Minutes of the meeting of Perton Parish Council
held on Monday 14th December 2020, 7.00pm

Meeting held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Members were informed that the meeting would be recorded and deleted once minutes were approved.

PRESENT:
Councillors Mrs PA Allen (Chairman), D Glynn (Vice- Chairman, R Bradley, N Caine, P Davis, K Elder,
Mrs R Heseltine, C Rathbone, J Sherlock, J Turner, Mrs B Walters

Parish Clerk Mrs B Hodgetts
Admin Assistant Mrs L Higgins

Members of the public – one

93/20 – PUBLIC OPEN SESSION
No question raise by the public present.

94/20 – APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies received and noted for Cllrs AA Bourke, Mrs L Dew and Mrs A James.

95/20 – POLICE MATTERS AND REPORT
A written report received from PCSO S Fryer was accepted for information and a copy attached to these minutes.
A Dispersal Order will be requested for Halloween 2021 as there were some issues this year.

96/20 – DECLARATION OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY AND OTHER INTERESTS
No declarations received.

97/20 – REQUESTS FOR CODE OF CONDUCT DISPENSATIONS
No requests for dispensation received.

98/20 – MINUTES
a) Resolved that the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 9th November 2020 were a true and correct record. The Chairman to sign in the Clerk’s office as soon as practical.
b) Resolved that the minutes of the Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting held on 25th November 2020 were a true and correct record. The Chairman to sign in the Clerk’s office as soon as practical.
c) Noted for information the minutes of the following committees:
• Human Resources Committee meeting held on 18th November 2020
• Finance Committee meeting held on 6th December 2020

99/20 – FINANCE
a) Paid Expenditure Transactions between 01/11/20 and 30/11/2020

Cheque Tn No. Gross Details
DD 4202 £1,435.00 South Staffordshire Council November rates
DD 4203 £30.00 Kalidescope Website & email hosting/maintenance
Bacs 4204 £108.00 Down to Earth Grass cutting – playground 7th October
DD 4205 £124.27 Ash Waste Services General & recycle waste
Bacs 4206 £120.00 Connect Pages Newsletter
Bacs 4207 £19.56 ESPO Two wall clocks
Bacs 4208 £108.00 Evac Chair International Maintenance contract for Evacuation
Bacs 4209 £2,728.01 Inland Revenue Tax & NI – October
Bacs 4210 £84.00 Acquiesce Environmental Legionella monitoring and testing
Bacs 4211 £3,211.45 Staffordshire County Pension – October
DD 4212 £536.20 Npower Business Electricity supply 29 Sept to 26 Oct
Cheq 0332 4213 £20.00 Royal British Legion Wreath
PCTop-up11 4214 £246.88 Petty Cash Items Postage/Batteries/Post Box/Maintenance/Stationery
Bacs 4215 £92.76 British Telecom BT OneBill
Bacs 4216 £270.00 Defib Store Ltd Replacement Battery for Defib
DD 4217 £496.69 Contract Natural Gas Ltd Gas supply: October
Bacs 4218 £32.95 Amazon Perspex desk screen – Clerk’s office
Bacs 4219 £10,624.54 Salaries Month 08 (November)
Bacs 4220 £78.00 South Staffordshire Council ID badges
Bacs 4221 £38.93 NALC Cllr Training: The Future of Play
DbD 4222 £169.87 Siemens Qtrly lease Nov to Jan – Drinks Machine
Co- Op BACS 4223 £31.83 Community Volunteer Emergency shopping (Covid-19)
Bacs 4224 £250.00 The Well Food Bank Donation to food Bank (Co-op Bank)
Bacs 4225 £250.00 Kingsway food Bank Donation to Food Bank (Co-op Bank
DD 4226 £35.00 Information Commission Data Protection Renewal fee
Total £21,141.94

b) Cash book received and noted for information. Copy attached to these minutes
c) Income statement received and noted for information.
d) Expenditure and budget to date received and approved. Copy attached to these minutes.

100/20 – STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
a) County Councillor written report was noted for information. Copy attached to these minutes.
b) Speed Cameras, Bridgnorth Road, Trescott were discussed. Resolved to contact the Safer Roads Partnership, SSDC Community Safety Team and County Councillor confirming that the Parish Council, along with the Trescott Action Group, would like the cameras currently installed to be upgraded and activated. The reduction of speed on the Bridgnorth Road could also be considered, the Parish Council would need to look at the budget and precept for 2021 to assess if they could help with the costs involved. Increasing the length of the double white lines could also be a solution to the issues.
Councillors have volunteered to help the Action Group clear some of the footpaths due to overgrowth.
Resolved Clerk to contact the County Council to suggest that a sign be installed warning that horses cross the road to access the bridlepaths. Clerk also to write to the Action Group confirming support.
c) Wrottesley Park Road signage was discussed. Staffordshire County Council have declined the request for warning signs due to traffic regulations. It was suggested that signage could be put inside Bluebell Walk to warn pedestrians of the potential hazard. Resolved that a site meeting be called in the new year to look at the options, clerk to circulate possible dates.
d) The re-surfacing in Severn Drive has not eradicated the issues at the crossing but it is felt it has exacerbated the problem. Resolved Clerk to contact Staffordshire County Council Highways expressing the Parish Council’s disappointment with the workmanship.

101/20 – SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE COUNCIL
a) District Councillor written reports previously distributed from Cllr P Davis and Cllr Mrs R Heseltine were noted for information, copy attached to these minutes.

Additional Comments
Cllr N Caine informed the meeting that he had sprayed dog fouling stencils in Edward Road and has also put stickers on lampposts in within the vicinity. Also reported street lights out and pot holes. A site meeting to discuss various issues within Perton has been arranged.

The Chairman reported that District Councillors are having a lot of training at present. Local Plan meetings are continuing and public consultations will be held in 2021.

b) Rats are becoming a problem around the upper lake. Resolved that the Parish Council will work with the District Council to reduce the problem.
c) The District Council have awarded the Parish Council £400 Christmas Fund grant. It was resolved to provide a hot boxed meal to the elderly isolate and vulnerable resident. Café 29 have been approached for the catering. Each meal will cost £10 and volunteers will deliver at lunchtime on Christmas Eve.

102/20 – CLERKS REPORT
Weekly reports having previously been distributed were noted for information. The grant application to Staffordshire County Council ‘Doingourbit’ fund was unsuccessful due to demand, but SCC have submitted the application to the Community Foundation of Staffordshire. It was agreed that the Co-op bank account was previously approved and additional policies could be provided to support the new grant submission.

103/20 – POLICIES FOR REVIEW
a) Resolved that the following policies were approved with required amendments
i. Disciplinary
ii. Grievance
iii. Staff handbook
b) Resolved to adopt the following policies;
i. Appraisal
ii. Employee Code of Conduct
c) Resolved to approve the following Term of Reference;
i. HR Committee – minor revisions
ii. Management Committee – minor revisions
iii. Finance committee – no amendments
iv. Allotment Committee – no amendments
v. Planning Committee – no amendments
vi. Working Party – no amendments

104/20 – ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
A report previously distributed was accepted for information, copy attached to these minutes.
It was suggested that nest boxes could be installed in the eaves of the Civic Centre at no cost to the parish. Resolved Clerk to meet with Cllr K Elder to discuss further and bring back to the management Committee

105/20 – ANDERS SQUARE CHRISTMAS TREE
Unfortunately, the tree delivered was not the full tree that had been requested. The Council were unable to choose the tree this year due to Covid-19. Resolved Clerk to try and negotiate a discount.
106/20 – DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING via Microsoft Teams
Monday 11th January 2021 at 7.00pm Full Council
Monday 18th January 2021 at 7pm Full Council – Precept

Crime & Disorder Implications Section 17 of the Crime & Disorder Act 1998
Where relevant any decisions made at the Parish Council meeting have taken this duty of care into consideration.

Meeting closed at 8.46pm

Signed ………………………………………………………………… Date: …………………………………………
Chairman
 

Police overview report for Perton Parish Council
Date: 9th November- 13th December

Public bodies can only disclose information if they have the power to do so. Section 115 of the Crime and Disorder Act provides a power to exchange information where disclosure is necessary to support the local Crime Reduction Strategy and Partnership in achieving the aims of the Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy and objectives outlined within it.
The degree of disclosure that takes place must be proportionate and relevant to the level of social ill or criminality it is intended to counter or prevent.
The information is only to be processed in relation to crime and disorder purposes. Information will be handled in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Human Rights Act 1998 and any other relevant legislation governing disclosures and will ultimately be disposed of in a secure manner.

• Main headlines since the last meeting: Since the last meeting there has been reports of vehicle crime throughout the area x2 van brakes where power tools were stolen Barley Croft and Reynolds Grove. X2 vehicle damage Cosford Court and Lingfield. x1 theft of car Hamble Grove. The main items being taken in the thefts from vans are power tools and these offences are occurring in night time hours. X3 suspicious males were seen around the Gainsborough Drive area 12/12 officers were in the area at 3am when the job came in but unfortunately area search was negative. Serious crime is put out on smart alerts.

• ASB hotspots: Most of the anti-social behaviour incidents we have had reported are neighbour disputes or covid breach jobs at people’s homes. Kids doing knock and runs on a particular house down Wordsworth have been spoken to. Covid breach jobs are dealt with by words of advice or a ticket. Main ASB hotspot is St Andrews Drive by the lower lake possible drug dealing which is in regular patrol.

If you know of any anti-social behaviour or drugs hotspots, please let us know by calling 101 or speak to your local PCSO.
• Please follow South Staffs Police on Twitter; @SStaffsPolice.

• Please consider signing up to and recommending Smart Alert to any residents interested to know what is happening in the South Staffordshire area. Most incidents of crime are put out on this system either as they happen or shortly afterwards, depending on what shift we are working and when we hear about the incident.
https://staffordshiresmartalert.uk/staffs/

Agenda item 100/20 a)
County Council report
County Council Highways have been requested to look at the speed cameras on the Bridgnorth Road at Trescott that residents have complained are not operational through this hamlet for deterring the speed limit of 50 mph. I have asked the Highways Manager to refer this matter to the Safe Road Partnership for investigation.
The Covid 19 Fund application that Perton Parish Council has lodged with the County Council has been followed up after a request from the Parish Council to receive an up date on the progress of this application. It has now been sent to the County Council. I understand that as the County Council Offices are presently closed there may be a delay as officers are working from home.
I have received some questions on matters relating to a third access and exit in Perton. The original planning for housing in Perton was passed on appeal in the Seventies. Conditions for access and egress from Perton was that there would not be any direct access to Wolverhampton. The position remains the same to-day and the only concession was that a bus lane was installed from Yew Tree Lane to facilitate public transport buses to be able to operate their schedules without having to come in via the longer route via the A41.
In replying to my request to ask for County Council business to be submitted through the Parish Council that this is to make certain that the elected members have knowledge of all details that could affect third parties in other parts of Perton and agreed by the Parish before I proceed to the County Council.

Keith James.
SCC Member for Perton Division.

Agenda item 101/20 a)
District Councillor’s Report 14.12.2020
Since the last Parish Council meeting I have attended the following. It has been a particularly busy period due, mainly, to Covid 19 related issues.
Informal Cabinet 5
Cabinet
Informal Cabinet Special Meeting
Covid Outbreak Briefings 14
Local Outbreak Control Board 5
South Staffordshire Outbreak Control Board 3
Full Council
Overview and Scrutiny Committee : We received a presentation from Severn Trent Water.
Planning Committee: No local planning applications. A deferred application from the previous meeting was revisited and planning approval was given.
Health and Safety Steering Group
Community Safety: Much of the information/detail given by Chief Inspector Dave Wain is confidential but the good news is that there is a 5% reduction in crime in South Staffordshire.
Lead Member Briefing + Test & Trace 3
Staffordshire Health & Wellbeing Board
Resource, Planning & Prioritisation (RPP)
RPP Summit
Locality 4 Forum: These forums are a new initiative by the Council, tailored to specific issues within each Locality. For Locality 4 the issue for discussion was flooding. Over the past months this has become much more problematic. In attendance were representatives from the County’s Flood Risk & Management Team. As a result of this forum, we have been given access to maps and more information in relation to Perton and a subsequent meeting was held with Perton Parish councillors on this topic. I think it proved to be extremely useful and formed a good basis for working together.
Locality Site Assessments 3 Very interesting but highly confidential.
Member Briefings 4: Emergency Planning, Equality, Diversity & Safeguarding, Planning and Local Government Finance.
Continuing to deal with issues for some residents.
May I just take this opportunity to say that generally compliance with Tier 3 restrictions is good – there have been 2 or 3 high profile cases- and the Environmental Health Officers and Covid marshals are working extremely hard within our District. Our case rate numbers have decreased significantly but in order to maintain this it is very important to observe the HANDS FACE SPACE regimen.
Enjoy your Christmas, and Stay Safe. Rita Heseltine (Lakeside)

Agenda item 101/20 a)
December report
Philip Davis Member for Perton Dippons
Since the last Parish meeting, I have attended the meetings and briefings listed.
November 12th Standards and resources Committee
Also on the same date I joined a presentation given by Bethan Morgan, the Director of Civil Contingencies for Staffordshire. This covered various topics including the current pandemic and terrorism.
November 19th I attended a virtual meeting concerning Site Assessment for locality 2
November 24th Overview &Scrutiny meeting. There was an emphasis on water supply issues in South Staffordshire.
November 30th I attended a virtual training seminar regarding Equality and Diversity and Safeguarding.
December 1st Local government finance training.
December 3rd Locality 4 Site assessment virtual discussion. The purpose of this discussion was to allow councillors to listen to various proposals put forward by planning officers and air any objections or alternative proposals.
December 8th. Full Virtual council meeting

 
Agenda item 104/20

Environmental Issues

Woodland Management: The recent inspection of Perton’s interpretation boards also provided an opportunity to take a close look at Perton’s open spaces at the end of the growing season. Council will be aware that much of Perton’s green spaces are actively managed either as amenity grassland or as meadowland.

In contrast Perton’s woodlands are subject to more limited management i.e., largely for safe public access with a particular focus on maintenance of footpaths & walkways, plus some limited tree management to ensure public safety. There is no active management of Perton’s woodlands to ensure plant and tree health and what for example makes Bluebell Walk in particular special identified in the Ecological Survey in 1998 . For example: ash die back has been spotted this year in many of young ash trees in Bluebell Walk and the invasive plant yellow archangel has taken over much of the ground cover at the Hoylake end of Bluebell Walk.

Also, existing tree cover is gradually filling in some open areas, particularly near the Upper Lake and in Penk Meadow. In addition, the small coppices close planted 40+ years ago have been largely left unmanaged except when a tree falls because of wind action or if trees become dangerous. These coppices now mostly comprise tall spindly trees with a lot of shade.

I suggest the time has come for more active management of Perton’s woodland estate.

Tree Planting: Perton Playing Fields Association has given the go ahead for Wild About Perton to plant trees along the Mill Lane boundary strengthening the hedge/tree line with Wolverhampton. The work will be undertaken early in the New Year.

Nests for Martins, Swallows & Swifts: Wild About Perton has been putting up bat boxes and bird nest boxes over the autumn and this work will continue early in the New Year. Following a donation of a swift box they would like to put up martins & swallow nest boxes and a second swift box in suitable locations around the Upper Lake. An ideal site would be under the eaves on the lakeside of the Civic Centre. How might this idea be taken forward?

Keith Elder, 9th December 2020