In the Council Chamber at Rainford Village Hall s1

Rainford Parish Council

MINUTES OF A MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 16 DECEMBER 2015 COMMENCING AT 7.00pm IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER AT RAINFORD VILLAGE HALL

Present: Councillors: Aspinall, Collins, Grice, G Jones, P Jones, Lee, Monk, D Mussell, L Mussell, D Nichols, Reynolds (Chairman), Wesley

In attendance: Sally Powell (Clerk)

Absent: None

372. APOLOGIES: Councillor: Brown (Holiday), Long (Long-standing previous engagement), R Nichols (Away on Business) 373. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: Councillor Grice – Non-pecuniary interest 382. 10 375. FORMAL ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN: The Chairman informed the meeting that a Beer Festival would be held in February 2016 as part of his fund-raising for Rainford in Bloom. He also stated that arrangements for the Food Festival in April 2016 were moving forward and that the Rainford in Bloom calendars were still available. Councillor Reynolds wished everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 375. TO HEAR AND RESPOND TO ANY QUESTIONS/DEPUTATIONS BY COUNCILLORS OR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: None. 376. TO APPROVE AS A CORRECT RECORD THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2015 361. Declaration of Interest: The minutes should read Councillor Aspinall– Non-pecuniary interest 369i P2015/0824/HHFP 364. Pespond should be Respond RESOLVED: That with the above corrections, the minutes be agreed as a true and accurate record. 377. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES: 363. Councillor L Mussell informed the meeting that this scheme would not now be going ahead due to the astronomical costs. Councillor Reynolds noted that the Council should be more pro-active in applying for grants. 378. THE ROAD JUNCTION BETWEEN MILL LANE AND THE A570 Councillor L Mussell informed the meeting that approximately 1700 vehicles use the A570 going towards St Helens during the morning ‘rush hour’ and most accidents are caused by driver error. The Clerk notified the Council that Councillor Long had undertaken a site visit and watched the junction for around 2 hours. He noted that many cars are travelling too fast as they approach the junction in question and that lorries and other vehicles often pull out of Mill Lane when there is insufficient time and space, causing other vehicles to take evasive action. Councillor Grice stated that Mill Lane inclines then levels out before it meets the A570, but this makes it difficult for Lorries to stop at the junction, particularly if they are fully loaded. Following further discussion the Clerk was asked to write to St Helens Council requesting a site visit and advice on low cost measures that would improve the situation, such as warning signs as the junction is approached from Mill Lane. Councillor L Mussell will also pursue the matter in her role as a Borough Councillor. Councillor Grice agreed to meet with George Houghton (St Helens Council) and Councillor Long will also be invited to attend. The Clerk was also asked to write to Mr Andrew Rigby, who had alerted the Council to recent accidents at the junction.

of 6 379. RAINFORD CHRISTMAS FAYRE 2015 The weather during the week of and on the day of the Fayre was atrocious with high winds and driving rain. The decision was made at 7am on the day to move the Fayre inside to the Village Hall. No contingency plans to do this had been made. The Fayre went very well despite the problems and the best was done in the situation. Overall it was an excellent weekend. It was the feeling of the meeting that all events taking place that day had benefitted from so much going on. Councillor Aspinall confirmed that the Christmas Tree Festival had had a lot of visitors and it was believed the same was true of the BB & GA Christmas Fayre. However, concerns were raised about the number of people in the Hall at times and whilst it was wonderful that the Parish Council were able to step into the breach and prevent the Fayre from being cancelled, there were issues that needed clarifying in case the same happened next year. It would be necessary to work with the Christmas Fayre committee to formulate a contingency plan which included the implementation of a one-way system around the hall and a system implemented to prevent too many people being in the hall at one time. Councillor P Jones asked if any payment had been made for the use of the Hall. A discussion followed at the end of which the following proposal was made: RESOLVED: Councillor Reynolds proposed that the Main Hall and Reception Room are kept free on the first Saturday in December for the use of the Christmas Fayre in case of inclement weather. There would be no charge for the use of the halls in this instance. The motion was seconded by Councillor Lee and carried unanimously. Councillors Grice and Wesley who sit on the Christmas Fayre committee informed the meeting that profits from the Christmas Fayre will be given out in donations to local organisations. 380. ACCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT RESOLVED: Councillor P Jones proposed that the Income and Expenditure Figures be accepted. This was seconded by Councillor R Reynolds and carried unanimously. (See Appendix 1) 381. FINANCE, PLANNING & ADMINISTRATION PLANNING - 3 sets of plans were considered. A letter of objection would be sent regarding application P/2015/0861/FUL. The application was for development of Green Belt Land and was not felt to be in keeping with the locality. Plus it was considered overdevelopment of the site. No objections were raised to the other applications RESOLVED: That with the exception of P/2015/0861/FUL, the plans be agreed en bloc FINANCE – i. A suggested package for the Christmas Parties in 2016 had been put forward at £35.00 per person. It was agreed that the Clerk and Administration Assistant should move forward with this initiative. In addition to raising revenue, it will advertise the Hall as a venue. ii. The first estimate for redecorating the Hall is £7800.00 iii. There had been a leak in the water tank above the chamber, which needed immediate attention. iv. A corroded pipe resulted in emergency works to the boiler. The Clerk’s decision that the problem required immediate attention was endorsed. v. A new contract with Titan Telecom will provide a mobile phone for office use and reduce monthly bills. 382. CORRESPONDENCE The Clerk summarised the following correspondence, reading the letter from Mr Paul Rigby in full. 1. Email from Rob Reynolds and correspondence from Councillor Allan Jones about Rainford joining in with the St Helens Dog bag dispenser scheme. A presentation regarding this had been made to the Rainford in Bloom steering group.

2. Letter from Ian Roberts Assistant Chief Executive at St Helens Council informing the Council that the dates for payment of the precept next year will be : 50% on 21 April 2016 and 50% on 23 June 2016 Also requesting the date of the meeting where the precept will be agreed, payee details and contact details 3. Email from Jerry Spencer, Conservation and Design Office at St Helens Council informing the Council that St Helens Council has decided that the development of a conservation grants scheme for Rainford is too costly and uncertain for it to act as lead on the project. Jerry wishes to thank members of the Parish Council for their interest in, and support of the proposal to date.

4. Copy of a series of emails between Andrew Rigby and George Houghton regarding the Junction of Mill lane and the A570 following a further accident at the location on 10.12.15

5. Email form George Houghton with accident data for the junction at Mill Lane. (Forwarded to all Councillors)

6. Letter from Opus energy stating that we will be having a new smart electricity meter installed at the Village Hall

7. Christmas Card from the Mayor and Mayoress

8. Invoice from Electrical & Combustion (NW) for emergency work to the boiler – corroded pipe and replacement 3 port valve and fan switch £1244.80

9. Up to date list of Parish Council Chairman and Vice Chairman in the St Helens Borough

10. Letter (Via email) from Paul Rigby, Chairman Rainford Band regarding the requirement of the services of the band for Remembrance Day

RESOLVED: That Rainford Band would be paid £250.00 on receipt of an invoice to cover its expenses for playing on Remembrance Sunday

11. Letter from MP regarding the Christmas Fair.

12. Invitation from Mayor of St Helens for the Chairman to attend the St Helens Holocaust Memorial Service on 27.01.16

Additionally, the office has dealt with approximately 2174 emails, 56 phone calls and 66 visitors 888 reached through FB Page RESOLVED: That the Correspondence be accepted. 383. COMMITTEE & COUNCILLOR REPORTS  Community Development (including Rainford in Bloom) i. The logistics for the Food Festival in April 2016 are being worked out ii. The plans for the War Memorial are progressing well and good feedback for the idea has been received. The next stage is to decide the location and apply for planning permission. Councillor Aspinall informed the meeting that All Saints PCC were aware of the plans and were content that the War Memorial would be complimentary to the one in the Parish Church. Councillor L Mussell stated that the Conservation Officer had informed her that the Memorial would need to be in keeping with the surroundings of its location. Also, the Commonwealth War Grave Commission may be able to offer assistance. Councillor Grice proposed that a meeting is organised in January with the British Legion to keep it informed and establish its views. Councillors Grice, G Jones, L Mussell and D Nichols would attend. iii. Councillor Reynolds informed the meeting that the working number for the Beer festival was that around 300 people would attend. Page 3 of 6  Borough Council Councillor L Mussell reported: i. There should be more lights on the Christmas Tree in the Village Centre. ii. The Borough of St Helens is exceeding its target for recycling and currently 44% of waste is recycled. Rainford is the best ward for the amount of recycling across the Borough. It was suggested that an article about this should be included in the next newsletter. iii. A new recycling system of boxes on a trolley is being piloted by some Rainford residents. iv. 20mph speed restrictions have been placed on Windermere Drive and part of Bushey Lane. v. The car park used by Rainford CE Primary on the site of the old Ex-Servicemen’s club in Cross Pit Lane had been closed for one day by the developers in December. vi. The Linear Park has been pruned. vii. A project to chase up owners of empty properties had begun. There are 30 empty properties in Rainford. viii. The Child Protection project had gone live. 384. ANY OTHER BUSINESS 1. Councillor Lee asked for information regarding the garages on Pilkington Street as she was concerned that they contain asbestos and may be dangerous. Councillor L Mussell informed the meeting that although the land is owned by Helena housing, the garages are privately owned, so no enforcement could be made. 2. Councillor Grice asked how Councillors would be made aware of issues in the Village as Police Reports were no longer being received. Councillor Reynolds informed him that crime statistics could be found on the Police website. The Clerk was asked to create a link from the Parish Council Website to the statistics. 385. DIARY DATES 24.12.15 – 02.01.16 inclusive Hall Closed 02.01.16 11am – 11.30am Borough Councillors’ surgery 20.01.16 6.30pm Finance, Planning & Administration Committee 22.01.16 7pm Burns Night (Chairman’s Fundraiser) 25.01.16 7pm Full Council Meeting 28.01.16 Blood Donor Sessions 05.02.16 7.30pm Quiz (Chairman’s Fundraiser) 06.02.16 11am – 11.30am Borough Councillors’ surgery 12.02.16 5.45pm – 6.15pm MP’s surgery 12/13.02.16 Beer Festival (Chairman’s Fundraiser) 17.02.16 6.30pm Finance, Planning & Administration Committee Meeting 22.02.16 7pm Full Council Meeting

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 8.15pm

______Chairman APPENDIX 1

of 6 RAINFORD PARISH COUNCIL Income & Expenditure 2015 - 2016 Nov-15

Expenditure Date Company Detail Total VAT 04.11.15 Barclays Bank Bank Charges £ 11.36 04.11.15 Co-op Toilet Rolls £ 6.00 £ 1.00 04.11.15 Wendys Flowers Anniversary Flowers £ 66.00 £ 11.00 04.11.15 Rainford Rangers FC Donation £ 100.00 10.11.15 Barclaycard Merchant Charges £ 40.96 £ 5.16 13.11.15 Opus Energy Electricity charges £ 255.32 £ 42.55 24.11.15 Titan Telecom Telephone & Broadband £ 67.79 £ 11.30 24.11.15 British Gas Gas Charges £ 2,709.56 £ 451.59 Bin Liners/Refreshments for 11.11.15 Costco Remembrance Day £ 87.05 £ 14.51 06.11.15 St Helens Council Salaries/Pension/NI/Fees (September) £ 4,221.85 Deep Clean for Cooker and floors in 17.11.15 The Cleaning King toilets £ 250.00 17.11.15 British Legion Donation £ 100.00 14.11.15 B & Q Lighting £ 54.48 £ 9.08 18.11.15 Cleanse cleaning Solutions Ltd Cleaning £ 278.39 18.11.15 St Helens Council Salaries/Pensions/NI/Fees (October) £ 3,917.97 Repayment for Cash Prizes for Art 06.11.15 Victoria Nelson Exhibition £ 230.00 30.11.15 St Helens Council Rates £ 1,208.00 £ 13,604.73 £ 546.19

Income Bar Sales £ 1,046.20 Main Hall £ 1,228.50 Reception Room £ 225.00 Rent £ 1,793.25 Other £ 305.60 Total £ 4,598.55

Current Account August Opening Balance Ledger Bank £ 2,524.31 Total Income £ 3,989.68 Expenses -£ 13,604.73 Transfers in £ 11,079.20 Transfers Out -£ 204.10 Closing Balance £ 3,784.36

Bank Balances @ 30.11.15 Bar £ 15,632.09 Current £ 3,784.36 High Interest £ 25,099.40 £ 44,515.85

Debtors @ 31.07.15 £ 8,595.00

Bank Balances + Debtors £ 53,110.85

Chairman