PARISH COUNCIL MEETING:
The Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on September 19th 2013 in the Cosby Community Church Rooms, Croft Road, Cosby.
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Present:Mr. M. Howkins, Chairman
Mr. M. Francis, Mr. P. Cave, Mr. A. Battams.
Mr. S. J. Pepper.
Mrs. M. Silk, Mrs. E. Hutton, Mrs. D. Cooper.
Mrs. J. Chapman, Ms. C. Pharoah.
Apologies:Mr. A. Tanner.
Also Present:Mr. D. Jennings. County Councillor.
Declarations of Interest:
There were none.
Minutes of the Previous Meeting:
It was proposed by Ms. C. Pharoah, seconded by Mrs. D. Cooper, that the minutes of the previous meeting, having been circulated, be signed as a true and accurate record of that meeting.
This was agreed unanimously.
Matters Arising:
The Clerk outlined several matters arising from the previous minutes.
With regard to the letter sent to the County Council on the subject of vehicles parking on Countesthorpe Road, the Clerk indicated that he had not as yet had any reply.
The two chestnut trees on Pretty Corner had now been felled, said the Clerk.
He would make arrangements for the stumps to be ground out.
Similarly the other trees mentioned as requiring attention had been dealt with.
The point regarding a defibrillator for the village would figure later in the agenda said the Clerk in a report from the Chairman.
The Clerk said that he had written to both the Police and the Parochial Church Council about vehicles parking on the bend outside the Church.
The reply from the Church was in replies received, said the Clerk.
With regard to the Planning application submitted by Mr. J. Gilbert for the erection of stable and utility blocks et al, on land off Countesthorpe Road, the Clerk said that he had as requested , written to the District Council objecting to this application. Page 1
In response to the point made by Mrs. Cooper, the Clerk said that he would yet again; write to the District Council on the subject of TPO’s in the village.
The Clerk said that he had reported the state of the Bus shelter on the Broughton Road to the District Council and had been informed that this would be attended to as soon as possible.
The state of the hedge along the Narborough Road had also been reported to the County Council but to date no response had been received.
The situation regarding the red telephone box in the Nook, said the Clerk remained unclear, the District Council were no longer involved in this issue and had suggested that the Council approach BT directly to ascertain what they might be prepared to do.
The Clerk said that he understood that the hole in the ground in Chiltern Avenue had been attended to by the County Council.
The full agenda for the meeting had been published in the village Notice Boards reported the Clerk.
There had been no response as yet said the Clerk, from the County Council about the state of the cobble stones in the Nook, but he would chase all these outstanding issues up.
Replies Received:
The Clerk reported that the following replies had been received.
a)L.C.C. Ref: Acknowledgement Letter regarding various issues.
b)Mrs. J. Franklin.Ref: Parking outside the Church.
c)Grant Thornton.Ref: Annual Audit Report.
The Clerk said that item (a) was an acknowledgement letter that said that a more detailed reply would be received within 28 days. To date said the Clerk nothing had been received.
The reply from Grant Thornton, the external auditors, indicated a successfully completed audit of the Council’s accounts.
- Correspondence
The Clerk said that the following items of correspondence had been received.
a)Mrs. J. Perkins.Ref: Trees in Main Street.
b)Peter Kenyon. L.C.C. Ref: Trees in Main Street & Cambridge Road.
c)Mrs. J. Franklin.Ref: Churchyard pathway replacement.
d)Mrs. M. Yardley.Ref: Slimming World banner removal
e)Mr. C. Willey.Ref: Highways resurfacing works.
f)Charlotte Graham.Ref: Cemetery Interment.Page 2
g)Shaw & Sons. Ref: Grant of Exclusive Burial Rights.
h)LOROS.Ref: Unpaid Mail delivery.
i)Blaby D.C. Ref: Annual Local Council Seminar.
j)Blaby D.C. Ref: Planning Application 61, Main St.
k)Blaby D.C. Ref: BB19 Bus review.
l)Blaby D.C. Ref: Overview & Scrutiny Annual Report 2012/2013
m)Blaby D.C. Ref: Civic Service September 29th.
n)Blaby D.C.Ref: Chairman’s Charity Fashion Show. Oct 8th.
o)L.C.C. Ref: Planning Application Consultation Response.
p)L.C.C. Ref: Planning Application Consultation Response.
q)L.C.C. Ref: “Join the Debate” Poster.
r)L.C.C. Ref: Seasonal Decorations.
s)L.C.C. Ref: Notice of Closure Shuttleworth Lane 28th Oct.
t)L. & R. A. L. C. Ref: Council Tax Support 2014.
u)L. & R. A. L. C. Ref: Leicestershire County Council’s savings cuts.
v)L. & R. Community.Ref: Community Foundation Work.
w)R.C.C. Ref: A.G.M. Notice.
x)R.C.C. Ref: Annual Raffle.
y)Charity Commission.Ref: Annual Returns.
z)Blackrock.Ref: Interim Investment Report.
aa)Blackrock.Ref: Charinco Distributions.
bb)Santander.Ref: Business Reward Saver Statement.
cc)S.L.C.C. Ref: Notice of A.G.M.
dd)S.L.C.C. Ref: The Clerk Magazine.
ee)Clerks Direct.Ref: Magazine.
ff)Centre Stage.Ref: Diary of Events Autumn 2013 – Spring 2014.
gg)Sovereign.Ref: Playground Brochure.
hh)Mr. D. Jennings.Ref: Arriva Bus Services.
ii) Leon Coulson.Ref: Painting of benches.
ii) Steve Salmen. Ref: Cosby Community Church.
The letter from Mrs. Perkins requested that the Council did not replace the two recently felled trees on Pretty Corner with birch trees.
The Clerk said that he would reply with what had been previously agreed, that the trees to be planted would be rowan trees.
The Clerk explained that the LOROS letter was in response to him contacting LOROS about insufficient postage being put on a letter he had received, and that the Council had been surcharged for the deficit.
The correspondence from Mr. Jennings regarding the Arriva Bus service to the village was discussed.
It was agreed that the Clerk should write and invite the local manager of Arriva to the next meeting.
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The request from Steve Salmen on behalf of the Cosby Community Church for financial assistance towards the improvements that had taken place within the Church Rooms was discussed.
It was agreed that this letter lie on the table for the time being, the Clerk would write to Mr. Salmen.
Playground Inspection reports.
The Clerk indicated that the reports had been received and that the Annual Inspection of the Children’s Playground had already taken place and that he was awaiting the completed report from Wicksteed Leisure.
Cosby Parish Council Surgeries.
Monday 9th September 2013 5.30p to 6.30pm and Thursday 12th September 10.30am to 11.30am at the Library.
Councillors attending: Mrs. M. Silk, Mrs. E. Hutton (Monday)
Mr. M. Howkins, Mrs. D. Cooper. (Thursday)
Issues raised:
a)Speed rumble strips on Countesthorpe Road entrance to the village and better warning of the bends.
b)Progress on the shop next to the Post Office slow.
c)Pretty Corner – tree replacement- what type and where? Root removal?
d)An alternative method of contacting the Parish Council- comment box in the Post office, email address?
e)Parish Council Minutes in Cosby Library –last edition May 2013.
f)People cutting grass near 15 Main St and leaving the cuttings loose this eventually rots down but is untidy.
g)Parking on Narborough Road at Sports events is churning up the grass verge.
h)Cambridge Road footpath hedge, near Narborough Road junction needs cutting back.
i)Bridge where brook goes under Broughton Road – flooding in heavy rain.
Report from Mr. Howkins. A Defibrillator for Cosby?
Mr. Howkins presented the following report on this subject.
Countesthorpe Medical Centre has a Patient Participation Group (PPG). This is based at the medical centre, rather than being a village driven organisation.
Countesthorpe PPG took the initiative for obtaining a defibrillator to be based in Countesthorpe.
They raised the finance from a variety of sources.
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The defibrillator is based at the village hall. They asked Heartbeat to talk to them about how the system worked and what was needed to maintain it.
The defibrillator cost about £1750.00 with funds raised locally.
They passed the responsibility to the EM Ambulance Service for allocation, if needed. The maintenance is covered by Countesthorpe Parish Council. If the EM Ambulance Service wants someone to use the equipment, they give them the code to enable the equipment.
Cosby does not have a medical centre and inhabitants are registered at a variety of medical centres.
It would not have to be the PPG that took up the initiative for such a scheme.
Mrs. Silk asked where Mr. Howkins envisaged the money coming from if Cosby embarked on a defibrillator for the village.
Mr. Howkins replied that this could be the Parish Council.
The Clerk said that there was already a defibrillator at the Cosby Golf Club.
Mr. Francis asked just how useful a resource one might be.
Ms. Pharoah suggested that the Council look into the subject more deeply.
Mrs. Cooper asked Mr. Jennings, who lives in Countesthorpe, how long his village had had a defibrillator and how often it was used.
Mr. Jennings replied it had been in situ for about a year and was rarely if ever used.
Memorials
The Clerk reported that the following memorial application had been received:
W.W.Busby & Sons. An all polished dark grey granite book memorial.
The late Maxwell Corby.
It was proposed by Mrs. Chapman, seconded by Mr. Pepper that this application be accepted.
This was agreed unanimously.
Planning Applications
The Clerk reported that the following Planning applications had been received.
a)Mrs. J. Parker. 31, Croft Road. Ref: Variation of Condition 5 attached to planning permission 12/0676/1/PY to allow the use to be increased for up to 24 students.
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b)H.W.Coates Site. Ref: Changes to the proposed site layout and several house types including the provision of two apartments.
c)Mr. Wayne Sheppard. Ref: Pear Tree Cottage, Lutterworth Rd. Cosby.
There were no observations made on any of the above applications.
Planning Approvals Etc:
The Clerk reported that the following Planning approval had been received:
a)Mr & Mrs. S. Crispin.75, Narborough Rd.Dated 10.06.2013.
Authorisation of the Accounts.
The Clerk reported that the following accounts had all been paid.
Street Orderly. (1) July.£ 353.67
Street Orderly. (2) July. £ 211.90
Cemetery Attendant. July.£ 395.61
Clerk’s Salary. July. + £12.43 Phone. + £14.50 Postage
+ £23.98 Warranties (2)£ 972.29
Douglas Tonks Ltd. July Payroll Administration.£ 457.69
D.T.M. Gardens & Landscapes Ltd. Invoice No 5457£ 704.40
Chapman’s Garden Machinery Mower Repairs.£ 102.30
E on Cemetery Electricity.£ 27.52
Douglas Tonks Ltd. Aug. Payroll Administration.£ 457.69
Street Orderly (1) Aug. + Sundries. £32.98£ 386.65
Street Orderly (2) Aug. £ 211.90
Cemetery Attendant Aug. + £ 30.73 Petrol£ 427.93
Clerk’s Salary. Aug. + £12.43 Phone. + £21.00 Redirect
+ £10.60 Sundry Office requisites.£ 965.41
Leon Coulson. Cemetery Railing Painting materials.£ 51.85
E on Electricity Charges.£ 68.77
Shaw & Sons. Burial Grant Book.£ 343.20
Cosby Community Church Room Rental x 2 years.£ 880.00
D.T.M. Gardens & Landscapes Ltd Invoice No 5492£ 824.76
Totally Trees Ltd. Tree Works on Pretty Corner, Main St &
Park Road.£ 1,134.00
Sharnford Horticultural Ltd. Cemetery Blower.£ 232.49
J.G.Pepper & Son the Victory Show donation as per minute.£ 1,000.00
Mr. Pepper thanked the Council for the support given towards the very successful Victory Show held recently and thanked the village also for the support received.
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Mr. Howkins expressed the congratulations of the Council to Mr. Pepper and his team for the excellent Show that had been held.
It was proposed by Ms. Pharoah, seconded by Mrs. Cooper that the foregoing accounts be adopted.
This was agreed unanimously.
Other Business:
Ms. Pharoah said that she was aware of the damaged railings on the corner of the Broughton Road and the Nook which had been reported to the County Council.
Mr. Francis asked about the replacement trees for Pretty Corner.
The Clerk confirmed that it had been previously agreed that these should be Rowan trees.
Mr. Pepper asked if the Council might consider a different tree such as “a mighty oak”.
Mrs. Cooper replied that this species was not suitable for the location in question.
Mrs. Silk asked whether the County Council had responded about the Millennium tree that it was hoped to plant on the grassed area in Chiltern Avenue.
The Clerk replied that he would contact the County Council on this matter.
Mrs. Silk asked if the nettles along Broughton Road could be cut back.
Mrs. Silk asked if the Clerk had been able to find out anything about land ownership in the village, to which the Clerk replied that to date he had not but would follow this up.
Mrs. Silk said that there were two damaged bins on the Park that required attention or replacement.
Mrs. Silk asked the Clerk to arrange for the goal area underneath the basketball stand on the park is covered with one whole sheet of rubberised ground covering.
Mrs. Silk confirmed the arrangements for the October Councillor’s Surgeries.
Mrs. Cooper said that there was heavy flooding taking place on the corner of Shuttleworth Lane and Broughton Road.
The Clerk would bring this to the attention of the County Council.
Mrs. Cooper mentioned the BB19 Bus that had visited Cosby in the summer and wondered whether the event had been sufficiently well advertised.
The Clerk said that the notices supplied by the organisers had been posted in the Notice Boards.
Mrs. Cooper said that she was very annoyed that although the school holidays were now over Bramble Walk had not in fact been flailed in August as had been agreed as part of the DTM works schedules.
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Mrs. Cooper said that neither had it been done in June. She wondered whether the Council ought to look towards using another contractor to undertake this work on behalf of the Council.
Mr. Battams queried whether in fact the contractor was allowed to flail in June because of the birds nesting.
It was agreed that Mrs Hutton and Mr Pepper would look at the situation as it appeared at present.
Mrs. Cooper said that she would plant the planters when the weather permitted.
Mrs. Cooper thanked Mr & Mrs Foote for the kind card she had received on behalf of the Village Hall for the planting she had undertaken on their behalf.
Mrs. Chapman said that she had been asked by a parishioner to bring to the attention of the Council the state of the road adjacent to the entrance to the Old Orchard in the Nook. The road had sunk said Mrs. Chapman causing a large puddle to accumulate when it rained.
The Clerk would bring this to the attention of the Highways Dept at County Hall.
Mrs. Chapman said that she had seen that in some villages there were 20mph signs and wondered how Cosby might go about achieving such signs.
Mr. Pepper replied that this would entail seeking a specific traffic order.
Mrs. Hutton said that the road name sign for Chapel Lane was broken.
The Clerk would bring this to the attention of the District Council.
Mrs. Hutton raised the subject of the state of the Pinfold.
It was agreed that both she and Ms. Pharoah would look into this subject with a view to seeing what might be done to the area.
Mrs. Hutton mentioned that there was a litter bin on Main Street near to Pretty Corner that had no cover around it.
Mrs. Hutton asked whether anyone knew about what was happening to the field adjacent to the park which had been ploughed up she said.
Mr. Howkins said that he had received a complaint from a parishioner about the faded nature of the “No Cycling” signs in Portland Street and Manor Road.
Mr. Howkins said that he would like to arrange the teams for the Village Walk based upon the map he had circulated defining 4 zones to be covered.
It was agreed that the zones would be covered as follows:
Zone 1 Mr. Francis, Mr. Pepper and Mr. Cave.
Zone 2. Mrs. Cooper, Ms. Pharoah and Mr. Howkins.
Zone 3. Mrs. Silk.
Zone 4. Mrs. Chapman, Mrs Hutton.
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Mr. Howkins said that he would attend the Civic Service on behalf of the Council.
The Clerk said that he understood that following a conversation with Mr. Battams, who had now left the village, it was necessary to declare a casual vacancy on the Council as Mr. Battams intended to resign from the council.
Mr. Battams confirmed that this was his intention.
Mrs. Chapman and Mr. Howkins expressed their appreciation to Mr. Battams for the time he had been a member of the Council. This expression was echoed by the whole Council.
Mr. Battams thanked the Council and invited them to attend his “leaving do” at the Working Men’s Club this coming Saturday.
There being no further business the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.10pm.
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M. Howkins. Chairman
October 17th. 2013.
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