complaint which is dealt with elsewhere in the Agenda. The only other comment related to improvements in the asset register. This has already been undertaken. The Audited Accounts were accepted by the Council
d) The audited accounts for 2007/2008 were also returned signed off and needing approval. There were no extra measures. The Council accepted the Audited accounts.

11. Minor matters

Cllr Dale updated the Council on the light on the Broomhaugh footpath which was being assessed for ease of connection.
Cllr Mills noted that she had asked Mr Castelow to help with fixing the mirror at Hollin Hill. It was considered that a requested additional mirror facing westwards could lead to confusion.
Cllr Dunhill noted the recent meeting with the East Tynedale forum, the notes had been circulated.
Cllr Dale also noted the forthcoming consultation by the Boundary Commission.

The meeting closed at 9.20.

Annual Parish Meeting 2009 Minutes

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 30th April 2009 at 7.30pm in the Parish Hall, Millfield Road.

Present: Cllrs. Tulip, Stephenson, Reid, Eakins, Mills and Dunhill were present. Also present were Cllr. Dale, one member of the press and 7 members of the public.

1. Apologies were received from Cllrs Heslop and Williams, Mrs Jen Stephenson and Mrs A Lawrence.

2. Minutes of last year’s annual Parish Meeting were agreed as a true record.

3. The Chairman’s report is as follows:
The majority of your Councillors have now served for just over a year. In October John Eakins joined the team bringing the number of Councillors to eight.

A variety of items arise some of importance others rather more routine and mundane. I shall give a brief overview of the year.

– 20 planning applications were received and processed

– At the beginning of the year concern was expressed at the condition of some trees in Marchbanks Wood including a fallen tree in the Marchburn. The fact that some of the weir stones had been displaced was also brought to our attention. However, following inspection by the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission we were advised to ‘leave nature alone’. Minor repair works to the deck and handrail of the timber bridge have been carried out.

– The play area has not only had its weekly inspection by one of the Councillors but also the annual check by ROSPA. Minor repairs have been carried out including replacing some of the boundary fence. A new seat has been installed- kindly donated in memory of Andrew Pusey.

– After much lobbying the closure of Dipton Foot Bridge for ten weeks was averted – the installation of a temporary one way system, traffic light controlled, resulted in only minor delays.

– A proposal to make the Nick into a BOAT – byway open to all traffic was amended and is now classed as a Restricted Byway.

– The Council agreed to pay the cost of hiring the Supper Room to assist our local Police Constable holding monthly public interest meetings.

– We are grateful to County Councillor Anne Dale for financial assistance to enable a new street light to be provided on the footpath between the station and Broomhaugh. Two new mirrors have been aquired to assist in road safety. Both on the A695 one will replace the old mirror at Hollin Hill Terrace the other at the exit road from the Wentworth Nursing Home.

– A ‘housekeeping’ item has been improved. In financial matters your council took the view that more information should be made available to the public. Many of you may have noticed that since May 2008 a monthly sheet is posted listing all incoming receipts and detailing all cheques going out. The information you have for this meeting is taken from those monthly sheets.

– We have created a number of working groups to consider how the council deals with various issues. On finance we are currently considering how we can monitor the budget more effectively and hope to have an improved system implemented by the autumn. Another group has been looking again at the council’s policy on Covenants. Work on this however had to be held in abeyance pending the Audit Commission’s decision on a complaint made by a member of the public regarding monies received for release of a covenant in the 2006/07 accounts. As that decision was sent out on the 10 March this year and the complainant then released the information to the Hexham Courant I shall deal with this matter now. I must, however, state that the Council at the May meeting will have to consider whether to accept the Audit Commissions recommendations and of course there may be a wish to Appeal the decision. Notwithstanding the above, as, according to the Courant, the complainant was ‘jubilant’ at the decision, it is important we clarify both the complaint and the decision.
The objector considered that a transaction in the Council’s accounts was illegal. This concerned an amount of £9000 and solicitors fees, relating to the release of a covenant, included in the Council’s accounts for 2006/7.

The objector asked that the Audit Commissioner –
– write a public interest report under section 8 of the Audit Commission Act 1998.
and / or
– ask the courts for a declaration, under section 17 of the Act.

The decision received a few weeks ago concluded that, and I quote –

‘there is no unlawful item of account – the Parish Councils legal advice is clear that it may charge for the release of covenants and it has acted in a way which is consistent with this advice; and, it is for the Parish Council to determine an appropriate charge for the release of the covenant in question which it has done with regard to the advice of the District Valuer.

It is my view that for each of the reasons set out above, there is no basis upon which I could reasonably conclude that the item of account objected to is contrary to law. It is also therefore my view that the second objection in relation to the declaration in the annual return must also fall.

The council at its next meeting in May will be asked to accept the three recommendations he then makes which are

In reviewing, developing and implementing its revised policy for managing the covenants in which it has an interest the Council should
– commission and consider expert legal advice on the Public Law aspects on the enforceability of the covenants generally and in the northern sector particularly where there is some doubt in the current advice as to their enforceability
– frame its revised policy with regard to this advice and deal explicitly with the issue of enforceability; and
– devise and implement a reporting system which demonstrates how the policy is being applied.

These three recommendations are of course in line with the work already commenced by your councillors which hopefully can now be progressed following the May council meeting.

You may not be aware that when an objection is made by a member of the public it is the Parish Council who must bear the legal costs.

So what price is’ jubilation’. At last year’s APM I reported that the legal costs involved may reach £3000. In November last, when setting this year’s precept, we made a provision of £3500, but I can now report that the actual invoice excluding VAT will be £5925. This represents 24% of the precept.

– At this time last year the Tennis Club were considering a move to a new site. However the Club has now decided to retain its presence on the existing courts Concern has been raised by a member of the public regarding the validity of a new constitution. We are in discussion with the new Club Chairman to see whether the current status satisfies the requirements of the lease. We remain committed to an active club in the village. More recently the Pre-school with the help of the ‘garden invaders’ approached the Council seeking a small area of land which the children could cultivate as part of the school curriculum. Both we and the Tennis Club are happy that they use the small strip of land between the single tennis court and the path.

– Millfield Road has been on the agenda again – not least during the flooding of September last year. Immediately following that event we arranged for County Council to check the bridge and on 16th September we received confirmation that all was well. You may ask, following the adoption attempts of 2008, has Millfield Road as an issue gone to sleep. The answer is no. Many of the current councillors joined the Council not only to halt the sale of amenity land but and perhaps more importantly to stop a large amount of the proceeds being used to provide a 40 tonne bridge over the Marchburn. However, we felt bound, like countless councils before us, to pursue the dream of adoption. We have stated in Council that we are still seeking a solution and have been in discussion with the County Council. As a Council we have agreed that if and when we have a proposal for consideration it will be given to the whole village at the same time. We hope this may be possible in the autumn.

– We have during the year held discussions with the First School and the County regarding the provision of a pedestrian crossing on the A695.The initial traffic study last summer showed that the national qualifying criteria could not be met – we therefore join the club of about 200 other hopefuls. We then asked what if we paid for this? Initially it was a question of safety. Could the ideal position – corner of Millfield Road across to the corner of the pub be suitable for a Zebra crossing or would it have to be the much more expensive Pelican type (traffic light controlled). Despite some initial hope we were then informed that unless we satisfied the criteria a crossing on an A class road would not be approved.

We would consider reopening this discussion but would welcome any public support to strengthen our argument.

Last year two members of the public, without reference to the Council made an application to have the amenity land, adjacent to Millfield Road, which includes the two tennis courts, designated as a village green. You may recall that the County Council solicitor, Stephen Rickitt, came to a council meeting to explain the process. In October, one of the applicants contacted the County by telephone, confirmed in a letter to the Parish Council, from which I quote-

‘I spoke to Mr Rickitt by telephone stating that I saw no reason why the Parish Council should not execute a ‘declaration of trust’, I think such a declaration would be uncontentious and the simplest way of satisfying the intent of all parties.’

As the process unfolded all parties were informed that the application was going to fail. However Mr Rickitt confirmed that the original deeds already included a ‘declaration of trust’ therefore satisfying the requirements stated in the applicant’s October letter. Your Council is satisfied with the outcome.

– I’m sure you will all have noticed a new asset – the bus shelter at Broomhaugh. It was a while in construction but worth the wait. In Council, the matter of a shelter at the west end of the village has already been raised. The topography is more difficult but an elevated position may make it possible to see the approaching eastbound bus in time to make a safe crossing of the road. This will be investigated further.

That’s the end of my report but in closing I would like to offer my thanks – to Philip Latham, for his many years of service to Tynedale District Council and his help to the village – and in this my first year as a councillor my thanks to our clerk and my fellow councillors, and to our County Councillor for her continued support and good counsel.

Following the report, it was noted that the main reports would be forwarded to the Parish News so the information would go to the public before May next year. There was a brief discussion on the Pedestrian crossing. New Schools legislation might assist the arguments in the future and it was also suggested that letters from the public would aid the cause.

4. Cllr Dale gave a short report on the changes with respect to the unitary Authority. She summarised the transition period between the old district, old county council and the new Unitary as being a difficult time with much hard work being entailed. Many staff have been made redundant but a significant number have moved to the new Authority. Budgetting problems are proving the hardest matter, and they will not ease for some time. She has covered a huge range of topics in response to members of the public. Cllr Stephenson noted that Cllr Dale has been to all Parish Council meetings and has researched well.

5. Financial Statement: This was distributed for information to the public, taken from the monthly statements. There were no questions.

6. Report of the Village Hall Trust. Mrs Shepherd gave the following report:
It is the function of the Management Committee to maintain and manage the two Village Halls so that they can be used and enjoyed by the residents of Riding Mill. As we all know, the Hall is used by people from further afield and they enrich the activities of the Halls by their participation. Both Halls continue to be used by people of all ages, with provision for education, exercise, culture and for social occasions too.

The Development Committee continues to raise money for the improvement of the Parish Hall – currently they have banked and have promises of £103,000. There is also, at the time of writing, an appeal which has been delivered to all houses in the Parish, for the further £24,000 which will ensure that the work can begin in early June. I hope to have, by the time of this meeting, a figure which will tell us how we are progressing towards this goal. (~£14,000 has been raised to date).

In September, for the first time in many years, the Development Committee ran the Village Show. It is hoped that this will become an annual event and actually become the major fundraiser of the Village Hall Trust. This year, it will be held on 5 September but the venue is, as yet, uncertain. Lots of help will be required! The Development Committee met with the Village Hall Trust and it was agreed that the work to improve the Hall would be run as a self-build by the Development Committee. This will be built at cost.

Several ladies who do a lot of catering for village events have begun to give their profits to the Trust – initially as the ‘new cooker fund’! We received a grant of £500 from Age Concern and the ‘Dotty Cooks’ so far have added £1,410 to that sum.

I have been Chairman since November during which time I have learnt that the older Parish Hall costs a lot of money to maintain. We have attempted to sort out the damp patch in the Main Hall by having the drains cleaned out. In the space of one week, a boiler broke down, Yasmin our Caretaker left the village to live in Stocksfield and the drains on the opposite side of the Hall blocked! We hope that as a Council, you will continue to support the Hall financially – for this, we will be very grateful and we will spend the money wisely.

We have decided to rent out the Caretaker’s Flat. This will give us an income to pay a Cleaner-in-Charge and will release us from the costs of electricity, gas, community charge, water rates and telephone rental. Recent employment law no longer allows property to be given in lieu of work. We will be using the services of a letting agent and obviously will check that insurance policies etc are in place before this happens.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mrs Shepherd also noted that the Parish hall will be closed for the first phase of improvements from the end of May until mid-October.

7. Broomhaugh & Riding first School report: Mrs Stephenson was away so Cllr Tulip read her report:

I hope this Report gives you an idea of school life at the moment.Our numbers have increased to 65 children. This is the most that we have had since I joined Broomhaugh six years ago, so it is very busy!

I am glad to say that we still have a dedicated team who are committed to doing their very best for all the children in the school. This year one teacher was on Maternity Leave – due to return in July, however, we were lucky enough to appoint a fantastic teacher who has continued to provide a stimulating curriculum for the children in top class.

The summer holidays saw a complete new heating system put into school. This, along with all windows now double-glazed should mean that school is not only economical but more eco friendly. We have also had a new security system put in which will hopefully mean false alarm calls are lessened.

We continue to work with the curriculum ensuring that children find their learning interesting, exciting and fun. More and more classes are making use of the school grounds for all aspects of curriculum from Drama to Maths.

One thing that the parents often comment on are the after school activities that we hold. Thanks to the enthusiasm of teachers we continue to have three after school clubs each week. These offer all children a huge range of activities – football, drama, skipping, computers and recorders – and the children often come up with new ideas for our clubs.

We continue to have our after school club (Squirrels) that enables children to stay at school until 5.45 so allowing working parents that extra time to get back from work. It is an essential part of our school for several families on a day to day basis and several other families need the facility periodically. More and more other small schools are having to close their after school clubs but if this were to happen here I fear that we would lose children.

Although a lot of the children who attend Broomhaugh do not actually live in the village, they are always pleased to be invited to join in with village events. Some children have even asked me if we are making scarecrows again this year!

Just before the Easter holidays we had our Ofsted Inspection. I am delighted to inform you that we received an ‘Outstanding’ judgement. This gives due recognition to the hard work that goes on in school from all members of staff, children and parents. We are continually grateful for all the support and interest that the parents of our children, Governors and villagers pay in the school and are always willing to listen to new suggestions or ideas. Apologies for not being here in person to answer any questions however if anyone would like to forward questions via Monica, I would be more than willing to answer.

Cllr Stephenson asked what proportion of children were from the village and the catchment area as opposed to those from outside. The Clerk would refer the question to Mrs Stephenson.

8. Minor Matters: The Clerk reported that the problem with the Tennis Club rules had been resolved. Mrs Shepherd made a plea for notices to be taken down after they are finished with.

The meeting closed at 8.15pm.

Parish Council Minutes February 2009

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 9th February 2009 in the Supper room of the Parish Hall at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Tulip, Williams, Mills, Reid, Dunhill, Heslop, Eakins and Stephenson. Also present were Cllr Anne Dale, Cllr Latham and 5 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. John Stevenson: The Chairman noted with regret the recent death of John Stevenson who had served as a Councillor and as Chairman of the Parish Council. It was agreed to make a donation of – £25 to the family’s chosen charity.

2. Minutes of last meeting: The minutes were agreed as a true record.

3. Matters arising: It was noted that there had been further correspondence from the County’s solicitor, Mr Rickitt about the Village Green proposal along the lines reported at the last meeting. It was up to the applicants to decide on the next course of action. There also appeared to have been some misunderstanding on the Deed of Trust. Mr Rickitt believed it was implicit in the Conveyance of 1973. However, the Clerk pointed out that Council’s Solicitors at the time of the conveyance had suggested that a separate Deed of Trust was desirable although this had never been followed through.
The subject of a mole catcher was raised again. It was noted nothing had been done on this. It could prove a superfluous exercise.

4. Planning:
20081158 Woodside, Sandy Bank, amendment Conditional permission
20081065 Arden Close, Sandy Bank (extension)Conditional permission
20081122 53 Station Close, extension Conditional permission

5. Correspondence: a) General. Cllr Stephenson raised the issue of comments about papers in the general file. If they were of significance, the subject should be brought to the Parish Council meeting as a substantive item.
b) Bank of Ireland: A letter had been received concerning the level of guarantee now offered by the Bank of Ireland on its accounts. This was raised from – £50000 to ~- £90000 which takes the accounts out of the UK guarantee scheme as it offers a much higher level.
c) Tennis Club: In response to a query, an email had been received indicating a work day would take place soon to clean up outstanding tidying matters.

6. Finance:
a) The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.
b) The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

M F Anderton/Salary/January – £391.00
M F Anderton/Exp/January – £50.51
NCC/Bus shelter – £3,869.75
Tynedale/grass cutting – £1,048.26
Radiopages/web – £249.00

7. Minor matters: Cllr Tulip raised the date of the Annual Parish meeting and the April PC meeting. As the PC meeting falls on Easter Monday, it was decided to cancel that meeting; and because of problems with availability of the hall, the APM would be held on April 30th in the main hall of the Parish Hall.
– Cllr Tulip has also received a verbal request from the Pre-school about using a small part of the spinney for a gardening project, over a year. In principle this was agreed with a further suggestion that a corner of the Play park could also be used. He would go back and discuss this further.
– Cllr Heslop had received a complaint about the lighting on the path to the station from Broomhaugh: Cllr Dale noted that a report would be ready soon about the best place to site the new light she was paying for from her fund.
– Cllr Heslop also suggested supporting William Radice in his quest to be nominated as Poet Laureate. After some discussion it was suggested that Councillors should support as individuals but that the Council could suggest support on the website.
– Cllr Heslop also noted attending the Hexham meeting on the unitary budget. Cllr Dale had worked hard on this matter.
– Cllr Reid asked if dates had been suggested for a Clean- up day. However, Cllrs Stephenson and Dunhill had walked round the village and felt that a major Clean -up was not necessary for now. If a litter pick along the A695 is needed, Tynedale Council should be notified through Cllr Dale if necessary. Cllr Stephenson had drafted a letter to be sent to homes in the vicinity of tipped bags of rubbish reminding them it should be disposed of appropriately. The Clerk would type this up.
– Cllr Eakins asked about Belonging Communities and Cllr Dunhill reiterated what he had said at a previous meeting about the flexibility which was now apparent in selecting where the Parish allies itself. If meetings take place in Hexham, similar to those of the East Tynedale Forum, Cllr Reid agreed to attend those.
– Cllr Heslop suggested formal thanks at the next meeting to Cllr Latham as it would be his last meeting as District Councillor.
– Cllr Mills reported on the Tynedale Planning Forum. Cllr Dale suggested she stick with it as it’s important to make sure the Tynedale Strategy gets incorporated properly into the new County strategy. Cllr Mills is also progressing the mirrors. Cllr Tulip agreed to help her.
– Cllr Dale noted she had dealt with complaints about dog mess in Broomhaugh; it was suggested that a note be put on the web site about the free Poop bags supplied by Tynedale Council. She had also received a request for dropped kerbs along the A695.

The meeting closed at 8.35.

Parish Council Minutes January 2009

You can download a copy of these minutes here (PDF file).

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 19th January 2009 in the Supper room of the Parish Hall at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Tulip, Williams, Mills, Reid, Dunhill, Heslop and Stephenson. Also present were 4 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. Apologies were received from Cllr Eakins, Cllr Latham and Cllr Dale.

2. Minutes of last meeting: The minutes were agreed as a true record subject, in this instance, to the Chairman and Councillors agreeing to a small amendment from a member of the public.

3. Matters arising: a) Trees at the Wellington: It was noted they had been cut back.
b) The No-Smoking signs were now up in the bus shelters.

4. Playpark: The repair on all the washers was nearly complete. A quote from the fencer to replace the roofs on the small climbing frame had been received and was about – £100 less than that from Playdale. It was agreed to leave the repair for now as the situation was not serious and the money should be conserved. There was some discussion about the mole problem. Although details of two mole catchers had been provided, it was agreed to see what they could do and for how much. It was also agreed that chemicals were not desirable in a Playpark. There was consensus that brushing the soil was possibly the best thing that could be done. With respect to the cut saplings, it was again agreed to avoid the use of chemicals but to manage them better from now.

5. Pedestrian Crossing: Cllr Tulip had met with Cllr Dale at County Hall about this issue. The person dealing with the matter had now left. As previously reported the survey last summer indicated the County’s criteria could not be met. The implication, however, was that if we paid, and it was safe, we could have a crossing. In September they did a second survey with that in mind. Generally, a Zebra crossing cannot be placed on an ‘A’ class road. The school are in favour of a crossing so the Parish Council will continue to pursue the issue.

6. Working Groups: Cllr Tulip had suggested that there be several Working Groups of Councillors to look at a number of issues. Some Councillors had expressed interest in certain groups so it was agreed that they should be as follows:

Finance: Cllrs Eakins and Williams
Covenants: Cllrs Reid and Mills
Charter: Cllrs Dunhill and Heslop
Community : Cllrs Stephenson and Dunhill

Cllr Tulip and the Clerk would liaise with all Groups. Each Group will develop Terms of Reference and bring them to the table for discussion.

7. Village Green: Cllr Tulip presented an update on this matter. There had been a meeting held recently, called by the County’s principal solicitor Stephen Rickitt, and he chaired the meeting. Essentially the application is likely to fail and he is not prepared to hold a public enquiry on a point of Law which would fail. This followed Counsel’s Opinion relating to another village green enquiry the County are involved in which highlighted a particular legal point. He had brought copies of the Opinion for the applicants and other parties. Mr Tully had written about the Declaration of Trust and it was noted the application had to run its course. However, Mr Rickitt was of the opinion that the Declaration of Trust was inherent in the 1973 conveyance. One possible outcome was for the Parish Council to register the land, outside of the tennis courts, as village green. Mr Rickitt would write summarising the position and the options. It was agreed to wait until this was done before considering further action.

8. Freedom of Information: The new template was agreed by Councillors and would go onto the website. A summary sheet would be placed on the Notice Board.

9. Correspondence: a) General.
b) Hexham Courant: Cllr Stephenson agreed to do the piece for the Spring publication about the village.
c) The quotes for the Grass cutting in Millfield Road were accepted.

10. Finance:
The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.
The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

M F Anderton/Salary/December – £391.00
M F Anderton/Expenses/December – £48.56
Village Hall trust/rent – £55.00
Tynedale council/dog bin – £299.23
Transfer to D/Ac of Beacon Fund Towards bus shelter – £1,700.00

S.137 Donations: It was agreed to give – £50 to each of the following organisations: Samaritans; Mencap; Age Concern; Northumberland Theatre Company; Tynedale Community Hospice and Tynedale CAB.

11. Minor matters: Cllr Reid raised the possibility of a bus shelter at the west end of the village. It was noted this had not been included in the budget for next year but could be looked at at the end of the current financial year

Cllr Heslop raised the matter of a village Clean up day. It was agreed to leave to the Community Group to liaise on the matter though all were in general agreement.

Cllr Dunhill summarised the recent meeting re Charter. He was of the opinion, and Councillors agreed, that the existing relation with the East Tynedale Forum was probably the best way forward but it appeared to be a very flexible situation with a lot of scope for accommodation.

Date for APM: the Clerk would check on the availability of the Halls in May so that more Councillors will be at the meeting.

The meeting closed at 8.40.