ALBRIGHTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting held on

Thursday 18^th December 2008 at the Red House.

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held at the Red House on Thursday 18^th December 2008.

PRESENT: Cllrs P Lusk (Chair), D Beechey (Vice Chair), G Beechey, R Blincoe,

N Hester, M Holden, D Johnson, R Kidson, D Murray, J Nelson, M Pate,

S Pledger.

Sqn. Ldr. G Lee.

PC R Salt.

CLERK: M Ward

PUBLIC SESSION: No members of the public were in attendance.

1. APOLOGIES:

Cllrs. R Balkwill, S Pate and P Illes.

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

Cllr. P Lusk declared a personal interest in item 11.

Cllr. N Hester declared a personal and prejudicial interest in items 5 and 8.

Cllr. S Pledger declared a prejudicial interest in item 8.

Cllr. D Beechey declared a prejudicial interest in items 5 and 8.

Cllr. G Beechey declared a prejudicial interest in items 5 and 8.

Cllr. M Pate declared a personal interest in item 10.

Cllr. M Pate declared a prejudicial interest in items 5 and 8.

3. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS:

Parish Council meeting 20^th November 2008:

Two amendments were made to the draft minutes, one referring to play equipment in the agenda item Precept on page 3 and the second regarding the report on increased funding for the Red House on page 6. With these amendments Cllr D Beechey moved that the minutes be accepted as a true record which was seconded by Cllr R Kidson. The motion was unanimously approved

Planning meeting 4^th December 2008:

Cllr Balkwill prior to the meeting had asked that the roles of those making the presentation on funding for the Red House be added to the minutes. Cllr Kidson moved that this be accepted and with this addition the minutes should be accepted as a true record. The motion was seconded by Cllr. Blincoe and unanimously approved.

4. MATTERS ARISING:

Cllr. S Pledger asked about the slow progress in installing the new play equipment at the Abney Avenue playground. An email from Amy Davies from Bridgnorth District Council was read out to members explaining that matting could not be laid because of the very wet ground but she hoped that the installation would be completed by the end of the following week.

It was reported that a member of the public had removed the graffiti from the window shutters of the Shrewsbury Arms.

5. PLANNING:

FUL/08/0846 Conversion of building into four dwellings including the erection of a two storey dwelling The Old School, Station Road, Albrighton.

Cllrs. M Pate, D Beechey, G Beechey and N Hester left the meeting for this item.

Council resolved: No objections.

FUL/08/0847 Conversion of a building into a single dwelling The Old School, Station Road, Albrighton.

Cllrs. M Pate, D Beechey, G Beechey and N Hester left the meeting for this item.

Council resolved: No objection but expressed a strong preference for application 08/0846 which conformed to the Council policy of creating as much affordable housing as possible in the village.

Cllr. S Pledger wished to record that she abstained from voting on planning applications 08/0846 and 08/0847.

LBC/08/0853 Alterations to buildings to form living accommodation Cosford Grange, Holyhead Road, Shifnal.

Council resolved: No objections.

FUL/08/0857 Erection of a single storey side extension Briary Croft, Cross Road, Albrighton.

Council resolved: No objections.

FUL/08/0859 Alterations to roof including front dormer windows 75 High Street, Albrighton.

Council resolved: No objections.

6. DCAE COSFORD REPORT:

Sqn. Ldr. Lee reported that the Globemaster aircraft had flown in to Cosford without any problems and had attracted considerable interest from members of the public.

The company Land Securities had withdrawn from the Matrix Consortium concerned with the transfer of the Cosford training establishment to South Wales. A replacement company was being sought but this withdrawal would not affect the move according to official sources.

Donington with Boscobel Parish Council had suggested that the next approbation ceremony should take place in September 2009. This suggestion was supported by Albrighton Councillors.

Cllr S Pledger thanked Sqn. Ldr. Lee for the pensioners’ Christmas party which she reported had been a great success.

When asked about the reopening of Worcester Road Sqn. Ldr. Lee was unable to provide a date when it would become fully operational.

7. POLICE REPORT:

The latest crime statistics were circulated by PC Salt who reported that overall crime had diminished year on year. A jump in theft and handling had been caused by the high price of scrap metal but with the reduction in scrap prices this was likely to reduce and the use of lead on roofs had, in many cases, been superseded by the use of alternative metals. It was not possible to determine any trend in criminal activity and Albrighton continued to see a reduction in overall crime.

CCTV cameras were not yet in place at the new skateboard park and there had been attempts by some young people to gain entry by climbing over the fences. This was a matter of concern to Councillors and Cllr. Blincoe had been in touch with Shropshire County Council to protest about the lack of security which was contrary to the agreement made during the planning process. He also raised the problem of a lack of consultation regarding changes to the company providing the cameras. He reported that Technical Services no longer had the contract and Security Wise were now responsible for the installation. Cllr M Pate promised to take up this matter at Shirehall on 19^th December and report back to the Council.

PC Salt said that he was still doing speed enforcement work in Cross Road, Station Road and High Street and extra police would be on duty in the village during the Christmas holiday.

8. THE RED HOUSE:

Cllrs. G Beechey, N Hester, M Pate and S Pledger left the meeting for this item.

Councillors resumed the debate on the request for increased funding for the Red House deferred from the planning meeting of 4^th December 2008 after the presentation by Mr B Crawcour and members of the Red House management committee. Cllr Nelson maintained that the case for increased funding had been well made subject to certain conditions. He proposed that the Council should proceed with the allocation of funding as requested up to £10,000 subject to the immediate prior surrender of the lease of The Old School with no dilapidation payments. If the Red House trustees failed to secure funding for the installation of the lift the Council should provide a further £20,000 to ensure the lift installation is completed. Cllr D Beechey seconded the motion which was unanimously approved.

9. ALBRIGHTON AND DONINGTON LEISURE PARTNERSHIP:

Three documents were submitted following the initial meeting of the partnership. Cllr. Lusk presented some concerns over aspects of the Government and Management section and Functions and Powers and the siting of the proposed new sports hall at St Mary’s School. Cllr Pate urged that the partnership should include the two ward members from the Joint area Committee which would hold its first meeting in June 2009. Cllr Kidson confirmed that the Leisure Partnership does not have any delegated powers and all decision making rested with the two Parish Councils. He also confirmed that other stakeholders would be invited to participate in discussion as appropriate. Cllr Kidson said that the case for siting the new proposed sports hall at St. Mary’s school rested on the need to distribute facilities fairly throughout the village, the lack of space at Newhouse Lane and the need for increased parking. Cllr. M Pate said that sports halls were usually based on secondary school sites and the people of Albrighton were very lucky to have a scheme based on a primary school. The surgery was anxious to be involved in the project and to have a fitness suite in the building which necessitated the County Council and the Primary Care Trust working closely together.

The leisure partnership would need to engage the Governors of St. Mary’s School in the discussions and the next meeting would explore ways in which other bodies could be constructively involved in future schemes. The powers of the partnership would be determined by the two Parish Councils involved but Councillors felt that this new body had made a good start and Cllr. Kidson was thanked for his efforts.

10. LICENCE TO PLANT IN THE HIGHWAY:

Members had received a copy of the licence to plant in the highway at the junction of Patshull Road and Cross Road but Cllr. Kidson was not happy with the provisions which restricted the planting to varieties less than one metre in height, barred the planting of poisonous plants and required the trimming of plants at all times during the duration of the licence. He had drafted a letter asking for amendments to the licence which Councillors were pleased to support.

RESOLVED: The Clerk to write to the County Council suggesting a revised licence using the contents of Cllr. Kidson’s letter as a draft.

Cllr. D Beechey asked the Council to reconsider its policy to purchase the site at Patshull Road and Cross Road on the grounds that new information made the decision controversial. He argued that the costs of the stopping up order were prohibitive and the Council risked losing out on grants that could be obtained for the maintenance of the land if it was the owner of the site. Cllr. Pate stated that it was the policy of the new Unitary Authority to enhance the powers of Parish Councils and it wanted to pass on parcels of land to them. He stated that grants for maintenance could still be obtained. Cllr. Murray asked whether a proposed roundabout at the junction would need to take land from the site which would not be sold if land was required by Highways.

Cllr Pledger stated that this issue had already been debated twice and proposed that the Council should continue with its plans to purchase the site. The motion was seconded by Cllr. Nelson and approved by a vote of 10 – 1. Cllr. D Beechey asked that his opposition to the purchase of the land at Patshull Road/Cross Road be recorded.  

11. FINANCE:

Precept 2009:

Cllr Lusk introduced this item by saying that the big picture was that the Council was likely to end the financial year with a balance of app. £135,000. The proposed budget which members had received earlier would see a net loss of £13,000. He pointed out that large reserves needed to be earmarked for agreed projects if the Council was to avoid criticism from the auditors and items such as the draining of Donington Pool, improvements to the Abney Avenue playground, support for the improvements to the Red House and new leisure developments should be identified in order that funding can be allocated. Cllr. M Pate supported the approach to the 2009 budget which the Finance Committee had proposed and Cllr D Beechey also gave his support for the proposals although there was some concern that the funding of Donington Pool improvements, which was outside the boundary of the parish, should be calculated on the traditional formula.

Cllr. M Pate moved that a precept of £84,550 should be required as part of the draft budget 2009/10 as laid out in the paper laid before the Council. The motion was seconded by Cllr. Kidson and unanimously approved by the Council.

Bank Reconciliation:

The quarterly bank reconciliation previously circulated for the third quarter of the 2008/09 budget was presented to the Council. Cllr M Pate proposed that the statement be accepted and was seconded by Cllr. Murray. It was unanimously agreed.  

List of Cheques for Approval:

A list of cheques for payment for the month of November/December had been previously circulated. Cllr M Pate proposed that they be approved and it was seconded by Cllr. D Beechey. It was unanimously agreed.

12. SAFETY REQUIREMENTS:

A list of safety requirements as suggested by the County Council for use by Parish Council workers and contractors engaged by the Council had been previously circulated.

The Clerk explained that there had been some difficulties in convincing some workers that they should adhere to these rulings and he would find it helpful if the Council could scrutinise the list and reach an agreement for the use of safety clothing and equipment to be used by workmen when employed by the Council. There was agreement that the recommendations made by the County were sensible and in the interests of all those employed by the Council. Cllr. J Nelson moved that the recommendations contained within the paper already circulated should apply to all workmen employed by the Parish Council and this was seconded by Cllr. Blincoe. It was unanimously agreed.

13. SPEED VISOR:

The Clerk explained that he had spent a considerable time trying to locate the speed visor owned by the Council and he had contacted the local police, Bridgnorth District Council, the County Highways department and the County Traffic section. None of the above could suggest where the visor could be located or how it had been used in recent months.

Members agreed that this was an unsatisfactory situation and Cllr. M Pate promised to make enquiries at Shirehall to see if the whereabouts of this item of equipment could be established. The Clerk promised to continue his enquiries with regard to the missing speed visor.

14. PARISH FLYER:

Cllr. Lusk described the meeting held at Shirehall with members of Donington with Boscobel Parish Council as positive with all of the issues well debated.  Council officials had been supportive and had given generously of their time. He was surprised, therefore, to receive a letter from the Clerk of Donington Parish Council recording the fact that the Council was still unhappy with the arrangements and was disassociating itself from the running of the Parish Flyer. Cllr. D Beechey said that the main issue was the employment status of the drivers and he had contacted HMRC to ask for a Status Officer to provide an opinion on the present situation. He reported that such officers were no longer in post and he suggested that the Council should write to HMRC to ask their opinion on the status of the drivers once a new contract had been agreed at local level. The Chair informed members that daily work sheets were now being completed and a new contract was being prepared which would be submitted to the County for comment before being amended and agreed by HMRC. A ticketing system was still being investigated but the machinery and its back up was very expensive and some kind of alternative might need to be developed. Members gave their support to these initiatives and hoped that Donington Parish Council would be able to give their full support to the future of the Parish Flyer once these developments had been agreed.

15. PROPOSED GEOGRAPHIES OF SHROPSHIRE COUNCIL’S LOCAL JOINT COMMITTEES:

The Chair informed members that they were invited to comment in the consultations on Local Joint Committees. Responses had to be returned by Monday 16^th February 2009. The relevant pages relating to the Albrighton area had been circulated to members together with a map which was available at the meeting. The full consultation document was available from the Clerk.

Cllr. D Beechey said the proposals were good for Albrighton and Cllr Hester also approved and said the outcome was excellent. The Council resolved to give support to the proposal.

16. ALBRIGHTON PARISH COUNCIL WEBSITE:

Cllr. M Pate informed members that the new website was now fully operational at www.albrightonparishcouncil.gov.uk and all of the basic information was now loaded including a list of Councillors with contact details, details of meetings throughout 2009, Parish Council news and minutes and agendas of past meetings. A number of links were also included which could easily take participants to a range of related websites and suggestions for further links were welcome. Members were urged to submit news and articles related to Parish Council business to Cllr. Pate and he would add them to the site as appropriate. The Chair urged all members to log on and see the site for themselves and contribute to its development.

Councillors thanked Cllr Pate for all of his hard work in establishing this important addition to the service that the Parish Council provided to local people.

17. PLANNING MEETING 4^TH JUNE 2009:

The Chair informed members that the planning meeting of 4^th June clashed with elections to the new Unitary Authority and with the closure of the Old School the Red House would be needed as a polling station. It was decided to cancel the June planning meeting and contingency arrangements would be made by the Chair in consultation with the Clerk if urgent planning decisions were needed to meet deadlines.

18. CORRESPONDENCE:

The Chair informed members of a number of items of correspondence some of which arrived after the agenda was circulated.

A Christmas card had been received from the former Clerk Ms Vivienne Harrison and a letter from Mrs P Wilkes had thanked members of the Council for their support at the funeral of her husband.

A consultation on Rights of Way was passed to Cllr. Holden for her to respond on behalf of the Council.

Shropshire County Council had acknowledged its ownership of the footway between the High Street and St. Mary’s Close and the need to maintain it. It confirmed that no stopping up order was envisaged with regard to this footway.

A newsletter from Bridgnorth District Council was available to members which was particularly informative in relation to the management of its housing stock once the new Unitary Authority came into being and the District Councils were disbanded.

19. COUNCILLORS’ REPORTS:

Cllr. Blincoe reported that the Crime Prevention Panel had managed the installation of the last two CCTV cameras at the Meadow Road end of the High Street.

Cllr R Kidson raised a number of items including an incident where a dog had died in Donington Pool as a result of infections contained within the water. He anticipated that notices would be displayed warning residents in the area of the pool.

A new ruling by the Government meant that there had been a change of policy and all sewers would now be adopted by the water companies. He would attend the all parliamentary group meeting on the subject on 13^th January 2009.

Cllr. Kidson was concerned to hear reports that plans had been changed with regard to the proposed flood alleviation work in the Bushfields area.

RESOLVED: The Clerk to investigate the matter and report to Cllr. Kidson.

Cllr. Kidson was also concerned about a blocked drain that took water from the surrounding fields at the junction of Patshull Road and Cross Road which had caused localised flooding. It was agreed that Cllr. Kidson would look into the matter and liaise with the Clerk.

Cllr. M Pate informed members that the County Council Chief Executive leaves her post on 19^th December and Ms Sheila Healey will act as Chief Interim Executive until further notice. All structures for the new Unitary Authority were now in place and he was delighted with the progress that had been made in recent months.

The Chair informed Councillors that he proposed to make available a high capacity black and white copier and a colour copier to the Parish Office following the closure of his office in Wolverhampton provided that he could still retain access to the machines. Members were unanimous that this would greatly assist the work of the Clerk and agreed that it would be appropriate for the Parish Council to pay for consumables for both machines.

Cllr. D Beechey reported that he had received feedback regarding the summer playscheme which was regarded as “excellent”.

Cllr. G Beechey asked that the next agenda should include an item on the future of the Council Office and Cllr. Hester asked for an item on the blacksmith’s Smithy.

Cllr. Pledger thanked the Chair for organising the recent Christmas dinner which had proved to be a great success.

20. TIMES AND DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS:

· Agenda Meeting Monday 5^th January 2009 at 6.30 at the Parish Office.

· Finance Meeting Thursday 15^th January 2009 at 3.00 at the Parish Office.

· Parish Council Meeting Thursday 15^th January 2009 at 7.15 at the Red House.

· Planning Meeting Thursday 5^th February 2009 at 7.15 at the Red House devoted to a discussion on youth provision in the village.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.57 pm.

Signed……………………………………………Date…………………………………

Chairman