Minutes of Meeting held in The Rez Country Café on Thursday 16th. December 2010.

Present: Councillor R. Dawson (Chair)

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

District Councillor N. Hawkins.

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

Due to severe wintry conditions and unavailability of the meeting room this meeting had been

re-arranged from the originally scheduled date of 2nd. December 2010.

74/10. Apologies for Absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

75/10. Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

76/10. Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

77/10. Public Comments.

There were no public comments or concerns at this point.

78/10. Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21st. October 2010 had been circulated. It was agreed that they be

signed by the Chairman a true and correct record.

79/10. Matters Arising.

Mention had been made at the last meeting of a possible problem with the length of the double yellow parking restriction lines in Sutherland Road at its junction with the A53 Leek Road. This matter would now be referred to the Public Liaison Officer of Staffs. County Council for investigation.

It was also noted that there had been no mention of registering the land occupied by the bus shelters in the applications to the Land Registry. The Clerk re-iterated that the Land Registry had pointed out that as they were not actually totally enclosed it was unlikely that these could be registered in the Council’s ownership. As no further evidence of ownership had been unearthed, the necessary forms to register the Common Land had been forwarded to the Land Registry. The usual letter had been received asking for confirmation of the address of applicant. Subsequent telephone calls had revealed that the forms had now been passed to the Registry’s legal department at Peterborough for more investigation.

A letter had been sent to the Local Highways Dept. of Staffs County Council regarding the two items of the reported abundance of notices on the pavement on the A53 near School Lane and also the flooding on the A53 near to St. Chad’s Church. The Highways Superintendent had contacted the Clerk and asked if the Council wished all the notices on the A53 to be removed. After consulting with the Chairman he was informed that that was the requirement. It was reported that after the signs were removed further signs had appeared. This matter to be reported to the Planning Dept. of Staffs. Moorlands District Council for any action necessary.

With regard to the reported flooding issue the superintendent had informed the Clerk that this was due to a blocked drain from a road gully and this was to be investigated with a C.C.T.V. camera.

A further letter had been sent to Staffs. Moorlands District Council regarding the anomaly with the street name plate signs in Leek Old Road. A reply had been received promising to rectify the situation.

An e.mail had been received from the Rights of Way Officer of Staffs. County Council stating that the Rights of Way Panel had recommended that an order be made to extinguish Footpath No. 24.

The Chairman had visited the building site on the A53 regarding the parking of vehicles which were causing some obstruction to the pavement etc and the matter appeared to have been resolved.

It was reported that:

the County Council’s Highways team had visited the parish and had completed many items.

the December meeting of Staffs. Moorlands Parish Assembly had been postponed until 27th. Jan.2011.

the Chairman and Councillor Bills had attended the Remembrance Sunday service.

80/10. Correspondence.

A letter from Staffs. County Council gave further information on winter salt stocks and plans for its

distribution etc. and suggesting that self help could assist it with treating footways that it cannot get to.

Information received under this item was:

Staffs. Moorlands Local Development Framework – Churnet Valley Masterplan.

offer of Local Government Legal Advice from Staffs. County Council Legal Services Unit.

Big Lottery Funding – passed to a local organisation.

introduction to the Journal of Local Planning (cost £50 per year) – no action.

Rural News Digest – 2nd. & 6th. December 2010 issues from Rural Services Network.

Clerks and Councils Direct – November 2010 issue

81/10. Planning Matters.

The following planning applications were considered and it was agreed to forward no objections, subject to

normal planning guidelines to:

10/01055/FUL Conversion of Vacant Public House (A4) to form 2 No. Dwellings (C3) at New Inn,

Leek Road, Longsdon, Staffs. ST9 9QF.

10/01035/CL-PRO Certificate of Lawful Development for Proposed Orangery at Upper Dales,

Dunwood Lane, Longsdon, Staffs. ST9 9AP.

82/10. Finance Matters.

It was reported that:

invoice for half year payment of lengthsman scheme from Staffs. Moorlands D.C. had been sent and paid.

invoice for half year payment of lengthsman scheme from Staffs County Council had been sent.

refund had been received for V. A. T. paid during last year.

The Council’s One Year Fixed Rate Bond with Leek United Building Society was due to mature on 21st.December 2010. It was agreed to re-invest the proceeds into a new One Year Fixed Rate Bond with the Society.

A representative of Zurich Insurance Co. had contacted the Clerk about providing a quotation for the Council’s insurance needs. It was agreed to allow the company to quote for the Council’s insurance nearer the renewal date in June 2011.

An intimation had been received from the Council’s Internal Auditor that he would be unable to collect the Council’s books, vouchers etc. in the future. It was agreed that arrangements could possibly be made to send the information to him. This to be discussed again nearer the relevant time.

Estimates / Precept for the year 2011 / 2012.

The Clerk produced (1) Actual Figures for the Year 2009/10, (2) Estimated Expenditure and end of year balance for the Year 2010/11 and (3) Estimated Income and Expenditure for the Year 2011/12.

After studying the figures produced, it was agreed unanimously that the Clerk’s salary be increased by £50 – 00 per year and also, in the light of the current economic climate, the amount of the Precept remain UNCHANGED at £3,500 – 00.

The precept request form was duly signed by the Chairman and the Clerk.

83/10 Orders for Payment.

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

84/10. Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

85/10. Any Other Business.

It was noted that one Councillor had failed to attend a Parish Council meeting for six consecutive months from the date of his last attendance and was therefore deemed to have ceased to be member of the Council. This matter to be reported to Staffs. Moorlands Electoral Officer for advice.

It was reported that some vehicles were being irregularly parked and causing obstruction in School Lane. It was agreed to monitor the situation.

A report was given that a stone had become dislodged from the structure and fallen onto the towpath and into the canal at the listed canal bridge in Denford Road. This matter to be reported to British Waterways.

It was reported that the bus shelters near to the New Inn were full of leaves. These were to be cleared.

Councillor Bills gave her thoughts on the problems she was facing being a Parish Councillor and a member of the Longsdon Memorial Hall Management Committee. She was informed that she was not the official Parish Council representative on the Committee as no formal request had been sent to the Parish Council for a representative. She expressed a desire to serve both organisations to the best of her ability.

86/10. Date of Next Meeting.

The next meeting of the Council will be held on Thursday 3rd. February 2011 at The Rez Country

Café in Sutherland Road, Longsdon at 7 - 30p.m.