The Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting of the Parish of Acaster Malbis
held on Monday, 16th March 2020, at the Memorial Hall, Mill Lane, Acaster Malbis
commencing at 7.30 pm.
Present: Councillor W G Taylor (Chairman)
Mesdames –
J Coulson, V Joughin, P Walker.
Messrs – D Ellis, K Joughin.
Parish Councillors – Councillors C Booth, B Hawkins, R Jones, D Walker.
Clerk - M G Davies
(Clerk’s Note - This meeting was held on the day H.M.
Government first advised that those aged over 70 years or with
pre-existing health conditions should avoid unnecessary contact
with persons who were not members of their immediate household. The
advice was accepted by several members of the community who would
otherwise have attended. This resulted in apologies being received
from eight persons - Ward Councillor Mr J Galvin, Cllrs P
Harlington and J Smith, T Pumffrey, J Pumffrey, G Hall, M Hall and
J Hall).
To avoid any risk of contamination the attendance list was
completed by the clerk rather than being circulated for signature
by attendees.
1). Welcome and
Introductions:
The Chairman
opened the meeting at 7:31 pm by welcoming everybody and
introducing the members of the Parish Council. The Chairman asked
that questions other than those to the guest speakers be asked at
the end of the meeting (under Agenda item 9).
2). Minutes of
the last Annual Parish Meeting held on 18 March
2019:
The draft minutes
were read by the Clerk and agreed unanimously as a true and correct
record on the proposal of Mrs V Joughin, seconded by Mrs P Walker.
The minute book was therefore duly signed by the
Chairman.
3). Matters
Arising:
There were
none.
4). Chairman’s Report on the Work of the Parish Council: Councillor Taylor reported that the Parish Council had met on the usual ten occasions and the Planning Committee had met once. The Planning Committee only meets when City of York deadlines for planning comments cannot be met at scheduled meetings of the full Parish Council. Members of the public are encouraged to attend the open forum at the start of Parish Council meetings to raise matters of concern. The chairman reminded the attendees that matters submitted to the clerk by email are also discussed if members of the public are unable to attend. This year one member of the public attended to complain that six caravans had been placed in a field off Hauling Lane allegedly in breach of planning consent. Ward Councillor Galvin advised the person that planning consent is not required for temporary use of land providing such use does not exceed 28 days in any one year. Following the May 2019 elections, we were left one councillor short as Lesley Frost retired after long service to this Parish Council. The chairman formally thanked Lesley for her time on the council. After advertising the vacancy under the usual casual vacancy procedures Cllr Craig Booth was co-opted to the council and attended his first meeting in September 2019.
i). Planning related matters: Cllr Judy Smith continued to do a great job leading the Planning Committee for a further year. Applications have included side and rear extensions both one and two storeys, erection of detached garages, demolish the existing bungalow and build a two-storey house, demolish redundant farm building and build a new dwelling, remove the existing fence and hedge and replace with wall and gates are some of the matters considered during the year. Two are still awaiting decisions, one has been withdrawn and one was refused and is now the subject of an appeal. Following the refusal of planning consent and the failure of a subsequent appeal the caravans sited at Whinney Hills have now been removed.
ii). Crime
reports: We are lucky that
most of the year has been very quiet. Police reports received
included.
An aggressive dog, break-in at office premises with an amount of
cash stolen (Intake Lane / Mill Lane), youths throwing objects off
the former railway swing bridge at passing boats causing damage to
one. Theft of a bicycle from Mill Lane, loose dog attacking sheep,
anti-social involving cars being driven at speed on Appleton Road
at midnight. 3,000 litres of red diesel stolen from farm premises
on Intake Lane / Mill Lane, 12 scrap fire extinguishers taken from
outside a building at Acaster crossroads.
ii). Ongoing
Matters:
The Chairman reported on work undertaken in the last 12 months to
resolve issues raised at previous annual meetings:
a) Clerk’s
annual appraisal. This was carried out without any serious issues.
It has been agreed that the clerk will move to salary point LC1
SCP1 of the National Joint Councils (NJC) agreements effective 01
April 2020.
b) With legislation constantly changing we have to thank the clerk
who puts in a lot of hours ensuring we comply with all the latest
updates to keep the council operating legally. The clerk and
webmaster, Cllr Pat Harlington work together to ensure our website
is fully compliant with the Transparency Code 2015 and is freely
accessible to all who need to use it.
The Parish
Council continually reviews its Standing Orders and other strategic
documents and policies to keep pace with legislative changes. The
Council is fully compliant with the Transparency Code and GDPR and
the website is updated as and when required. It should be noted
that the Council does not process any personal information. The new
Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) for 2018-2019
was processed successfully and accepted by the internal auditor.
The Parish Council claimed exemption from external audit under the
terms of the Transparency Code and this claim was again processed
without incident or comment.
c) Slipway
– Following the retirement of a director Acaster Marine asked
for the lease to be amended to reflect the name of the new owners.
The Parish Council’s solicitors, Lupton Fawcett (successors
to the previous solicitors Denison Till) undertook the necessary
work which involved considerable effort and negotiation to bring
the lease into line with current legislation and practice. Thanks
are due to the clerk and particularly Cllr Rob Jones for their hard
work in bringing this matter to a successful conclusion. The legal
costs involved are the responsibility of the Lessee under lease
terms.
d) Villagers are
reminded that all agendas and minutes together with statutory
finance documents are freely available on the Parish Council
website at https://acastermalbis-pc.gov.uk
e) 1st Bishopthorpe Scouts, assisted by parents,
undertook the annual riverside litter pick from Naburn Swing Bridge
to the village on Sunday 17 May 2019. It is hoped the 2020 litter
pick will take place in May.
f) Working with the City of York Council a number of volunteer leaf
collectors, snow wardens and litter pickers have been trained and
provided with the appropriate equipment. More volunteers have come
forward and arrangements are being made for them to be formally
inducted into the scheme. Residents will have noticed pale green
bags appearing near litter bins. These contain leaves and other
collected materials and are removed regularly by the City of York
Council when emptying the fixed litter and dog waste bins and are
not “fly-tipped” as has been reported by some.
g) The defibrillator equipment sited in the old telephone box on
Mill Lane continues to be available for emergency use on a 24/7/365
basis. The defibrillator pads have been replaced as part of the
routine maintenance procedures and the telephone box has been
cleaned regularly by two residents. The equipment is checked by the
clerk and its status is reported regularly to Yorkshire Ambulance
Service (YAS) at least weekly. Residents are reminded that the
cabinet is locked and can only be opened on the express authority
of YAS if Paramedic / Ambulance / First Responder services are not
immediately available.
h) Thanks are, yet again, due to Bishopthorpe Ward Councillor John
Galvin who was re-elected for a further four-year term in May 2019.
Through a combination of ward committee funding and with the
assistance of Brunswick Organic Nursery the following projects are
either in progress or have already been completed.
i) Weed and tidy the interior of the Pinfold on Mill
Lane and remove ivy from the Intake Lane bus shelter. The stretch
of the footpath from the bus shelter to Lakeside has been
transformed by the hard work done by village volunteers and as the
volunteer network grows other areas will receive similar attention
in due course.
ii) The dilapidated seat between the Memorial Hall and
Pinfold will be replaced by Brunswick soon.
iii) A flower tower is to be sited in the same area
and will be planted as required by Brunswick. The Parish Council,
through the village volunteers, have undertaken to keep the plants
watered and fed as and when required.
iv) Culverting of Dimple Ditch on the northern
boundary of Lakeside. This open, deep, and steep-sided ditch has
been a cause for concern for some years and presents a hazard to
both pedestrians and road users. Ainsty (2008) Internal Drainage
Board are to undertake the work with the cost of the materials
being funded by a Bishopthorpe Ward Committee grant to the Parish
Council. Funds are already held by the Parish Council, but the work
has been delayed by the flooding in early 2020 and will be
undertaken a soon as possible. The area over the new culvert will
be at a slightly lower level than the surrounding ground and will
be planted with wildlife/bee-friendly flowers and shrubs. The
Parish Council has agreed to maintain the area using the team of
village volunteers. Cllr Garry Taylor has agreed to cut the grass
in the area when required at the appropriate times as the City of
York mowing teams cannot work on uneven ground.
In addition to the above, several dog waste bins in the village are
to be moved to more appropriate locations. It is hoped this will be
done shortly.
i) Precept – Last year’s accounts left us with a
shortfall of £922. To balance a breakeven budget in 2020-21
it has been necessary to set the precept at £4421. This
equates to an increase of 5p per week (or £2.60 per annum)
for a band D household. This will allow the Parish Council to keep
a reserve of approximately twice the annual precept allowing any
unforeseen expenditure, contingencies and additional grants to be
met from reserves.
j) In September 2019 we initiated a meeting to set up an
independent committee to organise the village VE Day
75th Anniversary celebrations. A £1000 grant was
awarded to the committee. The meeting led to Acaster Malbis
Community Events Ltd (AMCEL) being formed. Cllr Rob Jones agreed to
lead the committee/company. It is hoped that as well as organising
the VE75 celebrations on May 8, 2020, AMCEL will be able to
organise future events regularly.
k) The village has, yet again, suffered from quite serious flooding
over the winter of 2019/20. The village emergency team ably led by
Mrs Pam Walker has coped with the problems well. Pam will address
the meeting under a later agenda item.
As usual, Cllr Taylor asked that questions from the floor be asked during the Open Forum under agenda item nine.
5). Accounts:
(i) Parish Council for the Year Ended 31 March 2019: - Copies of the Receipts and Payments summaries for the year were circulated to those present. The Chairman gave a brief explanation of the ‘Receipts’ and ‘Payments’ figures. Mr D Ellis proposed and Mrs P Walker seconded that these accounts be accepted. The proposal was agreed unanimously.
(ii) The Knowles Educational Foundation: - In the absence of Mr James Hall, Chairman of the charity the clerk read the report on his behalf.
“The Accounts take a slightly different format from previous years as our Secretary, Mrs Julia Campbell, has brought the presented accounts in line with The Charity Commission’s current recommendations.
The accounts for The Knowles Educational Foundation for the year ending 2019 are as follows:
The income from its investments provided a total of £3,632 of which £794 were required for management expenses.
The sum of the awarded grants totalled £3075 and we did slightly exceed our year’s income by £236.
Cash funds stood at £3368
The grants awarded were many and varied and some of which provoked much discussion between the Trustees.
Our Statement of Assets and Liabilities show that our cash Funds stood at £3368 and the total value of investments was £101,497.
As always,
I would like to extend my thanks to Mr David Walkden for providing
an independent examination of the year’s
accounts.”
Acceptance of the accounts report was proposed by Mrs P Walker,
seconded by Mr K Joughin and agreed by all.
(iii) The John Knowles and John Kettlewell Charity: - Mrs Vicki Joughin presented the Accounts for the Year Ended 31 December 2019 commenting as follows.
“Financial Report
The income from the investment (currently valued at £3,869.41) totalled £193.41 and the cash brought forward from 2018 brings the total cash balance in 2019 to £293.30. In December 2019, £220.00 was distributed in grants which were favourably received by the beneficiaries, leaving a balance in the current account of £73.30. Our thanks go to Bob Nicholls for auditing the accounts again.
Trustees
In accordance with the charity constitution, 2 meetings of the trustees were held in 2019 and a chairman elected at each meeting.
All trustees have agreed to remain in post in 2020 and therefore there are no changes to the trustees this year.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The trustees have implemented the data privacy policy agreed in 2019 and the annual audit will take place in June 2020.”
Acceptance of the accounts report was proposed by Mrs P Walker, seconded by Mrs J Coulson, and agreed by all.
6). City of York
Council – Ward Member: Cllr John Galvin – in the
absence of Cllr Galvin the following report was submitted after the
meeting.
“As
residents may know I have allocated some of my ward Highways Budget
to have the open dike
near Lakeside be culverted. The Ainsty IDB will do the work and the cost of materials will come from
my budget. Unfortunately, I cannot spend my Highways Budget on maintenance work.
I have also arranged with Brunswick Organic Nursery to replace the seat near the Pinfold with a
seat made from recycled plastic, along with a planted Flower Tower also to be placed between
the Pinfold and the Memorial Hall. Watering of the tower is to be undertaken by the village
volunteers. If I still have a Ward Budget replanting in Winter and Spring will be done by
Brunswick
We are all aware of the deterioration once again of our roads and I continually make
representations to Highways to put in hand repairs.
As we all are aware, we live in difficult times but if I can be of help to anyone, please
don't hesitate to contact me on 01904 704829 or email cllr.jgalvin@york.gov.uk remembering of course that I don't possess a Magic Wand”
7). Guest speaker
– Mrs Pamela Walker – Acaster Malbis volunteer Flood
Warden and Village Emergency Team
Leader.
Pam gave a brief
report on the recent flooding which affected the usual properties
including The Ship Inn which had only just changed hands. There
were some serious issues on Mill Lane caused by a combination of
blocked/broken gullies and surface water run-off from the fields
behind Mill Lane running through the gardens of some houses.
Residents have welcomed the “Flood Updates” which have
been posted on the two village community Facebook pages. The
opening and closing of the flood signs have been problematic and
Pam is still working with the City of York Council to find a
solution. The signs often remain open long after the floodwaters
have receded. Pam was presented with a flower arrangement by Vicki
Joughin which had been made by Jill Coulson and Tracey Kraus in
appreciation of all her hard work.
8). Acaster Malbis – VE75 Day Celebrations Friday 8 May 2020 – Cllr Rob Jones
Rob reported that because of the rapidly developing Coronavirus situation it was almost inevitable that the planned VE75 Day Event would need to be postponed, possibly by as much as a year. Tickets already sold for both the event and raffle will be held over until the revised date or refunded on request.
9). Open Forum
–
a). Mr D Ellis
informed the meeting that currently works around the front hedge at
Winslade on Mill Lane were being undertaken by Yorkshire Water to
repair a collapsed length of a sewer.
b). A meeting is planned for 24 March 2020 between the City of York
Council and the Environment Agency. It is hoped that Yorkshire
Water might attend.
There being no further questions the Chairman closed the meeting at 8:40 pm and thanked all, particularly the speakers, for giving up their time to attend.
It should be noted that these are draft minutes and will remain so until approved at the next Annual Meeting of the Parish (currently scheduled for) Monday 15 March 2021. Any comments or corrections should be submitted to the Parish Council Clerk by email parish.clerk@acastermalbis-pc.gov.uk , via the contact form on the Parish Council website https://acastermalbis-pc.gov.uk or by telephone 01904 702131.
Minutes approved at the Annual Meeting of the Parish 15 March 2021 and duly signed by:
Chairman _______________________