Balderton Parish Council
Minutes of the Finance and General Purposes
Committee meeting held in the Council Hall on Wednesday December 6th 2006 at
7.00 pm
PRESENT Councillors Colman (Chairman), Mrs Brooks (Vice Chairman), Allsopp,
Brooks, Fletcher, Gibson, Hind, Mrs Jarvis, Mortimore, Mrs Newstead, Scott and
Mrs Walker. with County Councillor Walker, a representative of the local press,
one parishioner and the Clerk.
APOLOGIES were received from Cllrs Miss Oram, Mrs Scott, Sheppard and Miss
Watson.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST No declarations of interest were made.
Cheques presented were signed and wages payments approved.
3377 Clerk/Chairman’s Update
A printed update of ongoing matters were circulated and noted. The update is
published
with the minutes. The following items were discussed from the update:
1. Re Minute 3296 Blocked Drain Masefield Crescent No further progress has been
reported regarding the District Council’s Environmental Services bid to fund
undertaking the necessary work to install further inspection chambers.
2. Re Minute 3369 Financial Assistance for Fernwood It is understood that the
organisation has selected its preferred notice board and will soon advise the
Clerk of the cost in order that a cheque can be raised.
3378 Planning Applications
The following planning applications were considered and approved subject to any
comments detailed below:
1752 Conservatory 101 Hawton Lane
1763 Timber and double glazed conservatory 26 Glebe Park
1771 Demolish garage, build new with bathroom & bedroom over 35 Browning Road
1791 5 bedroom house with detached garage 50 Bullpit Road
3379 Planning Decision
The following planning applications have received conditional approval and were
noted:
1490 Conservatory 7 Mead Way
1608 Replace flat roofs with pitched 1 Marlowe Drive
1654 Erect conservatory 8 Shelley Close
The following planning application has been refused and was noted:
1397 Demolish office, erect 4 town houses Toll Bar House
3380 Budget 2007/08
Details were circulated for discussion and further consideration was given to
budgetary requirements for the 2007/08 financial year. The District Council
requires parish councils to submit their financial requirements by January 12th
2007, so an amount has been included at this time in the estimates for loan
repayments for the new hall – this is because it is still not known if the Heron
Way planning application will be granted approval, and the sale of the Council
Hall has not yet been completed. As previously agreed, one project for inclusion
in next year’s budget is to replace the Council’s computer system at an
estimated cost of £2000. The Amenities Committee project of replacing one mower
at £2000 was also included. The projects combined with the committee running
cost estimates give a gross estimated expenditure of £283,350.00. It is
difficult to estimate income because this is the first year that the new
building will be in use. An option of increasing the budget by £20,000 was
discussed which gives an average increase of 2.5% per village household owing to
the increasing new houses in Balderton over the past year.
It was, AGREED that this be discussed further at
the full Council meeting next week.
3381 Dale Crescent Green Area
Members gave approval to the Health Estates Department’s proposed covenant which
has been included on the contract preventing the Council, or any successor in
title, from developing the land or putting any structure upon it other than for
public open space use.
3382 Complaint
Members considered a previously circulated formal complaint from a resident.
It was, RECOMMENDED that advice will be sought
before a formal response is made, other than to send a written acknowledgement
of receipt for the complaint.
3383 Storage Container
Approval was given to the purchase at an approximate cost of £1000 of a metal
container for the playing field to provide extra storage space. It may be
possible when future funds allow, to build a brick store on the eastern side of
the new building and the container could then either be redeployed at the
allotments or sold on.
3384 Outstanding Invoice
Consideration was given to an outstanding invoice of £292.00 from August 2006,
to a local football team for this present sports season. Several attempts have
been made to chase the account, by both telephone and written correspondence.
The team had made contact today declaring payment will be received by the end of
this week – members considered that no further action is deemed necessary if
payment is received by this declared time but the team will lose its pitch
allocation otherwise.
3385 New Hall Opening
Discussion was given to the opening arrangements for the new hall on Saturday
December 16th 2006, and members advised of their role in the event.
3386 Correspondence/Information
The following correspondence and information was noted:
a) A request to hold a fund raising event at a reduced hire rate for the ‘Sophie
Ashmore Charity’ in the new hall for a young girl in Newark who needs a kidney
transplant. The event will be the final event after a series of fund raising
initiatives. Members agreed that as this is for a specific local individual, and
as initial offer to help promote the new hall that a reduced rate of 50% of the
standard charges should apply in this instance. This does not set any precedent,
and any future applications for charitable causes will be considered on their
own merits.
Councillor Brooks left the meeting at approximately 7.50pm
b) A copy of the District Council’s Waste Strategy 2006-2020, outlining the
framework for service delivery for the next 15 years.
c) Notice of an application for a trading licence by ‘One Stop’ for the Fernwood
shop units.
d) Notice from the District Council of grant aid available for planting schemes
entitled ‘Breathing Places’. The deadline for applications in December 13th
2006.
e) Open letters from the police regarding crime prevention and Christmas theft
warnings.
f) A letter from the District Council regarding emergency planning policy
consultation, reminding members regarding the East Midlands Regional Plan
relating to housing development in this area. Cllr Mortimore is drafting a reply
to this document.
g) Notice of District Council meetings – the Standards Committee is scheduled to
meet on December 7th 2006 at 11.00am and the Parish/District Community Safety
Liaison Group is scheduled to meet on January 29th 2007 at 7.00pm Cllr Fletcher
intends to attend both meetings.
h) Notice that a street collection is authorised for Newark Round Table in
Balderton between December 9th and 16th 2006.
i) Notice that the Electoral Commission has decided to accept the Boundary
Committee for England’s recommendations for Newark & Sherwood. The Order will be
published shortly.
j) Details of NALC training courses for councillors from January – July 2007.
k) Details from a company offering to produce a ‘Parish Guide’ for Balderton at
no cost to the Council (revenue would be from local advertising). Members
considered that this could be beneficial and the matter should be given further
discussion after the Council has moved to the new building.
3387 Future Agenda Items
1. Cllr Mrs Walker asked the Clerk to provide Fernwood & District Residents
Association
with details and charges for the new hall.
Cllr Mrs Walker also advised that the number of children requiring transport to
the village schools from Fernwood is fifty nine. It is understood that Mrs Head
at the Grove School is incorporating this into the school travel plan to try and
secure a bus service.
2. Cllr Mrs Jarvis asked when the police contact point will open at the Lakeside
Shopping Centre? County Councillor Walker advised that he is awaiting
information from the police regarding the delayed opening.
The meeting closed at approximately 8.00pm