Minutes of meeting held 21 April 2022

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Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on Thursday 21 April 2022 at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall

Present: B Gandy – Chairman, S Block-Perry, P Burnham – Vice Chairman, P Hardwick & M Simmons.

In attendance: Acting Clerk – Lynda Wilcox (HALC), Proposed new Clerk/RFO – Peter Enzer, Ward Councillor Sebastian Bowen.

1.Apologies for absence were received from L. Mackay.

2. Declarations of interest & written dispensation requests: There were none.

3. Minutes of the meeting held on 24th March: It was RESOLVED to adopt the minutes as a true record, and they were signed by the Chairman.

4. Open Session: No members of the public were present.

5. Ward Councillor’s Report: Ward Councillor, Sebastian Bowen reported:

  1. Herefordshire Council (HC) officers had looked at planting trees on the Roman Road under the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee year.  Unfortunately, there were too many underground pipes, which meant that an alternative road from Dinmore Hill to Wellington was now under consideration. Schools and other organisations were being urged to plant commemorative trees.
  2. Balfour Beatty had held a seminar for Herefordshire Councillors yesterday, to outline work being undertaken. The monitoring of a deteriorating asset was mentioned. Members noted that a local resident was unable to use his mobility scooter on the local roads because it was unsafe. A raised platform was scheduled for installation in the vicinity of the new development opposite the school. Works required in the Orleton area included: Kings’ Road total refurbishment; the small lane just past the village shop which was not passable because of poor repair but it was unlikely that funding would be available. It was understood that the only county that spends less on roads than Herefordshire, was the Isle of Wight.
  3. Childrens’ Services had been allocated another £13m to help address ongoing issues.

6. Update on Orleton Recreation Association Pavilion: The Association was now looking at the cost of refurbishing the existing steel-framed building. A contribution towards the cost of tree maintenance faced by the Association would be discussed at the parish council meeting.  It was noted that funds could be moved from one budget heading to another, subject to need.

7. Biodiversity Group update: The meeting commended the very interesting and thorough report prepared by Councillor Mackay and colleagues. It was noted that the developers would need to know in the very near future, whether the parish council would be progressing the initiative or not. It was RESOLVED that a costed biodiversity management plan would be prepared by Chris for consideration at the next parish council meeting.

8. Planning:

  1. Application 221032 Yew Tree House, Hallets Well, Orleton SY8 4HH. Proposed works to Yew tree at the back of the property has a large unkempt canopy which the landowner has requested be reduced in size by 10/15% and, also some lower branches be taken back as they are falling upon a fence belonging to the neighbouring property. PC Comment: No objection.
  2. Application 221020 Petra, Tunnel Lane, Orleton, SY8 4HY. Proposed change of use of land to residential garden (Retrospective). PC: No Comment.

9. Finance

Update on new bank account:

  1. A £17k cheque from HSBC had been posted to the Birmingham office of Unity Trust Bank.
  2. A bank card had been received to enable paying in at Santander.
  3. Councillors Gandy and Burnham were current signatories, but it was anticipated that all councillors (except  Cllr Block-Perry) would be authorised to sign.
  4. It was noted that HC had been informed of the new bank details for the precept payments. 

Payments: The following payments were approved, subject to checking the invoices.  It was noted that new cheques may need to be issued because of the change of banks:

  1. Claire’s Computer Care … £35.00.
  2. Leominster Pest Control … £57.60.
  3. DC Gardening Services … £72.60.

10. Lengthsman/Highways/Footpaths

  1. New bin from Glasdon: The Chairman had been in touch with Glasdon because the key for the new bin had not been found with the paperwork or inside the bin, on delivery. Upon receipt of the bin number, Glasdon had agreed to put a key in the post.
  2. Proposed 20mph zones: Members discussed the areas for which a reduction of the current 30mph speed limit to 20mph would be requested, which were likely to be on the road from Ashton Court and on the road in from Leominster.  The Chairman would pursue the speed limits and the Vice Chairman would thank Councillor Simmons on behalf of the parish council.
  3. Noticeboard: It was RESOLVED that the Chairman would drill the locks out of the noticeboard by the Village Hall because the maps were out of date.  It was further RESOLVED to fund the cost of new locks for around £4.50.
  4. SIDs – (Speed Indicator Devices): It was noted that Orleton had a one third share in the SIDs but had been waiting for almost a year for three 5mm posts to hold the solar powered devices because 4mm posts were not sufficient.  It was RESOLVED that the Vice Chairman would contact the outgoing Clerk for further information on the SIDs.
  5. Lengthsman Contract: It was noted that HC had sent out information on signing up to the Lengthsman Scheme for the current year.
  6. Proposal to re-open Woofferton Railway Station: It was proposed that the Chairman would prepare a press release to ascertain the views of surrounding parishes on the proposal.

11. Proposed Working Group to monitor local involvement and explore ways to assist Ukrainian refugees

  1. It was RESOLVED that Councillors Block-Perry and Mackay would establish a Working Group to liaise with Herefordshire Council as to how the parish might support Ukrainian refugees.
  2. A parish welcome pack was suggested.

12. Response to Herefordshire Council request for local data in relation to their Rural Settlements Services and Environmental Survey: It was RESOLVED that Councillor Burnham would respond on behalf of the parish council.

13. Response to Local Policing Community Charter Survey: It was RESOLVED to respond that the parish council was aware of the Charter and supported its priorities but was not aware of the priorities being delivered in the parish area.

14. Parish Council representative to the Village Hall Management Committee: It was RESOLVED that Councillor Gandy would represent the parish council on the Village Hall Management Committee.

15. Matters raised for next meeting

  1. Trees on recreation ground.
  2. Audit of annual accounts 2021-2022 
  3. Additional street lighting down to Little Furlongs.
  4. Bulb planting on Housing Association land.
  5. Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – parish council records from the Queen’s Coronation year.
  6. Smart Water discussion for Annual Parish Meeting.

A resolution was passed to exclude the public from the following confidential employment item

16. New Clerk/RFO: It was RESOLVED to appoint Peter Enzer as the new Clerk/RFO to the parish council, subject to contract.

17. Update on purchase of Microsoft 365 subscription: It was noted that the new Clerk was using 365 and the parish council was able to log into his system.

 

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