Minutes of the Annual Meeting of Denby Dale Parish Council held on Tuesday 6 May 2007 in the Civic Chamber, Council Offices, Skelmanthorpe
Members Present: Chair before election - Cllr G Turner
Chair after election - Cllr E I Shaw
Cllrs C Barnfield, J E Birdsall, J C Birdsall, R Brook, A Stimson, K Thursby, K Waites, N Wilson
544 Election of Chair
It was RESOLVED that Cllr Shaw be, and is hereby duly appointed, Chair of the Parish Council until the next Annual Council Meeting. The declaration of acceptance was duly signed.
545 Presentation to Retiring Chair
Cllr Turner was presented with a memento of his term of office and Cllr Shaw thanked the outgoing Chair for his conduct of the meetings during the past civic year.
546 Election of Vice Chair
It was RESOLVED that Cllr N Wilson be, and is hereby duly appointed, Vice Chair of the Council until the next Annual Council Meeting.
547 Declaration of Councillors’ Interests
No interests were declared.
548 Apologies for Absence
Reasons for absence from the meeting were submitted from Cllrs M Barlow, J A Barlow, A Heaton, D Kaye, M Mills, C Rimmer T Sigsworth, S Simpson and A Tribe. It was RESOLVED that reasons for absence submitted by all the above Councillors be accepted as valid reasons.
549 Appointment of Plans Scrutiny Committee and Election of Chair and Vice-Chair
a) It was RESOLVED that the Plans Scrutiny Committee shall meet on such occasions as the Chair deems appropriate to discuss matters appertaining to the future development of the district with plenary powers to act in an emergency and that the Committee shall comprise the following members to hold office until the next Annual Council Meeting:
Cllr E Shaw – ex officio Cllr T Sigsworth
Cllr N Wilson - ex officio Cllr S Simpson
Cllr C Barnfield Cllr A Stimson
Cllr A Heaton Cllr K Thursby
Cllr D Kaye Cllr K Waites
b) Election of Chair: It was RESOLVED that Cllr T Sigsworth be, and is hereby appointed, Chair of the Plans Scrutiny Committee until the next Annual Council Meeting.
c) Election of Vice-Chair: It was RESOLVED that Cllr K Thursby be, and is hereby appointed, Vice-Chair of the Plans Scrutiny Committee until the next Annual Council Meeting.
550 Appointment of Finance & General Purposes Committee and Election of Chair and Vice-Chair
a) It was RESOLVED that the Finance and General Purposes Committee shall meet on such occasions as the Chair deems appropriate to discuss matters involving expenditure and such matters as the Council shall from time to time determine and that the Committee shall comprise the following members to hold office until the next Annual Council Meeting:
Cllr E Shaw – ex officio Cllr R Brook
Cllr N Wilson - ex officio Cllr M Mills
Cllr J A Barlow Cllr C Rimmer
Cllr M Barlow Cllr A Tribe
Cllr J C Birdsall Cllr G Turner
Cllr J E Birdsall
b) Election of Chair: It was RESOLVED that Cllr J A Barlow be, and is hereby appointed, Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee until the next Annual Council Meeting.
c) Election of Vice- Chair: It was RESOLVED that Cllr M Mills be, and is hereby appointed, Chair of the Finance and General Purposes Committee until the next Annual Council Meeting.
551 Appointment of Staffing Committee
It was RESOLVED that the Staffing Committee should meet on such occasions as the Chair deems appropriate to discuss employment matters and that the Committee shall comprise the Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Council and the Finance and General Purposes Committee. The following members will therefore serve on the Staffing Committee until the next Annual Council Meeting: Cllr E Shaw, Cllr N Wilson, Cllr J A Barlow and Cllr M Mills.
552 Appointment of Representatives to the Denby Dale Parish Environment Trust
It was RESOLVED that Cllr Tribe be appointed to serve as the Parish Council’s representative on the Executive Committee of the Environment Trust and that Cllr Turner be appointed as the Parish Council’s ordinary representative on the Environment Trust.
553 Appointment of Representatives to the Steering Group of the Denby Dale Parish Countryside Project
It was RESOLVED that Cllrs Turner and Wilson be appointed to serve as the Parish Council’s representatives on the Steering Group of the Denby Dale Parish Countryside Project.
554 Appointment of Representatives to the Denby Dale Parish Accident Prevention Committee
It was RESOLVED that Cllrs J C Birdsall, J E Birdsall and S Simpson be appointed to serve on the Denby Dale Parish Accident Prevention Committee. It was RESOLVED that the remaining vacancy be placed as an item on the agenda of the June Council Meeting.
555 Appointment of Voting Representatives to the Yorkshire Local Councils Associations
It was RESOLVED that Cllrs Shaw and J C Birdsall be appointed as representatives to the Yorkshire Local Councils Associations.
556 Public Rights of Way Forum
It was RESOLVED that Cllr A Stimson be appointed as representative to the Public Rights of Way Forum.
557 Historic Buildings Trust
In the absence of a volunteer from the meeting, it was RESOLVED that the vacancy be placed as an item on the agenda of the June Council Meeting.
558 Rural Transport Partnership
It was RESOLVED that Cllrs Shaw and Waites be appointed as representatives to the Rural Transport Partnership.
559 Clayton West Millennium Green Trust
The Clerk reported that Ronnie Mottram had indicated that, due to health reasons, he was not in a position to represent the Council on the Trust this year and In the absence of a volunteer from the meeting, it was RESOLVED that the vacancy be placed as an item on the agenda of the June Council Meeting. It was also RESOLVED that Mr Mottram be thanked for his hard work on behalf of the Council on the Trust.
560 Appointment of Representative to the Denby Dale Centre
It was RESOLVED that Cllr Brook be appointed as representative to the Denby Dale Centre.
561 Appointment of Representatives to the Denby Dale Area Committee
It was RESOLVED that the following six councillors be appointed as representatives of the Parish Council on the Area Committee:
Clayton West: Cllr C Barnfield
Denby & Cumberworth: Cllr M Barlow, Cllr R Brook and Cllr K Thursby
Emley: Cllr M Mills
Skelmanthorpe: Cllr K Waites
562 Subscriptions
It was RESOLVED that subscriptions be paid during the current civic year when due, to the following organisations and/or periodicals: Yorkshire Rural Community Council; Council for the Protection of Rural England; Society of Local Council Clerks, Open Spaces, Penistone Line Partnership, Local Council Update, and Local Council Review.
563 Minutes of the Council Meeting held on 1 April 2008
It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 1 April 2008 be signed by the Chair as a correct record.
564 Minutes of the Plans Scrutiny Committee Meeting 29 April 2008
It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the Plans Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 29 April 2008 be confirmed as a correct record and, in the Chair’s absence, be signed by the Vice Chair of the Committee.
565 Annual Report of the Council 2007-2008
The Clerk submitted the 2007-2008 Annual Report of the Council. It was RESOLVED that the report be approved.
566 Annual Accounts of the Council 2007-2008
The Clerk submitted the 2006-20007 Annual Accounts of the Council. It was RESOLVED that the accounts be approved.
567 Annual Return 2007-2008
It was RESOLVED that the Annual Governance Statement be completed and that the Chair of Council and the Clerk be authorised to sign the appropriate sections of the Annual Return for submission to the external auditor.
568 Active Road Signs
The Clerk reported that Kirklees Council had previously advised the Parish Council that it was to review the A636 near the Woodman Public House as a possible site for active road signs. She had now contacted Kirklees Council for a progress report and had been advised that it is looking at where potential new safety camera sites may be justified and other significant casualty reduction benefits through analysing accident data and speed surveys. The next step will be to review existing sites, including the A636. It is anticipated that a view will be taken in the summer. It was RESOLVED that the Clerk ask Kirklees Council to specify the timetable for the work to be done.
569 Co-option of Councillor
It was RESOLVED that Robert Allen be co-opted to take up the vacant position as member for the Skelmanthorpe Ward.
570 Crigglestone Railway Station
The Clerk reported that the meeting with Crigglestone Parish Council is to be held at 7pm on 27 May 2008 at the Crigglestone Village Institute. It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.
572 Land to the Rear of Skelmanthorpe Co-op
The Clerk reported that she had investigated the ownership of the land behind the Coop Store on Commercial Road. Kirklees Council has confirmed that it does not own the land and there is no information to indicate who the owner is. It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.
573 Funding of Youth Projects
The Clerk reported that she had written to Steven Mallinson of the Clayton West Youth and Community Association to ascertain whether the £7,500 allocated by the Parish Council had been spent and to remind him of the original condition of the grant which was that if the project should not go ahead, then the money should be returned to the parish council. Mr Mallinson advised that the money is still held in the Association’s bank account. He also confirmed that Kirklees Council had secured lottery funding for a MUGA in Clayton West. It was RESOLVED that the matter needed to be discussed further and that a small group of councillors should meet at 6.45pm before the Plans Scrutiny Committee meeting on 20 May 2008 to discuss how to proceed.
574 Broadband Coverage
The Clerk reported that she had tried to report the broadband problems experienced by local residents to BT but that the response had been inadequate. It was RESOLVED that local residents be invited through the website and a press release to contact the council with information about Broadband problems and that the information be collated and submitted to Ofcom and BT HQ.
575 Request for Removal of Bus Stop on Commercial Road
The Clerk submitted correspondence from Metro advising that a request had been received from Direct Telecom to remove the bus stop No. 450 28278 on Commercial Road in Skelmanthorpe. Metro had rejected the request but was interested in receiving the comments of the Parish Council. It was RESOLVED that Metro’s response be supported and the request rejected.
576 Community Paramedic Scheme, Skelmanthorpe
The Clerk reported that the PCT had confirmed that it would continue to fund the paramedic scheme up to 31 March 2009. It was RESOLVED that the report be welcomed.
577 Major Planning Application
The Clerk submitted Planning Application No 2008/62/90797 from Fortis Homes & Somerfield for the erection of a food store with 14 apartments over at 108-112 Wakefield Road, Scissett. Cllr Barnfield also circulated a summary of the application. It was RESOLVED that the Council advise Kirklees Council that it has no objections to the application.
578 Review of YLCA Branch System
The Clerk submitted a draft response to the YLCA review of its branch system. It was RESOLVED that the response be submitted to the YLCA on behalf of the Council.
579 RDPE Funding
Cllr Thursby reported that the Local Initiative Group had now been formed with 2 representatives from both Denby Dale and Kirkburton Parish Councils and good support from local voluntary and business organisations. A total of £100,000 per year will be available for the two parishes and it us likely to be for a period of 7 years. It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.
580 Working Parking on Public Transport
It was reported that the Stagecoach Waterloo operation has now been taken over by Centrebus of Leicester which is in fact 40% owned by Arriva. The Manager of the Waterloo Depot is to meet with members of the Working Party. Two further developments were highlighted:
a) It was reported that the hourly service to Barnsley would be reinstated from July on a six-month trial basis. It was RESOLVED that the Clerk write to Metro with a copy to Cllr Ward welcoming this news but asking that the buses follow as direct a route as possible from Clayton West to Barnsley via the hospital.
b) It was reported that the Clerk had obtained copies of the new 435/436 bus timetable and that members of the Working Party were undertaking to distribute them as widely as possible. However, it was pointed out that some amendments to the timetable were necessary to rectify the problems caused by the original changes. It was RESOLVED, therefore, that Arriva be asked to reinstate the 06.40am bus from Denby Dale via Skelmanthorpe to Wakefield to enable people to get to work, and that the service up Chapel Hill having been reinstated from Monday to Friday, should be extended to the weekend.
581 Reports of Meetings
a) Area Committee Meeting 24 April 2008
Cllr Barnfield presented a report of the meeting. It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.
b) Public Rights of Way Forum 10 April 2008
Cllr Stimson reported that he had attended the meeting, but learned when he arrived at the building for the meeting that it had been cancelled. It was RESOLVED that the Clerk write to Kirklees Council to seek an explanation for the failure to advise Cllr Stimson in advance of the cancellation.
582 Website
The Clerk reported that because of technical reasons it had not been possible to produce a report on website usage for the month of April 2008. It was RESOLVED that the report be noted.
583 Finance Matters
It was RESOLVED that orders for payment on schedule No. 472 totalling £93,253.68 be authorised.
584 June Council Meeting
The Clerk reported that she had invited Cllr David Hall of Kirklees Council to address the council on Kirklees plans to invest £500,000 in transport in rural areas. In addition, a member requested an update on the parking problems at Shelley College.
585 Dates of next meetings
Plans Scrutiny Committee at 7.30pm on 20 May 2008
Council Meeting at 7pm on 3 June 2008
Finance & General Purposes Committee at 7.30pm on 17 June 2008
Signed………………………………………
CHAIR