Meeting 3rd April 2023

EDINGALE PARISH COUNCIL

DRAFT MINUTES OF PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

Meeting of the Parish Council
held on Monday 3rd April 2023
7.30 pm, at Edingale Village Hall

Members present:
Cllrs Startin (Chair), Cliffe, Lacey, Maskery, Mason and Meikle
Present: Clerk, Mrs Jones, 3 members of the public
51/23. To receive and approve apologies
Cllr Dhillon had apologised as he was away, his apology was accepted.

52/23. To receive any Declarations of Interest
None received.

53/23. To approve the draft Minutes of the meeting of 6th March 2023 The draft Minutes were approved and signed.
54/23 To adjourn the meeting, to hold the public session, to reconvene
A member of the public enquired about the flagpole. The key had been found and would be kept at the school, a new flag had been obtained and was now flying.

A resident asked about Chetwynd Bridge; there had been a rumour that there would be a width limit to stop large vehicles from ignoring the weight limit, but there had been no confirmation from the authorities of this. Anecdotally there had been cases of HGVs breaking the weight limit. A width limit would cause problems for the Catton festivals as camper vehicles would be unable to use the bridge. It was agreed that it was important to campaign for a new bridge.

55/23 To receive the Clerk’s Report
The logo had been completed and was now in use for Parish Council correspondence.
Trees in Church Lane – there had been correspondence from Holy Trinity Church regarding the ownership of the land where the trees stood; an explanation had been sent about the research into this some years ago by the Parish Council.
30 mph signs in Pessall Lane had been requested, they would be considered by the County Council’s Divisional Highways Programme.
Gully emptying in Croxall Road had been done, Cllr Mason offered to check this.
Raddle Lane and Croxall Road damaged name signs had been reported to Lichfield District Council and would be replaced in a few weeks.

56/23 To consider any Planning matters.
No new applications or decisions to report. Information had been received on the Oaklands solar farm application near Rosliston.
The Parish Council had been informed by Lichfield District Council of a CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) payment regarding a property at Mill Lane.

57/23 To consider HS2 funding
Applications for HS2 funding needed to be for specific projects, a meeting had been held between Cllr Maskery, Cllr Mason and a Village Hall representative to discuss co-operation with the Village Hall on possible projects. Consultation with the community was a vital element and could be done by surveying residents at the Coronation event. It would need to be discussed at a future Parish Council meeting and match funding could be required.
58/23 To consider Best Kept Village Community Competition
Cllr Meikle explained tidy up activities that were required over the next few weeks; he would arrange for information on jobs required and working parties to be put on the village Facebook page. Entry would be made this week and the fee would be paid by the Parish Council. The map would be updated. Various hedges that were growing over footways would need trimming. Cllr Meikle was thanked for all his work so far.
59/23 To receive an update on the May 2023 election
Information for those wishing to join the Parish Council had been circulated and it was thought that some new prospective members had completed nomination papers. Cllr Lacey indicated that he would not stand for the Parish Council and was thanked for his contribution during the past few years. Cllr Dhillon had been unable to complete a nomination form as he was away, and he would also be thanked for his contribution to the Parish Council.

60/23 To receive an update on Chetwynd Bridge.
As mentioned during the public session a query had been sent asking whether a width limit would be introduced to prevent large vehicles from using the bridge but no response had yet been received.
61/23 To receive Councillors’ Reports
Cllr Mason reported on several matters:
The tree surgeon had not done the work required, should another be contacted?
The taxi continued to run each week with 3 passengers who had continued to donate towards this.
He reported that a conduit near the junction of the private road in Pessall Lane was blocked and needed reporting.
The layby in Harlaston Road was frequently a dumping ground for litter, he suggested a sign or litter bin could be placed there.
He suggested that work was needed to point the brickwork at the old pump in Lullington Road to prevent further deterioration, the landowner would need to be contacted.
The plant barrels were ready to plant out when there was less risk of frost but in time for the Best Kept Village Judging.
Cllr Meikle asked for Lichfield District Council to be contacted to arrange for the street sweeper to clean the pathways before the judging took place.
Cllr Maskery explained that only one battery was available for the solar panels at the Village Hall, it was to be fitted soon and she had paid the deposit. It was agreed that she should be reimbursed for this. The cost was lower than the amount agreed last July and the balance would be paid when the invoice was received.
Cllr Maskery also said that the National Lottery had agreed to pay £1,000 towards the Coronation event and that the Parish Council grant would not be needed.

62/23 To receive Correspondence
SPCA bulletins
Lichfield District Design Code webinar
Lichfield District Council, elections information
Community Foundation for Staffordshire, details of rural funding
HMRC, end of year information

63/23 To receive a Financial Report
The bank reconciliation stood at £9995.
It was RESOLVED to approve the report. See appendix 1.

64/23 To approve payments on the Payment Schedule.
Staff costs; salary, expenses, pension and PAYE, £404.45
Acorn Taxi – February and March, 293.76
Village Gardeners, mowing £566.48
Holy Trinity Church, donation for churchyard maintenance £900
Coralie Wells, logo design £100
SPCA, annual subscription £193.09
Louise Purkess, reimburse solar battery deposit £1438.50
Community Foundation, Best Kept Village Competition fee £27.50
It was RESOLVED to approve the payments; Cllr Startin would authorise these.

Date of next meeting
Monday 15th May 2023. The meeting closed at 8.30 pm.
Annual Parish Meeting at 7.15 pm, Annual Meeting of the Parish Council at 7.45

 
Appendix 1 Financial Report
Bank Reconciliation Current
Balance bf 11,747.20 Cooperative
less payments 24,938.85 Community Acc.
Plus receipts 23,187.57
Total 9,995.92 9,995.92

Includes £3973.32 transferred from capital to current on 27.3.23 for spending on assets (as in March Financial Report)
(b) Performance against budget
Heading Budget To end of year Remaining
Staff costs 4600 5016 -416
Administration 2879 2949 -70
Room hire, taxi, subs etc
Maintenance 6921 9909 -2988
Grass cutting, trees etc
S137 2400 2400 0
Donations, church, party

Staffing increase cost due to pay rise, administration cost due to increased insurance etc, maintenance increased cost due to sign installation (now transferred from capital fund) and hedge clearance.
(c) CPRE
Direct debit set up at £3 a month
(d) Capital funds
Cooperative Buckinghamshire Cambridge TOTAL CAPITAL
14 Day account Bond Council Saver
0.50% 0.75%
16,111.12 43,992.01 5,605.78 65,708.91

(d) End of financial year
PAYE reporting, final accounts, and Annual Return to be prepared.
(e) Grants
As in the approved budget:
£1000 for Coronation Event at the Village Hall as agreed at March meeting, no longer required.
£900 to approve for churchyard maintenance.