Meeting minutes

March Parish Council meeting
This report is provided by the blog editor from the draft minutes of the meeting and so may contain material that could be amended at a later date.
Three members of the public were present and apologies for non-attendance were received from councillors Stephen Thorley, Jonathan Kemp and Adrian Joel.
The minutes of the Parish Council Meeting on Thursday 3 February were signed as a true and accurate record of the meeting. There were no matters arising from these minutes.
Allotments. Tim Ing said he had a copy of the agreement for the land for the allotments and it would be signed later next week. Rent had been increased by £50 per year. The access to the allotments was quite wet and a large quantity of hard core would be laid down to solve the problem. The Parish Clerk will raise an invoice for the rent payable.
Cold calling areas. Derek Smalley said that he attended a meeting of Safer Neighbourhood Watch with Mike Craven-Romain. Some areas of Old Buckenham do not have coordinators and he volunteered to become one for the Cake Street area.
‘Doe Lane Meeting’ notes. Discussion was deferred to the April meeting as Adrian Joel was not in attendance.
ASHAAP. The Parish Clerk read out a letter from a resident who strongly opposed the Attleborough development. Derek Smalley said he attended a meeting in February at Breckland Council for the presentation of the petition. Richard Middleton of the Attleborough Community Trust (ACT) was allowed to speak for five minutes and then the matter was discussed for 45 minutes by Breckland Council Cabinet. A proposal to refer the whole subject for a fresh study to the Secretary of State was passed. A second proposal to include the ACT points was accepted and Richard Middleton was offered a position on the Task Force that is currently studying the expansion plan. He said it was important that continued pressure was put on Breckland to ensure the concerns of the town’s people and surrounding villages were taken into account. He also asked that Old Buckenham Parish Council be kept in the loop for updating information on the on-going situation. Tim Ing said it is important that if it does goes ahead then infrastructure should be put in place. Tom Johnson gave details of the Attleborough Task Force meeting he attended in March where a presentation was given by Atlas Consulting which said the development was restricted to Attleborough and would not impinge on Old Buckenham.
Planning applications. Cart Lodge, Cake Street. Single storey extension. No objections from parish council.
The meeting was informed that the planning application for Harlingwood Lane was refused by Breckland Council.
Parish Councillors' reports. Gerald Norton said he had attended the Village Hall management meeting in March and a show was being put on by Old Buckenham Players in aid of their lighting system which needs replacing. There would also be a quiz night on Saturday 26 March and he asked if the Parish Council would enter a team. Also the AGM of the village hall would be held on Wednesday 6 April and they were seeking new committee members. Carol Marshall said goal posts for Recreation Area had not yet been ordered as there was a possibility of getting some for free. She also said the maintenance contractors could not be reached and had none of her messages had been returned. She would contact a possible new contractor. They are obtaining quotes and looking into possible funding and will go to a funding fair being held in Thetford on in April. Tim Ing raised concerns on the grass on the Recreation Area and said we should seek out an expert and get a report on the best way to maintain the grass on the area. Tim Ing also raised the matter of footpath walks around the village and asked if there were still any maps available. Other councillors gave possible information on where these might be obtained. Tim Ing also said there was no board in play area showing who funded the scheme, Mike Craven-Romain said this was being dealt with at the moment.
Parish Clerk’s report. Parish Clerk read out a letter from Tom Johnson following a letter received from Terry Cracknell alleging that he had spoken on matters in the Ox & Plough. Tom Johnson said this was not true as he had not been in the public house for over 10 years. The Clerk then read out notes from a Working Party looking at community action in support of village shop. The Parish Council agreed that the working party should proceed as they thought best way forward. The Parish Clerk is to contact Joan Jenkins on the matter. The Parish Clerk then informed meeting that as from April 2011 all Parish Clerks were now legally bound to become PAYE employees of parish councils. All parish councils had to register with HMRC for tax purposes and payroll records had to be maintained and all current legislation applied. The Parish Clerk said the best way forward was to outsource the payroll responsibility to a specialist company for an annual cost of approximately £150 per year. They would then deal with all matters including registration, payroll responsibilities and payment of taxes and national insurance to HMRC and all the end of year documentation. The Parish Council agreed to this suggestion.
Highways. Potholes were reported in Crown Road leading to Church and alongside the play area. There was also a large pothole in Grove Lane, approximately 500 yards from junction with Crown Road. The Parish Clerk is to contact Highways on the matter.
The Green. Tim Ing attended the AGM of Green Right Proprietors (GRP) in February when a proposal from the Parish Council to maintain the grass on behalf of the GRP for the year commencing 2012 was discussed. It was also stated that a contractor would cut the grass and then bale it for silage after the 15th July, this to be followed by acceptable topping levels possibly two or three times a year. Areas would be kept as conservation area for flora and fauna monitoring. It was agreed to set up a working party to study the requirements of each party. It was also agreed that a letter be sent to the existing contractor making him aware of the GRP’s dissatisfaction as to the state of the Green at the end of the haymaking season and making it known to him that they would be terminating their agreement with him. Tim Ing also said a proposal was put forward for an amenity area near the village shop. Full discussion on the matter took place and it was agreed to set up a working party to look at the matter. The next meeting was agreed for Tuesday 26 April and followed by a possible public meeting on Saturday 21 May. Derek Smalley thanked Tim Ing for all his efforts on the whole matter of the Green.
Correspondence received. Norman Cawston said the Parish Council had received a prize of £500 from Norfolk County Council for winning the Pride of Norfolk Award for villages of under 2,500 inhabitants.
Items for next agenda. Doe Lane Meeting notes.

The Annual Parish Meeting will be on Wednesday 23 March at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. The next Parish Council meeting was fixed for Thursday 7 April in the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.