that will be recorded in the minutes of the Meeting at which they are approved)
Groby Parish Council
Minutes of a meeting of the Parish Council held at 7.00pm on
Monday1st March2010 at the Parish Council Chamber, Leicester Road, Groby.
Cou/235/09-10 / Present.
Members: Cllr. P. Batty (Chairman), Cllr. J. Batty, Cllr. Beck, Cllr. Cartwright, Cllr. Coley, Cllr. Emmerson,Cllr. Hollick, Cllr. Marvin, Cllr. Jones, Cllr. McQuillin, Cllr. Quilter, Cllr. J. Smith, Cllr. Stockill and Cllr. Yarwood.
County Cllr. Sprason.
PC Ned Kelly.
Cou/236/09-10 / Election of Vice Chairman for the Meeting.
In the absence of Cllr. L. Smith Cllr. Coley was elected, unanimously, as the Vice Chairman for the meeting.
A discussion followed on the e-mail received by the Clerk on 1st February 2010 from Cllr. L. Smith. A number of Councillors expressed the view that the e-mail should be circulated to all members. The Clerk felt he would only be able to do so with the agreement of Cllr. L. Smith.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk speaks to Cllr. L. Smith to determine whether he is content for his e-mail to the Clerk dated 1st February 2010 tendering his resignation from the Council to be circulated to all members.
Cou/237/09-10 / Apologies for absence.
An apology for absence had been received from Cllr. Lindsay. This was accepted by the meeting.
County Cllr. Fraser was unable to attend the meeting due to illness.
Cllr. J. Smith had indicated to the Clerk that she would be late for the start of the meeting.
Cou/238/09-10 / Declarations of Interest.
Cllr. Cartwright declared:
A personal interest in item 4, Clerk’s Report, as Secretary of Groby Neighbourhood Watch, Chairman of the Groby and Field Head Parish Plan Project and as Groby Borough Ward Councillor.
A personal interest in item 5, Police Report,as Secretary of Groby Neighbourhood Watch,as Groby Borough Ward Councillor and as Chairman of the Groby and Field Head Parish Plan Project.
A personal interest in item 6, County Councillors’ Reports, as Secretary of Groby Neighbourhood Watch, as Groby Borough Ward Councillor and as Chairman of the Groby and Field Head Parish Plan Project.
A personal interest in item 7, Borough Councillors’ Reports as Groby Borough Ward Councillor and as Chairman of the Groby and Field Head Parish Plan Project.
A personal interest in item 9, The Planning and Development Committee, as Groby Borough Ward Councillor being a Borough Planning Committee substitute member and would not vote on any Groby Planning applications and would leave the room during their consideration.
Item 11, Correspondence:
A personal interest in no. 106, 110, 111, 112, 118, 119, 123, 125, 126, 138, 143, 145, 149, 165, 172, 176, 179, 180, and 184 as Groby Borough Ward Councillor;
A personal interest in no. 157, 159 and 172 as Secretary of Groby Neighbourhood Watch;
A personal interest in Item 12, Christmas Lights,as Groby Borough Ward Councillorand as Chairman of the Groby and Field Head Parish Plan Project.
A personal interest in Item 13, Possibility of Joint Local Referendum with Ratby on future of the Green Wedge, as Groby Borough Ward Councillor and as Chairman of the Groby and Field Head Parish Plan Project.
Cllr. Hollick declared a personal interest in Item 4, Clerk’s Report, as a member of the Groby Village Hall Management Committee.
Cou/239/09-10 / Minutes.
RESOLVED, unanimously, [with Cllr. J. Smith absent],that the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 1st February 2010 be accepted an signed as a true record, subject to the following amendments:
Cou/218/09-10, Clerk’s Report, page 87, item 2 Request for Donation to PRIDE Alarms – note that vote was not unanimous. Cllr. Marvin abstained.
Cou/221/09-10, Borough Councillors’ Reports, page 89, add after “....that a meeting had taken place with the Borough Council” the words “with fellow Borough Councillor P. Batty in attendance.”
Cou/224/09-10, Parks & Cemetery Committee, page 90, add after Cllr. Cartwright’s question:
“The football club replied that they did not believe that they would be disadvantaged by playing and training on different pitches.”
Cou/229/09-10, Review of Standing Orders, page 93, add after “...to adopt the version of section 32 as re-drafted by the Clerk” the following:
“Viz: A member of the Council is required to give a reason to the Clerk if they are unable to attend a meeting. A Councillor who fails to attend a meeting of the Council for six consecutive months automatically loses office unless, before the six month expires, he gives a reason for absence, and that reason is approved by the Council.”
[Cllr. J. Smith arrived at 7.23pm]
Cou/240/09-10 / Clerk’s Report (Part 1).
- Allotment Society protocol.
The Clerk reported that the Groby Allotment Society had now indicated their willingness to sign version 5 of the Protocol which had been agreed by the Parish Council at its meeting in September 2009. The Clerk requested a positive resolution in accordance with Standing Order 22 to give him authority to sign the protocol on behalf of the Parish Council.
RESOLVED, with two abstentions,[Cllr. Emmerson and Cllr. Cartwright], that the Clerk is authorised, in accordance with Standing Order 22, to sign the Allotment Society Protocol on behalf of the Parish Council.
- Resignation of Cllr. L. Smith.
- Resignation of heritage warden.
RESOLVED, unanimously, to send a letter of thanks to Mrs. Waldram for all of her hard work as a heritage warden.
- “Shrine” on Sacheverell Way.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk writes to the County Council Highways Department, with a copy to County Councillor Fraser, to invite them to take action to resolve the issue of the “shrine” on Sacheverell Way.
- Request for contribution to Chapel Hill improvements.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk replies to the Borough Council that the Parish Council are unable to contribute to the improvements at Chapel Hill.
- Council office and chamber heating.
The Clerk reported that the situation in respect of the heating of the Council office and Chamber during the winter had been intolerable. Temperatures were regularly below the statutory minimum during the winter and despite repeated requests to members of the Village Hall Management Committee nothing has changed.
The Clerk said that he would be recommending to the Finance & General Purposes Committee that no payment is made for heating to the Village Hall Committee for the winter quarter and that a contra-charge is made for the supplementary heating that has been required.
RESOLVED, with one abstention [Cllr. Hollick], that the Parish Council engages a plumber to investigate the heating system.
- Visit to North Muskham.
- Standard of street cleansing in the village.
- Ratby Road Shop front improvements.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that an article is inserted in the “Groby and Field Head Spotlight” to highlight the problem and copied to the Parish Council web-site. Also that the Clerk writes again to the agent for the shop owners.
At 8.03pm the Chairman suspended Standing Orders to receive the police report.
Cou/241/09-10 / Police Report.
P.C. Kellypresented the police report for February2010:
GROBY
Theft of Motor Vehicle / 1
Damage to motor vehicle / 1
Theft from Motor Vehicle / 1
House Burglary / 0
Attempted house burglary / 0
Burglary garages, sheds & outbuildings / 3
Attempted burglary garages etc / 0
Robbery / 0
Non-domestic assaults / 4
Damage / 1
Theft / 9
Other Crimes / 3
TOTAL / 23
FIELD HEAD
Assault / 1
TOTAL / 1
- Cllr. Stockill reported a group of youths in the village on Friday night.
- A member of the public reported instances of human excreta in the village.
- Cllr. P. Batty reported that motor bikes had been seen on Stamford Memorial Park. He also continued to have concerns about the area behind the houses on Ratby Road off Chapel Hill.
- The Clerk reported that the Parish Council’s gate-lockers had noticed an increase in anti-social behaviour at Groby Pool car park.
Standing Orders were reinstated at 8.13pm.
Cou/242/09-10 / Clerk’s Report (Part 2).
- Adoption of public open space at Foxglove Drive.
- Adoption of public open space at Bluebell Drive.
- Adoption of public open space at Spinney Close.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk arranges a meeting with “Persimmon Homes” to discuss the adoption of the public open space at Spinney Close.
Cllr. P. Batty expressed his dissatisfaction with the current level of service provided by the Council’s solicitors over these and other issues.
RESOLVED, unanimously, to discuss the provision of legal advice to the Council at the next Parish Council meeting.
- Quarry Park.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk calls a meeting of the Quarry Park Working Party as soon as possible to discuss next steps.
[Clerk’s note: meeting arranged for Tuesday 9th March 2010 at 6.00pm in the Council Chamber].
At 8.23pm the Chairman suspended Standing Orders and adjourned the meeting for a period not exceeding 30 minutes to receive reports from representatives of outside bodies and to include a short period of public participation not exceeding 15 minutes.
Cou/243/09-10 / County Councillors’ Reports.
County. Cllr. Sprason had provided a written report to the meeting which had been distributed.There were no questions regarding his report.
Cou/244/09-10 / Borough Councillors’ Reports.
Borough Cllr. Cartwright had provided a short written report on recycling issues which had been included in the Councillors’ pack for the meeting.
A “Recycling and Refuse Councillor Survey” had been distributed to all members and Cllr. Cartwright encouraged everyone to complete and return. It had also been distributed to all those members of the public who had made a complaint about the service in the last six months. A copy of the survey was available on the HBBC web-site and there had been press coverage on the issue.
Borough Cllr. P. Batty had provided a short written report to the meeting which had been distributed.
Cou/245/09-10 / Public Participation.
A member of the public raised the issue of car parking in the village and what progress had been made since a representative of GE Sensing & Inspection (formerly Druck Ltd) had attended the Parish Council meeting on 4th January 2010. A discussion followed.
It was agreed to invite the company to send a representative to a future Parish Council meeting to receive an update.
A member of the public asked whether it was proposed to include a Parish Council office as part of the new development for Quarry Park.
Cllr. P. Batty replied there are no proposals to change the current arrangements for the Parish Council office and Chamber.
Standing Orders were reinstated at 8.35pm
Cou/246/09-10 / Planning and Development Committee Minutes.
Cllr. Cartwright left the meeting for the duration of this item and returned to the meeting at its conclusion.
The minutes of the Planning and Development Committee meetings held on Wednesday 10th February and Wednesday 24th February 2010 were duly noted.
Cllr. P Batty reported that the minutes of the meeting held on 24th February should have recorded a prejudicial interest for him in respect of the planning application for 49, Stamford Drive rather than a personal one. It should also be noted that he left the room during the discussion of this item on the agenda. The Clerk undertook to amend the minutes as published.
Cou/247/09-10 / Payment of Accounts.
The Clerk presented the payment of accounts for February.Amounts paid since last meeting/submitted for approval:
Payee / Details / Amount
£
Victim Support / Donation to PRIDE. / 250.00
AO Cumbernauld / Tax & National Insurance. / 1030.07
Severn Trent Water / Allotment water £90.59 Cemetery water £25.98. / 116.57
BT plc / Office, Cemetery bill & broadband / 262.79
Various / February salaries. / 3684.43
Cash / Petty cash. / 150.00
MAP Waste / Waste collection. / 168.73
White Lodge Groundcare / January groundcare. / 1051.04
E H Smith / Top soil for cemetery. / 45.83
Sign Here / Signs for Quarry Park. / 230.30
SLCC Enterprises Ltd / Clerk's Practitioner conference. / 229.12
James Preston / Cemetery office re-plastering. / 200.00
Solutions 4 Playgrounds / Multiplay unit and wet pour - Quarry Park. / 11741.78
Gilvar Lining Ltd / Cemetery car park lining. / 370.13
AquAid / Sanitization & water. / 24.95
ESPO / Stationery, office equipment, parks equipment & parks consumables. / 534.92
HBBC / Removal of excrement. / 35.25
Mather Jamie / Valuation of land. / 257.56
Granart / Plaques for cemetery. / 176.10
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council / Parish by-election June 2009. / 4104.51
Longland Safety Management Ltd / Training courses for Sexton. / 96.35
J K Asphalt / Quarry Park entrance & car park re-surfacing. / 1762.50
Hunter Tree Care / Tree maintenance. / 575.00
Hensons Hardware / Cemetery store refurbishment & parks consumables. / 674.36
Greenstar (LPP) Ltd / Confidential waste destruction. / 14.69
P Barratt / Cemetery trees / 82.23
Leicestershire County Council / Tree survey / 2864.06
RCC / Annual subscription / 45.00
E-on / Xmas lighting electricity bill / 32.01
R Security / Height barrier - Stamford Drive car park. / 1776.47
£32,586.75
RESOLVED,unanimously,to pay the amounts as set out in the above schedule.
Amounts received since last meeting:
Name / Details / Amount
£
Anstey & District Funeral Services Ltd / Cemetery fees. / 284.00
Allotment tenants / Ratby Road Allotment Rent. / 473.01
Allotment tenants / Ratby Road Allotment Rent. / 603.31
Allotment tenants / Orchard Close Allotment Rent. / 61.83
Allotment tenants / Orchard Close Allotment Rent. / 137.40
Resident / Cemetery fees. / 155.00
Groby resident / Cemetery fees. / 443.00
HSBC / Money Market monthly interest. / 3.08
Groby resident / Cemetery tree & plaque. / 150.00
Groby residents / Cemetery fees / 284.00
HSBC / Money Market monthly interest. / 10.62
HSBC / Money Market monthly interest. / 17.12
Total / £2,622.37
Cou/248/09-10 / Correspondence.
Cllr. Hollick declared a personal interest in item number 126 as a member of the Village Hall Management Committee.
The Clerk presented the list of correspondence received by the Council. This was noted by the meeting.
Item 123 - letter from LCC dated 28th January 2010–“Transfer of Land Adjacent to Martinshaw Community Primary School”.
RESOLVED, unanimously,that the Clerk arranges a meeting with the County Council (to be attended by the Clerk, Cllr. P. Batty, Cllr. Yarwood and County Cllr. Fraser) to discuss the issue of the transfer of land adjacent to Martinshaw Community Primary School.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that a leaflet for parents is prepared to inform them that the Parish Council is doing all it can to bring this issue to a conclusion, but the County Council are refusing to contribute to the upkeep of the access road and car park.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk obtains quotes for the refurbishment of the footpath from the car park to the school to include screening of the path from the roadway.
Item 126 – letter from Groby Village Hall Management Committee dated 29th January 2010 – “Groby Village Hall Car Park.”
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk replies to the Village Hall Management Committee to the effect that the Parish Council appreciates the problem created by the dissolution of the tripartite arrangement for the maintenance of the village hall car parkbut until a substantive proposal with costs is received it cannot take the matter any further.
Item 155 – letter from Churches Together in Groby dated 7th February 2010 – article in “Groby and Field Head Spotlight”. This was noted by the Council.
Item 179 – letter from Cllr. P. Batty to County Cllr. Sprason dated 8th February 2010 – “Proposed Removal of School Bus Service to South Charnwood High School.”This was noted by the Council. Cllr. Cartwright informed the meeting that the Borough Council had also made representations on this issue.
Cou/249/09-10 / Christmas Lights 2010.
Cllr. P. Batty introduced this item. It had been agreed to fund the Christmas lights for the village for 2009 and a budget of £5,000 had been set aside (which excluded payment for the ‘Carols ‘Round the Tree’ event.
A sum of £10,000 had been provisionally allocated in the budget for 2010 subject to consultation with the local tax payers on the principle and the amount allocated. It was important that the public understood the financial implications and the possible future impact on the precept.
The purpose of this item on the agenda, which had been deferred from the Parish Council meeting on 1st February, was to decide the format and content of the consultation process.
A lengthy discussion followed on how best to capture the views of the parishioners.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk books a full page in the next edition of the “Groby and Field Head Spotlight” for the public consultation form. Also that the public consultation form is prepared by the Clerk in consultation with Cllr. Stockill and Cllr. Cartwright but with input from all Councillors, who wish to do so, before the Friday 5th March deadline.
Cou/250/09-10 / Possibility of Joint Local Referendum with Ratby on future of the Green Wedge.
Cllr. P. Batty provided the background to this item. It was now unlikely that the Local Development Framework (LDF) would be published until 2012. A Local Referendum would carry a lot of weight as part of the evidence base at a public enquiry.
If there is sufficient local interest the Borough Council cannot refuse to hold the referendum but it is up to the Parish Council to promote it. The Parish Council would have to contribute to the cost of organising it.
A brief discussion followed.
RESOLVED, unanimously, that the Clerk arranges a meeting with Ratby Parish Council to discuss a future joint strategy in respect of the LDF.
Cou/251/09-10 / Date of Next Meeting.
The date of the next scheduled meeting was confirmed as Monday 29thMarch 2010 at 7.00pm.
The meeting closed at 9.40pm. Members of the public left the meeting and the Council moved into closed session.
Signed ……………………………………….. Date …………………………………..
Chairman
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