DRAFT
MINUTES OF KEYWORTH PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD
IN THE CENTENARY LOUNGE ON MONDAY, 27 JUNE 2011 AT 7.30PM.
PRESENT:
Chairman: Cllr Grice.
Parish Councillors: Abbey [Borough/Parish], Barton, Debbie Boote [Borough/Parish], Sam Boote [Borough/Parish], Butler, Cane, Chmara, Erwin, Kemp, Kingdom, Mather, Pinder.
Other Councillors: Borough/County Cllr Cottee.
Staff: Neil Grocock [Clerk].
Members of the Public: None.
12/8118 Apologies
q Apologies were received from Cllr Oakley.
q Cllr Grice welcomed Cllr Butler to her first meeting following co-option.
q Cllr Grice reminded Cllr Sam Boote that he currently had no photograph or details on the Parish Council website.
12/8119 Declarations of Interest
q There were no declarations of interest.
12/8120 Minutes:
q The minutes of the Annual Parish Council meeting on 16.5.11 were APPROVED and signed by Cllr Grice as a true record.
Cllr Pinder arrived at the meeting at this point.
12/8121 Matters Arising
q [12/8113] Skatepark:
- Cllr Grice enquired whether the situation was any better.
- Cllr Barton responded that it was not, and commented that there had been a complete lack of any response from the police.
- Cllr Grice pointed out that the local beat officer was on long-term sick leave, but undertook to contact the local area inspector.
- Cllr Kingdom commented that, notwithstanding the local officer being off sick, the failure of anyone to respond was unacceptable.
- Cllr Barton expressed concern regarding the danger posed by broken glass.
- Cllr Debbie Boote confirmed that she was liaising with BGS; thinning down the hedge was one idea she intended to discuss.
- Cllr Grice commented that, in his view, if the problems could not be resolved, the Council should consider closing the skatepark down.
- Cllr Sam Boote suggested that it would be a great shame if such drastic measures were taken to resolve what might prove to be only a short-term problem.
q [12/8117] Grass Cutting:
- Cllr Sam Boote reported that a motion he had proposed at a recent Borough Council meeting had been passed: the Borough Council recognised the problem, and would make all possible efforts to renegotiate with the County Council.
- Cllr Cottee confirmed that he had dealt with the letter which had been handed to him at the meeting.
q [12/8114] Diamond Jubilee:
Cllr Grice noted that the Amenities advisory committee had had a brainstorming session and would be discussing the situation again at a meeting in July; he suggested that firm proposals should be submitted to Full Council at the meeting in September.
q [12/8115] Bar Refurbishment:
Cllr Grice reported that work was due to commence on 4.7.11, and should take around three weeks to complete.
q [12/8117] Green Bins:
Cllr Sam Boote pointed out that he had already circulated details of the take-up on the Borough Council green bins scheme; he was, however, now able to provide updated information: 22,653 [out of approximately 40k] households in Rushcliffe had now subscribed to the scheme, and this would equate to an annual revenue of around £600k for the Borough Council; in Keyworth, 1856 households [approximately 57%] had subscribed.
q [12/8111] Councillor Training:
Cllr Kingdom commented that the suite of e-learning courses was difficult to access.
12/8122 Correspondence
q The following items had been included in the briefing notes for the meeting:
- Letter and survey from the Nottinghamshire Police Authority.
Cllr Grice went through the survey point by point, and it was AGREED that the main concerns to be highlighted were:
- Environmental issues , e.g. dog fouling.
- Illegal parking.
- Graffiti.
- Drugs misuse/supply.
- Problems at skatepark.
- Better communications/feedback required in response to complaints.
- Letter from Notts County Council re proposed 7.5T environmental weight limits.
Cllr Barton commented that it was a good idea, but would it be policed? Cllr Sam Boote agreed that it was a good idea, but felt that it would make little difference. Cllr Cottee pointed out that problems should be reported to the County Council whereupon appropriate action would be taken. Cllr Butler mentioned problems on Debdale Lane.
- Letter from Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire, drawing attention to online Broadband Access Survey; deadline for responses: 8.7.11.
The Clerk had circulated details of the survey by email. AGREED that, as requested in the letter, the Clerk should write to confirm the Council’s support for the project.
12/8123 Finance
a) Schedule of Payments/Reimbursements
q A schedule of payments, included in the briefing notes for the meeting, was APPROVED – see Appendix 1.
q Cllr Grice drew attention to the revised layout of the schedule which was now slightly more informative.
q In response to a query from Cllr Sam Boote, Cllr Grice explained the background to the repairs to the Village Hall floor [50% covered by insurance].
q In response to a query from Cllr Debbie Boote, Cllr Grice confirmed that he had asked the KPFA to make a contribution towards the cost of the condition surveys.
q There were no reimbursements for approval.
b) F & GP Minutes dated 6.6.11
q The minutes dated 6.6.11 were NOTED and the decisions recorded therein were APPROVED.
q Cllr Grice drew attention to:
- Condition surveys: as regards the Village Hall complex, some of the work recommended already carried out [e.g. safety film applied to low-level glazing]; other issues still to be addressed, e.g. wall outside the Centenary Lounge; KPFA looking into points raised regarding buildings for which it is responsible.
- Grass cutting: contractor will be paid to carry out grass cutting around the village previously undertaken by the groundsman.
q County Council/Keyworth United CFC lease – Correspondence with the County Council’s solicitor had been included in the briefing notes for the meeting. The Clerk explained that, whilst the F & GP committee had consented to the deed of variation [12/7193b], confirmation that the Parish Council consented to the legal charge was also required; the land was owned by the County Council and leased to Keyworth United, but the Parish Council’s consent was required because it had a one-third financial interest. AGREED that the Parish Council’s consent to the legal charge could be confirmed.
12/8124 Planning
a) Minutes dated 23.5.11
q The minutes dated 25.3.11 were NOTED and the decisions recorded therein were APPROVED.
b) Minutes dated 20.6.11
q The minutes dated 20.6.11 were NOTED and the decisions recorded therein were APPROVED.
q Cllr Abbey pointed out that, subject to confirmation at the next meeting, minute reference 12/2117 would be amended to read as follows:
Cllr Kemp reported that Rushcliffe Borough Council had accepted the document subject to one change which had now been incorporated. The approval process was now complete.
Cllr Abbey thanked Cllr Kemp and the Village Design Statement group for their
input and hard work.
c) Feedback from Visioning Workshop – 24.6.11
q Cllr Abbey reported as follows:
- The workshop was attended by some thirty people, including Parish and Borough Councillors and representatives of local organisations and businesses.
- It was facilitated by the Borough Council, and an independent planning consultant was present.
- The first part had been about Keyworth as it is: declining population and numbers per household, age profile, surrounded by green belt, etc.
- Separate groups had then considered the impact of various housing scenarios, and the impact of various scenarios on specific, identified sites; comments would be correlated by the Borough Council which would provide feedback at the second workshop on 18.7.11.
- Cllr Barton commented that there had appeared to be a remarkable level of agreement between the groups.
- Cllr Chmara added that the groups had also been asked to suggest sites which could be opened up as green areas.
d) Tesco Appeal
q The Parish Council had been copied in on sundry correspondence, all of which had been included in the briefing notes for the meeting.
q Cllr Abbey pointed out that the hearing would take place at the Civic Centre, starting on 5.7.11, lasting up to four days, and reminded everyone that the main considerations behind the Borough Council’s decision had been:
- Impact on local businesses.
- Highway and pedestrian safety.
- Appearance and character of the area.
- Amenity of neighbouring residents.
q Cllr Abbey added that there would be a pre-meeting, which she would attend as the Parish Council’s spokesperson, on 29.6.11; Matthew Marshall [Principal Area Planning Officer, Rushcliffe Borough Council] would also be present, and would explain the enquiry procedure.
q Cllr Sam Boote explained that the pre-meeting was not a Parish Council meeting, or indeed a public meeting: its primary purpose was to ensure that the ‘No’ campaign adopted a disciplined approach to the enquiry.
12/8125 Council Vacancies
q Cllr Grice confirmed, for the record, that Cllr Butler had signed her Declaration of Acceptance of Office.
q It was NOTED that Cllr Butler would be a member of the Amenities and Burial Ground advisory committees.
q No further enquiries had been received from prospective co-optees; the remaining vacancies would accordingly be advertised in the July edition of the Keyworth News as agreed at the previous meeting.
12/8126 Churchyard Maintenance
q The following items had been included in the briefing notes for the meeting:
- Letter from the Parochial Church Council [referred to at the previous meeting].
- Copies of correspondence with Paul Cox, Senior Solicitor, Rushcliffe Borough Council.
- Notes from informal meeting with the Parochial Church Council.
- Copy of Local Government Act 1972 Section 215.
- Extract from Legal Advisory Commission legal opinion re the responsibilities of a local authority taking over the maintenance of a churchyard.
q Cllr Grice explained that, subject to three months’ notice, the Parochial Church Council had a legal right to pass responsibility for the maintenance of the churchyard to the Parish Council, but the Parish Council had the right, during the notice period, to pass the responsibility on to the Borough Council [Local Government Act 1972 Section 215]; he suggested that, whilst grass cutting might not be especially onerous, health & safety responsibilities in relation to memorials, walls, trees, gates, etc. could prove to be more problematic; his main concern regarding passing on responsibility to the Borough Council was the cost which would be charged back to Keyworth by way of a separate amount on council tax bills; an annual charge of £5.7k had been mentioned in relation to grass cutting, but this was only an estimate, and it had not yet been possible to set up an onsite meeting with the relevant person [Robert Alderton, Streetwise] from the Borough Council.
q Cllr Erwin suggested that the amount charged by the Borough Council was an issue for the local Borough Councillors.
q Cllr Kemp expressed concern regarding the safety of memorials: the memorials in the churchyard were taller and much older than those in Wysall Lane Burial Ground, and the chances of tracing the owners would be remote.
q Cllr Butler pointed out that, unlike the Parish Council, the Borough Council had its own solicitors on hand to deal with any legal issues which might arise.
q Cllr Erwin proposed that the responsibility for maintenance should be passed on to the Borough Council without further ado.
q Cllr Kingdom suggested that the proposal should be subject to satisfactory negotiations with the Borough Council.
q The Clerk pointed out that a qualified decision such as that would necessitate an extraordinary meeting at a later date.
q Cllr Erwin proposed again that the responsibility for maintenance should be passed on to the Borough Council, regardless of cost which, as he had already suggested, was a matter for local Borough Councillors to consider.
q Cllr Barton seconded Cllr Erwin’s proposal, and it was AGREED that the Parish Council should pass on responsibility for maintenance of the churchyard to the Borough Council without delay. Cllr Grice invoked standing order 1r and the details of the vote are recorded as follows:
In favour: Cllrs Abbey, Barton, Debbie Boote, Sam Boote, Butler, Cane, Chmara, Erwin, Grice, Kemp, Mather.
Against: None.
Abstained: Cllrs Kingdom & Pinder.
q Cllr Grice suggested that the onsite meeting [with Robert Alderton] should go ahead, and pledged to fight to get the best possible deal for Keyworth.
12/8127 War Memorial
q The following items had been included in the briefing notes for the meeting:
- Email to the Clerk from the owner of 2 Bunny Lane.
- Draft letter from Cllr Grice to the owner of 2 Bunny Lane.
- Email from the chairman of the Keyworth branch of the Royal British Legion.
q Cllr Grice reported that he had been unable to discuss the situation with the owner of 2 Bunny Lane, who had refused to communicate with him in any way, and who seemed to think that he [Cllr Grice] might be acting in a private capacity rather than on behalf of the Parish Council.
q Cllr Grice stated that he wanted it minuted that he had been intending to ask the owner of 2 Bunny Lane whether he might consider donating the current memorial and the small plot of land on which it is situated to the village of Keyworth for use as the focal point for acts of remembrance in perpetuity; the donation to be acknowledged by way of a special plaque.
q After due discussion, it was AGREED that a working party, comprising Cllrs Grice, Chmara, Abbey and Erwin, should be set up to actively explore the possibility of establishing a memorial elsewhere in the village, on land which is not privately owned.
q The Council also APPROVED a letter from Cllr Grice [see Appendix 2] to be sent to the owner of 2 Bunny Lane, with whom, it was AGREED, the Council would be willing to enter into discussions if at any time he wished to do so.
There being no further business, the chairman closed the
meeting at approximately 8.50 pm.
After the meeting proper:
q Cllr Grice queried a survey regarding street cleaning, carried out by Cllrs Debbie and Sam Boote.
q Cllr Sam Boote explained that, in their role as Borough Councillors, they had delivered 200 questionnaires to homes in Keyworth; 85 replies were received, of which 49 indicated that the respondents would be willing to pay £3 per year more in council tax if the Parish Council took on the street cleaning service.