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MINUTES OF THE HILTON PARISH COUNCIL MEETING 10-07 HELD ON MONDAY
3 DECEMBER 2007 IN THE VILLAGE HALL
Present: Cllrs Wright (Chairman), Barradell, Fleming, Randall, Shardlow, and Ward.
In Attendance: Mr Thomas, Clerk to the Parish Council, and 3 parishioners.
1. To note Apologies for Absence. CllrsRobinson, Stott.
2. Declarations of Interest.
Cllr Wright advised a Prejudicial Interest with agenda item 6c resulting from the position of her home. Cllr Randall declared a Prejudicial Interest with Item 13 as it involved his property.
3. To Approve the Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 5 November 2007
The Chairman noted that she had earlier advised of a parishioner’s query re the minutes of the last meeting. The Cllrs present were content that the minutes were a fair record of the meeting. Approved
4. Parishioners Open Session (10 minutes). None
5. To Authorise the Payment of Accounts.
a. £933.42 Anglia Consultants for A14 Noise Report
b. £26.20 B Ashby: handyman’s wages
c. £5.71 D Hedge: backdated pay award
d. £68.20 J A Thomas: backdated salary award
e. £368.50 Copleys, costs for registration of the Green
f. £14.40 J A Thomas reimbursement for postage costs
g. £25.00 Cricket Club grass cutting costs
h. £60.00 RBL provided wreaths
The Clerk explained that Items 5b, 5c and 5d were to take account of the recently approved 2% salary rise which had been backdated to 1 April 2007. A cheque for £750 had been received from the A14 Action Group to cover the cost of the noise consultant (item 5a), net of VAT. Cllr Randall proposed, Cllr Ward seconded and the Council approved payment of the above accounts.
6. Review of A14 Consultation Process.
a. Report and costs of Acoustic Consultant. The Chairman briefed the meeting that a report from Anglia Consultants had examined a range of possible solutions to mitigate the noise expected from the A14 upgrade. The consultant had especially emphasized the value of a new noise-reducing road surface. The report had also recommended that the Council establish the noise levels of the current road to help its case for noise mitigation. The cost for the consultant had thus far proven to be less than originally thought and had been covered by a donation from the A14 Action Group. However, it was envisaged that there would be further costs associated with noise level measurement along with additional inputs from Anglia Consulting. The A14 Action Group would review the recommendations from Anglia Consultants and advise the Council as appropriate.
b. Report on Highways Agency Stakeholders Event. The Chairman explained that she had attended the recent Highways Agency’s Stakeholders Event and that apart from the Agency’s desire to engage with communities, the Event had been inconclusive. The Chairman had recently circulated to Cllrs for comment a draft input to the Agency on the key issues for the village and a our desire to continue to be involved through the detailed design phases hoped to dispatch this letter within the coming week. In addition, the Chairman had written to other villages likely to be affected by the A14 again asking them to present a joint approach on the environmental issues of the new road.
c. Proposal for closure of Fenstanton Road. Cllr Wright made the following statement under para 12(2) rules. She said that the A14 improvements created the opportunity to explore with the relevant authorities the possibility of restricting access to Fenstanton Road and that she felt it was appropriate for the village to consider this. She explained that restricting access over the Fenstanton Road would reduce the volume of traffic and the amount of speeding over the Green and on the High Street and Church End and would create a route with very little traffic between Hilton and Fenstanton and suitable for recreational use. However, restricting access could increase the volume of traffic along the B1040 and would impact on businesses along Fenstanton Road. She also pointed out that any proposals to restrict access on the Fenstanton Road would need the endorsement of the village. Cllr Wright then left the meeting for the remainder of this agenda item. Cllr Fleming took the chair. There were no statements from parishioners. The meeting agreed that the proposal could be taken forward by the Traffic Group. However, there was concern that the proposal was complex and might have unexpected consequences for the village. The Clerk was to write to Cambridgeshire County Council seeking advice on how best to proceed. The Clerk was also to ask the Traffic Group to champion further work on this proposal.
Cllr Wright rejoined the meeting and resumed the Chair.
7. Approval of the Budget: Year to 31 Mar 09.
The Clerk advised that he had received no further inputs from Cllrs on the draft budget. However, the Cricket Club had sought an increase for mowing the Cricket Pitch of some £58. The Council agreed that although this represented a 10% increase on last years costs it was a cost effective solution and that this sum should be added to the Precept. Cllr Barradell proposed, Cllr Randall seconded and the Council approved the budget for the year ending 31 March 2009 with a Precept of £19352.
8. Meeting Arrangements re Maintenance of the Green
The Council agreed to hold the open meeting to discuss maintenance issues in and around the Green on Monday 14 January 2008. The Clerk was to advertise the meeting as widely as possible and to reissue the draft agenda reflecting comments received.
9. Siting of No Through Road Sign at Wraggs Row.
Cllrs Fleming and Randall agreed to finalise the location of the sign. The Clerk was to inform HDC of the agreed position.
10. Approval of Costs for Ditch Maintenance.
The Clerk outlined the bid from Mr Barnett, the approved contractor, for work on the village ditches. The costs were within the budget provision but Cllr Stott had suggested that additional work, yet to be specified, be undertaken with the remaining funds. Cllr Randall proposed, Cllr Barradell seconded and the Council approved the offer from Mr Barnett. However, the Clerk was to ensure that any spoil from the ditch outside Tarrant was removed rather than spread and was to renegotiate costs to reflect this work. Cllr Randall offered to take the soil if required. The Council also authorized the Clerk to extend the scope of work up to the provision in the budget and to seek formal approval at the next meeting.
11. Investment Policy.
The Clerk advised that the working group had met to discuss investment possibilities and that further work was needed to finalise the preferred overall investment strategy. The Clerk hoped to present his final report to the February meeting.
12. Council Vacancy.
Cllrs were asked to continue to seek volunteers for the vacant Councilor position.
13 Licence Charges Clare Cottage
Cllr Randall left the meeting for the duration of the debate. Cllr Fleming proposed that two Councilors should discuss the Licence charges for the coming year with Dr Randall. Cllr Fleming offered to lead the discussion and suggested that Cllr Robinson be the second member with Cllr Shardlow as reserve. The Council agreed with this course of action and the Clerk was to advise Dr Randall of the decision.
14. Approval for Replacement Notice Board.
The Clerk had received three tenders against a specification agreed by the recent F&GPWG. The prices were very competitive and were for £1165, £1140 and £1080, exclusive of erection. The cheapest price was from New Farm Cabinet Makers (NFCM) of Hilton. Cllr Randall proposed, Cllr Barradell seconded and the Council approved the purchase of a new notice board for siting at the post Office for £1080 from NFCM. The Council noted that the cost of erecting the notice board would be provided separately by the Clerk.
15. Approval of Standing Orders.
The Council approved the proposed amendment to Standing Orders.
16. Tree Cutting: The Beech
Cllr Fleming expressed his concern that proposals to fell the beech tree might be premature and believed the report from HDC was inconclusive. In view of the aesthetic impact of felling this tree, he suggested that a further specialist view be sought. However, the meeting felt that Cllr Randall was well qualified to make a judgment and in view of the potential safety concerns, the Council, with the exception of Cllr Fleming, agreed that the tree should be felled as soon as possible. However before instructing the contractor, the Clerk was to obtain specific authority from HDC to fell the tree.
17. Clerk’s Report on Parish Matters.
The Clerk advised that he was to meet with a representative of West Highways on Tuesday 4 December to discuss the state of the recent resurfacing of Rutland Green. Cllr Ward agreed to attend.
a. Play Park. The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Rose for the excellent work done by his firm to clean the play park and this sentiment was endorsed by the Council.
b. Commemorative Tree. Cllr Ward advised that the family of a recently deceased resident had asked whether it would be possible to plant a commemorative tree on the Green. The Council was supportive in principle and asked that the family approach them with more details and Cllr Ward agreed to convey this message to the family.
c. Repairs to Lych Gate. Cllr Shardlow asked for a progress report on repairs to the Lych Gate. The Clerk advised that the work had not been carried out in 2006/2007 due to other funding commitments. It was hoped to undertake the work in the 2008/2009 financial year using reserve funds and that this had been included in the budget approved at Item 7 above. It was suggested that once costs were known, the Council might approach the Town Trust for assistance.
d. Lorry Watch. The Chairman advised that she was still trying to establish a Lorry Watch coordinator in the village.
F J Wright
Chairman of Parish Council 3 February 2008
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