Minutes of the Langham Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 4th January 2021 with decisions being reached after a number of telephone calls and e-mail exchanges between members and including the Clerk.                                           
In Attendance:  B North, C. Blundell, P. Allen, P. Godfrey and the Clerk.
1.	Minutes of last meeting held on 9th November, 2020  –   were approved by all members.

2.	Outstanding actions from previous meeting:
a)        Work to 25 Holt Road. No further information has been received from Mr. Kevin Peacock, Planning Enforcement Officer at North Norfolk District Council. It seems that the poor weather and current status of the coronavirus crisis have discouraged a further visit. It is expected that an updated report will be provided in the not too distant future.
b)        Notice board. It is thought that the notice board has been up for more than twelve years. The general feeling is that it should be sited in a more prominent position. On balance, there is a desire for a new board to be purchased rather than refurbishment of the existing one. The exact type of board to be acquired needs to be agreed together with its precise intended location.
c)        Grounds of maintenance contract.  CGM have quoted a figure of £1,471.36 + VAT for 2021 which represents an increase of 3.0% on last year. The service provided is considered to be of a good standard and all members agreed to proceed with acceptance of the new contract.
d)       Defibrillator.  A decision will need to be made as to whether an additional defibrillator is to be purchased. A sum of £800 has been allocated for this purpose in the budget.

        3.     Parish Council meeting dates for 2021
                Monday, 4th January
	  Monday, 8th March
	  Monday, 10th May (incorporating AMPC and APM)
	  Monday, 5th July
	  Monday, 6th September
	  Monday, 8th November

        4.     Planning applications and determinations
	  None

   5.      Finance
Income
None

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Expenditure
30/11/20    Haven Power (electricity – October)			     	      £64.43                        26/12/20    Haven Power (electricity - November) 		       	      £62.46                        20/11/20    K. Webb (quarterly computer allowance)			      £20.00                             4/1/21        K. & M. Lighting Services (street lighting maintenance – Dec)        £18.42                           4/1/21        K. & M. Lighting Services (street lighting maintenance – Jan)	      £18.42                            4/1/21        NNDC (dog bin emptying from 1/4/20 to 31/3/21)		    £218.40                           4/1/21        K. Webb (Clerk’s pay for October, November and December)	    £727.80                           4/1/21	      HMRC (tax on Clerk’s pay)					    £181.80

Acceptance of expenditure approved by all

Balances of Bank accounts:- Current - £10,477.35 credit, Business Saver- £45.78 credit  (as at 24th December, 2020)
				
6.	Precept and Budget for 2021/2022
It was agreed by all to submit a Precept request based on the following figures. The Tax Base has increased from 218.93 to 221.85. The charge for a Band D property is currently £43.39 per annum (i.e. 84p per week) and will remain at this amount. Therefore, the Precept will be £9,626. 
				
7.	Website update
	The new website is in place (https://shaggydogs.wixsite.com/mysite-1). A bill is to be forwarded 	to the Village Hall Committee in respect of the setting up costs as advised in April, 2020. The 
	ongoing webmaster costs are to be covered by the Parish Council (included in the annual 
	budget) with written and small financial contributions to be requested from village groups and 
	organisations.
	 
8.	Correspondence
1)	Police Community update for December, 2020
2)	Norfolk County Council advises that, because of the coronavirus crisis, they are minimising face to face meetings for the next few weeks. Streetscene Inspectors were due to visit the village in the week commencing 14th December, 2020.
	
9.        Any Other Business
Information received from County Councillor, Dr. M. Strong:-

a)  Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) was declared in England (effective from 11 November 2020). All bird keepers whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock are required by law to take a range of biosecurity precautions. If you keep poultry or captive birds you must take action to reduce the risk of disease in your flock by following government advice on biosecurity. Further details of the measures that apply can be found in the AIPZ declaration and biosecurity guidance.  However the website https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu is an easy site to access for all the information people will need, including a poster and biosecurity advice – plus information about how people can voluntarily register their birds.

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The poster is particularly for small flock keepers and pet bird owners.  Defra is promoting the Prevention Zone on the web site which has some simple but effective biosecurity advice for keepers – and additional biosecurity requirements for keepers of larger flocks.

Keep up-to-date on the website, use the search ‘avian influenza latest’ and the main page should provide all information you should need.
Public Health England advises the threat to human health remains very low. Food Standards Agency (FSA) states that based on the  current scientific evidence it poses a very low food safety risk for UK 
consumers. Avian influenza is unconnected with coronavirus.

b)  Trading Standards - Avian Influenza  Control Measures
Further to my recent message regarding the introduction of the  Avian Influenza Prevention Zone that is still in place across England (and devolved nations) I write to advise that the measures required of bird keepers are soon to be enhanced. 
The Chief Veterinary Officers for England, Scotland and Wales have agreed to bring in new measures to help protect poultry and captive birds. The new housing measures announced on the 3 December 2020, which will come into force on the 14 December 2020, mean that it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers to keep their birds indoors and to follow strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease.
These housing measures build on the strengthened biosecurity regulations that were brought in as part of the Avian Influenza Protection Zone (AIPZ) on 11 November 2020. The AIPZ means all bird keepers (whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock) are required by law to take a range of biosecurity precautions.
The measures have been introduced and now enhanced because of the recent number of confirmed cases of Avian Influenza in England.  Avian Influenza is also present in Europe, and wild bird migration brings birds to the UK from areas where highly pathogenic Avian Influenza is present.
Information regarding the latest situation on Avian Influenza, including full details of the Prevention Zone requirements, can be found here
Public Health England advises that the threat to human health remains very low. Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said that on the basis of the current scientific evidence, avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. Avian influenza is unconnected with coronavirus (COVID-19).
Trading Standards Service | Community Information & Learning |Community & Environmental Services

c)	Textile Bank.  The offer of a Textile Bank has been made by North Norfolk District Council. This has been accepted by all and the sum of £50 per tonne will be paid for recyclable textiles.

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d)          Flooding.   Reports have been received regarding flooding to Hollow Lane. The matter was registered with Norfolk County Council on 24th December with e-mail confirmations duly sent out by them. The problem has also been flagged up with the County Council by adjacent property owners. No further updates have been received since the initial correspondence. 

       10.    Agenda items for next meeting   
        	  None 

      11.	Date of next meeting :  Monday, 8th March 2021.   

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