Local Community
Staple Parish Council
Staple Parish Council
DRAFT: Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting
Wednesday 11th July 2012
Present: Cllr Facey (in the Chair)
Cllr Bartlett
Cllr Brooman
Cllr Mrs Cumberland
Cllr Holden
Cllr Kirk
Cllr White
1. No apologies were necessary.
2. Cllr Bartlett declared a prejudicial interest in any matters relating to Staple Church Flower Festival.
3. The minutes of the ordinary meeting, held on 13th June 2012, were confirmed and signed. Under matters arising therefrom:
Item 4: The new Clerk will contact three local businesses (P A Hollingworth and Co. Limited, CWS Construction Limited, and ALS Civil Engineers) to obtain firm estimates, timescales and guidance on the installation of the two Speed Indicating Devices (SIDs) Cllr Facey will also contact KCC Councillor Leyland Ridings to enquire about a Member Funding Grant.
4. Cllr Bartlett reported the following District matters:
At a recent Scrutiny, Policy & Performance meeting Veolia Environmental Services reported that most problems experienced in the transition to the new recycling and waste collection service have now been rectified. Dover District Council now has the highest amount of waste being recycled in Kent, over 50%.
Network Rail has successfully bid for funding of a project at Dover Priory that will include a multi-storey car park (500 spaces) and retails enhancements (6000 square feet). This is one of ten schemes across the country that will benefit from �15m of improvements and will help Dover capitalise on the high speed rail service to London.
The Olympic Torch will be arriving in Dover on 18th July before travelling through Deal and Sandwich on the 19th July. The Torch will arrive at the Prince of Wales Pier at approximately 6pm and the relay will travel around Dover until approximately 7.20pm, the public are invited to line the streets and support the Torchbearers and enjoy a fireworks display at Dover Seafront at 9.45pm. A ticketed music concert in Dover will be the largest Olympic Evening Celebration in Kent.
5. A member of the public asked whether a reply had been received from Stagecoach regarding delays and irregularities in the bus service. Cllr Bartlett said that he did not know whether Cllr Chandler had received a reply. It was agreed that the Clerk will write to Stagecoach about the matter, Cllr Facey will provide the Clerk with the necessary information, and Cllr Bartlett will discuss the issue with Cllr Chandler.
6. The Clerk provided a brief explanation on the layout of the financial statements and clarified that the balance of the accounts at the most recent date plus/minus any known income/expenditure should be used when budgeting any future expenditure. There is an approximate balance of �8k available for expenditure in the 2012/13 financial year. It is hoped that this will be enough for the purchase of two road SIDs in the current year.
A grant towards printing of the Escallop Magazine will be considered at the meeting of the council on 12th September when a possible figure for funding will be known.
7. Cllr Brooman reported that footpaths are currently cleared by Kent County Council twice a year, previously this had to be done three times a year, consequently some areas have become overgrown. Cllr Brooman has logged specific requests for two specific areas to be cleared as soon as possible. Members of the public can also report problems directly to the county council.
8. Cllr Brooman provided the following updates in relation to highways and transport:
Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, all local transport authorities in England have a duty to �secure the expeditious movement of traffic on the authority�s road network�. In January 2010 KCC introduced the Kent Permit Scheme with the objective of reducing disruption from works on the road network. Within a permit scheme any organisation intending to carry out works on the highway must apply for permission in advance of the works and KCC may choose to grant a permit or refuse the permit as submitted, and/or request conditions. Members of the public can view and comment on the proposed scheme by either visiting www.kent.gov.uk/kentlane2012 or by requesting a paper document from Lane Rental, C/O Roadworks Team, Highways Depot, Javelin Way, Henwood, Ashford, Kent, TN24 8AH.
Cllr Brooman is the lead contact for Staple Parish Council for reporting problems on public highways, however, members of the public can also report problems via www.kent.gov.uk/explorekent or by calling 0845 3450210. The website service is part of the county councils ongoing Customer Services Strategy and allows the public to receive email updates on the status of their report whilst saving KCC officers time previously spent logging calls.
Cllr Holden was elected Highways and Transport officer for the future.
9. A meeting of the Village Hall Committee has not taken place since the last Parish Council meeting and as such there is nothing to report at the present time.
10. It was agreed that the Kent Model Code of Conduct will be adopted by Staple Parish Council. The Clerk will attend training on the implementation of the code, provided by Dover District Council, and will have the necessary paperwork ready for authorisation at the next Parish Council meeting (Proposed Cllr Kirk, Seconded Cllr Brooman).
11.
The two planning applications listed on the agenda have already
been received and the council had agreed to raise no objection:
12/00262
� Installation of solar panels � Reed Cottage, Buckland Lane, Staple,
CT3 1JZ
12/00261
� Installation of solar panels � Reed Cottage, Buckland Lane, Staple,
CT3 1JZ
The Clerk will ensure that DDC are aware of the �no objection� decisions
of the council and the concern of the council regarding the quality of
these online planning applications, it is currently quite difficult to
view technical drawings via the DDC website due to their poor quality.
12. The following planning correspondence was noted:
Proposal: Erection of a roof extension incorporating a rear dormer, a single storey side extension and a front porch. Location: Rycote, Durlock Road, Staple, CT3 1JX
This application has been withdrawn and no further action will be taken.
13. The following correspondence was received:
- A local resident had written to the Chairman expressing his concern about the lack of information in the local media regarding events in the Parish and the work of the village correspondent in promoting the village. It was acknowledged that the village correspondent for the KM Group Newspaper can only report on what he knows about, in order to encourage good information sharing the Clerk will email the approved parish meeting minutes to the village correspondent from hereon in. Cllr Facey will respond to the author of the letter on this matter.
- The email from a Mary Elvey, at Connexions in Dover, regarding community projects for 16/17 year olds in the community was noted.
- A letter from Peter Wrathall, co-ordinator of St. James� Church Flower Festival, was read out. It was agreed to provide the event with a �30.00 donation (Proposed Cllr Holden, Seconded Cllr Kirk)
14. The following cheque payments were approved:
Cheque: 200008 - �130.00
To: P. Heathfield
For: Auditing Expenses in 2010/11 and 2011/12
Cheque: 200009 - �33.28
To: Post Office Limited
For: Tax Deduction for the Clerk
Cheque 200029 - �192.05
To: L. Fidler
For: Salary June 2012 and Home Office (�141.72)
Postage Costs June 2012 (�1.85)
Printer Ink & Paper (�48.48)
Cheque: 200030 - �30.00
To: Staple Church Repair Fund
For: Donation for Flower Festival
15. The following other business was discussed:
Asset Register
It was agreed that the current parish council register of assets, as
recorded for the Audit Commission, is out of date. The Clerk will
report back on how this can rectified in the future at the meeting in
October.
School Governor for Wingham Primary School
In the past Wingham and Staple Parish Councils have taken it in turn to
provide a school liaison representative/governor for Wingham Primary
School, however, this reciprocal agreement ceased approximately five
years ago. Wingham Parish Council have contacted the school to see
whether a new representative/governor would be desirable for the school
and Cllr Bartlett will provide feedback at September�s meeting on
whether someone is required.
16. The next meeting of Staple Parish Council is on Wednesday 12th September 2012 at 7.30pm at Staple Village Hall
The meeting was closed by Cllr. Facey at 20:58hrs