Minutes of a meeting of Shobnall Parish Council

held at the Princess Street Training Education and Enterprise Centre, Princess Street, Burton on Trent on Monday 20 January 2020 commencing at 7.00pm

Present

Councillor Dennis (in the Chair)

Councillors Dittmer, Donlon, Shilton and Yousaf

In attendance

County Councillor Clarke

ESBC Councillor Walker

Mary Danby, Clerk

Public Forum

No members of the public were present at the meeting.

2019-20/127        Apologies

Councillors Asghar and Hoare

ESBC Councillor McKiernan

PCSO Wells

2019-20/128        Declarations of interest

None declared.

2019-20/129        Written applications for dispensations under the Localism Act 2011

None were received.

2019-20/130        Updates to Councillors’ Register of Interest Forms

No updates were notified.

2019-20/131        Minutes of the Council meeting held on 16 December 2019

Resolved              That the Minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2019 be approved and signed as an accurate record.

2019-20/132        Matters arising from the previous meeting

2019-20/115        Cycle paths within new developments

ESBC referred the council to the Strategic Policy 1 – East Staffordshire Approach to Sustainable Development; Strategic Policy 34 – Health and Wellbeing and the NPPF/NPPG.

Branston Parish Council referred Councillors to the Staffordshire County Council’s Cycling Map and Information Guide for East Staffordshire and the Branston Locks Transportation and Highways Phasing Strategy 2015.

2019-20/124        Noticeboard (Grange Street)

The College had responded saying that they will continue to put right the damage on the Community Noticeboard and once fixed they will let the council know the cost and raise an invoice plus a date for its reinstallation.

2019-20/133        PCSO’S report

None of the PCSO’s were available to attend the meeting and a report had been provided which was circulated at the meeting.

2019-20/134        Borough Councillor’s report

Councillor Walker:

• Reported that he had been contacted by a resident regarding two abandoned vehicles on the corner of Edwards Street/Gordon Street. Councillor Walker had reported the issue to ESBC and the Police for investigation.

• ESBC’s Full Council meting had been put back to 13 January due to the General Election.

• Road flooding and fly tipping issues were still a problem.

2019-20/135        County Councillor’s report

Councillor Clarke:

• Edward Street: A meeting has been arranged with a SCC Parking Officer with a view agreeing recommendations for improving the available parking spaces in the area.

• A complaint had been received via email regarding car parking around the Town Hall. Councillor Clarke said that the issues were arising due to the UTC (the building is now the de Ferrers Academy Sixth Form Centre). The County Council had given notice to ESBC that a charge of £30,000 would be levied for a survey if parking issues arose due to the UTC and he would be asking Richard Rayson to implement the survey.

• He now sat on a Climate Change group which had been set-up by the County Council.

• In response to a Councillor’s request, he asked that details of a recent parking problem in the Market Place be sent to him.

2019-20/136        Financial matters

2019-20/136.1    Schedule of Payments

RESOLVED           That the above payments be approved.

2019-20/136.2    Bank reconciliation

RESOLVED           That the above was a true record.

2019-20/137        2019/20 Budget as at 31 December 2019 and the draft 2020/21 budget

Resolved              That:

1. The Budget report showing receipts and payments as at 31 December 2019 be received and noted.
2. An Earmarked Reserve be set-up for parish boundary signage.

2019-20/138        Shobnall Parish Council website

2019-20/138.1    The Clerk reported that she had received training on updating the website and would now be responsible for uploading material and updating the site. The County Council’s Digital Team would remain responsible for maintenance and support.

2019-20/138.2    The Clerk reported that a link to the Burton Recycling Centre had been put on the website.

2019-20/138.3    Councillors Dennis and Dittmer had been approached by a local business asking if they could have an advertisement on the council’s website.

The Clerk had taken advice from the SPCA who had confirmed that the council is unable to include an advertisement for any commercial concerns on its website or noticeboards as the council does not have the legal authority to do so.

It was agreed that the council accept the SPCA’s advice and that the enquirer be advised that their request cannot be agreed for the above reason.

2019-20/138.4    Councillors asked that their contact details be amended on the website so that they are listed by Christian name, followed by surname.

2019-20.138.5     Councillors asked if it was possible to have regular reports on how many people visit the website. The Clerk was asked to liaise with the County Council’s Digital Team to ask if this could be arranged.

2019-20/139        Planning matters

2019-20/139.1    Planning Applications

2019-20/139.2    Planning decisions

Resolved              That the notified planning decisions be received and noted.

2019-20/140        Shobnall Neighbourhood Plan – Review of Policies

                                Resolved              That no modifications or amendments are required.

2019-20/141        Alternative meeting venues

Councillors received updated information on the cost of alternative meeting venues.

Resolved              That the council continue meeting at the Princess Street Training Centre for the foreseeable future.

2019-20/142        To receive questions from Councillors and reports from representatives

2019-20/142.1    Councillor Yousaf reported that ESBC are looking to extend the licensing area for private landlords to include Shobnall Street, Waterloo Street and Goodman Street and ESBC are holding a consultation event at the Town Hall on 10 February. He said that due to a lack of resources ESBC’s officers are struggling to visit the existing registered properties and queried how an extended scheme could be considered given this situation. He also said that only one Prohibition Notice had been served in three years. He queried how ESBC were promoting the scheme to get people to attend the consultation event. He also noted that the parish council had not been consulted and queried if it would be.

It was agreed that Councillors provide the Clerk with a copy of the letter sent by ESBC to residents in Shobnall Street so that enquiries can be made of ESBC.

2019-20/142.2    Councillor Yousaf noted that ESBC’s CCE officers were to undertake a three-day mini initiative in the Eton/Shobnall wards to include the Kingfisher Trail (date to be confirmed). He reiterated a previous request that the parish council and ESBC work together on an environmental initiative, perhaps by the parish council funding an amnesty for the collection of large items to reduce fly tipping in the parish.

2019-20/142.3    Councillor Yousaf said that gullies had been cleared but road flooding was still an issue. County Councillor Clarke said that monitoring of the gullies should provide a better picture of when they need to be cleared going forward.

2019-20/142.4    Councillor Dennis reported that a representative of the Kingfisher Project had been due to attend the meeting, but apologies had been given due to ill health. The Project were looking to work with the parish council and asked that a representative be nominated to work with the group. Councillor Dennis said that the Clerk was the council’s point of contact and the Clerk had also been nominated to attend their meetings and she undertook to confirm this to the Project.

Councillors noted that the kingfisher totem poles funded by the council had been removed. The Clerk was requested to contact ESBC to ask where the totem poles were and for them to be reinstalled as soon as possible.

2019-20/143        Correspondence and circulars

2019-20/143.1    SPCA: Weekly Bulletins had been forwarded to all Councillors.

2019-20/144        The Link Park

Bloomin’ Gardens had advised the council that equipment had been vandalised at the Link Park.

Resolved              That:

• Bloomin’ Gardens be requested to make the damaged equipment safe
• Bloomin’ Gardens be requested to provide quotations to:
• remove the play equipment and timber fitness equipment, level the site and return the area to grass
• remove the metal fitness equipment, level the site and return the area to grass
• remove all the play equipment and fitness equipment (timber and metal), level the site and return the area to grass
• The supplier be contacted for a quotation to repair the metal fitness equipment

2019-20/145        Items for next meeting

                                None raised.

Date of next meeting

Monday 17 February 2020 commencing at 7.00pm at The Princess Street Training Enterprise Centre, 25-28 Princess Street, Burton on Trent DE14 2NW.

The Meeting closed at 8.45 pm

Signed …………………………………………………….

Date ……………………………………………………….