TODWICK VILLAGE

Todwick Parish
Council Minutes

JRW/309

TODWICK PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting held in Todwick Church Hall at 7.00 p.m.
on Tuesday 27th November 2007

Present
Councillor Palmer - Vice Chairman (In the Chair)
Councillor Hill
Councillor Leah
Councillor Mathieson
Councillor Pantry
Councillor White
J R Walker - Clerk

N.B. Stephen Finley attended at 6.30 p.m. and explained the function of the Highway Maintenance Section of the Street Pride Team at Rotherham Borough Council.
Clerk referred to a copy of a petition he had sent to Mr. Finley concerning the condition of pavements on Osborne Drive. Photographs had also been sent exampling locations where graffiti had been daubed on street furniture and the village signs.
Stephen Finley had included works on Osborne Drive in the 2009 Highway Maintenance Programme. He answered questions related to the variety of activities for which he was responsible

07/92 APOLOGIES
Apologies had been received from Councillors Kettell and Langford
Councillor Wolf did not attend.

07/93 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES - 30th October 2007
There were no amendments.
The minutes were signed as a correct record.

07/94 MATTERS ARISING
1. 07/77(3)
White reported that perimeter fencing had been erected at the Kiveton Lane Sub-station.

2. 07/81(7)
Pantry had read the existing Response Plan as promised. A number of amendments were required and he would report on this on conclusion of his deliberations.

3. 07/97(1)
White noted that the abandoned car remained in place.
Clerk/Leah reported that Community Constable Jones had visited the owner of the car and ascertained that it was a company owned vehicle. The tax had now been displayed and the vehicle moved away from the access gate.
White the vehicle was parked on the same length of road but was now facing against the traffic flow.
Leah would make further contact with Constable Jones.

07/95 URGENT ITEMS FOR LATER CONSIDERATION
1. Chrysalis Photography
2. Hanging Baskets
3. Local Cinema

07/96 CLERK'S REPORT
Clerk had

• undertaken all the duties placed on him at the last meeting.
• distributed information on the functions and powers of parish councils as a means of assisting members in their decision making including the consideration of planning applications
• given assistance and advice to members on the mechanisms which might be introduced to assist the further involvement of Margaret Clark the Internal Auditor
• informed members that the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services had reached agreement on rates of pay for parish clerks applicable from 1st April 2007. In accordance with his Contract of Employment and Conditions of Service his salary based on 13.2 hours/week and Scale Point 29 had been increased to £8472.62/annum or £706.05/month. He had also informed members of the increases to car allowance rates.

07/97 FINANCIAL OFFICER'S REPORT
Clerk informed members that the payment to him included some £114.82 (less tax and National Insurance) owed as a consequence of the 2007/8 pay award not being agreed until November.

07/98 CORRESPONDENCE
Copies of all correspondence received had been delivered to members in advance of the meeting together with the Agenda and Minutes of the October 2007 Meeting.

1. RMBC - Vehicles Travelling Through Todwick
Resolved that the Clerk copy the letter to Wales Parish Council.

2. RMBC - Planning Application RB2007/2005

3. RMBC - Borough Council's Standards Committee
Pantry noted that no complaints made against members had been upheld and there had been no evidence of malpractice. In future years there would be greater local determination of complaints and whether to refer complaints to the National Committee.

4. RMBC - Condition of Shop Forecourts at The Pastures
Clerk had thanked Mr. Kemp for ordering repairs and writing to Mr. Birtles.
Pantry would see whether any progress had been made by the December Council Meeting. The leaning tree remained a potential danger to passers by on the highway and must be attended to.

5. RMBC - Planning Application RB2007/1618
Clerk the application had been refused.

6. RMBC - Planning Board Training Session

7. SLCC - Apologies - The Rights and Wrongs
Clerk had included an article from "The Clerk" and other information related to the disqualification of a member should they fail to attend council meetings or other relevant meetings.

8. CE Electric UK - YEDL Sub Stations at Goosecarr Lane and The Meadows
White would send a reminder of the need for action if no progress had been made by the time of the December meeting.

9. RMBC - Rotherham Tourism Forum

10. G Waller - Petition to RMBC concerning the Condition of Pavements on Osborne Drive

11. Todwick Toddlers - Thank you for donation.

07/99 PLANNING APPLICATIONS
1. RB2007/2005
Change of use from agricultural to manege and erection of a canopy at land to rear of 42 Kiveton Lane for Mr. R Esberger.
Clerk following instruction had objected on the same grounds as to previous and similar applications on the site.
Resolved to offer no objection

07/100 COMMITTEES
ALLOTMENTS
Mathieson reported that only six full and two half plots remained vacant. He had contacted Anston, Aston and Wales Parish Councils. No reply had yet been received from Anston. Aston had a waiting list of fifteen and was contacting them to see whether they might wish to cultivate one at Todwick. Wales had no council owned sites.

07/101 MEMBER'S ACTIVITY REPORTS
1. Pantry had attended

• the Local Democracy Framework Workshop. As requested by national government RMBC was looking at the whole of the Borough to identify which sites might be appropriate for housing development.
• The RMBC Planning Board Training Session on "planning for floods".

2. Palmer/Hill updated members on discussions with the land owner, RMBC and the local ramblers group concerning the possible maintenance of the wooded area off Kiveton Lane. There were possibilities for attracting external funding.
Leah had discussed the possibility of obtaining grants with Tina Chamberlain of YRCC.

3. Hill related an incident with a car been driven at speed on the church car park next to the Children's Playground. The provision of a simple speed hump would deter such dangerous driving.
Palmer would speak with Mr. Hesketh the Church Warden

07/102 RECREATION GROUND CHARITY
Mathieson reported on his discussions and exchange of correspondence with the Charity Commission. The Charity now had its own bank account and was working towards being completely divorced from the Parish Council.
Resolved to pay to the newly formed Todwick Parish Recreation Ground Charity the sum of £900 equivalent to the rents received from the Bowling, Junior Football and Senior Football Clubs for the current financial year.

07/103 BUDGET 2008/9
Resolved to hold a separate meeting at 6.30p.m. on Monday 3rd December.

07/104 INTERNAL AUDITOR
Palmer/Clerk had been in touch with Margaret Clark and agreed further internal audit procedures to provide additional checks on the Council.

07/105 VILLAGE PLAN
White had been looking to see what initiatives might reasonably be implemented to provide some of the facilities requested by parishioners. He informed that French lessons were to begin the following day in the village hall.
Leah had applied for grants to provide a computer room upstairs at the village hall and an internet café on the ground floor.
White/Leah would be meeting with a representative from the Worker's Education Association on 17th December to encourage them to fund activities in the hall.

07/106 STANDING ORDERS
Pantry had obtained copies of generic standing orders from the Clerk and the Yorkshire Local Councils Associations. He was studying these in detail, together with the Council's existing Orders and would report back to members.

07/107 NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
Clerk reported that Community Constable Jones was on a training course and had given her apologies for non attendance. She had sent an e-mail indicating that crimes reported in Todwick included damage to a pavilion security grill, theft of a CD player from a motor vehicle and damage to a dwelling caused by a bottle being thrown through a window.

07/108 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
Palmer gave a précis of the duties carried out by the contractor since the last council meeting.

07/109 NOTICE BOARD
Clerk a draft panel had been received from Richard Pett at RMBC and comments passed back for his attention. It might be an appropriate time for members to consider adopting a logo for the Council which could appear on the display panel, letter heads and other appropriate items in the future.
White would contact Councillor Kettell to see whether an article in "The Informer" might be use as a suitable vehicle to attract designs. Council might consider this being done in the form of a competition with a prize for the winner.

07/110 RISK ASSESSMENTS
Pantry had arranged for members of the Area Assembly to attend a meeting in the village hall on the 6th December. RMBC would be sending a representative and there would be a sharing of generic risk assessments. The room would accommodate 20 at the most but further representation from Todwick was encouraged.
White would also attend.

07/111 COUNCILLOR WOLF
Clerk had circulated information with the papers for the meeting related to continuous non attendance at council meetings. These papers had also been delivered to Councillor Wolf as normal. He confirmed that Councillor Wolf had not attended any meeting of the new Council. Her last attendance was at the April 2007/ Annual Assembly meetings. She had given no reason for her non-attendance.
Resolved to disqualify Councillor Wolf from membership of the Council with immediate effect.
Clerk would inform Councillor Wolf and RMBC and arrange for an appropriate notice to be displayed.

07/112 URGENT ITEMS

1. Chrysalis Photography
Palmer had received a request from the photographer.
Resolved not to allow an advertising leaflet to be distributed with "The Informer" newsletter.

2. Hanging Baskets
Palmer asked members to consider funding additional baskets in 2008.

3. Local Cinema
Palmer gave details of a scheme adopted in Sutton- cum-Lound and of an application to be made to the Yorkshire Rural Community Council for funding in Todwick.

The Meeting Closed at 9.55 p.m.

The next monthly Council Meeting will be in Todwick Village Hall at
7.00 p.m. on Tuesday 18th December 2007.