Silkstone Parish Council

SILKSTONE PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council, held at the Mission Rooms, Silkstone Common on 8th May 2006.

PRESENT: The Chairman: Clr D Liddell. Clrs Bower, Handley, Fishpool, Gallamore, Leech, M Liddell, Smith, and Stier.

1. Election of the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman.

Clr D Liddell and Clr Bower were re-elected as the Council’s Chairman and Vice- Chairman respectively.

2. Open forum.

There were seven residents present. The following items were raised.

 It was reported that the litter-bin on Footpath 8, near to the Mission Rooms, had been vandalised. Neighbourhood Pride would be advised.

 Clr Stier reported that three lampposts on Footpath 8 were in a poor condition, with some wires exposed, but they seemed to be ones that were no longer in use. The Clerk would review this problem with Barnsley MBC.

 A resident reported that some trees had been felled on the Trans-Pennine Trail and that the Forestry Officer at Barnsley MBC had been advised. The Council noted this point.

 Clr Stier reported that there was a continued growth of Japanese knotweed in the Parish. The Clerk had recently requested Barnsley MBC to take action as last year and was awaiting a response. It was hoped that a course of treatment could be agreed at a similar cost as last year – a total of £100 for all four sites. Clr Stier offered to review the area and liaise with Barnsley MBC staff.

 Clr Fishpool reported on behalf of the Millennium Committee that the first items of play equipment had been installed on the agreed site in Silkstone.

 Clr Bower distributed copies of some leaflets about the forthcoming 2Villages’ festival, which was taking place at the end of June. The Chairman hoped that Councillors would support the festival, especially the concert on the Sunday by the Old Silkstone Band, sponsored by the Council.

3. Apologies for absence.

All Councillors were present. Clr M Liddell apologised that she had to leave for part of the meeting for personal reasons. Clr Fishpool had to leave before the end of the meeting, at approximately 9pm.

1 4. Minutes of the meeting on 10th April 2006.

The minutes of the last meeting were confirmed as correct and signed by the Chairman.

5. Matters arising from the minutes.

 Blacker Dam.

The Clerk had visited the site and confirmed that the rubble was not blocking the lane. The rubble did seem to be have been placed there by the owner of the land to stop cars parking and reduce access to the fishing area. The Environmental Health Regulatory Unit had been advised but considered that there was no action that it could take. It was agreed to try to establish further information from the owner of the site.

 Lower Fall Wood.

The Clerk had written to the Estate Managers of the Wood, who had replied. They were seeking to regulate the position with the group of mountain bikers.

 Network Rail.

The Clerk had contacted staff at Network Rail about the new railings that had been erected in Silkstone Common. Network Rail advised that the railings were not connected to the recent stabilisation scheme. It seemed that a Silkstone Common resident had raised a safety concern and Network Rail staff had discussed the position with the resident. As a result, the standard railings had been erected. Network Rail indicated that that they had the power to do this and the Clerk had confirmed this with the Planning Department of Barnsley MBC. Network Rail stated that the railings would not be changed or painted, due to the costs involved. The Council agreed to consider this further at its next meeting, particularly to consider the lack of consultation by Network Rail with the Council.

 Silkstone-in-Bloom.

Clr Smith reported that the Stage One judging for Silkstone-in-Bloom had taken place on 12th April and he had been advised that the same judges would undertake Stage Two. The date had been set as 12th July. Clr Smith and the Clerk would liaise as appropriate with the Council’s maintenance contractor and Neighbourhood Pride.

 Mottram bypass scheme.

A letter had been sent to the Highways’ Agency about the proposed Mottram bypass scheme. In particular, the Council supported the scheme in principal but expressed concern at the resulting traffic problems for this area and the need for measures to deal with them. A letter had been received from the local MP, Mr Clapham, about the newsletter and in particular the article on the bypass scheme. Clr Stier reported that over 3,000 letters had been received by the Highways’ Agency about the proposals.

2  Land near to Ladyroyd, Silkstone Common.

The Council confirmed that it would be interested in the possible purchase of the whole or part of the site. There was concern that the Shoot Field area included some contamination from the ammunition used in the guns. It was recognised that any action on this item would have to be considered fully by the Council.

The Clerk had written to Barnsley MBC about the planning conditions for the area and was awaiting a response. A meeting had been requested to discuss the position in detail, hopefully with Clr Bower and the Clerk seeing Barnsley MBC staff.

 Parish Design Statement Group.

The next meeting of the Group would be on 16th May to discuss the draft statement and the article for the next newsletter.

6. Nominations of representatives.

The following nominations to appropriate organisations and working parties were agreed. In all cases, there were no changes to the current position.

Organisation Representatives Barnsley West Rural Transport Clr Stier. CARE Clr M Liddell and Stier. Millennium Committee Clr M Liddell. Paramount Cinema Clr Stier. Penistone Partnership Clr Gallamore. Rural Road Safety Committee Clrs M Liddell and Smith. Silkstone Charities Clrs Bower and Smith. Silkstone-St Florent Association Clr D Liddell. SPFMC Clrs Leech and Stier. YLCA Clrs D Liddell and Stier. Scout Hut Management Committee Clr D Liddell.

Working Party Representatives Parish Plan Clrs Gallamore, Leech, D Liddell and M Liddell. Media Group Clrs Bower, Leech, and Smith plus the Clerk. Grants Clrs Handley, D Liddell, and M Liddell plus the Clerk. Woodlands Clrs Bower and Smith plus the Clerk. Planning Clrs Bower, Gallamore, and Handley plus the Clerk. Parish Design Statement Clrs C Bower, Gallamore, and M Liddell.

7. Annual Parishioners’ Meeting.

The Council considered that the draft minutes of the Annual Parishioners’ Meeting held on 24th April were an accurate record. Clr Rowley had confirmed that the record of his report in the minutes was accurate. The draft minutes would be placed on the website until their approval at next year’s Annual Parishioners’ Meeting.

3 8. Planning applications.

The following two applications were considered. The Clerk outlined some advice received on the wind turbine application. It was agreed that no comment would be made on these applications.

Address Village Details Roger Royd Farm S. Wind turbine. 45 Ben Bank Road S. C. Extension.

9. Loss of shop/post office, Silkstone Common.

At the last Council meeting, concern was expressed at the Planning Regulatory Board's decision to allow the application for a change of use at 1 Ben Bank Road. Further information on this decision had been issued to Councillors prior to the meeting – the report of the Planning Officers and the appropriate minute of the Board. It was noted that only three objections had been received to the application. The Council recognised that there was no effective action that it could take on the decision. However, the Council expressed its disappointment at the lack of support to the Council’s views by the local Ward Councillors. Clr Punt had proposed voting against the recommendation of the Planning Officers and Clr Rowley had supported this proposal. It was agreed to write to Clr Rowley on this point.

10. Sale of land, Silkstone.

At the last meeting, there had been concern at the proposed sale by Barnsley MBC of an area of public space at the rear of 6 Huskar Close. Barnsley MBC had since placed the required legal notice in the Barnsley Chronicle asking for any representations on the proposed sale. Following a letter from the Council, a response from Barnsley MBC had been received last week granting an extension to 12th May for the deadline for comment. The letter also recognised the merit of parish councils being consulted on such issues and stated that Barnsley MBC would seek to improve this procedure.

The Clerk outlined the background to this item, including recent developments. It was noted that Barnsley MBC had been in discussions with the owner of 6 Huskar Close for some time on this issue and had sent a report on the matter to the three Ward Councillors in August 2005. It seemed that the sale would be subject to a clause to not allow building on the land in the future. There were specific concerns raised about the work done by the owner of the land before the sale was completed. Also, there was some concern that Barnsley MBC had cut down two trees on the site last year. There were four residents present with an interest in this item and three of them, including the owner of 6 Huskar Close, spoke on the issues.

The Council recognised the unusual circumstances surrounding this issue but decided to object to the sale of this public open space. The main grounds were the loss of a scarce resource and a public facility. The Council also agreed to write to Clr Rowley asking him to advise the local ward councillors that this is the type of issue on which parish councils would expect to be consulted. It was hoped that they would seek to ensure that this did happen in the future.

4 11. 2005/06 Statement of Accounts.

The following items for 2005/06 had been issued prior to the meeting - a copy of the cash book, the bank reconciliation, the budget monitoring statement, the statement of accounts, and the Clerk’s report. After a discussion, particularly on the position of the Silkstone Recreation Ground, the items were approved.

Information on the 2005/06 accounts would be placed on the website. The Clerk would now arrange for an internal audit to be undertaken and the appropriate procedures for the external audit to take place.

12. Silkstone Recreation Ground.

The Clerk had written to the manager of the garage about the security problems of the storage area at the rear of the garage. Following a brief discussion with the manager, another letter had now been sent to the head office in Bradford. The letter noted that the cost of clearing the litter at the rear of the garage was over £1,000 per year and it was believed that most of the items emanated from the garage.

Clr Stier reported that the new fencing on the waggonway had been completed.

There was continued concern at the drainage problems on the cricket ground. Clr Bower indicated that there was solid rock to one side of the pitch. This point was noted by the SPFMC representatives for the AGM on 15th May. The cricket club was pursuing an improvement to this situation.

It was reported that four youths had been camping on the Recreation Ground on a recent Friday night. The Council agreed that it should discourage this type of activity.

13. Dog litter-bins.

Neighbourhood Pride was to install the two new dog-litter bins on the agreed sites, off Towngate and on Footpath 8. The Council now agreed to place the third one near to Pack Horse Green, subject to consultation with Elaine Down. Clr Smith had been contacted by a resident on Moorend Lane, who had a litter-bin at the corner of his property. The resident was concerned that significant amounts of dog-litter were being placed in the bin. The Clerk would discuss this issue further with the Outdoor Services’ Division of Barnsley MBC, in particular the procedures for dealing with these bins and the signage used on them.

14. Area Forum and other meetings.

At the last Area Forum meeting, the crime figures reported for the last period were Silkstone – 9, Silkstone Common –2. Clr Gallamore issued some tourism items from the Penistone Community Partnership. She also showed a map of the area’s footpaths that she had obtained from Barnsley MBC. It was agreed to try to obtain a copy for each Councillor. Mr Thompson indicated that the PDS Group had obtained a map of local sites of interest from the South Yorkshire Archaeological Society. It was agreed that the Clerk should develop files of this type of information.

5 The Clerk had attended a meeting of the Scout Hut Management Committee. The main item discussed was the proposed replacement building. The Committee’s Chairman had received advice from Nick Waterfield and others, who had indicated that the scheme was appropriate for grant aid. The Committee was now seeking to progress this matter, hoping to replace the current facility with a single storey building but perhaps extending further into the existing green space. The Committee would be advised that Clr D Liddell had agreed to be the Council’s representative on the Committee and he would be able to act as liaison between the two organisations.

15. Councillor expenses.

The Clerk issued three items – a new expenses’ form, an example of a completed one, and some guidelines. A brief discussion took place on the procedures to be followed.

16. Correspondence.

Date Correspondent Item Notes 12/4 ODPM Byelaws – discussion paper Clerk to review. 23/4 D Carpenter E-mail on nuisance See below. 2/5 BMBC Green space grants See below. 3/5 BMBC Area Forum agenda. 10/5. 3/5 BDO Stoy Hayward Audit briefing note. For Clerk. 3/5 YLCA White Rose Update Copied to Clrs. 5/5 YLCA Nomination of representatives See below. 5/5 BMBC Youth outreach service See below.

Mr Carpenter had raised some concerns on nuisance levels on and near Broad Gates and the lack of use of the play area nearby. He had e-mailed all the Councillors who have an e-mail address. The Clerk and Clr Fishpool had been dealing with this issue and the local police had been advised. The Council noted the position. Clr Leech stated there had been recent cases of youths skateboarding on Towngate and this had dangers. The police would be advised.

Some grant forms had been obtained for a new scheme to enhance local green spaces. It was noted that there was a deadline of 26th May for the first round of the smaller grants and it was agreed to try to progress one or more applications from the Parish.

On the White Rose Update from the YLCA item, a number of issues were noted. These included a briefing note on the new Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act and the YLCA’s new website. The annual training conference was to be held in Scarborough on the weekend of 29th September and the Council agreed that Clr D Liddell would attend. A decision would be made about any other Councillors at the next meeting. Finally, the Clerk noted that an increasing number of parish councils were achieving quality status and he was due to review this point further with the Chairman in the near future before preparing a report to the Council.

On the second YLCA item, it was agreed to nominate Clr D Liddell as Vice- Chairman of the branch and as a representative.

6 The Council had written to Barnsley MBC about the local youth outreach provision. A reply from the Youth Operations’ Manager indicated that recent budget pressures and staff shortages were leading to changes to the service, with a more forum area based approach being developed. It seemed that the weekly visits to Silkstone would not be possible. The Council expressed its regret at these changes and agreed to obtain further details from Mr O’Roarke. It was decided that the youth should not be allowed access to the Pavilion without a youth worker present.

17. Accounts for payment.

The following grant payments as approved at the April meeting had been made and issued with the appropriate letters.

Cheque Applicant Grant (£) 2018 Old Silkstone Band 500 2019 Old Silkstone B Band 250 2020 Brownies 200 2021 Scouts 250 2022 Guides 200 2023 S Luncheon Club 250 2024 SC Luncheon Club 500 2025 Edward Bear Playgroup 100 2026 S Lodge Bowling Club 600 2027 SC Good Companions 150 2028 S Friendship Club 150 2029 Music Makers (cq to Silkstone Church) 250 2030 Chatterbox 200 2031 2 Villages’ Festival Group (sponsorship) 300 2032 Silkstone-in-Bloom 400 2033 Paramount Paramount 300 Total 4,600

The Silkstone Common Luncheon Club had since returned its £500 cheque as the Club had ceased to be active. There had been several factors leading to this decision. The Club thanked the Council for its support in the past.

The following five accounts were approved for payment.

Cq No Payee Item £ Notes 2034 E Bell April pay. 837.45 20 hours pw. 2035 Inland Revenue April deductions. 354.41 2036 C Waring April maintenance. 430.50 2037 Allianz Cornhill Insurance 2006/07. 2,947.74 2038 BTM Fencing items (SRG). 339.58 Total 4,909.68

The Clerk’s pay included the agreed annual “inflation” increase, as recommended by NALC and agreed at an earlier meeting by the Council.

7 18. Next meeting.

The next meeting will be held at 6.45pm on 5th June 2006 at the Silkstone Primary School.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 9:20pm.

Chairman’s Signature Date 5th June 2006