Parish Council Meeting
Hixon Parish Council
To: All Councillors
Notice, Summons and Agenda for a Meeting of the full council on
19 November 2024 at 7:00pm in Hixon Memorial Hall
Agenda
AGENDA
| Item Ref | Agenda Item | Report By | ||
| Open Meeting | Chair | |||
| 005/24 | To receive apologies. | Chair | ||
| 006/24 | To receive declaration of interest in any matter on the Agenda. Chair has recused himself from discussions/votes on all Stafford Borough Council planning applications. |
Chair | ||
| 007/24 | To receive written applications for dispensations under the Localism Act 2011 | Chair | ||
| 008/24 | Consider minutes of meeting 17 September 2024 | Chair | ||
| 009/24 | To determine any items on the agenda considered to be of a private nature that should be discussed at the exclusion of the Public and Press, under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 1 (2). | Chair | ||
| 083/22 | Consider agreement to continue with the scheme of delegation as agreed at meeting in January 2023. | Chair | ||
| 010/24 | To receive Borough Councillors’ reports. Written or verbal | Chair | ||
| 011/24 | To receive County Councillor’s report. Written or verbal | Chair | ||
| 012/24 | Close meeting for Public Participation. | Chair | ||
| 014/24 | Reopen meeting & agree date of next meeting (21st January 2025). | Chair | ||
| 015/24 | Chair’s announcements and Parish Councillor questions comments. | All | ||
| 016/24 | Planning Applications (previously considered by delegation to Clerk/Planning Committee) | None | ||
| 24/39618/HOU Single storey side extension to the front of the existing garage and rear single storey extension. 22 Hammonds Croft | Comment made | |||
| Agenda Items | ||||
| 054/24 | For information: Cllr. Chelsea Jones resigned from Hixon Parish Council on 17th September 2024, Clerk has contacted SBC who authorised co-option and the vacancy was duly advertised. | – | ||
| 055/24 | Report from the Chair of Wellington Field Allotments | Chair | ||
| 056/24 | Consider co-option of applicant to be a new councillor onto Hixon Parish Council: signing of Declaration of Office if appropriate. | Clerk | ||
| 071/24 | Matters Arising | Clerk | ||
| 026/24 | To consider updated Resolution Tracker and agree actions | Chair | ||
| 027/24 | Clerk’s Report – To note, and for information only. | Clerk | ||
| 032/24 | Update on marking boxes on car park by footpaths | Chair | ||
| 036/24 | New Road congestion – feedback on request that all lorries/HGVs use the West entrance to Hixon Airfield Estate. | Cllr Hopcroft | ||
| 040/24 | Update on CCTV on playing field | Cllr Hever-Smith | ||
| 043/24 | Update on floral decoration inside phone box at Sycamore Drive | Chair | ||
| 047/24 | Best garden awards: Feedback | Chair | ||
| 048/24 | Christmas Tree lights switch-on event: Update | Chair | ||
| 057/24 | Report from Employment Committee | Clerk | ||
| 058/24 | Draft Budget number one 2025-2026 (plus following 2 years) | Clerk | ||
| 059/24 | Consider appointment of Internal Auditor for 2024-2025 accounts and AGAR Return | Clerk | ||
| 060/24 | Consider quotes from TGM for Minor Highways, street nameplate cleaning for winter 2024, annual asset work for 2025. | Clerk | ||
| 061/24 | Consider items listed for attention from asset inspection. | Clerk | ||
| 062/24 | Risk Assessment training | Clerk | ||
| 063/24 | Consider cork for bus shelter notice boards | Clerk | ||
| 064/24 | Consider increase in price for dismantling and removal of Pasturefields bus shelter (£45 to £150). | Clerk | ||
| 065/24 | Review of mowing contract | Cllr S McKeown | ||
| 066/24 | Picnic benches for playing field – consider best way to proceed. | Chair | ||
| 067/24 | Update on Dogs on Lead signs | Cllr Hopcroft | ||
| 068/24 | Consider Light Pollution | Chair | ||
| 069/24 | Consider gully emptying | Cllr Hopcroft | ||
| 070/24 | Report from Planning Committee | Clerk | ||
| Projects, Task Groups and External Meeting Reports | ||||
| 045/22 | To receive and consider report for bike track facility at Church Lane Playing Fields. | Cllr Hever- Smith | ||
| 110/23 | Update from Highway and Road Safety group | Chair | ||
| 111/23 | Report on Electric Vehicle Charging | Chair | ||
| Finance / Administration / Legal | ||||
| 033/23 | Bank Reconciliation | Vice-Chair | ||
| 013/23 | Schedule of Prospective Agreed Payments (Amounts to be confirmed (amended if necessary) when known. Late invoices not included on the agenda may be paid, subject to resolution by majority of Councillors). | Chair/Cllr Hopcroft | ||
| Employment costs – Nov | £727.52 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill Nov – monthly purchase of Microsoft 365 Business | £12.36 | |||
| Mileage (33 miles @45p per mile) | £14.85 | |||
| Stamps (16 2nd class) | £13.60 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill for BKG gift cards | £105.00 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill for GoFile payment (1 year, VAT return filing) | £41.94 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill for tablecloths/kitchen roll/cups for Xmas lights event. | £60.94 | |||
| WaterPlus – car park drainage 2024 (8th Oct to 8th Nov) | £47.79 | |||
| drs for BKG certificates | £50.00 | |||
| drs for Christmas lights flyers | £110.00 | |||
| SBC for road closure order | £135.00 | |||
| Reimburse C Hilton for BKG presentation food/drink purchases | £114.23 | |||
| Reimburse J Carmichael for Christmas Lights purchases | £95.32 | |||
| HMRC – Nov | £292.50 | |||
| 034/23 | Receipts October 2024 | |||
| Bank Interest (October 31st) | £TBA | |||
| 035/23 | Consider significant correspondence received from residents: | |||
| Post | None | |||
| Email/phone calls: Numerous BKG replies. | ||||
| From October 2024 | ||||
| 033/23 | Bank Reconciliation | Chair | ||
| 013/23 | Schedule of Prospective Agreed Payments | Chair/ Cllr Hopcroft |
||
| Employment costs | £727.52 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill October – monthly purchase of Microsoft 365 Business | £12.36 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill mileage (32 miles @ £0.45 per mile) | £14.40 | |||
|
£34.00 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill for purchase of Coffee Mate | £5.50 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill for purchase of McAfee for 2 year subscription | £54.99 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill for purchase of plastic wallets | £8.78 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill for purchase of envelopes | £7.99 | |||
| Reimburse C Gill for purchase of TEN for Christmas tree Light Switch-on | £21.00 | |||
| Hixon Memorial Hall for hire July-September 2024 | £203.20 | |||
| WaterPlus 8th Sept to 8th Oct 2024 | £46.24 | |||
| TGM for annual asset work and Meadow Glade bed edges replaced | £996.00 | |||
| Estate Signs – 10 large poppies | £283.20 | |||
| Forvis Mazars for external audit | £252.00 | |||
| ALCC for annual subscription | £50.00 | |||
| SPCA for Councillor Induction Training for Cllr Hilton | £42.00 | |||
| HMRC: PAYE | £292.50 | |||
| Paid in advance | ||||
| Eversheds Sutherland for legal fees for car park | £924.00 | |||
| Receipts 6th Sept to 4th October 2024 | ||||
| Interest from bank (30th Sept) | £62.91 |
| 12th November 2024 Catherine Gill, Clerk to Hixon Parish Council |
Minutes
Hixon Parish Council
DRAFT Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held on Tuesday 19 November 2024
| In attendance for all or part of the meeting: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cllr. B McKeown (Chair), Cllr. Craen, Cllr. Hever-Smith (part), Cllr. Hilton, Cllr. Hopcroft, Cllr. Hughes (part), Cllr. S McKeown Apologies: Minutes taken by C Gill – Clerk, RFO and Proper Officer. |
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Members of the public: 4. Borough Cllr A Cooper gave apologies.
Meeting ended 10:15pm
|
Reports
Hixon Parish Council
19 November 2024 Agenda Item 057/24
Update from Employment Committee
1 Purpose of Report
1.1 To update Hixon Parish Council on the situation regarding communication methods as agreed by the Employment Committee.
2 Background Information and Key Issues
2.1 In November 2023 the Hixon Parish Council meeting agenda had an item to consider the purchase of a refurbished smartphone for the clerk to use, at a cost of around £100 and to use PAYG in the first instance with a view to looking at contract prices.
This was deferred and later transferred to the Employment Committee.
2.2 The Committee decided that a refurbished iphone should be purchased.
The August 16th minutes read:
| HPC mobile phone: it was agreed that the Clerk would purchase a phone for PC use, up to £100. Clerk and Cllr Hilton to go to EE store to determine the best deal and set-up, if possible (bank dd may be a problem) a contract. It was decided to stop promoting the landline number and start using the mobile number, once established. The Chair proposed reducing the Clerk’s telephone allowance by £10 or £5 pm as the landline no longer has free calls out – this was not agreed. Clerk will find out how much the landline is costing and when it can be removed from the contract without a penalty/how much the penalty would be. Review the landline phone allowance in 6 months. |
| It was agreed a WhatsApp group was an appropriate means of contact for the council, for reminders etc. This needs to be set up and a protocol agreed. |
3 Financial
3.1 Ca. £200 for the purchase of an iphone and the cost of the contract.
Preliminary investigations by Cllr Hilton and the Clerk suggest that £10 pm for a contract is achievable.
4 Resources
4.1 Councillors to each have a WhatsApp account.
5 Legal Implications
5.1 WhatsApp messages to be used as reminders/prompts/general discussions only, no decisions made. It is recommended that messages are deleted regularly, “Disappearing Messages” can be utilised.
6 Recommendation
6.1 Approve this report and authorise the expenditure.
7 Report produced by
7.1 Clerk – Catherine Gill
Hixon Parish Council
19th November 2024
Review Mowing Contract 2024 to 2026
Item 065/24
1 Purpose of Report
1.1 To recommend this report be received and considered at Hixon Parish Council (HPC) meeting 19th November 2024.
2 Background Information and Key Issues
2.1 As HPC’s previous Grass Mowing Contract was due to end in October 2023. It was proposed to introduce a new type of Contract for 2024 to 2026 that would be more environmentally orientated.
To this end, it was proposed to change the mowing regime to cutting all verges and land owned by the Parish Council to every two weeks from March to October each year over the Contract period. See below: –
- Verges to be cut one swathe width with visibility splays cut in full.
- Church Lane playing to be cut in full.
- Open spaces minimised cutting area to allow for wildflowers.
2.2 During the Summer / Autumn 2023 meetings were held with householders surrounding and adjacent to land owned by HPC to discuss the proposed new mowing regime.
2.3 The outcome from the meetings with householders to the proposed new mowing regime was positive.
2.4 In October 2023 a new mowing Contract was draw-up including detailed maps of areas to be cut. Tender details were sent to a list of Contactors and after due analysis the Contract was awarded to Acer Landscape.
2.5 Within the Contract, areas left for wildflower development would only be cut twice in September. The first cut of the wildflower areas was also going to be messy. However, the second cut in September rectified any issues.
2.6 All in all, the new mowing regime has worked better than expected.
2.7 With this in mind, propose HPC consider including Lea Heath in next year’s mowing season?
3 Financial
3.1 Quote to be obtained for additional Grass Mowing from current Contractor to include verges and visibility splays between 30mph signs in Lea Heath.
.
4 Resources
4.1 Draw up verges / visibility splays to be added to the current mowing Contract.
5 Legal Implications
5.1 Add proposed work to the current Mowing Contract.
5.2 Check with SCC as to whether the addition of Lea Heath grass mowing is acceptable and if any monies are available.
6 Recommendation
6.1 Continue with the new mowing regime for the next two seasons.
6.2 Consider extending the current Contract to include Lea Heath grass mowing between the 30 mph signs.
7 Report produced by
7.1 Cllr Susan McKeown
8 Appendices
8.1 None
Hixon Parish Council
19 November 2024 Agenda Item 070/24
Update from Planning Committee
Purpose of Report
1.1 To update Hixon Parish Council on how the Planning Committee will deal with planning applications.
2 Background Information and Key Issues
2.1 Large scale or possibly contentious planning applications often attract members of the public to the Planning Committee meeting.
These types of application require a different planning meeting format to a smaller or more routine application.
These are the minutes from the October 29th 2024 planning committee meeting (with the application being considered removed), giving the details of the format of planning meetings in the future.
| Item Ref | Agenda Item | Action By |
| Open Meeting | ||
| P001/24 | Apologies received from: see above. | – |
| P002/24 | Declaration of interest in any matter on the Agenda. | None |
| P003/24 | Written applications for dispensations under the Localism Act 2011 | None |
| P004/24 | Minutes of previous meeting on August 27th 2024 were agreed. | Clerk |
| P005/24 | To determine any items on the agenda considered to be of a private nature that should be discussed at the exclusion of the Public and Press, under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 1 (2). | None |
| P006/24 | Close meeting for Public Participation. | None |
| P007/24 | Reopen meeting | |
| Agenda Items | ||
| P008/24 | Planning Applications | |
| P010/24 | The best layout/order of the agenda to cover when members of the public are present, together with the presentations, were discussed. It was decided that the Chair would read out a statement only when there were members of the public (MOPs) present. This statement will be read out prior to the start of the meeting. A generalised copy of the statement would be placed on the chairs allocated for MOPs to cover any latecomers. The Clerk will display the agenda initially and then display the plans/site plans and any other relevant document (as previously) unless the Committee believes that the planning application is likely to attract attention from MOPs, in which case the Planning Committee members will convene before the meeting to discuss the best way (e.g. use of bullet points) to present the relevant information to attendees prior to MOPs giving their views on the application, using Committee Members/Councillor’s individual experience as appropriate. Following Public Participation (if appropriate), the Committee Councillors will then make a decision as to the Parish Council’s Planning Committee response to the appropriate Planning Authority.
The agenda template to be used for future Planning Committee meetings is attached as an appendix.
|
Planning Committee |
| Meeting ended 11.00am
|
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Appendix
| Hixon Parish Council To: Planning Committee Councillors Notice, Summons and Agenda for a Meeting of the Planning Committee on |
AGENDA
Opening Statement by Chair prior to start of meeting if MOPs present
| Item Ref | Agenda Item | Report By |
| Open Meeting | ||
| P001/24 | To receive apologies | Chair |
| P002/24 | To receive declaration of interest in any matter on the Agenda. | Chair |
| P003/24 | To receive written applications for dispensations under the Localism Act 2011 | Chair |
| P004/24 | Consider minutes of previous meeting on ? | Chair |
| P005/24 | To determine any items on the agenda considered to be of a private nature that should be discussed at the exclusion of the Public and Press, under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 1 (2). | Chair |
| Agenda Items | ||
| P008/24 | Planning Applications | |
| ?/24/?/FULL etc. | ||
| Planning Application Documents displayed. | Clerk | |
| If it is an application requiring a presentation for MOPs.
A presentation giving a description of the application with salient points highlighted. |
The most appropriate person(s) | |
| P006/24 | Close meeting for Public Participation (if required) | Chair |
| P007/24 | Reopen meeting | Chair |
| P008/24contd | Planning Application
Consideration of application by council. |
Chair |
3 Financial
3.1 None for the outcome from the meeting of October 29th.
However, any meeting held in the Memorial Hall (as opposed to the portacabin) is likely to attract a charge. This requires discussion and a decision made as to when planning committee meetings will be held in the hall, the costs of which will have to be included in the budget.
4 Resources –
4.1 Possible financial resource for hire of the hall
5 Legal Implications
5.1 None.
6 Report produced by
7.1 Clerk – Catherine Gill