Annual Statutory Meeting of Hassocks Parish Council

Minutes

Minutes of the virtual meeting of the Annual Statutory Meeting of the Parish Council held on 10th May 2022 and followed on from the Annual Parish Meeting.

Attendees: Parish Councillors Ian Weir, Jane Baker, Kate Bailey, Sue Hatton, Bob Brewer, Clare Tester, Leslie Campbell, Bill Hatton, David Bunting, Carolyn Barton and Alex Simmons.

Visiting Member Cllr Kirsty Lord (WSCC)

Parish Clerk: Ian Cumberworth

MINUTES

PC22/1         APOLOGIES Cllr Kristian Berggreen

Absent without apologies: Cllr Frances Gaudencio

PC22/2         ELECTION OF CHAIR

Members were requested to elect a Chair of the Council for the forthcoming year. Cllr Ian Weir had indicated that he would be happy to be considered as Chair for a further year. Members were also provided an opportunity to express an interest in the position prior to the matter being formally considered by the Council. No other members indicated a wish to fulfil the role.

It was therefore proposed that Cllr Weir continue in the role for the forthcoming year. Members voted in favour of Cllr Weir to continue as Chair.

RESOLVED that Ian Weir was elected as Chair for 2022/23

PC22/3         DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE

The declaration was duly signed by the Chair Cllr Ian Weir and countersigned by the Clerk in the presence of the meeting.

PC22/4         ELECTION OF VICE CHAIR

Members were requested to elect a Vice Chair of the Council for the forthcoming year Cllr Jane Baker had indicated that she would be happy to be considered as Vice Chair for a further year. Members were also provided an opportunity to express an interest in the position prior to the matter being formally considered by the Council. No other members indicated a wish to fulfil the role.

It was therefore proposed that Cllr Baker continue in the role for the forthcoming year.

Members voted in favour of Cllr Baker to continue as Vice Chair.

RESOLVED that Jane Baker was elected as Vice Chair for 2022/23

PC22/5         DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFICE

The declaration was duly signed by the Vice Chair Cllr Jane Baker and countersigned by the Clerk in the presence of the meeting.

PC22/6         DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS

Disclosure by Councillors of personal interests in matters on the agenda, and whether the Councillor regards their interest as prejudicial under the terms of the Code of Conduct. – None

PC22/7         APPOINTMENT OF STANDING COMMITTEES & WORKING GROUPS

The Clerk introduced Appendix 1 setting out the expressions of interest received to date for consideration on the respective committees and working groups. The Clerk invited members to consider the proposals and make to amendments where necessary.

PC22/8        a) GROUNDS & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

It was RESOLVED Cllrs (David Bunting, Kate Bailey, Jane Baker, Leslie Campbell, , Alex Simmons Bill Hatton, Francis Gaudencio, Sue Hatton  and Kristian Berggreen) be appointed to Grounds & Environment Committee.

PC22/9         b) PLANNING COMMITTEE

It was RESOLVED Cllrs (Carolyn Barton, Bob Brewer, Kristian Berggreen, Bill Hatton and Claire Tester) be appointed to Planning Committee.

PC22/10       c) NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN COMMITTEE

It was RESOLVED Cllrs (Claire Tester, Ian Weir, Kristian Berggreen, Carolyn Barton and Bill Hatton) be appointed to Neighbourhood Plan Committee.

PC22/11       d) POLICY, RESOURCES & COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

It was RESOLVED Cllrs (Ian Weir, Carolyn Barton, Kate Bailey and Claire Tester) be appointed to Policy Resources & Communications Committee.

PC22/12       e) ADASTRA PARK WORKING GROUP

It was RESOLVED Cllrs (Frances Gaudencio, Bill Hatton, David Bunting, Jane Baker, Ian Weir and Kate Bailey) be appointed to the Adastra Park Working Group.

PC22/13       f) FLOOD ACTION GROUP

It was RESOLVED Cllrs (Claire Tester, Frances Gaudencio, Bill Hatton and Alex Simmons) be appointed to the Flood Working Group.

PC22/14       g) HIGH STREET WORKING GROUP

It was RESOLVED Cllrs (Frances Gaudencio, Ian Weir and Claire Tester) be appointed to the High Street Working Group.

PC22/15       h) To confirm that the Chair of the Council is ex-officio Member of each Standing Committee

RESOLVED The Chair of the Council to act as ex-officio Member of each Standing Committee.

PC22/16       i) To confirm that the Vice Chair of the Council is ex-officio Member of each Standing Committee

RESOLVED The Vice Chair of the Council to act as ex-officio Member of each Standing Committee.

PC22/17       j) APPOINTMENT OF TREE WARDEN

RESOLVED that David Brown be appointed Tree Warden for 2022/23.

PC22/18       ADASTRA HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

RESOLVED that Cllr Sue Hatton be appointed as the primary representative and Cllr Carolyn Barton as the substitute representative for the Adastra Hall Management Committee.

PC22/19       HASSOCKS AMENITY ASSOCIATION RAIL GROUP

RESOLVED to delete representation on this group as it has now been incorporated within the Hassocks Community Organisation.

PC22/20       HASSOCKS COMMUNITY ORGANISATION

RESOLVED that Cllr Frances Gaudencio be appointed as the primary representative for the Hassocks Community organisation.

PC22/21       HASSOCKS TWINNING ASSOCIATION

RESOLVED that Cllr Kate Bailey be appointed as the representative of the Hassocks Twinning Association.

PC22/22       MID SUSSEX ASSOCIATIONOF LOCAL COUNCILS (MSALC)

RESOLVED that Cllr Kristian Berggreen and Cllr Ian Weir be appointed as representatives of MSALC.

PC22/23       OLDLAND MILL TRUST

RESOLVED that Cllr David Bunting be appointed as the representative of the Oldland Mill Trust.

PC22/24       WSCC SOUTH MID SUSSEX COUNTY LOCAL COMMITTEE. (NOW KNOWN AS MID SUSSEX COUNTY LOCAL FORUM)

This Committee no longer exists in its original form and County are trialling a number of different meeting models which currently take the form of Question and Answer sessions covering the whole of Mid Sussex. Members debated whether they wished to continue to send a representative along to the revised meeting format. The next meeting is scheduled on the 7^th June 2022 at 7pm.

After consideration members RESOLVED that Cllr Ian Weir be the primary representative to attend the new format meetings and Cllr Frances Gaudencio as substitute.

PC22/25       MSDC PARISH LIASION MEETINGS

RESOLVED to appoint Cllr Bill Hatton and Cllr Ian Weir as representatives of the MSDC Parish Liaison meetings.

PC22/26       DOWNLANDS SCHOOL SPORTS HALL COMMITTEE

RESOLVED to appoint Cllr Bill Hatton as representative of the Downlands School Sports Hall Committee.

PC22/27       AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT AREA (AQMA)

RESOLVED to appoint Cllr Sue Hatton and Cllr Carolyn Barton as representatives of the AQMA.

PC22/28       MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting held on the 12th April 2022 were accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

PC22/29       PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

No members of the public were present.

PC22/30       FINANCE

Members considered the finance reports and the supporting bank statements and reviewed the payment list. The Finance report and payments totalling £32,149.45 for the period ending 31^st March 2022 were considered and APPROVED.

PC22/31       MINUTES

To note the Minutes of the Planning Committee 19th April 2022.

To note the minutes Neighbourhood Plan Committee for the 7th April 2022.

PC22/32       Reports

32.1           West Sussex County Councillor report (Cllr K Lord)

Highways: Members were informed that the central area of Stone pound Crossroads has been patched and the bike refuge re-painted together with the lines along Keymer Road. In addition, the traffic lights loop has been fixed to optimise the phasing sequence.

A sink hole has opened up in Clayton Avenue which is a known problem and further investigative work is ongoing to establish responsibility before any reinstatement work is undertaken.

Education
Overall, it is relatively quiet at County at present however a meeting has been set up with County officers to discuss the proposed school site in Ockley Lane to clarify the site proposals, timelines etc. Representatives will be present from County, District and Parish councils.

County are just completing a review of their pupil modelling which will be updated in June which will inform timings.

Parish members raised a question regarding the modelling used by county and whether its projections have proved accurate in previous years. Cllr Lord indicated that officers had confirmed that the modelling had accurately predicted trends and demand.

County are currently supporting Ukrainian refugee families in respect of school places which is causing pressures across Sussex. Cllr Lord indicated that if anyone is aware of issues being experienced by refugees that they could be referred to her in the first instance.

The next Mid Sussex County Local Forum is scheduled to be held on the 7^th June at 7pm in East Grinstead and will be in the format of questions and answers. Interested parties are encouraged to submit their questions in advance of the meeting if possible.

Miscellaneous
Cllr Campbell sought clarification on the Ockley Lane development and the rationale as to why the hedge line has been moved right back by the developers. It was confirmed that this was to realign the road although this will not include the creation of any filter lane to turn into the development.

Cllr Brewer raised concerns regarding vehicle speeding on the A273 near Friars Oak and the south side of Stone Pound crossroads. Cllr Lord confirmed that she is looking to secure access to a speed device to place on various hotspots which these sites will be added and discussions were already ongoing with highways with regard to the siting of signage on Brighton Road.

Cllr Campbell also requested that County need to ensure the signage for the diverted footpath at the Golf Course – Bellway development is changed to clearly mark the amended route. (KL) indicated she would take this matter up.

32.2          District Councillors reports: – Cllr Sue Hatton (SH) updated members that MSDC had written to Mr Gove (MP) seeking confirmation that housing numbers required as part of the District Plan review will be reconsidered. At present no response has been received therefore the current District Plan review has been held up. At present the working group to review the project to date is yet to be set up, although, this had previously been agreed by one of the scrutiny committees earlier in the year. MSDC are continuing further work with promoters of strategic sites, air quality and infrastructure.

It was anticipated that the new Planning Bill might offer some respite to Districts constrained by AONB, however it is understood that this bill is to be dropped and some planning proposals will now be incorporated into the levelling up bill although we await further information to establish what these might be.

Pathway at the tunnel at Friars Oak – there is no imminent proposal to incorporate lighting or make up the pathway at this stage of the development and the trigger point from when works are undertaken is sometime down the line linked to property occupations. MSDC are in discussion with Taylor Wimpey to see whether these works could be brought forward.

MSDC cabinet currently has a vacancy to be filled although responsibilities may be reassigned to existing cabinet representatives.

MSDC senior management structure is currently undergoing review. Peter Stuart the section 151 Finance officer is leaving shortly and an interim (Stephen Fitzgerald) has been appointed whilst the restructure is underway.

Mid Sussex has the second highest number of Ukrainian refugees in the County and MSDC is undertaking inspections of those households that are wishing to take refugees to ensure they are suitable. It is understood nationally that some refugees have become concerned with their placement and are subsequently becoming homeless which then impacts on local councils as they are under a legal requirement to find temporary accommodation for them.

It is understood that County have been awarded extra funding from central government to assist in the resettlement but are yet to actually receive these funds.

Members recently attended an update meeting on the Northern Arc from Homes England which is progressing well. Members were advised that in respect of the proposed educational establishments that two forms of entry out of the eight at the proposed new senior school would be to cater for any overspill from Haywards Heath. It was previously anticipated to be an overspill for schools in the south, e.g. Hurstpierpoint and Hassocks as it’s understood that Downlands is already having to accommodate a ‘bulge year’ in September. Cllr Hatton indicated that this matter needed to be clarified with County. MSDC have pointed out that Homes England are already providing money up front to County regarding the provision of the site and building costs that is more than they would be required under any section 106 agreement but this does not address the issues facing our area.

32.3          Rail matters –   nothing to report

32.4         Youth Initiatives – nothing to report

32.5         Police matters – The Clerk informed members that he and Cllr Weir were scheduled to attend a Police Liaison meeting with representatives from the Police Commissioners’ office later this month where they would be able to raise issues regarding policing in Hassocks.

32.6         Report from Councillors on meetings of outside bodies where the Council is represented – nothing to report

PC22/33       CHAIRMANS REPORT – nothing to report

PC22/34       CLERK’S REPORT –

34.1         Municipal meeting Calendar

The Clerk introduced the report setting out the draft programme of meetings for consideration for the forthcoming year. Members considered the content of the proposed meeting schedule and RESOLVED to APPROVE the programme of meetings.

34.2        Insurance – The Clerk advised Members that the Council was awaiting finalisation of the policy proposal which would fall outside of the Councils meeting cycle therefore authority was being sought to delegate authority to the Clerk in consultation with the Chair to award the insurance contract and report back to Council the outcome at the June meeting to enable the Councils insurance to be in place concurrently when the existing agreement ceases on 31^st May 2022. The Council has received its proposal and clarification is being sought on some elements. Although the budget was increased to £5,000 due to changes in the local government insurance sector it’s anticipated that the premium will exceed this. Any shortfall will need to be met from general reserves.

Authority was therefore being sought for the Clerk in consultation with the Chair to consider and award the insurance contract taking into account the brokers evaluation, cost and extent of cover offered and to report the results retrospectively to a future council meeting.

Member’s views were sought on the approach together with the release of funds required, if necessary, from General reserves to cover any costs over and above the budget.

Members RESOLVED to AGREE to delegate authority to the Clerk in consultation with the Chair to agree and award the Insurance contract and to report the outcome of the award to future Council meeting and support the release of funding from General reserves if required.

34.3      Property Insurance Valuations: This report sought authority to expend up to £850 from the Councils Professional Fees budget to undertake Building Re-instatement cost valuations to ensure that the Councils premises assets remain adequately insured. Members were advised that failure to do so could leave the Council exposed to the risk of assets being under insured in the event of any claim.

Members RESOLVED to APPROVE the release of up to £840 from the Professional Fees budget to commission the Building Re-instatement cost valuations for the Councils property assets.

34.4      Grants letters of thanks – This is to advise members correspondence has been received from United Reformed Church – Christmas lunch and Hassocks & Hurst Little Bees have been received. The report was NOTED.

34.5      Parking and Traffic Scheme – Members were advised that a number of remedial works have been identified with respect to the recently implemented scheme where some additional lines are required to be painted and others removed. There is currently no budget for this as the previously allocated budget had been fully utilised.

Authority was therefore being sought to release a sum up to £1,000 from General Reserves and to authorise the Clerk in consultation with the Chair to accept a quotation up to a maximum value to enable the works to be completed.

Members considered the proposal and RESOLVED to APPROVE that the Clerk in consultation with the Chair accept a quotation up to a maximum value of £1,000 which would be released from General Reserves

PC22/35       PRECEPT Members were requested to note that the Council had received its first half instalment of its precept in the sum of £156,151. Noted

PC22/36       URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIRMAN – none

PC22/37          DATE OF NEXT MEETING – 14^th June 2022