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Linda Arthur
Clerk to West Dereham Parish Council
Email: [email protected]
https://west-dereham-parish-council.norfolkparishes.gov.uk
Tel: 07391 101835
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
WEST DEREHAM PARISH COUNCIL
————————————————————————————————————————————–
DATE: Thursday 3rd December 2020
TIME: 7:00pm
PLACE: Virtual Meeting using Zoom
PRESENT: Lorraine Hunt (Chair), Nick Drew, Stuart Glover, Keith Gore, Susan Pepper (Councillors)
Linda Arthur (Clerk)
Andy Challen (Chair Village Hall Management Committee)
PUBLIC: 1
—————————————————————————————————————————
1. To Receive Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from Nick Glover (due to ill health).
2. To receive declarations of interest on agenda items
There were none
3. Notice regarding use of social media, audio recording of Parish Council meeting and invitation for public contribution
LH asked if anyone present would be filming, recording, blogging or tweeting during the meeting. There was no response from the members of the public on-line. LH noted that the meeting is audio recorded to assist the Parish Clerk in the writing of the minutes.
4. To approve the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 5th December 2020
The minutes had previously been circulated. An amendment was made to item 12 paragraph 3, to add “arranged by local residents”. The amended version was unanimously agreed by the Council. LH as Chair will sign the minutes at the earliest opportunity.
5. To report progress on items not on the agenda from the last meeting (Clerk’s report)
5.1 Highway and Footpath defects
LA reported that she had been asked to report and follow up six different highways and footpath defects, all of which had been reported to Highways department. Highways have agreed to make reparations on all reported defects.
LH confirmed that Highways had attended and markings had been made to indicate where works were required.
5.2 Additional Signage- A134 at Lime Kiln Road and Bath Road Junctions.
LA reported that she had completed the application to the Parish Partnership fund for two new signs. The amount of the grant applied for is £770, being 50% of the total cost of the signs. There was a discussion about the nature, wording, location and number of signs required. It was agreed that two
Page 2 of 5
Linda Arthur
Clerk to West Dereham Parish Council
Email: [email protected]
https://west-dereham-parish-council.norfolkparishes.gov.uk
Tel: 07391 101835
signs were required on the A134 indicating that routes along Bath Road and Lime Kiln Road are not suitable for HGVs. These to be placed on the A134 a distance before the entrance to these roads, to warn HGVs before they may turn. LH asked LA to contact Cllr Long and ask for 50% funding for the project, to eliminate any cost to the PC. LA agreed to contact the Parish Partnership and revise the precise nature of the signs required, as well as the funding source for the remaining 50% cost of the signs, once confirmation has been obtained from Cllr Long. LA requested for one of the Parish Councillors to send a map showing the precise location that is needed for the signs, so that Highways and the Parish Partnership can be informed, which was agreed.
5.3 Barclays Bank
LA reminded the PC that she was still unable to obtain bank statements from Barclays Bank. These are needed to provide the PC with financial reports at the PC meetings. Although LA had completed a mandate form, this had to be agreed and minuted before it could be signed and sent to Barclays.
5.4 External Audit
LA reported that she had completed the statutory requirements for the external audit by PKF Littlejohn.
5.5 Free Visors from Norfolk ALC
LA reported that she had arranged for 200 free visors to be delivered, for distribution to the village hall and other organisations around the parish. ND had offered to have them delivered to his premises for distribution.
5.6 Accessibility
LA reminded the PC that legislation had been introduced in September 2020 to make all documents and the PC website fully accessible. LA is currently altering all PC documents and policies to accessible format, as they become eligible for review.
5.7 Councillor Training
LA had received a request from SP for Councillor training. LA informed the PC that the cost of the two-day remote course was £40, which could be taken from this year’s training budget.
6. Reports
6.1 Chair’s Report.
LH advised the PC that she had received and accepted Tom Foy’s resignation as Parish Councillor and Vice-Chair. LH thanked TF for his contribution over the years that he had served the Parish Council. LH asked LA to start the process of recruiting a new Parish Councillor.
6.2 Handyman’s Report.
The Clerk reported on behalf of the handyman. The Sam2 speed monitor has been moved this month, as agreed. He has trimmed the bushes on the footpath across the field from the Village Hall to the Row, as well as other tasks around the Parish.
6.4 Police Report.
There was no report available.
6.5 Glazewing Report.
LA reported that she had been communicating with Glazewing, following an incident involving a vehicle on route to the recycling plant. This vehicle had collided with a bollard, removing it completely from the
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Linda Arthur
Clerk to West Dereham Parish Council
Email: [email protected]
https://west-dereham-parish-council.norfolkparishes.gov.uk
Tel: 07391 101835
pavement. The response from Glazewing was that Highways had been informed and that they would be repairing the damage.
LA also reported that she had received reports of vehicle traffic to Glazewing, out of hours. This included reports of such traffic at 5.30 am. Glazewing have asked for identification of all vehicles, otherwise they are unable to investigate, however in the dark at 5.30 am, this is virtually impossible. LA has notified Glazewing, who assure the PC that traffic is only received during their operational hours of 7 am to 7 pm.
KG reported that he had seen a McIntyre HGV in Bath Road at 10 am on 26.11.20. LA agreed to contact Glazewing with this information.
LH asked SP if there were any meetings planned with Glazewing. SP confirmed that there were not.
6.6 Village Hall Report.
The Chair of the Village Hall Management Committee reported that the VHMC was committed to opening in a safe manner when Covid 19 restrictions allow. Track and trace was in place, as well as a bar screen. A stock check had been made and all out of date stock identified and disposed of. The VHMC hope to open the Village Hall before Christmas, but this depends on restrictions at the time. New doors have been installed. An inventory of equipment is currently underway. The chair asked that any parishioner with bookkeeping experience may consider volunteering as treasurer for the hall, as well as other management committee posts.
The VHMC Chair gave a financial report, which VHMC will update when trading is able to commence.
7. To Elect a Vice Chair
KG proposed that Nick Drew should take the post of vice-chair. This was seconded by Stuart Glover and unanimously agreed.
8. Finance Report
8.1 To Consider Financial Statements for November 2020.
The Clerk had previously circulated the cash flow and reported a cash balance of £ 29,456.41 as at 30th November. The Clerk reported that expenditure had totalled £2,157.49
8.2 Cheque Payments for Approval for November 2020.
The Clerk itemised the payments that were now due. All were unanimously agreed.
Cheque No
Payee
Net
VAT
Gross
Remarks 45 101196 PKF Littlejohn £200.00 £40.00 £240.00 External Audit
46
101197
R. Poole
£114.30
£0.00
£114.30
Handyman’s Payment &Travel Nov20 47 101190 Cruso & Wilkin £300.00 £60.00 £360.00 Advice on farm tenancy
48
101199
Limetree Marketing
£37.50
£0.00
£37.50
Annual Report Booklet 2015 49 101200 P.King £201.14 £0.00 £201.14 Parish Clerk’s Salary & expenses Nov 20
50
101201
L. Arthur
£506.95
£0.00
£506.95
Parish Clerk’s Salary & expenses Nov 20 51 101202 HMRC £112.60 £0.00 £112.60 Parish Clerk’s PAYE & NIC
52
101203
Holly Landscapes
£487.50
£97.50
£585.00
Ground Maintenance – October 2020
Total
1959.99
£197.50
£2,157.49
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Linda Arthur
Clerk to West Dereham Parish Council
Email: [email protected]
https://west-dereham-parish-council.norfolkparishes.gov.uk
Tel: 07391 101835
8.3 To agree the budget for the financial year 2021/22
All Councillors had been circulated the budget. Following a discussion the budget was unanimously agreed.
8.4 To agree the precept for the financial year 2021/22
LH proposed that there should be no change to the precept and it would remain at £17,403.74. This was unanimously agreed.
8.5 To agree the simple servicing authority for Barclays to change to the new clerk
Unanimously agreed.
8.6 To agree expenditure for new website
LA provided a quotation of £500, which was unanimously agreed.
8.3 To agree training contribution for Clerk’s CiLCA training and qualification
LH proposed that a contribution of £275 should be made, thereby reducing the Clerk’s personal contribution to the training to £375, which was unanimously agreed. LA thanked the PC for this welcome contribution.
9. Proposal for the Recreation Ground St Andrews Close
The Parishioners who were proposing the recreation ground gave a report on the survey that had been sent out. There were 75 replies, of which 73 gave a positive response. LH asked LA to contact BCKLWN to check that the plans are acceptable. LH also suggested that a working committee should be formed to progress the project.
10. To agree Grounds Maintenance schedule prior to invitation of tender applications
LH confirmed that a timeline had been agreed. This is to get a tender document finalised by the end of December so that tenders can be invited in January and agreed at the February meeting.
11. To comment on Planning Applications received
11.1 To receive results of applications
There were none
11.2 To receive new applications and comment.
There were none
12. To consider Parish Council Internal Affairs & Policies
There were none to be reviewed.
13. Correspondence
ND asked if any progress had been made on previous correspondence regarding the natural burial ground. LH asked LA to check the progress on this.
14. To agree agenda items for the next Parish Council agenda (Thursday 4th February at 7pm)
KG asked that allotments should be added to the agenda.
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Linda Arthur
Clerk to West Dereham Parish Council
Email: [email protected]
https://west-dereham-parish-council.norfolkparishes.gov.uk
Tel: 07391 101835
15. Open Forum for Public Participation
SG mentioned that a parishioner had cut the verge and dyke between the village hall and the school and that it was an excellent job. LH asked LA to send a letter of thanks to the parishioner. LA asked the Parish Councillors to provide her with contact details for this parishioner so that this request could be carried out.
SP asked the PC to attend to the mud in Lime Kiln Road. LH suggested that LA should write to the landowner concerned. LA requested contact details.
ND mentioned that a house had been repainted in Church Road and wondered if planning permission was required. LA agreed to ask planning if this was the case
Meeting closed at 8.15 pm ___________________________ (Chairperson)
___________________________ (Date)

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting
WEST DEREHAM PARISH COUNCIL
————————————————————————————————————————————–
DATE: Thursday 5th November 2020
TIME: 7:00pm
PLACE: Virtual Meeting using Zoom
PRESENT: Lorraine Hunt (Chair), Stuart Glover, Keith Gore (Councillors)
Peter King, Linda Arthur (Clerk)
Andy Challen (Chair Village Hall Management Committee)
PUBLIC: 4
—————————————————————————————————————————
1. To Receive Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from Nick Drew (on a NALC training course) and Susan Pepper.
2. To receive declarations of interest on agenda items
There were none
3. Notice regarding use of social media, audio recording of Parish Council meeting and invitation for public contribution
LH asked if anyone present would be filming, recording, blogging or tweeting during the meeting. There was no response from the members of the public on-line. LH noted that the meeting is audio recorded to assist the Parish Clerk in the writing of the minutes.
4. To approve the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 1st October 2020
The minutes had previously been circulated and were unanimously agreed by the Council. LH as Chair will sign the minutes at the earliest opportunity.
5. Matters arising from the minutes of the meeting held on 1st October 2020
5.1 Additional Signage- A134 at Lime Kiln Road and Bath Road Junctions.
PK reported that he is waiting on the Norfolk County Council Highways (NCC-HD) for their advice on sign design and costings. The Parish Clerk noted that it had been reported that two existing A134 direction signs near to the junction with Lime Kiln Road had been turned 1800 and this had been reported to NCC-HD.
5.2 Letter to Parish Council from Parishioners regarding the Village Hall (item 12.2).
PK made the following statement “There are a number of questions raised about the Village Hall and the Village Trust and the Parish Council, so I am going to address those now. The question was raised about whether the Village Hall Management Committee is legally constituted, since the previous pro-tem committee was declared unconstitutionally formed. I have consulted various people, and the Secretary of the pro-tem committee of the Village Hall. The pro-tem committee comprised of an elected member, two Village Trust representatives, a co-opted member, a heritage group rep, and two Parish Council reps. This was reported at Parish Council meetings and it stepped in to form a Committee when members of the previous Committee resigned. The current position is that the Committee comprises members who are advised by charity advisors that they must remain in post to keep the Committee functioning and to manage the hall. New members who have volunteered have been co-opted onto the Committee. The original members who have remained have done so during the challenging times and have enabled the opportunity for the hall to be managed and opened when Covid-safe provisions are made. Co-opted members have been nominated and seconded to hold office as has the post of Secretary and Chair, therefore the current Management Committee is legally formed and working hard to bring the village hall back as the centre of the community. So, to the question of “is it operating under the control of the Parish Council?” the answer is “No it is not”. The question was then raised about the pro-tem Committee making decisions regarding the disposal of assets and whether this was legal or not. The response I received was that no assets were disposed of by the pro-tem Committee other than a defunct freezer being replaced by a donation. The pro-tem Committee tried to identify what happened to several items that were disposed of by the previous Committee. And moving on to financial matters, about accountability and accounts, the Village Hall Management Committee minutes have never been made available to the general public. The annual accounts will, no doubt, be presented when they have been completed and audited and presented when an Annual General Meeting can be called. “Will the pro-tem Committee be made accountable for all or any of the assets that they disposed of?” well, I have already covered that point. They didn’t dispose of any assets. And then the question about decisions made being null and void, as they were not legally constituted, I have covered that point. And then there was a question about repayment of the loan from the Village Trust, and the question was it £30,000 given by the Millennium Trust to purchase land to the rear of the Village Hall and questioning the signatories to the loan agreement? The Village Trust, previously the Millennium Project, bought the car park and this has been recorded in Annual Parish Meetings for many years. The details can be found in the land registry title number NK385292 and this was recorded in the minutes. The amount of £30,000 raised by the question was actually £40,000 and this was to help to pay for the renovation of the hall, following the Village Trust’s previous donation of £100,000. I have not been able to trace the correspondence relating to the original loan, however it is stated that the Village Trust has mentioned it at Annual Parish Meetings and I have had sight of a copy of a letter from the Secretary of the West Dereham Village Trust to the Secretary (who is now deceased) of the West Dereham Village Hall Committee dated the 12th November 2012 requesting a regular repayment scheme to be set up whereby the Village Hall Committee made a regular repayment to the Village Trust, £500 per quarter, commencing April 2013, noting that this has been discussed in the past, and both committees, having formally agreed to this plan in principle. And to the final question, regarding the ownership of the car park, again I refer to the land registry title number NK385292. That is the response I have had to the questions that have been raised.”
6. Reports
6.1 Chair’s Report.
LH reported that, once again, a lockdown was in force, which was hard for everyone in the community. LH stressed the importance of looking out for each other and our neighbours so if anyone knows of anyone else who needs help then please call the North County Council customer services line. WDPC will put the telephone number on the parish council website. There is a great deal of information available on the Parish Council website, as well as other community hubs.
There have been thefts of farm equipment reported in the area, so vigilance is important.
With regard to Remembrance Sunday, LH will be delighted to lay a wreath at the War Memorial on behalf of the Parish Council at the planned outdoor service.

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DRAFT MINUTES OF A VIRTUAL WEST DEREHAM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
HELD at 7.00pm
On THURSDAY 1st OCTOBER 2020

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DRAFT MINUTES OF A VIRTUAL WEST DEREHAM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
HELD at 7.00pm
On THURSDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER 2020

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