BRERETON AND RAVENHILL PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Annual Parish Council meeting held at the Parish Hall, Ravenhill Park, Brereton, on
Tuesday, 2nd May 2017.
Present
Councillors PA Fisher [Chairman], K Ansell, Miss IJ Brown, Mrs DM Easton, R Easton,
Mrs G Harvey, TA Jones, GN Molineux and N Parton.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mrs P Ansell, H Farnath, Miss C Harvey and
Mrs HJ Southwell.
District Councillor D Foley was also present.
Mr PG Davies, the Parish Clerk, was also in attendance.
1. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRMAN
RESOLVED
That Councillor PA Fisher be appointed Chairman for the ensuing year.
2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
As a member of two Credit Unions, Councillor TA Jones declared a personal interest in
respect of Minute 10 [Loan Sharks].
3. APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHAIRMAN
RESOLVED
That Councillor Miss IJ Brown be appointed Vice-Chairman for the ensuing year.
4. MINUTES
RESOLVED
That the minutes of the meeting held on 4th April 2017, be approved and signed as a
correct record.
5. POLICE MATTERS
The Chairman welcomed PCSO Sean Nicholls to the meeting.
PCSO Nicholls presented his report for April [copy attached].
Members noted that following a request for a community trigger, the Police would be
preparing an action plan to combat anti-social behaviour in Ravenhill Park. The matter
would be discussed at a forthcoming meeting of the Community Safety Partnership.
In respect of bogus officials, the Police were continuing to offer reassurance to the elderly
by, amongst other things, arranging for the distribution of leaflets informing people of the
need to be aware of those individuals attempting to gain access to properties.
Members advised that they would be grateful for any information from the Police in respect
of ‘loan sharks’ as the Parish Council was considering applying for funding to enable it to
disseminate information on the dangers of this criminal activity.
Reference was also made to concern expressed by some parents of instances of bullying
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by older youths in the area. This was noted by the Police, who were continuing to work
with schools on this important issue.
6. ADDRESS CHANGE – ‘BRERETON’
The Clerk reported that Royal Mail was again writing to the MP to ensure she continued to
support this change, following which they would carry out consultation with the residents of
the 3,055 properties in the parish.
Members expressed their concern as they were the duly elected representatives for the
area and represented the community. To now consult every household would not only be
time-consuming but also very expensive – a cost which was difficult to justify.
RESOLVED
That the Clerk acquaint Royal Mail with the foregoing comments and suggest that surely
with the support of the Parish Council, MP, Chamber of Commerce and District Council,
they could now proceed.

7. DOCUMENTATION
The Clerk tabled the following documents for the information of the Parish Council:-
Leaflet – ‘Growing a Greener Britain’
Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – Annual Review 2016 – 2017
Newsletter – Partnership – Fuel to Rural Communities
Update on Automatic Number Plate Recognition from Police
8. CANNOCK CHASE YOUTH ENDEAVOUR AWARD 2017
The Parish Council noted details of this scheme which was designed to recognise young
persons who had stood out from the rest by making an outstanding contribution to their
community, their school, an organisation or had battled bravery against illness or disability.
The Clerk requested any nominations prior to the 10
th May deadline.
9. VILLAGE GREEN
Following a Freedom of Information request made to the County Council, the Authority had
confirmed that twenty-five applications were awaiting determination and they were currently
dealing with, on average, one a year due to limited resources.
10. ‘LOAN SHARKS’
Councillor TA Jones circulated details of grant funding of up to £5,000 which was available
to organisations to help them disseminate information on the dangers of ‘loan sharks’ and
their criminal activity.
RESOLVED
That the Clerk liaise with Councillor TA Jones in submitting an application for funding.
11. WEBSITE
Councillor R Easton kindly undertook to produce two or three ‘landscape-format’ images for
the ‘headers’ on the website. He would present these to the next meeting of the Parish
Council.
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12. RUGELEY RUGBY CLUB
RESOLVED
That a letter of congratulations be sent to Rugeley Rugby Club for winning the Staffordshire
Cup for the second consecutive year.
13. OAK TREE FARM
The Parish Council noted the contents of a letter from Amanda Milling, MP, a copy of which
had been circulated.
RESOLVED
That the Clerk write to the County Council in respect of the following:-
What action was being taken to remove the two distinct non-burning piles of waste
situated to the north of the capped waste?
To request a reply to the Parish Council’s previous correspondence in respect of
Landfill Tax.
14. BRERETON LIBRARY
The Parish Council noted the contents of a letter from County Councillor Gill Heath, a copy
of which had been circulated. Members particularly noted the statement that “there is no
intention to close Brereton Library”.
15. RISK REGISTER
The Parish Council considered the contents of a comprehensive Risk Register, a copy of
which had been circulated.
RESOLVED
1. That the Risk Register, as submitted, be approved.
2. That the Finance and Management Committee consider in more detail those higher
scoring elements of the Report and they be authorised to take action to further
mitigate the risks involved.
16. STANDING ORDERS AND FINANCIAL REGULATIONS
Following a review of these documents, it was
RESOLVED
That no changes be made to the Parish Council’s Standing Orders and Financial
Regulations.
17. ANNUAL AUDIT RETURN – 2016/2017 – ANNUAL GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
The Parish Council considered the Annual Governance Statement for the 2016/2017
financial year.
RESOLVED
That the Annual Governance Statement, as submitted, be approved.
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18. ACCOUNTING STATEMENT 2016/2017
The Parish Council considered the Accounting Statement for the 2016/2017 financial year.
RESOLVED
That the Accounting Statement, as submitted, be approved.
19. TERMS OF REFERENCE OF COMMITTEES
The Parish Council considered the Terms of Reference of its Committees, copies of which
had been circulated.
RESOLVED
That subject to the word ‘the’ after the word ‘either’ in Section [2] of the Planning Terms of
Reference being replaced by ‘a’, the documents, as submitted, be formally approved and
adopted.
20. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO COMMITTEES
RESOLVED
That no changes be made in the Membership of the following Committees for the ensuing
year:-
Planning Committee
Parish Hall Management Committee
Finance and Management Committee
Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Committee
21. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO SERVE ON OUTSIDE BODIES AND LOCAL
CONTACTS
RESOLVED
1. That subject to [2] below, the membership and local contacts of outside bodies
remain unchanged for the ensuing year.
2. That Councillor Mrs P Ansell be appointed as the Parish Council’s representative on
the District Council’s Standards Committee, with Councillor PA Fisher being the
nominated substitute Member.
22. STANDARDS REGIME
The Clerk invited Members to update their declarations if this was considered necessary.
23. MEDIA POLICY
The Parish Council noted the contents of the Media Policy, a copy of which had been
circulated.
RESOLVED
That no changes be made to the Media Policy.
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24. PLANNING COMMITTEE
RESOLVED
That the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 4th April 2017, be approved.
25. PARISH HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
RESOLVED
That the minutes of the Parish Hall Management Committee held on 5th April 2017, be
approved.
26. FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
RESOLVED
That the minutes of the Finance and Management Committee held on 5th April 2017, be
approved.
27. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The Parish Council had previously agreed that the next meeting would be held on 6th June
2017, at 7.30 pm.
28. PUBLIC FORUM
District Councillor Foley reported that he had instigated the Community Trigger following
reports of anti-social behaviour in Ravenhill Park.
The Clerk undertook to bring maps to the next meeting showing details of an improvement
scheme bid being made to the Local Enterprise Partnership by the District Council.
Councillor Foley was particularly interested in the footpath at the rear of Amazon.
The Parish Council also noted comments from Mr E Jackson [Vice-Chairman of Armitage
with Handsacre Parish Council]. Members expressed the hope that the two parishes could
work together in respect of cross border issues such as:-
Power Station site
Improvement to the canal towpath
Further development issues on the border between the two parishes