The minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting, 2022 follow, and are also available in PDF form for offline reading. Some appendices mentioned in the minutes are also available for download:
- Appendix 1 – report by County Councillor Ferguson.
- Appendix 2 – report by District Councillor West.
- Appendix 3 – financial report.
- Appendix 4 – Cemetery.
- Appendix 5 – Reading Room management Committee Report and RR accounts.
- Appendix 6 – GRSA AGM minutes.
- Appendix 7 – Allotments.
- Appendix 8 – NDP status
Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 21st April 2022
Those present were:
- Giles Scott Chairman
- Nick Ginn Vice Chairman
- James Catmur Parish Councillor
- Diane Taylor Locum Clerk
- Cathy Davis Parish Councillor
- Michael Capps Parish Councillor
- Nigel Day Parish Councillor
- District Councillor Richard West
and 3 members of the public
1. The meeting was opened at 7.30pm with a silent prayer.
2. Apologies. There were apologies from County Councillor Stephen Ferguson and Parish Councillors Peter King, Andrew Pett and Vikki Murphy.
3. Minutes of the previous Annual Parish Meeting, held on 22nd April 2021 had been circulated to councillors soon afterwards and were considered at the Parish Council meeting on 4th May 2021. The minutes were then approved and accordingly initialled. At this meeting the initialled minutes of 22nd April 2021 were approved and accordingly signed by the chairman.
4. Chairman’s Report. The Chairman spoke about the continuing challenges of the past year, similar in many ways to the previous year with lock-down, zoom meetings and the effects of Covid on the role of the Parish Council.
With the return of face-to-face meetings in May, councillors continued with their current roles but with the election of a new chairman, whose role is broadly to ensure that the monthly Council meetings proceed in a timely fashion and that we don’t do anything we shouldn’t do, such as introducing items into the discussion that are not on the agenda to ensure everyone who wants to hear the discussion on a topic can because it is known in advance.
Although it is customary to end this report with the ‘thank you’ section, but I’m going to start with a couple:
Thank you to Catherine Fox for her stint in the Clerks seat, ably and expertly guiding us through the red tape and obligations of Council life. She will be sorely missed from both this and the RFO role as she moves on to focus on other things.
Secondly, thank you to Diane Taylor for leaping out of retirement for an encore in the role she left 2 years earlier to act as our locum Clerk for 5 months… once again keeping us in order and out of trouble.
During the past 12 months, the clerk has guided the Parish council through arrangements for competitive insurance for the Council’s assets, ensuring we have electricity for the streetlights for which we are responsible, liaising with the grass cutting contractors, tree surgeons, builders and other trades that through the course of the year keep things fixed and working as they should for the public to use. Much of the Clerk’s time is spent dealing with correspondence; queries about use and access to village assets, locating long lost relatives in the graveyard for amateur genealogists, many of whom are several thousand miles away, handling reports of over-full litter bins and generally enabling the village to be the eyes and ears for the Council.
On the more chunky project-based front there has been work undertaken around Highways, both relating to ongoing maintenance (and the lack thereof – such as the ongoing flooding on Waresley Road or the 18-month saga of the somersaulting drain cover on the corner of Fox Street…the latter now thankfully fixed) by County Council and also the Local Highways initiative bids we submit seeking specific improvements to road safety and speeding control within the village. We are currently awaiting further news on the addition of a priority narrowing heading down Ladies Hill to slow traffic leaving the village as it approaches the Waresley Road turn, and news on the extension of the 20mph speed limit in Middle Street to include much of the heart of the village, making us a less appealing ‘rat-run’ when works start on the A428 dualling to become the extended A421.
East West Rail has been a slow-burn this year, with a number of offers of consultation and very little in the way of new information to consult about.
Following a most impressive presentation to the Council by Anna Rabbett, representing the views of her friends and fellow pupils of Barnabas Oley School, which made a number of good suggestions and offered some great ideas, a working group is currently seeking guidance and quotations for the update of play equipment on the Playing Field. One of the main objectives here is to make the equipment more accessible to youngsters with physical limitations to allow friends of all capabilities to play alongside each other and to share great experiences together. Thank you, Anna, for the time and thought you put into your work and we hope you will stay in touch with the Council in the future…and maybe one day you will be reading out your annual report from this seat.
Blocked drains, out of hours deliveries, evergreen plants in deciduous hedges, incomplete planning conditions and light pollution…welcome to the joy that has been the development of Dutton Gardens! All joking aside, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the new residents who have joined us in the village we love and hope they find all the activities and efforts of our wonderful community as rewarding as I have over the years.
On the other side of that, Huntingdonshire District Council Planning department have not managed to cover themselves in glory throughout this process, and we continue to write to them almost weekly to chase up and correct them on any number of topics that they seem incapable of addressing or getting right.
A far more positive big topic has been the Neighbourhood Plan!
From community working group to Council stewardship then Council ownership and then community consultation, this document that is designed to steer both the Parish and District Councils in all decisions regarding Great Gransden is a masterpiece!
We should not underestimate the efforts of all involved in its creation and the ongoing journey to full adoption, the members of the community, the Parish Councillors and most particularly David Prest from its inception and Peter King for the more recent hard yards of getting it into and most of the way through the legislative approval process.
The year was topped and tailed by repairs to the Reading Room cottage fencing, which aptly reminds us that the stewardship of the good ship Great Gransden is an iterative process that will continue long after this Council has been replaced and many of the topics of the day have been long forgotten…
As we find ourselves on the brink of an election, with a change in Councillors now just a couple of weeks away, I would like to thank my fellow Councillors for their input, efforts and commitment over the last 4 years, and their tolerance of my chairmanship for the last 12 months.
5. County Councillor Stephen Ferguson. In his absence, Councillor Ferguson provided a report covering the big national infrastructure issues of the Oxford Cambridge Arc, East West Rail, A428/421 dualling and the Luton Airport Stack. His report also included highways, flooding and drainage, social justice and the cost-of-living crisis, as well as environment and the climate emergency. His report is filed hereafter as Appendix No 1.
6. District Councillor Richard West spoke about his roles at the district council; a member of the Licensing Committee, Corporate Governance committee, Overview and Scrutiny Panel, Customers and Partnerships and Chairman of the Employment Committee and Hinchingbrooke Country Park Joint Group.
Councillor West spoke of the difficult time for many residents with front line services being more important and over the year the district council have been seeking to modernise to create more options for residents to access services.
The council have adopted and will deliver a number of realistic and pragmatic environmental principles for Huntingdonshire as part of an environmentally positive recovery following the impacts of COVID-19.
Hope for the future: low council tax now just seven per cent, or £2.90 a week, of the council tax you pay goes to district council, continue helping first-time buyers, protecting frontline services, delivering new investment, support local business and vulnerable residents.
Two matters which have not been so positive have been the Crown & Cushion Public House and the Sand Road Development. Councillor West expressed his disappointment that the pub remains closed, hoping for business support from the district council so the owners would be able to open in the interests of the village. The Sand Road development had problems from the start; insufficient land in the developer’s ownership to create a safe junction and poorly written conditions led to lighting more suitable for an urban not rural area. Councillors thanked District Councillor West for his report which is filed hereafter as Appendix 2.
7. Financial Statement. The clerk’s summary for the year had been circulated. The summary is filed hereafter as Appendix No. 3.
8. The Poor’s Land Charity. The Chairman provided an overview of the charity, which was set up to run in perpetuity on the basis of two gifts of money, one from Elizabeth Clifton in 1660 and another from William Discher in 1661. The charity was established for the prevention and/or relief of poverty, with the aim of helping beneficiaries that are residents of Great Gransden only, and who fall into the following categories: –
- Children and young people
- Elderly or old people
- People with disabilities
- Other charities or voluntary bodies
The funds donated were invested and the trustees have the responsibility of managing this investment and the ability to distribute the income from the fund to suitable local causes, but not it’s capital value.
The Trustees have, in more recent times and under the guidance of the Independent Financial Advisors, adopted an ‘Income Strategy’ equivalent to a medium risk level on the scale of the Fund Managers, with the intention of generating income while also allowing capital growth that will keep the value of the fund growing with or ahead of the pace of inflation. In spite of much economic uncertainty over the last 24 months, this policy has been broadly successful and the value of the fund remains in line with expectations.
The value of income yielded has reduced slightly over recent years, but has held its own in 2021-22, allowing the Charity to continue to support both winter fuel payments and other ad hoc causes within the village.
Since the last Annual Parish meeting the Charity has paid, or committed to pay at the appropriate time, grants totalling just short of £7,000, only marginally less than the income yielded in the period net of costs.
These grants are split 45% towards individual Winter Fuel Payments and 55% to other local causes and individual requests for assistance.
In light of the reduced income being yielded to the Charity a policy of match funding has been adopted where requests are made by organisations, offering assistance to a maximum value where the organisation must raise the equivalent amount before the grant is paid. This helps to make funds stretch further to the wider benefit of the community as a whole.
Individual grants are considered on their merit and do not automatically require matched funding.
Any local residents or organisations who are aware of individuals who may be in need of assistance and who fulfil the qualifying criteria mentioned should make their approach to the Charity through the Parish Council e-mail address or by speaking to one of the Councillors.
9. The Parish Council Cemetery. Councillor Day presented the report that is filed as Appendix No. 4. As reported last year, the boundary dwarf privet hedge round the Memorial Garden needs attention; some replacement hedging has been promised, but needs to be planted. The retaining wall at the side of the brook has been inspected by a structural engineer and the recommended repairs are in hand to replace the capping on top. Tree damage occurred during the winter and early spring gales, and quotes have been received to remove the fallen branches and trees; while awaiting removal, the fallen timber has been trimmed to reduce the likelihood of damage to the gravestones on which they were resting. The grass cutting within the cemetery was again excellent last year; the first cut has now taken place (apart from underneath the foliage cut off the fallen trees), and all seems well. There is an agreement in place between the Parish Council and the owners of the Dole Field, to acquire a strip of land adjacent to the cemetery for a cemetery extension; as the additional land will not be required for a number of years, a supplementary agreement has been put in place for grazing rights. Fees for plots, etc remain unchanged, and the revenue last year was £851 – mainly arising from interment fees and approval of memorials.
10. Reading Room Management Committee. Councillor Davis summarised the report prepared by Anne Constantine on behalf of the Reading Room Management Committee. The report is filed as Appendix No. 5 together with the accounts.
Most regular users of the Reading Room have returned following the easing of COVID restrictions during 2021. Activities for children and young people were allowed to return in April under regulations set out by government and national organisations; these included Barneys After School Club and Guides. Village societies (Horticultural Society, Gransdens Society, Ladies Group) returned from September 2021 although some meetings were cancelled. Two groups have not returned: Evergreens has relocated to Little Gransden Village Hall because of its larger size; and Carry On Learning has not yet resumed. Parish Council and other meetings also returned to the Reading Room in the second half of the year. An Events Group was formed to plan and trial new events run by trustees and other volunteers. This led to the launch of the Reading Room Pop-Up Café in October, which has been very successful and much valued by the local community. A free celebration to welcome people back to the Reading Room after the easing of restrictions on outdoor gatherings was held in the garden on 4 July. Jazz and Pimms attracted 50 people to enjoy a summer afternoon with friends and neighbours with music provided by Jazz Workshop.
Lettings income was £4,365 in 2021 compared to £4,968.70 in 2020 and £9,236 in 2019. Lettings income continued to be affected by Covid throughout 2021.
Huntingdonshire District Council continued to provide compensation to village halls affected by COVID restrictions during 2021. The Reading Room received £17,374 in 2021. Part of this was a RESTART grant which funded the Jazz and Pimms event and the set-up costs for the café.
The Committee commissioned architects to draw up initial ideas and drawings for a rear extension to the Reading Room. We are currently unable to accommodate more than 50-60 people and this is insufficient for many activities that we would like to see at the Reading Room. It is too small for any fitness or dance classes and villagers are travelling outside the village to access these. Covid has also reminded us of the importance of space and ventilation in social settings to reduce the risk of infections. Since the Reading Room was built the village population has increased by approximately 50%. The Committee is ambitious that the Reading Room be a vibrant hub for the village providing a range of activities for all ages and interests. Trustees hope to consult with Great Gransden residents on draft extension plans in early 2022.
11. The Gransden Sportsfield and Recreational Association. Councillor Ginn summarised the main points taken from the minutes of the AGM of the GSRA held on 30th March 2022. These minutes along with the unaudited accounts are filed as Appendix No. 6.
It is good to see all the stakeholders now making good use of the sportsfield. New events are being planned. There have been no issues with the new gate which has led to a reduction in anti-social behaviour. The car park is in need of resurfacing, a major funding project, the cost of which will run into 6 figures. Cllr Ginn thanked Jon Smith for the time he puts in as treasurer as well as Chris Butterworth of the Tennis Club.
12. The Gransdens Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Society. Councillor Davis summarised the report prepared by Deb Greenland on behalf of the allotment society that is filed as Appendix No 7. The allotment society continues to be an active society with the site plots all occupied. The annual fees were increased slightly to £40 per full plot and £20 per half plot from April 2022. The Greenfingers area has now been successfully divided into plots and cultivated. Thanks to Des Merrill, Mike Capps and Rob Chignell for their contributions to maintaining the allotment site. 21 new trees have been planted. Surplus fruit from the orchard was donated to the foodbank on several occasions. Two National cedar beehives are to be sited at the back of the orchard, with three society members having undertaken a Beginners Beekeeping course. Risk assessments of the site are carried out routinely.
13. Any Other Business. Councillor Day read the report prepared by David Prest on behalf of the Neighbourhood Development Plan Working Party detailing the monthly reporting of the NDP’s progress to Parish Council meetings and the consultation process. The report is filed as Appendix No. 8.
Retiring members of the Parish Council were thanked for their volunteering work.
This meeting was closed at 8:02pm.