Annual Parish Meeting
Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held in the Village Hall on Monday 25th April 2022 at 7.30 pm
Present: J Daubney, R Turnbull, A. Codd, R. Dent, C. Quirke, M. Codd, M. Exeter, R. Mason, W. Rogers, K. Rogers.
1. To approve the Minutes of the last meeting held on 24th May 2021
Minutes of the last Annual Meeting were signed as a true record.
2. Report from the Chairman of the Parish Council
In the Chairman’s absence, R. Dent read out the report.
On behalf of Blyton Parish Council I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone within the village that has helped out a neighbour, friend or family member during the last couple of years of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has affected everyone in one way or another and the community spirit which parishioners have shown has been remarkable.
We have continued to support a number of organisations within the village with parish grants and we are looking forward to hearing more about their work.
I would like to thank Reverend Briscoe and all residents who attended the Remembrance Day service at the war memorial which was very well received.
As a parish council, we are very keen to improve the appearance of the village and have commenced the refurbishment of benches and committed to additional grass cutting where possible. We also have plans to refurbish the phone box on the High Street and will continue to make other improvements to the village as necessary.
We have extended the lease at the playing field on Sandbeck Lane and also removed the portacabin which was unsafe. We have seen a significant increase in the number of young people using our play park at the Village Hall and we look to develop the park further this year by installing a picnic and seating area.
The parish council are also working in partnership with WLDC and have commenced discussions about how we can develop a Neighbourhood Plan for the village.
Finally, we are looking forward to joining in the Jubilee celebrations in a few week’s time and will be planting a tree to mark the occasion.
3. Financial Report from the Clerk of the Council
The carried forward balance at the start of April 2021 was £65,254.32; income for the year was £47, 552.80 which includes a precept of £32,500; expenditure was £32,372.32 which includes repayment of ££5250.42 for the Public Works loan. The loan outstanding is £45,208.35. As at our financial year end, 31st March 2022, we had a bank balance of £80,434.80 which includes a £10K grant from WLDC to refurbish the parish room. The accounts have been prepared and are with the accountant Wright Vigar for audit.
4. Church Report
No report received from the church.
5. Reports from Village organisations
Evergreens report: Mr Exeter informed those present that the club had reopened on 12th August 2021 and had initially lost members. Dominoes and scrabble was played at the welcome back meeting and other events that have taken place include a faith tea with beetle drive; poetry reading; a quiz; various guest speakers; craft sessions; a trip to Beverley; Christmas dinner; bingo sessions and an Easter competition. There are now thirty seven members and two coach trips are planned, to Cleethorpes and Halifax Peace Hall. More professional speakers are to be used in the future. Mr Exeter received a grant cheque of £800 from the parish council.
Stepping Stone Theatre: Bill and Kate Rogers have been running the theatre group for people with mental health challenges for almost seven years. The pandemic has increased loneliness and isolation has gone up tremendously. People have aged over the last two years and become more sedentary. People need social interaction. Venues have been lost so the theatre group has gone online with a series of podcasts, going out on seven different formats. Stepping Stones has given people a voice. The Lockdown Legacy booklets are being produced and over 85 podcasts. Nine rural writing groups are run each week now. Copies of booklets were given out to all attendees and the group received a £1000 grant cheque from the parish council to help continue this work.
Victoria Club: Mr Mason said that although the club had not applied for grants from the parish council over the last couple of years they thanked council for previous assistance. Throughout covid lots of refurbishment has taken place with grant funding from WLDC: revamp of the toilets and bar area and new carpets laid. The big problem with damp has now been sorted and the club looks really smart now it is totally repainted. People are still hesitant to come out but the club is now open on Friday and Saturday nights. The club is looking to host craft fairs in the summer and open another night in the week.
The chairman thanked all the groups for their hard work.
Village Hall: 2021 was a quiet year but we now have welcomed back our regular hirers of the hall and a few private bookings as well. Our regular monthly bingo and coffee mornings are popular and it is nice to be back to some sort of normality.
We are delighted to be hosting an afternoon tea and evening of entertainment to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee on June 5th and because we received a grant of £700 from WLDC we can provide everything free of charge. We still have a few tickets available.
We have had a wonderful two years during lockdown with no vandalism but unfortunately during the recent Easter holiday we had several incidents: the flower bed provided a nice scooter jump but you might say well kids are kids; then the waste bin we provided last year was completely bent and smashed and finally our CCTV cameras on the car park side were ripped off and thrown onto the tarmac. This last incident was witnessed and I’m sorry to say the boy who committed the crime was around 12 years old. We now are seeking quotes to replace these items from our fundraising. Very disheartening.
We also have had to take the reluctant decision to put up razor wire along the wall tops at the side of the hall to stop the youngsters from climbing on to the flat roof and we may have to use anti-vandal paint to stop them climbing the lamppost on the other side to gain access to the roof and cameras.
On a positive note we have received quotes to re-felt the flat roof over the small room and kitchen and replace the skylights at a cost of around £7500 and we have installed a new hot water system in the kitchen, purchased a new cooker and will have new LED lighting and a wall heater when the electrician gets here. Then it will be redecorated and new flooring to bring it up to date.
Thank you to the parish council for their continued support and we look forward to a successful year.
Police Report No police present.
6. Open Meeting
Mrs Rogers asked if the village hall committee had considered soundwaves to repel the anti social behaviour.
Mrs Daubney said it was very disheartening as the police were not helpful in trying to resolve the problem.
Mrs Codd said the bins at the village hall were often overflowing which did not help.
Mr Dent said it was good that the village hall is being used regularly and that money is being spent wisely. The parish council do appreciate what the community groups do.
Mrs Quirke said that the Christmas discos are really great.
The chairman thanked all for attending and wished them the best of luck.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.30pm.