MINUTES OF ORLETON PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD AT 7.30PM ON THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2020 AT THE VILLAGE HALL
PRESENT P Smith – Vice Chairman; J Hobson; J Page; E Clanzy-Hodge; and M Morrison.
IN ATTENDANCE Mr Will Sanders, Footpath Officer; Ward Cllr. Bowen; and R Hewitt (Clerk). There were five (5) members of the public present.
1. Apologies for absence – J Humber and B Gandy.
2. Declarations of interest and written dispensations on agenda items – None.
3. The minutes of the meeting held on 16 January 2020 were agreed and signed as a true record.
4. Invitation to members of the public to address the council (limited to 15) – There were no matters raised.
5. Receive report on Herefordshire Council from Ward Cllr. Bowen – Pothole and flood issues have been raised with Balfour Beatty. Emergency fills are taking priority. Highways England have been made aware that the Salwey Arms junction is the most dangerous crossing on the A49, and the concern has been raised with the local MP. The 2020-21 county budget includes a 3.9 percent rise in Council Tax, with 2 percent of the increase earmarked for social care. Budget constraints mean things can take longer to happen. A decision on the Hereford bypass has been put back to July 2020. The local enterprise partnership has withdrawn funding for the southern link road. There may be a multi-storey car park by Hereford bus station. Bellwin funding may be provided to help with flooding and potholes.
6. Clerk’s report and reports on meetings attended by parish councillors – The Clerk reported that West Mercia Police have presented a purchase order to obtain £6,500 to help fund the road safety project at Orleton. The parish council website is down. Mr Bill Wiggin MP has passed on a letter from the former minister for small business, consumers and corporate responsibility about the post office network. Cllr. Hobson reported on a Green Network meeting.
7. Lengthsman/ Highways and Footpaths including hedges which have been reported to be obstructing pavements and road signs – The footpath officer reported that the wet weather has prevented a walk of the footpaths, and recommended that a stile is removed with the agreement of the landowner.
The Clerk reported that an additional 50 sandbags have been delivered to the village. The order was made in consultation with the Chairman. The locality steward has trained two volunteers to put out ‘Flood’ signs on Millbrook Way. Cones will be required to deploy the flood signs by pavements. Balfour Beatty will be asked to clear silt and mud from Millbrook Way by the bridge, and Kings Road. The lengthsman is available to clear mud and silt as well, if needed.
8. Plans
200219 Yew Tree House, Millbrook Way, Orleton, SY8 4HW – Proposed works to various trees. The proposed tree work was supported.
Herefordshire Council has granted works to trees covered by a tree preservation order (TPO) for 193789 Land on roadsides adjacent to the B4362 and opposite Orleton Primary School. Works to trees within a conservation area are allowed for 194289 The Farm.
9. Accounts
i) Financial Statement to date: The latest balances of the parish council accounts were noted: Treasurer – £12,515.12; and Money Manager – £20,369.00.
ii) The following payments were agreed: D C Gardening Services, lengthsman/ P3 footpaths (£132.00); Safelincs Ltd (Defib Pad), defibrillator and cabinet (£1,784.40); HALC, subscription/ affiliation 2020-21(£660.22); Leo Pest Control, dog waste removal (£45.60); and Orleton Village Hall, meetings January-March 2020 (£75.00).
10. Flood Group – Members of the public present said that a flood group needs to have committed volunteers that are willing “to get their hands dirty”, there should be a survey to identify the local requirements, and the Natural Flood Management (NFM) group for Brimfield Brook has done work in Richards Castle and at Croft Castle but not much in the hills above Orleton. A member of the public reported a blocked pipe which crosses a field from Ashley Moor to the brook, and said the lengthsman has done work to maintain grips along Ashley Moor but that this made the adjacent field very wet.
The meeting noted a report from the Brimfield Brook NFM group from December 2019, which highlighted that: they are working with individual landowners; an area of land thought suitable for a bund is in fact sloped and would therefore require additional engineering which would make the project unlikely to gain funding; and they are looking at individual property flood resilience.
The parish council agreed to set up a flood group along the lines of the Brimfield Flood Group. The 2020 Annual Parish meeting will be used to launch the flood group and encourage volunteers to come forward. Brimfield Flood Group and the Environment Agency will be invited to speak at the Annual Meeting, which will be scheduled as soon as possible.
11. Request from Village Hall management committee for donation to support maintenance and repair work – A donation of £1,808.00 was agreed and will be paid against invoices presented by the committee for the completed work.
12. Proposal to offer to fund tree planting by the recreation ground – No action required.
13. Flooding on Kitchen Hill Road – Ward Cllr. Bowen kindly offered to ask Balfour Beatty to maintain the grips on Kitchen Hill Road between Copper Corner and the B4361.
14. Changes to the timetable of the 490 bus service – Noted.
15. Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator – The neighbourhood watch coordinator has informed the parish council that they will be stepping down in early summer 2020. It was agreed to put a notice in Grapevine and on the website asking for expressions of interest in the role which operates independently from the parish council.
16. Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) review – Cllrs. Clanzy-Hodge and Gandy will attend a joint NDP review session with Richards Castle Parish Council organised by Herefordshire Council in March 2020.
17. RBL policy on recycling – It was noted that RBL is “committed to reducing the impact [their] poppies have on the environment and are working to remove all single use plastic in the future”. It was agreed to postpone any further purchases of large display poppies pending confirmation that single use plastics have been removed.
18. Request to plant wild flowers in the village – An application will be made to Balfour Beatty for a cultivation licence to plant wild flowers on the triangle of land opposite St George’s Crescent, on Copper Corner, on the bank at Millbrook Way and by the benches on Green Lane and Tunnel Lane.
19. Matters raised for next meeting (no discussion) – Climate emergency.
20. Information items – Noted.
21. Date of next meeting – 7.30pm, Thursday 19 March 2020.
The meeting closed at 9.40 pm.