Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 21st. September 2023 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors J. Cox, C. Hogan, S. Dickinson, R. Lovell & K. Shaw

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

One Member of the Public.

Due to a mix up with dates, Councillors were consulted, and it was agreed that the date of this meeting be changed from Thursday 28th. September 2023 to Thursday 21st. September 2023 – today.

40/23 Apologies for Absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor D. Hughes.

41/23 Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

42/23 Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman reported that a notice giving details about the defibrillator had been displayed on the Council’s website and notice boards together with a Residents’ Survey received from Staffs. Moorlands District Council.

43/23 Public Comments.

The member of the public had enquired whether an enforcement action could be taken regarding the rubble which had been deposited in a field adjacent to the old New Inn. She had been told that this was not possible at present due to a planning application adjacent to the site being under consideration.

44/23 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.

Minutes of the meeting held on 10th. August 2023 had been circulated and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true copy.

45/23 Matters Arising.

(a) Memorial Seat.

The Council’s lengthsman had started the work on the new seat by removing the existing seat.

The account for the new seat and fixings had now been received.

(b) The issue with the white lines on the A53 Leek Road together with possible problems with the speed indicator sign had been reported to Staffs. County Council but no reply had yet been received. A further communication would be sent.

(c) The lengthsman had been instructed to remove the clump of Himalayan Balsan near to Honeysuckle Lane - which he had done.

He had also been instructed to paint the wooden bus shelters.

It was agreed that he be instructed to cut back the overgrown grass verges on the pavements on the A53 together with removing weed growth adjacent to the notice board near the pedestrian crossing.

A similar problem on School Lane had already been reported to Staffs. County Council.

(e) Longsdon Memorial Hall

A letter had been sent to the management of the Hall suggesting that some grant aid could be available from the Parish Council.

46/23 Other Business.

Councillor Cox gave details of possible grant aid of up to £500.00 from various sources which could be used for the work on the verges and bus shelters already mentioned.

Further guidance would be obtained for large schemes, such as a Pelican Crossing to replace the existing pedestrian crossing.

47/23 Correspondence.

The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-

Staffs. Moorlands District Council – Possible Funding Opportunities.

Staffs. Moorlands Climate Action Newsletter.

“Enjoy Staffordshire” from Staffs. Moorlands District Council.

Grant Schemes for Staffs. Moorlands District Council.

Public Space Protection Order.

20’s Plenty for Staffordshire.

Denford Road Closure Order.

Residents’ Survey.

48/23 Planning Matters.

The following planning application had been received for discussion:

SMD/2023/0416 16 No. of Ground Mounted PV Solar Panels within Domestic Curtilage at Woodroyd, Denford Road, Longsdon.

It was agreed to forward no objections to this application.

49/23 Finance Matters.

(a) Payment of £400.00 had been received from Alliance for Agency Work.

(b) Orders for Payment.

Already paid due to the timescale :-

Information Commissioner £ 40.00 Data Protection Fee.

It was agreed that the following items be paid:

50/23 Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

51/23 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.

There was no business under this item.

52/23 Date of Next Meeting.

The dates of the next meetings were arranged for Thursday 9th. November 2023 and 14th. December 2023 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.