ALSTONEFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 16 JANUARY 2007
IN ALSTONEFIELD VILLAGE HALL
PRESENT
Cllrs T Eades (in the Chair), G Cohen, Mrs S Fowler, R Frith and M Hambleton
APOLOGIES
B Hammond
IN ATTENDANCE
Mrs L M Imeson
ALSO PRESENT
Mrs E Johnson, B Ross and K Stockton
Cllrs Mrs G Heath, L Richardson and E Wain
The Chairman welcomed all present to the meeting. He said that the Open Forum was an opportunity for local residents to have their say on issues of concern but was not a decision making forum.
Mrs Eileen Johnson said that she was attending to answer any questions on her planning application.
Brian Ross raised concerns about the Sunday morning waste collection service, the increase in fly tipping and general waste collections including kerbside recycling.
The Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 6 December 2006 were agreed and signed.
(a) Car Park by the Public Toilets
The Chairman had yet to meet Richard Gregory.
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issue |
Action/comment |
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Best Kept Village Competition. The chairman had asked Frank Lipp and Jo Wood f they were prepared to co-ordinate the village entry in the competition but they both felt that they did not want to participate this year |
Brian Ross to have a word with Frank Lipp and reconsider at next meeting |
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Drains blocked at various locations throughout the parish |
Chairman/Clerk to provide Gill Heath with copy of previous correspondence with County Council relating to drain emptying. Lengthman to clear drainage channels near Lode House and on road to Stanshope to help clear standing water from the roads Gill heath reported on problems of massive overspending in certain County Council departments and the requirement of all directorates to find savings. The road maintenance budget had been reinstated to some extent and there was a major effort to clear the backlog of drain cleaning |
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Sunday morning waste collection service. More people were being turned away from the skip as the items they wished to dispose of were not considered to be ‘domestic’ waste. |
Talks were in progress regarding outsourcing the service. There was a dispute between the District Council and the County Council. Some local householders had not been given the opportunity of participating in the kerbside recycling scheme. Gill Heath to progress. Need to make recycling easier to encourage more people to recycle. Confusion over Christmas and New Year collections. This year individual notification of collection dates was not provided merely a single letter which was placed on the notice board. Move to Thursday collections will cause problems especially for those who only spend the weekend in the parish and leave there rubbish bins outside when leaving the area. |
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State of sweeping on roads both within the village and the wider parish |
It was agreed that representations would be made about the state of the roads over recent weeks following deliveries of products for processing by a local business |
Brian Ross had raised the following issues:
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issue |
comment |
|
|
|
|
After borrowing a leaf blower to use, the lengthman had decided that he would withdraw his request for the Council to purchase a leaf blower for his use |
Noted |
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A date had been
set for the lengthman’s operation |
Noted |
|
Documentation to claim grant from County Council |
Lengthman to include breakdown of time spent on highway elements of his work in future invoices |
(I) APPLICATIONS
FOR PLANNING PERMISSION
a) Application for the removal of condition 3 – local occupancy condition on planning permission SM0893086, at Dovefold, Alstonefield (Application Code NPSM 1106/1036)
The Chairman read out the statement which accompanied the application. All councillors had received written representation from Mrs E Johnson in advance of the meeting.
The Council was extremely sympathetic with Mrs Johnson over her health problems and personal circumstances but after discussion agreed that it could not support the application as the removal of the local occupancy condition would jeopardise any future building for local people needing to live in the parish and would make the condition worthless on other properties.
Mrs Johnson was advised to make an appointment to discuss the application and her personal circumstances with the officer at the Peak Park dealing with the application prior to its submission to the Planning Committee.
(II)
DECISIONS MADE BY THE PEAK PARK
(i)
Two storey extension to dwelling plus lean to porch
at Greystones,
Hopedale (Application Code NPSM 1006 0950)
Granted with conditions
(a)
Payments to be made
It was proposed by Cllr Mrs
Fowler, seconded by Cllr Hambleton and agreed that the following payments be
made:
|
Lynne Imeson |
Honorarium and expenses |
£313.41 |
|
Audit Commission |
Audit Fee |
£141.00 |
|
Brian Ross |
Lengthman fees and
sundries |
£41.25 |
|
Tim Eades |
Expenses |
£169.30 |
|
Alstonefield Village Hall
Committee |
Room hire |
£130.00 |
|
Alstonefield Playing Field Committee |
Transfer of Best Kept
Village Prize money earmarked for the purchase of a bench |
£200.00 |
(b)
Payments Received
|
Staffordshire County Council |
Lengthman grant |
£160.75 |
(c)
Invoices issued
|
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council |
Lengthman grant |
£200.00 |
|
Staffordshire County Council |
Lengthman grant |
£160.75 |
(d) Bank Balances
The Council noted the balances in the Parish Council Account (as at 29/12/06) and Playing Field Committee Account (as at 4/1/07)
(c)
Vacancy on Parish Council
It was noted that there was still a vacancy.
(d)
Vacancy for Parish Clerk
No applications had been received for the position of Clerk.
(e) Precept for 2007/8
The Council considered a paper outlining the spending of the year to date and anticipated expenditure and income for the remainder of the year. The Council also considered a paper outlining a proposed budget for the year ahead.
The Council agreed not to make provision for an election bearing in mind the lack of interest in the current vacancy on the Council and the fact that it had some balances which could be used and the District Council had indicated that it might be willing to allow payment for the election over the life of the new Council.
The Council agreed to accept the offer from Roger Pitts-Tucker that his costs of representing the Council at the Public Hearing into Village Green status of £16,000 be paid over a period of 4 years and that £4000 be included in the budget for 2007/8 for the first payment of costs. It was agreed that Roger Pitts-Tucker should be paid twice a year in April and September on receipt of an invoice in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Cllrs Mrs Heath, Richardson and Wain said that they would seek financial support from their authorities for the Council in its quest to secure the Greens for the parish. It was further agreed that if the Councillors were able to secure financial support from their authorities for this then Roger Pitts-Tucker should be paid this sum immediately on receipt of an invoice.
The Council agreed to set a precept at 5% higher than the previous year for its normal running expenses with an additional amount £4,000 for the costs associated with the village green hearing. The difference between the precept set and the budget for 2007/8 would be met from the Council’s existing balances.
It was proposed by the Chairman, seconded by the Vice Chairman and agreed unanimously that the precept for the year be set at £9,788. It was noted that this would have the effect of a parish rate of £59.32 for Band D properties.
(a)
Inspection reports
The
Council reviewed the inspection reports and agreed them as having been
inspected.
(b) Bench
The Clerk had obtained a grant of £300 from the Community Chest Fund towards the cost of the bench.
The Council noted the correspondence received since the last meeting.
Discussed in the Open Forum
Tuesday 20
February 2007
at 7.30pm
As this was her last meeting as Clerk to the Council, the Council joined with the Chairman in thanking Lynne Imeson her substantial contribution to the work of the Council over recent years.
It was proposed by the Chairman, seconded by the Vice Chairman and agreed that the Public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted relating to village greens.