Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 26th. January 2023 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors T. Beastall. S. Dickinson, C. Hogan, R. Lovell & K. Shaw.

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

One member of the Public.

66/22 Apologies for Absence.

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

67/22 Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

68/22 Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman thanked everyone for their attendance at the meeting.

It was noted that the meeting again clashed with a Parish Assembly meeting.

69/22 Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

70/22 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1st. December 2022 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.

71/22 Matters Arising.

(a) Memorial Seat.

A letter had been sent to the assumed land owner for his permission to site the seat on his land. A telephoned reply a few days later gave his permission subject to a meeting on the site.

However a few weeks later his wife telephoned and said that the permission had been rescinded.

Councillor Hogan agreed to act as mediator and contact the family.

The matter was, therefore, left in abeyance.

(b) HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926 – 2022.

Details were still awaited of the brass plaque for the seat in Sutherland Road. The vice chairman offered to expedite its selection and purchase. This offer was accepted and it was agreed that the vice chairman would obtain a suitably engraved plaque providing that the cost was no greater than £150.

(f) Website Contract.

The Chairman gave an update on the transfer of the domain name etc to the Council. He was thanked for his efforts.

72/22 Other Business.

Pavements / Verges.

A report was given of pavements along the A53 Leek Road becoming overgrown with adjacent grass verges causing extreme narrowing of the pavement in places. The member of the public reported a similar problem in School Lane.

A report was given that the District Councillor for Endon had ensured that verges etc were tidied up by the County Council in preparation for the Leek Show in Longsdon.

With this in mind it was agreed to contact District Councillor Hawkins to ask for her assistance in the matter.

73/22 Correspondence.

The following had already been distributed to Councillors – Notice of road closure of Honeysuckle Lane from 1st. February 2023.

News from C.P.R.E.

Questionnaire on the Amount you pay for Policing and Fire & Rescue, Questionnaire from “Outside”.

Consultation of Divisional Boundaries.

Info from “Walking in England”.

An advertisement for King Charles Coronation Mugs was received – no action.

Clerks & Councils Direct Magazine had also been received.

74/22 Planning Matters.

It was reported that an appeal against the refusal of planning permission No. SMD/2020/0538 Retention of Stables at Micklea Farm, Micklea Lane, Longsdon had been dismissed.

Members of the public had enquired whether planning permission was required for the siting of a mobile home in the garden of a property in Sutherland Road, Longsdon.

Councillor Hogan declared a personal interest in this matter and took no part in the discussion.

It was agreed to contact the Staffs. Moorlands Planning Officer Manager about the matter and also enquire about another mobile home parked in a field in School Lane.

75/22 Finance Matters.

(a) A quarterly Financial Update statement to 31st. December 2022 was perused.

(b) Estimates for this year and the year 2023 / 2024 were also perused.

(c) After studying the estimates etc it was agreed that the Precept for 2023 / 2024 should remain the same at £5,000.00.

Thanks were expressed to the Clerk for preparing all the figures.

(d) Orders for Payment.

It was agreed that the following items be paid:

76/22 Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

77/22 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.

There was no business under this item.

78/22 Date of Next Meeting.

The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 23rd. March 2023 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.

A question was asked about whether the Annual Parish Meeting should be held at another venue. It was agreed, by a majority vote, that the current situation should remain.