Minutes of AGM and meeting held May 2018
MINUTES OF RANTON PARISH COUNCIL AGM THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2018 AT RANTON VILLAGE HALL
Cllr. M. Russell (vice chair)
Cllr. J Forrester
Cllr. M. Winnington
G. Whelan (Clerk)
18/48 The minutes of last year's AGM meeting was agreed
18/49 Election of chair
Cllr Winnington proposed Cllr Russell as chairperson for the forthcoming year. This was seconded by Cllr Russell and Cllr Forrester agreed. Cllr Russell was unanimously appointed as chair of Ranton Parish council.
18/50 Election of vice chair
Cllr Winnington proposed Cllr Forrester as vice chair, and Cllr Russell seconded the proposal.
18/51 Appointment of two representatives on Village Hall Committee
Cllr Russell agreed to continue attending meetings, however, agreement of two representatives will be deferred to the next meeting due to the absence of two councillors.
18/52 Any other matters
None.
Signed.................................................. Date...........................
Gayle Whelan, Ranton Parish Council Clerk
rantonparishcouncil@gmail.com
MINUTES OF THE MEETING THURSDAY, 24thMAY 2018 AT RANTON VILLAGE HALL
PRESENT:
Cllr. M. Russell (Chair)
Cllr J. Forrester (Vice chair)
Cllr R. Edwards
Cllr. M. Winnington
G. Whelan (Clerk)
18/53 Apologies
BC R Sutherland and BC S Leighton
18/54 Declarations of interest in the following agenda:
None
18/55 Previous minutes:
Minutes agreed as a true record.
18/56 Public questions:
Replacing bollards: A quote for £1300 to remove the black plstic bollards and replace with wooden ones has been received It was agreed that discussion around the bollards would be deferred until the next parish council meeting in June.
PC Action: Confirm total cost removal and installation to Mark Keeling. Request that Mark comes out and sees us to discuss the situation.
Mowing. It has been requested that the regular mowing include the verges either side Church Close.
The parish council has received a request to change day of parish council meeting as a weekly Thursday booking has been requested. It was felt that Ranton's parish council meetings follow a cycle with neighbouring parishes once a month on the third Thursday. It was suggested that while it is not practicable to change the day of the council's meetings, councillors were amenable to a slightly earlier or later meeting time.
Flagpole needs to be cleaned and repainted. Cllrs Edwards and Winnington volunteered to remove the pole and repair, before replacing the flag.
Reports of asbestos being Flytipped had been reported to councillors and Highways. This was quickly removed.
18/57 Finance matters. See below
Mazars have been appointed as the parish council's auditors. Paperwork to complete the audit will be posted out shortly. An internal audit will be carried out prior to this.
New regulations means that as the parish council is small, there is no need for externally audited. Councillors agreed they were happy for the internal audit to be carried out only, saving the cost of an external one.
Councillors agreed that £2000 should be moved from the parish council's account into the Mower Fund, resulting in a balance of £7000.
Cllr Forrester proposed the motion, which was seconded wby Cllr Winnington. All councillors voted unanimously to the money transfer.
18/58 Accounts to date:
The forthcoming year's budget was presented which included start point. The parish clerk address has recently changed and bank records need to be updated accordingly.
18/59 Reports:
Footpaths: Cllr Russell has walked from Ranton to Seighford and Ranton to Gnosall, and had three complaints regarding wheat fields, cows, and a tree.
Mowing: Councillors acknowledged that the combined mowing of the village and school seemed to be going well. The school has not reported any problems, and the church yard is looking better now that grass is being collected there.
Highways: Mark Keeling was provided a detailed report from officers, regarding flooding in Long Compton. It is hoped that work will be completed within a month. Officers also looked at gulleys in the village and stated these would be cleaned out with machines and then use another team to dig out the gulleys and if needed, a jetter will blast the dirt through. The council only cleans gulleys every three years although it was agreed once a year is needed. Estimates for a clean are approximately £400 each year. Councillors felt that the effect on village of having these gulleys and drains cleaned would be worth it to have them cleaned annually. Councillors have been told from the contractor spraying company that Ranton village is not on the list of areas to be sprayed.
Action: Mick Bailey at Streetscene will be contacted about sweeping village roads.
Action: Await news from Mr Kealing and Streetscene regarding cleaning of gulleys and drains. The parish clerk will contact contact their insurers, Zurich, to obtain details of whether weeding is covered under the parish council's policy. Cllr Russell will have a look at the fencing.
Damaged fencing by the bridge by Graingers was discussed.
Action: Cllr Russell will look into who is responsible for fencing bordering the road and brook in the village.
18/60 Clerk's reports
Annual Governance, Accounting Review (AGAR) and Audit 2017 - 2018. The Parish Clerk outlined recent legislative changes which facilitate a smaller council being permitted to exempt itself from external audit, if both its income and expenditure for the year are below £25,000 and certain core requirements have been met. Ranton Parish Council is in a position to exempt itself from external audit. Councillors agreed unanimously to the exemption. As noted above, paperwork is still waiting to be received by Mazars.
18/61 Planning updates
Drive Me: Cllrs Edwards and Forrester attended a meeting where audible tests were conducted and no noise was recorded from Drive Me. Cllrs reported that at the time of the meeting, only wind could be heard. It was felt that Drive Me were aware that the councillors were there and therefore no technical equipment was used to record the noise.
No private cars are allowed on the track, however Cllr Russell reported seeing private cars. Councillors have asked that in all cases, complaints of noise disturbance and excessive levels are reported directly to the council.
18/62 To resolve on planning applications.
Hand and Cleaver pub application: Cllrs did not oppose the application but commented that they were very concerned about massing of the whole building and concerned about the effect on street scene. Plans suggest construction of whole new residence as opposed to an extension. Objection was made to the materials being used also.
18/63 Chairman's Questions/Items for Information/Next Agenda
In the past, a parish councillor has been present on the school governor board. It was agreed that this should be deferred until the school could confirm its desire to have a parish councillor on its governing body.
The parish council's noticeboard is leaking water so much so that mould is growing and condensation collects and the notices are becoming destroyed.
Village website.
17/64 Date of next meeting
The next parish council meeting will be held on Thursday 21 June, 2018 in Ranton Village Hall at 7.30pm.
Signed.................................................. Date...........................
Gayle Whelan, Ranton Parish Council Clerk
rantonparishcouncil@gmail.com
Ranton Parish Council
Annual budget - April 2018
Month
Budget 2018/19
Comment
2234.77
payments in April and Oct
4469.54
total
Income
4127.54
total minus concurrent allowance
Precept
4127.54
Government grant
0
Concurrent allowance
342
4469.54
Bank interest
1
VAT refund
1800
expected
Total income
6270.54
Expenditure
Salaries
436
approx 50 hrs per year
Post, printing
50
Newsletters
Miscellaneous
300
Gulleys/ Xmas trees
Room hire
180
Audit
200
Subscriptions
150
SPCA
Insurance
300
Mowing
2040
Note 1
Trees
0
Civic amentiy visits
380
Election
0
Ranton PCC
0
Defibrillator
0
Total Expenditure
4036
Surplus/deficit
2234.54
Opening balance
10264.31
Closing balance
12498.85
Reserve account
977.41
Mower
5000
Total surplus minus mower
8476.26
Note 1
Mowing