BELPER TOWN COUNCIL

PRESENT: Councillor Jackie Cox (Town Mayor) – in the Chair
Councillors: Councillor Jim Anderson, Peter Arnold, Debbie Biss, Norman Bull, Kay Charlton, Alan Cox, Colin England, Hassan Dervish, Ben Miller, Kevin Hallsworth, John Nelson, Mick Nelson and Martin Tomlinson.
In Attendance: Mrs Elaine Hibbert (Clerk), Police Inspector Graham Lamin and the Belper News. 12 members of the Public were present for Public Participation plus Borough Councillor Barry Lewis and County Councillor Chris Jackson.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

1. Traffic Congestion – Becksitch Lane
   Further to the proposals previously put to Council by Mr Kevin Renshaw, Mr David Mellor, speaking on behalf of the twelve members of the public in attendance, presented a petition to Council in support of restricting Becksitch Lane to one-way traffic. This proposal also had the support of the Police and the Town Council. Councillor Chris Jackson would deliver the petition to the County Council and put his support behind this.
2. The Drop Inn
   Mr Adrian Stone addressed the meeting in support of the Drop Inn’s grant application which was to be considered later on the Agenda. The latest accounts were not yet available. Members were anxious that this valuable resource should continue and recognised the urgency for funding to be put in place. Various suggestions were made re the possible additional sources of funding which should be explored.
3. The Larks in the Parks
   Unfortunately, Councillor Les Dorey of Friends of Belper River Gardens was not able to attend the meeting as he had been admitted to hospital. Members were very appreciative of all the hard work carried out by the Friends of Belper River Gardens and, particularly, the enormous contribution Les had made towards making the Series so enjoyable and successful. The Clerk was asked to send a Get Well Card to Les to thank him for all his efforts and wish him a speedy recovery.
4. County Council Matters
   Councillor Chris Jackson informed Members that: at the Proms Concert he had presented Friends of Belper River Gardens with a cheque from his fund; the Trans Peak bus now stops on Broadholme Lane and; suitable signage for Cemetery Road was being prepared.
5. Police Matters
   Inspector Lamin reported on current crime statistics. Instances of theft had increased but these had been attributed to people outside the town. Vandalism and anti-social behaviour had increased particularly around the St John’s area where groups of young people congregated and the Council’s notice boards, bench and vehicle had been damaged. Although this is private land, it was hoped that it would be possible to obtain an alcohol consumption Order which would give the Police powers to stop anyone drinking should they wish. Violent crime was, however, down.
   Issues raised by Councillors included: security at the Old Labour Club; parking on Church Lane and on the A6 at Milford; poor signage on entrance to Lander Lane; appropriate signage on the low bridge at the Mill and; the number of tickets issued by PCSO’s.
   The “Meet your Command Team” event on 20 September 2007 from 7-10pm at the Nailers was noted.

894. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
     Apologies for absence were received and accepted from Councillors Mick Potter and Mark Robertson (work commitments).
895. CHANGE IN ORDER OF BUSINESS
     RESOLVED to include the following additional papers:
     Agenda Item 6b - Food Committee Minutes of 6 September 2007.
     Agenda Item 9 - Finance schedules (income and expenditure and bank reconciliation)
     Agenda Item 10b - Additional planning schedule
     Agenda Item 19 - Request for letter of support from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
     Agenda Item 24 - New urgent item concerning grit bin policy (A Cox)
     Also RESOLVED that Agenda Item 21b should be taken before 21a
896. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
     Councillors made declarations of Interest as follows.
     Personal:
     Councillor Debbie Biss (Items 16 and 18)
     Councillor Ben Miller (Item 18)
     Councillor Jim Anderson (Item 12b)
     Prejudicial: (Councillors left the room)
     Councillors John Nelson and Kevin Hallsworth (Item 12c)
     
897. TO DETERMINE WHETHER ANY ITEMS SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH THE PUBLIC EXCLUDED
     In accordance with Section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, in view of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted, it is RESOLVED that, in the public interest, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during discussion of item1 in Part II and they be instructed to withdraw.
898. MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE TOWN COUNCIL HELD ON 10 JULY 2007
     Public Participation Item:
     A letter had been received from Mr Peter Davies thanking the Council and particularly Councillor Alan Cox for their efforts in finding suitable accommodation for band practice.
     RESOLVED to receive and approve Minutes 869-893 of the Meeting of the Town Council held on 10 July 2007.
899. MINUTES OF THE FOOD COMMITTEE MEETINGS HELD 19 JULY 2007 AND 6 SEPTEMBER 2007
     RESOLVED to note the Minutes of the Food Committee Meetings held 19 July 2007 and 6 September 2007. The request for a budget in 2008 of £2500 would be considered at the next meeting of the Finance Working Party.
900. MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE FINANCE WORKING PARTY HELD 24 AUGUST 2007
     RESOLVED to ratify the meeting which was inquorate, to note the minutes of that meeting and approve the recommendations contained therein.
901. MAYOR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
     Councillor Jackie Cox reported on the many events attended in the month and invited Members to the Big Coffee Morning on 28 September at the Congregational Church. She advised that the results of the East Midlands in Bloom competition would be known on 12 September 2007.
902. FINANCE
     RESOLVED to note and approve the income and expenditure as detailed on the attached schedules for the period 1 June 2007 to 31 August 2007 showing income of £6019.23 and expenditure of £69,507.65. The format of the schedules produced on the new Sage software was noted.
     RESOLVED to note the bank reconciliation statements for the current/public reserve accounts as at 30 June, 31 July and 31 August 2007.
903. PLANNING APPLICATIONS
     RESOLVED to note the planning applications listed on the schedules dated 19 July and 3, 10, 17, 23, 31 August 2007. No comments were made on any of the applications. The format of the new schedules was noted. The Clerk advised that copy plans are no longer sent to the Town Council but can be viewed on the Amber Valley Borough Council’s web site.
904. REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES
     1. Belper Leisure Centre Trust
        Councillor Norman Bull advised that the some progress had been made following the Consultants’ Review.
     2. Larks in the Parks
        Councillor England endorsed the opinion previously expressed that Councillor Dorey and Friends of Belper River Gardens had organised an excellent series of Larks in the Parks culminating in the Proms Concert which was very enjoyable despite non-stop rain.
     3. Drop Inn
        Councillor Anderson reported that the new management team were coping well and expressed his concern in that the current finances were insufficient to pay the rent after October. The matter would be further discussed later on the Agenda.
     4. Cottage Project
        Councillor Jackie Cox advised that as funds were tight, she hoped the Belper News would provide publicity re the availability of rooms for rent.
905. GRANT REQUESTS
     1. Derbyshire Coalition for Inclusive Living – 254
        RESOLVED to decline the request for a grant.
     2. The Drop Inn – 256
        RESOLVED to approve a grant equivalent to three month’s rent (£108 per week), payable direct to the Landlord and to offer assistance with other funding applications to try and establish a regular source of income.
     3. Belper Marlin Swimming Club – 257
        RESOLVED to approve a grant of £40
     4. Victim Support Derbyshire – 258
        RESOLVED to decline the request for a grant.
     5. Belper Community Football Programme – 259
        RESOLVED to decline the request for a grant.
906. DALC CORRESPONDENCE
     RESOLVED to note the correspondence from DALC.
907. LINKS TO THE COUNCIL’S WEB SITE
     RESOLVED to agree a link with FARMA because of the accreditation of the Farmers’ Market.
908. ADVERTISING AT BELPER TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB
     RESOLVED to agree a payment of £120 in respect of a perimeter advertising banner for the Farmers’ Market.
909. MILFORD TRIANGLE
     The co-operation of the Milford and Makeney Community Group Committee regarding various proposals was welcomed. RESOLVED to pursue plans to remove the Sycamore on the Milford Triangle and replace with a suitable tree in consultation with the Borough Council Tree Officer.
910. BELPER RIVER GARDENS – WEIR LIGHTS
     The proposals put forward by Alan Benfield to renew the Weir lights at the River Gardens were noted. However, the Weir is not in the ownership or the responsibility of the Town Council. It was suggested that Belper News should give this matter some publicity to attract sponsorship.
911. FRIENDS OF BELPER PARKS – MEDIAEVAL FAIR
     RESOLVED to approve the request to hold a Mediaeval Fair on Saturday 13 October 2007.
912. SPEEDING RESTRICTION – WYVER LANE
     RESOLVED to contact the County Council and support the request to reduce the speed limit on Wyver Lane to 10mph.
913. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
     General discussion took place regarding problems such as rubbish in the River Derwent and fly tipping. RESOLVED that the Clerk should write to the County Council to request a public amenity site in the locality. The Clerk was also asked to write to the owners of the Silkolene site development and enquire as to their proposals re the derelict cottage.
914. OVERWINTERING OF SHOWMEN ON THE COPPICE CAR PARK
     RESOLVED to approve the overwintering of the McKean family at the far end of the Coppice Car Park for 16-20 weeks from 12 November 2007. The rent to remain at £60 per week in light of the large increase last year.
915. PARKING PROVISION – COPPICE CAR PARK
     Discussion took place regarding the increasing pressure on the Coppice Car Park and the general shortage of parking within the town. RESOLVED to form a sub committee of Councillors: Mick Nelson, Norman Bull and Martin Tomlinson to consider alternative sites and meet with Derbyshire County Council representatives as appropriate.
916. CHANNEL MAINTENANCE
     Following a complaint and subsequent site visit, the Channel from the Butts down to the Coppice Car Park was considered to be of a satisfactory standard. RESOLVED to take no action.
917. LIMESTONE RUN
     RESOLVED to grant permission for the event to commence at the Coppice Car Park on Sunday 7 October 2007.
918. HMS BROCKLESBY
     RESOLVED to note the new Commanding Officer of HMS Brocklesby, Lieutenant Commander Matthew J Dennis.
919. ITEMS FOR INFORMATION
     RESOLVED to note the items for information included in the two schedules.
920. GRIT BINS
     RESOLVED that the Council’s policy on the removal of grit bins should be the same as installing grit bins ie that full consultation should take place with all the residents concerned.
921. MINUTES OF THE STAFF WORKING PARTY HELD 21 AUGUST 2007
     RESOLVED to note the Minutes of the Staff Working Party held 21 August 2007 and to approve the recommendations contained therein.