Minutes of the meeting of the council held on Thursday 19^th December 2019 at 8.00 pm in the Village Centre, Trinity Road, Hurstpierpoint  

Members present 

Also present:   

Joy Dennis (WSCC Councillor) 

Colin Trumble (MSDC Councillor) 

Alison Bennett (MSDC Councillor)   

      Andy Beams (Clerk to the Council) 

C19/071 Apologies for absence and declarations of interest: The following apologies for absence were received before the meeting and accepted: Cllrs Peter Griffiths  

The following declarations of interest were declared: None 

C19/072 Minutes of the meeting of the council held on 28^th November 2019: To receive and accept the minutes.   

  RESOLVED:  The minutes of the meeting of the council held on 28^th November 2019 are adopted.  

C19/073 Adjournment for questions from the public: The council shall consider whether to adjourn the meeting in accordance with clause 70 of Standing Orders, in order to receive questions from members of the public in attendance. No members of the public were present. 

C19/074 Reports from other authorities: To receive verbal reports from representatives of other authorities:  C19/074.1 West Sussex County Council County (WSCC)    Cllr Dennis’s report included:  

• • A recent successful meeting was held with Hurst College addressing a number of issues in the vicinity. It was anticipated that no TRO’s would be required, and work was likely to be completed during the Easter holidays 
• • The Quiet Lanes motion at Council had been deferred due to the amount of business due to be conducted at the meeting 
• • One volunteer from the Parish Council had come forward with regard to training on County Lines, which continues to be an issue locally C19/064.2 Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) Cllr Bennett’s report included: 
• • MSDC is piloting a food waste collection commencing in April 2020 – pilot area to be confirmed. No other District in West Sussex is currently providing a food waste collection service 
• • Also from April 2020, electrical waste and equipment can be collected from the kerbside on recycling day 
• • A crisp bag recycling spot is being sought in the village – it was suggested Trinity Road car park or somewhere in the High Street would be the best options Cllr Jackson’s report included: 
• • The tax base figure has now been confirmed 
• • Further to requests at previous Parish Council meetings, MSDC have set a date in mid-March for enforcement action at 145 High Street 
• • Latest completion figure provided by MSDC for Little Park Farm is 61 
• • A site visit to Kingsland Laines revealed ditches full of water and there are planning conditions in place with regard to resolving foul water issues prior to any occupation 

Cllr Trumble’s report included: 

• • MSDC are running 21 major flagship projects at present and staffing resources are stretched 
• • As budget setting time approaches, there is still a lack of clarity with regard to settlement arrangements 

Cllr Hand thanked all for their reports and emphasised on behalf of the Parish Council the need for MSDC to not lose sight of the importance of enforcement action where necessary. 

Cllrs Dennis, Bennett and Trumble left the meeting at 8.35pm. 

C19/075 Committee and Working Group minutes: The committee chairmen will introduce each minutes, which the council is asked to receive and where appropriate, consider the recommendations:  

C19/075.1 Finance & Governance Committee (5 December 2019)Cllr Llewellyn’s report included:  

• • A background to the budget setting process underway, including salary scale increases are yet to be confirmed, the basis for inflationary increases in costs and charges, the detailed analysis undertaken with regard to historic precept changes and the comparison to local and national averages 
• • Views were sought from Council with regard to the initial budget calculations and impact on precept, and any limitations in terms of increases. 

C19/076 Budget and charges: At the Finance & Governance committee meeting held on the 5^th December, the draft budget was assessed and revised. As part of the process, the council is asked to agree the basic parameters used and the review of charges conducted.  

(REF: Briefing Notes Budget and precept 2020/21 basic parameters, Review of Charges ATTACHED) 

RECOMMENDATION: The council agrees to the basic budget and precept parameters and proposed charges as outlined in the documents 

Cllr Llewellyn explained the rationale for the charges, and the revised suggestions for Court Bushes, where the proposed CPI increase has been rounded down. 

RESOLVED: The council agrees to the basic budget and precept parameters and proposed charges 

(including revised Court Bushes charges) as outlined in the documents. Council also agreed for the F&G committee to continue its budget planning on the basis of justification of need, rather than a fixed upper limit on any increase 

C19/077 Court Bushes Nursery: At the Finance & Governance committee meeting held on the 5^th December, the committee received a request for a rent reduction of 50% from the nursery. After consideration, the committee recommended that instead of reducing the rent, a grant for 50% of the amount be awarded. 

(REF: Court Bushes I & E 2019/20 v16, Request from user ATTACHED) 

RECOMMENDATION: The council agrees to grant 50% of the rental for the period January – July 2020, at a total cost of £3,645.83 (£1,562.50 from 2019/20 budget and £2,083.33 from 2020/21 budget) 

Cllr Llewellyn explained the background to the request, the wider demographic challenges and the impact on the current and next year’s budget if the request is agreed. 

 RESOLVED: The council agrees to grant 50% of the rental for the period January – July 2020, at a total cost of £3,645.83 (£1,562.50 from 2019/20 budget and £2,083.33 from 2020/21 budget) 

C19/078 Grants: At the Community Engagement committee meeting held on the 14^th November, it was agreed to rewrite the application form and accompanying information to ensure that in the future the guidelines were clear to applicants and for councillors assessing the applications 

(REF: Briefing note, grant application and accompanying information for applicants for grant aid 2020/21 ATTACHED) 

RECOMMENDATION: The council agrees to adopt the amended accompanying grant information document and application form 

Cllr Majsai explained the reasons for the proposed changes, which were to be more consistent in the assessment process and obtain better evidential proof of the outcomes of awarded grants. 

RESOLVED: The council agrees to adopt the amended accompanying grant information document and application form 

C19/079 Hurst Life: Hurst Life is a key advertising and promotional tool being used by the council currently. The Parish Office has drafted a 12 month Hurst Life plan starting from April 2020. Each month a committee or advisory board member is responsible for the article and the contents. This article including any images will need to be submitted to the Parish Council office by the deadline.  

(REF: Briefing note and Hurst Life 12 month plan ATTACHED) 

RECOMMENDATION: The council agrees to adopt the 12 month Hurst Life Plan with agreed amendments 

RESOLVED: The council agrees to adopt the amended accompanying grant information document and application form 

C19/080 Information items, correspondence received and requests: Council is asked to note: 

• West Sussex County Council have secured s.106 funds to deliver the drainage works and surfacing in St George’s Lane/Latchett’s Lane. This will negate the need for the Parish Council to secure an Operation Watershed grant for this work. 

C19/081 Confidential matters:  

The Council is asked to resolve that in view of the confidential nature of the following item, the press and public be excluded under section 1(2) of the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960. 

C19/081.1 Appointment of Parish Clerk  

Cllr Hand explained that following a very successful interview process, the panel recommended appointing Sarah Groom to the role of Parish Clerk and RFO, on a full time basis. Expected start date is 4 March 2020 due to her existing notice period. 

Cllr Hand also confirmed that Hamish Raby’s hours had been increased from 18 to 28 per week, with effect from 1 November. 

RESOLVED: The council agrees the appointment of Sarah Groom as Parish Clerk and noted the increase in hours of Hamish Raby. 

Cllr Lowman updated the Council with progress of an ongoing access issue in the Parish. Council agreed for Cllrs Lowman, Llewellyn and Machan to continue with their proposed course of action with a final agreement to be presented to a future council meeting for approval. 

Cllr Hand updated the Council with the latest issues regarding the unauthorised access to the Kingsland Laines development. Solicitors have now been instructed to take the first steps in legal action, with further steps potentially to follow in the New Year. 

There being no other business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 9.56 pm.  

Chairman