Minutes of meeting held January 2018
MINUTES OF THE MEETING THURSDAY,18 JANUARY , 2018 AT RANTON VILLAGE HALL
PRESENT:
Cllr. N MacLeod (Chair)
Cllr. M. Russell (Vice-chair)
Cllr J. Forrester
Cllr. M. Winnington
G. Whelan (Clerk)
18/01 Apologies
Cllr. R Edwards
BC R Sutherland and BC S Leighton
18/02 Declarations of interest in the following agenda:
None
18/03 Previous minutes:
Minutes agreed as a true record.
18/04 Public questions:
No public were in attendance.
18/05 Finance matters
The outstanding invoice for hire of the village hall was signed (£80).
A cheque for £33.50 was also signed for paper and ink for printing of the parish newsletters.
A print out of last year's bank statement was obtained by Cllr Russell. The change of address and authorised signatories forms were signed which will now be submitted to Nat West bank to officially remove former Cllr Williams, and add on Cllr Edwards as authorised signatory.
18/06 Accounts to date:
An invoice from Grant Thornton is still outstanding for £25.
An invoice for Cllrs Russell and MacLeod's attendance at the Staffordshire Parish Council's' Association training session Good Councillor Guide (£35) is yet to be issued.
Action: Parish clerk will follow up delayed invoices.
Budget planning: This coming year's is likely to be similar to last year's with the added expense of inclusion of the school in the regular village mowings - the parish clerk is obtaining a new quote on this.
Cllr Winnington proposed a 1.5% increase in the council tax precept to take account for planned work needed in the village for drains, gulleys and weeding. This he stated was half the rate of inflation (3%) Cllr Russell seconded the motion and all remaining councillors unanimously agreed. However, it was felt that there needed to be more clarity on all planned invoices and once outstanding quotes for insurance, mowing and civic amenities were obtained then a final decision would be made in February's parish council meeting.
18/07 Reports:
Footpaths: No footpaths have been walked by councillors in the past month.
Mowing: No mowing has taken place since the last meeting.
Mowing: Councillors agreed they were still happy to include Ranton All Saints Nursery and Primary School as part of the village mowing, which they would review in a year with the school.
Highways: It was reported that the main village road had been gritted. Councillors noted that farm vehicles were widening the roads throughout the village.
Action: Cllr MacLeod will draft a letter asking the farming community to be more responsible for their vehicles on roads through the village.
The condition of the road along Bourne Avenue/Stocking Lane was poor with many potholes. Cllr Forrester also commented on the amount of mud on the road along these roads by the school.
Weed control will also be considered over the winter period and councillors will keep an eye on the problem over the coming months.
E fixing of posts outside the village hall was also considered to deter cars mounting the verges on the green by the church. Staffordshire County council will put them in, however councillors will have to consider the type of material for the posts and obtain costings for white plastic verses wooden post.
The chippings on Hextall Lane, Brook Lane and Butt Lane as part of patched roadworks have come loose. It was noted that while there were expensive and extensive draining work carried out by the bridge Hextall Lane and Brook Lane, there was little point of this work if the gulleys are not cleared.
The former Hand and Clever pub has made a new entrance and cut across the ditch in Brook Lane.
Consultation about footpaths expecting the Parish Council to write in and highlight which is their most used footpaths.
Action: Parish clerk to check online and list the most used footpaths in the village, including: Ranton Abbey, Gnosall Road, and the bridal path towards Seighford.
Action: The parish clerk will contact both county and borough councils regarding the consultation.
Gulleys - The local parish councils' collaborative group have asked Ranton for their support in collaborative pc to support. Identify gulleys which need cleaning. Any specific problems. The ones that regularly fill up Hextall Brook pressure on the county. Happy to be included.
18/07 Clerk's reports
Ongoing action: Parish clerk to set up a meeting between Ian Knight, Cllr MacLeod and the parish clerk regarding the website and online storage of all the parish council's documents.
The Christmas tree lights invoice will be issued next month for approximately £40.
18/08 Planning updates
Driveme - Before Cristmas, Cllr Edwards, Driveme directors, Borough Councillor Sutherland and enforcement officer Robert Simpson attended the Driveme site. Organised cars were driven and the group moved to sounding points to hear the sounds given off by the vehicles. However, it was quite a windy day and this prevented full hearing of the vehicles, which did not have silencers on. The enforcement officer stated that it was not possible to conduct ad hoc sound testing, particularly at weekends, for example. Noise monitoring has been revised in the new planning application in light of the acoustic reports and associated flaws in noise measuring. Cllrs reported that Driveme is currently up for sale.
Action: Cllr MacLeod (chair) will write to planning enforcement asking to clarify what the situation is regarding the sale of Driveme and liaise with the parish clerk.
The polytunnels have been removed and it is unknown whether they will be put up again this year.
18/09 To resolve on planning applications.
None received.
18/10Chairman's Questions/Items for Information/Next Agenda
Discussion of the website will be added to next month's agenda for discussion to ensure all the parish council's documents are on the website.
Action: Parish clerk will conduct research on the set up of a website.
The Village Hall Committee plans to replace all its tables at an approximate cost £1500 +VAT. Cllrs suggested gifting the village hall tables in exchange for room hire for a deferred time. Cllr MacLeod proposed to purchase the tables, seconded by Cllr Russell and Cllr Winnington agreed. Cllr Forrester abstained from voting. It was agreed that three quotes would be needed before agreeing to the purchase.
A parishioner has written a letter to parish councillors voicing their concern over losing postal collection service in the village postbox. It was felt that this was not a concern and that the labels still state the daily weekday collection.
17/96 Date of next meeting
The next parish council meeting will be held on Thursday 15th February, 2018 in Ranton Village Hall at 7.30pm.
Signed.................................................. Date...........................
Gayle Whelan, Ranton Parish Council Clerk
rantonparishcouncil@gmail.com