TILLINGTON PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY
30TH NOVEMBER 2009 IN THE VILLAGE HALL AT 7.00 PM
PRESENT: Mr H Rolfe (Chairman) Mrs S Greenwell,
Mr C Drake, Mr B Graves, Mr I Brooks,
Mr R Sneller, Mr R Shapland and
Mrs F Rhys-Evans.
Mr C Duncton (County Councillor)
CLERK:Mrs J Huggett.
1.APOLOGIES were received from Mr A Johnstone and Mrs E Lintill (District Councillor).
2.MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
The minutes of the meeting held on Monday 28th September, having been circulated, it was proposed by Mr Drake, seconded by Mr Sneller, that they be passed and signed.
3.MATTERS ARISING
(a) Car Parking Charges: A short discussion followed on car parking charges which will be decided by the District Council next month.
(b) BT Phone Boxes: The Chairman said he had nothing further to report, save that Mr Gresham-Cooke had reported that the light in the phone box at Tillington was not working. As no calls had been made from there during the last year it was agreed the matter should not be pursued with BT.
(c) South Downs National Park: Mr Drake said the definitive boundaries have been decided on but it has still not been agreed as to how many members there will be on the board. There are five Councillors’ names in so far, he would like his name to go forward but this has to be agreed by the Parish Council. It was proposed by Mrs Greenwell, seconded by Mr Shapland, and unanimously agreed that Mr Drake should stand for a place on the board.
(d) River Lane: Mrs Greenwell said she hadn't yet been able to contact the land owner.
4.PUBLIC QUESTIONS
There were no members of the public present..
5.REPORTS FROM COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS
(a) County
In Mr Duncton’s absence there was no report.
(Clerk’s Note: Subsequently Mr Duncton arrived. Taken after Item 6.)
(b) District
In Mrs Lintill’s absence there was no report. The Clerk said Mrs Lintill had told her she had asked Mrs Duncton to attend.
6. RECREATION GROUND TRUST
The Chairman updated Councillors on the Recreation Ground.
Trust Fund Accounts: Mr Johnstone is still pursuing the accounts but as he is away there is no update on his progress.
5. REPORTS FROM COUNTY AND DISTRICT COUNCILLORS (cont)
(a) County
Mr Duncton reported on the following.
Car Parking Charges: He had just met his wife briefly and she had told him due to the fact she is related through marriage to Mr Kenny, Chairman of the Business Association, of which she is a member, she cannot take part in any debate on car parking charges. She will be taking legal advice on this. Councillors expressed great concern that Mrs Duncton should not be allowed to vote as it is the parishes she is representing, not the Business Association. Mr Duncton said the three CLC Councillors have a final vote on car parking charges, but as no decision will be taken by the District Council until 15th December this will take place at the March meeting. The change to the on street parking, which will be managed by the District Council, is due to come in next year. Mr Shapland questioned Mr Duncton as to whether he will also be denied a vote and was told that he had not been informed that this will be the case.
Service Reviews: They are still looking at ways of cutting costs and there will be some redundancies. West Sussex County Council receive the lowest grant per person from government, £125, in the country. The average is £170, but many County Councils receive as much as £400 per person; even £600 in some London areas.
Hospitals: The status quo has been retained and full services will continue to be carried out at Worthing and St Richards hospitals.
Rotherbridge: The bridge has been closed as it is considered unsafe. A meeting to discuss this will be held with Smiths Gore.
Schools: Hot meals are being reinstated in all County schools.
County Local Committee: The next CLC meeting will be on Tuesday 8th December, 7.00 pm at Lodsworth Village Hall.
7.FINANCE
(a) Village Hall Annual Accounts: The Village Hall Accounts had previously been circulated but for some unknown reason not all the pages had been received by every Councillor. The Chairman took them through the accounts which were in very good health, and it was unanimously agreed that they be approved. The Clerk said she would send them to the Councillors who hadn’t received them. The Chairman said there had been a change of officers at the AGM. Mr Noakes had resigned and the new Chairman is Mr George Warren. Dr Purnell also resigned as Treasurer and has been replaced by Mr Mark Lavington.
(b) Tillington Cricket Club Annual Contribution: The Chairman said he had written to Mr Noakes informing him that the contribution from the Cricket Club would be increased from £240 to £300 in 2010. He had received a reply from the Secretary, Mr Pooley, agreeing to the increase but saying the Cricket Club will deduct £60 for the use of the crockery and other assets to be offset against the £300, plus an additional sum for any breakages! He had written back saying they could not offset the £60 against their contribution, the Parish Council had never paid for the use of the crockery, etc. and he did not intend to start paying now. A meeting will be held early next year between the Cricket Club, Mr Johnstone, Mrs Larkin, the Clerk and himself to resolve this question.
(c) Planning and Local Development Framework Planning Meeting: The Chairman said that Tangmere Parish Council have arranged for a Community Planner, Mr Peter Hartley, to give a presentation on the LDF on Monday 7th December at Tangmere Village Centre. If anyone is interested the Clerk has details.
(d) Current Financial Situation: The Clerk circulated copies of the accounts to 30th November and took Councillors through the figures.
Income
Contribution to Pavilion: This is down as there have been no weddings or large functions this year.
Expenditure
Audit Fee: She had omitted to add in Mazars’ fee, the figure should be £235.
Balances at 30th November 2009
Current Account 429.28
Deposit Account 8,598.50Post Office 3,019.61 12,047.39
8 PLANNING
Mr Brooks said there have been very few planning applications recently but the committee are currently looking at one for Upperton Farm House.
9.ENVIRONMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Annual Parish Inspection: It was agreed to meet at 10.00 am at the pavilion on Wednesday 9th December, The Chairman asked Mrs Rhys-Evans if she would like to join Mr Shapland, Mr Drake, the Clerk and himself to get an idea of the areas the Parish Council looked after. Mrs Rhys-Evans said she would be very pleased to do so.
Pot Holes and Flooding: The Clerk was asked to report the following problems to the Chichester County Council Highways:-
a. Cemetery Lane: The part of the road that is maintained by Highways is very muddy, covered with leaves and needs cleaning.
b. The Harrows: Highways recently cut down some over growth but have not removed the debris.
c. Brookfield Lane: At the junction with the A272 there are some nasty pot holes. When the road floods, which happens frequently, they cannot be seen and need to be filled in.
d. Salmons Bridge: The drains into the ditches are blocked and the water floods down the road making it impassable so the drains need to be cleared.
e. Upperton: There has been serious flooding on the sharp bend on the entry to Upperton from Tillington. The drain there is blocked.
10. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE
The Clerk had nothing to report but will be shortly circulating the dates for next year's meetings.
(Clerk’s Note: The dates are as follows, all on a Monday in the Village Hall at 7.00 pm, with the exception of 25th January which is in the pavilion. The Annual Parish meeting is on 10th May.
25th January 26th July
29th March27th September
10th May 29th November
11.MATTERS RAISED BY MEMBERS
Bench on the Causeway: Mrs Rhys-Evans said the bench on the Causeway next to the waste bin is in a very poor state. Although it is not known who is responsible for the bench, it was agreed to look at it during the parish inspection.
Goal Post: Mr Shapland said he would like to see the goal post moved further to the west away from the tree it is under. It was agreed to look at this during the parish inspection.
Car Parking Charges: Mr Sneller said following what Mr Duncton had said about his wife not being allowed to take any part in the car parking debate, he felt very strongly that the general public should know about this. After a short discussion it was unanimously agreed the Mr Brooks should speak to Mrs Duncton in the morning and, if she had no objection, he will then contact Jenny Mouland. at the Observer.
Footpath: Mr Drake said the perimeter footpath has been fenced off around the Morgan-Grenville’s field. It was agreed Mr Gresham-Cooke would be the person to contact.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.00 pm.