THOSE PRESENT:- The Chairman, Cllrs. Cope, Foster, Hulme and Williams. Also present were 5 parishioners.
| Position | Person elected | Proposed by | Seconded by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Cllr. G. Cope | Cllr. G. Foster | Cllr. E. Hulme |
| Vice Chairman | Cllr. G. Foster | Cllr. E. Hulme | Cllr. D. Mounteney |
| Public Hall Committee | Cllr. G. Cope | Cllr. Williams | Cllr. D. Mounteney |
| Burial Board | Cllr. G. Foster | the Chairman | Cllr. J. Williams |
The Parish Council thanked Cllr. Mounteney for his work as Chairman over the past two years stating that he had achieved a great deal. The Council thanked the Clerk for her support. Proposed Cllr. J. Williams, seconded Cllr. D. Mounteney.
The Chairman then closed the Annual General Meeting and opened the Parish Council Meeting.
The Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 1st February 2010 were read and, being accepted, were signed by the Chairman.
Cllr. G. Foster reported that she had been unable to attend the Local Area Partnership meeting. Cllr. Foster agreed to continue to represent the Parish Council although she could not guarantee attendance at future L.A.P. meetings.
The Clerk reported that Hankelow Website and Newsletter had been entered in the Best Website and Newsletter competitions.
It was agreed that Val Morrey, Chair of the Amenities Group should attend the Presentation of Awards later in the year together with a group of her friends and that different representatives should attend the Presentation each year.
The Clerk reported that this year the Judges would not report on matters out of the Parish Council's control and that Cheshire Community Action, who run the Competition, had been informed of the broken handset in the phone box (which had been reported to B.T. twice) and that the former White Lion was presently closed. The Clerk was instructed to write to B.T. to ask what the Company's intentions were for the phone box if they did not intend to repair it.
Proposed Cllr. Williams seconded by the Chairman.
Cllr. Mounteney reported that he was disappointed in progress with the speed limit and as there had been changes in the appointment of officers responsible for making decisions on speed limits at Cheshire East Council, it was difficult to continue a dialogue.
Cllr. Mounteney had informed Cheshire East Council on 28th April, 2010 that almost the whole of the population of Hankelow had signed a Petition for the speed limit and that the community would be willing to help with signage and financial support, however he had not received a reply.
Cllr. Mounteney agreed to continue to represent the Parish Council in pursuit of a speed limit.
The Clerk was instructed to contact the Countryside Officer at Cheshire East Council concerning a dilapidated gate, 10 yards before the bridge over the River Weaver, which needs replacing with a stile.
Cllr. Foster reported that she had been unable to attend a recent Burial Board Meeting but that she would continue to represent the Council at such meetings.
The Clerk distributed new Declaration of Interest forms for completion by Councillors which needed to be returned to the Clerk for submission to the Monitoring Officer at Cheshire East Council.
It was proposed that the Clerk's Remuneration be increased from one and a half hours per week to three hours per week at the rate of £8.34p per hour as there had not been an increase for quite a few years and the workload had increased. Proposed Cllr. Hulme seconded Cllr. Foster.
Mr. Tony Lee, Chairman of the recently formed Hankelow Improvement Plan Committee reported on the progress of the plan, informing the Council that Cllr. Foster had attended all meetings.
An initial Cheese and Wine Event had taken place at Brookfield Golf Club in February, 2010 when residents were invited to attend to supply the Group with suggestions as to how the plan should proceed. A Committee of 8 had since been formed and a constitution agreed. The fourth meeting of the Committee is to take place at the end of May.
A Questionnaire will be delivered to every household in the village, with more than one questionnaire per household. Mr. Lee will consult with both the Parish Council and the Amenities Group concerning the Plan and will be happy to attend future Parish Council Meetings. Focus Groups will be formed and volunteers will be required to help with delivery and collection of questionnaires. The committee will invite the expertise of local residents and it will possibly take 18 months to 2 years to produce the plan. The plan will include not only people who live in the village but also people who work here.
A list of possible topics are :-
The task would then be to form a Business Plan and apply for grants with help from the Parish Council. Initially an appropriate questionnaire is to be formulated. It had been agreed as part of the Parish Plan Committee's Consititution that decisions should be made by concensus rather than majority voting.
Cllr. Mounteney had attended all Police Cluster meetings, apart from the last. The main issues brought to the meetings by Chairs of Parish Councils are road issues and vandalism.
Hankelow Parish Council may need guidance from the Police Authority concerning the use of civilian speed guns in the village and although it is not mandatory to attend Cluster Meetings, Councils are pursuaded to attend.
The Clerk was instructed to inform the Police Authority of the details of the new Parish Council Chairman.
Val Morrey, Chair of Hankelow Amenities Group gave a report of the Group's activities during the past year.
The Group had a very successful Fete in June, 2009 and were able to give £500.00 to the local Motor Neurone Disease Group and £500.00 to Audlem 1st Responders. Donations had also been given to Hankelow Chapel, Audlem St. James Primary School, Musicland from Market Drayton. A donation had been given to Steve and Chris Howes to say "Thank You" for the use of their electricity.
The Amenities Group provided refreshments for the Transport Festival in July, 2009 which raised £400.00 after expenses. A fundraising cake stall and a football game are planned for Audlem Carnival to raise funds for the Fete this year, which is to be held on Sunday, 13th June, 2010 in support of the R.S.P.C.A. and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Further events are planned for the remainder of the year and the Amenities Group welcome residents to their meetings held once a month, dates of which are advertised on Hankelow website and in the Newsletter.
Cllr. Foster reported that it is the intention of Cheshire East Council that Parish Councils should take more responsibility for local services.
In Hankelow it could mean that the Parish Council could take over the reponsibility for mowing the green.
The Clerk had received a questionnaire concerning local services which needed to be returned to Cheshire East Council by the end of July. Cllr. Foster agreed to complete the questionnaire.
The Clerk reported a balance of £3,984.44
| Details | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total | £1009.74 |
| Clerk's fees and expenses | £170.61 |
| Donation - Audlem First Responders | £100.00 |
| Brookfield Gold Club - Cheese and Wine event | £250.00 |
| Feed Store - Duck food | £35.00 |
| Genite Ltd. - Display board for village map | £143.34 |
| Cheshire Community Action - fee for the Community Pride and Community Spirit competitions | £25.00 |
| Cheshire County Playing Fields Association | £16.00 |
| C.H.A.L.C affiliation fee | £76.79 |
| Audlem Burial Board | £173.00 |
| Cheshire Community Action annual membership fee | £20.00 |
The Clerk reported that the 2009/2010 accounts had been audited by the Council's internal Auditor Mr. Alan Davenport and were now ready for External Audit. Audit documents need to be sent to the Audit Commission by 14th May, 2010.
The Clerk was requested to report the poor condition of the road in Hall Lane to the Highways Authority and to ask them to fill in the many potholes.
The Clerk reported that the Councils Insurers, Allianz, had been taken over by another company. The Council is now insured by AON.
There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting with the date of the next meetings being set for
2nd August 2010,
1st November 2010,
7th February 2011, and
the next A.G.M. on 9th May 2011.