MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MARESFIELD PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON TUESDAY 17^th May 2005 in the Village Hall, Maresfield.

Present:  Cllr W. King (Chairman), Cllr R. Tester, Cllr T. Sparrow, Cllr R. Street,

Cllr H. Fry, Cllr J. Gutteridge, Cllr G. Hardy, Cllr A. Wallace, Cllr S. Leaney,

Cllr C. Stephens, Cllr M Thomas, DCllr Mrs. P. Kennedy, DCllr F. Brown,

CCllr A. Reid, Clerk Mr. T. Allen and Assistant Clerk Mrs. C. Goossens.

A.         Public Matters:  None

                                                            Council Meeting 

1.                  Apologies for Absence were received from Cllr P Tester,
Cllr K Ogden, Cllr Mrs S Weekes and DCllr N Buck.

2.                  Declarations of Interest – None.

3.         Minutes:-

3.1    Minutes of the last meeting held on 19^th April 2005 were Adopted.

3.2       Matters Arising from the Minutes

·         Cllr King asked whether all members of the Planning Committee understood the “….conditions to be applied to any future planning application” as mentioned by DCllr P Kennedy in item 4.2 of the last meeting in relation to Park farm, Maresfield.  ACTION:  DCllr P Kennedy to discuss with a member of the Planning Committee.
ACTION:  Clerk to add this item to the agenda for the next Planning Committee meeting.

·         Cllr King referred to item 9 and said he felt that if the Parish Annual Report is to be available in advance of the Annual Assembly, it must be distributed no later than Wednesday 18^th May 2005, even if this means the exclusion of the Environment & Maintenance review.

4.         Reports by and questions to:-

4.1.    County Councillor:- CCllr Reid made the following report:-

·         On Tuesday 24^th May 2005, the County Council meets for the first time this term to discuss the apportioning of responsibilities and portfolios.

·         Cllr Reid reported that he has already begun to look at funding and that this area will present an enormous challenge.

·         Onyx Waste Application – ESCC are disappointed at the lack of detail provided by the applicant in this regard and their tardiness in submitting the necessary information.  Subsequently, the ESCC Planning Committee will not be making a decision until July of this year.

·         Cllr Reid thanked Maresfield Parish Council, and in particular the Clerk, for requesting details of the application process for the Community Fund.

·         Cllr R Tester asked for further information regarding the change to the Highways Contract scheduled for November of this year.   CCllr Reid stated that Colas had been unsuccessful in bidding for the contract and that it had subsequently been put out to European tender and awarded to May Gurney.  Greater efficiency is expected as both the designers and May Gurney staff will be working from one office.

·         Cllr Thomas asked whether details of appointments within ESCC will be posted on the website straightaway.  CCllr Reid said that this should indeed be the case.

·         Cllr Leaney enquired whether our second County Councillor had been invited to attend the meeting i.e. Francis Whetstone who has responsibility for Fairwarp.  ACTION:  Clerk to ensure that Francis Whetstone is invited to future Full Council Meetings.

Council Minutes 17 May 2005                                                                     Page 2

·         Cllr Thomas enquired as to the most effective means of lobbying those within ESCC dealing with the Onyx application.  CCllr Reid encouraged liaison with Alistair Robson.

            4.2 District Councillors:-   DCllr Mrs P Kennedy made the following report:-

·         DCllr Kennedy was recently asked to visit the Maresfield Travellers Site to inspect the toilet block, which had been reported as being in a bad state of repair.  Indeed she did find this to be the case and has subsequently spoken with both CCllr Reid and the group “Family and Friends of Travellers” about the problem.  DCllr Kennedy has since received a letter from ESCC stating that they too have visited the site and works will be carried out to bring the toilet block up to an acceptable level as soon as the necessary funds have been identified.

·         The new term for the District Council has begun and the election of Councillors onto various committees will take place on 25^th May 2005.

·         The “Local Plan” has come to an end and work is progressing on the “LDF” by members of the Cabinet together with two members of the Liberal Democrats group.  It has been rumoured that an unidentified group are backing 500 homes in Maresfield, stating that this number would provide housing for workers both at the Ashdown Business Park and the Grampian Site.  DCllr Kennedy highlighted a possible new style of mixed development at large business sites in the form of “Work-Homes”.

·         DCllr Kennedy thanked the Parish Council for progressing matters with regard to the over-hanging trees in MRG. ACTION:  Clerk to contact Chris Hannington from WDC with regard to involving him in any planned works.
DCllr Kennedy raised the issues of the required interplanting of the new hedge in Maresfield Recreation Ground, the bad state of repair of the metal fence running behind it and the “illegal” Boot Fairs, and was keen to know who would be addressing these matters.  It was agreed that the matter of Boot Fairs is the responsibility of the District Council.  ACTION:  Cllr King to address issue of illegal Boot Fairs at his forthcoming meeting with Lesley Barakchizadeh, WDC.

·         With reference to the Parklands Play Area, DCllr Kennedy refuted rumours that she is anti children, and stated that her concern in this regard was related to the process by which a large play area was established on such a small site.  Permitted Development rights under the Lease related to equipment only and if the erection of screening was going ahead, she urged the Parish Council to go through the necessary planning channels.

            DCllr F Brown made the following report:-

·         The Hillmead housing refurbishment is now complete

·         There will be a joint DCN and DCS meeting to discuss the Wealden Local Plan SRC’s recommendations and the matter will then go before the Cabinet on 23 June 2005.

·         The appeal on the Local Plan process is expected to be heard in October 2005, when it is hoped the current Court decision will be reversed.

Cllr Leaney expressed his concern at the status of the Revised Draft Local Plan especially in relation to decisions on current planning applications.  He continued by saying it was his understanding that the Revised Draft Local Plan was considered to be materially significant, when in actual fact, recent experiences indicated that the Adopted Local Plan “Green Book” is still being used by WDC as the only reference.

Council Minutes 17 May 2005                                                                     Page 3

 DCllr Kennedy recommended the safest approach was to use only the “Green BOOK”, whilst the RDLP remains under appeal.

Cllr Street questioned whether DCllr Kennedy’s report was put to the Council as a member of the public or as a District Councillor.  Furthermore, he didn’t feel it was appropriate for DCllr Kennedy to dictate or attempt to influence the Parish Council’s process.  DCllr Kennedy responded that if she had public matters to raise then she would indeed highlight them separately in the public session, as had indeed been the case in the past.  DCllr F Brown said that neither he nor DCllr Kennedy were under any obligation to attend the Parish Council meetings but that they did so because they were keen to participate. 

5.         Council bodies actions, minutes and reports by, and questions to,     Chairmen:-

5.1.            Business Park Development sub-committee:  The Clerk reported that Cllr P Tester has received the latest correspondence from Mike Fleming and is therefore aware of the current status of the sale of WDC’s portion of the site. Otherwise reports from other parties indicated little else to report. It was noted that improved access to the site would be a major issue between owners of the site portions.

(CCllr A Reid left the meeting)

5.2.   Civil Protection:   Cllr Gutteridge stated that he is meeting with John Wood (WDC Emergency Planning Officer) on 19^th May 2005.  Furthermore, on 8^th June there will be a Radio Operators Seminar, which will deal with procedure and maintenance issues.  A “Table-Top” exercise is also planned although no date has been set at present.

5.3.   Communications Team:  The Spring issue of Parish Matters has been distributed and it would seem was well received.  Website development is ongoing and there will be a demonstration of work-to-date at the Annual Assembly.  Cllr King has spoken with Matt Williams from the Courier and he will be in attendance at the Annual Assembly on Friday 20^th May. 

5.4.   Environment & Maintenance:  The Clerk reported that the minutes of the meeting held on 12^th May had been circulated.  Cllr R Tester reported that ESCC is currently undergoing a reorganisation and that the Millpond Depot may disappear.  Cllr King stated that there were a number of hedges impeding footpaths and that this is an important issue needing to be addressed

5.5.   Finance and Administration:  

·         Adoption of Assistant Clerk’s Contract of Employment –
Cllr Thomas voiced her concerns with regard to how the employment of a part-time Assistant Clerk, coupled with the Clerk’s recent salary review, would affect the budget, which may be questioned by Parishioners.  Would the Parish Council subsequently spend less on other items of benefit to Parishioners?  Cllr Street responded that Council had decided to employ a part-time Assistant Clerk which had been budgeted for, and that other spending in the financial year 05/06 will not need to be curbed as a result.  The Parish Council has both a budget and precept it can justify.  Cllr King highlighted that the period of Notice for the Assistant Clerk is one month and that if the financial position of the Parish Council were to change then a termination of employment would not be unreasonable.
Cllr Street proposed that the Council authorises signature of the Assistant Clerk’s Contract of Employment drawn up by himself and Cllr King.  Seconded by Cllr Sparrow and unanimously Agreed.

Council Minutes 17 May 2005                                                                     Page 4

·         Adoption of Financial Regulations – These have been circulated to all Councillors.  Cllr Street highlighted a number of minor updates to the document.  Cllr Fry enquired whether by adopting this set of financial regulations the Parish Council fulfils the requirements for  “Quality Council Status”?  Cllr Street responded that a number of changes have been made to the model document and therefore it is not 100% certain that this will be the case, however, it is inevitable that feedback will result from the internal audit scheduled for later this year. 
(DCllr P Kennedy and DCllr F Brown left the meeting)
Cllr Thomas raised the issue as to whether the Council’s insurance policy covers Liability Insurance for individual Councillors.
It was agreed to refer this item to the Finance and Administration Committee who will report back to Council.  ACTION:  Clerk to research this issue and include as an Agenda item for the next F&A meeting.
It was agreed to adopt the Financial regulations, as amended.

·         Month 12/Month 1 Financial Reports – Cllr Street stated that the accounts were sound, but that the Month 1 report did not as yet enable us to see any trends.

5.6.      Parklands Play Area Sub Committee:  Cllr Gutteridge said the PPASC members were fully aware of the issues/concerns of some residents on the East side of Forest Park.  WDC have now provided a plastic mesh and the Parklands residents have supplied the necessary timbers for the erection of a screen.  After six weeks of the new screening having been in place, further consultation with the all parties involved will take place.  The Clerk reported that having spoken with Tony Godden, it would seem that a number of Parklands parents are irate due to some of the Forest Park residents still taking photographs of the children as evidence.

5.7.      Planning:  Cllr Thomas reported that the Local Plan Special Review Committee has agreed to an extension of the “Green Area” to be retained at Park Farm, Maresfield.  However, this decision still needs to be ratified at the DCN/DCS meeting and then again by the WDC Cabinet.  There will be 80 houses on the re-drawn area, with possible access through either Field End or through the Bowls Club.  The appeal regarding DLP has been delayed until October / November and the safest position is to use the Adopted Local Plan “Green Book” as the authority in the interim
 Proposal to support the Nutley Conservation Group in developing a Village Design Statement – Cllr Leaney questioned whether or not this item should be looked at purely from a planning standpoint?  Cllr Sparrow said he thought this was a matter for the LDF.

5.8        Policy Committee:  The Clerk stated that the latest minutes had been circulated.  Cllr Thomas brought to everyone’s attention the action points relating Councillors Allowances.  Cllr Street added that “Allowances” do not currently feature in the budget and therefore Council would need to decide how to fund this item.  Furthermore, Cllr Thomas urged all Councillors to look at the Code of Conduct and to respond individually.
ACTIION:  Clerk to add Councillors Allowances to Agenda for next Full Council meeting.

Council Minutes 17 May 2005                                                                     Page 5

5.9        Strategy sub-committee:

·         Proposal for ‘Communications’ as a standard Agenda Item – Cllr Sparrow explained that this would enable items for the web site, press, Parish matters, etc., to be captured. All Agreed to this proposal.  ACTION:  Clerk to add “Communication” as standard Agenda item for all Committees.

·         Proposal for inclusion of a Business Directory on the Parish Council web site – All Agreed to this proposal. Cllr Leaney suggested the addition of a disclaimer to the PC website, stating that despite the link to various businesses, this is not an endorsement of their work. 

·         ESCC Community Fund – Cllr Sparrow reported that all groups and organisations in the Parish would be invited to put forward their individual project proposals to quickly enable grants from the fund to be drawn down.  Cllr Fry stated that he has already spoken with Rob Marney who runs the Nutley Youth Drama Group who has agreed to detail a youth film company project.

Councillor Sparrow stated that the Uckfield Youth Services ‘bus’ would be stationed at the Maresfield Recreation ground on Friday evenings.

5.10          Traffic & Transport Committee: 

·         Cllr R Tester reported that Mr Kennedy’s recommendations for reducing traffic levels through Maresfield were being considered by the Committee.

·         The deadline for responses to the ESCC Transport Plan has been extended to 3^rd June.  ACTION:  Cllrs Fry, Leaney, Thomas and the Clerk to finalise response.

6.                  Outside bodies and Reports:

6.1  Fords Green Management Committee:  No report.

6.2  Maresfield Conservation Group:  No report.

6.3  Maresfield Recreation Ground Committee:  No report.

6.4  Wealden District Association of Local Councils:  There will be a meeting on Wednesday 18^th May and Cllr Sparrow will report any issues.

6.5  Action in Rural Sussex:  Cllr Sparrow mentioned the new Wealden Line Leaflet and said that copies would soon be available.

6.6  Local Strategic Partnership:  A meeting was held in Uckfield last week although it was poorly attended by other Parishes.

6.7  Sussex Association for Local Councils:  No report.

7.         Chairman’s Report:  No questions. The Chairman advised the meeting of the current illness of Mr Bruce Morley, ex parish Councillor and Chairman of Council.

8.         Clerk’s Report:  No questions.

9.         Payments to be made:  The list of payments to be made, as circulated with the meeting papers, was Approved.  

10.       Annual Assembly:  This event will take place on Friday 20^th May in Nutley and volunteers to help with the set-up required.

The Chairman reminded all Councillors of the dates for the Village Fetes as follows:

Maresfield  - 30^th May, Nutley – 25^th June and Fairwarp – 9^th July.  It was agreed that the CP emergency megaphones could be used by fete Committees if requested, on a loan basis. The Chairman stated that volunteers to help with the set-up of the Parish Council’s marquee were required ACTION:  Clerk to ask District Councillors to support the Fetes.

11.       Date of next meeting:-  21^st June 2005 (Fairwarp).    

 There being no further business, the meeting finished at 22.30.

 Signed………………………..Chairman                       Date………………………….