The Clerk has asked John
Hall to look at the fencing and installation of grass guard to the goal mouth.
John said he would notify the Clerk shortly with quotes.
Mr Houghton confirmed that
CERS now had two trained personnel to maintain the new equipment, John Green and
Mick Easter.
The Localism Bill was
discussed. No information had been received from Stafford Bough Council
regarding this matter. The registration of community assets was discussed.
The chairman had received a
cheque for £1.20 from the MEB as a way leave payment.
The Clerk requested
permission to obtain several storage boxes for Parish Council. This
request was agreed to.
Mr T.Houghton reported on
the recent death of Charles Dodd and expressed, on behalf of the Parish Council,
condolences to Mrs S.Dodd.
Concerns were expressed over
dog fouling in the play ground. One local dog had been seen fouling in the
playground. The Clerk was asked to contact the owner to discuss these
concerns.
Following the recent weekly
inspections concern was expressed over the erosion and exposure of stones in the
football goal mouth. The Clerk was asked to contact John Hall to see if he
could install an area of grass guard to protect the surface from wear and tear.
The Clerk was also asked to obtain quotes from local fencing contractors for the
next meeting.
Following the recent request
for lighting in the playground, the Parish Council discussed this at some length
and while not ruling this out completely were unable to fund such a project at
present. Concerns were also expressed over how lighting could be installed
and the effect this would have on neighbouring properties.
Mr Houghton discussed the
recent visit by the Community Highway team and the very poor road surface on the
road to High Onn adjacent to High Onn House Farm.
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The Clerk reported that although a
report had been sent for the October edition of the Parish magazine, due to the
printers requiring the copy early, the report had been left out.
The fingerpost at Joan Eaton’s Cross
had again been pulled out. A suggestion was made about putting the fingerpost in
the hedge.
Concern was expressed by a member of
public over the use of a building for dog grooming purposes in the Marston area
and whether this required planning permission with regard to change of use. The
Clerk was asked to look into this matter
Mr I.Glover returned the inspection
book. Fencing was discussed but no quotes had been received as yet.
Recent objections to a proposed
caravan site on the outskirts of Gnosall were discussed. It was generally
agreed that Church Eaton Parish Council should follow this matter and support
where appropriate.
One planning application had been
received for the extension and continual use of an agricultural/equine building
located at Land at Little Onn, Lapley Road. After some discussion there
was a majority decision not to object to this proposal.
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The
vandalism of local fingerposts such as the one at Joan Eaton’s Cross was
discussed. This post in particular had recently been ‘pulled out ‘of the ground
on several occasions.
No quotes
had been received yet regarding replacing the fence adjacent to the Oaklands
however Mr S. Caplan suggested that the Parish Council should also look at
either replacing or pinning down the roadside fence. This was unanimously
agreed.
Mr S.
Caplan updated the Council on the Localism Bill describing the various ways the
Bill might impact on Parish Councils. These would be in areas such as
developers having to consult more with Parish Councils and local authorities
being required to list community assets such as village shops, pubs etc with
these being offered to local communities in the first instance should they come
up for sale. There appeared to be no guidelines as yet available from the
Borough Council concerning these issues.
It was
also agreed as at the last meeting to support Ms J. Byford’s suggestion to plant
bulbs and install planted containers. Initially Ms Byford was asking for a
payment of around £200 for the purchase of bulbs. This was provisionally agreed
by the Parish Council.
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PRESENT:
Ms J. Byford and Mrs K. Reeves. Messrs S. Caplan, P. Harriman, T.
Houghton, Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr B. Stamp and the Clerk, Mrs D. M. Key.
APOLOGIES:
There were apologies received from Mrs S. Dodd, Mr I. Glover and Staffs County
Councillor, Mr M. Winnington.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and duly signed by the Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
Mrs S. Dodd had sent a message to thank the Parish Council for their
condolences and support over the recent sad loss of her husband.
OPEN FORUM
Was not required on this occasion.
LATE ITEMS
There were no late items.
C E V
PLAYGROUND:
Mr P. Harriman returned the
inspection book and had noted that one of the playground trees required
pruning. It was also noted that some of the new play equipment instruction
‘stickers’ were starting to peel. The basket ball hoop was twisted.
NEIGHBOURHOOD
WATCH:
The Clerk confirmed
that she was still receiving regular updates from Mandy Corser. It was agreed
that these would be forwarded to all Parish Councillors on receipt
PLANNING:
One planning application had been received for ground
mounted solar panels at Manor Farm, Marston. In principle the Parish Council
had no objections other than responding to the concerns from one local resident
to request screening, possibly with a hedge or small trees, to lessen the impact
of the panels. It was noted that this development had already been carried out.
The Clerk was asked to convey these concerns. There were no updates on the
proposed Wind Farm at Brineton.
HIGHWAYS
The Clerk reported on recent communications with Chris Mitchell from Highways
who had confirmed that the previously requested speed survey would be carried
out in the next few days.
BULB PLANTING
This matter was deferred until the next meeting.
DIAMOND JUBILLEE
CELEBRATIONS 2012:
Mr
Houghton reported that a Diamond Jubilee committee had been set up and
celebrations, probably in the form of a street party, were being planned for the
3rd June. The Clerk passed on some literature concerning Diamond
Jubilee beacons.
FINANCE
The Clerk confirmed that an invoice amounting to
£50.00 had been received for the purchase of the Christmas tree. The Clerk had
also received an invoice from the Institute amounting to £40 for hire of the
hall. These were proposed for payment by Mr S. Caplan, seconded by Ms J.
Byford. All were in favour.
WELCOME PACKS:
The Clerk was asked to forward the revised Welcome Pack documents to the
Chairman for a second opinion.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk had received the current Members Digest and The Clerk
was asked to respond to a letter from Penny McKnight - SBC Senior Conservation
Area Officer - about taking part in the proposed consultation concerning parish
conservation areas. Other items of correspondence were to be circulated around
the Parish Council. It was agreed that a decision concerning financial
arrangements regarding next year’s precept would be discussed at the next
meeting.
It was agreed that there would be no meeting in
January as the first available Tuesday was very early in the New Year.
Therefore the next meeting would be held on the 7th February 2012 in
the Village Institute at 7.30 p.m.
The meeting closed at 9.00 p.m.
MINUTES FROM THE MEETING HELD ON THE 1ST
NOVEMBER 2011
PRESENT:
Mrs K.Reeves. Messrs S.Caplan, I.Glover, P.Harriman, T.Houghton, three members
of the public, Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr B.Stamp and the Clerk, Mrs
D.M.Key.
APOLOGIES:
There were apologies received from Mrs S.Dodd and Ms J.Byford.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and duly signed by the Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
The Clerk confirmed that Church Eaton had been successful in the recent request
to receive a free bench from the Borough Council. The Clerk would be contacted
in the New Year about collecting the bench.
OPEN FORUM
Mr Tony Lendon from STAG addressed the meeting over
the decision by Wind Prospect to appeal against the recent planning refusal for
the six wind turbines at Brineton. In order to fight this appeal, STAG were
fund raising to cover the cost of employing expert witnesses and a barrister to
represent STAG during the appeal. Mr Lendon further reported on the various
meetings and fund raising events planned for the near future.
LATE ITEMS
It was agreed that the Parish Council would fund the Institute Christmas tree
with a ceiling of £50 towards this cost.
C E V
PLAYGROUND:
Mr Houghton confirmed that the new
notice had been installed in the playground. CERS had requested that another
sign should be displayed concerning children using the new playground under the
supervision of adults. It was agreed that CERS should put in an extra sign
if they wanted.
NEIGHBOURHOOD
WATCH:
There had been no
local reports but Mandy Corser was continuing to update the Parish Council about
policing matters.
PLANNING:
One planning application had been received for voltaic
panels to be mounted on the roof of an agricultural building at Red House Farm,
Little Onn. There were no objections to this proposal
HIGHWAYS
The Clerk reported on recent communications with Chris Mitchell from Highways
and the co-ordinator of Community Speed Watch. An automated traffic survey had
been discussed with Mr Mitchell who wanted instructions from the Parish Council
as where the most suitable place might be to install the monitoring equipment.
After discussion, the Parish Council agreed on a spot adjacent to the entrance
by Smithy Croft on the High Street. The Clerk briefed the meeting on an email
from the Community Speed Watch co-ordinator which detailed costs, health and
safety provision and training. It was agreed that this would be discussed again
following the survey. It was further agreed that the Parish Council should
however continue to push for a reduction in the speed limit.
BEST KEPT
VILLAGE COMPETITION:
Mr Houghton read the judges
comments for this year’s competition which were on the whole very good. Ms
Byford was about to commence bulb planting and would update the Parish Council
at the next meeting. The Clerk had asked for volunteers to help Josie via
the parish magazine.
DIAMOND JUBILLEE
CELEBRATIONS 2012:
Mr Houghton reported to the
meeting that a family street party was being planned for next year’s
celebrations on the 3rd June plus family games etc on the Glebelands
and lighting of the beacon.
FINANCE
The Clerk confirmed that an invoice amounting to
£76.00 had been received for grass cutting. SBC had forwarded an invoice for the
last civic amenities visit. The Clerk had also received an invoice from the
Institute amounting to £40 for hire of the hall. These were proposed for
payment by Mrs K.Reeves, seconded by Mr I. Glover. All were in favour. Mr
Houghton was paid £60 for the new playground sign which he had purchased.
WELCOME PACKS:
The Clerk reviewed the changes she planned to make to the pack and would bring a
draft copy to the next meeting.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk had received the current Members Digest and Minutes
from the recent Parish Forum held in September. These and other items of
correspondence were to be circulated around the Parish Council.
It was agreed that the next meeting would be held
on the 6th December in the Village Institute at 7.30 p.m. The meeting
closed at 9.20 p.m.
MINUTES FROM THE MEETING HELD ON THE
4h OCTOBER 2011
PRESENT:
Ms J. Byford, Mrs S. Dodd and Mrs K. Reeves. Messrs S. Caplan, I. Glover, P.
Harriman, one member of the public, Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr B. Stamp and
the Clerk, Mrs D. M. Key.
APOLOGIES:
There were apologies received from Councillor Mr T. Houghton.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and duly signed by the Vice Chairman Mrs S. Dodd.
MATTERS ARISING:
The Clerk confirmed that Church Eaton had been added to the list of Parish
Councils hoping to receive a free bench from the Borough Council. Unfortunately
as demand was certainly going to exceed supply, the request for two benches
looked unlikely, but hopefully the Parish Council would be considered for one.
The Clerk would be contacted in the near future about this matter.
OPEN FORUM
:
Dog fouling was discussed
again. There was yet again the ongoing problem of dog owners clearing up after
their dogs but then throwing the full plastic bags into fields. This seemed to
be particularly prevalent just outside the village on the High Onn and Little
Onn Roads.
LATE ITEMS
:
There were no late items.
C E V PLAYGROUND:
A new notice board was required due to recent installation of the new play
ground equipment. After much discussion new wording was agreed to reflect how
the play ground equipment should be used referring to the instruction labels on
each piece of equipment.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:
There had been no local
reports but Mandy Corser had alerted the Parish Council about two matters, one
concerning bogus water board officials trying to gain access to people’s homes
and the recent rise in poaching on Cannock Chase.
PLANNING:
Mr P. Harriman updated
the Council on the latest wind farm developments. It was likely that Wind
Prospect would be appealing against the decision to refuse planning consent for
the six large wind turbines.
HIGHWAYS
:
The Clerk had received that day a letter from MP Bill Cash supporting the Parish
Council’s attempt to obtain 20 mph zoning within the village. Mr Cash had also
forwarded a copy of the letter he had received from Staffs County Council
confirming that the school would be included in the “20 is Plenty Campaign”.
When this would take place was not clear. There had been no news re the
requested traffic count. The Clerk was asked to chase this matter up. The
setting up of a Community Speed Watch group was also discussed but in the
absence of a traffic survey this would be discussed at the next meeting in more
detail.
FINANCE
:
The Clerk confirmed that an invoice amounting to £76.00 had been
received for grass cutting. Ms Byford had submitted an invoice for £16.82 re
painting costs for the rails in the playground.
WELCOME PACKS:
The Clerk was continuing to review the documents she had received from the
Chairman in order to update the packs. It was agreed that paid adverting would
be dropped from future packs.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The Clerk had received the current Members Digest. This and any other items of
correspondence were to be circulated around the Parish Council.
It was agreed that the next meeting would be held on the 1st November
in the Village Institute at 7.30 p.m. The meeting closed at 8.55 p.m.
MINUTES FROM THE MEETING HELD
ON THE 6th SEPTEMBER
2011
PRESENT:
Ms J. Byford and Mrs S. Dodd. Messrs S. Caplan, I. Glover, P. Harriman, one
member of the public and the Clerk, Mrs D. Key.
APOLOGIES:
There were apologies received from Councillors Mr T. Houghton and Mrs K. Reeves
and Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr B. Stamp.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and duly signed by the Vice Chairman Mrs S. Dodd.
MATTERS ARISING:
Ms Byford confirmed that she had painted the play park railings and was thanked
by the Vice Chairman for doing so.
OPEN FORUM
:
Mr John Edwards asked
the Parish Council for a small financial donation towards the running costs of
keeping the Parish web site up and running. This request was to be considered
under finance. It was also noted that Justin O’Doherty had just completed his
200th ‘jotting’ for the web site and which also featured in the
weekly Staffordshire Newsletter local news page.
LATE ITEMS
:
The Chairman had notified the Clerk that he had received an enquiry over
proposed changes to the local bus service from a parishioner. It appeared
however that there were to be no changes except for a minor one at Marston
planned for the foreseeable future.
C E V PLAYGROUND:
The Vice Chairman reported on the recent official opening of the new play ground
equipment. The event organised by CERS had been well attended with
international cycling champion Hugh Porter and swimming champion Anita
Lonsborough conducting the opening with Martyn Caton, from
British Urban Fitness was also in attendance to give instructions on how to use
the new equipment effectively. The proposed new sign was discussed briefly
with the intention to finalise this at the next meeting. The Clerk confirmed
that the insurance premiums had been paid. It was agreed that at a later
date the Clerk and Chairman would look at updating the current asset register
and re-value the old play equipment.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH:
The recent lead theft from
Bradley church was discussed. Mrs Dodd reported on a scam trying to obtain
personal details from pension/insurance holders.
PLANNING:
Mr P. Harriman updated the
Council on the latest meeting he had attended concerning the proposed wind farm
complex at King Street. The Clerk had received a letter from Stafford Borough
Council advising that the recent planning application for a lawful development
certificate for an existing development – building at land at Little Onn
on the Lapley Road had now been withdrawn.
HIGHWAYS
:
The Clerk had not received any further news concerning the request for 20 mph
zoning nor the requested traffic survey. Winter gritting programmes were
discussed.
FINANCE
:
The Clerk confirmed that an
invoice amounting to £20.00 had been received for hire of the Village Institute
for the last meeting. JWH had also forwarded an invoice for grass cutting
amounting to £76.00. The Audit Commission invoice was also due for payment
amounting to £174.00. These items were proposed for payment by Ms J. Byford and
were seconded by Mr P. Harriman. All were in favour. Mr John Edwards’s request
for a donation towards maintaining the Parish web site for £119.00 was also
agreed.
WELCOME PACKS:
After a short discussion it was agreed that the Clerk would review the documents
she had received from the Chairman and present these at the next meeting.
CORRESPONDENCE:
The
Clerk had received the current Members Digest and information concerning the
forthcoming Parish Forum to be held on the 29th September. The Clerk
was asked to reply to a letter from Stafford Borough Council who was offering
free benches to Parish Councils. The reply was to request one or two benches.
The Royal Horticultural Society had forwarded information about the ‘Britain In
Bloom’ Competition. Any other items of correspondence were to be
circulated.
It was agreed that the next
meeting would be held on the 4th October in the Village Institute at
7.30 p.m.
The meeting closed at 8.45 p.m.
MINUTES FROM THE MEETING HELD ON THE 2ND AUGUST 2011
PRESENT:
Ms J. Byford, Mrs S.Dodd and Mrs K. Reeves. Messrs S.Caplan, P.Harriman,
T.Houghton. I.Glover and the Clerk, Mrs D. Key.
APOLOGIES:
There were apologies received from Stafford Borough Councillor, Mr B.Stamp and
Neighbourhood Watch Representative, Ms M.Corser.
MINUTES:
The Minutes from the previous meeting were deemed as a true record by those
present and duly signed by the Chairman.
MATTERS ARISING:
Updating the existing Welcome Pack format was discussed and it was agreed to
discuss this matter later on in the meeting.
OPEN FORUM
:
This was not required on
this occasion.
LATE ITEMS
:
There were no late items.
C E V PLAYGROUND:
Mrs S.Dodd returned the inspection book and had found the playground to be in
good order. It was noted, however. that the metal rails located at the entrance
to the playground required a new coat of paint. Ms J.Byford volunteered to ask
Mr Roy Billington if he was interested in carrying out this work. If not Ms
Byford kindly offered to do the work herself.