{"id":2104,"date":"2024-05-31T09:02:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T09:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northrodepc.co.uk\/?p=2104"},"modified":"2025-06-06T22:00:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T22:00:40","slug":"minutes-of-the-130th-north-rode-parish-council-annual-general-meeting-16th-may-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northrodepc.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/05\/31\/minutes-of-the-130th-north-rode-parish-council-annual-general-meeting-16th-may-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Minutes of the 130th North Rode Parish Council Annual General Meeting &#8211; 16th May 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Minutes of the 130th Annual General Meeting<br>Thursday 16th May 2024 at Daintry Hall<br>following the Annual Parish Meeting<br>Present :- Councillor Huw Williams, Chairman<br>Councillor Georgina Baily, Vice Chairman<br>Councillor Jacqui Lea<br>Councillor Alastair Bayley<br>Councillor Brian Evans<br>Councillor Richard Edwards<br>Councillor Jon Burwood<br>Cheshire East Ward Councillor Lesley Smetham<br>Brenda Lomas \u2013 Clerk<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Apologies for absence \u2013 none<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Public Participation \u2013 none \u2013 no member of the public were present<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To Elect a Chair and Vice Chair for 2024-25<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Nominations for Chairman : Cllr Georgina Bailey nominated Cllr Huw Williams Seconded by Councillor Lesley Smetham<br>Huw Williams accepted the position as Chairman for 2024\/25<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nominations for Vice Chair : Cllr Huw Williams nominated Cllr Georgina Bailey Seconded by Cllr Lesley Smetham \u2013 Georgina Bailey accepted the position as Vice-Chairman for 2024\/25<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chair and Vice Chairs signed the acceptance of office forms<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To receive any Declarations of Interest<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Huw Williams made a declaration in respect of the new entrance created to land owned by Mark Bullock on Church Lane \u2013 which is adjacent to the Chairman\u2019s home<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"5\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To review, approve and sign the minutes of the previous two meetings held on 11th January 2024 and an extraordinary meeting held on 22nd March 2024<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Councillors approved the minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"6\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To discuss any matters arising from the minutes of the meetings<br>Ongoing matters as detailed below<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To discuss the upcoming D-Day80 celebration \u2013 6th June 2024<br>70 tickets had been sold so far \u2013 it was determined that we need to sell 75 tickets in order to break even. Huw will organize a message to be sent round via Sue Bullock\u2019s e-mail list to advertise a last chance to purchase tickets. The event has already been advertised in the parish magazine. Huw to organize the final advertisment<br>James Bailey is organized to ring the church bell at 6pm<br>Huw has organized a video screen to display wartime pictures at the front of the Church. Huw to organise<br>The church ladies will put flowers in church<br>Bunting and chairs and tables outside the church door to be erected by Huw and helpers. Huw to organize.<br>Jonathan of Light tech has kindly offered to light up the outside of the church and possibly also the inside of the church<br>Malcolm Kidd will allow parking of cars on his field \u2013 and in the farmyard if it is wet weather. Car parking marshalls were identified. Georgina &amp; Brenda to take tickets at the entrance of the church.<br>The fish and chip van will be positioned in the Daintry Hall car park \u2013 it was agreed that ticket holders should obtain their food en-route from the car park before entering the church \u2013 to avoid congestion in the church.<br>Toilets \u2013 the church toilet and Daintry Hall toilets will be available. Brenda Lomas to provide toilet rolls, soap, towels and to clean them afterwards.<br>A risk assessment is required to be completed \u2013 to included fire extinguishers by the beacon \u2013 Huw to complete the risk assessment<br>The work to repair and relocate the beacon is almost completed. The anticipated cost of the works is greater than originally anticipated &#8211; mainly due to the amount of repair work which has been required, the cost of relocation, the increase in the cost of materials and concrete plus the cost to renovate the basket. At present \u2013 the costs are estimated to be \u00a31500. Mark Bullock, Huw, Graham Samson to complete the beacon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Planning Applications<br>No new planning applications to consider.<br>It was discussed that the planning application 24\/0830C for the land behind Daintry Hall to convert an agricultural building into a dwelling had been refused and that the planning officer had considered the points raised by the Parish Council.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Planning Enforcement<br>a) Tinker Bells Hollow, Bramhall Hill Lane<br>It is understood that the mobile home on the site is not being lived in at present<br>b) Land behind Daintry Hall<br>The issue of the possible illegal deposition of waste has been reported to the Environment Agency (EA). From EA public records &#8211; it appears that the land operator became registered as an authorized waste carrier\/dealer in April 2024. However, there is no information that the land is authorized as a waste disposal site.<br>c) Creation of entrance to field on Church Lane above Rode Hall Farm<br>On advice from the planning enforcement officer, the Clerk had reported this to John Denwood, Highways for his consideration of the new entrance from a highways safety issue. Prior to the PC meeting &#8211; the Clerk had sent a further e-mail to John Denwood to enquire of the position \u2013 but had not received a further response. Clerk to make a further request for a response.<br>d) Shellow Lane Lodges<br>The concerns raised at recent PC meetings as regards the outfall from the septic tank flowing into the nearest stream has been reported to the EA by the Clerk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Highways \u2013 the following highways issues were discussed:<br>a) Update on progress on traffic issues on Bank Lane \/Church Lane<br>It was agreed that this had been covered during discussions with PC David O\u2019Connor in the Parish Meeting<br>b) Flooding \/ drainage issues on Bank Lane &amp; Bramhall Hill and drainage issues on Church Lane<br>An employee of Light Tech at Bramhall Hill Farm on Bramhall Hill had written to the Highways Department, the Parish Council and also to the MP, David Rutley as regards the flooding of Bramhall Hill and Bank Lane as she was unable to access her workplace and also considered the routes and road surfaces had become dangerous following recurrent bouts of flooding. The outcome of her communications resulted in a site visit by David Rutley, MP \u2013 which Councillor Georgina Bailey attended. Other local residents were also in attendance. David Rutley, MP witnessed a stranded vehicle in the Bramhall Hill road, deep pot holes, poor road surface and detrius. He advised that he would take up the matter with the Highways Department. In terms of Bank Lane, it would appear that the adjoining landowner (who\u2019s field is at a lower level), banked up the soil under the boundary hedge approximately one month ago \u2013 to stop the water from flooding his field. This has exacerbated the time taken for the water to disappear from the road surface. The Highways Department have confirmed that there is a continuing drainage problem but have given no time scales in terms of when it can be resolved. PC to keep the flooding issues on the agendas<br>Councillor Lesley Smetham advised that she is doing a ward tour with Andy Simpson of Highways tomorrow \u2013 and so she will ask him about the drainage issues then. Councillor Smetham to feed back the response from Andy Simpson.<br>Highways have advised that there will be a regular inspection schedule in respect of the drainage issues on Church Lane.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>c) Gritting and Grit Bins<br>The Chairman advised that he had not received a response from the Highways Department in respect of the request for a grit bin to be put in place at the Park Road area of the village. Councillor Edwards discussed that there is a grass verge at Park Road and agreed to consult Chris Carlise of Park Road as regards who owns the verge and therefore whether the Parish Council could pay for its own grit bin to be installed in that location. Richard \/ Huw to make further enquiries re the suggested grit bin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"11\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Finance<br>a) To approve the Audited Parish Council accounts<br>Lynn Petts has kindly audited the 2023\/24 Parish Council accounts in preparation for the Clerk\u2019s submission to the external auditor, P K Littlejohn. Accounts were approved. Cllr Brian Evans raised the point that a bank reconciliation was undertaken by him some months ago. Clerk to check whether this comes under the PC\u2019s own adopted regulations \u2013 and if so \u2013 the frequency at which a bank reconciliation had been decided to be appropriate.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>b) Update and approval of annual expenditures for 2024\/5<br>i. ChALC membership &#8211; \u00a377.52<br>ii. Zurich Insurance &#8211; \u00a3207.84<br>iii. Hire of Daintry Hall &#8211; \u00a330 per meeting<br>iv. Website and email hosting \u2013 Tech Division &#8211; \u00a3154.65<br>Approved<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>c) Discussion regarding any future expenditure \u2013 to include the parish council laptop<br>Huw advised of additional expenditure for tickets and flyers for the D-Day80 event of \u00a365.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PC laptop has been checked by TechDivision due to the Clerk finding it too problematical to effectively use. The laptop is approximately 8 years old. The choice is either to pay for an upgrade of the current laptop \u2013 estimated to be \u00a3200 or to purchase a new or refurbished laptop with installed up to date software. Tech Division could offer a refurbished laptop of approximately 1-2 years old for \u00a3300 \u2013 plus an additional cost of \u00a370 for the installation of word, excel and the transfer of data etc. Cllr Jon Burwood advised that he regularly has access to newish laptops as part of his work and would be happy to donate one to the parish council.<br>Councillors agreed that a replacement laptop would be the best option. It was noted that there would be further costs involved in the transfer of licenses, files and information. Clerk to progress<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>d) On-line Banking for PC<br>The Natwest bank have recently advertised a Community Banking account which is an \u2018on line\u2019 account. It is normally for new customers only. Clerk to enquire if the Natwest would transfer the current Natwest PC account (cheque book based) to become a Community Banking Account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"12\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To discuss a Neighbourhood Plan<br>Cllr Brian Evans advised that he had attended and found the recent training from ChALC to be very interesting and provided a brief update of what he had learned. The undertaking of a Neighbourhood Plan will involve a significant amount of work \u2013 possibly for around two years \u2013 and undertaken by more than one person. It would force the community to come forward to a discussion on the vision for North Rode \u2013 for example to attract younger persons to reside in the village, to enhance the environment and\/or to offer support for older residents. A Neighbourhood Plan has to be approved by CEC and also a Planning Inspector. It becomes a strong legal document in terms of future planning applications in the village. Brian recommended that, as the CEC Local Plan is to be changed in the near future \u2013 that the PC considers the outcome of those changes before making any decisions on whether it would benefit North Rode to have its own Neighbourhood Plan.<br>Councillor Bailey advised that she is scheduled to attend a Marton PC meeting to discuss their completed Neighbourhood Plan and the steps taken by the PC to complete it. Councillor Bailey to attend a Marton PC meeting and to feed back<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Parish Council website<br>Huw currently maintains and updates the website but would be happy for others to become involved. He is keen to introduce additional Local History onto the website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Communication with Parishioners<br>Huw has put a link in the village newsletter to direct residents to the PC website<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Congleton Area Rural Parish Council Liaison Group<br>Georgina and Huw attend the meetings \u2013 which were re-started several months ago &#8211; mainly to discuss the impact of the Congleton Link road on the parishes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How can we Improve our Parish Environment<br>Litter picking was the main point discussed. Cllr Jon Burwood offered to organize a litter picking group. ANSA will provide equipment. Traffic warning signs are possibly required for the busy roads in the village. Cllr Jon Burwood to organize<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Move from Gawsworth Ward to Sutton Ward<br>It was considered that this would only have minor implications i.e. a different ward Councillor \u2013 albeit \u2013 the PC would be sorry to lose Councllor Smetham following her hard work on behalf of North Rode over many years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Frequency of Parish Council Meetings<br>The PC currently have quarterly meetings with additional meetings arranged if required.<br>Dates of next two meetings<br>Thursday 22nd August 2024 and Thursday 21st November 2024<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The meeting closed at 10.15pm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minutes of the 130th Annual General MeetingThursday 16th May 2024 at Daintry Hallfollowing the Annual Parish MeetingPresent :- Councillor Huw Williams, ChairmanCouncillor Georgina Baily, Vice ChairmanCouncillor Jacqui LeaCouncillor Alastair BayleyCouncillor Brian EvansCouncillor Richard EdwardsCouncillor Jon BurwoodCheshire East Ward Councillor Lesley SmethamBrenda Lomas \u2013 Clerk Nominations for Chairman : Cllr Georgina Bailey nominated Cllr Huw Williams [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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