South Tarrant Valley Group Parish Council

0290
ST03/2021

MINUTES OF AN ORDINARY MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON
TUESDAY, 9th March 2021
HELD REMOTELY in accordance with the 2020 Regulations AT 7pm

Present: Councillors Cossins (Chairman), Deketelaere, Garland, Harding, Munford, Parker, Thomson and Topliss.
In attendance: 2 members of public, Clerk Mrs Huck

1. Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence from this meeting were received from Cllr Beale, Cllr Eaton, Cllr Sweetland and Cllr Brown. Council were advised of the reason for absences.

2. Declarations of interest not previously disclosed and to grant any dispensations as requested
No declarations of interest and no dispensations requested. .

3. Minutes of the meeting held on 12th January 2021
It was highlighted the year shown was incorrect and so with this amendment, it was:
RESOLVED the minutes of the January meeting were approved for signing by the Chairman at a future date when lockdown restrictions allowed.

4. Report from the County Councillor
The Council noted the County Councillor’s apologies for this meeting. The Clerk confirmed Cllr Brown had been advised of the situation surrounding the Ashley Wood Park development.

5. Open discussion of up to 10 minutes
(Resolution: to suspend SO 3f from 30 minutes to 10 minutes to reduce online meeting length)
The management of Anne Biddlecombe Hall (Mr and Mrs Norris) advised elections will take place in the main room to allow for social distancing. The Clerk confirmed these elections would be for any by-elections in the Ward and the Police and Crime Commissioner. The next parish council elections are due in 2024.

6. Planning
(a) 2/2020/1292/CPE – Church House Valley Road Tarrant Keyneston – granted
(b) P/FUL/2020/00224 – Tarrant Crawford sewage works – undecided though seen as necessary to comply with environmental requirements.
(c) Ashley Wood Residential Park – building development (January 2021 meeting min 6 refers). No further update from Dorset Council Planning Enforcement Team available at the time of the meeting and Cllr Brown had been advised of the situation.

7. Financial statement for January-Febuary and approval of cheques for payment
The Clerk had previously emailed the financial statement showing full details of income and expenditure set against budget, together with a bank reconciliation. It was:
RESOLVED (a) the January-February statement be approved and signed; (b) the cheques shown in the schedule be approved and signed; (c) a grant of £150 be made to Dorset Citizens Advice as per the line in the 20\21 budget; and, (d) a grant of £100 be made to Blandford Forum Town Council to support the maintenance of the public conveniences.

8. Fingerpost directional sign – project update on Ashley Wood Golf Course corner
Cllr Harding reported the fingers had now been attached to the post, leaving the roundel and post painting to complete. The work had been completed by Normtec as unfortunately due to the lockdown, the Blandford Men’s Shed had not been able to assist.
The Chairman expressed the thanks of the Council to Cllr Harding for his many hours of work on the project which had restored and so safeguarded four fingerposts in the parish, both in terms of heritage and in provision of directional signing.

9. Highways
(a) Community Speed Watch (CSW) initiative in Tarrant Keyneston. Cllr Topliss confirmed this was progressing well, with 12 volunteers being cleared for training when restrictions ease. Sites were being decided and rotas planned. Discussion took place on operational issues and the Clerk highlighted the CSW was a community, as opposed to parish, matter.
(b) Speed Indicator Device (SID). The Clerk confirmed two sites on the B3082 had been approved and reported the possibility of a third SID site in Tarrant Keyneston though this would require a further data survey. The same device could be moved between the sites. The total costs would be approximately £5000. The Clerk reported a funding application was in progress through the Community Lottery Fund and it was:
RESOLVED the Clerk be authorised to apply to the Community Lottery Fund for a grant to progress the installation of a Speed Indicator Device on the B3082 in Tarrant Keyneston.

10. Wildflower planting – Queen’s Copse, Tarrant Keyneston
Discussion took place on possibilities around wildflower planting as part of the Council’s approach to ecologically friendly action. Cllr Munford suggested the Queen’s Copse in Tarrant Keyneston be underplanted, outlining that wildflower planting needed management to become established and appropriate planting would result in grass around 20cm in height by end of summer as opposed to higher which could be detrimental to wildflowers. Planting would need to commence in the winter months. Cllr Cossins and Cllr Munford would meet on site, possibly with Mr Graham Stanley (Dorset Council Ranger) and report back. It was AGREED this be a May agenda item.

11. Website
The Clerk reported on behalf of Cllr Beale and Cllr Thomson on options on development of webpages for each of the four villages in the parish with the opportunity for interactivity by working with ‘Village Reporters’. An email had previously been circulated to councillors giving further detail of estimated development costs of £350 and annual costs of £160. It was noted the 21\22 budget line showed £250 leaving approximately £260 to come from Reserves. It was:
RESOLVED to go ahead with the development of managed, linked webpages for the Council’s villages by extending the Parish Council’s website with the aim of supporting and building the South Tarrants community through wider sharing of information and interactivity with residents, those local to the area and to support tourism in and to the Parish.

12. Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority – Consultation of draft Community Safety Plan 2021-24
Council noted this consultation. There were no comments.

13. Asset Register review
The Clerk reported on the Asset review which had been carried out in February and the details emailed to councillors ahead of the meeting. Cllr Eaton had confirmed by email that inspections of the defibrillator continued. The following kindly volunteered to make repairs to assets as follow:
Wooden bench, Tarrant Rushton – Cllr Harding – replace broken slat
War Memorial Handrail – Cllr Thomson – repaint
Bus shelter, Tarrant Keyneston – Cllr Thomson, Cllr Garland, Cllr Cossins + member of public – remove overgrowing vegetation.

14. Census 21 – support for completion
Council noted each household would receive a hard copy letter with instructions for completing the census online and a helpline phone number if a paper copy or online help was required.

15. Annual Parish Meeting
Council considered options for both the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual Council Meeting. It was:
RESOLVED the Annual Council Meeting be held remotely on 11th May (unless the Regulations prohibited this) and proposed the Annual Parish Meeting take place in the Anne Biddlecombe Hall in September 2021.

16. To decide items for next agenda
Community Speedwatch
Speed Indicator Device
Fingerpost project
Ashley Wood – planning
Wildflower planting – Queen’s Copse
Website development
Tarrant Rushton Airfield – Memorial parking and access

17. Next Meeting Date
This was confirmed as 11th May 2021 (Annual Council Meeting followed by an Ordinary Meeting), 13th July, 14th September (Ordinary Meeting and Parish Meeting) and 9th November.

Signed ……………………………….(Chairman) Date …………………………………….