Category: Council Meetings

Parish Council Meeting – 5^th February 2015

Chairman’s report

After the minutes were accepted and signed as a true record, two declarations of interest were given, from the evening’s agenda.

After a discussion regarding vehicles mounting the kerbing opposite the Methodist Chapel, it was decided that one of our councillors would meet with Highways to discuss the problem – it being that the edge of the village green is being churned up.

Because of elections in May, our Annual Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 14^th May.

It was agreed by councillors that a new dog bin should be installed at the southern end of Crown Road. This has to be agreed by Breckland District Council. Can we also remind dog-owners that grit bins are not to be used for dog waste.

Pig Stye Lane has been a little muddy in places this winter. Following a site meeting, it was decided that we need to find out who owns the lane. No action can be taken until ownership is known.

Two councillors announced that they would not be standing for re-election in May. I will also not be standing as Chairman. I feel that four years is a good amount of time to have held the position, and it is time for a change. However, if re-elected, I am happy to remain on the council.

A grant-application for £1755 was put forward by the Village Hall committee. After a short discussion, it was agreed 5 – 3 that a donation of £1000 will be given on completion of works.

A new streetlight is being installed at the entrance to Green Acre Close, off Pig Stye Lane. This will hopefully be done mid to late spring and light up a very dark area. Also, we continue to upgrade our old streetlights, with new LEDs. One gets done every month, until the work is complete.

The meeting closed at 9.22pm

Stefan Eyres

Parish Council meeting – 4th September 2014

Many thanks to the residents who took part in the litter pick during September.

All Parish Councillors were present, as well as our County Councillor, Ian Monson.

The Swaffham bus service was discussed and it was decided to continue the service for a further six months. However, as passenger numbers are low, an increase from £5 to £6 per journey was agreed upon. All Councillors were in favour of this. There will not be a service between Christmas and New Year.

The wording for a plaque has been agreed upon; this will be placed on the allotment site to remember Maryann Turner, who left the land to the Parish Council for the village.

The war memorial should be cleaned and renovated during September.

It was agreed that, this year, we will have a five-metre high Christmas tree on the village green, with blue and white lights. Further ideas will be discussed at the October PC meeting.

This year’s bulb planting day is to be 18th October, meeting at 10am outside the Parish Council office.

It was decided that the Clerk should write a letter to our District Councillor, Ann Steward, asking if she could attend more PC meetings.

During Members’ Matters, overhanging shrubs and trees on footpaths was discussed. Please could residents remember that keeping the paths clear of hedges, overhanging trees and parked cars makes the paths safer for pedestrians?

The meeting closed at 9.27pm

Stefan Eyres

Note: There have recently been some metal thefts from Cranwich Church; could we please ask residents to be vigilant?

Parish Council Meeting – 7th August 2014

The meeting was chaired by the vice Chairman due to the Chairman being on holiday.

The minutes from the previous meeting were agreed and duly signed.

A PCSO from Thetford attended the meeting and updated the council on the latest crimes in the area. Can I remind everyone that whilst it is tempting to leave doors and windows open in the hot weather make sure they are closed when you are out or not in a position to know who is about. With the onset of darker evenings this is a good reminder. Whilst Mundford is not a hotbed for crime it is very upsetting for the victims.

We are still awaiting NCC Highways and Breckland council to deal with outstanding matters around the village.

The bus service seems to be maintaining its numbers and its continuation will be discussed at the September meeting.

We are still trying to get the Community Speed watch off the ground and ask again if anyone is interested to let the clerk know and she will pass details on.

The war memorial will be cleaned and repaired prior to Armistice Day. The council was hoping for a grant to help with this but the War Memorials Trust have set an impossible criteria which the council cannot meet.

Breckland Council are also looking into multi-occupancy premises in the village after recent concerns have been raised.

After it was established that donations made to the Citizens Advice Bureau Brandon Branch had not been going to the local branch it was decided that a donation would not be made this year.

The street lighting updating will be continuing and the contractors have another list of lights to be done.

Please see the notice board for STANTA activities in the coming weeks.

The County and District councillors did not attend the meeting.

Jim Goad, Vice Chairman

Parish Council Meeting – 7th May 2014

The meeting started with the Chairman and Vice Chairman elections. Cllr Eyres was elected Chairman for a fourth year and Cllr Goad Vice Chairman, also for a fourth year. Both positions were unopposed. The Chairman stated that, after this year, a new chairman should be elected.

The Council awarded two residents the Pride of Mundford award. Firstly, Mrs Margaret Whiting for her help with keeping Mundford clean and tidy. Margaret helps with littler picks, bulb planting and, in particular, plants and tends the village green rose bed for the summer bedding. The second award was presented to Bradley Slater for his achievements since joining the Norfolk Army Cadets. He has been selected from the whole ACF in Norfolk for the post of The Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet.

There were 27 residents at the meeting, many of whom were there to express their views on the planning application to the rear of the Post Office in Church Lane.

Passenger numbers for the Saturday bus service to Swaffham during April were disappointing. There is a risk that we may lose the service if it is not regularly used.

The allotments are now up and running and we have six new tenants as well as three existing ones. We also have a substantial waiting list. The Council would like to thank Mr Ray Whale and Mundford Cricket Club for supplying, and cutting to size, lengths of scaffold tube for marking out the corners of the new allotments.

The Council would also like to thank Mr Ernie Churchley for fitting an outside tap to the Parish Council office, which he did free of charge.

The Council is still in need of a part-time gardener, mostly for watering the tubs and beds around the village, as well as planting them up twice a year. Help and advice can be given if required.

The Community Speedwatch is still ongoing. We are waiting for the coordinator to activate the scheme. Volunteers, please stick with it. I know some of you are losing interest, but we are hoping for a response very soon.

The village green has had a feed, weed and moss-killer applied during late April. This was done at a cost of materials only.

Due to having to call the caretaker out late at night to lock the school, the Council has asked the Cricket Club if we could hold P.C. meetings there. They kindly agreed and the first meeting at the Cricket Club will be 3rd July 2014. Please note, the bar will be closed during the meeting and no alcohol will be consumed during the meeting.

During Finance, the accounts were approved by the Council. A £400 grant was applied for by the Scouts to update their toilets, etc. This was approved by the Council.

The meeting closed at 9.07pm.
Stefan Eyres

Annual Parish Meeting held on 3rd April 2014 Chairman’s report

In the last twelve months we have continued to be proactive in many ways:

• The bus service to Swaffham has continued to be subsidised by the council, to help with the needs of residents.
• In April, we supplied two coaches for a Stanta trip – the first for many years.
• In June, a new time capsule was buried at the village green to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
• We have again, in the last year, improved the village through floral displays.
• The council continues to support organisations within the village, whilst also donating to outside charities that help Mundford residents.
• We have started to replace the obsolete streetlights, with LED lanterns.
• We have put a Christmas tree on the village green for the first time.

 

The council has kindly been left some land by the late Miss Mary-Ann Turner. This is in the process of becoming new allotments for a few lucky residents.

 

I will finish with a few thank yous:

• To Cllr Ann Shepherd, for diligently running the Community Car Scheme for many years. Also to all of the drivers, without whom the scheme would not operate.
• A big thank you to Sam, our gardener, Neil, our handyman, and Tony, our litter warden. Unfortunately, Sam has had to resign due to work commitments.
• Many thanks to Margaret Whiting for tending the village green rose bed, also Mr Terry Alderton for tending the area near the Fir Close letterbox.
• A big thank you to the Friends of the Village for the many litter picks during the year, the annual bulb planting, and all of the other things they do to make our village look so good.
• Thank you to Cllr Monson and Cllr Steward for attending our council meetings and helping us throughout the year. And not forgetting the Mundford Parish Councillors for your hard work during the year.
• Lastly, a big thank you to our former Clerk, Fran, and our new Clerk, Pauline, for their dedication and hard work through the year.

 

Thank you,

Stefan Eyres

Parish Council Meeting – 6th February 2014

We would like to assure residents that the Parish Council is doing all it can to resolve the flooding problems on the roundabout. However, we are in the hands of Norfolk County Council highways department, who keep telling us the problem is soon to be resolved. If residents have an issue with the flooding, please call NCC highways department.

The Swaffham bus service is up for review in April. Residents are invited to the Parish Council meeting on March 6th to express their views on the continuation of this fortnightly service.

The new allotment site was discussed and a post and wire fence running adjacent to Pig Stye Lane was agreed upon. Next to the fence, a hawthorn hedge will be planted. Please remember, if you have applied for an allotment, the lucky candidates will be drawn out of a hat at the March 6th meeting. You are welcome to attend if you wish to.

The Community Speedwatch Scheme should be up and running soon. Checks have been carried out on volunteers, and the police will be doing suitable site checks very soon.
An application for financial assistance was received from Mundford Playgroup. This was discussed at length, and after due consideration, a one-off payment of £660 was agreed upon.

The meeting closed at 9.37pm.

Stefan Eyres

Mundford Parish Councillors

Did you know that your Parish Councillors are not paid for any of the duties they undertake? When we are carrying out tasks around the village, such as bulb planting, putting up the Christmas tree, litter picks or occasional clearance of areas etc., this is all our own time which we give up unpaid. If anyone wants clarification of payments made by the Council, just go on our website (address below) and follow the links to the Minutes, then Finance Section, where you can find all payments made for that month.

Parish Council Meeting – 9^th January 2014

Firstly, a Happy New Year to you all, from Mundford Parish Council.

The Council would like to welcome our new Clerk, Mrs Pauline Angus. Pauline will be working from the Parish Council office on Swaffham Road, and intends to work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 9.00am – 2.00pm (this is subject to change, depending on meetings and other factors). If a resident needs to speak with the Clerk in person, please telephone for an appointment on 01842 879152.

Chairman’s Report

During Public Participation, the roundabout flooding problems were discussed. We are told by Highways that the work is still incomplete and will be finished soon.

The Parish Council have had a positive response to the new LED street lights in parts of the village in which they have been replaced. At the time of writing, we have had just one resident who wasn’t happy, and one of the issues they had has been resolved. This replacement programme will continue at the rate of one per month, firstly in The Lammas area. The lights we are replacing are obsolete, and in some cases our street lighting contractor has advised us they need replacing as soon as possible.

During Matters Arising, the land down Pig Stye Lane was discussed. This land was kindly left to the Parish Council by the late Miss Mary-Ann Turner. There are three allotments on the site at the moment, and the Council is going to offer a further six allotments for residents. These will be quite small, but easier to manage than traditional quarter-acre plots.

Overall, the Christmas tree on the green received a good response from residents. However, there were a few suggestions on how to improve things in future years. We will take these comments on board. This was the first time a Christmas tree has been on the green (as far as we know), so we have learned a few things for future years.

The meeting closed at 10.00pm.

Stefan Eyres

The Chairman’s report is a brief account of some of the items discussed at the P. C. meeting. For a more in depth account, go to the meetings page where you can read the minutes and much more.

As you may have read in this newsletter I am leaving my position as Clerk to the Parish Council.  I have thoroughly enjoyed my years on the Council and have met and spoken to so many lovely people in and out of the village in this role.  I originally started on the Council in 2003 and then had a break in 2007/8 while I launched my village publication that some of you may remember which was called ‘Speak Up Magazine’.  The birth to my forth child meant I just no longer had the time necessary to continue to produce the magazine, and I was lucky enough to be offered the position of clerk again in 2009 and have thrown myself into the role for the last 4 years.  I have been very fortunate to be involved with a very pro-active council and one that cares about their residents.  I hope that if you have spoken to me about an issue you were concerned about, or had a request for the council, that I have dealt with your issue promptly and with care and attention, as I always tried to give the best advice possible.

I will continue to help out with litter picks and be a volunteer of the friends of the village, and I am a Governor at the Primary School so I will still be active round the village.

Thank you to all those that have supported me in my role over the years, and the lovely messages I have received from residents wishing me well for the future.  I would like to say a big thank you to my councillors for their support and friendship and I’m sure that will continue.

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year, hopefully 2014 will bring luck and prosperity to us all!!

Fran

Anti-social Behaviour and Crime in Mundford

As mentioned in the Chairman’s report, there have been a quite a few incidents of anti-social behaviour in Mundford recently.  Some may think eggs being thrown at windows is kids just having fun and shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but the Council disagree.  People can feel intimidated and scared, and often think they are being targeted.  I have had a meeting with our local PCSO from Thetford and she is aware of the current issues in Mundford, however she made clear that it is important for people to report incidents to the Police on the 101 number as soon as they happen.  This gives them a clear picture on what is happening in the village and may mean we get more Police presence in the village.

The Council are also disappointed to report that there has been a burglary in Swaffham Road recently.  We are fortunate that Mundford has a very low crime rate, and we live in a lovely area, however we cannot afford to be complacent and if anyone sees anything they feel is suspicious please report this to the 101 number.  I personally had my bicycle stolen from outside my house in early October and I reported this to the Police immediately.  They were very thorough, and gave me some good advice for the future.

Community Speedwatch

I am delighted to say that enough volunteers have come forward to allow the Community Speedwatch scheme to go ahead.  At the time of this going to press a meeting has taken place with the volunteers and a PCSO from the Safer Neighbourhood Team at Thetford to discuss the way forward with this project.  A risk assessment will take place on the sites suggested for the speedwatch team and volunteers have been asked to complete security check forms.  We are hopeful that this scheme will begin monitoring traffic speeds in December.  I will ensure regular updates are mentioned in the newsletter.  Thank you to those that have come forward to help, but there is still time to join the group! Please contact me at the below number if you are interested.

Website

The Mundford Parish Council Website www.mundfordparishcouncil.co.uk is regularly being updated and the Council would love you to have a look! There is plenty of interesting information on there for you to read and photos to look at, as well as Parish Council news and events in the village.  Mundford resident Carol Lewis was a winner of our Pride of Mundford award in October and a photo of this plus previous winners are on the website.  There are new photos of the village on the site and we are currently working on updating the home page.  If you have any suggestions for the website or would like to add anything then please contact me and I will forward this to the Council.

Community Speedwatch Scheme

The Council have now had five residents come forward to help with the Community Speedwatch Scheme, with one potentially happy to become the co-ordinator of the scheme.   The scheme needs a minimum of 6 volunteers to work, so if anyone is interested to come on board with this project then please contact me for further details.

Street Lighting

Much of the Village’s street lighting is deteriorating or obsolete and is in dire need of replacing.  The Parish Council were given a wonderful opportunity earlier in the year to bid for money from Norfolk County Council to improve their street lighting.  The Council are very pleased to announce that they were successful in their application and have been given a grant to subsidise 75% off the purchase of 30 LED street lights, the Parish Council will pay the remaining 25%.  Councillors have walked around the village in the evening to see where these lights would be best utilised and areas have now been agreed at the last Parish Council meeting.  The clerk will be setting up a meeting with the street light contractor shortly to arrange purchase of the lights.  It has also been agreed that one light per month will be purchased separate from the above scheme to make sure that the street lighting provisions are improved over the next few years.  Not only will residents see the difference in the lighting which will benefit many, but the lights are energy efficient and so will be saving the Parish money in electric and maintenance costs.  I will update residents accordingly.