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- Councillor Mrs M. Gilbert (Chair)
- Councillor Mrs S. Wheatley
- Councillor K. Rigby
- Councillor K. Harrison
- Councillor Mrs E. Harrison
- Councillor S. Pepper
- Councillor D. Pringle (Broxtowe Borough Council)
Clerk
Mrs S.M. Bircumshaw
104/23 Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor D. Keating, Councillor Mrs S. Keating, Councillor Ms L. Hopkin, Councillor J. Wilton, Councillor D. Mason, Councillor Mrs L. Ball (Broxtowe Borough Council) and Councillor J. McGrath (Nottinghamshire County Council).
105/23 Declaration of Interest
There were no Declarations of Interest made.
106/23 Minutes of the last meeting
Following the deletion of the last paragraph in item 96/23 County Councillor’s Report, the Minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2023 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.
107/23 Public participation
There were no members of the public present.
108/23 Police report
There was no Police Report
109/23 County Councillor’s report
There was no County Councillor’s Report
110/23 Borough Councillor’s report
Councillor Mrs Gilbert put forward a few questions to Councillor Pringle.
Philip Wood – Tree Warden at Broxtowe was contacted following the last meeting regarding the TPO (Tree Protection Order) maps which are currently not up-to-date. Some trees have gone and there are quite a few beautiful trees which could potentially be added to the TPOs. We would like him to come and have a look to see if these trees can be included in the TPOs. To-date we have not received a reply. Councillor Pringle will look into this.
Cllr Pringle will look into this
Regarding the verge situation on Awsworth Lane – has the resident been spoken to about the re-instatement of the verge? It is thought that this might have been sorted as the grass is growing again – but towards the driveway the mud is very compacted. Councillor Pringle will ask the Compliance people to look into it.
Cllr Pringle to ask Compliance to look into this
We have been trying to contact Chris Riley regarding the open sluice across the canal and also about the recent report on the Water Vole Survey. We have asked for a copy of the report to compare the figures as Councillor Ms Hopkin was part of the survey taken 10 years ago. We have had no response to-date on either request.
Cllr Pringle will look into these
The missing handrail on the footbridge on FP35 does not come under Helen Spencer’s jurisdiction so it has been passed over to Lee Scudder of Greenspaces to see if he can offer any help. Councillor McGrath has looked into the ownership of the land and it seems to be under private ownership so we would need to do a land search. We will leave that for the moment to see if Lee is able to sort it. One of the lamp posts on Church Lane has had a bad knock. Contact County Council regarding this.
Contact NCC
Councillor Pringle was asked if he could approach Trowell Parish Council to see if they would like to go halves on a gateway sign between the two villages. Councillor Pringle reported that he has raised the question in the past and Trowell were not interested.
Issues with Cossall are vehicles speeding through the village; Councillor Pringle has mentioned this at Broxtowe full council.
With regards to the small car park in Cossall, Councillor Pringle has been advised that the bins are being emptied every morning and the rubbish taken from them is being analysed for evidence of gas abuse.
8.00pm Standing Orders commenced
111/23 Items for discussion
a) Church matters
The poppy wreaths have been delivered for Remembrance Sunday on 12th November. Councillor Mrs Wheatley will place one of the wreaths and Councillor Pepper will place the other.
b) 80th anniversary of D-Day landings 06/06/24
Ideas were discussed as to how to commemorate this date. It was thought that it will not really be noticed as it is not a landmark date, the usual ones being 50 years/75 years/100 years. It was suggested that we could lay a flower wreath in the shape of 80 on the World War Memorial in the churchyard. This is an excellent idea. Another suggestion was that it be hung on the church wall or Lichgate so that it would be seen by a lot more people and that the soldier be placed by the church gate. This would be visually good for the Open Gardens too.
c) Footpaths and pavements
Letters have been sent to the two properties on Church Lane regarding the overhanging vegetation on the pavements (Parson’s Croft and Highlands). One of the hedges has been cut back.
The barrier on Mill Lane has been sorted and the footbridge has been repaired.
Councillor Mason will cut back the overgrowth around the seat at Cedar Farm gate.
We need to obtain a photo of the overhanging vegetation on Robinettes Lane as this will speed things up with Broxtowe. Councillor Mrs Gilbert can do this on Friday, Councillor Mrs Wheatley may be able to do this on Thursday. Councillor Pepper has reported the broken stile on FP9 but nothing has been done yet. What3Words for this location are – edge.taps.kicks.
Photo to be taken and problem reported
Also on FP9 at the bottom half of the second field, with the electric fence on one side, the footpath is extremely overgrown – Councillor Mrs Wheatley will take a photo and send to Cllr Mrs Gilbert with the appropriate What3Words,so that this can be reported.
Cllr Mrs Wheatley to send photo to Cllr Mrs Gilbert
d) Roads/Traffic/Bikers
Speeding through the village is becoming a problem again. It was suggested that we put in a request for chicanes. This has already been done in the past and the request was turned down. Maybe it would be worth trying again in the New Year.
e) Almshouses
The question was asked if the application will be going to Planning Committee on 8th November. Councillor Pringle reported that he had not heard anything yet.
Some statutory consultees are questioning the access being at the rear of the property. Do they not realise that there is no pavement at the front of the property, so even for pedestrian exit and entrance from the front, there would be serious safety problems?
f) Neighbourhood Plan update
All the questions have been answered and sent back to the Independent Examiner. Looks positive for it going forward to referendum.
g) RCAN
Councillor Harrison reported that there are free First Aid Courses on offer by the British Red Cross and he will enquire about dates. The subscription renewal for next year is the same price as last year. It was proposed and seconded and all were in favour that we renew. Councillor Harrison will forward the invoice to the Clerk for payment.
Cllr Harrison to forward invoice the Clerk
h) TPO’s (Tree Preservation Orders)
Still awaiting a response from Philip Wood, Tree Warden at Broxtowe regarding updating the TPOs. Councillor Mrs Wheatley reported that she and Councillor Ms Hopkin had walked Babbington Lane to the Branch and back up to the Gardeners on Saturday. There are a few Rowan trees not looking too good. Need to keep an eye on them.
i) Floral displays
Councillor Mrs Harrison reported that she has purchased 6 shrubs but the planters are still looking very nice at the moment so doesn’t want to take anything out of them yet. Some large pansies will be purchased in due course.
j) Winter Newsletter
Topics are needed for the newsletter. Suggestions so far are New Defibrillator and Bleed Control Kit, Wildflower Seeds and Avant Home Liaison meetings.
We need a further 2/3 small topics to include. The Community Fund could be mentioned, also the First Aid Courses and the Christmas Tree, if this is happening this year. The Cossall Community Chest Charity Event could also be included. Otherwise a Community Chest Christmas Events leaflet could be delivered with the newsletter.
112/23 Correspondence
There was no correspondence.
113/23 Planning applications
Councillor Harrison will attend the next Liaison meeting regarding the Avant Homes development next to Newtons Lane. Very short notice has been given of the date of the next meeting. Councillor Ms Hopkin will be asked if she is also available to attend.
The questions were raised as to what is happening with the Gardeners and the Ski Slope developments. The pub has gone to appeal by the owner and all supporters have written of their reasons for keeping the pub. Public Enquiry decision will be coming up shortly.
Standing Orders suspended – 8.58pm
Standing Orders re-instated – 9.00pm
It was reported that a lot of land had been cleared at the ski slope a while ago but it then became completely covered with buddleia – this was all stripped off last week. Machinery can be heard so some work must be being carried out. Councillors Pringle and Mrs Ball will be asked for an update.
Cllrs Pringle and Mrs Ball to be asked to update
114/23 Finance
Everyone has received a copy of the Minutes of the last Finance meeting. Councillor Rigby reported on the meeting and the recommendations made. We are in a healthy position. The MTFS shows a saving of £2,500 in Year 1 to be passed on to Year 2 and Year 3.
It is recommended that we cancel our electricity supply to the church, with EON and install our own meter to connect to the church’s electricity supply. We will then pay the church for the electricity for the floodlights and also a contribution towards the daily standing charge.
It is recommended that the Clerk receive a 6% increase in salary.
The Defibrillator and Bleed Control Kit have been purchased from Seal Calibration, who gave us a slight reduction off their original quote and who will continue to service both defibrillators.
It is recommended that the Precept be increased by 2.5%. This will now be based on last year’s suggested Precept from Broxtowe Borough Council, following the addition of the extra properties in the parish, of £13,366 plus 2.5%. Therefore the recommended Precept for 2024/2025 is £13,700.00.
These recommendations were proposed and seconded and all were in favour.
Councillor Mrs Gilbert reported that we have been advised that we should be able to have the Christmas Tree installation done before Christmas. The cost for the works to be carried out is £3,339.65 +VAT – this does not include the tree/lights etc. The work will be carried out by Nottinghamshire County Council.
It was proposed and seconded and all were in favour to go ahead with this project this year. We now need to sort out a tree and lights. Councillor Harrison will ask Awsworth Parish Council what size tree they have and Councillor Mrs Gilbert will ask Lewis Winter what size tree he has at the front of Trinity Farm to advertise Christmas tree sales. It was felt that 12ft is the maximum height we should consider. We might also need to purchase some security fencing to round the tree once it’s in position.
115/23 Accounts for payment
The following accounts were approved for payment
| Mrs S. Bircumshaw – Clerk’s Salary/Finance/Poppy WreathsPrint Cartridges & Printing | £522.52 | (£452.52/£30.00/£40.00) |
| Cossall PCC – Room Hire 3/10/23 & 17/10/23 | £52.50 | (£17.50/£35.00) |
| Mr R Heard – Website Administration | £45.00 | |
| Mr C. Gilbert – Notice Board Repair/Cleaning Church Hall | £205.00 | (£185.00 /£20.00) |
| Mr K. Harrison – Plants | £12.99 | |
| Planning with People – Final fees for N/P | £1,100.00 | |
| Seal Calibration – Defibrillator/Bleed Control Kit 1794.00 | £1,794.00 | |
| Bank Charges and Fees | £8.00 | |
| EON – Direct Debit – Church Floodlights | £104.91 | |
| TOTAL | £3,844.92 | |
| Income since 18/07/23 | ||
| Bank Interest | £34.07 | |
| TOTAL | £34.07 | |
| Balances @ Bank – September 2023 | ||
| Deposit A/C | £20,532.80 | |
| Current A/C | £617.49 | |
| TOTAL | £21,150.29 | |
| Balances @ Bank – October 2023 | ||
| Deposit A/C | £17,057.87 | |
| Current A/C | £272.57 | |
| TOTAL | £17,330.44 |
116/23 Date and time of Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Parish Council, will be held on Tuesday 21st November 2023, commencing at 7.30pm in the Church Hall.
The meeting closed at 9.25pm.