ILAM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
16 January 2018 @ 8:00 pm Ilam School
Present - C Sellers, S Hudson, L Oulsnam, R Wain, K Warrington, , E Wain (SMDC), A Johnson (NT), P Watson (Clerk)
Apologies - V Nottage , C Hibbert-Foy, NT
Minutes
● Minutes of the meeting held on 14 November were read and signed as true and correct.
Parking
● After discussion, the Council decided to install posts, rather than boulders, in the areas opposite Town End Cottage. The Council will decide later whether to put a hedge or a bank with shrubs behind the posts. T Prince has offered to procure the posts and postcrete at a cost of around £180 and to install them at no charge. S Hudson, R Wain and P Watson offered to help with the installation.
● The resident of Town End Cottage, C Jones, has confirmed that she will not object to the proposed parking restrictions and indicated that she plans eventually to have her own drive. Meanwhile NT has confirmed that her house guests may park in the Croft on request as necessary.
National Trust
● The Parish Council will advise the school to ask NT for a reduction in rent of the two small areas of land they use.
● The planning application for increasing the public car park is now expected to be submitted in February. NT asked for a letter of support from the Council – the Clerk will contact them about it.
● The new fibre optic cable between the office and the tea room is due to be installed on 08 March. The road just above the school will need to be closed for this. A new high-speed broadband link is to be installed between Thorpe and the NT office. Villagers who would like to be connected to this should register their interest with BT.
● PC members have met NT to start developing ideas for the Heritage Lottery Fund Project.
Defibrillator
● E Wain is helping the Council to secure funding for a new heating plate.
Highways
● Highways Department have placed a request regarding warning signs for Ilam Bridge onto Count Councillor Heath’s programme. The Clerk will invite her to the next PC meeting to discuss this and progress regarding parking restrictions.
● The Clerk has asked for the blocked drains to be cleared. He has also reported the flooding of Warrington’s garage inspection pits and the floods behind The Cottage that are coming from the drain near 4 Orchard View. NT advise that Highways Department are to bring a camera investigate drains flooding in the Croft so Clerk will ask if they can also investigate this problem.
● The Church Path, designated as Ilam footpath No. 22, was in a very bad state again but has been patched somewhat by Ian and Robert Smith. When it is very bad again the Clerk will photograph it and report it to the County Council.
Staffordshire Parish Councils Association
● SPCA advise that all Councils will be required to appoint a Data Protection Officer. This could cost between £300 and £500 p.a. However, SPCA and the County Council are investigating ways of providing a much cheaper service for Councils like Ilam who keep no personal records at all.
Finance
● There is £988 in the account. Expenditure of £311 is expected in the rest of the financial year to 31 March 2018, which would leave a balance of £677 at the year end.
● The budget for next year is £960 assuming a provision of £100 for data protection officer and £200 for the posts opposite Town End Cottage.
● The Council would like to maintain the balance of around £700 for contingencies, such as election expenses but are unwilling to place extra tax burden on parishioners by increasing the precept. They therefore decided to ask for a precept of £800, as last year, and to contribute themselves to cover the cost of the posts opposite Town End Cottage.
Date of next meeting 13 March