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Todwick Village

Todwick Parish Council Minutes

JRW/395

TODWICK PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting held in Todwick Village Hall
on Tuesday 25th November 2014

Borough Councillor Watson was present. He had no matters specifically concerning Todwick to report but informed that the Borough Council was presently focusing on the Jay Report, the Corporate Governance Report and the Ofsted Report.

The meeting commenced at 7.10 p.m.

Present

  • Councillor Hill – Chairman
  • Councillor Carter – Until 9.15 p.m.
  • Councillor Ferris
  • Councillor Greer-Waring
  • Councillor Jeffrey
  • Councillor Leah
  • Councillor White
  • J R Walker – Clerk & Financial Officer
  • Members of the Public

14/90 APOLOGIES

An apology for non attendance had been received from Councillors Gregory and Northall.

14/91 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

Ordinary Meeting 28th October 2014

There were no amendments and the minutes were signed as a true record.

14/92 MATTERS ARISING

  1. 14/85 (1)

    Ferris reported that the works to the CCTV had been completed at the village hall including the fitting of a single power supply to cover all cameras.

  2. 14/85 (13)

    White had handed over the award cheque and discussed the possibility of forming a Parish Youth Council with the Head-teacher at Wales High School.

14/93 DECLARATION OF MEMBER’S INTERESTS

  1. Greer-Waring was Vice-chairman of the Village Hall Committee

  2. Hill had a business connection with Hobson Nurseries

  3. Carter had an interest in land recommended for development potential by RMBC.

  4. Leah owned a property which could be directly affected by possible future housing development

The councillors would not take part in any debate or voting on matters where they had declared an interest.

14/94 URGENT ITEMS FOR LATER CONSIDERATION

  1. Communications

  2. Painting

  3. Children’s Playground Deeds

At 7.20 p.m. and under Council Standing Order 61 the public were temporarily excluded by means of the following resolution:

“That in view of the confidential nature of the business about to be transacted, it is advisable in the public interest that the press be temporarily excluded and they are instructed to withdraw”

The reason for the exclusion was given as “This Council will not debate or become involved in any way with any discussions regarding the land adjoining Rayls Road and Osborne Road whilst it is in any way likely to involve a civil issue and which is not the responsibility of Todwick Parish Council”.

Members agreed with the Chairman and that the Parish Council should not involve itself in this civil matter.

At 7.38 p.m. Members of the Public were allowed back into the Meeting.

14/95 CLERK’S REPORT

Clerk had undertaken all the duties placed on him at the last meeting and had sent out six “Welcome to the Village” letters.

14/96 FINANCIAL OFFICER’S REPORT

Clerk reported:

 

£

Monies received

1. British Gas – Feed-in Tariff

574.29

Payments made since last meeting

1. Travis Perkins – Pavilion Building Materials

612.00

2. Hi-Tec Print – Informer Printing

99.00

3. Todwick Village Hall – Rent

21.00

4. Stephen Hill – Padlock and Keys

40.00

5. RMBC – Building Regulations Fee

480.00

6. Hi-Tec Print – Informer Printing

80.00

Un-presented cheques

1. Travis Perkins – Pavilion Building Materials

612.00

2. Mrs. E Northall – Wreath

18.00

3. Wales High School – Award

100.00

4. RMBC – Building Regulations Fee

480.00

5. Hi-Tec Print – Informer Printing

80.00

Payments to be made

1. RMBC – October Grounds Maintenance

43.68

2. Todwick Parish Rec. Grd. – October Grounds Maintenance

949.24

3. J R Walker – Nov. Salary and Expenses

552.49

4. HMRC – November Tax/NI

309.60

5. Mark Archer – Village Maintenance Works

41.20

Bank statement balances

Business Saver

(Gratuity)

Business Saver

(Cheque Feeder)

Business Saver

(Sports Pavilion)

Community

(Cheque)

£4,809.95

£18,158.63

£17,047.88

£575.29

Bank balances after all payments completed

Business Saver

(Gratuity)

Business Saver

(Cheque Feeder)

Business Saver

(Sports Pavilion)

Community

(Cheque)

£4,809.95

£15,400.88

£17,047.88

£1.00

14/97 CORRESPONDENCE

Written correspondence received and passed to Members:

  1. Magna Science Adventure Centre – World War 1 Centenary Night

  2. Foys Solicitors – Land to the East of Rayls Rise

  3. RMBC – Sandbag Requirements

  4. RMBC – Parish Network Meeting

  5. Mrs. Turner – A Thank You Note for co-coordinating the installation of the bench which she had donated to the village in memory of her late partner, Mr. Topham.

Correspondence had also been received via E-mail and forwarded by the Clerk to Members on their receipt. The Clerk had replied where appropriate.

  1. Voluntary Action Rotherham – Various Email Bulletins

  2. RMBC – Various Planning Lists

  3. Rural Action Yorkshire – Latest News

  4. Graham Capper – Problems with Rotherham Borough Council

  5. RMBC – Decision Notice – RB2014/1267

  6. Alan Turner – Trial Bus Service

  7. Chesterfield Canal Trust – E Newsletter Number 71

  8. Norman Anderson – Village Hall Invoice

  9. Councillors Greer-Waring and Carter – People in Crisis Appeal

  10. Neil Hawksworth – The Rotherham Plan

  11. Various Councillors – Remembrance in Todwick

  12. Councillor Hill – Padlock

  13. Various Councillors – Meeting Minutes

  14. RMBC – Local Development Plan

  15. RMBC – Rotherham Council Website

  16. Councillor Greer-Waring – Local Plan Flyer

  17. Councillor Greer-Waring – Local Plan Consultation

  18. Councillor Carter – Mr. Capper E-mails

  19. RMBC – South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner By-Election Notices of Results

  20. YLCA – Reclaiming VAT

  21. Councillor White – Cheque

  22. RMBC – Speed Sign

  23. Councillor Leah – Updated Emergency Plan

  24. Sheila Pantry – Queries on October Council Minutes

  25. YLCA – Housing Your Community Event: 28 Nov 14 Yorkshire

  26. Councillors Northall and Leah – Recreation Ground Bills

  27. RMBC – Winter Weather 2014/15 – Highways

  28. Councillors Greer-Waring and Ferris – Food for People in Crisis – Christmas Appeal

  29. Various Councillors – Parish Network Meeting

  30. Various Councillors – Scrub Land at Osborne Road

  31. Various Councillors – Local Development Plan and Letter of Objection

  32. RMBC – 2015/2016 Proposed Highway Maintenance Works Programme

  33. RMBC – Poster re Squirrel Concert – Nov 2014

  34. Various Councillors – Worksop Guardian Article on the Local Development Plan

  35. Councillor White – Purchase of Building Materials

  36. SYPTE and Councillor Greer-Waring – Bus Services

  37. RMBC and Councillor Ferris – Land at the End of Osborne Drive

  38. RMBC – Budget Consultation

  39. Various Councillors – Informer 105

  40. Mr. G Capper – Sites and Policies Consultation

  41. Councillor Northall – Gully on Goosecarr Lane and Dumped Rubbish

  42. Councillors Greer-Waring and White – Falls Outside 2 Guildway

  43. YLCA – Employment Training Event

  44. Councillor Hill – Cheque

  45. Councillors Carter and Greer-Waring – Christmas Tree

  46. RMBC – Falls Outside 2 Guildway/Removal of Moss

  47. RMBC – Makers Market

  48. Worksop Guardian Newspaper – New Homes Planned for Todwick

  49. Councillor Greer-Waring – Budget Meeting

  50. Councillor Northall – Donation of Painting by Betty Wilkinson to Commemorate the Unveiling of the War Memorial

  51. John Laycock and Various Councillors – Field at the Back of Rayls Rise

  52. Councillor Greer-Waring – Todwick : Dinnington Bus Services

  53. RMBC – Rotherham Community Infrastructure Levy : Draft Charging Schedule

  54. Marie Dabell – Bus Issues

  55. Mr. Ray Sykes – Habitat Destruction of Green Belt Land in Todwick.

  56. Councillor Northall – Grounds Maintenance

  57. Michael Crowther – Todwick Parish Council : Minutes of Tuesday 28 October

  58. Councillor Hill – Standing Orders

  59. SYPTE – Energy/Cost Saving Initiative – Installation of Timer Switches on Bus Shelters

  60. Councillor Ferris – Mark Archer

  61. RMBC – Charity Masquerade Ball for the Hallam FM Children at Christmas Appeal

  62. RMBC – Drink-aware Campaign to Help Tackle Underage Drinking

  63. RMBC – YDV Fund for Young People

14/98 PLANNING APPLICATIONS

  1. RB2014/1451

    Demolition of existing rear extension and erection of single storey rear extension and detached garage to front at 33 Kiveton Lane for Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

    Resolved to offer no objection.

14/99 COMMITTEES

Allotments

Ferris reported that:

  1. The Pest Control Officer had visited and found significant rodent activity at the allotments and in the area generally. He would visit again on the 12th December. There would be no additional charge even though it would be additional to the contracted number.

  2. Some maintenance had been undertaken by the contractor and he would discuss the further work required.

  3. Councillor Jeffrey had informed him that the willow at the recreation ground had been reduced in height and this would make it more difficult to form the tunnel.

Village Hall

Greer-Waring reported that:

  1. Some lead flashing had been disturbed at the gable end of the hall roof but a search of the CCTV footage had so far not revealed any signs of vandalism.

  2. The Christmas Fayre was to be held on the coming Saturday

14/100 PRECEPT 2015/16

Resolved to hold a budget meeting on Tuesday 6th January.

14/101 STRATEGIC PLAN

Leah presented documents scoping what could be incorporated into the strategic plan along with a risk register template for discussion.

Greer-Waring spoke about Neighbourhood Planning and suggested this would be particularly relevant for the village and would dovetail in with the strategic plan; she would research further and present information at the January TPC meeting.

The meeting was suspended at 8.00 p.m.

OPEN SESSION

Mr. Laycock represented the Todwick Action Group – Field Ref. LDF 0504. He thanked the Parish Council for replying to his recent e-mail but the group he represented was seeking support in objecting to the works undertaken off Osborne Road/ Osborne Drive/Rayls Rise. Of particular concern were:

  • Assistance in stopping the access into the field via the hammerhead roads in Osborne Road and Osborne Drive
  • Help in influencing the RBC Planning Department to reject approaches to build on the land
  • Help in cleaning the mud and debris from the road and footpaths
  • Assistance in refusing approaches by the landowner to drop the kerb and move the street lights in the hammerheads
  • Assistance in ensuring that the field is returned to level, the rubbish is cleared and trees planted
  • Commence not accrue
    Assistance in getting the boundary wall rebuilt on Osborne Drive

Chairman referred to the Council’s email reply to Mr. Laycock. The matters of concern could not be resolved by the Parish Council. They should either be directed to the Borough Council or other appropriate agencies or were civil matters. Since legal action may well commence the Parish Council had resolved not to involve itself in this matter. There were two sides to this and Parish Council must not and would not get involved or take sides.

Mr. Shepherd was concerned about the destruction of the wildlife habitat and dumping of rubbish on the land.

Mr. Crowther asked why the Council, had been prepared to seek removal of bricks from The Pastures left by a builder was it not now prepared to intervene in this matter. He had read the October Council Minutes. He did not support them being approved as a true record of the meeting since no mention had been made of the notice Mr Newbold had presented and which had been posted around the village by the owner of the land in question.

Mr Hewitt agreed that the minutes were not wholly accurate. He strongly objected to having initially being prevented from attending this meeting by the Chairman.

Chairman apologised for this earlier misunderstanding.

Mr Hewitt considered that the Council had a duty to support the village and members should be concerned about what had happened on this land and be prepared to take action against the landowner.

Chairman reiterated his previous comments in that whilst all members took their duties extremely seriously and voluntarily undertook an enormous amount of work on behalf of the village it would not be appropriate for the Council to take sides in what were predominantly civil matters.

Greer-Waring referred to the Council’s objections to the Local Development plan many of which applied to all future sizeable developments in the Parish.

Mrs. Tame considered the landowner’s behaviour to be manipulative in that his intention was to create such a disgraceful condition of the site that that it would encourage the Borough Council to grant planning permission to any proposal for housing development.

Mr. Clarke asked whether the Parish Councillors had visited the site.

Members confirmed that they all had.

Mrs. Tame asked why the Council would not support the local residents when it had on other matters in the past.

Mr. Sykes asked whether the Council had been notified of the archaeological dig undertaken on the site by Arc Heritage.

Chairman informed that no such notification had been received.

Ferris informed that he had sent emails to RMBC when he became aware of issues occurring on the land at the end of Osborne Rd and Osborne Drive, after having received a phone call from Mr D Clark. He had received a reply from RMBC Planning which he had passed on to the other members of the Parish Council and Mr. L Shepherd.

Mr. Cato asked whether the landowner had permission to take down the wall in order to access the site.

Chairman advised that this was a civil matter and not one for the Parish Council.

Mr. Crowther asked why the council would take no action in this case when it had objected to any proposed development south of the existing village extents.

Chairman stated that this was a different situation because that proposal would effectively link the village with Kiveton Park. This was not only not supported by the Parish Council it would also contravene the Borough Council’s guidelines. The Parish Council had provided comments as part of the consultation process on sites 730 and 830, the site in question (504) was not part of the proposals in the local plan so was not commented on. Similarly, other sites in the village which were not included in this version of the Local Plan were not commented upon.

Open Session closed and the meeting was reconvened at 9.07 p.m.

14/102 MEMBER’S ACTIVITY REPORTS

  1. Ferris had been discussing the generation of a number of circular footpath walks around the village. He had spoken with Jim Tompkin who had kindly agreed to negotiate assistance in obtaining leaflets from the Borough Council.

  2. Greer-Waring advised that the collection box for People in Crisis had been placed in the Tea Rooms at The Pastures.

  3. Greer-Waring had prepared a schedule for publication dates of future “Informers” and would email this to Members.

  4. Greer-Waring had had a further exchange of emails with the SYPTE and asked various questions about bus services in the village.

  5. Greer-Waring and Jeffrey would be attending the award ceremony at Wales High School on the coming Friday.

  6. White reported on progress with the sports pavilion works. Roofing works would commence shortly. The new roof would have a 40° pitch as this was the optimum angle for solar panels and would help deter vandalism.

    Leah reported that expenditure to date was £23,892.55, of which £2,425.07 was VAT and would be reclaimed.

14/103 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE

Ferris reported that Mark Archer had worked 5 hours in the month and would be paid accordingly.

Greer-Waring had noted rubbish around the seats fronting the carpet shop that needed removing

Jeffrey informed that young people who congregated in the Church car park frequently left rubbish and this needed removing on a regular basis.

White reported rubbish being dumped on Pocket Handkerchief Lane.

Chairman had noted this and some had been removed only recently.

Ferris had asked the Borough Council to provide suitable waterproof clothing for Mark Archer.

14/104 TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION MATTERS

The Borough Council had replied to the Clerk’s further recent enquiry and reported that the highways capital programme for 2015/16 was going to be about 40% less than in 2014/15. It was likely that quite a few projects would have to be deferred including some safety related schemes. However, colleagues in public health had indicated that they were willing to put some money into the introduction of 20 mph schemes. As a result, transportation officers had put together a list of schemes that they might want to consider paying for, including one covering Todwick. The various relevant officers were due to meet sometime in the next two weeks and would inform as to whether the Todwick scheme might be included. There was also a possibility that the scheme could be paid for out of next year’s capital programme as the costs were relatively low in view of the main roads through the village already being traffic calmed. The main costs were in changing the signs and in processing the traffic regulation order to reduce the speed limit.

14/105 NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

No report had been received from Norman Anderson recently and there were no matters to discuss.

14/106 LAND ADJACENT A57

No response had been received to the TPC letter to RMBC and clerk would follow this up.

14/107 JOHN PALMER MEMORIAL

Resolved to wait until all members were present before deciding on an appropriate memorial.

14/108 URGENT ITEMS

  1. Communications

    Greer-Waring had discussed the availability of appropriate internet domain addresses for use by the parish council.

    Resolved

    That quotations be sought for acquisition of an appropriate internet domain address for use by the Parish Council.

  2. Painting

    Greer-Waring referred to an email received from Councillor Northall. Betty Wilkinson, a Todwick artist had handed a painting of poppies to Councillor Northall. She wished to donate it to the Parish Council and for it to be hung in the Village Hall to commemorate the unveiling of the War Memorial.

    Resolved

    1. To gratefully accept the painting and to its being hung in the main hall of the village hall.

    2. To asked Councillor Northall to thank Miss/Mrs Wilkinson for her generous gift.

  3. Children’s Playground Deeds

    Chairman reported that although the children’s playground site had been satisfactorily registered with the Land Registry it had so far not been possible to recover the pre-registration documents. He had a legal advisor working on this and would advise when any progress was made.

The Meeting Closed at 10.03 p.m.

The next Council Meeting will be in Todwick Village Hall at 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday 16th December 2014.