Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 6th May 2021 Remotely via Zoom.

1/21 Apologies for Absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors T. Beastall and K. Shaw & District Councillor N. Hawkins.

2/21 Declarations of Interest

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

3/21 Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

4/21 Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

5/21 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the virtual meeting held on 11^th March 2021 had been circulated and it was now agreed that they be signed as a true and correct record.

6/21 Resignations.

Notice of Resignation, due to family issues, had been received from Councillor Beverley Bromley. Earlier at the Annual General Meeting Notice of Resignation, due to issues with her employment, had been received from Councillor Daral Sargeant. The resignations were reluctantly accepted and the Electoral Officer would be informed.
It was agreed to write letters of thanks to both Councillors for their service on the Council.
Mention was made of the informal manner which other Councillors had been informed of Councillor Bromley’s resignation but the informal approach was made due to the fact that the Council had not officially accepted the resignation.

7/21 Matters Arising.

(a) Bus Shelter.

As previously reported the new bus shelter had been ordered and paid for. Delivery had been promised for the last week in April but there had been delays in its manufacture. Delivery had now been promised for the coming week.

(b) Tree in Sutherland Road.

An email on the matter had been sent to Chief Executive of the Moorlands Council to complain of the discourtesy and unprofessionalism of the Tree Officer involved by not replying since November 2020 but no initial reply had been received from that source. District Councillor was asked for assistance with the matter and apparently the email had “gone astray”

A lengthy apologetic reply had now been received from the Tree Officer of Staffs. Moorlands District Council but as the tree had already been trimmed privately the matter was considered closed.

(c) Highway Complaints.

Further communication had been sent to the Community Infrastructure Manager of Staffs. County Council regarding the long wait for replies to highway complaints. She had now stated that the Highways Team have offered their apologies for the delays in responding to reported highway issues.

(d) Details of Remembrance Sunday Items.

Information had been obtained about the manufacture of the large poppies etc for roadside display. It appeared that the poppies in Endon were made by a local volunteer. The cost of the material used had been obtained and it was agreed to contact the volunteer to obtain further information. 6 poppies were considered sufficient.

It was reported that the cheque for £20.00 sent as a donation to the local branch of the British Legion in November had still not been cashed. Enquiries had been made and illness and Covid restrictions were sited but the cheque would be presented.

(e) St. Chad’s Church Clock.

The Church Administrator had now reported that the extensive repairs which were needed to the mechanism of the clock would now cost in the region of £14,000.00 and an appeal is being launched.

It was agreed to contact her again and ask:-

When will the appeal be officially launched?

Are the Church Authorities liable to contribute, bearing in mind the recent sale of the vicarage etc etc,?

Is it possible to operate the clock electrically rather than the expensive replacement of the current mechanism?

(f) Planting of the Village Tubs.

Enquiries had be made regarding the cost of having name plates made with the Parish Council’s name on which would be attached to the new bus shelters and the village tubs to show that they had been provided by the Parish Council. The cost appeared to be approximately £25.00 each.

It was agreed that the Council’s lengthsman be asked to re-plant the village flower tubs during June or July provided that the price was not significantly greater than that of the early spring planting.8/21 Other Business.

8/21 Other Business.

(a) Pedestrian Crossing.
It was reported that the white lines of the pedestrian on Leek Road had been re-painted, the Belisha Beacon globes had been cleaned and a ”Slow” sign had been painted on the road on the approach from Leek.

(b) Parish Council’s Responsibilities.
This matter was discussed but it was felt that there would need to be a detailed examination of these and it was agreed that the matter be left in abeyance for the moment.

(c) Venue for Future Meetings.
As today’s meeting was the last that could officially be held virtually, a venue for future meetings would need to be established. The Chair and the Clerk would investigate.

(d) Refurbishment of the Parish Benches.
It was agreed to obtain a price from the Council’s lengthsman for the refurbishment of all the Parish benches.

(e) New Gateway off Gratton Lane.
It was reported that a new entrance gateway and installation of a possible drive had taken place in Gratton Lane. This had been inspected and District Councillor Norma Hawkins had taken up the matter with Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.

9/21 Correspondence.

Telephone Reading Friends – Staffs Libraries.                                   ) Already Distributed
Information of Churnet Sound Radio.                                              )
Keep Britain Tidy Campaign.                                                          )
Peat Free Campaign – Moorlands Climate Action Newsletter.             )
Virtual Councils’ Meetings – K. Bradley M.P.                                     ) to Councillors.

An invitation to join Staffs. Parish Councils’ Association had been received – no action.

10/21 Planning.

For Report.

The following plans had been distributed to Councillors for comments and no objections were forwarded:

• SMD/2021/0092 Variation of Condition 2 relating to SMD/2014/0748 on Land at Wyn Dene, Leek
  • Road, Longsdon.
• SMD/2021/0087 Proposed Single Storey Side & Rear Extension at Waterside, Denford Road,
  • Longsdon.
• SMD/2021/0206 Erection of Replacement Garage at Woodroyd, Denford Road, Longsdon.
• SMD/2021/0232 Variation of Condition 12 in relation to SMD/2017/0674 at Wyndene, Leek Road.
• SMD/2021/0259 Proposed Extension to Form Kitchen / Living Area at Marcliff, Limes Avenue.

A Notice of Appeal had also been received – Written Reps – App Ref SMD/2020/0211 on Land to the Side of Ridgeway House, Leek Road, Longsdon. The original application was approved but this was to appeal against some of the conditions imposed.

11/21 Finance Matters.

(a) For Report.

Recent cheque payments had been made on the bank account with no problem so it is appeared that the mandate was now in order but it would need to be amended again with the resignations of the two Councillors.

(b) Another half yearly Lengthsman invoice had been submitted to Staffs. Moorlands District Council together with a statement also showing the unpaid previous invoice.

(c) Due to the unavailability of last year’s internal auditor, Chris Neufeld had offered his services with a quoted price of £70.00 as against £60.00 last year. This appointment was agreed.

(d) A draft copy of the Annual Accounts had been distributed to each Councillor.

(e) As the Council’s turnover was less than £25,000.00 the Council could apply for an Exemption Certificate for an External Audit. It was agreed that this be submitted.

(f) Zurich Municipal had quoted a slightly increased cost for the Council’s insurance premium in the sum of £355.72. The company were then informed of the removal of a wooden bus shelter and the provision of a new metal shelter but they took on the amendments at no extra cost.

A further quotation had been obtained from BHIB Insurance in the sum of £493.77. It was agreed to continue to use Zurich Municipal.

(g) Orders for Payment.

It was agreed that the following items be paid:

12/21 Public Comments.

The member of the public questioned whether the bulbs etc in the flower tubs could be salvaged and stored but the Chairman pointed out the problem of insurance for any volunteers. It was agreed to leave any action to the Council’s contractor as agreed earlier.

13/21 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.

There was no business under this item.

14/21 Date of Next Meeting.

The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 17th June 2021 at 7.00pm at a venue to be arranged..