The Annual Parish Council Meeting of Hartington Nether Quarter Parish Council was held on Monday, 12th May 2025 at 7.30pm, in Biggin Village Hall.
These minutes can be downloaded in PDF format:
Present: D Currington, W Andrews, M Heathcote and the clerk, S Hampson. There was one member of the public in attendance to discuss a planning application only.
25.5.1 Election of chair person, vice chair person and councillors’ declaration of acceptance of office
Resolved: Mrs D Currington to be Chair Person for 2025-2026
Resolved: to request Mrs Lovatt to be Vice Chair Person for 2025-2026
Those present completed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office forms before the Proper Officer, Mrs Hampson.
25.5.2 Apologies and attendance register
Apologies had been received in advance of the meeting from Mrs J Coles, Mrs S Lovatt and Mr S Fletcher.
25.5.3 Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the previous ordinary meeting had been displayed on the noticeboard, forwarded to the members and the parish council’s website, in advance of the meeting.
Resolved: To accept the minutes as a true record of proceedings but to amend details of the public in attendance. These were duly signed by Mrs Currington.
25.5.4 Matters arising and pre-meeting
Items were covered by the agenda.
25.5.5 Update Members’ Register of Interest Forms
These were completed by those present.
25.5.6 Public Speaking Procedures Document
The document was available in the meeting.
25.5.7 Public speaking, not cover by the parish meeting
There was one member of the public in attendance for part of the meeting. He wished to discuss his own planning application and sought support from the parish council for the change of use from holiday let to residential property. A discussion took place regarding a Section 106 agreement (local clause), his agent and a possible purchaser. He reported that his property did not meet the criteria for a Section 106 agreement. He was asked about previous advertising for the property to meet the holiday let clause and he confirmed this had not happened prior to the subsequent application for a change of use to full residential dwelling. Please also see item 25.5.20
25.5.8 District Councillor
The District Councillor was not in attendance.
25.5.9 Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2025
The clerk and responsible finance officer (RFO) had prepared the accounts for the year ended 31st March 2025 and had forwarded these to members in advance of the meeting and presented these at the meeting.
Resolved: to accept the accounts for the year ended 31st March 2025 as a true record.
25.5.10 Internal audit 2024-2025
The internal auditor from East Midlands Audit Services Ltd (EMAS Ltd) had undertaken the internal audit of the accounts and the all the external audit documentation, annual governance statement, the accounting statement, certificate of exemption, bank reconciliation and significant variations compared to the previous year. The internal audit report had been sent to the members in advance of the meeting. There were no matters to bring before the members.
25.5.11 Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2025
This was a repeat agenda item in error (see item 25.5.9)
25.5.12 Section 1 Annual Governance Statement 2024-2025
Resolved: To approve the document and for the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) and the Chair Person to add their signatures.
25.5.13 Certificate of Exemption 2024-2025
As both the income and the expenditure figures for the year 2024-2025 were less than £25,000, the clerk and RFO had prepared a Certificate of Exemption from full external audit.
Resolved: To approve the document and for the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) and the Chair Person to add their signatures.
25.5.14 Section 2 Accounting Statement for 2024-2025
Resolved: To approve the document and for the Responsible Finance Officer (RFO) and the Chair Person to add their signatures.
25.5.15 New cemetery fees
The clerk and cemetery superintendent had prepared the new fees for the cemetery for the forthcoming financial year in line with those of Derbyshire Dales District Council (DDDC).
Resolved: to implement the new figures with immediate effect.
25.5.16 Heathcote Mere perimeter
Mr Heathcote had kindly placed additional small boulders around the front edge of Heathcote Mere. Measures to prevent further damage by motorists parking around the perimeter had been approved at the previous meeting. The soil had not been put in place.
25.5.17 Tree surgery work
The tree surgeon had advised the clerk that the identified works will be undertaken before the end of May.
25.5.18 Update on affordable homes
The clerk had been advised that Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) cannot force progress to completion of the homes. DDDC advised that the council tax department is being chased on these properties. DDDC personnel had liaised with the developer and he had advised that other work commitments had prevented further development of the homes in Biggin.
Resolved: to continue to pursue the matter with DDDC.
25.5.19 Items of account, administration, salaries and HMRC, mowing contract, playground insurance, internal audit
| Chq No. | Name | Description | Cost | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cq 1559 |
Mrs S Hampson |
May Clerk’s Salary |
£340.04 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1560 |
S Hampson |
May Internet Provision |
£17.00 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1561 |
S Hampson |
Reimbursement of Expenses, ink |
£19.45 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1562 |
Biggin Community Project ’97 |
Playground Insurance Donation |
£500.00 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1563 |
Zurich Municipal |
Annual Insurance Premium |
£284.78 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1564 |
EMAS Ltd |
Internal Audit Premuim |
£58.80 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cq 1565 |
B W Coles |
Mowing Contract |
Invoice to follow |
||||||||||||||||||
25.5.20 Planning applications, planning sub-committee, appeals and enforcement
Also see public speaking 25.5.7
The planning application (NP/DDD/0325/0252) concerning the change from holiday let to residential dwelling of a garage conversion on Main Street, Biggin was further discussed. Several enquiries had been submitted to the planning officer concerned, in advance of the meeting.
The parish council had previously advised their preference for residential dwellings compared to holiday lets but the planning officer had advised that the applicant did not propose having a 106 local occupancy agreement attached to the property. The applicant reported that his property did not meet the requirements of such an agreement. Some additional information from the applicant’s agent had been posted to the site and there had been a reissue of the consultation letter. The permitted development to a holiday let had never been marketed with this condition during sale proposals. In her absence, Mrs Coles had forwarded her support for the change to residential. Two members present also supported the change but one member did not, resulting in no majority decision being reached during the meeting.
Resolved: The clerk to submit that a majority decision had not been reached to support the change of use to full residential permission.
Members further discussed proposals at Green Farm, Main Street, Biggin for variations of conditions on two previously approved plans. The members considered these variations would result in the possibility of increased commercial ventures at the premises.
Resolved: to object to both new proposals for variations of conditions on previously approved plans.
25.5.21 Correspondence, electronic communication and Biggin Community facebook
Details had been forwarded to members in advance of the meeting and included evidence and photographs supporting the registration of the War Memorial. Other items were covered by the agenda. There had been a meeting to discuss the future of the church but the parish council had not been invited.
25.5.22 Highways, street lighting, flytipping, grit bin monitoring, dog fouling
Resolved: The clerk to report potholes at Heathcote, Hardings Lane and to report again, the potholes at Bone Mill, Liffs Road.
Resolved: Mr Heathcote to attend to a faulty gate on the footpath near Biggin Grange.
25.5.23 Articles for News and Views
There was no article for the next edition.
25.5.24 Items for the next agenda
Tree surgery work, affordable houses, Heathcote Mere perimeter, the church, external audit. Additional items to be compiled by the clerk.
25.5.25 Date of the next meeting
2nd June 2025
Part 2 Confidential information
There were no confidential items to discuss.
The meeting was declared closed at 9:15pm.
Mrs S Hampson,
Clerk
20 May 2025
©Hartington Nether Quarter Parish Council minutes remain draft until approved by the parish council at the next meeting