LANGHAM PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on Tuesday 10th May, 2022 in the Village Hall at 7.00 p.m.
                                     
Present:  
Paul Godfrey (Chair)
Alison Newton	
Alan Smith
The Clerk
Richard Kershaw (District Councillor)
Three parishioners

1.	Election of Chairman
One nomination as follows:-
Paul Godfrey (nominated by Alan Smith and seconded by Alison Newton). All in favour.

2.	Election of Vice Chairman
Patrick Allen (nominated by Alan Smith and seconded by Alison Newton). All in favour.
3.	Apologies for Absence
Patrick Allen, Tim Schofield and Kevin Walker
4.	Declarations of Interest
       None
					
5.   Minutes of last meeting held on 15th March, 2022   –   were approved by all members with the following clarification. Mr. Smith mentioned that reference to the siting of planters and/or benches on North Street had been made in the minutes of the meeting held on 4th January, 2022 (item 8).
					
5.         Updated information and matters arising from the previous meeting:
a)         Mr. Smith reported that the Speed Watch Group was moving forward with eight volunteers (six 
            from Langham and two from Blakeney). Paperwork is to be completed and training is to be 
            undertaken. Following approval by the support team in Norwich, the appropriate equipment will 
            be issued. There are currently four approved sites for speed checks in the village including North 
            Street which can be monitored in the 20 mph zone. At some stage, a fifth site will be added.
b)        The new timber notice board is located on the village green.
c)        With regard to the refurbishment of the telephone box, Mr. Walker is to contact Gunthorpe
            Parish Council in respect of the box in Bale which has been treated.
d)        The street light on Field Dalling Road is still not working. The Clerk will inform the contractors.

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e)         Four dog fouling stickers have been applied to the pavement in North Street.
f)          Mr. Schofield is to make arrangements for a new date for a meeting with the District Council to 
             discuss the hotel deliveries.          
g)         Mr. Smith is to arrange for Mr. Dalby (County Councillor) to make a site visit to discuss “H” bars
            so that an assessment for these and/or other initiatives can be made.
h)         Mr. Kershaw is to chase a response regarding the playing field and public space order.

7.      Finance

Income                                                                                                                                                                   12/4/22      NNDC (rental)					                        £50.00     	     		
Expenditure
10/5/22     K. & M. Lighting Services (street lighting maintenance – April)          £21.36                       10/5/22     K. & M. Lighting Services (street lighting maintenance – May)           £21.36                        10/5/22     K. Webb (Clerk’s pay for Jan, Feb and March)	           		       £800.76                       10/5/22     HMRC (tax on Clerk’s pay)					       £200.20                      10/5/22     SCS Accounting Solutions (quarterly payroll)			         £12.00                       10/5/22     Thaxters Timber and Forestry Ltd (fit and supply notice board)   £1,200.00                       10/5/22     BHIB Ltd (annual insurance)					       £436.08

Acceptance of expenditure approved by all members.

Balances of Bank accounts:- Current - £9,939.92 credit, Business Saver- £45.78 credit                                (as at 27th April, 2022)
The Clerk confirmed details of the Annual Income and Expenditure Accounts for the year ended 31st March, 2022 which had previously been circulated to members. These showed income for the year of £11,346 (£12,320), expenditure of £9,893 (£11,009) and Bank balances of £9,936 (£8,483). An Internal Audit is to be carried out and AGAR documentation will be forwarded to the External Auditors after formal approval of the figures is given at the next meeting.
8	Website update and future working/requirements
       A volunteer is needed to assist with the updating of the website. To date, no-one has come forward.
9     Road Safety Community Fund and the Parish Partnership Scheme
       Mr. Smith had attended a conference on Norfolk road safety on 19th April at Wymondham Rugby 
       Club. Under the two main schemes, funds are allocated on an annual basis.

10	Safe School Run Pledge
       This important scheme, which has a number of aims and objectives, has been run by Norfolk County 
       Council since November, 2021. One is to promote the concept of considerate parking. The Chairman 
       is to make contact with the school who, it is felt, would wish to embrace this initiative in view of 
       recent and current traffic issues in North Street.

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11	Future relationships with other Councils/Councillors
       It has been noted that County Councillor Dalby has not been attending our Parish Council meetings. 
       However, he has forwarded a report for this meeting (please see item 14). The Chairman is happy to      
       contact him regarding this and, if necessary, will speak to the leader of the Conservative Group. It 
       was felt that his attendance at “say” a minimum of two Parish Council meetings per year would be
       reasonable. The Chairman will contact Councillor Dalby regarding the Road Safety Community Fund
       and the Parish Partnership Scheme (item 9).
		
12         Planning applications and determinations
a)	RV/22/0789 – variation of condition 2 to allow for ridge to line through –  25 Holt Road, Langham
b)	PF/22/0796 – widening of door and window openings to allow for additional doors, window and Juliet balcony – Broad Reach Barn, 21 The Langham, North Street, Langham.
c)	PF/22/0739 – installation of external spiral staircase – 14 The Langham, North Street, Langham
d)	PF/22/1078 – erection of extensions and front porch, conversion of garage and erection of detached boat store with studio – Meadow Cottage, North Street, Langham
e)	PF/22/0353 – Field to the South, Langham Sewage Treatment Works, Binham Road, Langham – river restoration and creation of an integrated constructed wetland
f)	TPO/21/0986 – land at Langham Road, Morston – confirmation of provisional TPO served on 17/11/21

Mr. Kershaw is to chase the matter regarding the TPO. He is also to check the position with Chris Youngs 
(Conservation Officer) in respect of Listed Building Consent on Stable Court.
Comments are to be made on application PF/22/1078 (above). There are concerns that the boathouse and garage may be potential holiday accommodation. In addition, there is not much space for boats.
A site meeting has been arranged for 11th May, 2022 to view the land covered by application PF/22/0353 (above). 

13.	Correspondence		
1)	Clerks and Councils Direct magazine May, 2022
2)	North Coast Partnership Update – March, 2022
3)	Request from Energy Officer re Norfolk Warm Homes project
4)	Elan City brochure re traffic safety matters
5)	Norfolk Rivers Trust and a proposed wetland creation project

 14.       Reports from County and/or District Councillors
Mr. Dalby forwarded the following report by email:-

Norfolk County Council owned companies encouraged to cut carbon
Council-owned companies are being encouraged to reduce their carbon emissions, as part of the county council’s efforts to help Norfolk become carbon neutral. Norse Group, Hethel Innovation Ltd, Repton Property Developments Ltd and Independence Matters are the focus of a report to the county council’s cabinet on 3 May.  Each company will be encouraged to set out carbon reduction targets once it better understands its own carbon footprint. If cabinet backs the proposal, there will be a follow-up report which outlines the progress of each company in establishing specific carbon reduction targets. 
						
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Further report to follow when initiates are instigated.

Uptake for apprenticeships in Norfolk continues upward trend  
The upward trend in apprenticeship starts is continuing to increase in Norfolk. A 35% increase in apprenticeships has been reported between August 2021 and January 2022,
with 3026 new apprenticeships started in the last 6 months. 
Apprenticeships are a government-funded scheme which gives individuals of any age the opportunity to build a new future whilst earning and learning and enables businesses
to harness new skills and improve their productivity and sustainability at the same time. 
Local employers, training providers, and Norfolk County Council’s dedicated team of experts at Apprenticeships Norfolk, boosted by incentives and grants, are all working
together to make apprenticeships easier to access and to understand for individuals.

Norfolk Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans 
Norfolk County Council has secured a revenue grant from central government to support the development of a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for Norfolk. 
The LCWIP for Norfolk plays an important part in delivering the Government’s strategy for encouraging everyone to cycle and walk more, especially when making short journeys
in towns and cities. Increased levels of active travel, especially for shorter journeys in towns, will help to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and benefit the environment and local economy. 
The County Council is working in partnership with all district and borough councils to create the plan. The Norfolk LCWIP builds on plans already completed for Great Yarmouth,
King’s Lynn and Greater Norwich.  
The objective of the plan is to develop a countywide walking and cycling network, and identify infrastructure improvements over the short, medium and long term. 
The development of the Norfolk LCWIP also supports the delivery of a low carbon, well-connected transport network in Norfolk. 
The plan for Norfolk is in the early stages of development and to support with the development of the plan the County Council has created an online survey to help obtain
insights into current levels of cycling and walking within Norfolk and to identify places where people feel they want to be better connected on foot or cycle. 
The initial Norfolk LCWIP engagement runs from the 5 April to 30 May.
to review and comment on detailed proposals within the Norfolk Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan in Autumn 2022 go to www.Norfolk.gov.uk
The initial Norfolk Cycling and Walking Survey is open from 5 April to 30 May. 
CLLR Michael Dalby
Michael.dalby.cllr@Norfolk.gov.uk
07504545077
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Mr. Kershaw reported as follows:-
a)	Covid cases are dropping and figures are broadly in line with the rest of the country. 160 people are currently in hospital in Norfolk with the virus. NHS staff absences are still very high. The fourth dose of the vaccine is moderna. Pharmacies are closing because of shortage of staff. Waiting times are increasing and repeat prescriptions are often not available.
b)	A Ukraine Liaison Officer has been appointed. This person has been in the U.K. for eleven years. Two sessions per week are being held for refugees at Cromer. 400 hosts have offered accommodation and 47 families have arrived. The schools have been very helpful.
c)	The nutrient neutrality directive imposed by Natural England over concerns with river pollution means that a temporary ban has been placed on granting new homes in certain catchment areas. 66% of North Norfolk is affected with schemes not being approved until it is proven that they would not lead to more nutrients flowing into waterways.
d)	At the end of April, 25% of Council Tax payers had received the rebate of £150.  
		
15.    	Parishioners’ Participation
There was a general feeling that the service provided by Blakeney Surgery had seen a sharp decline and, 
in particular, problems with obtaining prescriptions had resulted in longer and more expensive trips to 
Holt having to be made. Blakeney Parish Council had commenced a campaign highlighting the issues and 
it was asked why Langham Parish Council was not on the lengthy list of Parish Councils supporting this 
initiative. The answer was that it appears that Langham Parish Council has not been asked but would  
indeed be prepared to offer support. In the meantime, Mr. Kershaw is to speak to the Clinical 
Commissioning Group (CCG).  

16.	Any other matters (for information)
Mr. Smith said that the parking on North Street by hotel staff had generally improved but there were occasional lapses. Mr. Kershaw is to deal with the issue of parking on the water hydrant which now has a smaller than expected yellow, cross hatched area (about a metre and a half square). It is wondered if this is what Steve White (County Highways) intended. 
It would appear that all attempts to move the dangerously parked motorhome on the bend in Holt Road have been exhausted with the police, County Highways and the District Council all being either unwilling or unable to take any action. Complaints continue to be received from residents and motorists.
There is a need for vegetation and silt to be cleared from the route between Field Dalling Road and Hollow Lane.
The pots near the Bluebell were mentioned but it was acknowledged that they have been present in their current positions for a considerable length of time. The next SNAP meeting is due to take place on Wednesday, 15th June.
													
17.        Agenda items for next meeting   
             None
         			  
 18.	Date of next meeting :   Tuesday, 28th June 2022 at 7.00 p.m. in the Village Hall 

The meeting closed at 8.32 p.m.

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