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Barton-under-Needwood
Parish Council Minutes
Page last update on 20 January 2012
MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
HELD ON THURSDAY 1 December 2011
AT BARTON UNDER NEEDWOOD VILLAGE HALL.
Present: - Vice Chairman Cllr. E. Sharkey , Cllr Mr A. Kennedy, Cllr Mr N Culbert, Cllr Mrs L. Brant, Cllr Mrs J Taylor, Cllr Mr J. Pattison, Cllr Mr I. Gilbey, Cllr Mr K Mosey, Cllr Mr D Sherratt, Clerk – Mrs S. Rumsby, Mr D Kennedy Semi Rural Forum Press: Rev. Preb. A Wood, Lichfield Mercury, Members of the Public
1. CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME AND OPENING REMARKS
The Vice Chairman welcomed all those in attendance.
2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Cllrs G Hughes, L Bennett, J Jones, J. Jessell, the police.
3. SEMI RURAL FORUM – Introduction by Mr D Kennedy and Rev. Preb A. Wood
Mr Kennedy introduced himself and provided useful background to the Semi Rural Forum. The forum is split into 3 areas, Uttoxeter, Burton Urban and Semi Rural, the latter includes 14 parishes, 1 County Councillor, 13 Borough Councillors, 8 Parish Councillors, 8 residents and 13 Parish Clerks. Its goal, by involving local residents, is to improve the quality of life in the area. Priorities are to watch the Borough Council and to ensure funds are allocated fairly within the action plans for budgets not previously provided for. For example, a recent project was Tutbury Eco Power - a project which generates electricity from the local river. Rev. Preb. Wood added that a recently completed project was the tidying up of the corner at Tatenhill. There is annual funding available and this year the fund is £120K; this is totally separate to the WASP fund. It was queried whether the running costs are high particularly as Borough and County Councillors are involved. It was confirmed that these costs do not come out of the £120K pot. The Vice Chairman highlighted the recent activity of the Alliance of East Staffordshire Villages and the Clerk would copy Mr Kennedy in with a copy of their report. The next meeting will be in January and everyone is welcome to attend.
4. PARISHIONERS’ FORUM
A resident of Mill Lane reported that the general maintenance of this area
was poor. A hedge adjacent to Hobbs Farm needed cutting back as this was
exacerbating a fly-tipping problem. There is poor drainage and the gullies
appear to be blocked. There are also brambles from Hardy Close. It was
confirmed that Terry Taylor had already reported the drainage problems and the
Clerk would ask for this to be chased. Hobbs Farm would be approached to ensure
the hedges are kept trimmed. It was requested that any sightings of fly-tipping
be reported and if possible licence numbers and descriptions taken.
5. MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING – 6
OCTOBER 2011
It was proposed by Cllr Kennedy and seconded by Cllr Culbert that the
previously distributed minutes were approved and signed as a correct record by
the Vice Chairman. All agreed.
6. POLICE REPORT
PC Guy Jones had reported to the Clerk that the new non-emergency number 101
could now be used. Smartmarking was recommended for the war memorial plaques as
there was a current trend of theft of these for scrap metal. PC Jones had
provided the Clerk with a weblink to obtain a free kit. The Clerk would arrange
this. Other activity in the village included a burglary in Short Lane and
people being moved on during fireworks night. There had been no incidents in
Collinson Park. It was reported that a new scheme for unclaimed bikes had been
launched at the Youth Centre. With the assistance of Adrian Timmis at Cadence
Sport, any unclaimed bikes were being refurbished and bikes given to helpers.
7. EAST STAFFORDSHIRE BOROUGH COUNCILLOR REPORT
There was no report available.
8. COMMITTEE REPORTS
· a. Finance Committee
i) Report – There has been no meeting this month but Cllr D. Sherratt advised that there was still scope for changes to be made to the budget in the January meeting. Members of the Parks and Open Spaces Committee were reminded that the mowing and maintenance contract should be put out to tender to enable budgeting for this cost. The invoice for Potters Way resurfacing from McArthys was discussed and approved for payment.
ii) Receipts & Payments – no unusual items reported. (Addendum 2 refers). Resolved – Detail was accepted by members.
· b. Transport & Environment
i)
The report from the Alliance of East Staffordshire Villages had been sent
to ESBC but no response had as yet been received. A further meeting of the
Alliance with ESBC and Councillors would be scheduled. Rolleston upon Dove
were pushing ahead with their Neighbourhood Plan but it was thought that ESBC
would not acknowledge the powers of the Localism Act as might be hoped. An
Inspector conducting a Public Inquiry for the South Oxfordshire District Council
Core Strategy had recommended all of the housing allocation for Thame be
determined through the Neighbourhood Plan, giving leverage to the Borough to do
whatever they wanted. There will be a report on the pros and cons in the new
year.
The Efflinch Lane application had been registered but had not as yet been
received by the Parish Council. If the deadline is the 28 December for a
response the Clerk will request an extension of two weeks for our response as
the application will undoubtedly need consideration by the whole of the Parish
Council.
ii)
Car Park/Co-operative Store
A further light directed into the car park had been erected on the portacabin
and unless any further problems were reported it was suggested no further action
was necessary with regards to lighting the car park.
· c. Planning (Refer to Separate Schedule – Addendum No.3)
There were no objections to plans received other than the Land South of Branston – an objection had been prepared by Roger Bell to the effect that an application of this scale was premature until the Core Strategy was much further advanced.
An application had gone to Yoxall Parish Council concerning a travellers’ site at Sich Lane, Woodhouses. Although this Parish Council had not seen the application, we could comment in principle. The application consists of two small factory built bungalows with paddock and a day room. It was thought that as 2 previous applications had been refused, this would be too. The site and correspondence received would be discussed at the next Planning and Transport & Environment meeting.
· d. Village Hall
Following three quotes for air conditioning installation, the Village Hall Management Committee had agreed to appoint AAC contractors at a price of £9,120 plus VAT and installation. SCC would carry out the installation for £2,613 plus VAT totalling £14,180.32. The VHMC would apply for a grant of £7,500 and the remaining £7,500 would be sought from the Village Hall Development Fund. It may be possible to apply elsewhere for part of this money to be funded. There is currently £10,533.67 in the development fund. The Vice Chairman queried if another expert opinion should be sought and Cllr Mosey highlighted that the load on the circuit would need to be investigated to check there is sufficient supply. Running costs and ongoing maintenance were queried and it was confirmed a maintenance contract had been offered at £240 per year. The Clerk would investigate whether planning permission would be required. All agreed to back this proposal in principle for the purposes of applying for the grant and the Clerk would send a letter to the Village Hall Management Committee offering the £7,500 required.
·
e. Holland Sports Club
It was reported that Holland Sports Club would be refurbishing the shower
blocks themselves.
·
f. Cemetery
Cllr Kennedy agreed to speak to Sean Gaynor regarding his concerns over tomb
topping. Cllr Sherratt had spoken to the vicar about re-using the church
cemetery grounds for new burials and the vicar had requested that the Clerk
write to him about it for consideration.
·
g. Parks and Open Spaces
There is a meeting scheduled for the following week when hopefully a quote
for the hedging panels will be selected. ESBC had notified the Parish Council
that planning permission should have been obtained for the climbing frame in
Collinson Park. The Parish Council had taken planning advice before the frame
was ordered and advised that planning permission would not be required. The
Vice Chairman will draft a response to Michael Brown indicating this advice and
offering to meet with the Borough Solicitors.
There is a meeting with UPM Tilhill arranged to agree the final account.
Two quotations had been received for work in the Pocket Park and these will be
forwarded to the Finance Committee.
It was not clear whether the CCTV would be required to be returned to ESBC as it
was thought that Branston had requested the use of CCTV. Specifications were
ready for a new model to be delivered within two weeks of request if necessary.
Residents were being encouraged to complete incident reports to tie in with CCTV
footage.
·
h. Newbold Quarry Expansion
A planning application was still awaited. As it is unlikely the minerals
plan will be in place before an application is received, it will probably go to
a public enquiry which the Parish Council will be able to attend. A report will
follow once planning is received.
·
i. Parish Council Communications
Cllr Mosey reported that the new website name had been registered and the
site was constructed with content based on other Parish Council websites.
Training would be provided for the Clerk. There had been no cost involved in
the design and set up as this had all been done by Cllr Mosey. The address
would be circulated for members to provide feedback before publication. Cllr
Mosey commended Cllr Pattison’s site and hoped the two sites would be linked
together along with other useful links. A blogging area was mentioned to
promote feedback on current issues and also a poll facility was possible.
· j. Other Committee Reports
There were no other reports.
8. OTHER MATTERS ARISING
k. ESBC Neighbourhood Delivery Plan
Cllrs Gilbey and Taylor had attended a recent meeting and reported that the
bids and decision making were a strange process. Our 3 bids were down to 2
which had been linked. The lights on the footpath and CCTV had been lumped
together but no information or advice was available on costs. Mace Security was
mentioned, however, at an estimated cost of £6-7K. The running costs of CCTV
were thought to be high and for the application to succeed the support of the
police was required. The Inspector had been brought up to date with the
problems in Collinson Park and mentioned that he may be able to source some
police funding for lighting on the footpath. It was thought that bollard
height lights would be easily vandalised. The location of the lights was
discussed and it was thought that the arm of the footpath towards Wales Lane by
the hospital would be preferred. It was difficult to predict how the process
would go but the timescale was that the bids would be looked at in the New Year
with a decision made by the end of the financial year.
Cllr Taylor had attended a meeting regarding the Heritage Lottery Fund and it
may be possible to obtain monies for repairs to the war memorial and surrounding
paving; Cllr Taylor is awaiting paperwork and will liaise with Cllr Sherratt
once more information is obtained. It was thought it would be a phased
application with monies for the memorial being obtained, followed by monies for
the surrounding area. The work would be done by a specialist and it was
reported that a stone mason would not be sufficient for this type of work.
Estimates could be obtained from a company who specialises in this area but
Cllrs Taylor and Sherratt will work together on this once the criteria for the
funding was established.
· l. Speedwatch Initiative
Nothing to report. More volunteers were required but the initiative tends to operate only in daylight and in good weather conditions. Cllr Pattison had received reports of speeding on Efflinch Lane at around 6pm. The Clerk is to pass this information on to PC Jones.
·
m. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations
Cllr Brant reported that two meetings had taken place and the Committee
agreed the beacon would be appropriate for 4 June 2012. Locations had been
suggested and the fire station tower was a possibility. The insurance aspect
would need investigation. All agreed the Clerk should register our interest at
a cost of £300. A family day at Holland Sports Club had been discussed by the
Committee but it would not be possible to join in with the Argos Fun Day as
their date was set for 7 July. It was thought it would be better if the
organising Committee approached Barton & Dunstall Key Trust for any funding
rather than the Parish Council. If it was decided to hold a street party on
Main Street, Cllr Gilbey confirmed that 28 days notice to ESBC would be required
under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, emergency services and bus companies
would need to be consulted and signs displayed. Souvenir mugs were also being
considered by the Committee.
· n. Sundry Matters
o Cllr Brant had looked into the Talk Talk noticeboard for the corner of Mill Lane and confirmed that a 3ft x 3ft wooden display board could be installed for free, padlocks can be fitted. All agreed Cllr Brant should proceed with this option.
o Cllr Pattison confirmed he had taken photographs of the war memorial as requested.
o Potters Way – thanks were expressed to Cllrs Culbert and Brant for their efforts in completing this project. Cllr Culbert is to advise the Clerk of weight restrictions in due course.
9. ADMINISTRATION
Councillors were referred to the separate Schedule. An invoice had been received from ESBC for reimbursement of election charges. Despite various issues including results not being published in a timely manner, it was agreed that the invoice should be paid and provision made.
10. CORRESPONDENCE See Schedule
No items of correspondence discussed.
11. REPORTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES ON OUTSIDE BODIES
Cllr Sherratt thanked everyone for their attendance and contribution towards the Remembrance Services and advised that a total of £6,000 had been raised from the Poppy Appeal.
12. COUNCILLORS’ REPORT
Cllr Kennedy advised that planning matters were still being addressed to the previous Clerk and the Clerk should alert ESBC to this to have matters correctly addressed.
13. CLERKS REPORT
The Clerk advised the following:
· The Clerk received a second set of application packs for both Thomas Russell Infants and Juniors Governors – this was sent out in error and the Clerk has spoken to the Administration Officer who confirmed that our applications have been received and there will be a meeting with the cabinet on 14 December when Governors will be appointed.
· The Clerk was notified by a resident that the Parish Council should have obtained a temporary closure order for Potter’s Way during the re-surfacing as they had caused a restriction to the Public Rights of Way. The Clerk immediately contacted the Public Rights of Way Team at Staffordshire County Highways and was told that this was not necessary as the work was only for a short time, an emergency closure could be sought only if the Parish Council wanted added protection if anyone fell. The Rights of Way Team copied the Clerk with a complaint they had received, personal details omitted. The Clerk was then told that if any pedestrians requested access to the route they could be marshalled through by workmen. There was an incident on Friday 25 November when a pedestrian demanded access to the right of way. The Clerk was advised by the Public Rights of Way Team that if a temporary closure order was to be sought for any future works, then 4 weeks notice would be required.
The Vice Chairman thanked those present and closed the meeting at 9.00pm.
14. DATES OF NEXT MEETINGS
Future meetings are Thursdays, 5 January, 2 February and 1 March 2012
Chairman – 5 January 2012.
Page last update on 20 January 2012