Leven Parish Council
Annual General Meeting 7th May 2024
Present: Cllr. S. Mathison, Cllr. L. Burrows, Cllr. C. Ablett, Cllr. C. Farley, Cllr. A. Fearnall, Cllr. F. Hood, Cllr. G. Jones, Cllr. I. Lamping, Cllr. J. Richardson, Cllr. D. Robins, Cllr. K. Roydhouse
In attendance: Ann Woodward, Clerk, Cllr. P. Smith, ERYC.
4 members of the public were present.
- Approval of the minutes May 2023
Proposed by Cllr. I. Lamping and seconded by Cllr. C. Ablett – the minutes were approved.
- Chairman’s Report
Cllr. S. Mathison reported on the work of the Parish Council over the last year and raised priorities for 2024/25. (report published on the Leven website and social media and placed in noticeboards).
- East Riding of Yorkshire Council Report
Councillor P. Smith reported that he had focused on 3 priorities over the last year across rural parishes and continues to do so. These are footpaths/roads, flooding and cycle-path maintenance. There had been over the year 100% attendance by the Liberal Democrat group in Council meetings. Cllr. Smith referred to up and coming planning issues in the area as a major challenge for local parish councils. Cllr. P Smith personally attended in Leven Parish, the wreath laying on Remembrance Day and the Christmas Carol Service. He hopes to undertake a village walkabout with councillors in the near future. It was agreed that this could take place after the D-Day Anniversary event to be held on the 8th of June 2024.
- Any Other Business
The chair invited members of the public present to speak.
The Chairman of Leven Recreational Hall updated parish councillors on the challenges facing the hall in maintaining the building and the service it provides. Rents have been placed on a commercial footing after not being addressed for some time. The Committee has considered seeking grants to support the hall but these largely only support capital development and require matched funding. The issue for the hall is revenue. A discussion followed regarding commuted sums and the potential for the community to benefit from sums held for Leven by ERYC. Cllr. Smith agreed to send the clerk a copy of the commuted sums policy and facilitate a meeting between the council and the relevant officer.
The Secretary of the Playing Field Committee reported that running costs had risen especially in relation to utilities. The Committee has had some success with crowd funding to address this. The recent priority for the Committee was to improve the car park as it had been assessed as a safety hazard for users. £150k was required to complete the work which has been started. A lot of work had been undertaken to apply for a grant from the Levelling Up Fund, but this was rejected on a technical point. They continue to seek external grants to support the work. Currently hire income supports revenue and running costs. Work has been done to encourage more hire income and recently blood transfusion activity has been secured. The landlord/tenant relationship with regards to hospitality has been challenging. The Committee will be supportive of joint working with other community groups in the village and with the Parish Council itself. Cllr. Jones referred to recent anti-social behaviour outside of the sports hall related to drug dealing and drug use, issues that the police are aware of and have been monitoring. It was agreed that the area needs to be made unsuitable for this activity through target hardening and improved CCTV and monitoring.
The AGM closed at 8pm.
Ann Woodward
Clerk to the Parish Council
Cllr. S. Mathison Chairman ________________________________________________