EAST FARLEIGH PARISH COUNCIL
The Pump House Riverside Park, East Farleigh,
Maidstone ME16 9ND
T: 07999 414712
E: clerk@eastfarleigh-pc.org.uk
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 12th January 2021 @ 7.15pm Zoom Meeting ID: 931 0071 7372
Present: Cllrs Glyn Charlton (GC)(Chair); Perry O’Callaghan (POC); Alan White (AW);
Lloyd Porter (LP); David Hussein (DH); Brian Dorton (BD); Alex Fullwood (AF);
In attendance: Desiree Home (Clerk)
195 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Cllr Peter Beasley (PB) – apologies were accepted.
196 RECORDING OF PROCEEDINGS
The Clerk was recording the meeting for the Parish Council.
Cllrs LP & AW were recording.
197 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND LOBBYING
Cllrs GC & PB – JBLC & EFRG
Cllr AW – JBLC
Cllr LP – FB & Traffic Calming & lobbying re: EF Vicarage Lane Play Area
198 EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
Members AGREED that no items required this and is not relevant.
199 REVIEW OF PLANNING COMMITTEE (See EFPC Planning Committee Minutes January 2021)
• To consider the following planning applications:
6 Applications received;- 20/506118/FULL Frith Farm Cottage Dean Street; 20/505622/FULL 5Station Hill Cottages Station Hill; 20/505486/FULL Former Water Pumphouse at Corner of Dean St and Workhouse Lane:20/505620/FULL Orchard Cottage Dean Street; 20/505970/LAWPRO Domus Corrodian; 20/505798/LBC 6 Adelaide Cottages Lower Road
• To receive notifications of any planning decisions made by MBC since the last meeting:
20/505463/PNEXT Bramley House Dean Street – Planning application required.
20/504903/FULL Videons Station Hill: GRANTED
20/504957/OUT Kettle Farmhouse Kettle Lane: REFUSED
20/504926/FULL Rockwell New Cut: GRANTED
20/504456/FULL Foxcroft Wilsons Lane: GRANTED
20/504562/FULL Land rear of 2 Mays Cottages Adj to Lower Road: REFUSED.
• To receive notification of any enforcement issues since the last meeting:
ENF/20/500953/LSTBP2 Old School Hall; ENF/20/500924/CHANGE – Barn at Horseshoes
• Other Planning: 20/506074/SUB The Victoria Inn Heath Road
EFPC Agenda January 2021
Page 2
200 CALL FOR SITES
• LPR Matters: None
• Communication with Parishioners: A letter covering all important information has been published on the EFPC website, notice boards and social media as AGREED at last meeting. However, the physical distribution of letters to Parishioners as planned/agreed for January 2021 cannot be done yet because of current COVID restrictions.
201 MINUTES OF THE COUNCIL MEETING held on Tuesday 1st December 2020:
201.1 The Minutes of the meeting were APPROVED as a true and accurate record.
201.2 Matters arising from the minutes NOT otherwise covered in the Agenda: None.
202 PARISH COUNCILLORS
202.1 To report on any events (ON-LINE seminars etc) attended on behalf of the Council, including the Clerk: None
202.2 To raise matters reported to them by parishioners:
Residents emails regards speeding – see item 211 Highways
202.3 Any other IMPORTANT/URGENT matters Councillors wish to raise NOT otherwise covered in the Agenda: None.
203 NEW COUNCILLOR CANVASSING/ELECTIONS:
In abeyance, awaiting Government information on if/when Elections will be held. Carry forward to next meeting.
Action: ALL/ Clerk
204 FINANCE
204.1 To ratify payments made since the last meeting:
Standing Order Clerk’s Salary December 2020 £ 600.00
Standing Order Car Park Attendant’s Salary December 2020 £ 136.00
Direct Debit Lloyds Multipay Credit card £ 1251.19 includes: Gallagher Aggregates/ Netwise /Zoom monthly charge/
Monthly bank charge
Direct Debit BC&E People’s Pension £ 89.49
MBC Ref: 623964 as per agreed Mtg 01/12/20 item 175
(Deployment of diffusion tubes) £ 627.24
204.2 To resolve that cheques and BACS transfers presented this month be authorised and signed:
12012101 Clerks Salary & Expenses December 2020 £ 428.27 12012102 L Owen November Time Sheet £ 148.16
12012103 Pearsons Maint contract £ 1652.69
12012104 Pearsons Hedge Cutting Invoice £ 420.00
12012105 AcuIT Maintenance & Backup £ 69.90
12012106 Viking Office Supplies (paper/pens/clear wallets) £ 49.70
12012107 Treecycle Ltd £ 216.00
12012108 HMRC Qrtly Employers Contributions £ 125.91
12012109 Eon £ 14.86
204.3 To receive the financial statements for the period up to 1st January 2021; These represent the state of play at the end of Week 39, 2020-21
204.4 Any other financial matters
• Final Budget 2021-2022; This was discussed, proposed, seconded and unanimously AGREED.
• Precept: unanimously AGREED and this represents a 2% increase in the Precept received but this then represents a 3% increase to tax payers because of reducing tax base.
• Repeat Order for Outdoor Annual Inspection VL Playpark; Approved.
• Horsewash Rent Letter; Approved and Clerk to deliver by hand.
EFPC Agenda January 2021
Page 3
205 DEFIBRILLATORS
• Update, if required; none and these are due to be checked at the end of the week.
Action: Cllr POC
206 DIFFUSION TUBES
• No report has yet been received – Clerk to chase.
Action: Clerk
207 TRAINING
• Ongoing
• It was reported that Cllr POC & the Clerk will be undertaking some RBS training.
Action: Cllr POC/Clerk
• £600 in Budget for training new Councillors. Only £100 spent this year because of postponed elections.
208 FLOOD PLAN
• Update, if required: There have been a couple of Alerts over the past two months. Further, the owners of the OSH have questioned whether this venue can still be used as a gathering point for displaced people in such an emergency during the current Pandemic. The Clerk to follow up and report back to Council.
Action: Clerk
209 COMMUNICATIONS WORKING PARTY
It was reported that the new Website is still under construction. It was AGREED that the Clerk should find out what EFPC are legally required to upload to the new website. It was further AGREED that Cllr DH will continue to prepare the new website with uploaded information/documents and once historical documentation on the site, the Clerk will take over managing the website.
Action: Cllr DH/Clerk
210 VILLAGE CAR PARK/REC GROUND/PLAY AREA (Vicarage Lane)
210.1 Update on car park:
• Hedge Cutting: An email from the Solicitors was distributed confirming that EFPC are legally allowed to cut the hedge. It was AGREED that Pearsons should make another date to complete cutting along the whole of the top from the Car Park side and, that a request is put to the Police for their presence to mitigate any neighbour aggression.
Action: Clerk
210.2 Update on Rec Ground: It was noted that Treecycle Ltd have completed cutting the overhanging branch.
210.3 Update on Play Area Vicarage Lane: It was AGREED that the Clerk should check that Pearsons are carrying out all that is required under their contract. Further, the Clerk will check that we are receiving Weekly Playground reports.
Action: Clerk/Cllr GC
211 HIGHWAYS
211.1 Major Projects/Maintenance/Improvement Plan:
• Two messages have been received regards speeding in Forge Lane and Station Hill.
• It was AGREED that Cllr GC & Cllr POC will broach the subject of speeding in the village with KALC and County Councillors.
• It was AGREED that speeding and other issues, including a request for more “HGV” signs around the village will be added to the HIP.
EFPC Agenda January 2021
Page 4
• It was AGREED that a resident’s complaint of rocks protruding on the verge at the junction of Dean Street/Lower Road will be reported to Claire Chewter at Highways.
• It was AGREED that there should be another meeting (via ZOOM) with Highways to discuss all these issues and other problems (including repeat Traffic Survey and updating the HIP).
Action: Cllr GC/Cllr POC/Clerk
211.2 Speedwatch Update: Nothing to Report. This is still on hold because of COVID restrictions but when it resumes, more volunteers are needed and more sites need to be approved.
211.3 Highways: Other Matters:
• Lorry Watch: it was reported that the Risk Assessment has now been done and this will be submitted to the Freight Office, Annette Fletcher, at Highways.
• It was AGREED that MBC should be contacted about the state of village paths and that the paths need restoring to their original width. It was AGREED that Cllrs Richard Webb and Lottie Parfitt-Reid will be contacted to try and rectify this problem. It was further reported that there is a particularly bad patch outside MAP and Cllr DH has AGREED to report via the Highways portal.
Action: Clerk/Cllr DH
212 FOOTPATHS – Update, if any:
• KM43 – It was reported that trees have now been cut on owner’s land so that any unauthorised paths are now blocked.
• KM40 – is now in poor state where ruts have been made by vehicles/tractors carrying out tree cutting.
Action: Cllr AW
213 OLD SCHOOL HALL – Update, if any:
• Await response from Enforcement.
Action: Clerk
214 FETE – Update, if any: None.
215 CORRESPONDENCE: None
216 ABSENCES
• To note forthcoming absences of Councillors and Clerk.
217 DATE OF NEXT PARISH COUNCIL MEETING
• Tuesday 2nd February 2021 @ 7.15pm after the Planning Committee Meeting (Venue or on-line to be advised)
Meeting closed at 8.30pm
