Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council

The annual parish council meeting of Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council was held on Wednesday, 7^th May 2025 at 7.30pm in the Bakehouse.

Present:  A Grindey, S Bruce, S Wager, D Annat, R Sherratt, and the clerk, S Hampson.  There were no members of the public in attendance.

Part 1 Non-confidential information

25.5.1 Apologies and attendance register

Apologies had been received from Ms S Spencer due to working commitments.  The members present completed the attendance register.  The District Councillor had given his apologies for this meeting.

25.5.2 Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman

Resolved:  Mr A Grindey – to continue as Chairman and

Resolved:  Mr R Sherratt – Vice Chairman  (Prop DA, Sec AG)

25.5.3 Declaration of acceptance of office and chairman and members

Members present duly completed the acceptance of office forms before the Proper Officer of the parish council, Mrs Hampson.  The chairman completed the additional Chairman’s acceptance of office form.

25.5.4 Completion of members’ interest forms

Members completed and signed the members’ interest forms.

25.5.5 Declaration of personal/prejudicial interest of councillors

There was no need by any councillor present to declare an interest in the agenda items.

25.5.6 Minutes of the previous ordinary meeting

The minutes of the previous ordinary meeting had been forwarded to members, in advance of the meeting and posted on the parish council’s website and noticeboard.  

Resolved:  to accept the minutes as a true record of proceedings.  The minutes were duly signed by Mr Grindey.

25.5.7 Public speaking

The public speaking procedures document was available but there were no members of the public in attendance.  Mr Annat had been contacted by more than one parishioner expressing concerns about the future of the Charles Cotton.  Rumours have been circulating around the village of the possibility of the hotel being used to house asylum seekers.  Mr Annat had undertaken some research regarding the freehold of the hotel being for sale for in excess of £1,000,000.  A change of use from a public house and hotel would require full planning approval.  The Home Secretary decides on money spent on accommodation for asylum seekers.  On balance, the parish council believe it to be extremely unlikely for there to be any such changes with the Charles Cotton Hotel and await to find out more detailed information about the purchaser of the freehold.

Resolved:  to contact the MP to ascertain if the if there are any proposals by the Home Officer concerning the Charles Cotton

• Neighbourhood Plan

The closing date for consultation has now closed.  The inspector has now been assigned and he has made an introduction to the parish council.  His appraisal of the plan and consultation will take approximately 8 weeks.  By July, the inspector’s report on the validity of the plan should be available, hopefully leading to a referendum in early Autumn.  With regards to The Peak District National Park Authority’s (PDNPA) ‘Call for Sites’, have formally accepted that the green spaces identified in the Neighbourhood Plan can be used in the local plan.

Mr Annat reported continued difficulties with the system involved with the Neighbourhood Plan grant; invoices have been submitted and all the grant has been spent.  A letter from the team has been received.

• Presentation of accounts for the year ending 31^st March 2025 by the clerk/ RFO

The clerk had completed the accounts for previous financial year and had forward these to the members in advance of the meeting.  These were presented during the meeting

Resolved:  to unanimously accept the accounts as a true record of entries throughout the financial year ending 31^st March 2025.

• Internal audit of accounts for the year ended 31^st March 2025

The internal auditor from East Midlands Audit Service Ltd had met with the clerk and responsible finance officer (RFO) and completed the internal audit of the accounts and audit documentation.  She had signed off the AGAR documentation and there were no matters to bring before the parish council.

• Agar Form 2 Certificate of Exemption for accounts for the year ended 31^st March 2025

The responsible finance officer had forwarded all sections of the AGAR documentation to members, in advance of the meeting.  The figures for both income and expenditure were below £25,000; therefore, the clerk and RFO had completed the certificate of exemption for the year ended 31^st March 2025.  This had also been supported by the internal auditor.

Resolved:  to accept the Certificate of Exemption figures and to submit the certificate to the external auditors.

• Section 1 Annual Governance Statement for year ended 31^st March 2025

This had been prepared by the RFO and supported by the internal auditor.

Resolved:  to accept the Section 1 Annual Governance Statement and to add the signatures of the RFO and the Chair Person.

• Section 2 Accounting Statement for accounts for year ended 31^st March 2025

This had been prepared by the RFO and supported by the internal auditor.

Resolved:  to accept Section 2, the Accounting Statement and to add the signatures of the RFO and the Chair Person.

The clerk and RFO had prepared the Public Rights notice, with the dates supplied by the external auditor.  This will commence on 2^nd June 2025.

25.5.14 Items of accounts, salaries and HMRC, mowing contract, internal audit invoice, bus shelter cleaning, neighbourhood plan, grit bins

Cq 1835 S Hampson               May clerk’s salary                  £442.43

Cq 1836 S Hampson               May internet provision           £17.00

Cq 1837 S Hampson               Reimb. expenses                     £17.70

Cq 1838 D Annat                    Replacement cq                      £407.89

Cq 1839 Zurich Municipal     Annual insurance premium    £352.55

Cq 1840 B W Coles                Mowing contract                    invoice to follow

Cq 1841 EMAS Ltd                Internal audit service              £58.50

The clerk had prepared new cemetery and memorial fees, in line with those of Derbyshire Dales.  She had also completed the VAT return.  Mrs Bruce reported that the new Hartington First responder had suggested a service for the defibrillator which would cost approximately £125.  A new defibrillator would cost in excess of £1,000.

25.5.15 Former cheese factory site

The clerk had made enquiries to the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) and to the estate agents concerned with marketing the affordable houses which are now complete and being marketed 33% below market value, as stated by the District Valuer.  It would seem that there has not been too much interest by people who meet all of the local criteria stipulations.  The parish council awaits, with interest, further updates before the cascade system comes into force.

The parish council members were delighted to hear, following their submission and other strong representations from residents, that the application to defer work on the flood attenuation scheme has been refused by PDNPA.  The parish council would like to thank the residents of Stonewell Lane and Dairy Close for their excellent letters opposing this application.  The parish council now awaits enforcement action to take place, following the developer failing to comply with the time scale of conditions of the application. Mrs Bruce reported that there is now quite mess at the development site with lots of pallets.  Members are concerned that the short-term storage area of land to the north of the site which is to be returned to grassland seems to be extending further north over green field land.  There has also been a lot of material being tipped behind trees.

Resolved:  the clerk to request a compliance officer to look at the development site.

25.5.16 Village seats and community noticeboard

The community noticeboard has still to be relocated.

Resolved:  Mr Grindey to now assist Mrs Bruce’s husband to relocate the community noticeboard to the side wall of Beresford Tearooms and Post Office.

Resolved:  the clerk to make further enquiries with the District Councillor regarding a grant for replacement seats around the pond and the underground camera survey.

25.5.17 Planning sub-committee, planning applications and appeals

Subsequent to the previous meeting, PDNPA had advised that without specific reference to planning criteria, the parish council should state ‘No objections’ to proposals rather than ‘Support’.  The clerk had forwarded their link to members, detailing planning reasons.  Members considered a new application NP/DDD/0425/0342 for the barn at Pilsbury to be converted to a residential house.  The parish council has previously opposed proposals for this barn,  The original metal structured barn was for agricultural purposes. 

Resolved:  To unanimously oppose the proposal; it would be an inappropriate development at this location.

25.5.18 Highway issues, yellow lines, pot holes, street lighting, no through road sign

Potholes previously reported have not been attended to on Dig Street; grids near the newspaper shop remain problematic.  The clerk had reported these again with the following case reference numbers:  pothole on Dig Street, near Cranleigh – FS Case 711344671.  Grid near the shop 711349434.  This is a storm drain opposite the Red Lion.  Further potholes were reported near the white line below the British Legion and two further potholes were reported on Stonewell Lane where the footpath goes across which the clerk will report.  There was no further update on the ‘No through road’ sign at the bottom of Reynards Lane.

25.5.29 Correspondence and communication

Correspondence had been forwarded to members in advance of the meeting and included:  DALC information, Ranger service cuts, DALC April and May newsletter, DALC forum, DDDC monitoring public spaces protection order and responsible behaviour, DDDC flytipping and dog fouling report by their ‘Report it’ system, fire service survey, DANFO cleaning and maintenance

25.5.20 Items for the next agenda

Neighbourhood Plan, former cheese factory site and flood measures and enforcement, traffic regulation orders/yellow lines and Reynards Lane No through road, community noticeboard, village seats, policy reviews, online banking, defibrillator.  Additional items to be compiled by the clerk. 

25.5.22 Date of next meeting:  Wednesday, 4^th June 2025.  The date of the July meeting will now be Wednesday, 16^th July 2025 at 7.30 pm

Confidential Items

25.5.23 To consider activating the Council’s Policy on vexatious activities by a member of the public

Resolved:  to leave this item on future agendas and to consider this along with the review of the council’s other policies at the next meeting.

The meeting was declared closed at 8.45 pm

Mrs S Hampson, Clerk, Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council

13^th May 2025

©Hartington Town Quarter Parish Council minutes remain draft until approved by the parish council at the next meeting