Neasham Parish Council

24/148 - WELCOME

K Sandick welcomed Councillors to the meeting. Apologies for absence were accepted from P Dunn (Prior arrangement).

24/149 – DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no Declarations of Interest.

24/150- MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

The minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 4 February 2025 were confirmed as a correct record.

24/151 – VACANCY ON PARISH COUNCIL

Jeremy Chapple who had expressed an interest in filling the vacancy on the council, had been invited to the meeting and was introduced to the members. Subsequently he agreed to be co-opted to the council and will be sworn in at the April meeting.

24/152 – PACT MEETING

1. The previous meeting had been held on 27/02/25 at Hurworth. G Crute had represented Neasham with a small number of representatives from Hurworth and Middleton SG. There were few matters discussed affecting Neasham, except it was noted that the motor bike stolen from outside the Fox and Hounds had been recovered but the owner had to pay the £160 fee to have it released from the compound.
2. Members are reminded that the next meeting is to be held on 27/03/25 in Neasham RR. K Sandick and B Crossen confirmed that they would be in attendance and other members were urged to attend.  E Miller reported there had been six incidents on his farm, since the last meeting, involving gangs roaming across fields on quad bikes, the latest today and he had been advised to use the 999 contact for ongoing incidents.

24/153 – ROADS AND FOOTPATHS

1. L Tostevin reported that the Re-instatement of road markings at the Dinsdale Park junction and other roads within the parish boundary generally would be carried out in the current month.
2. B Crossen and M Hannaford are doing an excellent job in the removal of overgrown vegetation to the flood bank footpath, which is ongoing.
3. As there had not been any response from Darlington BC to an earlier request for them to install a dog waste bin near the Low Dinsdale church, the clerk was instructed to offer to purchase the bin if they would install it. As there was no response, it is assumed the answer is no, with collection costs being the stumbling block.

24/154 ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

1. It was reported that there is still mole activity in the embankment. The Agency were aware of this and red markings on the ground indicated that they would be taking action shortly.
2. EA have issued an entry notice for clearance work in the Kent Beck area which they had indicated would commence 24/02/2025. Although this date had not been met, it is anticipated it would start shortly.
    

24/155 – VILLAGE GREEN

1. Anticipated work to garden areas. It was noted that the gardens generally look well and the alteration work to the upstand to the raised bed appears to have resolved the issue.
2. Stabilisation work to Low Dinsdale notice board has been carried out. Although the base of the posts were rigid, there was a small amount of movement in the posts themselves. It was agreed that the noticeboard could be lowered to alleviate this.
3. K Sandick has removed his name (as local contact) from the defibrillator to avoid confusion with ambulance contact details. His name would be retained on the floatation device.
4. The Vice Chair reported that updating of Land Registry records in respect of the village green was still pending, although the documents had been submitted to the Registry.
5. Reading Room has set the date for the Duck Derby as 21 June and an application by the organisers for consent to use the village has been submitted and was approved by the members. The Clerk to send a consent letter.
    

24/156 - PLANNING

1. Applications received since last meeting:-
   25/00096/FUL – Part Demolition of 3 bed dwelling and erection of part 2 storey and part 3 storey extension to South Elevation of 32 Teesway, Neasham. (APPROVED).
2. Decisions posted since last meeting: -
   None.
3. It was noticed that a decision on an application had been made in January for which Neasham PC had not received the original notification. The process was queried with Darlington BC and their IT Supervisor confirmed that the policy for notifying parish councils of applications is by email.

24/157 – RISK MANAGEMENT

1. No Scheduled Inspections were due in February, Inspections due in March:- Trees (consolidated with 2024 inspection deferred), Village Green (Revised arrangements B Crossen  M Hannaford to record any issues on inspection schedules).
2. A defect reported was that the combined sewer outlet was blocked, clerk to inform the appropriate authority.
3. The power supply to the village green junction box needs testing, to be followed up with Northumbrian Water.
    

24/158 – FINANCE

1. Previously approved payments made in February:- Eden Landscapes £60.00 (Stabilise noticeboard), Neasham RR £500.00 (Christmas event), Hurworth Concert Band £50.00 (Xmas event). J Walker £18.30 (Postage & Stationary), G Crute £130.37 (Printing etc 2 years).
2. The requested Mandate update finally approved by Barclay’s. The clerk’s request to apply for a second authorisation card was approved.
3. Letter of apology received from NS&I regarding breakdown in communications over mandate and office address changes. However further correspondence has still been sent to the former official office. This letter enclosed a new mandate change request form for completion. Clerk to follow up.

24/159 – REACHING OUT AND COMMUNICATION

1. VE Day 80 Year Celebrations – It had been agreed that Neasham PC would look to join with other organisations in the celebrations. The Reading Rooms were planning for this to be part of their event on 21 June with a “mock battleship” Derby, “forties music” by the band etc. The members agreed a contribution of £500 towards the cost of these events.  It was also proposed that on 8 May Neasham PC have a “raising the flag” ceremony in the morning and a lowering in the evening followed by tea (if facilities were available) for which a budget of £250 was set. The members agreed to the purchase of a flag, bunting, post signs and a “Tommy” silhouette. 
2. Vice Chair stated that he would defer discussions on his proposals for improving reaching out via Facebook until the next meeting.
3. C Bayes advised the meeting that the Reading Room AGM would be held on 10 April when a J Weighell memorial photograph would be unveiled. It was also reported that the Reading Room had a program of 13 events throughout the year.

24/160 – WARD COUNCILLOR MATTERS

1. L Tostevin reported that Dinsdale Park residents had requested that Darlington BC provide additional warning signs and a traffic mirror to warn traffic approaching from Neasham of a dangerous junction ahead at the entrance to the Park. It was reported that this issue had arisen a few years prior and found that some signage was there which had been hidden by an overgrown hedge, however it would not meet the current requirements. L Tostevin also reported that the Planning Inspector’s recommendations allowed for the approval of a scaled down application (from 5 down to 2)   for caravans located off Neasham Road because of a shortage of sites within the Borough.
2. P Walters reported that the North East Railway Association were doing a series of lectures at Hopetown commencing on the 6 March. P Walters also reported that Matt Vickers (MP) would be holding a surgery at Hurworth, although appointments for this are fully booked, he may organise another surgery in the future.

24/161– CORRESPONDENCE

1. Various emails from NALC regarding Chief Executive’s Bulletin (06/02, 13/02, 20/07), Events Newsletter (04/02, 11/02, 07/01).
2. Email from RECCC (19/02) – Cyber Threat January Updates

24/162– OTHER VILLAGE MATTERS

Date for Neasham PC Annual Meeting is set as 6 May 2025, the date for the Parish Assembly is still to agree but must be held prior to 1 June.

24/163 - DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Date of next ordinary parish meeting is Tuesday 1 April 2025.  The meeting concluded at 7.50pm.