Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 16^th December 2021 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.

67 / 21. Apologies for Absence.

Apologies for absence were received from District Councillor N. Hawkins.

68 / 21. Declarations of Interest

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

69 / 21. Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting with the Compliments of the Season.

70 / 21. Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

71 / 21. Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 4^th November 2021 had been circulated and it was agreed that they be signed as a true and correct record after the deletion of two words.

72 / 21. Matters Arising.

(a) Closed Village Hall in Neighbouring Parish.
A short report was given that the closure of a Village Hall in an adjacent parish was due to the fact that a Disabled Access was unable to be provided due to excessive costs.

(b) Longsdon Memorial Hall.
A letter had been sent to the Memorial Hall Management Committee to enquire what progress had been made with the distribution of a letter to parishioners asking for volunteers to serve on the Management Committee but no reply had been received. Disappointment would be expressed in a further letter.

A letter from a neighbour of the Memorial Hall was produced to the meeting. It outlined various complaints and comments. A suitable reply would be sent.

Also produced were details from the minutes of a Management Committee meeting and an Ofsted Report regarding the establishment of an independent school in the Hall together with details from the Charity Commission on how to report a serious incident and also a copy of a Charity Commission document dated October 1975 regarding the administration of the Charity. Unfortunately most of the organisations mentioned to provide representatives on the Management Committee were no longer in existence.

Councillor Bode was thanked for her research into the matter.

Councillor Bode was elected as the Parish Council’s representative on the Management Committee. It was suggested that the Parish Council could publish the request for additional representatives on the Council’s website and possibly organise a public meeting if necessary.

(c) The Council’s contractor had been asked to carry out the tasks agreed at the last meeting. He had removed the disused map display stand and had used the metalwork to provide new support posts for the Sutherland Road street nameplate opposite Micklea Lane which was now complete.

73 / 21. Other Business.

(a) District Councillor’s Community Grant.

It was reported that a grant from the District Councillor’s Fund could be available. It was suggested that a grant be applied for and could be used to provide a memorial bench in the Parish in remembrance of the late long serving Parish Councillor Richard Weston. This was agreed. A motion proposed by Councillor Hawthorne and seconded by Councillor Beastall that the sum of £175.00 be applied for was CARRIED.

(b) The Old New Inn Site.

It was reported that the old New Inn site was now under new management and it was agreed to contact the new ownership to ask what plans were in the pipeline to resolve the longstanding problems with the site.

74 / 21. Correspondence.

Already distributed to Councillors:-

• Covid Welfare – Revival.
• Bulletin from Welfare Staffordshire
• Staffordshire Moorlands Partnership Board – Grants Leaflet.
• Premises Licence – Leek Show.
• Survey from Staffordshire Commissioner for Fire Rescue & Crime regarding the amount paid.
• Tree Removal – Western Power Distribution – no action as the tree is within Endon Parish.

75 / 21. Planning.

The following planning applications had been distributed to Councillors due to the time scale, and no objections were received:-

• SMD/2021/0724 Conversion of Detached Garage to Form Ancillary Accommodation at The Old Vicarage, Leek Road, Longsdon.
• SMD/2021/0740 Proposed Demolition of Existing Conservatory & Extension to Form Larger Living Room at Rear, Rebuild of Front Porch & Internal Alterations at Apple Tree Cottage, Sutherland Road, Longsdon.

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

• SMD/2021/0781 Erection of Two Agricultural Buildings at St. James Chapel, School Lane, Longsdon.

However, it was agreed to add a rider that the buildings should not be for domiciliary use.

76 / 21. Finance Matters.

(a) No further information had been requested from the Council’s bankers T.S.B. So it was agreed that the two new Councillors’ signatures be added to the Bank mandate together with the removal of the signatures of the two Councillors who had resigned.

(b) An acknowledgement had been received from the Douglas Macmillan Hospice for the grant of £100.00 to the Hospice.

(c) A request for the amount of the Precept for the coming year had been received from Staffordshire Moorland District Council. This matter would be discussed at the next meeting when the normal estimates had been prepared.

(d) Orders for Payment.

It was agreed that the following items be paid:

77 / 21. Public Comments.

The first member of the public re-iterated the comments regarding Longdson Memorial Hall’s website being out of date, no accounts published for the public and the siting of the Portacabin.

The second member of the public suggested that the Parish Council were doing a good job without much in return.

78 / 21. Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.

(a) Day and Venue for Future Parish Council Meetings.

(b) Clerk’s Salary.

79 / 21. Date of Next Meeting.

The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 3^rd February 2022 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.