Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 29th. August 2024 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.
Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).
Councillors S. Dickinson, C. Hogan, R. Lovell & K. Shaw
In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
53/24 Apologies for Absence.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors J. Cox & D. Hughes.
54/24 Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest at this point.
55/24 Chairman’s Address.
The council received an email from Easy Websites Ltd touting their ability to produce sites for parish councils which conform to the government’s Accessibility Regulations.
These regulations came into force in 2018 and require all government bodies including parish councils to have a website which passes the success criteria of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA.
Each website by law has to include an Accessibility Statement which indicates to what degree the site is compliant with the guidelines and where it is not fully compliant what steps are being taken to make it so.
There is a disproportionate burden clause in the regulations where councils can say that for them, the cost to attain the standard in certain areas is too great but that must be stated in their Accessibility Statement.
Longsdon Parish Council’s website has an Accessibility Statement and very largely complies with WCAG 2.1 Level AA but as a result of the email message, a review of the regulations seemed appropriate and it revealed that as of October 2024 websites must pass the success criteria of the newer guidelines WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
Our Accessibility Statement has been updated to reflect a recent review and acknowledge the change to WCAG 2.2.
Most of the differences between WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 revolve around making input of data easier and clearer. Fortunately our website is simply concerned with information dissemination and therefore has no need of user input other than to navigate the site.
Given that the government’s own website’s Accessibility Statement says that it is not fully compliant indicates the complexity of the review, fixing and testing task.
The WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation tool has been used to test our website and it reports no errors which is good in itself but it does generate alerts for potential problems like links to pdf’s and missing HTML headers where we jump from H1 to H3 without including H2.
If the spotlight should fall upon our site it’s unlikely that we will be hauled over the coals for those transgressions.
56/24 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
57/24 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.
The minutes of the meeting held on 11th. July 2024 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.
58/24 Matters Arising.
(a) Christmas Tree.
Contact had been made with a local garden centre which had quoted £140.00 for the supply of a 12ft. high tree with a £20.00 charge for removal after the occasion.
The Memorial Hall would be contacted officially for permission to site the tree over the Festive Season and the Council’s insurers would be contacted to see if we had sufficient insurance cover.
(b) Pedestrian Crossing Lights.
Email had been sent to County Councillor Heath informing her of the Council’s determination to improve the visibility of the pedestrian crossing, explaining the details to date regarding LED lighting attachments, asking for any information on available grant aid and requesting where permission to install a safety mirror at the junction of the A53 and Sutherland Road could be obtained from.
(c) Steps from Sutherland Road down to the Canal Towpath had been repaired.
59/24 Other Business.
Lengthsman’s Instructions.
The Council’s lengthsman would be instructed to cut back overgrown vegetation over the pavements in School Lane and Leek Road, and also to paint the public seat at the junction of School Lane & Devil’s Lane.
60/24 Correspondence.
The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-
Anniversary Picnic Notice from Moorlands Climate Action.
Updated Safety Bill from Chair of Staffs Moorlands Parish Assembly.
Footpath No. 9 Diversion Notice.
Community Customer Survey from Staffs. Police.
Road Closure Notice for Dunwood Lane.
61/24 Planning Matters.
The following Planning Notice had been received:
SMD/2024/0362 Existing Side Attached Garage to be Replaced with Single Storey Side Extension at Dunwood Mount, Dunwood Lane, Longsdon.
It was agreed to forward no objections to this application.
62/24 Finance Matters.
(a) A request for additional information of signatories on the Council’s bank account had been received from T.S.B. This would be returned in due course.
(b) An update on the bank account was distributed to Councillors.
(c) Orders for Payment.
It was agreed that the following items be paid:
| Recipient | Amount | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| J. A. Gibson. | £ 168.00 | Agency Work. |
| Information Commissioner. | £ 40.00 | Data Protection Fee (Renewal) |
| The Wheel. | £ 25.00 | Room Hire. |
| Ionos | £ 12.00 | Monthly Charge paid by direct debit £6.00 12th. July 24. |
| £6.00 12th. Aug. 24. |
63/24 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
64/24 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.
There was no business under this item.
65/24 Date of Next Meeting.
The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 24th October 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 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.
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Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 16th. May 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, C. Hogan, D. Hughes, R. Lovell & K. Shaw
In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
One Member of the Public.
27/24 Apologies for Absence.
There were no apologies for absence.
28/24 Declarations of Interest.
There were no declarations of interest at this point.
29/24 Chairman’s Address.
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
30/24 Public Comments.
It was reported that the planning application for the New Inn would be discussed again by SMDC Planning Committee next week.
31/24 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.
The minutes of the meeting held on 28th. March 2024 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.
32/24 Matters Arising.
(a) Site for Christmas Tree.
An unofficial approach had been made with a representation of the Memorial Hall but no decision on the suggested site had been made.
Solar lighting of the tree had been investigated and a suggestion of sponsorship for the tree was mentioned.
(b) Wild Flower Seeding.
The lengthsman had been approached and he was familiar with this method. It was agreed to seed an experimental area at the junction of Denford Road and Micklea Lane.
(c) Pedestrian Crossing Lights.
No further update on the cost installing a Pelican style crossing had been received.
The LED flashing lights on a crossing in an adjacent Authority’s area had been viewed and it was agreed that the costs etc be investigated.
(d) Denford Road Speeding.
The matter was still ongoing after the local P.C.S.O’s had been approached.
(e) Steps from Sutherland Road down to the Canal Towpath.
The Canal & Rivers Trust had been approached about the matter and had apparently erected safety barriers but it was reported that these had been placed to one side. The trust to be informed of this.
33/24 Other Business.
It was reported that the lengthsman had the paint and would be painting the bus shelters shortly.
34/24 Correspondence.
The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-
Staffs Police Surgery.
Moorlands Climate Action – What’s On.
Moorlands Climate Action Newsletter – Spring 2024.
Parliament Visit from Dame Karen Bradley M.P.
35/24 Planning Matters.
There was no business under this item.
36/24 Finance Matters.
(a) To receive a copy of the Annual Accounts for 2023 / 2024.
(b) Appointment of Internal Auditor.
(c) Submission of External Audit Exemption Certificate.
(d) Orders for Payment.
It was agreed that the following items be paid:
| Recipient | Amount | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| J. A. Gibson. | £ 168.00 | Agency Work. |
| Zurich Insurance. | £ 395.24 | . |
| John Bourne. | £ 405.92 | 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 10th. May 24. |
37/24 Public Comments.
There was no business under this item.
38/24 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.
None other than previously mentioned.
39/24 Date of Next Meeting.
The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 11th. July 2024 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.
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Minutes of Annual General Meeting held on Thursday 16th. May 2024 in the Upstairs Room at The Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.
Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).
Councillors J.Cox, S Dickinson, C. Hogan, D. Hughes, R. Lovell & K. Shaw.
In Attendance: One Member of the Public.
John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
1. Election of Chairman.
Councillor J. Sargeant was elected Chairman for the coming year.
2. Apologies for Absence.
There were no apologies for absence.
3. Election of Vice Chairman.
Councillor Richard Lovell was elected as Vice Chairman.
4. Appointment of Responsible Financial Officer.
Clerk to the Council, John Bourne, was re-appointed as the Responsible Financial Officer.
5. Appointment of Representatives to Staffs. Moorlands Parish Assembly (2).
Councillors J. Cox and S. Dickinson were appointed as the representatives.
6. Appointment of Representative to Longsdon Memorial Hall Management Committee.
Councillor D. Hughes was appointed as the representative.
7. Matters Arising.
There were no matters arising.
8. Other Business.
There was no business under this item.
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Minutes of the Longsdon Parish Meeting held on Thursday 16th. May 2024 in the Upstairs room of The Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.
Present: Chair J. Sargeant. (Chair of the Parish Council).
In Attendance: Councillors J. Cox, S. Dickinson, C. Hogan, D. Hughes, R. Lovell & K. Shaw.
One Elector.
John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.
1. Apologies for Absence.
There were no apologies for absence.
2. Approval of Minutes of Last Parish Meeting.
The minutes of the last Parish meeting held on 18th. May 2023 had been circulated and it was now agreed that they be signed as a true and correct record.
3. Matters Arising.
The Chairman reported that this is the annual opportunity to say thank you for the good work put in by each of you Councillors. Giving up your time to attend meetings, being observant when travelling around the parish and considering where and how the Council can make improvements to benefit our parishioners is certainly commendable.
It has been pleasing to see a little good humour sneaking into meetings once again. While the topics of discussion are commonly of importance their debate doesn’t always have to be depressingly dry to find the most appropriate resolution.
My particular thanks go to the officers of the Council, Vice Chair Richard Lovell, representatives to the Parish Assembly Councillors Keith Shaw and Simon Dickinson and, of course, the Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer John Bourne who has kept the wheels turning for nearly 18 years, Having District Councillor Jo Cox on board as Parish Councillor has added another dimension to the meetings. With her two hats she has been able to bring information to the table which would have potentially been unavailable and she has been able and willing to apply additional pressure to official bodies to respond to issues alongside that exerted by this Council.
As ever, the continuing sorry saga of the lamentable eyesore that is the New Inn shows no sign of being resolved in the near future after the SMDC Planning Committee failed to make a decision on the latest planning application. It seems astonishing that the decision was deferred giving the architects the opportunity to negotiate plan changes. This after an interim report of almost a year ago indicating likely refusal appears to have been completely ignored. It’s hard to see who benefits from further procrastination. It’s certainly not Longsdon.
4. To Receive a Report for the Year 2023 / 2024.
Councillor John Sargeant was again re-elected as Chairman with Councillor Richard Lovell re-elected as Vice Chairman at the Annual General Meeting of the Council.
Councillors S. Dickinson and K. Shaw were elected as representatives on the Staffs. Moorlands Parish Assembly.
John Bourne, Clerk to the Council, was appointed as the Responsible Financial Officer.
Since the recent resignations the Electoral Office of S.M.D.C. had issued statutory notices and the Council had then advertised the vacancies on the Council on two occasions. Eventually, three applications were received and after a secret ballot was taken Jo Cox, Conor Hogan & David Hughes were duly co-opted. Jo Cox is already the elected District Councillor for the area.
All the Councillors, including those elected, had now signed the Declaration of Office.
Estimates for the coming financial year were prepared. Councillors agreed that the precept requirement would be £5,250.00, a slight increase on last year.
The annual accounts of the Council were audited again by the internal auditor. There were no adverse comments from her.
As the Council’s turn-over was less than £25,000 it could be exempted from an external audit. This option was pursued, and the necessary forms were certified, signed and forwarded to the external auditor.
No requests for S 137 payments were received.
The Council’s defibrillator machine had reportedly been used. As a result, new replacement pads and a new battery were purchased and fitted. The national Circuit was then updated.
The Council’s insurance was again renewed with the Zurich insurance company with its quotation being only very slightly more than last year.
Due to the Data Protection Regulations the Council again registered with the Information Commissioner in the sum of £40 – 00.
The County Council had been contacted to ask for an adjustment to the white lines on the A53 Leek Road near to the pedestrian crossing but due to a staff absence no reply was received. After further contact no solution was forthcoming.
Enquiries were made about converting the crossing to a light controlled Pelican Crossing but a price quoted was very excessive. Further enquiries are being made with an option to perhaps append LED Lights to the current globes of the crossing.
The large Remembrance Day Poppies were again displayed around the village on signs, trees etc. and further new material was purchased for future years.
The village flower tubs were again planted twice for the summer and winter periods by the Council’s lengthsman.
An oak Memorial Bench was purchased in memory of the late Councillor Richard Weston with the aid of a grant of £175.00 received from former District Councillor Hawkins’ Community Fund. The new Bench with an inscription plaque had been sited at the junction of Denford Road and Micklea Lane.
A grant of £150.00 was also received from the current District Councillor Cox’s Community Fund for the painting of the bus shelters.
Numerous planning applications were discussed with no major objections being forwarded. However continued efforts to clear up the old New Inn site came to nothing in spite of a major Planning Application on which any decision has been deferred.
The problem with a vehicle parked near to the pedestrian crossing causing visibility problems for vehicles emerging from Sutherland Road was referred to the Police. This problem was then resolved.
Other items passed on to other authorities were:
Overgrown hedges etc in School Lane, dangerous steps from Sutherland Road down to the top canal, grass verges overgrowing pavements etc etc.
5. Any Other Business.
There was no business under this item.
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