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page last up-dated 1 September 2010 |
BRAMHOPE & CARLTON PARISH COUNCIL
n.b. the Minutes of the most recent
Council Meeting must be regarded as unconfirmed.
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 25 August 2010 at 7:30pm
126/10 PRESENT
Chairman : Denis Johnson
Councillors : John Broadley, Simon Cooper, Dawn Forman-Marshall, Hilary Harris, David Marshall, Clive Fox, Geoff Mills, Judi Penny, Colin Gamble
Clerk : Kate Fraser
One member of the public was present
127/10 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Councillors Wood and Charlesworth
128/10DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
There were no declarations of interest
129/10 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 28 JULY 2010
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Gamble, seconded by Cllr Penny and signed by the Chairman.
130/10 MATTERS ARISING
4.
Cllr Penny apologised for not as yet having prepared a traffic report on Carlton.
131/10 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
5.
The waterhole at Carlton had been cleared of surface debris and would be cleaned in the near future.
132/10 CLERK’S REPORT
6.
A sport activity week had been held at the Cricket Ground and another one is to be held at the end of August.
There had been no notification of a request for an election following the resignation of David Ripley from the Parish Council. The Clerk will display notices advising that the Council intends to co-opt a new member and asking interested parties to contact the Clerk.
A Heritage Open Day will be held at the Puritan Chapel on 12th September 2010.
133/10 CORRESPONDENCE
7. Communications received:
§ A request from Ralph Thoresby School for pupils to participate in voluntary activity in the village. Councillors were asked to contact the Clerk if they had any projects that they thought would be suitable.
§ A consultation paper regarding proposals that a local referendum should be held in cases where the increase in precept applied by Parish Councils was considered to be excessive.
§ Several emails regarding the future development of the car park.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
134/10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
8
8.1 Payment of the schedule was proposed by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Marshall and AGREED by all.
8.2 The petty cash expenditure was approved.
135/10 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
9
9.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
9.2 Enforcement Issues
Cllr Fox commented on the difficulty of pursuing enforcement action in cases where it was alleged that private premises were being used for the purpose of car sales.
136/10 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
10.
A meeting of the VMG had not been held in August
10.1 Cllr Mills presented an audit of the litter bins in Bramhope which showed that there were a variety of types and designs. These bins could be replaced by The Parish Council for those of a uniform style at a cost of approximately £300. He suggested a ‘rolling programme’ of replacement could be introduced. Cllr Mills was thanked for his efforts. Prior to a decision being taken on replacing the bins Cllr Fox agreed to check that any such replacement bins (and any additional bins) would still be emptied by Leeds City Council.
137/10 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
11.
Cllr Penny reported that although the grass verges in Carlton had been cut recently some additional strimming was needed. Cllr Penny said she would try and find volunteers to maintain the planters in Carlton.
138/10 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE and VILLAGE CAR PARK DEVELOPMENT
12.
Cllr Fox reported on a likely freeze on all capital projects that Leeds City Council had not yet committed to.
The Car Park group had held two meetings to consider proposals for the car park development. The original outline plan had been amended and Cllr Cooper will produce revised estimated costings. It was recognised that there was a need to reach a balance between those wishing to leave the car park substantially in its current state and those wishing to pursue a more extensive landscaping. The Car Park group will hold a further meeting before the next Full Council meeting in September.
139/10 LIAISON GROUPS
13
13.1 RCMH
Cllr Broadley reminded councillors that the Annual Flower Show would be held on Sunday 5th September.
13.2 Bramhope Primary School
Cllr Harris had nothing to report as the school had been closed for the summer holidays.
140/10 PARISH ISSUES
14.
Cllr Broadley asked Cllr Fox if he had any indication of when the resurfacing work at The Poplars would be completed. Cllr Fox assured him that it would be completed eventually but he had no information as to when. As Mr and Mrs Botham of The Rowans have won an award in the Leeds in Bloom competition for their garden, Cllr Broadley asked if an item on this could be included in the next newsletter. Cllr Mills asked Cllr Broadley to submit an article to him.
Cllr Harris congratulated the Village Newsagents for their fund raising on behalf of the Pakistan Flood Appeal and asked if mention of this could be made in the newsletter. Cllr Mills agreed.
Cllr Mills asked for any items for the next newsletter to reach him before 6th September.
Cllr Johnson reported that in response to a complaint received by the Parish Council The Village Bakery had been invited to apply for a licence to continue placing tables and chairs outside their premises.
18. The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 22nd September at 7.30pm. The meeting will be preceded by a meeting of the Trustees of the Bramhope Village Property Trust.
The meeting ended at 8:20pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 28 July 2010 at 7:00pm
108/10 PRESENT
Chairman : Denis Johnson
Councillors : John Broadley, Simon Cooper, Dawn Forman-Marshall, Hilary Harris, David Marshall, Peter Charlesworth, Clive Fox, Geoff Mills, Judi Penny, Colin Gamble
Clerk : Kate Fraser
Two members of the public were present
109/10
PRESENTATION OF DRAFT BRAMHOPE CONSERVATION AREA PLAN
1.
Mr Matthew Bentley, Community Conservation Officer, Leeds City Council gave a presentation of the draft plan. After outlining the philosophy behind the creation of conservation areas and the main consequences of an area being designated a conservation area, Mr Bentley distributed the draft plan for Bramhope. This plan is open to internal and external consultation before being presented for public consultation. Mr Bentley explained that all properties being considered for inclusion in the conservation area would receive notification by post during this consultation period inviting comments. The final plan adopted after this process is then subject to approval by the Leeds City Council Planning Board.
Councillors approved the creation of the conservation area in principle although questions were posed as to why some areas had been included in the area whilst others had been omitted. Mr Bentley agreed that it was a matter of judgement as to whether an area merited inclusion or not and that Conservation Officers were open to discussion on this point. Councillors were asked to provide feedback to Mr Bentley regarding the draft plan as soon as possible.
The current timetable could result in the conservation area being approved by the end of the year.
110/10 APOLOGIES
2.
Apologies had been received from Councillor Joan Wood
111/10DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
3.
Cllr Cooper declared an interest in item 11.1 – invoice submitted by The Man Who Can and item 13.2 – quotations received regarding Pavilion refurbishment
112/10 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 23 JUNE 2010
4.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Cooper, seconded by Cllr Broadley and signed by the Chairman.
113/10 MATTERS ARISING
5.
Cllr Harris had matters she wished to raise which were considered under Parish Matters (see 125/10)
114/10 UPDATE FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE TEAM
6.
Officers reported on a recent theft at Hilton Grange but were pleased to say that the thief had subsequently been arrested. There had been one other attempted theft in Bramhope. The theft of a trailer at Arthington seemed to be one of a number of similar incidents in the area.
The Police were asked to increase patrols at the public conveniences in Old Lane.
Councillors reported to the police damage done to a flower planter at Breary Lane East and of several instances of disturbances by groups of youths at the Cricket Ground. Officers agreed to increase patrols in the area.
115/10 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
7.
This was covered under other agenda items
116/10 CLERK’S REPORT
8.
Children’s sport activity weeks will be held at the Cricket Ground in August.
11710 CORRESPONDENCE
9. Communications received:
§ A copy of a communication from a resident to Leeds Bradford Airport complaining about noise from private aircraft flying over Bramhope. Cllr Charlesworth as Parish Council representative on the LBIA Consultative Committee explained that this issue was regularly raised at meetings and he would raise it again. Cllr Penny asked Cllr Charlesworth to include Carlton village in his representations
§ A draft lease for new easement for YEDL at the Cricket Ground
§ An report on the state of the electrical installation at the Puritan Chapel
§ A request from a resident for information regarding the Council’s actions on parking violations at The Parade. Cllr Mills informed the council that this was an area being considered by the Road Safety Group.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
118/10 ROAD SAFETY GROUP
10.
The group had produced a report in response to issues raised at council meetings and especially at the Annual Parish Meetings. Cllr Mills asked councillors for their support in taking forward the recommendations of the report for consultation with Leeds City Council and the Highways Department. The council AGREED to this proposition.
119/10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
11
11.1 The Clerk asked for one additional payment of £120 to The Man Who Can Ltd to be approved. Payment of the schedule was proposed by Cllr Mills, seconded by Cllr Forman-Marshall and AGREED by all.
11.2 The petty cash expenditure was approved.
11.3 The report on the annual Property Inspection was accepted.
11.4 The resignation of Cllr David Ripley from the Parish Council was accepted. Councillors acknowledged that his resignation would be a loss to the council and the Clerk was asked to write to Cllr Ripley to express the council’s appreciation of all the work he had done during his time on the council.
120/10 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
12
12.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
12.2 Enforcement Issues
Advertising banners that had appeared at the Leeds Road/Kings Road junction had been removed.
Various issues concerning Greengates Farm had been investigated but had been found not to contravene any planning rules. The blocking of a footpath at the farm would continue to be monitored.
121/10 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
13
13.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
The responsibilities of former Cllr Ripley on the VMG will need to be re-allocated. The condition of the notice board at Wynmore Avenue was discussed. Requests to remove it were rejected and the VMG will organise its refurbishment.
13.2 Cllr Cooper left the meeting during discussion of this item. The awarding of the tender to ‘The Man Who Can Ltd’ was APPROVED. Work is expected to commence in September.
122/10 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
14.
Cllr Penny reported that the grass verges in Carlton had been cut recently. It was confirmed to her that this work is carried out by Leeds City Council. The waterhole still awaits cleaning.
123/10 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE and VILLAGE CAR PARK DEVELOPMENT
15.
This item was discussed in closed session at the end of the meeting.
Leeds City Council has now produced costings for a proposed ‘greening’ scheme for the car park. The full cost of the landscaping element of this scheme would be met from s106 monies. However there would still be substantial costs connected with the renovation of the car park for which the Parish Council would be responsible. It was estimated that approximately 50% of these cost would have to be funded directly from Parish Council funds whilst the other 50% would be funded from other sources such as charitable trusts.
It was recognised that there may need to be changes made to the scheme as proposed and therefore a working party was set up to consider it in more detail. Cllrs Marshall, Forman-Marshall, Harris, Cooper, Gamble and Fox will form the group. A first meeting will be held on August 16th at 7:00pm and the group will report back to Full Council at the August meeting.
124/10 LIAISON GROUPS
16
16.1 RCMH
Cllr Broadley reported that as a result of an energy audit carried out at the Robert Craven Hall work had been done to reduce energy usage. This included pipe lagging, loft insulation, shelves over radiators and a new side door. The management committee was investigating the possibility of installing solar heating.
The Farmers Market continues to be well supported.
16.2 Bramhope Primary School
Cllr Harris congratulated the school on the recent Scarecrow Hunt.
A recent meeting to which representatives of BYDT were invited had explored further the possibility of installing a Multi Use Games Area at the school. A commitment had been made to make a final decision at the next governor’s meeting in September.
125/10 PARISH ISSUES
17.
Cllr Mills reported on a discarded rubbish bag in need of removal. In response to his comments on the need for the grass verges between the Kings Road roundabout and Golden Acre park to be cut, Cllr Fox said he would enquire.
Cllr Harris commented on the long delay in completing the resurfacing work in The Poplars and adjacent roads and asked Cllr Fox if he had any information as to when it would be completed. Cllr Harris asked Cllr Mills if he had carried out the audit of rubbish bins in Bramhope. Cllr Mills replied that this had been completed and he had obtained prices for new bins. This information would be reported at the August meeting.
Cllr Broadley commented on a number of locations where overhanging trees were causing a nuisance to pedestrians. The Clerk will draft a letter regarding this which councillors can deliver to any properties they think appropriate.
Cllr Gamble commented on the poor state of the footpath and sight lines on Kings Road
18. The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 25th August at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:50pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 23 June 2010 at 7:30pm
90/10 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills (in the absence of Cllr Johnson)
Councillors : John Broadley, Simon Cooper, David Ripley, Joan Wood, Hilary Harris, David Marshall
Clerk : Kate Fraser
One member of the public was present
91/10 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Councillors Gamble, Penny, Charlesworth, Johnson and Forman-Marshall
92/10DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Cooper declared an interest in item 10.2 – invoice submitted by The Man Who Can and item 13.2 – quotations received regarding Pavilion refurbishment
93/10 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 26 MAY 2010
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Wood, seconded by Cllr Ripley and signed by the Chairman.
94/10 MATTERS ARISING
4.
Cllr Mills reported on the outcome of the Extraordinary Meeting held by the management committee of the Robert Craven Memorial Hall. The committee have agreed to work with Youth Services from Leeds City Council towards the provision of a youth club subject to indications of support for such a venture from local young people. The Bramhope Youth Development Trust has offered financial support.
Cllr Harris apologised for not attending the annual property inspection.
Cllr Johnson joined the meeting at 7:40pm
95/10 UPDATE FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE TEAM
5.
Due to the non-attendance of the police there was no update.
96/10 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6.
The first meeting of the Road Traffic Group had been held and a report was being prepared for presentation at the July meeting of Full Council. Councillors will receive a copy of the report in advance of the meeting.
97/10 CLERK’S REPORT
7. The summer issue of the newsletter had been delivered and the clerk thanked local volunteers for their assistance.
Following comments in the report of the internal auditor the Clerk requested authorisation to have photocopies made of several important documents held by the Council
A request had been received from Animal Christian Concern to hold a service in the Puritan Chapel. It was agreed this could be held but a donation of £100 to chapel funds would be required.
98/10 CORRESPONDENCE
8. Communications received:
§ Summary of the Coalition Programme for Government for Communities and Local Government
§ A letter from a resident referring to an article in the summer 2010 newsletter regarding overhanging vegetation and damage to grass verges.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
99/10 meeting with the director(s) of Multiflight to discuss the issue of light aircraft noise over Bramhope
9. In response to a complaint from a resident regarding noise from non-commercial aircraft Cllrs Mills and Charlesworth will seek to arrange a meeting with Multiflight.
It was stated that complaints had been lodged with the airport authorities from resident of other areas regarding the circling of small aircraft.
100/10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
10
10.1 Following the Internal Audit of the Council the accounts for 2009/10 were presented to councillors for approval. It was asked that in the published accounts the Income item shown as ‘Donations’ and the Expenditure item shown as ‘Purchase of Land’ should have an explanatory note to indicate that these items referred solely to the purchase of the Village car park. The clerk was asked to clarify the items ‘VAT recovered’ and ‘VATpayable’ Acceptance of the Accounts was proposed by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Ripley and AGREED by all.
10.2 The schedule of payments was AGREED
10.3 The petty cash expenditure was approved.
10.4 The report on the annual Property Inspection had not yet been produced and this item was deferred until the July meeting.
101/10 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
11
11.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified. Cllr Ripley (Chairman – Planning Group) commented on the government’s new policy on’ garden grabbing’. The specifics of the policy were still to be determined.
11.2 Enforcement Issues
A planning application had been submitted for the conversion of agricultural land adjacent to a house on King Road to domestic use.
102/10 UPDATE ON REFURBISHMENT OF KNOLL PLAYGROUND
12. Cllr Ripley reported that following presentations by both tendering companies at Bramhope Primary School, a clear preference for the scheme submitted by Komplan had been expressed. Laminated plans of the two schemes had also been displayed on notice boards in the village for comment by residents. Further meetings with Komplan to progress the scheme had run into some delays caused by staffing issues at the firm. Cllr Ripley was taking steps to remedy this situation. Cllr Ripley announced that the consultation period for the redevelopment of the playground was now finished and future efforts would be directed towards fund raising. A considerable sum had already been pledged but further sources were needed.
103/10 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
13
13.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman – VMG) reported that he was to have a meeting with a local resident who may be able to assist in providing working parties to carry out maintenance work in the village.
13.2 Cllr Cooper left the meeting during discussion of this item. To date two quotations have been obtained for the refurbishment work at the Pavilion. There was some concern expressed that a councillor was one of the firms tendering. To conform with Standing Orders it was agreed that Cllr Marshall (Vice Chairman – VMG) would obtain a third quote. These would then be considered by the VMG and following ratification presented to Full Council for approval of the successful quotation.
104/10 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
14.
No report had been received.
105/10 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
15.
There was no update.
106/10 LIAISON GROUPS
16
16.1 RCMH
Cllr Broadley reported that although a number of people had expressed an interest at the Annual Parish Meeting in joining the committee of the RCMH there had been little positive response when they had been contacted.
16.2 Bramhope Primary School
Cllr Harris reminded councillors that the Annual Scarecrow Hunt would take place on 3rd July. Cllr Mills (Chairman – Road Traffic Group) asked Cllr Harris to ascertain the view of the school regarding road traffic issues in its vicinity.
107/10 PARISH ISSUES
17.
Cllr Mills reported that the current issue of the newsletter had published an incorrect date for the Bramhope show.
Cllr Johnson reminded councillors that the second round of judging for the Village in Bloom competition would take place on 8th July. Improvements had been made to the shop frontages at The Cross
Cllr Cooper commented on the number of advertising signs appearing on the grassed areas at Tredgold Avenue shops. Various views on the acceptability of these signs were expressed.
Cllr Ripley reported that he and Cllr Marshall had attended the AGM of the Yorkshire Local Council Association.
Cllr Wood questioned whether there was any information regarding the letting of the refurbished shops at Tredgold Avenue. Although there were reports of possible tenants being shown around the premises there was no indication that they would be occupied in the near future.
Cllr Harris expressed concern that the work being carried out by the Highways department in the Poplars/Birches/Rowans area seemed to have been halted.
Cllr Marshall reported on items from the AGM of the YCLA – a change in flying hours at Leeds/Bradford airport, proposals for a shuttle bus from Horsforth to the airport, possible changes to local council names (all councils to be known as ‘Local Councils’ rather than ‘Parish’ or ‘Town’ councils.
Cllr Broadley reported that he had attempted to have the litter bin at The Poplars replaced but LCC had refused on the grounds of lack of funds. An approach to the local ward councillor had been suggested. Discussion took place regarding the replacement of all litter bins in the Bramhope with those of a uniform design. Cllr Mills offered to carry out an audit of all litter bins in the village.
18. The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 28th July at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:15pm
Minutes of the Annual Council Meeting held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 26 May 2010
72/10 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : John Broadley, Simon Cooper, Clive Fox, David Ripley, Joan Wood, Hilary Harris, David Marshall, Denis Johnson
Clerk : Kate Fraser
73/10 ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN
1.
It was proposed by Cllr Ripley, seconded by Cllr Wood and AGREED that Cllr Johnson be chairman for the year 2010/2011. Cllr Johnson signed the declaration of office and assumed the chairmanship of the meeting.
74/10 ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIRMAN
2.
It was proposed by Cllr Ripley, seconded by Cllr Harris and AGREED that Cllr Mills be the Vice Chairman for the year 2010/2011
75/10 APPOINTMENTS OF MEMBERS TO COMMITTEES/GROUPS/LIAISON
3.
Cllrs Wood and Harris joined the VMG group and it was AGREED that a vice chairman of the VMG would be appointed by the VMG at their next meeting. All other memberships/responsibilities are to remain as for 2009/2010. Cllr Ripley was appointed Chairman of the Planning group.
76/10 APOLOGIES
4.
Apologies had been received from Councillors Gamble, Penny, Charlesworth and Forman-Marshall
77/10DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
5.
Cllr Cooper declared an interest in item 11.1 – invoice submitted by The Man Who Can.
78/10 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 28 APRIL 2010
6.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Ripley, seconded by Cllr Cooper and signed by the Chairman.
79/10 MATTERS ARISING
7.
There were no matters arising.
80/10 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
8.
The Chairman thanked Cllr Mills for his
work as chairman over the previous year.
Information had been received that the painting of the Heritage Lamp
Posts should be completed in the near future following difficulties with the
contractors.
Cllr Mills reported on the Annual Parish Meeting held on May 19th
2010. This had been well attended. A major topic of discussion had been the
lack of provision in the village for young people and the possible of use of the
Robert Craven Hall for this purpose. The committee of the Robert Craven Hall
are to hold an Extraordinary meeting to review their current lettings policy. A
list of residents at the Annual Parish Meeting who had expressed an interest in
joining the committee of the Robert Craven Hall had been passed to the
committee. Cllr Mills is producing a list of all other topics raised in the Q &
A session at the Annual Parish Meeting for future consideration by the Parish
Council. Cllr Johnson emphasised that the Council must pursue the issues raised
before the next Annual meeting but in relation to youth provision it was
important to find out what the youth of the village would like to have provided
before further plans are made.
81/10 CLERK’S REPORT
9.
The Clerk had attended the Leeds Annual Town and Parish Council conference that morning.
A number of volunteers had come forward at the Annual Parish Meeting to help with the distribution of the newsletter.
82/10 CORRESPONDENCE
10. Communications received:
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
The Chairman commented on the sale of 48 acres of land (in 2 lots) adjacent to the Recreation Ground.
83/10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
11
11.3 The Council approved the renewal of the insurance.
11.1 The Clerk asked for 1 additional payment to be included in the schedule - £105 to The Man Who Can. Payment of all items was proposed by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Marshall and AGREED by all.
11.2 The petty cash expenditure was approved.
11.4 The annual inspection of the council properties will take place on Wednesday 16 June at 7:00pm
11.5 Cllrs Ripley and Marshall agreed to attend the Annual meeting of the Leeds Branch of YLCA of Tues 8th June 2010
84/10 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
12
12.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
12.2 Enforcement Issues
There were no new issues.
85/10 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
13
13.1
The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman) thanked the volunteers who had carried out clearance work at the Puritan Chapel on Saturday 22 May. He indicated that another similar session would be required in the future.
Cllrs Cooper and Marshall had surveyed the mini park with regard to the installation of posts to prevent vehicular access to the area. One quote for this work had been received but further quotes would be sought.
A picnic table for the mini park can be obtained for £140. Councillors emphasised that this must be securely fixed to the ground whilst still enabling grass cutting to take place.
Glass in a door and window at the Pavilion had been broken. The police had been informed
One quote for the renovation work at the Pavilion had been received and others should be received shortly.
86/10 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
14.
No report had been received.
87/10 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
15.
Cllr Fox reported that the recent Council elections had left unclear who would be the governing group on Leeds City Council.
The change in national government as a result of the recent general election was likely to lead to changes in planning policy and a current appeal regarding housing in Adel had now been postponed until the new situation was clarified.
88/10 LIAISON GROUPS
16
16.1 RCMH
Cllr Broadley reported on the Extraordinary meeting of the Hall committee to be held in response to issues raised at the Annual Parish Meeting (see 80/10).
16.2 Bramhope Primary School
There was nothing to report.
89/10 PARISH ISSUES
17.
Cllr Broadley made further comments regarding overhanging vegetation. He also commented on the improved appearance of the stone wall alongside the A660 following on-going repairs. He asked if redundant warning signs that had been attached to lampposts for some time could now be removed.
Cllr Mills commented that the section of wall on the A660 next to the bus stop which had recently been repaired was not in keeping with the rest of the wall. It was concluded that this was probably the result of health and safety considerations. He also announced that the production of the next edition of the newsletter was a little behind schedule and there was still time to submit items.
Cllr Harris voiced concern that there was no litter bin in the vicinity of The Poplars. Cllr Broadley said he would pursue this matter, as he had in the past, with Leeds City Council.
Cllr Ripley had noticed that the noise level emanating from the quarry had increased. Cllr Fox stated that Leeds City Council has carried out noise measurements in the past and found them to be acceptable. However he would make further enquiries.
Cllr Cooper commented on damage done to an estate agents sign on Old Lane. He also commented on the working hours of the clerk.
Cllr Fox informed the council that following the current ‘patching’ work being carried out in the Birches area, full resurfacing of the road would take place.
Cllr Johnson stated his intention to open negotiations with a local landowner to purchase further land for the cemetery.
18. The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 23rd June at 7.30pm.
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 28 April 2010 at 7:30pm
54/10 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : Clive Fox, Hilary Harris, Simon Cooper, Denis Johnson, Colin Gamble, Dawn Forman-Marshall, David Marshall, Joan Wood, Judith Penny
Clerk : Kate Fraser
55/10 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs Broadley, Charlesworth and Ripley
56/10 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Cooper declared a personal interest in agenda item 10.1 – payment to ‘The Man Who Can’
57/10 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 24 MARCH 2010
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Wood, seconded by Cllr Forman-Marshall and signed by the Chairman.
58/10 MATTERS ARISING
4.
It was agreed that the Chairman would send a letter of thanks to the Lord Mayor of Leeds following the attendance of five councillors at a reception held at the Civic Hall.
59/10
5. UPDATE FROM NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM
Officers reported that no official calls had been logged in April with regard to anti-social behaviour in Bramhope. There had been two attempted burglaries and several thefts from garages and gardens. The officers asked residents to give extra consideration to the security of outbuildings containing gardening equipment during the summer months when criminals could find a ready market for stolen items. Criminal damage to a car and garden fencing had been reported in the area of Hall Drive and patrols had been increased in the vicinity. The speed detection device had been operative on Moorland Road and Kings Road.
60/10 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6.
The Chairman reported on a recent meeting he had attended with Cllr Fox as trustees of the Bramhope Youth Development Trust. Bramhope Primary School continues to express a positive attitude to the provision of a Multi Use Games Area in the grounds of the school. The lack of provision for teenagers in the village was also discussed at the meeting and a proposal was put to Council that the Parish Council could provide some benches on the mini-park (area adjacent to A660). This proposal was broadly supported although it was suggested that the provision of a picnic table might be more useful. The Village Maintenance Group was asked to source the furniture including a litter bin.
The Chairman also reported on the recent reception given by the Lord Mayor of Leeds. Councillors who attended had a pleasant evening and enjoyed the hospitality provided.
The Chairman reminded councillors that he would not be standing for re-election as Chairman at the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council in May and asked councillors to give consideration as to who would be filling this and other roles within the council.
61/10 CLERK'S REPORT
7.
Trees that had been impeding electricity cables at the Sports Ground have been removed.
Signs, wrongly indicating the speed limit along the A660 through the village as 30mph, had been erected at the Kings Road junction but had now been replaced with 40mph signs.
The new lamp post at the bottom of Church Hill outside St Giles has been removed and relocated to the other side of Church Hill. Following a meeting with LCC representatives, it is hope that this lamp post will eventually be of ‘Heritage’ design. Painting of the ‘Heritage’ lamp posts has commenced.
The spring Conference of Town and Parish councils will be held on the morning of May 26th at Leeds Civic Hall.
62/10 CORRESPONDENCE
8.
Correspondence had been received from the Chairman of the Robert Craven Memorial Hall asking if spaces in the village car park on Old Lane could be reserved for those attending the hall. Councillors expressed the view that, whilst there may occasionally be insufficient parking spaces available, this was such an infrequent occurrence as not to warrant the setting aside of any spaces solely for the use of the Robert Craven Memorial Hall. Occupancy of the car park had been monitored for the past few days by a councillor and at no time had both the car park of the Robert Craven Institute and the village car park been fully occupied. It was agreed that on the day of the Bramhope Show they were happy for the committee of the show to manage the car park as they felt fit.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
63/10 UPDATE FROM PLAYGROUND DEVELOPMENT GROUP
9.
Cllr Harris reported that one of the firms tendering for the contract to refurbish the playground had given a presentation to the children at Bramhope Primary School. The other tendering firm had been unable to attend at this time but will give a presentation in May. The children had provided thoughtful and useful contributions to the discussion. Cllr Harris explained that the children had been informed that funds still needed to be raised to enable the refurbishment to go ahead and asked them to take part in future fund raising.
An application for funding has been made to the Bramhope Trust and an application will shortly be made to Green Leeds. It was suggested that an application could be made to obtain national Lottery funding.
64/10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
10
10.1 The Clerk asked for two additional payment to be approved : £40.75 for repairs to the Cricket Pavilion and £100.00 for repairs to the Puritan Chapel. Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Penny, seconded by Cllr Johnson and AGREED by all.
10.2 The petty cash payments were approved
10.3 The Clerk reported that a Risk Assessment of the council’s premises/properties had been carried out and was available for inspection at the Parish Office.
10.4 The steering group had had a recent meeting to confirm arrangements. The flyers advertising the meeting are to be distributed in Bramhope in conjunction with the Christian Aid Appeal envelopes. The Chairman has made a donation to Christian Aid from his allowance funds. Councillors were asked to attend the Annual Parish Meeting on 19th May from 6:45pm onwards.
65/10 PLANNING
11.
11.1 The report of the Planning Group was accepted.
11.2 There were no enforcement issues.
66/10 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
12
12.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman VMG) had obtained indicative prices for fencing at the mini-park. The quantity of fencing that would be required will be ascertained. It was also suggested that costs for installing some additional trees along the roadside border be obtained.
The disposal of a non-functioning refrigerator from the Pavilion had been queried by the Cricket Club as it had not been realised that it belonged to them. It was agreed that the Pavilion was in need of some major refurbishment and that this should include the provision of a new refrigerator. Cllr Cooper will obtain a quote for re-roofing the Pavilion and the Cricket Club will be asked if they would be interest in the new roof area incorporating a scoring mechanism for matches.
Cllr Cooper asked for volunteers to help tidy the grounds of the Puritan Chapel on Saturday 22 May from 9:00am – 1:00pm. Cllr Fox will provide a skip.
67/10 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
13
Cllr Penny thanked the VMG for their intention to pressure wash the Water Hole area at Carlton.
Carlton Fun Day is being held on Sunday 9th May.
68/10 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
14
Cllr Fox reported that the road improvements at the Dyneley crossroads have been completed.
Leeds City Council has appointed a new Chief Executive.
69/10 LIAISON GROUPS
15
15.1 RCMH – There was no report from Cllr Broadley
15.2 BRAMHOPE PRIMARY SCHOOL. – Cllr Harris reported that the governors had been ensuring they were well trained and briefed in advance of an anticipated visit by OFSTED.
70/10 PARISH ISSUES
16
Cllr Gamble reported on the recent judging of Bramhope in the Village in Bloom competition. The judges had commented favourably on the various areas of the village they visited. There was acknowledgement and appreciation of the valuable work carried out by the Bramhope in Bloom volunteers. Cllr Fox commented that it was currently a good time to identify where future bulb planting was required.
Cllr Cooper commented on the tree outside Cairns & Hickey. The Bramhope in Bloom group are intending to make improvements to this area.
Cllr Johnson reported that the flower tubs on Church Hill would be re-planted before the next judging round of Village in Bloom in July. In addition a number of gardens on Church Hill would be tidied.
71/10
17
The date of the next Full Council Meeting (Annual Meeting of the Parish Council) will be 26 May 2010 at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:30pm.
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 24 March 2010 at 7:30pm
36/10 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : Clive Fox, Hilary Harris, Simon Cooper, David Ripley, Peter Charlesworth, Denis Johnson, Colin Gamble, Dawn Forman-Marshall, David Marshall, Joan Wood
Clerk : Kate Fraser
Also in attendance – 2 members of the public
Prior to the meeting a member of the public who was present asked for information as to when the footpath running between Breary Lane and Leeds Road would be re-surfaced. She reported that many elderly residents found the footpath surface dangerous and accidents had occurred. As the footpath is owned by Leeds City Council, Cllr Fox, in his capacity as Ward Councillor, stated that he would request that the footpath be inspected by Leeds City Council.
37/10 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs Broadley and Penny
38/10 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Cooper declared a personal interest in agenda item 9 – tendering of works for the Puritan Chapel
39/10 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 24 February 2010
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Harris, seconded by Cllr Gamble and signed by the Chairman.
40/10 MATTERS ARISING
4.
Cllr Harris commented on an email which Cllr Mills had received from a 15 year old resident in response to an article on anti social behaviour in the latest issue of the Newsletter. Cllr Mills had not received any further emails on the topic but had copied the email to the Bramhope Youth Development Trust who were keen to encourage further dialog with the youth of the parish. An item would also appear in the next newsletter.
41/10 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
5.
The chairman reported on the PACT meeting held by the Neighbourhood Policing Team on Saturday 20 March. There had been a low attendance at the meeting at which the police reported on the current PACT priorities. There had been a very low level of thefts and burglaries. Regular patrols were taking place in the areas identified as being liable to anti-social behaviour. Speeding patrols had been active on Kings Road, Moor Road and Old Lane. The majority of motorist identified as breaking the speed limits in these areas had been identified as local residents.
42/10 CLERKS REPORT
6.
The Clerk reported that the Bramhope in Bloom group, assisted by local Scouts, had replanted two more of the planters at The Parade. The council expressed their appreciation of their efforts.
The first round of judging in the Village in Bloom competition will take place on April 22 commencing at 1:00pm
An invitation had been received from the Lord Mayor of Leeds for Parish councillors to attend a reception at the Civic Hall. The Clerk asked for the names of councillors who would be interested in attending.
43/10 CORRESPONDENCE
7.
Correspondence had been received regarding:
§ Letter from Bramhope in Bloom re water butts (see item 10.4 below)
§ Rates Bills for Cemetery and Cricket Ground
§ Details of Training & Development Programme offered by YLCA
§ Confirmation of change of Electricity supplier at Pavilion
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
44/10 UPDATE FROM PLAYGROUND DEVELOPMENT GROUP
8.
Proposed plans for the refurbishment of the playground were displayed to councillors. Cllr Ripley reported that four companies had been asked to tender but only three quotes had been received and two full sets of plans. The next stage would be to ask representatives from the two companies who had submitted full plans to give a presentation to the School Council at Bramhope Primary School to obtain opinions on these plans.
Cllr Ripley also reported that he is actively pursuing avenues of funding for the scheme.
Councillors acknowledged the very good work done by Cllr Ripley in progressing the refurbishment of the playground so far, but voiced concerns over further promotion of the scheme whilst financial backing remained uncertain. Cllr Ripley affirmed his opinion that the scheme was meeting the criteria for obtaining the funding he was seeking.
45/10 UPDATE FROM THE PURITAN CHAPEL MAINTENANCE GROUP
9.
Cllr Ripley referred councillors to the accompanying report. He asked for Council’s agreement to carry out the items listed as urgent and those requiring attention within the next 18 months as defined in the report received from Wales, Wales & Rawson. The cost of these works was estimated at:
Urgent Works £325
Works required within 18 months £2750
Reports required £1850
The acceptance of this proposal was proposed by Cllr Charlesworth, seconded by Cllr Marshall and AGREED by all.
Cllr Cooper left the meeting for the next discussion.
It was AGREED by all that Cllr Cooper's tender (trading as The Man Who Can Ltd) should be accepted for the works listed in the accompanying report.
It was AGREED that when Brian Copping (village lengthman) was utilised for work on the Puritan Chapel, his cost would continue to be shown in the VMG budget.
Cllr Cooper rejoined the meeting.
46/10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
10
10.1 The Clerk asked for one additional payment to be approved : £47.00 to Electroville. Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Wood and AGREED by all.
The end of year budget was presented to the Council.
10.2 The petty cash payments were approved
10.3 The Annual Parish Carol Service will be held on 22 December 2010 at the Puritan Chapel
10.4 The purchase of two water butts for use by the Bramhope in Bloom group was APPROVED
10.5 The Council approved the hiring of the Sports Ground to WR Active Learning but asked that a returnable bond of £50 be payable against any damage or extra cleaning required.
47/10 PLANNING
11.
11.1 The report of the Planning Group was accepted. Cllr Johnson (Chairman- Planning Group) reported that it seemed there was not now to be a planning application submitted for the equestrian estate on Moor Road to be converted into a school.
11.2 Cllr Fox reported that the advertising banners at the junction of Kings Road and Leeds Road had been removed. It had been noted that an advertising board had appeared on The Cross.
48/10 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
12
12.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman VMG) reported that work had been carried out at the Puritan Chapel and that the maintenance of the Well Site was a current priority for the VMG. Cllr Marshall will replace Cllr Forman-Marshall on the VMG.
49/10 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
13
No report had been received from Cllr Penny.
50/10 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
14
Cllr Fox reported that work was currently being undertaken at Golden Acre Park to improve the path to the pond.
51/10 LIAISON GROUPS
15
14.1 RCMH – There was no report from Cllr Broadley
14.2 BRAMHOPE PRIMARY SCHOOL. – Cllr Harris reported that the Headteacher had been very pleased with the article in the current issue of the newsletter and that the children will be asked to produce items for future issues.
52/10 PARISH ISSUES
16
Cllr Forman-Marshall distributed a new information sheet that she had prepared for the Puritan Chapel and the Well Site. She asked for any comments before the end of the week. She is also producing a similar sheet relating to the Bramhope Tunnel.
Cllr Harris raised the subject of whether the Rules of the Cemetery needed revision following recent issues surrounding acceptable headstone design. The difficulties of making prescriptive rules in this area were recognised. Cllrs Forman Marshall and Johnson agreed to join the existing members of the Cemetery group to consider whether the current rules needed up-dating.
Cllr Cooper commented on the poor state of the paving slabs outside the entrance to the Britannia Hotel and asked if the hotel management could be approached to repair it. Cllr Johnson said he would pursue this.
Cllr Cooper also questioned whether the Parish Newsletter should encourage more commercial advertising to be placed in forthcoming issues. The Communications Group will consider this at their next meeting.
Cllr Johnson commented on the missing sign at the entrance to Old Lane warning of its unsuitability for Heavy Good Vehicles.
53/10
17
The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 28 April 2010 at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:30pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 24 February 2010 at 7:30pm
18/10 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : Clive Fox, Hilary Harris, Simon Cooper, David Ripley, Peter Charlesworth, Denis Johnson, Colin Gamble, Dawn Forman-Marshall, John Broadley
Clerk : Kate Fraser
Also in attendance – 4 members of the public and 3 representatives from Robert Craven Memorial Hall
19/10 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs Wood and Penny
20/10 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Cooper declared a personal interest in agenda item 10.1 – payment to The Man Who Can Ltd
21/10 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 27 January 2010
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Charlesworth seconded by Cllr Ripley and signed by the Chairman.
22/10 MATTERS ARISING
4.
There were no matters arising
23/10 UPDATE BY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE TEAM
Although this had not been listed on the agenda the council received a report from the office attending. There had been very little criminal activity in the area recently although there had been another theft of York Stone. Anti-Social behaviour had been reported in Hall Drive. Officers had attended and spoken to the individuals concerned. The Officer reminded council of the PACT meeting being held at the Robert Craven Hall on March 20th 2010 at 10:00am
24/10 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
5.
The next issue of the newsletter is shortly to be sent to the printers and will be ready for distribution in early March
25/10 CLERKS REPORT
6.
The clerk reported that she had attended a course on web site design and creation.
26/10 CORRESPONDENCE
7.
Correspondence had been received regarding:
§ The granting of easement to YEDL for the laying of new electricity cables at the Sports Ground and replacement of the existing sub-station.
§ A report on Local Public Rights of Way
§ A letter from Leeds City Council concerning the extension of Dog Control Orders and asking for any views from the Parish Council on these matters
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
27/10 UPDATE FROM PLAYGROUND DEVELOPMENT GROUP
8.
Cllr Ripley presented a report on the activities of the group to date (see attached) and outlined the future plans. The group was exploring funding sources and Cllr Ripley thanked Mr Chris Smith for his efforts with this.
28/10 DISCUSSION OF ROAD TRAFFIC REPORT
9.
This report had been prepared for the Parish Council by Mr K Heeley in response to the large number of questions and comments regarding traffic issues raised at the Annual Parish Meeting in 2009. The Parish council expressed their appreciation for the work of Mr Heeley. In view of the many issues raised it was decided to form a sub group to consider the report in depth and report back to the Full Council. Cllrs Mills, Cooper, Gamble and Ripley were appointed. It was hoped that by adopting one or two of the issues the Parish Council could help to instigate some solutions.
29/10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
10
10.1 The Clerk asked for three additional payments to be approved : £35.25 to Bedford Mowing for white lining at the sports ground, £528.75 to Wales Wales Rawson for production of a condition report on the Puritan Chapel and £109.18 to The Man Who Can Ltd for electrical repair work at the sports pavilion. Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Gamble and AGREED by all.
10.2 The petty cash payments were approved
10.3 For the convenience of the representatives attending from the Robert Craven Memorial Hall, this item had been discussed earlier in the meeting following agenda item 8. Ewart Lewis, Graham Firth and Norman Sykes representing Robert Craven Memorial Hall attended.
Cllr Mills outlined the background to the annual grant given by the Parish Council to Robert Craven Memorial Hall. The grant had been kept at a figure of £4000 for the past 19 years but had been increased to £6000 in 2009-10. Mr Lewis for Robert Craven Memorial Hall explained that in this period the expenditure of the Robert Craven Memorial Hall had doubled and this increasing trend was likely to continue. The Hall committee was making all efforts to reduce expenditure and had recently had an energy audit carried out with this aim. Other sources of revenue were being explored at all times although Mr Lewis did express the view that the Hall would benefit from younger members of the local community taking a part in the running of the Hall. An increase in the grant for 2010-11 to £6500 was proposed by Cllr Gamble, seconded by Cllr Charlesworth and APPROVED by all.
10.4 The date of the Annual Parish Meeting was confirmed as 19 May 2010 at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall subject to the Hall being available.
10.5 Cllrs Mills, Wood, Harris and Gamble were appointed to a steering group for the Annual Parish Meeting
10.6 Subsequent to the resignation of Cllr David Encell, David Marshall was co-opted onto the Council. Cllr Marshall signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office and joined the meeting.
30/10 PLANNING
11.
11.1 The report of the Planning Group was accepted
11.2 There were no new enforcement issues.
31/10 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
12
12.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman VMG) had prepared a maintenance report on the Pavilion. The Clerk will circulate it to all councillors. A plumber and electrician have already attended the Pavilion to carry out urgent repairs to the water and electrical systems.
32/10 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
13
No report had been received from Cllr Penny. Cllr Mills indicated that, although the Road Traffic Report to be considered by the council made no specific mention of Carlton, it would be included in the sub group’s discussions.
33/10 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
14
Cllr Fox reported that Council Tax rates for Leeds City Council would be increasing by approximately 2.5%.
Salt and gritting levels are still at low levels in the area
The stickers on some brown bins in Bramhope had been printed with the wrong collection dates for February.
Cllr Fox will be having a meeting with an officer from Leeds City Council next week regarding the development of a Conservation Area in the village.
The damaged wall and footpath on Leeds Road in the vicinity of The Poplars will have selective repairs carried out on it.
34/10 LIAISON GROUPS
15
14.1 RCMH – Cllr Broadley had nothing to report.
14.2 BRAMHOPE PRIMARY SCHOOL. – Cllr Harris had sent the headteacher a schedule for the newsletter to assist in the production of articles.
34/10 PARISH ISSUES
16
Cllr Cooper expressed concern that all road signage should be replaced on the new lamp posts in Bramhope.
Cllr Harris reported that there had been damage to the wall alongside Leeds road in the vicinity of the roundabout at Kings Road. There had also been damage to the grass of the minipark at the entrance to The Poplars and wondered if fencing could be erected to prevent further damage occurring.
Cllr Forman-Marshall informed the council that light shields could be fixed to the rear side of the new Heritage Lamps if any residents were having problems with excessive light disturbance.
Cllr Ripley had previously mentioned that a condition report on the Puritan Chapel had been received from Wales Wales Rawson. The report made a number of recommendations but did not indicate any serious areas for concern. Cllr Ripley would be calling a meeting of the Chapel Maintenance Group to progress matters.
35/10
17
The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 24 March 2010 at 7.30pm. The meeting will be preceded by a meeting of the BVPT at 7:15pm
The meeting ended at 9:30pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 27 January 2010 at 7:30pm
1/10 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : Clive Fox, Hilary Harris, Simon Cooper, David Ripley, Peter Charlesworth, Judith Penny, Denis Johnson, Colin Gamble, Dawn Forman-Marshall, Joan Wood
Clerk : Kate Fraser
2/10 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllr John Broadley
3/10 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Ripley declared a personal interest in agenda item 9.4
4/10 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 25 November 2009
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Charlesworth seconded by Cllr Harris and signed by the Chairman.
5/10 MATTERS ARISING
4.
Cllr Harris asked if there had been any further developments regarding the state of the wall on Leeds Road. She was informed that a proper appraisal of the situation was still awaited.
6/10 UPDATE BY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE TEAM
5.
The officer attending reported that there had not been any reports of anti-social behaviour at The Knoll although a report had been received from a local resident regarding youths congregating at the footpath entrance on Breary Lane. Subsequent patrols had not observed any activity in the area. It was remarked that Friday evenings seemed to be the usual time of any disturbance and the officer agreed to step up patrols at that time. The Chairman asked the police to contribute an article on anti-social behaviour for the next newsletter.
Cllr Harris raised the issue of illegal parking on the single yellow lines in the vicinity of The Parade which was causing difficulties for a local resident. A copy of the letter which had been received by the Council was given to the police who said they would contact the resident to discuss his concerns. Mention was also made of vehicles parking on the pavement in the same area.
7/10 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6.
§ The Chairman reminded councillors that the Road Traffic report would be discussed at the February meeting and asked all councillors to read it prior to the next meeting.
§ The deadline for articles for the next newsletter is February 19th 2010
§ The Chairman suggested that representatives of the Robert Craven Hall be invited to attend the February meeting when the Parish Council’s grant to the Hall will be discussed. Councillors supported this suggestion.
§ The Chairman suggested that the Annual Parish Meeting take place on May 19 2010 and follow a similar format to last year. Further arrangements will be confirmed at the February meeting.
8/10 CLERKS REPORT
7.
9/10 CORRESPONDENCE
8.
Correspondence had been received regarding:
§ Illegal parking on yellow lines in the vicinity of The Parade. A copy of this letter was passed to the police (see minute 6/10)
§ A letter complaining of damage to a car on ‘Mischief Night’ in the vicinity of The Knoll
§ A letter asking for nominations from the Parish Council to the Highways Working Group
§ A letter setting out new arrangements for the process of dealing with complaints against councillors to the Standards Board. The clerk will send an email to all Councillors asking for their response.
§ A letter from the committee of the Flower Show asking for use for the village car park during the show in September. This was discussed under agenda item 9.4 (see minute 10/10)
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
10/10 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
9.
9.1 The Clerk asked for an additional payment of £41.12 to be approved for the purchase of a new vacuum cleaner. Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Gamble, seconded by Cllr Johnson and AGREED by all.
9.2 The petty cash payments were approved
9.3 Concern was expressed regarding the security of allowing payments to be made electronically and the possibility of fraudulent activity. The Clerk was asked to consult with other councils on their procedures. Approval was REFUSED.
9.4 The request for the use of the car park during the Flower Show was APPROVED
11/10 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
10
10.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
10.2 Enforcement Issues
The owners of advertising banners attached to the fencing at the junction of Kings Road and Leeds Road have been written to and asked to remove them.
Ongoing enforcement action is being taken concerning the possible encroachment into the green belt of building work on Kings Road
The owners of a newly extended house on Breary Lane have been granted permission for the erection of a garage and have given an undertaking to re-instate the grass verges damaged during building work.
12/10 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
11
11.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman VMG) reported that the next meeting would discuss the awarding of the contract for grass cutting at the Parish Council properties.
Cllr Cooper had visited the Puritan Chapel and the Sports Pavilion to inspect the state of the electrical supply. The Puritan chapel was found to be in a good condition in general although there were several areas of concern at the Sports Pavilion. Cllr Cooper will be preparing a full report.
Councillors discussed what action that the Parish Council should take when the village experienced heavy snow falls. A view was expressed that the village lengthman should be utilised to clear snow in certain public areas.
13/10 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
12
Cllr Penny had nothing to report.
14/10 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
13
Cllr Fox reported that following the recent severe weather, grit supplies were still low but efforts were being made to replenish them as soon as possible. Disruption to the bin collection in the village due to the weather should now have been resolved. Councillors were urged to report any potholes they were aware of to Leeds City Council.
Recent tree work in Breary Lane had resulted in Tree Preservation Orders being placed on a number of trees.
Recent changes to the rules regarding the allocation of social housing has resulted in 25% of all council properties now being designated to go to residents with local connections.
15/10 LIAISON GROUPS
14
14.1 RCMH – In the absence of Cllr Broadley, the Clerk read a report he had submitted. A new Treasurer has been appointed to the RCMH to succeed Mr Graham Firth. An energy audit has taken place at the Robert Craven Hall.
14.2 BRAMHOPE PRIMARY SCHOOL. – Cllr Harris reported on a meeting between the school and The Bramhope Youth Development Trust (BYDT) concerning the provision on a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) at the school. The governors in general supported the initiative, but had a number of specific concerns regarding access to the facility, cleaning and maintenance, parking and impact on neighbours. The headteacher had expressed interest in visiting any school which had such a facility on site.
16/10 PARISH ISSUES
15
Cllr Wood reported concern that had been expressed to her regarding the proposed change of use of a shop at Tredgold Avenue to a restaurant/hot food takeaway. Cllr Johnson (Chairman - Planning Group) indicated that this application was to be discussed by the Planning Group at its meeting on 3 February.
Cllr Harris commented on the drab appearance of the roundabout at the junction of Kings Road and Leeds Road. Cllr Gamble (Bramhope in Bloom liaison) indicated that the Bramhope in Bloom group, whilst not looking to change the appearance of the roundabout, were looking at schemes to enhance the general area at the entrance to the village.
Cllr Cooper asked Cllr Fox if progress had been made regarding schemes for the ‘greening’ of the car park. Cllr Fox explained that he still awaited costings for a scheme. It was agreed that the scope of the ‘greening’ schemes still needed full debate by the council.
Cllr Fox referred to the Core Strategy document recently produced by Leeds City Council and said he would draft a response from the Parish Council in regard to the housing proposals.
The clerk reported that Cllr Broadley had been approached by the manager of the Britannia Hotel with regard to another dog headstone located in the hotel grounds. Before deciding whether the headstone should be relocated to the grounds of the Puritan Chapel, it was decided that an inspection of the stone should take place.
17/10
16
The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 24 February 2010 at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:30pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 25 November 2009 at 7:30pm
175/09 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : Clive Fox, Hilary Harris, Simon Cooper, David Ripley, Peter Charlesworth, Judith Penny, Denis Johnson
Clerk : Kate Fraser
176/09 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs John Broadley and Dawn Forman-Marshall
177/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
There were no declarations of interest
178/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 28 October 2009
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Charlesworth seconded by Cllr Cooper and signed by the Chairman.
179/09 MATTERS ARISING
4.
It was reported that the Highways department of Leeds City Council had been consulted regarding the poor state of the footpath and walls on Leeds Road opposite The Poplars. Regret was expressed that the Neighbourhood Policing Team were not attending the meeting this month. It was explained that owing to the number of items on the agenda it had been considered advisable to cancel their attendance this month.
Cllr Gamble joined the meeting at 7:40pm
180/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
5.
The Chairman had nothing to report
181/09 CLERK’S REPORT
6.
182/09 CORRESPONDENCE
7.
A letter from YEDL had been received regarding the replacement of the electricity sub station located on the sports ground. The Clerk and Cllr Gamble had attended a site visit and detailed proposals were awaited from YEDL.
A local resident had complained about the state of one of the bus shelters. Remedial action has been taken and the VMG will consider this further.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
183/09 ROAD TRAFFIC REPORT
8.
A copy of the Road Traffic Report prepared by Mr K Heeley had been circulated to all councillors. The report will be discussed at the February meeting and councillors were asked to read the report prior to this meeting. Because of constraints of time for discussion in February, councillors were asked to prioritise points raised by the report prior to the meeting.
184/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Items 9.3 and 9.9 were discussed in closed session.
9.
The resignation of Cllr Encell from the Parish Council was received.
9.1 The Clerk asked for an additional payment of £60 be approved for hire of St Giles Church Hall after the Carol Service. Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Cooper, seconded by Cllr Ripley and AGREED by all.
9.2 The petty cash payments were approved
9.3 An increase of 1.25% back dated to May 2009 in the Clerks salary was AGREED.
9.4 The draft budget for 2010-2011 was presented to councillors for discussion.
9.5 It was AGREED to set the precept for 2010-2011 at £65000
9.6 The amendments to Standing Orders was proposed by Cllr Cooper, seconded by Cllr Gamble and AGREED by all.
9.7 Councillors were asked to assist in setting up the Church Hall by meeting at the hall at 4:00pm on December 23. The purchase of new table decorations was approved. Cllr Gamble will assist in decorating the Puritan Chapel. The purchase of lights for a tree in the chapel was approved. Cllr Johnson will co-ordinate the provision of refreshments following the service.
9.8 Cllr Harris was appointed to the Cemetery Group. Cllr Ripley was appointed to the VMG.
9.9 It was AGREED to offer the land at Parklands Gate for rental but also to enquire whether there was interest in its purchase.
185/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
10
10.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
10.2 Enforcement Issues
Current enforcement issues were reported as still being on-going.
186/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
11
11.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
11.2 The Parish Council is to request that the telephone kiosk at Moor Road should not be removed. If this should be unsuccessful, a decision regarding the adoption of the kiosk was DEFERRED until the January meeting .
11.3 The Parish Council is to request that the telephone kiosk at The Parade should not be removed. If this should be unsuccessful, it was AGREED that the adoption of the kiosk should not be pursued.
187/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
12
Cllr Penny reported that the planters in Carlton needed some attention – referred to VMG.
She also commented that there was no mention of Carlton in the Road Traffic Report circulated to councillors.
188/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
13
Cllr Fox reported that the dispute involving refuse collectors in Leeds had now been settled. Black bins will continue to be emptied on a two-weekly basis until normal services can be resumed.
The Planning Department of Leeds City Council has made an application for a grant to the North West (Outer) Committee for funds to progress the production of plans for a Conservation Area in Bramhope. Cllr Fox considered it highly likely that the funds would be made available. These plans would be subject to public consultation but if Conservation Area status was granted this would have implications for future planning applications. It was not known as yet which areas of Bramhope would be included in any proposed Conservation Area.
189/09 LIAISON GROUPS
14
14.1 RCMH – In the absence of Cllr Broadley, the Clerk read a report he had submitted. The management committee had held a recent meeting where the easement in favour of the Robert Craven Hall over the car park purchased by the Parish Council from Punch Taverns was discussed.
The committee is still looking for a replacement for the Treasurer when he retires next year and councillors were asked to consider if they knew of any suitable candidates.
14.2 BRAMHOPE PRIMARY SCHOOL – Cllr Harris reported that she had completed the Governors’ Induction Course.
The school has recently achieved excellent results in Key stage 1 and 2 and were anticipating a good outcome from the upcoming OFSTED inspection.
The school had expressed its great interest in being consulted over future plans for The Knoll playground .
The Christmas Fayre will be held on Saturday 28 November.
190/09 PARISH ISSUES
15
Cllr Gamble reported that trees at the junction of Leeds Road and Wynmore Avenue had been removed.
Cllr Harris commented on problems arising from fallen leaves on the footpath between Breary Lane and Leeds Road. The Clerk reported that the village lengthman had swept the area recently. She also commented on the poor state of part of the grass verge on Leeds Road due to vehicles parking on it.
Cllr Charlesworth stated that he valued the attendance of members of the Neighbourhood Police Team at the monthly Parish Council meeting and would not wish to see this discontinued.
Cllr Fox had received a report that the seat in the bus shelter at the junction of Kings Road and Leeds Road was damaged. The Clerk will investigate.
191/09
16
The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 27 January 2010 at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 10:20pm
BRAMHOPE & CARLTON PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 28 October 2009 at 7:30pm
157/09 PRESENT
Chairman : Denis Johnson (Deputy Chairman)
Councillors : Clive Fox, Hilary Harris, Dawn Forman-Marshall, Colin Gamble, Simon Cooper, John Broadley, David Ripley, Peter Charlesworth, Judith Penny, Joan Wood
Clerk : Kate Fraser
158/09 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs David Encell, Geoff Mills
159/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
There were no declarations of interest
160/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 23 September 2009
3.
Cllr Ripley requested that Minute 150/9 be amended to read ‘….quotations from conservation architects…..’
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Cooper seconded by Cllr Broadley and signed by the Chairman.
161/09 MATTERS ARISING
4.
There were no matters arising
162/09 POLICE
5.
The officers confirmed that the council wished to maintain the same three priorities for police action as previously agreed under the Police Pact.
The speed detection patrols had been active on Old Lane and Kings Road and the officers indicated that there were a reduced number of vehicles observed exceeding the speed limit.
Extra patrols had been carried out at The Knoll. Cllr Forman-Marshall reported to the police that a resident living nearby had complained of recent disturbances there. The police emphasised that residents should report any concerns they have to the police.
Patrols in the village were still finding a number of cars parked with unlocked doors.
There had been only 3 reported crimes in the village in the past month.
The officers assured Cllr Penny that they are kept informed of any crimes occurring in the Carlton area.
The police are looking at plans for future update meetings to be held in conjunction with Adel, Arthington and Pool.
163/09 PRESENTATION BY WALES, WALES AND RAWSON
6.
Prior to the presentation, Cllr Ripley gave a resume of the activities of the Puritan Chapel Maintenance Group. As a result of preliminary visits and reports by three firms of conservation architects, Wales, Wales and Rawson had been invited to give a more detailed presentation.
Michael Wales and Bill Glaister of Wales, Wales and Rawson attended. They distributed a handout showing illustrations of previous work they had carried out on local churches. Their principal recommendation was to have a more detailed report carried out as to the condition of the chapel which would then identify and prioritise the work to be carried out.
After Mr Wales and Mr Glaister had left the meeting, a proposal was put forward to commission the suggested report at a cost of £500. This was proposed by Cllr Harris, seconded by Cllr Penny and AGREED by all.
164/09 CLERK’S REPORT
7.
165/09 REPORT FROM THE PLAYGROUND DEVELOPMENT GROUP
8.
Notes of the first meeting of the group had previously been circulated to all councillors. Cllr Ripley (Chairman) asked council for opinions as to the future strategy of the group, in particular, whether the playground should be re-located from The Knoll to the Mini Park (land adjacent to A660). After discussion the council agreed that the playground should continue to be located at The Knoll and that the next step for the group should be to find out what type of equipment would be most desirable at the playground.
166/09 CORRESPONDENCE
9.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
167/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
10.
10.1 Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Cooper and AGREED by all.
10.2 The petty cash payments were approved
10.3 The Clerk distributed the Register of Councillors’ Interests to all councillors for verification and any amendments.
168/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
11
11.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
11.2 Enforcement Issues
There were no enforcement issues
169/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
12
12.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified. Cllr Cooper (Chairman VMG) restated the need for budgetary limits to be set for the VMG. The Clerk reported that this matter was to be addressed in the near future.
170/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
13
There was no report from Carlton.
171/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
14
Cllr Fox reported that work had begun on the new filter lane at the Dyneley Arms crossroads.
The bin strike is continuing but black bins should be emptied on a two-weekly basis. Emptying of green and brown bins has been suspended.
A new Mineral and Waste Disposal plan has been formulated. This suggests that further gravel extraction should not take place in the local area.
172/09 LIAISON GROUPS
15
15.1 RCMH – There was nothing to report
15.2 BRAMHOPE PRIMARY SCHOOL – Cllr Harris reported that she had attended her first meeting as a governor and had registered for the Governors’ Induction Course. The school has recently achieved National Healthy School Status amongst other awards. Various repairs and refurbishment have recently been carried out. Cllr Harris also outlined some of the ways in which the school is used by other local groups and organisations.
173/09 PARISH ISSUES
16
Cllr Broadley commented on the poor surface of the ginnel between Leeds Road and Breary Lane.
Cllr Harris commented on the poor state of the stone walls alongside the A660 in the vicinity of The Poplars. Cllr Fox said he had previously raised this with Highways and would do so again. Cllr Harris also wondered if it would be possible to locate a new bus shelter at the bus stop in the area.
Cllr Ripley enquired regarding the proposed landscaping of the car park. Cllr Fox had had a meeting with the relevant department and awaited further feedback from them.
Cllr Cooper reminded council that a decision as to the design of the landscaping had yet to be taken.
Cllr Gamble enquired whether any progress had been made with the establishment of the Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) within the village. Cllr Fox (on behalf of the BYDT) said that discussions were continuing with Bramhope Primary School
174/09 The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 25 November 2009 at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:30pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 23 September 2009 at 7:30pm
140/09 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : Clive Fox, Hilary Harris, Dawn Forman-Marshall, Colin Gamble, Denis Johnson, David Encell, Simon Cooper, John Broadley, David Ripley
Clerk : Kate Fraser
141/09 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs Judi Penny, Peter Charlesworth, Joan Wood
142/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Broadley as committee member of RCMH declared an interest in item 9.3
143/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 26 AUGUST 2009
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Cooper seconded by Cllr Forman-Marshall and signed by the Chairman.
144/09 MATTERS ARISING
4.
There were no matters arising
145/09 POLICE
5.
The officers present reported that there had been eight crimes in Bramhope in the last month. The majority involved burglaries where premises had been left unlocked or insecure. Youths had also been apprehended on several occasions in the village and found to be in possession of cannabis. The Parish Council asked the police for further feedback as a result of complaints made to the police and Parish Council regarding vandalism at The Knoll playground.
With regard to speeding on Kings Road, the police were asked to station speed patrols there at specific peak times when speeding was considered to be at its worst.
The police have been carrying out surveys into public confidence in the police and the officers present reported that there had been a noticeable improvement in this area.
146/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6.
The chairman reported that the latest issue of the newsletter had now been issued.
A resident had volunteered to assist in the development of plans to improve the condition of the playground. Cllrs Harris, Wood and Ripley expressed their interest in being part of this working group. Cllr Encell indicated that he had contacts in the play equipment industry that could be useful.
147/09 CLERK’S REPORT
7.
The clerk reported that volunteers from Village in Bloom had arranged for work to be carried out on two of the planters at The Parade over the weekend of 10-11 October. It was hoped that parish councillors would be able to assist and she would circulate further details in the near future
Some of the newsletters still awaited delivery.
The clerk had been informed that the installation of the Heritage Lighting units is due to begin week beginning 12 October 2009
148/09 CORRESPONDENCE
8.
The following items of correspondence had been received:
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
149/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
9.
9.1 Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Cooper, seconded by Cllr Fox and AGREED by all.
9.2 The petty cash payments were approved
9.3 Cllr Broadley (member of the management committee of the Robert Craven Hall) left the meeting during discussion of this item. The working group re-presented their paper and asked the council to approve the schedule for future increases to the annual grant from the Parish Council to the Robert Craven Hall. After discussion, the approval was REFUSED. The Parish Council will review the level of the grant in April 2010 when the committee of the Robert Craven Hall will be asked to make a presentation to the council.
9.4 The proposal to delegate a budget of £1200 to the Village Maintenance Group enabling it to appoint a firm to carry out the repairs to the cemetery gates was proposed by Cllr Ripley, seconded by Cllr Harris and AGREED by all. It was felt desirable that when the gates were removed, a sign should be displayed explaining the situation.
9.5 Cllr Harris was appointed to be the council’s representative on the governing body of Bramhope Primary School in place of Cllr Wood. Cllr Forman-Marshall was appointed to the VMG.
9.6 Cllrs Gamble and Charlesworth were appointed to be additional signatories to the Parish Council bank account.
9.7 Cllr Cooper and the Clerk will attend. Cllr Fox is attending in his capacity as ward councillor.
9.8 The Parish Carol Service will be held on Wednesday, 23rd December. The Clerk will send out invitations.
150/09 PURITAN CHAPEL MAINTENANCE GROUP
10.
Cllr Ripley gave a briefing regarding the activities of the group to date. Three quotations from historical architects have now been received and the preferred firm has been asked to make a presentation to the Parish Council at the October meeting.
151/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
11
11.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
11.2 Enforcement Issues
There were no enforcement issues
152/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
12
12.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified. Cllr Cooper (chairman VMG) reported that the VMG was looking into the possibility of carrying out all grass cutting at Parish Council properties using ‘in house’ equipment and labour. Cllr Encell will report further on this to the VMG.
12.2 Councillors were of the view that the Parish Council would only respond positively to requests for the trimming of branches of overhanging trees located on its properties if the tree in question was found to be diseased or in a dangerous condition. In all other cases advice would be given that the branches could be trimmed by the complainant. The clerk will draft a letter to this effect.
153/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
13
There was no report from Carlton.
153/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
14
Cllr Fox reported that the refuse collection service should be back to 80% of its normal service.
Cllr Fox reported that a new Core Strategy is being produced by Leeds City Council addressing the issue of future housing needs in Leeds. The new strategy is understood to state that new provision should not come from the north of the city and this would indicate that the land off Breary Lane East previously ear-marked for development will not now be required.
154/09 LIAISON GROUPS
15
15.1 RCMH – There was nothing to report
15.2 BRAMHOPE PRIMARY SCHOOL – There was nothing to report
155/09 PARISH ISSUES
16
Cllr Encell commented on the untidiness of the slope at the Knoll
Cllr Harris reported on the results she had gathered for the Leeds Metro Accessibility Survey. An over-riding concern had been that, as the only bus service to Leeds, the reliability of the X84 service was vital. Bramhope Primary School had also provided helpful feedback to the survey. Cllr Harris stated her willingness to contribute to the continuing consultation.
Cllr Gamble reported that he has asked a resident of Kings Road to cut back vegetation overhanging the footpath.
Cllr Forman-Marshall remarked that a notice had been attached to one of the trees at The Parade. Advice was given that planning permission was required for this activity and enquiries would be made as to whether this had been obtained.
Cllr Ripley commented on the poor planting at the roundabout at Kings Road. Cllr Fox agreed to liaise with LCC regarding this.
Cllr Fox reported on the recent Heritage Open Day. There were approximately 55 visitors to the Puritan Chapel.
Cllr Fox reported that after investigations by Yorkshire Water into an overflowing drain in Breary Lane, it had been found that on many occasions, recent building work in Breary Lane had resulted in foul water drains being connected to surface water drains.
Cllr Fox also reminded council of a recycling meeting to be held at Bramhope Primary School on 24 September.
156/09 The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 28 October 2009 at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:45pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 26 August 2009
129/09 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : Clive Fox, Peter Charlesworth, Hilary Harris, Dawn Forman-Marshall, Colin Gamble, Joan Wood, Denis Johnson
Clerk : Kate Fraser
130/09 APOLOGIES1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs David Encell, Simon Cooper, Judi Penny, John Broadley
131/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
There were no declarations of interest
132/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 22 JULY 2009
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Charlesworth seconded by Cllr Johnson and signed by the Chairman.
133/09 MATTERS ARISING
4.
There were no matters arising
134/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
5.
The next edition of the newsletter would be sent to the printers after the Bramhope Show. The Chairman and Clerk had had a meeting with Newstead & Walker (solicitors) regarding the ownership of land adjacent on the mini park on the A660
135/09 CLERK’S REPORT
6.
BT had erected a new telephone pole on the pathway between The Birches and Southfields for which a payment of £145 was to be received.
A sports activity week had been held at the recreation ground. Unfortunately the organisers had been found to have left the pavilion in a very untidy state. It was suggested that if future activities such as this are held on council premises, a returnable deposit should be obtained to cover any possible extra cleaning required.
136/09 CORRESPONDENCE
7.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
137/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
8.
8.1 The Clerk informed the Council that a payment to Leeds Garden Services was the subject of enquiry and payment would not be made until this had been resolved. Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Wood, seconded by Cllr Charlesworth and AGREED by all.
8.2 Approval for the renovation of the cemetery gates was DEFERRED until a further quote had been acquired. Cllr Johnson agreed to action this.
8.3 The purchase of a hedge trimmer was APPROVED. The Clerk will check on the VAT position.
138/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
9
9.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified. Cllr Charlesworth asked for feedback to be made available regarding the outcome of planning applications. The Clerk will circulate a spreadsheet containing this information.
9.2 Enforcement Issues
The appeal by Shanco has been dismissed. Office activities must cease in 8 months and the site must be cleared in 12 months and restored to its original condition.
139/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
10
10.1
The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified. The provision of the new bench at Tredgold Avenue was queried.
11. The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 23 September at 7.30pm. Prior to this meeting a meeting of the Trustees of the Bramhope Village Property Trust will be held at 7:00pm
The meeting ended at 8:10pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven
Memorial Hall on 22 July 2009
113/09 PRESENT
Acting Chairman : Denis Johnson (Vice Chairman)
Councillors : John Broadley, Simon Cooper, Clive Fox, David Encell, Judith Penny, Peter Charlesworth, Hilary Harris, Dawn Forman-Marshall, David Ripley, Colin Gamble
Clerk : Kate Fraser
114/09 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs Joan Wood, Geoff Mills
115/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Broadley declared an interest in agenda item 9.3
116/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 24 JUNE 2009
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Encell, seconded by Cllr Penny and signed by the Acting Chairman.
117/09 MATTERS ARISING
4.
There were no matters arising
118/09 UPDATE BY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM.
5.
PCSO Richardson reported that she had pursued investigations into reports of anti-social behaviour at The Knoll playground. The clerk expressed disappointment at the lack of response to the reporting of these incidents. The police said they would find out why this had happened. Speeding checks have been carried out on Kings Road. The police distributed sheets detailing methods for the public to contact them. It was agreed to publicise this in the next newsletter.
119/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6.
The purchase of the car park at the Fox & Hounds should be completed imminently
120/09 CLERK’S REPORT
7.
The Clerk reminded councillors that any changes in their circumstances should be recorded in the members Register of Interests.
121/09 CORRESPONDENCE
8.
A survey from WYPTE requesting information into the ease of access to various facilities outside the parish by public transport had been received. Cllr Harris agreed to action.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
122/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
9.
9.1 The Clerk asked for an additional payment of £60.14 to be made to Cllr Mills. Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Charlesworth, seconded by Cllr Broadley and AGREED by all
9.2 The petty cash payments as per the attached schedule were approved.
9.3 Cllr Broadley left the meeting during the discussion of this item. Cllr Forman-Marshall gave a resume of the meeting held between a group of councillors (Cllrs Mills, Wood and Forman-Marshall) and RCMH and asked for approval of the recommendations of the group’s report. After discussion, it was AGREED to approve the increase in the annual grant to £6000 backdated to cover the period 2008/2009. Proposals concerning future increases of the grant were referred back to the group. The council expressed the view that RCMH should be more proactive in promoting the use of the Village Hall.
A letter of thanks is to be sent to The Bramhope Trust for their donation of £7000 towards the purchase of the Fox & Hounds car park.
123/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
10
10.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
10.2 Enforcement Issues
The case involving the fencing at Kings Road was now closed. A post and rail fence has been erected.
Cllr Fox attended the appeal by Shanco Ltd against a refusal of planning permission. The outcome is not yet known.
Cllr Fox attended a pre-planning application site meeting at the Greenacres site.
124/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
11
11.1
The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
125/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
12.
Cllr Penny had nothing to report.
126/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
13.
Cllr Fox reported that the local Ward Committee has agreed to fund a CATCH car and house for the local police as part of an anti crime initiative.
127/09 LIAISON GROUPS
14
14.1 RCMH
A committee meeting had been held last week where the subjects of the Fox & Hounds car park and the grant given to RCMH by the Parish Council were discussed.
The concert by the Texas Girls Choir had been well attended and received.
14.2 Bramhope Primary School
In the absence of Cllr Wood there was no report.
128/09 PARISH ISSUES
15.
Cllr Fox asked for the assistance of other councillors in the finalisation of the landscaping plans for the Fox & Hounds car park. Cllrs Encell, Ripley and Gamble agreed to meet with Cllr Fox for a site visit.
Cllr Harris commented on inconsiderate parking at The Cross and the condition of the ‘tactile’ pavement at the Tredgold Avenue shops. Cllr Broadley agreed to contact LCC regarding the latter.
Cllr Forman-Marshall commented on an abandoned car at the Fox & Hounds car park and agreed to find details of the registration number and road tax status. Cllr Forman-Marshall also commented on the litter problems being caused by birds disturbing the litter bins at The Cross. The Clerk will investigate whether LCC would replace the current bins with a more enclosed type.
Cllr Penny highlighted the lack of facilities for young people in the parish.
Cllr Ripley reported that he has now received two quotes for the remedial work at the Puritan Chapel and is awaiting the third. When all quotes have been received, the Puritan Chapel Maintenance group will re-convene.
16. The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 26 August at 7.30pm. It was agreed that, as is customary, this meeting will have a shortened agenda.
The meeting ended at 9:00pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 24 June 2009
93/09 Prior to the commencement of the meeting Cllr Mills paid tribute to Mrs Janet Sunderland, Clerk to the Council from 1996 until 2002, whose funeral had been held that day.
94/09 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : John Broadley, Simon Cooper, Clive Fox, David Encell, Denis Johnson, Joan Wood, Judith Penny
Clerk : Kate Fraser
95/09 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs David Ripley, Colin Gamble and Peter Charlesworth
96/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Cooper declared an interest in agenda item 10.1 – payment to ManWhoCanLtd
Cllr Broadley declared an interest in agenda item 10.5
Cllr Wood declared an interest in agenda item 10.4
Cllrs Fox and Mills declared an interest in agenda item 11
97/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 27 MAY 2009
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Cooper and signed by the Chairman.
98/09 MATTERS ARISING
4.
There were no matters arising
99/09 UPDATE BY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM.
5.
PCSO Reardon gave an update on crimes in the locality which all concerned theft. He emphasised the importance of all residents being security conscious especially with regard to the locking of houses and cars. He also urged that the registration numbers of any suspicious vehicles should be notified to the local police. He reported that the traffic department was still carrying out regular assessments of the speed of local traffic and that although traffic speeds had not been found to be excessive, in the majority of cases those found to be speeding were local residents.
100/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6.
The Chairman reported that Mr Kevin Heeley had volunteered his services as a traffic consultant to the Council with regard to traffic safety in the parish. Mr Heeley will prepare a report for the council which will focus on ways that the council could promote road safety.
Comments regarding the poor state of the roadside walls at the entrances to the village had been received. Although the walls do not belong to the Parish Council and are the responsibility of the landowner, the Chairman suggested consideration could be give to a long term plan for their improvement.
101/09 CLERK’S REPORT
7.
The Clerk thanked councillors and volunteers for their assistance in the delivery of newsletters
The Clerk reported the following:
102/09 CORRESPONDENCE
8. Communications received:
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
103/09 CO-OPTION OF NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS
9. Mrs Hilary Harris and Mrs Dawn Forman-Marshall were approved as co-opted members of the council. After signing the Acceptance of Office, Mrs Harris and Mrs Forman-Marshall joined the meeting.
104/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
10.
10.4 Cllr Wood left the meeting during discussion of this item. The Council AGREED to sponsor a scarecrow in the ‘Great Scarecrow Hunt’ at Bramhope Primary School to the sum of £30
10.1 Cllr Cooper left the meeting during discussion of this item. Payment of all items on the attached schedule was proposed by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Encell and AGREED by all
10.2 The petty cash payments as per the attached schedule were approved.
10.3 The approval of the 2008/2009 accounts was proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Wood and AGREED by all. The statement of accounts was signed by the chairman. Approval of the Annual governance statement was proposed by Cllr Fox, seconded by Cllr Cooper and AGREED by all.
10.5 Subsequent to its purchase by the Parish Council, the gifting of the car park adjacent to the Fox and Hounds to the Bramhope Village Property Trust was proposed by Cllr Mills, seconded by Cllr Penny and AGREED by all.
10.6 Cllr Broadley left the meeting during the discussion of this item. A letter from the Chairman of the trustees of the Robert Craven Hall was presented in which they requested an increase in the annual grant received from the Parish Council. An increase in the grant to £6000 was proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Forman-Marshall and AGREED by all. A working group of Cllrs Mills, Wood and Forman-Marshall will conduct a review of the financial position of the Hall with reference to the further level of the grant and the payment date for the increased amount.
105/09 UPDATE ON MUGA
11.
It was reported that the Bramhope Youth Development Trust was in discussions with Bramhope Primary School regarding the locating of the MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) at the school.
106/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
12
12.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
12.2 Enforcement Issues
The fencing that had been erected around land on Kings Drive has been ordered to be removed by 14 July although the owner had been given permission erect a post and rail fence.
The appeal by Shanco Ltd against a refusal of planning permission is to be heard shortly and Cllr Fox will attend.
107/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE
13
13.1
The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
Following comments regarding the gates at the Cemetery, Cllr Cooper (Chairman) reported that he was investigating the costs of having them sand blasted to restore them to their original condition.
108/09 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
14.
14.1 The minutes of the meeting of the Communications Group of 2 June 2009 had previously been circulated.
109/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
15.
Cllr Penny had nothing to report.
110/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
16.
Cllr Fox reported that there will be no changes to Polling Station arrangements in the parish following a recent report by Leeds City Council. New speed limits will shortly be introduced on the A660 between Otley and Bramhope.
111/09 LIAISON GROUPS
17
17.1 RCMH
On July 11 there will be a concert by the Girls Choir of Texas.
17.2 Bramhope Primary School
The ‘Great Scarecrow Hunt’ will take place on July 4. Cllr Wood reported on a number of activities and initiatives being undertaken at the school. A suggestion that the school might incorporate a project on the Puritan Chapel into their studies had been positively received.
112/09 PARISH ISSUES
18.
Cllr Fox reported that Yorkshire Water is to undertake remedial work on an overflowing drain in Breary Lane.
Cllr Encell enquired regarding the outcome of the recent property inspection. The Clerk stated that a report had been prepared for consideration by the VMG and would be circulated to all councillors.
Cllr Mills has produced a draft letter to be sent to all residents living adjacent to the mini park.
Cllr Broadley reported on an overhanging tree on Leeds Road, the need to tidy the road signs at Breary Lane and the encroachment of the bottle banks on to the car parking spaces at the car park.
Cllr Harris reported that there would be a forthcoming meeting of the Bramhope Green Group to discuss recycling.
19. The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 22 July at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:35pm
Minutes of the
Annual Council Meeting held at the
Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 27th May 2009
72/09 PRESENT
Chairman : Geoff Mills
Councillors : John Broadley, Peter Charlesworth, Simon Cooper, Clive Fox, David Ripley, David Encell, Denis Johnson
Clerk : Kate Fraser
73/09 ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN
1.
It was proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Ripley and AGREED that Cllr Mills be the chairman for the year 2009/2010
74/09 ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIRMAN
2.
It was proposed by Cllr Fox, seconded by Cllr Ripley and AGREED that Cllr Denis Johnson be the Vice Chairman for the year 2009/2010
75/09 APPOINTMENTS OF MEMBERS TO COMMITTEES/GROUPS/LIAISON
3.
It was AGREED to disband the Finance group.
Cllr Encell joined the Communications group. Cllr Charlesworth replaced Cllr Cooper on the Planning group.
All other memberships/responsibilities to remain as for 2008/2009
76/09 APOLOGIES
4.
Apologies had been received from Councillors Joan Wood and Colin Gamble.
77/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
5.
There were no declarations of interest
78/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 22 APRIL 2009
6.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Charlesworth, seconded by Cllr Broadley and signed by the Chairman.
79/09 MATTERS ARISING
7.
A letter had been received from HMRC regarding the VAT position on the purchase of the car park at the Fox and Hounds. In the light of the opinion in this letter it was AGREED to proceed to completion of the purchase.
Cllr Fox presented possible ‘greening’ schemes for the car park and asked for comments. It was agreed that there was a need to consult with local residents. The possibility of removing/re-siting the recycling bins will be discussed at the June meeting.
Cllr Fox indicated that finance would be available to complete the Heritage lighting scheme and would be liaising with Leeds City Council.
80/09 UPDATE BY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM.
8.
Sergeant Dixon and PCSO Jackson attended. Sergeant Dixon distributed figures regarding crime in the area which generally showed it to be at a low level and mainly concerned the theft of garden stone and ornaments.
Comments regarding the lack of a visible police presence which had been made at the Annual Parish Meeting were conveyed to the police.
Regarding the policing priorities which had been identified, there had been only one incident of a youth being found in possession of alcohol in the vicinity of the Cricket Pavilion. The police had been carrying out speeding patrols and were looking into the possibility of sending warning letters to all cars recorded as exceeding the speed limit.
Following the recent robbery at the newsagents at the Cross, the police reported that they had recovered forensic evidence regarding the perpetrators and were continuing their investigations.
Sergeant Dixon asked that the presence of any suspicious vehicles in the area should be reported to the police.
81/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
9.
The Chairman reported that the Annual Parish Meeting had been considered a success with over 100 parishioners attending and that there had been an interesting numbers of topics arising from the question and answer session.
82/09 CLERK’S REPORT
10.
The clerk asked that any questionnaires received by councillors following on from the APM should be returned.
The clerk asked for help in photocopying the leaflet for the Puritan Chapel. Cllrs Johnson and Encell offered assistance.
One of the storage heaters at the Puritan Chapel has been found to be working inefficiently which has contributed to the increased electricity charges.
A number of trees at the Recreation Ground will require removing as they are too close to the electricity cables.
The accounts for the year 2008/2009 will be available at the June meeting.
83/09 CORRESPONDENCE
11. Communications received:
A letter from a resident offering his expertise as a consultant in future issues regarding traffic.
A letter from a resident regarding the creation of a cycle path from Bramhope to Golden Acre Park.
An email from a resident questioning the recent planting of a hedge at The Knoll.
An email from a resident regarding the provision of street lighting and further pelican crossing in the village.
A letter from LCC regarding the possibility of a directly elected mayor in Leeds. The Parish Council decided to take no view as a body on this but individual councillors were free to express their own opinion.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
84/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
12
12.3 The Council approved the renewal of the insurance policy and thanked Cllr Johnson for his work in obtaining a substantially reduced premium.
12.1 The Clerk asked for 3 additional payments to be included in the schedule - £390 to Bedford Mowing, £430 to Leeds Garden Services and £46 to Leeds Voluntary Action. All the items were agreed for payment. Proposed by Cllr Cooper, seconded by Cllr Ripley and AGREED by all. The clerk reported that the total cost of the APM had amounted to approximately £150.
12.2 There were no petty cash items.
12.4 The annual inspection of the council properties will take place on Thursday 18 June at 7:00pm.
85/09 APPOINTMENT OF GROUP TO SUPERVISE SCHEME WORKS AT THE PURITAN CHAPEL
13
Cllrs Fox, Ripley and Cooper were appointed. The curator of the Puritan Chapel, Mr David Smith has agreed to be a member of the group. The clerk will send a copy of the recent report from English Heritage to any members who have not yet received one and arrange a date for the first meeting of the group.
86/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
14
14.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
14.2 Enforcement Issues
Referring to the removal of the hedge at the empty shop at Tredgold Avenue, Cllr Fox reported that LCC had stated that they cannot make it a condition of a planning application that a hedge should be retained. There was some surprise at this statement.
The case regarding the garden extension on Kings Road is due in court next month.
87/09 ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES
15
15.1
The minutes of the meeting of the Village Maintenance Group were ratified.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman) reported that recent repairs to the Well Site were unsatisfactory and he would be looking to find a more acceptable solution.
In conjunction with Cllr Encell a survey of the mini park has been carried out where there appeared to be a boundary infringement. Cllr Fox will look into it.
The issue of fencing off the mini park to prevent vehicular access was raised. The VMG were asked to produce possible ideas and costings.
88/09 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
16. Cllr Mills reported that the deadline for articles for the summer issue of the newsletter had now passed. He is still investigating the possibility of producing the newsletter with colour illustrations in future.
89/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
17.
No report had been received.
90/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
18.
Cllr Fox had nothing to report.
91/09 LIAISON GROUPS
19
19.1 RCMH
Cllr Broadley reported the AGM had been held recently. The treasurer had announced his intention to retire next year and the committee were also looking to appoint an entertainments co-ordinator. The Hall is underutilized at present and the committee is hoping to find more groups wishing to use its facilities.
On July 11 there will be a concert by the Girls Choir of Texas.
On September 6 the annual flower show will be held.
The Farmers Market is reported to be flourishing.
19.2 Bramhope Primary School
There was nothing to report.
92/09 PARISH ISSUES
20.
Cllr Cooper reported that he had seen a recent article referring to the provision of allotments in Bramhope.
21. The date of the next Full Council Meeting will be 24th June at 7.30pm.
The meeting ended at 9:20pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 22 April 2009
54/09
Chairman: Geoff Mills
Councillors: Denis Johnson, John Broadley, David Ripley, Judith Penny, Peter Charlesworth, Colin Gamble
Clerk: Kate Fraser
55/09 APOLOGIES
1.
Apologies had been received from Cllrs David Encell, Simon Cooper, Joan Wood, Clive Fox
Meeting started at 7.30pm
56/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2.
Cllr Johnson declared an interest in agenda item 10.4
57/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 25 March 2009
3.
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Charlesworth, seconded by Cllr Ripley and signed by the Chairman.
58/09 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MEETING ON 25 March
4.
None
59/09 UPDATE BY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM5.
Sgt Neil Perkiss and PCSO Stuart Reardon attended. Sgt Perkiss reported that regular patrols of the sports ground had resulted in a quantity of alcohol being seized from a group of youths. They had been made to clear up litter they had left at the ground and their details passed to the Anti-Social Behaviour Officer although no further action against them was being taken at this time. In conversations with local residents it was felt that there had been an improvement in behaviour in the area. The police are also regularly patrolling The Knoll playground and the Youth Services van which provides social facilities is currently attending the area on Tuesday evenings between 7:00 – 9:00pm. Commenting on the discovery of a syringe at the Knoll, Sgt Perkiss stated that, in his experience, it was unlikely to be associated with drug use and there were no other signs of drug taking activity there. However he added that the police should be immediately informed of any other findings. Local residents had not reported any concerns. Thefts of garden stone had been reported and PCSO Reardon had attended the location. A suspicious car had been seen in the area but there was insufficient information to identify it.
Cllr Fox joined the meeting at 7:45pm
Sgt Perkiss suggested that stone could be marked to make it easier to trace. Activity with the SID speed detectors is still be carried on in the village.
Cllr Penny asked that in future Carlton could be included in the policing reports.
60/09 HERITAGE LIGHTING SCHEME
6.
Ian Moore from Leeds City Council attended. Mr Moore presented plans for the installation of heritage street lighting in Bramhope. Discussion centred on the extent of the heritage lighting between The Cross and Breary Lane and the relevant cost. Mr Moore provided indicative figures. Cllr Fox will investigate if further financial support is available for the scheme and report to the May council meeting.
61/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
7.
The Chairman had nothing to report
62/09 CLERK’S REPORT
8.
The Clerk thanked Cllr Encell for his assistance in the delivery of letters to the residents of Parklands.
No applications had been received for co-option to the vacant seats on the council. Further discussion was deferred to the May meeting.
The Clerk reported that a young man from the village was wishing to carry out voluntary work for the Parish Council as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award and asked for any suggestions of ways in which he could be utilised.
63/09 CORRESPONDENCE
9.
Communications received:
A letter commenting on repairs carried out at the Well Site. Referred to the VMG.
Two letters suggesting the need for some form of fencing at the mini-park.
A letter requesting the use of the sports ground during the summer holidays for a children’s sports activity week. Clerk to find further details and referred to VMG.
A complaint of loud music over the Easter weekend.
A query concerning the flower planters at The Parade.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
64/09
10.
10.1 Budget 2009-2010
The Chairman explained the proposed budget which had previously been circulated to councillors. Acceptance of the budget was proposed by Cllr Gamble, seconded by Cllr Penny and AGREED by all.
10.2 Payments
All the items were agreed for payment. Proposed by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Charlesworth and AGREED by all.
10.3 Petty Cash
The petty cash expenditure was approved.
10.4 To Approve the Council insurance provision
Cllr Johnson reported that he had obtained two quotes, one from the existing insurers and one from an alternative company. Although the second company was considerably cheaper than the existing company, the presence of a Long Term Undertaking clause with the current insurer and the possible financial consequences of breaking that agreement, made direct comparisons of the two quotes difficult. The decision was DEFERRED whilst Cllr Johnson made further enquiries, however, in view of the impending renewal date it was agreed that the existing insurance with Allianz would be renewed if no progress was made by Councillor Johnson.
10.5 Update on arrangements for the Annual Parish Meeting – Weds 20th May at 7pm in the RCMH
The Chairman informed the meeting of arrangements to publicise the APM which this year will have a different format and it is hoped this will attract greater attendance by residents. This new format is to be seen as a way of improving communications with residents together with helping to understand their issues and priorities for the Parish Council. The Steering Group is co-ordinating the arrangements and require a budget for printing flyers, posters and providing refreshments. A budget of £300 was AGREED to cover the expenses of the meeting.
65/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT GROUP
11.
11.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
11.2 Enforcement Issues
Concern was expressed regarding the removal of the hedge at the site of the shop on Tredgold Avenue. Cllr Fox to inquire whether the retention of the hedge was a condition of the granting of planning permission.
66/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE GROUP
12
12.1 It was RESOLVED to ratify the attached report of the VMG.
67/09 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
13
13.1 The Communications Group have obtained 3 quotes for the production of the newsletter and will discuss the alternatives with the current printer. It may be possible to produce a full colour edition at the same or slightly less cost.
Councillors discussed the number of newsletters which should be produced each year. There were suggestions of reducing the number to 3 or even 2 although the Communications Group recommended keeping the status quo. There was also discussion as to whether the newsletter should be predominately a Parish Council newsletter or a village newsletter. It was suggested that an ‘e-letter’ could be produced at a greatly reduced cost. Councillor Charlesworth suggested that as the Communications Group had a mandate to manage the publication of the newsletter the Council should accept their recommendations but it was accepted that the forthcoming Annual Parish Meeting could be used as a forum for collecting the views of residents regarding these matters.
68/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
14 Cllr Penny commented on the excellent appearance of the planters at Carlton. She also reported that she is to have a meeting with the village lengthman regarding the maintenance of the grass verges at Carlton.
69/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
15 Cllr Fox reported on the following matters:
A yellow workman’s hut which had been parked on Tredgold Crescent in connection with the nearby road resurfacing had been relocated.
Extra funding has been made available for the resurfacing of Occupation Land and Moorland Road.
70/09 LIAISON GROUPS
16
16.1 Robert Craven Memorial Hall
Cllr Broadley had nothing to report.
16.2 Bramhope Primary School
In the absence of Cllr Wood there was nothing to report.
71/09 PARISH ISSUES
17
Cllr Gamble reported there had been some problems on the footpath between The Sycamores and Moor Road but had no further details.
Cllr Johnson reported a positive informal discussion with the landowner regarding extending the Cemetery.
Cllr Fox asked that, following the very comprehensive report from English Heritage regarding the Puritan Chapel, the formation of an ad hoc group to pursue the recommendations should be on the agenda for the next meeting.
Cllr Fox suggested that a stone bus shelter could be erected on the A660 opposite The Poplars where there is currently only a bus stop. This would involve obtaining a piece of land from the landowner however there was no support for this initiative at present.
The Clerk reminded the meeting that the Puritan Chapel is now open to visitors every Sunday between 12:00 and 4:00.
The meeting ended at 10:00pm
18. Date of the next Full Council Meeting 27 May 2009 at 7.30pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 25 March 2009
37/09
Chairman: Geoff Mills
Councillors: Denis Johnson, David Encell, Clive Fox, Simon Cooper, John Broadley, David Ripley, Joan Wood, Judith Penny, Peter Charlesworth, Colin Gamble
Clerk: Kate Fraser
38/09 APOLOGIES
1. None
Meeting started at 7.30pm
39/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. There were no declarations of interest
40/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 25 FEBRUARY 2009
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Wood and signed by the Chairman.
41/09 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MEETING ON 25 FEBRUARY
4. Cllr Ripley had had a meeting with the police regarding traffic lights at the junction of Breary Lane and Leeds Road. The police had informed him that they would report the meeting to LCC Highway’ Department who would then contact him. To date no such contact has been made.
Newstead & Walker have been appointed solicitors to act for the Council in the purchase of the car park. It was noted that their estimated fees were well within the amount originally budgeted.
42/09 UPDATE BY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM
5.
PCSO Peter Andrew attended. He reported that the neighbourhood PCSOs had been
using the SID devices on Old Lane, Kings Road and Moor Road and warning letters
had been sent to motorists found to be exceeding the speed limit. Cllr Gamble
asked that a further operation be carried out on Kings Road between the hours of
9 – 11pm.
Regular patrols had been made of the Sports Ground and although it had generally
been quiet, on March 20 a group of youths had been found in the area with a
quantity of alcohol. Their details had been taken and letters written to their
parents. It was not known if the youths were from Bramhope but PCSO Andrews
said he would try and find out.
There had been 9 reported crimes in the Bramhope area in the past month – 3
house burglaries, 3 thefts of stone (in one of which 4 people had been arrested)
and 2 incidents at the Britannia Hotel. Cllr Gamble reported that a group of
caravans had been parked at Golden Acre Park. PCSO Andrews stated that the
police were aware of this, as was LCC, and action was being taken. PCSO Andrews
ended by saying he would update Cllr Ripley regarding the traffic lights ( see
40/09).
43/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6. Parish Councillor Toolkit - The chairman reminded any councillors who had not yet received their ‘Toolkit’ that they were available from the Clerk
Budget – A draft budget has been prepared and will be ready for consideration at the April meeting.
44/09 CLERK’S REPORT
7.
The clerk reported that all newsletters had been delivered thanks to the councillors and volunteers
A list of upcoming training courses for councillors had been circulated
A risk assessment at council properties has been carried out.
The plan to adopt the phone box at Carlton has been abandoned as the Post Office has now stated that it has no plans to remove it.
‘Stop Speeding’ stickers were available distribution to councillors.
Progress was being made with the Heritage Lighting Scheme and it was planned to have a representative of LCC at the April meeting
The Clerk asked for assistance from Councillors in providing information relevant to the WWYC training.
45/09 CORRESPONDENCE
8.
Communications received:
A request for nominations as Parish Council representative on the LCC Standards Committee
Emails from a resident regarding parking on the grass verges in Parklands. A letter is to be sent to all residents in Parklands in connection with this.
An email from Richard Jaques (English Heritage) stating that he hoped to have completed his report regarding the Puritan Chapel in the next week.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
46/09
9.
9.1 Payments
All the items were agreed for payment. Proposed by Cllr Cooper, seconded by Cllr Penny and AGREED by all.
9.2 Petty Cash
There were no items of expenditure.
9.3 To Agree the date of the Annual Parish Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held on May 20th. A steering committee of Cllr Mills (Chairman), Cllr Encell, Cllr Wood and Clerk has been formed and will meet on April 1.
9.4 Request from Clerk to purchase new Burial Rights Certificates book
This was approved.
9.5 Council vacancy
No request had been received for an election to be held following the resignation of Cllr Robertson and the Clerk will now begin the process for co-option.
Following the resignation of Cllr Tayler, the Clerk will commence the procedure to fill the vacancy.
47/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT GROUP
10.
10.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified. Cllr Johnson reported that there was an addition application awaiting consideration involving the installation of illuminated advertising signs in the bus shelter opposite 26 Leeds Road which would be reported on at the next meeting.
10.2 Enforcement Issues
Cllr Fox informed the council the case involving a resident of Kings Road had been adjourned until April.
48/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE GROUP
11
11.1 It was RESOLVED to ratify the attached report of the VMG.
11.2 Cllr Cooper (Chairman - VMG) informed the meeting that the group had been looking into the possibility of providing dog bins at The Birches and The Sycamores. However in view of the Health and Safety issues involved in the emptying of the bins it had been decided that the Parish Council could not pursue this and that responsibility should be left with LCC.
In advance of the grass cutting season the Clerk was asked to provide details of the present operation and current costs.
Cllr Cooper asked that the duties of the VMG as currently stated in Standing Orders needed to be revised and clarified.
49/09 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
12
12.1 The Chairman had received figures regarding competitive tendering for the Newsletter and will report on these at the meeting in April.
50/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
13 Cllr Penny had nothing to report.
51/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
14 Cllr Fox reported on the following matters.
Road works would shortly begin on Leeds Road between Kings Road and Breary Lane with some resulting disruption.
On Saturday April 4 an Enforcement Day is to be held when LCC Enforcement Officers (patrolling parking offences, dog fouling etc) who normally work only Monday to Friday will be patrolling and he asked to be informed of any ‘hotspots’ where the presence of an enforcement officer would be useful.
He had had a meeting with the LCC Landscape Officer regarding possible schemes for the village. Once these schemes have been finalised there would need to be public consultation and a tendering process. He stressed that the scheme would not incur any expense to the Parish Council.
52/09 LIAISON GROUPS
15
15.1 Robert Craven Memorial Hall
Cllr Broadley had nothing to report.
15.2 Bramhope Primary School
Cllr Wood had nothing to report.
53/09 PARISH ISSUES
16
Cllr Fox presented a copy of a Programme from the 1902 Coronation Celebrations held in Bramhope to the Council archives.
The meeting ended at 8.55pm
18. Date of the next Full Council Meeting 22 April 2009 at 7.30pm.
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 25 February 2009
19/09
Chairman: Geoff Mills
Councillors: Denis Johnson, David Encell, Clive Fox, Simon Cooper, John Broadley, David Ripley, Joan Wood
Clerk: Kate Fraser
20/09 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Cllrs Judith Penny, Peter Charlesworth, Barry Tayler
Meeting started at 7.30pm
21/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. Cllr Broadley declared an interest in item 10.6 as a committee member of the Robert Craven Hall.
22/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 28 January 2009
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Ripley and signed by the Chairman.
23/09 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MEETING ON 28 JANUARY
4. There were no matters arising
24/09 UPDATE BY NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING TEAM
5.
Sgt Nick Ireland, PC
Steve Jones and PCSO Julie Richardson attended. Sgt Ireland distributed copies
of the Policing Pledge outlining the police response to calls form the public in
terms of attitude and response times. In reply to his statement that no calls
had been received from the area regarding anti-social behaviour since the
beginning of the year, the Clerk informed him that she had contact the local
station regarding some activity but had not received any response. Sgt Ireland
said he would look into this. Speeding patrols had been active in Kings Road (6
fixed penalty tickets issued) and in Old Lane (6 fixed penalty tickets issued
and warnings given on other occasions). In terms of the entire ward, there had
been 557 less victims of crime for the year to date compared with the same
period last year but Sgt Ireland was unable to give specific figures for
Bramhope. In answer to an enquiry, PCSO Richardson informed the meeting that
there were currently 13 Neighbourhood Watch groups in Bramhope which she was in
contact with by email. Cllr Fox suggested that the PCSO should arrange a
meeting with all the Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators.
It was agreed that local priorities for policing were speeding traffic,
antisocial behaviour and property crime. The police were asked to keep a
closer watch on any antisocial activity at the sports ground.
25/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6. Parish Councillor Toolkit - The chairman informed the meeting that in conjunction with the Clerk, he had prepared a ‘Councillor’s Toolkit’ containing useful documentation for all Councillors. The Chairman stressed the importance of understanding the role and responsibilities of a Parish Councillor.
Car Park - The terms for the purchase of the car park from Punch Taverns had been agreed with an anticipated completion date of early May. The clerk was asked to obtain quotes from Newstead & Walker and Catterells with regard to legal fees.
26/09 CLERK’S REPORT
7. The Clerk had nothing to report
27/09 CORRESPONDENCE
8 A letter setting out the terms of the purchase of the car park had been received. An offer to quote for the council’s insurance had been received. Cllr Johnson to examine in more detail.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting
28/09 REPORT ON MEETING REGARDING THE FUTURE OF BRAMHOPE POST OFFICE
9. A note had already been circulated giving details of the meeting. In view of the financial information and projections contained in this it was agreed that the costs of re-establishing a post office service in the village would be prohibitive and that no further action would be taken. The clerk was asked to write and thank the Post Office representative who attended the meeting.
29/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION GROUP
10.
10.1 Payments
All the items were agreed for payment. Proposed by Cllr Cooper, seconded by Cllr Ripley and AGREED by all.
10.2 Petty Cash
The petty cash expenditure as per attached schedule was accepted.
10.3 Confirmation of Mr David Smith as Curator, Puritan Chapel
Proposed by Cllr Mills, seconded by Cllr Ripley and AGREED by all
10.4 Council vacancy
Following the resignation of Cllr Robertson, the Clerk will commence the procedure to fill the vacancy.
10.5 Annual Parish Meeting
The Chairman stated his wish to make the meeting more accessible to members of the public. There was support for this from the council. It was agreed that there would be a need to ensure the meeting was well publicised and that specific invitations should be sent to local groups and organisations.
10.6 Grant application from Robert Craven Hall
Cllr Broadley left the meeting whilst this item was discussed. Cllr Johnson proposed that the application for £4000 should be approved. Seconded by Cllr Mills and AGREED by all.
30/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT GROUP
11.
11.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
11.2 Enforcement Issues
Cllr Fox informed the council that a resident of Kings Road was being prosecuted for failing to obey an enforcement order.
31/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE GROUP
12
It was RESOLVED to ratify the attached report of the VMG.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman - VMG) informed the meeting that a partnership had been entered into with LCC regarding the maintenance of stiles in the locality. He also stated his intention to present a paper to the March council meeting which would clarify the responsibilities of the VMG. It was noted that the roof of the bus shelter at Tredgold Avenue was still to be completed. Cllr Cooper will provide the Clerk with the names of possible contractors. A budget of £250 was AGREED.
An addendum to the January VMG meeting was agreed. See copy attached.
Cllr Mills reported on a recent meeting he and fellow councillors had with English Heritage regarding future maintenance of the Puritan Chapel. The representative of English Heritage had been largely satisfied with the way in which the Chapel was being maintained but will be sending a report detailing where there are areas that need to be addressed. He had indicated that there was a good possibility that grants would be available to cover some of the costs.
32/09 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
13
13.1 Councillors were informed that there was still time to submit any articles for the next edition of the newsletter
33/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
14 The Clerk had received a verbal report from Cllr Penny that there were no items to discuss at present.
34/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
15 Cllr Fox reported that LCC had agreed an increase of 3% to the local Council Tax for the forthcoming year. He also reported that LCC is considering alterations to the electoral procedures for councillors.
35/09 LIAISON GROUPS
16
16.1 Robert Craven Memorial Hall
There will be a Brass Band concert at the Hall on February 28.
16.2 Bramhope Primary School
Cllr Wood reported on various activities at the school. Years 1 & 2 had visited a local synagogue; Years 5 & 6 had visited a local temple, attended first aid courses and visited Cumbria on a residential course.
36/09 PARISH ISSUES
17
Cllr Cooper reported that he had attended a training course for parish councillors which he recommended to his fellow councillors. He also inquired whether the Parish Council should have a ‘mission statement’ to aid it in its long term strategy.
Cllr Ripley stated that he would be raising the question of traffic lights at the Breary Lane/Leeds road junction with the Highways department at LCC. He also commented on the need for the bus shelter at Tredgold Avenue to be completed.
Cllr Encell informed the meeting that contrary to the impression that may have been given in a recent newspaper article, he would not be relocating to London in the near future.
The meeting ended at 9.30pm
18. Date of the next Full Council Meeting 25 March 2009 at 7.30pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 28 January 2009
1/09
Chairman: Geoff Mills
Councillors: Denis Johnson, David Encell, Colin Gamble, Peter Charlesworth, Clive Fox, Simon Cooper, John Broadley, Barry Tayler, David Ripley, Colin Robertson
Clerk: Kate Fraser
2/09 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Cllrs Joan Wood and Judith Penny
Meeting started at 7.30pm
3/09 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. There were no declarations of interest.
4/09 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 26 November 2008
The minutes were amended to show the date of the Brass Band Concert as February 28 not January 28, item 7.5 should read ’Precept 2009 – 2010’ not ’Precept 2009 – 2101’
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Charlesworth and seconded by Cllr Johnson and signed by the Chairman.
5/09 PRESENTATION BY WEST YORKSHIRE POLICE
4. PC Angie Chambers and PCSO Stuart Reardon attended. PC Chambers reported that crime figures had been reduced locally although there was still a problem with thefts of cars from local houses. She asked that everyone should be vigilant with regard to where they leave their car keys to prevent opportunist thefts. PCSO Reardon gave a briefing on crimes that had occurred in the last 30 days in the area but was pleased to report that these had been few. He also reported that speed detection equipment had been deployed in Kings Road and Old Lane and letters sent to offending motorists. He gave councillors details of his contact details. PC Chambers informed councillors of the new policing initiative ‘Policing Pledge’ and the council agreed that it would be happy for a representative of the local policing team to attend each council meeting to give updates on recent police activity, receive feedback and notification of areas of concern.
6/09 MATTERS ARISING
5. There were no matters arising
7/09 CHAIRMAN’S UPDATE
6. The meeting regarding the re-opening of the Post Office has not yet been held.
The Chairman has written to the owner of the land adjacent to the Sports Ground to see if they would be interested in selling this land for the possible location of a games area. No reply has been received as yet.
8/09 CLERK’S REPORT
7. The clerk thanked Councillors for their help at the Parish Carol Service and reported that £184 had been raised from the collection.
The Clerk would be having a preliminary meeting with a candidate for Curator of the Puritan Chapel
9/09 CORRESPONDENCE
8 A letter of thanks for the recent donation had been received from the British Legion.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
10/09 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION GROUP
9.
9.1 Payments
The payments as per the attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. The Clerk asked for 2 additional payments to be added to the schedule – Chippendale Press £48.56, Peak Plumbing £25.00. All the items were agreed for payment. Proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Broadley and AGREED by all.
9.2 Petty Cash
The petty cash expenditure as per attached schedule was accepted.
9.3 Precept 2009 - 2010
A precept of £65200 was proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Charlesworth and AGREED by all.
9.4 Clerk's Salary
This item was discussed in private session at the end of the meeting. The Clerk left the meeting at this point.
The increase in the clerk’s salary was proposed by Cllr Mills, seconded by Cllr Charlesworth and AGREED by all.
9.5 Training Programme for Clerk
The Clerk requested the Council’s approval to study for the Working With Your Council certificate. AGREED
11/09 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT GROUP
10
10.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
10.2 Enforcement Issues
Cllr Fox informed the council of the appeal lodged by Shanco against the refusal of their recent planning application.
12/09 UPDATE ON HERITAGE LIGHTING SCHEME
11 There was no further information. Cllr Fox to pursue this.
13/09 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE GROUP
12
12.1 It was RESOLVED to ratify the attached report of the VMG.
12.2 Cllr Cooper (Chairman VMG) reported that the VMG had concluded that there was insufficient on-going work to justify continuing with the post of full time Village Maintenance Manager. In future outside contractors would be employed when work needed to be carried out. He therefore proposed that the Village Maintenance Manager be made redundant
Concern was expressed that the use of outside contractors would take up a considerable amount of the time of the Clerk and Chairman and might incur considerable costs. A written report of existing costs and comparison with likely future costs would have been helpful.
However it was noted that the VMG had already voted in favour of the proposal and the view was put forward that if a delegated sub group makes a decision, the Parish Council should give full consideration to that fact.
The proposal was AGREED by a majority.
14/09 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
13
13.1 The next edition of the newsletter is planned for production before Easter.
15/09 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
14 There was no report from Cllr Penny.
Cllr Fox reported that a resident of Carlton had approached the Parish Council regarding repairs to Mall Lane. However as the road is unadopted and designated a bridleway Leeds City Council will provide no assistance and the Parish Council cannot progress this matter any further.
16/09 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
15 Cllr Fox reported that the road from the bottom of Pool Bank to the shell garage in Pool will be closed for weekend resurfacing work from the end of February for approximately 3 weekends.
He also reported that in future there will be a charge for lodging appeals against planning decisions.
17/09 LIAISON GROUPS
16
16.1 Robert Craven Memorial Hall
Cllr Broadley reported that a meeting had been held to discuss the Car Park.
The Farmers Market held in January had had a good attendance but there were only 5 stall holders present.
There will be a Brass Band concert at the Hall on February 28.
16.2 Bramhope Primary School
There was no report.
18/09 PARISH ISSUES
17
Cllr Broadley requested that the Clerk send letters to residents regarding overhanging vegetation. He also requested that a dog bin be provided at the Birches – referred to VMG.
Cllr Gamble referred to overhanging vegetation on Kings Road and blocked gullies on the A660.
Cllr Ripley inquired about gritting of pavements in bad weather – referred to VMG.
Cllr Robertson commented on the amount of broken glass in the car park near the bottle recycling containers. He also asked if the light at The Cross could be switched on during the morning hours. He suggested that the council look at the cost of the Newsletter and its content. This was referred for discussion at the March meeting.
The meeting ended at 9.50pm
18. Date of the next Full Council Meeting 25 February 2009 at 7.30pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 26 November 2008
146/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Geoff Mills
Councillors: Denis Johnson, David Encell, Colin Gamble, Peter Charlesworth, Judith Penny, Joan Wood, Clive Fox, Simon Cooper, John Broadley
Clerk: Kate Fraser
147/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Cllrs Colin Robertson, Barry Tayler, David Ripley
Meeting started at 7.30pm
148/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. There were no declarations of interest.
149/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 22 October 2008
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Penny and seconded by Cllr Broadley and signed by the Chairman.
150/08 MATTERS ARISING
4. Cllr Fox reported that discussions were still ongoing regarding the development of Greengates.
151/08 CLERK’S REPORT
As the next edition of the newsletter would soon be available for distribution, the Clerk asked if there were any councillors who would not require the assistance of a volunteer in distributing it.
The Clerk asked for indicative numbers of councillors who would be attending the open evening at West Park RUFC. Clerk to find out time event will start.
The Clerk stated her intention to put on display a list of councillors’ telephone numbers and email addresses. Although this is public information, if any councillor wishes to ‘opt out’ they should let the Clerk know as soon as possible.
After discussions with Chris Platt is was decided to reduce the hours of opening of the Puritan Chapel. The Clerk to place a notice in the notice boards advertising for a new curator (one expression of interest already received.
The call redirection of the old Parish Council telephone number is to be discontinued.
The Clerk asked if anyone was interested in being the local representative on the Parish & Town Council/LCC Planning Working Group.
152/08 CORRESPONDENCE
6.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
Greg Mulholland had sent a copy of Hansard in which Bramhope Parish Council was mentioned by him in a debate on the closure of Post Offices.
Cllr Encell had received a letter from Greg Mulholland as a result of the meeting on Moor Road.
153/08 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION GROUP
7.
7.1 Payments
The payments as per the attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. The Clerk asked for 2 additional payments to be added to the schedule – Mone Bros £5.26, BT £40.52. All the items were agreed for payment. Proposed by Cllr Gamble, seconded by Cllr Broadley and AGREED by all.
7.2 Donation to British Legion
The Chairman asked for a payment of £90 to the British Legion, partly in payment for the wreaths supplied for the last two Remembrance Day services, and partly as a donation in recognition of the 90 anniversary of Armistice Day. Proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Gamble and AGREED by all.
7.3 Petty Cash
The petty cash expenditure as attached schedule was accepted.
7.4 Update on negotiations with Punch Taverns
Cllr Fox presented a schedule of possible sources of funding for the purchase of the car park. It was proposed that the Parish Council would underwrite the cost of the purchase to a maximum of £17,000. Proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Charlesworth and AGREED by all. Cllr Fox will continue to represent the Parish Council in any further negotiations or meetings.
7.5 Precept 2009 – 2101
The Chairman presented a resume of income and expenditure over the last 3 years to assist in the determination of the precept. A precept of £72,000, to include an amount of £17,000 for the purchase of the car park was proposed by Cllr Johnson and seconded by Cllr Encell. This was AGREED by all but is to be ratified at the January 2009 meeting subject to a final report from Cllr Fox regarding funding requirements for the car park purchase.
7.6 Parish Carol Service
Cllr Gamble will replace Cllr Charlesworth in reading the first lesson. Councillors volunteered their services for before and after the service. The Clerk will distribute a list of allocated tasks to all councillors. It was agreed that The Children’s Society could sell Bramhope calendars after the Service.
154/08 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT GROUP
8
8.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
8.2 Enforcement Issues
There were no enforcement issues.
155/08 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE GROUP
9
9.1 It was RESOLVED to ratify the attached report of the VMG.
Cllr Cooper (Chairman VMG) presented a report on the future operation of the Village Maintenance Team. It was AGREED that the VMG should proceed with this review and report back to the February meeting.
156/08 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
10
10.1 The next edition of the newsletter should be available for delivery 6 – 7 December.
157/08 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
11
11.1 Cllr Penny reported that a local resident had cut hedges and borders in the village. Cllr Penny had sent the Clerk a report detailing the repairs necessary to the phone box in Carlton.
158/08 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
12 Cllr Fox had nothing to report.
159/08 LIAISON GROUPS
13
13.1 Robert Craven Memorial Hall
Cllr Broadley thanked Cllr Fox for attending a meeting regarding the car park. The Farmer’s market in November had been well supported and there is to be a raffle at the December market. There is a band concert on January 28th 2009.
13.2 Bramhope Primary School
Cllr Wood reported that a Christmas Fayre was being held on Sat 29th November at which a CD of Christmas songs and carols by the pupils could be purchased. The school had received the Stephen Lawrence award. The school was burgled on 12 November when a quantity of cash was taken.
160/08 PARISH ISSUES
14.
Cllr Johnson and Cllr Fox are to look into the proposed heritage street lighting system and report back at the next meeting.
Cllr Charlesworth reported that there had been a number of burglaries on the 12 November in Creskeld Gardens and Lane.
Cllr Encell reported on his attendance at the meeting held by Greg Mulholland MP regarding speeding on Moor Road.
Cllr Broadley reported that the damaged road sign on Wynmore Drive had now been replaced.
Cllr Mills (Chairman) reported that he had received financial information regarding the post office but needed to obtain further clarification of their significance.
The meeting ended at 9:30pm
15. Date of the next Full Council Meeting 26 January 2009 at 7.30pm
Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 2 October 2008
130/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Geoff Mills
Councillors: Denis Johnson, David Encell, Colin Gamble, Peter Charlesworth, Judith Penny, Joan Wood, Clive Fox, David Ripley, Simon Cooper, John Broadley
Clerk: Kate Fraser
131/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Cllrs Colin Robertson, Barry Tayler
Meeting started at 7.30pm
132/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. There were no declarations of interest.
133/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 24 September 2008
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Broadley and seconded by Cllr Johnson and signed by the Chairman.
134/08 MATTERS ARISING
4. There were no matters arising.
135/08 PRESENTATION OF PLANS FOR GREENACRES
At this point the agenda item 8.2 was heard.
A member of the Plymouth Brethren outlined the history and ethos of the Plymouth Brethren and gave a general description of the proposed use of the building as a school.
David Harding (Planning Lawyer for the Plymouth Brethren) presented an outline of the proposed plan to convert Greenacres into a school. The current stable block would be converted into school accommodation and in addition there would be a play space and a small gospel hall. A schematic of the proposal was circulated to the meeting.
Councillors asked several questions regarding the proposed scheme: the maximum number of pupils the school was likely to have, the use of the gospel hall outside school hours, the square footage of new build, the nature of the ‘area for sports’, the likely time frame for the development.
It was indicated that if consent was refused, the Plymouth Brethren having already purchased the site, would have to place it back on the market.
Cllr Fox reminded the meeting that the site was within the green belt and whilst equestrian activities are permitted in the green belt (as in the original planning application some years ago) other activities and new build are generally not permitted.
136/08 CLERK’S REPORT
5. The Clerk reported that all newsletters had been distributed to Councillors for delivery. A number of residents had responded to the request for helpers to deliver the next edition.
The Clerk had had a meeting with the new Sales Manager at the Britannia Hotel who is keen to promote use of the Puritan Chapel for blessings.
The hole in the pavement on Breary Lane has been repaired and the damaged road sign in the Wynmores had been removed by LCC for repair.
137/08 CORRESPONDENCE
6.
§ One expression of interest in the post of curator at the Puritan Chapel. Before the matter is pursued further Chris Platt is to be asked for his views on appropriate opening hours.
§ Confirmation from Redmayne Bentley of their use of the Puritan Chapel for a Carol Service on December 6
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting
138/08 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION GROUP
7.
7.1 Payments
The payments as per the attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. Cllr Cooper (Chairman VMG) requested that the Clerk provide a breakdown of the invoices from PDB.
All the items were agreed for payment. Proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Broadley and AGREED by all.
7.2 Petty Cash
The petty cash expenditure as attached schedule was accepted.
7.3 Budget Update
Councillors were provided with documentation regarding the budget.
7.4 Remembrance Day Service
The Clerk will contact David Marshall regarding a wreath.
7.5 Parish Carol Service
The Annual Carol Service will be held on Wednesday, 17 December at 8:00pm at the Puritan Chapel.
Cllrs Fox, Johnson and Charlesworth agreed to perform the readings at the service. The Clerk to send out invitations to guests. Cllr Gamble will be responsible for dressing the church. Cllr Johnson will order the wine for after the service.
7.6 Puritan Chapel Blessings
The Clerk reported an inquiry from the Britannia Hotel as to whether the Puritan chapel could be used for the blessing of civil partnerships. Agreement to this was proposed by Cllr Charlesworth and seconded by Cllr Cooper. AGREED by a majority vote.
139/08 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT GROUP
8
8.1 Planning Issues
The report of the Planning Group was ratified.
Cllr Fox updated the Council on a meeting with representatives of Punch Taverns regarding the village car park.
8.2 Presentation of plans for Greenacres
Referred to in minute 135/08
8.3 Enforcement Issues
Cllr Fox reported that there were a number of enforcement issues ongoing but there was nothing of note to report at present.
140/08 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE GROUP
9
9.1 It was RESOLVED to ratify the attached report of the VMG.
Cllr Cooper reported an incident of vandalism at The Knoll and that the stone wall surrounding The Knoll had been damaged by a motor vehicle.
Cllr Cooper announced his intention to present a report at the next meeting regarding the operation of the Village Maintenance team.
141/08 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
10
10.1 The Chairman reported that it was hoped to produce the next newsletter before Christmas in order to publicise the Farmers Market on Dec 13 and the Carol Service on Dec 17. Any copy for the next edition should be submitted by Nov 14.
142/08 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
11
11.1 Cllr Penny raised the issue of the red telephone box in Carlton. The Clerk reported that BT had stated that they would not carry out any maintenance on the box and that it is on the list for removal. It was AGREED that the Council would ‘adopt’ the phone box and the Clerk would ascertain if BT could provide any spare parts for its renovation.
143/08 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
12
Cllr Fox had nothing to report
144/08 LIAISON GROUPS
13
13.1 Robert Craven Memorial Hall
Cllr Broadley had nothing to report
13.2 Bramhope Primary School
Cllr Wood had nothing to report
145/08 PARISH ISSUES
14.
Cllr Broadley reported there was a new manager at the Britannia hotel. He also suggested that the Bramhope village signs need attention to make the words easier to read. Referred to VMG
Cllr Encell reported that the Cricket Club sign needs attention. Referred to VMG
Cllr Gamble reported that Greg Mulholland M.P is holding a meeting on Moor Road on Oct 24 at 5:30 regarding speeding traffic and asked for a councillor to attend. Cllr Encell agreed to attend. Cllr Gamble will prepare a discussion document concerning the issue of speeding traffic for consideration at the Jan 2009 meeting.
Cllr Charlesworth, as a member of the Leeds Bradford International Airport Consultative Committee, invited councillors to let him know if they had any issues relating to the airport.
Cllr Fox suggested that if an invitation was extended, councillors would be minded to visit the new Rugby Club buildings.
15.
Date of the next Full Council Meeting 26 November 2008 at 7.30pm
Meeting closed at 10.00pm
Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 24 September 2008
114/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Geoff Mills
Councillors: Joan Wood, Clive Fox, David Ripley, Simon Cooper, John Broadley
Clerk: Kate Fraser
115/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Cllrs Colin Gamble, Denis Johnson, Colin Robertson, Barry Tayler, Peter Charlesworth, Judith Penny.
116/08 SIGNING OF DECLARATION.
2. Councillor Mills signed the Declaration of Acceptance of the Office of Chairman.
Meeting started at 7.30pm
117/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
3. There were no declarations of interest.
118/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 27 August 2008
4. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Cooper and seconded by Cllr Ripley and signed by the Chairman.
119/08 MATTERS ARISING
5. There were no matters arising.
120/08 CLERK’S REPORT
6. The Clerk reported that she had researched the possibility of obtaining a cheaper electricity supplier. In view of the instability in the market at the present time it was decided to review the situation again in January.
The Clerk reported that no response had been received to a second letter to the resident at 1 Breary Lane East regarding the overgrowing vegetation. It was decided to take no further action at present and Cllr Fox volunteered to look in to the matter further.
121/08 CORRESPONDENCE
7.
§ Renewal form for membership of CPRE – AGREED to renew.
§ A letter from a resident containing remarks regarding the erection of memorial stones in the cemetery
§ An anonymous email from a resident regarding the tipping of garden clippings at The Sycamores
§ An invitation to attend the Annual Civic Service at Pool. Cllr Broadley volunteered to attend.
§ An invitation to West Yorkshire Police Authority Annual District Event. Suggested that Cllr Charlesworth be contacted regarding attendance.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting
122/08 FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION GROUP
8.
8.1 Payments
The payments as per the attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. All the items were agreed for payment. Proposed by Cllr Broadley, seconded by Cllr Ripley and AGREED by all.
8.2 Petty Cash
The petty cash expenditure as attached schedule was accepted.
8.3 Budget Update
The Chairman informed the meeting that the precept will need to be set by November and asked Councillors to look at the draft budget and inform him of any items that need to be included.
8.4 Appointments of Chairmen to Operating Groups
The following appointments were agreed:
Finance & Administration: Cllr Mills
Planning: CllrJohnson
Maintenance: Cllr Cooper
8.5 Appointments to Operating Groups and Liaison Groups
Finance & Administration: Cllr Mills (chair), Cllr Wood, Cllr Charlesworth, Cllr Tayler
Planning: Cllr Johnson (chair), Cllr Fox, Cllr Gamble, Cllr Cooper, Cllr Ripley, Cllr Penny (Carlton matters)
Maintenance: Cllr Cooper (chair), Cllr Gamble, Cllr Penny, Cllr Johnson
Communications: Cllr Mills, Cllr Wood, Cllr Broadley plus co-opted members Rupert Hodges & Graham Ironside
Cemetery(Ad Hoc Group): Cllr Fox, Cllr Wood, Cllr Tayler
Other Liaison groups:
Robert Craven Memorial Hall: Cllr Broadley
Bramhope Youth Development Trust: Cllr Mills
Leeds City Council: Cllr Fox
Police and Airport: Cllr Charlesworth
Sports Clubs: Cllr Gamble
Bramhope Primary School: Cllr Wood
Village in Bloom: Cllr Gamble
8.6 Co- option of Councillor for Bramhope
Christina Shaw and David Encell gave short presentations to the Council after which they were asked to leave the meeting whilst a vote was taken. As a result of the voting Cllr Encell was invited to take his seat at this stage and signed the declaration of acceptance of office.
123/08 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT GROUP
9
9.1 Planning Update
The Plymouth Brethren had requested a deferral of their presentation concerning the proposed development at Greenacres until the October meeting.
Cllr Fox reported that there were a number of outstanding planning applications. These would be considered at the next meeting of the Planning Group.
9.2 Enforcement Issues
Cllr Fox reported that there were a number of enforcement issues ongoing but there was nothing of note to report at present.
124/08 VILLAGE MAINTENANCE GROUP
10
10.1 It was RESOLVED to ratify the attached report of the VMG.
The Council discussed the need for a hand rail to be erected on the footbridge located in the council land adjacent to A660 (mini park). The Village Maintenance Manager had already erected a rail on one side but it was RESOLVED not to continue with railings on the other side at the moment.
Cllr Fox suggested the need for a consultation exercise regarding the future use/development of the mini park. It was RESOLVED to suspend all further expenditure on this land pending the production of a plan from the VMG.
125/08 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP
11
11.1 The Chairman reported that the newsletter had been delivered to the printers and should be available for distribution by the end of next week.
126/08 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
12
On Cllr Penny’s behalf, the Clerk gave the report.
Dissatisfaction was expressed with the overall maintenance of the village. It was suggested that the Village Maintenance Team be timetabled to visit Carlton on a specified regular basis. The possibility of ‘adopting’ the red telephone box in Carlton was discussed. Both these matters were referred to the VMG.
127/08 LEEDS CITY COUNCIL UPDATE
13
Cllr Fox reported that Pool had been chosen to take part in pilot scheme to empty the green recycling bins every 2 weeks rather than the usual monthly rota.
128/08 LIAISON GROUPS
14
14.1 Robert Craven Memorial Hall
Cllr Broadley reported that the Flower Show had raised £1600 which was a reduction on the previous year.
A Band Concert is to be held in the Hall on November 22.
14.2 Bramhope Primary School
Cllr Wood reported that she had recently attended a meeting at the school and would be receiving regular reports from the school in the future.
129/08 PARISH ISSUES
15.
§ Cllr Fox commented on the disturbance to the verges on A660 by the on-going works and the need to replace the flowering bulbs when the works are completed
§ Cllr Cooper commented on the tyre marks appearing on the newly surfaced portion of Moor Road and the recent accident there and whether the new surface was unduly slippery
§ Cllr Wood referred the Council to an article regarding Cllr Fox in the latest issue of Yorkshire Living
§ Cllr Broadley commented on items needing repair - the road sign at Wynmore Crescent/Wynmore Drive and the pathway outside Home Farm House. Clerk will follow up.
§ There was discussion regarding overgrown hedges at several locations in Bramhope. The Village Maintenance Manager is to be asked to trim them. In future it was suggested that a standard letter be drafted by the Clerk that could be sent to residents where it was considered their hedges were impeding the pathway.
16.
Date of the next Full Council Meeting 22 October 2008 at 7.30pm
Meeting closed at 9.30pm
Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 27 August 2008
102/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Colin Robertson
Councillors: Peter Charlesworth, Colin Gamble, Joan Wood ,Clive Fox, Denis Johnson, Geoff Mills, David Ripley, Barry Tayler, Simon Cooper, Judith Penny
Clerk: Kate Fraser
103/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from John Broadley.
Meeting started at 7.30pm
104/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. There were no declarations of interest.
105/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 23 July 2008
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Johnson and seconded by Cllr Ripley and signed by the Chairman.
106/08. MATTERS ARISING AND CLERKS REPORT
4. There were no matters arising or Clerks report.
107/08 FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES
5.
5.1 Finance
a) The payments as per the attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. The Clerk requested two further items be included as follows: Cairns & Hickey £70.05 in respect of wine and C Garnett £65.22 in respect of British Telecom. All the items were agreed for payment.
They were proposed by Cllr Mills, seconded by Cllr Johnson and AGREED by all.
b) The petty cash expenditure as attached schedule was accepted.
c) Copies of a draft Budget were distributed in advance of Management Accounts being prepared for the next meeting and the final budget being agreed by the FC at a future meeting.
5.2 Administration/General Purposes
a) Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairman
As the current Chairman will be standing down before the September meeting (19th) then it was proposed by Cllr Johnson, seconded by Cllr Penny and AGREED that Cllr Geoff Mills be the Chairman from September 20th 2008 for the remainder of the current year 2008/09. Appointment to be confirmed and signed acceptance by the new Chairman at the September meeting
As Cllr Mills is currently the Vice Chairman it was proposed by Cllr Mills, seconded by Cllr Charlesworth and AGREED that Cllr Denis Johnson be the Vice-Chairman from September 20th 2008 for the remainder of the current year 2008/09
b) Update on LCC issues
§ Cllr Fox reported that he had attended a meeting between RCMH and Punch Taverns regarding pedestrian and vehicular access across the Old Lane car park (Minute 93/08). Punch Taverns had indicated that whilst they would contest any such right they would consider leasing the land. There was also an indication that they would consider selling the land but would require a covenant preventing any residential development of the land. Punch Taverns are to seek a valuation of the land and produce an outline of a likely lease. The funds allocated by the Parish Council for possible legal advice had not been required.
§ A new planning framework is being developed by which LCC is required to ‘call for sites’ suitable for development. Cllr Fox explained that there was no need for any concern regarding this process at the moment.
d) Correspondence received
The Chairman read out the following letters to the Council.
§ A reply to a letter from the Clerk requesting the resident of 2 Breary Lane East to cut back overhanging vegetation. The letter stated that as there is a tree preservation order on the trees and shrubs, no work can be taken with permission from LCC. Clerk to write requesting the resident obtain such permission.
§ A letter requesting permission to place a commemorative bench at Hilton Grange. The sender to be put in contact with the chairman of the Hilton Grange residents association.
§ A report from the Internal Auditors. Before the next auditors report the Council must carry out a review of its Risk Management policy.
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting.
108/08 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
6.
6.1 Planning
No plans were discussed at the meeting. All plans had previously been discussed by the planning group and a copy of the report had been distributed to councillors.
109/08 ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES
7.
7.1 Village Maintenance
It was RESOLVED to ratify the 16th July and 6th August reports of the VMG.
The Village Maintenance Manager is to be asked to weed the cobbles around the war memorial at the Playing Field.
110/08 COMMUNICATIONS
8.
a) Communications group report
An email has been sent out requesting items for the next newsletter.
Cllr Mills reported on a meeting he had with the publishers of the proposed Bramhope Life in which he inquired whether the Parish Council could have a number of pages to report on activities. If this was agreed he raised the question of the future of the Parish newsletter.
111/08 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
9. Cllr Penny thanked the council for their contribution towards the new planter.
The need for a policy regarding grass cutting in Carlton was discussed and referred to the VMG regarding a quote from the company used for grass cutting in Bramhope.
112/08 LIAISON GROUPS
10.
a) Robert Craven Memorial Hall
No report.
b)Bramhope Primary School
No report.
113/08 PARISH ISSUES
11.
§ Cllr Mills reported tall nettles growing on the footpath off Parklands. Clerk to request Village Maintenance Manger to cut.
§ Cllr Charlesworth reported that he had researched the possibility of a Judicial Review into the closure of the Post Office but had concluded that there was no likelihood of success.
§ Cllr Ripley presented a photograph of The Cross for the parish archive.
§ Cllr Cooper commented on the new farm access road being constructed on Otley Old Road. Cllr Fox indicated that although the road did not have planning approval, LCC was minded to give approval.
§ Cllr Fox requested that the footpath from Hilton Grange be strimmed.
§ The Chairman reported that tickets for the Jazz Evening had sold out.
§ The Council thanked The Chairman for his hard work over the last seven years.
12.
Date of the next Full Council Meeting 24 September 2008 at 7.30pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 23 July 2008
89/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Colin Robertson
Councillors: John Broadley,, Clive Fox, Denis Johnson, Geoff Mills, David Ripley, Barry Tayler
Clerk: Kate Fraser
90/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Peter Charlesworth, Colin Gamble, Joan Wood.
Meeting started at 7.30pm
91/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. Cllr Robertson declared an interest in Agenda item 5.2 b
92/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 25 June 2008
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Cllr Johnson and seconded by Cllr Ripley and signed by the Chairman.
93/08. MATTERS ARISING AND CLERK'S REPORT
4.
§ The Chairman referred to Minute 87/08. The meeting was addressed by Ewart Lewis (Chairman, RCMH), who was accompanied by Graham Firth (Secretary, RCMH), with regard to a forthcoming meeting with representatives of Punch Taverns. Mr Lewis stated that the RCMH had already expended much needed funds on trying to establish a right of pedestrian and vehicular access across the Old Lane car park with the Land Registry and this was being contested by the owners, Punch Taverns. Mr Lewis had had unconfirmed advice that if achieved the access would cut across the site severely damaging its potential development value. Although an alternative route could be negotiated it would have to be with the RCMH's consent, leaving a problem for the owners. Discussion emphasised the importance of RCMH having good impartial legal advice at the meeting with Punch Taverns, but based on the information supplied it was felt it was worth the Council funding legal support at the meeting. Proposed by Cllr Tayler, seconded by Cllr Ripley to budget £1000 to pay for legal advice to RCMH. AGREED by all. The bill for any legal advice to be sent directly to the Parish Council. The Council asked that the RCMH report back after the meeting to enable a view to be taken as to whether the matter would be worth pursuing, if necessary, to the next stage.
§ Cllr Mills reported the Post Office has now closed but that Greg Mullholland had written to the Secretary of State registering his dismay regarding the consultation process
§ Cllr Fox reported that the overgrown garden at 1 Church Close, Carlton is to be cleared this week and the house let.
§ Cllr Fox reported that Trelawny, The Poplars was now To Let and there had been no recent signs of activity at the house
There was no Clerk’s report
94/08 FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES
5.
5.1 Finance
a) The payments as per the attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. The Clerk requested two further items be included as follows: W H Gurney £430 in respect of grass cutting and Leeds City Council £591.92 in respect of plants for Bramhope in Bloom. All the items were agreed for payment.
They were proposed by Cllr Mills, seconded by Cllr Johnson and AGREED by all.
Cllr Tayler suggested it might be possible to find a cheaper electricity supplier. Clerk to research this.
b) There were no petty cash items.
c) It was AGREED that the bank mandate be amended to replace Mrs Christine Garnett with Mrs Kate Fraser.
5.2 Administration/General Purposes
a) Review of Standing Orders
Discussion of Standing Orders was DEFERRED
b) Review of Chairman’s allowance
Under Standing Order 22 the Chairman left the room at this point and Cllr Mills chaired the meeting. It was RESOLVED to continue the allowance at £500 per annum.
c) Update on LCC issues
There were no Leeds City Council related issues
d) Correspondence received
The Chairman read out the following letters to the Council.
§ A letter from Greg Mulholland M.P. congratulating the Parish Council and the organisers of the Bramfest on a successful and enjoyable day. The Clerk to reply and send a copy of Mr Mulholland’s letter to the Tennis Club as organisers of Bramfest.
§ Documentation from Newstead and Walker regarding the completion of the land on A660. Clerk to reply requesting that the solicitors maintain the Land Registry documents for safe keeping
§ A letter from a resident of Old Lane asking if there was a possibility of a Judicial Review regarding the closure of the Post Office. Clerk reported that an email on the same subject had already been received and a reply sent indicating that there was little hope of success in further opposing the closure. Cllr Mills to reply
§ An email from Cllr Gamble regarding Bramfest. Although numbers attending this year were down on last year, it was judged a success and had raised £1000
A number of items of routine correspondence were circulated during the meeting
95/08 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
6.
6.1 Planning
No plans were discussed at the meeting. All plans had previously been discussed by the planning group and copy of whose report had been distributed to councillors.
6.2 Enforcement
Two enforcement matters were discussed at the meeting.
96/08 ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES
7.
7.1 Village Maintenance
The VMG report of 16th July could not be ratified due to the late holding of the meeting and was DEFERRED to the next meeting
97/08 CONSERVATION AREA GROUP
8.
8.1 Discussion was DEFERRED as there had been no information from the consultant
97/08 COMMUNICATIONS
9.
a) Communications group report
The group had not held any meetings and there was nothing to report.
98/08 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
10. No report
99/08 LIAISON GROUPS
11.
a) Robert Craven Memorial Hall
No report.
b)Bramhope Primary School
No report.
100/08 PARISH ISSUES
12.
§ Cllr Fox reported that untrimmed trees and hedges belonging to two properties in the village are overhanging the footpath. It was AGREED that the Clerk should send letters to the householders asking that they be trimmed back.
§ Cllr Fox reported that he had received a programme from a resident relating to a 1948 production by the Bramhope Players.
§ Cllr Tayler inquired regarding the new lamp posts in the village. The Chairman agreed to find out if the Parish Council's proposals had been accepted by Leeds CC.
§ Cllr Tayler inquired regarding training for the new clerk. It was agreed to defer consideration of this to allow the Clerk to settle into her role.
§ Cllr Ripley commented on the poor flower planting at the Kings Road roundabout carried out by LCC.
§ The Chairman confirmed that, because of work/private commitments, the August meeting (see below) would be his last FC meeting as Chairman before standing down on Friday 19 September 2008. Additionally, he was also withdrawing, as of this meeting, from his involvement with the PC's Groups (Planning, Enforcement, Conservation Area & FGP) with the exception of the VMG which he would continue his involvement until standing down on 19 September. The Chairman confirmed that he would continue as a Councillor but would have a much reduced involvement until well into 2009.
101/08 It was agreed that in accordance with the Standing Orders that it was necessary to agree to an August meeting, which was agreed. As with previous years the meeting would be abbreviated.
Date of the next Full Council Meeting 27 August 2008 at 7.30pm
Meeting closed at 9.25pm
Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 23 April 2008
46/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Colin Robertson
Councillors: John Broadley, Simon Cooper, Clive Fox, Colin Gamble, Denis Johnson, Geoff Mills, Joan Wood.
47/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Peter Charlesworth, Judith Penny, Barry Tayler.
Meeting started at 7.35pm
48/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. There were no declarations of interest.
49/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 16 April 2008
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Councillor Mills, seconded by Councillor Wood and signed by the Chairman.
50/08 MATTERS ARISING FROM MEETINGS ON 23
MARCH AND 16 APRIL, INCLUDING THE CLERKS REPORT.
4.
§ Councillor Mills reported that the Clerk recruitment group had met and were producing a flyer to distribute around the village and posters would be placed on the notice boards.
§ The Clerk reported that she and Councillor Gamble had attended the Town and Parish Council Conference on April 10th, which had proved to be most informative and enjoyable. It was positive and both had gained valuable knowledge. The Clerk had attended two seminars, one on the new structure of the standards committee, all complaints are to be dealt with on a local level by the LCC standards committee which consists of Councillors both city and parish, independent representatives from industry and commerce. Secondly on communications between town/parish councils and LCC. LCC undertook to ensure that all levels of staff are fully briefed on the role of parish councils and in particular the position of the clerk. Councillor Gamble attended two seminars on planning, one on the planning guidelines and the other on the online application process.
51/08 FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES
5.1 Finance
a) The payments as per attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. In addition to the schedule the Chairman asked the members to consider two further payments, £4585.60 to Allianz Insurance (Parish Council Insurance) and £4066.84 to Newstead and Walker Solicitors for purchase of the land (£2,500 plus legal fees) adjacent to the A660. They were proposed by Councillor Johnson, seconded by Councillor Cooper and AGREED by all.
b) The petty cash expenditure as attached schedule was accepted.
c) Review of property rents
RESOLVED, not to increase the rents this year.
d) Internal/external Audit arrangements
RESOLVED, to appoint Yorkshire Audit for the internal audit and Mazars for the external audit.
5.2 Administration/General Purposes
a) Open Day de-brief and report.
A total of 132 residents attended the Open Day on April 5th and the response had been very positive. The Clerk distributed a summary of all the comments and suggestions received. Councillor Mills also reported that the communications group had received a number of completed questionnaires. Councillors were asked to look through the report and comment by email. Councillor Mills proposed that feedback and answers to the comments raised should be published in the coming newsletters. AGREED
b) Update by Councillor Fox on Leeds City Council-related issues
Councillor Fox informed the Council that due to much needed road repairs on Kings Road it would be closed for up to a period of two weeks from Monday 28th April.
Due to the teachers strike starting 24th April several schools across the city would be affected and that pupils at Prince Henrys Grammar School in Otley in years below the 6th form are one.
A strike by the bin men in Leeds is also scheduled, although it is unclear how badly Bramhope will be affected. Residents are advised to put out their bins as normal.
A former resident of Bramhope, a 101 year old Mrs Fox visited the Puritan Chapel with a group of friends. Councillor Fox gave them a talk on the history of the Chapel and discovered that Mrs Fox had been involved with the restoration project in the 1960s.
c) Correspondence received
The Chairman read out the following letters, emails and details of phone calls to the Council.
§ A letter from Greg Mulholland MP congratulating the Council on the success of the Open day and offering support in tackling problems such as speeding the village.
§ A letter of resignation from Harold Best. Vacancy notices for both him and Judith Hodgetts have already been displayed.
§ An email from a resident, which had previously been circulated regarding the advertisement of the Open Day and several issues on matters around the village. The Clerk has replied regarding the Open Day advertising, but is awaiting comment from Councillors on the other issues. Please can they respond to the resident in question.
§ An email from a resident of the Sycamores asking if the bank and ditch which runs along the Sycamores can be removed and cleared. Councillor Fox is to follow up the issue.
§ A phone call from the owner of the new hairdressers and beauty salon on Breary Lane parade informing the Council that he would like to erect low level subtle lighting under the tree in the planter outside his premises and commission a small sculpture from the pupils at Prince Henry’s Grammar School to sit in the planters. The Clerk has already asked him to put details of his scheme in writing to the Council and the Council to advise that he should check with planning.
The following non-urgent correspondence was also made available for Councillors to read.
|
Local Councils Update |
April Issue |
|
Fields in Trust |
AGM agenda |
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YLCA |
Branch questionnaire |
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SLCC |
Details of regional conference |
|
Standards Committee |
April Agenda |
52/08 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
6.1 Planning
No plans were discussed at the meeting, but Councillor Mills asked if there was any progress on the proposed development at 131 Leeds Road, Councillor Fox replied that LCC had not yet considered the application. The Council expressed their concerns that should this development be allowed that it would ‘open the flood gates for many more developments’ and asked Councillor Fox to watch proceedings carefully.
The application for 10 houses behind Creskeld Crescent has been revised in order to keep the original house and reduce the number of new builds to nine, a proposal put forward by the Parish Council.
6.2 Enforcement issues
Councillor Fox has sent a reminder to enforcement about the Shanco activities at Breary Farm Kings Road.
Concern was expressed about the amount of stone that was being tipped on the former allotments on Old Lane, Councillor Fox to investigate.
53/08 ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES
7.1 Village Maintenance
a) The Chairman asked the council to ratify the VMG 2nd April report, a copy of which is filed with the master copy of these minutes. RESOLVED
Councillor Cooper expressed concern over the control and accountability of the maintenance staff. The Chairman explained that jobs are allocated on a monthly basis at the VMG meeting and that the Clerk is in regular contact with the VMM and lengthman. He also explained that he normally meets the VMM on a weekly basis to discuss and progress jobs. No new jobs were set in April to enable several jobs to be completed such as painting and staining the bus shelters and refurbishing the village signs. The Clerk also brought to the attention of the Chairman that the VMM is waiting for details from him on paint colours and treatments for various jobs.
Councillor Gamble asked Councillors to email him with any suggestions they have for developing the village in bloom. He also expressed concern about the state of many of the stone walls along the A660. Everyone shares this view but unfortunately they are mostly in private ownership and therefore the Parish Council has no control over their repair.
b) Discuss/approve refurbishment of Cross area.
The Chairman
distributed several historical photographs of the Cross area and put forward a
scheme for the
Council’s consideration. Councillors Johnson and Fox expressed concern over the
grassed element of the proposal with particular regard to maintenance. The
Chairman explained that after discussions with Highways the scheme would need to
be low level and that he wanted to create a bright attractive centre piece to
the village. He would like a planting scheme that changed with seasons and was
keen to remove the unsightly paving blocks which currently stood in the area.
After several minutes of discussion and no support forthcoming for the
'greening' proposal, it was WITHDRAWN, by the Chairman.
54/08 COMMUNICATIONS8.
a) Communications group report
Councillor Mills informed the Council that the deadline for the next newsletter was 29th May and that it would cover a special on the Village Summer Festival and items of historical interest.
55/08 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
9. No report had been received.
56/08 LIAISON GROUPS
10.
Robert Craven Memorial Hall
Councillor Broadley informed the Council that a licence for the Farmers Market had been granted, the first of which would take place on Saturday 10th May.
Bramhope Primary School
The following report was received from the school.
The “Heartstart” programme is now completed for this year, with Years 5 and 6 receiving instruction on CPR (Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) from Mrs Blunn. In fact it has been a very worthwhile programme, well taught by Mrs Blunn; as from the very youngest classes learning about making emergency calls, on to dealing with bleeding, choking, and positioning the unconscious patient, and culminating in the Years 5 and 6 learning to cope with cardiac arrest, the children are leaving BPS with a fair knowledge of dealing with life threatening emergencies.
An excellent evening of “Problem Solving” on February 28th saw a good attendance of parents, who gave a good feedback to the school. All over the building were problems requiring lateral thinking, anagrams to unravel, manual dexterity in building spaghetti towers, and using magnets. Our brains were exercised with maths problems, and common sense was also a necessary asset.
Players from Leeds Rhinos caused great excitement on their visit to school in March to show their trophies – the Challenge Cup and the Rugby World Cup. Some of the boys have weekly training sessions with a Rhinos’ coach, and in turn pass this on to the younger children.
In May there is to be a meeting for parents on Internet and mobile phone safety, at which a member of the Education Leeds Child Protection team will be speaking. This excellent idea follows some inappropriate use of both means of communication.
Congratulations to Mrs. Nichols, a Lunchtime Assistant and helper in the “OK Club”, who has worked at BPS for 25 years now. She will be presented with a clock by Education Leeds.
Mrs Jeremy has commenced maternity leave, and we all wish her well. You may remember that last year she tragically lost a baby son soon after his birth.
57/08 PARISH ISSUES
§ Councillor Mills informed the Council that he had met with the Old Lane residents committee to discuss the proposed play area at the Recreation Ground. They expressed their concern about the siting of the area and he informed them that three more companies had been asked to put forward a proposal which included looking at the best area in the ground to situate the play area. The residents committee are to be kept fully informed of all proposals.
§ Councillor Cooper asked the Clerk to contact the current leader of the cubs about getting a letter box at the hut because he was still receiving their mail despite not being leader for several years.
§ Councillor Fox and the Conservation group met with Peter Thornborrow about the proposed conservation area, he was then shown around Bramhope and has agreed that when the group outlines its full proposal he will access the work required and quote his likely fees so the Council can decide whether to utilize his services.
§ The Chairman and the Council then thanked the Clerk and presented her with a bouquet of flowers for all her hard work over the last two years and wished both her and her husband every success in their new business venture.
Meeting closed at 9:30pm
12. Date of the next Full Council Meeting as 28 May 2008
Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 26th March 2008
27/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Colin Robertson
Councillors: John Broadley, Peter Charlesworth, Simon Cooper, Clive Fox, Geoff Mills, Joan Wood, Denis Johnson, (and later, see minute 32/08) Barry Tayler
28/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Judith Hodgetts, Judith Penny, Harold Best and Colin Gamble. An apology had also been received from the Clerk who was on holiday. It was agreed that Cllr Fox should take the minutes in her absence.
Meeting started at 7.35 pm
29/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. No interests were declared
30/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 27th FEBRUARY 2008
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Councillor Simon Cooper seconded by Councillor John Broadley subject to the addition of the following to Minute 19.08 relating to the BYDT approach to the parish council in relation to a MUGA facility.
‘Despite those comments the councillors with the exception of one expressed the view that it was an excellent initiative and worthy of the parish council’s support in the coming development and consultation stages.’
31/08 MATTERS ARISING AND CLERK’S REPORT
4.1 It was reported that a further letter from the council’s solicitor relating to various searches confirmed that there was nothing now to prevent completion of the acquisition of the 'mini-park' land
4.2 In a written note the Clerk reported that PCSO Reardon had undertaken to discuss the toilets issue with Mr Marshall. PCSO Reardon had also been asked to help with the anti-social problems relating to No 4 Parklands.
4.3 Via the same note the Clerk confirmed that the offending resident on Hall Rise Close had undertaken to remove the dumped building rubbish
32/08 CO-OPTION OF A COUNCILLOR FOR BRAMHOPE
5. It was agreed unanimously to co-opt former parish councillor Barry Tayler onto the parish council. Councillor Tayler was invited to take his seat at this stage.
33/08 FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES
6. Finance
a) The payments as per the attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. They were proposed by Councillor Johnson, seconded by Councillor Cooper and AGREED by all subject to clarification with the Clerk on her return as to the tree work carried out by Pickles in an amount of £728.50.
b) The petty cash expenditure as per the attached schedule was accepted
c) Budget Update
The update on the 07/08 budget was noted.
d) Puritan Chapel Restoration Fund
The Chairman explained that with the need to spend significant sums of money over the next few years maintaining and restoring the Puritan Chapel it would be prudent to set aside money as and when resources permitted. With the current projected under spend this financial year in the order of £14,000 it was RESOLVED that an amount of £5000 be charged to the current 07/08 budget and allocated to a new Puritan Chapel Restoration Fund with that balance to be carried forward at the year-end.
5.1 Administration/General Purposes
a) Arrangements for the Open Day April 5th
The Chairman circulated some update notes in connection with the proposed Open Day. Most parish councillors said they would be able to help on the day and a number said they would be available the evening before to help set up displays. Britannia Hotel had kindly agreed to donate sandwiches and other refreshments for the occasion and it was hoped to do a late leaflet drop to parts of the village advertising the event.
b) Update by Councillor Fox on Leeds City Council related matters
§ Councillor Fox said that it was expected a TPO would be in place next week covering two oak trees and two pines in and adjacent to 20 Breary Lane. The concern was that the property could soon be on the market possibly leading to a threat to these prominent trees.
§ He then referred to a very recent planning application relating to 131 Leeds Road which would involve the demolition of the detached house there and the building of four terraced town houses. Although the plans sub committee had yet to consider the item he wanted parish councillors to be aware of the implications.
c) Correspondence received
There were no letters or messages from residents to be considered, all had previously been dealt with by email or in response to planning g applications.
The following non urgent correspondence was made available for Councillors
|
Audit Commission |
Appointment of external auditor ltr |
|
Sutcliffe Play |
Spring magazine |
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Greg Mulholland |
Monthly report |
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CPRE |
March Magazine |
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The Clerk |
March Magazine |
|
Trustees Voice |
March Magazine |
|
Clerks & Councils Direct |
March Magazine |
34/08 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
6.1 Planning Issues
No specific plans were discussed at the meeting however reference was made to the Fox & Hounds application and it was explained what changes were envisaged. It was explained that the plans sub group had deferred consideration of the item for a site visit.
6.2 Enforcement issues
No issues were discussed at the meeting
35/08 ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES
7. Village Maintenance
To ratify Village Maintenance Group’s report
The chairman asked the Council to ratify the 5th March 2008 VMG report, a copy of which is filed with the master copy of the minutes. RESOLVED
36/08 COMMUNICATIONS
8. It was reported that the spring edition of the newsletter had been distributed in the past week or so and so far as everyone was aware there were no problems arising from the distribution network.
37/08 CARLTON VILLAGE
9. In the absence of Councillor Penny there was no formal report. However Councillor Fox referred to the issue of litter arising from the last meeting. He said that Leeds Highways enforcement people were dealing with the probable source of the litter problem. This appeared to have inhibited dealing with a general clear-up of the area up until now. He said he was now pressing Leeds to get on with tidying the area up irrespective of the source of the problem.
38/08 LIAISON GROUPS
10.1 Bramhope Primary School
There was no report for this meeting
10.2 Robert Craven Memorial Hall
Councillor Broadley said that discussions were under way with a view to conducting a monthly farmers market from the Hall possibly involving both inside and outside market stalls. The first market would be on Saturday 10 May from 9am to 12 noon. He also reported that he understood a decision had been made to remove the hedge fronting onto Old Lane in part as an economy measure to save paying for its clipping. Councillors were dismayed to hear this given their efforts to green the centre of the village up and the Chairman undertook to have a word with Ewart Lewis about the matter.
39/08 PARISH ISSUES
11
§ An email circulated earlier by the Clerk to councillors regarding opposition to post office closures was discussed. It was noted the Leeds Review had been deferred until after the local elections so it remained uncertain whether or not Bramhope post office would be affected.
§ The issue of high hedges/trees was raised and it was reported that this was not a parish council matter involving a possibly expensive arbitration process before the city council could become involved
§ It was reported that there was a high incidence of broken glass in and adjacent to bus shelters around the village. The Chairman undertook to refer the matter to Bryan Copping (Lengthman) and ask him to monitor the situation.
§ There was discussion about the light at The Cross which has not been working for some time. There had been problems concerning obtaining a suitable replacement but Councillor Cooper offered to assist in the matter.
§ In response to a comment it was stated that the VMM was noting the gaps in the spring bulb display around the village
§ A note from the Clerk referred to the problems of people placing toys, breakable vases etc on graves possible out of ignorance of the rules pertaining there. Although comments from councillors were invited no suggestions were forthcoming as to how the issue might be addressed.
12. Date of the next Full Council Meeting 23rd April
Meeting closed at 9.15pm
Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 27 February 2008
14/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Colin Robertson
Councillors: Harold Best, John Broadley, Peter Charlesworth, Simon Cooper, Clive Fox, Colin Gamble, Geoff Mills, Judith Penny, Joan Wood.
15/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Judith Hodgetts and Denis Johnson.
Meeting started at 7.30pm
16/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. Councillors Fox and Mills declared an interest in Agenda item 10a; they are both members of the BYDT.
17/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 23 JANUARY 2008
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Councillor Gamble, seconded by Councillor Mills and signed by the Chairman.
18/08 MATTERS ARISING AND CLERKS REPORT
4.
In accordance with Standing Order 14 the Chairman requested that the Council move Item 10a on the agenda to the next item, all agreed.
19/08 10 a) BYDT approach to the PC
Four members of the Bramhope Youth Development Trust plus Councillors Fox and Mills put forward a proposal to request that the Parish Council accept a multi use sports facility at the Recreation Ground. James Nicolls requested that the Council consider the wood and metal structure which would not only provide a space for football, basket ball, cricket etc but would hopefully encourage young people to use the recreation ground for general outdoor games and play. BYDT would fund both the equipment and installation but would like the Parish Council to adopt the facility and its future maintenance. Concern was expressed about the choice of materials (steel tubing) being incongruous with the natural surroundings and that perhaps the residents should be consulted before the scheme was further developed, particularly with regard to its proposed location. The question was also raised as to whether the facility was still a requirement with today's competing interests. A further comment was made as to the regret that there wasn't more emphasis on young people using their imagination more during play rather than building facilities that have a transient popularity. Cllr Mills said that if the Council accepted the general principle of the facility at the recreation ground then the details of its construction could be discussed later after a consultation process with residents and ultimately, if there is general agreement then the necessary planning permission could be sought. RESOLVED, 8 for and 1 abstention.
20/08 FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES
5.1 Finance
a) The payments as per attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. They were proposed by Councillor Mills, seconded by Councillor Gamble and AGREED by all.
b) The petty cash expenditure as per the attached schedule was accepted.
c) Grant application from the Robert Craven Memorial Hall.
It was proposed by Councillor Fox and seconded by Councillor Mills that the usual grant of £4000 be allocated. RESOLVED.
d) £1,000 donation to the Bramhope Village Property Trust
The Chairman explained that under the terms of the Trust's constitution it was a requirement that the Trust had to have a minimum income of £1,000 per annum to maintain its status. Following the Trust's successful fundraising in the last financial year it was not anticipated that the Trust would receive such funds in the current year. It was proposed by Councillor Mills and seconded by Councillor Gamble that a second donation be allocated RESOLVED
e) Puritan Chapel Restoration Fund
Councillor Mills proposed that an amount to be agreed should be shown separately in the Parish Council accounts and allocated solely for the purpose of repair and restoration work on the Puritan Chapel, seconded by Councillor Cooper. RESOLVED. The amount to be agreed at the March meeting once the year’s surplus is known.
f) Budget for obtaining a copy of the 1809 Enclosures Act (Bramhope Award)
Councillor Fox proposed that the Parish Council should obtain a copy of this historic document which requires specialist copying facilities and although he had not as yet managed to make contact with the necessary expert, he requested that a budget of £100 should cover the work, seconded by Councillor Cooper. RESOLVED
5.2 Administration/General Purposes
a) Update Councillor’s registers of interest
Councillors reported no changes
b) Appoint a representative to the Robert Craven Committee.
Councillor Broadley said that he would be prepared to fulfil this role. AGREED
c) Arrangements for the open day on April 5th.
The Chairman confirmed that the open day would take place on Saturday April 5th from 10.00 - 12.30pm. Display boards have been arranged and help would be needed to help set up the evening before. Display documents will be required from those Councillors who have involvement in the various Groups. Following the meeting between the Clerk and the Chairman on 7 March the Councillors will be issued with their roles and any display information required. All Councillors should make themselves available to meet residents and listen to their views and comments on the work that the Parish Council has done and plans to do in the future. Everyone will be issued with an ID badge and is requested to attend. The Clerk to contact the PCSOs requesting they attend and the Britannia Inn to see if they will provide food. Volunteers will also be requested to help with making and serving drinks. It is hoped that in excess of 400 people will attend as in 2004.
d) Update on village summer festival in June.
Following a meeting of interested parties on 28th January the Chairman reported that there was enough support to go ahead with the festival. Several concerts and events have already been booked and include a talking play of Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas performed by the Bramhope Players, a Violin and Piano recital both at the Puritan Chapel. The Blue Notes will be performing at the RCMH as well as a Royal British Legion Band. A number of smaller less formal more family orientated events are in the planning stage and Councillor Fox will be conducting his famous historic walks of the village. Some events arranged in the village fall outside the original dates put forward. The Chairman suggested that the Parish Council promote these extra events such as the Scarecrow Hunt, Bramfest and the Bramhope Show as part of a larger festival season, although the organisers would still be responsible for their organisation.
e) Update by Councillor Fox on Leeds City Council-related issues.
§ Councillor Fox began with an apology that Moor Road had been closed without notice, although Highways have now opened it at peak times and the much needed footpath and surface repairs are underway.
§ LCC is now a 4 star Council
§ Council tax is to rise by 4.7%
§ There is to be a new Parish Council- Alwoodley which will border Bramhope and Carlton and a welcome letter should be sent after the May elections.
f) Correspondence received
The Chairman read out the following letters and details of phone calls to the Council, most of which had previously been circulated by email.
§ A phone call from a Carlton resident regarding speeding and volume of traffic passing through Carlton, please can they have 20/30mph speed limit. The speed/traffic focus group and Councillor Fox to investigate.
§ A Parklands resident requesting help with the problem of youth vandalism and harassment, they are being subject to missiles being thrown from the Knoll including eggs. Clerk to write to the Police on the resident’s behalf and to contact the local PCSO asking them to patrol the area more frequently in the evenings.
§ A letter from an Old Lane resident concerned that male prostitution is being committed at the public toilets in Old Lane Bramhope. This issue has been raised before and a number of issues implemented by LCC, such as paying the RCMH caretaker to lock the toilets in an evening and putting up security cameras, it was thought that the problem had been eliminated. The Chairman read out a proposed draft response and all the Councillors were in agreement that the Clerk should use this as the basis of a letter to the resident confirming that the toilets belong to Leeds CC including payment for the daily locking/unlocking, the land belongs to the Spirit Group and the alleged activities are a police matter. The Clerk also to contact the local PCSO’s to patrol this area at different times of the day.
The following non urgent correspondence was made available for Councillors
|
LCC |
Parish Tax Base letter |
|
Audit Commission |
Appointment of Mazars as external auditors |
|
LCC |
Corporate Government and audit Committee |
|
Local Council’s Update |
Jan/Feb edition |
|
LBA |
Membership and Distribution list |
|
Clerk’s and Council’s Direct |
2008 yearbook |
|
Clerk’s and Council’s Direct |
January edition |
|
Glasdon |
Winter brochure |
|
BTCV |
Newsletter |
|
Greg Mulholland MP |
Monthly report |
|
LCC |
Standards Committee Meeting report |
|
Enjoy England |
ST Georges Day Brochure |
21/08. PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
6.1 Planning issues
No plans were discussed at the meeting
6.2 Enforcement issues
No issues were discussed at the meeting
22/08 ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES
7.1 Village Maintenance
To ratify Village Maintenance Group’s report
The Chairman asked the Council to ratify the 6th February VMG report, a copy of which is filed with the master copy of the minutes. RESOLVED
23/08 COMMUNICATIONS
8a) The spring edition of the newsletter will go to the printers on Monday 3rd March and should be ready for distribution the weekend of March 15-16.
24/08 CARLTON VILLAGE
9. Councillor Penny reported that litter along Cemetery Road is still a major problem particularly with the recent windy weather. Councillor Fox to enlist the special litter clearance team from LCC to clear the area as soon as possible.
25/08 LIAISON GROUPS
10
Bramhope Primary School
The following report was received from the School. One of the biggest projects in school at the moment is that Mrs Lawson feels that we are almost ready to apply for the Stephen Lawrence Award. School has worked hard for two years now on community cohesion and racial equality, and an excellent portfolio has been put together to demonstrate the work involved in reaching this point. The Stephen Lawrence Standard was developed in Leeds to acknowledge good practice in promoting race equality and understanding ethnic minorities in schools, to help children to become responsible citizens in our culturally diverse society.
The children have been taught about life and culture in different countries, tried on Indian clothes, and celebrated Chinese New Year by sampling Chinese food and opening fortune cookies supplied by the Chinese father of two of the children. They have listened to guest speakers from other cultures, and played steel pans and African drums. Other religions have been studied and discussed.
One child summed it all up when she said, “We are all different. It’s not what you are like on the outside that matters, but what you are like inside!”
School is still investigating “Trust Status”; but it is thought that the general feeling is there will be little benefit for Bramhope School.
The school is pretty sure that the footpath between school and the Health Centre is not the school’s responsibility; but when Nikki Barber returns from sick leave after Easter, she will be looking up the deeds to be absolutely sure.
Robert Craven Memorial Hall
No report received
26/08 PARISH ISSUES
11.
§ The Chairman reported a large pothole outside 14 Old Lane and a large hole on the pavement on Breary Lane opposite Home Farm House, the Clerk to report to Highways.
§ The Clerk asked for a Councillor to accompany her to the Town and Parish Council Forum on the 10th April, Councillor Gamble volunteered.§
12. Date of the next Full Council Meeting 26 March 2008
Meeting closed at 9.55pm
Minutes of the Full Council Meeting held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 23 January 2008
01/08 PRESENT
Chairman: Colin Robertson
Councillors: Harold Best, John Broadley, Simon Cooper, Clive Fox, Colin Gamble, Judith Hodgetts, Denis Johnson, Geoff Mills, Judith Penny, Joan Wood.
02/08 APOLOGIES
1. Apologies had been received from Peter Charlesworth.
Meeting started at 7.30pm
03/08 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
2. There were no declarations of interest.
04/08 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 28 NOVEMBER 2007
3. The minutes were proposed as a true record by Councillor Johnson and seconded by Councillor Best and signed by the Chairman.
05/08. MATTERS ARISING AND CLERK'S REPORT
4.
§ The Clerk reported that despite one or two hiccups the Carol Service went well and that the response was that everyone had enjoyed themselves. A special thank you was expressed to Councillor Judith Hodgetts and her family for their help on the evening. A grand total of £362.39 was raised for the Puritan Chapel Restoration Fund.
§ It was the consensus of opinion that the Christmas tree was a great improvement on previous years.
06/08 FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES
5.1 Finance
(a) The payments as per attached schedule were distributed at the meeting. They were proposed by Councillor Mills, seconded by Councillor Hodgetts and AGREED by all.
(b) The petty cash expenditure as per the attached schedule was accepted.
5.2 Administration/General Purposes
a) Co-option of two councillors for Bramhope.
Mr Simon Cooper was proposed by Councillor Gamble, seconded by Councillor Broadley and AGREED by all.
Mrs Joan Wood was proposed by Councillor Best, seconded by Councillor Hodgetts and AGREED by all.
Both were then invited to joint the rest of the Council at the table.
b) Brief update on proposed Summer Festival
The Chairman informed the Council that following last month’s meeting he had written to the various community groups within the village to seek their support for a village festival in June. A meeting is arranged for Monday 28th January 7.30pm at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall to establish just how much support there is for the festival, the proposed dates of which are the 6th to 15th June. It is hoped it would involve a programme of musical evenings, plays, fun run and even a family bike ride.
c) Update by Councillor Fox on Leeds City Council-related issues
Councillor Fox reported that following research by the Conservation Group (Councillor’s Fox, Johnson and Robertson) he had consulted to see if any NW area money could be used to support the formation of a conservation area in Bramhope. LCC are however reviewing all existing conservation areas before looking at new areas, which is expected to take about eighteen months. The area under consideration is around Church Hill, Old Lane, Eastgate and Moor Road. The Conservation Group are to meet again in February to review the area and put forward a proposal to the Full Council with a view to employing a conservation expert to finalise the proposal before submitting it to LCC.
(d) Correspondence received
The Chairman read out the following letters to the Council.
§ A letter from a resident on Creskeld Crescent, requesting as the street lighting was being replaced in the village would it be possible to install some lighting on the Creskelds. The Clerk to write explaining that the new lighting is a replacement lighting programme by a private finance initiative in conjunction with LCC and that funding for additional lighting isn’t available. However if the application for the new development of ten detached houses should be granted, lighting would be introduced to the area.
§ An email from a resident complaining about the dumping of rubbish and household waste on Britannia Inn land at the back of Hall Rise Close adjacent to the footpath. The Clerk to write to the resident concerned requesting them to cease and to send a copy to the hotel.
§ An update from the Council’s solicitors’ Newstead and Walker about the progress on purchase of the Mini Park. Attached was a copy of the transfer document showing the area to be purchased. This has been checked by Councillor Fox and confirmed by the Clerk. Councillor Fox suggested that a public meeting to assess villager’s wishes on the use of this land should be considered in the near future.
§ A letter from the Bramhope Film Club documenting the success of the club, expressing thanks for the Parish Council loan which helped set up the club, the final instalment of which was enclosed.
§ A consultation document from the department for Communities and Local Government on the orders and regulations relating to the conduct of local authority members in England. Councillors were asked to review the document and send any comments to the Clerk.
07/08 PLANNING AND ENFORCEMENT
6.1 Planning
No plans were discussed at the meeting, all plans had previously been discussed by the planning group and copy of whose report had been distributed to councillors.
6.2 Enforcement
No enforcement matters were discussed at the meeting; a copy of the report on the November meeting with the LCC enforcement team had previously been distributed. Councillors were reminded this should remain confidential due to the sensitive nature of some of the on going cases.
08/08 ENVIRONMENT AND AMENITIES
7.1 Village Maintenance
The Chairman asked the Council to ratify the 9th January VMG report, a copy of which is filed with the master copy of the minutes. RESOLVED.
09/08 COMMUNICATIONS
10.
a) Communications group report
Councillor Mills reported that although the winter newsletter had gone out a little later than hoped, it had still been received in time to notify residents about the Carol Service which had definitely boosted attendance at this already popular event. He requested the new Councillors to write a short article about themselves for the spring newsletter, deadline for copy 21st February.
b) Proposed PC Open Day on Saturday 5th April
The Chairman proposed that the Council should hold an Open day on Saturday 5th April between the hours of 10am and 12.30pm. The objectives of which would be firstly to meet residents and get feedback as to their aspirations and concerns. Secondly to promote the Parish Council, its activities, plans, powers and responsibilities. Thirdly report on progress since the first Open Day in March 2004. The Chairman put forward a proposal filed with the master copy of the minutes to Councillors and requested that they review it, put forward ideas and suggest deletions. All AGREED.
10/08 CARLTON VILLAGE REPORT
11. Councillor Penny raised her concern about the planning application for warehouse A, Cemetery Road Yeadon to be used as a storage and distribution facility. Councillor Fox explained that the planning group had requested a condition be placed on the application that all HGV traffic should turn right out of the depot in order to keep them away from Carlton village.
The telephone box still hasn’t been repaired despite numerous assurances that it would be. Clerk to write to BT to requesting an urgent response.
11/08 LIAISON GROUPS
12. Bramhope Primary School
Councillor Hodgetts reported that the Heart Start programme run by the British Heart Foundation had started in school and that the children were enjoying it. The first stage involved showing children how and in what circumstances to call the emergency services, also the use of the recovery position.
An Open Evening on problem solving is to be held on 28th February all welcome.
The school has also twinned with a school in Malaga Spain.
Robert Craven Memorial Hall
No report, Clerk to obtain a list of dates of the meetings of the committee so a representative can attend.
12/08 PARISH ISSUES
13.
§ Councillor Fox reported that the Bridleway from Creskeld Drive to Creskeld Lane is in a very poor state due to landscaping works on an adjacent property, he has asked the Public Right of Ways department to observe to ensure that it is returned to a satisfactory condition.
§ The Chairman reported that he was waiting for a response to a proposal put forward by DW Windsor on a heritage style of street lighting to LCC and SEC. This is for the proposed conservation area around Church Hill, Eastgate, Old Lane where work has been suspended.
§ Councillor Penny reported that a large amount of water was gushing across the road at Manor corner in Carlton, the drains are not coping despite being flushed by LCC last year.
§ Councillor Gamble provoked a lengthy discussion on the problem of speeding in certain areas of the villages mainly Kings Road, Moor Road, Old Lane and Carlton Lane. He requested that the Parish Council take action to try getting measures introduced in these areas to reduce speeds before a serious accident occurs. Councillors Best, Gamble, Johnson, Mills and Penny agreed to form a Traffic Group to meet and discuss the best course of action.
§ Councillor Mills requested that a discussion on the Puritan Chapel Restoration Fund be placed on the next agenda, in order to discuss the needs of the Chapel and how to grow the fund. He also asked if the entrance to the Knoll Children’s play area off Breary Lane is to be improved and tidied, the Chairman replied that he was in discussion with the VMM about what should be done. The BYDT would like to display ideas for their summer programme of events at the PC Open Day.
13/08 Date of the next Full Council Meeting 27 February 2008.
Meeting closed at 9.28pm
Minutes of the Meeting of the Full Council held at the Robert Craven Memorial Hall on 28th November 2007
115/07 PRESENT
Chairman: Colin Robertson
Councillors: Harold Best, John Broadley, Peter Charlesworth, Colin Gamble, Clive Fox, Judith Hodgetts, Denis Johnson, Geoff Mills, Judith Penny.
Clerk: Christine Garnett
The meeting started at 7.35pm
116/07 APOLOGIES
Apologies had been received from Councillor Rob Mairs.
116/07DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Councillor Hodgetts declared a personal interest in agenda item 5.1a payments.
117/07 MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON 24TH OCTOBER 2007
The minutes were proposed as a true record by Councillor Charleswoth, seconded by Councillor Johnson and signed by the Chairman.
118/07 MATTERS ARISING
There were no matters arising
119/07 FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES
5.1 Finance
a) The payments as per attached schedule were proposed by Councillor Johnson, seconded by Councillor Mills and AGREED by all
b) The petty cash as per attached schedule was accepted.
c) Items for 2008/09 budget
Councillor Penny asked that a strimming and verge maintenance budget be included for Carlton, no other additional items were received
d) Precept for 2008/09
The Chairman proposed an inflationary increase of 3%, Councillor Mills declared he wasn’t in favour of this increase due to the Council’s healthy reserves; the Chairman explained that despite these reserves he felt this inflationary increase should stand so a large increase should never be necessary as happened a few years ago. RESOLVED to set the precept at £55,100 by a vote of 8 to 1.
e) Approve Accountancy fee for BVPT tax relief recovery
Councillor Fox explained that because he was conducting much of the work for this it was unlikely that any fee would be charged by Rothwell and Co and if it was it would be minimal; the Council will revisit this should it be necessary.
5.2 Administration/General purposes
a) Leeds City Council Core Strategy Consultation
Councillor Fox informed the Full Council that the planning group had carried out a detailed analysis of this Core Strategy document and had compiled a suggested response which he carefully explained and discussed. This was followed by an extended discussion during which the Full Council agreed to the individual recommendations made. Cllr Best added that he had been involved in considerable discussions with Leeds City Council, when he was the local MP, regarding some of the transport issues raised in the document. It was agreed that he would liaise with Cllr Fox to incorporate his own comments in the PC's response. It was RESOLVED to accept the planning group’s recommendations. A copy of the comments is filed with the master copy of these minutes.
b) Update by Councillor Fox on Leeds City Council-related issues
Councillor Fox reported that the LCC cleansing department had removed 2.26 tons of leaves from the area around the Birches, the Poplars etc.
c) Correspondence received
A copy of an email from a resident requesting the re-siting of the notice board adjacent to the bus shelter at the Kings Road roundabout was read out to the Council and had previously being circulated by email. It was agreed that this would be reviewed once the mini park land purchase was completed.
The following correspondence was made available for Councillors
|
LCC |
Standards Committee Pack |
|
Local Council’s Update |
November Edition |
|
CPRE |
Countryside voice Magazine |
|
Clerk’s and Council’s Direct |
November Issue |
|
The Clerk Magazine |
November issue |
|
NALC |
Revised pay scales for Clerks |
|
YLCA |
Details of changes to the Yorkshire & Humberside Plan |
|
YLCA |
The Use of Parish Polls |
|
YLCA |
Local government and public involvement in the Health Act |
|
YLCA |
Public participation sessions at Parish council Meetings |
|
YRCC |