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MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF DRONFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF DRONFIELD CIVIC
HALL,
CIVIC CENTRE, DRONFIELD ON TUESDAY 4 MAY 2010
Present
Councillors: F Higgins, (The Town Mayor): G Baxter: R Bembridge: P Blackburn: M Emmens: G Gregory: Mrs K Marr: J McGrory: A Memmott: D Oxspring: Mrs C Smith: J Sorrill: J Stocks: Mrs W Temple: S P Temple: M Wing.
Public Forum on Planning Matters
No matters were raised.
Public Forum on General Matters
Mr Steve Hodkinson of Lea Road raised a matter concerning the proposed road works along Lea Road as part of the traffic calming measures to improve road safety for local scholars. He had been notified in January that some works were being proposed and was upset that so many speed tables were to be installed on Lea Road as he was of the opinion that the amount of on street parking was a speed deterrent in itself. It was explained that these safety measures were the direct result of discussions between the Road Safety Working Group of this Council and the highway authority but the original plans were for just one speed table on Lea Road and that this Council was in favour of traffic calming measures but not in favour of speed humps per se. It was agreed that a letter signed by all three political leaders be sent to the highway authority objecting to the number of speed tables on Lea Road and requesting urgent discussions between elected members of this Council and highway officials before the works are started.
Mrs Ingham stated that whilst 20mph limits can be imposed, the police will not enforce them and other measures are needed to slow down traffic.
Model Code of Conduct
Members were reminded that any changes to their Declaration of Interests should be declared. Members were also advised to declare, at this point, any items of the agenda where they may consider themselves to have a particular or prejudicial interest in the matter to be conducted.
240/09-10 RESOLVED That this report be received and noted.
Apologies
241/09-10 RESOLVED
That apologies for absence be received, noted and accepted from the following member, for the reasons stated in brackets.
Councillor R Bull (Other Business)
Councillor Mrs B Skelton (Other Business)
Youth Matters
A member enquired if any correspondence
had yet been received from a local resident who may offer a plot of land that
could be considered for a skateboard park. The
The Town Mayor referred to the recent “Dronfield’s Got Talent Show” that had been organised by the Dronfield Eye and presented in the Civic Hall in aid of his charity appeal. It was an excellent evening of entertainment that was a credit to all the young people who had taken part and reflected very well on the town and the parents of the young people taking part.
242/09-10 RESOLVED That this report be received and noted.
Police Matters
No police were in attendance at the meeting but Inspector Waterfall had sent his apologies and explained that the local force was conducting an operation of high relevance where the presence of local officers was required.
Last month’s crime statistics were available for consideration and it was commented that several incidents of anti social behaviour had taken place in Cliffe Park which had been reported to the police but did not seem to be recorded in the crime statistics under public order offences.
243/09-10 RESOLVED
That this report be received and noted and that the police be notified of the incidents of public order offences that were taking place in Cliffe Park.
Council Minutes
Members considered the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Council held on Monday 29 March 2010 (Pages 117-131).
244/09-10 RESOLVED
That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Dronfield Town Council held on 29 March 2010 be received, accepted and approved as a true record of events and that the Town Mayor be duly authorised to sign them as such.
Planning Matters
Applications
Members considered a schedule of planning applications submitted by North East Derbyshire District Council for consideration and comment.
Reference
10/00315/FL: Construction of a double garage (affecting setting of a Listed
Building) at 26 Hallowes lane, Dronfield by Mr A Bayliss.
245/09-10 RESOLVED
That this application be objected to due to the alteration to a setting of a listed building and that the Council resolved to request that no decisions are taken regarding this application until a site visit by the planning committee has taken place and that the application is discussed by the full planning committee and not be subject to delegated powers of officers.
Planning Decisions
Members considered a schedule of planning decisions submitted by North East Derbyshire District Council for information.
246/09-10 RESOLVED That this report be received and noted.
Outside
Services
Members were informed that footpath strimming and the grass cutting regime has now begun and will continue on a fortnightly basis until the middle of October. Litter and dog control bins are emptied and serviced weekly and bus shelters are cleaned and disinfected on a regular basis. The modified shelters that were damaged by vandals have now been re-installed and will be closely monitored to assess the amount of damage. These shelters have had the full glass panels removed and the bottom half of the shelter has been replaced by stout polycarbonate panels and the top half with shatterproof glass. Improvements to the sand pit at Cliffe Park are now complete with the erection of the new fence, additional paving, refurbished seats and benches and an additional 20 tonnes of fine sand. These improvements have been welcomed by users and the area is now much more heavily used than previously.
It was reported that repeated nuisance and vandalism continues spasmodically at Cliffe Park in the evenings with a group of younger children causing problems for staff and residents alike. The police are investigating and have issued a nuisance order on one perpetual offender. Letters have been sent, by the police, to several parents advising them of their children’s unacceptable behaviour in the park.
The paving to the rear of the recycling bins in the Civic Centre car park has now been finalised which will make it much easier for residents to access the rear of the plastic recycling bins and should ensure that far fewer bags of materials are left by the side of the bins which make the area look unsightly. Some misunderstanding occurred after the path was installed when officers of NEDDC took exception to the installation as they allege that the land is within their ownership. It has been pointed out that this paved area was installed following consultation with the NEDDC officer responsible for the recycling facility. The plot of land in question is shown on the Town Council’s terrier as being within this Council’s ownership as it forms part of Beechwood. The matter of land ownership at this location and several other sites within the town will be discussed with NEDDC officers following anomalies that were discovered when this Council formally registered all its land ownership with the Land Registry.
The fencing around the play areas will be started next week with Hilltop being the first to be done. The fencing will incorporate strong lockable gates which will be closed and locked at dusk and opened before 9am in the mornings.
247/09-10 RESOLVED
That this report be received and noted and
that the
Dronfield Town Twinning Federation
Members considered the notes of the Liaison meeting between the Town Twinning Federation held on 7th April together with the notes of their committee meeting held on the same date.
248/09-10 RESOLVED That this report be received and noted.
Road Conditions in Dronfield
Members were reminded that at the last meeting of Council, it was resolved that an open letter signed by all three political leaders be sent to the Leader of Derbyshire County Council and copied to all local press media, complaining about the state of the roads in Dronfield, particularly in the centre of the town. Correspondence has now been received from County Highways stating that most of the potholes have now been filled. Councillor Sue Allsop also wrote to advise that work has started following her intervention after this Council had raised the problem.
249/09-10 RESOLVED That this report be received and noted.
Dronfield Feast
Members considered correspondence from
Revd Jonathan Haigh on behalf of the Dronfield 2010 Feast Committee requesting
financial assistance towards the cost of organising the Dronfield &
District Feast on 25 – 27 June 2010.
250/09-10 RESOLVED
That this report be received and noted.
That a grant of £850.00 be awarded to Churches Together in Dronfield & District under Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972.
Police Youth Diversion Initiative
Members were informed that PCSO Glyn Lewis has written to request the Council to award a grant for a youth diversion project similar to the very successful initiative that took place last year with matched funding of £300 awarded by this Council. Inspector Palfreyman (the Community Safety Officer) has now intimated that matched funding will be available for such a worthwhile cause.
251/09-10 RESOLVED
That this report be received and noted but no action be taken at this time.
That the police officer concerned attends the next meeting of Council to explain how many young people would benefit and what type of initiative is being considered.
Parish Charter for North East Derbyshire
Members were reminded that this item was
discussed at last month’s meeting when it was suggested that Mr John Newby of
NEDDC and Mr
252/09-10 RESOLVED That this report be received and noted.
The Power of Well Being
At last month’s meeting, members had agreed that they would require formal training if the Council were to be successful in achieving this much sort after status. The only outstanding requisite for being awarded the power of well being is that 80% of the elected members of the Council MUST undergo a formal training programme. Members were informed that a training session has now been confirmed to be held in Dronfield Civic Hall at 6pm on THURSDAY 10 JUNE 2010
253/09-10 RESOLVED That this report be received and noted.
Publications Received
Members considered a schedule of publications that have been received and are available at the Town Council Offices for perusal.
254/09-10 RESOLVED That this report be received and noted.
Co-option to Fill a Casual Vacancy for the Gosforth Valley Ward of
Dronfield Town Council
Members had agreed that as there was no call by local residents for an election to fill the casual vacancy on the Town Council, the position would be filled by co-option and that all legitimate candidates be given 5 minutes to address members to present their case.
255/09-10 RESOLVED
· That Standing Orders be now suspended in order for candidates to address the Council.
· That the selection of a successful candidate be fully discussed when the public and press have been excluded from the meeting by resolution.
· That the method of voting by members to fill the casual vacancy be by a ballot vote.
Miss Rosie Smith of Drury Lane addressed members and said she had stood at a recent election in South Ward and wished to represent the people of Dronfield. She stated that she was a fresh young voice and hoped to re-align the gender balance of the Council.
Tony Winfrow of Montrose Place told the members that he had lived in the town since 1990 and helped to run local boy’s football teams where he offered guidance and supervision. His wife ran the local beaver colony in the area. He had taken early retirement from his work at BT and was the secretary of Dronfield Woodhouse Bowling Club where he had been involved in the building of the Bowls Pavilion at that site. He believed in community partnership working and the bowls pavilion project had been a good example of what can be achieved. He now wished to put something back into the local community.
The Town Mayor thanked both candidates for their presentation and informed them that the matter would be considered by members in a short while.
Schedule of Payments
Members considered a schedule of payments for the month of March 2010 in the amount of £93,842.86 paid from the Council’s No 1 account.
256/09-10 RESOLVED
That the schedule of payments in the amount of £93,842.86 for the month of March 2010 be received and noted for information.
Schedule of Receipts
Members considered a schedule of receipts for the month of March 2010 in the amount of £16,192.21 paid into the Council’s No 2 account.
257/09-10
RESOLVED
That the schedule of receipts in the amount of £16,192.21 for the month of March 2010 be received and noted for information.
That an amended code of practice for organisations wishing to book the Civic Hall be drawn up by the Leader of the Council and submitted to Council for further consideration.
258/09-10
RESOLVED
That the public and press be now excluded from the meeting during the discussion of the following item of business to avoid the disclosure to them of exempt information as defined by Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by the Freedom of Information Act 2004).
Members were supplied with a blank sheet of paper and asked to record their vote between Miss Rosie Smith and Mr Tony Winfrow to fill the casual vacancy to serve as the member for the Gosforth Valley Ward.
The
259/09-10
RESOLVED
That Mr Tony Winfrow be co-opted to serve as a member of the Council to fill the casual vacancy for the Gosforth Valley Ward of Dronfield Town Council.
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