Full Parish Council - Meeting Minutes
Monday 5th July 2021
Introduction
MINUTES OF THE STOKE POGES PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON MONDAY 5 JULY 2021 AT 7.30 P.M. IN THE CLUB ROOM AT THE VILLAGE CENTRE, ROGERS LANE, STOKE POGES, SL2 4LP
Present: – Cllr Bagge (Chair), Cllr Bassi, Cllr Carter, Cllr Cox, Cllr Crocker, Cllr Egleton, Cllr Finan, Cllr Flower, Cllr Knox-Scott, Cllr Moore & Cllr Pritchard.
In Attendance: – Mrs J Simmonds (Clerk)
Also Present: – 1 member of public and approximately 12 members of public on Zoom.
Agenda Items
037/PC/21 – Public Session Time (7.30 pm-7.45 pm)
The meeting is open to the public and press and fifteen minutes will be reserved, if required, for public comment. As per instructions in summons above.
None
038/PC/21 – Apologies for Absence
None
039/PC/21 – Declarations of interest
Members to declare any personal interest in any item of business as defined in the Code of Conduct 2012. If that interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest as defined in the Code; the member should withdraw from the meeting for that item.
None
040/PC/21 – Minutes
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Council meeting held on 7 June 2021 which were signed by the Chairman.
041/PC/21 – Buckinghamshire Council Report
Cllr Egleton reported that Enforcement have been to Stoke Park and have found nothing happening at the moment.
Several homes in multiple occupancy in Stoke Poges and The Farnhams are being dealt with by the Council, Police and Environmental Health. The Parish Council agreed to raise this issue with licensing.
There is an enforcement issue on a house in Fir Tree Avenue.
The response from Enforcement about the Khalsa School using it for functions is that this is not allowed but they can only act and enforce once this has been breached.
Cllr Bagge reported that he had been participating in Bucks Council’s induction training which had been good but time-consuming. He has emailed the head of property and the portfolio holder about Stoke Park.
042/PC/21 – Chairman’s Update from last meeting.
Cllr Bagge thanked all the councillors who had given up their time to help serve teas and coffees at the Stoke Poges Society’s Thomas Gray Exhibition held in St Giles Church.
Cllr Bagge reported that two members of staff had been made redundant from the Co-op which was a sad loss for the Parish Council and the village due to their commitment with helping at events etc. They went over and above.
043/PC/21 – Beeches Community Board
Cllr Egleton reported that a meeting took place last week and he was working on the Children, Old and Vulnerable People group, and Cllr Bagge was chairing the Highways and Infraructure Group.
044/PC/21 – Neighbourhood Plan
Cllr Carter reported that the group meet every four weeks and that the sub committees are meeting separately. They are working away on items such as NDHA’s (Non-Designated Heritage Asset) which is one below a Listed Building, Footpaths, Traffic Calming, Green Spaces (SSI, Ancient Woodlands), Electric Charging Points, CIL and 106 Agreements, identifying sites to build, Looking at smaller stock housing for a more balanced diversity. The subgroups are meeting again on 20 July 2021.
NOTED that the second grant application was successful.
045/PC/21 – Email Addresses
Cllr Bagge is still working on council email addresses and is going to produce a document for all councillors to individually set up on their own devices, this should happen over the summer.
046/PC/21 – Defibrillator
Cllr Crocker confirmed that all four devices had received their software updates and were all working perfectly. There is an application that can be downloaded called ‘Save a Life’ which will identify where all four are located. Cllr Carter proposed that £1800 be taken from the General Fund to purchase a 5th defibrillator to go to the Pavilion including a cabinet and installation and that any donated funds after can be offset against it, this was seconded by Cllr Crocker, RESOLVED to agree all in favour.
047/PC/21 – Training Courses
All four attendees reported that both courses were very useful especially the New Councillor Course, the training was very professional, and they asked lots of questions and were satisfied that the council are doing things correctly and the Clerk is doing a good job. They asked about becoming members of BMKALC (Bucks Milton Keynes Association Local Councils) and were informed that this is decided yearly.
048/PC/21 – St. Andrew’s Eco Garden
Cllr Egleton proposed that the Parish Council purchase the items on the requested list to the value of £1550 taken from the general fund and gift them to the new Eco Garden, this was seconded by Cllr Finan, RESOLVED to agree all in favour.
049/PC/21 – Bench
Cllr Crocker proposed that the donated bench from Bolds Court be given to the Eco Garden to be used by visiting groups, this was seconded by Cllr Carter, RESOLVED to agree all in favour.
050/PC/21 – Queens Jubilee Trees
Request from Brownies to plant donated trees on Parish Council land and for the Council to agree ongoing maintenance. Cllr Carter explained that this was a scheme called ‘Under the Canopy’. Cllr Crocker proposed that we agreed to two trees going into Bells Hill Rec and one into Plough Lane Rec with plaques on saying that the Brownies donated them and then for the Parish Council to maintain them ongoing, this was seconded by Cllr Knox-Scott, RESOLVED to agree 10 for and 1 against. It was agreed that a site meeting would take place with councillors who wished to attend to decide location and trees.
051/PC/21 – Footpath to Recreation Ground alongside Aldridge Place
Request from resident to look at a proposed scheme to help prevent an accident in the absence of a lollipop person. Cllr Carter had spoken to an officer at Highways which Cllr Bagge agreed to pursue further to get costings at a minimum cost but with maximum safety, and in the meantime ask the Local Area Technician to cone and tape off the area as suggested. Bring back.
052/PC/21 – Queens Platinum Jubilee 2022
Discussed and AGREED in principle to hold some sort of event and to bring back to September 21 meeting when more details around that weekend are widely known.
AGREED all in favour to light the beacon on 2 June 2022 as suggested.
053/PC/21 – Stoke Poges & Wexham Horticultural Society Annual Show 24 July 2021
Cllr Finan proposed to agree to let the society use the Bells Hill Recreation Ground for parking as in previous years, this was seconded by Cllr Pritchard, RESOLVED to agree all in favour.
054/PC/21 – Signage
Request from resident to add signage coming in and out of the village to Slow Down and look out for Wildlife Crossing. Agreed to ask highways for recommendations and costs. Bring back.
055/PC/21 – Parking Enforcement
NOTED log sheets. Cllr Bagge to take this up with the officers concerned regarding covering our area as agreed. Bring Back.
056/PC/21 – Carols on the Green
Cllr Bassi agreed that the event could be managed and said she had a working party of herself, Cllr Knox-Scott, Cllr Pritchard, Cllr More and Cllr Flower. Cllr Bagge explained about the urgency to get things underway and to arrange for the necessary paperwork and agreements to spend money etc. Bring back to September after the working party have met.
057/PC/21 – Litter Pick
NOTED litter pick on 10 July 2021 Cllr Bagge agreed to lead.
058/PC/21 – Village Social Club
Cllr Carter updated the committee on the future uses for the club and the Parish Council involvement to have a mini community library/book swap idea. Cllr Egleton and Cllr Bagge suggested that the Beeches Community Board would be a great place to ask for funding and it was the sort of project that they like to help.
059/PC/21 – Co-op
NOTED that Two members of staff at the Co-op have been made redundant and agreed to thank them for being very supportive to the Parish Council and Carols on the Green.
060/PC/21 – RECEIVED and ADOPTED minutes from previous meetings of sub committees and working parties:
- Planning Committee Minutes 17 May 2021 – Agreed/Signed 21 June 2021.
061/PC/21 – Finance
- RECEIVED Financial Summary & Statement Cashbook – June 2021
- RESOLVED to approve list of cheques/Bacs – £7230.08 for signature June 2021
- NOTED Bank reconciliations – June 2021
- RECEIVED Income & Expenditure Heading Detail/Budget Monitoring – June 2021
062/PC/21 – Circulars List/Correspondence and Items received by clerk but not on agenda.
List appended to the agenda of all circulars received in the office and available to view for one month after this meeting.
Correspondence: –
063/PC/21 – NOTED Dates of Future Meetings
- Planning Meeting – 19 July 2021
- Planning Meeting – 16 August 2021
- Full Parish Council Meeting – 13 September 2021
064/PC/21 -Exclusion of the Press & Public
Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960
Cllr Bagge proposed to Resolve to exclude the press and public from the following business because publicity would prejudice the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business, this was seconded by Cllr Crocker, RESOLVED to agree 8 for, 3 abstained.
065/PC/21 – Pond
RESOLVED to agree all in favour to write to the residents in response to their complaint.
Meeting ended at 10.49pm