LITTON CHENEY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Litton
Cheney Parish Council
held on Tuesday 11 May 2022
Present: Bill Orchard (Chairman); Quentin Blacke; John Firrell; Andrew Price; Bella Spurrier, Maggie Walsh (Clerk). Also in attendance Cllr Mark Roberts
3. Election of Chairman it was proposed by Cllr Firrell, seconded by Cllr Price and carried unanimously that Cllr Bill Orchard be elected as Chairman
4. Election of Vice Chairman it was proposed by Cllr Orchard, seconded by Cllr Price and carried unanimously that Cllr John Firrell be elected as Vice Chairman
5. Democratic time N/A
6. Approval of minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 8 March 2022 It was proposed by Cllr Orchard, seconded by Cllr Firrell and carried unanimously that these be approved.
7. Matters arising since the previous meeting not part of this agenda Since the last meeting, Cllr Diana Maston had resigned. The PC wished to minute its thanks to Ms Maston for the valued work she undertook whilst on the PC. The PC was now in a position to co-opt a Parish Councillor to the vacancy. Anyone interested in learning more should contact Cllr Bill Orchard or the Parish Clerk
8. Dorset Council overview – Cllr Mark Roberts reported that the leader of DC had been speaking with Michael Gove requesting flexibility over housing numbers. Central Govnt had awarded DC £10m towards adult services. DC was disappointed that its bid to Central Govnt for public transport money was unsuccessful. Three vacant tenancies on DC’s County Farms had been let. Cllr Roberts would shortly attend meetings regarding the Coast Road and the A35. He undertook to remind the Head of Highways about a possible weight limit TRO on Whiteway. MR
9. Finance report and invoices for approval (Clerk and RFO)
9a The PC noted that the inventory had been updated
9b The PC noted the Internal Audit report
9c It was proposed by Cllr Firrell, seconded by Cllr Orchard and carried unanimously that the Annual Governance Statement be approved
9d It was proposed by Cllr Spurrier, seconded by Cllr Firrell and carried unanimously that the Annual Accounting Statement be approved
9e It was proposed by Cllr Orchard seconded by Cllr Firrell and carried unanimously that the Certificate of Exemption be approved
9f The PC noted that the Period for the Exercise of Public Rights* these were subsequently changed after the meeting to Monday 27 June – Friday 5 August.
9g At the time of publishing the agenda, Parish funds stood at £27,265.86. Spend since the previous meeting was £959.96 comprising £789.97 to laptops direct for purchase of PC laptop; £150 to PJ Wilkins Woodcraft for purchase of bench to be installed on Chalk Pit Lane; and £19.99 to Creative for purchase of Bitdefender anti-virus software. Income since last meeting was £5,749.64 comprising £4,950 precept; £374.60 VAT refund; £225 allotment fees; £200 donation to Community Bench Fund and .04p interest.
9h It was proposed by Cllr Price, seconded by Cllr Firrell and carried unanimously that the schedule of regular payments for the year 2022-23 be approved.
9i The following invoices were for approval:
|
Annual subscription to BLAP |
42.14 |
|
Recompense Cllr Firrell for printing costs at Footeprints |
£8.00 |
|
Total |
£50.14 |
It was proposed by Cllr Blacke, seconded by Cllr Orchard and carried unanimously that these be approved. MW
9j The RFO reported that she had sought 3 insurance quotes several weeks ago and had provided all of the requested information. To date only BHIB, the current insurer, had responded, quoting £386.40 for a 3-year fixed term, which was slightly more than the current year’s cost of £349. The current insurance expired on 31 May and she recommended the PC proceed with this quote unless a significantly cheaper quote be received from either of the other 2 companies, that provided adequate cover. Should a significantly cheaper quote be received, the matter would be settled via an email exchange between Parish Councillors. This was proposed by Cllr Blacke, seconded by Cllr Orchard and carried unanimously. MW
9k The PC noted that the Financial Regulations and Standing Orders, which were updated in May 2020, remained up-to-date and in line with Model Publications.
9l DAPTC had provided an option to increase the subscription by £39 to obtain additional server space. Parish Councillors had given agreement in principle via email. Currently, server space did not seem to be an issue so the Clerk/RFO would only pursue this if felt necessary.
10. Councillors’ portfolios:
Planning (Bill Orchard, Chairman): there had been no progress on outstanding applications. Cllr Price had corresponded with DC regarding the five year housing land supply figure for Dorset. The recalculated figure was in abeyance pending the outcome of Natural England’s embargo prohibiting development in Poole Harbour and Chesil Beach areas because of nutrient levels in the water.
Highways/Transport (Andrew Price): The closure of Whiteway had been extended until 13th May. He was relieved that contractors had been able to use the same trench but communication between crews had been poor. DC would clear the gullies when the contractors left the site. If DC brought in a weight limit TRO on Whiteway, National Highways would put appropriate signage on the A35: this should prevent large HGVs using Whiteway but smaller lorries would still have access. DC enforcement anticipated revised plans from Parks Farm showing how they proposed to tackle the visual intrusion of the car park area. Pot holes reported online were usually repaired quickly but short-term patch and repair remained DC’s strategy. All to please report any incidences of speeding in the village so the PC could pursue monitoring.
Agricultural Liaison/Footpaths/Rights of Way/ (Bella Spurrier/Quentin Blacke): there were a number of outstanding repairs and Cllr Spurrier would continue to chase these. DC had promptly repaired a broken bridge. A couple of ploughed footpaths had been reinstated. Cllrs Blacke and Firrell planned to bring a proposal to the next PC meeting (12 July) for the area around the Jubilee Hut, including a new Jubilee bench. QB/JF
Playground/Playing Field/Allotments (Andy King): Playground repairs were due to commence in May. All allotments were let and there was a waiting list.
Village Fabric/Maintenance/BLAP/DAPTC/ Administration & Probity (John Firrell) Cllr Firrell would man a BLAP stall at the Bridport Charter Fair on 14 May. DAPTC and BLAP worked together well to form an effective lobbying group. The Premier Crew would tidy up the village prior to the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
Climate Emergency and Environment (Diana Maston) This Portfolio is currently vacant
11. New planning applications for consideration at the meeting No new planning applications
12. Correspondence not dealt with as part of the agenda none
13. Date of next meeting Tuesday 12 July 2022
Meeting closed
Maggie Walsh
Parish Clerk