LONGDEN PARISH COUNCIL
During the implementation of the COVID - 19 restrictions the Government has provided alternative options for holding meetings other than face to face. We are currently unable to meet face to face so all meetings are being held remotely via Zoom. Members of the public are entitled to attend remotely and speak in the public session. ********************************* Minutes of a Meeting of Longden Parish Council held on Wednesday 7th October 2020 at 7.30 pm via virtual means as outlined above. Present: Cllr P. Carter – Chairman Cllr. N. Evans Cllr. Mrs K Lovegrove Cllr. C. Rigby Cllr. Mrs C. Roberts Cllr. K. Roberts Cllr. M. Whittall Cllr. W. Merrick Cllr. R. Evans
Also present: Caroline Higgins, Locum Clerk
42/2020 Chairman’s Welcome The Chairman welcomed Councillors to the meeting. He thanked the Locum Clerk for her assistance during the month and commented that an experienced Clerk made the Chairman’s role easier. 43/2020 Apologies for absence - None received
44/2020 Declarations of Interest The Council RESOLVED that there were no declarations of interest under consideration on this agenda in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 s32 and The Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012. The Council further noted that should Skim House Lane be the subject of discussion, then Councillors C and K Roberts declared non-pecuniary, personal interests as they have a son resident in that lane. 45/2020 Police Report – None received
46/2020 Public Question Time and Participation No members of the public were present. It was RESOLVED to receive the Shropshire Councillor’s report within the public session. Cllr R Evans reported on the following: Local Plan Review consultation was briefly extended but has now closed Housing Strategy consultation closed 16 September. Shropshire Council has issued a press release. Conovius (Shropshire Council owned house building organisation) has received planning permission to build affordable housing in Monkmoor. The parish council request for additional litter bin collections from the Longden area has been approved in principle, subject to agreement of suitable locations. A site meeting will be arranged by Cllr R Evans with Derek Furlong of Shropshire Council. (Action R Evans) Cllr R Evans has submitted a complaint to Shropshire Council’s Chief Executive as their Highways contractor is implementing road closures with little or no notice. Shropshire Council will be issuing a consultation on parking on footpaths in the near future. Cllr R Evans has reported a collapsed drain at Annscroft and is meeting the drainage officer from Shropshire Council. (Action Cllr R Evans) Cllr R Evans has received a request from a resident to extend the 30mph limit from Longden towards Pulverbatch to address excessive vehicle speeds from the south. Cllr R Evans has challenged the negative response to the request for 30mph roundels in Hookagate, which has footway lighting at irregular intervals which suggests the roundels can be reinstated. Cllr R Evans reported that Shropshire Council is considering 20mph advisory speed limits outside primary schools. He suggested that the Parish Council promotes a 20mph limit outside Longden School as a priority site. Cllr C Roberts suggested that the nursery school in Hookagate would also be a suitable site for a 20mph advisory speed limit. Cllr R Evans reported that Longden School had requested a pedestrian crossing opposite the shop.
At 7:44pm Cllr K Lovegrove joined the meeting.
Cllr Lovegrove commented that the road outside Longden School requires repair. Cllr R Evans stated he had reported the damage to highways. It was RESOLVED to accept an update on Skim House Lane under Parish Matters 47/2020 Minutes The Council agreed the following amendments to the draft minutes of the meeting held remotely on 2 September 2020; Minute 41/2020 Date of next meeting – Councillors K and C Roberts had given apologies for the October meeting, not the September meeting. It was RESOLVED to amend the final paragraph of minute 41/2020 and approve the minutes of the remote September Parish Council meeting with the above amendment.
48/2020 Planning i) The Council considered the following planning applications:
20/03454/AMP Lythfield, Annscroft, Shrewsbury, non-material amendments to approved plans for the erection of 1 dwelling (ref. 18/01118/FUL). The Council RESOLVED to make no comment on the proposed amendments. Cllr M Whittall declared an non-pecuniary interest due to his address being in close proximity to the application site and abstained from the vote.
ii) There were no new planning applications to consider
iii) The Council noted the following planning decisions
20/02172/PMBPA Hall Farm, Summerhouse Lane, Longden, Shrewsbury, application for prior approval for the proposed change of use and conversion of 2 agricultural buildings to holiday let properties; The application had been WITHDRAWN.
20/03145/FUL Arscott Villa, Pontesbury, single storey garden room extension; Permission GRANTED
iv) The Council NOTED the response prepared by the Chairman to the Shropshire Council Local Development Plan Review and RESOLVED to send a copy to the Chair of the Longden Village Action Group for information. The Council unanimously RESOLVED a vote of thanks to the Chairman for his work in preparing the comprehensive response.
v) The Council NOTED a letter from SALC to the Shropshire MPs expressing concerns about the Planning White Paper currently under consultation.
49/2020 Parish Clerk Vacancy The Council approved the draft advertisement together with the dates proposed for receipt of applications and interviews of shortlisted candidates. It was RESOLVED to accept curriculum vitae and covering letters and to hold face to face interviews if regulations at the time permit them. It was RESOLVED to advertise the vacancy on local noticeboards and via SALC and to investigate the costs of wider advertisement via an external job site to attract a larger number of applicants than previously. It was RESOLVED to set a budget of £100 for external advertisement if required. At 8:00pm Cllr W. Merrick joined the meeting.
50/2020 Highways Matters Speed Control Measures for Hook-a-gate – The Council discussed the following suggestions; Build outs or chicanes at the entrances to the village – It was noted these would be a Shropshire Council highways responsibility Installation of a large 30mph sign at bottom of Hanley Lane (private land). The cost of the sign was estimated at between £48 – 68 plus installation, but the permission of landowner and highways may be required. Cllr C Roberts agreed to investigate the land ownership question and take photographs of the proposed site. (Action Cllr C Roberts). It was NOTED that signs on verges were covered by advertising regulations and were subject to size limits. The Council RESOLVED to write to Shropshire Council Highways requesting advice and permission for a sign. (Action Clerk) Sleeping policemen / speed bumps – It was noted that these can cause damage to vehicles Yellow lines to restrict parking – It was noted that parked vehicles help to keep vehicle speeds down. The introduction of yellow lines was not supported. 30mph repeater roundels – The request for reinstatement of roundels would be followed up and the response circulated to members Removal of centre line – It was noted that this gives drivers reduced sense of road width, which tends to reduce speeds Pilot scheme for number plate recognition scheme to identify speeding drivers and issue letters of advice. Average speed check cameras
The Council RESOLVED to approach a qualified traffic engineer for a cost estimate to design a compliant traffic calming scheme for presentation to Shropshire Council Highways. (Action Cllr P Carter)
51/2020 Finance i) Payments – It was RESOLVED that Members agreed that the following items of expenditure be paid: Staff payments (aggregated to include salary, back pay, tax, etc) £936.54 Boyd’s Groundcare (Annscroft mowing - 2 visits in September) £98.00 Viking (Envelopes) using £10 voucher on PayPal £12.46
ii) Bank Reconciliation - The Council NOTED a report resolving the discrepancy of £73.00 which was due to an unpresented cheque at the year end. The Council RESOLVED to receive an updated bank reconciliation after the meeting.
The Council NOTED that the £96.00 paid into the PayPal account had arisen from the 'Lungbuster’ fundraising event in 2018 which had been paid into the parish council account for safe keeping. A small sum had been spent on envelopes (£2.46). The balance was earmarked for improvements to Longden Play Area. It was RESOLVED to maintain the balance of £93.54 in the PayPal account and show the account as a separate account in future bank reconciliations.
iii) The Council RESOLVED to approve a revised bank mandate to add the Locum Clerk to the accounts as a limited authority signatory and administrator. The Council noted that online payments may be set up after the bank mandate is amended.
iv) The Council RESOLVED to approve a new contract and direct debit instruction for SSE for unmetered electricity supplies for 12 months to end September 2021.
v) The Council RESOLVED to approve the purchase of a Microsoft 365 Cloud storage and email account at a monthly cost of £3.80 (ongoing annual commitment)
vi) The Council NOTED the receipt of a donation of £344.44 to purchase a replacement memorial bench and RESOLVED to purchase and install the bench in Longden village. (Action Clerk / Cllr K Lovegrove)
vii) The Council noted that only one quotation for the repairs to the Hookagate bus shelter had been received from the four contractors approached. It was therefore RESOLVED to approve the quotation of £195. 00 from Andy Roberts, who is a local resident and craftsman. (Action Cllr K Roberts)
viii) The Council NOTED that all the Environmental Maintenance issues identified by the Chairman had been attended to by James Davies and would be subject to payment from the Environmental Maintenance Grant upon receipt of invoice.
ix) Cllr C Roberts asked for confirmation that the Locum Clerk had sufficient working hours allocated, as significant progress had been achieved during the month. It was NOTED that the Locum Clerk had worked some additional hours but had not charged extra as it was hoped to reduce the hours worked in the next few weeks, once the backlog of tasks had been addressed. If this could not be achieved, the additional hours would be reviewed at the end of the 3 month locum appointment.
52/2020 Parish Matters Cllr Merrick reported that a drain was blocked at the bottom of Longden Bank. Cllr R Evans agreed to report the issue to the drainage officer for Shropshire Council, Helen Walters, with whom he had a meeting arranged. Cllr Rigby reported that the blocked drain on Old Coppice had now been cleared after 4 years of issues. He requested thanks be passed on to those who have helped resolve the problem. What3Words – the Chairman proposed and the Council RESOLVED that What3Words be promoted on the parish website as a useful means of accurately identifying the location of parish issues such as pot holes or environmental problems. Grant funding – the Council considered whether a second defibrillator might be useful. Both Hook-a-gate and Lyth Hill were considered suitable sites, with Lyth Hill being identified as a priority but it was noted that there were difficulties accessing a power supply on the hill. It was suggested by Cllr K Roberts that the Council investigate solar panels to power a defibrillator cabinet and it was then resolved to take a proposal to the next Lyth Hill Advisory Group meeting to determine whether a defibrillator would be permitted at the viewpoint. (Action Cllrs M Whittall & C Rigby). Cllr N Evans proposed that Hook-a-gate be considered as the next priority site. Visit Shropshire – The Council RESOLVED to promote this initiative to local businesses.
At 9:27pm Cllr R Evans proposed that standing orders be suspended to permit the business on the agenda to be completed. This was RESOLVED.
Cllr K Roberts suggested that Andy Roberts be invited to add a decorative finial to the Hook-a-gate bus shelter. It was RESOLVED that Cllr K Roberts discuss the idea with Andy Roberts but that the Council was supportive of the proposal. Cllr M Whittall requested the Police be asked to carry out speed checks in Annscroft Cllr M Whittall reported that the footpath sign by the Annscroft noticeboard is rotten. Cllr K Lovegrove offered to contact the Parish Paths Partnership to ask them to repair it. (Action Cllr K Lovegrove) Cllr M Whittall reported that the street lights on Lower Annscroft were still obscured by trees. It was NOTED that this was an ongoing issue which had previously been addressed by Shropshire Council without success. The Clerk requested details of the affected locations in order to write to the residents concerned. (Action Cllr Whittall / Clerk) Skim House Lane Correspondence – Letters sent to both the Chairman and Shropshire Council member were considered and it was NOTED that Cllr R Evans planned to visit the resident concerned and his neighbours to update them on the actions agreed under Highways Matters, (above). (Action Cllr R Evans)
53/2020 Consultations i) The Council RESOLVED that the Chairman complete the online survey on behalf of the Parish Council. ii) Shropshire Council Draft Leisure Facilities Strategy – the Council RESOLVED that individual members submit their own responses before the closing date of 23 October 2020 should they so wish. iii) National Pavement Parking Consultation – the Council RESOLVED to defer this item to the next meeting.
54/2020 Date of next meeting It was RESOLVED that Members noted that the next meeting of Longden Parish Council is scheduled for Wednesday 4th November 2020. The location will be Longden Village Hall or via virtual means, dependant on the current situation and directives about COVID-19. The meeting closed at 9:54pm
Signed …………………………………………………. Date ………………………………….. Chairman