Council Meeting – 15th April 2009
GREAT LONGSTONE PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTUES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 15TH APRIL, 2009
Present: Councillors S. Barton [Chairman], Mrs. S. Barton, H. Wright, S. Mason, P. Thompson, Mrs. W. Long, S Headington W. Derricott [Clerk] and 4 members of the public.
Public Questions and Comments
A statement was read out by Mr. S. MacDonald representing the Village Hall Management Committee commenting on the relationship between the Parish Council and the Village Hall Management Committee and the responsibilities of the two parties as expressed in the Deed of Trust governing the building. A number of points were raised and a statement was passed to the Chair. There was some discussion on this issue and it was agreed that the best way forward was for an informal meeting to take place between the Management Committee and the Village Hall Management Committee. The Chair agreed to take this forward.
068/09 Apologies for Absence
No apologies reported
069/09 Minutes of the meeting held on 18th March, 2009
The Chair reported that he had received comment from R. Topham on the following matters: O5/09 The term ‘Annual General Meeting’ was to be inserted into the final line and 066/09 in the final 2 lines the minutes should refer to ‘upgraded to a bridal path’.
Following the reported amendments the Chair proposed the minutes as a true record. This was seconded by Cllr H Wright with all in favour.
070/09 Declaration of Interests
Cllr H. Wright declared a personal interest in items 8 [1] as an employee of DCC. Cllr W.Long and Cllr S. Mason declared personal interests in item 12.
071/09 Village Hall
Following a request from S. MacDonald [Member of the public attending the meeting] item 12 on the agenda was brought forward.
Items 12 [1] and [2] were discussed together. There was a discussion of the matters raised at public questions and comments earlier in the evening and a proposal for friendly dialogue between the parties. Cllr Wright indicated that if there was a complaint about the working of the Parish Council or an individual Councillor this should be made to the Monitoring Officer who had power to investigate. The Chair, who had earlier been handed a statement from Mrs. S. MacDonald checked the minutes of 15th August 2007 and read from those minutes.
It was agreed that the Chair would broker an informal meeting with the Village Hall Management Committee to discuss the issue and report back.
12 [3] The Chair reported that R. Topham had resigned his position as the representative on the VHMC. Cllr S. Mason accepted the nomination as the Parish Council representative to the VHMC as an interim measure.
072/09 Police Matters/Neighbourhood Watch
Cllr H. Wright reported that the Police had reported very few incidents in the area. At the Annual General Meeting of Neighbourhood Watch in Bakewell the Police had reported a reduction in the provision of Sergeants from 15 to 5 but an increase in Police Constables on ‘beat’ duty.
072/09 School Matters
Nothing to report
073/09 Planning Matters
NP/DDD/03/09/0179 Alterations to Garage, Green Island, Longreave Lane.
It was proposed by Cllr S Barton and seconded by Cllr S Mason that this application be approved and was carried unanimously.
The Parish Clerk was instructed to write to the Peak Park Planning Board to enquire if a 6 week consultation period be given to the Parish Council to enable applications to be given full consideration in accordance with the monthly cycle of Parish Council meetings.
No Planning Decision notices were reported.
074/09 Financial Matters
- a) To note bank balance
The balance on the current account was noted as £1000
The Balance on the deposit account was not yet to hand
- b) To approve payments
- D.J. Burns (Salary March 2009) £353.88
- D.J. Burns (Expense Dec 08 to March 09) £46.44
Approval of the payments was proposed by Cllr Mason and seconded by Cllr Mrs Barton and passed unanimously
- c) To discuss the monthly financial statement. Apologies were given by Cllr H. Wright that this had not been completed this month.
- d) VAT Report A VAT report was submitted by the Parish Clerk who reported a refund of £140.47 received on 10.03.09. This included £70.92 unclaimed VAT from the previous financial year.
At the end of the financial year [31.03.09] there was an amount of £8.10 unclaimed VAT. All claims for VAT refunds must be for at least £100.
Approval to the report was proposed by Cllr Mason and Cllr Mrs Barton and passed unanimously.
- e) To discuss recommendations from the Audit Commission (Risk Assessment Plan).
Cllr H. Wright passed in a document. Members thanked Cllr Wright for his work and agreed to pass comments directly to Cllr Wright within 2 weeks and the matter would be discussed at the next Parish Council meeting.
075/09 Maintenance
Roads and Footpaths
- Pavement repairs.
The Parish Clerk reported that a letter of acknowledgement had been received to his letter of 24th March. The Parish Clerk was asked to contact DCC to establish a time table for repairs.
076/09 Maintenance
Recreation Ground
- Play Equipment. Cllr Mrs S. Barton reported that an inspection had taken place and reported no concerns. The log was duly signed.
- Dog Fouling. A suggestion had been made about the provision of ‘bags for bins’ to be provided. This was discussed by Members and concerns were raised that this could lead to a littering problem. The matter was voted upon and not approved.
There was a suggestion for the installation of an additional ‘dog bin’ in the village.
The Parish Clerk was instructed to make enquiries into the cost of the bin and the cost maintenance. Clerk to report back to the Council.
- Recycling Area. It was reported that this area was reasonably clear. At the Village Day there would be a table giving information about recycling. The Council agreed that there was a need to reinforce wherever possible the message of education and that the area was a recycling area not a dumping area.
- Christmas Tree
It was reported that the socket serving the Christmas Tree was broken. The Chair agreed to investigate and report back to the next meeting.
077/09 Freedom of Information Update
It was reported that this was completed at this time. The Parish Clerk was asked to keep this matter under consideration.
078/09 Pillar Box
The Parish Clerk reported the receipt of a letter from the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP who had written to the Head of Government Affairs at the Royal Mail on this matter. The letter was noted and the Clerk was asked to report back giving further updates at future meetings.
079/09 Notice Board
The Parish Clerk reported no update could be given at this time.
080/09 Correspondence
1. Derbyshire Association of Local Councils subscription due. Proposed by the Chair and seconded by Cllr S Mason that there be one copy obtained. Parish Clerk to action. Approved unanimously.
081/09 Late Items of Correspondence
The Parish Clerk reported that there were no late items of correspondence.
There was then a short refreshment break.
082/09 Village Open Day / Event Week
There was a brief discussion about the plans for the Village Open Day. There was an agreement to further publicise the open day by the delivery of leaflets. Items to be promoted were the Police stand; Facilities for young people; Horticulture Society; Affordable Housing; Feedback from the Community (What matters do you want the Parish Council to investigate or champion); and the Village Volunteer Group.
083/09 Village Developments
Nothing to report on this matter.
084/09 Date and Time of Next Meeting
It was agreed that the next meeting will take place on Wednesday 20th May, 2009 at 7.30pm.
William J. Derricott
22.04.09
Parish Clerk
