Minutes 26 September 2024 – Abbots Morton Parish Council

Meeting of Abbots Morton Parish Council at 8:00PM on Thursday 26th September 2024 at Abbots Morton Village Hall

Minutes 09/2024

Present: Martin Willingale (Chair), Jacqueline Allum, Martyn Walton & Nick Humphries.

In attendance: Kerry Williamson (Clerk)

Parishioners: 0

Chairman’s welcome and announcements

Cllr Martin Willingale opened the meeting and welcomed the Councillors.

Apologies for absence

Richard Whitlow (Councillor) due to illness, Ben Hurdman (District Councillor) & Colin Pemberton (Village Hall Committee).

Declarations of Personal and Prejudicial Interest

Register of Interests

Noted.

Disclosable Pecuniary Interests

None.

Other Disclosable Interests

None.

Dispensations

None.

Resignation of Councillor Karen Brighton

The resignation of Councillor Karen Brighton was formally accepted. Cllr Martin Willingale thanked Cllr Karen Brighton for her dedication to the role of Councillor over many years and commended her work, particularly on Neighbourhood Watch.

Open Session

The meeting was adjourned for the open session.

District Councillors

Cllr Ben Hurdman provided the following report to be shared at the meeting:

Residents have the chance to win £100 and influence Wychavon’s work by having their say on local services and upcoming changes to waste and recycling collections. The survey is open until 13^th October and asks people to give their views on everything from how satisfied they are with the council to how safe they feel in their local area. As a thank you for taking the survey each person who completes it is in with a chance of winning £100. The survey can be found at www.wychavon.gov.uk/consultations

At the last overview and scrutiny committee meeting the need for public transport was discussed for the community. Several of these schemes have been put in place in the past and have been unsuccessful mainly due to a lack of use. Is this something you feel any residents in Abbots Morton would be interested in? There is a survey on the Wychavon website to gauge interest. If you could publicise this it would be appreciated.

https://www.wychavon.gov.uk/community-and-living/transport-in-wychavon/rural-transport-research

The government has set out its proposed reforms to the national planning policy framework which are out to consultation. Wychavon have submitted a response after discussion with the executive board.

Some things that stand out in the policy are housing targets are to become mandatory and increased. This is very likely to mean the housing target set out on the SWDP review will have to be increased. The deputy prime minister has confirmed that local plans already at the examination stage can continue under the current system, which is good news for the plans to adopt the SWDPR as soon as possible.

Councils will need to show they have a constant five year land supply up from the four year recently introduced. This is a Frankenstein attack on agriculture and insists on an arbitrary doubling of our housing provision without evidence of local need. I believe we should be growing the cities where there is already existing infrastructure. The government seem to be playing fast and loose with the countryside, showing political malice.

I hope to see you at the next meeting.

Cllr Ben Hurdman

County Councillor

No report was available.

Village Hall Committee

Cllr Jacki Allum, as Village Hall representative, shared the following report on behalf of the Village Hall Committee:

We’re delighted to welcome Jacki Allum to the Village Hall Committee. Jacki, who lives in the village, has taken over from Martin Willingale as a representative of the Parish Council where she has been a Parish Councillor for a year. Together with her husband Stephen, Jacki is a regular user of the village hall at Community Coffee Mornings and at our Wednesday morning Tai Chi classes. Jacki is already an invaluable member of the committee.

May we take this opportunity to hugely thank Martin Willingale for his years of service on the Committee. Martin remains a “Friend of the Village Hall” and still helps out in all sorts of ways!

Great news! There will be a Christmas Fayre at the village hall for the first time since 2019…just before the Covid 19 pandemic struck.

It will be on Saturday November 30^th from 10am to 2pm. Entry is free.

A wide variety of seasonal products will be for sale. Teas, coffees and mince pies will be on sale and there’ll be a great raffle. All proceeds will go to Abbots Morton village hall funds. Do save the date in your diary and let your friends and family know about it. See you there!

Our Treasurer Sarah Dykes has sold her house in the village and now lives in Clifton upon Teme. We’re pleased that Sarah remains a member of the village hall management committee, continuing as Treasurer, which she is able to do by electronic banking and the wonders of modern communications. But it means there’s one less committee member to do some of the unsung jobs around the hall and grounds that need doing to make everything run smoothly and be well maintained. If you would like to become involved in running our beautiful and valuable community space, please contact any of the current team. It’s enjoyable, not arduous and very rewarding to be custodians of the valuable asset that is our village hall.

Tai Chi classes resumed at the hall on September 4^th for the Autumn Term. They’ve been very successful since they began in February. The hour-long classes between 10 and 11am on Wednesday mornings are run by Andrew Lowe from Inkberrow. Around eight people attend on a regular basis and Andrew says he can accommodate more if you wish to join in. Simply call or text him on 07495 206178.If you block book for six weeks, the cost is £10 a session or £11 a session if paid individually.

And still on wellbeing… how enjoyable are the coffee mornings at the hall on the First Tuesday of every month! It’s a lovely and easy way to get out for a while and meet other people in a relaxed atmosphere. Around 18 people from the village, the hamlets, the wider neighbourhood and even from around Church Lench meet together to enjoy a chat and a catch-up over a cup of coffee or tea, with biscuits and (more often than not) cake of some description. It’s free. There is no charge for entry or for any of the beverages or confections, although many do choose to make a contribution towards the cost of electricity or donate a jar of coffee/pack of tea bags or bring along a home-baked cake. If you haven’t been yet, do come along. They start at 10am and run through to 12 noon and you can drop in and stay as long or as little as you wish. The next coffee morning will be on Tuesday 1^st October.

DID YOU KNOW this about the village hall?

The village hall is a Charity (Charity no 201544) registered with the Charity Commission.
It was built in 1998 {The original hall was established in 1921}.
It costs around £5,000 a year to run… we’re just about breaking even.
It is separate from the church and the parish council and doesn’t get money from council taxpayers.
There is a Hire Fee discount for local people.
It has its own webpage on the parish council website (abbotsmorton.info/abbots-morton-village-hall)
It has its own Facebook page: Abbots Morton Village Hall
It is run by volunteers… The Trustees …and we need more!
You can raise money for the village hall by becoming an EasyFundraiser. If you shop online you’ll find that most retailers will donate a small portion of your spend to the village hall …once you’ve registered with EasyFundraising and nominated Abbots Morton Village Hall as your ‘good cause’ to support. We currently have 26 EasyFundraisers who, between them, have now raised £1,305.81 since we started in 2015. If you want to be our 27th EasyFundraiser go to : https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/abbotsmortonvillagehall/?invite=1UE2GE%26referral-campaign=c2s%26utm_campaign=admin-trigger%26utm_content=srt

Our hall is an ideal venue for your birthday party, your children’s birthday parties, wedding receptions, funeral wakes and many other events.

If you would like to hire the hall, call our Bookings Officer, Colin, on 07766 524833. Our rates are:

HALL HIRE FEES

Local Non local

Summer: (1^st June to 31^st Aug) £11.50 per hour £13.00 per hour

Winter: (1st Sept to 31^st May) £13.50 per hour £15.00 per hour

Wedding Package (exclusive use of the hall, including the full use of kitchen appliances, from 5pm Friday to 12pm Sunday)

Summer £450 £500

Winter £540 £600

Colin Pemberton, PRO.

Footpaths Officer

It was noted that this is now a vacant position due to the relocation of Tim Jones. The position (voluntary) has been advertised in the ARCH messenger and the Clerk will send a ‘News’ article via the website to advertise the position.

Public participation

0 parishioners in attendance.

The meeting resumed following the open session.

To consider and adopt the minutes from the Parish Council meeting on the 25th July 2024

It was RESOLVED to adopt the minutes as a true record, and they were duly signed by the Chair.

Planning: To consider the following planning applications to be determined by Wychavon District Council:

W/22/00711/FUL & W/22/00968/LB: To receive an update on Manor Farm, Abbots Morton Road, Abbots Morton, Worcester, WR7 4NA. Conversion of barn to dwelling and erection of car port, to include raised drive and dropped kerb. Application restarted due to revised information being received.

Planning application W/22/0711/FUL has been approved by Wychavon District Council. Planning application W/22/00968/LB is pending decision.

Appeal lodged W/23/02210/FUL: To receive any update on The Chalet, Abbots Morton Road, Abbots Morton. Demolition of existing workshop and storage yard and erection of 2 residential dwellings and associated infrastructure. Further representations sent to the Planning Inspectorate (Ref: APP/H1840/W/24/3339168).

No updates available, pending decision.

W/24/00713/HP: Mulberry House, Abbots Morton Road, Abbots Morton, Worcester, WR7 4NA. Replacement of dilapidated existing wall/fence with boundary wall. Approved by Wychavon District Council.

NOTED.

W/24/01078/HP: Manor Farm, Abbots Morton Road, Abbots Morton, Worcester, WR7 4NA. Re-erection of boundary wall between Manor Farm and Mulberry House. Approved by Wychavon District Council.

NOTED.

Public Rights of Way and Highways

PROW maintenance and obstruction issues: To consider and review.

Cllr Martyn Walton had tried to locate the stile with barbed wire. The Clerk will double check its location with Tim Jones, who reported it.

Lengthsman Scheme: To receive an update and to consider any items for the Lengthsman’s work schedule.

No items for the Lengthman’s work schedule. Councillors pleased with the new lengthsman’s work.

Flooding: Update on the flooding issues within the Parish.

There had been exceptional rainfall prior to the meeting, Cllr Martin Willingale reported that some flooding had occurred on the road outside his property, but it had subsided, leaving muddy residue behind. Cllr Jacki Allum reported that the drains outside her property were overflowing back onto her property. The Clerk will contact Wychavon District Council to request drain clearance in the village.

Accident at Lower Barn Farm

Following the accident at Lower Barn Farm involving one vehicle on 12th August and another accident at Radford in July involving a vehicle clipping a tractor and overturning, Councillors felt that Worcestershire County Council Highways should be contacted and the Police to discuss the issue of speeding in the Parish, and the possibility of extending the 40mph speed zone to the county boundary. The Clerk will take this action forward.

Progress reports

Grit Bin

The Clerk reported that a replacement grit bin should be delivered soon, confirmation had been received from Worcestershire County Council.

Parish matters for discussion/decision

Police and Crime Plan Consultation

The survey from the Police on the draft Police and Crime Plan was discussed and completed.

Christmas Tree on the Village Green

It was AGREED that a Christmas tree will be placed on the Village Green in December 2024. A similar tree size and cost to last year was AGREED (last year’s tree cost £360). It was AGREED that the Christmas Tree Lighting event would be held on Friday 29th November. Cllr Martyn Walton suggested Rev Canon Richard Thorniley could switch the lights on this year, Councillors AGREED. Cllr Martyn Walton will contact Richard Thorniley to ask.

Sexual Harassment Policy

The Clerk summarised that from October 2024 new legislation (s40A Equality Act 2010) will place greater responsibility and legal requirements on Councils to take proactive steps to prevent sexual harassment at work. The Parish Council currently has a Complaints policy, Disciplinary policy and a Grievance policy. These do not contain specific policy on sexual harassment. The Clerk will speak to CALC to see if a model policy for this will be made available.

Finance

Budget expenditure: To consider and approve.

It was RESOLVED to approve the budget expenditure.

Bank reconciliation: To consider and approve.

It was RESOLVED to approve the bank reconciliation.

Invoices: To approve the following invoices for payment:
- Kerry Williamson (salary and expenses): £583.46
- Jeremy Moore (Lengthsman): £320
- Abbots Morton Village Hall (Hall booking for meeting): £27
- Graham Hobbs (Village planters): £86.73

It was RESOLVED to settle the above invoices. Clerk to set up the payments to be authorised by Cllr Martin Willingale.

Clerk’s Delegation: To note the following payments made between meetings:
- 23/08/2024 – Carl Brassington (Lengthsman): £220

The above payment was NOTED.

Correspondence

Worcestershire CALC: CALC Update 24-