Essington Parish Council
Draft Minutes
Full Council Meeting held on Monday 24th January 2022 @ 7pm in the Council Chamber at Essington Community Centre

Closed Session
Exclusion of Press and Public: to exclude the Press and Public during
consideration of the item set out in Agenda item number 20, on the grounds
that it may involve the disclosure of exempt information as set out in
Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12(A) to the Local Government Act, 1972.

Present: Councillors Chris Steel, Hilary Southern, Winston Haddon, Gill Kelly, Adrian Nicklin, Thelma Mattison, Louize Jackson, James Parker, Susan Sheldon.

Also Present:
Clerk: Louise Tipler
RFO: Kate Roberts

Public Participation 15 minutes- no members of the public were present.
Agenda
1. Apologies- Councillor Porter
2. Declarations of Interest- None
3. Minutes of the meeting held on the 13TH of December 2021- Proposed by Adrian, Seconded by Hilary- All in Favour
4. Matters arising from previous minutes- None
5. District Councillors Report- Nothing to report
6. Correspondence – Correspondence has been received from the drainage company following the recent issues, the drains need blasting clear before a camera can investigate the ongoing blockages. Council were informed that the yearly CC Boiler Services PAT Testing and Legionella are due for renewal.
7. Financial Matters
7.1 Schedule of Payments- to be tabled at the meeting<a
7.2 Bank Balance as of 31st December- £180,226.31
7.3 Bank Reconcili
7.4 Budget discussion 22/23 Councillors discussed the Budget forecast report, members deferred, a meeting is to be arranged to set the budget.

7.5 Precept discussion- Following a lengthy discussion it was resolved that the Precept for 22/23 is to be lowered from the previous forecast of £175k to a reduced rate of £140k. Proposed by Adrian, Seconded by Hilary- All in favour.
7.6 Bank Signatory- Resolved that the RFO is added to the Councils bank mandate as a signatory.
7.7 Ratify cost of £3,300.00 New Boiler- Ante Room to be carried out by SWR Proposed by Chris, Seconded by Gill- All in Favour.
7.8 Ratify cost of £6,145.00 ECC Re-decoration to be carried out by EHG. Proposed by Gill, Seconded by Louize- All in Favour
7.9 Ratify Shared Contribution to Gerald Kells Report Lower Penn Parish Council of £450.00. Proposed by Chris, Seconded by Hilary- All in Favour
7.10 Ratify Spend Gerald Kells Report £937.50

8 FRA – There are some improvements that need to addressed the Clerk to liaise with Maintenance.
9 Asbestos Survey- A Survey was carried out in 2016 nothing has changed however, check insurance cover for details.
10. Highways- Update- Date for meeting to be arranged Considered urgent Clerk to follow up
11. Local Plan-Update- EPC submitted their objection by way of an independent assessment, nothing further has been reported and no responses from district to date.
12. EPC Website. Discussed that some of the website information is out of date it was resolved that Adrian compiles a list of known members of groups etc who no longer operate and any other information which has not been bought to the attention of the clerk.
13. Tree maintenance and Liabilities- Councillors agreed to £3000.00 in the budget for Tree Maintenance
14. Millennium Stone/ Miners Memorial- Several attempts have been made to gain permission from County Council to remove overgrowth masking the millennium stone however, no clear instruction has been received. Council made the decision to ask our grounds maintenance to remove the bushes and dispose of. Adrian will inform County and Contact the grounds maintenance company.
15. Climate change- small steps are being made firstly to replace all the bulbs in the community centre to low energy. Council will consider all options as they arise including monitoring gas and electrical suppliers. Item to Stay on the Agenda.
16. Dog Waste Signs- The clerk to write to County Council reference complaints from residents regarding dog waste and the lack of bins provided, particularly in Hawthorne Road and Hill Street.
17. Set Dates for forthcoming meetings. Full Council, HR, Maintenance. A full list will be available on the website and notice boards.
18. Locality Representative. Chris Steel is currently a member and attends the meetings regularly.
19. Essington Show 2022- Essington Show has been set for Saturday the 28th May 2022. It was mentioned that in previous years the Parish Council have contributed to the event. Councillors discussed and resolved a £500 Donation to be made payable to Essington Show by bank transfer. Proposed by James, Seconded by Louize, All- in Favour.
19a Pools Lease- Chris Steel has been following up a letter received from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs regarding nitrate pollution regulations, further discussions are necessary with County Council. Item to Stay on the Agenda.
20. HR Matters- Closed Session- Councillors were informed that the matter is now resolved and closed off from further discussion.
21. Date of the next Meeting- 21ST February 2022
22. Closure -9pm
Adrian Nicklin left the chamber at 8.36 pm and returned at 8.38 pm.
James Parker left the meeting at 8.37pm due to personal reasons.
Signed By Louise Tipler
Clerk 19th January 2021.