Neasham Parish Council

24/131 - WELCOME

K Sandick welcomed Councillors to the meeting. There were no apologies for absence.

24/132 – DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

K Sandick declared a non-percuniary Interest in the consideration of planning application 24/01208/OUT for the erection of 5No Self Build detached house on land off Sockburn Lane. G Crute declared an interest in the last item of agenda item 12 (Payment to AC Media for sundry small works).

24/133- MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

The minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 3 December 2024 were confirmed as a correct record.

24/134 – INTRODUCTION OF NEW PARISH COUNCILLOR

C Bayes was introduced as a new member of the Parish Council and formally signed the Acceptance of Office. The Declaration of Members Interest Form was also signed and handed to the Clerk to forward to Darlington BC.

24/135 – VACANCIES ON PARISH COUNCIL

An additional vacancy on Parish Council remains unfilled. Following confirmation from Darlington BC, this can now be filled by co-option.

24/136 – PACT MEETING

The next two PACT meetings are to be held 27/02/25 (Middleton St George) and 27/03/25 (Neasham RR) and it was felt that it would be useful if Neasham PC could be represented at all meetings. L Tostevin reminded the meeting that all villages are discussed at each meeting regardless of the location where it is held. The Chair stated that because of work commitments he would only attend all the meetings in Neasham. B Crossen will also attend the March meeting. E Miller reported that that there had been many incidents recently involvimg youths with dogs roaming the fields and he had been advised that it should be reported via 999 as they were ongoing incidents. L Tostevin stated that various security items such as window locks, time switches and vibration alarms are available free of charge from the PCSO.

24/137 – ROADS AND FOOTPATHS

1. Re-instating road markings along the road from Dinsdale Park junction to Middleton St George together with other approach roads to Neasham were still outstanding. L Tostevin reported that she followed this up with Highways but it would not be done until the weather improves. L Tostevin also reported that the Dinsdale Park junction was a dangerous exit and she had requested that Highways install a mirror to improve safety.
2. B Crossen and M Hannaford have removed approximately a third of the overgrown vegetation to the flood bank footpath and will continue to the bench adjacent the sluice from where it is anticipated the work will be carried out by a volunteer. Thank you to both for their efforts.
3. A request to Darlington BC, on behalf of Low Dinsdale, for the installation of a dog waste bin to be located in the opposite verge near the church turning circle, as crows appear to be attracted to  the current waste bin, has been sent to B Graham (Head of Environmental Services) which he forwarded to his Street Cleansing Manager, although he holds little hope of success due budgetary restraints. In the subsequent debate on ways of progressing the issue, it was resolved that the clerk contact B Graham again to enquire that if Neasham PC were make a contribution towards the installation, would that assist in an agreement with Darlington BC.

24/138 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

It was reported that there is active mole activity in the embankment. It is understood that there is a schedule of planned visits by the Agency, but the clerk was instructed to contact David Inch to remind him of the problem.

24/139 – VILLAGE GREEN

1. P Dunn reported that they had inspected the garden areas and had a reasonable understanding of what preparation works were required, although the areas were reasonably tidy for this time of year. Thanks again to P & P Dunn.
2. Because of the high winds recently some stabilisation works were required to the Low Dinsdale notice board which have now been carried out.
3. Since the installation of the floatation device and defibrillator, the Chair’s name has been displayed on them, however as they have been recently replaced it was queried whether that was causing confusion with the emergency contact numbers also displayed. It was resolved that these should be removed and included on the village contact notice.
4. The Vice Chair reported that there had been problems in updating of addresses with the Land Registry. The rules relating to identification had been tightened in an effort to combat fraud which had increased the involvement of lawyers on the verification process resulting in an increase in fees. However the Vice Chair had resolved this, by contacting a suitably qualified solicitor at the Borough Council to complete the process. It was agreed that the Vice Chair should write to NALC via the local association informing them of this problem.

24/140 – PLANNING

1. Applications received since last meeting:-
   24/01208/OUT – Erection of 5No detached dwellings on land off Sockburn Lane, Neasham. Following detailed examination of the outline proposals and representation by members of the public it was agreed that the response from the Parish Council was to submit an OBJECTION to the proposals
2. Decisions posted since last meeting: -
   None.

24/141 – RISK MANAGEMENT

1. Scheduled Inspections due in December/January:- Trees (Completion deferred to spring) , Village Green (Revised arrangements), Xmas lighting (Pre- and post-use). The Chair reported that the Xmas lights had been taken down and stored without any breakages and that he still had an unused box in reserve.
2. Testing of power supply to village green junction box is required, contact to be made with NWB to resolve this.

24/142 – FINANCE

1. Previously approved payments made in December/January:- Eden Landscapes £112.00 (Fix noticeboard), Clerk £641.44 (Salary increase backdated), HMRC £160.40 (PAYE), Neasham RR £500.00 (Christmas event), AC Media £96.00 (Website hosting), Hurworth Brass Band £50.00 donation (Xmas event), Eden Landscapes £60.00 (Noticeboard Repair)
2. No queries were raised on the 3Q Finance Report which had been circulated previously.
3. Although no formal notification has been received from Barclay’s, it would appear that the authorised signatories have been updated and mail is now addressed to the new Official address.
4. The requested precept of £11,000 will be paid into the Neasham PC account in April 2025.
5. It was agreed that the clerk could agree a lump sum figure with AC Media for the accumulation of time expended on minor tasks throughout the year.

24/143 – REACHING OUT AND COMMUNICATION

1. The Christmas event organised jointly with the Reading Room had been a great success. The Remembrance Service on the village green was also highly successful with an increase in numbers attending. The organisers of both events are to be congratulated and it was agreed that they would be repeated next year.
2. VE Day – 80 year anniversary celebrations. It was agreed that the parish council should be involved in organising an event. It was resolved to research options, possibly including joining with other organisation, for presentation at the next meeting.
3. The Vice Chair reported that unfortunately due to illness he had been unable make any progress on his proposals to boost Neasham PC postings on Facebook. Although he is not out of the woods yet, he is making a slow recovery. He stated that it is his intention to formulate a plan of action to present at the March meeting.
    

24/144 – WARD COUNCILLOR MATTERS

1. L Tostevin reported that an Employment Fair was being held in the Dolphin Centre on 23 February with a considerable number of vacancies to apply for.
2. P Walters reported Matt Vickers (MP for Stockton West) will be holding a surgery in the Hurworth Grange (date to be advertised). It was also reported that curator’s tours of Hopetown Darlington (incorporating North Road Railway Station) are available at a cost of £10. There is also a “passage in time” experience available at a cost of £5. Both of which are understood to be very good

24/145– CORRESPONDENCE

1. Various emails from NALC regarding Chief Executive’s Bulletin (12/12, 19/12, 09/01, 23/01, 30/01), NALC Events (10/12, 17/12, 07/01, 14/01).
2. Emails from RECCC (17/12, 17/01) – Cyber Monthly Threat Updates.

24/146– OTHER VILLAGE MATTERS

1. C Bayes reported that the Reading Room had an exciting program of event throughout the forthcoming year and would welcome any new volunteers who wished to be involved.
2. E Miller reported that there had been a nasty accident on 29 December which resulted in the closure of the bridge near Low Neasham Springs.

24/147 – DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Date of next ordinary parish meeting is Tuesday 4 March 2025.  The meeting concluded at 7.55pm.