26 Nov 2019

Parish Council Minutes November 2019

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 BRERETON  AND  RAVENHILL  PARISH  COUNCIL

 

Minutes of a Parish Council meeting held at the Parish Hall, Ravenhill Park, Brereton, on Tuesday, 5th November 2019.

 

Present

 

Councillors TA Jones [Chairman], K Ansell, Mrs P Ansell [Vice-Chairman], Mrs DM Easton, Alderman R Easton, PA Fisher and Mrs W Fisher.

 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Ms IJ Brown, Mrs G Harvey, JC Harvey,   DR Johnson, Mrs L Johnson and GN Molineux.

 

Mr PG Davies, the Parish Clerk, was also in attendance.

 

  1. CIVIC SERVICE

 

The Chairman extended his thanks to all those who had helped with the Civic Service and Reception on 27th October 2019.

 

  1. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

 

No declarations were given at the commencement of the meeting.

 

  1. MINUTES

 

RESOLVED

 

That the minutes of the meeting held on 1st October 2019, be approved and signed as a   correct record.

 

  1. POLICE

 

The Chairman welcomed PCSO Sean Nicholls to the meeting.

 

PCSO Nicholls indicated that the current top three priorities for the Police were:-

 

  • Burglaries – residential
  • Theft of motor vehicles
  • Anti-social behaviour

 

The Police were adopting a multi-agency approach to tackle persistent offenders and targeting patrols around vulnerable members of the community.  Reference was also made to a ‘safety/violence against person’ incident in Springfield Avenue which resulted in two Police Officers being assaulted.

 

The Parish Council, in thanking PCSO Nicholls for the valuable work he was doing in the community, expressed their concern at the lack of support that was available.

 

RESOLVED

 

  • That the Clerk write to the Police and Crime Commissioner to ascertain his proposals for future policing in Brereton and Ravenhill as the Parish Council remains very concerned at the lack of Police resources available in the parish.

 

  • That in the letter in (1) above, the Clerk make particular reference to the increase in house burglaries and the untold stress this was causing to the victims of such crimes.

 

  1. BRERETON AND RAVENHILL CANAL SCHEME

 

The Clerk reported that the meeting which was to have been held in Lichfield on

17th October 2019, did not take place.

 

The Parish Council noted that all parties had now agreed that the Section 106 monies for Brereton and Ravenhill would be paid direct to Staffordshire County Council who were assuming responsibility for taking the scheme forward.

 

The Chairman and Clerk were liaising with other interested parties on the content of a press release as work on site was due to start very shortly.

 

  1. CHASE LINE’S PERFORMANCE

 

The Clerk had circulated a letter from Amanda Milling, MP, enclosing a copy of a letter she had sent to the Head of Corporate Affairs, West Midlands Trains Limited.

 

The Parish Council again expressed its concern regarding the ongoing numerous cancellations on the Chase Line.  Members understood that much of the disruption was due to West Midlands Railway and London NW not having sufficient crew.  Conversely, Virgin/Cross Country/Transport for Wales had no such problems and were not making cancellations for this reason.  In the Parish Council’s view, the ongoing disruption was due to management incompetence.  It was clear that the jobs of parishioners and others could be put at risk if the situation was allowed to continue.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Clerk, in thanking the MP for her letter, acquaint her with the foregoing and request that she writes to the Secretary of State for Transport asking him to revoke the franchise of West Midlands Railway and London NW.

 

  1. HS2 GRANT FUNDING

 

The Parish Council was pleased to note that Rugeley Town Council would support a joint submission to secure funding for electric information boards from the second phase of the Community and Environment Fund.

 

The Clerk reported that a request had been received from the County Council for the Parish Council to identify four bus stops where real time information boards could be sited in Brereton and Ravenhill.  Following consultation with the Chairman and Alderman R Easton, the following bus stops had been put forward as priorities for this parish:-

 

Northbound

Bus stop bottom of Coalpit Lane

Bus stop outside doctors’ surgery

 

Southbound

Bus stop opposite Wharf Road

Bus stop outside Ravenhill Park

 

RESOLVED

 

That the action taken be approved and confirmed.

 

  1. CANNOCK CHASE SPECIAL AREA OF CONSERVATION PARNERSHIP [SACP]

 

The Clerk circulated an information sheet on the Cannock Chase SACP.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Clerk request any leaflets/notices from the Partnership for circulation within the community.

 

  1. CCAONB SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FUND

 

The Clerk reported that applications had been invited for projects that would bring environmental, social and economic benefits to the AONB.  For projects led by local councils and public bodies, 50% of match funding was required.  The closing date for applications was 15th November 2019.

 

RESOLVED

 

That due to the short timescale for applications, no action be taken on this invitation but in anticipation of a similar request in future years, the Parish Council consider and evaluate future projects which could form the basis of a bid for funding.

 

  1. CHAIRMAN’S ALLOWANCE

 

The Clerk reported that the Chairman had returned his allowance to the Parish Council and          requested that the funds be allocated as follows:-

 

St Michaels Church [£125.00]

Rugeley and District Community First Responders [£125.00]

Christmas Lights Fund [£120.00]

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Parish Council place on record its thanks to the Chairman for this most generous            offer.

 

  1. CIL RECEIPTS 2019/2020

 

The Parish Council noted the contents of a letter from the District Council regarding the transfer of £721.92 in CIL receipts to the Parish Council.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the action of the Chairman, in accepting the CIL receipts to the value of £721.92, be approved and confirmed.

 

  1. NATIONAL COMMUNITY ENERGY CAMPAIGN

 

RESOLVED

 

That this matter be deferred for consideration at the next meeting.

 

  1. PLANNING COMMITTEE

 

RESOLVED

 

That the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 1st October 2019, be approved.

 

  1. PARISH HALL AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

 

RESOLVED

 

That the minutes of the Parish Hall and Property Management Committee held on             2nd October 2019, be approved.

 

  1. FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

 

RESOLVED

 

That the minutes of the Finance and Management Committee held on 2nd October 2019,

be approved.

 

  1. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

 

The Parish Council had previously agreed that the next meeting would be held on             3rd December 2019, at 7.30 pm.

 

  1. CHAIRMAN OF BRERETON ROYAL BRITISH LEGION

 

The Parish Council were informed that Peter MacPherson-Smith was shortly standing down as Chairman of Brereton Royal British Legion.

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Clerk send a letter to Mr Peter MacPherson-Smith acknowledging the tremendous support he had given to the parish of Brereton and Ravenhill over many years and extending to him the very best wishes of the Parish Council for the future.

 

  1. PUBLIC FORUM

 

No matters were raised by the member of the public present at the meeting.

 

 

 

 

______________________

[Chairman]