WESTHAM PARISH COUNCIL
DRAFT MINUTES OF THE FULL COUNCIL MEETING OF
18th February 2013
held at The Village Hall, Westham
284 Present
Cllrs B Molog (Chair), G Parsons, J Blaker, M Nash, T Bruce, K Sutherland, T Comerford, P Marshall, B Garner and B Tooley (B Tooley is also a District Councillor).
PCSO Ali Shadbolt, County Councillor T Freebody, District Councillor L Clark and 9 members of the public were in attendance, including G Garner.
285 Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs K Saxby, C Smith and R Perrin.
Councillors resolved that items 12 and 17 are moved to the end of the meeting and are declared ‘confidential’.
286 Minutes of the Previous Meeting
The Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held on 19th November 2012 were
read, confirmed as a true and accurate record and signed by the Chair.
It was agreed that the decision to apply for admission to the Local
Government Pension Scheme in minute 250 related to the role of Clerk only.
287 Clerk’s Report
The Clerk reported the following;
i: that she attended a SLCC Conference which updated Clerk’s about
the Localism Act and provided modern communication suggestions.
ii: Steven Wilkinson, Road Steward from ESCC, has agreed to attend the
next Full Council Meeting.
287 Disclosures of Interests
There were no disclosures of interest in any items on this agenda nor were
there any changes to the Register of Interest.
288 Reports on Committee Meetings held
The following Committee Meeting Minutes were received and adopted by the
Parish Council.
Cllr Marshall Parks and Open Spaces 11 February 2013
Cllr Marshall Planning 11 February 2013
Cllr Parsons Finance and General Purposes 11 February 2013
289 Reports on Sub-Committee Meetings held.
There have been no sub committee meetings since the last Full Council Meeting.
290 Reports from Outside Meetings
Cllr Nash attended the latest Westham Village Hall Management Committee
Meeting. The Village Hall Committee needs to update and increase the
lighting in the hall.
Cllrs Tooley and Parsons attended the Police Panel Meeting.
Cllr Molog attended the WDALC meetings of 8th December, 16th January and
13th February. The WDALC has been working closely with Wealden District
Council to negate the effects of the council tax changes on Parish Council
precepts. The WDALC is also working towards the next Parish Conference and
is jointly hosting a Coffee Morning for Clerks and Councillors. The next Parish Conference is 11th September and the Coffee Morning is on 22nd February.
Minutes of Association Meetings are available on the SALC and Wealden District Council’s websites.
Cllr Molog attended the SALC Meeting about Local Risk Management and
Neighbourhood Plans and the Joint Action Group (JAG) Meeting on 13th
February. Zig-Zag lines outside schools still need to be adopted by the County
Council so the police can enforce no parking there. The elderly are being
targeted for robberies as their outside key safes are easily visible and are accessible.
The meeting was suspended.
291 Report from PCSO Ali Shadbolt
PCSO Shadbolt circulated her report to those present.
Cllrs Parsons and Garner have been awarded a special award for their excellent Speedwatch work. PSCO Shadbolt attended a Carol Concert at St Luke’s Church and is to award a grant from the JAG Fund to help repair the church’s heating.
Crime remains low in the parish. Residents are asked to conceal their crime
safes and be more vigilant about sheds and outside buildings. Operation
Creosote is still operative and offers residents the opportunity to have their
property marked free of charge. Residents are also reminded to be careful
about mud on roads as it can be dangerous to road users.
Sussex Police is also to consider reprioritising dog fouling as incidents of dog
fouling are on the increase.
District Councillor Clark entered the meeting.
292 Reports from County/District Councillors
ESCC has agreed that it will not increase Council Tax in the next financial year. There is £400m in the capital budget with £93m for schools, £19.5m for libraries and £90m on the Bexhill/Hastings Link Road. There is no provision for schools in this area as school numbers are expected to fall by 2017. £1.5m has, however, been earmarked for building work at Hankham School.
The Waste Minerals Plan has been agreed by the Inspector. There will be no Land Raise or Land Fill in the county as the Plan provides adequate provision for waste without it.
The Langney Library has temporarily moved to St Barnabas Church in Langney. Books can be delivered to anyone who is housebound.
ESCC is to provide an extra £400,000 and the government an additional £1.4m, to repair potholes in the county. Springfield Road and Rickney Lane are to be resurfaced.
D Cllrs Clark and Tooley told those present about the new Joint Waste Contract. The new contract comes into effect on 1st July 2013 and residents will need to opt in or out of having their garden waste delivered. Leaflets detailing the changes will be sent out with council tax bills, are on Parish and District Council websites and are also available from D Cllr Tooley. D Cllr Tooley will also be at Stone Cross Community Market on Friday 22nd February.
Cllr Comerford thanked C Cllr Freebody and D Cllr Tooley for their help in addressing building issues in Castle Bolton.
293 Questions from Members of the Public
Mr McMillan from Foxes Hollow Residents’ Association is concerned that the money from developers is still restricted and asked if councillors have seen the letter he sent to the Parish Council dated 12th December. They have.
The meeting was re-opened.
294 Emergency Plan - update
Cllr Nash has kept the Emergency Plan up to date and sends out several
severe weather warnings from the Met Office. There are now three First Responders in the Parish.
There have also been no reported incidents of either the Schmallenberg Virus
or Ash Die Back.
D Cllr Clark and C Cllr Freebody left the meeting.
295 Westham Pond
Cllr Marshall invited Councillors to meet SITA and MP Greg Barker at
Westham Pond on Friday 8th March at 10.30am to look at the recent works.
He also noted the following;
i: the pond’s drains need to be rodded annually.
ii: the north west corner needs to be included in the Grounds
Maintenance Contract.
iii: the Parish Council might like to provide duck islands now the
vegetation has been removed. This is to be an agenda item for the
next Parks and Open Spaces Committee Meeting.
iv: the pond needs to be dredged. He said this will be a major cost
and will require archaeological work. He suggested that a land owner
might be able to use the silt.
v: part of the pond needs registering with the Land Registry.
vi: the chicken wire can be removed but councillors agreed it helps
protect the banks and the plants and agreed to consider this again at
the September Full Council Meeting.
296 Annual Tree Report
Councillors resolved that the urgent works have been carried out and
the non urgent works will be carried out in accordance with the report
provided by PJ Chaffin.
297 Parks Inspections
The Annual Parks Inspections have been carried out and a price for the work
will be provided at the next meeting.
Cllr Marshall said he is happy with the report but feels it is not practical to
erect fencing at either Hamble Road or Cherwell Close playparks. The assault
netting at Hamble Road also requires attention and he noted that the wood
mentioned in the Adur Park report is protected by the grass.
298 Precept Update
After much discussion at their meeting in December, representatives of the WDALC and Wealden District Council agreed that the effect of the benefits changes affecting the precept will be offset largely by a grant from the District Council. The effects of these changes would have meant a 10% reduction in the precept. The Government has also now confirmed that Parish precepts will not be capped. Westham Parish Council therefore resolved that the precept for 2013-2014 remains £130,500.
Having now received the information they requested at the November
Meeting, Councillors discussed the grant requests from Stone Cross Memorial
Hall and the Westham and Pevensey Transport Partnership.
Councillors resolved not to award the Memorial Hall a grant towards its
Decorating, by seven votes to three, because of the current financial climate
but referred the Hall Committee to JAG and the Community Payback Team.
Councillors resolved unanimously to award £500 to the Transport
Partnership because the bus enables many residents to get out who
would otherwise be housebound.
299 Allotment Charge 2013-2014
Councillors resolved that the allotment charge for 2013-2014 is £7.
300 Questions from Members
Cllr Blaker asked for fencing and matting for the new exercise area to be an
agenda item for the next Full Council Meeting.
Cllr Bruce asked if the Local Plan earmarks Pickens Wood as an area to be
built on. It does not.
The Clerk announced that she will waive this year’s incremental pay awards
because of the current financial climate.
301 Planning Applications
There were no planning applications to be considered on this occasion.
At this point the Chair suspended the meeting and requested members of the
public to leave. The meeting was re-opened when the public had left.
302 Planting at Foxes Hollow
The Parish Council has requested legal advice as to whether it can pass a
resolution to use the money originally designated for a play park in Foxes
Hollow to upgrade play equipment in the rest of the parish instead. It hopes
to have a definitive answer for the next Full Council Meeting.
303 Ground Maintenance Contract
Councillors resolved that the Grounds Maintenance Contract for 2013-
2016 will be the same as the contract for 2010-2013 with the following
added;
i: At Westham Pond clear vegetation round the pond – clear all ivy from tree trunks and prune any branches overhanging the footpaths,
ii: In certain areas flowering bulbs have been planted or have
become naturalised. In such areas mowing shall cease prior to the emergence of bulbs and the Contractor shall not cut the grass until a minimum period of 8 weeks has elapsed after completion of flowering, this being agreed prior to cutting, with the Proper Officer.
iii: the drain at Westham Pond is to be rodded annually.