Minutes of annual general meeting held on 23 May 2022 at Pickhill School. Ref: AGM22

1.    PRESENT: Parish Councillors: Mr Graham Clarke, Mr Ron Barker, Mrs Norma Grubb.           

Mr David Grubb (Minutes).          Residents – Mrs A Harvey, Mr N Burgess, Mr R Walker.

2.    APOLOGIES: Mr Minty Scaife, Mr James Wadsworth – both away on urgent business.

3.    MINUTES OF PREVIOUS  AGM - May 2019    Agreed.

4.    MATTERS ARISING FROM 2019 MINUTES:

(1)  Clarification re election of Vice Chairman (Item 7 in May 2019):  Mrs Grubb advised that whilst Mr Brook, then Councillor for Sinderby, had been elected Vice Chair at that AGM, he had retired as a Parish Councillor shortly after, triggering a by-election process; there were no candidates so eventually the Parish Council used its powers to co-opt Mr Wadsworth as the Sinderby Councillor. Mr Barker was elected Vice Chairman.

(2)  Defibrillators (item 9 in 2019): This noted that a defib. battery check was due in 2021. (Both units are checked regularly). Sinderby battery still ok. Pickhill battery replaced in December 2021, at £264 inc VAT.

5.    FINANCIAL REPORT: Audited accounts for year ending 31 March 2022 were presented. Thanks expressed to Mr Chris Robson for once again          carrying out the local audit of the Parish Council accounts.

6.    PARISH CLERK’S REPORT:

(1)  Result of Parish Council Election process April/May 2022: Mrs Grubb outlined that the only candidates were the five sitting Parish Councillors, so they were returned unopposed, for a further four years, without the need for an election.

(2)  Planning applications – summary for the year ending 31 March 2022: of the 12 applications made in this period, the Parish Council had no objection to 11 of them. The one where there were objections was withdrawn. The Parish Council did raise concerns about aspects of two applications and amendments were made or conditions set, as a result. It was pleasing to note that some regard is paid to local views.

7.    CHAIRMAN’S REPORT: Mr Clarke said it was three years since his last report due to the intervention of COVID 19, during which we could not hold an AGM but the Parish Council were able to continue functioning, through a mixture of telephone liaison and restricted meetings, on car parks, the village green, even in a barn in the colder weather.  He said he never expected to be Chairman for so long; he advised there was now to be a new Chairman and he wished them well. 

Mr Clarke added that we live in a special place. We do not get massive objections, mass meetings or protests as some villages do, for instance when planning applications are being considered. It is a very even Parish, which does not have an elite. Many people give freely of their time for the villages – it is a very special community.

8.    OFFICERS FOR THE YEAR 2022/2023:

Election of Chair: Mr Barker was proposed by Mrs Grubb, seconded by Mr Clarke and he accepted the position.

Election of Vice-Chair: Deferred to next meeting in view of the absence of two councillors.

Appointment of Parish Clerk: Mr Barker and Mr Clarke proposed Mrs Grubb as Parish Clerk in tandem with her Councillor duties, which she accepted. Mr Grubb to continue taking Minutes.

Mr Barker thanked Mr Clarke for his many years of continuous service as Chairman and for all his hard work. He said Mr Clarke had done a lot for the villages and he hoped this would continue. Mrs Grubb cited just one recent example of Mr Clarke’s contribution, when he and his team re-built a substantial section of the Churchyard wall after a section collapsed. She also thanked him for all the advice and guidance he had given her as a new Parish Clerk, over the past three years.

9.    ANY OTHER BUSINESS:  None.