564

Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting

Held in the Youth and Community Centre

Lowson Street, Stillington

Tuesday 10th January 2012

Present

Chair: Cllr. J Turner
Cllrs. B Bardsley, P Rogers, R Tingle, J Wills
District Cllr. A Stephenson
Clerk: Mrs G Dunn

J Bosson – Performance Manager – Darlington Borough Council
10 Members of the public attended.

Prior to the meeting J Bosson from Darlington Borough Council outlined proposed budget cuts by DBC. These include the withdrawal of subsidies for rural bus services. This would result in the removal of bus service no. 17 – Darlington to Stillington. A period of consultation with the public about all of the budget proposals is currently underway. Forms were handed out for people to complete and return to DBC before the end of January. Copies of the forms were provided for distribution to any other local residents who may have comments and concerns to submit. Final decisions about the budget cutbacks would be made by the DBC cabinet on 22nd February. A discussion about the importance of the bus service and possible alternatives to the service if the subsidy is withdrawn were discussed.

Following this discussion J Bosson and the majority of the members of the public left the meeting.

1. Apologies for Absence

There were apologies from Cllrs. K. Johnson and J. Lithgo

2. Declarations of Interest in Items on the Agenda

There were none.

3. Minutes of the Last Meeting

Cllr. J Turner signed the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 6th December 2011 as a true and correct record. Proposed by Cllr. R Tingle and seconded by Cllr. P Rogers.

4. Finance

Proposed by Cllr. Turner and seconded by Cllr. Tingle the sum of £84.00 to SBC for the VAT for a new dog bin purchased recently – this amount had been omitted from the original payment – (cheque no.100750).

Proposed by Cllr. Rogers and seconded by Cllr. Bardsley the sum of £294.70 to the Clerk for salary and expenses – (cheque no.100751).

Proposed by Cllr. Turner and seconded by Cllr. Rogers the sum of £574.68 to Zurich Municipal for insurance fees – (cheque no.100752).

The Clerk distributed a budget proposal sheet for 2012/13 and a summary of the current status of the Parish Council finances. Following a discussion it was proposed by Cllr. Tingle and seconded by Cllr. Rogers and agreed by all of Councillors that the precept should remain at £8000. It was agreed that there may be additional expenses for the Jubilee Celebrations that had not been detailed on the budget proposal sheet. There was a small surplus in the budget proposals that would be used for this or any other unexpected costs.

5. Progress Reports

P560 Proposed wind farm – update

At their meeting on 7th December 2011 the SBC Planning Committee approved the planning application from Banks. The Clerk agreed to contact Banks and ask if the Community Liaison Officer would be able to attend the next meeting to provide an update on timescales of the development etc. The Clerk agreed to decline an invitation from Banks to the Chair and one other Member of the Council to attend the SBC Mayors Dinner as a guest of the company.

P560 Potential Wind Turbine Developments – update

The Clerk was not aware of any developments since the last meeting.

P560 Traffic Calming for Whitton – update

There was nothing to report from Whitton. It was mentioned that the Banks development may be a potential source of funds for some traffic calming measures in the future. Cllr. Turner reported that at a recent Industrialists meeting it was agreed the electronic speed indicator devices were effective and should be considered for Whitton. It was also noted that work was beginning on the remainder of the new housing development in Whitton. It was thought that more traffic entering and leaving the new Honeypot Close would increase the risk of an accident.

P561 Bench for Honeypot Wood – update

It was agreed to fund the bench using the remainder of the 2011/12 precept. The Clerk agreed to place the order for the bench with SBC. The Clerk confirmed that the price of the bench would be £655 – not £525 as stated in the previous minutes.

P561 Overgrown hedge and pot holes, Whitton – progress report

The pot holes had been fixed – this meant that the hedge – which is not significantly overgrown – is no longer a problem.

It was raised that where the new footpath for Honeypot Close in Whitton joined the old path the levels were different and the ground quite rough. The Clerk agreed to report this to SBC and find out whether it was the Council or the building company who were responsible for improvements.

P561 Central Area Transport Strategy – feedback

Cllr. Wills had not been able to attend this meeting.

P562 Pot hole - South Street – progress report

This had been repaired. The Clerk agreed to report that the fence beside the road, opposite the South Street houses, was leaning.

P563 Unsupervised dogs – update

SBC had tried to contact the owner of the dog in question but had been unable to talk to them yet. The Clerk agreed to follow this up and also raise concerns about another dog.

P563 Rubbish in field – update

The Clerk had reported this to SBC. She had been informed that because this was private land there was nothing that SBC could do about the appearance of the area.

P563 Removal of ivy on trees – progress report

This work was still to be undertaken.

6. Proposed withdrawal of funding from the no.17 bus service

This had been discussed before the meeting. The clerk agreed to submit comments on behalf of the Council objecting to the proposal as it would have an isolating effect on the members of the community that rely on the bus service – particularly residents who use the bus to access work or education - and also those who choose to travel to Darlington for shopping and to access other services.

7. Vacancy for Parish Councillor

Jennifer Davies from Whitton had expressed that she would like to become a Member of the Council. Jennifer had attended a number of meetings and had walked around the Parish with the Clerk. It was proposed by Cllr. Tingle and seconded by Cllr. Rogers that Jennifer be co-opted onto the Council.

8. Tristar Walkabout

The Clerk informed members that the next walkabout would take place on 25th January at 10.00am. The Clerk confirmed that she would be able to attend.

9. Unreliable Streetlights – Redmarshall Street - report of ongoing problems

A number of times over the last 6 months the Clerk had been asked to report that some of the streetlights in Redmarshall Street were not working – or residents had informed the Clerk that they had reported problems to SBC. The lights would be fixed but the repair did not seem to last for very long. The Clerk suggested she contact SBC and ask if further remedial action needs to be taken to ensure a more permanent solution.

10. Correspondence – November 2011

SBC Stockton News – spring deadline
SBC Christmas Card from the Mayor
SBC Home Care Services – Consultation Briefing
SBC 2011/2012 Precept Pro-Forma
Charity Commission Trustee Updates
CLCA Information from NALC
CPRE Planning Explained – Booklet
Darlington Borough Council Proposed changes to no. 17 bus service
M&G Investments Statement
SLCC Newsletter
SRCGA Grants Information
TVRCC Newsletter
TVRCC Annual Review

In addition to the distributed list, the Clerk had received details for a Parish Council Liaison Forum meeting on Monday 16th January – details were given to Cllr. Wills. The Clerk also informed members about a regional Clerks meeting that she planned to attend on 13th January.

11. Standards/Code of Conduct – Any Current Issues

There were none to discuss.

12. Planning Applications

10/2549/FUL Erection of 4 wind turbines and associated infrastructure
Land west of Stillington


This application had been approved with conditions.

11/2598/FUL Conversion of integral garage into living space and construction of replacement garage.
24 Forest Park, Stillington

This application had been approved with conditions.

10. Councillors Reports and Items for Future Agenda

The Clerk had been informed that SBC will put a salt bin at the bottom of West Street – this item had been missed of the progress reports item on the agenda.

It was agreed to add a discussion of Diamond Jubilee celebrations to the next agenda.

The Clerk agreed to find out why recycling is collected from the front of the terraced properties in Stillington rather than from the back with the rest of the rubbish.

The Clerk agreed to ask SBC to contact the residents of West Street and Redmarshall Street who shared a back alley and remind them that following a rubbish collection, bins should not be left out in the alley. She also asked for residents to be informed that separate collections needed to be arranged for larger items of rubbish – or the householder was required to dispose of the larger items responsibly themselves.

Borough Cllr. Stephenson informed members that he was continuing to speak to the solicitor responsible for the empty property in the centre of Stillington. He is hoping to meet with the solicitor and the SBC arborist so that the removal of any dangerous trees can be authorized. It was unclear who would pay for any necessary work.

The Clerk read an email from Redmarshall PC about contacting BT to ask for increased broadband speed in the area. Details would be in the next Parish News magazine for anyone who wanted to register an interest with no obligation.

14. Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Parish Council will take place on Tuesday 7th February 2012 in the Stillington Youth and Community Centre at 7.00pm.

Signed: ……………………………………….. Dated: ………………………….…….

Proposed: …………………………………… Seconded: ……………………………….