MINUTES – OCTOBER 2024

Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council of Waterhouses.

Re: Meeting held on Thursday, October 17th 2024 at 7.30pm in the sports pavilion, Waterhouses.

Present: Cllr Turner, (Chair); Cllr Stone, (Vice); Cllr Carr; Cllr Goldstraw; Cllr McCarthy;
Cllr Simpson; Cllr Stanmore;

Also present: Mr C Hinton (Clerk);

1. Apologies: Cllr Harvey; Cllr Wain

2. Minutes of the last meeting:
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday, September 19th 2024 were confirmed as being a true and accurate record and were duly signed by the Chairman.
Proposed: Cllr Goldstraw; Seconded: Cllr McCarthy

3. Matters arising:

Clerk’s report:
The clerk advised of the progress being made, with the help of Staffs Moorlands District Council, in gathering information relating to the services that the parish can expect, on an annual basis, from the various authorities. The only section yet to provide the details requested was the Highways Department. The clerk will continue the pursuit of these facts so that the council can evaluate what the parish needs, over and above the services that it receives, before it sets its budget for 2025/2026. The clerk also reported on the progress being made by SMDC in ‘connecting’ the clerks of the local parish councils, so that they can share best practice, savings and solutions. He will attend a meeting of the clerks on November 12th and will ask about other councils’ experiences in relation to the services that they receive and also on-line banking.

Lafarge Update:
The minutes from the liaison meeting on September 19th as attended by Cllr Goldstraw had been received. The clerk was asked to change the council’s website to inform residents that they should report issues directly to the Environment Agency so that they can be monitored by them. The company had recently issued a newsletter to residents of the area. The date of the next liaison meeting is to be December 5th. An update from Peak Cluster had advised of the Government’s announcement of financial support for carbon capture and storage projects.

Sports Field:
Options to improve pedestrian access to the area, including wheelchairs, were discussed and a solution will be agreed as the groundwork for the new play area commences. The new stop nets had already been installed and a date is to be arranged for the new goal posts to be erected.
The pitch inspection report to the Football Foundation will be carried out in the near future.

Playing Fields:
The tenders received for the new play area equipment had been reviewed and the bidders informed of the result. The terms of payment will now be agreed with the preferred supplier and with SMDC to ensure the delivery of the project. A site meeting will be held in the near future to agree the precise location of the new play area so that groundworks can begin, ready for the delivery and installation of the equipment. The aim is to complete the works before Christmas. Aggregate Industries have offered to supply materials for the groundworks, along with help from volunteers to assist in the work needed on the new facility and also the existing play area.
The annual safety report has recently been received regarding the equipment on the existing play area. This advised no serious items but several units where work is required, or removal, if not deemed of long term value. It is hoped that this work may be completed by the end of the year.
The report on the test drain affecting the track to the allotments and the play area is still awaited.

4. Correspondence received:
A large number of messages, recently received, along with their close dates, were reviewed;
• Peak District National Park – re: Updating Parish Statements
• Peak District National Park – re: Consultation re the PDNP Plan
• Peak District National Park – re Parishes Bulletin – the PDNP Plan & Community Nature Fund
• Staffordshire County Council – re: County Councillor Candidate Open Days –
• Staffordshire County Council – re: The New History Centre in Stafford
• Staffordshire Moorlands District Council – re: Availability of Business Grants
• Staffordshire Moorlands District Council – re: Funding for Green Spaces
• Staffordshire Moorlands District Council – re stance on devolution
• Staffordshire Moorlands District Council – re: Christmas Events 2024
• Staffordshire Moorlands District Council – re: Open Water Safety Day
• Staffs Parish Councils Association Newsletter – County Officer Report & .gov.uk.domains
• Staffs Parish Councils Association – re: AGM December 16th
• Support Staffordshire – re: Affordable Rural Housing
• Chief Fire Officer – re: Consultation re Community Risk Management Plan
• Staffordshire Commander of Police, Fire, Rescue and Crime – re: Consultation re Plan
• Moorlands Police Commander – re: Remembrance Day events

5. Planning Matters;
• The council received a summary of the decisions recently made by the planning authorities.
• NP/SM/0924/0954 – Lea House, Rocester Lane, Waterhouses –
Conversion and alterations of outbuilding to form residential annex. No objections recorded.

6. Financial Matters:
The latest bank balance was shared with the council along with the results for the first half of the year and an overview of the second half, including the key items that are currently planned.
The following cheques were then requested:
• Clerk; for his work & items purchased on behalf of the council in September; £827.96
(This included reimbursement for line marking paint, fittings for the new stop nets, printing, stationary, stamps and a cash payment of £30 to Mr G Jones).
• Caretaker; for his work & expenses in September; £108.50
• Lengthsman; for his work and materials used in September/October; £838.75
• Moledover; for pest control services; £90.00
• JW Howson; for materials supplied; £47.58
• David Rhodes; for pitch treatment; £864.00
• DB Services; for hire of cherry picker and operative; £360.00
• Support Staffordshire; for annual membership; £25.00
• Cllr Stone; for the reimbursement of expenses for gift for parishioner; £19.00
• HMRC; for payment of PAYE for clerk’s salary for September; £136.80
Payment for the above was approved, en bloc. Prop: Cllr McCarthy; Seconded: Cllr Simpson

7. Highways:
The clerk shared with the councillors an updated list of the highways issues which have been reported and advised that this status report will be shared on a monthly basis.

8. Any other business:
The clerk was asked to send a letter of support from the council, in the fight to keep open the Minor Injuries Hospital in Leek.

9. Date of next meeting: Thursday, November 21st 2024 at 7.30 pm.