Neasham Parish Council

23/018- WELCOME

K Sandick welcomed Councillors to the meeting. Apologies for absence were accepted from B Crossen (Holiday), P Dunn (Prior arrangement).

23/019 – DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no Declarations of Interest. It was agreed they would be raised with specific agenda items, if required.

23/020 - MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

The minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 4 April 2023 were confirmed as a correct record.

23/021 – MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETING / PROGRESS REPORTS

There were no matters arising.

23/022 – PACT REPORT

M Hannaford had attended the PACT meeting on 4 May. A new PCSO (Rachael Hird) was introduced together with two other PCSOs. The crime figures showed little crime in the area. It was reported at the meeting that a CCTV camera had been installed at the Middleton St George Community Centre as a deterrent.

23/023 -  ACTIONS ARISING FROM UNCONTESTED ELECTION TO NEASHAM PARISH COUNCIL MAY 2023

1. B Crossen, P Dunn, G Crute, J Grainger, M Hannaford, E Miller, K Sandick and J Weighell were confirmed as having been elected to the Parish Council. L Tostevin and P Walters confirmed as having been elected as Ward Councillors.
2. The Parish Councillors each signed the “Declaration of Acceptance of Office Form”, which was witnessed by the clerk for forwarding to Darlington BC. The Members had also completed and signed the “Register of Members Interests Form” and “Election Expenses Form” for returning to Darlington BC.

23/024 – ROADS AND FOOTPATHS

1. Swarco had finally arrived on site on 12 April. J Weighell informed their engineer that although the warranty period had expired, the problems had arisen before that. The engineer was extremely helpful and discovered a loose wire which was reconnected and he also realigned the sensor’s direction and left site with the unit fully operational. In view of this it is hoped that no invoice will be submitted.
2. The Chair reported that the owner of 38 Teesway had initially been pleased with the response from Highways, but there was still a problem which continues to cause damage to his property. He was not looking for Darlington BC to pay for the repairs to his property at this stage.  He simply wished the road to be properly repaired so that it no longer caused damage to his property and that he was not prepared to carry his repairs before then. L Tostevin stated that she spoken to Highways and whilst they admitted there was a problem they were not prepared to do anymore as it did not meet their 40mm depth criteria. The Chair stated that the owner was not going to let the matter drop and L Tostevin agreed to refer the matter to Highways again.

23/025 – ENVIRONMENT AGENCY MATTERS

G Crute reported that he had met with the owner of the Abbey to discuss boundaries at the west end of the village. The owner had not been aware that his boundary extended as far as the Kent Beck. He had commissioned an inspection of the trees and would be carrying out a lot of tree maintenance work. He was also going to consult with solicitor regarding the issues and would get back to us in due course. G Crute stated that some of the confusion in that area had arisen from the fact that Village Green and Land Registry maps did not marry up.
 

23/026 – VILLAGE GREEN

1. The Chair reported that work to the Memorial garden was virtually complete.
2. The Chair stated J Weighell had used a gardener whose rates were very competitive and who could carry future maintenance to the Millennium Garden, for which money was budgeted for. Although the area had been cleared there were concerns that plants such as ivy could grow back and therefore it agreed to defer setting up a maintenance contract for a while until we see what happens.
3. The Chair had received a complaint from L Blundell regarding the floor where the tubs had been removed and was in need of pressure washing. It was agreed to ask M Harrison to carry this out initially and possibly consider the purchase of a washer later, which could be partly funded by the saving on lights included in the Levelling Up fund grant. It was agreed that the plants in the tubs were pot bound and the tubs no longer usable and should be “scrapped” and L Blundell be asked for suggestions for their replacement. The strip of land adjacent the Kent Bridge is currently being maintained by R Heward for a year at an agreed sum which would be reviewed for future years.
4. It had not been possible to reach agreement on an application to Darlington BC for an allocation of trees prior to the deadline. However J Weighell had applied to the Tees Valley “Trees on Trees” project for an allocation available in November, giving time for consideration as to what trees (if any) is required.
5. Replacement of 2No notice boards and other works included in the grant from Darlington BC. Delivery of the board for Village Green has been delayed due to damage of one of the components, however the clerk had been given assurances that it would be delivered in week commencing 15/05/23. It was suggested that the notice board at Low Dinsdale could merit replacement and it was agreed to follow up a suggestion by L Tostevin that monies were available to local councils for grants for projects up to £7,000 in value.
6. J Weighell had cut down the Christmas tree as agreed and all arisings are now removed.
    

23/027– PLANNING

1. Applications received since last meeting:-
   • Application 23/00328/FUL – Demolish existing extension, construct new two storey extension and new front and side boundary treatments - 32 Teesway, Neasham, Darlington. DL2 1QU. (APPROVED).
   • Application 23/00211/FUL - Front porch extension, alterations to windows including cream uPVC frames, loft conversion, changes to boundary etc - 61 Teesway, Neasham, Darlington. DL2 1QT. (APPROVED).
2. Decisions received since last meeting: -
   None
3. A parishioner had contacted the clerk to apologise for not attending the April meeting and thank the parish council for their support in raising objections to Dinsdale Golf Club planning application. Following on from this there was a genera discussion on the issues arising from that application and the members concluded that parishioners should be made aware that should the application be successful then potentially there could be a significant increase in heavy goods vehicles driving through the village (see also minute 23/030).

23/028 – RISK MANAGEMENT

1. There were no Scheduled inspections due in April, one inspection which had been deferred from March had been completed.
2. Defect Notice 23/01 relating to damage to Teesway layby has been raised and forwarded to Darlington BC, one previous notice remains open.
3. The updated Annual All-Risks Checklist has now been completed and was approved subject in the inclusion of minor amendments to items 38-40 which arose from the recently received Website Accessibility Report. (Post Meeting  Note: The amendments have been incorporated into the checklist which is now approved without conditions).

23/029 – FINANCE

1. Previously approved payments made in April:- CLCA £108.73 (Association fee), Pretty Gardens £20.00 (Planting trees), Harrison Flagpole £30.64 (Coronation flag), Wel Medical £70.08 (Defibrillator pads). Brindle Construction £1860.00) (Extension of Pavings). The cheque of £953.95 to Noticeboard Co has been withheld until product is delivered.
2. The accounts had been audited by the internal auditor and signed off and returned without comment. Many thanks for his prompt turn round. The members resolved that the Chair could purchase a reasonably priced present for the internal auditor in recognition of his services for us.
3. As neither the gross income or expenditure exceeds £25,000, we are entitled to declare ourselves from a limited assurance review (external audit). The Certificate of Exemption was approved, the minute book reference recorded and ready for forwarding to the external auditor.
4. The 2022/23 Annual Governance and Accountability Return was approved, signed off and the minute book reference recorded. The dates for the 30 day Period of the Exercise of Public Right to Inspection were set as:-  Date of Commencement 12 June 2023, Date of Completion 21 July 2023.
5. The total balance in both account 31 March was  £15,392.92 Less unpresented cheques £306.30, and cheque held back £953.95, add outstanding VAT £764.76 giving actual balance of £14,897.43.

23/030 – REACHING OUT AND COMMUNICATIONS

1. The Chair outlined his proposals for the Annual Parish Assembly. It would be a relaxed evening and there would be no formal agenda, no top table but there would be name badges for the members and ward councillors. The emphasis would be an “open to floor” approach to research what are the parishioner’s priorities. It is hoped that residents will take this opportunity to air their views on local issued such as the Dinsdale Golf Club application.
2. A photographic “news sheet” presented by the Vice Chair was approved and arrangements for it’s distribution agreed. (Post Meeting  Note: Further to Minute 23/027.3, the Vice Chair had prepared a letter to the Neasham residents setting out the potential problems with heavy lorries, carrying fill to the Dinsdale Golf Club passing through the village, should their application be approved. This letter included advice as to how residents could register their own objections with Darlington BC planning department. This letter would be distributed with the news sheet).
3. The Vice Chair confirmed that he was no longer proposing make an application to the Community Fund “Awards for All” as it was not applicable to Neasham PC circumstances.

23/031 – WARD COUNCILLOR MATTERS

L Tostevin stated that she had lodged with Highways another request for repairs to Dibdale Road to be carried out. L Tostevin also reported that she had received an enquiry from the owner of 31 Teesway about a driveway across the green for access. This had been forwarded to Highways.
 

23/032 – CORRESPONDENCE

Emails from NALC regarding Newsletter (12/04, 19/04), 26/04, 03/05). There were no issues raised by members.

23/033 – OTHER VILLAGE MATTERS

1. In response to a request from a parishioner for help in locating information on her ancestry in the 1800’s, the Vice Chair provided the clerk with the location of documents which are generally stored at the County Records Office. The Clerk forwarded this information to the parishioner.
2. The Chair reported that he had not yet had the opportunity for a discussion with the parishioner regarding the information being held by the late M Townsend.
3. NEAS reported (via the Circuit) that someone had been sent for the defibrillator on 15 April and had therefore stood down. L Conlin inspected and cleaned the unit, which was found to be untouched and the status was amended to “available”. The Chair stated that this was a common occurrence with other units in the area.
4. Reading Rooms Duck Derby, it is understood that it has been set as 24/06/23, although this has not been formally confirmed, clerk to make enquiries. Separately L Blundell had informed us that she was still involved as a volunteer and would ensure that all permissions and documents are taken care of, as in the past.

23/034 – DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Date of next ordinary parish meeting is Tuesday 6 June 2023.  The meeting concluded at 8.15 pm.