3.1 Mins of FC 09.06.26

Diamond Jubilee Lodge, Wood View Road, Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 5QB
Tel: 01603 301751 www.hellesdon-pc.gov.uk email: clerk@hellesdon-pc.gov.uk

Minutes of Full Council meeting held on Tuesday 9 June 2026 at 7pm
in The Council Chamber, Diamond Jubilee Lodge Wood View Road, Hellesdon.

Present:
Cllr David Maidstone (Chair)
Cllr David Britcher                  Cllr Roy Forder
Cllr Nigel Barker                    Cllr Shelagh Gurney
Cllr Robin Sear                      Cllr Mel Maidstone
Cllr Andrew Locke                    Cllr Lacey Douglass
Cllr John Knowles                    Cllr Gemma Diffey
Cllr David Fahy                      Cllr Ian Duckett

In attendance
Jonathan Hall (Parish Clerk & Responsible Financial Officer)
Rebecca Larke (Deputy Clerk)
Aoibheann Power (Work Experience Placement)
Cllr Nick Taylor (Norfolk County Councillor)
One member of the public

1. Apologies and acceptance for absence

Apologies were received and accepted from Cllrs Sue Holland, Bill Johnson and Mike Hicks.

2. Declarations of Interest and Dispensations

None.

3. Minutes from Full Council meeting held 12 May 2026

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 May 2026 were agreed as a true and accurate record.

4. Public Participation

A resident from Meadow Way raised concerns about clouds of dust and debris blowing from the
building site for the new Firside School. The resident reported that this had prevented windows
from being opened, washing from being hung outside and gardens from being enjoyed. Cllr
Taylor, Norfolk County Councillor, was present at the meeting and agreed to look into the
matter.
5. Other Council’s Reports
a) County Councillor report.
Cllr Taylor reported that he had been busy with various issues raised by residents including rats
being disturbed by the Highways work in Bernham Road, SEND placement demands and
parking issues around Arden Grove School. The new administration at County Hall were
opposed to the Local Government Review and had agreed to write to the Minister of State
regarding the number of solar farms in Norfolk. A review of the policy on Net Zero initiatives was
to be undertaken.

b) District Councillor reports.
Cllr Douglass (Hellesdon South East) reported that she was involved in several planning
enforcements including unregistered Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO).
 Cllr Gurney (Hellesdon North West) reported that she too was involved in enforcement of
unregistered HMOs and had requested that the Hellesdon Hospital site outline planning
application is considered by the district’s planning committee and not by officers. Cllr Gurney
was concerned that the Parish Council had
only noted the application and felt that greater engagement with the planning authority was
required to secure more for the community from the planning authority and the eventual
developers.
6. Parish reports
a) Clerk’s report
The Clerk’s report had been circulated prior to the meeting and was noted. In addition the Clerk
advised that following a visit from the Environmental Health Officer, the Community Café had
been awarded 4 stars within the Food Hygiene ratings. The failure to achieve the maximum five
stars was because of incomplete paperwork. The Clerk assured the meeting that the café was
still a safe place to eat and drink and that the visit coincided when the Kitchen Manager was on
annual leave. A robust and comprehensive action plan was already in place to address the
issues raised and to ensure the relevant paperwork was completed. The Financial Wellbeing
Event organised by Yorkshire Building Society had to be postponed. A new date would be found
in line with the agreed resolution for the use of the foyer in the Community Centre.

b) Chair’s report.
The Chair thanked Cllr Britcher for attending and chairing the Annual Parish Meeting held on 27
May 2026. The report was noted.

7. Financial Matters
a) Items a to d were not available due to delays in inputting data into the new accounting system.
These reports would be provided at the next meeting.
e) It was RESOLVED to approve the continued use of Stephenson Smart Chartered Accountants
as the Council’s Payroll Provider.

8. Committees

To receive reports from Chairs of Committees and to note.

a) Committee Centre & Café Committee
No meeting had been held. A query was raised concerning First Aid kits being available to hirers
of rooms within the Centre. The Clerk advised that this should be covered within the First Aid
Needs Assessment and agreed to review what arrangements were in place.

b) Environment Committee.
The draft minutes of the meeting held on 12 May 2026 were noted. A delegation from the
Committee had met with a project manager from the Mile Cross area to view a number of green
projects being delivered within the local community.

c) Events Committee
No meeting had been held. Plans were well advanced for the Summer Fayre on 20 June 2026.
Volunteers were still required to help out on the day. The next meeting of the committee was to
be held at 7pm on 10 June 2026.

d) Planning Committee.
The minutes of the meeting dated 26 May 2026 were noted.

e) Playingfields, Allotments & Amenities
No Meeting had been held. The Allotment Laison Group had met and various issues were
discussed. The notes of the meeting had been placed on the noticeboard at the allotment site.
f) Property, Policy & Resources.
It was noted that the next meeting would be held at 7pm on 29 June 2026.

g) Staffing
It was noted that the next meeting would be held at 7pm on 11 June 2026.

9. Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR)

a) The AGAR forms were still awaited from the Internal Auditor. It was RESOLVED to hold an
Extraordinary Full Council meeting on 23 June 2026 to sign off the AGAR before 30 June 2026
deadline.

10. Report from Aoibheann Power (Work Experience Placement).
Aoibheann Power presented her report that had been circulated to members prior to the
meeting. Aoibheann had undertaken her placement from 11 May 2026 to 15 May 2026 and had
fully engaged in all tasks and activities in her week. As part of her placement, Aoibheann was
tasked with writing a report on how the Parish Council could better engage with the younger
people of Hellesdon. The report was enlightening and covered a number of proposals including
holding regular sports activities, a hang out space for older teenagers as well as setting up a
local youth council.

Members were very impressed with the report and thanked Aoibheann for her presentation with
a round of applause. It was agreed that provision for younger residents and families needed to
be enhanced in Hellesdon and it was RESOLVED to set up a working group to establish how
matters could be progressed.

11. AGM of Norfolk County Association of Local Councils (NorALC) held on 14 May
2026.
Cllr Gurney attended the meeting, which was held at Great Massingham Village Hall. A range of
speakers gave presentations on topics including climate change and parish council websites.
NorALC had recently been restructured following the loss of grant funding from Norfolk County
Council and had converted to limited company status. Justin Greggs, Deputy CEO of NALC,
advised that the national association was campaigning to ensure the voice of the sector was
heard during Local Government Reform discussions. A new officer role would be recruited to
support the sector during the transition of assets from the principal authorities to Town and
Parish councils.

12. Norfolk County Council Highways consultation on A140 Holt Road Variable
Message Sign Scheme.
The Parish Council RESOLVED to ask Highways to consider the location of the signage and the
closeness in relation to pedestrian use of the footpath.

13. Annual Parish Meeting held 27 May 2026

The meeting attracted just 12 residents. Presentations were heard from the Police and Trevor
Holden CEO of Broadland and South Norfolk District Councils regarding Local Government
Reform. During the open section of the meeting, a request was made to for the Parish Council to
try and resolve the parking issues around the The Bull Roundabout. Both the Pharmacy and the
Pub had installed monitoring cameras in their carparks to prevent non patrons from parking.
It was RESOLVED to form a working group to try and bring all vendors together to see if an
agreement could be reached. It was agreed to inform Stonegate Group of the meeting.
 Members of the Working Group Substitute Members
Cllr David Maidstone Cllr Robin Sear
Cllr John Knowles Cllr Shelagh Gurney
Cllr Gemma Diffey

14. To confirm time, date and location of the next Full Parish Council meeting.
It was confirmed that the next Full Council meeting would be held on 14 July 2026 at 7pm in
Council Chamber, Diamond Jubilee Lodge, Woodview Road Hellesdon Norwich NR6 5QB

15. It was RESOLVED under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 to exclude the
press and public for the duration of the meeting remaining in view of the confidential nature of
the business to be transacted.

16. To consider advice from NP Law regarding comments made on Social Media.
The Clerk had met with NP Law and updated the Council on the advice received.

Meeting ended 9.12pm