IPSTONES PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 31 August 2016 at 7.30p.m. in the Extension of Ipstones Memorial Hall
PRESENT: Councillors Philip Barks, Linda Malyon (Chair), Heather Morris, Sandy Richards, Barry Shuttleworth, Andrew Stevenson, Patrick Stimpson & John Williams. The Clerk, 1 Reporter and 1 member of the public
APOLOGIES: Councillor Howard Mycock
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS: It was agreed to take these as they arise.
DISPENSATIONS: None received.
On proposal by Cllr Shuttleworth and seconded by Cllr Stimpson it was agreed that the
Minutes for the meeting held on Wednesday 3rd August, 2016 as being a true record
99/16. MATTERS ARISING
- Cemetery Site Visit: It was agreed to obtain quotes for the painting of the Cemetery Gates, the Bier Shed door and metal security gate and the eaves.
- b. Hedge, Foxt Community Area: Cllr Stimpson said that the hedge cutting season was due to start and that he will ask the person who cuts his own hedges to cut the hedge round the Community Area
- Foxt Telephone Kiosk: On proposal by Cllr Morris and seconded by Cllr Shuttleworth it was agreed to write to the person who has volunteered to paint/repair the kiosk and ask if he is still able to do this and if not to ask if he would give the paint/glass panel to either Cllrs Stimpson or Cllr John Williams.
- New Swings at Foxt: Cllr Williams reported that the grass is now growing through the grass matting and it is starting to look good. So if the remaining unevenness isn’t bothering users then it is a job well done.
100/16. PLANS: The following planning applications had been received: –
SMD/2016/0447 Proposed part single, part two storey extensions together with alterations to elevations at Parkside Farm, Park Lane, Ipstones. On proposal by Cllr Stevenson and seconded by Cllr Stimpson it was agreed unanimously to support this application.
SMD/2016/0452 Proposed change of use from agricultural to equestrian use, construction of an all-weather outdoor riding area and the laying of a drainage pipe to a nearby stream at Upper Park Farm, Park Lane, Ipstones. On proposal by Cllr Shuttleworth and seconded by Cllr Stimpson it was agreed to support the application providing that the drainage is only for ‘land water’ and not effluent.
SMD/2016/0483 Proposed alterations to listed building including conversion of attic floor to habitable accommodation, partial demolition of boundary wall, reconstruction of new alignment to widen parking bay and demolition of stone outbuilding at East View, 62 Brookfields Road, Ipstones. On proposal by Cllr Morris and seconded by Cllr Barks it was agreed to support this application.
101/16. CORRESPONDENCE:
- Lengthsman’s Report (July): Details of this were noted.
- Ipstones Agricultural Society: A letter of thanks for the sponsorship of the Annual Agricultural Show had been received.
- E-mail re the ‘Millennium Arch’: It was noted that when someone was applying oil to the Arch the Arch was moving and they thought that the legs, where they go into the ground maybe rotting. Cllrs Shuttleworth and Stimpson thought that it shouldn’t be rotting yet and said that the wooden legs are held in by metal brackets. Following a discussion it was proposed by Cllr Morris and seconded by Cllr Shuttleworth to ask either the person who made the Arch or the person who installed the Arch if they could have a look as a matter of urgency.
- Kingsley Parish Council: An e-mail had been received seeking the parish council’s views on the SMDC’s Site Options and Development Boundaries Consultation.
It was agreed to respond to the questions as we responded to the SMDC about the issues.
- Ipstones Memorial Hall re Annual Grant: An e-mail had been received seeking the Grant of £700 that had been pledged toward the cost of the mowing. Cllrs Malyon and Shuttleworth declared a personal interest in this item and did not take part in the discussion or decision. It was proposed by Cllr Stevenson and seconded by Cllr Richards to release the sum of £700 under S19 (Miscellaneous Provisions), being the grant allocated for the mowing of the Recreation Field for the current financial year. This was agreed
- SCC re Highway infrastructure Asset Management Plan (HIAMP) Consultation:
An e-mail had been received regarding this and it was agreed to respond with the following comments: –
- Members would like to thank the Highway Teams for the good work that they do, as when they do a job it is good – the down fall is the waiting time for jobs to be carried out.
- Pot Holes and Gritting need more attention
- Would like Church Lane and Brookfields Road to be incorporated on the gritting routes
- Pot Holes tend to take too long to be repaired
- Pavement from Church Lane into Daisy Avenue, Ipstones needs to be repaired as very uneven. We have been told it is not a priority
- Hedges on Country Lanes need to be cut more often
- That when a job is being carried out on a road barriers, traffic lights etc seem to be up longer than just when work is being carried out. Members feel that these should be erected immediately prior to the commencement of the work being carried out and taken down immediately that work has been completed.
- Automatic Enrolment Pensions: It was agreed not to wait for the staging date to ask employees if they would like to be enrolled in a Pension Scheme. It was also agreed to ask the Staffs Parish Councils Association about self-employment /employment.
- SMDC Enforcement Officer re Bolton Copper Works Site: The e-mail advised that they have spoken to the site owner and that the crates contain machinery parts and that there is also clothing that is recycled as rags. He also advised that none of the crates contain anything relating to explosives, ammunition or chemicals.
- SCC Rights of Way Department re PFP No 102: The e-mail included information regarding surfacing and other criteria for Bridle Paths. Following a discussion it was agreed that hardcore of 20ml to dust that is compacted down should be sufficient for the path. It was proposed by Cllr Malyon and seconded by Cllr Morris to ask if this spec will be all right and if not would they (SCC) be willing to contribute to the extra cost of a higher spec. This was agreed. It was also agreed to ask the chosen Contractor for an up to date quote, possibly following a site visit so that they exact requirements maybe discussed on site.
- Staffordshire Fire & Rescue ‘Campaign makes a clean sweep for Chimney Fire Safety. A poster had been received.
- Zurich Municipal: Notification that the Insurance Premium Tax is increasing by ½% had been received.
- Other Circulars, Newsletters, Bulletins etc
SCC – Information Sessions for those thinking of standing for County Councillor
SPC ASSc. – Local Councillor Training Courses – dates of next courses
Lieutenancy Officer – Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2017 – Information
CPRE – Fieldworker – Summer Issue
CPRE – Countryside Voice – Summer Issue
102/16. PARKING ISSUES: Members had met in Church Lane prior to the meeting and looked at the parking situation. Following short discussion it was proposed by Cllr Morris and seconded by Cllr Stevenson for no action to be taken as if parking restrictions were introduced it would not be policed and people would therefore ignore any double yellow lines. Also there is nowhere else for people to park. This was agreed unanimously.
The Chairman suspended Standing Orders to allow a member of the public present to speak.
103/16. URGENT BUSINESS
Mrs Ratcliffe from Ipstones Edge said she had come along because she and her family are at their ‘wits end’ and don’t know who to turn to next with the issues of abuse that they are experiencing from the residents of the neighbouring Children’s Care Home. She said that they are receiving verbal abuse on a daily basis, have had stones and bricks thrown at them, had windows broken, buildings broken into, and the young people climb on shed roofs and have even pelted their livestock with stones. She says she has reported the incidents to the Police, the District Council the Staff at the Care Home, but nothing seems to get done. Following a discussion members advised Mrs Ratcliffe that she should contact the local MP and Ofsted Standing Orders were resumed and it was agreed to ask the Police if they can install security cameras, write to Ofsted and also invite a representative from Ofsted and the Local Police Inspector to the next meeting to discuss possible solutions to this issue. Mrs Ratcliffe thanked the parish council for their time and listening to her.
104/16. OLD FIRE PUMP: Cllr Malyon reported that the Old Fire Pump had been moved from Ipstones Fire Station to Leek Fire Station. She said that the Pump belongs to Ipstones and had been restored by money from Ipstones plus a grant from CVLLP, therefore it is important for the pump to remain in the Village. Cllr Shuttleworth said he will enquire at the School to see if they could store it while a permanent home is found for it. Cllr Stevenson said he was concerned that some of the money had come from the Common Good Trust to pay the person who had restored the pump. He wondered why the work had been authorised before all the funds were in place. Cllr Malyon said the money will come back when the grant is received and that the Pump needs to be kept in Ipstones. Cllr Morris added that we are where we are now but lessons should be learned for this. The general consensus was that the Pump should remain in the village (It is currently being stored in a private garage until the Ipstones Five Mile Gala Day on 10/09/2016). It was agreed that somewhere needs to be found to display/store the Pump within the Village. It was also agreed to write to the Chief Fire Officer at Pirehill to say that the Pump should remain in Ipstones as parish money had paid for its restoration and it is part of the history of Ipstones.
105/16. IPSTONES FIRE AND RESCUE: Cllr Malyon said that she is concerned about the future of rural Fire Stations as the number of retained Fire Fighters are reducing and the Fire Service are not pushing to recruit new people. Also Ipstones are not getting the number of calls that they used to. It was agreed to invite the Chief Fire Officer to a parish Council meeting to discuss the parish council’s concerns.
106/16. CEMETERY MOWING: The Clerk reported that she had received a complaint from someone regarding a ‘pile of grass’ that had been left on her relative’s headstone and that when they had asked the Mowing Contractor about this he had been rude to them, they also mentioned another incident that when another relative and approached the mower about an issue with a different grave, he had also been rude. They also said that they don’t think that the Cemetery is being mown as well as it used to be. It was agreed that Members should look in the Cemetery more often so they can monitor what is going on there. A letter of apology is to be forwarded to the two people concerned.
107/16. STOCKSGREEN: It was noted that when someone recently reported a water leak, Severn Trent had said that the part of Stocks Green going toward the Old Vicarage is not an ‘adopted’ road and therefore they would not carry out the repair. Members of the parish council thought that it should be adopted and agreed to write to the County Council to ask if it is and if it is to then notify Severn Trent. It was also agreed to write to SMDC to ask for a road name sign for Stocksgreen.
108/16. HIGHWAYS: The following matters are to reported/chased up on: –
- Foxt Bank – Cllr Stimpson said that the crack is getting bigger.
- Bridge on Foxt Road, Froghall: It was noted that the work has now been completed but the barriers have not been removed.
- Pot Holes in Brookfields Road: It was noted that these have still not been repaired and that they are getting larger.
- Speed Limit, Bottomhouse: Cllr Barks said that he thinks that the speed limit on the A523 should be reduced to 40mph between the two speed cameras at Bottomhouse and that as well as the STOP sign on the Onecote Road there needs to be markings on the road at the junction. A request is to be made.
109/16. JOBS FOR THE COMMUNITY TEAM (visiting the parish on 16 Sept): it was agreed to ask them to cut back verge side shrubs/hedges in the following locations: – Church Lane (Between the Church and the bend); Collyhole; Redhill Bank, Belmont Rd; Park Lane; Park Nook; Foxt Road and Shaw Walls Lane. And to also cut back shrubs from around road signs.
109/16. ANY OTHER BUSINESS DEEMED URGENT
- Cherry Eye Bridge: It was reported that there is a big crack in the bridge, especially when you look from the Consall side. It was agreed to report this to the Canals and River Trust.
- Rubbish by Canal: It was also agreed to report that there is a lot of rubbish that has been left on the Canal Bank near to Cherry Eye Bridge.
- Path at Odda Common: It was agreed to ask the Lengthsman if he can strim along the ‘Shortcut’ path.
- Path leading to Old Vicarage: It was agreed to ask the Lengthsman if he can strim this path.
- Gate to Community Play Area at Foxt: Cllr Williams reported that two gates are overlapping and that they need adjustments. It was suggested that metal posts might be better than wooden posts. It was agreed to ask someone to take a look.
110/16. ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT: The following accounts were agreed for payment: –
| £ | |
| J Hooley – for 2 x mows | 620.00 |
| Lengthsman Payment (Net) | 167.58 |
| Lengthsman’s Expenses – Fuel for Strimmer | 5.00 |
| Clerk’s Salary (net) | 628.00 |
| Clerk’s Expenses | 34.60 |
| Ipstones Memorial Hall – Grant – s19 (Miscellaneous Provisions) | 700.00 |
| Nettlebank Ltd for repair to damaged Headstone | 492.00 |
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The date of the next meeting was set for Wednesday 28 September 2016 at 7p.m. and the October meeting was provisionally set for Wednesday 26 October 2016
The final item was deemed to be treated as Confidential (minding of Cemetery Books)