| Time: | 7.30pm | Place: | John Clements Sports and Community Centre, Bury Lane, Codicote SG4 8XY |
| PRESENT: | Councillor D.J. Barnard (Chairman), Councillor Cathryn Henry (Vice-Chairman), Councillor Alan Bardett, Councillor John Bishop, Councillor Jane Gray, Councillor Steve Hemingway, Councillor Sal Jarvis and Councillor Mrs C.P.A. Strong. |
| IN ATTENDANCE: | Mary Caldwell (Development and Conservation Manager), Stuart Izzard (Communities Manager), Ashley Hawkins (Communities Officer) and Hilary Dineen (Committee and Member Services Officer). |
| ALSO PRESENT: | At the commencement of the meeting 44 members of the public. |
| Meeting attachments |
Agenda Front Sheet Map showing Venue Audio Recording of Meeting |
| Item | Description/Resolution | Status | Action | |
| PART I | ||||
| 34 |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Faye Frost. |
Noted | ||
| 35 |
MINUTES Minutes RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 September 2015 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chairman. |
Agreed | ||
| 36 |
NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS There were no notifications of other business. |
Noted | ||
| 37 |
CHAIRMAN'S ANNOUNCEMENTS (1) The Chairman thanked the John Clements Sports and Community Centre for their welcome, in particular Jim Park and Rae French who had worked so hard to prepare the hall for this meeting; (2) The Chairman reminded everyone that, in accordance with Council policy, the meeting was being audio recorded; (3) The Chairman welcomed everyone to this pre-Christmas meeting, particularly those giving a presentation; (4) The Chairman invited all present to join him for some food and a chat after the meeting; (5) Members were reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chairman of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest which requires they leave the room under Paragraph 7.4 of the Code of Conduct, can speak on the item, but must leave the room before the debate and vote. |
Noted | ||
| 38 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - CODICOTE TENNIS CLUB Ms Maxine Sanders, Chair of Codicote Tennis Club, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application as follows: - At the meeting of this Committee held on 10 September 2015, the Committee had agreed to funding of £1,500 towards repairs of the tennis courts following storm damage; - A ground survey had been undertaken, which found no visible voids around the damaged area; - The advice had been to undertake a patch repair and monitor the area over the next 12 months; - Repairs had now been undertaken funded by NHDC, County Councillor Thake and Codicote Parish Council; - The repairs were carried out using black tarmac, whilst the rest of the courts were green; - The repaired areas would be sprayed green in the spring of 2016, at a cost of £800; - A winter tournament was taking place over 12 weeks with 45 people taking part; - The grant application was for £500 towards the spraying of the tennis courts. The Chairman thanked Ms Saunders for her presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 39 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - KINGS WALDEN PARISH COUNCIL Mr Tom Brindley, Kings Walden Parish Council, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and informed members that this grant application had been made prior to the last meeting of this Committee. The Communities Manager confirmed that there had been a problem with the electronic applications for grant funding. The Chairman thanked Mr Brindley for his presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 40 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - DACRE ROOMS, KIMPTON Mr John Marsh and Ms Kate Buckenham, Dacre Rooms, Kimpton, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application as follows: - The Dacre Rooms was an attractive building, given to the men of Kimpton by Lady Dacre in 1879; - The Rooms had been well used in the past; - In the last two years there had been very little use; - Residents were asked whether they wanted to sell the building, they decided to keep it; - Bookings had now increased from one per month to 18 per month; - It costs approximately £1,700 to operate the Rooms and 6 months ago money was running out; - The Rooms were now making a small profit; - The Rooms were not in a good condition and a new boiler was required, which would cost £2,700; - The Rooms had approximately £5,000 in the bank including donations of £1,500 from the Mayfayre Committee and £300 from the Kimpton Players; - An application was being considered for S106 funding. The Communities Manager advised the Committee that the Dacre Rooms was an old building, which needed a lot of work. It was a facility that the village could and did use. Members asked for clarification regarding the ownership of the building Mr Marsh explained that the building was owned and operated by the Kimpton Youth Club Trustees, although there were no deeds for the property. The Development and Conservation Manager advised that a replacement boiler and improvements to the toilets would qualify for S106 funding, but ownership of the building would need to be clear. She suggested that Members may wish to consider recommending S106 funding for this project. The Communities Manager advised that he would work with the organisation to complete applications for funding. The Chairman thanked Mr Marsh and Ms Buckenham for their presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 41 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - GREAT ASHBY COMMUNITY GARDEN Mr Tom Bateman and Ms Jill Troup, Great Ashby Community Garden, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application. There was a small play area, which suffered from anti-social behaviour problems. The plan was to engage the local residents in development of a community garden to hopefully help reduce such social issues in the future. The Chairman thanked Mr Bateman and Ms Troup for their presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 42 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - CODICOTE YOUTH CLUB Ms Kate Omer, Codicote Youth Club, and members of the club, Maddie, Bronwyn and Paige, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee she introduced three members of the Youth Club and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application. The Codicote Youth Club was open every Tuesday providing structured and supported activities and a place for young people to meet up with friends. Parents and young people appreciated the Club as it enabled the young people to spend time in Codicote. The Club tried to offer a different activity each week but needed more equipment in order to offer more activities and the requested funding would help with running costs and equipment. The Chairman thanked the staff and members of Codicote Youth Club for their presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 43 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - CODICOTE FOOTBALL CLUB Mr Jim Bundy, Chairman of Codicote Football Club, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application as follows: - The Club had to play on pitches outside of the village at a cost of £4,000 per annum in hire fees; - The football pitches needed to be improved to enable matches to be played in Codicote; - Fundraising events such as a bike ride had raised £5,000 so far; - The Club already had access to 70 percent of the funds required to improve the pitches; - The Youth Teams had never played in the village, but would be able to do so if the pitches were improved; - It would breathe life into the village and would reduce the Club's Carbon footprint, as they would not have to travel as often. Members asked whether there was any Section 106 money available for this type of project. The Development and Conservation Manager advised that there was currently no S106 funding available for pitch sports in Codicote. The Chairman thanked Mr Bundy for his presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 44 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - KNEBWORTH FOOTBALL CLUB Mr Stuart Biddle (Chairman), Mr Sean Westcott (Vice-Chairman), Mr Luke Howells (Under 18 Coach) and Mr Jack Howells (Member) all of Knebworth Football Club, Thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application as follows: - The Club had 300 members; - They had a problem getting volunteers and coaches and were therefore embarking on a training programme for coaches; - The grant would pay for coaches to progress through the next set of training courses. Members suggested County Councillor Locality Budgets and Knebworth Village Trust as other sources of funding that could be applied for. The Chairman thanked the representatives of Knebworth Football Club for their presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 45 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - KIMPTON PRE - SCHOOL Ms Claire Clark, Kimpton Pre - School, was unable to attend the meeting to make a presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 46 |
PUBLIC PRESENTATION - ST IPPOLYTS NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN STEERING GROUP Parish Councillor Peter Hobson, St Ippolyts Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding their grant application as follows: - The Steering Group was currently preparing a Neighbourhood Plan; - This would involve accommodating an additional 163 houses in a village of 800 houses; - This was a complicated, challenging process; - The Steering Group had been granted £7,000 from Locality Ltd, which had funded the engagement of a market research consultant; - Funds were needed to be able to turn the conclusions of the market research into a planning policy document; - The help received so far from the NHDC Planning Authority was much appreciated, but it was now necessary to engage someone to write the final document; - The minimum cost for preparing the document was £1,000 for which grant funding of £300 was being requested. Members asked whether alternatives to a neighbourhood Plan had been considered Parish Councillor Hobson acknowledged that alternative methods could be used, but some of the priorities, such as open spaces, could only be addressed using the neighbourhood Plan. The Plan would provide an evidence based document that maximise the input of local people. The Chairman thanked Parish Councillor Hobson for his presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 47 |
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION - KIMPTON FOLK FESTIVAL 2016 Mr Doug Jenner (Chairman) and Mr Richard Stewart (Member), Kimpton Folk Festival, thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to address the Committee and gave a verbal presentation regarding the grant application as follows: - Initial events were held in pubs and these drew interest from around the area; - The Folk Festival was the logical next step; - The initial idea was to start something new and planning started last year but the event gained momentum; - There was considerable support for the event with grant funding so far of £1,000 from the May Festival and £2,500 from the Parish Council; - The Festival would be a one day event held on Kimpton Recreation Ground, which would celebrate and showcase talent from Kimpton and North Hertfordshire; - Kids events and workshops were also being considered; - The event would cost £14,250 and the requested funding would be crucial to get a high profile act; - Applications for funding were also being made to London Luton Airport and Awards for All; - Formal charitable status was being sought, which would then allow applications for funding to be made for arts funding. Members asked what any grant funding would be used for; whether an entry fee would be charged and what was the target number attending. Mr Jenner advised that funding would be used to pay for the stage, lighting, portaloos, marketing and acts; tickets would cost £10 per adult and £5 per child and the expected attendance would be 500 people. Members noted that the event was a long way from breaking even financially and that the current plans would result in a subsidy of £8 per head and asked where the attendees were likely to come from. Mr Stewart advised that they were becoming more ambitious and that nationally know artists would likely reduce their fees for a new event. Attendees would come from the local area as well as fans who follow particular artists. They would also be renting out pitches for craft and food stalls. The Chairman thanked Mr Jenner and Mr Stewart for their presentation. |
Noted | ||
| 48 |
SECTION 106 AND UNILATERAL UNDERTAKINGS Report Appendix A - Monitoring Report The Development and Conservation Manager presented the report entitled Section 106 and Unilateral Undertakings. She advised that the report sought to make Members aware of the contributions received as a result of planning permissions and subsequently the monies committed to specific projects. The figure in Paragraph 8.4.1 for 2014/15 the income should read £1,289,621. The changes to legislation, as detailed in Paragraph 8.2, came into effect in April and. whilst implementation was in its infancy with regard to negotiating 106 agreements, the emphasis was on the justification for contributions. She had attended various Parish Council meetings to explain this, particularly those with development proposals within their parish boundary. She explained that for any project to possibly be included in any agreement, work needed to be undertaken to prepare a brief, costings and the justification, in order to satisfy the tests set out in Paragraph 8.1.1. A good example of this was Offley Parish Council, who worked up a scheme and held a public consultation that demonstrated their use of monies, collected from the current scheme under construction, for improvements to the recreation ground and, with some further agreements to be included the monies would be available once orders were finalised. The Development and Conservation Manager drew attention to Paragraph 8.4.1, which set out the income and expenditure over the years and Paragraph 8.4.2, which showed the projects that had benefited from the contributions during the last financial year and so far this year. It was anticipated that approximately £312,000 would be drawn down for projects under the Greenspace Strategy. The amount of contributions available to spend, as detailed at Paragraph 8.4 did not take into account monies allocated, but not yet spent. When considering Appendix A, the allocations or the specific requirements for the contributions were highlighted in red. Some of the capital projects may not take place until 2018/19 for example Greenspace Management Plans and with others there was a ten year spend time. The Chairman reminded Members that they needed to help educate Parish Councils regarding S106 and Unilateral Undertakings. Parish Councils need to have projects planned and costed, even if they are against a proposed planning application. The Development and Conservation Manager reminded Members that any proposed project must be able to demonstrate that is mitigated the effect of the development on infrastructure. Members were concerned that developers could and do argue that their development would be unviable if they had to pay S106 contributions The Development and Conservation Manager advised that, if developers, when discussing S106 contributions, say they are unaffordable, NHDC undertake their own assessment of the scheme and that CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) would not be introduced until the Local Plan was in place. Up to April 2015 S106 had been collected under headings and the monies could be pooled, resulting in the ability to use funds more broadly. Since April 2015 unlimited pooling was no longer possible and funding would be collected for specific projects. Codicote Parish Council did not present any potential projects and therefore would receive no S106 from the Croudace development. In respect of the presentation made by the Dacre Rooms, Kimpton, the Development and Conservation Manager had previously advised that a replacement boiler and improvements to the toilets would qualify for S106 funding. Members noted that this may be the last report Mary Caldwell would make to this Committee as she would be retiring in the new year and wished to place on record their thanks for her hard work and support over the years and offer good wishes for her retirement. RESOLVED: (1) That the contents of the report entitled S106 and Unilateral Undertakings be noted; (2) That the Development and Conservation Manager be requested to prepare a report regarding S106 and Unilateral Undertakings on an annual basis; (3) That, other than where a contribution has been negotiated for a specific purpose or project, Ward Members of the area where Section 106 or Unilateral Undertaking funding is generated be consulted prior to allocation of funds to any project; (4) That, other than where a contribution has been negotiated for a specific purpose or project, Ward Members of the area where Section 106 or Unilateral Undertaking funding is generated and the Area Committee be consulted prior to funding being allocated away from that area or from a village location to a town; (5) That, subject to the satisfactory receipt of further information to support the application for funding from Section 106 contributions, the Communities Manager shall apply on behalf of the Dacre Rooms, Kimpton for funding towards a replacement boiler and improvements to the toilets; (6) That this Committee thank Mary Caldwell, Development and Conservation Manager, for her hard work and support over the years and offer good wishes for her retirement. REASON FOR DECISION: (1) To ensure that there is a robust system for negotiating and managing Section 106 and Unilateral Undertakings; (2) To ensure that this is kept under constant review and that the risk associated with this activity is managed in an appropriate manner. |
Agreed | ||
| 49 |
COMMUNITY UPDATE AND GRANT APPLICATIONS Report Appendix 1 - Budget Sheets Appendix 2 - Committee Summary Update Appendix 3 - Grant Application - Codicote Tennis Club Appendix 4 - Ward Grant Application - Codicote History Society Appendix 5 - Grant Application - Kings Walden Parish Council Appendix 6 - Grant Application - Choir on Fire Appendix 7 - Grant Application - Dacre Rooms Appendix 8 - Grant Application - Gt Ashby Community Gardening Appendix 9 - Grant Application - Codicote Youth Club Appendix 10 - Grant Application - Codicote Football Club Appendix 11 - Grant Application - Knebworth Football Club Appendix 12 - Grant Application - Kimpton Pre-School Appendix 13 - Grant Application - St Ippolyts Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group Appendix 14 - Ward Grant Application - Knebworth Parish Council Appendix 15 - Ward Grant Application - Breath Easy North Herts Appendix 16 - Grant Application - Kimpton Folk Festival The Communities Manager presented the report entitled Community Update and Grant Applications and drew attention to the following: BUDGETS The current level of unallocated funds within the Committee's Budgets were: Development Budget £24,991; Ward Member Budgets £6,000. There was one further meeting of this Committee in March 2016 and funds must be allocated by the end of the financial year. GRANTS FROM WARD BUDGETS The Communities Manager advised that there were three further Ward Grants that required authorisation under delegated powers and then formal ratification at the Committee's meeting in March as follows: Wymondley Pavilion - £300 - Chesfield Offley Signage - £100 - Hitchwood, Offa and Hoo All In Room, St Kats - £250 - Cadwell Members supported these Ward Grants. RURAL GRANTS The Rural Grants Panel, made up of urban Members, will meet to consider the 31 applications received. The results will be emailed to all Members of the Committee. RESOLVED: (1) That the activities and schemes with which the Communities Manager has been involved with, as set out in the report, be noted; (2) That the budgetary expenditure, balances and carry forwards within the Area Committee Development Budget spreadsheet, as attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be noted. REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure that the Southern Rural Committee is kept informed of the work of the Communities Manager and to inform Members of the financial resources and current budgetary position. |
Agreed | ||
| 50 |
GRANT APPLICATION - CODICOTE TENNIS CLUB The Communities Manager advised that Codicote Tennis Club valued the previous grant funding. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £500 be awarded from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget to Codicote Tennis Club towards the cost of repairs to the damaged tennis courts. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 51 |
WARD GRANT APPLICATION - CODICOTE HISTORY SOCIETY RESOLVED: That grant funding of £200 be awarded from the 2015/16 Codicote Ward Budget to Codicote History Society towards the cost of installation of secondary glazing units at Codicote Museum. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 52 |
GRANT APPLICATION - KINGS WALDEN PARISH COUNCIL The Communities Manager advised Members that Kings Walden Parish Council had applied for £2,380. Although the maximum he could recommend was £1,500, Members could agree grant funding up to the amount requested. It was proposed and seconded the grant funding of £1,500 be awarded to Kings Walden Parish Council towards access works to the Youth Hut. RESOLVED: That grant funding of £1,500 be awarded from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget to Kings Walden Parish Council towards the costs of access works to the Youth Hut. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 53 |
GRANT APPLICATION - CHOIR ON FIRE The Communities Manager advised that Choir on Fire were due to sing at this meeting, but were booked to sing elsewhere. The Choir was based in St Ippolyts and they were seeking grant funding towards the transport costs associated with entering the Music for Youth Festival in March 2016. RESOLVED: That grant funding of £500 be awarded to Choir on Fire from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget for transportation costs associated with entering the Music for Youth Festival in March 2016. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 54 |
GRANT APPLICATION - DACRE ROOMS, KIMPTON The Communities Manager reminded Members that the Dacre Rooms needed a lot of work in order to make it more able to be used. The Boiler and the improvement to the toilets could be funded via S106 contribution, which he would give support to apply for. There were a number of other improvements needed for which grant funding could be used. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £2,000 be awarded to the Dacre Rooms, Kimpton from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget towards the costs associated with refurbishment works. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 55 |
GRANT APPLICATION - GREAT ASHBY COMMUNITY GARDENING PROJECT The Communities Manager advised that this gardening project was additional work to the work undertaken by NHDC, but it would be supported by the Grounds Maintenance Team and therefore funding would be controlled by the Communities and Grounds teams. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £1,500 be awarded to NHDC Grounds Maintenance from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget towards the cost of the Great Ashby Gardening Project. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 56 |
GRANT APPLICATION - CODICOTE YOUTH CLUB RESOLVED: That grant funding of £700 be awarded to Codicote Youth Club from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget as support funding for equipment and activity costs. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 57 |
GRANT APPLICATION - CODICOTE FOOTBALL CLUB The Communities Manager advised that the Football Club were hoping to update the facilities, such as floodlights and spectator stand, in order to meet the requirements needed for matches to be played in Codicote. Any grant funding awarded would enable the Club to apply for other funding. Members were very supportive of the ambitious scheme but were a little disappointed that the Ladies Football Team had not been fully integrated. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £5,000 be awarded to Codicote Football Club from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget towards the costs of installing floodlights and constructing a new spectator stand. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 58 |
GRANT APPLICATION - KNEBWORTH FOOTBALL CLUB It was proposed seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £1,170 be awarded to Knebworth Football Club from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget towards the costs associated with the development of a coach mentoring project. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 59 |
GRANT APPLICATION - KIMPTON PRE - SCHOOL The Communities Manager advised members that the Committee had awarded grant funding two years ago for an outside play area. This application was for £500 towards language development aids. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £500 be awarded to Kimpton Pre - School from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget towards the cost of enhancing the outdoor play area and purchasing additional learning aids. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 60 |
GRANT APPLICATION - ST IPPOLYTS NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN STEERING GROUP It was prosed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £300 be awarded to St Ippolyts Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget towards the costs of developing a Neighbourhood Plan. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 61 |
WARD GRANT APPLICATION - KNEBWORTH PARISH COUNCIL Prior to the item being discussed Councillor Steve Hemmingway declared an interest as he was a Member of Knebworth Parish Council. He advised that he would not take part in the debate or vote. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £250 be awarded to Kneboworth Parish Council from the 2015/16 Knebworth Ward Budget towards the cost of tree works at Norton Common. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 62 |
WARD GRANT APPLICATION - BREATH EASY NORTH HERTS It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £200 be awarded to Breath Easy North Herts from the 2015/16 Chesfield Ward Budget towards the cost of delivering a programme of monthly sessions. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 63 |
GRANT APPLICATION - KIMPTON FOLK FESTIVAL 2016 The Communities Manager advised that he was supporting Kimpton Folk Festival to apply for grant funding from London Luton Airport and to apply for a full premises licence for the event. Any grant funding awarded by this Committee would enable the Festival to apply for funding from other organisations. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED: That grant funding of £2,500 be awarded to Kimpton Folk Festival from the 2015/16 Discretionary Budget towards the cost of staging a one day folk festival on 9 July 2016. REASON FOR DECISION: To improve services provided by local organisations and groups which are accessed by the community. |
Agreed | ||
| 64 |
WARD AND OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS - MEMBERS' REPORTS The Chairman asked members to consider any Ward or Outside Organisation issues that they could make a short presentation about at the next meeting of this Committee due to be held on 3 March 2016. |
Noted | ||