Minutes of Meeting held in the upstairs room of The Wheel on Thursday 8th. March 2018.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors T. Beastall, R. Lovell, K. Shaw & S. R. Weston.

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

Two members of the public.

81/17. Apologies for Absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor D. Sargeant and District Councillor N. Hawkins.

82/17. Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

83/17. Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked Councillor Lovell for obtaining a quote for the renewal of the Longsdon sign post. He apologised that he was not able to attend the Staffs. Moorlands Parish Assembly meeting which was being held this evening.

84/17. Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

85/17. Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 25th. January 2018 had been circulated and it was agreed that they be signed as a true and correct record.

86/17. Matters Arising.

A further complaint had been received from the resident in Gratton Lane about highway problems in the area. After consultation with the Chairman she had been advised to contact County Councillor Heath rather than waiting for the next Parish Council meeting. Copies of e.mails on the matter had been received, A letter of thanks for his service to the Council had been sent to former Councillor Clive Taylor.

A member of the public, in attendance at the meeting, offered herself to serve on the Parish Council. It was unanimously agreed that she, Beverley Bromley, be co-opted onto the Council to fill the vacancy. She duly signed the Declaration of Office.

The Electoral Office of Staffs. Moorlands District Council would be informed of the co-option.

Councillor Lovell, the Council’s representative on the Management Committee, gave a report that the Memorial Hall had all the legal obligations in place with regard to trustees etc etc and the Parish Council had no legal responsibilities on the matter.

A quotation in the sum of £250 – 00 + V.A.T. had been received from a local tradesman for fitting a new support post to the “Longsdon” village sign previously situated near to the Leek boundary which had been removed to the local highways depot. It was agreed to accept this quotation.

The Clerk reported that the County Highways Superintendant had intimated that his Council could possibly arrange the re-siting.

With regard to the excavations of soil and replacement with hardcore in a field adjacent to the old New Inn site District Councillor Hawkins had reported that the matter had been reported to the District Council’s Planning Department for investigation. Councillor Lovell reported that he had spoken to workers on the site who informed him that work on the old New Inn was due to start at the end of March.

87/17. Correspondence.

Information had been received, via the Local Council Public Advisory Service, that the Committee on Standards in Public Life were undertaking a review of local government ethical standards. A consultation document was available.

A request had been received from Canal & River Trust asking parish councils to champion its waterways in the planning process and had enclosed a publication “Planning for Waterways etc”.

Other information received was:

Clerks & Councils Direct – March 18 issue.

88/17. Planning Matters.

The following planning applications had been distributed to Councillors, due to the time frame, and it had been agreed, by a MAJORITY decision, to forward no objections to:

SMD/2018/0051 Lawful Development Certificate application for Proposed Disabled Ground Floor Accommodation as part of a Two Storey Extension to Existing Dwelling at Lyme House, Devils Lane, Longsdon.

The following planning application was considered and it was agreed, in principle, to forward no objections, subject to normal planning guidelines to:

SMD/2018/0105 Reserved Matters relating to Application SMD/2017/0578, Detailing Appearance, Layout, Scale & Landscaping at Proctor’s Nursery, Leek Road, Endon.

It was agreed, however, to express concern regarding the excessive size of the proposed building which contains four bedrooms.

89/17. Finance Matters.

The precept request for 2018 / 2019 had been forwarded to Staffs. Moorlands District Council and had been acknowledged.

The half yearly payment for the Staffs. Moorlands District Council’s lengthsman scheme had been applied for.

Information on the appointment of a Data Protection Officer from May 2018 was still being collated.

90/17. Orders for Payment.

It was unanimously agreed that the following items be paid:-

91/17. Public Comment.

There was no business under this item.

92/17. Any Other Business.

A question was asked about the removal of the dog refuse bin near to Sutherland Road. Councillors were reminded of the history of the matter to date.

A report was given of dangerous overhanging trees in Sutherland Road. This matter to be monitored.

A report was also given of a dangerous situation with a damaged / missing fence in Micklea Lane opposite the entrance to Sandy Lane. This could cause pedestrians to fall into an adjacent brook. It was agreed to write, in the first instance, to the owner of the land pointing out the problem.

93/17. Date of Next Meeting.

The Annual Parish Meeting of the Council will be held at 7 - 00p.m. on Thursday 3rd. May 2018 in the upstairs room of The Wheel public house, Leek Road, Longsdon. This will be followed by the Annual General Meeting of the Council and then the normal meeting of the Council.