At the start of the
meeting the Chairman led a minute's silence in respect of our late Councillor
Phil Harle.
Pre-meeting Reports
06 December 2022
161. Andy Jolliffe, Communities
Officer, East Suffolk Council was in attendance and gave a presentation on
Assets of Community Value often known as Right to Bid, outlining the
eligibility requirements and processes that need to be considered and followed,
to list an Asset of Community Value.
162. County Councillor
Cllr Haworth-Culf was in
attendance and a report will be circulated tomorrow. County Cllr Haworth-Culf congratulated the
Town Council on the new play equipment recently installed at Victory Road
Recreation Ground. She commented on the Eurolink and Sealink
consultations, and informed councillors that our local MP Thérèse Coffey has
set up an Energy Petition to Review of Onshore Connections and urged
Councillors if they are in agreement to sign and encourage others to do so: https://www.theresecoffey.co.uk/energy-petition-review-onshore-connections. With the inclement weather forecast she
reminded councillors of the Suffolk Prepared website providing information on
how to prepare for an emergency such as a power cut: https://suffolkprepared.co.uk/.
During the above item,
the time reached 7.30pm. It was proposed by Cllr Hill, seconded by Cllr Hawkins
and agreed, Standing Orders be suspended to allow the public part of the
meeting to be completed.
County Cllr
Haworth-Culf was pleased to announce that as of Friday Leiston will have a
Lollipop Person, Wayne Burns, to patrol the crossing by the Primary School.
163. District Councillor
No District Cllrs were in attendance and a report had been
previously circulated.
164. Public Forum
A resident commented
their dismay regarding the recent decision by ESC licensing department to grant
licence extensions to Leiston Newsagents and Engineers Arms. The Chairman confirmed that the Town Council
were not a consultee but had submitted objections to these proposals and would
be discussing this further under item 14 on tonight’s agenda. County Cllr
Haworth-Culf commented that she was dismayed there had been no representation
by Suffolk Police and asked if in future we could copy Tim Passmore, Police and
Crime Commissioner for Suffolk in to any objections and request their
representation.
At a meeting of the
LEISTON-cum-SIZEWELL TOWN COUNCIL
held in the COMMUNITY
CENTRE, King Georges Avenue, Leiston, on
TUESDAY 06 December
2022 at 7.37pm
Councillor J Last (in the Chair)
Councillor D Bailey
Councillor D Boast
Councillor T Cooper
Councillor Mrs N Corbett
Councillor D Dix
Councillor Mrs S Geater
Councillor T Hawkins
Councillor Mrs L Hill
Councillor P Kyle
Councillor Mrs S Levermore
Councillor D Morsley
165. Minutes
It was proposed by Cllr
Hill, seconded by Cllr Corbett and agreed that the minutes for the meeting of 01
November 2022 be signed as a true record.
166. Apologies
Apologies were received
from Cllr Cooper.
167. Chairman’s Communications
Councillors were saddened to hear of the
sudden passing of our colleague and friend, Councillor Phil Harle. Cllr Harle was a well respected member of
Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council serving on the Council from May 2019 to his
passing on 15 November. Cllr Harle
worked very hard for all those he represented.
At this sad and difficult time our thoughts are with Sandra and
family. A thanksgiving service for Cllr
Harle is being held at St Margarets Church. Leiston
tomorrow at 2pm.
I also mention the passing of Vera
Ginger, wife of former Councillor Colin Ginger, who was a regular attendee of
our Council meetings over the years, as a member of the public.
On 9 November I
attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Film Theatre, Leiston. An evening
of musical entertainment, and a sing along were performed with an Act of
Remembrance. The organisations involved once again,
all did very well.
On 11 November I
attended Armistice Day Ceremony, Victory Road Park which was once again well
attended. This year also saw the return of the maroon signifying to our town
the commencement and finish of the silence.
On 12 November, which
was a very warm and sunny day, I along with fellow Councillors carried out Bulb
Planting and tidying work at the Community Orchard.
November 13 was the
Remembrance Parade and Church Service and I laid a Wreath on behalf of
Leiston-cum-Sizewell Town Council and after the Parade thanked all those
involved and recognised the work of the volunteers
for the Poppy Appeal.
On 17 November a
Wellbeing Hub meeting took place at the Waterloo Centre which was attended by
myself, Town Clerk and Councillors Hill and Boast. A further meeting was also
held on 2 December.
On 22 November I was
invited to attend the Rose and Sweet William Club to give a talk on my role as
Chairman and the work of the Town Council, followed by a question-and-answer
session. After which was Tea, Biscuits and Bingo!
On 23 November I took
the opportunity to speak to the organisers of the Eurolink Interconnector, National Grid Ventures
Consultation briefing held at the Waterloo Centre.
On 24 November
Councillors Hill, Corbett and myself attended the Sizewell C-Power of Good
Conference at the Orbis Centre, Lowestoft, which
covered the Supply Chains, Employment, Training, the next steps, and
timeframes. There were also opportunities for networking including Hinkley C.
And finally, I would
like to thank Councillors for all the hard work carried out during the year on
behalf of our community. I wish Councillors, Office Staff, members of the Public
with us this evening and our Community a Merry Christmas and best wishes for
the New Year.
168. Declarations of Interest
Cllr Hill for Leiston
Film Theatre, CLT, Leiston Surgery PPG and item 12b, Cllr Dix for Leiston
Events Group, Cllr Geater for item 11a, Cllr Boast for CLT, Cllr Hawkins for
item 12a, Cllr Morsley for item 12a and Cllr
Levermore for item 12a, CLT and Leiston Film Theatre.
169. Play
Areas/Open Spaces
a)
Update on Victory Road
Play Equipment
Mrs Kemp reported the
installation of the new play equipment is now complete and there has been
positive feedback from residents. The
minor snagging on the 4 in a row game has been reported and will be rectified,
there is no safety concern.
Mrs Kemp reported that members of the Skatepark Working Party have now met
with representatives from Betongparks and the design
process for the Skatepark upgrade is now underway, it is hopeful that the
installation process will start late February/early March. Skaters from the Working Party will be
arranging some fundraising events to help with the cost of repairs to the
existing park, allowing us more funds for the upgrade.
c) Leiston Makes Spaces for Wildlife
Cllr Corbett spoke about the reservoir area at
Buckton Place and the possibility of screening the area with prickly hedges
which would provide a barrier around the reservoir and create a space for
wildlife. Cllr Bailey commented that he
would like to see close link fencing erected.
After a brief discussion it was proposed by Cllr Corbett, seconded by
Cllr Geater that Cllr Corbett would write to the developer Permission Homes and
ask if they would consider planting prickly hedges around the reservoir at
Buckton Place. Cllr Hill asked for an amendment to this proposal to request
close chain link fencing to be considered, this was duly accepted by Cllr
Corbett and it was agreed Cllr Corbett would write to Permission Homes
requesting the consideration of prickly hedging and close link fencing around
the reservoir at Buckton Place.
170. Assets
a)
Waterloo Centre Wellbeing Pilot Update
A
meeting was held on 2nd Dec where copies of documents such as
Memorandum of Understanding, Risk Assessments had been shared from the Unity
Centre in Ipswich (a similar venture).
The Town Clerk has located relevant internal documents relevant to the
Waterloo Centre namely risk assessments, and insurances with the intention to
work on some draft agreements around the use of the building..
The
INT Team (integrated Neighbourhood Team) have identified funding for a
Co-Ordinator post and are working on a draft job description.
It
was apparent at the meeting that there are matters that the Waterloo Steering
group need to discuss and understand in more detail for example the current
costs and maintenance of the building.
A
meeting is planned before Christmas for these discussions..
171. Highways and Transport
a)
Traffic and Transport Group Update
Cllr Last reported that
the Town Council held an internal meeting with the Traffic and Transport Group
members on 14 November, notes from this meeting will be circulated shortly. The
next step is to arrange a meeting with LDA the developers of the Leiston
Masterplan to talk through our plan.
b) Highways Meeting Minutes of 8
November 2022
Councillors noted the previously circulated minutes. Councillors were disappointed with very
little progress on items and there was no representation from SCC at the last
meeting. The Town Clerk confirmed that a
strongly worded letter has been sent to our County Councillor Haworth-Culf highlighting
these issues.
172. Energy Projects
a)
SZC Conference
Cllr Corbett gave a
report on the SZC Doing a Power of Good Conference that herself Cllr Hill and
Cllr Last attended on 24 November. A
copy of the report is attached to these minutes.
b)
Euro Link and SeaLink
Consultation Response
Councillors noted the
draft Consultation Response that had been previously circulated. The Town Clerk reminded Councillors the
deadline for the consultation response is 18 December and advised that we wait
until nearer that date to submit our response in case any minor changes are
needed. It was proposed by Cllr Hill,
seconded by Cllr Morsley and agreed in principle to
accept the draft Consultation Response and make any minor amendments required
before submission.
Councillors spoke of
the Energy Petition for Review of Onshore Connections setup by local MP Thérèse
Coffey and it was proposed by Cllr Morsley, seconded
by Cllr Kyle and agreed to submit a response as Leiston Town Council.
173. Outside Bodies
a) CLT Trustee Report
Councillors noted the
previously circulated report.
b)
Library Steering Group AGM of 17 November 2022
Councillors noted the
previously circulated report. The Clerk
informed Councillors that an additional councillor is needed to join the
Library Steering Group Committee, Cllr Kyle volunteered to be the
representative.
c) Leiston Events Group
Councillors noted the
previously circulated report. The
Chairman thanked the Events Group for putting up the Christmas lights in the
town.
174. Civic
Events
a) Remembrance Sunday 13 November 2022
Cllr Last spoke of the
absence of the traffic management for Remembrance Sunday. He confirmed that the
Town Council had followed the correct protocol and that it was Network
Assurance that were at fault. A formal
letter of complaint has been sent to Network Assurance.
175. Finance and Personnel
a)
Accounts for Payment
It was proposed by Cllr
Boast, seconded by Cllr Morsley and agreed that the
accounts paid since the last meeting of £92,583.80 be approved for payment.
b)
Accept Internal Auditors Mid-Term Report
Members noted the
previously circulated report and the recommendation to review our fidelity
cover at the end of this financial year. As we have significant funds in our
current account as highlighted within the audit report the RFO recommends the
council look to adopt a Treasury Management Investment Strategy. It was proposed by Cllr Morsley,
seconded by Cllr Dix and agreed to accept the report and recommendations to
review fidelity cover and look in to adopting a Treasury Management Strategy.
c)
Precept and Budget
The Clerk advised she
is currently working on the budget with the RFO for next year and asked
councillors to let her know by 13 December if they had any suggestions or
projects they would like to be considered.
d) Parochial Charities
The Clerk advised a new
trustee was required for the Parochial Charities; Cllr Geater volunteered to be
the new trustee. Action: New Year
e) Dementia Project
After a brief
discussion it was proposed by Cllr Levermore, seconded by Cllr Morsley, and agreed to grant £1000 from our grants fund and
ask the Parochial Charities trustees if they will donate £1000 from the
Parochial fund to support the Dementia Project.
f) CCLA Investment Account
It was proposed by Cllr Corbett, seconded by
Cllr Levermore and agreed that the contact name on the account be
changed to the current Town Clerk. Mrs
Rinder be removed as a signatory and Ms Greengrass to be added.
176. Policies and Procedures
a) Health and Safety Policy
Members noted the
recently circulated revised Health and Safety Policy. On a proposition from Cllr Morsley, seconded by Cllr Hill it was agreed to adopt this
policy.
b) Financial
Regulations for Adoption
Members noted the
recently circulated updated Financial Regulations. On a proposition from Cllr Hill, seconded by
Cllr Morsley it was agreed to adopt the updated
Financial Regulations.
177. Planning Matters
RECOMMEND APPROVAL
b) DC/22/4382/FUL – Single storey rear extension and replacement front porch with WC and
shower. - 25 Garrett Crescent Leiston Suffolk IP16 4LF
RECOMMEND
APPROVAL
c) DC/22/4262/FUL - Building garage - 23 Seaward Avenue Leiston Suffolk IP16 4BB
RECOMMEND
APPROVAL
d) DC/22/4608/FUL - To construct a single storey facility containing a meeting room, office
space and maintenance workshop with associated parking - Sizewell Halt King
Georges Avenue Leiston Suffolk
RECOMMEND APPROVAL
e) AP/22/0064/NONDET - Change
of Use from former Public House to HMO providing a total of 11
rooms | The Crown King Georges Avenue Leiston Suffolk IP16 4JX
RECOMMEND
REFUSAL
178. County Matters
Nothing raised.
179. District Matters
a) Licensing Decision – Leiston Newsagents and Engineers
Arms
Cllr Corbett
highlighted her dismay that Suffolk Police submitted no response to and did not
attend the recent hearings regarding extension of licensing hours for Leiston
Newsagents and Engineers Arms. After a
brief discussion it was proposed by Cllr Corbett, seconded by Cllr Hill and
agreed to write a strongly worded letter to ESC Licensing Department
highlighting the town councils disappointment these license extensions were
granted and copy in Tim Passmore, Police and Crime Commissioner, the Chief
Constable of Suffolk Constabularyand SZC. Action:
Town Clerk
Cllr Morsley abstained from this vote
Cllr Dix reported that
Leiston Local are selling alcohol and questioned why this was being allowed as
to our knowledge they have no alcohol licence.
The Clerk will follow this up with Cllr Cooper. Action: Town Clerk
Cllr Geater raised
concerns regarding smoking outside of the Primary School gates and if there are
any regulations that we can put in place to stop this. The Clerk confirmed that as this is not our
footpath we would not be able to put any enforcement in place. Cllr Geater will raise this with the Primary
School. She also highlighted a problem
with dog fouling along the Primary School footpath.
Cllr Bailey questioned
if we still had an agreement in place with Norse regarding the clearing of
pathways in the town during inclement weather.
Mrs Kemp will investigate. Action
Mrs Kemp
Cllr Hill questioned
who was responsible for the Chapel at Leiston Cemetery and if
there is any funding available to install heating and
toilets. Mrs Kemp will follow this up
with Simone Gallant, Cemetery’s Manager, ESC. Action: Mrs Kemp
180. Correspondence
Britten Pears
Councillors noted the request from Britten
Pears Arts to continue to use the Waterloo Centre free of charge to run their
Participate Group which aims to increase the health and wellbeing of older
people in Leiston who are at risk of isolation, once weekly from 11 January to 29
March. After a lengthy discussion it was proposed by Cllr Boast,
Seconded by Cllr Morsley that we let them use the
centre free until the 29 March at which point they would then be charged this
motion was not carried. A second proposal was put forward by Cllr Levermore to
allow Britten Pears to use the centre free of charge until 29 March and then
look at how the Waterloo Centre is being utilised and review again this was
seconded by Cllr Kyle and agreed.
Leiston Long Shop Museum
Councillors noted the request from Leiston Long
Shop Museum requesting £15,000.00 in March to aid with their increasing running
costs. After a brief discussion it was
proposed by Cllr Hill, seconded by Cllr Bailey and agreed that this was not the
right time to consider this request and that it be reconsidered in the next
financial year. Action: Town Clerk to
action
190. Questions to the Chairman
Cllr Geater asked if the damage to the
fabric of building inside the Waterloo Centre caused by the installation of the
new heating system SCC have installed will be rectified. The Clerk confirmed we will chase this
up. Action: Town Clerk
Anti-Social behaviour: The Town Clerk reported on a conversation
with Leiston’s Community Officer, Zoe Botten regarding the recent stabbing
incident. The Police are planning to be visible in the Town to reassure the General
Public.
The meeting finished at
9.58 pm
Chair
---------------------------------------------
Dated ---------------------------------------------
SZC - Doing a Power of Good
Chairman John, Vice Chair Lesley and myself
attended the SZC - Doing the Power of Good Conference on 24 November at Orbis
Energy in Lowestoft.
The focus was on skills and supply chain and
was attended mainly by companies within the engineering and energy sector and
refreshments were provided by a necompany new to the
SZC supply chain portal. Catering on the SZC site is likely to be cooperative
of small catering companies like the model at Hinkley.
Also in attendance were property companies and
presentations from the supply chain manager for SZC made mention of spare room
letting and HMOs setting up locally. We challenged this strategy and questioned
the number of beds being provided by the campus and the caravan park. Tom
McGarry was at first defensive but later in the meeting he conceded that we
were right to seek reassurance and that SZC Co would endeavour to do this.
We also challenged the difficulties that might
be experienced in recruiting enough contractors in light of immigration laws
and competing infrastructure projects. We were assured that SZC will be a
project that many will aspire to work on and that the amount of investment in
training and skills will hopefully fulfil the workforce requirements.
MP for Waveney, Peter Aldous, spoke with great
gusto about his support for SZC - he can clearly see the benefits for his own
constituency. But it was regrettable that our own MP was not in attendance, or
more small and medium-sized businesses from the Leiston area, as collaboration
to win contracts is an emerging priority for small companies wishing to be part
of the supply chain. We will lobby for a more suitable location in future.
We had very useful conversations with Julia
Pyke, the Head of the SZC project and also the newly appointed member of the
team responsible for workforce integration and welfare, who has moved over to
SZC from Hinkley. Both are keen to show us progress at Hinkley in the new year
while it is still at peak construction. We were also offered a tour of the
campus facilities and were assured those at SZC would be of equal quality and
scale. On a personal level, I am yet to be convinced - especially as the
Bridgwater sports facility is open for the community. No such plans are in
place for Sizewell.
In conclusion we felt the morning was extremely
useful and we managed to engage successfully with key members of the SZC team,
establishing a relationship which we need to maintain going forward.
Tourism Conference
Vice Chair Lesley Hill and I attended the Suffolk
Coast Conference last week. The event focussed on how the hospitality industry
can beat the recession and current tourism trends. But a significant section
was focussed on the proposed energy projects and their effect on the industry
locally. I think it fair to say that there are many who are only looking at the
immediate problems facing their businesses this winter and are yet to
contemplate the effect of the energy projects.
On SZC, the presentation by Paul Wood (ESC)
highlighted the geographic area covered by the SZC Community Fund and the
Tourism Fund, which extends from Felixstowe to Lowestoft. Rebecca Calder from
the SZC project was a delegate at the conference and we had a long conversation
with her. Rebecca says she is keen to explain the finer detail of the Deed of
Obligation to the Energy Working Group and to also give us more information on
the housing and accommodation strategy. She challenged the 17% predicted drop
in tourism income which was a figure quoted by ESC in their presentation. We
hope to meet up with her and socioeconomics contractor, Mike Humphrey, in the
new year.