093/15Attendance and Apologies for Absence

The Minutes Of The Ordinary Council Meeting of Shipley Parish Council Held On Monday 15th June, 2015 at Coolham Village Hall, Coolham at 7:30pm

093/15Attendance and Apologies For Absence

Those Present:P Baxter, W Beckett, J Coad (Chair), J Emrich, G De Zoete

Also Present: Cllr A Jupp (WSSC) Cllr N Jupp (HDC) Cllr K Rowbottom (HDC) Parish Clerk F McNeile, and 10 members of the public

Apologies: T Hayes (Funeral), N King-Tours (Commitment), G Lindsay (Travel), L Lovett (Work Travel) S Roggendorff (Work Commitment) P Sinton (Commitment)

094/15To Receive Declarations of Interest, Notification of Changes to Members’ Interests and consider any requests for a dispensation.

None

7:31pm Cllr Rowbottom entered the room.

095/15Approval Of The Minutes of the Annual Council Meetingheld on Thursday 21st May 2015

The minutes having previously been circulated were taken as read. Cllr Baxter requested that an English spell checker be used on minutes. Cllr De Zoete noted that the minutes stated she had lived in the area for 28 years and it should read 38 years. Cllr Coad proposed that the minutes be accepted and signed as a correct record, this was unanimously AGREED.

7:35pm Cllr A Jupp and Cllr N Jupp entered the room.

096/15Matters Arising from Item 095/15 (For information only)

074/15 HDC Planning have confirmed that there will not be any S106 monies forthcoming from the Falconers Feeds development of two dwellings.

076/15 The Clerk has reported the tarmac problem on Thakeham Road near The Selsey Arms. The Clerk is awaiting news on this problem.

The Clerk has photographed and reported the pavement problem outside The Old School House on the Coolham Road to Love West Sussex

The Chairman has spent time filling in rabbit holes with top soil on the lower field at Coolham. Since doing this work he has checked the field and noted that the problem has not deteriorated. He has also filled in the holes near the upper swings but suggests that this area is rotavated in the spring. The mole hills at the top of Jeffords Field have been flattened during the mowing of the field. It was also noted during this work, that dog fouling is increasing on the fields. These problems will continue to be monitored on the monthly check carried out by the Chairman as part of the play area inspections. As advised by the Council’s insurers, the Clerk will be securing notices around Coolham Playing Fields, alerting members of the public to the risks of using a rural playing field and requesting dog walkers to remove dog mess.

Geoff Langridge is unable to assist with pest control and the Clerk will investigate the costs of pest control.

The Clerk has spoken to and written to McDonalds. The email response was “I was sorry to hear that you are still encountering problems with litter dropped by irresponsible individuals.

We would be happy to assist you in your efforts to address the problem by organising a "Litter collection" project as a gesture of goodwill on our part to help the local community that we serve and are part of.

I will discuss the matter with Mr. Simon VanDrongelen [McDonald's Business Manager at Buck Barn] who in turn will liaise directly with you to finalise details of the arrangement.

Please await the call from Simon early next week [Simon is currently on annual leave].

Please don't hesitate to get back with me if you require any clarification.

All the very best, John O'DwyerMcDonald's Owner Operator.”

087/15 The Clerk is awaiting confirmation of the Council’s Automatic Enrolment date into the LGPS scheme. This is the date that the Council have to legally offer a pension scheme to employees.

089/15 The Clerk confirmed all pot holes had been reported on Love West Sussex.

091/15 The Clerk to explain that we are over-insured on the War Memorial rebuild and the clerk has notified the Council’s insurance company

097/15Report from the Police

Horsham District Commanders Monthly Newsletter

On Sunday 10 May the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) carried out Operation Ride, an enforcement initiative focusing on motorcycle safety. Much of the day’s enforcement activities were carried out within Horsham district, mainly around the A272 and A24. In total the team issued: nine Traffic Offence Reports (TOR), one Section 59 warning, four G16 tickets (summons to court) one V79 ticket (change of details required) and four verbal warnings. One intelligence report was also submitted.

22nd May Email Notification

TO ALL PARISH CLERKS AND CHAIRS - HORSHAM DISTRICT

As you are aware we previously committed to providing a monthly written update to the parish council meetings, and we also look to attend each parish council meeting every 3 months (unless you have indicated that you require it less).

We currently have 35 parishes/ward in Horsham District and now have 10 PCSOs for the area. I am also mindful that we have not always provided you with monthly updates. To ensure that we do deliver on what we promise, we are now going to change the way we provide you with information. Instead of providing monthly ward updates prepared by the PCSOs, you will be sent the weekly bulletin that we send to Neighbourhood Watch. This contains the main information that has happened on Horsham District that week. In turn, we will continue to send you the Chief Inspectors monthly newsletter.

If there is something that is significant in a particular parish, then we would look to communicate with you in a timely fashion (e.g. recently emailing Billingshurst, Pulborough and West Chiltington regarding the 82 offences of damage to cars with an update on police action). In turn, if there is specific information you require, please feel free to contact us by emailing , and we will then ensure you are provided with a timely response.

We will be attending the parish council meetings every 3 months unless otherwise requested. If you are unaware of the dates that police will attend, please link in with our public engagement officer Louisa Hull () who will be able to advise you

Monthly Crime Report

17 more instances than this time last year. 27% increase in Crime in Shipley. Notably the highest number of offences and increases wasin the area of Violence Against The Person. There was a total of 295 cases more than the same time last year in Horsham District South.

098/15Report from the County Councillor

Cllr Jupp reminded Councillors and members of the public that if you witness problems with driving such as careless driving or mobile phone use whilst driving, these can be reported to Operation Crackdown. You will need to note details of the vehicle and registration number. Operation Crackdown is run by the Police and the website address is Offenders of anti-social driving will be receive a notice from the police that it has been recorded. Drivers who consistently offend will be investigated by the Police which may lead to investigation.

Cllr Jupp has been following up the S106 money for the path at Coolham playing field, but hasn’t had much joy with the legal department of HDC and so has been in touch with Dr Chris Lyons, Head of Planning. Hewill investigate the matter and will report back to Cllr Jupp.

Regarding the presentation to Bob Phillips, David Meadows and Clive Charman, Cllr Jupp has been in touch with the High Sheriff’s office and they will issue an achievement certificate that will be signed by the Lord Lieutenant and the County Council Chairman. Cllr Jupp couldn’t guarantee whether the Lord Lieutenant would attend the presentation but the County Council Chairman is likely to attend. The usual practice is to hold a presentation such as this in civic offices such as Parkside in Horsham or locally in a village hall.

099/15Report from the District Councillors

None

100/15Report from Representatives on Outside Organisations

The Clerk read the following email announcement from TD Shipley Football Club

“We have just completed a flyer which introduces our new Walking Football Campaign which will kick off on the morning of July 7th at the Shipley site. Can you possibly advise us of the best way to let members living within the Parish know about this new activity? Is there some form of official notice board or Parish web site that we can send this brochure out to interested parties?

We have no gender or age limits as we are just giving people a chance to have a bit of exercise in a safe and controlled manner whatever their circumstances, but in many cases walking football is encouraging older people beyond the age of 45 say to get back out there and kick a ball. It is surprising how many people have done absolutely zilch since their early 30s. We will organise the sessions to ensure that everyone is playing at the right level. In the end our hope is that this settles down into one or two regular sessions per week with mainly local people coming along and just having a bit of fun with appropriate training, facilities and refreshments. Hopefully if we can create a decent following, this will reflect favourably on the Shipley and Coolham Parish Council for helping to facilitate this regular social activity in your vicinity, which as you know is part of the overall District plan to get the wider population active and mobile.

Jeremy Quin has indicated he would like to come down and have a look at what we are up to and he will aim for end July. By then we should have the sessions well organised and also he wants to encourage younger people mixing with the older generation, which of course is what we are all about. I will let you know when this visit is arranged.”

The Clerk read to Council the latest Highways report on works that are due to commence in the Parish.

The Clerk reported that Lisa Boydell, Community Engagement Officer at HDC had requested representatives from the Council for a ‘Future of Youth Works’ Conference on 20th July.The Chairman said that he might be able attend.

The Clerk explained that she had received an email from Charles Guantlet at WSCC regarding the boundary review for County Councillors. The Clerk asked Cllr A Jupp if she would outline the review for Council. The boundary review is taking place in preparation for the 2017 WSCC Election. There are certain locations which do not have equal representation of Councillors. On average each County Councillor should represent 9,500 constituents. At present some Councillors have less than this figure and others have more. The Boundary Commission have requested that WSCC review the boundaries. The review is taking place from now until the end of July. A report has to be submitted to the Boundary Commission stating whether there should be a status quo on the number of Councillors (currently 71) or whether there should be less or more. There has to be the figures to back up the information. This information will be gained from consultation from Parish Councils or any members of the public. At the moment, the figures are based on the current electoral role (May 2015) and WSCC have to project of what the figures will be in 2020. This task is quite difficult especially as all current planning has to be considered for future homes that are to be built and will then be occupied. If Councillors or the public have any views, please let Cllr A Jupp or Charles Guantlet know. Cllr A Jupp’s current boundaries include Billingshurst, Shipley and Itchingfield. To date, the review is showing that the number of Councillors needs to reduce by two to 69 and one of these positions will be in the Horsham District. There are currently 8 wards in Horsham which will be reduced to 7, which ultimately means that there could be an increase of workload for a Councillor. The planning meeting regarding the Horsham wards is on 17th July at 10:30am at Parkside in Horsham. The Parish Council may send a representative or respond to the email. Cllr A Jupp to forward Council the projected numbers to help the Council to make a collective response.

101/15Public Session (Members of the Public may speak for up to 3 minutes at the discretion of the Chairman).

A member of the public asked for an update on the Pavilion building since the last meeting. The following points discussed:

Council received information regarding the Pavilion from John Lytton. This information was given as an opinion rather than a detailed survey. John Lytton’s information confirmed what Council had already established which was that the foundations have failed. The public and Council appreciated the time that John Lytton took to review the building.
Council decided to close the building due to the risks of rotting woodwork, trip hazards, head entrapment, failing brickworks.
It was discussed whether small repairs to the above areas could be carried out so that the building could be re-opened and then put in place a long term scheme to sort out the problem for the future. The problem with a short term repair is that Council do not have the money to carry out repairs and in addition it may not cost much more to do the works in full.
£5330 is the rough figure to put in full use. If Council vote on a repair then this figure would resolve the problem subject to labour being offered free of charge.
Money was not pre-cepted in November for repairing the building as the Council was looking at S106 funding at that point.
The funding for the playing field path project cannot be used for the Pavilion as it is from a totally different funding source which does not cover the Pavilion building.
Cllr A Jupp spoke as a member of the public and explained the importance of the path which is part of the project to alleviate parking problems outside William Penn School. A layby was installed to assist with parking but the traffic problems continue during school pick up and drop off times. We are trying to encourage parents to park at the village hall and walk down to the school. Many parents don’t want to walk along the A272 as even though it is a 30mph speed limit a lot of the traffic travels faster than that and the current footpath is very narrow. With a wider path in a safer area, children can use their bikes and tricycles and it is a healthier way of getting to school. Regarding the Pavilion, Cllr A Jupp spoke to John Lytton at the weekend and he thinks it is just a case of propping the building up with Acro-props and re-doing the foundation. Cllr A Jupp is quite happy to try and source funding streams within WSCC. Cllr A Jupp suggested that £7,000 is the sum proposed for the Pavilion using the Acro-props idea which should allow for contingency planning.
Cllr A Jupp advised the public that if they would like to know more about the reasons behind the footpath then would they please email her and she will arrange for the WSCC Safety Officer to come to a Parish Council meeting to outline the safety reasons for the footpath.
Concern was raised whether the path was a good use of public money. The money for the path was not from public money but from S106 Kinswood Highways funding. If this money is not spent it will go back to the housing developer.

A footpath was requested along the Cooham Road between Vine Cottage and the A272 Cross Roads. Cllr A Jupp agreed that such a path would be a good idea and would be happy to campaign for a new footpath.
A suggestion was made to put a Pelican crossing near the bus stop (along the A272 heading towards Billingshurst) to join the footpath on the other side of the road. Cllr A Jupp will investigate the options surrounding distance requirements of installing a Pelican crossing near the cross roads
The issue of speeding was also discussed at the A272 crossroads and Cllr A Jupp urged the public to report offenders on Operation Crackdown.
Cllr A Jupp urged the public to assist their Parish Council to achieve these goals and to consider joining the Council. One member of the public stated that this is the lowest number of Councillors seen at a meeting.
Cllr Baxter said that in the three years he has been a Councillor the public chairs have been empty and this is not intended as a criticism. It is a good thing to see the public and listen to what is wanted because if the public don’t offer opinion then the Council are working in the dark.
It was agreed that any monies fund raised by the public will be used to restore the Pavilion back to being in use.
The Council will precept for the ongoing maintenance of the building. However, it will take time to build up the reserves.
Fund raising ideas presented by the community were a Just Giving Site for parishioners who don’t have time but are willing to donate money, sponsored walks, summer family BBQ’s, picnics, car boots, bonfire and fire work night, a camp out, Andrew Bernardi has offered to put on a charity concert at £25 per ticket for 60 people. Face book is generating a lot interest.
The Clerk read the report from John Lytton regarding the Pavilion building and a subsequent email outlining full survey costs.
The Chairman stated that Council do not have the funds for a survey and why would the Council spend £1,000 of public money on a survey when we all know what is wrong with the building. The Council were moving forward without a survey, but it was the public and Cllr Lindsay that requested the survey at the last meeting. A survey is not required to gain quotes and sort out the repairs.
Council has agreed that the community can go ahead and start fundraising with Debra Cannons liaising with Council on activities and dates and providing risk assessments. Council will approve each event based on the Public Liability Insurance considerations.
The Council cannot raise a loan so that the work can start now and then be paid back. The Council cannot commit any of the current precept monies in its account as an advance to be paid back from fund raising.
The Chairman will provide a quote for the materials and plant hire and this will be submitted to Cllr A Jupp along with an application hopefully in time for the Members Big Society funding option. This will be applied for by a separate charity organisation that is in the process of being set up. The Members Big Society funding option requires any funding offered to be matched.
The Clerk confirmed that she has applied to the Awards For All funding and is investigating Sussex Community Foundation and the Fields Trust Society and that Council is trying to obtain funding through other sources and should money become available through these sources it will be used as soon as possible to fix the problems.
A member of the public raised concerns over the current condition of Shipley Windmill. Cllr Rowbottom confirmed that a member of HDC went to visit the site recently but that there are difficulties involved with the Windmill as the owner did not want to cooperate. Cllr Rowbottom will update the Parish Council when further information is available.
The grass verges in Church Close were raised as a matter of concern. Affinity Sutton have stated that the verge on the right hand side from number 13 through to 17 is not under their maintenance contract. The square community area has been cut once since the Clerk’s previous correspondence. The contractors only maintain the area every three weeks. The Clerk will investigate situation and put pressure on Horsham District Council Environmental Services and Affinity Sutton.