Present: Cllrs. Mrs. J. Pattison (Chairman), Cllr. I. Lloyd (Vice-Chairman), Mrs. E. Simmonite, Mrs C Leigh, Mr. S. Green, Mrs. W. Thompson, D. Hall and Mrs. B. Gunby
069.10 To receive any apologies for absence
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr. Mrs A. Adams.
070.10 To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 9th February 2010
Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting held on 9th February 2010 are accepted and approved as a true record. Proposed Cllr.Hall, seconded Cllr. Lloyd. Carried.
071.10 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
Resolved: That the press and public should be excluded from agenda items 36 and 37 due to the confidential nature of the business to be conducted. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Lloyd. Carried.
072.10 To declare any interests necessary for this meeting
a) Cllr. Thompson declared her personal interest in agenda item 15
b) Cllr. Lloyd declared his personal interest in agenda item 22
073.10 To note any matters arising (For information only)
a) The damage to the Winney Hill phone box has been reported to BT.
b) The Harthill House Group conifers have now been pruned.
c) The drainage scheme at the reservoir will now definitely not be undertaken during this financial year. This item will be on the agenda in April
d) The repaired pothole on Winney Hill, reported at the last meeting, is now a pothole again and has been reported.
074.10 To consider planning applications
a) RB2010/0137. Two storey front extension with ground floor projecting by 1m, to house a sitting room to the ground floor and a bedroom to the first floor for Mr. R. Smith at 32 Walseker Lane, Woodall.
Resolved: That there is no objection to this application. Carried.
075.10 To receive an update on non-traditional housing issues
a) Work has commenced at the three sites in Harthill and no problems have been reported so far.
b) The letter from RMBC advising owner occupiers about sources of financial help has still not been sent.
c) A briefing was given to the Parish Council by Cllr. Thomas Fenoughty of RMBC on 11th February. This gave an update on the planned works on Council properties but there are as yet no details of potential financial help for owner occupiers.
076.10 To consider risk assessment matters
a) Several of the action points from the Village Hall risk assessment have been addressed and the remainder will be completed by April. A quote of £336 has been received from Mr. R. Rose to install bespoke loft ladders. This work was identified in the risk assessment as essential.
Resolved: That the quote of £336.00 received from Mr R. Rose is accepted and that the work should be undertaken as soon as possible. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Simmonite. Carried.
b) The risk assessment on the Leisure Centre is now scheduled to take place in March.
c) The risk assessment on the duties of the handyman will be undertaken in April.
077.10 To receive the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting held on 2nd March
Resolved: That the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting held on 2nd March are accepted. Proposed Cllr. Hall, seconded Cllr. Green. Carried.
078.10 To verify bank reconciliation to 28th February 2010
Bank statements were examined and checked and initialled by two councillors
079.10 To approve the Parish Council Asset Register (as recommended by the Finance Committee)
Resolved: That the revised Assets Register for 2010/11 is approved. Proposed Cllr. Leigh, seconded Cllr. Gunby. Carried.
080.10 To approve the Parish Council Financial Risk Assessment (as recommended by the Finance Committee)
Resolved: That the revised Financial Risk Assessment for 2010/11 is approved.Proposed Cllr. Leigh, seconded Cllr. Hall. Carried.
081.10 To approve arrangements for internal audit (as recommended by the Finance Committee)
A review of the effectiveness of the Council’s system of internal audit has been undertaken.
The current remit for the internal auditor is to review internal controls and ensure that the Council has complied with its own financial regulations. The Clerk as Responsible Finance Officer provides a regular bank reconciliation to the Internal Auditor together with bank statements, files, minutes and all other documentation requested. All payments are approved by the Council and all invoices available for inspection by the Council. Cheques are signed by authorised signatories in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Act 1972 and the Council’s Financial Regulations.
No amendment was considered necessary to the current process for internal audit and it was recommended that the internal audit should take place in May 2010.
Resolved: That no amendment is required to the Council’s existing remit for internal audit.The internal audit will take place in May 2010.Proposed Cllr. Simmonite , seconded Cllr. Thompson. Carried.
082.10 To approve renewal of membership of Yorkshire Local Councils Associations (YLCA)
Resolved: That renewal of membership of Yorkshire Local Councils Associations (YLCA) at a subscription of £435.00 is approved. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Pattison. Carried.
083.10 To consider requests for financial assistance
a) A request for a grant of £1200 was received from Harthill with Woodall in Bloom, with supporting documentation.
Resolved: That the request for a grant of £1100 from Harthill with Woodall in Bloom is approved and that this will be paid in April 2010. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Simmonite. Carried..
b) A request for an unspecified donation was received from Rotherham Holiday Aid.
Resolved: That the request for an unspecified donation from Rotherham Holiday Aid is not approved. Proposed Cllr. Thompson, seconded Cllr. Lloyd. Carried.
c) A request has been received from Harthill Memories Society for a donation of £100 towards storage costs pending a more permanent solution being found.
Resolved: That the request for a £100 donation from Harthill Memories Society is approved. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Hall. Carried.
084.10 To approve accounts for payment
There were no additional payments that had not previously been approved by the Finance Committee.
085.10 To note any correspondence
A letter has been received from Harthill Memories and Local History Society requesting the Parish Council’s help in securing local storage for archive material and equipment. It was agreed that an investigation would take place into available space at the village hall and that the access improvement planned for the loft may solve the problem. Cllr. Lloyd and the Clerk will liaise on this.
086.10 To receive the minutes of the Allotments Committee meeting held on 16th February
Resolved: That the minutes of the Allotments Committee meeting held on 16th February are accepted. Proposed Cllr. Leigh, seconded Cllr.Pattison. Carried
087.10 To consider allotment matters
a) Parish Council approval was sought to update allotment and garage conditions as recommended by the Allotments Committee.
Resolved: That a review of the General Conditions for allotments and garages is undertaken and completed before August 2010. Proposed Cllr. Gunby, seconded Cllr. Green. Carried
b) Parish Council approval was sought to review the Allotments Policy as recommended by the allotments Committee in view of proposed changes at the Winney Hill site.
Resolved: That a review of the Parish Council’s Allotments Policy, to allow for changes to be made at the Winney Hill site, is undertaken and completed by August 2010. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Pattison. Carried
c) Approval was sought to let a piece of a garage plot as an allotment at Doctor Lane to help alleviate the waiting list. However it was discovered that the land is actually allotment land and no approval is necessary. The land in question will be let as Doctor Lane Plot. No 11 and records will be updated.
d) Resolved: That drawings submitted for the upgrading of a garage by Mrs B. O’Neill are approved. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Thompson. Carried
088.10 To receive reports of February / March external meetings
No meetings were held that are not included in other agenda items.
089.10 To receive information on external meetings arranged for March / April
a) The next Rother Valley South Parishes meeting will take place on 11 March. No-one is able to attend and apologies have been sent.
b) The next Area Assembly meeting will be held at Woodsetts Village Hall at 6pm on Monday 12 April.
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
Mr Newby raised questions about approved delegated budget items where the work had not yet been completed by RMBC. This was on the agenda for later in the meeting. He also raised an outstanding commitment by RMBC to upgrade highway signage at Woodall. The Clerk said that he did not think that this had been offered for the current financial year but he would pursue the matter with Highways and report back to the next meeting.
090.10 To consider matters relating to the Village Hall
a) The initial report from The Design Team Partnership re the proposed feasibility study was circulated among Councillors and was favourably received. The next stage is to examine the proposals and produce a list of items to be costed as part of the refurbishment. A meeting to undertake this was arranged for Tuesday 16th March at 7pm. Cllr. Lloyd will circulate the DTP report to the Village Hall Management Committee for their input.
b) The Village Hall Management Committee have now met and agreed to pursue charitable status. Further work will be undertaken with VAR and a solicitor to take this forward.
c) A quote of £800 has been received from Ilett & Clark in respect of drafting a commercial lease between the Parish Council and the VHMC. Further quotations will be sought.
d) Cllr. Lloyd reported that three new potential members of the VHMC have come forward
091.10 To consider grounds maintenance matters
a) Details of new contacts for Streetpride grounds maintenance staff were circulated to Councillors
b) Outstanding work such as the road repairs to Winney Lane and Woodall Lane have not been completed by RMBC as expected. The Clerk will follow this up before the next meeting.
c) Cllr. Lloyd has reported further fly tipping at Loscar.
092.10 To consider matters relating to footpaths and bridleways
a) Cllr. Lloyd has examined the Rotherham Borough Council Rights of Way partnership scheme to maintain public footpaths, in which the Parish Council has been invited to participate. It was felt that because the scheme has very constrained budget limits that there would be no advantage in taking part this year.
Resolved: That the Parish Council does not wish to participate in the RMBC Rights of Way partnership scheme during 2010/11. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Leigh. Carried
b) A letter was sent to the Norwood land tenant on 16th February seeking to discuss various problems discovered on the public right of way at Norwood. These included footpath blockages and unofficial and misleading signage. No reply or acknowledgement of the letter has been received to date.
Resolved: That the Rotherham Borough Council Rights of Way team are asked to carry out enforcement action in relation to footpath no. 18 at Norwood as soon as possible. Proposed Cllr. Leigh, seconded Cllr. Gunby. Carried
c) The third phase of the Parish Council footpath inspection walks will take place on Sunday 21st March. Cllr. Gunby will take the lead on this.
d) The Clerk has made initial enquiries about the production of an up to date footpaths booklet. RMBC would provide support for this initiative and would welcome an early meeting to discuss the way forward. The Clerk will arrange a meeting for April
093.10 To receive an update on Power of Wellbeing training
Because of difficulties in arranging the necessary training this has now been deferred until Autumn 2010.
094.10 To receive an update on Quality Parish Council status and the Clerk’s CiLCA qualification
a) The Clerk’s CiLCA portfolio has been submitted to the assessor for comment. Some revisions are expected. Completion is anticipated by June 2010.
b) Work on the Quality Parish Council portfolio will recommence once the Clerk has achieved the CiLCA qualification.
c) A Parish Council surgery is being trialled as an additional “Communication” item to be included in the QPC portfolio. The first surgery was held on 9th March and two members of the public attended. A further surgery will be held on 13th April.
095.10 To consider applications to the 2010/11 RMBC Delegated Budget
a) Forms for the new round of delegated budget applications were circulated to Councillors for full consideration at the next meeting. Forms need to be sent back to the Area Assembly by June.
b) Two successful applications from last year’s delegated budget have still not yet been resolved. These are the improvements to roadside fencing at the school and an upgrade of street lighting on Woodall Lane. The Clerk will follow these up with RMBC.
096.10 To consider further action on the North Farm development
It is now six months since a letter was received from RMBC indicating that enforcement action was to be taken at North Farm with regard to cleaning up the site. No action has as yet been taken and there are now additional safety concerns following reports of children playing at the site.
Resolved: That a letter is sent to Karl Battersby of RMBC requesting an update on planned action at North Farm and raising additional safety concerns. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Gunby. Carried.
097.10 To consider action re plans to install additional grit bins
The Service Level Agreement has now been signed between the Parish Council and RMBC in respect of placing additional grit bins on the highway. Because of delays in agreeing the SLA and further delays with the supplier of the bins it was proposed to defer implantation until October 2010.
Resolved: That the implementation of additional grit bins, as agreed with RMBC, is deferred until the last week in October 2010. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Thompson. Carried.
098.10 To consider an outline proposal for a pharmacy in Harthill
An outline proposal for a pharmacy in Harthill has been received for comment and a meeting with Kiveton Park surgery has been held to discuss the proposal.
Resolved: That a comment is submitted to the PCT raising concerns about the viability of a stand alone pharmacy in Harthill and the possible effects on existing medical services. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Simmonite. Carried.
099.10 To consider action on M1 noise pollution at Woodall
There has been no new information or communication from the Highways Agency for more than a year.
Resolved: That an update is sought from the Highways Agency, particularly in relation to timescales and measures to reduce noise in Woodall. Proposed Cllr. Simmonite, seconded Cllr. Lloyd. Carried.
100.10 To receive an update on the Easter holiday play scheme in Harthill
This will be held during the 2nd week of the Easter holidays and is open to 5+ ages. RMBC will organise all the publicity for it, including a visit to the school. The actual cost of the Easter holiday play scheme is £1050 but RMBC has agreed to cap the cost at £900 to meet the Parish Council’s budget.
101.10 To receive an update on the draft Spens Field lease
The lease has now been cleared by Ilett & Clark following approval by the Parish Council. There is a further delay however as the land plan accompanying the lease shows a YEDL box which is not appropriate to our lease and needs to be removed. This should be resolved quickly and a start date of 1 April has been agreed. Signing between RMBC and the Parish Council has been arranged to be done by post.
102.10 To receive an update on plans to resurface the Woodyard car park
This work has now been completed and has been generally well received.
103.10 To consider matters related to the Woodall Lane play area
a) Works to improve drainage at the site are expected to take place this week.
b) Work to improve the maze has now been undertaken
c) The Play Steering Group will resume in April after all remedial work has been completed.
104.10 Individual Councillor Reports (For information only)
Cllr. Gunby asked if a further article on dog waste could be included in the next issue of “The Hart”
Cllr. Green reported that one of the nets was loose at the Doctor Lane play area. The Clerk will report this to the handyman.
Exclusion of the Press and Public
Resolved: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972. Carried.
105.10 To receive an update concerning matters relating to Parish Council land
Ilett & Clark and the purchaser have advised that the revised schedule for completion of the sale of land at Winney Hill is before 14th March 2010.
106.10 To consider employment matters
A request has been made from the Clerk for a contribution of £200 towards the cost of a new laptop computer which is used for Parish Council purposes. The overall cost was £409.
Resolved: That the request for a £200 contribution towards the cost of a laptop computer is approved. Proposed Cllr. Thompson, seconded Cllr. Gunby. Carried
The meeting closed at 9.41pm