LONGTOWN GROUP PARISH COUNCIL , Llanveynoe, Longtown and

TO: ALL MEMBERS OF LONGTOWN GROUP PARISH COUNCIL: Councillors Cecil (Chair), Hardy (Vice-Chair), Hope, Palmer, Powell, Probert, Tribe, G Watkins and L Watkins. (Five Vacancies)

NOTICE OF MEETING

You are hereby summoned to attend the Annual Parish Council Meeting of the Longtown Group Parish Council to be held on Wednesday 20th November 2019 at 7.30pm in Longtown Village Hall, Longtown, .

Paul Russell Clerk to the Council [email protected]

AGENDA

1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

3. ADOPT MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING – To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16th October 2019. Copy attached.

4. OPEN FORUM – For local residents to raise local matters.

5. LONGTOWN VILLAGE HALL – To receive representations from the Village Hall regarding the proposal to create an informal play area to the rear of the village hall.

6. POLICE – To receive a report from the Police, if available.

7. WARD COUNCILLOR – To receive a report from the Ward Councillor, if available.

8. PLANNING APPLICATIONS NUMBER SITE DESCRIPTION 192057 Hatterall Herbs, Old Ebenezer Proposed work space and office building and Chapel, Longtown HR2 0LT new vehicular access 193592 School House, Craswall, Hereford, Proposed kitchen and living room extension. HR2 0PH 193668 Offas Dyke Retreat, Longtown, Erection of an amenity and disabled Herefordshire, HR2 0NA accommodation building and retention of replacement railway carriages (2) and hot tub units (3). Retrospective. 193698 Barn at Greenacres, Walterstone, Proposed conversion of barn to a dwelling. Herefordshire, HR2 0PF

9. GRANTS, REFUSALS & APPEALS NUMBER SITE DESCRIPTION DECISION 192932 Llandraw Farm Proposed extension to existing Approved with conditions Craswall HR2 0PW farmhouse.

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192408 Holiday Centre, Redevelopment and change of Approved with conditions Tybubach Craswall use of existing buildings namely; Hereford HR2 0PH refurbishment and small extension to Building 1 to provide amenity andstorage space and replacement of Building 2 with larger building to provide sleeping accommodation and storage space. 192942 The Colt House Certificate of Lawfulness for Approved Longtown HR2 0LT proposed garden room. 191674 Upper Blaen Farm Restoration and redevelopment of Approved with condition Llanveynoe Longtown the existing disused cottage and HR2 0NL outbuildings to residential use and associated access, parking, planting and associated infrastructure 191741 Land lying to south- Enforcement Appeal It is directed that the west of College Farm, enforcement notice be Craswall HR2 0PN varied. 183609 Proberts Farm, Hill Proposed retention of barn as The appeal is dismissed Lane, Craswall, HR2 built and proposed construction of 0PN woodburning stove chimney to enclosed shelter area.

10. FINANCES & POLICY

(a) Accounts Outstanding and Financial Statement – A list of accounts for approval relating to November 2019 will be presented at the meeting.

(b) Budget 2020/21 – Please see attached draft budget for consideration and adoption.

(c) Defibrillators – To receive an update on progress regarding the installation of the defibrillator at Llanveynoe and to confirm the rota to check all the defibrillators in the Group Parish.

11. CLIMATE CHANGE Please see the attached report for consideration.

12. LENGTHSMAN WORKS To receive an update including the provision of winter salt from BBLP.

13. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN UPDATE To receive an update on the progress of the NDP examination process.

14. SIGNAGE To reconsider the suggestion to place signage on Hill Road, Craswall to discourage HGV traffic as the road is unsuitable. Two signs would be required. To confirm whether this is the same area as previously identified to discourage vehicles trying to access the Black Hill picnic area. Signage would be purchased through the Herefordshire Council’s Commissioning Model.

15. NOTE THE CORRESPONDENCE SHEET The following correspondence has been received:  Locality Steward Weekly Briefings – November 2019  Herefordshire Council, Road Closures November 2019 – Update to programme  Herefordshire Rural Hub – November 2019 newsletter  Police Newsletter – November 2019

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 Parliamentary Election Timetable  Herefordshire Green Network Climate Change workshops  HALC Wise Owl Training an AGM agenda  Parish Summit workshop notes  Draft PCC Rural Crime Strategy consultation  Hereford Transport Package and South Wye Transport Package decision  Review of Polling Districts, Polling Places and Polling Stations

16. DATE OF NEXT MEETING – To note that the next meeting would be held on Wednesday 15th January 2020 at Longtown Village Hall commencing at 7:30pm.

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LONGTOWN GROUP PARISH COUNCIL Craswall, Llanveynoe, Longtown and Walterstone

Minutes of the Longtown Group Parish Council Meeting held at the Longtown Village Hall, Longtown HR2 0LD on Wednesday 16th October 2019 commencing at 8:00pm.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Councillors Cecil (Chair), Hope, Probert, G Watkins and L Watkins.

ALSO PRESENT: Paul Russell, Clerk to the Council, Rochelle Russell, Deputy Clerk, Ward Cllr Jinman, PCSO Knight and PC Rouse.

81/19 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies were received and accepted from Cllrs Hardy, Palmer, Powell, and Tribe.

82/19 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND APPLICATIONS FOR DISPENSATION There were no Declarations of Interest made.

83/19 ADOPT MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING Council RESOLVED that the minutes of the Longtown Group Parish Council meeting held on 18th September 2019 be agreed and signed as a correct record subject to the agreed attendance amendment.

84/19 OPEN FORUM – There was no one in attendance. No matters were raised.

85/19 POLICE – Council noted the following report from the Police;  PC Rouse was introduced to Council. He had recently taken up the post and was getting to know the area;  A scrap vehicle had been touring the area again. The vehicle registration was recorded and a letter sent to the registered owner indicating that their vehicle had been seen in the area acting suspiciously;  Road safety talks had been held in local schools;  A number of scams had been reported including a Thomas Cook refund scam;  Crime prevention notices and advice were being distributed to encourage owners not to leave their properties in darkness. Council agreed to support the raising of awareness;  A number of vehicles had been stolen, abandoned and broken into in the area. It was a target for gangs from South Wales;  A Rural Crime Team was currently being set up to cover rural areas only. The new team would include focused patrols and working with other forces;  It was expected that new officers currently being recruited would focus on urban areas.

86/19 WARD COUNCILLOR – The following Ward Councillor report was received:  The area was currently being targeted by online and telephone criminal gangs whose target group were people over the age of 50;  Cllr Jinman confirmed that he had written to Ms Outrim confirming that Longtown Group Parish Council would not participate in any verge initiatives without full consultation. No reply had been received as yet;  Confirmed that the transport and highway programme was currently on hold whilst Herefordshire Council obtained further evidence regarding the consequences of the schemes. The new bypass, if agreed, would take between 5-7 years to complete;  Herefordshire Council had held a full Council meeting on 11th October 2019. A number of documents had been adopted including the Travellers Sites Development Plan, Gambling Policy and the Youth Justice Plan;

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 Consideration was also being given to the future structure of Herefordshire Council’s corporate governance and the introduction of an annual Mental Health Awareness Day for Herefordshire. The initial date proposed was 20th January 2020;  Herefordshire Council was also keen to become more interactive with the parishes;  Herefordshire Council was currently reviewing its housing policy with particular focus on affordable housing and social housing;  Cllr Jinman apologised in advance as he would not be able to attend the next meeting;  Cllr Jinman was requested to contact Balfour Beatty regarding Minute 48/19.

87/19 PLANNING APPLICATIONS – Following consideration, it was RESOLVED to make the following comments: NUMBER SITE DESCRIPTION COMMENT 192635 Sheep Shed, Conversion of an Submit the following concerns: Coldbrook Lane, agricultural building to a  Concern was expressed Longtown, HR2 0LS residential home. regarding water and drainage.  The proposal must adhere to the new septic tank regulations that had recently come into force.  Council recognised the issues that had been raised regarding this application and fully supported the need to address these issues prior to consent being granted. 192932 Llandraw Farm, Proposed extension to No objection subject to the Craswall, Hereford, existing farmhouse. views of the neighbouring HR2 0PW properties 192942 The Colt House, Certificate of Lawfulness for Approved Longtown, Hereford, proposed garden room. HR2 0LT

88/19 GRANTS, REFUSALS & APPEALS – Council noted the following decisions. NUMBER SITE DESCRIPTION DECISION 192604 Rockyfold, Craswall, Proposed muck store building and Approved Hereford, straw storage building. Herefordshire, HR2 0PN 192701 Lower House Farm, Proposed non-material Approved with condition Longtown, Hereford, amendment to application 150319 Herefordshire, HR2 0NZ 191898 Barnfield Change of use of existing first Approved with condition Walterstone floor ancillary/office Herefordshire accommodation to a holiday let. HR2 OLT 192264 Maple Farm, Proposed new access and Approved with condition Longtown, Hereford gravelled access track. HR2 0LW

89/19 FINANCES & POLICY

(a) Accounts Outstanding and Financial Statement – The list of accounts relating to October 2019 were approved:

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Cheque Payee Item Net VAT Gross 100781 Craswall Village Hall Grant £600.00 £0.00 £600.00 100782 Walterstone Village Hall Grant £600.00 £0.00 £600.00 100783 Longtown Village Hall Grant £600.00 £0.00 £600.00 100784 Mrs R Russell Clerk Salary Oct 19 £412.88 £0.00 £412.88 100784 Mrs R Russell Expenses Oct 19 £40.57 £0.00 £40.57 100785 Cllr Hardy Noticeboard repairs £10.00 £2.00 £12.00 100786 SLCC Conference £80.00 £16.00 £96.00 100787 Microshade VSM Ltd Hosting and IT support £349.00 £69.80 £418.80 DD 1&1 Internet Ltd Domain Name £2.00 £0.40 £2.40 £2,694.45 £88.20 £2,782.65

(b) Llanveynoe Defibrillator – Council noted that the defibrillator was awaiting collection prior to being installed. It was agreed to include an item on the next agenda to confirm the rota to check each defibrillator in the parish on a monthly basis.

(c) Public Green Spaces Grant – Following consideration, it was agreed that no application would be submitted for this grant in this financial year.

(d) BT Telephone Boxes – Following consideration, Council agreed to confirm the decision to remove the two boxes at Longtown and Craswall and remove the box at Llanveynoe.

90/19 VERGES – Following consideration, Council RESOLVED to submit the following resolution to Herefordshire Council and Balfour Beatty:  The Parish Council had not identified any additional verges in Longtown, Craswall, Llanveynoe and Walterstone that would be suitable for inclusion in the proposed verge management initiative currently being developed by Herefordshire Council and Balfour Beatty;  Should any rare species be identified on any verge within the Group Parish, the Council would review its suitability and, following consultation, would make a recommendation as to the preferred method of its future management;  The Parish Council requests a detailed specification and timetable for the management of the verges in Longtown, Craswall, Llanveynoe and Walterstone for the 2020 season and to be provided with the opportunity for consultation on the proposed management; amending it as appropriate to meet local needs and requirements.  The Parish Council formally requests that any proposal, initiative or trial developed by Herefordshire Council and Balfour Beatty must be submitted to Longtown Group Parish Council for consultation PRIOR to any decision or implementation being agreed.

The Parish Council requests that the above resolution be acknowledged by Herefordshire Council and Balfour Beatty, and that a commitment to adhere to its aims and objectives is given in writing with a service level agreement in place.

91/19 LENGTHSMAN WORKS – Council agreed to appoint Richard Mills as its Lengthsman following recent discussions. It was further agreed that Cllrs G Watkins and L Watkins would liaise with Mr Mills regarding works required in Craswall and Llanveynoe, including the clearance of grips.

It was agreed to request the Locality Steward to inspect the visibility splay on the corner opposite Craswall Church.

92/19 NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN UPDATE – Council noted that the NDP currently undergoing the examination process.

93/19 FOOTPATH DIVERSION – Following discussion, Council raised no objections to the proposal to divert Restricted Byway ME38 in the Parish of Michaelchurch Escley and part of Restricted Byway CZ46 in the parish of Craswall.

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94/14 PARKING AT LONGTOWN SCHOOL – Council noted that the Chair had recently met the new Head Teacher to discuss the issue of parking outside the school at dropping off and collection time. The school would be holding a Road Safety week commencing 18th November 2019. This was a high priority for the school. The three priorities were:  Please hang on to your child when walking them to school;  Please do not exit parked cars on to the road;  Publication of the survey results again to reiterate findings.

During Road Safety week parents would be invited to watch children doing activities, the police were aware of the event and local residents would also be invited to the school.

95/19 LONGTOWN VILLAGE HALL – Council noted the request received for the Parish Council to support the project to help move it forward as there were concerns regarding insurance and risk assessments. A number of parents were keen to provide assistance and one proposal put forward was for the Parish Council to take responsibility for the area and lease the land at a peppercorn rent. It was clarified that the area would not be a play area but an informal space with picnic tables to enable parents and children to meet. The initial request had come from the pupil council at the school and it was noted that the village hall supported the project provided it was not responsible for the maintenance of the area.

Following discussion, it was agreed to place this on the next agenda and invite representatives from the parents that had expressed an interest in helping with the project to discuss it with the Parish Council.

96/19 SIGNAGE – Council noted that the site visit had not yet taken place. It was agreed to defer this item to the next Council meeting.

97/19 NOTE THE CORRESPONDENCE SHEET – Council noted the following correspondence received:  Locality Steward Weekly Briefings – October 2019  Herefordshire Council, Road Closures October 2019 – Update to programme  Herefordshire Rural Hub – October 2019 newsletter  Police Newsletter – October 2019  Parish Summit slides – Sept 2019  Longtown and District Historical Society Events – October 2019

98/19 DATE OF NEXT MEETING – Council noted that the next meeting would be held on Wednesday 20th November 2019 at Longtown Village Hall commencing at 7.30pm.

There being no other business the Chair thanked members for their attendance and closed the meeting at 10:00pm.

______CHAIR: DATE:

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Draft Budget 2020/21

BUDGET HEADING 2019/20 INCOME BUDGET APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT PROJECTED 2020/21 Precept £17,165.00 £8,582.50 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £8,582.50 £17,165.00 £17,165.00 Interest £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £1.52 £0.00 £0.00 £1.53 £1.53 £10.00 £10.00 Lengthsman Scheme £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 NDP Grant £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 VAT £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £964.23 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £964.23 £0.00 TOTAL INCOME £17,165.00 £8,582.50 £0.00 £965.75 £0.00 £0.00 £1.53 £8,584.03 £18,139.23 £17,175.00

2019/20 EXPENDITURE BUDGET APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT PROJECTED 2020/21 Clerks Salary £4,844.00 £412.88 £412.88 £412.88 £412.88 £412.88 £412.88 £412.88 £4,954.56 £5,000.00 Clerk's Expenses £390.00 £32.50 £32.50 £32.50 £32.50 £32.50 £32.50 £32.50 £390.00 £390.00 Lengthsman £7,000.00 £118.00 £9.98 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £10.00 £3,000.00 £6,315.00 Insurance £350.00 £0.00 £0.00 £337.71 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £338.00 £350.00 Website Hosting/development £100.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £101.00 £2.00 £120.00 £20.00 Accounts/Audit/IT £300.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 Donations £1,850.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £150.00 £0.00 £20.00 £1,800.00 £2,000.00 £2,200.00 Subscriptions £550.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £600.00 £600.00 Stationery/Stamps/Office IT £581.00 £8.07 £10.33 £11.40 £4.79 £4.79 £44.59 £357.07 £580.00 £600.00 Training £200.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £80.00 £200.00 £200.00 Neighbourhood Plan £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £30.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 Elections £1,000.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £500.00 Climate Change £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £500.00 Miscellaneous £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £500.00 VAT £0.00 £0.00 £2.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £20.20 £88.20 £400.00 £0.00 TOTAL EXPENDITURE £17,165.00 £571.45 £467.69 £824.49 £600.17 £450.17 £631.17 £2,782.65 £12,582.56 £17,175.00

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CAPITAL PROJECTS BALANCE General Balances held £10,000.00 Community Projects £15,000.00 TOTAL £25,000.00

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LONGTOWN GROUP PARISH COUNCIL Craswall, Llanveynoe, Longtown and Walterstone

CLIMATE CHANGE

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 A number of town and parish councils across the country have declared a climate emergency and are beginning to develop action plans to held address the issue.

1.2 Locally Fownhope, Leominster, Kington, Brockhampton Group and Welshpool have formally declared a climate emergency and are working towards developing action plans.

1.3 The sector has also received presentations both nationally at the SLCC and NALC conferences and locally through HALC on the subject. In Herefordshire workshops have been organised to help councils begin to develop action plans. These have been organised by the Herefordshire Green Network uner the title “The Great Collaboration”. The workshops are free and details are as follows:  Hereford, 18.11.19:7pm - 9pm (arrival from 6:30pm) De Koffie Pot  Bromyard 28.11.19: 7pm - 9pm (arrival from 6:30pm) The Falcon Hotel  Ledbury 20.01.19: 7pm - 9pm (arrival from 6:30pm The Feathers

1.4 Longtown Group Parish Council is invited to declare a climate emergency and begin to develop an Action Plan.

2. THE DRAFT DECLARATION

2.1 The following draft declaration is submitted for consideration:

Longtown Group Parish Council believes that  All governments (national, regional and local) have a responsibility to limit the negative impacts of climate breakdown. This statement acknowledges that responsibility within the parishes of Craswall, Llanveynoe, Longtown and Walterstone;  Local governments should not wait for national governments to change their policies, but act independently, and further, use this pledge to push local and national Government to act as part of this commitment.  It is important for the residents of Craswall, Llanveynoe, Longtown, Walterstone and the that councils commit to carbon neutrality as quickly as possible. Longtown Group Parish Council proposes that this begins with this statement.  The consequences of global temperature rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius will be so severe that preventing this from happening must be our number one priority and thus built into our decision making process and plans going forwards.

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 Climate action can deliver economic benefits in terms of jobs, financial savings and market opportunities (as well as improved well-being for people worldwide). Action now will certainly reduce long term cost and suffering.

In declaring this climate emergency Longtown Group Parish Council would agree to:  Commit to an accelerated reduction of our carbon emissions, with the aspiration to become a carbon neutral community by 2050 at the latest in accordance with CCC recommendations.  To work with local partners to produce a carbon reduction plan and an action plan covering all relevant council strategies during 2020.  To work with our local community to enable them to take all possible measures to match or better our efforts, and to support our community at both an individual and business level to demonstrate, inspire and share best practice both within the parish and further afield.  To ensure our community buildings only use 100% renewable energy and lowest carbon where this is not possible.  To focus on local key issues, including public and community transport, recycling, management of our open spaces to help protect and enhance biodiversity, and other areas where we can have a positive role to play.  To strongly encourage Herefordshire Council, and departments within it, to act in accordance with wider international agreements relating to climate as an absolute minimum. For example, to develop planning conditions for all new developments in Herefordshire, both residential and commercial, that aim to be build dwellings that are as close to zero carbon as possible.  Consider adopting Passive house (German: Passivhaus), which is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling.  To help provide the necessary resource to deliver on this carbon reduction commitment, and to monitor and report annually on our progress.

3. POTENTIAL FUTURE ACTIONS

3.1 As the Parish Council begins to develop ways to achieve its targets it would be easier to organise potential actions into three categories:  Actions that will be best achieved by the parish council;  Actions that can be championed by local community or special interest groups;  Actions that can be implemented by us all as individual households.

3.2 Alongside this there are recognised areas where the Parish Council can begin to start to make reductions. These actions need to be developed following on from the declaration.

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