Minutes of the Meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council held on 17^th JANUARY 2024

A meeting of Eccleshall Parish Council was held at Eccleshall Community Centre on 17^th January 2024 at 7.30pm. This meeting was followed by a meeting of the Planning Committee at 8.55pm.

  1/24).  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 D. Hill

Councillor S. Mifflin                                  Councillor C. Ryan-Bloor

Councillor M. Gosling                               Councillor G. Dale

Councillor A. Reid (from 8.15pm)

Mrs Stacey Worden (Clerk)

Four members of the public

Mr. Alex Steer, Walton Hall Academy

   2/24).  Apologies were received from Cllr. Jones. The resignation of Cllr. L. Dale was noted and will be mentioned in the Chairmans report.

   3/24).  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.

   4/24).  Public Participation:

A resident outlined the ongoing issues with flooding at Castle Mews, partly from the nearby watercourse but recently also due to the backwash of water from Castle Street highway. The Council advised this was the responsibility of Staffordshire County Council Highways and this should be raised with them. The resident also raised concerns about foul water, which falls within the remit of Severn Trent Water.

A resident advised members that an individual was spotted in Croxton wearing a Speed Watch jacket and when drivers were passing, waving at them and referring to the writing on the jacket. It was confirmed that this was not an activity related to Eccleshall Speed Watch team and there is no Speed Watch team currently active in Croxton. If residents are interested in reforming a team, they can contact the Staffordshire Police Speed Watch team who will be happy to help.

A resident spoke in relation to their ongoing concerns about a lack of parking in Eccleshall and reiterated their suggestion to create a car park to the rear of the library, with access from the old blacksmith yard which is currently up for sale. It was noted that due to the high costs of purchasing land, this would need to involve the County Council and significant funding would be required. Concerns were also raised about the suggestion of marked parking bays and whether this would reduce available parking. Members advised that the Traffic Management committee has agreed to create a vision which will be moved forward at the next meeting, and this will include involvement of other local authorities to consider schemes to deliver additional parking.

   5/24). To approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 22^nd November 2023.

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

  6/24).  Discussion with Mr. Alex Steer, Head of Post-16/ Careers & transition lead at Walton Hall Academy regarding potential community links

Mr. Steer outlined his role which included liaison with colleges and employers to arrange supported internships and work experience for the 16-19 year old students and requested support to establish more opportunities within Eccleshall. It was noted that only approximately 4% of young adults with special needs are in employment.

Current activities include a yearly placement with the Co-Op. Students are due to complete their BTEC qualification in March and would then be interested in undertaking volunteer opportunities within the community, such as litter picking. Members were invited to meet the students at a coffee morning hosted by the students on the 22^nd February.

Councillors were able to offer the following suggestions to Mr. Steer for further discussion and contact details will be provided:

• Perry’s of Eccleshall and Perry’s Field to Fork
• Katharine House Hospice
• Croxton Well Dressing 2025 (to design one of the pieces of art for display)
• Staffordshire County Council Open Door Scheme

  7/24).  Committee and working group membership:

• It was resolved for:
  • Gosling to join the Traffic Management and Events Committees
  • Hall and Ryan-Bloor to be removed from the Events Committee
  • Perren to join the Events Committee

  8/24).  Report from the Borough Councillor, County Councillor, and police representatives

There were no representatives present to provide a report.

   9/24). Committee Updates:

   Traffic Management:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 3^rd January 2024 were noted.
• It was resolved to approve the following recommendations from the committee, which were as a result of the survey undertaken by the Parking working group:
  • To request costs for changes to parking restrictions and marking of bays, to help determine feasibility.
  • To request costs and feasibility of tractor signs to advise drivers to give way/be cautious near tractors in town.
  • To share survey data with traders and ask for support in parking elsewhere during peak periods.
  • To ask SCC highways about the feasibility of adjusting pavement splays by the Stone Road roundabout to help large vehicles to navigate it easier.

• It was resolved to approve the recommendation to write to County Cllr. Pert to request the possibility of upgrading the Stafford Street crossing and/or improving the visibility.

Footpaths:

• There were no updates to report.

Enhancements:

• Members noted the minutes of the meeting held on the 6^th December 2023
• It was resolved to approve the recommendation to undertake repairs to Croxton bus shelter at a cost of £295, to include replacement of a number of wooden panels.
• It was resolved to approve the recommendation to approve the quotation of £2,500 plus VAT from Staffordshire County Council to replace 10 damaged/missing oak posts in the High Street.
• It was resolved to approve the investigation and repair to the pillar clock by the Cumbria Clock Company, at a cost of £455 plus VAT.

    Policy and Resources:

• The minutes of the meeting held on the 6th December 2023 were noted.
• Members considered the recommended draft budget for 2024/25 of £115,545.00. This includes the inclusion of a nominal amount towards Beech Road play area, as a lease agreement for this area is currently being progressed to allow for the Parish Council to undertake improvements. The resulting budget ensures that the precept will not increase for residents. The shortfall of income will be managed by the prudent use of reserves within the recommended balances. It was resolved to approve the recommended draft Budget for 2024/25 of £115,545.00
• It was resolved to approve the recommended Precept for 2024/25 of £83,300. This is a 0.4% increase for the Parish Council and a 0% increase to residents due to a slight increase in the tax base.

    Events:

• There were no updates to report.

  10/24).  Feedback from the Community Engagement Working Group and consider any recommendations or further suggestions:

Meeting notes were circulated to members prior to the meeting and the main theme was the focus on raising its profile by the use of various media. This includes better use of the noticeboard by the pharmacy; increased publicity of successes via social media, website and other local publications to include the PC newsletter. Cllr. Perren was congratulated on his social media activity promoting the reporting of potholes. The clerk will look into costs for provision of marketing materials (banner, tablecloth and marquee) for use at events such as the Eccleshall Festival and Show. This will be brought to the Events committee for its consideration.

  11/24).  Feedback from the request to Vistry in relation to the Eagle Street Art location, consider options and resolve any actions arising.

The Clerk has not received any response or acknowledgement of the request to consider locating the street art at an alternative location on Sancerre Grange. Cllr. Pert has since been involved and received a preliminary acknowledgement of the request which he is progressing.

(Cllr. Reid joined the meeting at this point).

Members considered whether they wished to wait and see if there is any positive response received by Vistry regarding the proposed location. It was observed that the last resolution regarding the project defined a clear deadline by which at that point the council would resolve if it wished to proceed with the project or not.  The debate included consideration of the importance of art installations and the expenditure incurred to date as well as concerns about how long the project has been in progress and the potential for redirecting the ringfenced monies towards other community projects.

A motion was proposed and seconded to discontinue the Eagle Street Art Project, and a named vote was requested.

Those in favour of the motion were – Cllrs. Hill, Perren, Reid, Langford, Mifflin, Gosling, Ryan-Bloor and Wilkins.

Those against the motion were – Cllrs. Taylor, Hall, Delanchy, Dale and Kean.

It was resolved to cancel the Eagle Street Art project.

The Clerk will contact the artist to confirm the decision and enquire with regards to any outstanding costs.  Reallocation of funds towards alternative projects will be considered by the Enhancements committee.

  12/24).  Clerk’s report, containing liaison representative updates.

The report was received and noted.

  13/24).  Correspondence

• Resident Correspondence was received regarding poor mobile phone signals in Eccleshall town centre and requesting the installation of a mobile phone mast to improve this. Members did agree that there were many black spots throughout the town but also noted the complexities around the installation of new masts as mobile phone providers do not share infrastructure and each company has to make its own improvements. It was noted that providers may have approached Holy Trinity church in the past to install a mast and Cllr. Hill agreed to find out more information. Details of a County Council contact was provided who may be able to provide advice, and Cllr. Reid offered to contact them.  Positioning of a mast may be affected by the conservation area, and this would need to be explored. It was resolved to undertake these further enquiries to see if additional masts could be requested of the relevant companies.
• Members received correspondence regarding an app called Snowball, which helps people find accessible venues, restaurants, bars and other businesses. Users can populate the app with their own reviews and information in order to increase the available information so that people can make informed decisions on if a venue is accessible to them. The correspondence was noted.

  14/24).  Chairman’s Report:-

• Taylor commended former councillor Libby Dale for her commitment, dedication and contribution to the council during her 4 years of service. During her time on the Council, she undertook a proactive role to deliver a number of key projects such as the Outdoor gym, improvements to Elford Heath and the recent royal events, giving her time, enthusiasm and experience to all activities she was involved with. During her term of office she was the Vice-Chairman of the Parish Council as well as Chairman of the Enhancements and Traffic Management Committees. Cllr. Taylor reflected on the importance of being an active member of the council, urged all members to consider their contribution to the role, and thanked those who give their time selflessly to the work of the Council.

15/24).  Financial Matters

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

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

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

• To approve accounts for payment January 2024:-

Authorisation was sought for payment of the following accounts:

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

   16/24).  Items / Date and Venue for next meeting:-

The next meeting of the Parish Council is scheduled for 21^st February 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 8.45pm.