Minutes of the Meeting held on Thursday 17th April at 7.15pm
Present: Cllr Barbara Cooper (chairperson)
Cllr Will Bevan
Cllr Mrs Bobbie Coe
Cllr Ben Holland
Cllr Peter White
Sharon Brown (Clerk)
Also present: Cllr Mark Howell, CCC and Christine Morton, Skylark Editor
OPEN FORUM
No representations.
118 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
None
119 MEMBERS’ DECLARATION OF INTEREST FOR ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
None
120 TO SIGN AND APPROVE MINUTES OF LAST MEETING
The Minutes of the last Parish Council Meeting on 27th March were proposed by Cllr White, seconded by Cllr Coe and unanimously approved.
121 REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS
Cllr Tumi Hawkins: the written April Report from Cllr Hawkins was noted.
Cllr Mark Howell gave a verbal report to the Annual Parish Meeting immediately preceding the Parish Council meeting where he highlighted:
a) the recent fining of the County Council for inadequate actions for safeguarding people from the Busway and the subsequent three fatalities. This sum has to be paid over three years to the Health & Safety Executive.
b) The forthcoming elections for county councillors and Cambridgeshire Mayor. Mark himself is stepping down after “eight happy years” and in total as a councillor for 26 years and he will only be standing as an independent in Papworth where he lives. He explained that he thought an elected representative should live in the area for which they are elected. He was congratulated on having been a councillor for such a long time.
122 MATTERS ARISING/TO REPORT FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES (FOR INFORMATION ONLY) – COUNCIL TO REPORT THE FOLLOWING
a) Rubbish dumping: The rubbish at the end of the byway with the B1046 was cleared within a couple of days after having been raised at the March meeting. It was considered unacceptable that the District Councillor has to be asked to take action, when the fly-tipping report was already one month old.
123 FINANCE
a) Accounts update – mid-March – mid-April 2025: Noted.
b) Eyelid Productions – annual fee website management £100. Agreed.
c) Clerk’s Pay and Expenses mid-Mar – mid-Apr 2025 £206.24, HMRC £50.20. Agreed.
d) SSE electricity street lights: March 2024 £102.83; April 2024 £99.52; May 2024 £102.83;
June 2024 £99.52. Noted.
e) Donations – Village sign refurbishment £47.00. Noted
Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR) 2024/25 and other financial statements:
a) AGAR Section 1 – Annual Governance Statement 2024/25. Agreed.
b) AGAR Section 2 – Accounting Statements 2024/25. Agreed.
c) Certificate of Exemption, if agreed by Internal Audit. Agreed.
d) Analysis of variances. Agreed.
e) Bank Reconciliation. Agreed.
Other Financial statements: Cash Book, Asset List. Noted.
124 TO CONSIDER PLANNING APPLICATIONS RECEIVED
a) 25/01060/HFUL – Proposal: Single storey front, side and rear extensions, conversion of garage to habitable space with change from flat to pitched roof and garage door to windows, and application of render and weatherboarding – Site address: 51 High Street Longstowe Cambridgeshire CB23 2UN.
b) 23/02752/CONDF – Land North Of Davids Lodge Old North Road Bourn Cambridgeshire CB23 2TZ. Description – Submission of details required by condition 11 (Surface Water Drainage) of outline planning permission 23/02752/OUT.
c) 25/00932/FUL – Land West Of Stowe Cottage Fox Road Bourn Cambridgeshire CB23 2TY Description – Construction of one self build dwelling.
d) 25/0339/ TTPO – Davids Lodge Old North Road Bourn Cambridgeshire CB23 2TZ – T3- Sycamore, Sooty Bark disease- remove. T4- Elm, severe lean- remove. G5- Group of Sycamore saplings, Sooty Bark disease- remove. G6- Group of Sycamore saplings, Sooty Bark disease- remove. G7- Group of Leylandii- reduce in height by 3 meters to maintain in their current location.
All the above applications were noted. Agreed to make no response as the initial planning approval had not taken into account the Parsh Council concern of the problem crossroads A1198/B1046 adjacent. The details of the site development would not alter this fact. It was also considered that the tree works were possibly necessary.
125 TO CONSIDER OTHER MATTERS
a) Flyers for VE Day and Village Fete: Jane Bowden has produced the flyer which is ready to print.
b) Milestone: Historic England has confirmed that the neither of the Longstowe milestones is a Listed Monument. The County Council Archaeology Officer has provided the County heritage Listing information.
c) EV charger grants: Noted that SCDC grant require the charger to be on Parish Council land, for the Parish Council to have obtained the Certificate of the Power of Competence and for the chargers to be publicly accessible.
d) Formal resignation of Cllr Cooper as Chairperson: Noted.
126 CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED
Correspondence for discussion at the Parish Council meeting; details are available from the
Clerk.
None highlighted.
127 SYKLARK – TO CONSIDER ANY EDITORIAL ISSUES
Copy for the June Skylark to be with the Editor the first week in May. Articles to be included: Towns Land Trust and thanks recorded to John, Dick and Michael Murden for putting the refurbished village sign back in place.
128 DATE OF THE NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING AND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL: THURSDAY 15TH MAY 2025, AT 7.15PM, AT LONGSTOWE VILLAGE HALL.
Signed by Date May 2025
Chairperson