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Minutes of the Council meeting held Tuesday 7th July 2020 at 7.30pm using Zoom as per The Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority Meetings) () Regulations 2020

Present: Councillors: David Pankhurst (DP) (Chair), Ray Hollman (RH) (Deputy Chair), Hilary Pankhurst (HP), Peter Lamont (PL), Celia Pollington (CP), Gina Sanderson (GS), Mick Coleman (MC) and Robert Barham (RB). Also present: Clerk A Head (AH), County Councillor Angharad Davies (AD) and District Councillor Paul Osborne (PO).

10. Apologies for absence: Councillor Terry Hogan (TH). 11. Disclosure of interests under the Council’s Code of Conduct: CP for 14.1, RH for 14.5 and MC/HP/DP for 15.3. 12. The minutes of the Council meetings held on 2nd June 2020 were amended under section 5.3 and after this they were unanimously agreed and signed by DP (the Clerk used DP’s electronic signature to do this). Q1. There were 6 members of the public present. They were all attending to discuss their concerns regarding item 14.6. Their children use the bike track and want it to continue. DP said that the Parish Council had no powers to stop this but they were duty bound to investigate any concerns raised about the safety of the track in relation to other users of the Byway. RH said that the track had been around for a long time and from what he can see and from conversations with the young people using it – they clear up after themselves and have black bins to clear up. They have a system to marshal the track and they have reduced the track by the Byway. GS said that the main concern is that those involved understand the health and safety consequences to themselves and others if the track is not used safely. One member of the public said that the young people had cleared some of the fly tipping near the beginning of the Byway. DP cautioned against this action in case any of the items were dangerous. RESOLVED: It was unanimously agreed that nothing else needed to be done and the bike track could continue as usual. ACTION: Clerk to report the fly tipping to Council and write to the member of the public who raised concerns as well as the ESCC footpath’s team. 13. District & County Councillor Reports –County Council – AD supplied a written report which is attached. AD said that East had been lucky in only having 1,408 cases of Covid-19. She said that the ESCC Covid questionnaire to residents had received good responses. HP asked AD if she knew that the hearing aid service has halted from the Conquest and the Rye Memorial Hospital. They are suggesting people go to Boots and pay for it. HP was concerned that already isolated and vulnerable people would feel even more cut off if they could not afford to get hearing aid batteries. GS said that the Hearing Resource Centre was posting hearing aid batteries out to those who needed them. GS sent AD, the Clerk and HP the contact details for this so that HP could give it to the Memorial Hospital in Rye to publicise as they did not know this. AD left the meeting at 8.05pm to attend Beckley PC’s meeting. PO reported that he had attended the RDC full council meeting virtually on 06/07/20. Discussions were had about the discretionary grant fund for those businesses who had missed out on central government funding during Covid-19; such as business-rate holders and the self-employed. PO also said that Direct had a fund to reimburse those who had lost money during the Covid-19

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crisis. For example, he said that the PC could claim back money donated to the local Food Bank during this time. PO said that the final discussion point at the moment was the parking and congestion at Camber. He said that the police will not enforce any bad parking. However, CPE comes in during October 2020 so this should help for next summer. PO said that the level of rubbish left (12 tonnes) and rudeness to the residents in Camber was inexcusable.

14. Community Matters and Issues 14.1 DASA Site Allocations– No reports on this at the moment. 14.2 Annual Donations 14.2.1 Review £250 per annum limit – RESOLVED: To leave this as it is for now but with a view to review again in the future if necessary. 14.2.2 Review Rye Food Bank donation – RESOLVED: To defer a further donation for now. Again, with a view to review in the future if necessary. ACTION: Clerk to contact Rye Food Bank and find out how many residents were receiving donations. 14.2.3 To discuss donation requests from Victim Support, Discovery Centre Appeal, The Friends of Conquest Hospital, KSS Air Ambulance. RESOLVED: Rye Harbour Discovery Centre Appeal to receive £50.00; The Friends of Conquest Hospital to receive £100 and KSS Air Ambulance to receive £100. 14.3 Clerk pay – Review 14.3.1 CiLCA qualification – RESOLVED: For Clerk to move from SCP17 to SCP19 from date of qualification (12th March 2020). 14.3.2 September review – RESOLVED: For Clerk to move from SCP19 to SCP20 from 1st September 2020. 14.3.3 National Award – RESOLVED: To be applied as and when they are agreed by SSALC. Back pay to be calculated using new pay scales once published and applied as above. 14.4 VAS and traffic calming – PL supplied a written report which stated that some 38,225 vehicles were recorded travelling at 36mph and above, of which 2,003 were speeding excessively, 45mph and above. Speed Watch sessions are now allowed and there are some planned for the end of July. DP said that he continues, with RALC, to try and get the police interested in speeding. Catsfield PC is buying a Black Cat device which should provide more figures/statistics which should lend weight to the evidence supplied to the police. DP to provide further information following the next virtual RALC meeting on 15th July. 14.5 Recreation Ground/Playspace/Pavilion – RH confirmed that the Play Space was currently shut as it could not currently comply with the government re-opening guidelines. RH reported that the Pavilion has had electrical work done and the lights look good. Plumbing work is taking place this week and he is in the process of getting quotes for cladding from Sussex Timber which will hopefully be done in August. Estimates continue to be £20,000 for the roof and £15,000 for internal decoration. HP asked if Bourne Sports Associates had been in contact about an October training session as stated in the Parish magazine. RH said that he hadn’t heard anything yet. 14.6 Bike track in the woods next to the Maltings – This item was covered above under item 12 Q1. 14.7 BT Phone box – Brickfields – RESOLVED: MC reported that he and TH have discussed it and will be cleaning/installing the defibrillator in the next couple of weeks. MC has bought the brackets/fixings. ACTION: The Rye Fixtures publication Rother Responders page states that Peasmarsh has one defibrillator at the Memorial Hall. This is not correct as there is also one at Jempsons, the Horse and Cart pub and soon to be in the Brickfields’ phone box. The Clerk to contact Rother Responders so that the information can be updated. 14.8 Oast Cottage – PO and DP had no updates. On contacting the RDC planning officer, Dan Bevan he had said that he was going to make contact with the owners again and when possible make a joint

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visit with the planning and enforcement teams. ACTION: Clerk to continue contacting Dan Bevan for regular updates on this.

15. Reports and other items 15.1 Clerk’s Report – noted. 15.2 RALC speeding initiative – DP said that he would provide an update on this following the RALC meeting on 15th July. 15.3 Memorial Hall – HP thanked RB for the information that he has found out regarding registering the land Memorial Hall land. RESOLVED: PL proposed and all unanimously agreed that the land should be registered with a legal budget of £1,000. HP to check the value of the Memorial Hall with the Treasurer and RB to look at the RDC website for a site plan. 15.3.1 Reopening date – HP confirmed that this would be 1st September 2020. 15.3.2 Proposed maintenance works – HP said that internal redecoration was taking place (with a £2,000 budgeted contribution from the PC) and PAT testing by WS Parsons as the electrical bills are still high even though the hall is shut. GS said that the Sussex Community Fund and the Sussex Crisis Fund were good places to seek help with additional costs due to Covid-19, such as additional hand sanitisers. 15.4 Allotments – MC reported that Plots 1 and 2 have cut the side of their hedge but not the top of it. Plots 9 and 3 both need their hedges cutting. ACTION: Clerk to send a letter to both plots 9 and 3. Plot 1 and 2 to be checked again by next month’s meeting. 15.5 Repairs and Maintenance Reports – RH reported that the trees on the pavement next to the allotments are growing back since being cut by ESCC and making the pavements hard to walk on especially with a pram. ACTION: MC to check and see what he can do. 15.6 ESCC Highways Reports – MC said that he had reported several potholes at the top of School Lane and they were fixed the next day. PL said that the pavement leading from the Memorial Hall to Malthouse Lane was very narrow and the bank seems to be encroaching on the pathway. ACTION: Clerk to request that the ESCC Highways Steward inspects this. 15.7 Police report – None available due to Covid-19. 15.8 Footpaths report – No report. 15.9 Village and Environment – The Clerk reported that following Facebook complaints about the overgrown hedge/trees and collapsed fence on the path leading to the Bisky Bar garages, she had been in contact with the home owner on one side and they have already cut down their hedge and removed the collapsed fencing. ACTION: Clerk to send a letter to the home owner on the other side of the path regarding their overgrown trees/hedge.

16. Financial Matters 16.1 Reports – approved by all and signed off by PL. 16.1.1 Monthly statement of receipts and payments – June 2020. 16.1.2 Budget comparison and bank reconciliations – June 2020.

16.2 To approve and ratify payments – all approved. 16.2.1 Clerk’s June pay and expenses: £454.48 16.2.2 RDC annual dog bin collection – missed bin in original invoice from May: £156 16.2.3 SSALC finance training – P.Lamont: £36 16.2.4 Annual donations: As above under item 14.2.3

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16.2.5 Biffa Waste Collection – monthly direct debit: £46.51

16.3 Receipts –all noted. 16.3.1 None to date.

17. Correspondence – noted. • Letter received from Jempsons Ltd on 09/06/20 thanking the PC for the food bank donation. • Letter received from various residents on 07/07/20 regarding the bike track in the Maltings Woods.

18. Planning Matters 18.1 Applications – none to date. Decisions – none to date. Appeals – none to date.

18.2 Dates of forthcoming meetings Tuesday 4th August 2020, Parish Council meeting ,7.30pm, remote via Zoom. The meeting closed 9.05pm

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