Minutes of the Meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council held on 20th JULY 2022

A meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council was held at Broughton Parish Rooms on 20^th July 2022 at 7.30pm. This meeting was followed by a meeting of the Planning Committee at 9 pm.

106/22). Present were:-    

Councillor P. Jones  (Chairman)           Councillor J. Leather

Councillor R. Taylor                              Councillor J. Jones

Councillor G. Dale                               Councillor A. Reid

Councillor D. Hill                                   Councillor S. Perren

Councillor B. Delanchy                         Councillor R. Langford

Councillor S. Kean

Mrs Stacey Worden (Clerk)

Borough and County Councillor J. Pert

One member of the public

107/22.)  Apologies were received from Cllrs. Wilkins, Mifflin, L. Dale and PCSO Higgins.

108/22). To consider Declarations of Interest and Councillor requests for dispensation relating to items on the agenda.

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

109/22). Public Participation:

There was no public participation.

110/22). To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on June 22^nd 2022

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

111/22). Report from the Borough Councillor, County Councillor, and police representatives

Borough and County Councillor Pert provided a verbal report. Items included:

• Shire Hall re-opened on Monday 18^th July, offering business hubs for flexible working.
• Stafford and Stone hosted the Commonwealth Games baton relay on Tuesday 19^th
• The Borough Council Community Awards are now open for nominations and entries are encouraged at the earliest opportunity.
• Recent scrutiny of the West Midlands Ambulance Service showed performance was poor county wide but that this was linked to wider issues with the whole health system from pre-admission to discharge.
• Surface dressing works were recently completed along stretches of the B5026 at Croxton/Sugnall.
• Newport Road gully works are planned for the end of August and a 5 day closure is planned (at a date yet to be confirmed) to undertake CCTV inspection of the drainage on the Eccleshall-Stafford Rd by Walton Hall. Castle Street drainage and gully works are now completed. Severn Trent hopes to undertake a feasibility study of the town area to look at what steps need to be taken to resolve flooding in Eccleshall.

Disappointment was expressed that some areas in Croxton were omitted in the recent surface dressing works. It was noted that the initial areas may have been evaluated some time prior to the works being undertaken, and in the case of pothole repairs, fall under a different programme of works.  The poor surface condition of the roundabout at Sancerre Grange was highlighted, but this area is still within developer ownership.

Concern regarding the lack of markings on the two mini roundabouts and the pedestrian crossing on the Stafford Road were raised and County Cllr. Pert agreed to speak to highways about the issue.

Members noted the recent road accident near to Walton Hall and asked if anything can be implemented in the area to improve safety. County Cllr. Pert noted that the area is not suitable for introduction of lower speed limits but there is a plan to add an additional ‘SLOW’ sign. He has requested accident statistics for the area.

Cllr. P. Jones provided a written report, included in the Clerks Report.

PCSO Higgins circulated a crime statistics report to all members prior to the meeting and this was noted.

112/22). Committee Updates:

  Traffic Management:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 6^th July 2022 were noted
• It was resolved to approve the recommendation to write a letter to the Borough Council requesting that parking in Eccleshall be monitored by Traffic Wardens at regular intervals in order to discourage illegal parking.
• It was resolved to approve the recommendation that the Climate Change working group be tasked with gathering information about EV charging options including possible locations, charging types and funding streams that may be available.
• It was resolved to approve the recommendation to write to Highways regarding the remedial work required to the Speed bumps along Small Lane.

Footpaths:

• The response to the application for byways in the Sugnall / Croxton area was considered and there were no objections or comments made.

Enhancements:

• Members noted the positive response from Stafford Borough Council confirming a planned redecoration (internal and external) and a deep clean of the public conveniences over the summer.
• The Council noted the recent vandalism to the public toilets and planned remedial action by the Borough Council. The suggestion of locking the toilets overnight by local volunteers was considered and it was agreed that the Council would undertake a trial period to lock/unlock the toilets, initially over the weekends. The Clerk will request two sets of keys, to be held by Cllrs. Hill and G. Dale. The clerk would also ask if the Borough Council would consider any timed automatic unlocking systems.

  Policy and Resources:

• No updates to report.

  Events:

• The commemorative Jubilee film is available for viewing on You Tube, via the Parish Council website. A shortage of images from the beacon lighting was noted and the videographer has confirmed he will be able to provide 20 images from the film,  in addition to the agreed scope of work. it was proposed to supply a £50 amazon voucher as a gesture of goodwill for this work and the additional editing that was undertaken to the film. Cllr. Reid noted he has some photos of the ceremony that may be sufficient. It was resolved that the images from Cllr. Reid would be reviewed and if additional photos were still required, these would be commissioned and the voucher purchased.

113/22).  To consider and approve any costs obtained for the proposal to provide a joint reflection  space consisting of a bench and tree with Holy Trinity Church.

The Clerk has now been advised of the preferred bench size and style and is in the process of obtaining costs for the bench, Jubilee plaque and also the Covid-10 remembrance plaque for the tree. Church representatives are looking into the costs and species of tree and once all this information is received full project costs can be considered for approval. The council were in favour of this course of action.

114/22)  To receive any updates on the planned works to the water pipes at Eccleshall Allotments and to consider any request from the Allotments Society for a contribution relating to further proposed works.

Work to complete the loop of the water circuit is underway and once completed an assessment will be undertaken to determine if this has improved the water flow sufficiently. If an assessment by Cllr. Perren concludes that further works by Severn Trent are required to increase the pressure of the water at the incoming pipe, it was resolved to delegate approval of these works to the Clerk.  The Council agreed to contribute half of the costs, which is £1,961.59 plus VAT (total cost £3,923.18 plus VAT). The work is required to be commissioned by the Parish Council and not the Allotments Association.

115/22). To consider a proposal to form a Youth Engagement working group, led by Cllr. Hill, in order to research ideas and to produce a report on potential projects for consideration.

It was resolved to approve this course of action. The working group will consist of Cllrs. Hill, Reid, Langford and Perren. Activities include working with Eccleshall students at Sir Graham Balfour to understand what they would like to be provided, and liaising with local sports clubs, youth groups and businesses to see what initiatives they would be willing to support. Grant opportunities will be explored as well as schemes such as the Princes Trust and ASDAN. Provision of activities such as the mobile skate park and Wolf Mountain climbing walls will be considered. A report and proposal will be brought back to the Council in due course.

116/22).  To receive the response from Stafford Borough Council regarding the annual Bloom grant and to consider any effect on the budgeted activities moving forward.

The Borough Council has advised that with immediate effect, the annual £2,500 grant will be withdrawn. The Council has been advised that the grant is not paid to other parish councils.

Members expressed disappointment at the decision but it was resolved that it will continue to support the Ecclian Society and pay for the watering of the Bloom displays, which will be taken into account for future budgets.  The clerk will advise the Ecclian Society accordingly.

117/22).  Clerk’s report, containing liaison representative updates.

The report was received and noted.

118/22).  Correspondence

• The council had received notification of the Community Awards and members were asked to consider any nominations which can be forwarded to the Clerk.

119/22).  Chairman’s Report:-

Cllr. P. Jones advised a number of members attended the funeral of Cllr. Eileen Amos.

120/22). Financial Matters 

• To accept the Financial report and bank reconciliation to 30^th June 2022:

       It was resolved to accept the financial summary, which includes the bank reconciliation up to and  including 30 June 2022.

Payments made since the last full Council meeting were received and noted as follows:

• To approve accounts for payment July 2022:-

Authorisation was sought for payment of the following accounts:

All were in favour and the cheques were signed accordingly.

• It was resolved to approve the sale of the extra printer for £20
• It was resolved to approve the sale of the surplus office chair for £40

121/22). To discuss potential projects/activities for the next 12 – 18 months in order to provide the staffing committee with guidance regarding the administrative resource required to meet these aims.

Whilst a number of projects were noted, including refurbishment of the BT phone boxes and the possibility of running an annual event following the success of the recent Jubilee events, no large projects were advised that would have a significant impact on the current administrative resource. In order to consider the future requirement to review the Neighbourhood Plan, an Earmarked Reserve can be set up to accumulate the necessary funds and administrative support considered separately.

122/22). To approve delegation to the Clerk for dealing with items of emergency and payment of accounts until the next Parish Council meeting in consultation with the Chairman and Vice Chairman, in line with the temporary delegation policy.

It was resolved to approve this course of action.

123/22).  Items / Date and Venue for next meeting:-

The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for 21^st  September 2022, at Eccleshall Community Centre at 7.30pm. Agenda items can be forwarded to the Clerk for consideration.

There being no further business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.00pm.