Minutes of Meeting held in the upstairs room of The Wheel on Thursday 28th. June 2018.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors T. Beastall, B. Bromley, R. Lovell, D. Sargeant, K. Shaw & S. R. Weston.

In Attendance: District Councillor N. Hawkins.

John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

One member of the public.

15/18. Apologies for Absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

16/18. Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

17/18. Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

He gave a short report on the last meeting of the Staffs. Moorlands Parish Assembly meeting which he had attended on 14th. June 2018. The main item was to elect officers for the coming year and there was a short presentation which stated that Staffs. County Council could offer support in the creation of new volunteer groups. Beat the Cold also gave a short presentation.

18/18. Public Comments.

District Councillor Hawkins gave details of current situation with the Local Plan. It had been presented to the Staffs. Moorlands District Council’s Assembly and is due to be submitted to the Secretary of State for examination this next month.

A member of the public asked about the details of the procedure for attending a meeting of Staffs. Moorlands Planning Committee which would be considering a planning application for the erection of a single dwelling on land adjacent to Prospect House Farm, Sutherland Road, Longsdon. Details of the meeting had been received and would be published later in the meeting.

19/18. Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 3rd. May 2018 had been circulated and it was agreed that they be signed as a true and correct record.

20/18. Matters Arising.

The repairs to renew the support post to the “Longsdon” village sign previously situated near to the Leek boundary were still ongoing.

The flower tubs around the village had been replanted by Proctor’s Nursery but there were problems with the watering due to the current weather conditions. One tub was reported as not being up to standard. This was to be checked but others appeared to be quite satisfactory.

Further mention was made of the dangerous situation with the state of the old New Inn building. It was agreed to write to Staffs. Moorlands District Council’s Building Control Department pointing out the unsafe condition.

The Clerk reported that he had informed the lengthsman, again, of some outstanding work which had still not been completed. It was agreed to write to him asking if the work could be undertaken or would he prefer that the Council employs another lengthsman.

The dangerous state of the bus shelter opposite the old New Inn was again mentioned. Some time ago the Staffs. Moorlands D.C. promised to undertake repairs but nothing has taken place. It was agreed to contact that Council again to see if the shelter could at least be made safe. In the meantime prices for suitable bus shelters for elsewhere in the village would be obtained.

It was reported that:

the letter of thanks for the fencing in Micklea Lane had been sent.

the pot hole in Micklea Lane and the disintegrating footpath surface in Leek Road had been reported to S.C.C

21/18. Correspondence.

A notice had been received that Leek Town Council had made an application for Neighbourhood Plan Area Designation with a consultation period running from 31st. May 2018 to 28th. June 2018. This had already been forwarded to all Councillors.

Other information received included:

details of Staffordshire Police “Space” programme- 23rd. July to 31st. August 18 – posted on notice boards.

Clerks & Councils Direct – May Issue.

22/18. Planning Matters.

The following planning applications had been distributed to Councillors, due to the time frame, and it had been agreed to forward no objections, subject to normal planning guidelines, to:

SMD/2018/0276 Conversion of Existing Garage to Form Lounge Extension at The Coach House, Dunwood Lane, Longsdon.

SMD/2018/0301 Proposed First Floor Extension to North Elevation & Internal Alterations at Limerick Farm, Devils Lane, Longsdon.

Details had been received that a planning application for outline permission for a dwelling on land adjacent to Prospect House Farm, Sutherland Road would be considered by Staffs. Moorlands Planning Committee on 5th. July 2018. Details of opportunities to speak at the meeting were outlined.

23/18. Finance Matters.

It was reported that the Council’s insurance had been renewed.

The External Audit Exemption Certificate had been sent in and acknowledged. The Annual Accounts had been audited by the usual Internal Auditor who had reported that he had worked to the requirements outlined in Section 4 of the Annual Return and had found that the Council’s internal checking and control systems in place are effective. The records and accounts maintained are kept to a high standard and in good order. There were no matters which needed to be brought to the attention of the Council.

Section 1. Annual Governance Statement 2017/2018.

The Annual Governance Statement for the year was perused and approved unanimously.

Section 2. Accounting Statement 2017/2018.

The Accounting Statement for the year was perused and approved unanimously.

All the accounting information would now be published on the Council’s website.

It was reported that the amendment to the Data Protection Bill had passed through parliament and there would now be no need for the Council to appoint a Data Protection Officer. There would also be no need for each Councillor to register as Data Controller unless they held parishioner’s surgeries.

The Chairman offered to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office if further information was required.

24/18. Orders for Payment.

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

25/18. Public Comment.

There was no business under this item.

26/18. Any Other Business.

Most of the business under this item was incorporated in the minutes above.

Reports of further potholes were mentioned and Councillor Lovell offered to compile a list and report these directly to Staffs. County Council.

27/18. Date of Next Meeting.

The date of the next meeting of the Council was arranged for Thursday 23rd. August 2018 at 7 – 00p.m. in the upstairs room of The Wheel public house, Leek Road, Longsdon.