Present: Cllr Mrs. J. Pattison (Chairman), Mr I Lloyd (Vice Chairman), Mrs B. Gunby, Mrs. C. Leigh, Mrs W. Thompson, Mrs A. Adams and Mr. S Green.
333.11 To receive any apologies for absence
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllrs. Mrs E. Simmonite and Mr. D. Hall
334.11 To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 9th November 2011
Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 9th November 2011 are accepted and approved as a true record. Proposed Cllr. Gunby, seconded Cllr. Adams. Carried.
335.11 To identify any agenda items from which the press and public should be excluded due to the confidential nature of the business to be discussed.
No items were identified
336.11 To declare any interests necessary for this meeting.
a) Cllr. Lloyd declared his personal interest in Agenda item 17
b) Cllr. Leigh declared her personal interest in Agenda item 17
337.11 To note any matters arising (For information only)
a) RMBC has undertaken some enforcement action on the owner of North Farm. The deadline for compliance was 9th December and further information is awaited
b) The Tanimara streetlight issue is still to be resolved. RMBC Rights of Way are pursuing the owners to prune the tree affecting the light.
c) The new Winney Hill Gate is finally due to be installed this week.
d) There has been further progress on the Parish Council footpath leaflets. Members of the Morris Men have walked the routes and checked for accuracy and new drafts have been produced. A prototype of one of the leaflets will be available at the next meeting.
e) The Clerk will check with Brookhouse Gas about outstanding repairs at the Leisure Centre
f) Internet banking with the Co-op Bank will be on the next agenda
g) No action has yet been taken on the broken stile between Spens Field and the brook
338.11 To consider planning applications
a) RB2011/1512 Conversion of outbuilding to form residential dwelling (amendment to RB2011/1003) at Norwood Lock, Woodall for Mr. J. White
Resolved: That an objection is made to RMBC in respect of this application on the same grounds as raised by Mr. Stonebridge on behalf of Chesterfield Canal Trust.
b) RB2011/1567 Erection of 2 detached two storey dwellings at land at 4 Union Street, Harthill for Mr. B. Hammond
Resolved: That no action is taken in respect of this application.
c) One of the applications for waste transfer activity at Kiveton Park Industrial Estate has been withdrawn and it was reported at the recent meeting with RMBC that the second is likely to be refused.
339.11 To receive the RFO’s report
a) After 8 months of the financial year, the Council has received 100% of anticipated income and spent 77% of planned expenditure. There are no concerns at this stage.
b) The VAT reclaim for £4603.08 has now been received.
340.11 To monitor the budget against income and expenditure
The management accounts were examined and no problems were identified
341.11 To verify bank reconciliation to 30th November
Bank statements were verified and initialled by two Councillors
342.11 To consider budget provision for 2012-13
A draft budget was presented to the last meeting and largely accepted. Since then, new information has been received which has budget implications, in particular the potential financial commitments from agenda items 11 and 20 and the potential saving from agenda item 19. It was agreed that the budget will be revised in light of recent changes and presented to the January meeting for approval.
343.11 To consider requests for financial assistance
A request has been received from Harthill Cricket Club for the Parish Council to act as the third party funder in an external funding bid to refurbish the pavilion and bring facilities in line with league requirements. This follows the club’s promotion to the Premier League last season. The request represents a commitment of approx. £1100 from the Parish Council during 2012/13.
Resolved: That the proposal to act as third party funder to Harthill Cricket Club, with a maximum financial commitment of £1100, is approved. Proposed Cllr. Leigh, seconded Cllr. Pattison. Carried
344.11 To approve accounts for payment
Resolved: That the presented accounts are accepted and approved for payment. Proposed Cllr. Green, seconded Cllr. Adams. Carried.
345.11 To receive the minutes of the November Allotments Committee meeting
Resolved: That the minutes of the Allotments committee meeting held on 16th November 2011 are accepted. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Leigh. Carried
346.11 To note any correspondence
There was no correspondence that is not covered by other agenda items.
347.11 To receive reports of November / December external meetings
a) A Rural Action Yorkshire meeting was held at Harthill Village Hall on Wednesday 16 November and was well attended by local groups seeking advice on funding.
b) The Rother Valley South Parishes meeting was held on 19 November but not attended. Minutes are awaited.
c) The Area Assembly meeting was held on Monday 5th December but not attended. Minutes are awaited.
d) The latest UNSCO meeting took place on Thursday 24th November. There is no significant progress but the Parish Councils have been cleared by RMBC to make direct approaches to the Health and Safety Executive and The Environment Agency re their concerns.
348.11 To receive information on external meetings arranged for December / January
a) The cancelled meeting with RMBC Area Housing Panel, Rights of Way and British Waterways re walks and reservoir development will probably take place in January.
b) The meeting with the Leisure Centre Management Committee will also take place in January.
c) The next Parish Council Network meeting is scheduled for 5th January, 5.30pm at the Town Hall.
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
Resolved: That the meeting is adjourned for comments and questions from the press and public. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Lloyd. Carried
No members of the press or public were present at the meeting
349.11 To consider matters relating to the Village Hall
A meeting was held with the Village Hall contractor to revise the project plan for the building work. This has produced a new schedule based on the money available. The total initial spend will be £43.5k which comprises £18.9k from the Veolia grant and £24.6k from Parish Council reserves. Work to be undertaken is repairs to the building exterior and roof, replacement of the boiler and refurbishment of the lounge and kitchen.
Resolved: That the revised project plan for Village Hall refurbishment is approved. Proposed Cllr. Thompson, seconded Cllr. Gunby. Carried
350.11 To consider other grounds maintenance matters
a) Groundwork Creswell is providing a quote for replacing the planter on Thorpe Road.
b) A grounds maintenance schedule for 2012 has been produced. A decision on this is deferred until the January meeting.
c) The RMBC quote we have accepted for 2012/13 for grass cutting on Doctor Lane and Winney Hill recreation grounds has been cut from £1600 to approx £800. This is due to a one-off cash injection by RMBC for next year only.
d) We have received notification from RMBC about next year's planned road maintenance which does not include Harthill with Woodall. The absence of Woodall Lane from the list has been formally protested but no reply has been received as yet.
Resolved: That a representative from RMBC is invited to a meeting in January to discuss road maintenance issues in the Parish. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Lloyd. Carried
e) Cllr. Gunby has reported pot holes on Northlands, Thorpe Road and Union Street and temporary repairs have been undertaken by RMBC.
f) Enquiries have been made about ploughing the football pitch area of Winney Hill recreation ground prior to establishment of a nature garden at the site. Mr. Dixon is the only person available with a small enough plough and he will provide a quote for the next meeting.
351.11 To consider matters related to the Parish Council website
Cllr. Lloyd and the Clerk attended a meeting at RMBC on Thursday 8th December about the website. The website in its current form is going to be disconnected on 31 March 2012 as RMBC is ending its contract with RBT Connect which hosts Parish Council websites. Options for the future are to accept a different RMBC micro-site or go it alone. The former looks to be the most attractive option but has a cost implication for design costs. RMBC has offered considerable help in transfer of existing content. Further discussions are to be held in January with a view to producing a generic Parish Council style that allows individual design.
352.11 To consider arrangements for The Hart
a) The next issue of The Hart is scheduled for mid January 2012
b) Cllr. Gunby has requested that the Hart is scheduled to include a late November issue to advertise and also an early summer issue.
353.11 To consider matters relating to the Woodall Lane play area
a) The outdoor multi-gym, only installed in April this year, has been seriously vandalised for the second time. Information panels for the four pieces of equipment were destroyed in July and finally replaced on Wednesday 30th November, at a cost of £1300. Two days later most of the panels were smashed again. The panels are advertised as virtually unbreakable so a great deal of force and effort has been used in order to do this. The Council has reported the matter to police who are treating it as criminal damage.
b) Mr Dixon has accepted the work to plant new trees. Commencement on this is dependent upon weather conditions.
354.11 Individual Councillor Reports
Cllr. Leigh has reported the pavement adjacent to North Farm to RMBC as it is in poor condition.
The meeting closed at 8.30pm