Minutes of Meeting held on Thursday 7th. August 2025 in the Upstairs Room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon at 7.00pm.

Present: Councillor J. Sargeant (Chair).

Councillors S. Dickinson, D. Hughes, C. Hogan & R. Lovell.

In Attendance: John Bourne, Clerk to the Council.

52/25 Apologies for Absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor J. Cox.

53/25 Declarations of Interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this point.

54/25 Chairman’s Address.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

He reported that the publication of the legally required documents and notification of public rights had been completed on time on both the website and the notice boards before the July 1st. deadline.

The dangerous window in the building at the junction of the A53 and Sutherland Road has been rectified together with several windows and the entrance door.

The air ambulance was called to a road traffic accident on the A53 near City Lane. The occupant of one of the vehicles was seriously injured. Let us hope that this accident was duly recorded since road safety improvements are dependent on such recorded incidents.

The grass verges have been cut in Sutherland Road.

55/25 Approval of Minutes of Last Meeting.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19th.June 2025 had been circulated, and it was agreed that the minutes be signed as a true record.

56/25 Matters Arising.

Community Speed Watch.

Information had been received regarding a Community Speed Watch system from the Police Community Speed Watch Co-ordinator which stated that she had visited the site and it was not legally suitable for such a scheme.

Councillor Cox reported that she had arranged for the speed assessment team to monitor traffic through Longsdon.

(b) Defibrillator Cabinet.

Enquiries had been made regarding the electrical connection to the Memorial Hall and this had been agreed verbally. It was agreed to request the installation of the heated cabinet and also to ask if an external electrical point, suitable for the connection of the Christmas Tree lights, could be incorporated into the scheme.

(c ) Staffs Parish Councils Association.

The invitation to join this Association was discussed and it was agreed not to join the organisation at this time.

(d) Memorial Hall Meetings.

Councillor Hughes, the Council’s representative on the Memorial Hall Management Committee, reported that he had still not received an invitation to a meeting of the Committee. Contact would be made again with the Committee.

57/25 Other Business.

Lengthsman Instructions.

Councillor Cox had sent in some photographs showing pavements on the A53 which required cleaning up. These to be forwarded to the Lengthsman for attention. She did mention that funding for this could come from her Community Fund.

She also mentioned flooding in Honeysuckle Lane due to a blocked gully causing water to run into the adjacent field. This to be investigated.

Mention was made of the current state of the Common Land in the parish especially the benches on the land. It was agreed that Councillors visit the land to inspect the situation and the matter be discussed at the next meeting.

58/25. Correspondence.

The following had already been distributed to Councillors:-

In Touch Newsletter – Summer Edition.

Devolution & Local Government Report-Media Release.

Road Closure Notice – School Lane.

Severn Trent Councillors’ Newsletter.

Invite to Summer Afternoon Tea with Chairmen of SMDC.

Road Closure Notice – Micklea Lane.

Caverswall Historical Society Quiz Event.

59/25 Planning Matters.

There was no business under this item.

60/25 Finance Matters.

A quarterly Statement of the Councils account was distributed to Councillors.

(b) Orders for Payment.

It was agreed that the following items be paid:

61/25 Public Comments.

There was no business under this item.

62/25 Items for Inclusion in the Agenda for the Next Meeting.

Report on the Common Land.

63/25 Date of Next Meeting.

The date of the next meeting was arranged for Thursday 25th. September 2025 at 7.00pm in the upstairs room of the Wheel Public House, Leek Road, Longsdon.