JRW/384

TODWICK PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting held in Todwick Village Hall
at 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday 26th November 2013

Present

• Councillor Hill – Chairman
• Councillor Carter
• Councillor Ferris
• Councillor Greer-Waring
• Councillor Gregory
• Councillor Leah
• Councillor White
• J R Walker – Clerk & Financial Officer
• Borough Councillor Watson
• Parishioners

13/93 APOLOGIES

Apologies had been received from Councillors Northall and Pantry.

13/94 APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

Ordinary Council meeting 29 October 2013

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

Budget Meeting 19 November 2013

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

The meeting was suspended at 7.10 p.m.

Borough Councillor Watson gave information:

1. Consultation was taking place concerning highly significant reductions in bus services. He had received several complaints at his surgery immediately before the Council meeting and he encouraged objectors to comment via the freely available questionnaires or on-line. The effect on each service should be referred and individuals should send in separate comments and not one representing a group.
2. He reported that Kiveton Lane was to close between 12th and 18th December and Goosecarr Lane between 18th December and 16th February 2014 in connection with the A57 Improvement Scheme.
3. The Borough Council support from national government was to be reduced by £22.5 m in 2014/15 and by £29.0 m in 2015/16. Services would have to be severely cut.
4. Efforts were being made to acquire further land to allow the construction of a footway from the new A57 roundabout to meet with the existing footway on Todwick Road. A compulsory purchase order was being progressed but the landowner was reluctant to sell at the price being offered for the land.

Councillor Watson left at 7.30 p.m. and the meeting was reconvened.

13/95 MATTERS ARISING

Ordinary Council meeting 29 October 2013

1. 13/83

   White together with Councillor Ferris had fitted the defibrillator cabinet. This had proved difficult because the cabinet had various defects and the manufacture was sending someone out to remediate these. A familiarization session was to be held with the volunteer defibrillator users at 6.30 p.m. on the 12th December.

2. 13/85

   White had re-varnished and re-fitted the seat slats to the seats fronting The Pastures shops. He was to acquire new hardwood slats and would re-furbish, paint and re-site the seat removed from the amenity area fronting the village hall.

   Members thanked Councillors White and Ferris

3. 13/83

   Leah had prepared the emergency plan in the new RMBC format and had circulated it for comment and appropriate additions. Once completed she would forward to the Clerk for submission to RMBC

13/96 DECLARATION OF MEMBER’S INTERESTS

Greer-Waring and Northall were members of the village hall committee. Councillor Carter’s father owned the land on Todwick Road referred to by Borough Councillor Watson. None of the councillors would participate in any discussion or relevant vote at the meeting.

13/97 URGENT ITEMS FOR LATER CONSIDERATION

1. Delivery of Rock Salt/Grit
2. Editorship of “The Informer”
3. Response to Petition

13/98 CLERK’S REPORT

Clerk had undertaken all the duties placed on him at the last meeting and sent welcome letters to new residents.

13/99 FINANCIAL OFFICER’S REPORT

Clerk had transferred the £10,000 between bank accounts as instructed at the 19 November Budget Meeting.

	£
Monies received
1. RMBC
Un-presented cheques
1. RMBC – September Grounds Maintenance	42.28
2. Wales High School – Prize	100.00
3. Todwick Village Hall – Rents	13.50
4. J. Rotherham – War Memorial Deposit	1851.00
5. D & J Hobson – Summer Hanging Baskets	2304.00
6. Chesterfield Canal Trust – Membership Renewal	36.00
7. RMBC – Grounds Maintenance	42.28
8. Todwick Parish Recreation Ground – Grounds Maintenance	918.92
9. HMRC – Nov. Tax/NI	327.91
10. Mr. Brian White – Councillor Expenses	13.84
Payments made since last meeting
1. Todwick Village Hall – Rents	13.50
2. J. Rotherham – War Memorial Deposit	1851.00
3. D & J Hobson – Summer Hanging Baskets	2304.00
4. Chesterfield Canal Trust – Membership Renewal	36.00
5. RMBC – Oct. Grounds Maintenance	42.28
6. Todwick Parish Recreation Ground – Oct. Grounds Maintenance	918.92
7. HMRC – Nov. Tax/NI	327.91
8. Mr. Brian White – Councillor Expenses	13.84
Payments to be made
1. J R Walker – Salary/Expenses	669.96
2. Jewson – Hardwood Seat Slats	70.13

Bank statement balances
Business Saver (Gratuity)	Business Saver (Cheque Feeder)	Business Saver (Sports Pavilion)	Community (Cheque)
£4,807.50	£31,709.49	£28,029.91	£1.00
Bank balances after all payments and transfer completed
Business Saver (Gratuity)	Business Saver (Cheque Feeder)	Business Saver (Sports Pavilion)	Community (Cheque)
£4,807.50	£15,319.85	£38,029.91	£1.00

13/100 CORRESPONDENCE

Written correspondence received and passed to Members.

1. War Memorials Trust – War Memorial Maintenance
2. Chesterfield Canal Trust – Membership Renewal
3. Valuation Officer – Non-Domestic Rating Assessment

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. Councillor Gregory – Rating at the Goosecarr Lane Recreation Ground
2. Rural Action Yorkshire – Latest Parish and Town Council News
3. Sheila Pantry – Minutes for Last Night’s Meeting
4. RMBC – Parish Meeting
5. Sheila Pantry – Problems in Accessing Council Meeting
6. Various Councillors – Problems in Accessing Council Meeting
7. Councillor Gregory – Further Information: Concerning Rating at the Recreation Ground
8. Various Councillors – Draft October Council Meeting Minutes
9. Norman Anderson – Invoice for Meeting in Village Hall
10. YLCA – Training Programme 2014
11. RMBC – Presentations from the Parish Network Meeting
12. RMBC – Parish Meeting
13. Councillor White – Budget Meeting
14. Various Councillors – War Memorial
15. Councillor Gregory – Tidy Todwick
16. Various Councillors – Further to Draft October Council Meeting Minutes
17. RMBC – Electoral Register Notice of Alteration: 1 November 2013
18. Voluntary Action Rotherham – Email Bulletin 31: 1st November 2013
19. Councillor Gregory – Tidy Todwick
20. Sheila Pantry and Various Councillors – December Edition of “The Informer”
21. RMBC – Streetpride Complaints
22. RMBC – Money Matters Online Budget Consultation
23. Sheila Pantry – Todwick Summer Events 2014 Budget
24. Various Councillors – Hobson Invoice and Chesterfield Canal Trust Membership
25. RMBC – Money Matters Consultation Event: 13th November 2013
26. RMBC – Report on Highway Condition
27. YLCA – Training Events in November
28. Sheila Pantry – Chesterfield Canal and Todwick Plantings
29. Councillor Northall – War Memorial Cheque
30. Councillor Greer-Waring – Budget Meeting
31. Councillor Ferris – Village Maintenance
32. RMBC – Streetpride Complaints
33. Sheila Pantry – Report on Highways Condition
34. RMBC – Streetpride Complaints
35. RMBC – Area Housing Panel Minutes
36. Sheila Pantry – Todwick Website
37. Councillor White – Defibrillator Case
38. Voluntary Action Rotherham – Email Bulletin 32: 8th November 2013
39. Chesterfield Canal Trust – E Newsletter Number 57
40. RMBC – Report on Highways Condition
41. Norman Anderson – Village Hall Accounts
42. RMBC – Parish Meeting
43. Woodsetts Parish Council – Parish Meeting
44. Harthill with Woodall Parish Council and Thorpe Salvin Parish Council – Parish Meeting
45. Anston Parish Council – Parish Meeting
46. RMBC – Weekly Planning List
47. Councillor White – Money Matters Online Budget Consultation
48. Dinnington St John’s Parish Council – Parish Meeting
49. RMBC – Transport Issues
50. YLCA – Co-op Bank
51. Voluntary Action Rotherham – Development Opportunity for Staff or Volunteers
52. Councillors Gregory and White – RMBC Cheque
53. Emma Scott, Community Defibrillation Officer – Defibrillator Cabinet
54. Councillors Greer-Waring and White – Defibrillator Cabinet
55. YLCA – Training Events in November
56. HMRC – Real Time Reporting Problems
57. Various Councillors – October Minutes
58. Councillor White – Storth Lane
59. RMBC – Storth Lane, Todwick
60. Gregory and Northall – Bus Services
61. Councillor White – Parish Meeting
62. Councillor White – Cheques (various)
63. Jenni Walker – Cheques
64. Norman Anderson – Village Hall Emergency Plan
65. Various Councillors – Real Time Reporting Problems
66. Councillor Greer-Waring – Defibrillator
67. Councillor Greer-Waring – Improved X5 Bus Service between Dinnington and Sheffield
68. Councillor Ferris – Bus Services
69. YLCA – Information Note for week ending 15 November 2013
70. Voluntary Action Rotherham – Email Bulletin 33: 15th November 2013
71. Richard Bowe – Garden and Property Maintenance
72. Councillor Pantry – Richard Bowe Garden and Property Maintenance
73. Councillor Hill – War Memorial
74. Councillor Gregory – Street Sweeping
75. RMBC – Condition of Storth Lane, Todwick
76. Norman Anderson – Cracks in Village Hall
77. Councillor Greer-Waring – Accommodation Arrangements for Budget Meeting
78. Various Councillors and Sheila Pantry – Various E-mails Village Issues and Petition
79. Sheila Pantry – Questions following November Budget Meeting
80. Sheila Pantry – Informer Pieces of News
81. Councillors Gregory and White – War Memorial
82. Sheila Pantry –Village Issues and Resignation from Editorship of “The Informer”
83. Various Councillors and Sheila Pantry – Budget Minutes 19 Nov 2013
84. RMBC – December Area Assembly
85. Councillor Gregory – Bowling Club (x2)
86. YLCA – Training Events
87. Voluntary Action Rotherham – An Audience with Ourselves, 28th November 2013
88. NALC Chairman – Council Tax Benefit Support Grant
89. Norman Anderson – Thomas Hudson Art
90. Voluntary Action Rotherham – Email Bulletin 34: 22nd November 2013
91. Councillor Greer-Waring – Possible Computer Virus
92. Understanding Modern Government – Effective Bid Writing
93. Sheila Pantry –Road Sweeping/Cleaning on Monday 25 November
94. RMBC – Crime Reduction Update
95. Various Councillors – Budget Minutes 19 Nov 2013 and Reply
96. Councillor Ferris – Permission to Carry out Vermin Control (x2)
97. Councillor Leah – New Emergency Plan

13/101 PLANNING APPLICATIONS

1. RB2013/1427

   Two storey side & single storey rear extension (amendment to RB2013/1121) at 32 Kiveton Lane for Mr. A Thomas.

   Resolved to offer no objection.

2. RB2013/1461

   Application to fell 1 No. oak tree protected by RMBC Tree Preservation Order No. 3, 1971 at 7 Horbiry End for Mrs N Beal

   Resolved to offer no objection.

13/102 COMMITTEES

Allotments

Ferris was seeking quotations for the hedging and other works, including the laying of suitable material to improve the condition of the roadway. Following the Clerk’s suggestion he would enquire whether it might be possible to obtain road planings when these were removed as part of the A57 Improvement Scheme now underway.

Requests had been received from two individuals wishing to shoot rabbits and other vermin at the allotment site. The individuals were adequately insured for the purpose.

Resolved to defer any decision on the shooting but to accept the Chairman’s offer of the use of ferrets to remove the offending animals.

Ferris had turned the water supply off for the winter period.

The meeting was suspended at 8.00 p.m.

OPEN SESSION

1. Mrs. Tame expressed her thanks and those of other bowling club members to Councillor Gregory and other Parish Council Members who had been instrumental in ensuring necessary changes to the membership criteria, which had now been introduced. This was resulting in increased membership and the ability to enter teams in more leagues.

2. Over 30 members of the public were in attendance. They had come to expresses their objections and seek the Parish Council’s support in also objecting to the latest proposals to reduce local bus services.

   A Rotherham Bus Partnership consultation process was underway to which responses had to be received by the 2nd December.

   There was concern that there would be no direct link with Sheffield which was vital to access major treatment centres such as the Hallamshire, Northern General and Western Park hospitals.

   There would be no direct link:

   • To access Rotherham Hospital from Todwick and Harthill which was absolutely vital.
   • With the Meadowhall shopping complex.
   • With Dinnington shopping area, library and bank.

   One gentleman had used a taxi from Todwick to Rotherham Hospital at a cost of £20 return which was cost prohibitive for anyone having to attend regularly. He had also used a taxi from Todwick to his doctor’s surgery at a cost of £8 return.

   Comment was made that South Anston had a similar population to Todwick yet had some 24 buses running through the village, far in excess of the number travelling through Todwick.

   It was suggested that one of the four Number X5 buses per hour normally travelling through South Anston could be diverted back into Todwick and that two of every three Number 27 buses could go to Crystal Peaks with one diverted to collect passengers in Todwick and Harthill.

   Glenda Thorpe commented that because Todwick had few facilities, it was necessary for people to use the buses to shop. However the shopping could be heavy and consequently journeys had to be made 2/3 times per week to enable them to carry their purchases.

   Pauline Turner commented that she used to work in Sheffield and regularly used the X5. This formally ran from Dinnington, Aston and Todwick then straight onto the Motorway to Meadowhall and Sheffield Pond Street. This was a well used service that people used and must have been commercially viable yet this too had been was stopped. She would like to know why. SYPTE could find enough buses to run a service on the Sheffield/Doncaster route every 9 minutes.

   Mr. and Mrs. Housley referred to a petition with 83 signatures on it which they asked the Parish Council to submit by the deadline date.

3. Mr. Rusling had been made aware of proposed road closures on Kiveton Lane and Goosecarr Lane in connection with the A57 Improvement Scheme and enquired whether the Parish Council had received notification of these.

   Clerk was able to say that no such notification had been received from the Borough Council although Borough Councillor Watson had informed of this earlier at the meeting.

The Open Session Closed at 8.50 p.m.

Village Hall

Greer-Waring reported that there was now a full complement of trustees. In addition to herself as Chairman, Tony Rusling had been elected Vice-Chairman, Jenny Foulds the Secretary and Norman Anderson the Treasurer. The Christmas Fayre would be held on Saturday 7th December.

Recreation Ground

Chairman would collect the damaged sign from the children’s playground and have this repaired. He would also progress the repair of the entrance gates to the recreation ground.

Gregory referred to display boards showing proposals for the provision of a new sports and community building on the site of the existing football pavilion. It was now clear that funding the previously preferred option and the one for which planning permission had been obtained was no longer financially viable. Instead he proposed that the existing brick-built pavilion be extended and improved.

The proposal was seconded.

Resolved not to pursue the erection of a modular building but to seek planning permission to extended and improve the existing football pavilion and to submit grant applications to any potential funding body to enable this to be progressed.

Gregory would be sharing this information with user groups and meet with builders to obtain competitive quotations.

13/103 PARISH PLAN ACTION PLAN

1. Leah had been engaged on the preparation of grant applications for the sports pavilion and the preparation of a new emergency plan. Once these had been submitted she would concentrate on pursuing the issues related to provision of chiropody and physiotherapy services in the village. It would be helpful if she were to receive her own copy of the electoral roll and any updates.

   Clerk would make the necessary arrangements for a copy of the electoral roll and updates to be sent to Councillor Leah by the Borough Council.

2. White had been in discussion with Mr. Chris McKee at Wales high School concerning the possible establishment of a youth parish council. He was to represent the Parish Council at the School’s Award Ceremony on the coming Friday. He hoped to be able to discuss the issues further and would also be seeking advice from the Clerk to Aston Parish Council where a youth council was already in being.

13/104 MEMBER’S ACTIVITY REPORTS

1. Greer-Waring informed that the defibrillator training would be held at 6.30 p.m. on the 12th December.

13/105 WAR MEMORIAL

There were no matters to discuss.

13/106 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE AND INSTALLATION OF SEATS AROUND THE VILLAGE

1. White had received nothing further concerning the five seats in the Church grounds. He was obtaining new seat slats and refurbishing the seat removed from the amenity area outside the village hall and would be re-siting this when appropriate. Together with Councillor Gregory he would be analyzing the options for the provision of picnic bench type seating at the play area at the recreation ground.

2. Discussion took place concerning the proposed increase to standards of village maintenance in 2014/15.

   Resolved

   • That a new specification for village maintenance be prepared and subsequently competitive quotations be sought for a three year period from April 2014.
   • That the Clerk ascertain whether Wales or Aston Parish Council might be prepared to offer their services recharged to Todwick Parish Council.

13/107 TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION MATTERS

1. The Borough Council had advised that:

   “At present officers were in the process of putting together a borough wide policy to ensure that all the requests received for reducing speed limits in residential areas to 20 mph were treated fairly and equally.

   This policy would be put before Cabinet Member shortly and would take into account a number of factors, including existing vehicle speeds, the presence of shopping areas, playgrounds, schools, and elderly persons housing, thus ensuring the needs of vulnerable of road users were taken into consideration.

   As 20 mph speed limits should ideally be self-enforcing, with little or no need for Police enforcement, the cost of measures to reduce vehicle speeds where necessary would also need to be taken into consideration.

   Following the meetings with Todwick Parish Councillors last year, and subsequent conversations, RMBC was aware of the support for the speed limit in Todwick being reduced, and would take this into account when undertaking assessments.

   Although the main roads through Todwick were already traffic calmed, additional measures might be required to reduce vehicle speeds to a level appropriate to 20 mph.

   With regard to the proposed “No Waiting at Any Time” restrictions around the junction of The Pastures and Kiveton Lane, the associated Traffic Regulation Orders had been forwarded to the Legal section who would initially arrange for them to be advertised in the press and on site and seal the order, subject to no objections being received.

   Any further details would be advised accordingly.”

   Clerk would express deep concern that the Borough Council had not informed the Parish Council of proposed road closures on Kiveton Lane and Goosecarr Lane.

2. Discussion took place concerning the problems being created on Kiveton Lane following the erection of timber bollards to the grass verges and consequent parking on the carriageway by the occupants of the frontage properties.

3. Resolved that the Clerk ask the Borough Council to replace the grass verge on the eastern side of Kiveton Lane, south of Lindley’s Croft with a purpose-built parking facility for residents.

13/108 VILLAGE HALL STRUCTURAL DEFECTS

Hill had advised Norman Anderson the Village Hall Treasurer concerning the defects in the brickwork. Mr. Anderson had subsequently written to the insurers.

13/109 BUS SERVICES

Resolved

1. That an appropriate sheet be included as an insert into “The Informer” about to be delivered in order to encourage as many parishioners as possible to respond to the consultation process put forward by the Rotherham Bus Partnership.
2. That the Clerk send a letter of objection to the Rotherham Bus Partnership and including the petition submitted to the Council.

13/110 URGENT ITEMS

1. Delivery of Rock Salt/Grit

   White had spoken with the Church Warden’s wife who had asked whether supplies of salt or grit could be obtained from the Borough Council. A supply was also required by the village hall in order to ensure the safety of those attending.

   Clerk would send a request to RMBC.

2. Editorship of “The Informer”

   Resolved that Councillor Greer-Waring edit “The Informer” with the support of all other councillors.

3. Response to War memorial and Village Maintenance Petition

   Clerk had recently sent an e-mail response to Sheila Pantry.

   Resolved that the reply sent by the Clerk was sufficient as it answered all the points raised.

Meeting Closed at 10.05 p.m.

The next Council Meeting will be in Todwick Village Hall at 7.00 p.m. on Tuesday 17th December 2013.