Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 11th. July 2024 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.
40/24 Apologies for Absence.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor C. Hogan.
41/24 Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest at this point.
42/24 Chairman’s Address.
The Chairman made reference to the change of government last week with the new regime wasting no time in announcing changes to encourage house building aimed at creating 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. It is likely that we shall see the opening of the floodgates for new house build planning applications in the Green Belt. Let us hope that doesn’t destroy the fabric of our neighbourhood.
43/24 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
44/24 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.
The minutes of the meeting held on 16th. May 2024 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.
45/24 Matters Arising.
(a) The names of the Council’s Staffs. Moorlands Assembly Representatives had been sent in.
(b) The name of the Council’s representative on the Memorial Hall Committee had been sent in.
(c) Sites for Christmas Tree.
The details of the proposed Christmas Tree were again discussed especially the size of the tree etc. Contact would be made with a local garden centre regarding this and the possible supply.
(d) Pedestrian Crossing Lights.
Fixed prices had now been received for the “supply only” of the products needed to install the LED flashing lights on the crossing but with no idea of the fixing charges.
An approach had been to find out the total cost of a similar crossing in an adjacent Authority’s area but this had yet to be determined. This would be awaited in the short term.
(e) Steps from Sutherland Road down to the Canal Towpath.
The Canal & Rivers Trust had again been been approached about the matter and had replied accordingly.
46/24 Other Business.
Wild Flower Seeding.
The lengthsman had been instructed to seed an experimental area at the junction of Denford Road and Micklea Lane.
He had painted the wooden bus shelters but there was still some work on the metal bus shelter.
47/24 Correspondence.
The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-
Moorlands Climate Action Newsletter – Spring 2024.
Parliament Visit from Dame Karen Bradley M.P.
Message from Chair of Staffs. Moorlands Parish Assembly.
Staffs. Moorlands District Council Events Update – Summer 2024.
48/24 Planning Matters.
There was no business under this item.
49/24 Finance Matters.
(a) The External Audit Exemption Certificate had been sent in and acknowledged.
(b) Annual Governance and Accountability Return Approval
The Annual Governance Statement 2023/2024 was perused and the conditions approved.
Approval was also given to the Annual Accounting Statement 2023/2024 and Bank Reconciliation.
(c) Orders for Payment.
It was agreed that the following items be paid:
| Recipient | Amount | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| J. A. Gibson. | £ 192.00 | Agency Work. |
| £ 200.00 | Repairing & Painting Bus Shelters. | |
| £ 140.00 | Planting of Village Flower Tubs & Replacing Compost. | |
| John Bourne. | £ 334.00 | Clerk’s Salary & Expenses (nett). |
| H.M. Revenue & Customs. | £ 81.00 | P.A.Y.E. |
| The Wheel. | £ 25.00 | Room Hire. |
| Ionos | £ 12.00 | Monthly Charge paid by direct debit £6.00 10th. April 24. |
| £6.00 14th. May 24. |
50/24 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
51/24 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.
None other than previously mentioned.
52/24 Date of Next Meeting.
The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 29th. August 2024 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.