SILKSTONE PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held in the
Mission Rooms in Silkstone Common on 6th March 2006.
PRESENT: The Chairman: Clr D Liddell.
Clrs Bower, Fishpool, Gallamore, Handley, Leech, Smith, and Stier.
166. Open forum.
There was one resident present and the youth outreach worker, Mr O’Roarke.
· A resident, Mr Fieldsend, commented that there had recently seemed to be a lack of a police presence in the Silkstone Common village. It was indicated that this might be due to a need to concentrate on the problems being experienced in the Silkstone area, especially at the Silkstone Recreation Ground. It was agreed to communicate Mr Fieldsend’s concerns to the police and ask that they contact him about his neighbourhood watch role.
· Clr Leech reported on a number of recent anti-social incidents in the Silkstone village, particularly in the grounds of the primary school and the green space area between Towngate and Manor Park. The incidents included drug taking, under-age drinking, littering and general nuisance. He had reported one incident on the golden line. It was agreed that the Clerk would advise the local police of these concerns.
· Clr Smith reported that the bus stop on Ben Bank Road, for buses travelling from Barnsley towards Oxspring, had been moved approximately 30 metres towards Oxspring. As there was a Council seat and planter at the previous bus stop, this was a concern. Also, Clr Smith considered that the current position was more obtrusive to the neighbouring properties. The Clerk confirmed that he could not recall any correspondence being received from the SYPTE on this change. It was agreed that the Clerk would investigate the position.
· Clr Fishpool requested a letter of support from the Council for the play equipment project. The Clerk advised that one had been issued in the past to the Millennium Committee and would seek to provide a copy to her.
· Clr Stier reported that the bollards opposite the old post office on Ben Bank Road had been damaged. He did not know whether Barnsley MBC had been advised but thought that a resident had taken the registration number of the vehicle involved. The Clerk would liaise with Clr Stier and advise Barnsley MBC of the position.
167. Apologies for absence.
Apologies were received and accepted from Clr M Liddell, who had work commitments.
168. Youth Outreach Scheme.
Mr O’Roarke outlined the main developments with the youth outreach scheme. The group had established links with Calderdale MBC and was focussing on issues facing youth in rural areas. It was indicated that the local youth planned to undertake some landscape improvements to the area around the pavilion. The Polish group was returning to the area in April. It was hoped that the youth group could do a presentation at the Annual Parishioners’ Meeting on 24th April. Clr Stier indicated that the Crime Reduction Officer suggested adding further solid panels to the youth shelter, to give better protection against the weather and allow an extra area for controlled graffiti. It was recognised that Barnsley MBC was experiencing budget pressures but the Council hoped that the youth outreach scheme could be continued.
169. Councillors’ declarations of interest.
Clr Stier declared a personal interest in the payment to Mr Waring. He also declared a prejudicial interest in the setting of the pay rate for Mr Waring and left the room for that discussion.
170. Minutes.
The minutes of the Council’s February meeting were approved.
171. Matters arising from the last meeting.
· Clr Smith advised that the group of volunteers dealing with the Hillside project was looking to use stones for the Silkstone motif rather than flowers.
· The Clerk had written to PCSO McLaughlin to thank her for attending the last meeting, with a hope that the relationship between the police and the Council would continue to be developed.
· The Clerk had contacted the Planning Department about “Shoot Field”, which is next to the Lady Royd development in Silkstone Common. It seemed that there had been no formal plan submitted by the developer for this area but it had been improved by use of a non-toxic, rich loam. The planning officer concerned had passed details of the developer to the Clerk; so that a view of current plans for the area could be obtained. It was possible that the land could be dedicated to the Council. The Clerk would liaise with Clr Handley on this item.
· The Council’s Woodlands’ Working Party (Clr Bower, Clr Smith, and the Clerk) was to hold its first meeting in March.
· The Scout Hut Management Committee’s next meeting was now on 21st March, commencing at 8:15pm in the Scout Hut. It was agreed that Clr Stier and the Clerk would attend this meeting as the Chairman was not available.
· The Clerk advised that he had not completed the letter to outline the procedure for Councillors’ travel allowances.
· There was considerable discussion about the landscaping of the Bonny Bunch O’Roses' site. It was agreed that the following persons should be involved in discussions with the developer – Clrs Bower, D Liddell, M Liddell, and Smith.
· The Clerk reported on the directory of local organisations produced by the Penistone Community Partnership. It appeared that the request for information had arrived in the Council’s Summer recess and had a deadline for replies in August. Unfortunately, therefore, no response was made for this Council.
172. Planning applications.
Three applications had been received since the last meeting.
Address / Village /Details
27 Manor Park / S. /Dwelling (Outline).
5 Barnsley Road / S. /Conservatory plus garage.
4 The Cross / S. /Garage and balcony extension.
The Council agreed to comment only on the application for 27 Manor Park. It was considered that this was an inappropriate development for the site and would be a “shoehorn” addition into the existing garden. A dwelling would adversely affect sight lines and the neighbouring property. There might also be traffic issues as the new dwelling would be on a bend.
173. Silkstone Recreation Ground – security issues.
The Clerk distributed a briefing note on a site meeting about security held on 3rd March, attended by Clr D Liddell, Clr R Stier, the Clerk, PC J Mynett (Crime Reduction Officer), and PC A Stevenson. The following main issues were discussed.
· Location.
The Recreation Ground is isolated but there is the proximity of the garage/shop and the A628 main road. There are youth facilities on site and there is regular use of the pavilion and pitches throughout the year.
· Main assets etc.
The pavilion, including a garage unit for tools/equipment.
A separate container for tools/equipment.
2 sports pitches/cricket nets.
Car park/ scout hut/sports’ area/floodlights/youth shelter/garage compound.
Waggonway path/kissing gate/woodland area.
· Alarm.
The position on the alarm system, including the keyholder call-out process, requires review and a possible upgrade, particularly to obtain a police response facility.
· Insurance.
The main cover is for the pavilion (£394,000) and equipment (approximately £20,000). The main risks are fire, theft, and vandalism.
· CCTV.
This was not recommended by police for the pavilion – cost, risk of vandalism, not effective. However, there might be a possible use of the garage system to cover part of the car park area.
· Main Proposals.
1 Upgrade of alarm system/improved call-out procedures. Need to assess risks etc.
2 Possible secure grille system for the rear of the pavilion.
3 Improved padlocks – two gates and the pavilion entrance.
4 Review of CCTV use - possible use of the garage CCTV for the car park area.
5 Possible new gate for the car park entrance.
6 Possible use of the current gate within the car park.
7 Possible improved youth facilities at the shelter, for graffiti etc.
The Council discussed the situation. It was recognised that the SPFMC would need to be advised of the position and involved in the way forward, including the improving of procedures and obtaining of estimates of costs. The position on security would be monitored at the next few Council meetings.
Clr Stier noted that there continued to be problems with persons entering the garage’s compound area and using items such as trays to damage the Recreation Ground. It was agreed that the Clerk would write to the owners with the Council’s concerns and request improved security of the compound area, including adding a roof.
Clr Stier also reported that the barrier fence had now been erected around the base of the football ground, leading from the youth shelter and along the first part of the waggonway. There had been significant problems in erecting the posts due to the hard condition of the ground.
174. Maintenance work.
Clr Smith advised that the first stage of judging for the Britain-in-Bloom contest would take place between 27th March and 14th April. He would be liaising with the Clerk, the Council’s maintenance contractor, and Neighbourhood Pride on both judging stages. It was agreed to remove the three existing signs for “village of the year” as they were fairly dilapidated.
Also, it was agreed that the lease from Barnsley MBC for the area of land near to Mayberry Drive would be cancelled. It was agreed that the Clerk would contact Barnsley MBC to arrange this. Any shrubs and plants that could be salvaged for other areas should be moved.
175. Pay rates - Maintenance Contractor and Groundsman.
Mr Waring, the maintenance contractor, had been on the same rate of pay, £10 per hour, for two years. He provided his own insurance, vehicle and equipment. Also, he did not claim any travel allowance The Council expressed its appreciation of Mr Waring's approach and the work done. It was agreed to offer Mr Waring £10.50 per hour from 1st April 2006, increasing to £11 per hour from 1st January 2007.
The SPFMC was looking into the position for the groundsman, Mr Dawson. His rate of pay is currently £10 per hour but he received a travel allowance and mainly used the Council’s equipment. The Council requested that it be consulted before a new pay rate was agreed.
176. Siting of two dog litter-bins.
The two new dog litter-bins had been purchased by Barnsley MBC. The Council decided that there were three possible sites for them, all in Silkstone. The first was agreed to be near to the entrance of the land between Towngate and Manor Park. The second site would be either near to Silkstone Lane and Guest Lane or near to the waggonway behind the stocks’ area. The views of the Neighbourhood Pride Team would be obtained before the final decision was made.
177. Allotments.
The Clerk had issued an outline report with the agenda. The points raised were noted and the recommendations approved. The fee for a standard allotment would increase to £25 from 1st April 2007 and remain at that level for the following year. It was agreed that the need for additional allotments would be included in the next newsletter as it was considered that there were some unused garden allotment sites in the Parish.
178. Newsletter.
Clr Bower indicated that he would like to issue a newsletter in early April and then another in June to publicise the arts’ festival. The Council agreed to this plan.
179. Village Design Statement.
Clr Gallamore reported on a meeting of the Village Design Statement Group in February that was attended by a number of Councillors, the Clerk, and some other interested persons. It had been indicated that there had been little response from residents to the request for ideas etc in the recent article in the Council’s newsletter. A number of residents were helping with specific aspects, such as the historical factors in the two villages. Since then, the Group had held a meeting with Barnsley MBC Properties’ Division, which had produced some copy plans for the area and details of Barnsley MBC’s land. The Group was awaiting information from the Planning Department, particularly about the use of the Village Design Statement in the planning process and possible conservation area status. It was hoped to produce another article about the Group’s progress for the next newsletter.
180. Roads/footpaths/pavements.
A draft letter to Barnsley MBC about the maintenance of the footpaths in the Parish been distributed with the agenda. This was an issue on which there had been problems over the last few years, particularly in keeping the footpaths clear for public use.
It was agreed to add a comment to the letter that the Council favoured the addition of a hard surface to improve the footpaths linking the built-up areas. Clr Bower indicated that there had been some steps taken in the past to achieve this for Footpath 8 but Barnsley MBC had not completed the promised work.
181. Meetings.
Clr Stier and the Chairman reported on the last Area Forum. The main item discussed was Barnsley MBC’s 2006/07 budget, with a council tax increase of 4.9%. The police representative had reported the most recent crime figures for the Parish as eleven incidents in Silkstone and fourteen in Silkstone Common. Most of these were car crime.
There had also been a discussion at the Area Forum on the proposed Mottram bypass scheme. The Chairman indicated that there would be significant effects from increased traffic on this side of the Pennines and was intending to include an item on this issue in the next newsletter. It was agreed to place this item on the Council’s next agenda for further discussion.