S.P.C Minutes July 2020

S.P.C LogoSHENSTONE PARISH COUNCIL

Serving Little Aston, Shenstone, Stonnall, Shenstone Wood End, Lynn, Parish Council Office 25C Main Street Shenstone WS14 OLZ
Tel: 01543 481 947
e-mail: <admin@shenstone-staffs.gov.uk >
web: www.shenstone-staffs.gov.uk

Approved Minutes from virtual meeting of Full Council held on 14th July 2020 via Zoom at 7:15pm

Meeting held under regulations made in the Coronavirus Act 2020

19. Register of members in attendance:

Cllrs David Salter; Sheila Beilby; John Branch; Nicola Macdonald; Gail Nicholls; Kelly Harrison; Neil Perry; David Thompson; Stuart Jones; Darryl Godden & Lesley Edgley.
County Cllr David Smith. Clerk: Shirley O’Mara Members of the public: Anne-Marie Goodchild & Phil Berry.

20. Acceptance of apologies.

Cllrs Val Neale, Nick Smith, Nicki Gobran & Mick Cox. .
District Cllrs Elizabeth Hassell & Joseph Powell.

21. Public Participation

Anne-Marie Goodchild representing Streetly Red Phone Box Committee. Mr Phil Berry- Little Aston Recreation Ground Association (LARGA).

Item 36 was brought forward in the agenda. Ms Goodchild gave an overview of the full report (attached) which covers in detail the adoption proposal. Cllr Salter explained that if the project fails then it is then the liability of the Parish Council with costs of £2,500 to remove. Ms Goodchild explained that she felt there was enough support and Cllr Salter suggested selling advertising space to generate funds for upkeep. Cllr Jones shared experience of taking on a Shenstone phone box & its use as a highly successful library outpost and the fact that concerns about vandalism & misuse have been unfounded. After discussions Cllr Jones proposed that the Council adopt the phone box, this was seconded by Cllr Nicholls & unanimously carried.
RESOLUTION: Parish Council to adopt Burnett Road phone box.
Ms Goodchild thanked Council & Cllr David Smith for their time and support.

Mr Phil Berry, Chairman of LARGA briefed Council on the actions taken following the closure of recreation grounds due to Covid 19 & the announcement later to re-open. This included a very thorough risk assessment and report which have been forwarded Council. Feedback from the insurers is that an independent inspection is required & until this takes place there is no public liability insurance. This is not specifically due to Covid risks but concerns about potential accidents on equipment not assessed and not used for four months.
Cllr Beilby explained that they had not encountered the same concerns with the insurers of Stonnall Playing Field.
The annual inspection of all Council playgrounds is scheduled but there is a 10-12 week waiting list. The Clerk has consulted other companies and is awaiting response. In the meantime, the Little Aston Recreation Ground remains closed.
Cllr Salter thanked Mr Berry & his fellow members for their diligence and attention.

Item 25 was then brought forward:
District Cllr David Smith explained that he has grant funding of £3,500 available to groups adversely impacted by the coronavirus. This fund is to be shared across all of the Lichfield South but groups are encouraged to apply through the website. Cllr Macdonald will share the information on the Parish Facebook page.

Cllr Smith is appalled that there has been no engagement with West Midlands Trains with regard to the parking issues around Shenstone station.

There are ongoing concerns with flooding across the Parish especially in Newick Avenue which requires a great deal of attention to resolve.

Progress with the approved speed signs for Birmingham Road & Stonnall has been slow but it is hoped they will be in place this year. Cllr Branch expressed frustration that the work should have been completed before March having been approved in Oct 2019 & that Covid 19 delays are being used as an excuse. He stated that traffic during the lockdown had been lighter but cars were taking advantage of this by travelling at even faster speeds which they continue to do. Cllr Godden agreed. Cllr Smith said that Covid had had a major effect & his team was under pressure. Cllr Salter confirmed that the application to divert footpath IR/2579 has been approved.

22. Declarations of interest.

Members should consider whether they should partake in any discussion or vote on matters on the agenda unless they have a dispensation:
None.

23. To accept and confirm minutes of the last Full Council meeting on Tuesday 9th June 2020:

Signed and approved.

24 Clerk’s update on outstanding issues from last meeting:

The Clerk confirmed to Council that Cllr Nick Smith was approved by the Little Aston Recreation Ground Association Committee as a Parish Council representative alongside David Salter.
The Community Grant application for Shenstone Community Library for the installation of LED lights was for £1083.50 but the invoice is for £l, 296.00. Council agreed to pay the £212.50 difference. Proposed: Cllr Salter, seconded Cllr Nicholls. Unanimously carried. RESOLUTION: Council pay full amount of £1296.00.
Outstanding grants still to pay but delayed due to the impact of Covid 19 are:
Stonnall stay & Play Group £696.64, FROGS £1,000- Shenstone Scouts £1500, Friday Friends £350.00, Little Aston French Group £107.01, Little Aston Village Hall £2,799.

25 To receive reports from District and County Councillors:

Covered under item 21.

26 Dispensation under the six month attendance rule for Cllr Neale.

Council unanimously voted to approve this dispensation. Proposed Cllr Salter, seconded Cllr Nicholls.

27 Review and adopt Standing Orders.

Council reviewed and unanimously adopted the 2019 Standing Orders with no amendments. Signed by the Chairman.

28 Review and adopt Code of Conduct.

Council reviewed and unanimously adopted the 2019 Code of Conduct with no amendments. Signed by the Chairman.
The LGA are revising their model code of conduct to make it easier to use and set a very clear standard for civility. Once this is finalised Council agreed to look again at including these revisions.

29 Finance:

Financial transactions spreadsheet

(i) To consider the internal audit report 2019/20 Shared and unanimously approved.
(ii) To consider the annual governance statement 2019/20 and approve.
Cllr Salter read the statement and each point was unanimously approved (iii) To consider the accounting statements 2019/20 and approve.
Shared and unanimously approved. The Clerk explained the background documents also provided to the external auditor.
The annual governance statement and the accounting statement were signed by the Chairman (attached)
Current financial position as at 14th July 2020. Unity Account: £169,536.07, Nat West Current Account: £905.00, Nat West Business Reserve Account: £53,308.87, Nat West Liquidity Account (Ring Fenced Funds for SY&CC rebuild project, outstanding & pending professional fees & neighbourhood plan revisions):
£162,070.04.
Consider External Auditors for 2020/21.
Resolution: Mazaars were unanimously approved as External Auditors for 2020/21. Transactions for June & July to date were approved.

30 Planning.

Approve planning applications received in last month and update on any objections/ developments. Planning applications list for July 2020
Objections are pending for Application 20/00757/FUL Land Adjacent to Shenstone Moss. St John’s Drive. Shenstone on the grounds of over intensification,
20/00721/FU Oakwood Close , Shenstone due to impact on the immediate area & 19/01302 Ashcroft Lane resubmission due to over intensification in a small area.
Update on Traffic regulation order for parking restrictions -Shenstone Station.
Residents have received letters of consultation.
Cllr Perry has concerns re the allowance of parking directly outside the railway station and opposite number 3 Station Road. The complaints that originally instigated the campaign regarding the parking started as a result of drivers leaving their vehicles at this specific location which is a narrow stretch of road with two bends and directly outside people’s houses.
Vehicles that have been left here often park partly, and sometimes wholly on the footpath which prevents foot passengers accessing their addresses and other locations in the road, and by allowing parking to continue, the ongoing problem of delivery and refuse collection vehicles not being able to access addresses will continue.
Cllr Edgley was in full agreement with the concerns.
The Clerk will contact the Traffic Officer and establish whether this amendment, if approved, would require a further consultation.
Cllr Thompson reiterated that Council need to be mindful that there may be a second stage of the implementation if migration of vehicles to other parts of the village becomes a problem.

31 Stonnall Youth & Community Centre Management (SY&CC).

Agree interim arrangements for management pending an adopted management agreement currently under review.
The Clerk confirmed that Staffordshire Legal Services are now working on the management agreements for all Parish assets prioritising SY&CC.
Cllr Salter said that he believed in the meantime we should continue as before with the SY&CC Committee but with details of meetings shared with the Clerk.
It was also suggested that Cllr Cox, as a Council representative on the Committee, provide an overview of any outstanding matters. This was unanimously agreed for the short term.

32 Update from Stonnall Youth & Community Centre Working Group.

Feedback from virtual meeting on 8th July 2020.
Cllr Thompson gave an overview of the meeting (full report attached) with an update of meetings arranged with the Head of St Peters School and with Staffs CC Ian Turner, Commercial & Property Assets.
There then followed a discussion as to whether another building survey is required as concerns had been voiced by the Chair of the SY&CC Committee that it was a flawed report. Cllr Macdonald requested confirmation that the Working Group is happy to accept the report & Cllrs Thompson & Jones both stated the report was thorough and professional in the areas covered, which did not include electrics, asbestos, underground or damp proof course condition. It was unanimously agreed that another survey would be a waste of public money.
Cllr Perry suggested that the Working Party should arrange a meeting with the SY&CC Committee to involve them in discussions.

33 Report from the Employment committee meeting of 8/7/20.

In accordance with the agreement made at item 12 at the Parish Council meeting of June 9th 2020, the Employment committee met to discuss an interim measure in respect of the Clerk’s salary whilst awaiting new pay-scales and incremental instructions from NALC. The following recommendation was made:
Recommendation: That the Clerks salary is increased by £500.00 pa, backdated to April as a temporary measure.
This amount mirrors last year’s increase which was itself calculated on the official recommendations for 2019 and equates to just under 2% of the current salary. Further; when the official recommendations for 2020 are eventually available the amount will be re- calculated and any shortfall corrected.
Resolution: Unanimously approved.

34. Stonnall Playing Field flood defence works.

Consider quotes received & approval.
No action- quotes to be sent direct to Staffs CC for attention.

35 Problems with graffiti in Shenstone & Footherley — consideration of CCTV.

Following incidents of graffiti & unsociable behaviour in Footherley woods Cllr Nick Smith suggested investing in CCTV cameras. Cllr Salter said that this could be a great idea and a good deterrent but on seeking advice from Lichfield District Council it has been found it is illegal to do so. There was some discussion re signage but it was agreed that there needs to be further consultation with the PCSO to establish the scale of the problem and actions being taken.

36 Consideration of adoption of phone box in Burnett Road, Little Aston.

Dealt with under item 21.

37 Update from Communications Committee Meeting 30th June.

Council confirmed they had read & approved of actions in the shared minutes (attached). Cllr Macdonald reported an increase in Facebook likes to 215.

38 Date of next virtual meeting:

Tuesday 8th September 2020 at 7.00pm.