Present
- Present
- Cllrs J Moffat, S Rose, P Riddick, P Walton, D Bilverstone, D Pugson, WDC. A Speed & SCC R Hopfensperger
- Also present
- Six members of the public
Apologies for Absence
None received.
Minutes
To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting 9th May 2023 as a correct record.
The minutes were confirmed and approved as a correct record.
Matters Arising from the Minutes
None.
Introduction and Report from Parish Council Chairman: Sue Rose
Welcome to all.
We have welcomed two new councillors this year, Des Pugson and Diana Bilverstone, who have both already contributed greatly, with their valuable skillsets, however we still have one remaining vacancy and would welcome anyone who wishes to join.
The Village Lottery has been dissolved after paying all outstanding prizes, and completing the final draws, the whole process was overseen by ex councillor Suzie Woodward whose efforts must be commended as the lottery had been dormant for several years.
A volunteer maintenance day for work on the woods and wildlife area was well supported in the summer and thanks to James Moffatt for his organisation. It is hoped another session or two will be organised this year and anyone interested is invited to sign up to a WhatsApp group. More recently a Liquid Amber Tree has been donated to the village which has been planted on the playing field.
In line with most other councils’ it has been necessary to increase our precept this financial year, which had been held at the same amount for the last 3 years. We once again put the grass cutting out for tender to secure the most cost effective service, we are aware that we need to build our reserves for future repairs and maintenance on the play equipment, and football pitch. It is also hoped that we have secured enough funding to enable the purchase of a new VAS for the village this coming year.
We have had the final consultation for the West Suffolk plan the council submitted a response that development outside of the village boundary would not be supported.
Thanks also to the support of our local councillors Becky Hopfensperger and Andrew Speed over the past year.
Report from County Councillor: R Hopfensperger
Highways
As usual highways accounts for the largest amount of queries I receive.
Flooding
Due to heavy rain fall we had in the later part of 2023 we had a number of reported flooding instances. Church Road, we asked for the drains to be cleared and I haven’t heard of any instances again.
Potholes
Potholes are the bane of people’s lives and it does appear again due to the weather to have been particularly bad this year 105% increase in reports, and SCC response is not always as quick or as good as we expect, there has been a commitment by highways to improve their service not least by introducing the dragon patcher which fixes potholes quicker and better quality, secondly the Road Mender Elastomac which patches larger areas of the road at the same time.
I encourage anyone to report highway defects online on the highway reporting tool and if you do not think there is any action being taken you can report it to clerk with the report number and she can escalate it with me or contact me directly for emergencies you should contact 0345 606 6171.
I’ve embedded here a quick guide to what intervention measures are used for potholes which I hope you will find useful Reactive Service v1 (002) (suffolk.gov.uk)
Gates and Signs
I know a meeting was held with highways with regards to installation of entry gates and signs at the entrance to the playground but I am not sure what the outcome was of this. It is hoped that these measures will assist in mitigating speeding in the village.
Verge Cutting and Weed Treatment
Verge cutting has been subject to discussions and Troston are due to have verges cut on the w/c Monday June 3rd please allow +or- 5 days due to weather, I’ve attached a quick guide to verge cutting for your perusal which maybe helpful in understanding frequency etc Grass Cutting - updated 3 April 2023 (suffolk.gov.uk)
Weeds have been a subject which again has caused some concern I can confirm that Troston will be receiving weed treatment the w/c Monday July 15th weed, please allow +or- five working days due to weather, I’ve embedded a guide to weed treatment for you to peruse - Weed Treatment - updated 7 June 2023 (suffolk.gov.uk), this has not been updated with the potential re-introduction of Glyphosate a decision made in February 2024 regular weed treatment on our highway network will continue using a variety of methods, with plans for glyphosate being considered only when appropriate – the ambition still remains to reduce the use of glyphosate as far as possible.
Signs
Just a reminder if there are any signs that need replacing or maintenance to let me know, I have submitted some requests which are being worked through, but I can add some more budget permitting.
Report from West Suffolk Councillor: Andrew Speed
Cllr Speed said he has really enjoyed his first year as a Councillor, it has been a change from being involved with the towns to being in involved with the villages. The local plan has been a big part of this years work at West Suffolk Council, and we should all continue to keep an eye on this. He has worked well with Cllr Hopfensperger and has been working behalf of the residents of West Suffolk to steer West Suffolk council to come up with the best results. He is happy to support any community focused projects if he is able. There is a movement towards more localism, but it was recognised that this will need more money. Overall we live in a lovely area.
Report from Village Hall: Brenda Burridge
We are pleased that the Village Hall is beginning to attract a wider range of hirers again. In addition to the regular Pilates, Coffee Mornings and Games Afternoons we are now welcoming Baby Massage, all day Company training and a variety of private events. We have reviewed our charging arrangements and although our hourly charge remains the same we will now charge for setting up and clearing up time. Hirers continue to be pleased with the facility we have to offer. Our finances are improving although expenditure continues to exceed income. We hope increased bookings will help to meet this shortfall in the coming year. Essential services are maintained and grounds and building maintenance are carried out as required. In the Summer the Committee Members carried out a comprehensive stock check and updated records. We have researched Acoustic Treatment providers and an order has been placed. We thank the Parish Council and our County and Borough Councillors for offering financial support for this project. We have welcomed Diana Bilverstone to our meetings to represent the Parish Council. Thanks once again to all of our Committee members for their commitment to ensuring that our Village Hall continues to be a desirable and valuable community asset.
Report from Graeme Norris, The Ixworth Patients’ Association
Ixworth Patients’ Association is a registered charity - formed in 1986. The aim is to benefit the health and wellbeing of patients registered with Ixworth Surgery by:
- Providing a transport service to enable patients who would otherwise find it difficult to attend appointments.
- Arranging educational events on relevant aspects of health and wellbeing.
- Funding initiatives that would not otherwise be provided by the statutory authorities.
The transport service is run by volunteers who take some 20 patients every week to and from appointments. A small donation is expected to cover expenses. We are always seeking volunteers to help - so don’t hesitate to talk to the Practice Manager Josh Williams.
The GPs are very busy and time to prepare and run educational sessions has dwindled. The Association has been talking to the other GP Practices in our Primary Care Network (Botesdale, Woolpit and Stanton) to organise webinars on health topics. Sessions on heart disease and dementia support were well attended but hindered by data protection legislation in contacting patients who might have been interested.
Using the information from Suffolk Public Health on their place-based needs analysis, a number of initiatives were identified that the Association might usefully address. Hypertension is high in our area and so the Association decided to help fund the Health Kiosk in the Surgery to measure blood-pressure and calculate BMI. Atrial Fibrillation monitors are being proposed. (The place-based needs also showed asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (bronchitis & emphysema) are relatively high compared to the rest of Suffolk - and cancer detection and prompt treatment).
Volunteers from the Association also helped conduct a survey of patient satisfaction with the services offered by the Surgery. The survey was part of a Suffolk-wide analysis of how easy (or not) it is to book appointments with GP Practices. Ixworth Surgery are in the process of installing a new phone-system with call-back facilities and hiring a “care navigator” to assist the triaging of requests to the relevant Doctor, Nurse Practitioner, Pharmacist, Physio or Mental Health Counsellor.
It is the policy of the Surgery that when a person reaches sixteen-years old they become responsible for their own medical record. They can make their own appointments and decisions about their care. Health professionals are no longer allowed to release medical information to their parents or guardians without written consent. To help young people, a guide to the wide range of health and wellbeing services that are available in our area has been documented in a booklet @16. A social media version is being planned.
The Association also continues to support the "Let it Grow" gardening sessions at Langham Walled Garden to support those with depression and anxiety; and the “Healthy Together” programme to assist people with long term mental health issues to get regular check-ups.
In the future it has been suggested the Association might run workshops for patients on how to use the NHS App on their smart phone?
If you would like to know more about the activities of the Association please don’t hesitate to contact the Surgery. You are welcome to come to the next meeting in the Surgery 14.00 8th May.
Any Other Business the Chairman May Allow
No further business, meeting closed at 7.45pm