Present:
Cllr G Jones
Cllr P Fisher
Cllr I Moran
Cllr S Tudor
Cllr C Hurst
Cllr D Bentley
Cllr V O’Dunne
Cllr S Hall
Cllr I Macmillan
Cllr E Philpott
In attendance: Mrs K St Leger (Clerk)
7:15 – 7:30 Public Open Forum. One member of the public was in attendance, they discussed the issue of flooding around Old Road / Meadow Road, it was noted this was on the agenda.
29 Apologies – No apologies were received.
30 Declarations of Interest – Cllr Fisher declared an interest in item 47 as he is a member of the Cricket Club. Cllr Moran declared an interest in item 36 as a resident of Meadow Road.
31 Written applications for dispensations under the Localism Act 2011 – There were no applications for dispensation.
32 Meeting of 2 June 2020 – The minutes were accepted as a true record.
33 Matters arising from the meeting of 2 June 2020 and not otherwise on the agenda
117 Crossing Patrol update
The cost of funding a patrol will be in the region of £4,000 – £4,500 per annum (ex VAT) dependent upon the hours required. A site site-specific risk assessment was carried out on 16 March 2020 on Station Road between 8am and 9am. During this period no pedestrians were seen crossing the road. The risk assessment shows that it would be possible to deploy a patrol, however the requirements did not meet Staffordshire County Council’s (SCC) criteria which would mean a minimum of 15 children would need to use the crossing to make it viable.
We were unaware the assessment took place, and therefore did not have the opportunity to explain children who are currently being dropped off / picked up from the Village Hall car park would be moved to St John’s car park, crossing Station Road to access Broughton Crescent. This would have the added benefit of slowing traffic on Station Road. The School confirm they anticipate 25 children would be using the crossing and are going to undertake a questionnaire to clarify the position.
A suggestion was for a trial to take place before making a financial commitment, Clerk to approach SCC. It was noted no earmarked funds were set aside for this project however it was felt it was an important investment. The decision will be made following the receipt of the questionnaire results from the School and feedback from the SCC.
4 To determine Co-option of Barlaston East Ward Councillor (item deferred)
6(c) Update on 2 SID Devices – the devices have arrived and are awaiting installation
7 To determine recognition of community contribution during Covid-19 lockdown (item deferred)
10 Update on RoSPA works on Wild Play Area – The Health & Safety signs are due to arrive immediately. The Lengthsman submitted a quotation for the removal of the dangerous laurel root system below the bridge and supply 2 tonnes of recycled wood chip to create a soft-landing area underneath @ £375. It was resolved to accept this quotation.
Until the signage and works have been undertaken, the play area will remain closed.
19 Blue bag implementation – overall the feedback the Borough Council received was positive, although issues were encountered with residents living in flats and people lifting heavy bags. It was resolved to remove this item from the agenda.
20 Update on Licence for access to the Green – These will be issued mid / end July.
22 Neighbourhood Watch scheme update – The Clerk is still waiting to hear from the PCSO. Delays have been encountered due to restrictions with social distancing as a meeting is required.
23 Microlites over Barlaston update – it appears motorised hand gliders / microlites are taking off from behind Meaford Power Station. It was noted these can legally fly at any height to take off or land. It was resolved to remove this item from the agenda.
34 Dog Fouling campaign update
It was resolved to approve the cost for 10 x A3 waterproof posters @ £60 + VAT and £8 + P&P for 2 cans of marker spray. Cllr Moran was thanked for her continued campaigning on this item.
35 Flooding issues on Vicarage Lane – There were various issues causing flooding along the lane. It was noted water was cascading from the new house which backs on to the top of the Lane, Cllr Jones would investigate the Planning Application to ensure the requirements stipulated had been met.
The residents would continue to monitor the situation. They have been advised that Staffordshire County Council were the lead Water Authority for managing surface water issues in Staffordshire.
36 Flooding issues around Meadow Road – a few residents paid for a survey of the culvert to be undertaken which took place on 26 June. It was disappointing to note the camera failed to penetrate along the culvert, however It appears the whole of the estate from Orchard Place, under the road into No. 31 Old Road and into the farmers field is full of tree routes and silt. The engineer recommended the site needed jetting along its entire length which would cost thousands of pounds and would be cost prohibitive for the residents. The Parish Council could not assist with the costs; however, they would undertake to write to the County Council on behalf of the residents to highlight the issues.
It was noted the gullies along Meadow Road were blocked causing flooding on the road, this was exacerbated by Severn Trent undertaking works on site. It was resolved for the Lengthsman to clear these @ £25 per gully.
37 Traffic calming actions on Longton Road
A resident has approached SCC with regards to erratic driving and speeding vehicles along Longton Road, especially around the Duke of York. SCC noted residents were canvassed previously and offers of traffic calming measures were rejected, if there is a requirement, they will re-visit the issue.
The major hazard in Barlaston is outside the Village Hall with the road narrowing and no footpath which is problematic for parents taking their children to and from school. The implementation of a chicane giving priority one way would give us the much-needed footpath and slow traffic down in the process, an example of which is on the back road into Stone by the bridge which works well. Other examples are found in Hilderstone, Colwich and Little Haywood. There is also the option of adding additional speed gates on the entrances to the village.
Highways require evidence of hazards and is usually related to accidents and deaths; they are difficult to persuade with regards to the implementation of speed bumps or chicanes. Due to the proactive work undertaken by Mr David Norman, we are in a position to gather evidential data from the 3 speed indicator devices, the speed watch team have also started up again.
Before approaching Highways to address issues across Barlaston, it was resolved to gather the data necessary highlighting our requirements, possibly with the assistance of a traffic consultant, following which the Clerk will approach Highways for a meeting.
38 Activity on field behind Brookhouse Drive – a resident noted surveyors working in the field and raised concerns the site could be earmarked for house building. It was noted nothing had been submitted to Stafford Borough Council Planning. It was suggested this could be to do with HS2, Cllr Jones to investigate. It was resolved to monitor the situation.
39 Bridge 104, Trent & Mersey Canal – following the incident involving a child going down the ramp into the canal, the Clerk logged this immediately as a H&S concern with the Canal & River Trust, she has also scheduled a meeting to walk the canal with the new Coordinator for the area to look at the issues.
The PC recommendation would be for the ramp coming onto the towpath to be curved round and a possible barrier to stop anyone going into the canal, this would also ensure people accessing the canal would be less likely to be hit by cyclists.
The Parish Council requested the Clerk to inform Fiskars of the issues and to determine ownership of the bridge.
40 Parish Council Asset Management protocols including use of the green
Following two complaints received with regards to an organised football training session which took place on the green. The Council resolved that no organised sports activities can take place on the green due to underlying drainage issues. For other organised activities, requests to be submitted to the Parish Clerk for approval, to ensure the relevant Public Liability Insurance and risk assessments are in place. The Clerk to arrange new signage for the green.
41 Community Transport update – Cllr Moran advised the Community Transport Scheme is due to recommence w/c 13 July, a full risk assessment was undertaken and accepted by SCC and Support Staffordshire. Trips will be restricted to local areas including the Hospital and Stone. The Insurance Company has added two months on to the policy due to inactivity. 100 masks have been received from Support Staffordshire; the Scheme may need to come back to the Parish Council for a grant in the future. The PC thanked Cllr Moran for her continued commitment to this valued service.
42 Lengthsman works update
- Address dangerous leaning and dying trees at bottom of car park @ £325
- Clear pathway from old road to meadow road @ £120
- Clear pathway from Station Road to Meadow Road @ £75
- Re-set Bedcroft sign (Public footpath) @ £55 to clear vegetation along path @ £190
- To clear 2 No. gullies on Meadow Road @ £50
It was resolved to accept these works and costings.
The Lengthsman submitted a quotation for seeding the Wild Play Area with Rigby Taylor Euroflor Rainbow Perennial Mix, including the removal of the grass, adding topsoil and seeding the area @ £3,500 for 1000m2. The Parish Council asked for a revised plan to reduce the area on the Green and include other areas around the village be submitted for consideration. The Clerk to liaise with Staffordshire County Council for formal approval prior to undertaking any works due to the risk of a Licence to Plan being required. The revised proposal to be submitted at the September meeting for consideration.
43 Clerk Training course – Governance and transparency requirements & working with the Community @ £50. It was resolved to approve this training.
44 Speed Watch update from Mr David Norman, Barlaston Speed Watch Coordinator
- Staffs Safer Roads Partnership have given the go-ahead to recommencement of Community Speed Watch activities with effect from 6th July. Revised risk-controls in place and shared with volunteers. They will be doing 2 sessions in each of the next 2 weeks.
- 2 new Radar Speed Devices now on the way from the French supplier, these should be here w/c 6th July.
- Data downloaded from Device in June covering Meaford Road & Old Road shared with Karen for those who wish to see the detail. Although volume of speeding traffic is improving there are still crazy examples of high speeds.
- Supportive emails from SSRP and local PCSO’s in response to my data-supported concerns regarding Meaford Road especially. However, no reply from Staffs CC Highways to my separate “Report-It” submission.
- The latest Data Report from our Radar Speed Sign for the recent period when it was facing the village on Meaford Road. Whilst some of the data is actually quite encouraging (albeit on a one-off basis) the maximum speeds remain “scary” – including a new record of 93mph, during mid-morning in a 30mph zone!!
- We were due to have an increased Police presence in Barlaston during the recent campaign but little sign of this.
The Clerk has escalated this to Cllr Ian Parry and awaiting a response.
45 Financial update:
(a) The Clerk submitted the reconciliation reports including April to June, it was resolved to accept these.
(b) schedule of payments report June 2020, it was resolved to accept these. The Clerk also noted the next 12 months supply of dog bags for the dispensers was ordered @ £304.00 + VAT. The replacement noticeboard for Orchard Place is due to be installed in the next 2/3 weeks, the Clerk has arranged disposal of the old board @ £50. It was resolved to accept these costs.
| NET | VAT | Cheque | |
| Can Print Inv 30165 Covid-19 flyer | 290.00 | 0.00 | 2616 |
| Perennial Landscapes Inv 2796 (24 Apr) & 2866 (5 May) Grass Cutting | 570.00 | 114.00 | 2617 |
| Rialtus Inv SM21662 Finance Software | 124.00 | 24.80 | 2618 |
| BHIB Parish Council Insurance Inv LC001494 368342 | 979.65 | 0.00 | 2619 |
| Paint Bushes (Asset Management) | 5.97 | N/A | |
| Zoom Video Communication, monthly invoice (27 May 2020) | 14.39 | 0.00 | DD |
| Stafford Borough Council, Inv 7070270112, bin emptying | 320.00 | 64.00 | 2620 |
| K St Leger Salary / Expenses | 928.80 | 0.00 | 2621 |
| HMRC PAYE/NI | 187.62 | 0.00 | 2622 |
| Pension Employees/Employers | 302.41 | 0.00 | 2624 |
| J Poultney – Planter maintenance Inv 140 | 270.00 | 0.00 | 2625 |
| Screwfix – Hammarite Paint / Padlocks for SID Devices (Asset Management) | 24.16 | 4.82 | PayPal |
| Perennial Landscapes Inv 2950 19 May / 2 June / 16 June / 30 June Grass Cutting | 1140.00 | 228.00 | 2626 |
| Zoom Video Communication, monthly invoice (27 June 2020) | 14.39 | 0.00 | DD |
| 5 x Paint Brushes (Asset Management) | 5.97 | 0.00 | PayPal |
| AED Donate – replace 5 defib pads Inv 1407 | 199.70 | 0.00 | 2627 |
| Buxus Green, clearance of car park / tree works Inv 06 | 140.00 | 0.00 | 2628 |
| Noticeboards Online – New board @ Orchard Place Inv 6395 | 3049.00 | 609.80 | 2629/30 |
| JRB Enterprise Ltd – Dog Bags for dispensers | 304.00 | 60.80 | PayPal |
The Clerk noted the auditor is scheduled to undertake the end of year audit on 9 July 2020, upon receipt of the feedback an emergency meeting will be required to sign off the findings prior to the figures being submitted to the external auditors.
46 Risk Assessment Actions – The bank is still outstanding.
5 defibrillator devices have had their pads replaced @ £199.70 to ensure these are up to date. The Chairman of the Borough Council’s Healthy Staffordshire Select Committee have asked Council’s to support them in conjunction with West Midlands Ambulance Service in siting defibrillators close to Council Offices. For their records the Clerk has sent them a list of the defibrillators and their locations in Barlaston, these are already registered with the Ambulance Service.
The metal frame under the Lyme tree needs addressing. Clerk to arrange for the Lengthsman to action, in the meantime this will be cordoned off.
47 Grant application(s)
Barlaston Community Responders submitted a grant towards the upkeep and maintenance of their vehicle, the Parish Council resolved to grant £1000.
Barlaston Cricket Club submitted an application for £800 towards the cost of PPE. It was resolved to grant £400, if the Fireworks display takes place this year, the Parish Council will grant an additional £400.
48 Planning Committee Recommendations
Cllr Jones received a call from the prospective purchasers of the Wedgwood Memorial Collage to advise this process is near completion.
There was no Planning Meeting on 7 July, however the recommendations following the emergency planning meeting on 23 June 2020 are as follows:
- Planning application 20/32388/FUL at Heyfields Farm, 25 Tittensor Road, Tittensor. The proposed development is described as Agricultural Storage Building. The Parish Council had no objections to this planning application.
- Planning application 20/32445/REM at Land Adjacent Greenways, the Green, Barlaston. The proposed development is described as Approval of reserved matters on application 19/30805/OUT – new detached dwelling, double garage. Under Policy D1: Design of New Development, it was felt the orientation of the house did not meet the Neighbourhood Plan protocols (1) Respond to the existing build form in terms of enclosure and definition of streets and spaces, including degree of set back. The Parish Council would approve the application if the house orientation was changed to front the Green, in line with neighbouring properties.
- Pre application 18/28811/PAA at Middleton Livery Yard, Old Road, Barlaston. The Parish Council deferred this item pending receipt of the formal planning application. However, it was noted there was no reference made to the Neighbourhood Plan and its protocols within the documentation supplied which needed to be addressed prior to submission of the full planning application.
49 Date of next meeting 1 September 2020