Minutes of the meeting of Perton Parish Council, held at Perton Civic Centre on Monday 12th July 2021, 7.00pm

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

Parish Clerk Mrs B Hodgetts
Assistant Parish Clerk Mrs L Higgins
Members of the public – Seven
Staffordshire County Councillor J Abrahams
PCSO S Fryer (part of meeting)

38/21 – PUBLIC OPEN SESSION
The Chairman updated the council and residents present on actions from the previous meeting.
• The Pear & Partridge Asset of Community Value has been submitted to South Staffordshire Council.
• Volunteers have started to work on the inner south island, further work is required.
• The Environment Agency have agreed to look at the River Penk to assess the environment within the river.
• The Air Ambulance will be contacted by the Civil Contingency Unit (CCU) at South Staffordshire District Council to confirm landing criteria.
Several members of the public once again raised their concerns at the lack of grounds maintenance carried out within Perton. These included grass cutting, rats, litter, fouling. One resident spoke of falling off her scooter near to the riverbank as the edge of the path could not be seen. A Street Scene representative will take the issues back to the District Council to be assessed.
Various issues in Anders Square were discussed. Unfortunately, this is Sainsburys responsibility. Have Sainsbury’s got a process for reporting issues? The lighting and signage are not adequate. Anders Square is private land which Police have no powers to enforce.
Potholes was again raised, the County Councillor promised that he is chasing these up and is not happy with the way repairs are carried out.
39/21 – APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies received and noted from Cllrs AA Bourke, P Davis, and Ms S Wilkes.
40/21 – POLICE MATTERS AND REPORT
A written report received from PCSO A Tooth was available for the members.
The Parish Council requested extra patrols around the bus link, especially with the roadworks on the A41 traffic lights which is causing big delays leaving the village.
The Police were thanked for the good work carried out around drug arrests.
Resolved to move item number 48/21 a) as per standing order 10a vi)
48/21 – STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
a) Ryan Taylor, Street Scene Performance & Envirocrime Manager gave a brief presentation on the proposal to create a management plan for the green spaces within Perton, ideally to start next year. This should include all relevant authorities, residents, local landowners and voluntary groups. The management plan will look at signage, access, use of chemicals, bio diversity etc.
It was proposed that a public meeting should be held to allow a more focused view of what the residents would like to see and then to report back later in the year on the outcome. It was agreed that the woodland would also form part of the management plan
Resolved the clerk to liaise with the District Council to select a date.
It was confirmed that there would be no cost to the Parish Council
Siting of the life belts was raised. They are either surrounded by nettles or facing the wrong way to allow easy access in an emergency.

The District are currently completing a site line prune. It was confirmed that the speed of the growth has caught them out this year.

41/21 – DECLARATION OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY AND OTHER INTERESTS
Declaration of other interest received from Cllr D Glynn for item 44/21 a) transaction number 4356 & 4368
42/21 – REQUESTS FOR CODE OF CONDUCT DISPENSATIONS
No requests for dispensation received.
43/21 – MINUTES
a) Resolved that the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 14th June 2021 were a true and correct record and signed by the Chairman.
b) Noted for information the minutes of the following committees:
• Finance Committee held on 6th July 2021

44/21 – FINANCE
a) Paid Expenditure Transactions between paid between 01/06/21 and 30/06/21
Date paid Tn. no Gross Detail
Bacs 30/06/21 4315 £1052.45 E.on next Electricity Supply 29th Jan – 31st Mar
Bacs 30/06/21 4346 £58.00 Refunded deposit South Staffs Conservatives Association:
Room Hire 25.06.21 CANCELLED
DD 30/06/21 4348 1,435.00 South Staffordshire Council Rates – June
DD 30/06/21 4349 £30.00 Kalidescope Website & Email Hosting/Maintenance
Bacs 30/06/21 4350 £44.50 The Bookbinders Bound Minutes
DD 30/06/21 4351 £193.32 Ash Waste Services General & Recycle Waste
Bacs 30/06/21 4352 £55.20 Online Playgrounds Wet pour binder, resin and primer for safety flooring
Bacs 30/06/21 4353 £240.00 Connect Pages Advertising
Bacs 30/06/21 4354 £212.60 Ricoh Rental and copy charges: 6th May – 5th June
Bacs 30/06/21 4355 £782.14 S G S Systems Limited Fire & Intruder Alarm Service Renewal
Bacs 30/06/21 4356 £50.00 Staffordshire Parish Council’s Assoc Staff Training – Explore Chairmanship
Bacs 30/06/21 4357 £432.00 Ignis Group Ltd Heating & Hot Water System Inspection
Bacs 30/06/21 4358 £108.00 Down to Earth Grass Cutting to Playground – May
Bacs 30/06/21 4359 £393.62 Eon Next Electricity Electricity Supply 1st – 31st May
Bacs 30/06/21 4360 £2,757.34 Staffordshire County Pension Fund Pension – May
Bacs 30/06/21 4361 £2,522.64 Inland Revenue Tax & NI – May
Bacs 30/06/21 4363 £300.00 Your Printer Cartridge Company Printer Cartridges
Bacs 30/06/21 4364 £72.54 British Telecom BT Telephone & Broadband – May
Bacs 30/06/21 4365 £448.13 Contract Natural Gas Ltd Gas Supply – May
Bacs 30/06/21 4366 £9,445.48 Salaries Month 03 (June)
Bacs 30/06/21 4367 £151.62 R B (Services) Ltd Portable Appliance Testing
Bacs 30/06/21 4368 £25.00 Staffordshire Parish Council’s Assoc Cllr Training – councillor fundamentals
Total £20,809.58
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 noted for information.
e) Concessionary room hire request received from Perton Work Club. Resolved to approve the concessionary rate.
f) Purchase of facilities software to help manage bookings and invoicing. Resolved to purchase the additional licence at an annual cost of £220.
45/21 – HOT WATER AND HEATING SYSTEM
An update was presented by the Clerk. Some work has been caried out on the system and a meeting is scheduled to discuss the issues raised from the report previously distributed.

46/21 – VICE CHAIRMANS CHAIN
This item was withdrawn by the proposer.
47/21 – STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
a) County Cllr Abrahams addressed the council.
• Speeding in Trescott was priority before being elected. Highway officers have been Instructed to complete a traffic count.
• Dippons Lane – this issue has been raised with Highways and a site meeting has been arranged. Details to be forwarded to the Clerk.
• Chicane – having spoken to Highways regarding all the chicanes, the cost of removal or changing would cost thousands. The chicanes do help to limit the speed of traffic on the Parkway and taking into consideration the amount of correspondence received regarding speeding traffic it would be preferable to spend the money elsewhere.
• Crossing Bluebell wood – due to it being a limited crossing, signage is also limited. The Parish Council could install a simple sign somewhere near to Brownies Nursery and this could be match funded.
• Fallen road signs – chased up with Highways.
• Flooding –No one should have to live in fear of flooding. Reports have been produced which show one of the major contributing factors to be the natural flow of water draining off the Bradshaws estate and into the drainage system. Through local member funding, a complete cleaning, jetting and service of all the pipes, culverts and drains of Wrottesley Park Road by Bradshaws will be carried out.
Cllr J Sherlock believes the chicanes are still a problem. The chicanes could be left in situ but also discuss other ways of reducing the speed. The Severn Drive traffic calming is an accident wating to happen.
Cllr J Turner thanked the Cllr J Abrahams on the speedy reaction to the highway issues in Trescott.
Thanks were expressed to the County Councillor for being so pro-active.
b) Flooding at Dippons Lane – this item was covered in the County Councillor report.

48/21 – SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE COUNCIL
b) South Staffordshire Council reports were noted for information.
Cllr Mrs R Heseltine – written report
Report previously distributed and noted for information. Dog walkers are asked again NOT to leave bags on top of a bin, please use another bin or take it home.
Other comments:
Thank you to the residents that litter pick while they are out and about. Perton Parish Council can provide black bags for their use and Parish can contact the District Council for a supply if necessary.

Residents have been cutting back hedges to ensure street signs are clear. The walkways were the responsibility of the developers but are now not owned by anyone which causes a problem when it comes to maintenance. Residents are not always aware of this difficulty, perhaps at the public meeting this can be highlighted.

Cllr N Caine – verbal report
Additional bins have been installed and larger bins in some areas have been requested. Also further dog fouling stencilling has been done.
c) Climate Change Locality Forum. The revised date for the meeting is 8th September, 6pm – 8pm. A breakdown of parish issues raised at the previous forum was distributed. Further guidance and support from District Council is required. Resolved Clerk to forward the meeting invitation to councillors.
d) Boundary review Consultation – The ward boundaries have been looked at by several members of the parish Council. It is believed that the numbers and ward arrangements fit with the Boundary Commission vison for the district. It is proposed that Perton will lose one District Councillor. The structure of each ward to be as follows :
Lakeside Ward with 4096 electors – two District Councillors ,
East Ward with 2040 electors – one District Councillor
Dippons Ward with 2159 electors – one District Councillor. It is proposed to rename this ward Wrottesley Ward.

Cllr Mrs P Allen has been tasked by the District Council to submit the comments for Locality four by the 16th July. The District council will then present the finding to the whole council before submission to the Boundary Commission.

Resolved to approve the name change for Dippons Ward and the proposed mapping of the wards. Cllr Mrs P Allen will forward a community report to all councillors when available. The Parish Council will also be submitting the information on behalf of the parish.
49/21 – REPORTS
a) Weekly Clerks reports having previously been distributed were noted for information.
b) Environmental report – Nothing to report.
50/21 – PLAY AREA EQUIPMENT
a) The Children’s play area safety flooring is constantly having to be repaired through vandalism. When completing a repair this creates another join in the flooring which over time shrinks creating a trip hazard. Other safety flooring surfaces could be looked at and costed. Resolved to look at what other options are available. Cameras could also be an option.

b) Received for information the inspection report for the outdoor gym equipment. Unfortunately, one piece of equipment has been vandalised and a handle removed. The cost to replace the handle and 4 bearings on another piece of equipment will be £939 plus VAT. Resolved to approve the repairs.
51/21 – A41 HOLYHEAD/ NEWPORT ROAD
The surface of the A41 past the traffic lights on Holyhead/Newport Road is appalling. Resolved clerk to write to Shropshire Council requesting they look at resurfacing the section from County Lane to the M54.

County Councillor Abrahams stated that at a recent meeting a road safety analysis has been requested on the speed of the A41. Information on the road surface will be fed back to the relevant authority.

The A41 crossing improvements could have been scheduled for one week later when the children have finished school for the summer. This disruption causes big delays at the junction. Parish Councils are not informed any more of impending road works that affect the village which is not helpful.

52/21 – DATE AND TIME OF NEXT MEETING
Full Council Meeting of the Parish Council – Monday 13th September 2021 at 7pm, Perton Civic Centre

Meeting closed at 9.11pm

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.

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

Financial Summary – Cashbook
Summary between 01/04/21 and 30/06/21 inclusive.
Balances at the start of the year
Ordinary Accounts
Co-operative Bank £3,253.47
HSBC Current Account £14,806.80
Petty Cash Account £250.00
Public Sector Deposit Fund £116,000.00
Total £134,310.27

RECEIPTS Net Vat Gross
Parish Council £118,003.19 £0.00 £118,003.19
Civic Centre £13,514.84 £0.00 £13,514.84
Total Receipts £131,518.03 £0.00 £131,518.03

PAYMENTS Net Vat Gross
Parish Council £36,313.69 £1,002.82 £37,316.51
Civic Centre £29,296.61 £1,721.96 £31,018.57
Total Payments £65,610.30 £2,724.78 £68,335.08

Closing Balances
Ordinary Accounts
Co-operative Bank £2,753.47
HSBC Current Account £13,489.75
Petty Cash Account £250.00
Public Sector Deposit Fund £181,000.00
Total £197,493.22
Uncleared and Unpresented effects
Statement Closing Balances Ordinary Accounts
Co-operative Bank £2,753.47
HSBC Current Account £13,489.75
Petty Cash Account £250.00
Public Sector Deposit Fund £181,000.00

Total £197,493.22