Minutes of the Meeting of the Denby Dale Parish Council held on Tuesday, 5th July, 2005 in the Civic Chamber, Council Offices, Skelmanthorpe.
Members Present:
Clr. J.A. Barlow – Chair
Clrs. R.G. Allen, J.C. Birdsall, Mrs. J. Birdsall, J.D. Carr, Mrs. M. Clarke, Mrs. G. Hague, D.W. Kaye, R.S. Mottram, E.I. Shaw, G. Turner, A.N. Weatherby
98. Declaration of Councillors’ Interests
Clr. Weatherby declared a personal interest in Northern College.
99. Public Discussion Time
No items were raised
100. Suspension of Standing Orders
It was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Carr and RESOLVED that standing orders be suspended in accordance with standing order no. 79, to allow Mrs. Jane Weatherby of Northern College to address the meeting.
111. Northern College
Mrs. Weatherby gave a presentation on the work and courses available at Northern College. There are a variety of short courses on a multitude of topics including I.T. and Sociology. The Community Regeneration Programme looks at ways to bring about changes in the community, Government policy and how this impacts on the community; Skills – shows how to design a community programme and also incorporates training skills in a variety of topics.
All courses are free at the moment and many are offered on a residential basis over a two day period.
The Community Cohesion course helps support front line workers who have to deal with sensitive issues within the community and personal confrontation.
This course is now held in various locations, not at the College, for example at the Brian Jackson Centre in Huddersfield, the Deighton Centre and in Batley.
The Chair thanked Mrs. Weatherby for her attendance.
112 Return to Standing Orders
It was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Mottram and RESOLVED that standing orders be returned to.
113 Resignation
The Chair reported the resignation of Clr. Geoff Smith and stated that the appropriate procedures were being followed. It was proposed by Clr. Barlow, seconded by Clr. Allen and RESOLVED that Mr. Smith be thanked for his contribution to the Council.
114 Apologies for Absence
Reasons for absence from the meeting were submitted by Clrs. I.D. Bowie, Mrs. C. Beal, T. Sigsworth, C. Watson, R. McSkimming, Mrs. S.A. Dellapuppa and Mrs. V. Woodhead. It was proposed by Clr. Weatherby, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Birdsall and RESOLVED that the reason for absence from the meeting submitted by the above Councillors be accepted as valid reasons.
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115. Minutes
It was proposed by Clr. Weatherby, seconded by Clr. J.C. Birdsall and RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 7th June, 2005 be signed by the Chair as a correct record.
116. Scissett Mount
Further to Min. No. 35, it was reported that the Council’s views would be reflected in the presentation to Cabinet.
117. Hire Charges in Schools
Further to Min. No. 38, the Clerk reported that letters had been received from Kirklees Education Services, the Department of Education and Skills and Mary Creagh M.P. The former stated that individual Governing Bodies make such decisions and not by the Council and this was reiterated by the latter two letters. It was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that all Governing Bodies be asked to give consideration to the plight of community organisations within their villages and hold any necessary increase to a minimum.
118 Flag at Council Offices, Skelmanthorpe
Further to Min. No. 43, quotations for the erection of different types of flagpoles and flagstaffs were submitted to the meeting. A proposal that a flagpole or flagstaff be erected was defeated by a majority of votes.
119. Attendance at Northern College
Further to Min. No. 47 and 111, after some discussion it was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Birdsall and RESOLVED that Mrs. Weatherby be contacted and asked if it would be possible to hold a course at the College, to include elements of Community Cohesion and also the formulation of the Parish Plan.
120. Changes to Concessionary Travel
Further to Min. No. 48, it was proposed by Clr. Carr, seconded by Clr. Turner and RESOLVED that the Secretary of State be asked to extend the current English scheme nationwide and that a copy of the letter be sent to Mary Creagh M.P.
121 Public Consultation
Further to Min. No. 55, it was proposed by Clr. Barlow, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that this matter be further discussed at the September meeting.
122 Textile Museum – Skelmanthorpe
Further to Min. No. 56, it was agreed that a visit be arranged to the Museum (now arranged for Tuesday, 27th September at 7.00 p.m.) – note date change.
123 Closure of Scissett Post Office
The Clerk submitted a letter from a resident who expressed concern about the closure of the above Post Office. It was proposed by Clr. Barlow, seconded by Clr. Allen and RESOLVED that
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the resident be informed that the Council cannot comment at this stage as the issue has entered the legal process.
124 B.T. Phone Boxes
The Clerk submitted a letter from BT Payphones which stated that consideration was being given to changing six phone boxes in the Denby Dale Parish area into cashless boxes. It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Weatherby and RESOLVED that
a) B.T. be informed that if conversion to cashless should occur, then phone cards should be made available that charge the same rate as the present land lines and
b) OFCOM and Mary Creagh M.P. be contacted and the suggestion put forward that all phone companies should be contributing to the cost of public phone boxes.
125. Hepworth Site Visit
The Hepworth site visit will be held on Monday, 5th September, 2005 at 6.30 p.m., to meet at the Bromley Quarry entrance on Barnsley Road. Clrs. Shaw, Allen, Mottram and J.C. Birdsall agreed to attend the visit. All Councillors are authorised to attend the visit if they can.
126 Speeding Issues – Clayton West and Scissett
It was proposed by Clr. Mottram, seconded by Clr. Shaw and RESOLVED that Kirklees M.C. and the Police be asked to
a) investigate the problem of speeding traffic in the Chapel Hill / Spring Grove / Church Lane, Clayton West / Scissett area and
b) also the problems that are being experienced in Victoria Street by residents who need to cross the road to reach their gardens and garages, with a 20 mph speed limit being requested to alleviate this problem.
127 Traffic Survey, Emley
Further to Min. No. 166, the traffic survey report was submitted to the meeting and gateway features would be erected on the approach to the village with a request being made to the police to undertake enforcement measures in respect of excessive speed.
128 Proposed Skate Board Park, Cross Lane, Skelmanthorpe
Clr. Turner reported that this project was ongoing and the design was now in place. Planning permission is being sought and nearly all the promised funding is in place.
129 Changing Rooms – Cross Lane Playing Fields, Skelmanthorpe
It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Birdsall and RESOLVED that Kirklees M.C. be informed that the above changing rooms are in urgent need of repair and maintenance.
130 Pedestrian Strategy
Further to Min. No. 323, it was reported that the draft Pedestrian Action Plan had now been completed. It was agreed that Clr. Turner report back to the next meeting on the issues raised in the Action Plan. Clr. J.C. Birdsall informed the meeting that £200,000 had been made available for improvements to short utility journeys in urban areas.
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131 Highway Infrastructure
It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Shaw and RESOLVED that Kirklees M.C. be informed of this Council’s concern that reports of general highway maintenance problems are taking a long time to be actioned.
132. Review of 3 mile limit for School Transport
Concern was expressed about the anomalies inherent in the system of allocating free travel to and from school within the area, particularly in the outlying rural districts where it would not be possible, or safe, for children to walk to school. It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Carr and RESOLVED that representatives from Kirklees M.C. and Metro be asked to the October meeting of the Council to address issues relating to school transport. It was proposed by Clr. Kaye, seconded by Clr. Turner and RESOLVED that the cost of free school transport be discussed at the next Finance and General Purposes Committee.
133 Bin Collection
It was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Hague and RESOLVED that Kirklees M.C. be asked
a) to ensure that bins are returned to their collection point after emptying and
b) to extend the wheelie bin collection to the areas of Emley Moor and Emley Woodhouse that are still reliant on the old style dustbins.
134 Footpath near former Skelmanthorpe Station
It was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Shaw and RESOLVED that Kirklees M.C. be informed of the poor state of repair of the above footpath.
135 Reports
The following documents were submitted for consideration: Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust Summary Patient Services Plan 2005 – 2006; Highway reports.
136 Finance and General Purposes Committee
It was proposed by Clr. Turner, seconded by Clr. Mrs. Hague and RESOLVED that the minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on 21st June, 2005 be signed by the Chair of the Committee as a correct record.
137 Youth Project
Further to Min. No. 73, the Clerk submitted a letter of thanks from YEAST (Young Emley Active Sports Team) for their recent grant award.
138 Allocation of Community Grant Aid
Further to Min. No. 78, the Chair of Finance outlined several suggestions that had been put forward for consideration for community grant aid. This will be considered at the November meeting of the Committee and any further suggestions will be welcomed.
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139 Plans Scrutiny Committee
It was proposed by Clr. Shaw, seconded by Clr. J.C. Birdsall and RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Plans Scrutiny Committee held on 28th June, 2005, be signed by the Chair of the Committee as a correct record.
140 Kirklees L.D.F. Consultation Strategy
Further to Min. No. 91, it was proposed by Clr. Mrs. Birdsall, seconded by Clr. Mottram and RESOLVED that Parish councils should be included in Appendix 2 (Statutory Consultees) as referred to in the appropriate Government documentation. Parish Council recognition should also be included in Figure 6 – The Planning Application Process.
141 Dog Fouling
Further to Min. No. 93, it was reported that larger dog fouling signs are not available and that the Fouling of Land Act does not cover woodland and woodland paths.
142 Annual Return
The statement of assurance was completed and it was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Turner and RESOLVED that the Chair of the Council and the Clerk be authorised to sign the appropriate sections of the Annual Return for submission to the External Auditor.
143 Parish Plan
Clr. Allen reported that he was in the process of arranging further public meetings.
144 Quality Status
The Clerk reported that all Parish Councils would be invited to attend a signing ceremony of the basic Charter at
The Quality Sub-Committee reported that the Council needs to discuss the continuation of Quality status after the initial four years. The Committee would be meeting with a representative of Kirklees to discuss the formulation of an individual Charter and it was felt that this should include reference to the Parish Plan and to the furtherance of extra involvement in the decision process within Kirklees. Other suggestions included more involvement in the naming of new streets.
145 Government Documents
The Clerk reported that the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 received Royal Assent on the 7th April. Final guidance will be published in the Spring of 2006. It was proposed by Clr. Weatherby, seconded by Clr.Turner and RESOLVED that this be further investigated at the next Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting.
146 Agbrigg Area Committee
The Clerk reported that a letter had been received from Kirklees M.C. which stated
a) that the name of the Area Committee would be changed to one more reflective of the three wards of Denby Dale, Mirfield and Kirkburton
b) that the Committee will meet on a six weekly cycle at venues which rotate around the three wards and that a planning meeting will be held two weeks prior to such meetings at Huddersfield Town Hall
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c) that the first public meeting will be held on Thursday, 14th July at the Salvation Army Hall in Mirfield, with the next public meeting being held in the Denby Dale area at 7.30 p.m. on the 25th August.
It was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Barlow and RESOLVED by a majority decision that the Denby Dale Parish Council continues to be represented on the Area Committee. It was further proposed by Clr. Barlow, seconded by Clr. Mottram and RESOLVED that the Denby Dale Parish Council representatives be: Clr. J.A. Barlow, Clr. J.C. Birdsall and Clr. R.G. Allen.
147 Yorkshire Local Councils Association
It was reported that the Council would be presented with a Quality status award at the AGM of the Yorkshire Local Councils Association to be held in Leeds on Saturday, 16th July. Clr. Barlow and Clr. Mrs Clarke will be in attendance. The national conference will be held in Eastbourne on 23 – 25 September, 2005.
148 Orders for Payment
It was proposed by Clr. Allen, seconded by Clr. Mottram and RESOLVED that orders for payment on schedule no. 427, totalling £6,093.27 be authorised.
149 Dates of Next Meetings
Full Council - Tuesday, 6th September, 2005 at 7.00 p.m.
Environment Trust Meeting - Tuesday, 12th July, 2005 at 7.00 p.m.
Plans Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 2nd August, 2005 at 7.30 p.m.
Road Safety Committee – Tuesday, 4th August, 2005 at 7.30 p.m.
150 Planning Notifications
Planning notifications were considered and observations made thereon.