Minutes July 2024

CROWTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of Crowton Parish Council meeting held on

Tuesday 9th July 2024 at Crowton Village Hall

2024 Meeting started 7pm

Present

Cllr Ralph Oultram (Chair) (RO) Cllr Richard Thorne (vice chair) RT

Cllr Roger Hammond (RH) Cllr Thomas Stott (TS)

Ward Councillor Lynn Stocks (LS)

Clerk - T Whitlow (TW)

24/18

Apologies for Absence were received & accepted from:

Cllr Jenny Currie (JC) Cllr Bob Stubbs, (BS) Cllr Joel Rutter, (JR)

24/19

Declarations of Members’ Interests:

None

24/20

Approve Minutes The minutes of the last Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 11 June 2024 were approved & signed by the Chair.

24/21

Public Participation:

None present.

24/22

Ward Councillor reports:

LS – very little to report as the general election was last week, so only just out of purdah.

24/23

Matters arising from the previous minutes – unless an agenda item:

Forresters lorries using Bent/Bag Lane – TW has sent a list of noted lorries/dates/times to Forresters, and during the last week it has been noted not as many HGV’s turning in/out of Bent Lane.

24/24

Correspondence:

TW has written to MOP who volunteers to keep the verges/MG cut, to let him know there are other volunteers willing to help. No response has been received.

24/25

Accounts/Financial:

1. Cash book as at 26.06.24 approved.

2. Bank reconciliation 26.06.24 approved.

3. Payments for approval.

Clerks expenses May - June £71.85

July & August payroll

4. Receipts

None

24/26

Clerks Report:

Emails & Footers: TW reminded all Cllrs that the PC emails now need to be used, nothing should be being sent via personal email accounts. TW to also forward an email footer to be added to the PC email account.

Planning:

New applications:

No new planning applications received since the last meeting.

LPA decisions:

24/01306/AGR - Land at Onston Lane Crowton – General purpose agricultural building – approved.

CiLCA Training:

TW had circulated information regarding the Certificate in Local Council Administration, requesting funding - pro-rata with all other PC’s she works for. Cost implications for CPC are approximately £200 plus funding study time of 20 hours (TW to put 100 hours of own time in). There is money in the training budget to cover this. Resolved to fund the clerks training.

Councillor Vacancy:

TW noted an email received today from a MOP regarding co-option. TW to circulate the information provided.

Resolved to add a vacancy poster to the notice board and website.

Co-option to be added to September agenda.

24/30

Highways:

Station Road: A patch on the newly done road surface has already started breaking up. TW to report to Highways.

24/33

Millenium Green:

1. Update of scheduled work: Contractor will be starting work during the 2nd week of August.

2. Volunteers: Will be back on 6th August.

3. TW & JC are still awaiting response from Highways regarding the removal of MG fence, although TW has a written response from them from 12 months ago to say that the fence can be removed and does not need to be replaced.

4. Fence- discussed volunteers & Cllrs removing the metal tubular fencing out of the concrete posts, from the MG side. Resolved to complete this work and add post reflectors to the posts. RT to send TW the information for ordering these.

24/34

Asset Maintenance & Register.

1. Diseased trees-Another alder tree has died on the MG, of which the volunteers will be asked to fell. ‘Given that only one species of trees has died and that the tree surveyor’s suggestion of pollution is probably speculative, disease, such as phytophthora Alder (Alnus glutinosa) - British Trees - Woodland Trustis is the more likely explanation. Alders are also under stress from attacks by alder beetles. When both the fungus and the beetles attack together trees can decline and die very quickly. Because the main symptom of Phytophthora is bleeds through the bark, once the tree is dead it might not be obvious that that had been happening. And if there’s no foliage you wouldn’t see signs of beetle damage. So, it might not be possible to see the cause of death. Alder is actually pretty tolerant of pollution; it’s used as a tree for planting on reinstated landfill because of this’

2. War Memorial Fence – TS & RT working on this, agreed to use hardwood posts as these don’t need treating & can be painted white. Fence to be reinstated before Remembrance Sunday.

3. Defib – Hare & Hounds – are happy for the defib to remain in current location. JC to speak to the manager regarding weekly checks.

4. Fingerpost maintenance: TW can’t get a more accurate quote than the circa £750 as until the contractor starts to take it down don’t they know how much work is needed. TW asked LS if she could help fund via members budget, LS agreed that she and Cllr Phil Rimmer would contribute. TW to contact Gillian Edwards to ask for a contribution.

5. Post boxes – has been repainted.

6. Planters: RT to obtain quotes for the stickers for the planters.

7. Parish Field: Japanese Knotweed is now present in the smaller field. This will be treated in September.

24/35

Community Resilience Group:

Pub, Village Hall, WI, Church and School are now all aware of this. JC is setting up a meeting in August with Cheshire Emergency Planning Team.

More sandbags are required. TW to contact GE

New tenants at the Hare & Hounds have made a good start on tackling the stream running through the grounds.

24/36

Items for next agenda:

MG- works progress. Councillor Vacancy. Financial Regulations.

24/37

Date of next meeting. Tuesday 10th September 2024 at Crowton Village Hall.

The meeting closed at 8.15.pm