Full Town Council Minutes Signed 25-09-2023

Attendance:

Councillor P Winter (Town Mayor)

Councillor R Hood

Councillor M Anderson

Councillor P Hulbert

Councillor J Borda

Councillor E Kavanagh

Councillor L Crissall

Councillor K Jones

Councillor A Drummond

Councillor J McHugh

Councillor J Harvey

Councillor R Nobbs

Minute

23/09/1 Welcome
The Chairman opened the meeting and read the fire safety notice and confirmed that proceedings were being recorded and asked if anyone else intended to record the meeting.

23/09/2 Apologies for Absence – LGA 1972, Section 85(1) & (2)
Apologies were received from Cllrs Berry, Clover, Perry, Starkey and Yarrow. Cllr Jarvis was absent.

23/09/3 Declaration of Members Interests & to Remind Councillors of the Need to Keep up to Date Their Register of Member’s Interests and to Consider any Requests Received for Member’s Dispensation
None noted. There were no requests for Member’s dispensation.

23/09/4 To Receive and Confirm the Minutes of the Town Council Meeting held on 29th August 2023 and any Matters Arising.
The Chairman presented the minutes of the meeting of the Town Council held on 29th August 2023 and the following was agreed:

23/09/4.01 Resolved
That the minutes of the meeting held on 29th August 2023 be adopted and signed as a correct record by the Town Mayor.

There were no matters arising.

23/09/5 Public Open Session
No members of the public wished to speak.

23/09/6 Councillor Reports

Suffolk County Council (SCC) – Cllr Hood reported that the monthly newsletter had been sent out.

West Suffolk Council (WSC) – None noted.

Ward – Cllr Yarrow provided a written report as follows:

1. Residents of Freshfields have requested a local defibrillator to be located at the Freshfields shops – to be investigated.
2. Residents have requested a 20 mph around Freshfields, Millbank, Tannersfield Way – to be investigated and enquiries will be pursued.
3. A resident commented on to the upgrade to the horse crossings at St Mary’s Square. However, the pedestrian crossing on Fred Archer Way from the town to the Day Centre & Barling’s Court is almost impassable for wheelchairs & walkers.

Outside bodies – None noted.

23/09/7 Mayors and Deputy Mayor’s Announcements
The Mayor reported that, in addition to attending committee meetings, working groups and other meetings, her activities included the following/;

17th September 2023 – Attended the Battle of Britain Commemoration Parade and Service at St Mary’s Church, Bury St Edmunds.

19th September 2023 – Attended the Covid Commemoration Garden Opening at the Newmarket War Memorial, Memorial Gardens.

21st September 2023 – Attended the Love Newmarket BID Mystery Shopper Customer Service Awards.

24th September – Attended the Henry Cecil Open Weekend.

Grass Cutting and Weed Control – 12th September meeting with WSC, SCC and Jockey Club to discuss the current situation regarding Public Realm. It was made clear that WSC and SCC have no resources to increase their services and that going forward, the Town Council will need to consider its position in relation to this.

8th September 2023 – meeting with WSC Cllr Indy, Cabinet Member for Growth, Jill Korwin and Julie Baird – they are seeking further clarification from stakeholders regarding the decision to relocate the market and a meeting is being arranged to facilitate that.

It was noted that the Newmarket Vision Steering Group along with NTC support moving the market to the High Street and Town Clerk will send another letter to reflect this.

The Deputy Mayor reported that he had attended the Local Community Awards, staged by Rotary Club, on 1st September 2023.

23/09/8 To Receive the Minutes and Consider any Recommendations from the D&P Committee Meetings held on 4th & 18th September 2023
The Chairman of the D&P Committee presented the minutes and recommendations from the Development & Planning Committee meeting held on 4th and Cllr Harvey presented 18th September 2023. There were no recommendations.

23/09/9 To Receive the Minutes and Consider any Recommendations from the Community Services Committee Meeting held on 4th September 2023
The Chairman of the Community Services Committee presented the minutes and recommendations from the Community Services Committee meeting held on 4th September 2023.

23/09/9.01 Resolved (C/23/09/8.01 Recommendation)
That the redesign of the McDonalds roundabout be carried out in the current financial year funded by the annual sponsorship income money and subject to confirmation that there are no planned changes to the roundabout regarding the Hatchfield development. That the other 2 roundabouts be funded from the 2023/24 budget reserves.

23/09/9.02 Resolved (C/23/09/9.01 Recommendation)
That the quote from the Jockey Club to replace the fence posts with hardwood posts for £1,680 be accepted.

23/09/9.03 Resolved (C/23/09/10.01 Recommendation)
That the five unused light units be relocated at the Queen’s Statue area for £585pa for three years, subject to approval from SCC Streetlighting.

23/09/9.04 Resolved (C/23/09/10.02 Recommendation)
That five column wraps be purchased and installed to fill the gap of lights in the High Street for £1,250.

23/09/10 To Receive the Minutes and Consider any Recommendations from the F&P Committee Meeting held on 18th September 2023
The Chairman of the F&P Committee presented the minutes and recommendations from the Finance & Policy Committee meeting held on 18th September 2023.

23/09/10.01 Resolved (F/23/09/6.01 Recommendation)
That the ratification of the schedules of payments for the period 01/07/2023 – 31/07/2023 and 01/08/2023 – 31/08/2023 (Cash Book 1 – 4) be received and adopted.

23/09/10.02 Resolved (F/23/09/10.01 Recommendation)
That delegated power be given to the Town Clerk to accept the cheapest option and that the contracts be switched to a 2-year fixed contract.

23/09/10.03 Resolved (F/23/09/11.01 Recommendation)
That the grant application from Newmarket Community Arts for the Rivers of Light event for £1,000 be approved in principle subject to further clarification of the details.

23/09/10.04 Resolved (F/23/09/11.02 Recommendation)
That the grant application from Newmarket BID for the Christmas Light Switch-On event for £500 be approved.

23/09/10.05 Resolved (F/23/09/12.01 Recommendation)
That a CCTV Policy for 2023/22024 be developed and presented at the next meeting.

23/09/11 Newmarket Railway Station
Cllr McHugh gave feedback on the questionnaires completed by commuters at the station. There were a lot of positive comments about the station and suggestions for improvements included: more seating, shade cover, an extra ticket machine, more bike storage, vending machines, better pedestrian access and more regular trains. Further analysis will be done on the responses to the survey to cost and formulate a recommendation.

A member of the public joined the meeting
23/09/12 Newmarket Market
This item was discussed under Mayor’s Announcements.

23/09/13 Former St Felix Site
WSC Cllrs had made objections to the development plans but a response is still awaited. Town Clerk was asked to send the NTC objections again with a request that a coherent strategy on sport provision in Newmarket be formulated by WSC.

23/09/14 Meeting Dates
The meeting dates of the Performance & Audit Committee were discussed, and the following was agreed:

23/09/14.01 Resolved
That the P&A Committee meeting scheduled to be held on 16th October 2023 be moved to 9th October 2023 and the meeting scheduled to be held on 22nd January 2024 be moved to 15th January 2024.

23/09/15 Correspondence
WSC Initiative for a reverse vending machine in the Guineas was discussed and an item will be added to the next agenda and WSC will be invited to present the details of the initiative.

23/09/16 Date of the next Meeting
Monday 23rd October 2023 in the Memorial Hall.

Meeting closed at 6:50pm

Signed: By the Chairman Date: Monday 25th September

Summary of Resolutions

Resolution	Resolution Wording
23/09/9.01 Resolved (C/23/09/8.01 Recommendation)	That the redesign of the McDonalds roundabout be carried out in the current financial year funded by the annual sponsorship income money and subject to confirmation that there are no planned changes to the roundabout regarding the Hatchfield development. That the other 2 roundabouts be funded from the 2023/24 budget reserves.
23/09/9.02 Resolved (C/23/09/9.01 Recommendation)	That the quote from the Jockey Club to replace the fence posts with hardwood posts for £1,680 be accepted.
23/09/9.03 Resolved (C/23/09/10.01 Recommendation)	That the five unused light units be relocated at the Queen’s Statue area for £585pa for three years, subject to approval from SCC Streetlighting.
23/09/9.04 Resolved (C/23/09/10.02 Recommendation)	That five column wraps be purchased and installed to fill the gap of lights in the High Street for £1,250.
23/09/10.01 Resolved (F/23/09/6.01 Recommendation)	That the ratification of the schedules of payments for the period 01/07/2023 – 31/07/2023 and 01/08/2023 – 31/08/2023 (Cash Book 1 – 4) be received and adopted.
23/09/10.02 Resolved (F/23/09/10.01 Recommendation)	That delegated power be given to the Town Clerk to accept the cheapest option and that the contracts be switched to a 2-year fixed contract.
23/09/10.03 Resolved (F/23/09/11.01 Recommendation)	That the grant application from Newmarket Community Arts for the Rivers of Light event for £1,000 be approved in principle subject to further clarification of the details.
23/09/10.04 Resolved (F/23/09/11.02 Recommendation)	That the grant application from Newmarket BID for the Christmas Light Switch-On event for £500 be approved.
23/09/10.05 Resolved (F/23/09/6.01 Recommendation)	That a CCTV Policy for 2023/22024 be developed and presented at the next meeting.
23/09/14.01 Resolved	That the P&A Committee meeting scheduled to be held on 16^th October be moved to 9^th October 2023 and the meeting scheduled to be held on 22^nd January 2024 be moved to 15^th January 2024.