Present: Mr M.Sindrey, (Chairman), Mr N.Bostock, Mrs P.Parrott and Dr A.Andrews, representing Tixall

   Mrs S.Haenelt, Mrs N.Woodhouse and Mr R.Hall representing Ingestre 

               Borough Cllr F.Beatty.

            Mr Sindrey welcomed everyone to the meeting and congratulated them on being re-elected.

            All Councillors signed their acceptance of Office and completed their applications for dispensations when discussing HS2 items.

13/19  Election of Chairman for the forthcoming year. 

Mrs Woodhouse proposed Mr Sindrey. This was seconded by Mrs Haenelt and agreed unanimously. Mr Sindrey then signed his acceptance of office.

14/19  Election of Vice-Chairman. 

Mr Sindrey proposed Mrs Haenelt. This was seconded by Mr Bostock and agreed unanimously.

15/19   Appointment of Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer.

Mr Bostock proposed Dr Andrews. This was seconded by Mrs Haenelt and agreed unanimously.

16/19   Minutes of the Annual meeting of the Parish Council held on May 9^th 2018

These had been circulated after the meeting and approved as a true record at the July 2018 meeting of the Parish Council.

17/19   Comments on current Parish Council Procedures and Policies.

This item covers what would be included in Standing Orders, but enables all Councillors to be aware of current procedures and policies, and to have the opportunity to annually review them and suggest improvements. Legal requirements are shown by *_____________________*.

1.  INGESTRE WITH TIXALL PARISH COUNCIL CODE OF CONDUCT 

(See App. 11.9.2013/15 copies available on request)

    A revised code in accordance with new legislation was formally adopted at the September 2013  Council Meeting, and is available for inspection by the public in the Summer House at 2, The Hanyards, and on the website at  www.tixall-ingestre-andrews.me.uk

    The Borough Council Monitoring Officer, maintains a register of Parish Councillors’ financial and other interests which is open for public inspection; they must also inform him of any changes in their interests within 28 days of the change. The Parish Clerk maintains a duplicate register. It is the duty of the councillors not the clerk to inform the Borough Council Monitoring Officer of their interests. 

  Parish Councillors must also register with the Monitoring Officer any gifts or hospitality they may receive, in their capacity as a councillor, within 28 days.

    The current Register of Members interests was updated, Appendix 8.5.19/15.

    The Borough Council is exclusively responsible for receiving code of conduct complaints relating to members of parish councils in our area and dealing with them.

DECLARATION OF INTERESTS - This item reinforces the above Code of Conduct

  *If any member of the Council or their spouse has a pecuniary interest in any subject under discussion by the Council the member must declare it and refrain from speaking or voting on the subject. A Pecuniary interest exists where the outcome of the discussion may affect for good or ill the financial situation of the person having the interest..*

   Any Councillor with a non-pecuniary interest in a subject is recommended to abstain from discussion of, and voting on the subject, if his interest is such as to make others reasonably doubt whether he is free of bias in speaking or voting. This particularly includes interests arising from

relationships other than marriage and from membership of other bodies.

   In practice all interests must be declared initially and recorded in the minutes. The Chairman may then adjourn the meeting so that the member can participate in discussions, or in the case of a non-pecuniary interest, the Chairman may allow the meeting to proceed with the member

participating in discussion and voting. Councillors may apply to the Parish Council for a dispensation using the form in Appendix 2017 05 10 App2, e.g. with regard to HS2.

   Dr Andrews proposed that the applications for dispensations when discussing HS2 items for Mr Sindrey, Mr Bostock and Mrs Parrott should be appproved. This was seconded  by Mrs Haenelt and agreed by the 3 Ingestre  Councillors and Dr Andrews.

   Mr Sindrey then proposed that the applications for dispensations when discussing HS2 items for all the Ingestre Councillors should be appproved. This was seconded  by Mrs Parrott and agreed by the 4 Tixall Councillors.

   This will last for 4 years, i.e. until 2023.

 PREDETERMINATION (From an NALC Legal Topic Note):

Occurs when someone has a closed mind, with the effect that they are unable to apply their judgement fully and properly to an issue requiring a decision. There are no restrictions on a Councillor holding a provisional view on an issue (pre-disposition) but there is a problem if he/she acts with a closed mind on a subject  (pre-determination). A notional fair-minded and well informed observer, looking objectively at all circumstances, should consider if there is a real risk that the decision maker has refused even to consider a relevant argument or would refuse to consider a new argument.

2. MEETINGS

    * An Annual Parish Council meeting must be held in May, and the Council must meet on at least three other occasions in the year.*

    The Parish Council meets at 7.30pm usually on the second Wednesday in May, July, September, November, January and March. This avoids Christmas, and the majority of Bank Holiday weekends and school holidays. It had been agreed that where a Councillor has a longstanding engagement they can ask for a council meeting to be moved, provided at least 6 months notice is given. It is difficult to move the January meeting as the 1^st Wednesday often clashes with New Year holidays and the 3^rd Wednesday would be too late for submitting the Parish precept to the Borough Council.

     Extra meetings can be called if an urgent problem arises.

     *Three members constitute a quorum of the Parish Council.*

      *An Annual Parish Meeting must be held for Ingestre and Tixall each year between  March 1st and June 1st inclusive.* In practice a joint meeting is held for both parishes, this has the advantage of allowing residents of both parishes to discuss matters of common interest such as road safety. The Annual Meeting of the Village Hall follows the Annual Parish Meeting.

     An Annual Report of Parish Council Activities is circulated to all households in hard copy with the agendas for the Annual Parish Meetings.

     A copy of the financial summary is *available on the website*,  in accordance with the new Transparency Regulations.

     Photographing, filming and recording of meetings is now legally allowed with permission from the Council.

3. NOTICES AND AGENDAS

*Three clear days before a meeting notice of its time and place must be posted in a conspicuous place in the Parish or Community.* Three clear days excludes both the day the notice is given and the day of the meeting, but may include Saturdays and Sundays. In practice, posters are posted at Ingestre Village, the Village Hall at Tixall and Halfway House.

    *In addition, three days before the meeting an agenda specifying the business to be transacted must be sent to the usual residence of each member.* In practice an agenda is drawn up by the Parish Clerk in consultation with the Chairman about 14 days before the date of the meeting. This

is then sent to Councillors about 7 days before the date of the next meeting. The agenda for the next meeting is displayed on the website as soon as it is available.

    There is now an option to email agendas with the agreement of individual Councillors as it was agreed that it would be acceptable to have the option of emailing the agendas and associated papers for extraordinary meetings.

    Councillors wishing to introduce items onto the agenda should therefore contact the Clerk at least 14 days before the date of the meeting.

4. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION - PUBLICATION SCHEME

                                                                              & LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY CODE

    The Council adopted the new model publication scheme, April 2008, Mins 2009.01.14 Item 6/09.3g shown in Appendix 14.1.09/11 and has published a Guide to Ingestre with Tixall Parish on our website at: http://www.tixall-ingestre-andrews.me.uk/pc/freeinfo.html  and as Appendix 14.1.09/15.

    *From July 1^st 2015 we are required to publish on our website not less than annually at : 

                                              www.tixall-ingestre-andrews.me.uk/pc/

·  All transactions/items of expenditure above £100 ex VAT, confirming the date the expenditure incurred and a summary of the purpose. Shown in Accounts section of bimonthly Minutes

·  End of year accounts

·  Annual Governance statement from Annual Return

·  Internal Audit Report

·  List of Councillors or member responsibilities

·  Details of public land and building assets* These are shown in the minutes of the Annual Council Meeting as Assets.

    In addition we should publish draft minutes not later than one month after the meeting and the agenda and associated papers not less than 3 days before the meeting. The minutes remain on the website for one year and the appendices are available on request.

5. COPIES OF MINUTES AND AGENDAS, ETC.

    The Clerk prepares a draft of the minutes, which are then checked by the Chairman, Vice-Chairman or another Councillor. Each Councillor is sent a copy of these minutes as soon as possible after the meeting. The minutes are then generally taken as read at the next meeting. Copies of the minutes are also circulated to members of the public who attend a Parish Council meeting, wherever possible.

     It has been agreed that there should be an option to email copies of the minutes to local residents who attended a meeting, where they were they were happy to give their email addresses.

    Copies of the agenda and minutes are posted on the Parish Council notice-board at Ingestre, and in Tixall Church Porch, for inspection by local residents.

    Copies of the agenda and the unapproved minutes are also sent to:-

   a)  Our County Councillor by email

   b)  Our Borough Councillors by email

    The agenda for the next meeting is also published on our website as soon as it is available.

    It is the responsibility of the Parish Council to see that any interested parties are informed of items on the agenda, and if necessary allowed to make copies of the agenda although a charge will be made for copies.

    *The minutes of a meeting of the council must be drawn up and signed as a correct record at the meeting or the next following meeting by the person presiding at the time of the signature. Duly signed minutes can be used in court as evidence of the matters they record.*

    Any proposed alterations to the minutes should be sent to the Clerk as soon as possible, so that they can be circulated with the agenda.

    Correspondence and reports are included separately in appendices to the minutes, and items are also carried forward from appendices to the agenda. Only Parish Councillors receive copies of

these appendices. With the Council's approval, some items on the agenda such as advertisements are not included in the minutes.

   The minutes of the Annual Parish Council Meeting are put forward for approval at the July Council Meeting, and published on the Council website.

http://www.tixall-ingestre-andrews.me.uk/pc/annpcmins.html

    This also includes an email address, i.e. Tixandrews@hotmail.co.uk

    Minutes of the preceding Council Meeting are not read or signed at an Extraordinary Council Meeting, but carried forward to the next regular meeting of the Council.

    All minutes and appendices from 2000 are now stored on duplicate CD-ROMS. A PC File backup DVD is kept at the Village Hall and backed up after the May meetings. The signed copies of the minutes are kept for a year and then deposited at the County Record Office by the Clerk.

   In addition past copies of our monthly Newsheet and scrapbooks containing relevant newspaper cuttings and other items relating to Ingestre & Tixall have also been deposited at the County Record Office.

6. PARISH COUNCIL NEWSHEET 

    The report of Parish Council News is usually checked by the Chairman or Vice-Chairman. Parish Newsheets are produced monthly, e.g. after Parish Council Meetings.

   The newssheet is no longer distributed to every household in hard copy but is available on the website.  Copies of the Newsheet are sent electronically to the local clergy, the Staffordshire Newsletter,  and on request to, Church attendees from outside the parish including wedding couples. Local residents can now also opt in to receive the Newsheet electronically, or in special cases, e.g. lack of internet access, ask for hard copies.

    Local advertisements for sale of goods or services in aid of Ingestre or Tixall Churches or other local charities are free of charge. Other advertisements for local businesses in Ingestre & Tixall will be charged at 10% of the sale value or £5/issue for commercial services. Local residents’ non commercial advertisements are also accepted at a rate of £15/6. Adverts to be fitted in when room is available.

    A large print version of the newssheet is available on request.

   The monthly news and pages of local information, Parish Council members, and maps of Local Conservation Areas are to be found at the local community website at:

www.tixall-ingestre-andrews.me.uk/pc/iwtpcnws.html and

www.tixall-ingestre-andrews.me.uk/pc/info.html

7. DATA PROTECTION 

      A draft Data Risk Register has been prepared, Appendix 10.1.18/13. The Parish Council is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and has a Data Privacy notice on our website, Appendix 9.5.18/7.

  Councillors have signed the updated agreement for the use of their personal information by the Parish Council, e.g. name, address and telephone number. The Clerk acts as Data Controller.

       Dr Andrews has upgraded her Avast Virus protection on her laptop.

       All those receiving the Newsletter electronically have been asked to confirm their agreement to this by email.

8. ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS

    *If a Councillor is unable to attend a Parish Council Meeting because of illness, etc., he must send the reason for his absence with his apologies so that the reason for absence can be approved or not, and minuted.*

   Councillors should try to send their apologies after midday, and before the meeting so that they can be updated and give their views on any other important items. (e.g. Any Planning Applications

and Correspondence received after the agendas have been sent out will be considered at the meeting).

*If a Councillor is absent from meetings for 6 consecutive months, i.e. 3 meetings, he automatically loses his seat unless the reason for his absence has been previously minuted and approved.*

*Attendance as a representative of the council at another meeting counts as attendance at the council.*

*No proxy votes are allowed at Parish Council meetings.*

    When local residents attend Parish Council meetings they are asked if they have anything they wish to discuss with the Council. If so the meeting is adjourned for discussion to take place.

9. REVERSAL OF DECISIONS

    While it may be necessary for decisions to be reversed within 6 months on some occasions, e.g. when new information is available; at least 5 Councillors must be present at the meeting.

10. INGESTRE & TIXALL MATTERS

    It is accepted practice to refer queries from local residents to a Councillor from the appropriate district, i.e. Ingestre or Tixall, as the Council is a joint Parish Council for the two separate parishes. 

11. ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL DATES & LIST OF COUNCIL MEMBERS

    A calendar showing the dates of regular meetings, and other information for the coming year, is circulated to all Councillors after the May meeting, posted on the Parish Council Notice Boards and is available on the webpage at:           www.tixall-ingestre-andrews.me.uk

    A list of Parish Council Members and Officers, alongwith our Borough and County Councillors is also circulated with their contact details. The version on the webpage does not include email addresses.

12. DEFAMATION 

    QUALIFIED PRIVILEGE will normally attach to statements (both written and oral) made by Local Councillors or Clerks in the course of their official duties, and for the purposes of council business, provided that the statements are made in good faith and without any improper motive.

    Lord Diplock in a leading case (1974 1All ER622) said:

“My Lords, what is said by members of a local council at meetings of the council or any of its committees is spoken on a privileged occasion. The reason for the privilege is that those who represent local government electors should be able to speak freely and frankly, boldly and bluntly, on any matter which they believe affects the interests or welfare of the inhabitants. They may be swayed by strong political prejudice, they may be obstinate and pigheaded, stupid and obtuse; but they are chosen by the electors to speak their minds on matters of local concern and so long as they do so honestly they run no risk of liability for defamation of those who are the subjects of their criticism."

   It is important that Parish Councillors should not repeat other people’s defamation, either verbal or written, in Parish Council documents or meetings.

   We have been advised to:-

i) Check that what is written or being said is true;

ii) Make sure that what is being written or said is relevant to the business of the Council;

iii) Make sure no more is written or said than is necessary for the conduct of business; and

iv) Not read out or subsequently record allegations made by someone about someone else.

    Further information is available in Appendix 10.3.04/9.

13. EQUALITY, HUMAN RIGHTS & SAFEGUARDING

     Ingestre with Tixall Parish Council have acknowledged the general duty placed upon it by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and the subsequent Equality Bill. This includes changes regarding the following protected characteristics (PCs): Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Sex and Religious Belief. 

    Direct discrimination against someone because they associate with another person who possesses a PC; Direct discrimination against someone because the others think they possess a particular PC; Indirect Discrimination which can occur when you have a rule or policy

that applies to everyone but disadvantages a particular PC. The Council will continue to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, provide equality of opportunity and promote equality between people of different, age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

    The aims of Ingestre and Tixall Parish Council are to ensure that members of the community from all these different equality strands are encouraged, supported and provided with opportunities to participate fully in community life.

   Safeguarding refers to keeping vulnerable people safe whilst engaged in any activity associated with the Parish Council. Our activities appear to be limited to Litter Picking, Canal volunteer work, Annual Parish and other Meetings none of which include unsupervised children or vulnerable adults.

14. ELECTIONS & CO-OPTIONS

a) Elections

    Candidates are free to circulate their own manifestos, but these have to be in accordance with current electoral regulations, e.g. they needed to include who they were printed and promoted by; and the cost of their production and circulation had to be recorded and returned as an electoral expense.

       Qualifications to be a Parish Councillor. They must satisfy the following: They:

are at least 18 years old on both the day of nomination and election day and,

are a British citizen, or a citizen of the Irish republic, the Commonwealth or another member state of the European Union.

And they meet at least one of the following five qualifications:

1. They are a registered local government elector both on the day they are nominated and election day or,

2. They have occupied as owner or tenant, any land or premises in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day they are nominated and election day or,

3. They have had their principal or only place of work in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day they are nominated and election day or,

4. They have lived in the local authority area during the whole of the 12 months before the day they are nominated and election day.

5. In the case of a member of a parish or community council they have lived in either the parish or community or within three miles of it during the whole of the 12 months before the day they are nominated and election day.

b) Co-options and Resignations

          If a Councillor wishes to resign a written resignation must be sent to the Chairman. This is then forwarded to the Borough Council returning officer who officially declares a Casual Vacancy. If there is no request for an election by 10 electors, the vacancy can be filled by co-option at the next Council meeting. It has been agreed to invite prospective candidates wishing

to be considered for co-option to send a short written statement to the Parish Clerk, similar that used before elections. These will then be circulated to all members of the Parish Council before

the meeting at which the co-option takes place. Further guidance is given in Appendix 2010.03.10/01 “Best Practice Note on Casual Vacancies and Co-option”. 

15. COUNCILLORS

    In addition to their obligations arising from our Code of Conduct, Councillors have a responsibility to:

·  Represent the interests of the community they serve and where possible to improve their quality of life and the local environment

·  Attend meetings; the notice to attend a council meeting is in law, a summons, because you have a duty to attend;

·  Consider in advance of the meeting, the agenda and any related documents;

·  Take part in meetings and consider all the relevant facts and issues on matters which require a decision including the views of others expressed at the meeting;

·  Take part in voting and represent decisions made by the majority of those present and voting;

·  Ensure with other Councillors, that the council is properly managed;

·  Represent the whole electorate in Ingestre or Tixall, not just those who vote for them.

(After the Good Councillor’s Guide)

   New Councillors are encouraged to read the Parish Council Powers & Constitution Handbook produced by the NALC and to attend one of the training sessions run by the Staffordshire Parish Councils Association.

16. CHAIRMAN

*The Chairman is elected annually at the Annual Parish Meeting in May.*

*Since the chairman of the council must preside at all council meetings which he attends, he must, if present preside at the election of his successor (who may, following re-election, be himself).*

   We do not have to have a Vice-Chairman but we try to have one from the other community to the Chairman wherever possible.

    According to the Good Councillors Guide, p41, it is unlawful for the Council to delegate decision making to any individual Councillor, including the Chairman. The Chairman has a second or casting vote, when a vote is tied to ensure a decision can be made, except for co-options.

    “Where there is an equality of votes a Chairman may be faced with an embarrassing problem. A resolution requires a majority and therefore, since an equality is not majority, he may declare the resolution not carried.

   This course is, however, sometimes regarded as irresponsible or lacking in courage; in such circumstances the Chairman ought to give a casting vote, if at all possible, in such a way that the matter can be considered again; for instance, on a motion to accept a particular tender a vote in favour will conclude the matter, but a vote against will leave the way open for further negotiations or reconsideration.”                          (Standing Orders & Chairmanship April 2002 NALC)

17. PARISH CLERK & RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL OFFICER

    The current minimum hourly rate for a part time Clerk is £9.77/hour or £2188.48pa.. This would be for 224 hrs work i.e. 32hrs/meeting for 7 meetings in addition to full expenses including travel within the parish, an allowance for use of their house as an office, and additional insurance costs for the Parish Council. This was below the National Insurance threshold and the Pension threshold of £10,000pa.. The contingency reserve has been updated to £2500 to cover a possible future need to employ a paid Clerk and purchase a computer, etc. The provision of a laptop, relevant software and web access might be the subject of a grant from the Transparency Fund if this is still in operation.

    Although new regulations for Parish Councillors’ Allowances have been agreed, which would allow a mileage payment to the Clerk provided this was sanctioned by the Independent Remuneration Panel set up by the District Council, the Clerk is happy for the present system to continue where she does not claim for travel within the parish, but claims postage rates when delivering letters within the parishes.

*A person is disqualified from holding a paid office under the council so long as he is a member of it and for 12 months afterwards.*

*If the Parish Clerk is a Councillor he can only receive expenses, and these cannot include travel within the parish.*

     If the Parish Clerk is a Councillor, as this a voluntary post, they are appointed annually at the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council.

The Parish Clerk also acts as the Responsible Financial Officer with the following duties:-

                              1. to maintain detailed and up to date records of all income and expenditure

                              2. to prepare an annual budget for the November meeting

                              3. to prepare the annual accounts for the May meeting

                              4. to prepare a bank reconciliation for each ordinary meeting of the Parish Council

18. ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES

    *Councillors may only receive travelling expenses for travel on Council business outside the Council's area, unless allowances for this and/or attendance have been sanctioned by the Independent Remuneration Panel set up by the District Council.* (See Appendix 10.9.03/15)

    It has been agreed that in our small Parish Council, Parish Councillors should not draw expense allowances except in exceptional circumstances such as participation in a major public enquiry.

    *The Chairman can receive an allowance to defray the expenses of his office.* this includes postage and telephone expenses at a similar rate to the Councillor Clerk. These should be submitted before each meeting.

    At present the Parish Clerk claims expenses from the Petty Cash as follows:-

a)        40p with 1.881p VAT /mile for travel outside the councils area on Parish business (up to 60p/mile is allowed, but would be taxable)

b)   Telephone Expenses: Local calls are charged at 15p, mobile calls at 36p and longer Regional and National calls are charged at double or triple this rate, with calls costing over 45p charged according to the itemised phone bill.

c)    Second Class postage rates for all mail, except agendas and urgent mail, which are sent first class. In some cases letters are then delivered by hand.

d)    Internal colour printing and colour photocopying at 10p/page.

e)   Normal printing and photocopying are done on the Parish Council Laser printer, alongwith Village Hall printing and a small amount of personal printing for the Clerk. The Village Hall is currently not charged for this service. A record of all laser printing is kept and each time the toner is

changed the cost/sheet is calculated and the Clerk is charged for any personal printing including VAT. The Clerk then pays when paper or toner is purchased to this amount including VAT.

    Church printing is also done for Tixall PCC and is reimbursed by Dr Andrews personally.

f)    There is normally no charge for use of the Parish Clerk’s PC or scanner.

g)    Miscellaneous items, e.g. Parking fees.

    The Petty Cash is restored to £75 after each ordinary meeting of the Council. This also covers the cost of Toner & paper which is charged separately.

19. PARISH COUNCIL FINANCES 

a)  THE MAIN INCOME IS DERIVED FROM :-

I. The Concurrent Monies:-  £373 ( Ingestre £152 and Tixall £221) for 2019/2020

This money is automatically collected by the Borough Council and then granted to the Parish Council to use on specific items which will benefit the local community, e.g. Burial Grounds; A Parish or Community Hall; Tree Planting; Car Parks; Donations to charities; Public Seats or Bus Shelters; Erection of Street Signs.    

     The money must be fully spent each year, excluding VAT, and a list of the expenditure sent to the Borough Treasurer for his approval.  To maintain flexibility over several years this list

does not distinguish between expenditure in Ingestre and Tixall, although their separate accounts are credited and debited with the specified amounts.

II. The Precept:-

This comes from the annual Parish Charge levied by the Borough Council on our behalf, which takes into account our requests for the coming financial year and the block grant from central government. It is used to cover the election expenses, running expenses and any other expenditure we require. The cost of the 4 yearly elections is spread over the four years.

 The sum paid includes the Government Grant of £34 for Ingestre and £37.60 for Tixall in 2018/19, which has been deducted from the precepts when filling in the Annual Return.

The budget for the forthcoming financial year is drawn up and approved in November, so that the precept requirement can be confirmed in January. November is also used as an opportunity to check actual expenditure for the half year against the previous budget. Separate precepts are made for Ingestre and Tixall.

b)  SEPARATE ACCOUNTS FOR INGESTRE & TIXALL

     In addition to the overall receipt and payment accounts for audit, items are allocated separately to Ingestre and Tixall, with separate balances being carried over for each parish at the end of the financial year.  Although an income and expenditure system would give a better indication of our overall finances, this would involve significantly more work for the Clerk in converting the previous year’s audited accounts to Income & Expenditure as well as the current year as the auditors require direct comparison of successive years. A change is also not considered material in the light of the amounts involved.

     All income and expenditure which is not specifically allocated to either parish is split according to the relative actual Council Tax Bases (band D equivalent). The Council Tax Bases is a measure of the number of properties in the various price bands in each parish, i.e.  their ability to raise the precept.  For 2019/2020 this is Ingestre 83.22 and Tixall 119 giving a ratio of 1:1.43 the same as last year.

c)  PARISH COUNCIL FINANCIAL POWERS:-

*The Parish Council has powers to spend money on various items including:-*

* Purchase of land  [Open Spaces Act 1906 Section 9]*

* Planting Trees, bulbs, etc. along the highway & cutting the verges [HA 1980 Section 96]*

* Contributions to Community Buildings, eg. Village Halls [LGA 1972 Section 133] *

* Public Lighting [p244 Arnold Baker] *

* Litter Bins [Litter Act 1983 Sections 5 & 6] *

* Maintaining, repairing & protecting any war memorial [LGA Section 214 (6) etc.]*

* Cemetery Maintenance [LGA 1972 Section 214] *

   According to the Clerks & Councils Direct: A Parish Council can contribute to the cost of cutting grass in Churchyard under section 216 (6) of the Local Government Act, LGA, 1972. This provision overrides the provisions of section 8 of the LGA 1894..

    It was noted that both Tixall and Ingestre Churchyards are open for the burial of any local resident, and were thus providing a public service for our residents.

* Any other expenditure which can be shown to be of benefit to the whole or part of the local community  [LGA 1972 Section 137 updated 1989 see below:-] *

I. Expenditure under Section 137 must:-

i.    Bring some direct  benefit  to  the  area or  part of it, or the inhabitants or some of them; this means that it must be possible to point to some way in which, in the broadest sense, the area or its inhabitants will be better off as a result of the expenditure;

ii.   Direct benefit must be commensurate  with  the  expenditure involved;  it  is  for  the  council  acting reasonably, to judge  whether  this  test  is  met, but  they  need  henceforth  to  consider  whether the expenditure is reasonable in relation to the degree of direct benefit that it will produce.

iii.   Where  the  authority  has  another   power  to  incur  expenditure   that  is  in  some  way  limited  or Conditional (whether by being restricted to a particular group of people or in any other way), the power under the "free two pence" cannot be used to overcome this restriction.

II. These conditions do not apply to grants  to  charitable  and  public  service funds;  such  grants however, remain  subject  to  the  financial  limit and must be shown in a special   account  in  the  "free two pence expenditure".

III. Grants can be made  to  the  funds  of  voluntary  bodies providing  a  public service, even  if the public  service is available only to a section of the public.

IV. Contributions  can  be  made  to  a  disaster  appeal  funds  launched  by  civic  heads,  i.e. mayors  and chairman of county or district councils.

V. *The financial limit is now £8.12/elector, ie. the number of local   government electors on March 1st: 2019 Ingestre 157 + Tixall 192 = £1274.84 + £1559.04 = £2833.88*

 *Expenditure under Section 137 must be specifically noted in the minutes and accounts.*

d)  ANNUAL RETURN & REVIEW OF EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERNAL AUDIT:-

    The official audit by the External Auditor, currently Mazars is carried out annually. However,

where the higher of gross income or gross expenditure is £25,000 or less, and we meet the qualifying criteria, we can certify ourselves as exempt from a limited assurance review. Following a vote at the Annual Parish Meeting it was agreed that we would apply for exemption. However, we still have to send in an Annual Return and have our accounts available for public inspection for 30 working days.

    The accounts must show written requests and bills for any money paid out, so that they know we are paying for specific items and not just giving free handouts of public money. In order to get an additional bank statement at the end of the financial year without paying the £1 fee, the Parish Clerk now has access to view the account online, but not to make any financial transactions.

    Any orders made out to individual Councillors or their businesses, will not be reimbursed.

     The Clerk has been authorised to make personal VISA payments for items purchased via the Internet, and then be recompensed with a single specific cheque and evidence for VAT payment.

    It had previously been agreed that Expenditure over £500 is subject to competitive tender, or at least two quotations, except with specific approval of the Council. It had been noted that all expenditure on Ingestre Home Farm Land had been subject to obtaining the best possible price.

    Petty Cash and cheques paid are detailed and approved in the minutes for each meeting.  All Petty Cash payments are detailed in the Petty Cash Book, and receipts are attached for all miscellaneous expenditure as VAT can be reclaimed.

    Two signatures from the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Clerk, are required for all bank withdrawals.  A bimonthly statement for the current account is received before each meeting, and at the end of the financial year and bank reconciliations are carried out and approved by the Council at each meeting. 

     The above measures and the double signatures required for all bank withdrawals form part of the internal audit and control. In addition the Barclays Bank Statement, and NSB Account when this has changed, are brought to each meeting and confirmed against the balances reported by the Clerk.  

     These procedures are reviewed annually at the Annual Parish Council meeting, alongwith the Financial Risk Analysis below.

    Christine Heelis (previously Clerk of Eccleshall) is our Current Internal Auditor.

e)  FINANCIAL RISK ANALYSIS

    The Clerk has a petty cash float of £75, from which petty cash payments are made. The float is then reimbursed after each ordinary meeting of the Council when a detailed analysis of all spending has been approved by the Council.

    The only cash normally received are occasional small payments for laminating @ 15p/A4 sheet. The Clerk records all personal photocopying and this record and the breakdown of laser printing costs is available for inspection.

f)  PARISH ACCOUNTS

    The Petty Cash is kept by the Clerk, the Current Account is at Barclays Bank, and the savings account is in a National Savings Investment Account. Any cash is paid into the bank as soon as possible and is not used for cash payments, although payments received for laminating are deducted from the petty cash expenditure.

    In order to spread the cost of the four yearly elections, transfers are made to a separate election reserve each year.

    It had been agreed that all payments should be formally proposed and seconded in advance at a Parish Council Meeting. Payments are then made when they fall due.

g)  VAT

   The Parish Council can reclaim the VAT paid for goods received and belonging to the Parish Council, and for services to the Parish Council, provided invoices are addressed to the Parish Council, using VAT Form 126.

 *Parish Councils may purchase goods or services and donate them to a voluntary body, but without receiving any reimbursement. The donation is a non-business activity and is therefore eligible for a refund of VAT.* [Legal Topic Note 36 revised Jan 1990]

h)  INGESTRE VILLAGE ROAD ACCOUNT

      A separate account was set up for Ingestre Village residents at the Nationwide Building Society with the residual money from previous repairs. This is usually reported at the Annual Parish Council Meeting and was £4261.69 on Sept.3rd 2018. This is outside the control of the Parish Council and transactions require the signatures of Mr D.Lees, Mr Ken Shelley and Mrs Trish Wright – two out of three being required.

i)  PARISH COUNCIL INSURANCE:-  

   The Parish Council is currently insured with Zurich and the renewal is due on June 1^st  at £238, with a £100 excess, last year we also paid £238. As we are already on the lowest rate there is no further reduction for a 3 year agreement. The insurance for 2019/20 is unchanged  except for a % increase in the value of the All Risk Items below.

Public Liability                                                      Limit of indemnity £12,000,000(£100 excess)

              Officials Indemnity falls within Public Liability Cover and covers all employees and members of the Council                                             

Employers Liability                                                                                                    Not covered

Libel & Slander             Limit of indemnity  £250,000   (Less 10% or £1000 if lower, per claim)

Money – Non –negotiable (Everything except cash)                                £250,000  (Cheques)

Money – Negotiable (Cash)       £5,000 Transit/premises; £500 Locked receptacles/residence

                             (£50 excess for each loss)

Fidelity Guarantee                                                   Limit of indemnity £250,000 (£100 excess) 

Office Equipment                                                                                                                 Not covered

Additional Items- All Risks:

Personal Accident (age 16-90)                                                Capital Benefits    £50,000

                                                                                                   Weekly Sum.      £200pw

                                                  Limit of £5000,000 any one person and £2,000,000/incident

Legal Expenses –            employment disputes & compensation, Limit of indemnity £100,000

   The new litter bin, picnic benches and seat at Home Farm Land are covered under the all risks section for damage/theft, with an excess of £100 per incident.

   The Display Boards and associated equipment are  insured for £1587.97

    It was noted that these were the lowest indemnity limits available, with a 3 year no claims and population up to 1,000, and that this cover comes as a combined package and there is a £250 Public Liability Property Damage & Property Damage excess.

     We have confirmed that Councillors and Volunteers are covered for the equivalent of Employers Liability. Zurich previously noted the need for a written risk assessment for any Parish Council activity. The Clerk had completed this for Roadside Litter Picking:

Hazards: Road Traffic and broken glass

Who might be harmed and how? People collecting litter

Current actions: Wear highlighter jacket or waistcoat: Use Litterpicking tongs; Choose time when there is less traffic, i.e. avoid rush hours

Future actions: Advertise reminder in Monthly Newsheet

    Zurich had agreed that our insurance cover now includes the Home Farm Land, provided we have a written risk analysis for the land, see Appendix 9.11.16/16 which is being reviewed.

j)  PARISH COUNCIL RESERVES:

     We maintain specific separate reserves in addition to a variable general reserve. These are reviewed annually and will be discussed in the subsequent meeting with the Annual Accounts.:

     The Parish Clerk’s Payment Reserve is divided between Ingestre & Tixall according to the current ratio.

      The Election Reserve may vary and would go towards the next election to spread the cost over 4 years.

k) HOME FARM LAND

       A separate account is kept for the Home Farm Land which has been topped up with access payments from HS2 and VAT repayments. It is currently £3187 and is used to pay for mowing the land and other maintenance items. Also see 38 below.

l)  PARISH COUNCIL PROPERTY AND LIST OF ASSETS

     The depreciated value is reduced by 25% pa. The value of assets for the Annual Return is now the original price is not depreciated.Organisations or individuals are charged 15p/A4 sheet for lamination.    The Parish Council has a supply of Litterpickers and High Visibility Waistcoats.

l)  DONATIONS TO LOCAL CHARITIES:

      We receive many requests from local and National organisations, but we have accepted a policy of only giving donations to local organisations which we feel could benefit our chargepayers, eg. Royal British Legion and CPRE, These are paid as part of the Section 137 payments.

20. HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES:

    The major risk is while litterpicking the roadside verges when participants are advised to wear bright coloured or high visibility clothing, and carry coloured plastic sacks. See Risk Analysis above, Item 18 i). High visibility waistcoats have now been provided for use on the most dangerous verges.

   Any accidents or near accidents should be recorded in a special accident book kept in the village hall, and in the Parish Council Minutes. When an accident has been recorded in the current book, a loose leaf will be introduced to maintain confidentiality.

     All local residents have been given their OS Map Reference for use when summoning the emergency services, and also encouraged to join the Data Link service whereby emergency contact information is kept in a small canister in their frig door.

21. PLANNING APPLICATIONS

     References to planning applications in agendas or minutes should give the applicants or landowners name. Any applications received after the agendas are sent out but before the Council meeting, will be discussed at the meeting. Councillors sending their apologies will be informed of these.

    We have strongly opposed a suggestion from the Borough Council Planners to receive planning applications electronically, as hard copy is needed for local consultations and to view large planning sheets.

    Our general policy is to oppose any entirely new development, and to support reasonable alterations and extensions, and the re-use of old buildings. The Council supports the Dark Skies project and opposes excessive external lighting, especially lighting which is on permanently at night.

     We are concerned that all local residents should be treated equally and therefore try to ensure that planning permission is always obtained where it is legally required.

      A notice giving the Location, Application Number, where the plans can be consulted, and the last date for representations to be sent to the Chairman or Clerk, will be displayed on the nearest

parish notice board, where appropriate. Tixall Plans are available in the Summer House at 2, The Hanyards. Ingestre Plans will be deposited in Mrs Haenelt’s outhouse at The Lindens, and returned to the Clerk with any comments by the required date.

   Wherever possible, individual Councillors will try and contact any interested parties, including immediate neighbours, so that they are aware of what is going on and can make their views known to us or the Borough Planning Dept.

      If a Parish Council meeting does not fall within the 21 days allowed for our comments, all Councillors from Ingestre and Tixall will be notified, and invited to send their views to the Chairman by a specific date. Minor comments can be made to the Clerk. The Chairman will then consult with the Clerk, and representations will be made to the Borough Council taking into account these views. Councillors can request to see the planning letter for a particular application before it is sent out, sometimes a draft letter will be added to the inspection documents & plans for comment, etc.

     Difficulties have arisen in the past when the Borough Council registered "any Parish Council response which expresses any degree of dissatisfaction with a proposal as an objection." We feel very strongly that as we are not the planning authority, we should not necessarily have to decide whether we support or oppose a particular development. However, we do feel that we can make useful representations on specific details using our local knowledge. We have now reached agreement with the Borough Council to publish our summarised representations as written by us in their officer’s report, where we have included summaries, i.e for more controversial applications.

    Copies of all Parish Council replies to the Borough Council, etc. on Planning Matters are available for consultation on application to the Parish Clerk. The planning consents or permissions including any specific conditions, are included as appendices to the minutes.

    Unfortunately when a condition is subject to a Section 106 Agreement, the application is not granted until that agreement has been completed. The Parish Council has to download scanned copies of the permission document from the Borough Council website.

    Notice of all planning applications appear in the Parish News, together with subsequent decisions by the Borough Council. This does not include specific conditions.  At present all planning applications are kept for future reference, but this is leading to storage problems.

    All decision notices and other planning information are now available from the Borough Council Planning website at: https://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/planning-public-access

    We are now usually consulted as an adjacent parish for significant developments just outside our boundaries, and eventually receive copies of the decision notices on these applications.

   The Parish Council opposes all roadside verge Estate Agents signs, which are not within the curtilage of the property being sold, unless a special dispensation has been granted by the council. Roadside landowners may give permission for signs on their land.

   The Parish Council encourages the provision of adequate garages in any new developments.

    The Parish Council repeatedly confirmed that it was essential that the necessary infrastructure including continuation of the Eastern Distributor Road, EDR, across the Sow valley was completed in advance of any further development. We are very concerned that Staffordshire CC has removed the 3^rd section of the protected EDR route from the bottom of Baswich Lane to Milford from the new Plan for Stafford, with no alternative provision for any future through route east of Stafford.

22.  TREE PRESERVATION

    The Parish Council supports the preservation of all mature trees visible to the public, especially those along the roadside.

    The Parish Council has actively encouraged the planting and maintenance of new roadside trees to replace those which have died and to fill in existing gaps, including the Millennium Avenue at Hoo Mill, the Millennium Oak at Ingestre and the two Millennium Oaks by Tixall Gatehouse.

23. LITERATURE

    The Parish Council is registered for the Public Sector Mapping Agreement with the Ordnance Survey and with Parish On Line maps.

    In addition the Parish Clerk has copies of:-

a)    6 inch Ordnance Survey Sheets of Ingestre & Tixall, i.e. equivalent to 1:10,000

b)    The Definitive Map of Public Rights of Way in Ingestre & Tixall

c)    Rights of Way. A guide to law & practice by P.Clayton & J.Trevelyan

d)    List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest in Ingestre & Tixall

e)    Tree Preservation Orders for Ingestre & the eastern part of Tixall

f)     Current Registers of Electors in Ingestre & Tixall and monthly changes

g)    Borough & County Council Committee Members

h)    Ingestre Conservation Area Appraisal is available online from Stafford BC

i)      Tixall Conservation Area Appraisal is available online from Stafford BC

j)      Borough Council Year-book

k)    Local Plan Documents

l)      Latest Borough Council Meeting Minutes & Schedules

m)  Governance and Accountability in Local Councils in England & Wales. A Practitioners Guide - NALC & Society of Local Council Clerks 2003

n)    3^rd Edition Good Councillor Guide – available electronically from the Clerk

o)    Various HS2 Documents

p)    Staffordshire Parish Council Association, SPCA, weekly updates

24. MEMBERSHIP OF, AND REPRESENTATION WITH, OTHER ORGANISATIONS

    The Parish Council is a member of:-

Staffordshire Parish Councils Association. Website: spca.parish@staffordshire.gov.uk

    The Village Hall is a member of Support Staffordshire and the Village Hall passes on information of interest to the Parish Council.

    The Chairman lays a wreath at the Annual Service of Remembrance.

     Any interested member of the Council can attend the Parish Forum with the Borough and County Councils and other consultation meetings.

      Mr Tony Young had kindly agreed to act as local police liaison or neighbourhood watch contact for Ingestre and Mrs Carol Burnett for Tixall. Website: www.mynhw.co.uk

     There are now two private Whats App Groups set up by a local resident, one to report suspicious activity and one more general.

25. TIXALL & INGESTRE VILLAGE HALL

    This is separate registered charity with 7 trustees: Two appointed by the Parish Council  one of which must be a member of the Parish Council - currently Dr Andrews till November 2020 and Mr Young till November 2022; two from Tixall PCC and 2 from Ingestre PCC, in addition Mrs Linda Penn and Mrs G.Broadbent have been co-opted.

    The Parish Council is custodian trustee, whose main function is to hold the legal title to investments and property on behalf of the charity. The Land Registration document is with Mr James, the solicitor at Hand Morgan & Owen. Custodian trustees can act only on the lawful instruction of the charity or managing trustees. A custodian trustee is a form of holding trustee but it has specific responsibilities as set out in section 4 of the Public Trustee Act 1906: it does not have any powers of management.

    The Parish Council has agreed to continue to play a supportive role in maintaining this vital community asset for the residents of both Tixall and Ingestre. It last paid £1696 for the Hall Railings in 2005, but also provides free printing for the Village Hall in return for ongoing storage     facilities and use of the Hall for meetings.

26. LITTER & RECYCLING

       Litter pickers are distributed to any local residents willing to use them on a regular basis, alongwith visibility jerkins where necessary. A risk analysis has been carried out see 18j above.

     The Annual Litter pick was discontinued some years ago and volunteers are now responsible for keeping the following sections of the roadside verges clear of litter:

Ingestre Hall to Ingestre Village; Ingestre Village to Hoo Mill crossroads, Hoo Mill Lane; Hoo Mill crossroads to the Gt Haywood boundary; Hoo Mill crossroads to Tixall farm; Tixall Farm to Tixall Village; Holdiford Rd Tixall Village to Brancote corner; Tixall Village; Brancote corner to the Stone

seat; Hanyards Lane, Blackheath Lane and Tixall Rd to the Stone seat from the traffic lights; Baswich Lane from the traffic lights to St Thomas’s.

    A list of volunteers is kept and all Councillors are asked to check if any sections are not being cleared. Streetscene will collect bags from the roadside verges if they are told where they are and how many. Contact John Scott Tel: 0753852608.

    The Parish Council has agreed that when any litter found in the parish can be identified as deposited by someone, that person should be prosecuted. Fly tipping and other litter can be reported to the Borough Council Litterline at 01785 619401.

     Refuse skips or lorries, are provided at regular intervals for local residents to dispose of large items of rubbish.      Bottle banks and a Paper bank are provided at the Village Hall at Tixall.

     The Parish Council continues to ask all residents to co-operate in eliminating dog fouling on public highways and rights of way. See www.staffordbc.gov.uk/dogs for further information. The Borough Council’s dog fouling regulations can only be enforced by their authorised people. The Parish Council provided a bin by the New Stables for dog waste.

   The Parish Council has signed up to the Borough Council Litter Campaign. This seeks to make a positive difference and improvement to the environment in and around Stafford Borough; To promote the Stafford BC Litter Campaign and encourage and supportcommunity involvement; To work together in new ways to increase  the scope and value of their projects and the outcomes; and To encourage open and honest communication channels between partners and community groups regarding litter campaign events.

27. ROADSIDE VERGES

    Dr Andrews declared her interest.

    The minimum wage is currently £8.21/hr for workers aged 25 and over. Mr Andrews currently cuts the grass around the two stone seats at a rate of £15 per cut for up to 4 cuts this year. Mr Bostock proposed that this should continue. This was seconded by Mrs Haenelt and agreed. It had also been agreed to use Roundup to keep the ramp paths to the moved seat clear, and to kill the remains of the old hedge in front of it.

     Some of the bank in front of the seat is cut by Staffordshire Highways as part of their verge maintenance.

     County Highways have taken over responsibility for mowing the verges by Tixall Church.

    The Parish Council opposes the erection of all illegal signs on Highway Verges, including Estate Agents signs which are not on the property for sale, unless a special dispensation has been granted by the council. Roadside landowners may give permission for signs on their land. Short term notices advertising specific events are allowed as long as they are subsequently removed.

Removal of Ingestre Road Verges and Fencing. According to Penny Brookes there is a range of law and fact providing for the standard width of a public highway.

".... it seems that if a highway is publicly maintainable then the surface is vested in the highway authority in fee simple (permanent and absolute tenure in land, a freehold tenure) and this includes ownership of ‘roadside waste’ - i.e. verges.  

Consent of the highway authority is required for the ‘frontager’ (any householder/landlowner whose property runs up to the roadside/verge) to make changes to the verges or fences or hedges alongside a road.  

It is usually the case that if a landowner claims to own land up to and perhaps beyond the highway then he will be held to own up to the mid-line of the highway the runs up to his property, but, the ownership extends only to the subsoil - the highway authority own the surface of the highway." 

However, a letter from the County Surveyor dated 15.2.1988, regarding the replanting of Mr Southwell's hedge nearer the road said:

" I enclose a plan showing the area of land which was adopted as part of the D326. You will see that this includes most of the verges at Ingestre.

  Any movement of fences and enclosure of verges which took place before the County Council made up the road should have been dealt with at that time and is not something the County Council can deal with. If the verges were owned by Mr Collier ( and this was denied at the time the apportionment was being prepared) then this is no longer the case and they are part of the highway.

           With regard to the hedge ............."

Concern was expressed at the recent removal of the verges and field boundaries along Ingestre Road by Mr Collier of Ingestre Manor Farm. These verges were no longer available as refuges from passing traffic for pedestrians and children, and the edge of the road was difficult to identify in the dark, and was also beginning to break up. It is hoped that HS2 can pay for a footway to be installed from Ingestre Manor Farm entrance to Home Farm Corner.

28. ROAD SCHEMES & MAINTENANCE

    The general policy of the Parish Council is to support schemes which improve road safety by:-

a)  Widening the road sufficiently to enable two buses HGVs to pass;

b)  Improving visibility;

c)  Improving signage and road markings.

    As far as possible the present alignments should be retained, as removing bends usually increases traffic speed resulting in more serious accidents. Trees or hedges should be retained or replanted to preserve amenity value.

     The Parish Council has asked to be informed of all proposed highway schemes other than routine maintenance and repairs by the Area Surveyor. This includes tree planting schemes, etc.

  The Clerk has now discovered the most effective way to report Highway problems to County Highways is using the webpage:

https://apps2.staffordshire.gov.uk/web/reportfault/#top

Each problem has to be reported separately, although adjacent potholes or blocked drains can be reported together. One also needs to show the location on their version Google maps, date first noticed, and ideally provide photographs of the problem.

29. MILLENNIUM BOOKS

      These books which contain a photographic record of all houses in Ingestre and Tixall in 2000 have been deposited in the County Record Office. In addition the Clerk has a copy of all the photographs on CD-ROMs.

30. WELCOME PACK FOR NEW RESIDENTS

     This plastic bag contains: OS Map reference for the property, Dataline Emergency details, Church & Parish Council contacts, Village Hall info, Recycling info, Post Times, Local Shop, and our Website. New owners of Listed Buildings are sent the English Heritage Advice Notes.

The Local Information is included on the websit. It is sometimes difficult to identify when rented property changed tenants, and the pack is therefore regularly advertised in the Parish News.

31. CODE OF PRACTICE FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS

      This was adopted by the Parish Council on July 14^th 2004, Minute 31/04 3d and Appendix 14.07.04/12. A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction … about the Council’s action or lack of action or about the standard of service, whether the action was taken or the service provided by the council itself or a person or body acting on behalf of the council. A complaint against the Council should be treated as a complaint against the body corporate of the council, not as a complaint against individual employees or members of the council. Councils should ensure that agendas and minutes do not disclose personal data or financial sensitive or confidential information that relates to a complainant or third party.

       It was previously agreed to circulate copies of Appendix 14.07.04/12 with the minutes. ? delete

32. QUALITY PARISH COUNCIL STATUS

    At present our Parish Council satisfies 6/7 of the essential criteria, i.e. apart from the Clerk having the necessary qualifications. Unfulfilled conditions and suggestions were considered in Appendix 10.11.04/11. These include the need for Councillors to send apologies when they are unable to attend meetings; and for Councillors to attend training sessions.

     However many of the suggestions do not seem relevant to a small rural council such as ours: e.g. Having a Parish plan; Regular surgeries by Councillors; Reports in the local press and district council publications; holding consultations or circulating questionnaires; and producing leaflets on the work of the Council – which is partly covered by our annual report and website .

33. BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION

    Both Ingestre and Tixall have entered this competition in the past. A supply of Dog Poo Bags is kept at the back of Tixall Church and at Ingestre Stables.

34. FOOTPATHS & BRIDLEWAYS IN INGESTRE & TIXALL

      The Parish Council has agreed a policy regarding potential bridleways arising from the 1802 Diversion Order which was used to enable Ingestre Road to be adopted by Staffordshire Council so that its maintenance was no longer the responsibility of local residents. Appendix 10.9.08/18.       The Parish Council has supported repeated unsuccessful attempts by Staffordshire CC Legal Dept. to resolve the problem of the potential blight on some properties at Home Farm Court, Ingestre.

      There are currently no public footpaths or bridleways in Ingestre, although Hoo Mill Lane is in the process of being added to the Definitive Map. There are two bridleways and two footpaths in Tixall.

     Money is available each year from the County Council through the Community Paths Initiative

35. JAPANESE KNOTWEED

    All residents are reminded in the Annual Report each year that it is an offence to throw Japanese Knotweed in their brown bin, or allow it to spread from their property. It is known to occur in Ingestre Wood and the grounds of Ingestre Hall and Ingestre Home Farm.

36. PARISH SURVEYS

    These were carried out in 2000 and 2010.

37. LOCAL BUSINESS DIRECTORY

     This has been discontinued due to lack of support.

38. LAND AT HOME FARM COURT

    The Parish Council has used the Section 106 Monies from the development of Ingestre Sawmill  (which was specifically designated for creating a Public Open Space in Ingestre) to purchase and landscape land in front of Home Farm Court to be used as a Public Open Space.

    Zurich have agreed that our insurance cover now includes the Home Farm Land, provided we have a written risk analysis for the land, Appendix 9.11.16/16.

     The conditions for the planning permission for change of use of the land to a Community Open Space, Appendix 13.3.13/9, include:

7. No more than 4 community or public events/calendar year without prior permission from the Local Planning Authority.

9. No live or amplified music.

This is to safeguard the occupiers of nearby residential properties from undue noise and general disturbance.

39. HS2

     The Parish Council voted that it was against HS2 and will also support action to mitigate its impact on land and property owners, the environment and Ingestre Conservation Area.

    The Parish Council used Section 137 to pay for a British Geological Survey consultation to support our opposition to the initially preferred route through Ingestre & Tixall. The payment was spread over two financial years. (Section 137 excludes VAT).

     Similarly , we used Section 137 o pay for a Hydrological Report by Envireau to support our case to move HS2 away from Ingestre & Tixall to the Trent Valley.

     We have responded to various consultations in detail.

     The Parish Council has established links with Hopton & Colwich Parish Councils and with the National Trust regarding Shugborough and HS2. 

      There is a special webpage on the Parish Council website for HS2.   

       The Parish Council has petitioned the HS2 Hybrid Bill and the subsequent Additional Provision Bills.   

40. CANNOCK CHASE AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY, AONB 

                                                                                                                INFORMATION BOARDS

    The Parish Council instigated and negotiated the erection of two information boards showing the extent of the AONB in Tixall and other important sites. One is attached to the wall of the Village Hall and one is by the canal next to the Holdiford Road Canal Bridge on land belonging to Mr Bostock.

41. CIVIC AMENITY VISITS

    The Parish Council usually arranges 4 visits a year by the Borough Council’s “Lorry Skip” of one hour at Ingestre by Home Farm Court corner, followed by one hour at the Village Hall at Tixall.

42. STONE SEATS IN MEMORY OF THOMAS HARTSHORNE

    The Parish Council was involved in moving the Grade II Listed seat near Tixall Village to a safer location at the top of the bank.

     The status of the land on which the seat now stands has still to be formalised between Staffordshire Highways and the landowner.

43. STAFFORDSHIRE & WORCESTERSHIRE CANAL

    The Parish Council has now formally adopted the stretch of the canal in Tixall, i.e. from the Sow Aqueduct to the Swivel Bridge. The accompanying certificate shows it has been adopted from January 1st 2018 to 31st December 2019.

    Live aboard canal boats should only moor in one place for a maximum of 14 days and should then proceed on a continuous journey, i.e. they should not oscillate between one or more local sites.

    The problem this causes with increased towpath refuse and parking on Holdiford Road has been acknowledged by the Parish Council. The Canal & River Trust are endeavouring to reduce the problem which the Parish Council continues to monitor with the help of local residents.

44. TITHE MAP DIGITISATION PROJECT

    The Parish Council has contributed £40 for the Ingestre and £60 for the Tixall Tithe Maps to be digitised by Staffordshire County records Office.

45. LOCAL BROADBAND & MOBILE PHONE GROUP

    Superfast Broadband is now available in Ingestre and parts of Tixall. However, some areas including Holdiford Rd, Tixall, have still to be connected.

There being no further business the meeting finished at 8pm