North Rode Parish Council
Minutes of the 129th Annual General Meeting held at St Michael’s Church, North Rode
on 11th May 2023 at 8.30pm
Present :
• Chairman – Councillor Huw Williams
• Vice Chairman – Councillor Georgina Bailey
• Councillor Brian Evans
• Councillor Alastair Bayley
• Councillor Jacqui Lee
• Councillor Richard Edwards
• Mr Jon Burwood – member of the public / resident of the village
• Cheshire East Ward Councillor – Lesley Smetham
• Clerk – Brenda Lomas
No other members of the public were present
The meeting was recorded as per the Parish Council’s recording policy
1. Apologies for absence – no apologies were received
2. Public participation – none
3. Parish Council Elections – held on 4th May 2023
The Chairman welcomed the new Parish Councillor for North Rode PC – Councillor Richard Edwards who joined the Parish Council as part of the recent Cheshire East Council Elections process. Richard introduced himself and advised that he is an accountant, lives on Park Road with his family and that he was pleased to contribute to village life by becoming a Parish Councillor.
Expenses claim forms for the election were completed by each Councillor, signed and provided to the Clerk.
[Action: Clerk to return completed forms to CEC]
The Clerk has forwarded the Register of Members’ Interest forms to all Councillors by e-mail. The CEC Monitoring Officer has asked that these are completed on line and then forwarded to the CEC Monitoring Officer – with a copy to the Clerk.
[Action : all Councillors to complete the Registration of Members’ Interest Forms and forward them to the Monitoring Officer and a copy to the Clerk]
4. Election of a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson for 2023-24 & Vacant Councillor position
Cllr Georgina Bailey nominated Cllr Huw Williams for the position of Chairperson and this was seconded by Cllr Brian Evans.
Councillor Huw Williams accepted the position.
Cllr Huw Williams nominated Cllr Georgina Bailey for Vice Chairperson. Cllr Alastair Bayley seconded the nomination.
Councillor Georgina Bailey accepted the position.
• All Councillors signed the ‘acceptance of office’ forms and returned them to the Clerk
• Councillor Vacancy – An expression of interest to become a Councillor had been made to the Clerk by Mr Andrew Syson of Yew Tree Farm, North Rode and he had been invited to attend the AGM meeting. However, he failed to attend the meeting and therefore could not be considered for the role.
Mr Jon Burwood who lives on Buxton Road had expressed an interest in becoming a Councillor – he advised that he had been a resident of North Rode for 22 years and appreciates the lovely village in which we live. He recognises that the Parish Council are actively working to improve the village. Jon is an engineer and advised that he can assist with practical work but feels that he also has good communication and negotiation skills. Jon has helped out at many village events and wishes to become more involved with the work of the Parish Council. Cllr Georgina Bailey nominated Jon to fill the vacant Councillor position and this was seconded by Cllr Brian Evans. The Clerk will arrange the appointment via the co-option procedure. The Chairman thanked Jon for his interest in becoming a Councillor and felt that a representative of the South East part of the parish would be welcome.
[Action: Clerk to organise the co-option of Jon Burwood].
Due to family commitments, Jon Burwood had to leave to meeting at this point and was thanked for his attendance.
5. Declarations of Interest
Cllr Williams declared an interest in the planning enforcement case for new field gateway on Church Lane, as the entrance is next to his property.
6. To review, approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 2nd March 2023
The minutes of the last meeting held on 2nd March 2023 were approved as being a true and accurate record and were signed by the Chairman
7. To discuss the actions and any matters arising from the meeting held on 2nd March 2023 – as follows :-
8. The historic village sign had been completed and erected and has received a positive reception from the residents of the village. Mrs Shirley Tudor Evans of The Grange was invited to officially unveil the sign as part of the King Charles III’s Coronation celebration.
Cllr Bailey expressed thanks to the Chairman on behalf of the PC and the village for his diligent work in the design, production and erection of the village sign. The angle of the sign was described as ‘just right’ and it is unanimously agreed that it is a lovely sign which enhances the village.
9. Defibrillator update – a first defibrillator is now installed outside Daintry Hall and is operational. The main funding was provided by Mr Steve Purdham as part of his involvement with a company that provides funding for defibrillators. It is now fully operational and is registered by Dr John Miller (the Guardian) on the defibrillator circuit. The £250 battery to supply the heater to the cabinet should last for five years. The Parish Council therefore needs to set aside £50 per annum to provide for this future cost. Daintry Hall will pay for the nominal amount of electricity which it will use. A training course in first aid and in the use of the defibrillator is to be arranged by Cllr Williams – possibly in June. Over thirty residents of the village have expressed an interest in attending. Keyrings with the access code to open the defibrillator have been made and were available at the meeting. Cllr Williams felt that every resident should have a key ring and wished for the key rings to be distributed as soon as possible. All Councillors took some for their neighbours. It was suggested that a box of key rings should be put in church for next service. It was suggested that a letter of thanks be written to Mr Steve Purdham for kindly arranging for the funding of the defibrillator
[Action: Chairman to arrange the defibrillator / first aid training course]
[Action: Chairman to make keyrings available to Church via Marilyn Ainslie, Church Warden]
[Action: All Councillors to distribute keyrings to their neighbours]
[Action: Clerk to write letter of thanks to Mr Steve Purdham]
Installation of a Second Defibrillator – It was discussed and resolved that a second defibrillator should be installed at the opposite end of the village to the current one. An electricity supply to serve the cabinet is required. The Canal Locks were considered to be too far away from the hub of North Rode residents. The electric gates on Park Road were considered to be the best location if this site might be possible. The Chairman offered to make an approach to the owners of the gate i.e. Mr & Mrs Pollock of the Manor House, to discuss the possibility of installing a defibrillator in that location and connecting it into the electricity supply to the park gates.
[Action: Chairman to contact Mr & Mrs Pollock]
The cost of a second defibrillator would be approximately £2500 including the cabinet, posts and electrical wiring. It was discussed that there might be a grant opportunity – as previously suggested to the Chairman by Dr John Miller.
[Action: Chairman to discuss with Dr John Miller and obtain a costing]
10. Post Jubilee Celebration update – The planting of three flowering cherry trees in North Rode Park has been completed. The work was undertaken by the Chairman and Mr Malcolm Kidd of Yew Tree Farm. Mr Kidd also very kindly provided the fencing to protect the trees from farm animals and has offered to water the trees.
11. Celebration for the coronation of King Charles lll – A village Coronation Picnic was held on Monday 8th May 2023 inside St Michael’s Church – due to the overcast weather on the day. The lunch was followed by a village photograph of the unveiling of the historic village sign and the residents who attended – and then a walk into the North Rode Park to view the three recently planted cherry trees with commemorative plaque. It was unanimously agreed that the event had been a great success and much enjoyed by all who attended. It was resolved that the Parish Council should send a thank you letter to the Church / Church Warden for allowing the use of the Church for a village function.
[Action: Clerk to send a letter of thanks to the Church / Church Warden for the use of the Church]
12. Planning Matters – A planning application has been made by the Daintry Hall MC for the replacement of worn out windows in Daintry Hall. It was resolved that the Parish Council had no objections or comments to make to the application – as the CEC Conservation Officer was involved given that the hall is a listed building.
13. Planning Enforcement – (all to remain on the agenda until resolved)
a) Tinker Bells Hollow – mobile home and dog breeding establishment. It is understood that the owner is currently not living in the mobile home.
b) 20/00535E Land behind Daintry Hall – mobile home, track / change of use of field etc. – no response has been received from the CEC Planning Enforcement service to the Clerk’s request for an update. Councillor Lesley Smetham offered to request a status report from that service.
c) 22/00120E Creation of an entrance to a field on Church Lane above Rode Hall Farm – no communication has been received from the CEC Planning Enforcement service to the Clerk’s request for an update.
d) 22/0080E Shellow Lane lodges – use outside of permitted months – and use for lengthy periods of time by workmen. There is no provided update from the Planning Enforcement Service.
14. Highways Issues
a) Update on traffic issues – the Chairman has been in communication with the CEC Highways engineer and it is understood that the ‘No HGV’ signs will be installed at the end of Church Lane and Bank Lane in 6-8 weeks time.
b) Village name boundary signs – Four signs have been erected and an additional three more ‘village’ signs are required – at a possible cost of £4000. The Parish Council may be able to use £800 of Councillor Smetham’s ward budget towards the cost. The Chairman offered to request final costings for the signs from the Highways Department and also to enquire whether the Local Authority will make a financial contribution towards the cost. However, the Councillors resolved that a second defibrillator should take priority over the funding of village name signs in terms of expenditure from the Parish Council account.
c) Other issues / drainage matters – Further work to the drainage on Bramhall Hill is nearing completion and will require to be monitored for effectiveness. High pressure jetting to the drains on Church Lane is scheduled on the CE programme and should be carried out later this year. The appearance of a large hole in the verge in Bank Lane – approximately 50m east of the Bramhall Hill junction was identified by Cllr Bayley. Councillor Lesley Smetham reported this immediately by phone to the Emergency Highways contact.
15. Finances
a) Auditing of the Parish Council Accounts – the Clerk advised that Mrs Lynne Petts, the internal auditor, had approved the Parish Council accounts for the year ending 31st March 2023 as being true and correct and that the Annual Internal Audit Report 2022/23 had been completed. A Certificate of Exemption will be completed and sent to the external auditor, P K Littlejohn.
[NOTE – for information – The Certificate of Exemption is completed by smaller authorities where the higher or gross income or gross expenditure did not exceed £25,000 and the PC wishes to certify themselves exempt from a limited assurance review under Section 9 of the Local Audit (Smaller Authorities) Regulations 2015.]
b) Update and approval of expenditure – Following the approval at the last Parish Council meetings that the costs for the defibrillator, historic village sign and cherry trees would be paid for from the Parish Council account – the Clerk confirmed that the following expenditures have been paid :-
Defribillator cabinet £558.00, defibrillator mounting post £114.00, defibrillator keyrings £195.00
Historic sign – lifting slings for installation £17.98, concrete for the base of the post £144.00.
Three flowering cherry trees & fertiliser £170.50.
In addition, the following recent payments have been approved for payment :-
£72.15 annual affiliation fee (2023-24) to the Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC)
Zurich Insurance annual policy £196.00
Tech Division – £672.90 – for hosting cost and new website
c) Discussion regarding future expenditure – A balance of £5,922 balance will remain in the PC account – with £1,127 (50%) of precept due in November. An agreed contingency fund of £3,000 is required to be left in the account. This will leave approximately £4,000 in the PC account. It was discussed that this is insufficient to fund both the boundary name signs and the second defibrillator this year – unless a grant for the defibrillator can be found. Alternatively, fund raising could be undertaken. It was resolved that a second defibrillator would take priority in terms of Parish Council funds i.e. ahead of an expected contribution towards village boundary signs.
[Action: the cost of a second defibrillator is required before any further spending from the PC account]
£50 per annum is required to be set aside for the replacement cost of the battery to the first defibrillator. The training costs for Councillors’ training would be paid for by the Parish Council.
Signatories to the Parish Council Bank Account – Janet Hughes and Jeremy Howarth need to be removed as bank signatories. It was agreed that both Cllr Huw Williams and Cllr Georgina Bailey would be put forward as signatories to the Parish Council Bank Account.
[Action: Clerk to arrange the change in bank signatories with the NatWest Bank]
16. Training
The training session for the new CEC Code of Conduct – which has been delayed (Chair – Councillor Janet Hughes was scheduled to attend) will be attended by Chairman Cllr Huw Williams when a new date is confirmed.
Cllr Huw Williams advised that he would be interested in attending the Chairmanship training session.
Cllr Brian Evans has attended the ChALC induction training for Councillors which he found to be interesting and useful.
It was recommended that Cllr Alistair Bayley, Cllr Richard Edwards and Cllr Jon Burwood (following his appointment to Parish Councillor) should attend the Councillor induction training. (Induction training sessions are available in September 2023)
[Action: Cllrs Bayley, Edwards & Burwood to attend Councillor induction training]
17. Parish Council website – work is ongoing with Tech Division to produce a new website – which should be completed by next week. The framework is nearly completed and it now needs populating. The new website has a news section on which to post events. The Chairman reported that it is currently not easy to input information on the new website. Training will be provided on how to input correctly and then guidance for all users is then needed. It was suggested that Julie Purdham has collected a lot of local information on the Parish of North Rode and that perhaps this could be used for the Historical section on the website.
[Action: Chairman to attend training on 15th May on the inputing of data and to then create clear notes for others]
[Action: Chairman to contact Julie Purdham about historical information]
[Action: Chairman to populate the website with initial data and then set up other users]
18. Parish Communications
• It was discussed that the PC needs to have its own direct communication route to parishioners – preferably by means of a list of villagers’ email addresses.. The Chairman advised that he would make contact with Jackie Weaver of ChALC to gain her advice in terms of (GDPR) data protection considerations for Parish Councils. There could be an annual fee for registration with the Information Commissioner in terms of GDPR.
[Action: Chairman to contact Jackie Weaver at ChALC – and review IPO.Org.uk)
• It was discussed that the village needed a communal space for village use for future social events, and that a shared space in Daintry Hall and/or in the Church were the only two choices. It was agreed that there was a need for improved communications between the Parish Council, Parochial Church Council (PPC) and Daintry Hall Management Committee (DHMC) to understand the options and also any restrictions – and to work together towards achieving a goal of providing more village social events. The Chairman volunteered to make an approach to the PPC and DHMC to discuss how we can all work together and what short and long term options are available]
[Action: Chairman to make contact with DHMC and PCC]
• It was discussed that we need a more flexible way to communicate between Councillors and everyone agreed to the setting up a NRPC Whatsapp group, – to include Councillor Lesley Smetham. The Chairman volunteered to set it up. It was agreed that we would not set up a facebook page at this point in time.
[Action: Chairman to set up a PC Whatsapp group}
• The new website will be a good base for improved communication and could be used for the presenting of upcoming events and for displaying photographs and details of past events. It was discussed that the website could perhaps incorporate a ‘keep in touch’ forms page in order that residents can subscribe to occasional PC newsletters or events emails.
[Action: Chairman to discuss forms page with the Website designer, for news / subscribers]
19. Neighbourhood Plan
The production of a Neighbourhood Plan for North Rode is still under consideration. Nothing has been done since the last meeting. The benefits and time and resources required to produce the plan are not fully understood, nor are the legal benefits. It is understood that both Marton and Gawsworth have completed Neighbourhood Plans and it would be best to make contact with Marton PC to see what is involved. If it was felt worthwhile, then a team of councillors and local residents could be formed to produce a Neighbourhood Plan for North Rode. Councillor Bailey offered to make contact with John Ryland, Chairman of Marton Parish Council – as they are of a similar size to North Rode and have completed their Neighbourhood Plan
[Action Vice Chairman to contact John Ryland and report back]
20. Any Other Business
a) The Parish Council needs to enquire what is the hire fee for the use of Daintry Hall for PC meetings
[Action: Clerk to check the cost of hire with Lynn Petts]
b) There are a significant number of houses up for sale on Church Lane / Bank Lane and a query was raised as regards whether the PC should talk to the new occupiers about why they have moved here. This led on to discussions about better communications with villagers again. It was suggested that we monitor who actually buys land in the village to keep a watch out for possible future developers.
Dates of next two meetings –
Thursday 7th September 2023 (apologies from Cllr Bailey as she will be away)
Thursday 11th January 2024
The meeting closed at 9.50pm