Hassocks Parish Council

Agenda

A meeting of the Parish Council is being held on Tuesday 14 November 2023 at 7.30 pm in the Council Chamber, Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks.

Parish Clerk – 8 November 2023

Members of the public are encouraged to come to the meetings and there is an opportunity for them to address the Council relating to the non-confidential items on the published agenda. A period of 15 minutes will be set aside in item 4 Public participation.

AGENDA

1. APOLOGIES

1.1 To accept Apologies for absence

2. DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS

2.1    To deal with any disclosure by Members of any disclosable pecuniary interests and interests other than pecuniary interests, as defined under Hassocks Parish Council’s Code of Conduct and the Localism Act 2011, in relation to matters on the agenda.

3. MINUTES

3.1.   To accept the minutes of the Parish Council meeting 10th October 2023

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Up to fifteen minutes will be available to allow for the public to make representations, answer questions or give evidence in respect of any items of business included in the agenda, in accordance with Standing Orders.

5. TO ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING MINUTES

5.1       Planning Committee – to agree the minutes for 16th October and to note the minutes for 6th November 2023.

5.2       Policy Resources & Communications Committee – to note the minutes for 24th October 2023.

5.3      Grounds & Environment Committee to note the minutes for 2nd November 2023.

6. FINANCE

6.1       To approve the Financial Report and authorise the list of payments in the sum of £24,634.02 issued between 1 September 2023 and 30th September 2023 as shown in Appendix 1.(To view Appendix 1 please click here).

7. REPORTS

7.1.      West Sussex County Councillor

7.2.      Mid Sussex District Councillors Report

7.3      Police Report

7.4.      Rail Matters

7.5.      Youth Initiatives

7.6.      Reports from Councillors on meetings outside bodies where the Council

Is represented.

8. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

8.1       Current matters (oral report).

9. CLERK’S REPORT

9.1      Grants.

This is to advise that the council has received letters/acknowledgements of thanks from the recent grant beneficiaries. Members are asked to note the following:

  • Victim Support
  • Oldland Mill Trust
  • Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance
  • 4 Sight Vision Support
  • St Catherine’s Hospice.

9.2       Council Vacancy (verbal update).

10. URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIRMAN for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.

11. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

To note that the date of the next Council meeting is Tuesday 12th December 2023 at 7.30pm.

EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC AND PRESS
In view of the confidential nature of the business about to be transacted Councillors will be referred to the Confidential Agenda. If any members of the public or press are in attendance they will be requested to withdraw from the meeting in the public interest.

FILMING, RECORDING OF COUNCIL MEETINGS AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
During this meeting members of the public may film or record the Committee and officers from the public area only providing it does not disrupt the meeting. The Confidential section of the meeting may not be filmed or recorded. If a member of the public objects to being recorded, the person(s) filming must stop doing so until that member of the public has finished speaking. The use of social media is permitted but members of the public are requested to switch their mobile devices to silent for the duration of the meeting.

Please Note
All members of the public are welcome to attend to attend meetings of the Parish Council and its Committees.
Item 4 – a period of 15 minutes will be set aside for the public statements and questions relating to the published non-confidential business of the Meeting.
It may be necessary to consider particular items in confidential session and where this arises, these items will be considered at the end of the agenda.

Minutes

Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held on 14th November 2023 at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks

Attendees: Parish Councillors Ian Weir, Sue Hatton, Bill Hatton, Frances Gaudencio, David Bunting, Paul Shepherd, Kate Bailey, Peter Richardson and Carolyn Barton.

Parish Clerk: Ian Cumberworth

MINUTES

PC23/85       APOLOGIES Cllr Don McBeth, Bob Brewer, Kristian Berggreen and Alex Simmons

Kirsty Lord

Absent without apologies: Angus Neil

PC23/86       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

PC23/87       MINUTES

The minutes of the meeting held on the 10th October 2023 were accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

PC23/88       PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

No members of the public were present.

PC23/89       MINUTES

89.1        To agree the Planning the minutes for the16th October and to note the minutes of the Planning Committee for the 6th November 2023

89.2         To note the minutes of Policy Resources & Communications Committee for the 24th October 2023

89.3         To note the minutes for the Grounds & Environment Committee for 2nd November 2023. Members noted that Cllr Gaudencio was present at this meeting but the draft minutes did not reflect this. Minutes will be amended to reflect this prior to the forthcoming Grounds & Environment Committee meeting for acceptance.

PC23/90     FINANCE

90.1      Members considered the finance reports and the supporting bank statements and reviewed the following payment lists.

The Finance report and payments totalling £24,634.02 (Appendix 1) for the period 1st September to 31st September 2023 were considered and APPROVED.

PC23/91     Reports

91.1     County Councillors reports: – Cllr Lord was unable to attend the meeting and no report was submitted.

91.2         District Councillor Report (Cllr Sue Hatton)

Members were advised that MSDC were currently setting the budget and continued to face difficulties with the cap on Council Tax for District Councils set at 2.99%. A budget working group has been set up with a view to looking at all costs.

District Plan is nearing Regulation 19 consultation stage where all consultation responses will be returned directly to the Planning Inspectors office.

MSDCC food collection service has proved successful and they are currently looking at frequencies of collections of other waste.

91.3         Police Report – nothing to report other than a Police Surgery was held at the Parish Centre today. It’s understood the Police are also exploring other locations where this may be held where there is higher passing footfall.

91.4         Rail Matters – Members asked to note that as a result of the recent consultation on the proposal to close ticket offices which the parish responded to the operators have decided to abandon this idea due to the overwhelming response against the proposal. Therefore for the time being this proposal has been abandoned.

91.5        Youth Initiatives – nothing to report.

91.6        Report from Councillors on meetings of outside bodies where the Council is represented – none.

PC23/92     CHAIRMANS REPORT – Cllr Weir provided an update to members regarding the distribution of the Riparian Rights leaflets produced by the Council and sought further volunteers to support their delivery.  Cllr Bunting volunteered to deliver any remaining leaflets if required.

PC23/93     CLERK’S REPORT

93.1     Grants – this to inform members that the Council had received letters acknowledgments of thanks from the following grant recipients and were asked to note this:

  • Victim Support
  • Oldland Mill Trust
  • Kent Surrey Sussex Air Ambulance
  • 4 Sight Vision Support
  • St Catherine’s Hospice

Noted

93.2     Council Vacancy

Members were advised that the current vacancy was advertised with a closing date of 20th November 2023.

The Clerk informed members that a number of expressions have been received and information packs/application forms have been sent out. Subject to responses being received its anticipated the Council will be able to look at co-opting a new member onto the Council at its December meeting. Noted.

PC23/94     URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIRMAN – none.

PC23/95     DATE OF NEXT MEETING

To note that the date of the next Parish Council meeting is Tuesday 12th December 2023 at 7.30pm.