Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 14th. December 2023 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.
Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).
Councillors J. Cox, S. Dickinson, D. Hughes, R. Lovell & K. Shaw
In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
One Member of the Public.
66/23 Apologies for Absence.
No Apologies for absence had been received.
67/23 Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest at this point.
68/23 Chairman’s Address.
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
He gave details of the tragic death of a man on the canal towpath near to Sutherland Road. Police officers were investigating.
69/23 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
70/23 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.
Minutes of the meeting held on 9th. November 2023 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.
71/23 Matters Arising.
(a) No reply had yet been received, in spite of a reminder which had been sent after the last meeting, regarding the issue with the white lines on the A53 Leek Road together with possible problems with the speed indicator sign. It was agreed to contact the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways again to express concerns regarding no replies.
If a reply was still not received it was agreed to contact the local M. P. Karen Bradley for her assistance in the matter.
(b) Tree Preservation Order No.SM.327 (Park Lane).
A letter had been sent to the District Council objecting to this particular Tree Preservation Order but a reply had asked for further details of the Parish Council’s objections. These would be forwarded.
(c) Visibility Issue.
The Police had been contacted regarding the vehicle which was causing visibility problems for traffic emerging from Sutherland Road onto the main A53 road and people using the adjacent pedestrian crossing. The vehicle now appeared to have been moved to a better position. Contact would try to be established with local police personnel in order to keep an eye on the situation.
(d) Material for Poppies.
It was agreed to purchase further materials for the production of more Remembrance Poppies for future years.
72/23 Other Business.
The Local Councillor’s Grant form had been submitted to assist with the painting of the wooden bus shelters.
Further Community Grants were available and it was agreed to investigate the prospect of upgrading the pedestrian crossing to a Pelican crossing. Advice to be obtained from Staffs. County Council with the help of such a grant.
It was agreed to ask the Lengthsman to tidy up the bus shelter adjacent to the Memorial Hall.
73/23 Correspondence.
The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-
Grants for Young People.
Hedgehog Highway Project.
Staffs. Energy Efficiency Project.
Grants for Rural Communities.
Road Closure Notice for Denford Road.
Road Closure Notice for Honeysuckle Lane.
Have Your Say – Policing and Fire & Rescue.
Engagement with Community Survey.
74/23 Planning Matters.
The following planning application had been received for discussion:
SMD/2023/0599 Proposed Garage to Serve Dwelling Approved Under Previous Application at Stone Barn Farm, Sutherland Road, Longsdon.
It was agreed to forward no objection to this application.
75/23 Finance Matters.
(a) Orders for Payment.
It was agreed that the following items be paid:
Recipient | Amount | Reason |
---|---|---|
J. A. Gibson. | £ 120.00 | Agency Work. |
£ 135.00 | Fixing of Memorial Seat. | |
The Wheel. | £ 25.00 | Room Hire. |
Ionos | £ 12.00 | Website monthly charges paid by direct debit. |
76/23 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
77/23 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.
Possible Provision of a Parish Christmas Tree for Future Years.
78/23 Date of Next Meeting.
The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 8th. February 2024 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.
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Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 9th. November 2023 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.
Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).
Councillors J. Cox, C. Hogan, S. Dickinson, R. Lovell & K. Shaw
In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
One Member of the Public.
53/23 Apologies for Absence.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor D. Hughes.
54/23 Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest at this point.
55/23 Chairman’s Address.
The Chairman reported that there had been an unfortunate incident today involving a horse on the A53 at the top of Sutherland Road. Information received later suggested that the horse had had to be put down after it had been spooked, unseated the rider, bolted, and collided with a vehicle.
He also reported that he had displayed the Remembrance Day poppies on the main road through the village. However, they were showing signs of wear and tear and, if agreed, the purchase of more raw materials would enable the manufacture of some new poppies for next year.
The content management system underpinning the Council’s website had been updated following a major release and is now on version 5 but staying current means that documentation and user forums are available to us free of charge should they be needed.
56/23 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
57/23 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.
Minutes of the meeting held on 21st. September 2023 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.
58/23 Matters Arising.
(a) Memorial Seat.
The Council’s lengthsman had completed the work of installing the new memorial seat.
(b) No reply had yet been received, in spite of a reminder which had been sent after the last meeting, regarding the issue with the white lines on the A53 Leek Road together with possible problems with the speed indicator sign. It was agreed to contact County Councillor Heath and the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways to express concerns regarding no replies.
(c) The lengthsman had cut back the overgrown grass verges on the pavements on the A53 together with removing the weed growth adjacent to the notice board near the pedestrian crossing.
A similar problem on School Lane had already been reported to Staffs. County Council and would be reported again.
(d) Tree Preservation Order No.SM.327 (Park Lane)
A letter had been sent to the District Council objecting to this particular Tree Preservation Order.
59/23 Other Business.
The system for reporting Highway Issues to Staffs. Moorlands District Council was outlined.
It was agreed to contact Leek Police regarding the parked vehicle on the A53 Leek Road which was creating visibility problems for traffic emerging from Sutherland Road and pedestrians using the adjacent pedestrian crossing.
60/23 Correspondence.
The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-
Polling Places Review from Staffs. Moorlands District Council.
Business Premises Survey from Staffs. Moorlands District Council.
Sutherland Road Closure Order.
61/23 Planning Matters.
The following planning application had been received for discussion:
SMD/2023/0520 Outline Consent for Erection of Single Dwelling with Means of Access Considered & All Other Matters Reserved at The Firs, Sutherland Road, Longsdon.
At this point Councillors Cox, Hogan & Shaw declared an interest and took no part in in the discussion.
By a majority decision it was agreed to object to this application on the following grounds:
It is a proposed new dwelling in the Green Belt without exhibiting very special circumstances.
The application seeks to be considered as limited development in the Green Belt but two new builds have already been permitted on Sutherland Road within the last five years and to allow a third would indicate that limits are not being applied.
The plans say that the number of vehicles parked will be unchanged at three but all three are shown to be associated with the new build. The existing dwelling would have no provision for parking if the new build was to be sold as a separate entity.
62/23 Finance Matters.
(a) Orders for Payment.
It was agreed that the following items be paid:
Recipient | Amount | Reason |
---|---|---|
J. A. Gibson. | £ 160.00 | Agency Work. |
John Bourne. | £ 360.99 | Clerk’s Salary & Expenses (nett). |
H. M. Revenue & Customs. | £ 66.00 | P. A. Y. E. |
The Wheel. | £ 25.00 | Room Hire. |
Ionos. | £ 6.00 | Website monthly charge paid by direct debit |
(b) It was agreed to increase the Lengthsman’s hourly rate to £12.00 per hour.
(c) Information had been received from Ionos that its monthly charge would be increasing to £7.00 incl. V.A.T.
63/23 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
64/23 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.
There was no business under this item.
65/23 Date of Next Meeting.
The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 14th. December 2023 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.
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Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 21st. September 2023 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.
Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).
Councillors J. Cox, C. Hogan, S. Dickinson, R. Lovell & K. Shaw
In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
One Member of the Public.
Due to a mix up with dates, Councillors were consulted, and it was agreed that the date of this meeting be changed from Thursday 28th. September 2023 to Thursday 21st. September 2023 – today.
40/23 Apologies for Absence.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor D. Hughes.
41/23 Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest at this point.
42/23 Chairman’s Address.
The Chairman reported that a notice giving details about the defibrillator had been displayed on the Council’s website and notice boards together with a Residents’ Survey received from Staffs. Moorlands District Council.
43/23 Public Comments.
The member of the public had enquired whether an enforcement action could be taken regarding the rubble which had been deposited in a field adjacent to the old New Inn. She had been told that this was not possible at present due to a planning application adjacent to the site being under consideration.
44/23 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.
Minutes of the meeting held on 10th. August 2023 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.
45/23 Matters Arising.
(a) Memorial Seat.
The Council’s lengthsman had started the work on the new seat by removing the existing seat.
The account for the new seat and fixings had now been received.
(b) The issue with the white lines on the A53 Leek Road together with possible problems with the speed indicator sign had been reported to Staffs. County Council but no reply had yet been received. A further communication would be sent.
(c) The lengthsman had been instructed to remove the clump of Himalayan Balsan near to Honeysuckle Lane - which he had done.
He had also been instructed to paint the wooden bus shelters.
It was agreed that he be instructed to cut back the overgrown grass verges on the pavements on the A53 together with removing weed growth adjacent to the notice board near the pedestrian crossing.
A similar problem on School Lane had already been reported to Staffs. County Council.
(e) Longsdon Memorial Hall
A letter had been sent to the management of the Hall suggesting that some grant aid could be available from the Parish Council.
46/23 Other Business.
Councillor Cox gave details of possible grant aid of up to £500.00 from various sources which could be used for the work on the verges and bus shelters already mentioned.
Further guidance would be obtained for large schemes, such as a Pelican Crossing to replace the existing pedestrian crossing.
47/23 Correspondence.
The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-
Staffs. Moorlands District Council – Possible Funding Opportunities.
Staffs. Moorlands Climate Action Newsletter.
“Enjoy Staffordshire” from Staffs. Moorlands District Council.
Grant Schemes for Staffs. Moorlands District Council.
Public Space Protection Order.
20’s Plenty for Staffordshire.
Denford Road Closure Order.
Residents’ Survey.
48/23 Planning Matters.
The following planning application had been received for discussion:
SMD/2023/0416 16 No. of Ground Mounted PV Solar Panels within Domestic Curtilage at Woodroyd, Denford Road, Longsdon.
It was agreed to forward no objections to this application.
49/23 Finance Matters.
(a) Payment of £400.00 had been received from Alliance for Agency Work.
(b) Orders for Payment.
Already paid due to the timescale :-
Information Commissioner £ 40.00 Data Protection Fee.
It was agreed that the following items be paid:
Recipient | Amount | Reason |
---|---|---|
J. A. Gibson. | £ 130.00 | Agency Work. |
The Wheel. | £ 25.00 | Room Hire. |
Parish Online. | £ 45.00 | Subscription. |
Woodcraft UK.Ltd. | £ 1,591.44 | New Bench Seat & Fixings. |
Ionos. | £ 12.00 | Monthly Charges Paid by Direct Debit for Aug & Sept.. |
50/23 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
51/23 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.
There was no business under this item.
52/23 Date of Next Meeting.
The dates of the next meetings were arranged for Thursday 9th. November 2023 and 14th. December 2023 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.
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Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 10th. August 2023 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.
Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).
Councillors J. Cox, C. Hogan, D. Hughes & R. Lovell.
In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
27/23 Apologies for Absence.
Apologies for absence were received from S. Dickinson & K. Shaw.
28/23 Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest at this point.
29/23 Chairman’s Address.
The Chairman thanked the Clerk, reporting that the Financial Data for 2022/2023 had been published on the Council’s website to meet with the Local Audit & Accountability Act and to conform to the Small Authorities Transparency Code. The Notice of Public Rights had been published both on the website and the notice boards.
He had reported the pothole in Sutherland Road and when this had been filed with the County Council various others in the road were also marked for repair.
He reported that there appeared to be a large volume of hardcore or rubble deposited on a field adjacent to the old New Inn. An interim report on the planning application to create a Farm Shop & Car Park on the site didn’t seem favourable to the proposal. We may need to monitor activity there.
He reported that he was unable to furnish the resident of Limes Avenue with any more information about the owner of the field behind her property however District Councillor Cox reported that she had been able to obtain the requested address and that work had commenced to resolve the water ingress issue. The chairman thanked her for her efforts.
30/23 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
31/23 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.
Minutes of the meeting held on 22nd. June 2023 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy after a slight amendment to the quoted address of Councillor Jo Cox.
32/23 Matters Arising.
(a) Declaration of Office.
All the remaining elected Councillors had now signed the Declaration of Office.
(b) Memorial Seat.
The Council’s lengthsman had agreed to fix the new seat but the work had been delayed by the inclement weather.
(c) A thank you letter had been sent to the Clerk of Brown Edge Parish Council thanking her for her assistance with the arrangements for the Council’s Internal Audit.
It was reported that the Internal Auditor had agreed to undertake the work again next year.
33/23 Other Business.
(a) White Lines & Speeding on the main A53 Leek Road, Longsdon.
A report was given of the continued speeding of vehicles on the main A53 Leek Road through the village and it appeared that the 40mph warning sign opposite the old New Inn was not always operational.
It was also pointed out that the current white lines on this road, adjacent to The Wheel public house, could encourage overtaking at that point by vehicles travelling towards Leek while approaching the adjacent crossroads and pedestrian crossing thereby causing a dangerous situation. It was agreed to contact a County Council representative on both of these matters.
(b) Himalayan Balsam
A report was received of a clump of Himalayan Balsam growing in the main road verge near to Honeysuckle Lane. It was agreed to ask the lengthsman to remove it before it went to seed.
34/23 Correspondence.
The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-
Staffs. Moorlands District Council’s List of Funding Opportunities – 129 pages.
Staffs. Moorlands Climate Action Newsletter.
A letter had also been received from Karen Bradley M.P. giving information on possible funding for the provision of a defibrillator. A reply had been sent that the Parish Council already administers its own machine. It was agreed, however, that notices should be published on the Council’s website and notice board giving parishioners notice of its existence.
35/23 Planning Matters.
The following planning application had been received for discussion:
SMD/2023/0363 Proposed First Floor Side Extension & Re-model of Existing Dwelling at Grange Barn, Dunwood Lane, Longsdon.
It was agreed to forward no objections to this application.
36/23 Finance Matters.
(a) An up-to-date Financial Statement was distributed to Councillors.
(b) Purchase Order from Alliance.
After the anomaly which occurred last year with the payment of the £400.00 for the lengthsman scheme, a purchase order for the current year had been received with notice that the payment would be transmitted forthwith.
(c) Orders for Payment.
It was agreed that the following items be paid:
Recipient | Amount | Reason |
---|---|---|
J. A. Gibson. | £ 140.00 | Agency Work. ( Amount modified, was originally £100 ) |
John Bourne. | £ 299.75 | Clerk’s Salary & Expenses - Nett. |
H. M. Revenue & Customs. | £ 135.60 | P. A. Y. E. |
The Wheel. | £ 25.00 | Room Hire. |
Ionos. | £ 12.00 | Monthly Charges Paid by Direct Debit for June & July. |
37/23 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
38/23 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.
There was no business under this item.
39/23 Date of Next Meeting.
The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 28th. September 2023 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.
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Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 22nd. June 2023 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.
Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).
Councillors S. Dickinson & K. Shaw.
Four Members of the Public.
In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
14/23 Apologies for Absence.
Apologies for absence were received from R. Lovell.
15/23 Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest at this point.
16/23 Chairman’s Address.
The Chairman thanked everyone for their attendance at this meeting with Co-options and Finance Matters to be discussed.
17/23 Public Comments.
A resident of Limes Avenue informed the Council of problems with a culvert in a field adjacent to her residence causing alleged flooding of her property. She had contacted Severn Trent Water who said they could not help but she now wished to find the owner of the field. She was given as much information as was available.
18/23 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.
The minutes of the meeting held on 18th. May 2023 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.
19/23 Matters Arising.
(a) Declaration of Office.
All the elected Councillors had now signed the Declaration of Office.
(b) Co-option of Councillors.
The three vacancies for Parish Councillors had been advertised.
Three applications had been received – Jo Cox of 42 Newcastle Road, Leek, Conor Hogan of Bank End Farm, Leek Old Road, Longsdon and David Hughes of “Holdenby”, Denford Road, Longsdon.
A secret ballot was held on the three names and all were duly co-opted.
Jo Cox is already the elected District Councillor for the area.
(c) Memorial Seat.
It was reported that the memorial seat had been delivered to the Chairman’s address. The Council’s lengthsman had been contacted and had agreed he would be able to remove the existing seat on Micklea Lane and form a new base for the new seat. It was agreed to ask him to carry out the work.
(d) A thank you letter had been sent to retiring Councillor T. Beastall.
20/23 Other Business.
(a) White Lines on the main A53 Leek Road, Longsdon.
This matter was left in abeyance until the next Council meeting.
21/23 Correspondence.
The following had already been distributed to Councillors :-
Invitation to a Code of Conduct Training Session at Staffs. Moorlands District Council.
Info from Chief Inspector Mark Barlow, Moorlands Local Policing Commander.
Info from C. P. R. E.
Info from District Councillor Matt. Swindlehurst of S. M. D. C.
22/23 Planning Matters.
The following planning application had been received for discussion:
SMD/2023/0267 Single Storey Side & Rear Extension at “Woodridge”, Wood Road, Longsdon.
It was agreed to forward no objections to this application.
A report was given that an initial assessment of the planning application at the old New Inn site by a planning officer suggested refusal of the application on Green Belt grounds.
23/23 Finance Matters.
(a) The following items were distributed to Councillors and perused:-
The Annual Internal Audit Report 2022/23.
The Annual Governance Statement 2022/23.
Accounting Statement 2022/23.
Bank Reconciliation 2022/23.
Explanations of Significant Variations 2022/23.
Certificate of Exemption – AGAR 2022/23.
All the items were accepted and it was agreed to forward the External Audit Exemption Certificate to the external auditor.
The Internal Auditor, Marion Corbishley, had commented on the well-kept and easy to understand accounts and had given a very generous low-cost service for the sum of £35.00. She must also be applauded for the donation of that sum to charity.
(b) Clerk’s Salary.
It was agreed to increase the Clerk’s salary by £100.00 per annum.
(c) Orders for Payment.
It was agreed that the following items be paid:
Recipient | Amount | Reason |
---|---|---|
J. A. Gibson. | £ 100.00 | Agency Work. |
£ 145.00 | Summer Planting of Village Flower Tubs. | |
Marion Corbishley. | £ 35.00 | Internal Audit Fee. |
The Wheel. | £ 25.00 | Room Hire. |
24/23 Public Comments.
Overgrowth of footpaths and hedges in School Lane were reported. Councillor Cox agreed to report this to District Councillor G. Heath.
Various potholes in Sutherland Road were also reported. Chairman Sargeant offered to report these.
25/23 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.
Discussion on the White Lines on the A53 Leek Road (Deferred from this meeting).
26/23 Date of Next Meeting.
The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 10th. August 2023 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.
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