BELPER TOWN COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 10th JANUARY 2006

PRESENT: Councillor Colin England (Town Mayor) - in the Chair
Councillors: Jim Anderson, Peter Arnold, Deborah Biss, Joe Booth, Mel Cluskey, Alan Cox, Jackie Cox, Les Dorey, Mick Nelson, Mark Robertson and Martin Tomlinson
In Attendance: Mrs Elaine Hibbert (Clerk), Inspector Pete Szabo, Mr Adrian Farmer and Belper News
  1. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
    Mr Adrian Farmer, representing Belper Historical Society, asked to address Council to seek support in calling a Public Meeting to celebrate the River Gardens Centenary. As this was a matter for consideration later on the Agenda, Members agreed to bring the item forward for open discussion. Mr Farmer confirmed that he had already sought the involvement of Amber Valley Borough Council. It was agreed that the Town Council would be responsible for calling a public meeting as soon as possible at which it was hoped an organising committee would be formed. The meeting would be held at St John's Chapel.
  2. POLICE MATTERS
    Council Members thanked Inspector Szabo and his staff for the substantial police presence at Council events over the Christmas period.
    Inspector Szabo reported that he had spoken to the Headteacher of St John's School about the parking and congestion problems. The Head had been in contact with parents regarding minimising the need for transportation to and from school but it was proving difficult to get parents to comply. Inspector Szabo confirmed that caution letters had already been issued and where the problems continued, these would be followed with fixed penalty notices. Derbyshire County Council had been asked to carry out an assessment of the road use in that area. On the issue of the School's Licence application, the Head had agreed to set up a meeting to include local residents and would ensure in future that the Newsletter was appropriately distributed.
    Inspector Szabo confirmed he would involve Council Members in the forthcoming site meeting and residents' meeting to be held on the Parks Estate.
    Parking problems had improved slightly as a result of the presence of a Traffic Warden. However, it was noted with concern that Derbyshire County Council who were now responsible for on street parking and the collection of fines, would not have their procedures in place until 2007.
    Inspector Szabo advised that he would shortly be launching a new scheme of street briefings as one of the measures towards increasing the visible police presence within the town. He concluded by asking Members to ensure that any complaints or incidents were promptly reported to the Police along with any information that may be useful in detecting perpetrators of crime.
  3. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
    Apologies for absence were received from:
    Councillors: Russell Horsley (working abroad), Peter Makin (unavoidably delayed in traffic), John Nelson (holiday) and Mick Potter (illness). Councillor Chris Jackson also forwarded his apologies.
  4. CHANGE IN ORDER OF BUSINESS
    RESOLVED to approve the inclusion of the following additional papers:
    Item 6: Questionnaire on Members' allowances from AVBC
    Item 8b: Planning Schedule dated 10 January 2006
    Item 11b: Letter from AVBC re the 2006 Larks in the Park Licence
    Item 13b: Legal advice from AVBC re the Memorial Gardens
  5. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
    Declarations of interest were declared as follows:
    Councillor Jim Anderson - Personal interest in item 19
    Councillor Peter Arnold and Debbie Biss - Personal interest in item 17
    Councillor Martin Tomlinson - Prejudicial interest in item 11b as regards Licensing issues when he would leave the room during discussion
  6. TO DETERMINE WHETHER ANY ITEMS SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH THE PUBLIC EXCLUDED
    None
  7. TO RECEIVE AND APPROVE MINUTES 414-435 OF THE COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 6 DECEMBER 2005.
    It was RESOLVED to receive and approve Minutes 414-435 of the Council Meeting held on 6 December 2005.
    411 - Coppice Car Park - Drainage
    The Clerk reported that the Council's insurers and Amber Valley Borough Council would deny any liability should a claim be forthcoming.
  8. MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS
    The Mayor, Councillor Colin England, gave details of the many engagements he had had since the last meeting.
    Members considered a response to the questionnaire on Councillors' allowances issued by the Monitoring Officer at Amber Valley Borough Council. The majority opinion was that the Town Council should as a general rule not pay allowances to Councillors other than that amount agreed in the budget to cover the Mayoral duties.
  9. FINANCE
    1. It was RESOLVED to note and agree the attached schedule of receipts and payments for November 2005 showing income of £6,118.32 and expenditure of £16974.31.
    2. The proposed budget for 2006-07 was presented by the Chair of the Finance Working Party. Questions were invited. No movement was anticipated on reserves which would be utilised to finance April expenditure and to cover any costs which may be incurred in the maintenance of St John's Chapel and upgrading the Memorial Gardens. No increase in the precept would be required.
      The Clerk was requested to include and item on the next agenda to discuss the future use of the Chapel as the Council Offices
      It was RESOLVED to agree the budget for 2006/07 and to request a precept of £222,000.
  10. PLANNING APPLICATIONS
    The planning applications listed on the schedules dated 21 December 2005 and the one for 10 January 2006 which was circulated at the meeting were noted. There were no matters which required comment.
  11. DALC TRAINING COURSES
    The various courses on offer were considered. It was RESOLVED that members of the Quality Council Working Party should be permitted to attend the Quality Train course and that Rosemary Bridges be permitted to attend the Clerk and Councillor training course if they so wished.
  12. REPORTS FROM OUTSIDE BODIES
    1. Friends of Belper Parks
      It was RESOLVED to accept the offer made regarding the maintenance of the Coppice Car Park verges providing the group had adequate public liability insurance.
    2. Belper Forward
      Councillor Les Dorey was asked to contact Amber Valley Borough Council regarding the status of this Committee which had not met since its first meeting in July yet was intended to replace the Belper Town Centre Forum.
  13. FUTURE EVENTS
    1. Wakes Day
      A meeting was being arranged in the next couple of weeks to discuss arrangements for this year. The Clerk would confirm the Council's continued financial support to the Amber Valley Borough Council Sports' Development Team.
    2. Larks in the Parks
      Councillor Dorey gave an update on arrangements and, following discussion re compliance with the licence, it was agreed that a licence application be submitted including a one hour extension of each performance. Local sports groups would be contacted with a view to seeking their assistance in providing stewards.
  14. BEAUREPAIRE GARDEN
    It was RESOLVED to take no action in determining ownership or transfer of the leases on this land.
  15. MEMORIAL GARDENS
    Members considered the advice received regarding making safe the boundary walls to the Memorial Gardens. The Clerk was asked to contact the Borough Conservation Officer and English Heritage to agree acceptable proposals and then proceed with obtaining quotes. The AVBC Tree Officer would be asked for advice on the lime trees bordering the Ritz in the light of the owner's complaint of damage caused by the roots. Meanwhile the scheduled work on re-pollarding the trees would be held in abeyance.
    No contact had yet unfortunately been made with Broomfield College regarding a work placement to assist in the Garden during the spring and summer.
  16. DISABLED RAMP - ST JOHN'S CHAPEL
    It was RESOLVED that further quotes should be obtained in respect of the purchase of a ramp to provide suitable disabled access to the Chapel.
  17. FREE USE OF BELPER LEISURE CENTRE
    It was RESOLVED that Fleet Arts be permitted to use one of the Council's free sessions at the Leisure Centre to hold a "Nail It Down" concert on 4 March 2006.
  18. RESTORATION OF ROAD SURFACES - CLUSTERS AREA
    The information concerning restoration of road surfaces provided by Belper and Milford Townscape Heritage Initiative to residents of the area around The Clusters was noted.
  19. RESTRUCTURING OF THE NHS PRIMARY CARE TRUST
    Although this restructuring was generally considered to be a "fait accompli", the Clerk was asked to make comment as to the serious concern of Members regarding the loss of local input.
  20. GRIT BIN AND LITTER BIN REQUEST - CHANNEL - CHURCH WALK TO GREEN LANE
    In principle, the Council would be in agreement to supplying a litter and grit bin at this channel. However, consultation would need to take place with Amber Valley Borough Council regarding the ongoing maintenance. The agreement of local residents would need to be obtained regarding the siting of the grit bin.
  21. REQUEST FOR BUS SHELTERS - PINCHAM'S HILL/SANDBED LANE
    The request for two bus shelters at Pincham's Hill and Sandbed Lane was noted. However, because of the substantial cost involved, the Town Council RESOLVED not to approve this expenditure unless assistance with funding could be obtained from the Borough and County Councils.
  22. ITEMS FOR INFORMATION
    RESOLVED to note the items for information on the schedule attached.