Pakenham Parish Council : Minutes - Annual Meeting 23rd May 2019

PAKENHAM PARISH COUNCIL
Draft Minutes of the Annual Meeting held in
The Martin Room

Present: Cllr D Dorling, M Bagnell, C Palfrey and B. Sidebotham.
Two members of the public also attended. Mrs S Brown parish clerk took the minutes

Councillor D Dorling Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council welcomed everyone to the meeting.

1. Apologies: N. Davey, H. Painter and M. Sargent

2. To sign the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday, 23rd May, 2018:-
All present agreed that the minutes should be signed as a true record

3. County Councillor's Report:-
Councillor Hopfensperger attended and gave the annual report which included: Suffolk County Council 2019/20 budget approved, Superfast broadband coverage continues to grow, Carers celebrate top accolade with 'outstanding' rating from the Care Quality Commission, Suffolk wins praise at national Community Energy Awards 2018, Suffolk's roads warming to £300,000 thermal patching technology, Department for Education recognises outstanding performance by Suffolk students, green light to develop more specialist education placements in Suffolk, Suffolk wins £4.4 million for 'smart' street lighting, Plug in Suffolk – the UK's first 'fully open' electric vehicle charging network, Suffolk successful in winning £1.725 million in extra funding for business broadband roll out, locality budget Cllr Hopfensperger was pleased to be able to support the purchase of the bench outside the village hall and also the installation of entry gates in Upper Town. Other local issues: Old Bury Road speeding, Flooding at the junction with the A143 the solution has been designed for the junction of Thurston Road/A143 Pakenham, Kebab Van update including response from the legal team at SCC, Church Road speed reduction Cllr Palfrey advised where the boundary between Pakenham and Thurston was, it was suggested Cllr Hopfensperger liaise with the Suffolk County Councillor for Thurston, Parking – The Fox investigating the option of H markings across the entrance, Fen Road patching has taken place in this area prior to re-surfacing. Cllr Bagnell stated the roadworks due to take place in July it should be made sure access is allowed for residents of Brand Road. Cllr Hopfensperger confirmed she had asked for tarmac on the footways to make it easier for those using mobility scooters to ensure a smoother transition as asked for at the last meeting of the Parish Council. It was asked about the new Highways community self-help service, this was explained and briefly discussed. Cllr Palfrey advised a resident had again cut back the overgrown hedgerow at the crossroads and had done a superb job, a letter of thanks to be sent. Cllr Hopfensperger confirmed the funding for the bus service on a Wednesday will continue. It was asked when street cleaning was carried out, it was advised West Suffolk carried this out every 8-12 weeks.

4. Borough Councillor Report:-
Cllr S Brown was unable to attend but hoped to be available for the Annual Parish Council meeting.

5. Annual reports:-
• Allotments - The Clerk to the Council advised all allotments were currently being rented.
• Pakenham Charities - Pakenham Charities sent their report which was read to the meeting a copy of which is attached as well as a copy of the accounts.
• Pakenham Social Club - A short report had been received and was read to the meeting: We didn't do anything last year, this year however we are holding an event on Saturday 20th July at the playing field, a Beer and Music festival, supporting the hospices in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich and also to raise some funds for the children's play area.
• Pakenham Village Hall and Playing Field Association - All carrying on well with the play equipment in hand.
• PCC : Churchwardens Report - A short report was given which included: Not just for Christian worship but for Parish outreach as well which included: the parish magazine to every household and is now self-supporting, spring jumble sale, bric a brac sale, open air summer pantomime, garden party and pre-Christmas event all with the help of volunteers. Spring Stanley Trust has £400 - £500 for those in need. It was asked if the Parish Council could look to help with repairs to the driveway up to the car park, to place on the June agenda of the Parish Council.
• Threads - Threads has had a very encouraging 12 months going from strength to strength. The group is self-funding with workshops led by Threads members. We have had day trips out enjoyed by everyone, including the annual trip to The Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexander Palace and The Christmas meal again hosted by The Fox Pub in Pakenham. Each Wed afternoon the VH is filled with chat and laughter, along with encouragement for anyone who may have a question on their project. Refreshments are well catered from the 'Cake Rota'.
• Tree Wardens Report - Over the winter months I have planted a new hedge at the Parish Burial Ground on the boundary with the Close, and intend to maintain it in months to come. Also during the winter months I took the opportunity to raise the crown on the Queens Diamond Jubilee Oak opposite the Watermill, and trim overhanging hedge branches. At the Allotments the bramble infested Conifer hedge which used to serve the Bowls Club, adjacent to plot 5 has been removed, along with 2 mature Sycamore trees on the boundary of the plots adjacent to the Telephone Exchange. This work was carried out very most satisfactory by Dave Davison & Sons .I finished last year's report by stating that I was monitoring the hedge reinstatement carried out by St Edmundsbury Council at the site in Mill Rd. I would like to report this year that the hedge is now totally non-existent and the gateway is being regularly used by various vehicles. Parish Tree Warden
• Village Newsletter - A new editor took over in January and is getting to grips with the Newsletter and it is going well and it is hoped everyone is satisfied with it.
• Women's Institute - The Women's Institute Chair was unable to attend a report was sent which was read to the meeting and is attached.
• Parish Council Report - I am sorry I cannot be with you this evening. Thank you to all the members of the Parish Council and to Rebecca our County Councillor and Simon our Borough Councillor. Thank you to Sandra our Parish Clerk who is absolutely fantastic and who makes running this Parish Council a pleasure. It has been a relatively quiet year. I hope the problem with the kebab van will soon be resolved. The road calming gates at Upper Town are a long time coming but hopefully they will be installed in time for the Autumn school term. Thank you to Simon for arranging the grant to purchase the defibrillator at the Watermill. Pakenham is a fantastic village, thank you to all the Societies and people who make it so.

6. Open Forum:-
A resident highlighted some villages has converted their telephone kiosk's into book exchanges and wondered whether the Parish Council could consider implementing this. He advised he had a number of books which could be donated to start it off. To place on the next Parish Council agenda. A resident stated he felt it was sad that so few people are attending meetings and only SCC should carry out highway matters rather than volunteer groups. Highway matters were briefly discussed including volunteer groups. It was advised a footpath coming down from The Owell is again overcrowded by vegetation and asked if it could be cleared. The Clerk to report to SCC footpath officer.

7. Date of the next meeting: The date of the next meeting to be confirmed.

There being no further matters the meeting closed at 8.15pm

(Ref: 27-28)