Minutes of a meeting of Weeley Parish Council Meeting, held at Weeley Village Hall,
7.30pm Monday 15 November 2021
- Present
- Cllrs C. Hamilton (Chair), J. Beady, D. Botterell, L. Fitzpatrick, G. Foster, K. Green, and T. Spong. Also in attendance; Clerk; K. Harkin and TDC Cllr P. Harris and 5 members of the public.
1. Apologies
Apologies were received from Cllr P Taylor and ECC Cllr D Land.
2. Minutes of the Previous Meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on 18 October 2021 circulated in advance of the meeting were proposed by Cllr Botterell, seconded by Cllr Spong and approved as an accurate record.
3. Declarations of Interest
The Chair asked members for any declarations of interest. None were offered.
4. Actions Taken Since the Previous Meeting
The Clerk having previously circulated his Clerk’s Report, provided a summary of developments since the last meeting.
5. Public Forum
Still no progress getting Colchester Road resurfaced. Concern was expressed about a dangerous area close to the bus stop. Cllr Hamilton noted that Cllr Land has advised that a number of local highway maintenance issues relating to Weeley are being packaged together and addressed. No timescale was given.
6. Tendring District and Essex County Councils
TDC Cllr P Harris;
- TDC is making small grants (£500-2,000) available for local organisations. Contact TDC’s Rebecca Morton for additional information.
- Cllr Harris asked people to support the charity Santathon on 4th December to raise funds for Chairman’s Charity.
- Road Safety Week was launched today. Cllr Harris hopes this initiative will become an annual event that will grow.
7. Correspondence
- In response to a resident’s letter seeking assistance to have shrubs planted in the grass verge in front of her house. She should contact TDC Planners if the dust from the building development across the road is a problem.
- A certificate from UKPN for festive lighting has been received.
- Consultation document from ECC regarding a proposal to increase the capacity of Tendring Primary School. The Council determined that it has no comment to offer.
8. North Shore Offshore Windfarm
When no comments were offered with regard to the Scoping Report, the Chair asked members to reflect on the proposals and to respond individually to this consultation document online.
9. Planning Applications
The application set out in Appendix A was considered by the Council. The Clerk agreed to submit the Council’s comments to TDC.
10. Grounds Maintenance
The Clerk provided a summary of his conversation with CGM’s Contract Manager explaining that the company would be prepared to revert to a price per cut method. The revised contract is awaited. Unfortunately, the hedge cutting work will not be scheduled until the revised contract has been signed.
11. CCTV
Cllr Hamilton advised members of recent incidents in the Village Hall Car Park including one where the case to the defibrillator was vandalised. She tabled a quotation from the CCTV service engineer. Cllr Hamilton proposed, Cllr Spong seconded. Resolved: To accept a quotation from GCS Alarms Ltd to purchase an additional CCTV camera and have it installed to cover the entrance door at the front of the Village Hall.
12. Weeley Parish Council Reports
- Street Lighting; Cllr Green reported that lamp numbers 9083 and 9093 are still out.
- Tree Warden; Cllr Brown noted that there was little of relevance to report.
- Playing Field; The Clerk has asked CGM to provide a quotation to repair the damage resulting from the collapse of the drains. Cllr Spong agreed to investigate the piece of concrete that has appeared in one of the goalmouths. Cllr Brown provided a verbal quotation to remove and relocate the goalpost at the north end. In light of the expense, members agreed to reconsider this issue to look at other possible solutions.
- Children’s Play Area; After some discussion, it was agreed to form a working party including Cllrs Hamilton, Botterell and Green to look into possible improvements to the Children’s Play Area.
- Grass Cutting and Maintenance; Relevant developments had been dealt with earlier in the agenda.
- Christmas Tree; All equipment ordered tree not yet delivered.
13. Other Reports
- Highways and Footpaths; potholes filled on Hilltop Crescent and white lines remarked. Photos taken of the potholes at bottom of The Street and reported. Bus Stop on Colchester Rd is scheduled to be fixed.
- TDALC; Cllr Botterell advised that the meeting is next Wednesday at which he will seek to find out what grounds maintenance contractors other parishes use.
- Rural Policing; 23 crimes were reported in October in Weeley. Cllr Botterell explained that numbers sometimes appear high as some crime incidents are counted twice e.g. a report of domestic violence when both parties make allegations.
- Speedwatch; Last month’s 10 sessions identified 121 speeders including, two repeat offenders, two with no tax and six with no mot. Cllr Beady made a plea for more volunteers. The next training course is scheduled on 22 November and it would be good to get some volunteers from Weeley on it. Cllr Harris suggested that WPC considers erecting signage at the start of the village advising that this is a community speed watch village.
- Weeley Residents Ass; the new afternoon sessions introduced three months ago have proved popular. A number of events and activities are being organised on the lead up to Christmas.
- Weeley in Bloom (WiB); The Chair thanked WiB saying the Village looks better each year and particularly WiB’s work to commemorate Remembrance Sunday including tidying the War Memorial was helpful and is appreciated. It was reported that a new noticeboard will be erected in the Village Hall.
- Petanque Rink; No report.
14. Finance and Budget
The payments for October as set out in the table in Appendix B were proposed by Cllr Hamilton, seconded by Cllr Botterell. Resolved: Approved.
15. Public Forum
- The Clerk clarified that TDC does not provide litter bins with recycling compartments. Disappointment was expressed that WPC has not acted on the recommendations of the litter bins report that was prepared in December 2020. Cllr Harris offered to intervene to see if he can get TDC to assist with this matter.
- The Council was asked to repair tiles at the back of the bus stop by Ruby Fields that are loose.
- The Council was asked to cut back the shrubs obscuring some of the street lights particularly on Clacton Road in Weeley Heath.
- Can something be done about the blind corner on Crow Lane?
The Chair closed the meeting at 9.25pm
Appendix A
Planning Applications
| App No. | Details | Address | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21/01768/FUL | Proposed erection of a 3-bedroom dwelling, subject of application 19/01255/FUL in order to alter the layout and appearance of the dwelling. | Land at The Paddocks Gutteridge Hall Lane, Weeley CO16 9DL | No objection and no comment |
Appendix B
Monthly Payments
| Cheque No. | Payee | Service | NET £ | VAT £ | GROSS £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 103170 | C Hamilton | Stationery and poppy wreath | 40.33 | 4.67 | 45.00 |
| 103171 | E.ON | Street Lighting Power | 156.37 | 7.82 | 164.19 |
| 103172 | A&J Lighting | Monthly Maintenance | 99.98 | 20.00 | 119.98 |
| 103173 | Kendall Facility Mgt. | Gardening Services for October 2021 | 433.78 | 86.76 | 520.54 |
| 173174 | HMRC | PAYE (Aug-Oct) | 231.73 | - | 231.73 |
| 103175 | K Harkin | Telephone (Oct) | 9.27 | 1.85 | 11.12 |
| 103175 | K Harkin | Broadband | 20.84 | 4.16 | 25.00 |
| 103175 | K Harkin | Mileage (62 x £0.45 = £27.90) | 27.90 | - | 27.90 |
| 103175 | K Harkin | October Salary | 332.95 | - | 332.95 |
| TOTALS | 1,353.15 | 125.26 | 1,478.41 | ||