annual meeting minutes 2022
Gedney Hill Parish Council
Minutes of the annual Gedney Hill Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 16th May 2022.
Present
Councillors K. James (Chairman)
D. Mann
J. Venters
N. Watson
Minutes K. Sharp (Parish Clerk)
Apologies: P. Redgate
N. Pepper
Also present: 14 members of the Public
- Chairman’s welcome
The Chairman welcomed all to the Gedney Hill Parish Council Annual Meeting 2022 and stated that there would be an open forum for any matters to be discussed by the public.
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- Parish Council Chairman’s Report
I would like to thank you all for attending this Annual meeting of the Gedney Hill Parish Council. I would like to extend my thanks to all the current Parish Councillors and the Parish Clerk for all their efforts over the last year, especially whilst we still had Covid to deal with, and the extra work that that has caused. lt is difficult to sometimes cope with the current issues relating to the requirements of the village and the duties of being a Parish councillor, but, overall, we have managed to operate successfully and manage our duties to the parish and the parishioners. The year 2021/2022 has been challenging and of mixed fortunes with the council having some successes whilst other issues have had to be put back to 2022/23 for both economic and other restraints. However, overall the village has seen some benefits this year and we are now in a position to continue our improvement plans. Following the major refurbishment last year the Pavilion has had added further refinements and we are just awaiting the electricians to wire up the immersion heaters in the new hot water cylinder and then we will have the total facilities available, The Pavilion has been in use this year for the Jubilee meetings. the Community group meetings and we are very glad to have the Art Group using this venue on a weekly basis. Many thanks to Jennie and Damien Mead for choosing this venue. lt is hoped that it will be further used when the warm weather and holidays arrive. Parish Council and external costs have risen dramatically this year due to the cost of living (as we are all aware) and therefore some expenditure identified for the past year had to be put back due to cost. lt was decided by the Parish Council that, for the year 22/23 we could no longer defer some of these issues and therefore, reluctantly, we had to increase the annual precept by a bigger percentage than would have otherwise been normal. These costs were necessary to cover urgent repairs to the bus shelter and overdue replacement of a shed and mower for the cemetery as well as other equipment requiring replacement. The Parish Council have promised that this target increase will not be repeated next year and that this was strictly a "one off' necessary increase. The Wryde Croft Wind Farm grant system has assisted the Memorial Hall in the purchase of kitchen equipment and it is hoped that other organisations within the village will also benefit by applications to this fund. The GHPC representative on the Wind Farm grants committee will assist any applicant to apply for such grants as applicable. Having a representative on this panel helps the applicants to present their case in the best light. Speeding within the village continues to be an issue, despite the efforts of the Community Speed watch, leading to a number of concerns as to the future of the group. This will be addressed within the following Parish Council meeting but thanks must go to the efforts of all the villagers and Councillors participating within this group.
The council has been successful in managing to lobby LCC to reopen two of the footpaths in the village that had become unusable, these will need to be continually maintained in order to ensure that they stay usable for local residents but have been an asset to ramblers and dog walkers alike. It is hoped that the 2022/23 year will continue to see the village prosper and your councillors continue to be available to assist parishioners in the forthcoming year. Many thanks Ken James (Chairman)
3. Public Matters – An opportunity for members of the public to discuss any matters relating to the Parish.
A member of the public asked for help with an application for a new bench outside the Memorial Hall. It was suggested the Clerk contact LCC to discuss.
It was raised as a concern that a fence at a T-Junction on a bungalow between Highstock Lane and Lutton Gate Road had attached chevrons which were deemed potentially dangerous to road users. However, it was suggested that this area was not within our Parish and, therefore, Sutton St. Edmunds would need to be contacted.
A member of the public has asked if planning conditions could be checked with regards to having plans for any new footpaths, along Highstock Lane. Clerk to contact SHDC to see if this is included within the planning consent for the new houses.
Meeting closed at: 6:40p.m.