PRESENT:
Parish Councillors Mrs S.Dodd, A.Brown, P.Harriman, D.Massie, Stafford Borough
Councillor, Mrs S.Leighton and the Clerk, Mrs D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
Were received from Parish Councillors, Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs S.Moore and P.Bailey
and Stafford Borough Councillor Mr R.Sutherland.
MINUTES:
The minutes were deemed as a true record by those present and were duly signed
by the Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
As requested at the last meeting, the Clerk had written two thank you letters on
behalf of the Parish Council to Mr and Mrs Latham for cutting back their hedge
in order to prevent the fingerpost on the Woollaston Road from being obscured
and Mr Roy Billington who had assisted with a recent repair to one of the
village troughs on the High Street.
LATE ITEMS
There were no late items.
OPEN FORUM:
This was not required on this occasion.
NEIGHBOURHOOD
WATCH:
Councillor P.
Harriman reported a suspicious looking blue/grey transit van whose registration
number he had noted. The Clerk had received several emails from the
Staffordshire Smart Alert
system warning against national matters such as cold calling and fake parcel
deliveries. .
CHURCH EATON
VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
It was noted that Councillor
P.Harriman was to continue with the playground inspections for the forthcoming
month.
Councillor D. Massie had been in contact with the owners of the chickens who were gaining access to the playground. Despite the owners making a concerted effort to keep the chickens on their property, they were still getting into the playground and one of the Parish Councillors had received a complaint about this from concerned parents of children using the playground. Councillor D. Massie was to liaise with the owners again.
The re-painting of the play ground railings was still outstanding due to the recent bad weather. Councillor P. Harriman was still tackling the ivy which was over growing the hawthorn on the roadside fence and which was proving to be thicker than originally thought.
It was reported that one of the ‘twister’ pieces of equipment was still locked and would be looked at weather permitting.
PLANNING
The Parish Council had received two planning applications since the last
meeting. The first was for the proposed gateway at the Old Rectory and the
second for temporary storage of road chippings at Little Onn Airfield. There
were no objections made to these proposals.
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
The Clerk reported that donations and pledges had now exceeded the initial
£3,000 target with more monies pledged. The recent donation from the Church
Eaton Relief In Need Charity now meant that an order for two defibrillators
could now be submitted. Councillor
P. Harriman had also confirmed the donation amount which had been raised by the
Village Institute who had worked very hard to raise funds towards the project.
The Parish Council were hopeful that potentially a third defibrillator could be
purchased in the not too distant future.
While Councillor
P. Harriman had confirmed with The Royal Oak that a defibrillator could be
installed on their site, Mr Steve Cox from Marston had also agreed for a
defibrillator to be installed at Marston on his land.
FINGERPOSTS
Sources and costs for replacement fingerposts were
still being investigated. The Clerk had reported to Highways concerns over the
poor condition of the fingerpost located by the church and the fingerpost at
Broad Lane Wood Eaton being in need of urgent action. The Clerk was still
awaiting a response and would follow this matter up and report to the next
meeting. It was also agreed that the Clerk should contact a previous supplier of
fingerposts to request a quotation should replacvements be needed.
HIGHWAYS
Following the report of the poor condition of the footbridge at Apeton Ford at
the last meeting, it was confirmed that a new footbridge had now been installed.
Councillor A. Brown had been extremely busy clearing the blocked road gulley and drain outside the property East Lodge at Marston. He had been able to clear the drain but required Highways to jet it through. It was noted that one of the drain covers in the area had been very difficult to remove and this was also the case in the High Street where a road drain had grass growing through it! The Clerk was to report this to Highways and request some assistance. The Clerk reported however that Mr Simon Griffiths, the Community Highway Liaison Officer was leaving the County Council and the Clerk was currently awaiting notification of his successor.
The Clerk reported that in his absence, Councillor S. Moore had sent a report of his attendance at the recent Stafford West Collaboration meeting which was held on the 30th November and which was hosted by Bradley Parish Council. Councillor Moore’s report contained several key issues. One, that there was a general reluctance for Parish Councils to increase precepts without clarity over the additional work that might be passed to them. Community grants initiatives for funding footpath maintenance were available. Staffs County Councillor Mark Winnington had requested that each Parish Council provide him with a list of road gulley problems in their area. A letter was to be produced and signed by all Parish Council’s present to complain about the lack of emptying. It was also suggested that ‘Unsuitable for HGV’ pictorial signs are produced to alert foreign drivers as to unsuitable roads. Full details of the meeting as per the Minutes would be posted as soon as they became available.
FINANCE:
The Clerk reported she had received an invoice for
£20 from Church Eaton Village Institute for the hire of the hall for December’s
meeting and a request for the £25 pledged by the Parish Council towards the cost
of the Christmas tree. These were proposed for payment by Councillor D. Massie
and seconded by Councillor P. Harriman. All were in favour. The Clerk reported
that she had banked all the recent defibrillator donations and was currently
waiting to receive one more. The Clerk had also received a request from the
Borough Council for the Council to set their precept for the forthcoming
financial year. This was to be set at the January meeting.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk reported she had received a copy of the latest Borough Council’s
Members Digest and information relating to the forthcoming Borough Carol
Concert. Information about the Spring Walking for Health programme had also been
received. The Clerk had also received information about the proposed changes to
the annual audit and would report further on this at the next meeting after she
had read it through thoroughly. All other correspondence, including that from
Neighbourhood Watch and emails relating to the issues raised during the last
meeting, had been circulated to Parish Councillors.
It was agreed that the next
meeting of the Parish Council would be held on Tuesday the 2nd
January 2018 at 7.30pm in the Village Institute. The meeting closed at 8.45pm.
PRESENT:
Parish Councillors Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs P.Bailey, A.Brown, P.Harriman, D.Massie,
S.Moore, Stafford Borough Councillor, one member of the public and the Clerk,
Mrs D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
Were received from Parish Councillor, Mrs S.Dodd, Stafford Borough Councillors
Mr S.Leighton and Mr R.Sutherland.
MINUTES:
The minutes were deemed as a true record by those present and were duly signed
by the Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
Councillor P. Bailey reported that several of the High Street road gullies had
been cleaned out although one adjacent to Dolphin House remained blocked and
actually had grass growing out of it! The Clerk was asked to report this matter
to Highways. The Clerk confirmed that she had chased up the blocked gulley
located near to the East Lodge, Marston which had been brought to the Parish
Council’s attention at the last meeting by Mr Bob Giles. All other items would
be taken as they appeared on the agenda.
LATE ITEMS
Councillor Mrs K. Reeves requested that the
Parish Council considered putting some funds aside, as was customary, to help
pay for the Institute Christmas Tree. Councillor Mrs Reeves proposed £25 towards
this, which was seconded by Councillor P. Harriman. All were in favour. The
Clerk was asked to notify Mr Fred Annis
There were no other late items.
OPEN FORUM:
This was not required on this occasion.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:
It was reported that there had been a break-in at a
local property, understood to be in the Shushions area. Mowers and other items
had been stolen. The Clerk had received several emails from the Staffordshire Smart Alert system
warning against national car thefts and cold calling.
CHURCH EATON VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
Councillor A. Brown returned the inspection book and confirmed that the fallen
tree branch had now been chopped up and removed.
Councillor P. Bailey reported that he had been contacted by concerned residents over chickens gaining access to the playground. Councillor D. Massie was to contact the owners of the chicken to see if the Parish Council could help with preventing this from occurring. It was also reported that the equipment and the playground sign, along with the adjoining 30mph sign had been vandalised with pink and purple aerosol spray paint. Fortunately Councillor A. Brown was able to remove this before it became permanent. The Clerk was asked to include this in her Parish Magazine report, along with a request for anyone with information relating to this matter to contact the Parish Council (in confidence if preferred).
The playground railings had been examined by Councillor P. Harriman and while it was currently too wet to carry out any maintenance work, Councillor P. Harriman had noted that there were several layers of old paint on the galvanized railings which would need to be removed. There were suggestions that if the paint could be removed whether it would be better to leave the railings unpainted. This would obviously depend on the progress of the old paint removal.
PLANNING
The Parish Council had received two planning applications since the last
meeting. The first was for proposed extensions and alterations to the property
known as Rose Cottage, High Street, and the second for a single storey swimming
pool building and extension to the existing garage at the Old Rectory. There
were no objections made to these proposals.
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
The Clerk reported that donations and pledges had now exceeded the initial
£3,000 target with more pledged. Councillor
P. Harriman said that there was another donation to come from the Village
Institute who had worked very hard to raise funds towards the project. The Clerk
suggested waiting for the receipt of the pledges before placing the order so as
not to impact on the working funds of the Parish Council. On receipt of the
pledged monies an order would be placed immediately, and the Parish Council were
hopeful that potentially a third defibrillator could be purchased in the not too
distant future.
Councillor P. Harriman had confirmed with The Royal Oak that a defibrillator could be installed on their site and Mr Steve Cox from Marston was to be approached to seek permission to install a defibrillator on his land.
BT PHONES :
The Clerk had now received two lots of paint from BT
so that the Parish kiosks could be re-painted. BT had sent painting instructions
and had requested a before and after set of photographs. This would be carried
out subject to weather conditions. The Clerk had reported to BT that the bulb
was faulty in the High Street kiosk which had now been replaced.
FINGERPOSTS
Following Councillor P. Harriman’s recent
survey of the condition of the village fingerposts, the Clerk had reported two
posts to Highways which were identified to be in need of urgent action, namely
the one located by the Church and the other at Broad Lane, Wood Eaton. At this
time the Clerk was still awaiting a response.
The fingerpost located at Woollaston Lane junction which required some of the hedge cutting back from behind it had been attended to by Mr and Mrs Latham who had very kindly trimmed back their hedge. Councillor A. Brown requested that they should be thanked by letter which the Clerk was to send.
The Clerk was also asked to contact Mr Rob Carless to see whether he could help with the potential replacement of the posts. He would be asked for a quotation if he was able to assist.
HIGHWAYS
Following the Clerk’s request to Highways new plastic bollards had been obtained
to replace the broken ones outside two properties on the High Street, Lissadell
and Innisfree. Councillor A. Brown had now installed these but reported that one
had already been broken. It was agreed that the property owners should be
contacted to see whether they would prefer to have something more substantial
i.e. in a hard wood installed. Councillor A. Brown had also installed new
bollards to protect the triangle at Marston. It
was agreed to look at protecting the triangle at Joan Eaton’s Cross in the same
manner.
The poor condition of the footbridge at Apeton Ford had been reported by a local resident to the Clerk and this information had been passed to the Highway’s Department who had actioned this to be replaced.
The Clerk reported that the next Stafford West Collaboration meeting to be held on the 19th October, hosted by Bradley Parish Council, was to be re-scheduled for a date later in November. Councillor S. Moore said he would probably be able to attend. The Clerk was asked to update him with details.
The Clerk had now heard back from Highways regarding the new gateway near to Joan Eaton’s Cross on High Onn Road. The enforcement officer confirmed that the landowner did not require planning permission due to the class of road.
VILLAGE TROUGHS:
Councillor A. Brown was still continuing to treat the troughs with wood
preservative and asked for Mr Roy Billington to be thanked by letter for
assisting with the repair of one of the High Street troughs. Plans would be put
in place to move the trough on High Onn Road and the one on Little Onn Road
nearer to the village to try and prevent the plants being stolen.
Mrs Jane Moore had submitted an invoice for plants, for the winter months, for the troughs at Marston which Jane and other Marston residents had very kingly re-planted. It was agreed to review the planting budget for all troughs so that they could be well stocked throughout the year. Planting schemes for the triangle at Marston were also discussed.
FINANCE:
The Clerk reported she had received an invoice for
£20 from Church Eaton Village Institute for the hire of the hall for November’s
meeting. The Borough Council had submitted an invoice for £90 for the last Civic
Amenity visit. JWH had submitted two invoices for grass cutting amounting to
£141 and Mrs Moore’s invoice for plants came to £25.50. These were proposed for
payment by Councillor Mrs K. Reeves and seconded by Councillor P. Harriman. All
were in favour. The Clerk reported that she had received a way leave cheque from
Western Power Distribution amounting to £2.50, which had been banked.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk reported she had received a copy of the Borough Council’s Members
Digest and information relating to the forthcoming Borough Gala event. The Clerk
informed the Council that she had encountered a serious IT problem which had
resulted in the loss of some emails. This was being attended to. An email
relating to consultations regarding the draft Local Plan had been received. All
other correspondence, including that from Neighbourhood Watch and emails
relating to the issues raised during the last meeting, had been circulated to
Parish Councillors.
It was agreed that the next meeting of the
Parish Council would be held on Tuesday the 5th December at 7.30pm in the
Village Institute. The meeting closed at 9.05pm.
PRESENT:
Parish Councillors Mrs S.Dodd, Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs P.Bailey, A.Brown,
P.Harriman, D.Massie, S.Moore, Staffs County Councillor Mr M.Winnington, one
member of the public and the Clerk, Mrs D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
Were received from Stafford Borough Councillors Mr R.Sutherland and Mr
S.Leighton.
MINUTES:
There was amendment to the minutes from the previous meeting where the Clerk had
described the rocking horse saddle being leather balmed by Councillor Moore. It
was in fact the leather skirt. The minutes were then deemed as a true record by
those present and were duly signed by the Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
The Clerk confirmed that during August, Terry Merchant had been paid for
carrying out the tree inspection in the playground which amounted to £50 and
that an invoice for JWH had also been paid. All other items would be taken as
they appeared on the agenda.
LATE ITEMS
Vice Chairman Councillor Mrs S.Dodd expressed concerns
over the triangle at Marston which was getting unkempt. Mr Harriman said he
would get a measurement of the size of the triangle and contact Mark Keeling in
order to clarify what could be installed to act as a barrier. Landscaping of the
triangle was also discussed.
Councillor Mrs K.Reeves reported concerns over the current state of the parish fingerposts some of which would need, if possible, repairing as well as re-painting. A survey of the fingerposts was therefore to be undertaken.
OPEN FORUM:
There was a query during Open Forum from the member of the public present
concerning the recent removal of a section of hedgerow and the installation of a
gateway on the High Onn road near to Joan Eaton’s Cross. This had been reported
to Highways by the Clerk who had received a response to say that they would
investigate the matter. The Clerk was asked to chase this up.
Dog fouling was also brought up as an area of concern. The Clerk distributed some more dog fouling notices. The Parish Council agreed that if anyone knew whose dogs were causing this problem they should contact the Parish Council who in turn would contact Stafford Borough Council’s Dog Warden.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:
It had come to the
attention of the Parish Council that bedding plants had again been stolen from
the trough located on the High Onn Road. It was further understood that plants
had also been taken from the trough on the Little Onn Road as well as hanging
baskets in the village. This had been reported to the police but if anyone knew
who was doing this, they were urged to contact the local police or the Clerk (in
confidence if required). This was the third time this had happened and the
replanting was proving very costly and time consuming. A big thank you to Jenny
Annis was recorded at the meeting for her time and effort in replanting the
troughs. It was agreed that these two troughs would be moved and placed in a
more central location within the village to try and deter the thieves.
BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION
Councillor Mr Andrew Brown had attended the recent presentation of awards for
the Best Kept Villager Competition but unfortunately Church Eaton had not won
anything this year. The Clerk reported that the annual Hanging Baskets and Tubs
Competition had now been judged and the winners were as follows:
First Place Oak House
Runner Up Cherry Tree Cottage
Runner Up 7 Parkers Close
Highly Commended were: Palmers Croft, High Street, 3 Little Onn Road, 2 Ashley Croft
As was customary, the winner and the two runner ups would each receive a National Gardening Voucher, which the Clerk would arrange.
CHURCH EATON
VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
Councillor Mrs K.Reeves
returned the inspection book. Councillor S.Moore had attended to the branches
that were hanging down. The Clerk had still not received a quotation for
removing the ivy from the hawthorn but Mr Harriman was to go and look at doing
this himself. Councillor P.Bailey took the inspection book for the forthcoming
month.
The Clerk had been in touch with Les Beattie and the transfer of formal ownership of the adult outdoor gymnasium equipment had been agreed. To allow this to happen, and as CERS had now closed their bank account, the Parish Council would pay a nominal £1 to CERS who in return would donate this to the defibrillator fund.
Councillor Mrs K.Reeves took the inspection book for the forthcoming month.
PLANNING
The Clerk reported that she had received several recent planning applications
which had been circulated for consideration by the Parish Council. These were
namely the development of the former Polish Camp at Little Onn and the varying
of planning conditions at Wood Eaton Manor. There were no objections to either
of these applications
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
The Clerk reported that donations were now exceeding £3,000, with the
Parish Council still continuing to receive generous donations. Two potential
sites had been identified to install the defibrillators and once the permissions
to use these sites were confirmed, the order would be placed. The Clerk had
spoken withMartin Watson - a
First Responder with the West Midlands Ambulance Service – to both request help
and advice with ordering the defibrillators and to arrange necessary training.
Mr Watson was to be contacted when the defibrillators were ordered so that he
could advise further.
BT PHONES :
The Clerk had now received an email from BT who were
currently investigating the poor condition of the telephone kiosks. The village
telephone kiosk had had the fault repaired following Councillor Mrs. Karen
Reeves complaint
HIGHWAYS
The Neighbourhood Highways Team had been instructed to carry out some remedial work near to the triangle at Marston and to also look at unblocking road gullies in and around the Parish. Blocked road gullies remained a high priority and the Parish Council was to continue pressing Highways to get these unblocked as soon as they can. Chairman Councillor Mr Peter Harriman was currently in talks with Highways over concerns regarding the poor condition of Slab Lane.
The Clerk also reported on various emails that Mr Chris Byford had copied the Parish Council into regarding his talks with Highways regarding the poor condition of some of the Haughton to Church Eaton road. Thanks to his endeavours some repairs had been carried out but Mr Byford still had concerns about works that had not been carried out.
The Parish Council was represented by Councillor Mrs Karen Reeves and the Clerk at the recent Stafford West Collaboration meeting held in Seighford. There still seemed to be uncertainty as to what jobs Parish Councils would be able to do in the future regarding basic Highways maintenance. Items such as insurance, volunteer numbers and costs remained key areas of concern. The next meeting will be held on the 19th October and will be hosted by Bradley Parish Council.
FINANCE:
The Clerk reported that the annual return and audit of
accounts had now been concluded and the appropriate notices had been posted. The
Clerk reported she had received an invoice for £20 from Church Eaton Village
Institute for the hire of the hall for September’s meeting and another invoice
for £188 from JWH for grass cutting.
Renewal of the Council insurance by Zurich was also discussed following receipt of the new insurance documents. It was unanimously agreed to opt for the three year payment commitment of £533.29 per year. These were proposed for payment by Councillor Mr P.Harriman and seconded by Councillor Mrs S.Dodd. All were in favour.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk reported she had received a copy of the Borough Council’s Members
Digest. All other correspondence, including that from Neighbourhood Watch and
emails relating to the issues raised during the last meeting, had been
circulated to Parish Councillors.
It was agreed that the next
meeting of the Parish Council would be held on the 3rd October at 7.30pm in the
Village Institute. The meeting closed at 9.10pm.
PRESENT:
Parish Councillors Mrs S.Dodd, Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs P.Bailey, A.Brown,
P.Harriman, D.Massie, S.Moore, and the Clerk, Mrs D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
Were received from Staffs County Councillor, Mr M.Winnington and Stafford
Borough Councillors Mr R.Sutherland.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and were duly signed by the Vice-Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
These items would be taken as they appeared on the agenda.
LATE ITEMS
Councillor Mrs K.Reeves reported that the lease
for the Glebelands Sport Association was still not signed as there were some
issues surrounding tenure but it was hope that this would be sorted out shortly.
OPEN FORUM:
Was not required on this occasion.
NEIGHBOURHOOD
WATCH:
The Clerk reported
that there had been a spate of stolen milk and milk money from several
properties in Church Eaton. The police are investigating this matter.
CHURCH EATON
VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
Councillor S.Moore returned
the inspection book and had noted that there were some branches hanging down
from one of the trees. It was agreed that Councillor Moore and the Chairman -
Councillor P.Harriman - would lop these off. Councillor Moore had also treated
the saddle on the rocking horse with some leather balm.
The Clerk had now received the tree survey report from Terry Merchant - a chartered forester and arborist - who had now carried out his inspection. This was to be circulated and added to the next agenda. Mr Merchant had not provided an invoice but it was agreed that this would be paid if he did so. The Clerk had still not heard back from John Hall regarding providing a quotation for removing ivy from the playground trees. Councillor Mrs K.Reeves took the inspection book for the forthcoming month.
It was further agreed to look at formalising the ownership of the adult gymnasium equipment. The Clerk was asked to contact Les Beattie about this matter.
PLANNING
The Clerk reported that she had received an amendment to the recent planning
application for change of use to a residential unit at High Onn Farm. These
amendments were primarily to the car parking arrangements and there were no
comments made from the Parish Council, who still regarded that insufficient
information had not been made available regarding the project.
A second application had been received for a single storey ground floor extension to form an enlarged kitchen, family room and utility at Apeton Hall Farm. There were no objections to this proposal.
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
The Clerk reported that donations were now exceeding £2,700 with some more
promised. As a result the Clerk obtained Martin Watson’s telephone number - a
First Responder with the West Mids Ambulance Service - to request help and
advice with ordering the defibrillators and to arrange necessary training.
Locations for the defibrillators were still being investigated. All these
arrangements were to be finalised at the next Parish Council meeting in
September.
REMOVAL OF BT
PHONES :
The Clerk reported
that she had received an email from BT who were now not removing the two parish
telephone kiosks as there had been too many objections from local residents. A
discussion relating to their poor condition ensued and it was agreed to look at
getting them re-painted.
HIGHWAYS
There were more reports concerned blocked up gullies in and around Church Eaton
although the Neighbourhood Teams were to attend to filling in the large holes at
Marston reported by Councillor S. Moore. Councillor Mr P. Bailey had reported
problems with gullies in the High Street. Councillor P. Harriman stated that
there was still water running on the road in the Marston area.
The next Stafford West Collaboration meeting to be held on the 27th July was discussed and Councillor Mrs K Reeves said she would probably be able to attend with Councillor Mr S.Moore possibly being able to attend.
BEST KEPT
VILLAGE COMPETITION:
There was nothing to report
except that posters had been put up and the Clerk had now arranged for a judge
to carry out the annual Hanging Baskets and Tubs competition.
FINANCE:
The Clerk reported she had received an invoice for £20
from Church Eaton Village Institute for the hire of the hall for July’s meeting
and another invoice for £141 from JWH for grass cutting. The Clerk’s quarterly
fee of £540.70 plus £5.00 for HMRC was also raised. These were proposed for
payment by Councillor Mr P.Harriman and seconded by Councillor Mrs K.Reeves. All
were in favour.
Councillor Mrs Reeves also informed the meeting of the arrangements regarding the auto enrolment process concerning the Clerk who despite not taking up a pension from the Parish Council still needed to be registered.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk reported she had received a copy of the Borough Council’s Members
Digest and posters and fliers regarding the Borough SPACE scheme. There was an
invitation to attend a service at the National Arboretum on the 2nd
August. All other correspondence including that from Neighbourhood Watch and
emails relating to the issues raised during the last meeting had been circulated
to Parish Councillors.
Finally and on a sad note the Clerk reported she had received an email from Trevor Houghton who had received news from Mrs Rosemary Windeyer that former Parish Councillor Mr Bruce Windeyer had sadly died following a long illness. The Clerk had sent an email to Rosemary offering sincere condolences on behalf of the Parish Council.
It was agreed that the next
meeting of the Parish Council would be held on the 5th September at 7.30pm in
the Village Institute. The meeting closed at 8.45pm.
PRESENT:
Parish Councillors Mrs S.Dodd, Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs P.Bailey, A.Brown,
P.Harriman, D.Massie, S.Moore, two members of the public and the Clerk, Mrs
D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
Were received from Stafford Borough Councillor Mr R.Sutherland.
ELECTION OF
PARISH COUNCIL OFFICERS:
Councillor Peter Harriman was proposed by Councillor Mrs Dodd and seconded by
Councillor Bailey to be re-elected as chairman. All were in favour. Councillor
Mrs Sheila Dodd was proposed by Councillor Bailey and seconded by Councillor
Harriman to be re-elected as vice chairman. All were in favour. There were no
other nominations.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and were duly signed by the Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
The Clerk had notified Michael Williams, Clerk to the School Foundation, over
the recent re-appointment of Foundation Governors.
LATE ITEMS
There had been several concerns raised with the Parish
Council over a proposed car boot sale to be held on a site off the Lapley Road
and whether planning permission was required. The Clerk was asked to take this
matter up with the local planning authority.
Mr Paul Brown from Church Eaton Cricket Club was in attendance having spoken with Councillor Harriman about the Parish Council making a donation towards new wicket covers for the club. It was agreed to discuss Mr Brown’s request during finance. Mr Brown then left the meeting.
OPEN FORUM:
Was not required on this occasion.
NEIGHBOURHOOD
WATCH:
The Clerk reported
that she had received several reports from Mandy Corser regarding the OWL Smart
Alert service. These were again related to more national matters such as cold
calling and computer fraud.
CHURCH EATON
VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
Councillor Harriman returned
the inspection book. It was noted that the grass had been cut. The Clerk was
still to contact Terry Merchant regarding carrying out a tree survey. The Clerk
was also to chase John Hall about cutting back the ivy from the hawthorn.
Councillor Massie took the inspection book for the forthcoming month. The
railings at the entrance to the playground needed re-painted and volunteers were
to be sought to carry this out.
PLANNING
The Clerk had received a letter from the Borough Council’s Conservation Advisor
Alan Taylor who reported that the boundary of the Conservation Area had been
varied. This information could be found on the Borough Council’s planning web
site (http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/conservation). The Parish Council had
requested that the previous boundary was not amended but the Borough Council
Cabinet members felt it was important for the boundary to follow a well defined
line on the ground. The Parish Council were disappointed over this decision but
were pleased to hear that the ha-ha, which is part of the stone retaining wall
around the churchyard extension and which continues along the southern boundary,
had been noted in the appraisal.
The Parish Council had received one new planning application for proposed extensions and alterations to the property known as The Old School House, 3 Wood Eaton Road. On the whole, the Parish Council liked the proposed alterations and extensions but asked the Clerk to comment to the planning department concerns relating to the proposed car parking arrangements. There was some concern that vehicles may have to reverse out on to the Wood Eaton Road, a road which the Parish Council have long been concerned about due to speeding motorists and no pavement.
Regarding the aesthetic look to the proposed development, it was felt that the double garage door was rather imposing and of an inappropriate design to the front elevation which had a detrimental impact on the existing street scene. The Parish Council suggested that this impact could be lessened by the installation oftwo single doors separated by a brick pier.
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
The Clerk reported that several more generous donations towards the project had
been received, and with pledges the initial target of £3,000 was now within
reach. The Parish Council were keen to note the overwhelming support from local
residents and fund raising efforts. As a result the Clerk was asked to contact
the defibrillated supplier with a view to placing an order.
REMOVAL OF BT PHONES :
The Clerk had still
not received any news regarding BT’s plans to remove the two telephone kiosks.
This was to be followed up for the next meeting.
HIGHWAYS
Councillor Massie and Councillor Brown reported on their attendance at the
Stafford Area West Collaboration meeting on the 27th April 2017. Councillor Brown had produced a detailed report covering the whole of the proceedings but in conclusion felt that the value of the meeting was limited as no list of the services to be devolved to Parish Councils had been provided. He also commented that there seemed a general unwillingness to develop such a list of services for fear of it becoming a de facto standard. There was to be another meeting of the collaboration group on the 27th July but Councillor Brown was concerned that the approval of the final Task and Finish Group Document set for June, would mean that there would be no further opportunity to comment on and or to influence its contents.
The Clerk had received an email from Simon Griffiths requesting works for the Neighbourhood Teams to carry out. This was discussed at length and resulted in the Clerk being asked to request that blocked gullies and drains be looked at especially on the Wood Eaton Road and that following information from Councillor Moore, the two deep holes at the side of the carriageway around the Marston triangle were filled in with recycled hard-core.
THE GLEBELANDS:
Councillor Mrs Reeves reported that the renewal of the
lease was imminent and that there were no other major issues.
BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION:
Arrangements were reported to
be well in place. Plans were made to stain and re-plant the Parish troughs; a
budget of £150 was set for this and was proposed by Councillor Mrs Dodd,
seconded by Councillor Mrs Reeves. All were in favour. Arrangements for the
annual hanging baskets and tubs competition was also in hand.
FINANCE:
The Clerk confirmed that Mr Carl Bellamy had now
undertaken the internal audit of accounts and signed the return form. The
Chairman and Clerk, with the approval of the full Parish Council signed the
accounting statements section 2016/17.
The Clerk reported she had received another form following her request to close the Council’s National Post Office Savings Account. There seemed some confusion over this and as a result she was to contact them to clarify.
The Clerk reported she had received an invoice for £20 from Church Eaton Village Institute for the hire of the hall for April’s meeting. A donation of £40 to Church Eaton School PTA in lieu of Mr Bellamy’s work on the accounts was also requested for payment. These were proposed for payment by Councillor Mrs Reeves and seconded by Councillor Moore. All were in favour.
It was agreed that a donation of £100 would be made towards the Cricket Club’s request for help.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk reported she had received the usual copy of the Borough Council’s
Members Digest. All other correspondence including that from Neighbourhood Watch
and emails relating to the issues raised during the last meeting had been
circulated to Parish Councillors.
It was agreed that the next
meeting of the Parish Council would be held on the 6th June at 7.30pm
in the Village Institute. The meeting closed at 9.20pm.
PRESENT:
Parish Councillors Mrs S.Dodd, Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs P.Bailey, A.Brown,
P.Harriman, D.Massie, S.Moore, Stafford Borough Councillor Mr R.Sutherland,
Staffs County Councillor Mr M.Winnington, five members of the public and the
Clerk, Mrs D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
Were received from Stafford Borough Councillor Mr S.Leighton.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and were duly signed by the Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
These would be taken as they appeared on the agenda.
LATE ITEMS
There were no late items.
OPEN FORUM:
The recent planning application for a change of use from a residential dwelling
to a residential care home at High Onn Manor Farm was discussed. Several local
residents were in attendance and expressed concerns over this application. These
related to various issues such as traffic generation, car parking, and further
development of the dwelling as well as over the apparent lack of neighbourhood
consultation. It was generally felt that the applicant could have been more
proactive in explaining the planning application. The Clerk reported that she
had received several responses from local residents, some of which were in
support of the application but most of whom were opposed. These responses had
been forwarded to the Borough Planning Department. Stafford Borough Councillor,
Mr R.Sutherland reported that there was to be an extension to the neighbourhood
consultation period until the 19th of April. Mr Sutherland was under
the impression that this extension did not include the call in period but he had
written to Mr Richard Wood at the Planning Department on this matter. The
Chairman thanked those who had attended the meeting to express their views and
stated that the Parish Council would consider this application in more detail
during the planning section of the meeting.
Mr Hill, who was in attendance during the meeting expressed concerns over blocked gullies especially on the Church Eaton to High Onn road. The Chairman thanked Mr Hill for his input and explained that the Parish Council were currently worked with County Highways to address these issues.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:
The Clerk reported that she had received several
reports from Mandy Corser regarding the OWL Smart Alert service. These were
again related to more national matters such as cold calling and computer fraud.
It was however reported during the meeting, that a tractor had been stolen
locally.
CHURCH EATON VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
Councillor Mrs Dodd had inspected the playground and there were no problems to
report. Councillor Harriman was to take the book for the forthcoming month.
Councillor Mrs Reeves had supplied the Council with information regarding the
last tree survey which had been carried out by Mr Terry Merchant in 2013. It was
agreed that the Clerk should contact him about visiting the playground to carry
out a new survey, subject to costs.
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
Councillor
Harriman confirmed that fliers for the defibrillator project had
now been distributed. Several local residents had already given generous
donations and the Clerk is to thank them personally by letter.
Councillor
Harriman also reported that The Royal Oak were
raising a substantial amount towards the fund and this combined with the money
and pledges already received, the fund raising was getting nearer to the initial
target of £3,000.
REMOVAL OF BT PHONES :
The Clerk had still not received any news regarding
BT’s plans to remove the two telephone kiosks.
PLANNING
The Parish Council had received two new planning applications. The first was for
the change of use from a dwelling house (Class C3) to a residential care home
(Class C2) at High Onn Manor Farm. Stafford Borough Councillor Mr R.Sutherland
declared an interest in this matter due to his role on the Borough Planning
Committee but left the meeting before the application was discussed. After some
deliberation the Parish Council were unanimously opposed to this application,
primarily on the grounds that it lacked sufficient information to allow the
Council to properly understand what was actually being proposed. The Clerk is to
write to the Borough Council Planning Department with a summary of the Parish
Council’s concerns which the Chairman is to send to the Clerk.
The second application was for the removal of a downstairs WC and widening of a door opening into a dining room at The Old Rectory. There were no objections to this application.
HIGHWAYS
The Clerk reminded Councillors that the next Stafford Area West Collaboration
meeting was to take place at Gnosall on Thursday April 27th.
Councillor Massie, and if available, Councillor Brown, agreed to attend.
Councillor Mrs Reeves reported she had sent County Highways some useful information and photographs of blocked road gullies on the road from Apeton towards the canal.
The Clerk had received a notice from County Highways relating to surface dressing and subsequent road closures for the forthcoming year.
The Clerk had been notified by a concerned local resident of the removal of some hedgerow and the installation of a new gate on land adjacent to Joan Eaton’s Cross. The Highways Department had been notified of this and were currently investigating.
THE GLEBELANDS:
Councillor Mrs Reeves gave a brief update and stated
that a draft lease had been drawn up and that there was to be a committee
meeting on the 12th April.
BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION:
Councillor Brown reported he had sent in the Best Kept Village entry and had
received a receipt. He had also covered all publicity to date and had spoken to
all relevant parties involved.
FINANCE:
The Clerk gave out copies of the last financial year’s
account to each member of the Council to look through. The Statement of
Governance section of the audit return sent by Grant Thornton was reviewed by
the Council and was duly completed and signed by the Chairman and Clerk. The
accounts are to be approved at the May meeting. The Clerk had contacted Helen
and Carl Bellamy who had agreed to carry out the internal audit of the accounts.
The Clerk reported she had sent in the form to close the Council’s National Post
Office Savings Account.
The Clerk reported she had received an invoice for £20 from Church Eaton Village Institute for the hire of the hall for April’s meeting. Councillor Brown submitted an invoice for £17.46 relating to the Best Kept Village Entry. The Clerk’s quarterly fee of £531.80 and £3.20 tax were also raised. These were proposed for payment by Councillor Mr Harriman and seconded by Councillor Mrs Reeves. All were in favour.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk reported she had received an email from Les Beattie stating that the
Parish Council representatives on that Church Eaton School Foundation Governors
- Steve Rutherford, Sheila Dodd and Jane Evans - needed to be renewed. These
renewals were proposed by Councillor S.Moore and seconded by Councillor Mrs
Reeves. All were in favour. The Clerk was asked to inform Michael Williams,
Clerk to the Governors.
A notice regarding the forthcoming County elections had been received and had been displayed by Councillor Mrs Reeves. A copy of the Borough Council’s Members Digest had also been received. Councillor Mrs Dodd was to attend the forthcoming Borough Council Mayor Making Ceremony.
All other correspondence including that from Neighbourhood Watch and emails relating to the issue raised during the last meeting had been circulated to Parish Councillors.
It was agreed that the next meeting of the
Parish Council and the Annual Parish Meeting would be held on the 2nd
May 2017 at 7.30pm in the Village Institute. The meeting closed at 9.30pm.
PRESENT:
Parish Councillors Mrs S.Dodd, Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs P.Bailey, A.Brown,
P.Harriman, Mr S.Moore, Stafford Borough Councillor Mr R.Sutherland, Staffs
County Councillor Mr M.Winnington, one member of the public and the Clerk, Mrs
D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
Were received from Parish Councillor Mr D.Massie and Stafford Borough Councillor
Mr S.Leighton.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and were duly signed by the Chairman, Councillor P.Harriman. As an
addendum it was noted that following the last meeting the date of the quiz night
at The Royal Oak was changed from the 14th to the 21st
February.
MATTERS ARISING:
These would be taken as they appeared on the agenda.
LATE ITEMS
Following a lengthy discussion, it was agreed that
Church Eaton would enter this year’s Best Kept Village Competition. Councillor
A.Brown was tasked with submitting the entry for and map etc. Councillor Mrs
K.Reeves was to assist with any enquiries Councillor Brown might have.
OPEN FORUM:
It was reported that on the Little Onn Road there were two drainage grids on
opposite sides of the road adjacent to the property known as Meadowside. One of
the grids was missing and the other was completely silted up. Staffs County
Councillor, Mr Mark Winnington recommended that the Clerk contact Highways to
report this as a matter of urgency.
NEIGHBOURHOOD
WATCH:
The Clerk reported
that she had received several reports from Mandy Corser regarding the OWL Smart
Alert service. Some of these were related to more national matters such as cold
calling. More relevant ones were being forwarded on to Parish Councillors.
CHURCH EATON
VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
Councillor Brown had
continued inspections of the playground during the last month. He noted that the
basketball hoop had dropped again and that some of the equipment was looking a
little green due to algae. The Clerk had contacted Mr Hall about arrangements
for this season’s grass cutting and had asked him to look at removing ivy from
the playground trees. It was further discussed about surveying the playground
trees to see if they were in good condition. This was to be discussed at the
next meeting. Councillor Mrs S.Dodd took the inspection book for the forthcoming
month.
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
Councillor P.
Harriman talked through the flier he had designed to publicise raising funds for
the defibrillator project. Several members of the Council offered to leaflet
drop these around the Parish. The Clerk agreed to incorporate this flier into
the next Parish Magazine report and to forward one to John Edwards for
publication on the Parish web site.
REMOVAL OF BT
PHONES :
The Clerk reported
she had not received any news regarding BT’s plans to remove the two telephone
kiosks.
PLANNING
The Clerk reported she had received several planning applications since the last
meeting namely a rural workers dwelling on land off the Lapley Road, a new
gate/gateway for the Old Rectory and an amendment to roof lights at barns
adjacent to High Onn Manor. The Parish Council made no objections to these
proposals. Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr R.Sutherland declared an interest due
to his role on the Borough Planning Committee, and took no part in any
discussions.
THE GLEBELANDS:
Councillor Mrs K Reeves reported that Mr Trevor
Houghton had attended the last meeting in his new role as a representative for
Church Eaton. The bank account was now functioning and the lease was being
reviewed. An AGM is to be held on the 22nd March.
FINANCE:
The Clerk reported she had now received a form
relating to the Council’s National Post Office Savings Account in order to close
the account. Councillor Mr P. Harriman signed the form along with the Clerk.
The Clerk reported she had also received an invoice for £20 from Church Eaton Village Institute for the hire of the hall for March’s meeting and the Clerk submitted her end of year expenses amounting to £69.54. These were proposed for payment by Councillor Mrs S.Dodd and seconded by Councillor Mrs K.Reeves. All were in favour.
HIGHWAYS:
Councillor S.Moore had attended the recent SPCA “Developing a Community Based
Approach Workshop” which was held on the 23rd February and made the
following observations.
“The day was aimed at understanding the challenges coming and exploring the possibility to work smarter together.
Ian Parry (Staffordshire County Council’s Deputy Leader) explained that the County Council spends 85% of its funds on social care and costs are rising. They needed to save £2 million per month going forward and in 2021 the government grant reduces to zero. County Council funding will then come from Council Tax and Business Rates only.
Mary-Anne Raftery (Staffordshire County Council’s Community Infrastructure Manager) described the planned schedule of cuts in the Highways area. Their statutory obligations will be fulfilled but cuts in other areas will start in April 2017 with the removal of some of the work she described as decorative or aesthetic, for example: grass and hedge cutting in public spaces. From April 2018 the plan is to remove highway grass cutting and weed spraying.
In order to preserve services being cut, they are asking the Parish Councils to take on more tasks. They pointed out that Parish Councils are already empowered to take on work in their area and quoted examples where local communities have made a success of projects like running youth clubs, getting funds from local businesses for other initiatives. They are of the belief that the Parish Councils can do a better job for less cost because of the local knowledge. They see the role of the Parish Councils changing from customer to channel partner delivering services.
Some of the questions,
points and ideas from the Q&A and workshop sessions.
Requested from
Staffordshire County Council
Blocks to taking on work
Observations
Ideas
Jonathan Owen (Chief Executive. National Association of Local Councils) arrived late due to storm delaying rail services but sped through his presentation “Devo Local”, he will be invited back in the future. His material can be viewed: http://www.nalc.gov.uk/library/publications/1798-devo-local-12-nov-2015/file”.
The Chairman thanked Councillor Moore for his attendance and briefing. It was agreed that two more representatives from the Parish Council should attend the next Stafford West Collaboration meeting in April and look at potentially hosting a meeting in Church Eaton.
The Parish Council further discussed looking into obtaining speed awareness stickers which could be attached to wheelie bins etc. Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr R.Sutherland had provided the Clerk with a contact to discuss this matter further. The Clerk reported she had contacted the County Council’s Highways Department to request that the Parish gullies be emptied and jetted out and had received confirmation that these works would be carried out. No map was presently available to help identify gulley sites but the County Council hoped they would be able to create one.
Councillor P. Harriman had received an email reply from Mark Keeling at Staffordshire County Council’s Highways Department regarding traffic calming on the Wood Eaton Road. The request to move the 30mph sign was proving difficult and it was suggested that a re-think was required on how to tackle the problem of traffic speed especially given the high costs of installing a traffic calming system. The Council agreed to explore this matter further.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk reported she had received notification of the dates for the 2017 Civic
Amenity visits. These will be Saturday the13th May and
Saturday the 21st October at the Royal Oak Car Park from 9.00am –
10.00am. The Staffordshire County Council had sent information regarding their
Dignity Awards for 2017. Stafford Borough Council had forwarded information
regarding the Building Stafford and Surrounds Age Well - Community Connector
Schemes as well as information about this Year’s British Spring Clean. It was
agreed that more information regarding these matters would be posted on the
village notice board.
All other correspondence including that from Neighbourhood Watch and emails relating to the issue raised during the last meeting had been circulated to Parish Councillors.
It was agreed that the next
meeting of the Parish Council and the Annual Parish Meeting would be held on the
4th April 2017 at 7.30pm in the Village Institute. The meeting closed at 9.10pm.
PRESENT:
Parish
Councillors Mrs S.Dodd, Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs
P.Bailey, D.Massie, Mr S.Moore, Stafford Borough Councillor Mr R.Sutherland, Mr
R.Howarth CEPCC and the Clerk, Mrs D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
Were received from
Chairman Mr P.Harriman, Parish Councillor Mr A.Brown and Stafford Borough
Councillor Mr S.Leighton.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the
previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those present and were duly
signed by the Vice Chairman, Mrs S.Dodd.
MATTERS ARISING:
These would be taken as they appeared on the agenda.
LATE ITEMS
It was reported by Mrs S Dodd that Councillor
Harriman was waiting for a response regarding traffic calming measures from Mr
Mark Keeling at County Highways.
OPEN FORUM:
Mr Ralph Howarth on
behalf of the Parochial Church Council had sent a letter to the Clerk requesting
financial assistance from the Parish Council to help with essential repairs to
the church clock. Although the Church had been able to carry out expensive roof
repairs funds were currently low and around £400 was still needed for the
clock. Mr Howarth had attended the meeting in person to be able to answer any
questions or queries the Parish Council might have in connection with this
request. Councillor Mrs S Dodd thanked Mr Howarth for his attendance and said
that the Council would discuss the Church request during finance.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:
The Clerk confirmed that she was continuing to
receive reports from Mandy Corser regarding the OWL Smart Alert service and was
forwarding these to Councillors. It was noted that Mandy was doing a great job
updating the Council on Neighbourhood Watch matters.
CHURCH EATON VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
It was reported that during the recent windy weather, a large tree branch had
fallen onto the back fence. The Clerk had, following a telephone call from a
concerned Parishioner, notified Councillor Mr D.Massie whose field the tree was
situated in. He had very kindly removed the branch and cleared up the brash. It
was agreed to look at surveying the playground trees again. It was noted that
there was quite a lot of ivy on some of the trees and this was to become an
agenda item at the March meeting.
Councillor Brown was to retain the inspection book for the forthcoming month.
The Clerk reported that she would contact John Hall about this season’s grass cutting.
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
It was reported that Mr Fred Annis had informed Councillor P Harriman that at the pub quiz to be held on the 14th
February, proceeds would be given to the defibrillator funding project. This was
very welcome news and the Parish Council would be updated on this matter at the
March meeting.
REMOVAL OF BT PHONES :
The Clerk had not received any news regarding
BT’s plans to remove the two telephone kiosks.
PLANNING
:
The Clerk had received an amendment to planning application, reference number
16/25068/HOU relating to Church Farm, High Street. The amendment proposed
retaining the stone steps instead of removing them. The Parish Council were in
unanimous agreement about this proposal. Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr
R.Sutherland declared an interest due to his role on the Borough Planning
Committee, and took no part in any discussions.
THE GLEBELANDS:
Councillor Mrs K Reeves reported that Mr Trevor
Houghton has kindly volunteered to become a representative for Church Eaton on
the Glebelands Sports Association Committee. Mr Houghton was proposed for this
by Councillor Mrs S.Dodd, seconded by Councillor Mrs K.Reeves. All were in
favour. Mr Houghton was thanked for agreeing to take on this role.
FINANCE:
The Clerk’s fee was discussed and it was agreed
that she should receive a 2% increase in her fee to commence in the new
financial year. Mr Les Beattie was to be notified about this nearer the time in
his role as payroll manager. Councillor Mrs K Reeves requested that the Clerk’s
auto enrolment arrangements be minuted. The Clerk was not taking up a pension
provision from the Parish Council but as a pension route had to be acknowledged,
Councillor Mrs K Reeves agreed to do this through the Government Pension Scheme
NEST which does not charge to manage the scheme.
Following a brief discussion it was agreed to donate £200 towards the church clock repairs. The Clerk had also received an invoice for £20 from Church Eaton Village Institute for the hire of the hall for February’s meeting. These were proposed for payment by Councillor P Bailey and seconded by Councillor D Massie. All were in favour.
The Clerk had received a statement relating to the Council’s Post Office Savings account and was to write to them to request that the account should be closed.
HIGHWAYS:
The Parish Council
discussed looking into obtaining speed awareness stickers which could be
attached to wheelie bins etc. The Clerk had contacted the County Council’s
Highways Department to request that the Parish gullies be emptied and jetted
out.
Councillor Mrs K.Reeves and Councillor A Brown had attended the recent Stafford West Collaboration meeting. This provided an opportunity for local Parish Councils to discuss various highways issues with representatives from the County Council and their contractors who were in attendance. Both Councillors felt the meeting was very useful.
As a result Councillor S Moore and possibly the Chairman would be attending the forthcoming Staffordshire Parish Councils Association workshop where there would be another opportunity to discuss the current thinking on how Parish Councils and the County Council could work better together in the future, particularly on Highways and Environmental Maintenance matters. This would be held on February 23rd.
The Clerk was to advise the SPCA on who would be attending.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk had received notification of the Borough Council’s ‘Plan for
Stafford Borough Part 2’ consultation. There was an invitation to another
Mayoral Event - a Motown Party. The Borough Council had also requested
notification of any Civic Amenity visits the Parish Council would like to
arrange. It was also pointed out that all the visits would be charged for,
unlike in the past, where if three visits were requested the third visit would
be free. The Parish Council agreed to request two visits, one during mid May and
one in mid October. All other correspondence such as that from Neighbourhood
Watch and emails relating to the issue raised during the last meeting had been
circulated to Parish Councillors.
It was
agreed that the next meeting of the Parish Council would be held on the 7th
March 2017 at 7.30pm in the Village Institute. The meeting closed at 9.00pm.
PRESENT:
Parish
Councillors Mrs S.Dodd, Mrs K.Reeves, Messrs
P.Bailey, A.Brown, P.Harriman, D.Massie, Mr S.Moore, Stafford Borough Councillor
Mr R.Sutherland, Staffs County Councillor, Mr M.Winnington, two members of the
public, and the Clerk, Mrs D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
None were received.
MR ROGER COX:
The Parish Council
were saddened to hear of the death of Mr Roger Cox who had served for many years
as a Parish Councillor. Condolences were expressed to Roger’s family.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the
previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those present and were duly
signed by the Chairman, Councillor Mr
P.Harriman.
MATTERS ARISING:
It was noted that Councillor Mrs K.Reeves had updated the bus
timetables on the notice boards. Other matters arising would be taken as they
appeared on the agenda.
LATE ITEMS
:
There were no late items.
OPEN FORUM:
Mr and Mrs Boden were in attendance and wished to discuss the recent traffic
survey which had been carried out by County Highways. As reported previously,
this data concluded that the average speed in the village High Street was 31
mph. Given the
continued concerns of Mr and Mrs Boden and other local residents, the Parish
Council agreed to again approach the County Council to see whether something
could be done to slow motorists approaching the village on the Wood Eaton Road.
Signs were suggested, as was the implementation of a speed watch system. It was
also suggested that the speed limit signs on the Gnosall Road could be moved
back to give motorists chance to slow down before they reached the village
proper. Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr R.Sutherland suggested looking at
obtaining speed restriction stickers to place on wheelie bins etc which, in
other areas, seemed to be successful in alerting motorists of their speed. Mr
Sutherland offered to look into where these might be purchased. Armed with these
suggestions, Councillor Mr Harriman agreed to contact County Highways and speak
with Mark Keeling over this matter. The Parish Council are to keep Mr and Mrs
Boden up to date with any developments.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:
The Clerk was continuing to receive reports from
Mandy Corser regarding the OWL Smart Alert service and was forwarding these to
Councillors.
CHURCH EATON VILLAGE PLAYGROUND:
Councillor Bailey had inspected the playground during the previous month and
had found it to be in a satisfactory condition. There was however evidence of
increased mole activity. Mr Bailey had also looked at the netball hoop and
thought the spring mechanism may be jammed. He suggested it would probably need
to be removed in order to examine it further and to straighten it, if this was
possible. Mr Bailey also reported that he had applied some WD40 to the rotor
play equipment. Mr A.Brown took the inspection book for the forthcoming month.
DEFIBRILLATOR PROJECT:
The Parish Council agreed to finalise, at the next meeting, arrangements for donations to be made
so that defibrillators could be purchased for both Church Eaton and Marston. The
Clerk had written to thank the Church Eaton Relief In Need Charity for their
generous pledges. The Clerk had also done some research to see whether BT phone
kiosks could be used dually for telephony and a defibrillator. This did not seem
to be the case, but BT did seem to be able to provide maintenance materials and
electricity for adopted kiosks that were to be used for housing defibrillators.
Staffs County Councillor, Mr Mark Winnington said he might be able to help with
a grant from his Community Fund. He did however point out that County Council
elections were to be held in the Spring.
REMOVAL OF BT PHONES :
The Clerk had drafted an email for the Borough
Council Planning Department in order to check that they had received all the
consultation comments that the Clerk has received over the past couple of
months. The Clerk checked these names with the Parish Council and agreed to
respond by the end of the consultation period on January 11th 2017.
The Clerk was to copy BT in to this email.
PLANNING
:
There were no planning items to discuss.
THE GLEBELANDS:
Councillor Mrs Reeves gave a further update
on the Glebelands Sports Association, who now had a near full complement of
Committee members. Councillor Mrs Reeves did however point out that a Church
Eaton resident was still required to act as a village representative. The Clerk
was asked to advertise this in the next parish magazine report.
FINANCE:
The Clerk presented another budget to the Council
covering the period up to the end of the 2016/17 financial year. Following this,
the Council discussed at length, the setting of the Parish precept for the
financial year 2017/18. As a result the Parish Council decided to request a 1.5%
increase on last year’s precept. It was felt that as the Parish Council had not
increased the precept for the last two years and with costs of services that the
Parish Council liked to provide rising, an increase of this size was considered
reasonable. This was proposed by Councillor Mrs K.Reeves and seconded by
Councillor Mrs S.Dodd. All were in favour. Councillor Mr A.Brown had to leave
the meeting to attend before the voting took place but indicated that he would
like to request an increase. The Clerk was asked to convey this decision to the
Borough Council.
The Clerk had received one invoice for £20 from Church Eaton Village Institute for the hire of the hall for January’s meeting. The Clerk’s quarterly fee was also due amounting to £532.00 and a tax payment of £3.00. These payments were proposed by Councillor Mrs K.Reeves and seconded by Councillor Mrs S.Dodd. All were in favour.
HIGHWAYS:
The Clerk reminded the
Parish Council that representatives from Church Eaton Parish Council were
invited to attend the next meeting of the Stafford Area Collaboration which
would be held on the 18th January 2017. Councillor Mr A.Brown and
Councillor Mrs K.Reeves agreed to attend. The Clerk would advise the Creswell
Clerk that they would be attending.
Staffs County Councillor, Mr M.Winnington was asked by the Clerk whether Mr C.Byford had been contacted over his concerns about the poor road conditions on the Church Eaton to Haughton Road. Councillor Winnington stated that Mr Byford should be receiving a response very shortly. Investigations were still ongoing over the flooding caused by water running onto the road near to the Fox Inn at the junction of the Marston Road and Birchmoor Lane. Councillor Mr S.Moore was to send the Clerk details of the report raised with Highways regarding potholes and which had still not been attended to.
Councillor Mrs K.Reeves requested that the Clerk try to obtain a map showing road gullies in the Parish, so the blocked ones could be identified and reported
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk had received the latest Members Digest from Stafford Borough
Council and a letter from Western Power inviting representatives to attend a
stakeholder workshop. An email requesting a financial donation from the County
Council to assist with the debt aid work of the Citizen Advice Bureau had also
been received.
All other correspondence such as that from Neighbourhood Watch and emails relating to the issue raised during the last meeting had been circulated to Parish Councillors.
It was
agreed that the next meeting of the Parish Council would be held on the 7th
February 2017 at 7.30pm in the Village Institute. The meeting closed at 9.20pm.