Minutes 24 May 2021
Minutes of the Meeting of Stoodleigh Parish Council, immediately following the Annual Parish Council Meeting held in the Parish Hall 24 May 2021
Members present -: Chairman Cllr L Biles Vice Chair Cllr J Widdowson Cllr W Knowles Cllr G Parkman Cllr C Payne Cllr G Talbot
- Apologies – none received
- Declarations of Interest – Cllr Talbot declared a personal interest in the planning item 21/00783/CAT
- The Public – there was no one present
- Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held 29th March and the Planning Meeting 1st May – these were approved and signed as a true record
- Planning reports & outcomes
21/00042/FULL Agricultural access onto road Broadmead X to Spurway Mill – permission granted with permission to discharge
21/00149/LBC Rebuilding 1 chimney & external repointing Alridge Mill, Oakford – permission granted
21/00755/CAT Tree surgery Moss Rose Cottage
21/00783/CAT Tree surgery Jessica Cottage
21/00784/FULL Erection of a Distributor Network Building ancillary to Solar Farm, East of Bowdens Lane, Shillingford
21/00785/HOUSE Erection of a double garage following demolition of existing garage, Moss Rose Cottage – awaiting decision although some ground work seems to have started
- Reports
County and District Council, there were no representatives present. County Councillor Richard Chesterton had felt that he was too newly elected to office to contribute to the meeting
The Spring Litter pick had been very well supported. 25 people turned out and the volume collected was such that it had to be removed in a MDDC vehicle. There have been no recent fly tipping incidents.
Roger Hill is to be asked to reseal the Notice Board by the Inn – action Cllr Widdowson
Cllr Knowles hopes to adjust the Church Path Gates.
The gateway in Rull Lane is blocked but has the addition of barbed wire which could cause a problem to people or animals. A letter is to be sent to Mr Williams to draw attention to this potential hazard.
District Cllr Ray Stanley had thought that the “lay by” in The Drive was possibly privately owned and as thus the owner was at liberty to minimise parking or suchlike.
- The Playground – Cllrs Widdowson and Knowles are to meet on site to discuss the outstanding adjustments as identified in the annual inspection. The weather has been too wet so far to raise the ground level under some of the equipment
- Forthcoming Annual Parish Meeting
Cllr Knowles would like a trustee of the Stoodleigh Inn to attend. This was stressed as no reflection on the capabilities or efficiency of the current landlady but he would have liked reassurance on the long term future of the Inn. The Clerk agreed to try to arrange this.
The fragmentation and sale of small pieces of woodland continues to be of some concern and the subject will feature at the Wednesday, Parish Meeting. The Clerk was asked to ascertain the present situation with planning consent and monitoring thereafter. The identification of sites with potentially contravention issues although reported to the appropriate MDDC channels seem to have little response to date and the suggestion was made to involve the local MP. Although frequently covenants are attached to the property when sold these often are ignored. The associated problems include the destruction of habit, the introduction of non-native species, increased traffic and generally a noticeable impact on the environment.
£250 surplus from the Locality Budget has been earmarked for new chairs for the Village Hall. £1000 from the S106 Budget is still available for a new project or similar.
- Finance
Current HSBC account is £10,039.30
The Annual Governance Accounts and Statement were approved
(i) Annual Governance Statement
(ii) Annual Accounting Statement
(iii) Certificate of Exemption
It was agreed for the Clerk to contract into a 3 year public liability insurance policy as this might be a significant saving long term. Payment thus approved to Community First £213.81.
Payments also approved to DALC £72.29 Tax & Accounts £50.40