MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
Thursday 23 February 2012 at 7.30 p.m.
at the Community Rooms, Holmes Chapel Library
Part I – Public and Press present
1. Attendance / Cllr JA ClowesCllr PA Cotton
Cllr J Latham
Cllr IM Mackenzie
Cllr M Ranger / Cllr S Ranger
Cllr MJ Street
Mr DR Cowgill – Clerk
Mrs NL Clarke – Assistant
1 member of the public
2. Chairman / RESOLVED (c11/12/76) that Cllr. Mackenzie take the Chair in the absence of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman
2. Apologies / RESOLVED (c11/12/77) to approve apologies from Cllrs WA Ashworth, L Gilbert, WN Guthrie, RC Parry and DE Savage.
3. Declarations of Interest / None
4. Council Minutes / RESOLVED (c11/12/78) to approve the minutes of the Council meeting held on 12 January 2012 as a true and accurate record and to be signed by the Chairman.
5. Committee Actions and Recommendations / RESOLVED (c11/12/79)
1. To approve the actions and recommendations of the Finance Committee held on 12 January 2012.
2. To receive notes of the non-quorate meeting of Strategy Committee held on 19 January 2012.
3. To approve the actions and recommendations of the Amenities Committee held on 26 January 2012.
4. To approve the actions and recommendations of the Technical Services Committee held on 9 February 2012 – except in relation to Public Toilets item 8 below.
6. Matters Arising / The Clerk reported on the following:
1. Matters to be referred to Committees:
· Leisure Centre – There has been a further meeting of the new liaison committee. A report will go to Amenities.
· Play Areas – a meeting of the Programme Board is being arranged and will report to Amenities.
· Dane Valley – there have been 2 meetings of the Programme Board and a report will go to Amenities.
· Quality – final documents will go to Strategy Committee
· Traffic management – data is being collected from the SIDS. A detailed report will go to Technical Services when the information is collated.
The Chairman asked that Committee Chairmen and Project Leaders make sure that the Council is kept up to date with the activities of the Programme Boards
2. Sanofi Aventis – The developer of the residential site is now known to be Bellway. It is thought the contract is still conditional and the transfer of the site has not been completed.
3. Web site – A number of updates have been made and further items are under way.
4. Primary Schools – a meeting with the two Primary Schools is due to take place on Friday 24 February 2012 at 11.30 at HC Primary School.
7. Finance / Accounts for Payment / 1. Finance Committee 12 January 2012 – the Council dealt with items which were not considered at the Finance Committee due to time constraints:
RESOLVED (c11/12/80) to:
· Receive the Financial Report on the third quarter with verbal updates from the Clerk
· Approve the accounts for the 3rd Quarter to be signed by the Clerk as RFO
· Raise the fidelity cover to £150,000 when the insurance is due for renewal in June 2012.
· Transfer £50,000 from Barclays to the Co-op in order to open a 1 year bond.
2. Accounts for payment
RESOLVED (c11/12/81) to approve the following:
Already Paid
SO / DR Cowgill / Salary – January 2012 / 546.63
SO / NL Clarke / Salary – January 2012 / 324.17
891 / Vic Club / s.137 donation Holmes Chapel Village Fair / 140.00
892 / Scottish Power / Church Floodlights / 107.06
893 / Scottish Power / Office electricity / 109.81
43.73
894 / Bomfords / Stationery / 43.73
895 / NL Clarke / Stamps / 17.28
Barclays / Commission Charges Dec / 4.60
To be paid
896 / Home Grown in HC / s.137 donation / 300.00
897 / HC Singers / s.137 donation / 300.00
898 / H C Scout Group / s.137 donation / 235.00
899 / H C Chess Club / s.137 donation / 300.00
900 / RBL – HC / s.137 donation / 350.00
901 / EQH Ltd / Project co-ordination Jan 12 / 600.00
902 / EQH Ltd / Dane Valley project
management / 600.00
903 / BT / Telephone – Clerk / 166.23
so / DR Cowgill / Salary – February 2012 / 546.63
so / NL Clarke / Salary – February 2012 / 324.17
904 / Namesco / Domain name registration / 179.99
905 / Co-op Bank / Transfer of funds / 50,000.
Credit
HMRC / VAT refund / 2971.20
8. Public Toilets / The Council reviewed in detail the recommendations of the Technical Services Committee
RESOLVED (c11/12/82) that:
1. Action should be taken in respect of other facilities e.g. pubs and shops.
2. That the existing toilet block is not considered a suitable long term solution as a facility to serve the village.
3. A possible solution at the library, offered by the library staff, may be a suitable way to proceed and is worthy of further investigation.
4. The Clerk is authorised and instructed (in consultation with the Committee Chairman) to arrange discussions with CEC:
· To inform them there is no budget provision for toilets in the year 2012/13
· To request that the sum of £10,000 earmarked and offered for the refurbishment of the existing building is ringfenced for use in connection with public toilet provision in Holmes Chapel
· To discuss the existing building and consider its future in the short and longer term
· To request that CEC meet the cost of a feasibility study in respect of public toilet provision at the library with a view to ascertaining the likely cost
· In the event of CEC refusing to meet the costs of a feasibility study, to meet costs not exceeding £1,000 from the consultancy provision in the revenue budget
· To ascertain how CEC would wish to deal with the future management of public toilets in the library
· To consider better signage for the existing toilet facilities in the village – temporary and permanent and to obtain costings
· To consider general internal management by this Council and to report back with recommendations.
9. Dane Valley / RESOLVED (c11/12/83) that the Clerk and Amenities Committee have authority to spend up to £200 in connection with consultation, publicity and ancillary issues relating to the grant application.
10. Borough Council reports / None
11. Diamond Jubilee / Cllr. S Ranger reported on a meeting of interested parties held on 14 February 2012 :
· Churches Together are holding a service at the Leisure Centre on Sunday 3 June 2012 followed by a Big Lunch, hopefully on the school playing field
· A concert is proposed for the Sunday, talks are taking place to include Battle of the Bands
· A charity based cricket match will be held on Monday 4 June 2012 at the Victoria Club with a family BBQ
· The U3A are hoping to arrange a history project of memories of the village and people from Holmes Chapel which to take place during 2012
· Other ideas include asking local celebrities to attend functions, e.g. a celebrity auction.
· The next meeting is being held on Wednesday 29 February 2012 at the Community Rooms at 7.30 p.m.
RESOLVED (c11/12/84) to receive the report and to thank Cllr S Ranger for his work.
12. HCP – Village Fair / 1. Cllr S Ranger reported that HCP have booked a large stand at the Village Fair on 6 May 2012 and would like the Parish Council to contribute with displays on current activities.
2. The Clerk asked members to forward any ideas for the advertisement in the Village Fair programme by 27 February 2012 in order meet the deadline.
13. Outside Bodies / The Council received reports from representatives on the following bodies:
· Sandbach Almshouses Charity – Cllr Mackenzie reported on recent meeting. The garden room is progressing. As Cllr Mackenzie has been appointed a co-opted Trustee of the charity a vacancy has occurred for a member of the Parish Council to become a trustee.
RESOLVED (c11/12/85) that Cllr Cotton be appointed.
· Community Rail Partnership – Details of the last meeting had been circulated; a meeting is due next month.
· Village Volunteers – Cllr Clowes reported that the area near the public toilets has been tidied up and the spring bulbs are now beginning to flower around the village. A Holmes Chapel Clean day has been arranged for 13 May 2012. Assistance with equipment has been arranged with CEC but it may be necessary to purchase some litter pickers.
· Local Area Partnership – Cllr S Ranger would be unable to attend morning meetings. It was agreed that Cllr M Ranger would act as deputy.
· ChALC – Members were unable to attend the last meeting.
· Police – The Clerk reported that the exchange of PCSO’s will take place from 5 March until 1 April 2012; Sgt. Angela Coppock is replacing Sgt. Penny Jones for 6 months and had introduced herself to the Council prior to the meeting; and the Clerk will arrange a Police liaison meeting.
14. ChALC Area Meetings / The Council considered recommendations from ChALC to replace Area Meetings with Parish Conferences in the CEC, Warrington and CW&C areas.
RESOLVED (c11/12/86) that the Clerk respond as follows:
· The proposals are agreed in general principle; however:
· Dates should be planned in advance, preferably, each 12 months and papers should be circulated well in advance of each meeting;
· Meetings should be open to all Councillors and Clerks;
15. Agendas / The Chairman asked members to forward to the Clerk items for future agendas. The Clerk confirmed that Glyn Chambers, HCP and the Scout Group have accepted invitations to address the Annual Parish Meeting on 29 March 2012. CEC Highways have also been invited but the Clerk is still awaiting a reply.
16. Chairman and Clerk’s reports / The Clerk reported on the following:
1. Dunkirk Farm - planning application for affordable housing - There is to be a meeting at the Victoria Club on Saturday 25 February 2012 at 12 noon arranged by Brereton PC
2. Holmes Chapel Clean Day - is scheduled for 13 May 2012.
3. 27 Bessancourt - Following repeated complaints about the state of the garden:
RESOLVED (c11/12/87) that the Clerk send a letter to the owner of the property and the complainant.
17. News items / None
Part II
Private and Confidential Business / None
The meeting closed at 8.55 p.m.
These minutes will be submitted for approval at the next meeting scheduled for 8 April 2012. Until then they are draft minutes.
Signed as Chairman of the Council as a true and accurate record:
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