Minutes of the meeting of Maresfield Parish Council  held on 

Tuesday 15 April 2003 in Maresfield Village Hall

Present:  Cllr P Tester (Chairman), Cllr Mrs M E Pegg, Cllr T Sparrow,

Cllr K Ogden, Cllr D Cottingham, Cllr C Stephens, Cllr J Gutteridge, Cllr W King, Cllr R Taylor.  Also present were Cllr A G Reid, Cllr R M Thornely-Taylor and

Cllr B F Brown.  Clerk: Sue Wilson.

Members of the public:  Mrs Sandra Weekes.

1190.   Public Questions:  There were none.

1191.            Apologies for absence were received from Cllr G Hardy and

Cllr Mrs C Sweetnam.

1192.   There were none.

1193.   To receive and adopt the minutes of the Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 18 March 2003:  Cllr King raised points on behalf of Cllr Mrs Sweetnam.

After paragraph 1168 "Mr Sidwell and Mrs Smart left the meeting" should be added the words "This process should be improved before any further appointments are considered, so that Council has papers in advance, and a sounder basis for a judgment". 

In the second paragraph of Point 1169, after "roundabout" in the 9th lines should be added the words "proposed by ESCC at the end of The Street at the junction with the B2026".  At the end of this paragraph should be added the words "Cllr Sweetnam referrred to a greater problem at Old Forge Lane, where visibility is less good".  The amendments were agreed.

Cllr Sparrow proposed that the minutes be adopted, seconded by Cllr Cottingham and carried unanimously.

1194.            Matters arising from those minutes not on the agenda:  The letter from Inspector Wilson would be forwarded to Cllr King.

Action: Clerk

1195.             Receive and adopt minutes of the Council's Planning Committee, 1195.1 and 1195.3:  Cllr King tabled amendments forwarded from Cllr Mrs Sweetnam: 

In the minutes of the Planning meeting of 31 March 2003, the words in Item 1 Public Questions, paragraph 3, "known as the Italian Camp" should be deleted.  Also in the ninth line of that paragraph the word "greenfield" should be "brownfield".

Cllr Gutteridge proposed that the Planning minutes be adopted and this was seconded by Cllr Ogden.

Cllr Pegg drew attention to the excellent outcome of the Nether Lane application with good support at the meeting from Cllr Brown and Cllr Hubbard.  It is understood there will be an appeal.

A planning meeting has been scheduled for 12 May 2003, between the election, when a number of the committee members will stand down, and the first meeting of the new Council on 20 May 2003.  It was agreed that power should be delegated to the Clerk in consultation with the Chairman and others to deal with planning matters until after new councillors have been selected for committees.

1195.2 Parklands Play Area Village Meeting:  Cllr Pegg said that the Village Meeting about the Parklands Play Area had been helpful.  The Residents Association did a good job and were full of enthusiasm.

1197.  Receive and adopt minutes of the Council's Environment and Maintenance Committee of 3 April 2003:  Cllr King tabled amendments forwarded by Cllr Mrs Sweetnam.  In point 5 Cllr Sweetnam asked for the full paper to be placed on the agenda as a separate item for a future full Council meeting.  Cllr Ogden proposed that the minutes be adopted, seconded by Cllr Cottingham.

1198.            Matters arising from the Environment and Maintenance Committee of

3 April 2003:  Point 16 refers to the SEERA paper on the Transport Strategy for the South East.  Cllr Ogden advised that our part of the south-east is being ignored and it was confirmed by Cllr Reid that East Sussex County Council (ESCC) had noted the same.  The area is not seen as being one of economic vitality and therefore not needing the infrastructure, but this creates a vicious circle.   Cllr Brown added that earlier plans had included a main route box around our area (M23, A27, A2, M25) but this did not seem to be working now.  Our views need to be made known to SEERA.

Action Cllr Ogden and Clerk

In reply to a query from Cllr King as to the cost of providing the materials for repairing the fingerposts referred to in paragraph 14 of the minutes, Cllr Sparrow advised that it would be the minor cost of items such as paint which would be easy to accommodate in the budget.  Cllr Cottingham felt that the fingerposts should be checked to see whether any maintenance was necessary before painting.  The County Council will carry out cleaning and painting work, supervised by Bruce Morley, but it will be for the Parish to undertake repair work.  The cost of any repair work will need to be ascertained and the agreement of the Parish Council obtained before it is carried out.  Cllr Cottingham proposed that this should be done, seconded by Cllr Gutteridge.

Regarding Paragraph 20.2, Cllr King said he believed the Council would positively "wish" to be represented on the Steering Group.

Cllr Stephens was reviewing the ESCC: Common Registration (East Sussex) Act 1994 documents.  He will collect the boundary maps from Cllr R Tester.  The bundle of papers contains some relating to Five Ashes and Twyford which are no longer part of the Parish and will be returned to ESCC.

Cllr P Tester had asked Peter Kirby to clean the Parklands bus shelters. 

Cllr Cottingham will advise if this work is not carried out within a reasonable time.

1199.1            Parklands Play Area Sub-Committee: minutes noted.

1199.2 Civil Emergency Sub-Committee: Cllr King referred to the minutes and thanked Cllr Mrs Pegg for the huge amount of work she had done on behalf of the Committee.  Minutes noted.

1199.3 Village Plan Steering Group:  Cllr Sparrow reported that there had been no further meetings since the last Council meeting.  However, further progress has been made on affordable housing, fingerposts and youth.  He suggested the Steering Group should be reconvened once new Councillors are on board and recorded his thanks to Cllrs Tester, King, Sweetnam, Bruce Morley and David Sweetnam for their help over the past year.

1199.4            Transport and Environment Working Party:  Cllr Sparrow said that the next meeting would be held in two days' time to discuss Nutley Speedwatch Week, further action plans and strategy.  It is intended to review membership of TEWP at the AGM as some "villagers" on the committee will have become councillors.

1199.5 Parish Office Sub-Committee:  Cllr Sparrow reported that the members of this committee had been extremely busy.  Telephone lines had been obtained and installed, as had a computer, a printer/copier/fax machine and a domain name together with email facilities.  The shelving has been re-jigged and furniture/archives removed from Fords Green.  There were some files in Cllr Mrs Pegg's barn which will need to be removed and a working party will be required to review the contents of the boxes.  Cllr Sparrow thanked the new clerk for her patience whilst these matters have been organised.

The office would be opened to the public after the election, probably for two spells on different days, one afternoon and one morning.  This can perhaps be agreed at the next meeting of the Council.  In the meantime the telephone number and email address would be widely advertised.

Cllr Sparrow thanked Cllr P Tester and Cllr King for their very hard work and proposed that the committee should stand down at the end of this Council's term.

In answer to his query, Cllr Cottingham was advised that there is still some security work to be carried out to the door although there is a check-chain.  A stable door is not permitted under Fire Regulations.

Cllr Brown queried whether the Council had a lease and Cllr P Tester advised that it is a temporary one, pending a Court order/waiver.  The electrician has been advised that the fire is noisy and needs attention.

Cllr Pegg asked whether the outer room could be tidied as its present state lowers the standards.  That area is not rented by the Council.  The Social Club has been asked and the matter is being attended to.  We should obtain a new table shortly.

Cllr Brown queried the parking arrangements.  When meetings are held in the Parish Office, permission will be required from the Memorial Hall Trust for Councillors to use the car park.  The clerk will write to Frank Brown as Trustee of the Memorial Hall Trust.

Action: Clerk

1200.1            Wealden LSP:  Cllr Sparrow had nothing further to report.

1200.2            Maresfield Conservation Group:  Cllr Gutteridge read his report and a copy is attached to these minutes.  The report covered the Wealden Local Plan Review, Traffic Management, Village Maintenance, the Art Exhibition and Sale, St Bartholomew's Church and the Memorial Lamp and the discussion on the possible closure of School Hill.

Cllr Cottingham asked Cllr Reid whether ESCC had followed up the letters requiring owners/occupiers to cut their hedges.  Cllr Reid said that ESCC would follow up if the Parish Council wrote to the Highways Department to advise the name and address of the owner/occupier and the particular farm or field which required attention. 

Cllr Mrs Pegg pointed out that in some instances the problem was in a lane where woodland was intruding out so far that there was insufficient space for riders. 

Cllr Reid admitted that ESCC was losing the battle of maintaining the roads and hedge cutting is low on the list of priorities.  Cllr Sparrow said that the Parish Council should draw up a standard procedure for the "three letter system" and Cllr Reid said it would be best if the community could shame the bad landowners into taking action.

Action: Cllr Sparrow

1200.3 Action in rural Sussex:  Cllr Brown reported that a Community Rail Partnership is being formed with a view to improving station facilities and improved bus journeys to stations to link with trains.  South Central are contributing towards the costs.  The County and District Councils have representatives in the Partnership.  Key lines to be worked on include Uckfield to Oxted and, in the medium term, Uckfield to Lewes.

1200.4 Other reports:  There were none.

1201            Arrangements for the Annual Assembly:  The clerk presented the timetable for the meeting.  The Assembly would be advertised locally.  The clerk reminded Councillors that the meeting would be held in Nutley School Hall.  The Chairman reminded the chairmen of committees to prepare their reports.  Cllr Sparrow advised that he had not received the accounts yet from the previous clerk.  Cllr Mrs Pegg said that the headmistress of Nutley School, Amanda Gander-Miller, would prepare a report about the School as the Parish Council's new representative has not yet sat with the Board of Governors.  Cllr Sparrow reported that it was proving difficult to get a speaker but that he had contacted the Chief Constable of Police, Grenville Wilson, who had put forward Inspector Richard Allum to speak on Safer Villages.

1202            Appointment of internal auditor:  Cllr Sparrow, the chairman of F&GP, reminded councillors of the need to appoint an internal auditor as the existing internal auditor had resigned.  Advice had been sought and Cllr Sparrow proposed that Gwen Pritchitt, who was Clerk to Forest Row Parish Council, should be asked to accept this task.  Cllr King, who had met Mrs Pritchitt and was most impressed by her, seconded the proposal.  Carried unanimously.

Action: Clerk

1203.            Approve Funnels Wood footbridge quote:  Cllr R Tester proposed the quote should be accepted, stating it to be reasonable for the work involved.  This was seconded by Cllr Sparrow.  The clerk will write accepting the quote and instructing Mr T Kirby to carry out the work.

Action: Clerk

1204.            Clerk's report:  The clerk advised Councillors that she had received a letter from Wealden DC about their Environmental Awards 2003; entry forms for Sussex Heritage Awards 2003; a letter from South East in Bloom and a letter from AirS about Calor Village of the Year competition.

Cllr Mrs Pegg advised that Barbara Isitt and Beryl Easton each organised the Village of the Year entry last year.

The clerk thanked Councillors for their help in setting up the office and particularly for taking large batches of documents to read and advise her on.

1205.   Agree April payments:  Cllr Sparrow asked that the Rates invoice should be held over until the next Council meeting as he needs to check that the Council is not being charged twice.  A direct debit system could be considered for payment of the full year's rates.

In response to a query about the number of lantern and column changes included in the bill from ESCC and that some columns which previously were leaning and therefore dangerous, Cllr P Tester advised that the County Council had obtained the quotes and the costs were very close.  Cllr Sparrow advised that the amount budgeted for the work had not been exceeded.

The payments to Cllr P Tester and Cllr King should be shown as approved payments made by them on behalf of the Council for equipment for the Parish Office.

Cllr Sparrow proposed the payments be agreed, seconded by Cllr Mrs Pegg.  Carried unanimously.

1206.            Correspondence:  John Mason, the Treasurer of Maresfield Recreation Ground Committee had asked Cllr P Tester if they could erect a board to acknowledge the £77,000 donation from the Football Foundation for refurbishment of the pavilion.  Cllr P Tester had replied that, subject to any necessary planning permission, the Council would have no objections.

The Junior Football Club had asked permission to put a store where the old shed was on the Maresfield Recreation Ground and again, subject to any necessary planning permission, the Council approved.

There has been a dispute over the notices put up by Maresfield Recreation Ground Committee to ban dogs because of the fouling.  The Parish Council was asked to press Wealden District Council for notices under the bye-laws.

Action: Clerk

Mr Terry Gee requested permission to call the refurbished pavilion 'John Mason Pavilion' because of the efforts Mr Mason has put in to achieve the refurbishment.  Cllr Mrs Pegg took the view that other people have also put a lot of work in, a view confirmed by Cllr Cottingham.  The request was refused.

Action: Clerk

Cllr R Tester said that the wheelie bin by the pavilion was broken and has disappeared, possibly removed the WDC.  Dave Glover was the contact at WDC for the supply of bins.

Action: Clerk

Thank you:  In closing the meeting the Chairman proposed a vote of thanks for all the hard work put in by councillors over the four year term of Council which was coming to a close.  He included those councillors who had served on the Council but had now left – Heather Goodwin, Tony Horne, Bruce Morley, Peter Royall, Philip Warnett – and especially the current councillors who were retiring this year

Cllr Cottingham, Cllr McDonnell, Cllr Mrs Pegg and Cllr Mrs Sweetnam who had well over sixty years service between them.  Cllr Mrs Pegg replied that while it had sometimes been difficult, it had always been interesting.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.08pm.