MINUTES – NOVEMBER 2023

Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council of Waterhouses.

Re: Meeting held Thursday, November 16th 2023 at 7.30pm in the sports pavilion, Waterhouses

Present: Cllr Goldstraw, (Chair); Cllr Turner (Vice); Cllr Carr; Cllr Harvey; Cllr McCarthy; Cllr Simpson; Cllr Stanmore; Cllr Wain.

Also present: Mr C Hinton (Clerk);

1. Apologies: Cllr Stone

2. Minutes of the last meeting:
The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday October 19th were approved, subject to the amendments agreed at this meeting. The amended copy will be brought to the meeting in December for endorsement.

3. Matters arising:

Clerk’s report:

Lafarge Update:
The Vice Chairman had attended the liaison meeting at the works on November 1st and he gave a detailed report to the council on this. At that meeting, the leader of WADEG, Stephen Locke, had suggested that, in view of the healthy profitability of the works, the company should consider a Legacy Project for the benefit of the community. He mentioned the project being pursued by the parish council, the Playing Field Project. Cllr Turner had provided more details of this and the idea was taken away by the senior management for further consideration.
Following this, a meeting of the Waterhouses District Environment Group on November15th was attended by a number of council members. The meeting shared information about the progress made by the group, and the challenges that lay ahead. There was recognition of the fact that the new management team seemed to be addressing issues, as they had promised, but it was generally accepted that this effort would need to continue as the development planned evolved.
Lafarge would be holding a public ‘drop-in’ meeting, at the local school, on November 23rd where they would share more details of their plans with the public.

Pavilion: An enquiry had been made for private function to be held in August 2024 and the council agreed upon the fee that would be required and the conditions which should apply.

Sports Field: An application for grant funding from the Football Foundation was being formed. Quotations were needed for the ‘low key’ security fencing needed to prevent intruders.

Playing Fields: Cllr Turner had produced a draft document for the attention of the sub-committee which would provide context for the project. The clerk will attend a forum being held by Support Staffordshire on November 28th relation to grant funding. A parishioner is to join the committee.

Grazing fields: Cllr Turner had also produced a draft document, for the attention of the council’s land advisor, in relation to the request for access through the North Field for the supply of Water.

Allotments: The clerk had responded to the Allotments Association confirming the main headings of items for which the latter seeks progress from the council.

Lengthsman: The lengthsman will be asked to attend to a broken chain on the War Memorial site.

4. Correspondence received; None

5. Planning Matters;
• NP/SM/1023/1222 – Hamps Barn, Rocester Lane, Waterhouses – Roof mounted PV (Solar) panels to Hamps Barn – south east, south and west elevations.
• DET/2023/0034 – Stoney Rock Farm, Leek Road, Waterhouses –
Application to determine if prior approval is required for – change of use of an agricultural building to a dwelling house, (Use Class C,) and for Associated Operational Development.
• NP/SM/1023/1289 – 12, Cross Lane, Waterhouses –
Construction of a single and two storey rear extension.
• SMD/2023/0551 – Springfields, Leek Road, Waterhouses –
Proposed First Floor extension.
The council raised no objections to any of the above applications.

6. Financial Matters:
The latest bank statement was shared with the council. The clerk advised that a draft budget would be available at the next meeting to facilitate consideration of the budget and precept for the 2024/2025 can be agreed at the January meeting. The following cheques were then requested:
• Clerk, for his work & expenses in October; £517.89
• Lengthsman, for his work & expenses in October & November; £474.00
• JW Howson, for materials supplied; £40.61
• Richard Campey Ltd, for repairs to tractor; £174.14
• J. Harvey for gifts and card for parishioners 100th Birthday; £17.97
• Marco Pezzato Plumbing & Heating for service to boiler; £120.00
• Support Staffordshire for Associates fee; £25.00
• HMRC for the PAYE on the clerk’s salary; £125.40
Payment for the above was approved, en bloc. Prop: Cllr McCarthy; Seconded: Cllr Simpson

7. Highways: In relation to the council’s pursuit of improved speeding controls within the parish, the clerk shared a somewhat disappointing response from the Deputy Police Commissioner. The clerk was duly asked to write to our local MP seeking her support in this matter.
(No response had been received from the previous request).
Recent flooding events were discussed and the area next to the War Memorial was of particular concern. Reports would sent to the Highways Authorities to prevent repetition.
Cllr Carr raised concerns regarding parking on pavements by the Old Beams.

8. Any other business:
• In relation to concerns about response times being reported for West Midlands Ambulance Service, the clerk shared a letter received from the Care Quality Commission which stated that they were currently carrying out a review of this service as part of their regulatory role. No response had yet been received from Integrated Care Board.
• The creation of a database of the defibrillators in the parish is still in progress. Once complete, the parish council will consider a scheme to ensure their access and maintenance.
• The assets register was also discussed and an initial draft list had been shared with councillors. Once complete, this will facilitate the creation of a database which will allow detailed schedules of maintenance and ensure that insurance cover on all items is adequate.
• Concerns were raised again about the tree on the riverbank by Post Office Bridge. The clerk was asked to find out who might be responsible for this. The National River Authority and the Environment Agency were suggested as possible sources of relevant information.

9. Date of next meeting: Thursday, December 14th 2023 at 7.30 pm.