ALBRIGHTON PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING
Thursday 20th May 2010 at 7.30 in the Red House
Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 20th May 2010 at 7.30 pm in the Red House.
PRESENT: Cllrs. D Beechey (Chairman), M Pate (Vice Chair), R Balkwill, G Beechey, P Illes,
D Johnson, P Lusk, J MacLachlan, J Nelson, S Pate, S Pledger.
PUBLIC SESSION:
No members of the public were in attendance.
1. APOLOGIES:
Cllrs. N Hester, M Holden, R Kidson, D Murray.
Each of the apologies was accepted by the council.
2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:
Personal:
Cllr. J Nelson declared a personal interest in item 15 as the owner of the building under discussion.
Cllr. M Pate declared a personal interest in item 15 as she is a member of the Red House Committee.
Cllr. S Pate declared a personal interest in item 15 as he is a member of the Red House Committee.
Prejudicial
Cllr. J Nelson declared a prejudicial interest in item 13 as the owner of the building under discussion.
3. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING 15TH APRIL 2010
Cllr M Pate proposed that the minutes were a true and accurate record which was seconded by Cllr. MacLachlan and unanimously approved.
4. MATTERS ARISING
Cllr Illes reported on a meeting with Network Rail which was also attended by representatives of the Civic Society. Improvements to Albrighton Station are scheduled for 2012/13, a move that was welcomed by members. It was suggested that the Civic Society might request that this refurbishment be brought forward and the clerk agreed to write to the society and invite them to open discussions with Network Rail about bringing this date forward.
Cllr. Pledger asked about one particular week when the Parish Flyer was given a refund in excess of £300. The clerk replied that refund claim slips were available in his office and open to inspection by any councillor.
5. PLANNING
Planning applications
· 10/01677/TPO To remove low level branches to one lime tree protected by Bridgnorth District Council (Cross Road Albrighton) TPO 1996 18 Cross Road, Albrighton.
No objections subject to Heartwood’s advice
· 10/01464/FUL Erection of a part single two storey front and rear extension 19 Church Road, Albrighton.
Cllr Pledger asked about visits to proposed developments and Cllr. MacLachlan agreed to undertake this role to replace Cllr. Kidson.
No objections were made to the application.
· 10/01817/TCA Removal of eight Leyland cypress trees within Albrighton Conservation area 43 High Street, Albrighton.
No objections.
· 10/01813/TCA Carry out a five percent overall reduction to a Yew Tree within Albrighton Conservation area 20 High Street, Albrighton.
No objections.
· 10.0814/TCA To top Cypress tree to previous pruning point to maintain tree within Albrighton Conservation area 44 High Street, Albrighton.
No objections.
6. DCAE COSFORD REPORT
The report was noted.
7. POLICE REPORT
The report was noted
8. UNITARY AUTHORITY REPORT
The Chairman reported that the LJC had decided to convene a special meeting with planners on future developments in housing and car parking within the village. The proposals drawn up by Mr P Leigh were to be sent to property services at Shirehall.
9. FINANCE
Bank reconciliation 31/03/10
The Bank reconciliation for the year end which showed a balance of £90,592.91 was proposed as true and accurate statement by Cllr. M Pate and seconded by Cllr. Johnson. It was unanimously agreed by the council
Accounts Annual Return
The annual return giving a broad breakdown of council spending and reserves was agreed by the council.
Accounts Annual Return working detail
The return providing additional detail with regard to council spending and reserves was agreed by the council.
Notification of salaries.
Councillors were given a paper which itemised the salaries of the clerk, the Village Warden and the Litter Warden for their information. The contents were noted.
Cheques for approval
A list of 23 cheques for payment was presented for approval. Cllr. M Pate proposed that that the cheques should be approved which was seconded by Cllr. Johnson and agreed by members.
|
Date |
Cheque No. |
Payee |
Amount |
|
19.04.10 |
2675 |
Severn Trent Water, annual rent for Clockmills |
482.00 |
|
06.05.10 |
2676 |
Wellings Ltd., compaction skip for April 2010 |
515.83 |
|
06.05.10 |
2677 |
RBS Software Solutions, payroll fees |
33.49 |
|
05.05.10 |
2678 |
Flyer contractor, bus pass refund |
283.00 |
|
05.05.10 |
2679 |
E.ON replacement lantern, Beamish Lane |
296.92 |
|
05.05.10 |
2680 |
E.ON light maintenance, Ashgrove |
40.26 |
|
05.05.10 |
2681 |
Flyer contractor, bus pass refund |
269.00 |
|
05.05.10 |
2682 |
Flyer contractor, bus pass refund |
261.00 |
|
20.05.10 |
2683 |
Clerk, May salary |
1218.30 |
|
20.05.10 |
2684 |
Village Warden, May salary |
135.77 |
|
20.05.10 |
2685 |
Litter Warden, May salary |
78.80 |
|
20.05.10 |
2686 |
ALS Ltd., sand slitting sports and social club |
176.25 |
|
20.05.10 |
2687 |
ALS Ltd., 3 invoices for sand slitting |
528.75 |
|
20.05.10 |
2688 |
TFM, mower service, cleaning materials |
436.53 |
|
20.05.10 |
2689 |
JC & SC Nelson, office rent May |
291.67 |
|
20.05.10 |
2690 |
Cleaner, May salary |
43.40 |
|
20.05.10 |
2691 |
Viking Direct, cartridges, envelopes, labels |
114.42 |
|
20.05.10 |
2692 |
ALS Ltd., sand slitting sports and social club |
176.25 |
|
20.05.10 |
2693 |
J A Nicholls |
320.00 |
|
20.05.10 |
2694 |
SALC, published copy part 1 Standing Orders |
18.00 |
|
20.05.10 |
2695 |
Clerk, travel expenses, April/May |
51.69 |
|
20.05.10 |
2696 |
Flyer contractor, bus pass refund |
250.00 |
|
20.05.10 |
2697 |
E.ON, emergency replacement of street light |
1473.45 |
|
|
|
Total for month |
7494.78 |
10. SHROPSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENTSFRAMEWORK SITE ALLOCATIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF DEVELOPMENT DOCUMENT: CONSULTAYTION ON “ISSUES AND OPTIONS”.
The Chairman stressed that this was an important document which contained proposals for 200 – 500 new houses for the Albrighton area which could rise to 1,000 houses at Cosford for service personnel. Responses had to be returned to the county by Friday 25th June 2010. Informal discussion had indicated that a new medical centre in the green belt could get planning approval.
An extra LJC meeting had been arranged for 16th June in the Red House to discuss this matter and councillors agreed to delay formulating a council response to the “issues and Options” document until this meeting had taken place. A council policy would be agreed at the next PC meeting on 17th June 2010. Cllr. Lusk said that it was important to advertise the LJC meeting as widely as possible with posters and perhaps a flyer through letter boxes. Cllr. M Pate proposed that the Chairman should be allocated a publicity allowance for this event of £300 which was seconded by Cllr. Lusk and agreed by the council.
11. CONSIDERATION OF LIME TREES ALONG THE BRIDLEWAY AT NEWHOUSE LANE
The Chairman reported that he had had conversations with Mr Henry Boot of Henry Boot plc who told him that they did not own the six lime trees in question as they were on a strip of land owned by an unknown party. However, as a gesture of goodwill the company would be prepared to pay half of the cost of any tree maintenance work deemed to be necessary. There was a suggestion that Wimpey Homes might own the strip of land and correspondence between Mr Morris of 8 The Limes, Albrighton and Mr Rees, the Customer Care Manager of George Wimpey suggested that they had some liability. Cllr. Nelson said that the situation was confusing and unhelpful and suggested it would be more satisfactory if the parish council were to own this land and maintain it as required.
Cllr. Pledger reported that the new owners of The Hollies had replaced the old fencing around the property and the new fencing was very close to the lime trees. It was agreed that before any agreement was entered into with regard to the maintenance of these trees with any partner Heartwood should be asked to revisit the site and check on the health of the trees and ensure that they had not been damaged by construction work associated with the new fences. The clerk agreed to contact the company and ask for a report.
12. REQUEST FOR ROAD RESURFACING AT WOLVERLEY COURT, ALBRIGHTON
A request for work to maintain the road surface at Wolverley Court, Albrighton had been made by Mr Willoughby who lived in the road. The road was part of the village green system and its maintenance was a parish council responsibility. The chairman stated that the surface was in a poor condition and the tarmac was of poor quality. He proposed that the clerk should contact Mr Brian Bennett of Shropshire Council to ask for an estimate for its repair which was seconded by Cllr. M Pate and agreed by the council.
13. UPDATE ON THE REFURBISHMENT OF THE PARISH OFFICE
Cllr. Nelson reported that Ms Mary Morrison was currently on holiday and so direct contact was not possible until her return. A draft lease and plans for the suggested alterations had been submitted but no reply had been received to date. Cllr. Nelson was in touch with the legal team and he hoped that the alterations would be completed in early July. Cllr. M Pate offered to send an email to Bobby Mulheir asking her to give her support for a quick completion of the project.
14. TO RECEIVE THE RESIGNATION OF CLLR. RON KIDSON AND MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR AN ELECTION OF COOPTION AS REQUIRED
Cllr. Kidson’s resignation from the council effective from 20th May 2010 was noted. The clerk was asked to inform Shropshire Council and advertise the casual vacancy at the earliest opportunity.
15. FUTURE LOCATION OF THE TABLE AND CHAIRS BOUGHT BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION AND CURRENTLY HOUSED IN THE PARISH OFFICE
The clerk had written to the Red House Management Committee regarding the location of the table and chairs but his letter had not received a reply. Cllr. S Pate stated that there was no room in the Red House which was unable to house this furniture. Cllr. Pledger suggested that the Melville Club might like to have the items and the clerk agreed to write and ask if they were interested in taking the table and chairs. Cllr. Nelson suggested that the glass top should first be removed as there were concerns about a possible health and safety risk. This was agreed by councillors.
16. SUGGESTED RELOCATION OF A FOOTPATH IN FRONT OF HUMPHRESTON FARM
The chairman explained the background to this request and pointed out that both the Footpaths Group and the Walking for Health Group were opposed to the suggested relocation. The council agreed that they should support local groups in opposing this move.
17. REPORTS FROM COUNCILLORS
Cllr. Johnson informed the council that the War Memorials Trust had agreed to give a grant of £2,400 towards the cost of the refurbishment of the War Memorial in Newport Road. Plans have been submitted to Shropshire Council and it could take up to six weeks before a decision on the application was known.
Cllr. Illes reported that the Transport Group had been giving thought to the possible acquisition of a new vehicle to replace the current Flyer and had considered new, used and leased options. All agreed that the Flyer was providing a very valuable service in the community, particularly with regard to the elderly and those with mobility problems.
18. CORRESPONDENCE
Cllr Pledger asked about a letter of complaint relating to a councillor which had not been included on the list of correspondence. The clerk agreed to provide a copy of the original letter and his reply for all councillors at the next meeting.
19. DATES AND TIMES OF FUTURE MEETINGS
· Parish Council planning meeting Thursday 3rd June 2010 at 7.15 in the Red House.
· Finance committee meeting Thursday 17th June at 3.00 pm in the parish office.
· Parish Council meeting Thursday 17th June 2010 at 7.15 pm in the Red House.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.35 pm.
Signed..............................................................Date.....................................................
Chairman