MINUTES
Minutes of a meeting of the FULL COUNCIL held on Wednesday 26th October 2022 at 7.30pm in The Mountfitchet Exchange, Crafton Green, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex
PRESENT Cllr M Caton (Chair), Cllrs J Hogg, J Hudson, P Jones, J Kavanagh,
J O’Brien, L Prior and G Sell
ATTENDING Mrs Ruth Clifford – Parish Clerk
Mrs Emma Philbrick – Deputy Clerk
Cllr G Braeckman – Via Zoom
District Cllr M Caton – Via Zoom
Cty Cllr R Gooding
1 member of the public – Via Zoom
197 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Barnes – Holiday, Cllr Braeckman – Away at University, Cllr Guney – Family illness, Cllr Richards – Holiday
Having been proposed by Cllr Sell and seconded by Cllr Jones, it was unanimously:
RESOLVED to accept the apologies from Cllrs Barnes, Braeckman, Guney and Richard
_____________PUBLIC PARTICIPATION_____________
One member of the public spoke regarding the refusal for a second dispensing pharmacy in Stansted.
____________PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDS_____________
198 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – None
199 TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE FULL COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON 5TH OCTOBER 2022
Cllr Braeckman stated that he had declared an interest under minute 152.
RESOLVED To accept the minutes of the Full Council meeting held on 5th October 2022 as a true and accurate account
200 TO RECEIVE AN UPDATE ON ACTION POINTS FROM THE LAST MEETING
158 – Meeting with Dean Hermitage not yet happened
158 – Done
158 – Done
159 – Done
159 – Done
160 – Will ask when the meeting with Dean Hermitage happens
Cllr Kavanagh commented that with regards to asking Dean Hermitage if they should approach Amherst directly, at a recent Planning Committee meeting it was asked if Amherst had contacted the Parish Council to discuss. It was agreed that the Parish Council shouldn’t ask for advice but should go ahead and contact them.
201 TO RECEIVE A REPORT FROM THE CHAIR, CLLR MAUREEN CATON
Attached
202 TO RECEIVE THE DISTRICT COUNCILLORS’ REPORT
District Cllr Sell reported the following:
Local Plan – Regulation 18 is likely to happen in Summer 2023 with a view to working towards adopting the plan in October 2025. This is a significant slip. They have a new person giving advice on the plan.
Recently a Motion of Censure has been passed with 13 votes to 12 in relation to the mishandling of the process on the Local Plan.
There is a new team on the Uttlesford Local Highways Panel (ULHP), Sarah Tomlin has taken over from Rissa Long and Daniel Maclean has taken over from Sonia Church. At the Highways Panel this week, Cllr Sell had asked as requested at the Highways Sub-Committee meeting, if the FHP S106 fund could be given to the ULHP to deal with and Daniel Maclean has agreed to investigate.
Chesterford Neighbourhood Plan is the latest to be submitted and will shortly be going to referendum.
There are various dates in November and December where free Xmas Parking will be offered in Uttlesford Car Parks. Cllr Sell will send these to the office so they can be publicised.
Cllr Prior asked why the Parish Council when consulted chose Tuesdays in November as their preferred dates? The Clerk advised that they consulted with Touchpoint and made the joint decision on when would benefit the community based on events they were holding to help families in need.
Cllr Hogg asked if there was any inquiry taking place into the failing of UDC which led to MAG being awarded substantial damages? Cllr Sell advised that he believed it was being seen as the matter had now come to a close and that people would forget about it.
District Cllr Caton reported the following:
With regards to the airport, an independent report was commissioned about went wrong and what the decision process was. The planner/legal person conducting the review had come up with suggestions on constitutional changes. The costs are actually a lot higher as the £2.1 million was just the cost of MAG’s defence but the legal costs of UDC were also high at £1.5million. They have had to raid the General Reserves by £½ million.
With regards to the King’s Coronation on 6th May which is close to the elections, if the count is due on the Friday but the Coronation is on the Saturday, then there is talk of the count being delayed until after the weekend. Group leaders are being asked to obby at national level before it gets too complicated.
Next month there is a workshop for members regarding the District Council’s financial year forecast and the organisational changes proposed.
Cllr Jones commented that if Essex County Council refuse again for the S106 money to be used on the footpath along Church Road then they need to be thinking about what else the money can be used for. One idea might be to do lay-bys on Foresthall Park.
203 TO RECEIVE THE COUNTY COUNCILLOR’S REPORT
Cty Cllr Gooding reported the following:
Essex have been appointed to oversee Thurrock and the difficulties they have got into. They have borrowed over £1billion from other authorities. A recent article in The Local Government Chronicle had two interesting paragraphs in, one regarding Thurrock and one about UDC. It states that UDC are almost in the same state and avoided intervention by Government by the skin of their teeth and that they have a larger return than Thurrock which is very worrying. Cllr Caton commented that the return on borrowing has also been reduced! Cllr Sell added that he has requested a meeting of the Investment Board. However, a recent review seems to indicate that UDC’s assets and valuations are looking good.
The ULHP met this week and since the question regarding S106 funds was put forward by Cllr Sell he has been looking into it. The money will go into public funding so they will need to ensure it is ringfenced. If it does happen, then there is a good chance the Church Road footpath improvements will go ahead.
Community Fund – He has less this year to allocate personally, £5,000 rather than last year’s £10,000. However, the other £5,000 will be added to that of the other three district County Councillors to make a total of £20,000 to be spent on projects that they all agree. It has been decided that they will hold events in secondary schools to promote career and employment opportunities with the police, army, fire etc. The £5,000 has to be spent locally so he is also in talks with Paul Chambers, Touchpoint, about some plans they have in the pipeline. This is also relevant as Touchpoint are also branching out to other surrounding villages and not just Stansted.
204 FINANCE
a) TO APPROVE THE LIST OF PAYMENTS – Approved
Cllr Prior repeated her previous comments about multiple purchases from Amazon. The Clerk reiterated that the office try to order multiple items in one go, but the billing for each item has to be shown individually to match the entries on the bank account.
b) TO RECEIVE THE SUMMARY INCOME & EXPENDITURE STATEMENT TO 30TH SEPTEMBER 2022
This was tabled at the meeting.
Cllr O’Brien advised that they were so far on track but there had been a few unplanned costs such as the Air Source Heat Pump going wrong and now the immersion heater.
Cllr Prior asked Cllr O’Brien to talk through the Windmill expenditure. The Clerk advised that the Council had agreed to underwrite the costs of the Fete this year but it had gone ahead and been successful. Each year, the Council meets the revenue costs of the Mill, but these are repaid by The Millers after the year end. Any other funds received from The Millers go into the Windmill account reserve.
c) TO NOTE THE VAT RETURN TO 30TH SEPTEMBER 2022
The Clerk advised that this had been submitted and the repayment already been received
d) TO REMIND MEMBERS THAT THE NEW BUDGET PREPARATION CYCLE IS NOW UNDERWAY
Cllr Caton reiterated that any suggestion of urgent or one-off projects needed to be voiced as soon as possible. Cllr O’Brien added that there were difficult times ahead.
205 PLANNING APPLICATIONS
1 UTT/22/2664/HHF – 29 RAINSFORD ROAD
Single storey side extension
No comment
2 UTT/22/2746/FUL – LAND AT THE STABLES, MAY WALK, STANSTED
Erection of a single storey garage block for plots 2,2a,7 and 8
No objection on the condition that they stay as garages in perpetuity
3 UTT/22/2775/HHF – THE COTTAGE, HIGH LANE
Two storey rear extension and new front door with a lean too roof canopy
No objection but the materials to be used have not been stated. We would request that materials should be in keeping with existing materials and neighbouring properties.
206 TO NOTE THE RESIGNATION OF MOLLY CLARK AS CO-TRUSTEE OF THE WINDMILL AND TO CONSIDER APPOINTMENT OF HER REPLACEMENT
The Clerk advised that Molly Clark had taken advice from her family that she was doing too much and had sadly come to the conclusion that she would have to resign. The Millers have suggested someone they believed was suitable and also asked if this position should be done by more than one person? The person they believe suitable has written to the office to advise he is happy to take up the role. The Clerk advised that this person had lived in the village for years, been a Miller for a long time, always helps out with the fetes and goes to all the meetings.
Cllr Sell asked if they could be told the name of the person and after agreement, the Clerk confirmed it was Mr Jeff Bowie.
Having been proposed by Cllr Jones and seconded by Cllr Kavanagh, it was unanimously:
RESOLVED To offer the position to Mr Bowie but to stay with one co-Trustee
Cllr Sell asked that Molly Clark be thanked for her years of service as co-Trustee.
207 EMERGENCY PLANNING SUB-COMMITTEE
- a) TO CONSIDER THE APPOINTMENT OF CLLR JONES TO THE SUB-COMMITTEE
Having been proposed by Cllr O’Brien and seconded by Cllr Hogg, it was unanimously:
RESOLVED To appoint Cllr Jones onto the Emergency Planning Sub-Committee
- b) TO NOTE THE RESIGNATION OF CLLR KHAN AS CHAIR AND TO CONSIDER THE APPOINTMENT OF HIS REPLACEMENT
Cllr Caton advised that Cllr Jones had agreed he would take on this position as no other councillors had come forward to do so.
Having been proposed by Cllr O’Brien and seconded by Cllr Sell, it was unanimously:
RESOLVED To appoint Cllr Jones as Chair of the Emergency Planning Sub-Committee
208 OPEN SPACES COMMITTEE – TO RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE MEETINGS HELD ON 7TH SEPTEMBER AND 12TH OCTOBER 2022
The minutes of the Open Spaces Committee meetings on 7th September and 12th October were received.
209 PERSONNEL SUB-COMMITTEE – TO RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 13TH OCTOBER 2022
Cllr Caton advised that this item would be deferred until the next meeting as more research into the issue was needed.
210 F&GP COMMITTEE – TO RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 19TH OCTOBER 2022
Cllr Caton advised that this item would be deferred until the next meeting as more research into the issue was needed.
211 HIGHWAYS SUB-COMMITTEE – TO RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 19TH OCTOBER 2022
The minutes of the Highways Sub-Committee on 19th October 2022 were received.
Meeting closed at 8.34pm
ACTION POINTS
200 Office to contact Amhurst directly
206 Thank Molly Clark for her years of service as Co-Trustee
209 Defer until the next meeting
210 Defer until the next meeting
REPORTS
Chair Report – Maureen Caton
MAG have accepted the offer from UDC of £2.1m in relation to the cost penalty arising from the planning appeal. The money is said to be payable from their general as well as the earmarked reserves in the budget.
Cllrs Kavanagh and Jones, as well as myself, contributed (last weekend) to the work being undertaken on the Uttlesford Design Code – which will look to promote good design principles in any new development- and consideration for the impact on existing buildings – we await the final outcome.
Our Neighbourhood Development Plan is with our Communications Officer to insert the photographic images that support the text, along with the development of the general layout before we submit to UDC.
The Climate Change Group is now established, with many local parishioners actively supporting the work of the The Climate Change Grant Scheme (in total approximately £300,000) with a maximum award allocation of £35,000 – has now been approved by Cabinet at UDC- and is open for bids. Cllr O’Brien is already working on this in relation to transferring our current street lights to LED to create a reduction in cost by 60 %.
I remind all the Chairs of committees that in the current fiscal crisis we need to be aware of any future impact on the Precept – and that internal scrutiny will be robust. One off projects that are considered urgent and necessary will need to be put forward for costing and consideration now.
We do need to consider how we will, as a community mark the Coronation of King Charles III. We have had suggestions from some members of the community that we should upgrade to the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation bench – with an additional plaque for King Charles. Quotes are still awaited to make sound and to upgrade the structure.
Thank you to the Flood Wardens who have been keeping an eye on the water flow and clearing the brook to prevent flooding, in response to the recent weather conditions.
For information – Spangles Children’s Centre and the Youth Club are now planned to move to the Peter Kirk site early next year.
Remembrance Sunday November 13th – Cllrs please be at Crafton Green meeting point by 10.30 am. We need volunteers to assist with the road closure on Chapel Hill, the collection for the Royal British Legion and to assist Fran with refreshments in the Church Hall.
Finally, we understand and are hopeful that Cllr Lee Scott will attend the Full Council meeting on November 16th. We will keep the agenda to the minimum of additional items to allow the focus on Highways issues. We are aiming to hold the meeting next door – where Touchpoint host their activities. CHAIR REPORT ENDS
AGENDA
NOTICE OF MEETING You are summoned to attend a meeting of the FULL COUNCIL which will be held on Wednesday 26th October 2022 at 7.30pm in The Mountfitchet Exchange, Crafton Green, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted, Essex where the following business will be transacted:
1 To receive and approve apologies for absence
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Adjourn for public participation
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2 To receive declarations of interest
3 To approve the minutes of the Full Council meeting held on 5th October 2022
4 To receive an update on action points from the last meeting
5 To receive a report from the Chair, Cllr Maureen Caton
6 To receive the District Councillors’ Report
7 To receive the County Councillor’s Report
8 Finance
- a) To approve the list of payments – To be tabled
- b) To receive the summary Income & Expenditure statement to 30th Sept 2022
- c) To note the VAT return to 30th September 2022
- d) To remind members that the new budget preparation cycle is now underway
9 To consider the list of planning applications received– see attached
10 To note the resignation of Molly Clark as Co-Trustee of the Windmill and to consider appointment of her replacement.
11 Emergency Planning Sub-Committee
- a) To consider the appointment of Cllr Jones to the Sub-Committee
- b) To note the resignation of Cllr Khan as Chair and to consider the appointment of his replacement.
12 Open Spaces Committee – To receive the minutes of the meetings held on 7th September and 12th October 2022
13 Personnel Sub-Committee – To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 13th October 2022
14 F&GP Committee – To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 19th October 2022
15 Highways Sub-Committee – To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 19th October 2022
Ruth Clifford, Parish Clerk – 20 October 2022