Minutes of Meeting held in The Rez Country Café on Thursday 6th. December 2012.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors T. Beastall, L. Bills, R. P. A. Lovell, C. Taylor & S. R. Weston.

One Member of the Public.

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

79/12. Apologies for Absence.

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

80/12. Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

81/12. Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman thanked Councillor Taylor for presenting the wreath at the Remembrance Sunday service, Councillor Beastall for his help with the photographs of the village and the Clerk for his work in fixing the new Jubilee seat in Denford Road.

He also reported that he had received an invitation from the Chairman of Endon Parish Council to a meeting to discuss the proposed extension of double white lines on Leek Road at Endon. As the matter had been discussed previously by Councillors who had decided no further action, he had declined the invitation.

82/12. Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

83/12. Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting on 18th. October 2012 had been circulated and it was agreed that they be signed as a true and correct record.

84/12. Matters Arising.

The Clerk reported that, after receiving no adverse comments from Councillors who had viewed the suggested new position of the Jubilee seat in Denford Road, the seat had now been fixed to the concrete foundations in the new position. The pavings to the front of the seat would be fixed at a later date.

The purchase of the scrubber / floor polisher for use in Longsdon Memorial Hall had been completed and an invoice in the sum of £472 – 50 + V.A.T. had been received. A letter of thanks had been received from the Hon. Secretary of the Memorial Hall Management Committee.

Councillor Bills declared a personal interest in this matter.

It was reported that:

letter had been sent to the organiser of the village Rose Queen event.

letter of thanks had been sent to Mrs Kent for planting the flower tub by the Memorial Hall.

quarterly invoice for the lengthsman scheme had been sent to Staffs. C. C. and payment received.

half yearly invoice for the lengthsman scheme had been sent to Staffs. Moorlands District Council.

85/12. Correspondence.

A letter had been received from the owners of The Rez UK Ltd. meeting room pointing out that a complaint had been sent to the TV Licensing Authority regarding the facilities at the meeting room. The matter had been successfully resolved but the owners had suggested the complaint may have come from someone present in the building or even attended a Council meeting during the last twelve months. It was agreed to reply that the Council was not aware of the matter being mentioned at any Council meeting.

Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service had written to all Councils asking if house numbers and / or names could be prominently displayed to assist in finding properties in an emergency.

Information received under this item was:

Staffs. County Council’s Community Focus for Ice Busters (Gritting of Pavements by Volunteers).

Choose Well poster from N. H. S. North Staffs. – posted on notice board.

notice of result of Police & Crime Commissioner Election – Matthew Ellis being elected.

86/12. Planning Matters.

It was reported that approval had been given to the planning application for the Conversion and Extension of Former Public House and Erection of Two Dwellings at New Inn, Leek Road, Longsdon, Staffs. This approval was contrary to the Parish Council comments sent in when the application was discussed, especially regarding the proposal to erect two dwellings on the site. Councillors objected to this part of the application which stated that the proposed houses were needed to pay for the extensions to the former public house. It was felt that this was surely a commercial decision and could not form part of the planning process.

It was agreed that, in spite of the fact that the approval for the development could not be reversed, a letter should be sent to the Planning Applications Manager asking for an explanation of the economic part of the decision.

87/12. Orders for Payment.

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

88/12. Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

89/12. Any Other Business.

A complaint had been received from a resident complaining about the speed of vehicles in Sutherland Road. It was agreed to write to the Police to ask for an investigation into the matter.

Mention was made of large tanker vehicles using Denford Road as a possible route to a depot in the area.

It was agreed to check for any height or weight restrictions on the road.

Items to be reported to Staffs. County Council for action were blocked road gullies from Dunwood Lane to Rudyard and blocked ditches in Honeysuckle Lane.

Items to be reported to the Councils’ lengthsman were cutting back vegetation from verge near to new Jubilee seat and also from the outside a property in Sutherland Road which was obstructing vision.

The Chairman wished all those present the Compliments of the Season.

90/12. Date of Next Meeting.

The next meeting of the Council will be held on Thursday 13th. January 2013 at The Rez Country Café in Sutherland Road, Longsdon at 7 - 30p.m.