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

 

PRESENT: Councillors G Warrender (Chair), J Worthington,  Y Butterworth, and M Sidebottom                                  

IN ATTENDANCE:   J Staniforth (Clerk to the Council), Ward Councillor P Schofield, B Martin (DMBC Head of Democratic Services) and S Racjan   (DMBC Neighbourhood Officer)

 

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

No members of the public were in attendance.

 

1)         APOLOGIES

The Clerk reported that apologies had been received from Councillor B Fussey

RESOLVED (1)

That the apologies be received and accepted.

 

2)         DECLARATIONS OF OTHER DISCLOSABLE INTERESTS

There were no declarations of other disclosable interests.

 

3)         REPORT FROM COMMUNITY POLICING TEAM

No representative of the police was in attendance. The Clerk reported that the concern regarding a motorcycle and a quad bicycle ridden at high speed in Black Carr Plantation had been reported and the matter was to be investigated. The police requested that any future incidents are reported at the time of occurrence in order for the police to respond. PC Russ Higham was now the contact as PC Julie Gibbon had transferred to an alternative post.  Members reported a number of burglaries in the village.

RESOLVED (2)

That the information be received and noted

 

4)                  REPORT FROM DMBC WARD COUNCILLORS

Councillor Schofield reported that she had spoken to Lee Tillman of DMBC’s Planning Department who had advised that DMBC would be required to undertake a review of the parish boundary if a Community Governance Petition was received. This issue was discussed in more detail as part of Item 14.

The issue of the petition for a pedestrian crossing was raised and that DMBC had not carried out a recent traffic survey when declining the request. Councillor Schofield explained that regrettably DMBC had insufficient funding to support the request at the present time and suggested that a request be made to David Wilson Homes the developer of the new homes off Doncaster Road to contribute towards the cost. 

The main focus of DMBC was currently how to achieve the required savings for the next financial year.

RESOLVED (3)

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

 

5)         DMBC NEIGHBOURHOOD MATTERS

The following matters were raised with the DMBC Neighbourhood Officer:

• The need to cut back the hedge on the east side of Nutwell Lane to the left of the junction with Gatewood Lane.  SR agreed to discuss the matter with the Streetscene Team to ascertain if the work was contained within an existing programme.
• SR agreed to discuss with DMBC Highways and Grounds Maintenance departments the planting of shrubs on the triangular piece of land adjacent to Holly Cottage and the verge on Milton Road adjacent to the post box.
• Mud accumulating on Gatewood Lane due to farming in adjacent fields was creating a danger to vehicles.
• Instances of dog fouling and horse manure on pavements along Doncaster Road near Poppyfields Way towards Valley Drive.  SR confirmed that foot patrols would resume and that it would be helpful if locations and possible times of incidents could be provided although it was felt

Most incidents occurred late at night and very early morning. The Street Cleansing team would be asked to visit to clean up any areas.

 

The Neighbourhood Officer reported that an inspection had been undertaken at the land off Valley Drive and no offensive odour could be detected. Arrangements could be made for periodic inspections of the parish with members as part of the weekly visits and that there was still the facility for unpaid workers to undertake projects including gardening work with DMBC providing supervision.  An enquiry was made as to whether the securing of picnic tables could be undertaken.

RESOLVED (4)

a)      That the Chair is asked to ascertain any information relating to the deposits of mud on Gatewood Lane and for this to be forwarded to the Neighbourhood Team.

b)      That further consideration is given to unpaid workers supervised by DMBC securing picnic tables as and when purchased with the parish council meeting the cost of all materials.

c)      That the Neighbourhood Officer is thanked for his attendance and the support provided.

 

6)         MINUTES OF THE MEETINGS HELD ON 3 OCTOBER 2012

RESOLVED (5)

    That the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting be agreed and signed by the Chairman

 

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

Consideration was given to the report provided by the Clerk relating to actions required from the previous meeting that was enclosed with the agenda.  The Chair reported that the tree that was requested to be replaced on the junction of Belmont Close and Milton Road seemed to have been secured and now looked to have an improved appearance.

RESOLVED (6)

That the information be received and duly noted.

 

8)         TO CONSIDER ANY ISSUES RAISED BY THE PUBLIC 

There were no matters to consider as no members of the public were in attendance.

           

9)         KILHAM HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT

Councillor Fussey had provided the following information:

• The balance was approximately £13.89k.
• The Halloween party had been very successful
• The Klargester unit was now working and the Caretaker would carry out a weekly inspection.  Arrangements would be made for the unit to be emptied every four months of which the parish council would meet 1/3 of the cost as agreed in February 2011.
• The hall would be used for the PCC elections on 15 November and so would be open from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.
• The Art Club was no longer using the hall on Fridays as Armthorpe Library was providing premises free of charge.
• Individual bookings for private functions were continuing to be received.

RESOLVED (7)

That the information be received and duly noted.

 

10)       RECREATION GROUND/GARDEN ISSUES

a)         Quotation for Securing Picnic Tables

Consideration was given to the quotation from Need a Hand at a cost of £450 per bench.

b)         Legionnaires Testing

The test results were negative at the date of the test and further advice was provided regarding more extensive tests.

c)         Request for the Erection of Goal Posts on the Recreation Field

Branton Juniors Football Club had submitted a request to erect goal posts on the marked pitch to use in the two training sessions.  The posts would be fitted into metal sleeves secured by concrete sited about two inches below the surface so as not to be visible or interfere with grass cutting and could be removed if required.

RESOLVED (8)

a) That the receipt of the quotation from Need a Hand for the installation of the three Orbit 1500 round picnic tables from Raw Gardens is received and noted.

b) That the negative result of the legionnaires test is duly noted and arrangements are made to switch off the water supply to the showers in the Changing Rooms

c) That the request for erecting goalposts on the marked training pitch be approved.

 

11)       PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND UPDATE

The following new applications were considered;

12/02113/FULM Development off Doncaster Road and The Close	Erection of residential development comprising of 83 dwellings, including access, open space areas, associated landscaping, drainage and underground attenuation tank. |	Comments
12/02646/FUL Plot 2 Beech Drive	Erection of a detached house on 0.07ha of land including formation of new vehicular access	No Comments

Details of decisions reached since the last meeting were circulated for information and members reported that approximately 20 people had attended the meeting on 24 November 2012 with DMBC Planning Officers to consider the revised plans for the development. Officers had explained that it would not be possible to provide an additional pumping station until the development had been completed and the capacity of the existing station fully assessed.  It was noted that amendments had been made to the access road off Doncaster Road and that some houses to the rear of properties on The Close had been replaced by garages. Consideration was given to the application for designation of a Neighbourhood Area for Rossington.

RESOLVED (9)

a) That the following comments are submitted in respect of the proposed new development; the parish council has no objections but are mindful of the concerns of residents relating to the capacity of the pumping station and requests that a review of the capacity is undertaken on completion of the development. That although the Highways Authority has raised no concerns regarding the access via The Close concerns are recorded that the road is narrow and could create congestion and that there are concerns regarding the increased volume of traffic that will be generated and that this may be exacerbated due to a shortage of school places in the short term.

b) That there are no comments or objections in respect of any other applications considered.

c) That the application to create a Neighbourhood Plan for Rossington is noted.

 

12)       HIGHWAY MATTERS

Discussion took place on the response received from DMBC regarding the request for a pedestrian or zebra crossing and the suggestion that David Wilson Homes be asked to contribute to the cost on the basis that the level of traffic could be expected to increase because of the new development off Doncaster Road and that there may be a lack of places at the local school in the short term.

The Clerk referred to correspondence received from a resident who had recently moved to Whiphill Top Lane and was concerned about the speed of traffic and suggested that traffic calming measures are put in place to slow down traffic on Whiphill Top Lane.

Correspondence from Caroline Flint MP relating to the introduction of 20 mph speed limits in selected locations was considered.

RESOLVED (10)

a) That the Clerk writes to David Wilson Homes to request that consideration is given to funding a pedestrian crossing on Doncaster Road as part of the cost of the new development.

b) That the resident of Whiphill Top Lane is thanked for her correspondence and the Clerk provides a response denoting that the speed of traffic on Whiphill Top Lane is a recognised problem but DMBC do not support the installation of speed bumps and will not provide these adjacent to properties.

c) That Caroline Flint MP is notified that the parish council strongly supports the introduction of 20 mph speed limits outside schools and that it is requested that this is introduced at Valley Drive, Branton outside of the local school.

 

13)       PROPOSED STREET NAMES FOR THE NEW DEVELOPMENT

Consideration was given to correspondence received from DMBC providing three suggestions for each of the two new streets that would be created off Doncaster Road and The Close.

RESOLVED (11)

That DMBC is notified that the proposals of Chamber Close, Moorfield Avenue and Temple Avenue/Way are not supported and that the following are suggested:

Sandhills, Sandhills Way, Hillcrest or Woodlands Close.

 

14)       CHRISTMAS CAROL SINGING ARRANGEMENTS

Councillor Sidebottom reported that the Head Teacher at St Wilfrid’s School was still considering the list of carols and any revisions would be forwarded to the Clerk when received.  A request had been received for the dry cleaning of the Father Christmas outfit at a cost of £12.35. It was confirmed that that Management Committee had decided that the proceeds of the raffle would be split between two cancer charities Aurora and Firefly. 

RESOLVED (12)

a) That Councillor Sidebottom forwards any changes to the list of carols to the Clerk in order for the Clerk to notify the organist of these.

b) That the cost of dry cleaning the Father Christmas outfit is agreed.

 

15)       REVIEW OF PARISH BOUNDARY

Brendan Martin (DMBC’s Head of Democratic Services) explained that the power to change parish boundaries now rested with Local Authorities and not the Secretary of State but that DMBC did not propose to undertake a review of parish boundaries in the near future and there was only a requirement to do this every 10-15 years.  However a LA was required to carry out a review if a Community Governance Petition signed by 10% of electors was received. Any petition would require detailed terms of reference with appropriate maps denoting the proposed new boundaries and the streets that were proposed to be removed from the parish. An explanation was given on the introduction of wards and that this could solve the issue of representation and thereby provide extra resources for the increased numbers of electors.  YLCA could provide a recommendation on the total number of councillors but not on how these would be split between wards.  The decision to change boundaries would be taken by the full DMBC council and if refused reasons would be provided.

RESOLVED (13)

a) That the Head of Democratic Services is thanked for his attendance and the information provided.

b) That the item is considered further at the next meeting of the parish council.

 

16)       CONTENT OF NEXT NEWSLETTER

Councillor Sidebottom withdrew from the meeting during consideration of this item.

RESOLVED (14)

That the following items are included in the next newsletter: Christmas carol singing details, parking on verges/obstructing footpaths and dog fouling, changes to the fork junction at Whiphill Top Lane,  support for a Village Plan, use of 101 telephone number for reporting non urgent crimes and appreciation of the Halloween event by Kilham Hall Management Committee.

 

17)       SECOND QUARTER BANK RECONCILIATION/REVIEW OF THE LEVEL OF RESERVES

Consideration was given to the second quarter reconciliation denoting a balance of £26,497.97 and a year end balance of around £30k was projected.

RESOLVED (15)

a)      That the reconciliation is received and referred to the Council auditors for scrutiny.

b)      That the level of current reserves and the reserves projected for the end of the year be deemed satisfactory.

 

18)       APPROVAL OF HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

Consideration was given to the Health and Safety Policy produced by the Clerk as detailed guidance and reference.

RESOLVED (16)

That YLCA is approached for a model policy for consideration at a future meeting.

 

19)       ELIGIBILITY TO ADOPT THE GENERAL POWER OF COMPETENCY

The Clerk reported that she had successfully completed the General Power of Competence module required in addition to the CiLCA qualification  to meet the requirements for a parish council to adopt the power if it so wished. The council also met the requirement that 2/3 of members be elected as six out of seven councillors had stood for election in 2011.

RESOLVED (17)

That the parish council resolves that it meets the criteria to adopt the General Power of Competence as contained within the Localism Act 2011, Part 1 Chapter 1-8.

 

20)       YLCA NOVEMBER TRAINING PROGRAMME AND LOCALISM COURSE

RESOLVED (18)

That the details of training available from YLCA and through Cross Keys Associates are duly noted.

 

21)              WEBSITE ISSUES

Members reported that DMBC had not uploaded the Members Register of Interest forms onto the DMBC website.  There were no other issues pertaining to the website.

RESOLVED (19)

That the arrangements are made for the uploading of the Register of Interest forms at a cost of £75 in conjunction with the uploading of the forms onto DMBC’s website.

 

22)       AUTHORISATION OF BANK PAYMENTS

Consideration was given to the schedule of payments for signature. The Clerk reported that a new Kodak printer had been purchased but had proved faulty within 30 days so had been replaced.    

RESOLVED (20)

That the following payments be duly authorised:

D/12/56	Clerk	October salary	£503.11
D12/57	Handyman	Reimbursement for petrol for equipment	£8.00
D12/58	Matt & Mouse	Diagnose faulty printer and disconnect/reset	£89.50
D12/59	YLCA	Employment Training for Chair + V Chair (50%)	£52.50
D12/60	DMBC	Emptying Green Waste – Quarter 3	£54.90
D12/61	Clerk	Reimbursement for new Kodak Printer/Ink/Paper	£197.73
D12/62	Royal British Legion	Wreath + Donation	£60.00
D12/63	DSM Plumbing	Legionnaires Test	£75
D12/64	Veolia	Grass Cutting 7/9/12	£34.80
D12/65	Officemate	Website fee for 12/13	£396.00

 

23)              REPORTS FROM MEETINGS AND TRAINING ATTENDED

a)         PCJCC Meeting on 23 October 2012

The Chair reported that Parish Councillor Richard Johnson a member of both Finingley and Blaxton Parish Councils had been elected as Chair. Government Inspectors were still working with DMBC and a further presentation by St Leger Homes regarding housing policy was to be provided.

b)         ‘Being a Good Employer’ Training Course on 23 October 2012

The Chair and Vice-Chair had attended and reported that the training had been interesting and informative with most recommended practice in place.

RESOLVED (21)

That the reports are received and the information provided duly noted.

 

24)       ITEMS OF CORRESPONDENCE

Correspondence denoted on the agenda was duly considered along with consultations from DMBC regarding the ‘Local Development Framework Sites and Policies Development Plan for Proposed Housing, Employment and Mineral Sites’ and Housing Allocations Policy. The next meeting of the Public Rights of Way Forum would be on 22 November 2012.

RESOLVED (22)

a) That the correspondence received is duly noted.

b) That the request to notify DMBC in writing of the name of any retiring councillor, their address along with the  reason for vacancy and the effective date of any casual vacancy be noted.

 

25)       DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING

RESOLVED (23)

That the next meeting be held on Wednesday 5 December 2012 commencing at 7.00 p.m. at Kilham Hall

 

26) CONFIDENTIAL STAFFING MATTER

There were no items to be considered under this heading.