Attendance
- Present
- Cllr Bilverstone, Cllrs Riddick, Walton, Pugson, 5 members of the public, the Clerk, Suffolk County Cllr Hopfensperger, West Suffolk Cllr Speed
Welcome and Apologies
- Cllr Bilverstone welcomed everyone to the meeting and reminded everybody present that the meeting may be recorded. No apologies were received.
- No Councillor declarations of interest were received. There were no updates to Councillors' register of members interest’s form.
- No written requests for dispensation were received prior to the meeting.
Co-Option of New Parish Councillor
None
Minutes
The minutes of the Council meeting on Tuesday 1st July 2025 were agreed, approved and signed to stand as an accurate record of the meeting.
Report from RAF Honington
The Clerk reported that RAF Honington have not appointed a community liaison officer as yet. The Clerk has sent thanks for the tickets which were gratefully received for the family and friends’ day.
Public Questions
A number of concerns were raised including the traffic restrictions being carried out by CityFibre. The Parish Council appreciates that the lack of information regarding the road closure and bus services has been concerning for residents (and the Parish Council!) but hopefully, now that work is underway and signage is in place, disruption will be kept to a minimum. Any further updates will be put on the Parish Council website homepage (under the image of the woods/church) www.troston-pc.gov.uk. Concerns have been raised about other road related issues in the village – Church Lane has seen an increased volume of traffic over the years, residential cars, business use and agricultural traffic. It is also used regularly by pedestrians (dog walkers, horse riders and children walking to and from school buses). Please can all drivers be aware of their speed when travelling along all our village roads. Parking is also a problem at times – please try not to park on, or too close to, junctions as this can obscure the view of other road users and do not obstruct entrances to other properties. Concerns were raised about the suitability of the access to the zipwire. The ramp is slippery and very steep. The Parish Council agreed to look further into this and commission an independent inspection.
Planned Road Closures
Cllrs discussed their disappointment at the lack of communication and information about the road closures throughout the village which started on 1st September 2025 and runs until October by City Fibre. A map showing road closures and diversions can be found on the Parish Council website. Coach services advised initially that all buses would stop running until the roads open again but have now confirmed that a mini bus will provide transport for the school children. Once phase 1 is complete The Street from Great Livermere to the pub there should be traffic lights in place allowing through traffic.
Village Hall Report
Cllr Bilverstone as the Parish Council representative on the Village Hall Management Committee gave the following update. The village hall committee held their AGM on Tuesday 26th August. We said goodbye to some long-standing committee members, as they decided it was time to retire, and I would like to thank them for their amazing contribution in keeping the village hall running through the years. Other committee members very kindly agreed to stay on the committee, and again we would like to give our thanks for their continued support. The new committee: Diana Bilverstone, Elizabeth Walton, Cathy Eaglen, Paul Walton, Brenda Burridge, Sonia Farnaby, Sue Bishop and Pip Fletcher. Kate Furness will be providing support to the committee by producing agendas and minutes for meetings, thank you Kate. After 13 years of acting as Booking Clerk, Sue Bishop has decided it is time to enjoy some free time and has handed over the responsibility of village hall bookings to Paul Walton. There is a new email address for hall bookings trostonvillagehall@outlook.com Paul would love to hear from anyone interested in hiring the village hall for a party, meeting, regular group or any event booking. Cllr Bilverstone advised this would be the last update from the Village Hall Management Committee.
Report from County Councillor Rebecca Hopfensperger
Cllr Hopfensperger sent in a report prior to the meeting which will be available on our website. She advised that the Local Government Reform proposals for 1 unitary Council will be presented later this month. More information can be found using the following link https://onesuffolkcouncil.co.uk/one-suffolk-one-council-one-stronger-future/
- Funds for the Vehicle Activated sign should be arriving in the next 3 weeks.
- Funds for the acoustic tile have been set aside and Cllr Hopfensperger will chase.
- Roadside speed stickers were not discussed.
Report from Borough Councillor Andrew Speed
Cllr Speed advised that the Local Government Reform proposals for 3 unitary Councils will be presented later this month. More information can be found using the following link https://threecouncilsforsuffolk.org/
- Funds for the village hall roof repairs will be arriving in the next 2 weeks.
Playground/Playing Field
- To consider the playground inspection report and note any actions
- A spreadsheet listing actions required was circulated and Cllr Pugson will formulate an action plan of repairs for our next meeting. The swing seats have been cleaned to remove bird excrement and algae removed from the train. The bench will be moved from the enclosed play area to near the pump track to allow seating in that area. Cllr Pugson suggested a rota was drawn up for a weekly inspection of the playground area and all Councillors agreed.
- Zipwire update
- Cllr Walton proposed a spend of £80 to purchase a bespoke sign and post to be placed by the zipwire this was seconded by Cllr Pugson. The Clerk will organise the wording and circulate to Councillors. After discussion in the public forum Councillors agreed to commission an independent inspection of the zipwire. The Clerk will organise.
- Biodiversity/environmental considerations
- Cllr Bilverstone reported recommendations from a meeting with Suffolk Wildlife Trust of ways to enhance the playing field with an emphasis on biodiversity and the environment and noted this would be a long-term project where grants for funding were available. Councillors discussed the following ideas:
- The initial idea would have an emphasis on improving biodiversity, engaging community groups, providing accessible areas for all (benches for resting) and creating a place for people to sit, relax and improve mental wellbeing.
- To have a community orchard area, made up of locally sourced heritage species of trees, in the corner closest to Garden Fields – improved hedging between that area and the bottom corner near the BMX Track and then adding a few more native trees in that corner to create a ‘picnic area’ with picnic table/s etc. Cllr Bilverstone advised there are 60 hedging saplings being provided by The Woodland Trust in November that can be used to replace dead plants and thicken up the hedging along the edge of the playing field. More can be applied for if needed.
- Wildflower area: nettles have been pulled leaving the flowers/plants although the nettles do provide essential habitat for insects so some do need to stay, unfortunately this area has now been strimmed/cut down. Plan is to sow some native wildflower plants and seeds when we have had a bit more rain and then monitor the area for unwanted weeds etc.
- Cllr Bilverstone reported recommendations from a meeting with Suffolk Wildlife Trust of ways to enhance the playing field with an emphasis on biodiversity and the environment and noted this would be a long-term project where grants for funding were available. Councillors discussed the following ideas:
Village Matters/Maintenance
- To receive any updates regarding the village website
- Cllr Pugson advised he is waiting for information from the website provider to proceed making changes. He requested some more photographs of the village and properties for the gallery.
- Troston Wood update
- The Parish Council would like to thank Ian Adams and Kris Mainwaring who helped out with the recent installation of the wooden posts at the entrance to Troston Woods. These have been installed to deter access of motorised vehicles.
- Over hanging tree at Forge Corner
- The Clerk confirmed that the tree will be cut back.
- Village sign post condition
- Councillors unanimously agreed to postpone this item for a future meeting.
- Council to consider publication of the Troston book and the cost implications
- Councillors discussed the cost of producing the various options and decided to discuss at the finance meeting for 2025/26 year.
Finance
- The Clerk provided a schedule of payments which were agreed and approved unanimously.
| Date | Supplier / Customer | Description | Payment Type | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9.25 | Kall Kwik | May/June newsletter production | Bank transfer | £60.48 |
| 1.9.25 | BT | June broadband at village hall | Direct debit | £44.34 |
| 1.9.25 | Unity Trust Bank | Service charge - May | Standing order | £6.00 |
| 1.9.25 | BT | July broadband at village hall | Direct debit | £44.34 |
| 1.9.25 | Unity Trust Bank | Service charge - June | Standing order | £6.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Information Commissioners Office | Annual Data Protection fee | Direct debit | £47.00 |
| 1.9.25 | BT | August broadband at village hall | Direct debit | £44.34 |
| 1.9.25 | Countryside Conservation | Grassing cutting/playfield and village x 4 | Bank transfer | £1,310.40 |
| 1.9.25 | PKF Littlejohn | Limited assurance review external audit | Bank transfer | £252.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Kall Kwik | July/August newsletter production | Bank transfer | £80.64 |
| 1.9.25 | Community Action Suffolk | to host 1 x .gov email address | Bank transfer | £24.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Troston Village Hall Management Committee | Hall hire x 7 meetings | Bank transfer | £140.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Troston PCC | Donation for churchyard | Bank transfer | £700.00 |
| 1.9.25 | John Cutmore builds | Repairs to the village hall roof | Bank transfer | £7,266.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Amanda Jackson | July Salary | Bank transfer | £319.85 |
| 1.9.25 | Amanda Jackson | July working from home allowance | Bank transfer | £25.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Amanda Jackson | July Tax calculated by SALC | Bank transfer | £76.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Amanda Jackson | August Salary | Bank transfer | £319.85 |
| 1.9.25 | Amanda Jackson | August working from home allowance | Bank transfer | £25.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Amanda Jackson | August Tax calculated by SALC | Bank transfer | £76.00 |
| 1.9.25 | Amanda Jackson | Expenses - Printer ink | Bank transfer | £19.99 |
Total: £10,887.23
- The Clerk had circulated prior to the meeting bank reconciliations for both Current and Savings accounts which were agreed and approved unanimously.
- Clerk's Report
- The Clerk reported that a meeting will be arranged with the community Liaison Engineer at Suffolk County Council for a walk around of the ditches and drains.
- The Flood survey has been completed for Suffolk County Council.
- New rules come into force for 2025/26 from the Practitioners Guide relating to digital and data compliance focused on email address and domain names, website accessibility and IT policies. The Clerk is attending a training course in September.
- Cllrs had no questions about the National pay awards and agreed to back date the staff increases to April 2025.
- The Clerk recommended an automated cloud based back up of the Parish Council data at a cost of £84 per annum. Cllr Bilverstone proposed the subscription for automated back-up of data this was seconded by Cllr Pugson, unanimous decision.
- The Clerk present data to support subscribing to Parish online mapping services at a cost of £80 per annum. A short video of how this works and its benefits was circulated prior to the meeting. Cllrs discussed and decided to consider at the finance meeting later in the year.
- The Clerk presented updated quotes for a new Vehicle Activated Sign, it was noted that there has been an increase in the cost. The new cost is £2500.00 plus delivery. This will be discussed further when the remaining funds are received from Suffolk County Council
- The Clerk reported that the conclusion of the 2024/25 audit had been received, the external auditor had noted the following points:
- The amount of £65 unpresented cheques had incorrectly been reconciled and required adding back into the accounts giving new figures for boxes 6,7 and 8 – The Clerk will note for the 2025-26 audit. In section 1 of the Accounting statements Assertion 5 should have said no, Councillors accepted and had no questions.
Councillors Reports and Items for Future Agenda
Cllr Bilverstone suggested after so many facebook posts recently about the road closures and buses it would be good practice to have a Troston Parish Council dedicated page. All Cllrs agreed to put this on the agenda for the October meeting. The Clerk advised that a Media Policy was required.
- Parish Council facebook profile
- Location and ownership of the village ditches
- Condition of the Village sign
- Zipwire inspection report
Correspondence for Action or Information
Councillors would like to extend their thanks to a couple of other residents – Freddie Gaught from Church Lane who is always out and about clearing roadside gulleys, kerbside weeds, leaves and grass and generally keeping areas of the village looking neat and tidy. He has been doing this for years and we would like to say a big ‘thank you’. Also, our thanks go to Peter Johns for his continued efforts in keeping the village litter free – again ‘thank you’.
The Clerk had received 2 more complaints about the parking on Forge Corner.
Date of the Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on MONDAY 6th October 2025 at 7pm.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.22pm.