MINUTES
DEFFORD & BESFORD PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of an Extraordinary Meeting of Defford & Besford Parish Council held on Tuesday 12th October 2020 at 7.15pm held via Zoom
PRESENT: Chairman J Clarke Vice Chairman S Rees Cllr R Davis
Cllr L Revell Cllr S Harris Clerk L Yapp
- APOLOGIES – Cllr I Spiers
- DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – None declared
- Cllrs are reminded of the need to update their register of interests
- To declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in items on the agenda and their nature
- To declare Other Disclosable Interests in items on the agenda and their nature
- Written requests for the council to grant a dispensation (S33 of the Localism Act 2011) are to be with the clerk at least 4 clear days prior to a meeting.
Cllrs who have declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, or Other Disclosable Interest which falls within the terms of paragraph 12(4) of the code of conduct, must leave the room for the relevant items
PUBLIC QUESTION TIME – There was no one in attendance
NEW HOMES BONUS – This special meeting was called following an announcement from Wychavon District Council that the New Homes Bonus scheme was drawing to a close, with any unspent funds, currently allocated to individual parishes/towns being moved into a much larger Community Legacy Grant fund. Defford and Besford currently has £8,273 of NHB. Due to the consultation process involved it was decided that this meeting be held to agree on how best to spend the money so that we have plenty of time to move forward with quotes and the consultation before the closure of the scheme as it stands.
Previously, Defford Village Hall Committee had come up with some suggestions for improvements to the hall. The clerk had made contact with them, asking if they wanted to take advantage of this final opportunity for NHB, but they had advised they were working towards a ‘larger scale project’ which would be better suited to an application from the Community Legacy Grant Fund.
There is strict guidance on what can and can’t be applied for, with the emphasis being on ‘benefitting the whole community’. It had been considered some time ago that the Millennium Green could benefit from additional facilities that would enhance the community space. Some research had been carried out and suggestions made that a wooden ‘gazebo’ style structure with internal seating would be a welcome feature, which could be used by all ages and even as an ‘outdoor’ style classroom for the school if there was a desire to do this. The project would also include picnic tables and seating.
Whilst we only had £8,273 of NHB bonus, it was noted that this would not be enough to carry out all of the works suggested, including any necessary ground works. The clerk reminded the council that we also had access to £6,801 of s106 monies – which was specifically for the ‘provision or enhancement of Public Open Space’. The council were in full agreement that the s106 & NHB (totalling £15,074) should be used on the Millennium Green. Cllr Ron Davis would check with WDC as to whether there was any requirement for planning permission for the wooden gazebo and the clerk would check with WDC that the funds could be combined on one project (since the meeting, the clerk has had this confirmed by Wychavon).
There was no other business to discuss and the meeting closed at 8pm.