What the councillors said

Latest Parish Council thinking
These notes of the parish council meetings are prepared by the editor of the blog from the draft minutes and so may contain information that is amended later at the next month's meeting.

Eight members of the public went along to the December parish council meeting and all the parish councillors attended.
The minutes of the November Parish Council meeting were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting and there were no matters arising.
Allotments. Adrian Joel said the first meeting of the Allotment Holders Liaison Group had been held in November and the next meeting was scheduled for February 2011. On-site parking could be a difficulty and he proposed that £386 plus vat be spent on some matting that could cure the problem. It was agreed unanimously that the funds come from Parish Council Contingency Fund. He then raised the matter of funding for fencing and water installation and said a grant application had been sent to Breckland Council for £1,000. The water installation would be installed labour free by a resident and that a grant of £900 had been given by Old Buckenham 2000 Trust towards the project.
War memorial. Gerald Norton said cleaning of the memorial had been done and had cost approximately £500. There were now no further funds available for future cleaning and he said that grant applications would be made to the Parish Council for future maintenance of the memorial. Various ideas were discussed regarding the memorial but it was considered the grant application route was the best way for the future maintenance.
Rubbish bins. Derek Smalley raised the matter of the litter bin situated on the Green next to a bench that was being used by those depositing dog waste. This was causing a problem and he asked if it could be moved away from the bench. Norman Cawston agreed to arrange this and Tim Ing also agreed to do an inventory of all litter bins and dog bins for the purpose of the asset register of the Parish Council and to give the information to the Parish Clerk.
Amenity area. Adrian Joel raised the matter of an amenity area opposite the village shop and a possible picnic area. He suggested that the Parish Council look at the original application to Breckland Council and possibly resubmit it. Adrian Joel will contact Breckland Council to obtain a copy of the original application and Carol Marshall said she would check to see if she had a copy of the application. The Parish Council will review the matter when the documents are available.
District Councillor’s report. Adrian Joel said that Breckland’s Attleborough & Snetterton action plan consultation meeting was held in the Village Hall on Saturday 20 November and about forty residents had attended the meeting where they could ask Breckland Council questions on the whole matter. All residents have received a questionnaire in the post, these must be returned by Friday 28 January 2011. An in-depth Attleborough Transport Study had been completed by Breckland at a cost of £100,000. The Local Development Framework (LDF) specific development plan documents will be considered by the LDF Task & Finish Group for further clarification to take place on the proposed settlement boundaries prior to being sent back by the Cabinet before going out to public consultation for a six week consultation period. He then advised that a new Animal Warden Service was available from 8am to 9pm Monday to Friday and from 10am to midday on Saturday and Sunday. Finders of dogs outside these hours should contact the Animal Warden Service to register the find and be informed of how it will be collected. The telephone number for the service is 01362 858500. This number should also be used for the reporting of lost dogs. If people believe their dog has been stolen then they should contact the police on 0845 456 4567.
Parish Councillors’ reports. Adrian Joel said that the road at Puddledock Corner had not yet been done and Mike Craven-Romain said he was waiting on a phone call from the Highways engineer as he had previously spoken to him on the matter. Carol Marshall said that the Recreation Area meeting had not yet taken place and she was hoping to arrange a meeting for the new year. She also raised the matter of grit bins in the village hall car park which she thought had been like an ice rink and dangerous. Derek Smalley raised the matter of the welcome pack which had been the subject of an article in the village newsletter. He now had a comprehensive list of information for the contents of the welcome packs. Tom Johnson said the safety message from Norfolk Fire Service had been inserted in the newsletter. He then raised the matter of grit bins in the village and the spreading of grit by volunteers. The Parish Clerk will contact NALC on the matter. Tim Ing asked if any member of The Parish Council would do a reading at the church Christmas candlelit service and Norman Cawston agreed to do it. Tim Ing raised the matter of gritting some roads not on the current schedule gritting routes and the Parish Clerk will contact the county councillor to see if he can assist.
Parish Clerk’s report. Mike Bartlett had reported that he will be organising a door-to-door calling to obtain views of residents regarding the Attleborough expansion plans to pass on to Parish Council who in turn can make a submission to Breckland Council. The Parish Clerk read through the notes of a meeting held on Saturday 14 August which listed some of the main issues including some points relating to the Parish Clerk. These included some which were repudiated by him and explanations were given as to what he considered were total inaccuracies in the alleged instances. Tim Ing thanked the Parish Clerk for the work he had done on behalf of the Parish Council since he took over the role in difficult circumstances. The meeting notes to be put on the January meeting agenda for further discussion.
The Green. Tim Ing said he had contacted the Green Right’s Proprietors asking for an up-to-date list of all proprietors. He was referred to Legal Services at County Hall as the Green Right Proprietors did not have an up-to-date list. They had sent him an email containing information that would be printed off and made available as soon as possible to the Parish Council. The meeting was also informed that bat boxes had been purchased for the Green and hopefully would soon be installed.

The next Parish Council meeting will be on Thursday 6 January in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.