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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 8th December 2008 in the Supper room of the Parish Hall at 7.45pm.

Present: Councillors Tulip, Williams, Mills, Reid, Eakins, Dunhill and Stephenson. Also present were County Councillor Dale, 3 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. Apologies were received from Cllr Heslop and Cllr Latham.

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

3. Matters arising:
Trees at the Wellington: Cllr Dale had ascertained that Tynedale owned the land along the road to the station behind the Wellington and were therefore responsible for the trees. The Clerk would write about the dangerous state and copy the letter to Cllr Dale.

School Travel Plan: Cllrs Dale, Tulip and Reid met with Jen Stephenson at the school to discuss the school plan. The School has major concerns about their walking bus crossing the main road and this would be an integral part of their plan.

4. Minor Maintenance Matters:
a) Safety mirrors: These need fixing and assessing. Cllr Mills offered to take this on with the help of Cllr Reid. She would liaise with the Clerk over collection of them.

b) The No –Smoking signs for the bus shelters. Cllr Tulip volunteered to fix these. The new stone shelters had space on the lintels that would be suitable for the signs.

c) Play park: Cllr Dunhill would look at the work needed in the Playpark when the evenings began to draw out again as there was no urgency. The Clerk would chase up the quote from the fencer about replacing the wooden roofs on the small climbing frame.

d) Lights in the bus shelters: Cllrs Mills and Reid would check the level of existing lighting before considering special lights.

5. Correspondence:
a) General.

b) Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership: A letter had been received concerning a request for permission for the TVCRP to site an information board on one of the bus shelters in the village. Whilst agreeing in principle to this, there was concern expressed that the boards were very large and it might be better to have a smaller board in all four bus shelters, especially if they were aimed at visitors rather than residents. The Clerk would write accordingly.

6. Finance:
a) The financial statement and receipts were accepted by all Councillors.

b) The following payments were authorised by all councillors:-

MF Anderton / Salary / November – £391.00
MF Anderton / Expenses / November – £31.01
Photocopier – £18.28
Marchburn Lane Res. Assn/S.137 – £30.00
NCC/Bench in Playpark – £575.75
SLCC/ Subs for 2009 – £94.00
Playdale – £15.28
Northumbrian Water – £15.52

c) Budget: Cllr Tulip had held two informal meetings with Councillors to go through the budget for the precept, explaining the reasoning behind some of the changes. Some items had gone up, some were expected to rise and the budget had been held low for the last two years. By deferring some repayments to the Capital account such as the repayments for the new bus shelter and by trimming some of the maintenance figures, a figure of – £24,500 was arrived at. It was noted that a special provision was having to be made of – £3500 to pay the Audit Commission as a result of an investigation. At present the exact cost of this is unknown, but it must be borne by the public purse. A proposal to round the precept down to – £24,000 by Cllr Eakins was defeated. The original proposal to set a precept of – £24,500 was carried unanimously.

7. Minor matters: Cllr Stephenson raised the matter of the saplings between the tennis court and the Playpark. Cllr Dunhill agreed to have a look, with Cllr Tulip if possible, and suggest alternatives.

Cllr Eakins has expressed an interest in getting the Parish website more up to date with its information and he had already held a meeting with Dave Porter, our Webmaster. Cllr Eakins will have a meeting with the Clerk, who, it was agreed, should continue to act as the ‘gatekeeper’ for information to be filtered through to Mr Porter. He will also then meet with the various village organisations to encourage them to be more current with their information and to get into the habit of forwarding events in particular. This will take some time to develop. It is also important, as was raised by a query, to be able to put bits of news onto the website which might appear in the Parish News for instance, but it is important not to try and replace the Parish News in any way.

Cllr Reid attended the AGM of the Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership; one of the main issues discussed was the lack of late trains. It was noted that Malcolm Chainey (Chair of the Partnership) now lives in Riding Mill.

The date of the next Parish Council meeting will be the 19th January to allow for holiday arrangements.

The meeting closed at 8.50.

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

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 10th November 2008 in the Supper room of the Parish Hall at 7.45pm.

Present: Councillors Tulip, Williams, Mills, Reid, Eakins, Dunhill and Stephenson. Also present were County Councillor Dale, District Councillor Latham (for part of meeting), 3 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. Apologies were received from Cllr Heslop.

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

3. Matters arising: Formal thanks were noted to Cllr Heslop in particular and the other Councillors who attended the Remembrance Day service.

It was noted the No – Smoking signs had been purchased for the bus shelters and needed putting up in all four bus shelters.
Cllr Mills noted that some resurfacing work had been done on the road bridge in South Broomhaugh but only on one side.
Cllr Dale has got agreement to provide an additional lamp on the footpath from Broomhaugh to the station. When the Council are ready to site it, she needs a short meeting with 2/3 Councillors, including Cllr Heslop who raised the matter originally.
In response to a query from Cllr Reid, Cllr Dale said that a trial was under way in Tynedale to recycle business waste.
Cllr Reid congratulated Mr Rowntree and the Courant on the display about the station bridges.
Cllr Stephenson had talked to 10 householders affected by the recent floods and Councillors had assisted one elderly resident with cleaning out a garage that had been flooded.

4. Covenants: Recent letters from members of the public, copies of which are in the correspondence file, continued to query the recent releases of covenants for two householders in the village. Cllr Tulip read out a statement about these which is reproduced, verbatim, below:
“The Council is in due course to embark on reviewing the current ‘covenant policy Statement’. The recent releasing of covenants relating to extensions to two properties has been discussed at the last two council meetings, yet individuals still appear to be misinterpreting the situation. One resident undertook the release of their covenant on their own, the other asked if we the Council would assist. We agreed. On completion, the resident sent a cheque to the Parish Council to cover the legal costs. This amount was then paid to the solicitors.
This action involved no voluntary contribution to the Council and no fee to the Council. The financial statement shows both transactions.”

Cllr Stephenson declared an interest and queried whether the names of the properties/ homeowners could not be released into the public domain. It was understood this contradicted parts of the Freedom of Information Act. Cllr Dale suggested clarifying further with Mr Pointer, Tynedale Council’s principal solicitor.

Village Green: Following letters again complaining that no suitable explanation had been given in response to a query about the Village Green application, the Chairman again read out a statement, reproduced below, verbatim: “Earlier this year some village residents made an application to the County Council to have the amenity land off Millfield Road ( including the two tennis courts) to be designated as a Village Green. The land is owned by the Parish Council but the applicants made no prior contact with the Council.

In our response to the County the Council supported the application with two reservations. We wish to protect the rights of the Tennis Club and secondly to exclude the area of land between the road and the Marchburn.

The reason for the latter was that the area could potentially provide for any vehicular turning head should Millfield Road proceed to adoption.

In subsequent informal discussion with the applicants it emerged that they wished this area to be used for car parking. We pointed out that parking is not permitted on any land designated as a Village Green.

We would wish to further state that this Council will not seek to sell any amenity land in the ownership of the Council.

We hope this clarifies the Council’s position.”

Cllr Stephenson asked for clarification about parking in the Village green application and was told that parking cannot be allowed on a village green. Cllr Reid commented that it was unfortunate that prior consultation with the Parish Council had not taken place as the fact that the pavilion is normally locked and that notices have asked people to keep off the knotweed area meant that their inclusion could invalidate the application. It was reiterated that once the application was under way, it would have to run its course.

5. Planning:
2008/0383 Refurbishment of power lines Consent granted
2008/0847 Extension at 4 Oaklands Conditional permission
08/00106/TPO Partial crown reduction at rear of 4 Oaklands: consent given.

6. Correspondence: a) General. Cllr Tulip pointed out that copies of correspondence relating to Agenda items would be circulated in the correspondence file for Councillors to read. If they had arrived electronically, they would be circulated in this way.

7. 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 – £391.00
MF Anderton / Expenses October – £80.34
MF Anderton / back pay – £53.22
Viking – £62.30
CWC/knotweed – £176.25
Wardhadaway – £1,175.00
NALC – £21.00
Greenhams (mirrors) – £291.45
Royal British legion – £40.00

c) Budget: Copies of last year’s budget was circulated to Councillors for their input. Cllr Tulip suggested that an informal meeting of some of the Councillors, particularly those who have not been through the budgeting process before, take place to understand where certain issues fit. The final budget can be discussed and the precept approved at the next Parish Council meeting.

8. Minor matters: There was some discussion about the new Localities and the Charter which are under consultation at present. It was felt that the Parish Council need to be careful as to which grouping/locality it finally puts itself. If Parish Councils are to take on services then finance must also be included in any arrangement.

The trees behind the Wellington were mentioned again. Cllr Dale agreed to try and find out who actually owned that land, whether it was Network Rail as we understand it to be. The Clerk will forward a map for her.

In response to a query, Cllr Dale stated that the ‘windfall’ from Tynedale, earmarked towards costs of the bus shelter, was still available.

Cllr Eakins wanted to follow up the No – smoking in other areas out of the parish. It was felt that this was not a problem for the Parish Council. He also volunteered to help bring parts of the website up to date by contacting organisations in the village. He would liaise with the Clerk and the Webmaster.

Cllr Dale raised the matter of school travel plans which had funding attached. It was felt that there was already a plan for Broomhaugh School, but Cllr Reid agreed to talk with the Head Teacher, Ms Jen Stephenson.

The meeting closed at 8.55.

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

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 13th October 2008 in the Supper room of the Parish Hall at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Tulip, Williams, Heslop, Reid, Dunhill and Stephenson. Also present were County Councillor Dale, District Councillor Latham (for part of meeting), 4 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. Apologies were received from Cllr Mills.

2. Cooption of J. Eakins: Dr. Eakins gave a brief presentation as to why he wished to be a Councillor and was co-opted unanimously onto the Council.

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

4. Matters arising: Cllr Tulip thanked Cllr Dale for asking the County Council to inspect Millfield Road bridge following the floods. They pronounced it safe and as at their last inspection. Cllr Stephenson reported that Northumbria Water were checking a bracket which had come loose after the flooding which held a large pipe, which was also leaking, under the bridge. Cllr Dale offered some of her funding to a light on the footpath between the Station and Broomhaugh but Cllr Tulip suggested, and it was agreed, that an inspection should be carried out to ensure it was value for money. Cllr Reid also commented on the fact that Mr Rowntree had photographed the bridges at the Station and over the railway near Wentworth Grange and asked Network Rail when they were to be repaired. It was pointed out the Station Bridge is a Grade 2 listed building. The reply from Network Rail intimated they would be repaired as part of the 2010/2011 workload.

5. Playpark: Cllr Tulip thanked all who had helped clean up after the floods. The report from Playdale had highlighted most of the same points as the ROSPA report. Their engineer had adjusted the gate. The main item of concern was the two roofs on the smaller climbing frame. Quotes had been received from Playdale for replacing these. It was also agreed to ask the Parish’s fencer to quote to replace them as well. Cllr Reid specifically noted thanks for all the work Cllr Dunhill has done in the park. The fence had been repaired and Cllr Dunhill offered to adjust the bottom line of the fence to prevent dogs entering. On related flood issues, Cllr Stephenson noted that the occupiers of the former Police House were raising the levee on their property to prevent the flood water rising so high in future. It was also suggested the homes nearby register with the Floodline. Cllr Stephenson agreed to visit those homes and facilitate that. A letter to the County requesting that gullies be cleared more frequently should also be sent. Cllr Reid asked if it was known which areas are liable to flood and it was pointed out to him that Tynedale and the Environment Agency keep such details which are available through their websites.

6. NALC AGM: The Clerk had attended the NALC AGM and provided copies to Councillors of the presentation made by Dr Francis of the changes to date relating to Unitary status. In particular, she highlighted some of the details for them to note of the proposed Charter between the Unitary Authority and Parish and Town Councils.

7. Remembrance Day: Cllr Heslop agreed to lay the wreath at the Remembrance Day service and would check the war memorial to see that it is tidy. He also expressed the hope that some of the other Councillors would be able to attend as well.

8. Correspondence:
a) General – for circulation. Concern was expressed that the items were not getting to everyone when possible and Councillors were asked to be more prompt. The Clerk would include a sheet of paper for Councillors to draw each-other’s attention to items of interest.
b) Notice board: Cllr Tulip had talked with representatives from the Methodist Church who were keen to replace their notice board in Broomhaugh. Once some quotes had been obtained, then the Parish Council might be asked to contribute.
c) South Broomhaugh: the County were looking at the problem of parking and had suggested bollards. It was felt these might not go down too well as it is recognised there is a lack of parking space. The Clerk would write to the County suggesting the problem might be partially resolved by delineating the footpath more clearly.
d) Dipton Foot Bridge: it was noted the County has listened to objections to this road being closed and were putting in a temporary one-way road to help the traffic flow.

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 /September – £382.13
MF Anderton / Expenses /September – £119.05
Carter Business Sytems – £18.41
Playdale – £229.13
T. Smith/bridge repair/fencing – £513.76

c) Bank of Ireland: In the current financial climate, Cllr Tulip had asked the security of the savings accounts be checked. It was agreed that they were as safe as any at present and they be left as is.

10. Minor matters: The bench in the Supper room needs putting in the Play park. Cllr Dale agreed to chase up as well as the Clerk. Cllr Reid raised the matter of recording meetings again. It was agreed to look into the legalities of taping meetings. Cllr Stephenson queried whether the new bus shelter would be non-smoking. It was agreed that all the shelters should be and the Clerk would buy four ‘No Smoking’ notices to be put up. Cllr Dale asked that Councillors comment on the housing allocations policy review document in the circulation file.

The meeting closed at 8.55.

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

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 8th September 2008 in the Supper room of the Parish Hall at 7.45pm

Present: Councillors Mills, Tulip, Williams, Heslop, Reid and Stephenson. Also present were County Councillor Dale, District Councillor Latham (for part of meeting), 4 members of the public and one member of the Press.

1. Apologies were received from Cllr Dunhill.

2. Minutes of last meeting: The minutes were agreed as a true record subject to small grammatical changes.

3. Matters arising: There was nothing to report on either the Village Green application or Millfield Road. Cllr Tulip noted that there was to be a meeting at County Hall on Millfield road the following week.

4. Playpark: Cllr Tulip gave the report in the absence of Cllr Dunhill. The annual safety inspection from ROSPA had highlighted a couple of concerns. It was agreed to ask Playdale to visit (as the installers of the equipment) to conduct a thorough inspection as well and recommend any actions which should be taken, or what might be safely left alone but monitored. The inspector adjusted the gate which was one of the main comments ROSPA had made. Cllr Mills noted that a number of children were playing over the stile and sliding down to the Burn. It was agreed to note that although this could be risky, it was an acceptable risk in children’s play. The gaps in the fence are to be repaired.

5. Bridge over Railway at Wentworth Grange: in response to the proposed closure of this bridge, Cllrs Reid and Mills had written in their personal capacities objecting. The Parish Council had also written in support but had not had a reply. Cllr Reid had received a confusing reply. There is no public ROW across the bridge, confirmed by the County Council. Network Rail suggest the public could use the public road more (the one not going over the bridge). Cllrs Reid and Mills have researched the matter showing that in 1828, 5 months before assent to the railway was given, the proposed railway line cut an existing road at this point and the bridge must have been a requirement for this route to be taken. Furthermore the next map of 1842 shows both the bridge and the lane so they must have coexisted for more than 150 years without it being considered that one could supplant the other. Cllr Mills has paperwork to apply for the rest of the road to become a PROW. It was agreed to wait and see what response Network rail made before considering the PROW application. The Clerk would chase up the matter of parking on the line of sight on the main road.

6. NALC Committee/AGM: It was agreed to nominate the Clerk to continue to sit on the County Committee. Cllr Reid expressed a possible interest in attending the AGM on 4th October subject to other commitments, and it was believed that Cllr Dunhill might also be interested. The Clerk would forward their names. She also reported very briefly on two points from the recent meeting:1) that there would only be 3 Area committees in the new Unitary Structure, and 2) that there was a concern about inequities in possible charging methods for services such as grass cutting for example across the County. NALC would be writing to comment on this.

7. Planning:
08/00086/TPO 3 Meadow Park Consent given
2008/0531 Freshfield, Sandy Bank (extension) Conditional permission
2008/0491 Oaklands Lodge, extension Conditional permission
2008/0437 Broomhaugh House, portacabin Conditional permission
2008/0501 Shepherd’s Dene, listed consent for internal works, Consent given under delegated powers
2008/0560 Shepherd’s Dene, external changes Consent given under delegated powers

8. Correspondence:
a) General – for circulation.
b) Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership/AGM: Cllr Reid expressed interest in attending and possibly Cllr Dunhill as well. The Clerk would write to acknowledge this and include that items for consideration should include reopening Gilsland Station and that timetables should be better scheduled so that connections to mainline services can be better achieved.

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

M F Anderton/Sal/August – £382.13
M F Anderton/Exp/July – £46.32
M F Anderton/Exp/Aug – £57.70
VHT/rent – £77.00
ROSPA/Ann. Inspection – £77.55
Wardhadaway – £587.50
Northumbrian Water – £12.85
CWC/knotweed – £176.25

10. Minor matters: Cllr Stephenson talked with Tynedale to ascertain our inclusion in a windfall sum of money in the absence of the Clerk and Chair on holiday. This would be ~ – £1700 and would have to go to infrastructure such as bus shelters. It was also agreed to add on a stretch of grass cutting on Millfield Road as per a map supplied by Cllr Stephenson. Cllr Heslop reported that Mrs Niven is standing down as Chair at the VHT AGM. It was agreed the Parish Council should write and thank her in appreciation of her hard work. Because of the recent flooding it was agreed to ask the Environment Agency if there is anything the Parish Council and the village could do to mitigate future problems. The matter of the light on the footpath from Broomhaugh to the station was raised again and Cllr Dale agreed to follow this up at County Hall as it is a Public Footpath. It was noted that thanks should go to Michael Hinds for his grasscutting efforts round the planters and beyond.

Cllr Reid asked to see the correspondence on the bus shelter and to be consulted on its siting. The Chairman and Clerk were congratulated on the new clearer presentation of the accounts and the arrangements to post them publicly.

The meeting closed at 8.30

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

Broomhaugh & Riding Parish Council

Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 14th July 2008 in the Supper room of the Parish Hall at 8.00pm

Present: Councillors Mills, Stephenson, Tulip, Dunhill, Williams, and Heslop. Also present were County Councillor Dale, District Councillor Latham, 8 members of the public, one member of the Press and Stephen Rickitt, Principal Solicitor for Northumberland County Council was in attendance before the meeting.

1. Apologies were received from Cllr Reid.

2. Resignation of Councillor: Peter Nitsch had written to resign, owing to pressure of work. It was agreed to write and say thank you on behalf of the Parish Council.

3. Minutes of the previous meeting: The minutes were agreed as a true record.

4. Village Green: Mr Rickitt gave a brief presentation to Councillors and to the public about the processes involved once a Village Green application was submitted. After answering some questions, he left before the Parish Council meeting began. Councillors do not have a problem in principle with the idea of a village green but it was felt that a meeting should be held with the Tennis Club representatives to find out their intentions. It was noted that the Tennis Club were dropping their proposals to move to Broomhaugh for the time being. Cllr Dunhill noted that he had supported the sale of the amenity land originally but rested on the will of the majority following the consultation.

5. Millfield Road: Cllr Tulip reported that a useful meeting had been held at County Hall with the head of Highways and Cllr Dale. Cllr Reid and the Clerk were in attendance. Mr Walton has agreed to look closely at other options under which they would adopt both the road and the bridge. It would be necessary to await their response. Cllr Heslop thanked Cllr Tulip and Cllr Dale for their efforts.

6. Pedestrian Crossing: A meeting had also been held at County Hall on the matter of the Pedestrian Crossing. There is a serious problem with the configuration of the road making the location a problem. According to the survey done, the desired crossing point does not meet the strict criteria. The school were also supporting a crossing from a safety point of view. There are three options, a refuge in the middle of the road, a Belisha Beacon crossing and a Pelican crossing with signals. There are increasing costs associated with each category. The County have agreed to do further studies to check the viability of the simple crossing versus the Pelican crossing. Cllr Dale will look into the problem that the proposed crossing does not meet the County Council criteria.

7. Trees, Weir and Fence: Following the comments made at the previous Council meeting, Cllr Tulip had met with both representatives of the Forestry Commission and the Environment Agency. Their views were that the wood should be left as it is with the exception of the two trees across the footpath. With respect to the trees in the Burn and the stones, it was the view of the Environment Agency that both could be safely left Cllrs Stephenson and Dunhill expressed a wish to have the retaining wall repaired but the majority decision was to leave it for the time being. The bridge over the Weir needs some repairs and these would be organised. Additionally the fence within the hedge on the Parish Hall side of the Playpark has breaks in it. It was agreed to repair these and extend the fence to the tree line.

8. Planning:
2008/0138 Change of use of Post Office Conditional permission
2008/0404 5 Oaklands Conditional permission

9. Correspondence:
a) General – for circulation.
b) Safety mirrors: It was agreed to purchase two safety mirrors, one to go opposite the westerly lane leading to Wentworth Grange and the other to replace the one opposite Hollin Hill Terrace as the current one is in poor condition. It is hoped that Wentworth Grange might contribute either financially or by supplying labour.
c) Community Policing: PC Robertson had requested that the Parish Council help, in the short term, by allowing the use of the Supper room for an occasional surgery, at their expense. It was agreed to try this for a period of 12 months.
d) Knotweed: The current course of treatment was finished but there were still traces of rhizomes which could take hold again. CWC’s letter would be circulated to Councillors and a decision be taken afterwards on the continuing of treatment, albeit at a much lesser cost and frequency.
e) A report from Cllr Williams was noted following his attendance at a meeting at County Hall on Boundary Commission changes.

10. 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 – £382.13
M F Anderton/Salary/July – £382.13
M F Anderton/Expenses/June – £91.74
Allianz/addnl premium – £51.97
Carter Bus.Syst. – £18.51
RM Allotment Ass.insurance – £58.50
M Stewart/benches – £260.00
J Harding/Spinney – £235.00
F. Tulip(exp) – £6.20
CWC/knotweed – £323.13

c) It was agreed that from September, a summary of the financial statement would be put up on the notice board.

11. Minor matters: The date for the Councillors village walk was changed to 23rd July. The name sign at the west end of the village had been damaged. The County would be informed. Cllr Dale noted that she had suggested an outreach Post service for Riding Mill. Mr Young asked whether questions would be allowed at this stage. The Chair agreed. Mr Young asked about copies of the relevant conveyances etc. relating to the Council’s purchase of the proposed ‘village green site’. It was agreed to forward the information. Mr Young then requested the Council to take action to solve intermittent flooding on Millfield Road. Cllr Dale offered to take this matter up with the relevant authority at County Hall.

The meeting closed at 9.00