Council Meeting, 24 January 2024

HELMDON PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES
of the meeting of Helmdon Parish Council, held in the Reading Room, Church
Street, Helmdon on Wednesday 24th January 2024 at 7:30pm.
Present: Cllrs Harris, Holloway, Luckett, Marchant, Minshall, Moody and Wheeler
219.Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from Cllr Plunkett
RESOLVED: To approve Cllr Plunkett’s absence
220. Declarations of Interest
None
221.Approval and signature of the minutes of November 22nd, 2023
RESOLVED: To approve and sign the minutes of November 22nd, 2023
222.Matters arising
None
223.Open Forum (15min max- 3 min per person)
Members of the public made representations on:
The shed in the brook.
Footpath access on the Helmdon Old Railway site.
-Blackpits.
Action:
DM to contact the owner of the shed
Find out who the new owners of the Helmdon Old Railway site are.
224.To fill the vacancies on the council by co-option
David Shepherd expressed interest in the vacancy of the council.
RESOLVED: To co-opt David Shepherd onto the council.
225.To consider a new website provider as the current provider is going out of business at the end of March 2024
RESOLVED: To defer the decision until the February meeting pending receipt of three quotes.
226.Finance:
A. To receive the financial statement: to note payments and receipts
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RESOLVED: To note the financial statement: payments and receipts.
B. To consider invoices to be paid:
Payee
NCALC
Invoice number
3372
Charmaine Jay
2Commune
4704
Reading Room
402
Reading Room
413
2Commune
C.
4737
Purpose
Training for
Charmaine J
and John M
Lanyards
Amount
£79.20
Domain
Renewal
Reading room hire
Reading room hire
Partial hosting
180.00
13.59
95.00
72.50
500.40
RESOLVED: To approve all bills for payment except the 2Commune bills, which should be held over pending the decision at the February meeting.
a. To receive recommendations from Finance committee for 2024/25
i.
To set the Budget for Expenditure 2024/25
RESOLVED: To set the budget for 2024/25 at £31,943.40.
ii.
To set the Precept Demand for 2024/25
RESOLVED: To set the precept for 2024/25 at £30,000.
iii.
To consider timetable for the Small Grants Scheme 2024/25
RESOLVED: Clerk to confirm iv.
To approve Clerks salary increase from SCP 20 to SCP 21
RESOLVED: To increase the clerk’s salary from SCP20 to SCP21 from 1
April 2024.
227.To appoint new Neighbourhood Watch Representative
To disband the Helmdon Neighbourhood Watch Scheme(s).
RESOLVED: Clerk to contact Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
228.To review councillors and representatives
To appoint Cllr Faye Holloway to the Finance Committee.
To appoint Cllrs Billie Minshall and Dave Shepherd to the Planning Committee.
To appoint Cllr Faye Holloway to the HR Committee.
RESOLVED: Inform new committee members of forward dates for meetings.
229.To consider making proposals to WNC under the Community
Governance Review
To make representations to WNC that there be no changes to Helmdon Parish
Council.
RESOLVED: Clerk to write to WNC before the consultation deadline (31
January 2024)
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230.To review flood mitigation project
RESOLVED: To Defer to February Meeting
231.To consider re joining the National Allotment Society
RESOLVED: To rejoin the National Allotment Society
232.To consider training on 7th February 2024
To organise an in-house training session on 7th February 2024.
RESOLVED: Clerk to book Reading Room
233.To gather a working group for the Parish Plan 2024/25
To appoint Cllrs Moody, Plunkett, Luckett, Minshall, and Shepherd to the Parish
Plan Working Group and to convene a meeting as soon as possible.
RESOLVED: Cllr Moody to convene a meeting of the group.
234.To consider topics for the annual village meeting on 22nd May 2024
That the topics for the Annual Village Meeting on 24 April 2024 be HS2 and
Highways (focusing on the Radstone Road and Welsh Lane).
RESOLVED: Clerk to contact Dave Butcher to invite him and/or Brenna Slade.
Cllrs Moody/ Marchant/ Clerk to think who best to invite from WNC Highways
235.The Welsh Lane (B4525) grittings
To write to the CEO of WNC requesting that the gritting store on the B4525 be closed off and/or litter picked on a regular basis, along with the whole of the
Welsh Lane.
RESOLVED: Clerk to write to the CEO at WNC
236..Close
RESOLVED: Meeting closed
Next meeting is on Wednesday 28th February 2024 at 7.30pm
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