Minutes of the Meeting of Churchill and Blakedown Parish Council held on
Wednesday, 20th January 2010, in Blakedown Parish Rooms.
PRESENT Cllr P A Dearden (in the Chair)
Cllr Mrs S Cartwright
Cllr S D Charman (from Item 5, minute no. 5/10)
Cllr Mrs P L Coley
Cllr Mrs P V Hayward
Cllr J W Long
Cllr B A Pitt
Cllr Mrs V J Swindells
In attendance: Gordon Stevens, Web site keeper
Mark Jones, Handyman and Lengthsman
CSO Kate Easthope
Roger Gurney, Clerk to the Parish Council
1/10 CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS
Cllr Dearden welcomed councillors to the meeting.
2/10 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
These were received and accepted from Cllr R J Whiston.
3/10 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Cllr Long declared a personal interest in Item 7(3), Minute no.7/10(3) and in Item 14, Minute no. 14/10.
4/10 COMMUNITY POLICING
CSO Kate Easthope was invited to speak. She referred to the Alerts,
which have been sent out and had nothing to add. She also referred to
the PACT meeting on 23rd February; there will be publicity and it will
be on the website. The problem with graffiti by the car park has not
been solved and the matter has been passed to WFDC.
ADJOURNMENT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
(4 members of the public were in attendance.
Mr Lorton raised the following matters:1. Street light columns 21
in Sculthorpe Road and 38 in Belbroughton Road are not working. He
asked how frequently the lights are cleaned. 2 .The street name sign in
New Wood Road is broken. 3. The bridge in Mill Lane is broken; there
are emergency barriers in place. 4. The gate sign on the approach to
the village on A.456 is broken.
David Priestnall and Jonathan Clark, trustees of the Millennium Green,
presented their concerns with the finances of the Millennium Green .An
up to date financial statement was circulated. The Green was set up
with financial help from the PC and a grant has been given regularly.
Currently the sources of income are not increasing and, without grants
from the PC, the funds could be used up and the Trust could fold within
4 years. The funds from the sale of the old playing field are held by
the Charities Investment Fund. The PC agreed that this would be
discussed at the next meeting.)
62 CHURCHILL AND BLAKEDOWN PARISH COUNCIL Minutes 20.01.10
5/10 REPORTS FROM COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS
County Cllr Clee was not in attendance and there was no report.
6/10 CONFIRMATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON
9th DECEMBER 2009
It was proposed by Cllr Mrs Swindells, seconded by Cllr Mrs Cartwright,
and RESOLVED that the Minutes, being a true and accurate record of the
proceedings of the meeting, be signed by the Chairman.
7/10 PROGRESS REPORTS FOR INFORMATION
(1)Parish Web site. Gordon Stevens was invited to speak. He presented a report and
map showing up-to-date figures which indicate a 60% increase in the
number of hits. He plans to re-design the front page.
(2)Lengthsman/Handyman report. Mark Jones was invited to speak. He reported that
he has been working up Belbroughton Road and clearing drains in
Churchill. The Clerk is asked to report a solidly-blocked drain in
Rocky Lane to WCC. The grit bins had been well used during the cold and
icy weather, and WCC has refilled them.
(3) Barrier at the Parish Rooms. Cllr Long reported that the parish
Rooms Committee is assessing the practicality of a barrier; the Police
and Parish Council are still in favour of this solution.
(4) Rail safety measures. The Clerk has still been unable to make
contact with London Midland. Members raised the potential problem with
the level crossing after a report in the Press about the dangers of
ignoring the warnings and the rumours that the signal box will be
closed, making the level crossing automatic. This has now been
highlighted by the fatal accident at a level crossing in Herefordshire
at the weekend. The Clerk was asked to London Midland and Network Rail
to find out their policies relating to the level crossing and signal
box.
(5) Retention of telephone kiosks. The Clerk has still had no response form WFDC.
(6) Allocation of S.106 monies. The Clerk has not received a reply from
WFDC. Cllr Mrs Hayward reported that the money from the Hodge Hill
barns application has already been allocated; it seems that the request
from the school governors has been overlooked. The Clerk will try to
obtain further information.
(7) Repair of Parish Council notice boards. This work has not yet been done.
(8) Housing Need survey. The Clerk reported that the information for
distribution is due to be sent out within the next few days. As it is
scheduled to be distributed before the end of January the Clerk will
arrange for the papers to be delivered to Blakedown, Cllr Charman
offering to receive them.
(9) Community Emergency Plan. The Clerk has been reminded by WFDC that this should be submitted by the end of March.
8/10 PLANNING APPLICATIONS
It was resolved that the comments on the following applications, as detailed, be sent to Wyre Forest DC.
(1) Application received
WF/09/0838 Erection of detached dwelling with
room/windows in roof and new access arrangements (renewal of 06/0006),
1 Mill Lane, Blakedown
No objection
CHURCHILL AND BLAKEDOWN PARISH COUNCIL Minutes
20.01.10
63
WF/09/0874 Replacement dwelling, 7 New Wood Lane, Blakedown
Objection to the proposal. The PC considers that,
because of its scale and design, this proposed replacement dwelling
would be over-dominant on this site and not in keeping with the
traditional design and character of other properties in New Wood Lane
The PC also notes that no garaging or other outbuildings are included
in this application.
WF/10/0004 Two storey and single storey extensions to front and rear, 16 Brookside Way, Blakedown
Objection to the proposal in its current form. The PC is concerned that
the size and position of the proposed first floor extension, above the
existing garage and in front of the existing first floor, would be an
over-dominant feature in the street scene.
(2) Planning Decisions - for information
WF/08/0839 Three detached dwellings and access, rear of 5 Mill Lane (off Mill
Close), Blakedown – APPEAL ALLOWED
WF/09/0702 Erection of buildings to provide shelter,
storage, etc, (retrospective) Jubilee Field, Birmingham Road, Blakedown
– GRANTED
WF/09/0744 Stationing of 3 caravans and utility
building, surfacing, septic tank, fencing and access alterations, The
Oaks Paddock, Churchill – REFUSED
WF/09/0807 Amendments to 09/0638, removal of dormers
and erection of porch, Woodlands, Waggon Lane, Churchill - GRANTED
9/10 UPDATE ON PLAN NO. WF/09/0744 , UNAUTHORISED GYPSY SITE, ROCKY LANE, CHURCHILL
Cllr Mrs Hayward reported that an Enforcement Notice has been served,
with a compliance date before the end of January. She also reported
that a Stop Notice has been served. To date no appeal has been lodged.
10/10 FINANCE
(1) The Clerk reported that the current account today
stands at £10,062.91p and the Instant Access account stands at
£12,607.33p, giving a total credit balance of £22,669.24p.
(2) The Receipts and Payments account for 05.11.09 – 23.12.09 was received.
(3) It was proposed by Cllr Mrs Swindells, seconded
by Cllr Mrs Hayward, and resolved that the following accounts be
approved for payment:
Staples UK Ltd, photocopying, stationery (Dec) £23.54 + £1.76 VAT £ 25.30
R D Gurney
salary, December/January
£629.88
back pay, April – November 2009
£ 24.96
Wyre Forest DC, for Parish
Games £45.00 + £7.88 VAT
£ 52.88
N power (Oct/Dec)
£194.10 + £9.70 VAT
£203.80
CPRE subscription for
2010
£
29.00
Society of Local Council Clerks
subscription for 2010
£ 95.00
Mark Jones
handyman
£320.00
lengthsman
£240.00
£1,620.82
64 CHURCHILL AND BLAKEDOWN PARISH COUNCIL Minutes 20.01.10
11/10 BUDGET AND PRECEPT FOR 2010/2011
A draft budget for 2010/2011, revised from the previous meeting, was
circulated with the agenda. The Clerk explained that the letter from
WFDC, requesting the Precept figure, stated that there would be no
Section 136 grants after March 2010, but the report on the WFDC website
stated that the Cabinet was looking to re-instate the S.136 grant for
2010/11, at a rate of 7.5% of the Precept. The draft budget was based
on a precept of £21,740, plus 15% grant, totalling £25,000 and Members
discussed the likely size of the reserves, the implications of
balancing raising the precept and cutting the budget. That the Precept
be kept at £21,740 was proposed by Cllr Mrs Swindells, seconded by Cllr
Mrs Hayward, and agreed.
12/10 HIGHWAY MATTERS
Concerns were raised about increased number of potholes and the lack of
gritting in Mill Lane and Sculthorpe Road, a bus route. The Clerk will
follow this up with WCC. It was noted that the bridge in Mill Lane is
damaged. The Clerk will check the progress of other matters raised in
previous meetings.
13/10 PARISH PLAN WORKING GROUP
There was no further information.
14/10 THE AVENUE, CAR PARK AND VILLAGE GREEN
Increased use of the car park seems to be due to new occupiers of
business premises and this will be monitored. It appears that WFDC are
enforcing the rules of the car park, except for the 23 hour
stipulation.
It was agreed that the Council considers joining the Open Spaces
Society at the next meeting and that the Clerk completes and submits
the application for the registration of the Village Green.
15/10 SEAT AT BIRMINGHAM ROAD/STATION DRIVE
The Clerk will obtain costs for the next meeting and to discuss the provision of a seat with the Housing Association.
16/10 APPLE TREES ON THE VILLAGE GREEN
Cllr Mrs Coley had inspected the two apple trees on the Green and noted
that they will soon be in need of attention. She made an offer to
replace these trees with two organic trees, which was welcomed by the
Parish Council. It was suggested action should not be taken until the
outcome of the registration is known. It was proposed by Cllr Long,
seconded by Cllr Mrs Coley, and agreed, that the Clerk writes to WFDC
asking if the PC can take over the responsibility for the maintenance
of the Green, including replacing the trees.
17/10 ANNUAL PARISH MEETING
It is expected that the Parish Plan will be presented but Members can consider whether an additional speaker should be invited.
18/10 ITEMS FROM CALC
There was nothing to report.
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19/10 CONSULTATION CORRESPONDENCE
The following documents were received for consultation. It was agreed that no reply be made.
1) WCC – Temporary 40 mph speed limit, A.456, for 11 weeks from 14th February
(2) WCC – Budget consultation meeting, County Hall, 25th January, at 6.30 pm
(3) WFDC – Register of Electors 2010
(4) CPRE agenda and meeting dates
(5) WFDC – LDF Core Strategy Pre-submission Publication; comments by 18th February (6) Kinver PC agenda and minutes
(7) Magazines, including Worcestershire Partnership, Word on Worcestershire
20/10 ITEMS OR PARISH INTEREST/ITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA
(1) The Big Tidy up
(2) Viewing planning applications
(3) Consideration of The Open Spaces Society membership
(4) Grant for Millennium Green
21/10 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
This will be held on Wednesday, 17th February 2010 in Blakedown Parish Room.
The meeting closed at 10.27 pm.
Dated this 17th day of February 2010 ……………………………………Chairman