DENTON with WOOTTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting of Parish Council held at 7pm on 13th November 2019 at Denton Village Hall

Present: Cllr Allyn Thomas (Chairman), Cllr Graham Bevan, Cllr Robert Akehurst, Cllr Terry Hodges, Cllr Penelope James, Stephanie Miller (Clerk), DDC Cllr Beaney, KCC Cllr Lymer and QJ (Volunteer Tree Warden)

6 members of the public

1. Chairman’s: Opening remarks and Apologies for absence The chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. No apologies for the meeting were received.

2. The Clerk attended the DDC Code of Conduct Meeting held 24th October 2019 for Parish Clerks. A brief overview of the meeting was given to the meeting with a reminder to all Councillors that they must declare items on agenda in which they have a financial interest and also declare any contracts they have with the PC or DDC. Any updates or changes in circumstances should be reported to DDC so Councillors PDI forms can be amended.

3. COUNCIL:

A written request for dispensation was received from Cllr James on 4th November 2019 for items 12 g, 13 section ii item iv. and item 16 to last until they are resolved from the agenda.

Cllr James confirmed that she wished to be present for the discussion of these items and was not requesting the right to vote on them and the dispensation was to last until they are resolved from the agenda. In line with our Standing Orders all councillors agreed to allow the dispensation under section 13 item h iii.

It was agreed that a fourth subsection be added to the ongoing agenda for the item “Council” that covers a voluntary declaration of other non-significant interests in an agenda item. Under this new item Cllr Akehurst declared he is a trustee of Denton Village Hall, Cllr Bevan declared he was on the Denton Village Hall committee and had a non-significant interest in LHRC. Cllr James declared she is a trustee of Wootton Parish Hall and is a member of the WEPG.

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4. Confirmation of previous minutes of the last meeting held on 15th May 2019:

The minutes were proposed by Cllr James, seconded by Cllr Bevan and agreed by all and the Chairman duly signed them.

5. To receive District Councillors’ reports:

Cllr Beaney circulated the points raised from the meeting he held on 12 October 2019 with all Parish Councils in his area (Cllr Thomas and the Clerk attended this meeting). He then raised the following items:

1. Parish Council are interested in renting out their recreation ground and wished to speak to us to gain further advice on this. Cllr James said she would be happy to put Cllr Beaney in touch with the Committee which runs the Wootton & Denton Cricket and Recreation Ground. 2. Cllr Trevor Bartlett has now taken over as leader of DDC and is a long serving member who has worked on a number of high profile projects i.e. Leisure Centre. 3. Kearnsey Abbey should be completed next summer with a new function hall and plans to hold open air events like concerts. This will be run in house by DDC. 4. He receives a weekly notice from DDC which gives updates on services and will forward this to the Clerk for circulation. 5. New Local Plan is due to go to public consultation in early 2020. 6. He visited CSU department at DDC and brought a selection of useful leaflets from them to the meeting. He suggested that the Clerk contact CSU to go onto their mailing list as they send out regular information bulletins which are very useful. 7. Should Brexit go ahead, Operation BROC will be implemented and signs for this are being organised now. He gave a brief overview of BROC and informed the group any lorries who bypass the designated areas (using side roads, etc) and do not obtain the relevant tickets will receive an on the spot fine of £300. 8. Cllr Beany would like to run some drop in sessions in the Parish and it was suggested that the coffee morning in Wootton Village Hall would be a good opportunity to do this. Cllr James to send dates through to Cllr Beany which will be published for all residents of the Parish to attend.

6. To receive County Councillors’ reports:

Cllr Lymer wished to congratulate Cllr Beaney on his nomination for hardest working young councillor. There were 250 nominees and Cllr Beaney was shortlisted in the top 5 and won “Young Councillor of the Year 2019”. The meeting also congratulated Cllr Beaney. He then raised the following items:

1. The Leader of County Council, Cllr Paul Carter has now retired and the new leader, Cllr Roger Goff has been appointed. 2. Turner Gallery, Margate has received funding of £435,000 which has been matched funded by KCC so they have funding totalling £1.28m which should help increase tourism and local businesses in the area.

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3. It was reported in a local newspaper that Aycliffe Primary School has been put into “lock down” due to a search for an illegal immigrant. This has been mis-reported and was not as serious as reported. Immigration simply asked the school to keep pupils inside whilst they used dog units to search for the missing person.

7. Volunteer Tree Warden for Denton and Wootton and the Kent Tree and Pond Partnership (KTP):

QJ introduced himself to the group and gave some background information on himself and the role. The role is purely advisory and it was agreed that he should report any concerns to the Clerk who will then raise with the relevant Organisations. He informed the group he could also help coordinate volunteer activities should this be of interest to the PC.

There is no financial commitment for this post but the KTP partnership would welcome a small donation every 1-2 years. Cllr Akehurst proposed that QJ be appointed, seconded by Cllr Hodges and the group agreed. The Clerk to liaise with QJ to publish his services and take this initiative forward.

8. Information Updates on items from previous meetings: a. Refurbishment of Finger Post:

Cllr Thomas informed the group that some progress with the fingers has been made and he is hoping to have 2-3 fingers completed by next meeting which he will bring along. b. Battle of Britain celebration floral display:

Cllr Bevan informed the meeting that the results have now been received and our display come second and was awarded silver. It was agreed to discuss entering again next year when entries are open. c. Shrubs and trees on the bank opposite Maydekin and running to Little Maydekin, The Street, Denton:

Cllr Bevan has been informed by KCC that they believe they are not responsible for the path and its maintenance. Cllr Thomas has found title deeds which state it was transferred to KCC when the path was installed. Cllr Lymer would like to have these documents so he can address this with KCC on our behalf. Any correspondence from Cllr Bevan should also be copied to Cllr Lymer and Cllr Bevan so they can assist us with this. d. Potholes at the village green, Denton:

This has been deferred to the next meeting to allow Cllr Thomas time to negotiate further with the managing agents and check any liabilities of any work undertaken by the Council and the managing agents with KCC Highways.

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e. Questionnaire to all residents:

All completed questionnaires have now been received and a full detailed report will be available for the next PC meeting in January but a summary of results are as follows:

 56 surveys were returned which gives a response rate of 41%.  The response rate from Wootton was 54% and 27% from Denton.  There are lots of comments to go through and consideration needs to be given to the fact some issues have been marked as important to the resident and they have then commented whether it has a positive or negative impact on them – this is predominantly around LHRC where people have listed it as the most important issue and then clarified whether it has either a positive or negative impact.  There were differences in importance across both villages which will need be considered in further detail in the report and by the PC.

The issues for the Parish as a whole were ranked from the highest importance to lowest are as follows:

1. Speeding (both Denton / Wootton) 2. Impact of A260 through Denton 3. Road Flooding 4. Public footpaths 5. Litter / Dog Mess / Fly tipping 6. LHRC 7. Lack of Accommodation 8. Lack of Facilities for families (joint 8th place with air quality) 8. Air Quality (joint 8th place with Lack of Facilities for families) 10. Transport 11. Parking

Cllr Bevan informed the meeting that two residents had asked him to pass on how lovely it was for the Parish Council to carry this work out. f. Red BT Box at the Jackdaw Public House:

Cllr Bevan is still trying to source an old telephone from BT and will update when he has completed this. g. Facebook request – speed designation in Wootton:

The Clerk has responded to the request on Facebook and the matter is now dealt with and can be removed from the agenda. h. Repairs to the bench situated on Village Green, Denton:

It was agreed that this should be deferred until the Spring (March 2020 meeting).

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9. Denton Speed Watch:

There was another serious accident on Friday 8th November at 5.30am where a car was travelling in excess of 75mph and collided with a telephone pole and then ended up through the window of a property in Road, Denton. Cllr Bevan is setting up a multiagency meeting to progress this to the next stage. There will also be a speed trap implemented very soon with volunteers as a multiagency approach with Wingham Parish Council. If this is successful there is an opportunity to undertake this in Wootton as well.

10. Parish Council Twitter Account:

The clerk has set up a twitter account @DentonWoottonPC and will continue the ongoing management of this account. This has stemmed from the meeting which Cllr Beaney hosted with all PC’s in his area and the preferred use of @DoverDownsR by the District Councillors to report issues. Ideas for account to follow very welcomed! Clerk will also publicise this on the Village Facebook Page.

11. Broadband Upgrade/Provision:

Cllr Thomas has been investigating the possibility of upgrading the provision of Broadband in Denton and has drafted a letter to residents to progress this further. 37 address are on the exchange which could have its copper overhead cable replaced with fibre cables. The cost for Openreach to carry out this work is approximately £70k but there are grants available of £2,500 per property and £5,000 per business so if enough properties sign up this project should be covered by the grant funding. Cllr Thomas to gather expressions of interest from properties and progress the project further. Cllr James expressed an interest in carrying this out in Wootton as well so Cllr Thomas, Cllr Hodges and Cllr James agreed to meet to discuss how to what needs to be done and if it is viable for Wootton.

12. Financial matters:

a) APPROVE: Expenditure of October and November 2019:

The schedules of payment for October and November were signed by Chairman. With the new online direct payments, two councillors initialled the invoices and schedule of payments and then agreed to go online the following day to authorise the payments with Unity Trust Bank (this is a requirement of the new Financial regs 2019). There were two payments authorised during this meeting by Cllr Thomas and Cllr Hodges:

 £9 to the Clerk for reimbursement for yellow paper for the questionnaires  £351 to K M Goddard for verge cutting in Denton The following payments have already been authorised and required immediate payment and were reporting at the meeting:

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 £358.39 for Clerk Wages (25/09/19) authorised online by Cllr James and Cllr Hodges  £40 (cheque) to Royal British legion for remembrance wreaths (17/09/19) signed by Cllr James and Cllr Thomas  £400.11 for Clerk wages (25/10/19) authorised online by Cllr James and Cllr Hodges

The current financial position showing all expenditure and predicted expenditure for 2019/20 was circulated and currently the predicted balance at the end of this financial year is expected to be £14,935.02 although this will change if the Parish Council undertakes more projects. b) APPROVE: Bank reconciliation for June, July and August 2019:

Cllr Bevan checked the bank reconciliations and then signed the bank statements and bank recs for June, July and August 2019. Bank reconciliations for September and October 2019 will be completed when the bank statements are received from RBS. c). TO DISCUSS and APPROVE: Precept and budget allocation for 2020-2021:

A draft spreadsheet of the expected expenditure for the next financial year was circulated and discussed. It was agreed by all to have a reserve of 100% of the precept. Suggestions and amendments to the draft expenditure was recorded and the Clerk will revise the calculations and circulate to all Councillors before the next meeting so the precept can be formally agreed at the next meeting (January 2020) before the 29th January 2020 deadline set by DDC. d) To discuss and Approve: Allowance for Clerk:

Following a discussion by email between all Councillors a proposal to pay an annual allowance to the Clerk for use of own equipment and office space was tabled. This payment will be backdated to May 2019 and will be paid monthly with the Clerks wages. Cllr Bevan proposed this, seconded by Cllr Akehurst and the group resolved to pay an annual allowance of £150 to the Clerk. e) RBS Bank:

The Clerk informed the meeting that the account closed on 4 October 2019 and the remaining balance of £18,499.52 was transferred from RBS to the new Unity Trust Account. RBS have not sent out the September or October/Closing bank statements and the Clerk is now unable to access the account via telephone banking. Clerk will have to go into RBS/NatWest branch to request they send the statements. Once these are received the Clerk will complete the September and October 2019 bank reconciliations.

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f) Fixed assets register:

The Clerk confirmed that the laptop was purchased by the Council in 2011 and is definitely no longer fit for purpose. The previous locum clerk (Amanda Sparkes) expressed an interest in keeping the laptop for personal reasons and it was agreed that the current clerk should ensure all Parish Council files are removed and discuss a small donation with Amanda Sparkes to the Council for the laptop. g) Grant request procedures/grant request from WEPG:

The draft grant request forms were circulated by the clerk by email before the meeting for consideration. Cllr Thomas proposed that the forms be approved, seconded by Cllr Bevan and the group all agreed. The form will be sent to the WEPG for completion and once checked the grant will be released. This will be preferably made via electronic payments and must not be completed or authorised by Cllr James due to her membership of the WEPG. h) Parish council storage area and archiving of information:

Cllr Thomas has had agreement from Denton Village Hall for storage of the Parish Council’s files. Cllr James informed the meeting that the room currently used in Wootton Village Hall is needed so the files should be moved asap. Cllr Thomas and the Clerk to move the files to Denton Village Hall and then archive the relevant information in the beginning of 2020 once the data retention policy has been approved. i) New financial regulations 2019: The new financial regulations have now been reviewed by the Clerk and updated. Cllr James proposed these were now adopted by the Council, seconded by Cllr Bevan and agreed by all. Please note not much has changed apart from: 1. Section 1.9. last bullet point is new (“produces….by the council”) 2. Section 6.7 has been added to reflect our new electronic payments 3. Section 13 has had a paragraph removed which used to sit after 13.1 “The Clerk/RFO shall give prompt notification to the Insurance Company of all new risks, properties or vehicles which require to be insured and of any alterations affecting existing insurances.”

13. Planning Applications and tree works: new applications, planning decisions by DDC, planning enforcement, and any other planning matters

a) New Planning Applications (since last meeting) i. 19/01181: Deacon Landscape Management, Wootton Lane, Wootton, CT4 6RP – response submitted by Parish Council on 28 October 2019 and awaiting decision ii. 19/01185: Deacon Landscape Management, Wootton Lane, Wootton, CT4 6RP – this application was withdrawn on 16 October 2019

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b) Outstanding Planning Applications: i. 19/00615: International Race Circuit, Dumbrill Hill, Wootton, CT4 6ET – response submitted by Parish Council on 31 August 2019 and awaiting decision. Cllr James informed the group that the Planning Committee meeting is expected to take place on 5th December 2019 but this is yet to be confirmed. ii. 19/00780: Maryville, Shelvin Lane, Wootton, CT4 6RH – response submitted by Parish Council on 17 September 2019 and awaiting decision iii. 19/00821: Land for Aylesham Village Expansion North Of, Dorman Avenue North, Aylesham, Kent – revisions to planning app received by Parish Council on 22nd October 2019 and in consultation stage again iv. 19/00861: Lydden International Race Circuit, Dumbrill Hill, Wootton, CT4 6ET (Retrospective planning application) – response submitted by Parish Council on 4 September 2019 and awaiting decision v. 19/01024: Deacon Landscape Management, Wootton Lane, Wootton, CT4 6RP – response submitted by Parish Council on 17 September 2019 and awaiting decision.

c) Planning Decisions (since last meeting) i. 19/01022: Park View, Park Side, Wootton, CT4 6RR – granted planning permission on 15 October 2019

14. Police/PCSO/Neighbourhood Watch matters: a) SmartWater Initiative:

This was deferred to the next meeting so further information on the scheme and additional quotations can be obtained, in line with the Financial Regulations 2019. b) Rural Volunteers (Equine):

Cllr Hodges has been approached by an officer from about a Rural Volunteer scheme by Kent Police for people who frequently ride their horses in the countryside. The volunteers will be provided with training and a dedicated contact at Kent Police to report anything suspicious noted whilst they are out riding.

This initiative is supported by the Parish Council and volunteers from the Parish will be sort via the usual communication methods (e.g. Facebook Page, notice boards, Parish meetings, etc).

15. Highways, Footpaths & Village greens:

There was nothing to raise/discuss on this item.

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16. Village Halls – Wootton & Denton:

Denton Village Hall:

The wiring has now almost been replaced and LED lights have been installed. Sue will be providing the Parish Council with an invoice for the £500 grant awarded to the Village Hall by the Parish Council.

Wootton Village Hall:

Nothing was raised.

17. To receive and consider any “Correspondence”:

The Clerk circulated two documents received from KALC; website bulletin and Community Awards Scheme 2019.

The guidance from KALC on the website changes next year was noted and discussed. It was suggested that a local website design company should also be considered for the new website.

It was agreed that the Council should sign up to the Community Awards Scheme 2019 and the Clerk will let everyone know when we should submit candidates for the awards.

18. Adjournment of the meeting for parishioners’ questions and comments:

The meeting was adjourned for comments.

19. The date and venue of the next meeting of the Parish Council: It was agreed to fix the dates for the six Parish Council meetings next year in advance. The meeting in January 2019 must be held in advance of the deadline for the Precept return (29th January 2020). The Clerk will liaise with the Councillors and village halls and find suitable dates which will be published at the next meeting, village diary, on the village notice boards, Facebook page and twitter account. 20. Closure of the meeting: The meeting closed at 21:00.

Signed (Chairman) :………………………………………

Date : ……………………………………………..

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