Agenda 13th November 2013

Highwood Parish Council 

66 Victoria Road, Writtle, Chelmsford CM1 3PA 

6 November 2013

 

To:      MEMBERS OF HIGHWOOD PARISH COUNCIL 

You are hereby summoned to attend a meeting of Highwood Parish Council to be held at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 13 November 2013 in the Village Hall, Loves Green, Highwood, to transact the business shown in the agenda. 

The press and public are welcome to be present.

Louise R Fuller

Clerk 

 

A G E N D A

 

1

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

 

To RECEIVE any apologies for absence.

 

 

2

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

 

 

To APPROVE the minutes of the meeting of the parish council held on 11 September 2013 as a correct record.

 

 

3

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

 

3.1

Councillors to DECLARE any disclosable or other pecuniary interest or other interest in any items on the agenda, in accordance with the adopted Code of Conduct.

Pecuniary or other interests should be declared at this time, or at any point in the meeting where they become apparent.

Councillors must inform the Monitoring Officer of Chelmsford City Council, via the Clerk, within 28 days of becoming aware of any change in their pecuniary or other interests.

 

3.2

DISPENSATIONS

To CONSIDER any requests for dispensation from the provisions of S31(4) of the Localism Act 2011.

S31(4) states that a member may not participate in any discussion or vote upon a matter, at the meeting, in which he/she has a disclosable pecuniary interest.

 

Requests for dispensation must be made in writing to the Clerk.

 

 

4

QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

 

To RECEIVE questions from members of the public.

 

In accordance with the agreed procedure public questions will be taken and shall be limited to a maximum of 15 minutes or such other period as may be determined by the Chairman of the meeting.

5

REPORTS

To RECEIVE brief reports on the following matters.

 

Chelmsford City Council

City Cllr N Chambers

 

Essex County Council

Cty Cllr J Aldridge

 

Police

Police representative

 

Village Agent

Brenda Smith

 

Play park, Edney Common

Cllr D Cameron

 

Village Hall

Cllr A Pipkin

 

Footpaths/Public Rights of Way

D Taylor

 

 

6

REPORT OF THE CLERK

 

To RECEIVE the report of the clerk

 

1

Purchase of land and buildings from CCC

i           The solicitor informs me that CCC is still completing the transfer of the pumping station to Anglian Water and until this is concluded, he has put any further work in abeyance. I have asked the solicitor if there is anything I can do to expedite matters.

ii           The borrowing approval for the loan to finance the purchase expires on 11 December 2013. An extension has been requested and granted to 31 October 2014.

 

 

2

 

The Nest

A resident expressed concern about tree felling on The Nest development site and I have asked CCC Tree Officer to investigate.

 

 

3

 

 

Allotment Rent

The rent of £70 for the allotment site at Radley Green has been demanded and payment made.

 

 

4

 

 

Local Highways Panel Schemes

New applications for the council’s three schemes which were previously on the list have been submitted.

 

 

5

Blocked water courses

The long-standing problem in Highwood Road at Church Farm has been reported to the Water Regulation section at ECC.

 

 

 

7

REQUEST FOR DOG BIN AND LITTER BIN IN WYSES ROAD

City Cllr Chambers has passed on a request from local residents for a dog bin and a litter bin to be placed in Wyses Road.

CCC was asked about the process for getting litter and dog bins and gave the following information.

Dog bins are installed and paid for by parish councils; they are emptied by CCC, whose Operational Department would assess the location to ensure it could be accessed by the vehicle.

Litter bins are installed and emptied by CCC, who would assess the area as to whether it has a litter problem, and if it decided to install a bin, would choose a location accessible for emptying. The department has asked whereabouts in Wyses Road the problem lies, and what sort of litter it is e.g. vehicle littering, some other type of litter.

 

The Council is ASKED how it wishes to proceed with these requests. It is possible that there may be other locations where dog and/or litter bins would be desirable but where the residents have not made their feelings known to the parish or city councillors.

 

 

 

8

FINANCE

 

8.1

 

Accounts for payment

To APPROVE the accounts for payment (list will be available at the meeting).

 

 

8.2

To NOTE the account balances as at 4 November 2013.

 

 

8.3

Annual Return 2013

The external auditor has completed the certificate for 2012/13 without qualification, but wishes to draw to the council’s attention the need to update the Financial Regulations in light of the use of on-line banking, and says that the council must take action to address this in a timely manner.

Completion of the audit has been advertised as is statutorily required.

 

 

9

 

HIGHWAY MATTERS REPORTED BY COUNCILLORS

1          Speeding Traffic (standing item)

2          From Cllr Horsnell: overhanging vegetation, Ingatestone Road; missing road signs; blocked drains

 

 

 

10

PARISH MAGAZINE

At the July meeting, the Council resolved:

“It was AGREED that the council would make a grant up to a maximum of £1,750 to cover the costs of the magazine over the year. The PCC must pay all the costs throughout the year (including editor’s costs). The grant would be payable on production of the accounts for the magazine.”

 

The Council’s Standing Orders say:

“A decision (whether affirmative or negative) of the Council shall not be reversed within six months except either by a special resolution, the written notice whereof bears the names of at least three members of the Council, or by a resolution moved in pursuance of the report or recommendation of a committee.”

 

A motion dated 15 October 2013 has been received signed by councillors Cameron, Merriday and Pipkin saying:

“We, the undersigned councillors, require that the current funding arrangements for printing of the parish magazine, be discussed at the first available opportunity.”

 

 

 

11

 

DRAFT BUDGET AND PRECEPT FOR 2014/15

See attached report.

 

 

12

 

 

COMMUNICATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE

To RECEIVE such communications and correspondence as the Clerk may place before the Council.

 

 

13

DISTRIBUTION BAG

Nothing received this month.

 

 

14

 

DOCUMENTS ON DEPOSIT

To RECEIVE notice of the following documents received by or deposited with the Clerk.

 

None.

 

 

15

PLANNING APPLICATIONS

 

a)

To NOTE the parish council’s comments made on planning applications between meetings.

 

None.

 

 

 

 

b)

To CONSIDER the following planning application

 

None.

 

 

 

 

 

c)

To CONSIDER any other planning applications received since the agenda was prepared.

 

 

 

 

 

d)

DECISIONS BY CHELMSFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL

To NOTE the following planning decisions by Chelmsford Borough Council.

 

 

 

GRANTED

 

 

 

App. no.

13/00881/FUL

 

 

Location

Riding Stables, Barrow Farm, Blackmore Road

 

 

Proposal

Demolition of 4 existing concrete stables and construction of 4 new wooden stables

 

 

 

 

 

 

App. no.

13/01075/FUL

 

 

Location

Budds Farmhouse, Ingatestone Road

 

 

Proposal

Demolition of existing dwelling and replacement house with new dwelling

 

 

 

 

 

 

REFUSED

 

 

 

App. no.

13/01160/FUL

 

 

Location

Richmond Cottage, Loves Green

 

 

Proposal

Dropped kerb and new access

 

 

 

 

 

e)

PLANNING CORRESPONDENCE

i           To NOTE any planning correspondence received and respond to             consultations as appropriate.

 

            None.

 

 

 

16

OTHER URGENT BUSINESS – for information only

To NOTE any matter of an urgent nature which a Member or the Clerk may wish to draw to the attention of the Council, and/or request to be included on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council.

 

Note: no decisions may be taken during this item as the required statutory notice of the business will not have been given.

 

 

17

DATE OF NEXT MEETING

7.30 p.m. Wednesday 8 January 2014

 

The Ladies Club normally meets in the village hall on the first Wednesday of the month. In 2014 this falls on New Year’s Day. The Club would like to move the meeting to the following Wednesday but this clashes with the parish council’s hall booking. The Council is ASKED if it is willing to meet in the foyer of the village hall on this occasion and allow the Ladies Club to use the hall.
               

AGENDA ITEM 11

DRAFT BUDGET AND PRECEPT 2014/15

 

The Council normally considers its budget requirements and sets its precept for the following financial year at the November meeting.

 

At present it is not known how much Localising Council Tax Support Grant will be given to the parish council by Chelmsford City Council, nor has there been any information about the possibility of the capping of parish councils’ precepts. Therefore at this time the parish council can set its requirement for 2014/15, bearing in mind that it might have to be revisited at the January meeting in the light of circumstances and further information.

 

Please see attached financial report showing last year’s receipts and payments, current year’s budgets, receipts and payments to date (30 November 2013), expected transactions for the remainder of the year, forecast totals at 31 March 2014, and draft budgets for 2014/15. I would caution that the projections are only a rough estimate.

 

The budgets for 2013/14 included an expectation that the property purchase with CCC would be concluded during the year, a loan would be drawn down to fund this, and interest would be paid on the loan. To date this has not yet happened. Even if the purchase is completed by 31 March 2014, no interest on the loan will be payable within the year. I propose that the amount budgeted for the interest in 2013/14, £3,120, should be transferred into earmarked reserves to start a fund for the purchase of play equipment for the site.

 

2014/15

The last three columns in the attached report show a draft budget for receipts and payments, without any precept; the same figures with a precept with no change (v1) and a precept increased by 2.5% (v2).

 

There is likely to be an increase in insurance costs next year as the buildings to be purchased will need to be insured, but no figure has been included for this. It will be met from general reserves.

 

The council is asked to consider the draft budgets, the information above, and any other options, and then to agree the council’s net requirement for 2014/15. The precept will be this amount, less the central government grant to be passed on from CCC. This is set subject to the possibility of a need to revisit the amount in January 2014 if circumstances dictate.