SHENSTONE PARISH COUNCIL
Serving Little Aston, Shenstone, Stonnall, Shenstone Wood End, Lynn, Parish Council Office 25C Main Street Shenstone WS14 OLZ
Tel: 01543 481 947
e-mail: <admin@shenstonepc.pcwpreview.co.uk >
web: www.shenstone-staffs.gov.uk
Approved minutes of meeting of Full Council Tuesday October 8th, 2024, at 7.15pm Shenstone Community Library
Prior to the commencement of business, the Chair asked for agreement from everyone present that the meeting could be audio recorded.
87 Register of members in attendance
Cllrs David Salter (Chair), Mick Cox, Dino D’Ambrosio, Lesley Edgley, Ruth Graham, Stuart Harrison, Louise Hawes, Gail Nicholls, Alan Pugh, Kevin Ward, Phil Whitehouse,
County Cllr David Smith, PCSO Racheal Orwin, Pam Salter (acting clerk).
Appointee Peter Sherratt sat as a member of the public until he was formally approved.
88 Acceptance of apologies.
Apologies were approved and accepted from Cllrs David Thompson, Chris Callow, Simon Fisher, Shirley O’Mara (Clerk).
The Chair brought item 96 forward with agreement of Council. (minutes of 96 in numerical order below) Peter Sherratt was welcomed and formally introduced to the meeting. He will represent Stonnall Ward.
Proposal: Vote to endorse the approval of Cllr Sherratt.
Vote: Approved unanimously
89 Public Participation.
Members of the public are invited to address Council for a maximum of 15 minutes.
No members of the public were present.
90 Declarations of interest.
Members should consider whether they should partake in any discussion or vote on matters on the agenda unless they have a dispensation: No declarations.
91 To accept and confirm minutes of the last Full Council meeting on Tuesday 10th July.
Cllr Nicholls asked for an amendment to her comments on item 83 CCTV in Stonnall
which formerly read: …‘when we are told we have not got a problem with crime figures CCTV could provide evidence either way’
With agreement, this was to be amended to: ‘when we are told that we have not got a problem with crime figures, CCTV would seem superfluous.’
With the amendment to be adjusted the minutes were duly approved & signed.
92 Clerk’s update on outstanding issues from last meeting:
- from May full Council, update on payments to Chairs of Committee.
SPCA have confirmed that payment to Chairs of Committee is permissible. Cllr Nicholls felt that her involvement time was not as great as other committee Chairs therefore did not necessarily merit any allowance. Cllr Harrison disagreed feeling that she was doing herself a disservice. Input is not necessarily the amount of time spent in the office but more the importance of the work itself. Cllr Salter observed that an amendment would need to be added to the Standing Orders if payments were agreed. Resolution: Further discussion and comparator investigation needed. Add as an agenda item for November.
– Richard Cooper/Footherley Lane footpath: Cllr Salter gave an account of his research as follows:
A land Registry search has not returned any information on ownership, but the land is believed to be being maintained by LDC possibly under contract from SCC. Cllr Salter wrote to SCC and LDC in the hope of gaining permission for the Parish Council to install a path across the land to ease access to the Post Box and the Community bench.
Gary Chamberlain, responding on behalf of LDC, confirmed that the land belongs to SCC and is maintained by LDC on their behalf. It is contracted to be cut 8 times a year as per their contract.
However, the response from SCC by Amy Humphries, noted that updated Highways data does not show the land to belong to SCC. The footpath on the side of the land adjacent to the letter box itself is owned and maintained by SCC.
Cllr Salter has also asked Artemis Ansell at LDC Planning whether planning permission would be required and is awaiting a response.
Cllr Salter reflected that ownership could therefore be unknown and the outcome might be that the PC may need to adopt it should County determine that they will cease to contract LDC. Help may be available from LDC with their Havens for Habitat initiative.
Resolution: ongoing to be updated at the November meeting
-Friends of Shenstone Tower: request for contribution to the insurance (item 81Sept 24)
Cllr Salter advised that the public liability element is circa £700 and Council could determine to offer this.
Cllr Edgerly referred to last month’s discussion that the Parish Council is not responsible for running costs and paying towards this may set a precedent but suggested that we could perhaps help with something else by way of a grant. Cllr Nicholls responded that community grants had already been awarded this year. Grant funding could be applied for next year, for example to deal with the increasing fly problem.
Proposal: to refuse the request for help with the insurance but suggest submitting an application for future grant funding.
Vote: Unanimous decision to refuse the request.
93 To receive reports from County and District Councillors and PCSO.
County Cllr David Smith made brief comments on upcoming agenda items.
-Blake Street lights. Going ahead
-SID sites. Need to walk around to identify the sites
-Church Road Main Street. Work had been delayed because of weather issues and is further delayed as the team are now employed on flooding duties. Scheduled to be done as soon as labour is available.
The Stonnall neighbourhood planning meeting: it was well attended, and the recording is now available on the Parish Council website.
The public meeting to address the implications of the allocated 2,500 additional houses some of which may end up in the surrounding villages potentially impacting on the environment and highways. There is no funding available to accommodate this additional housing.
The 3 Neighbourhood plans need to show conformity with the existing District Local Plan. The forthcoming Lichfield Local Plan will need to now include these additional housing needs and could subsequently affect or override the Neighbourhood plans. There will likely be pressure on Shenstone and Little Aston because of the train stations.
Cllr Edgerly asked about the 30mph sign on Lynne Lane. Cllr Smith confirmed this was currently being made.
Cllr Nicholls asked for any updates from the flood team. St Peter’s is flooding again and the lengthsman has had to clear it out. There is also a problem in Glenwood Rise. Cllr D’Ambrosio asked about the situation with the Church Road footpath (item101). Cllr Smith said that this was a difficult legal issue not suited to a public meeting. He would talk over the legal position privately with Cllr D’Ambrosio. He invited all Councillors to contact him personally to talk over issues if they wished. Cllr Smith then left the meeting.
PCSO Racheal Orwin read out the crime statistics. There had been 127 calls to Staffordshire Police. 90 calls were from Shenstone with 24 crimes recorded.
Stonnall crime figures were down compared to last year. There were no burglaries.
Cllr Whitehouse had been contacted by a resident asking if anything could be done by LDC about the hay bales in Church Road in front of their property. It was suggested firstly contacting the NFU then the Fire Brigade who could take action over a hazardous situation.
There were 8 crimes in total in Little Aston, 2 vehicle crimes with theft of tools and anti-social behaviour.
PCSO Passmore is putting together a newsletter to be distributed to Parish Councils.
Several engagement events have been held for example at Dobbies garden centre.
PCSO Orwin is putting together a PSHE package to be approved for schools.
Cllr Edgley referred to the concerns dealt with by PCSO Horsnall at a house in the area being used to repair cars. Police dog handlers had to attend to an unlocked van with XL Bully dogs inside.
PCSO Orwin asked for information on the status of the ANPR cameras. She is repeatedly being asked by the newsagent if there is any update. Cllr Salter explained that he was awaiting a response from County Highways with regard to whether they would support ANPR systems and also that changes in location requirements could affect existing SID sites. PCSO Orwin then left the meeting.
Cllr Whitehouse wanted to focus on benefits to our parishes rather than the wider Burntwood and Lichfield areas. The LDC ‘local Plan 2043’ will be discussed next week at the Parish Network meeting with suggestions on how to discuss the Issues and Options document with the public as set out within its 3–400 pages. We need to reach out to the public- through schools, libraries and pubs for example-to consider where developments should be and what housing would look like. We need to spread the word for everyone to contribute.
Cllr Salter said that developing Neighbourhood Plans involves much time, effort, and money and should result in a powerful document reflecting the views of the community. However, their importance had seemed to be overlooked in the past but the ‘Issues and Options initiative’ could now be a means of implementing the views of the communities to drive the content of the Local Plan.
Cllr Salter informed of a ‘meet the leader’ meeting to be held at Aston Wood Golf Club from 6.00-7.30 pm on Thursday 17th October. Details would be circulated.
94 Finance.
Cllr Nicholls gave details of the current financial position & transactions for approval as of Oct 9th 2024.
Link to September’s Financial Transactions spreadsheet
Link to Financial Transactions spreadsheet from 1st to 8th October
Nat West Current: £904.65
Nat West Reserve £.34,509.16
Unity bank: £104,808.04
Nat West Liquidity manager £ 102,492.58
There were no questions regarding transactions.
Update from Finance, Legal, Health & Safety Committee Meeting 1st Oct 2024
CIL analysis as of 2/10/24 – £35,000 is ready to be used. Cllr Edgley noted that Cllr Thompson wished to retain some for the Neighbourhood Plans’ projects.
Options previously used for distribution had been:
- an equal share for each ward
- money returns to source ward
although alternatives might be:
- distribution per capita
- distribute according to needs
The next step is to investigate if there is a prescribed method for multi-ward council distribution.
Resolution: When we have this information, this will be brought back to Council for discussion.
Cllr Whitehouse remarked that the auditor feels Council is sitting on too much money We need to spend the money and come up with projects.
Cllr Pugh asked how this related to the Neighbourhood Plans and could money be used towards those. Cllr Salter replied that we were a long way from confirming the Local Plan expenditure.
Cllr Nicholls explained that the precept had been raised in the past for the proposed burial site. This was no longer needed resulting in the large amount in reserves. Much of this money is ring-fenced and grant awarding has been more generous over the past financial year.
Next meeting of Finance, Legal, Health & Safety Committee: Tues 19th Nov 2024
95 Planning.
There are 2 outstanding planning applications in Shenstone. One is retrospective. There are no envisaged problems. Link to Planning Applications spreadsheet
Next meeting of the Neighbourhood, Planning & Property Committee Meeting:
Tuesday October 22nd at 5.30pm Shenstone Parish Office
96 New Councillors.
Brought forward and covered after item 88
97 Neighbourhood plan reviews: update on Shenstone, Little Aston & Stonnall.
Consultation has been extended to Nov 8th to allow for more coverage in the next newsletter. Cllr Pugh asked how many responses there had been and was informed there were less than had been hoped, in the low 10’s. Cllr Whitehouse noted that the Stonnall Neighbourhood Plan is approximately 12 months behind the others.
The public meeting raised lots of feedback. With an attendance of 116 people there was lots of engagement. Stonnall will be using the same consultant as Shenstone and Little Aston namely Land Use Consultants (LUC).
There is a meeting on November 1st in Stonnall. The plan is currently at the ‘messy stage’ writing and rewriting.
Cllr Whitehouse questioned Cllr Nicholls through the Chair regarding a request from a resident for a bowling green, achieved by drawing from the £10,000 NP reserves for Stonnall. It transpired that Cllr Nicholls had been approached by the resident asking about the possibility of a bowling green for the village. Cllr Nicholls had suggested that it might be an item of consideration as a project within the NP. It would seem that the resident assumed that funding was readily available. Proper process would need to be followed.
Cllr D’Ambrosio asked for further discussion on the impact of the Neighbourhood Plans, seeking confirmation that we are going through proper process following the alarming comments mentioned earlier by CCllr Smith that the NP’s may need a second review subsequent to LDC imposing additional housing.
Neighbourhood Plans need to hold their weight. Cllr Salter said that we will always be out of sync. Councils can only draft their NPs on the extant Local Plan.
Cllr Whitehouse had asked Chris Bowden of LUC and the Policy Manager at LDC whether we should delay our NPs until the Local Plan had been made. Both agreed that the NPs should proceed.
Cllr Nicholls identifies some of the 200 sites that LDC are considering.
Cllr Sherratt asked whether Walsall Council could overrule the plans and impose their housing needs on us. Cllr Salter explained that there is a duty to cooperate with neighbouring authorities but there is no duty to capitulate.
98 Feasibility study- Blake Street/Little Aston Lane Pedestrian Provision
Cllr Salter advised that a site meeting has been arranged for Tuesday at 10.30: a report will follow.
99 Little Aston Christmas tree
Cllr Nicholls asked for the situation to be summarised for new Councillors.
Cllr Salter explained that two sections of the Little Aston Christmas tree lights were again faulty due to the growth of the tree and high winds during the year.
The PC had taken responsibility for the tree in 2018 and had installed the existing lights at a cost of almost £4,000. In 2022 the lights were repaired but they have failed again. Replacement with new lights would now cost in the region of £6 -7,000. However, another year’s usage from them could be achieved by hiring a cherry-picker to repair them again. Adrian, the fully qualified electrician approved by the PC for minor works, would be happy to carry out the work. Cllr Sherratt asked if it would be more cost effective to coppice the tree. It was explained that coppicing is not an option with this type of tree.
Proposal: to agree the cost of £750 max for the lights to be repaired
Vote: approved unanimously. The situation needs to be reviewed earlier next year.
100 Consider purchase of new defibrillators
This had been determined by consensus under section 14.1 of Standing Orders as there was a crucial time deadline to avail Council of the 50% grant available to it for their purchase. Resolved: To purchase 2 new defibrillators c/w cabinets to replace old and faulty ones at the LARGA ground and at the Parish Office.
101 Church Road footpath– safety & accessibility issues
Although addressed earlier in the meeting the discussion raised the following points:
Costs prevent SCC from taking legal action re the wall which is badly degraded and dangerous, it is difficult to maintain the hedge and pavement because of this. LDC have opted out of maintenance as it is deemed unsafe. Staffs County were due to assess the site again, but bad weather prevented. Cllr Sherratt noted that the land beside Cllr Smith’s home had also deteriorated. Cllr Nicholls confirmed that all issues had been reported to Highways at SCC and it has been picked up by the MP who is aware the whole village is upset and annoyed. Cllr D’Ambrosio noted that the school children were using the road in high viz jackets. Cllr Whitehouse advised the headteacher on action to take but his advice has not been followed up on.
Cllr Smith had advised the completion date as the 9th. This was put off because of inclement weather and the team were now working on flooding issues. Several County Councillors are attempting to encourage SCC to use the team more effectively.
Cllr Ward asked if the lengthsman could do the work or a contractor be employed. Cllr Nicolls said that it was too dangerous for the lengthsman with insurance being an issue and the danger of wall collapse and a contractor could not be employed to work on private land. Cllr D’Ambrosio queried legal court costs but Cllr Salter confirmed this was out of our remit. Cllr Pugh asked what would happen in the event of a fatality and had the site been HSC assessed. Cllr Salter confirmed that would fall to the property owner.
Cllr D’Ambrosio was pleased that he had asked for this to be added to the agenda as it had clarified the issue for him.
102 Autumn/Winter newsletter
The deadline is Thursday 10th October with a delivery date of w/c 21st. The Clerk has requested nothing else be sent for inclusion. An insert is to be included for the Shenstone delivery area covering the Neighbourhood Watch initiative.
103 Christmas collection for the Trussell Trust
Cllr Pugh briefed Members on the work of the Trussell Trust and the associated food banks and suggested that Council might be able to offer some support.
Cllr Salter confirmed that there is a Trussell Trust collection point in operation at St John’s Church in Shenstone but that our other Wards could perhaps be encouraged to identify collection points. This would be a matter for individual Ward Councillors to progress rather than it being Council business although the office in Main Street could potentially be another collection point for Shenstone if the Clerk agrees.
104 Shenstone Playing Fields Management Committee & Country Club
Cllr Salter read out the following statement:
In accordance with the provision of Schedule 12Aof the Local Government Act 1972, Section 5of the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations and Paragraphs 2, 3 and 7of the Council’s Access to Information Rules, the public and press be excluded during consideration of the following item: Update on Shenstone Playing Fields Management Committee & The Country Club.
No public remained. The discussion then followed ‘in camera.’
105 Next meeting of Full Council: Nov 12th 2024, Little Aston Village Hall at 19.15
The Chair concluded the meeting at 21.05
