- Meeting Date
- 5th July 2021
- Venue
- Mendham Primary School & Virtual meeting via Zoom
- Time
- 7.00pm
- In attendance
- Lavinia Hadingham, Peter Gould (7.26pm)
- Clerk
- Liz Frere-Smith
| Committee Members | Role | Present/Absent |
|---|---|---|
| Dennis Pye | Chair | Present |
| Thelma Brown | Vice Chair | Zoom |
| Kathy Farrar | Zoom | |
| Jimmy Kent | Present | |
| Richard Mattocks | Present | |
| Sally Mckinnon | Present | |
| Clare Rix | Present | |
| Mark Shortt | Present | |
| Yvonne Lidgate | Present |
- 1. Public Forum & Reports from Councillors
No comments from public forum. LH report had previously been circulated and questions and comments were invited. A broad review of some of the local larger planning applications were presented by nothing within the local area of Mendham/Withersdale. The application at Wakelyns was discussed and the decision is expected during August. The responsibility of street cleaning was discussed but LH was unsure of whom was responsible for this. Grass verges were also discussed and how there were varying opinions of whether they should be cut back or not. RM asked if any progress had been made with regard to flooding in the village which had been an ongoing problem for some years. LH stated that PG had indicated that he was going to continue chasing some of the ongoing problems.
- 2. Welcome and Apologies
Chair welcomed all attendees and a full attendance was recorded although 2 members were attending virtually.
- 3. Declarations of interest and any dispensations allowed
MS declared a Pecuniary Interest with regard to the Primary School application for funding.
- 4. Minutes of previous meeting
Agreed as accurate and correct.
- 5. Matters arising not covered by the agenda
YL has decided not to shadow the chair so it is essential that this role is considered once more.
- 6. Finances
ICO – annual registration £40 Mendham Primary School Room hire £20 EFS confirmed the receipt of CIL funding of £3929.99 and confirmed that the current balance at Barclays was £13222.11 as most of the funding had been received but as yet not much had been spent compared to the budget that had been set. CIL – This levy needed spending this year and has its own criteria of what it can be spent on, mostly infrastructure projects. The request and suggestions of spends were
- Mendham Primary School – outdoor play equipment.
- Traffic speed signs
- Salt Grit bins
- Village Hall – no requests received as yet but they were expected.
- 7. Planning
One application recently received for stables and ménage which a site visit was required. Suggested date was the 15th July where at least 4 attendees had confirmed. EFS to post notices giving a week notice of the site meeting. Decision notice for Wakelyn’s expected during Aug.
- 8. Update on Speeding signs
SM had managed to speak to the properties affected by the suggested siting of the post and had received an acceptable quote for the cost of the post. SM would collate quotes and send them to EFS for the records. LH had earmarked £1000 from her locality funds towards the signage costs. SM will provide a list of volunteers who would be able to change the signs when required.
- 9. Update of village parking
RM was still waiting for responses from all members of the council. Once received he would collate the responses and a meeting could be arranged to discussed by all members of the village.
- 10. Chairman’s Report
DP detailed the accident/damage that had occurred on the Withersdale Road by a large vehicle and the leylandi hedge. The vehicles that use the road are too big for the size of the road but they appear reluctant to use an alternative route. There is some evidence that the hedge has significantly increased in width which is not helping the situation. PG provided photo evidence of the change in width of the hedge. The closure of the local roads and suggested diversions had been reported as one diversion was rerouted to an already closed road. DP had protested about the continued closure of the Low Road and was informed that this was not due to be reopened for some time. Clive Aylett from Wortwell was also pressurising the council to prioritize the reconstruction of the road. No further news had been received or needed reporting.
- 11. Suffolk Celebration day
This would be discussed at a later date due to little information that had been received to date.
- 12. Any Other Business
The recent delegation of powers to the Clerk at Fressingfield was discussed but this approach was not something that would be replicated at Mendham. TB raised the query as to whether electric charging points would be required in Mendham. LH commented that the charging points are very rarely used in Harleston and a parking spot would be lost. RM would look at pricing as he already had some of the information collated. TB suggested that the paper bin is maybe not required as people can recycle the paper in their own bins and the village one is not used very much and takes up a parking space. DP informed that it does get used and the village derives a small income from the bin being filled. PG introduced himself to the council and expressed his pleasure in being associated with Mendham. He had drawn up a list of what issues were outstanding and it was his intention to bring some of these to a conclusion. The local roads were extremely bad and the pot of money hadn’t increased to address some of the issues but he was determined to bring this to the forefront of the SCC’s attention. PG commented on the incident on Withersdale Road and reported that no injury collisions had been reported. He was keen to look at the issues of HGV using the road and maybe a SLOW sign on the road maybe something that can be investigated.
- 13. Date of next meeting
Monday 6th September 7.00pm Mendham Primary School and Zoom link for public access.
The meeting closed at: 19.58pm
Signed by Chair: Dennis Pye
Date: 20th September 2021