Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on Wednesday 7 March 2012 at Kilham Hall commencing at 7.00 p.m.

 

PRESENT: Councillors J Worthington (Vice-Chairman), Y Butterworth, B Cheetham, B Fussey and

M Sidebottom  

 

IN ATTENDANCE:  J A Staniforth (Clerk to the Council) and Councillor P Schofield

 

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

No members of the public were in attendance.

 

1)         APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from Councillors G Warrender and N Williams. In the absence of the Chair the Vice- Chair took the Chair.

RESOLVED (1)

That the apologies of Councillor Warrender and Councillor Williams be received and accepted.

 

2)         DECLARATION OF PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS

Declarations of personal interest were received from Councillors B Fussey in respect of item 8

 

3)         COMMUNITY POLICING REPORT

No information had been received from the Safer Neighbourhood Team other than the reports received which were included in the correspondence file. No one had attended the last PACT meeting.

 

4)                  DMBC WARD COUNCILLORS REPORT

Councillor Schofield was welcomed to the meeting and reported that details of the provision of skips around the Ward to be funded from the flexible budget had been circulated. The Ward Councillors had agreed to fund the cost of the adaptations to the entrance gates to Kilham Hall to improve disabled access at a cost of £475. DMBC had been focusing on the setting of the 2012/13 budget and a further meeting was to take place on 8 March 2012 to consider amendments submitted. There was no further information on the outcome of the public examination stage of the proposed Core Strategy document.  Free health checks for anyone aged 40+ could be arranged if suitable premises could be provided and contact details were provided.

RESOLVED (2)

That Councillor Schofield is thanked for her attendance and the information provided.

 

5)         MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 1 FEBRUARY 2012

RESOLVED (3)

That the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 1 February 2012 be agreed as a correct record.

 

6)   CLERK’S REPORT ON ACTION ARISING FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING

a) Highway Matters – The Chair had informed the Clerk that the practice of driving along grass verges to park outside properties on Moor View had ceased. DMBC were unable to trace any letters as the issue had been instigated prior to the latest reorganisation of the Neighbourhood Team.  The funding of the knee rail fencing to the grass verge opposite Branton Farm Nursery had been referred to the Ward Councillors.  A general response from DMBC to the problem of parking and damage to grass verges and driving across pavements was reported and that there was a full annual inspection of these areas. The broken tree branch had been removed. Royal Mail had responded to the letter stating that drivers would be notified to park on the road. DMBC had agreed to look into the damage caused to the verge near the post box.  The appearance of potholes had been reported but no repairs had been carried out to date.

b) Kilham Hall – The builder had supplied the brackets for the guttering and the Handyman had replaced any that were damaged.

c) Recreation Ground – Need a Hand Ltd had denoted that the disabled access gate would be undertaken this week. Veolia Services had confirmed the cost of the ‘slitting’ as £170 and this would be undertaken in the next week. The weed and feed treatment would be undertaken in May and the issue of watering if needed was raised. DMBC had confirmed it would undertake the annual hedge cut along with the litter bin emptying collections.  No invoice had been received regarding the work to the perimeter metal fencing at the play area.

d) Community – DMBC had stated that the removal of the tree outside of No. 9 Langton Gardens had been scheduled into the workload and it was hoped that the tree would be removed in the near future. The purchase and planting of new trees was discussed.  A response had been received from N Fairclough Builders Ltd. stating that a housing development scheme was being designed and site investigations had been undertaken to aid the design but no further specific information was available. The Chair had contacted a local organist who had agreed to provide the musical accompaniment for the carol singing on Wednesday 13 December 2012, free of charge but with a possible donation to an appropriate organisation.  The Clerk was advised that the current Head Teacher was leaving the local school in the near future.

e) Planning – The Planning Officer had confirmed that the mounds of soil visible at the property Willow Farm was in connection with the approved planning application and that there was no timescale for its completion. It was not possible to provide any details as to where the earth had been extracted or acquired from.

RESOLVED (4)

a) That DMBC is informed that some damage to the kerb due to parking has occurred at a property on Chapel lane where no dropped kerb exists to the driveway of the property.

b) That a response is sought from the Highways Department regarding the required maintenance to repair potholes identified.

c) That a letter is sent to the volunteer confirming the offer of providing the musical accompaniment at the Christmas Carol singing on Wednesday 13 December 2012 and the Kilham Hall Committee and school are notified of the date.

d) That arrangements are made for the planting of flowering cherry trees at Langton Gardens and that delivery is arranged by the Garden Centre in the event that that the trees cannot be collected by the Handyman.

e) That all other action and information is noted.

 

7)         CONSIDERATION OF ITEMS RAISED BY THE PUBLIC

As no members of the public were in attendance no items were raised.

 

8)                  KILHAM  HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT AND ISSUES

Councillor Fussey reported that planning for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations was ongoing and that orders had been place for commemorative memorabilia. In the event of inclement weather a request the Management Committee was requesting use of the recreation ground on Sunday 10 June 2012. The financial situation remained good with a balance in excess of £12k in spite of payments for the repair and maintenance of the Klargester unit costing £153 for the call out and £582 for a new motor. As it had been discovered that the motor had been submerged in water most likely caused by the leaking showers last winter the matter had been referred to the insurance company for consideration.

RESOLVED (5)

a) That hire of the recreation ground to the Management Committee on 10 June 2012 is agreed free of charge should the planned event on 5 June be unable to take place due to inclement weather.

b) That further consideration is given to a contribution to the cost of repair to the Klargester unit when details of the outcome of the insurance claim are known.

c) That all other information is received and noted.

 

9)         RECREATION GROUND AND GARDEN ISSUES

a)         Quotation to Plant Replacement Hawthorn Hedging

A quotation from Need A Hand Ltd to plant Hawthorn Quick in the gap in the hedge to the rear of the ball wall at a cost of £75 was considered.

b)         Advice on the Installation of a Separate Stop Valve

The Clerk reported that DSM Plumbing had visited the site and advised that the fitting of an isolation switch to the shower units would not be sufficient to prevent damage to pipes in freezing temperatures and that the switch had not been fitted correctly.  A written quote of £295 had been sent to Councillor Williams to fit a separate stop valve and re-site the shower isolation switch but this could not be made available for the meeting.

c)         Request to Hire Recreation Ground on Sunday 23 June 2013

Organisers of the previous Fun Day had requested to undertake a similar event on Sunday 23 June 2013. The Clerk had advised that it would be the responsibility of the organisers to arrange the necessary public liability insurance and that there was a ‘Dog Control Order’ in place.

d)       Correspondence Relating to Use of Ball Wall

The Clerk read out the contents of an email from a young person thanking the parish council for the provision of the ball wall but expressing concern that a number of footballs had been damaged by the hawthorn hedge to the rear of the ball wall.

e)         Spring Garden Requirements

Details of additional bulbs planted were outlined and that a Salix plant would be purchased shortly.

RESOLVED (6)

a) That Need a Hand is contracted to plant the Hawthorn Quick at a cost of £75 as soon as possible.

b) That D& M Plumbing is asked to forward the written quotation to the Clerk and the work be agreed subject to the written quotation being in line with that reported orally at a cost of £275.

c) That the hiring of the recreation ground on Sunday 23 June 2013 is agreed subject to the conditions that appropriate insurance is obtained and that the Dog Control Order is complied with.

d) That the resident is thanked for the communication regarding the ball wall and that it is explained that there is no budget provision in the 2012/13 financial year and that if the issue persists the parish council be notified in the autumn in order for consideration to be given when setting the 2013/14 budget.

e) That the Clerk arranges with the Handyman any spring garden requirements.

 

10)       TENDERS FOR THE RESURFACING OF THE CHILDREN’S PLAY AREA

The three sealed tenders that had been received were opened and considered.

RESOLVED (7)         

a) That the tender from Ecoscape is disregarded as there is insufficient detail in comparison with the other two tenders received.

b) That Creative Play and Pentagon Sports are contacted to provide quotations for the next meeting that clearly state the length of guarantee and the removal and disposal of all material from the site.

 

11)       NEW PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND UPDATE ON PREVIOUS APPLICATIONS

The following planning applications were considered and details of decisions were reported.

11/02878/FUL  20 Warnington Drive	a)    Erection of detached dwelling and detached garage following demolition of existing  – AMENDED PLANS	No comments
12/00190/FUL Kilham Lane	b)    Erection of new farmstead including detached house, detached double garage, stable block (20.4m x 5.0m overall), agricultural building (36.6m x 22.0m), along with formation of new entrance and hardstandings.	Comments due to green area
12/00212/FUL Maudsville New Road	c)    Erection of first floor/ single storey pitched roof extension + detached garage to rear of semi-detached house	No comments
12/00293/WCC 31 Warnington Drive	d)    Erection of a detached dwelling on 0.1 ha following demolition of existing dwelling + garage e)     Revised plans from 11/00372/FUL granted 17/6/11	No comments

 

RESOLVED (8)

a) That comments in respect to application 12/00190/FUL are submitted expressing concern that this will lead to the loss of green area.

b) That the decisions reached including the refusal of application 11/03406/FUL are noted.

 

12)       HIGHWAY MATTERS

The following highway matters were raised.

• An obstruction to the highway caused by British Telcom vehicles parking on verges at the junction of Chapel Lane and Doncaster Road
• A further road traffic accident at the fork junction of Whiphill Top Lane and Doncaster Road.

RESOLVED (9)

a) That the Clerk notifies the relevant departments of DMBC of the highway matters identified and requests whether any improvement work can be undertaken at the Fork junction at Whiphill Top Lane.

b)  That the Ward Councillors are asked to consider whether funding from the 2012/13 Flexible Budget Allocation could be provided towards improvements to the Fork junction at Whiphill Top Lane.

 

13)       INSURANCE ADVICE           

Consideration was given to correspondence received from the insurers Came and Company outlining advice and measures that needed to be enacted to sports pavilions to enable any claim to be met. It was confirmed that Need a Hand Ltd. had undertaken further lagging of a small area of pipe work and the installation of a separate stop valve in the future should ensure that the building was adequately protected. With regard to snow clearance this was the responsibility of the Highway Authority.

RESOLVED (10)

That the information be received and considered further as part of the Risk Assessment document.

 

14)       WEBSITE ISSUES

There were no general issues to report the agenda for the meeting had only been posted a few days before the meeting due to a technical error.

 

15)       APPOINTMENT OF THE INTERNAL AUDITOR

The Clerk reported that the current internal auditor had agreed to undertake the audit for 2011/12.

RESOLVED (11)

a) That the standards of the internal audit continue to be met as evidenced by;

i) The scope of the audit takes into account all known risks

ii) The internal auditor does not live in the parish, has no role within the council, is unbiased and objective.

iii) The internal auditor is a former parish clerk and highly experienced in the public financial sector and carries out his work ethically and with integrity.

iv) The Clerk has contact with the auditor and meets to review the relevant documents. 

v)  The receipt of a comprehensive audit timetable approved by the parish council

b) That the Clerk writes to confirm Mr J Hutchinson as the Internal Auditor for the 2011/12 accounts.

 

16)       REVIEW OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTERNAL CONTROL SYSTEMS AND RISK ASSESSMENT DOCUMENT

Members considered the updated detailed risk assessment document.

RESOLVED (12)

a) That the document is received and adopted.

b) That the Clerk arranges for the testing of fire extinguishers (South Anston Fire Extinguisher) and electrical items (R J Electrical) in the Changing Rooms as soon as possible and for future checks to be undertaken at the same time as the Community Hall.

c) That Need a Hand is contacted to ascertain if the company is qualified to undertake checks for legionnaire disease in the water supply and that this be undertaken prior to any usage of the showers.

d) That the Clerk obtains the recommended appraisal documents from YLCA for completion and submission to 2/3 designated members.

e) That the Clerk produces a draft Health and Safety policy document to supplement the Risk Assessment document.

f) That the latest bank statement is presented quarterly with the bank reconciliation.

 

17)       REVIEW OF THE LEVEL OF FIDELITY GUARANTEE

The Clerk confirmed that the current level within the insurance policy was £100k and that the expected year end balance would not exceed £35k and with the first half precept of £13,200 there was no requirement to increase the current limit.

RESOLVED (13)

That the current level of fidelity guarantee be deemed sufficient for the next financial year.

 

18)       AUTHORISATION OF DIRECT BANK PAYMENTS

Consideration was given to the schedule of bank payments for authorisation. 

RESOLVED (14)

That the following payments be duly authorised.

D11/56	Clerk	March salary/travel	£501.66
D11/57	Clerk	Stationery/postage expense	£ 6.28
D11/58	Arrow Publications	March Newsletter	£114.00
D11/59	Clerk	Ink Cartridges	£66.58

 

19)       ITEMS OF CORRESPONDENCE

Correspondence denoted on the agenda was considered and the Clerk reported the date of the next Public Rights of Way meeting and that this had been forwarded to Councillor Williams. The receipt of a complaint from a resident of Poppyfields Way regarding offensive smelling smoke recently was reported. It was believed that a manure heap may have been accidentally set on fire and that the matter may be resolved but had been referred to the Environmental Health Department.

RESOLVED (15)

That the items of correspondence be received and duly noted.

 

20)       DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING

RESOLVED (16)

That the next meeting be held on Wednesday 4 April 2012 immediately following the Annual Parish Meeting at Kilham Hall.