Withington Group Parish Council
Meeting Held on Wednesday 8th November 2023
At 7.30pm in Withington Village Hall
M I N U T E S
Present: In the Chair: Kevin Hewison (KH); Jonathan Beech (JB); Tom Nellist (TN); Barclay Rogers (BR); Kevin Powders (KP); Bob Rudd (BR); Judith Howe (JH); Ralph Barber (RB):
Also: Sophie Glover (Clerk), Paul Andrews (PA – prospective Cllr); Hilary Holden (HH – prospective cllr); Terry Griffiths (from 7.45pm)
The Meeting opened at 7.30pm
1. Public open session: 10 minutes was allowed from 7.30pm for members of the public to raise any issues that they would like the Parish Council to consider.
There were no members of the public present who had any thing to raise.
2. To accept Apologies for absence – Ingrid Heatly (IH); Howard Mansell (HM); Julie Williams (JW);
John Bennett (JBe); Simon Dent (SD); Sue Rudd (SR); Ivan Powell (Ward Cllr) is still absent through illness.
3. Co-option of councillors:
Paul Andrews was nominated as a co-opted councillor.
Proposed: RB Seconded: JB All present were in favour.
Also nominated was Hilary Holden to be a co-opted councillor.
Proposed: TN Seconded: JB All present were in favour
Action: Clerk to inform electoral services of the appointment of the new councillors.
4. To receive Declaration of Interests.
None received
5. Acceptance of minutes of the:-
Sept 2023 PC meeting minutes
Proposed: KH Seconded: TN All were in favour.
They were duly accepted as a true record of the meetings.
Action Points from previous meetings.
Have been completed or are on this agenda.
6. Open discussion/public forum
6.1 Report from Ward Councillor – Cllr Ivan Powell had been taken ill after the September meeting and is currently out of action. Clerk to contact Herefordshire Council to find out who should be representing the PC.
6.2 Local police –None in attendance.
6.3 Balfour Beatty – Information sheets come out monthly and cllrs can comment on them.
7. Planning –
7.1 Applications: To consider comments on applications to be determined by Herefordshire Council as listed below or on the Herefordshire Council Planning website prior to the meeting:-
190809 – Re application for Land at Cross Keys Inn: Residential development of 5 buildings.
Comment: The WGPC has no further comment to make.
233129 – The Mill House, Cross Keys: approval of condition 2.
Comment: is not required at this time.
233090 – Withington Primary School; Proposed construction of a Hygiene Room and construction for the relocation of the school office.
Comment: WGPC supports this application
233170 – Stone House Farm, Withington; Proposed agricultural manure storage building.
Comment: WGPC has no comment.
233183 – Lower Farm, Westhide; Prior notification; alterations to storage of animal feed and machinery store.
Comment: is not required at this time.
232465 – Land at unit 10, Whitestone Business Park. Two railway carriages to be used as a café.
Comment: This is moving the business park away from its original use, but it was felt that it will be providing some employment opportunities. WGPC has no comment on this application.
Previous application at Land West of Townsend Farmhouse Westhide (application number P230493) Proposed residential conversion of a Dutch barn…Developers have now knocked down the original barn which was to be retained on the planning application. Clerk to verify with the planning department that this is allowed.
Action: clerk to submit all of the above the comments.
7.2 Planning decisions made: None.
8. Working Parties
a) on A4103/A465 KH was due to meet with Andrew Huston and Greg Speller from Hereford Council to discuss the S106 payments of approximately £130,000. Due to very poor weather this meeting did not happen, but a discussion was held online where the possible use of the S106 being added to other grants to improve the access to the rear of the school was suggested. However, nothing has been put in writing to the Parish Council. Hereford Council want to meet before Christmas to discuss this further.
Action: PA to join KH and KP at the next meeting to push for action after such an unreasonable delay. Clerk to set up the next meeting.
KH also followed up the S106 monies could be used for improvements to WF rather than maintenance.
b) traffic calming in Withington and school access
As above.
c) Withington Field working group(WFWG) : KP informed the meeting that the play area had undergone an official inspection and a risk assessment was drawn up and shared with the working group and the lengthsman. There are two items that are currently judged to be ‘at risk’. These are the ‘slide’ and the ‘maypole’. It was proposed and resolved with all in favour that :- Dangerous items will be closed off – for the Maypole this means that the swings have already been removed so that it is not useable at the moment. The Lengthsman will fence off the slide and the team will remove the metal ‘slide’ poles. WFWG will look at alternative play structures to put on the site instead.
The sand pit area:- it was discussed on site and resolved to bring to the PC that a picket fence be put around it to corral smaller children and to ensure that dogs did not use the sandpit as a toilet. The cllrs were in approval of this idea.
Action: lengthsman tasked to take the ‘slide’ out of action. Clerk to put a message on the website and social media saying items are out of action. Lengthsman to quote to put a fence around the sand pit, toddler slide and baby swings.
9 Withington Fields – including update on the football pitches.
Bartestree Football club have identified a mole problem. They asked for permission to bring in a mole catcher at £10 a mole. All were in agreement for this to happen.
Action: Clerk to inform Bartestree FC that they can engage the mole catcher. Also the lengthsman offered his mechanic to look at why the mower isn’t working, clerk to pass on his contact details to Bartestree.
10. Financial:
a. Balances
Public Sector Deposit Fund (31.10.23) £ 19,725.34
Lloyds Parish Acct (21.09.23) £ 31,710.82
Lloyds Withington Field Acct (22.09.23) £ 5,912.96 £57,349.12
b. Cheques to be paid
Parish Acct:- Already paid
Clerks Salary Oct £722.63
Nov £ 722.63
July salary cheque did not clear £ 722.63
Clerks Expenses Oct £32.29
Nov £ 40.24
July expenses cheque did not clear £ 38.29 £ 1,523.79
Terry Griffiths – Invoice TGC2435 £ 240.00
Invoice TGC2438B £ 528.00
Invoice TGC2439 £ 264.00
Invoice TGC2463 £ 264.00
Invoice TGC 2464 £ 3,360.00 £ 4,656.00
Invoice TGC2377 £ 1,176.00
Withington Village Hall Sept £ 14.00
Oct £ 20.00 £ 34.00
Eyelid productions – website hosting £ 100.00
£ 7,741.79
Withington Field Acct:- Already paid
J Smith litter picker expenses Oct £ 120.00
Nov £ 67.50
Countrywide Grass Cutting inv 536528 £ 198.00
Withington Village Hall Muga electrics £ 100.04
Terry Griffiths
Inv 2384 £ 48.00
inv 2404 £ 48.00
inv 2405 £ 68.40
inv 2418 £ 360.00
inv 2419 £1,226.40
inv 2427 £ 66.00
inv 2429 £ 48.00
inv 2461 £ 48.00
Inv 2462 £ 150.00 £ 2,062.80 £ 2,428.34
Total cheques: £10,170.13
Internal Transfer: None
It was moved that all cheques should be paid.
Proposed: KH Seconded:JH All cllrs were in favour of making the payments.
c. Receipts:
Interest on Savings account: £78.41
Second half of precept £16,000
d. Application for Financial Aid: None
e. Discussion on the draft budget.
It was proposed that the Finance committee should meet in December with the WF working group on Dec 13th. to go through the budget in detail and bring their recommendations to the January meeting for signing off on the precept. WF working group to discuss the cost of the development work that needs to be done on Withington Field next financial year so it is represented in the budget.
11. Lengthsman Scheme – identification of jobs for the lengthsman.
Lengthsman was tasked with taking down the slide bars and fencing off the whole item.
Drainage work has been completed and more to be done in all of the parishes.
Over grown hedges at Vine Tree Cottage and at Orchard House.
The lengthsman was also asked if he knew about the removal of the brown church sign from the signpost by Bank House, by person or persons unknown. This sign had been present for many years without any problems. The lengthsman had noticed that it was missing but he did not know any more about it.
Action: Clerk to tell the locality steward about the hedges. Clerk to go through Molly at BB to set up a meeting with him. Brown sign for the church has disappeared in the last week, clerk to contact HC to investigate further.
12. Foot paths officers reports
PW: BR is meeting with Terry Griffiths on Friday to look at the access to the church that is proposed to have a gate to replace a stile.
WH: Nothing to report.
W’ton:Nothing to report.
13. Tree Warden report – Nothing to report.
14. Proposal to adopt Councillor .gov email addresses There was interest in this, clerk is going to send out an email asking which cllrs would be interested in taking up this email option and then to get them arranged.
15. Any comments on correspondence received: including discussion on speeding restriction on C1130
Cllrs agreed that this is a dangerous road. Bartestree need to be consulted to see how they will respond.
Action: clerk to ask the question of Bartestree Parish Clerk.
16. Feedback on any training or meetings attended: Including the S106 update meeting. Nothing to add.
17. Items for Facebook Site and / or social media for WGPC: items out of order in the playground. Broken sensor at the pavilion means that there wont be a light in there this winter.
18. Receive items for the next agenda (no discussion) Precept. Clerks Salary. WGPC computer.
19. Agreed time and date of next meeting: 10th January 2024 starting at 7.30pm With an additional meeting of the Finance Committee and Withington Field working group on Dec 13th at 7.30pm
The meeting closed at 8.50pm
Signed: _________________________ Date: _________________
Dates for 2022/3 meetings:
2024 Meeting dates
10th January 7.30 pm start
13th March 7.30 pm start
8th May Annual Meeting 7pm start
3rd July 7.30pm start
11th September 7.30pm start
13th November 7.30pm start