Council Meeting, 27 November 2024

HELMDON PARISH COUNCIL
COUNCIL MEETING
Draft minutes of a meeting of Helmdon Parish Council held in the Helmdon Reading Room, Church
Street, Helmdon on Wednesday 27th November 2024 at 7:30 pm.
Present: Cllrs Harris, Hart, Holloway, Marchant, Minshall, Moody (Chair), and Wheeler.
Members of the public: 7 members of the public present. District Cllr Eastwood was also in attendance.
301.
Apologies for absence – Apologies were received from Cllr Shepherd. It was RESOLVED
to accept Cllr Shepherd’s apologies.
302.
Declarations of Interest – Cllr Hart declared an interest on item 310 but has been granted a dispensation to speak but not to vote.
303.
Approval and signature of the minutes of October 23rd, 2024 – It was RESOLVED
that the minutes be approved and duly signed.
304.
Matters arising – None.
305.
Open Forum (15min max, 3 min per person) –
District Cllr Eastwood joined the meeting at 7:36pm.
Representations were made on:
▪ Good work done on Jenner’s Piece
▪ Availability of dog waste bins
▪ The operation of the new defibrillator
▪ The council’s flag policy
▪ The flooding that took place on 24 November 2024
▪ Litter on the B4525 and double yellow lines to be put at the grittings
District Cllr Eastwood left the meeting @ 7:51pm.
Item 307 was brought forward and discussed at this point to follow on from the information provided by Cllr Eastwood.
306.
To receive an update on recruitment from the HR Committee a. To note the appointment of a new clerk – It was noted that Kirsty Buttle has been appointed as the Clerk to Helmdon Parish Council and started work on the 18th
November. Cllr Moody thanked Cllrs Minshall, Holloway, Plunkett, and Hart for their help in the recruitment process and conducting the interviews.
b. To consider whether to use in-house payroll versus external payroll service –
It was RESOLVED to change to in-house payroll. Clerk to cancel contract with current payroll providers.
c. To consider whether to continue with the Virtual Landline service – It was
RESOLVED to cancel the Virtual Landline Service and change over to the Clerk’s work mobile number. Clerk to cancel the virtual landline.
d. Proposal to have a virtual meet the clerk session in December – Not required as most councillors have already met the new clerk and others will wait until the January meeting.
307.
B4525 (Welsh Lane) – To receive an update from meeting with West
Northamptonshire Council held on 20 November 2024 – There will be a 40mph limit put in for 100 metres around the Helmdon Crossroads. Getting out of the driveways around Stockings Cottages is hazardous and they would like the PC to contact WNC to ask them to extend the 40mph limit to the recycling centre to the West and to Stockings Farm to the East which would make things a lot safer. Progress has been made re litter picking by WNC but this will continue to be monitored and chased up if they do not meet their statutory duty. It was RESOLVED that the Clerk should write to WNC on behalf of the PC stating the PC supports a change to a 40mph limit on the B4525 but not in it’s current format and that it should be extended to the
Banbury side of the recycling centre and beyond Stockings Farm at the other end and that the PC believe the data needs to be reviewed because the traffic survey conducted was only north of the Welsh Lane crossroads, so didn’t take into account traffic turning south down the B4525 from that junction.
308.
To receive recommendations from the Finance Committee a. That the Financial Regulations reviewed and approved by the committee be adopted by the council – It was RESOLVED to adopt the updated Financial
Regulations.
b. That the council creates a Burial Ground Working Group to explore issues and options related to the provision of burial ground in Helmdon and to report back to the council – It was RESOLVED to form a working group. It was agreed to appoint Cllr Marchant, Cllr Hart, Cllr Minshall, and Cllr Harris. Cllr Hart to arrange the first meeting of the Working Group.
309.
Finance:
A. To receive the financial statement: note payments received and consider invoices to be paid.
Payee
Invoice No
Reason
Amount
Playdale
57971
Playground Repairs
£922.01
DCK Payroll
24778
Payroll Service
£38.40
NCALC
4047
Training (Cllr Shepherd)
£50.40
Virtual Landline
831508
Phone line
£9.85
R&G
121284
Grass cutting
£211.20
Unity Bank
N/A
Bank fee
£5.40
Yu Energy
02091224
Electricity Supply
£16.33
Yu Energy
02091222
Electricity Supply
£43.62
Lloyds Bank
N/A
Credit card transactions
£11.49
Staff costs
N/A
Salaries
£1,585.12
It was RESOLVED to note the financial statement and approve the payments.
310.
Helmdon Old Station Local Wildlife Site (HOSLWS)
a. To consider access ways to the viaduct permissive path – Proposed to make the path be made more accessible for local walkers by adding in steps to make the path less steep. Concerns were raised about the possible liability and insurance issues if the
PC change the path. Edward Tims, the landowner is present and explained that they welcome people along there as the land is currently, but would want further discussions about the possibility of another access as they do not wish to be forced to have another access. It was agreed to do more research on the proposal and bring it back to a future meeting. Cllr Minshall to continue to follow this up. The PC expressed it’s thanks to the landowner for keeping the land open to the public.
b. Update from West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) on planning permissions required – Cllr Moody recently met with representatives of WNC on site and they expressed concerns about anything happening on all of the sites except plot D as there is already a live planning application on that site so they cannot look at that currently.
WNC will create a report from all of the information they have received. They advised that this is one of the most complex sites that they are dealing with and it will take a very long time but if the PC would like updates at their meetings they would be happy to provide an e-mail update for meetings if the Clerk contacts them about a week before the meeting. They do not think the ditch works at the front are affecting flooding at all.
c. To note that the Definitive Map Modification Order (DMMO) application has been submitted – Noted.
311.
Play Area – To consider works required to various timbers in the play area –
There are some cracks in the timbers in the play area which creates an entrapment risk. A quote of £240 has been received. It was RESOLVED to go ahead with this work.
Clerk to instruct contractor.
1 member of the public left the meeting at 8:35pm
312.
To receive an update from Station Road Working Group – The group are hoping to have a response soon from the property registration company re the working of the
TP1. They are looking for another member to join the group.
313.
To receive an update from the Parish Plan Working Group – The group held a meeting on 18th November and went through the questions from previous parish plan questionnaires to consider which ones are still valid. The next step is to agree which software to use to put the questions into and the next meeting will take place in
February with the aim to get the survey ready to go out in early spring.
314.
To consider a guardian for the defibrillator – It was RESOLVED to appoint Sophie
Harwood as the guardian for the defibrillator. It was noted that the responsibility for maintenance of the battery and pads lies with Do It For Defib as they are the legal owners of the defibrillator. Do It For Defib do not currently have the resources to provide training but they have provided a link to an online video showing how to use the defib. Clerk to send a letter of thanks to Sophie Harwood.
315.
To consider a bleed kit for the defibrillator – There is already a bleed kit in the new defibrillator.
316.
Close – Meeting closed @ 8:51pm
Next meeting date – 23rd January 2025
Signed………………………………………………………….. Date………………………………………………………