Present: Cllrs. Mrs. J. Pattison (Chairman), Mr. I Lloyd, Mrs C Leigh, Mrs. B. Gunby, Mr. S. Green and Mr. D. Hall
302.10 To receive any apologies for absence
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllrs. Mrs A Adams, Mrs E Simmonite and Mrs W. Thompson.
303.10 To approve the minutes of the Meeting held on 14th September 2010
Resolved: That the minutes of the Meeting held on 14th September 2010 are accepted and approved as a true record. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Gunby. Carried.
304.10 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 item 31 due to the confidential nature of the business to be conducted. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Leigh. Carried.
305.10 To declare any interests necessary for this meeting
a) Cllr. Lloyd declared his personal interest in agenda item 20
b) Cllr. Leigh declared her personal interest in agenda item 20
306.10 To note any matters arising (For information only)
a) There is no further news on action to be taken by RMBC against the owner of North Farm. A prosecution is still pending. Lewis Coates, Director of Public Protection has offered to attend an informal meeting with the Parish Council within the next few weeks if required.
b) Four grit bins have been ordered and these will be delivered during the first week in November
307.10 To consider planning applications
a) RB2010/1198: Erection of dormer bungalow at land adjacent 1 Winney Hill, Harthill for Mr J Bateman
Resolved: That an objection to this application is raised with RMBC on grounds of over development, plans out of keeping with adjoining properties and detrimental to the conservation area and potential access and parking problems. Carried
b) RB2010/1207: Single storey side & rear extension, formation of rooms in roof space and dormer windows to rear at 1 Dowcarr Lane, Woodall for Mr S. Lamb
Resolved: That there are no objections to this application. Carried
c) RB2010/1087: Conservatory at 71 Serlby Lane for Mr. B. Logan.
Resolved: That there are no objections to this application. Carried
308.10 To receive the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting held on 5 October
Resolved: That the minutes of the Finance Committee meeting held on 5 October are accepted. Proposed Cllr. Hall, seconded Cllr. Green. Carried.
309.10 To consider requests for financial assistance
A letter was received from Harthill Memories Society requested unspecified support. This was deferred until the next meeting pending receipt of a specific request and supporting evidence.
310.10 To approve the External Audit report for 2009/10
Resolved: That the external audit report for 2009/2010 is approved although the Council expresses strong reservations that the auditor has drawn attention to the Council’s reserves given that the level of reserves was unavoidable and was fully explained during the audit. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Lloyd. Carried
311.10 To receive a half year income and expenditure report
The Clerk presented a half year budget report which anticipates an overspend of £2-3k. This is entirely caused by non-budgeted expenditure during the year. No issues were identified.
312.10 To consider budget provision for 2011-12
The Clerk highlighted that the budget for 2011/12 would be prepared for the December meeting and discussed in detail at the November meeting. Councillors were asked to consider ant items of expenditure they would like to see included next year.
313.10 To approve purchase of a wreath for Remembrance Sunday
Resolved: That a wreath is purchased on behalf of the Parish Council for the Remembrance Sunday service. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Leigh. Carried
314.10 To consider renewal of the subscription to the NALC Direct Information Service
The Council has held a subscription to this service for the past year but a similar service is now provided by YLCA free of charge.
Resolved: That the subscription to the NALC Direct Information Service will not be renewed. Proposed Cllr. Lloyd, seconded Cllr. Gunby. Carried
315.10 To approve accounts for payment
There were no additional accounts to pay at this meeting
316.10 To note any correspondence
a) An invitation was received from Cornwall Light and Power to an event launch their operation at Loscar Farm.
b) An invitation was received from Tesco to a consultation event in connection with their new Dinnington store.
317.10 To consider allotment matters
a) Revised allotment agreements have been sent out to all tenants with the request that they are signed and returned before or when invoices are paid next April.
b) Following the adoption of the Allotments Policy the Clerk was asked to investigate incorporation of two Winney Hill plots into the leased grazing land. The Clerk will enquire with the leaseholder in the first instance.
318.10 To receive reports of September / October external meetings
a) A meeting was held with Jonathan Marriatt about the Leisure Centre valuation. This should be received within the next couple of weeks.
b) Area Assembly and PACT meetings were held during the month but were not attended.
c) A meeting was held with Andrew Lee of RMBC Highways re parking at the roundabout. He thought there was a valid case to put some form of restriction on it. However, although the cost of any work would be small, advertising of legal notices would cost in the region of £1500-2000. There is an embargo on spending until after the Spending Review so this will be returned to at a later meeting.
d) Mr. Lee also visited Serlby Lane to investigate complaints about access and parking problems. Again there was some understanding of the difficulties caused by traffic but he felt there was little if anything that could be done. A one way system is not viable and he felt that physical barriers would cause as many problems as they would solve. He agreed to keep the matter under review.
e) The Chairman attended a meeting about the Christmas Tree festival at All Hallows and confirmed Parish Council participation.
319.10 To receive information on external meetings arranged for October / November
a) The Parish Council Network was been scheduled against our PC meeting on 12 October so could not be attended.
b) The next South Rotherham Rural Transport Group meeting will be held on 18 October. The Clerk will attend as Cllr. Simmonite is on holiday.
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS
Resolved: That the meeting is adjourned for comments and questions from the press and public. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Leigh. Carried
No comments or questions were received
320.10 To consider lease conditions between the Parish Council and Harthill Village Hall Ltd.
A draft lease has now been prepared between the Parish Council and Harthill Village Hall Ltd. This has been subject to minor amendment by CISWO. Conditions of the lease were discussed.
Resolved: That the term of the lease will be 99 years. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Green. Carried
Resolved: That rent will be charged at a rate of £5.00 payable every 5 years. Proposed Cllr. Gunby, seconded Cllr. Green. Carried
Resolved: That the rent payable will be reviewed every 10 years (subject to further consultation with Waring’s Solicitors) Proposed Cllr. Hall, seconded Cllr. Pattison. Carried
Resolved: That following the commencement of the lease the Parish Council will pay for meetings held in the Village Hall at the appropriate rate. Proposed Cllr. Green, seconded Cllr. Pattison. Carried
321.10 To consider matters relating to the Village Hall
a) There have been four tenders for the Village hall refurbishment. Further information is pending from DTP. A decision on the successful tender will be taken at the next meeting following discussions with Harthill Village Hall Ltd.
b) All tenders are in excess of £140k. This causes a potential problem with a funding bid to Veolia as the maximum they offer is £100k. Cllr. Lloyd has identified a Big Lottery community buildings funding stream that may prove to be more suitable. Further research is required on this.
c) Investigations into the VAT position regarding the refurbishment indicates that HVH Ltd. will be eligible for zero rating.
d) The new company, with charitable status, came into being on 1 October 2010.
322.10 To consider arrangements for provision of Christmas trees in 2010
a) The Clerk has contacted RMBC about the possibility of a Woodall Christmas tree. Early indications are that a tree could be sited on RMBC Highways land providing a suitable site and electricity supply can be identified. A site meeting will be held shortly. The Clerk was also asked to investigate provision and fitting of lights with the Carnival Society.
b) The Harthill tree to be situated at All Hallows Church will once again be provided by Cllr. Hall. The Council thanked Cllr. Hall for his generosity. The Clerk will liaise with Mr Tune over transportation.
323.10 To consider grounds maintenance matters
a) The wall repair on Woodall Lane has now been completed. The replacement of the Manor Road street sign is still outstanding
b) Mr. G Tune will be installing small bushes and a chestnut fence at Winney Hill this month to prevent damage to residents’ fences from sledging
324.10 To consider matters related to Parish footpaths and bridleways
a) A meeting of the footpath booklet Steering Group will be held on October 19 at 6.30pm and will report progress to the next Parish Council meeting.
b) There is no further news on RMBC enforcement procedures over the Norwood footpath
325.10 To consider proposals regarding use of Groundwork (Creswell) services
A further meeting will be held with Groundwork (Creswell) on 14 October to discuss the possibility of them undertaking work in Harthill and Woodall as part of their scheme to provide work and training for Jobcentre Plus clients. It is expected that a detailed proposal will be available to discuss at the next meeting.
326.10 To consider proposals regarding use of the Community Payback scheme
A meeting was held with representatives of the Community Payback Scheme on Wednesday 6 October to discuss potential projects in the Parish and this appears to be very promising. A further meeting will be held within the next couple of weeks to produce more detailed proposals.
327.10 To consider matters relating to Harthill Leisure Centre
After the two open days at the bowling green there are now 25 members signed up for next year. As a result of this no further action will be taken on closure and the Council will continue to financially support the maintenance of the green. Retendering of the maintenance contract will be discussed at the next meeting as the present arrangement has now run for five years. Proposals for undertaking necessary maintenance will also be discussed at the next meeting.
328.10 To receive information on training related to the Power of Wellbeing
Resolved: That training with YLCA on the Power of Wellbeing should be arranged for November or as soon as practicable. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Gunby. Carried
329.10 To receive an update on the M1 J30-31 hard shoulder scheme
The road widening scheme affecting Woodall is currently on hold pending the Comprehensive Spending Review. Noise monitoring will only take place if the scheme does go ahead and in that instance they will consider attending a meeting with the Parish Council.
330.10 To consider matters related to the Woodall Lane play area
a) Maintenance of the cycle track and reconstruction of the maze were identified as potential projects that could be undertaken by Groundwork Creswell. This will be discussed at the next meeting with Groundwork.
b) No further progress has been made on external funding for the additional equipment at the play area. This is mainly due to the limited eligibility of the Council to apply for grants.
b) A meeting of the Play Steering Group will be held on October 19 at 7.15pm to discuss the funding and maintenance issues.
331.10 To receive an update on The Tom Wakefield Way
a) The vandalised bench has been successfully reinstalled.
b) There has been no further response from British Waterways over the Council’s request for a licence variation to allow for an additional bench
c) There are still several unresolved maintenance issues involving the pond path. The Clerk was asked to invite Richard Pett, RMBC Rights of Way Officer to a meeting in order to take things forward.
332.10 Individual Councillor Reports (For information only)
No further reports were received.
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.
333.10 To consider employment matters
Resolved: That due to an increase in the minimum wage, the handyman’s wage is increased to £6.43 per hour from 1 October 2009. Proposed Cllr. Pattison, seconded Cllr. Lloyd. Carried
Resolved: That the Clerk’s incremental increase is approved from 1 October. The new incremental point is Scale Point 30 (£25,472 pro rata). Proposed Cllr. Hall, seconded Cllr. Leigh. Carried
The meeting closed at 9.15 pm