LITTON CHENEY PARISH
COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of
Litton Cheney Parish Council
held on Tuesday 14 January 2020 at Litton and Thorner's Community Hall
Present:
Bill Orchard (Chairman); Kathryn Brooks; John Firrell: Andy King; Andrew Price,
Maggie Walsh (Clerk); Mark Roberts (Dorset Council); and1 local resident.
1. Apologies: Bella Spurrier
2. Declarations of interest: None
3. Democratic time: No matters arising
4. Approval of Minutes of
the Parish Council meeting held on 12 November 2019 - it was proposed by Cllr Firrell
seconded by Cllr Brooks and carried unanimously that these minutes be approved.
5. Dorset Council (DC) overview – Cllr Mark
Roberts reported that DC was preparing the budget for 2020-21. This was
difficult as central government now allocated funding for just 1 year ahead
(formerly 4 years). DC’s objective was
to maintain all services at current levels, except for Adult and Children’s
services budgets which would increase to meet growing demand. These 2 services were by far DC’s biggest
expenditure and were hard to predict as they were demand led. Brexit may impact on budgets as adult
services relied heavily on foreign workers.
DC had inherited a number of boarding houses in Weymouth from the
Borough Council and must decide what to do with these assets. Buses were not part of current financial
agenda but Councillors’ regarded them as important. MR had received assurances that the school
bus route through the Bride Valley would be gritted. Any money saved from gritting budgets as a
result of the mild weather would be needed for potholes. Works to bury mains power cables in and
around Winterborne Abbas and Askerswell would take 3 years and involve lengthy
road closures. There was a new Head of
Planning. The land supply would not be
amalgamated across the county until 2024: currently West Dorset’s land supply
was “robust enough” to defend against greenfield development proposals and the
Local Plan was considered in date. Cllr Brooks would resend details of outstanding
planning applications to MR for him to follow up. KB/MR
MR also undertook to
follow up with Highways re proposals for the collapsed stream bank and also the
PC’s outstanding request to clear drains on Whiteway. MR
6. Matters arising not part of the agenda: None.
7. Annual Finance Report (Maggie Walsh, Clerk and RFO) At
the time of publishing the agenda (6 January) Parish funds stood at £14,852.62.
Spend since September’s meeting was £2,049.25 comprising £968.53 for grass cutting, £580.72
clerk’s salary and £500.00 donation to the churchyard. Income since November’s
meeting was £ 300.10 comprising £250 donation from Litton Cheney Trust towards
the repair of the finger post, £50 contribution from LATCH towards the annual
village website fee and 0.10p interest.
Invoices for approval There were 2 invoices for approval: £250
contribution to Dorset Council towards repair of the finger post; £60.00 to
Vision ICT for annual website fee. It
was proposed by Cllr Firrell, seconded by Cllr Price and carried unanimously
that these be approved.
2020-2021
Precept Parish Councillors had read the Clerks report
(appended) and there were no questions. Cllr
Firrell proposed that the Precept remain at £10,600, as recommended by the
Parish Clerk. This was seconded by Cllr Orchard and carried unanimously. The budget for the following year would
therefore be as set out in the appended report. MW
8. Councillors’
portfolios:
Footpaths/Rights of Way (Bill Orchard, Chairman)
Cllr Orchard was in the process of delivering paperwork to the 37 villagers who
could provide a witness statement attesting that they had used Watery Lane for
a number of years. A farmer had come
forward to say he had deeds that established his ownership of Watery Lane and
that he had no objection to it being registered as a public footpath.
Highways/Transport (Andrew Price) Cllr Price
had asked DC to clear the drains on Whiteway and had followed this up several
times but received no response: there was concern that water running down the
road was eroding the banks. DC had sent
a street cleaning vehicle which had done a great job throughout the village. A stone wall had collapsed on Redway and it
had been difficult to establish responsibility.
Recently, mud on roads had been an issue: complaints had been registered
with DC but the PC did not know what, if any, action had been taken with regard
to offending farmer(s). Cllr Price had
removed multiple large bags filled with large amounts of rubbish that had been
dumped along the length of Whiteway.
Parish Councillors thanked him for their efforts and noted that a number
of public-spirited villagers picked up litter.
It was sad that individuals dumped rubbish in this way rather than
disposing of it properly but prevention or prosecution was difficult and the
only option seemed to be to arrange more frequent litter picks.
Playground/Playing Field/Allotments (Andy King) Cllr
King had been made Chairman of the Allotment Society. One plot was vacant. He awaited a quote from DC
for a reduced number of grass cuts on the playing field but with the addition
of the allotment edge for the current year. The playground inspection was in
hand. Cllr King would address any
outstanding playground maintenance issues in the Spring.
There had been some flooding at the top of the playing field and the ground was
still too wet for hedge cutting vehicles to gain access.
Village Fabric/Maintenance/Devolved Services (John Firrell) Water had been cascading down
The Rocks and the footpath was hazardous.
The day before the PC meeting, Russell Goff of DC had proposed rerouting
the water where it currently diverts under Redway: piping it under the path into
an open gulley beside the footpath connecting to the stream at the bottom. Work
would cost £2,400 and DC had requested a contribution of £1,000 from Litton
Cheney PC, if this were acceptable, work would start on Tuesday 21
January. Given this was a matter of
urgency, he proposed the Parish Council contribute £1,000 to DC towards these
works. A third party had agreed to contribute £300, reducing the net
contribution to £700. This proposal was
seconded by Cllr King and unanimously carried.
Dorset Council had some money left in the budget and had undertaken to produce
costings for 2 options with regard to the collapsed stream bank:
(a) Install bollards adjacent to stream bank and mark white lines opposite to
discourage parking
(b) Piping the stream at this point. This was the PC’s preferred approach. The EA had opposed this option as pipes can
block but it was hoped to persuade them otherwise as unblocking a pipe would be
easier and less costly than constantly repairing the stream bank.
Cllr Firrell would bring forward a proposal regarding the Triangle/bus shelter
area once he had received quotes from DC to install new kerbing.
DC believed that the roots of a tree in The Old Rectory may be causing tarmac to
lift at the bottom of the Rocks. DC and
the owner of The Old Rectory had agreed that the tarmac should be lifted to assess
the problem and determine a possible solution.
Planning/Climate
Emergency (Kathryn Brooks): DC had asked for ideas on how to reduce its
environmental impact by end of February.
KB would involve the school in drafting some proposals to bring back
before the PC.
There had been one new planning
application since the last meeting
·
WD/D/19/002804 2 CHURCH PATH DT2 9AQ. Removal of front boundary
hedge and erection of wall. Parish
Councillors had considered this via email and registered no objection, requesting
that the wall be constructed using stone sympathetic to neighbouring structures.
The following planning matters
were outstanding: -
·
WD/D/19/001897 LAND EAST OF, 7-8 GARDEN CLOSE - Demolition
of double garage and erection of 1no. dwelling, garage
block, access and parking. There had
been several objections. No update from
case officer.
·
WD/D/19/001427 & WD/D/19/1428 2 CHARITY FARM
COTTAGES, MAIN STREET DT2 9AP - Erect single storey extensions.
No update from the case officer.
·
WD/D/19/001463 CHARITY
FARM, MAIN STREET DT2 9AP - Erection of 6no. dwellings
& conversion of a redundant agricultural building to a dwelling (with
variation of conditions 4, 5 & 6 of planning permission WD/D/17/000758 to
amend approved plans). The Section 106 was being redrafted to reflect the changes to the
application and the variation of the conditions. A new landscaping plan was
submitted in November.
The following application had been approved
since the last meeting:
·
WD/D/19/001613
MEADOWBANK, SCHOOL HOUSE LANE, DT2 9AU - Erect Front & Rear Extensions.
There was no update regarding the outstanding enforcement complaint at
Litton Lake but KB had reviewed aerial photographs and could find no evidence
of the breaches in 2017. (Postdate – the PC understands that the landowner has
now appointed a planning agent to submit an application.)
9. New
planning applications for consideration at the
meeting
A35 Dorchester Road, DT2 9AA – erection of 12m monopole mast
(WD/D/19/003166) whilst understanding and supporting the need for the mast,
Parish Councillors were concerned about the proposed location. It was proposed
by Cllr Price, seconded by Cllr Firrell and carried unanimously that the PC
OBJECT to the application for the following reason:
“Litton
Cheney Parish Council, whilst accepting and supporting the need for the mast,
objects to the proposed location which could not be more prominent and
exposed. This is a spectacular viewpoint within the AONB. The
development is quite large, dwarfing similar roadside emergency
facilities. The next best location (around 100m down Whiteway) would
offer a less intrusive position with the advantages of existing screening and
being below the skyline. The Parish Council therefore requests that
careful consideration be given to resiting the
mast. The Parish Council also requests that, wherever sited, careful
consideration be given to the colour of the mast to minimise its visibility.
The Parish Council notes the consultation response submitted by the AONB
Landscape Planning Officer.”
10. Future use of telephone box This had been discussed before at Parish Council
meetings but was back on the agenda because there had been recent press
coverage concerning the decommissioning of a large number of phone boxes. Villagers had previously suggested how the
telephone box might be used once the phone was removed. Suggestions involving
moving the kiosk or housing the defibrillator were problematic because of power
supply, land ownership and the need for planning permission. Other suggestions had included a library
and/or information point. Parish
Councillors reiterated that, in principle, they would wish to adopt the kiosk
and asked the Clerk in conjunction with Cllr Firrell to establish how many
calls had been made and the process of adoption. MW/JF
11. Proposal to support the Electricity Bill Power for the People had asked Parish Councils to
resolve to support the Local Electricity Bill.
Should it become law, the bill would facilitate a number of local
benefits for example retaining solar energy income locally. It was proposed by
Cllr Firrell, seconded by Cllr Brooks and carried unanimously that Litton Cheney Parish Council
I) notes that the Local Electricity Bill
·
aims
to address the current situation, whereby the very large financial setup and
running costs involved in selling locally generated renewable electricity to
local customers result in it being impossible for local renewable electricity
generators to do so,
·
if
made law, would make these financial costs proportionate to the scale of a
renewable electricity supplier’s operation and therefore empower councils,
together with their communities, to sell locally generated renewable
electricity directly to local people, businesses and organisations, and
·
would
result in councils or community organisations that set up local renewable
electricity companies receiving revenues that could be used to help fund local
greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures and to help improve local services
and facilities
II)
accordingly resolves to support the Local Electricity Bill, supported by a
cross-party group of 115 MPs during the 2017-19 Parliamentary session; and
III) further resolves to write to the organisers of the campaign for the Bill,
Power for People, (at 8 Delancey Passage, Camden,
London NW1 7NN or info@powerforpeople.org.uk) expressing its support.
12. Correspondence not dealt
with as part of the agenda – none
13. Date of next meeting – Tuesday 10 March 2020. Apologies
Cllr Price
14. Meeting closed
Maggie
Walsh - Parish Clerk
Appendix
Litton Cheney Parish Council 2020-2021 Precept
Report 14 January 2020
Summary and Recommendation
The Parish Council’s finances are on track with no
new pressures anticipated. Adequate
reserves are maintained to cover any unforeseen or one-off significant
payments.
The Parish Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer
(RFO) therefore recommends that the PRECEPT REMAIN AT £10,600 FOR 2020-2021
for the third consecutive year. This
represents an annual payment of £50.94 for a band D house: 0.27p less than last
year due to a change in the tax base use by Dorset Council to calculate Council
Tax.
Detailed consideration
Table
1 below sets out actual expenditure for the previous 3 financial years,
estimated outturn for the current year and forecast expenditure for next
year. During the current year, use of
the lengthsman scheme has been curtailed in anticipation of works being needed
to repair the collapsed stream bank. It is still unclear whether these works
can be carried out in the current financial year, nor whether they can be
undertaken by the lengthsman. The wet
weather has also restricted access delaying hedge cutting. If these works are
not completed by the end of March, the RFO estimates the budget could be
underspent by up to £3,000, which would be carried forward for
repairs/maintenance in the next financial year.
However, all other budgets are on track for a negligible surplus at the
year end.
Going
forward, reserve balances are healthy, with appropriate annual contributions to
named reserves. Some inflationary rises
are anticipated in 2020-21, but these can be offset with savings made
elsewhere, such as changing the providers for public liability insurance and
playground inspections. VAT is excluded from projections as income cancels out
expenditure (unless occurring in separate financial years).
Outturn |
2016-17 Actual |
2017-18 Actual |
2018-19 Actual |
2019-20 Estimated |
2020- 2021 Estimated |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income |
|
|
|
|
|
Precept & grant |
£3,649 |
£7,225 |
£10,600 |
£10,600 |
£10,600 |
Allotment fees |
£100 |
£85 |
£85 |
£85 |
£85 |
misc. income (donation from Litton Cheney Trust) |
|
|
£620 |
|
|
VAT |
£279 |
|
£3,326 |
£655 |
|
Total income |
£4,028 |
£7,310 |
£14,631 |
£11,340 |
£10,685 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments |
|
|
|
|
|
Employee costs |
£692 |
£2,151 |
£3,405 |
£3,480 |
£3,600 |
ROOM HIRE |
£70 |
£65 |
£67 |
£69 |
£70 |
ADMIN |
£726 |
£690 |
£1,002 |
£830 |
£830 |
maintenance |
£1,147 |
£1,389 |
£3,177 |
£4,540 |
£4,000 |
donations/grants |
£725 |
£700 |
£725 |
£725 |
£1,000 |
The Rocks |
|
£420 |
|
|
|
other |
£341 |
|
£150 |
|
|
VAT |
£207 |
£328 |
£3,653 |
£122 |
|
Total Payments |
£3,908 |
£5,743 |
£12,179 |
£9,766 |
£9,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance of Income over payments |
£120 |
£1,567 |
£2,452 |
£1,574 |
£1,185 |
Annual contribution to ringfenced reserves |
|
|
£1,200 |
£1,200 |
£1,200 |
Surplus of income after contribution to reserves |
|
|
£1,252 |
£374 |
-£15 |