Parish Council Meeting of 9th June 2016

Written by Anne Rayner.

The Parish Council meeting on 9th June 2016 was attended by Councillors Brian Frith, Beverley Humphreys, Andrew Coleman, Gilly Barnes, Graham Gale and Dawn Welsby. Also present were the clerk, County Councillor Bev Spratt (for part of the meeting) and three members of the public.

Some of the main items discussed at the meeting are mentioned here. Full minutes of the meeting are available here in draft form until agreed by the Council at the next meeting (21st July 2016).

The Laynes Farm planning appeal was held at South Norfolk Council at 10am on 25 May. Parish Council Chairman Brian Frith attended and reported back on proceedings. Brian confirmed that everyone who wished to speak during the hearing was given an opportunity to do so. A decision could normally be expected within a couple of months.

There has been a vacancy on the parish council for a few months now so it is good to be able to report that the vacancy has been filled. Sarah Allen attended the meeting on 9 June and spoke briefly about why she would like to join the parish council. Councillors agreed that Sarah be co-opted and all seven Councillor posts are now full.

County Councillor Bev Spratt attended the meeting and spoke about the latest devolution news. Whilst the original proposal was for Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to join forces, it appears this is now unlikely. It is possible that an agreement may still forge ahead between Norfolk and Suffolk only and the latest proposals will be considered by the seven district councils in Norfolk and also the district councils in Suffolk. A decision is expected by 4 July 2016.

Councillor Spratt also reported that the additional £3 million received earlier this year to support a programme for repairing pot holes was very welcome and hopefully residents should have noticed an improvement to the roads in the village. Pot holes and other highways issues can be reported online at the Norfolk County Council site here:

https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roads/report-a-problem

The reported problem is registered with a number and can be used to track the status of the problem at a later date. If you do not have access to a computer please report the location of the problem to the clerk and she will submit the details on your behalf. It was agreed to email Cllr Spratt regarding problems caused by the lack of verge cutting on many sections of minor roads.

The parish council would like to acknowledge the excellent work undertaken by our footpath warden John Wilde. John regularly walks all of Forncett’s 31 footpaths and keeps Norfolk County Council informed of access problems and other issues. Working with Cllr Gale, he has cut the grass on several of the paths, to try to ensure they remain passable. 

The next meeting will be on Thursday 21st July 2016. The agenda will be published about a week before the meeting, but if you have any matters to bring to the attention of the Parish Council in the meantime, please contact the clerk, Anne Rayner, on 01508 570700 or by email  .