Minutes of Parish Council Meeting 21st February 2018
Sidlesham Parish Council
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting 21st February 2018 in the Church Hall, Church Farm Lane 7.30pm
Present: Mr M Mellodey (Chairman), Mrs C Ranjbar, Mrs C Hall, Mrs M Monnington, Mr P Bedford and Mr A Harland, Cllr P Montyn (WSCC), Cllr P Tull (CDC), 7 members of the public and the Clerk, Mrs T MacIntyre.
Members of the council and the public were informed that the evening’s meeting would be recorded.
Mr Mellodey announced the resignation of Mrs Pound from the Parish Council. The Clerk has accepted her resignation, informed CDC, put a notice on each board informing the public of the vacancy and outlining the procedure to be followed should ten members of the parish wish an election to be held. If no request for an election is received within 14 working days, the PC will advertise the vacancy and invite nominations from candidates wishing to stand for co-option to the PC. Mrs Pound’s letter of resignation had been circulated to councillors and Mr Mellodey will reply. Councillors concurred with Mr Mellodey that, despite this having been a particularly busy time, this Council is a good, co-operative working group.
1 Questions from the public present at the meeting on subjects other than those on the agenda. None
2. Apologies for Absence: Mrs U Pearce and Dr F Lewis
3. Declarations by councillors of personal interests in items on this agenda. None
4. Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 17th January 2018 to be signed as a correct record. Mr Harland proposed and Mrs Hall seconded that the minutes be signed. All agreed.
5. Matters arising from the above minutes not dealt with in separate items below. None.
6. WSCC Councillor:
6.1 Cllr Montyn informed the PC that WSCC has voted through its budget for 2018/19, giving an increase of 4.95% on the County Council element (80%) of the council tax. Together with the increases in the District (10%) and Police (10%) budgets, parishioners can expect an increase of approximately 5% on their council tax.
6.2 The next A27 Workshop will be held on 15th March 2018. Mr Mellodey sought reassurance that the consultants will investigate all options, including routes north of the city, in their study and that the large number of new building projects along the A27 corridor will be taken into consideration. Cllr Montyn assured the PC that a large number of options is being looked into; those will be narrowed down to a short list nearer the closing date. The expansion of building on the A27 will be fed into the consultant’s working model, as will the Local Plan and the future expansion of the Local Plan. The final Workshop is scheduled for April 2018, and WSCC hopes to have a final report for approval by the Workgroup by late May/early June.
6.3 Flooding on Anchor Bend. There will be a meeting with CDC Environmental Health, WSCC Highways and Southern Water on 26th February. Southern Water will pump out the drains and hopes to find the source of the problem. Mr Bedford will attend the meeting.
6.4 Toucan Crossing for Hunston. Councillors had read that Hunston is to have a new toucan crossing over the B2145. Sidlesham PC has applied to Highways on several occasions for a pedestrian crossing on the B2145, either on the Anchor Bend or at Keynor Lane. Its requests have been refused. Sidlesham will write to Highways again to ask them to look once more at how a crossing could be achieved. Cllr Montyn requested that the PC keep him informed.
7. CDC Councillor:
Cllr Tull informed the PC that CDC’s increase on council tax will be £5 on a band D property. The total council tax increase for band D property throughout the District, including WSCC and the police increases, will be approximately £79. Cllr Tull reported that CDC’s finances are in a good position.
The Enterprise Centre on Terminus Road, built by CDC at a cost of £6m, hopes to create around 275 new jobs. It will be opened on Friday, 23rd February. These units will be for start-up businesses. It will be run by a private company but owned by the District Council.
A new exhibition is coming to the Novium on the history of board games. The new curator has been recruited from the V&A and it is hoped she will bring new ideas to the museum.
Cllr Tull has contacted WSCC Highways on several occasions regarding the traffic lights on the Stockbridge roundabout. They have been marginally improved but are still unsatisfactory.
8. Memorial Playing Field
8.1 SCA Questionnaire. The questionnaire is being finalised by AiRS and will be sent out next week. Parishioners will be able to respond electronically as well as by post.
8.2 Request from Football Club for use of Memorial Playing Field for event. The Chairman of the FC, who was present at the meeting, stated that he had been approached by the Yamaha v Max Motor Club to ask if the PC might agree to the Club holding their next event, between 12th and 15th July 2018, on the Memorial Playing Field. This has been an annual event to raise money for the Sussex Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance Service. It would be attended by approximately 100 people and is expected to raise up to £5,000 for charity. The PLI will be covered by the Club and the FC will supply the Clerk with a copy of their insurance. Accommodation will be in tents between the clubhouse and the orchard and playground. All Sidlesham parishioners would be welcome at the event. The PC had no objection in principle and Mr Mellodey will discuss details (including parking arrangements) with the FC committee.
8.3 MPF Workgroup update. Notes from the last MPF Workgroup meeting had been circulated to councillors. The next meeting will be in late March. A member of the MPF Workgroup will incorporate information gained from the questionnaire in his draft business plan. The PC will discuss the business plan and the results of the questionnaire together at the April PC meeting.
8.4 Hedge on southern boundary. A contractor has planted more of the hedge trees.
9. Highways, footpaths and cycleways.
9.1 Selsey/Chichester Commuter Cycle route. The project is making progress and looking positive. The southern section has been largely approved, subject to funding from STOMP. WSCC has requested submission of the final route by the end of March. The cycle route will incorporate several existing footpaths. There will be a presentation on the clearance of land opposite Rookery Lane at its junction with the B2145. This land, once cleared could form part of the route. However, consent will be needed from Church Commissioners and the tenant farmer of the land. Cllr Montyn requested information on the proposed cycle route; Mr Bedford will forward the map.
9.2 B2145/B2201 junction – possible roundabout.
Mr Bedford will push for WSCC to consider the proposal.
9.3 Bus Shelter north of Lockgate Road. A parishioner had reported on the flooding at the bus shelter. He had enquired whether the PC might raise the concrete platform to keep those at the shelter out of the water. Mr Bedford reported that the curb on the side of the road has worn away and recommended that, firstly, the PC request that a Highways Engineer look into reinstating the curb. The PC had been informed that Sidlesham’s S106 money would be allocated for the repair of road curbs and questioned whether it could be used for this section of the road. Mrs Hall suggested the installation of a barrier on the road side of the shelter to prevent lorries from driving over the curb.
9.4 Letter from parishioner re speeding on B2145. The parishioner had recorded one HGV every 10 minutes driving through the village at well over the speed limit between midnight and 5 am. The Clerk is exchanging emails with the police but has not had an encouraging response. The Clerk will write to the Town Clerk of Selsey to enquire if she knows whose HGVs they might be.
9.5 Finger post and bollards at junction of Highleigh and Ham Roads. A parishioner had complained to the Clerk about the broken finger post and the condition of the bollards on the corner of Highleigh and Ham Roads. The Clerk had contacted Highways who carried out a site visit; the bollards are still standing satisfactorily, albeit not very straight, and will not be replaced. With regard to the finger post, a parishioner at the meeting very generously offered to cover the cost of the new arm of the finger post. The Clerk will arrange for the arm to be replaced.
10. Assets and Amenities Workgroup
10.1 Barrier Gate at MPF. The Clerk has requested but not yet received a quotation for reseating the left hand post of the barrier gate which is insecure following collisions by vehicles. The additional sign hanging from the barrier has been removed.
11. General Data Protection Regulations. The Clerk had attended a SSALC course on new data protection legislation coming into effect on 25th May. She had circulated her report. The Clerk must invite a data protection auditor to make an initial assessment and the PC must appoint an external auditor to audit the Clerk’s computer and files at least once a year. In addition, Councillors must all, in future, set up a dedicated email address for PC work. An invitation had been extended to councillors to attend a course on 26th February 2018; no councillors were available to attend. The Clerk was asked to look into arranging another date for a briefing for councillors.
12. Finance
12.1 Income
12.1.1 HMRC (VAT return) £4,127.26
12.2 Payments
12.2.1 Sidlesham PCC (Clerk’s Sidlesham Parishioner) £7.00
12.2.2 Play Inspection Company (annual inspection of playground) £210.00
12.2.3 T MacIntyre (January salary) £504.16
12.2.4 SSALC (Clerk’s course on Data Protection) £57.60
Mr Harland proposed and Mrs Monnington seconded that items 12.1.1 to 12.2.4 be taken en bloc. All agreed.
12.3 Approve statement of expenditure against budget.
A statement of the PC’s expenditure against budget for 2017-18 to date had been circulated. All approved the statement.
12.4 The Clerk had circulated a quotation from KCJ Trees for cutting back the trees on the Memorial Playing Field drive. The cost was accepted by all councillors.
16. Reports. None
17. Correspondence. None
18. Matters of urgent public importance. Items raised will stand deferred until the next meeting.
18.1 Manhood Wildlife & Heritage Group/ has submitted an application to WSCC for Operation Watershed funding to drain land opposite Rookery Lane. There is to be a presentation on the project in Sidlesham, date to be confirmed.
18.2 Mrs Hall asked Mr Bedford if progress had been made with a Village/Neighbourhood Plan. Mr Bedford stated that the PC should make a decision on which plan it will write at the March PC meeting and it was suggested that the matter be an item for the Annual Parish Meeting Agenda when the PC will formally ask for volunteers.
19. Matters of Information. A parishioner informed the PC that workmen with two vans and a flatbed lorry are working on Keynor Lane near the junction with the B2145. They appeared to be working on the drains but were not from Southern Water. The parishioner was advised to ring the police and the Clerk was asked to contact Southern Water to ask that they investigate.
Meeting closed at 9.30 pm
