BRERETON  AND  RAVENHILL  PARISH  COUNCIL

Minutes of a Parish Council meeting held on line on Tuesday, 1^st December 2020.

Present

Councillors TA Jones [Chairman], K Ansell,Mrs P Ansell, Mrs DM Easton, Alderman R Easton,   PA Fisher, Mrs W Fisher, D Johnson, Mrs L Johnson and GN Molineux.

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Ms IJ Brown.

Mr PG Davies, the Parish Clerk, was also in attendance.

1. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

No declarations were given at the commencement of the meeting.

2. MINUTES

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 3^rd November 2020, be approved and signed as a             correct record.

3. POLICE

The Parish Council were surprised to learn that the Police were unable to attend this        meeting as there was a ‘lack of a Zoom call facility’ at Rugeley.

As the Zoom App could be used on I-Pads, mobile phones and computers, it was

RESOLVED

That the Clerk, in expressing the Parish Council’s surprise, seek clarification from the Police regarding their statement that there was currently no facility available in Rugeley Police Station to participate in a Zoom call.

4. ARMITAGE ROAD

• Completion of tidying and finishing works

County Highways had advised that all outstanding work would be completed by the end of the financial year.

RESOLVED

That the Clerk request that the work be completed by the end of February 2021 so as not to interfere with bird nesting in the spring.

• Noise from gate

The District Council had advised that they had attempted many times to fit a buffer in between the gate and the barrier to overcome the complaint of noise received from just one resident.

RESOLVED

That the Clerk enquire once again as to whether the Parish Council could carry out remedial work in an attempt to resolve the matter.

• Freedom of Information Requests

1. Staffordshire Police

The Parish Council noted the Police response as follows:-

How many prosecutions have there been for exceeding the speeding limit along Armitage

Road in the last 5 years?

= 19

How many prosecutions have there been for exceeding the weight limit along Armitage

Road in the last 5 years?

= 0

1. Staffordshire County Council

The Parish Council noted the response of the County Council as follows:-

“There have been 10 personal injury collisions between 2015 – 2019.

We have no plans for any remedial measures for the 40 mph section of Armitage Road.

When looking at 3 years of complete data, the figure drops to 5 and these collisions are

spread along the whole route with no common treatable pattern between them hence why

this location is not on our radar.”

5. PLANTING OF TREES

Councillor PA Fisher reported that the District Council were preparing a programme of tree planting.  The comments of the Parish Council would be invited on the proposals in due course.

1. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS
2. Cannock Chase Primary Care Trust

The Clerk reported that, to date, no reply had been received from the Cannock Chase Primary Care Trust in respect of the Parish Council’s Freedom of Information request.

RESOLVED

That if no reply is received after forty days from the date of the Clerk’s letter, he liaise with the Chairman to determine what further action should be taken.

1. British Transport Police

The Parish Council noted the most unsatisfactory response of the British Transport Police to the Freedom of Information request made by the Parish Council.

RESOLVED

That the Chairman, in liaison with Councillor Mrs DM Easton, draft a letter to be sent to the Information Commissioner, with a copy of the Clerk’s original letter and the response received.

7. CANNOCK CHASE DISTRICT COUNCIL’S CORPORATE PLAN

The Clerk reminded Members to inform him if they had any comments on the District

Council’s Corporate Plan.

8. WESTERN POWER – GRANT APPLICATION

The Clerk reported that the Parish Council’s application to Western Power for grant aid of £1,500.00 to assist with the funding of Christmas lights had not been successful.

9. PLANNING COMMITTEE

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 3^rd November 2020, be approved.

10. PARISH HALL AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Parish Hall and Property Management Committee held on              4^th November 2020, be approved.

11. FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Finance and Management Committee held on 4^th November 2020, be approved

[Arising out of the consideration of the minutes, the Committee was asked at its next meeting to prioritise the request for funding from Chetwynd’s Charity as three children from Brereton and Ravenhill were being supported by the Charity to carry out missionary work abroad.]

12. DATES OF MEETINGS – 2021

RESOLVED

That the dates of meetings during 2021 be as follows:-

5^th January

2^nd February

2^nd March

6^th April [followed by Annual Parish Meeting]

4^th May [Annual Parish Council Meeting]

1^st June

13^th July

7^th September

5^th October

2^nd November

7^th December

All meetings to commence at 7.30 pm.

The Parish Council acknowledged that the date of the May meeting might have to be altered to accommodate the District Council election.

13. PUBLIC FORUM

The member of the public present reiterated his concerns regarding speeding along

Armitage Road.

The Chairman advised as follows:-

• the number of prosecutions for speeding could be seen as something of a deterrent for motorists;
• the Parish Council would be seeking funding from the HS2 Community Fund for improvements to the highway network and the provision of both signs and solar powered speeding features could be included in the programme.

The Clerk would liaise with Councillor PA Fisher regarding the possibility of securing funding from Awards For All for these signs.  He would also include an item on the next Agenda regarding the possibility of the Parish Council erecting signs which would both welcome drivers to the parish whilst at the same time encouraging them to drive carefully.

______________________

[Chairman]