Minutes of the 235Th Meeting of the Stainton & Thornton Parish Council Held on Tuesday

Minutes of the 235th meeting of the Stainton & Thornton Parish Council held on Tuesday, 10 October, 2017 at 7.15 p.m. in the Memorial Hall, Stainton

Present: Parish Councillors A. Liddle (Chair), A. Conroy, C. Dean, D.Coupe and A.Cooper. J.Holmes (Clerk to the Council). B.Neale attended meeting at 8pm.

66/17. Apologies and Declarations of Interest - None.

67/17. Public Participation – Opportunity for members of the public to address the Council – None present

68/17. The Minutes of the 234th meeting held on Tyesday 8 August, 2017 were approved by the Parish Council and duly signed as a true record by the Chair.

69/17. Matters arising from the above Minutes

(a) Appointment of Clerk to the Parish Council – Mr J.Holmes, having previously served as a councillor and now appointed as Clerk (wef 1.9.17.) is subject to Section 116 of the Local Government Act 1972 which prohibits payment under these circumstances for a period of 12 months. This action was accepted and noted by Clerk and Councillors present.

(b) To elect Vice Chair of the Parish Council – Following the tranfer of role detailed above there was a need to elect a new Vice Chair of the Parish Council. Councillor David Coupe was nominated by Cllr.Cooper and seconded by Cllr.Dean. There were no other nominations. Resolved – Councillor David Coupe elected Vice Chair of the Parish Council.

(c) Parish Council vacancy – There is now a casual vacancy on the Parish Council and this will publicly notified and a by-election conducted in accordance with the rules for ordinary elections. If no poll is claimed then the position will be filled by co-option as soon as possible. Resolved: Clerk to make public notification of vacancy on Parish Council.

(d) Neighbourhood Plan - An update was given by the Chair. The final survey had been printed and was ready for distribution to every household with a return date of 31.10.17. This is a more comprehensive survey than the initial one and the results will determine how the Neighbourhood Plan proceeds from this point on.

(e) Parish Council contribution to Friends Group – As in previous years the Parish Council make a contribution to the FSTGS to help maintain equipment, provision of fuel for grasscutter, strimmers etc. Resolved: The sum of £200 be awarded to the Friends of Stainton & Thornton Green Spaces from Parish Council funds.

(f) Provision of Bus Services through Stainton - Cllr.Coupe reported he had received passenger numbers for the Parkway bus which operates on a Monday and was averaging 13 passengers (9 from Stainton). Tesco were prepared to fund a further bus on the run-up to Christmas possibly on a Friday. Further information expected soon. Following an approach to Stagecoach NE, the Service 13a would be routed through Stainton on an hourly basis with

1 effect from Monday 20 November. The service would commence at Stainton travel into Middlesbrough then out to Stockton and return. The bus company were also looking at service routes as a whole and this may provide additional services through Stainton. The bus timetable would be publicised locally. Cllr.Coupe was congratulated on his efforts in getting a bus service returned to the area.

(g) Dog Fouling problems – Chair reported that we were still awaiting signs from MBC which indicated that the general waste bins had a dual use and dog waste could be deposited in them. MBC Dog Wardens to be contacted and invited to problem areas and advice sought from them to improve the situation.

(h) Gala Day – Whilst this year’s Gala Day had been a success, with over £900 raised on the day, it was unlikely there would be a similar event next year. A distinct lack of volunteers was evident and there were insufficient people to form a management committee to oversee the event. There would be a final appeal in December for volunteers via the village newsletter however if there was no response the Gala Day fund would be wound up.

(i) 106 monies. – Despite promises from MBC of imminent payment the £20000 106 monies from Taylor Wimpey had still not been received. Chair to contact the CEO and CFO at Middlesbrough Council demanding to know the reason for the delay. The legal offices of NALC would be used if payment was not forthcoming.

(j) Maintenance of seats and noticeboards. – It is incumbent on the Parish Council to maintain the seats and noticeboards it had provided in the villages and this work would be need to be contracted out if necessary. Cllr.Conroy reported that the FSTGS work group are considering undertaking the maintenance of seats and noticeboards on a trial basis. A six month trial would be evaluated to see if it suited the needs of all parties. Resolved: That the sum of £250 be set aside for the maintenance of seats and noticeboards by the Friends of Stainton & Thornton Green Spaces.

70/17. The Report of the Clerk to the Parish Council

(a) The following magazines are on circulation to Parish Councillors: Clerk & Councils Direct and LCR.

(b) NALC circulars and information received from CLCA have been forwarded to all councillors where appropriate.

Income : £2598.00 – Grant from Groundwork UK re Neighbourhood Plan (8.9.17.)

Payments made since the last meeting: (Authorisation required) £1.45 Northumbria Water (Direct Debit). £118.09 Prontaprint (Village Newsletter). £16.00 Memorial Hall (room hire for Parish Council meetings). £116.00 Memorial Hall (room hire for Neighbourhood Plan meetings). £18.07 J.Holmes (Printer toner).

2 £8 J.Holmes (Noticeboard keys)

Balance at 09.10.17. £10892.79 Parish Council £8420.79 Neighbourhood Plan £2472.00

(d) The Audit for the year ended 31.3.17. has been completed on 22.8.17. and signed off by BDO LLP. The Notice of Conclusion of Audit has been displayed on village noticeboards from 1.9.17. until 1.10.17. (e) Membership of SLCC (Society of Local Council Clerks) and CPLAC (Communities Parish and Local Councils) is requested. The subscription costs for 12 months are £43 and £25 respectively. (f) Banking – Cheque signatories updated. M.Newbould removed, J.Holmes added. (g) Equipment: Parish Council laptop currently out of action – no operating system; Laser printer in good working order; Filing cabinets donated by Mrs. E.Revett ideal for home office use. Cross-cut shredder required for disposal of confidential waste. Resolved: All payments aforementioned authorised. Membership costs authorised. Purchase of cross-cut shredder authorised.

71/17. Committee Reports: a) Planning: No current planning issues reported.

(b) Environment Committee: Cllr. D.Coupe reported on Minutes of EC Meeting 29.9.17. Northumbria in Bloom awards: Large village – Silver. Conservation (Maelor’s Wood) – Silver Gilt. Private garden (Meldyke Lane) – Silver. Following discussion at Environment Committee it was decided not to submit an entry to NIB in 2018.

The Strait Lane Memorial Garden is no longer a memorial garden as such. The original tree (planted in 1965) and its replacements have long gone. The original memorial plaque has been removed and is now on display in the Memorial Hall. The area has been turned into a perennial flower bed maintained by local residents and will no longer be referred to as a memorial garden. The Parish Council decided that a new memorial plaque or site was unnecessary as it was fitting that all the war memorials were now contained and on display in the Memorial Hall.

(c) Crime and Disorder Report: No major incidents reported in this area however it was noted that nearby Hemlington was plagued with anti-social behaviour and vandalism. Police efforts were concentrated in that area.

72/17. Friends of Stainton & Thornton Green Spaces: Cll. A.Liddle that there was a need for the border hedges on Maelor’s Wood to be cut back on the inside. This was the responsibility of FSTGS and arrangements were in hand to do so. Tees Valley Wildlife Trust would be attending on 26 October to help plant the 5000 crocus corms, recently purchased, in designated areas of the village.

3 73/17. Four column Draft Budget proposal and Precept discussion – Clerk had prepared a provisional draft budget for discussion. It was intended that the precept remain the same as this year and savings and adjustments would be made to attain that figure. Further discussion at next meeting.

74/17. Christmas Lights Switch-on arrangements Friday 1 December – Cllr.Conroy reprted that the contractors Galliford Try would be attending on Thursday 2 November to erect the lights in Meldyke square. There was need to layout the lights and test the bulbs beforehand and it was hoped that this could be done in the Memorial Hall on Tuesday 31 October at 10am. Clerk to make necessary arrangements with Memorial Hall. The ‘switch-on’ would take place at 6.30pm on Friday 1 December, and following tradition this year, by a lady. Cllr Angela Cooper, Chair of the Community Council was invited to perform this act and graciously agreed to do so.

75/17. Letter from the Chair – Parking issues and New Bus Services – Cllr.Liddle outlined a letter he had drafted regarding the new 13a bus service due to start next month and the problem of inconsiderate parking of vehicles around the villages. This letter would be delivered together with the Neighbourhood Plan Survey to all households next week. Hopefully the parking issues will be self-resolving as a result of the advice in the letter.

76/17. Date of the 236th Parish Council meeting: Tuesday 12 December. 7.15pm in the Memorial Hall.

The Chair formally closed the meeting at 9.15pm.

Agreed and signed as a true record ...... Date ......

4 Minutes taken by: J.Holmes, Clerk to the Council, 13 Strait Lane, Stainton, TS8 9BB. Email: [email protected] Tel: 01642 296060. 07980 572115.