Annual Parish Meeting Minutes Apr 2019
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BRERETON AND RAVENHILL PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held at the Parish Hall, Ravenhill Park, Brereton, on Tuesday, 2nd April 2018.

Present

Councillors PA Fisher [Chairman], K Ansell, Mrs P Ansell, Miss IJ Brown, Mrs G Harvey and

TA Jones.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs DM Easton, R Easton, H Farnath, Miss C Harvey, GN Molineux, N Parton and Mrs HJ Southwell.

District Councillor D Foley and District and County Councillor A Dudson were also present.

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

CHAIRMAN’S OPENING REMARKS

The Chairman welcomed all those present to the meeting and thanked everyone for attending.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations of interest given at the commencement of the meeting.

MINUTES

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 4th April 2017, be approved and signed as a correct record.

CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT

The Chairman presented his report as follows:-

“Once again, much has been achieved by the Parish Council. Such things as Newmans Grove clean up, re-introducing the name Brereton to the postal address, clear up after the storms, repairs to the hedgerows and highways, all done mainly by Brereton and Ravenhill Parish Council Councillors and volunteers. The work continues to make our community a better place to live in and we continue to keep our precept at 0%, something no one else can say.

I would like to pay tribute to Councillor Brown for being a reliable and responsible consort throughout this term.

Also, I would like to thank members of the Heritage Committee, Parish Hall Management Committee, Finance Committee and Planning Committee for all the work you do for this council, keeping it running smoothly and efficiently. Also, I wish to thank Councillor Tim Jones for all the additional ad hoc work he does, much of which goes unrecognised. He is an example to all.

As we move into our last term of office, I urge you all to stand again for Brereton and Ravenhill – should you wish to retire or stand down, please notify the leader of your party at the earliest convenience. Having a strong intelligent working group is vital for the continued progress we have made over the past 12 years.

Once again, thank you all for your loyal support – long may it continue. Community as a whole.

Finally, special thanks to our Clerk, Peter Davies and his wife Ruby, who do a tremendous amount of hard work and are a credit not only to this council but to the community.”

The Parish Council placed on record a unanimous vote of thanks to the Chairman, Councillor Paul Fisher for the excellent manner in which he had undertaken his duties and supported the community over the past twelve months. The Parish Council also thanked the Vice-Chairman, Councillor Jean Brown, for the support she had so readily given to the Chairman.

DISTRICT COUNCILLORS’ REPORT

The following report from District Councillor GN Molineux was presented by the Chairman:-

“By now you will all know that I have decided to retire from the District Council. During my spell as a District Councillor, I have thoroughly enjoyed representing Brereton and Ravenhill. However, I hope you all will support Councillor Fisher in his attempt to take my seat. I believe strongly that he is the right candidate for the job – he has experience and a reputation for never giving in, so I wish him all the luck on 3rd May.

I must say a huge thank you to all of you, particularly for keeping me updated with any district complaints you receive. We have been very busy dealing with housing, road repairs, anti-social behaviour and much more.

I wish to address all the work the Parish Councillors do – without you, District Councillors would have a much heavier workload. From simple things such as a broken bin or a much more complex planning application, you deal with them promptly, fairly and efficiently. So, thank you all for your support over the years and please support Councillor Fisher in the future.”

District Councillor D Foley presented the following report:-

“It has been another busy year in my role as one of the District Councillors for Brereton and Ravenhill.

Alongside my role as Chair of Customer and Corporate Scrutiny, and a member of the Economic Development Scrutiny Committee, I have continued to support residents with issues, which have been wide ranging and included community safety concerns, problems with housing, concerns over planning applications and land ownership issues.

Following a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour [ASB] in Ravenhill Park, I requested a ‘Community Trigger’ – the first in the District – which led to agencies including councils, the police, local health teams to undertake a case review on the ASB and develop an action plan to prevent further cases.

I also helped to plan a public meeting where residents could question representatives of organisations on their response to the situation, which led to a number of measures being put into place that proved effective in making the area safer.

On the theme of involvement, I have continued to actively encourage residents to have their say on issues affecting them – from supporting or objecting to planning applications; reporting faults; to assisting them to take issues to complaint or even the Ombudsman.

I am also proud to have been involved in the setting up of a new pilot scheme that enables ex-service personnel suffering PTSE, free access to the Leisure Centre. It has been

proven that taking part in regular physical activity can help improve self-esteem and reduce

stress and anxiety, and it is hoped that the effects will improve their mental state and general wellbeing.

Of course, the last year has also seen the completion of the Rugeley Flood Alleviation Scheme, which will open up several areas of Rugeley town centre and Power Station Road that were previously unsuitable for redevelopment.

In addition, the Rugeley Power Station Supplementary Planning Document was approved by both Cannock Chase and Lichfield District Councils, providing key milestones for the future development of the former power station site, although there is still uncertainty of its potential use as a storage area for HS2 and its longer term future.

The Council’s new Corporate Plan, due to be published soon, will set out the priorities for the period 2018 – 2021 and will focus on the themes of Promoting Prosperity and Community Wellbeing.

Over the last year it has been an honour to represent Brereton and Ravenhill and look forward to continue working with the Parish Council over the next 12 months.”

COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT

The County Councillor, A Dudson, was present to answer any questions from Members.

________________________

[Chairman]