PRESTON-UNDER-SCAR PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the remote Parish Council Meeting on Tuesday 9th June, 2020
Present: Cllr Brooks (Chairman), Cllr Fletcher, Cllr Cormack, Cllr Amsden, Cllr Knights
Clerk: Joanne Long, 1 members of the public
- Apologies for absence – None
- To confirm the Minutes of the meeting of 6th February, 2020 – the Minutes were confirmed and signed by Cllr Brooks.
- To declare Councillors Interests on items on the Agenda – None
- Finance and Banking:
Opening Balances as at 1st June, 2020
Current Account £11,856.19
Savings Account £ 2,270.92
It was resolved to make the following payments by BACS:
Payee Item Ref No Amount
J Long Computer consultancy May pro-rata BACS £ 29.00
J Long Clerk May-20 BACS 6 hours*
J Long Phone/Internet contribution May BACS £ 4.20
DCN Grass Cutting BACS £140.00
The BACS payment will be authorized online by Cllr Brooks (Chairman) and Cllr Fletcher.
- AGAR – Certificate of Exception
Councillors agreed to request an exception from the external audit and duly resolved that the
Clerk should complete and return The Certificate of Exception by the 30th June.
- Planning
New Application:
20/00258/Full – Full Planning Permission for Change of Use from Ancillary Accommodation to Hawthorn Cottage to Independent Dwelling with Extension at Croft Edge, Preston Under Scar, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 4AQ
The Council had no objection to this applications and it was resolved that the clerk would respond accordingly.
- Decisions and Actions by PUS PC
The advent of the corona virus pandemic prompted the government to ban all face to face meetings and to implement a lockdown of the population. In light of this the Preston Under Scar Parish Council agreed not to hold further meetings but to put in place a scheme of delegation to ensure important Council business could be transacted.
In accordance with Pubic Accountability Cllr Brooks has prepared a paper outlining all of the decisions and actions which have been taken between mid-March and up to 9th June when the Council elected to hold a virtual meeting. This paper is circulated with these minutes and special thanks goes to Andrew Fletcher for the inspection and remedial work in respect of the village flag pole.
Preston under Scar Parish Council Statement
The advent of the coronas virus pandemic in the UK in the first quarter of 2020 ultimately prompted the government to ban all face to face meetings and to implement a lockdown of the population.
As these arrangements were anticipated to remain in place for a significant period of time, Preston under Scar Parish Council agreed not to hold further meeting but to put in place a scheme of delegation to ensure that important Council business could be transacted.
This situation continued until June 2020 when the Council elected to hold virtual meetings to consider important matters.
This paper sets out the decision and actions which were taken during March and up to the time of the virtual meeting on 9th June 2020.
Village Support Group: The Council created a support group from amongst the villagers to support any member of the village requiring help doing the lockdown period.
Village Flag Pole: A villager inspected the flagpole and under took remedial work on it. It is now considered to be quite safe but will be regularly monitored.
Grass Cutting: Two contractors were considered and the contract was given to a local company “DCN” on the basis of their competitive pricing. Grass cutting is now being regularly carried out in the cemetery and the village.
Computing Support: As the council did not have a clerk during this period, Ms J Long was contracted on a monthly basis (£50.00/month) to provide the council with computing, email and web site support. (Councillors took on the rest of the clerk’s responsibilities).
Clerk: The social consequences of the lockdown provided a welcome opportunity for the previous Clerk to re-assume the role of Clerk to the Council. She was offered a new contract from mid-May. The Computing Support contract was terminated at mid May.
Website Accessibility: The Council has commissioned, at a cost estimated at £350, a review by Town and Parish Council Website, the manager of the Preston website, of the accessibility of the Preston under Scar Parish Council Website. The study is presently in progress.
Expenditure: During the lockdown period the following payments were made:
- Grass cutting 2019/20 contractor: £420
- YLCA Subscription: £58
- Cemetery Green Waste Bin: £25
- Computing Support: in aggregate £150
- Defibrillator – 2 sets of new pads, £62.34
- Insurance: £266.30
- Grass Cutting, new contractor: in aggregate £210
- Registration with Information Commissioner: £35
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