Minutes of the Meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council held on MAY 18^TH 2022

The Annual Meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council was held at Eccleshall Community Centre on May 18th 2022, at 7.30pm. This meeting was followed by a meeting of the Planning Committee at 8.50pm.

The meeting opened with prayers

67/22).  Present were:-    

Councillor P. Jones  (Chairman)           Councillor L. Dale

Councillor R. Taylor                              Councillor S. Mifflin

Councillor G. Dale                               Councillor B. Delanchy

Councillor A. Reid                               Councillor R. Langford

Councillor D. Hill                                  Councillor S. Kean

Councillor J. Leather                            Councillor J. Jones

Mrs S.J. Worden (Clerk) ,

Borough and County Councillor J. Pert (from 8.10pm)

2 members of the public

68/22).   To elect a Chairman and signature of declaration of office.

The outgoing chair, Cllr Peter Jones took the Chair for the election of the Chairman. There were two candidates for the Office of Chairman, Cllrs P. Jones and A. Reid. Councillor  P. Jones  was re-elected as Chairman for the ensuing year.

Cllr. P. Jones duly signed the declaration of office form.

69/22).    Apologies:

Apologies were received from Councillors Amos, Wilkins and Perren.

70/22).    To elect a Vice-Chairman and sign the declaration of office.

There was one candidate for the Office of Vice-Chairman. Councillor  L. Dale was re-elected as Vice- Chairman for the ensuing year.

Cllr. L. Dale duly signed the declaration of office form.

71/22).   To consider Councillor requests for dispensation and accept Declarations of interest    relating to items on the agenda.

There were no requests to receive, and no declarations of interest were made.

72/22).   To confirm the minutes of the Council Meeting held on April 20^th 2022

The minutes, which had been previously circulated, were agreed and signed.

73/22).    To appoint Committees and Liaison Representatives.

It was resolved to approve the current membership and liaison responsibilities as listed below:

Committees:

Planning Committee                        All Councillors. Cllr. Delanchy (Ch), J. Jones (VC)

Traffic Management Committee      Councillors L. Dale (Ch), P. Jones, J. Jones, Amos, Langford, Leather (VC), Perren, G. Dale, Wilkins, Hill and Reid.

Enhancements Committee              Councillors L. Dale (Ch), P. Jones, Amos, Langford, Taylor (VC), G. Dale, Wilkins, Perren and Hill.

Policy and Resources                      Councillors P. Jones (Ch), Amos, J. Jones, L. Dale, Taylor, G. Dale, S. Perren (VC), C. Wilkins and Reid.

Footpaths                                        Councillors Taylor (Ch), P. Jones, Leather, Mifflin, Wilkins (VC), Perren and Hill, together with co-opted members – Mr. N. Davenport, Mr. D. Smith, Mr. E. Ranson and Mr. Graham Cole.

Events                                             Councillors P. Jones, J. Jones, L. Dale, G. Dale, Amos, Taylor and Hill.

 Staffing Committee                         Councillors  P. Jones, L. Dale and Delanchy.

The Chair of the Council is a member of all Council Committees.

     Other responsibilities/Liaison Reps:

Croxton Playing Fields                             Croxton Councillors

Allotments                                                   Councillor S. Perren

Eccleshall Community Centre              Councillors Amos, L. Dale and D. Hill

Parish Councils Assoc.                              Clerk

Parish Forum                                              Clerk

 Police Liaison Officer                                Clerk

Flood Action Group                                    Councillor S. Perren

Eccleshall First Responders                        Clerk 

Offley Hay Village Hall                                Clerk 

Press Officer                                               Councillor P. Jones

Visit Stafford                                               Councillor J. Jones

Ecclian Society                                           Councillor G. Dale

Internal Auditor                                           Councillor S. Mifflin

Independent Internal Auditor                      Mr. Alan Toplis/Toplis Associates

Slindon Residents                                      Councillor J. Leather

Children & Young Peoples Champion         Councillor D. Hill

Croxton News                                              Councillor R. Langford

Newsletter Editorial Team                           Councillors P. Jones, R. Langford and R. Taylor

Membership of the following working groups was confirmed as follows:

Sustainability and Climate Change (direct to Council):-      Councillors Langford, Reid, Hill and   non council member Mr. David Llewellyn

Jubilee (Events):-     Councillors P. Jones, J. Jones, L. Dale, G. Dale, Amos, Taylor and Hill.

Business Plan (P&R):-    Councillors Reid, Hill, P. Jones and Wilkins. 

74/22).    To consider the Council’s Deeds and Insurances

It was resolved to defer this item to the next Policy and Resources committee meeting, to allow for full consideration.

75/22).    To review and re-adopt the following policies: –

    The following policies were reviewed and re-adopted with any changes as noted below: –

• Complaints procedure. Unchanged. It was noted that a new model complaints procedure is imminent and will be considered in due course.
• Standing Orders. Amended with minor changes to sections 4 f), 16 b) xv), Section 18 a), Section 20 b) and c) and Section 20 k).
• Financial Regulations. Amended with minor change to Section 11 h)
• Publication Scheme. No changes required.
• Policies, procedures and practices in respect of its obligations under freedom of information and data protection legislation. No changes required.
• Financial Risk Assessment. No changes required.

76/22).    Public Participation

A resident spoke in relation to the correspondence item about recent incidents of antisocial behaviour. The incidents involved the throwing of eggs at properties, and in some cases, yogurt pots and bottles. It has been reported at a number of properties, and CCTV footage has been provided to the police. The resident has been in touch with PCSO Gareth Higgins and the police are hoping to identify those responsible using the CCTV images provided. Once identified, individuals can be charged with antisocial behaviour. Members expressed concern at the incidences and noted that if this was not prioritised and the individuals apprehended it may escalate as others become involved. It was resolved for the Clerk to contact Gareth Higgins to highlight the concerns of the Council, request the current status of the investigation and lobby for action and resolution as a priority.

77/22).    To receive any reports from Borough and County Councillors and police representatives.

Borough Councillor P. Jones advised he had been re-elected as deputy mayor for the upcoming year.

78/22).    Committee Updates:

Traffic Management:        

There were no updates to report.

Footpaths:

• The minutes of the meeting held on 4^th May 2022 were noted.
• Due to the lack of progress on the SBC doorstep walks, the original content has been used to produce a Parish Council version of the bench to bench walks, as an A5 booklet. It was resolved to approve printing of 200 copies of the booklet at a cost of £209.
• The Circular walks project is ongoing, with an aim of the autumn for the initial completion of the routes.

Enhancements:

• It was felt that the best course of action regarding frontages on the main streets is to request support from the residents and businesses to tidy their own areas. It was noted that a number of areas identified at requiring tidying will need the Clerk to write to the owners for permission to be granted, which will not be in place prior to the Jubilee. There was no working group lead identified at this stage to liaise with the Ecclians, although it was suggested whether any tidying could take place when the baskets are erected. The Clerk was asked to log a request with BT for tiding of the frontage of the BT exchange.
• It was resolved to approve writing to occupiers of all properties on the High Street, Castle Street and Stafford Street requesting their support to tidy and weed frontages prior to the Jubilee celebrations.

Policy and Resources:

There were no updates to report.

Events:

• The minutes of the committee meeting on the 4^th May 2022 were noted.
• Taylor provided an update on the Jubilee project plans and advised the Beacon tickets were sold out, there were only 9 tickets left for one of the afternoon tea sittings, and 10 tickets remaining for the evening dance. The seed packets for the school are completed and were shown to members. There will be a rehearsal for the Beacon event this Saturday.

79/22).    Disclosable Interest Forms

Members were reminded to review their Disclosable Interest Forms and provide an update to the Clerk if required.

80/22).    Appointment of the Internal Auditor for 2022-23.

The Council resolved to approve the re-appointment of Toplis Associates as internal auditor for the period April 1st 2022-31st March 2023.

81/22).    Proposed improvements to the water supply at the Allotments, Shaws Lane

An update was received regarding the planned works to the water pipes at Eccleshall Allotments. It was resolved to approve the reimbursement of the survey fee of £186.40 paid to Severn Trent.

The Clerk has advised Mr. Jones to continue with the original works to join the current circuit to form a loop, but the earliest commencement date at present is the third week of June.

Cllr. Delanchy advised for the Allotments Association to confirm if any proposed works as a result of the survey are contestable (can be undertaken by a contractor under the Water Services Act) or uncontestable (can only be undertaken by Severn Trent) in case there is an opportunity to obtain further quotations.  The Council will consider the request for a contribution to the works once quotations have been received.

82/22).   To receive the Clerks Report, containing liaison representative updates.

  The Clerks report was received by the Council.

83/22).    Correspondence: –

• Public Toilets, Stone Road: the Parish Council has been asked to request redecoration of the public toilets by the Borough Council and concerns were also raised by the resident regarding garden vandalism. It was resolved to write to the Borough Council to request redecoration of the toilets. Councillors will inspect the toilets and advise what is required.
• ASB incidents within the town centre area: this was discussed and action brought forward and resolved in item 76/22).
• To consider the correspondence received by the rural school transport action group: The council has been asked to lobby Staffordshire County Council for reinstatement of post 16 vacant seat scheme in light of the latest exemption rules. It was resolved to approve writing to the County Council as follows:

‘This council notes the Government allows a delay to the implementation of PSVAR regulations for home-to-school transportation and asks that this exemption be requested for all routes in our parish where a student seeks to travel to school, is currently barred from doing so through County Council policy, and yet lives more than two miles from a public transport option. This would allow the County Council to charge the student a reasonable fee for the use of any spare (used) seats if available, until such a time as the vehicle is replaced with one that is PSVAR-compliant or the government exemption expires.’

• SBC Watering Quotation 2022: Members received the response from Stafford Borough Council regarding the price increase for the Bloom watering contract. The Borough Council advised that the watering tender was costed at the same price in previous years but in the past a discounted quote has subsequently been provided to the Council. The Clerk is awaiting confirmation that the annual Bloom grant is unaffected by this change.

84/22).   Chairman’s Report: –

There were no updates to report.

85/22).    Accounts: –

A1 – To receive the Internal Audit report. Copies of the report had been circulated to members in advance of the meeting. The report advised that there were no matters to be brought to the attention of the council. The Parish Council resolved to accept the report.

A2 – To Approve the Annual Governance Statement (Section 1 of the Annual Return). The Annual Governance Statement was considered by the Council in detail and it was resolved that all matters had been adequately complied with. The Chairman signed the form accordingly.

A3 – To consider and approve the Accounting Statements (Section 2 of the Annual Return). Copies of the statement had been circulated to members in advance of the meeting. It was resolved to approve the statement of accounts and this was signed by the Chairman.

A4 – To note the date of announcement and the commencement and ending dates for the accounts public inspection period. This was noted by the Parish Council. The period is from the  9^th June to the 20^th July 2022 inclusive.

A5 – To accept the Financial report to end April 2022. It was resolved to accept the Financial summary.

A6 – To approve accounts for payment May 2022:-

Authorisation was sought for payment of the following accounts:-

All were in favour and the cheques were signed.

86/22).    Items / Date and Venue for next meeting: –

The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for June 22^nd, 2022, Offley Hay Village Hall, commencing at 7.30pm.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.45pm.