Minutes of Meeting held in The Rez Country Café on Thursday 19th. February 2009.

Present: Councillor R. Dawson (Chair)

Councillors T. Beastall, L. Bills, J. Deaville,J. F. Sargeant, C. E. Taylor & S. R. Weston.

Two Members of the Public.

104/8. Apologies for Absence.

Apologies for absence were received from District Councillor N. Hawkins.

105/8. Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

106/8. Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting especially Councillor Lorna Bills who had been co-opted onto the Council at the last meeting.

He reported that there had been some hedge cutting carried out near to the New Inn in Denford Road which had left debris in the carriageway.

He also reported that the dates arranged by British Waterways of 19th. 20th. & 21st. March 2009 for the removal of the growth of Himalayan Balsam would be a little premature for the growth cycle. He would contact the organisation again.

107/8. Public Comments.

A member of the public raised the question of the dangerous situations on the A 53 in relation to the recent fatal accident near to the Wheel public house. The Chairman informed him of the proceedings at the last meeting when it was agreed to write to Staffs. Council requesting traffic calming measures. The letter had been forwarded.

A discussion took place on the array of floral tributes at the scene which had now become untidy. The Chairman offered to contact the relevant authority for advice.

It was suggested that another flower tub could be sited at the scene in memoriam but it was felt that this could set a precedent in view of the problems with the seats on the towpath of the canal.

108/8. Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 15th. January 2009 had been circulated. It was agreed that they be signed by the Chairman as a true and correct record.

109/8. Matters Arising.

A letter had been received from the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding the outstanding problem with the owner of the pond area in School Lane. This had set a time limit for a reply but the Clerk had telephoned the office to inform them of the date of the Council’s meeting. It was agreed that a suitable reply be formulated and sent after the contents had been agreed with a number of Councillors.

A letter had been sent to the Electoral Officer of Staffs. Moorlands District Council giving details of the co-option of Councillor Bills. Councillor Bills had also signed a Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

Information had been received from the Marches Energy Agency giving details of a presentation at Cheadle on Project Carbon. The Clerk had consulted with the Chairman and had agreed to visit the event so that a report could be given to Councillors before an invitation to hold a workshop in the village was sent. The Clerk reported on the format of the presentation at Cheadle and it was agreed to write to the Agency asking for the possibility of holding a workshop in the village.

A letter had been received from the Secretary of the Staffs. Moorlands Parish Assembly asking for ideas for a

new format for the meetings as attendances had been poor from the majority of parishes.

The Clerk had spoken with Councillor Deaville regarding his difficulty in attending the meetings and he had agreed that the new representatives, mentioned at the last meeting, should be appointed to attend future Assemblies. A letter pointing this out and informing him of the new representatives had been forwarded to the Secretary of the Assembly.

It was reported that:

payment had been received from Staffs. County Council for the last invoice for the lengthsman scheme. request had been sent to Staffs, County Council for the replacement grit bin in Sutherland Road. a new date for the training sessions on Permitted Householder Development was still awaited. the precept request form had been forwarded to Staffs. Moorlands District Council.

the blocked ditches in Honeysuckle Lane had been reported to Clarence.

110/8. Correspondence.

Information received under this item was:

on Housing Needs Surveys undertaken by Staffs. Moorlands District Council. the Staffordshire Strategic Partnership – Local Compact – draft v1.

Buckingham Palace Garden Parties in July 2009. printing and copy service by ProntoPrint of Leek.

111/8. Planning Matters.

A planning application had been received and had been distributed to Councillors because of the time scale involved. Councillors agreed to forward no objections in principle, subject to normal planning guidelines, to Application 09/00023/FUL Two Storey Side Extension at Highfield House, School Lane, Longsdon, Staffs.

A reply had been received from the Development Control Manager of Staffs. Moorlands District Council regarding the Parish Council not being notified of any decision on Application 08/01657 Agricultural Track at Field 8347 Leek Road, Endon, Staffs. The reply pointed out that “following a review of the records the District Council had concluded that prior approval for the proposal was not required and the applicant is entitled to carry out the proposed works”.

112/8. Orders for Payment.

It was unanimously agreed that the following items be paid:-

113/8 Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

114/8. Any Other Business.

It was reported that the British Waterways bridge in Denford Road had again been damaged. The Chairman offered to report the matter to British Waterways.

The Clerk was reminded that all correspondence should be discussed by Councillors before any reply was sent.

It was suggested that a list of Councillors addresses etc. be formulated and distributed to other Councillors. The Clerk agreed to undertake this task.

115/8. Date of Next Meeting.

The next meeting of the Council will be held on Tuesday 31st. March 2009 at The Rez Country Café in Sutherland Road, Longsdon at 7-30p.m.

The Chairman thanked Councillors for their attendance and duly closed the meeting.