Minutes - April 2024
CROWTON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of Crowton Parish Council meeting held on
Tuesday 9th April 2024 at Crowton Village Hall
2023
Present Cllr Ralph Oultram (Chair) (RO) Cllr Richard Thorne (Vice Chair) (RT)
Cllr Joel Rutter (JR) Cllr Jenny Currie (JC) Cllr Roger Hammond (RH) Cllr Bob Stubbs (BS)
Cllr Thomas Stott (TS) following co-option.
Ward Councillor Lynn Stocks (LS)
Clerk - T Whitlow (TW)
23/122 Apologies for Absence were received & accepted from:
Ward Councillor Phil Rimmer
23/123 Declarations of Members’ Interests: none
23/124 Approve Minutes The minutes of the Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 12th March 2024 were approved & signed by the Chair.
23/125 Public Participation: none
23/126 Ward Councillors reports:
Due to purdah limited information this month.
LS informed the PC that members budgets would be re-opened on 08/05/24
LS has had complaints of shipping containers on land on Crewood Common, this has been forwarded to planning enforcement.
23/127 Matters arising from the previous minutes – unless an agenda item:
Noticeboard: due the PC using one side of the notice board for parish council information members of the public are finding it a little difficult to put all their notices/posters on the notice board. Resolved to monitor for a few months.
23/128 Co-Option Policy:
Circulated prior to the meeting. Reviewed. Resolved to adopt the Co-Option Policy. TW to add to files and website. TW
23/129 Co-Option of a Councillor:
A member of the public had come forward for co-option – his details had been circulated.
RO proposed that Thomas Stott be co-opted as a councillor for Crowton Parish Council, seconded by BS. Cllr Thomas Stott signed his acceptance of office and joined the remainder of the PC meeting.
23/130 Correspondence:
The PC have received a resignation of office from Ross McCrickerd.
The PC wish to thank Ross for all his work as a councillor, and as an active member of the parish, before leaving the Hare & Hounds last week, and wish him well for the future. TW to write to Ross thanking him.
TW has contacted the election office to advise and will advertise the vacancy on the notice board.
23/131 Accounts/Financial:
1. Cash book as at 31.0324 approved.
2. Bank reconciliation 31.03.24 approved.
3. Payments for approval.
ChALC membership invoice £141.74
Clerks salary April
Centre Wire – gate closers for MG £135.00
Refund RO for post & rails for the MG @£100 – RO wishes to donate this to the PC/MG. The PC thanked RO for his contribution.
Payment ratified to TW of £102.35 being the difference of the annual insurance paid by TW and the repayment from TW of the Barclays compensation that was paid to her personally by Barclays.
4. Receipts
No income received during March.
5. Audit
Resolved to certify as Exempt from an External Audit as turnover for 2023-24 was less than £25K
23/132 Clerk Update:
Year-end work nearly completed, TW will deliver to the Internal auditor and complete the Paperwork for the AGAR.
23/133 Highways:
1. TW having written to Highways regarding the traffic measures for carrying out the work to the fence on the MG and combining with their work to the culvert- has received a response stating that the work is scheduled for summertime when the streams are low, but sadly this is not on this summer’s schedule. This means it is likely to be summer 2025 before this work is carried out – if the culvert does not collapse in the meantime.
2. Following the road closure on Ainsworth Lane/Crewood Common and the redirection of traffic the roads are in a worst state than ever. TW has contacted Highways, but no response received yet. TW to chase up.
3. TW to contact the Cuddington clerk regarding overgrown hedges & trees on the right of Bag Lane, travelling towards Cuddington, just over the border with Cuddington.
4. HGV’s are still using Bag Lane/Bent Lane on a regular basis. Whilst the PC acknowledge that all HGV’s are not travelling to or from Forresters, but from the lorry identification a large number are. TW to contact Forresters again to request they ask their hauliers to use the main roads and not country lanes. TW
23/134 Millennium Green:
1. Volunteers will be back at the MG on 21/05/24, where they will modify the gate latches and other work to be decided.
2. Re-development work: Following the meeting RO, RT & JC had with the contractors new quotes have been received for the pathway. This exceeds the original quote considerably, due to the amount of work now required. The pH neutral gritstone required is expensive (can’t use crush & run as the lime would wash out into the stream). Quotes are circa £10k+VAT but if preferred contractor works on a day rate plus materials this may reduce. Following discussion, and vote it was Resolved to ask the preferred contractor to carry out the work on a day rate but not exceeding the quote price when the weather dries up sufficiently. The inner fencing has been repaired and the gateway has been moved, accessible latches will be added soon. The outer boundary roadside fence cannot be completed until CWAC attend to the culvert work as mentioned above. The PC hope to carry out the work in line with the culvert work (23/133.1)
23/135 Planning:
24/00733/LDC- Spring Bank Farm Ainsworth Lane Crowton: Application to confirm full residential existing use of the single storey property – Reviewed The PC are aware that the property has been in existence for a number of years, so no comment required.
24/00868/FUL - Little Steading 1 Church Walk Crowton Proposal: Two storey front and side extension, erection of rear second storey balcony, alterations to windows and doors, realignment of driveway. Reviewed with no objections
21/03527/FUL 23/03218/FUL, Little Brook Farm: TW has had no feedback from the LPA
23/136 Asset Maintenance & Register.
1. Diseased trees- JC has followed this up with Environmental Protection at CWaCC, they have replied stating they prioritise work to those with significant environmental impact only and so regret that they cannot take our concerns further. The affected trees have been removed as per the tree assessment plan.
2. War Memorial Fence - TW was to check with resigned Cllr. Deferred to next month.
23/137 Community Resilience Group:
1. JC has sent a draft copy of the Resilience plan to the Joint Emergency Plan Team, who have added extra information – JC to work through this.
2. EA were to contact resigned Cllr regarding changes to the stream around the Hare & Hounds, this will now have to wait until there is a new tenant.
3. Resigned Cllr was the custodian for the Defib at the Hare & Hounds TW & JC to complete new details for contact, and to monitor the defib until a new tenant is at the H&H who may wish to do this.
4. TW advised that defibs should now have a telephone number on them. If they are used and are transferred to an ambulance with patient, it makes it easier for them to be returned from a hospital. JC
23/138 Items for next agenda:
MG- works progress. AGAR. Councillor Vacancy
23/139 Date of next meeting. Tuesday 14th May 2024 at Crowton Village Hall.