Minutes

7.00pm at Brown Edge Village Hall
Cllr. David Gerrard
Cllr. Phil Woodward
Cllr. Joe Porter (Parish & District)
Cllr. Marylin Martin
Cllr. Christina Jebb (District)
Cllr Jane Shufflebotham
Cllr. Keith Flunder (County)
1 member of the public
Minutes – Mrs D. Wheat– Responsible Financial Officer
1) Chairmans Welcome: Cllr. Bedson welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2) Apologies for Absence: Cllr Felton, Cllr. Hargreaves, Cllr. Hunt, Cllr. Berrisford & Cllr. Oberholster
and the Clerk Hayley Harrison.
3) Parishioners Concerns: School Parking Issues
A representative from St Annes Primary School has received complaints about parking on nearby lanes,
especially Old Lane. Residents are struggling to park. The school administrators do send texts, letters and
reminders to parents but it hasn’t worked. Engines idling outside houses are causing pollution. The School
ask for the Parish Councils help.
Item for the next agenda.
A suggestion that Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership can offer safety training for schools. RFO will
contact to get more information.
4) PCSO Report: None present. Councillors were encouraged to complete the Police & Fire services
consultation and to encourage members of the public. The questionnaire is available online to complete
until 21st October. www.staffordshire-pfcc.gov.uk
5) County Council Report: Cllr. Keith Flunder
• Schools Partnership: Reports will be released soon about the work of the school’s partnership
• Local transport plan: A consultation was held at Stafford recently for the Parishes & Towns. It
was very well attended.
• School Transport: Sustrans, who design and manage transport networks, have arranged a
meeting to discuss methods of school transport across the County.
• E-newsletter: Clerks and Councillors can register to receive an e-newsletter from the County
Council, including advanced notice of roadworks.
• Highways: A new officer has been recruited to cover the Moorlands and Newcastle. A meeting
is being arranged to look at the wall issue on St Annes Vale.
• Divisional Highways Program: The four key road safety problem points in the ward were
surveyed in the previous year from Cllr. Flunder’s DHP. This data is being collated into a report.
• Councillor surgery: Issues raised:
a) Willfield Lane road closures have called issues.
b) Flooding in the Sandy Lane Centre Celler needs to alleviated and to be
protected.
c) Bank End and Church Road repairs were reported. Cllr Bedson reminded about
Fiddlers Bank which still has not been completely repaired.
• Devolution: The County Council have sent a County response to Claire Rayner. Cllr Jebb has
circulated the email from the leader of SMDC Mike Gledhill.
• A Flooding Advice Portal is live on the website to encourage residents affected by flooding to
report problems so that the County are aware of all flood zones.
• Flash Floods Action Plan: A meeting needs to be held between Parishes, Towns, Districts and
County to find out what needs to be done in an emergency.
• Staffordshire Parish Councils Association: a new newsletter has training opportunities for
councillors. Clerk to circulate.
• District Officer Vacancies: 13 are currently being advertised and recruited. A large turnover of
staff.
• Electric Vehicle charging: A report on the County strategy is being produced.
6) District Councillor Reports:
Cllr. Jebb:
• Sandy Lane Centre: Thank you to BEPC for the donation of £500 towards the Sandy Lane
Centre Defibrillator. There is still approximately £800 to raise. Thank you also for the support
with the Autumn fair. Funding has been used for the boiler to be repaired.
• Nature Recovery Strategy: New executive officer, Anna Eastgate has been appointed to
identify where biodiversity is in decline. Developers will have to promote biodiversity, and it will
be key in all Planning decision making. The Neighbourhood Plan is very important for
safeguarding natural environments. The Plan will need to align with the Green Infrastructure
Strategy, the Tree Strategy and The Local Plan.
• Nature in Your Neighbourhood: A new partnership between SMDC, Keele University,
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Moorlands Climate Action (MCA), Staffordshire Council of Voluntary
Youth Services (SCVYS) and Outside Arts. More information will follow on this project about the
engagement with parish councils and communities.
Cllr. Porter:
• Bank End parking is affecting the grass verges. Could the Parish Council look at getting
bollards? Item to be on the next Agenda.
• Winter Fuel payments: support is available for pensioners to get advice from Citizens Advice
Bureau.
• Devolution: Statements have been released stating that democratic leaders don’t want any
changes at District and County level in Staffordshire.
• Severn Trent: Water pressure and supply issues in the ST9 area, affecting businesses like
hairdressers who rely on a water supply. Cllr. Porter has been liaising with Severn Trent on
behalf of residents.
• Leek & Moorlands hospital: Minor injuries is under threat of closure. This is an important
service for local residents. A public consultation is in progress. A lot of restructuring is
proposed.
• Brown Edge Vegetable Show – Brown Edge Allotment Committee had a successful show at
the Bush and held a harvest auction with the Carnival Committee, which raised a lot towards the
Carnival queen’s fundraising.
• Stockton Brook waterworks. Local heritage preservation is in progress.
• 50th anniversary of the re-opening of the Caldon Canal: A fun day held on 21st September
was a great success at S-O-T Boat Club, Endon.
• Community Speedwatch on High Lane. 10 speeding out of over 1000. The figures are
improving. Drivers are taking notice.
• Staffordshire Moorlands Pride. A meeting was held in Leek to form a planning group to
organise events across the Moorlands in 2025.
• Potters Half: Thank you to all that supported Cllr. Porter in the Potter Half marathon
2 | P a g e
7) Minutes of the 2nd September 2024 meeting were approved as a correct record.
Proposed Cllr. Gerrard – Seconded Cllr. Porter
8) Declaration of Interests on the forthcoming Agenda:
Cllr Porter: NHS, Carnival Committee
Cllr. Bedson: Planning SMD/2024/0416
9) Matters arising from previous meeting:
a) ‘No HGV’ signs progress: signs are planned to be installed 28th October by the approved
Groundwork Contractor.
b) St Annes Vale collapsed wall update. The matter will be discussed with new County Officer and
County Engineers.
c) First Responders recruitment update. Several applications have been received. Volunteer
training will be offered in January 2025. A committee needs to be set up, Chairman, Treasurer and
Secretary. Any new First Responder enquiries to be sent to Cllr. Jebb.
d) Bee Keeping at Kings Coronation field. The Clerk has contacted the current Beekeeper but no
report was available. The prospective additional Beekeeper is happy to help maintain the field. The
RFO has applied for a PROW grant to replace the stile. Cllr. Porter mentioned that the National
Trust are offering sycamore trees following the destruction of the Sycamore Gap tree.
The council agreed to apply to meet the deadline. Items for the next Agenda
10) Planning Applications and Related Issues:
SMD/2024/0405 7 Woodside Avenue
Brown Edge
Proposed single storey side
extension
SMD/2024/0416 Hodgefields Farm
Ladymoor Lane
Ladymoor Gate
Brown Edge
Ancillary Residential
Accomodation
No objection
No objection
SMD/2024/0420 99 Bank End Farm
High Lane
Brown Edge
The erection of an agricultural
storage building and a twin
span polytuneel for the nursery
No objection
11) Items on Notice:
a) Brown Edge Assets: To consider registering Brown Edge Parish Council assets to protect them.
Cllr. Berrisford will report back at the next meeting.
b) Marshes Hill – Cllr. Porter has been in contact with Staffs Wildlife Trust. They are putting together
management plans for all the sites. Marshes Hill is one of the smaller sites so not high priority.
When the document is at a stage to be consulted on, it will be opened up to the public for local
input. Litter picks are continuing. Cllr. Shufflebotham mentioned the gorse needing to be thinned
back to improve more species of birds and butterflies.
c) Nature in your Neighbourhood – Cllr. Jebb reported on the partnership, to bring together scientific
data and community knowledge, to help shape local natural environments and green spaces.
The data will be monitored used for funding applications in the future. The project will engage with
as wide communities across the Moorlands as possible. Tool kits for future will be developed for
management of greenspaces and verges. Follow a QR code to find out how to get involved. Briony
Davidson is the Nature Reserves and Species Officer. Parish Councils can submit sites that they
feel are relevant to their neighbourhood. The specialist team will assist with nature recovery and
managing existing projects. Cllr. Porter will organise a site visit to Brown Edge.
d) Report from Parish Assembly – Cllr. Felton’s written report was circulated.
3 | P a g e
a) Devolution: A response will be written by the SMDC leader and circulated to the Parishes.
b) Head of Planning, Ben Haywood gave a presentation on Solar Farms and the future for the
Staffordshire Moorlands. Applications will need to be approved to meet the District Councils’ net
zero targets. The Parish should consider a policy on solar sites in the Neighbourhood Plan. For
example: ‘How will this application protect or increase biodiversity’? Strength can be gathered by
having policies in place to refer to. The County Council made a policy about wind turbines in 2012.
c) Highways: At the next SMDC Parish Assembly meeting Cllr. Flunder will be speaking on
Highways matters.
Payee
12) Finance and Governance:
a) Payments were Authorised for September 2024
Description
1
Net
Mrs H
Harrison
Clerk Salary 10 hours p/w (Month 6)
£605.37
VAT
PAYE
TOTAL
Chq.
No.
£605.37
2
Mrs H
Harrison
Clerk travel expenses
£6.57
1308
£6.57
3
Mrs D Wheat
RFO Salary 2 hrs p/w (Month 6)
1309
£107.36 £26.40
4
Mrs D Wheat
travel expenses (Sept24)
£133.76
1310
Memorial Wreath
£13.50
£27.00
8 x 2nd Class stamps
£6.80
5
Mr J Bourne
Cemetery Recorders Salary 3.5hrs p/w
1st July – 30th Sept 24 (Month 4-6)
£584.00 £41.00
£47.30
1311
£625.00
6
HMRC PAYE
Total All Staff
1312
£67.40
7
Proctors
Nursery Ltd.
Bedding Plants
£43.00
£67.40
1313
£8.60
8
Playsafety Ltd. ROSPA Playground inspection
£51.60
1314
£118.00 £23.60
9
N&J Tree
Services Ltd.
Maintenance 6th Visit – (Contract Yr.
2)
£141.60
1315
£808.50 £161.79 £970.20
10 Mr J Bourne
Cemetery
Recorder
Expenses:
telephone
travel expenses
Shaw & Sons Ltd. Receipt Stationary
1316
£10.00
£21.64
£18.50
Total
11 Local
Authority
Tech. CIC
Website & .GOV email addresses
£3.70
£420.00 £84.00
£27.54
£59.18
1317
£504.00
TOTAL PAYMENTS (7th October) 2024
1318
£3144.58
Proposed Cllr. Gerrard – Seconded Cllr. Woodward
b) Cemetery Recorders Report: Income of £135.00 was received in September.
c) Other income received by the Responsible Financial Officer: None received
d) Completion of the External Audit by Forv/s Mazars. Document was reviewed by the council.
e) Issues identified in the Audit were explained by the RFO. Two small errors were found and
corrected, then the matter of the loan fee was identified and corrected.
f)
The Audit Report was approved and the actions for 2025 to be implemented at year end.
g) The Council approved the re-stated Audited Annual Accountability and Governance Review
Proposer Cllr. Gerrard – Seconded Cllr. Shufflebotham
h) The ‘Restated’ AGAR was published on 30th September on the BEPC website and the public rights
of inspection can now take place. The notice is on the notice boards and on the website.
i)
Month 6 Budget report was reviewed. The Council agreed that this report should be presented
each month. Cllr. Porter asked a question about the £300 earmarked for Community Orchard. The
RFO explained that this is for the sign for the Community Orchard. Cllr. Shufflebotham offered to
donate a stone. The council resolved for the sign to be inset into the rock.
4 | P a g e
Sign to be on the action log for completion.
j)
Assets list report: To be circulated to the Council for the next Agenda.
13) Reports and Actions: Councillors undertaking business/actions on behalf of the council:
a) Neighbourhood Plan: No report available
b) Kings Coronation project: Maintenance mowing of field to be on next Agenda.
c) EV charging: Awaiting a date for a meeting with suppliers.
d) Parking permit update: The Clerk had drafted a tenancy agreement which was circulated to the
councillors. Cllr Woodward will arrange a meeting with the Garage and The Bush owners to discuss
options.
e) Allotments: A site visit was conducted by the Chairman and Vice Chairman. Cllr Felton’s written
report was read out.
• Plots have been identified for warning letters, Clerk to action these.
• Education plot. Questions were raised about safeguarding training for Allotment tenants.
• Is insurance covered by the Parish Council? RFO to check
• Do the PC have a risk assessment for the Allotments? RFO to check.
The Council resolved to review the original Allotment Tenancy and to discuss on the next
Agenda.
f)
Lawn Cemetery: Quotes for improvements being gathered, Cllr Berrisford not present, move to
next Agenda.
g) Action log: All Councillors to check progress with projects. Items were discussed to be added
including a working group meeting at Bank End, and new planters for Sandy Lane Well. Untidy
hedges were discussed. Cllr. Porter and Clerk to compose a letter to be a gentle reminder to be
sent to residents. In Endon this works very successfully.
Thanks were given to Cllr Oberholster for doing an excellent job of cleaning and painting the
Brown Edge entry point signs.
14) Correspondence:
a) Email from a resident requesting information about the potential car parking permits.
Clerk to email the resident that the item is on the next Agenda.
b) Email from a relative of a former resident who is researching a Church in Brown Edge.
The history of a church chair obtained in 1980’s then moved to America in 1990. It was identified as
being a Bishops chair style. The Council decided that the Parish news may be interested as this
would make an interesting article. Clerk to forward on the information.
15) Items for the attention of other local authorities:
a) Matters for the District Council:
Weeds: Along the edge of the shops on High Street there are a lot of weeds. The Hooping Wall
was also reported with weeds. District street cleaning team may clear the weeds, but the County
Council may be responsible with them being on the pavement. It was decided to use the
Lengthsman grant to pay for this work to be done by the Maintenance contractor as they are an eye
saw.
b) Sign Fitting: RFO to check the location of the signs to be fitted by the Groundwork Contractor.
16) Matters Pertaining to Issues in the Parish for the Next Agenda:
New items raised by Councillors will be carried forward to the agenda of the next meeting.
• Drop kerb on the Breach
• Sytch Road Well Erosion caused by Children cycling coming down onto the main road.
• Playing Field Improvements: ideas from young people for improvements to the Playing field.