Minutes of the Meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council held on 22^nd  NOVEMBER 2023

A meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council was held at Eccleshall Community Centre on 22^nd November 2023 at 7.30pm. This meeting was followed by a meeting of the Planning Committee at 8.25pm.

Prior to the start of the meeting there was a minutes silence held for the passing of Chris Marshall, a former Parish Councillor who had dedicated many years to the service of Eccleshall.

162/23).  Present were:-

Councillor R. Taylor (Chairman)                 Councillor S. Perren

Councillor D. Hall                                       Councillor C. Wilkins

Councillor S. Kean                                     Councillor R Langford

Councillor B. Delanchy                               Councillor A. Reid

Councillor S. Mifflin                                  Councillor L. Dale

Councillor P. Jones                                  Councillor D. Hill

Councillor C. Ryan-Bloor                           Councillor M. Gosling

Mrs Stacey Worden (Clerk)

No members of the public

PCSO Lisa Powell

163/23.)  Apologies were received from Cllr. G. Dale.

164/23).  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.

165/23).  Public Participation:

There was no public participation.

166/23). To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 18^th October 2023.

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

167/23).  Co-option of Councillor to Slindon Ward vacancy

There was one applicant for co-option to the Slindon Ward vacancy, who gave a short presentation to the meeting and answered questions. Following a vote, Mr. Mitchell Gosling was duly co-opted to represent Slindon Ward.

168/23).  Report from the Borough Councillor, County Councillor, and police representatives

Borough Cllr. Jones noted his monthly surgery sessions in the library were still running.

169/23). Committee Updates:

   Traffic Management:

• Reid advised the results of the recent parking survey were being collated and would be presented to the committee in due course. There were nearly 700 respondents.

Footpaths:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 8^th November 2023 were noted.
• It was resolved to approve the purchase additional litter picking equipment at a cost of £139.89 plus VAT. 35 of the existing team of 36 volunteers have confirmed their commitment to continue as members of the Keep Eccleshall Tidy Team but needed some extra or replacement equipment. Stafford Borough Council kindly supplied some equipment free of charge, which lowered our order cost.

Enhancements:

• It was resolved to approve a quotation for re-coppicing the trees by the pool at Elford Heath at a cost of £810 plus VAT.

    Policy and Resources:

• There were no updates to report.

    Events:

• Members noted the minutes of the meeting held on the 8^th November 2023

170/23).  Receipt of feedback from the Community Forum survey and consideration of plans for next year.

Associations had provided some useful feedback from the forum held on October 16^th 2023. Comments included an earlier start time and to hold it when nights are lighter. Alternative days including weekends were discussed, but there were concerns that would clash with weekend kids sports activities. Some groups noted there was a lack of awareness from some regarding the event, but 1600 leaflets were delivered to properties throughout the town centre and publicised on social media and on posters.

The following actions were agreed:

• To book the Community Centre hall and side rooms for Monday 17^th June (10^th as a backup date) from 5.30pm for set up, to run the event from 6.30pm-8pm.
• To liaise with the primary school PTA to see if they can help promote the event.
• To rename the event to reflect the content of the evening more accurately.
• To keep the Annual Public Meeting as a separate event, to be held 7-7.30pm prior to a Parish Council meeting in March or April. The opportunity to bring issues to the attention of members will be available at this meeting or at the forum. Grant recipients will be asked to write a brief update on their activities that can be received at the public meeting.

171/23).  Police liaison representative updates:

PCSO Lisa Powell joined the meeting at this point. The following points were discussed:

• The ward breakdown for crime statistics was really useful but seemed to show a lot more figures than previous received. PCSO Powell was unsure if this was due to different reporting methods but members noted the breakdown was more helpful and if business and residential burglary also be recorded separately.
• Letters have been sent to offenders parking illegally in key areas including Gaol Butts during school drop off and pick up and have had some impact. Issues were noted with vehicles opposite Perry’s and The Eagle. If vehicle details are provided to PCSO Powell she will issue the owners with warning letters.
• Smart Alerts were noted as being really useful, and PSCO Powell often also adds the alerts to Facebook. Suspicious incidents can be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers or reported online or via 101.

172/23).  Clerk’s report, containing liaison representative updates.

The report was received and noted. The Clerk has been advised that a s.50 licence is no longer required for solar powered speed devices and is awaiting formal confirmation from the County Council in order to proceed with the post installation at Croxton.

173/23).  Correspondence

• No correspondence has been received.

174/23).  Chairman’s Report:-

• Taylor represented the Council at the recent Stone Town Council Trafalgar Dinner and will also be attending the December Carol Concert.
• The proposal to lease Beech Road from Stafford Borough Council is ongoing, and there is an allocated officer in the council who will be dealing with the process. The clerk will be kept informed and it is hoped this will lead to a formal offer being received by the Council for its consideration.

175/23).  Financial Matters

• To accept the Financial report and bank reconciliation to 31^st October 2023:

       It was resolved to accept the financial summary, which includes the bank reconciliation up to and  including 31^st October 2023.

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

• To approve accounts for payment November 2023:-

Authorisation was sought for payment of the following accounts:

All were in favour and the accounts will be paid accordingly.

• Staffing: The council noted the annual NJC National Salary award for the Clerk, backdated to 1st April 2023

176/23).   It was resolved 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 delegations policy.

177/23).  Items / Date and Venue for next meeting:-

The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for 17^th January 2024, 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 8.25pm.