The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Monday the 18th July 2011 at 7.30pm in the Pebmarsh Village Hall committee room.
All Parishioners are welcome.
Joe Burlo
Chairman  Pebmarsh Parish Council
01787 269999
The next Parish Council meeting will be held on Monday the 18th July 2011 at 7.30pm in the Pebmarsh Village Hall committee room.
All Parishioners are welcome.
Joe Burlo
Chairman  Pebmarsh Parish Council
01787 269999
You may have noticed Daffodils along the street in Pebmarsh this month. The Parish Council obtained 2000 free daffodil bulbs last year and with the help of a few brave volunteers planted them along the main verges before Christmas.  I am sure you will agree that these lovely blooms enhance our village still further. Many thanks to the working party who worked till they dropped – never knew that it was so tiring planting daffodils – especially into hard ground……
Joe Burlo
Chariman
01787 269999
Pebmarsh Annual Parish Assembly
To be held on Tuesday 15 March 2011 in the Village Hall at 7.30pm
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1.         Apologies for absence
2.         Minutes of the Previous Annual Parish Assembly
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3.         Parish Council Elections – 5 May 2011
4.         County Councillor Report – Cllr David Finch
5.         District Councillor Report – from Cllr Anthony Shelton
6.         Conservation Area Appraisal – Second Draft
         Alan Massow, Senior Policy Planner – Braintree District Council
7.         Chairman’s Report
8.         Parish Councillor Reports
9.      John Nott Charity Report
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10.         Closure
Cllr Joe Burlo
Chairman
8 March 2011
The next meeting of Pebmarsh Parish Council will be held on
Tuesday 15 March 2011
in the Village Hall Committee Room, Â immediately following the Annual Parish Assembly
for the purpose of transacting the following business:
AGENDA
1.        Apologies for Absence
Members are reminded that the LGA1972, s85 states that apologies for absence must be received prior to a meeting.
2.        Minutes of the Previous Meeting Held 31 January 2011
           To agree and sign the minutes.
 3.        Declarations of Interest
To declare any ‘personal’ or ‘personal and prejudicial’ interests relating to items on the agenda having regard to paragraphs 8 to 12 (inclusive) of the Code of Conduct for Members part 5/1 of the Constitution and having taken appropriate advice (where necessary) before the meeting.
4.        Public Forum
           Opportunity for the public to raise issues or ask questions of Councillors.
5.        BDC Planning Issues
           5.1      Tree Preservation Order
03/2011/TPO: Le Mote Hall, Cross End, Pebmarsh – to receive the notice of the above TPO.
 6.        Reports from Representatives
           To receive any reports from representatives:
7.        John Nott Trustee Change
           To consider the proposed trustee change and agree recommendation.
 8.        Footpath Mainteance
           To discuss the way forward.
 9.        Flooding Protection Scheme
           To receive information regarding the scheme
 10.      Finance
           10.1           Finance Report
                       To receive the latest finance reports.
            10.2           Cheques to be approved for payment:
                       10.2.1           £400.82           Clerk Salary (Feb, Mar)
                       10.2.2           £ 42.96           Clerk Expenses (Feb, Mar)
                       10.2.3           £   1.44           A&J Lighting Solutions – VAT shortfall (Jan,Feb,Mar)
            10.3           Payments made between meetings:
                       10.3.1           £ 22.74           A&J Lighting Solutions Maintenance (Feb)
                       10.3.2           £ 22.74           A&J Lighting Solutions Maintenance (Mar)
           10.4    Monies received since the last meeting
                       Nil
 11.      A&J Lighting Solutions
           Discuss whether to implement a direct debit rather than standing order.
 12.      PAYE Implementation
To receive information regarding the changes being made by HMRC to the payment of Clerk salary.
13.      Broadband
To receive a report.
14.           Correspondence
           The Clerk to go through any correspondence received.
 15.      Date of Next Meeting
           16 May 2011 – Annual Parish Council Meeting.
16.      Closure
Mrs Philippa Potter
8 March 2011
Third Party Insurance Cover Warning
Suffolk Police are warning motorists who are driving a vehicle not belonging to them using their own fully comprehensive insurance, they may no longer be covered to do so.
Despite the assumption by many that a fully comprehensive insurance policy would cover drivers to use another persons vehicle with their permission, there has recently been a change in a lot of insurance policies and this often no longer comes as standard.
One issue that officers specifically want motorists to check is in relation to driving another person’s vehicle with the owner’s permission when the vehicle does not have an insurance policy in place. With recent changes the majority of insurers now stipulate that the vehicle being driven must at least have third party cover.
If a person is stopped in a vehicle that is not their own and are unsure if their policy covers them to drive another vehicle, officers will have to complete a check. If it is discovered that the driver is not correctly covered it could result in a fixed penalty notice fine of £200 and 6 penalty points or a day at Magistrates Court. The vehicle will also be seized.
Inspector Julian Ditcham of the Roads Policing Unit said: “Stopping vehicles and checking insurance policies will take up the time of the members of public and of our officers. This information will appear either on the front of your certificate or in the small print, so it is the driver’s responsibility to make sure they are covered.
“We do realise that there is a lack of awareness of this policy change so this is a polite reminder to all motorists to have a double check. However, we are also aware that there will be people out there who are deliberately offending and therefore appropriate action will be used wherever necessary.â€
Police Direct Team
Dates of Next Meetings
     The following dates are provisionally agreed, subject to venue booking:
Joe Burlo
Chairman
01787 269999
MINUTES
OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD 31 JANUARY 2011
Present:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â In attendance:Â Â Â Â Â
Cllr J Burlo                                                            Mrs P Potter (Clerk)                                     Cllr H Anderson                                                      District Councillor Anthony Shelton
           Cllr J Fenner                                                          County Councillor David Finch
           Cllr J Holder                                                          Jan Cole, RCCE
           Cllr S Rawlinson                                                     Peter Darlington, Village Agent
                                                                                           6 members of the public
     1.   Apologies for Absence
            All Parish Councillors were present.Â
2.           Consideration of the Minutes of the Meeting held on 15 November 2010
     The minutes of this previous meeting were agreed as a true record and signed accordingly.
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3.           Declaration of Interests
Cllr Jim Holder declared a personal interest in item 7.1: Planning Application, Dairy Cottage.
It was agreed to bring Item 6, District and County Items forward to this point in the meeting:
6.  District and County Items
     County Councillor David Finch spoke to the meeting about the ongoing budget review at ECC following cuts from central government, which equate to decreases of around 25-30%. There have been reductionsof around £13m in specific local area improvement grants but ECC are promising to protect front line services and make savings from back office, administration and procurement. ECC are making their reductions over four years rather than one, to ease the impact and using reserves where necessary. Under their transformation programme, there were savings of £60m last year and this year of £90m, with a further £40m needed next year. Council tax was not increased, as set by government and the books have been balanced for 2011/12. No major services are being cut but all services are being reshaped and indeed there is an increased budget for Highways of £12m. Reshaping is being undertaken by looking at things such as shorter opening hours for various call centres or libraries etc.
     Cllr Finch also spoke about the ‘Big Society’, where individuals are encouraged not to depend upon the state for everything but to take some things on ourselves, such as devolving services and/or powers to authorities lower down the hierarchy, such as district and parish councils, together with rearranged funding systems to increase parish precepts. More details on the parish’s role will be sent out shortly. Cllr Finch also confirmed that the Community Initiatives Fund was still operating.
     District Councillor Anthony Shelton then spoke to the meeting regarding BDC’s budget cuts which are on a similar percentage to ECC. The formula grant has been reduced by 15.8% for 2011/12 at around £1.429m, which is £500m less than was anticipated. BDC are looking at ways of working more closely and in conjunction with other district/borough councils where work can be joined up, such as enforcement, trading standards and on street parking services, to reduce costs but maintain service. Each household will have received the latest edition of BDC’s ‘Contact’ magazine, which includes a survey for everyone to complete and return to give their own views of where savings could and should be made and he encouraged everyone to respond. Cllr Shelton confirmed that the travel token scheme has been retained but that taxi fares would be increased by 20p for every journey starting in the district, reflecting the increasing cost of fuel.
     Cllr Shelton also confirmed that the Halstead Local Committee would cease, along with its grant system and it is not yet known whether this will be replaced by another scheme.            The issue of planning applications only being available online was briefly discussed and a suggestion for the improvement of measuring plans online was made. Cllr Shelton also paid tribute to the work of the Village Agents and conveyed his appreciation of their work on behalf of the district’s rural communities.
     Peter Darlington, Village Agent, spoke to the meeting and thanked the Parish Council and BDC for their support in keeping the service going. They are covering costs at present and have helped over 1500 people since the scheme was launched. The kinds of services provided include collecting prescriptions, taking people to and from doctor and hospital appointments and helping during the snow and icy weather where carers were not able to access villages and homes. The Village Agents have been instrumental in helping to change how cross county border health services are arranged and funded. Peter is also available to help people deal with the digital switchover, which is due to happen in July, for those who need it. There is a meeting in Bulmer on 11 February at 2pm about this subject. The Parish Council thanked Peter for attending.
     It was agreed to bring Item 5, Community Led Plans, forward to this point:
5.           Community Led Plans
     Jan Cole, from the RCCE, attended to speak to Councillors regarding starting up a Parish Plan for Pebmarsh. Jan explained that the plans are made by the community, usually under the facilitation of the Parish Council. These plans research the views and opinions of parishioners regarding their village and how they wish to see things progressed in the future. The results of this kind of survey are put together in a publication which concludes with an Action Plan for the village. This Action Plan is then used by the Parish Council to inform their decisions and help to steer future projects in the direction that residents wish it to go.
     Parish Plans can be instrumental in gaining grants, funding or services, as the need for a particular item or project has already been established. There are grants available, up to £2,400, for Parish Councils to take this project on , which can cover expenses from starting up to publishing. Jan explained that RCCE run a Community Led Planning network, for a charge of £35 to become a member.Â
     Jan also spoke about Village Design Statements, which are documents produced by the village regarding how they wish to see their neighbourhood reflected in planning decisions. They set out the character of the village as a whole and in different areas, which may require the application of planning policy in different ways. A VDS is drawn up within existing local authority policies but sets out the desires of the village as a whole as to how things should/should be treated.
     Jan left it with the Parish Council to look over some example plans and other information and to contact her if they wish to take this project on. The Parish Council thanked Jan for an informative discussion and for the time taken to explain it to them.
The meeting then reverted to the original running order of the agenda.
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4.  Public Forum
The outgoing tenant of a property in Pearson Close attended the meeting to inform the Parish Council of recent difficulties experienced during the termination of her lease and the proposed transfer to a new prospective tenant. It has transpired that the property was incorrectly advertised because it barred applications from single people and couples by Gateway to Home Choice and as a result it has been readvertised. This has resulted in confusion for the proposed new tenant as the offer of the house (pending confirmation of qualification under the ‘local connection’ s106 agreement) has now been withdrawn and the process restarted. The Parish Council explained that the correction and readvertising was necessary to be fair to everyone but they would be able to write to the new tenant’s current Housing Association to explain the problem, if her resignation in her current home could not be rescinded.
7.  BDC Planning Issues
     7.1     Planning Application
           11/00074/FUL: Dairy Cottage, The Street, Pebmarsh – proposed loft conversion. The Parish            Council will look at this application online, as it was not possible to view the plans at the            meeting. The deadline date for comments is 22 February. Councillors will forward their            views to the Clerk who will respond as per the majority view.Â
     7.2     Planning Results
          The following results were noted:
          The following applications were granted:
          The following application did not require approval/permission:
           Tree Preservation Order
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8.           Reports from Representatives
           8.1           Playing Fields/Bus Shelters:
§       ROSPA Play Area Safety Inspection Report: a few items need to be addressed: some rotten fence posts need to be replaced, weeds to be killed and the gate is not able to close. Cllr Rawlinson will arrange for these issues to be resolved.
           8.2      Village Hall:
§       Approval of new store room – the Parish Council noted that a letter of support was passed to the Village Hall Committee regarding the building of a new store room at the Village Hall.
           8.3      Street Lighting
§       It has come to light that the a recompense payment of £20 per annum has not been paid to the owner of Brook Cottage towards the electricity bill for this street light. The Clerk will look into this and arrange for payment up to date. It was also noted that the lamp needs painting and a new bulb is required.
           8.4      Legal
§       No current issues to discuss.
9.  Winter Gritting
Cllr Burlo reported that the Parish Council currently has almost 2 tonnes of grit/salt which is being            stored at a farm in the village. This supply has come from ECC as part of its current pilot scheme.            The Council needs to identify appropriate places for small amount of grit to be stored around the            village so that quick application of grit can take place at the appropriate times. Â
Cllr Fenner will organise volunteers for this and to be responsible for gritting when the need arises.            The Clerk will            contact ECC regarding the £120 grant which is being offered towards equipment for            this pilot.
    10. Speed and Volume Survey
           The survey identified that the areas surveyed contained speeds above the intervention level and as            such, police enforcement would be requested. The Clerk will follow this up to ensure that it is            implemented and also write to ECC regarding how the Council can go about requesting the            installation of traffic calming measures.
    11.           Footpath Maintenance
           An ongoing maintenance issue on FP8 was discussed, where the path is overgrown. This has been            flagged up by ECC P3 team to be addressed. Cllrs Fenner and Burlo will look into this, along with            completing the P3 work proposal form for 2011/12 to ensure that funds are secured for next year’s  grass cutting.
    12.           National Grid Undergrounding Consultation
           The Parish Council agreed to send a response to this consultation supporting the undergrounding of        power cables as per the report.
    13.           Affordable Housing – Letting Vacancies
           This issue was discussed in the public forum, above.
14.   Finance
14.1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Finance Report
            The latest finance reports were received by Councillors.
       14.2           The following cheques were approved for payment:
                      14.2.1           £400.82            Clerk Salary            Â
                      14.2.2           £ 88.81                      Clerk Expenses
                      14.2.3           £250.00            Strutt & Parker – Glebelands Rent
14.3           Other Payments made since the last meeting – this was noted:
                      14.3.1           £ 22.74                      1 Dec 10           A&J Lighting – Maintenance
14.4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Monies received since the last meeting were noted:
                      Nil
15.           Correspondence
The Clerk went through various items of interest in the post to bring Councillors up to date.
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16. Date of Next Meeting
     The following dates were provisionally agreed, subject to venue booking:
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17. Closure
     The meeting closed at 10.10pm.
Signature ………………………………………………………
Chairman
    Date …………………………………………………………….
The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC)Â in conducting research into the issues raised by lack of mobile phone coverage in rural areas. Your Parish Council will respond to the queries below and is asking for your comments to help us formulate a response that takes into account all your comments.
Please help us by e mailing your response to your Parish Council Chairman, Joe Burlo on joe@faze7.com by Monday 24 May.
Please look at the e mail below from the CRC. The more replies we get will strengthen our case and response to the CRC.
Joe Burlo
Chairman – 01787 269999
—————————————————
CRC look into mobile phone coverage
Are you or your community affected by a lack of mobile coverage? The Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) is investigating how mobile coverage is affecting the rural economy, service provision and community life. If mobile coverage is an issue in your area, the CRC would be grateful if you could respond to the following questions:
 Mags Lambert
Secretariat for East of England Rural Forum
01473 345346
eerfenquiries@ruralactioneast
MINUTES
OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD 29 MARCH 2010
Present:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Cllr J Burlo (Chairman)                                                    Visitors:            3 members of the public Â
Cllr J Fenner                                                                                   Â
Cllr H Anderson
Cllr J Holder                                                            Â
Mrs P Potter (Clerk)
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The minutes were agreed as a true record and signed accordingly.
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6.1           Planning Applications – The following Planning Committee Decision were noted:
The Committee agreed to support this application.
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6.2     Planning Results – The following applications were granted:
These results were noted by the Council.
Cllr Rawlinson was not present at this meeting, therefore the following two items were postponed until the next meeting:
7.2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Village Hall
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7.3Â Â Â Â Â Â Street Lighting
7.4Â Â Â Â Â Â Legal
Cllr Anderson reported that he has started looking into the issues with ECC, surrounding the Parish Council taking up gritting of the highways around the village during icy weather. This will be reported back as soon as a comprehensive answer has been received.
7.5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Passenger Transport
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8. Traffic Calming
Although this has been examined in the past, the Parish Council have decided to contact Essex County Council to discuss the installation of traffic calming measures in the village. It was agreed to consult residents as to their views on the issue and it was decided to invite them to discuss this at the Annual Parish Assembly. The Clerk will contact ECC Highways to invite a representative to the Annual Assembly to answer questions and put forward the position of ECC with regard to any possible solutions.Â
The Clerk will also ascertain any criteria involved in assessing whether traffic calming can be installed so that the Parish Council has this information before the meeting. The issue of extending 30mph limits to other parts of the village will also be looked into. During this item, it was Proposed Cllr Burlo, Seconded Cllr Fenner and unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting to receive information from member of the public. The meeting was closed to the public again following this adjournment.
9. Parish Council Website and Village Email Service
Cllr Burlo reported that he has looked into creating a new stand alone website for the Parish Coucnil which will have the ability for more pages and a better layout. Cllr Burlo is continuing to investigate this possibility and will report back to the next meeting.
10.           Litter Picking
Following the recent successful community litter pick, the Clerk contacted BDC to ascertain whether any litter picking equipment could be provided to the Parish Council, which they have agreed to. For future litter picks, BDC can pick up the bags of rubbish on the day if arranged beforehand.
11.           Parish Emergency Plan
A discussion took place with regard to responding to events such as the loss of power to the village for a long period of time. Councillors are in contact with residents who are able to provide generators which could be used at the Village Hall. It was also agreed to contact the Village Agent to find out if they have a list of vulnerable persons that could be used to assist in times of emergency or adverse conditions. The Clerk will also look at the EALC disaster recovery plan to tailor the plan to the Parish Council.Â
12.           Road Safety – Winter Weather
This was discussed at item 7.4 above. Cllr Anderson will report once he has received the necessary information.Â
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13.           Finance
13.1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Finance Report
                      The latest finance report was received.
13.2Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The following cheques were approved for payment:
           13.2.1           £200.42                      Clerk Salary for March 2010
           13.2.1 £  49.05              Clerk Expenses Feb-March 2010
           13.3    The following cheques paid between meetings due to time constraints were noted and                approved:
                      13.3.1           £585.00                      Grass Cutting Contractor – Village Green cuts
                      13.3.2           £625.00                      Grass Cutting Contractor – P3Footpath cutting
                      Both cheques signed and dated 9 March 2010
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13.4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Grass Cutting Quote
The quote received for grass cutting for 2010/11 was approved, along with extra areas that need to be cut, bringing the total quote to £850.
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14. BDC Street Scene Agreement
     The agreement for 2010/11 was agreed and signed and will be returned to BDC by the Clerk.
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15. Annual Parish Assembly
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16. Clerk Administration
The Clerk went through general/routine correspondence received.
17. Date of Next Meeting
           The date of the next meeting will be Tuesday 11 May 2010 . This will be both the Annual Parish Council meeting and the Annual Parish Assembly.
18. Closure
     The meeting closed at 9.40pm.