MINUTES OF THE MEETING
25th August 2021
COUNCILLORS CHAIRMAN PHILLIPS , ALDINGTON, TURNER BROWN, HAWKSWORTH
District Councillor Mike Connolly
Clerk Christine Plummer
APOLOGIES
MINUTES OF THE MEETING 21st July 2021
Minutes for this meeting were approved. Chairman confirmed all reports from District Council should be reported within Minutes
DISTRICT COUNCILLORS REPORT
Waste: Veolia are gradually improving their service, though this has been achieved by throwing resource at the problem, which is not sustainable in the long run. A comprehensive review into what went wrong with the new system which launched in April is being carried out. Clearly the well-publicised shortage of drivers has had an effect (if you had just gained an HGV licence would your first choice be to drive a waste truck in Dover?!) but the problems pre-dated this issue. We are actively considering re-introducing the garden waste service, as clearly a backlog is building up, but the last thing we want to do is to re-introduce and then have to re-suspend if the service (and that for core waste collections) cannot be maintained.
Kickstart Scheme: This is a Government-funded scheme which provides places within local authorities for 18-25 year olds who have struggled to find work, especially during the pandemic. It lasts for six months and as well as gaining on the job experience the trainees will get targeted training in areas such as IT and the digital economy which may help them to find work in the future. DDC has agreed to take 11 placement young people and we are working on which departments they can most usefully help.Port Health Authority: Work has started on the HMRC facility near Guston. The location of the DEFRA facility is widely known but cannot be formally announced as commercial negotiations are still taking place. It is expected that up to 240 people will be employed on the site when it is fully operational but as it will not be ready by the hoped-for date of January some temporary arrangements are being planned within the port.
Dover District Lotto: Since its launch in 2019 the Lotto has raised over £100,00 for 120 local community groups, clubs and charities. 60% of sales go to these good causes. To date £27,000 has been paid out to players in prize money.
Sandwich By-Election: A By-Election to replace former district councillor M J Holloway, who resigned in June, was held on August 19th. The Conservative candidate, Dan Friend, won in a very tight contest with the Lib Dem candidate.
Ash Neighbourhood Plan: An Extraordinary Council meeting will be held on September 15th to ratify the Ash plan which has been worked on for three years. While the currently evolving Dover District Local Plan will carry greater weight in Planning decisions the ratification of the Ash plan will give the Parish Council greater powers to resist unwanted developments.
Councillor Connolly added to his report that the refurbishment of the Dover Castle Cable Car will not proceed at this time due to financial constraints.
Chairman thanked Councillor Connolly for his report
FOOTPATHS
PARISH INFORMATION BOARDS
Councillor Aldington had submitted a report on design and costings of Boards from Explore Kent. Councillors discussed design and the content detail. It was agreed that further investigation of alternative suppliers and designs needed to be put in place. Councillors agreed to progress the project as a group and put together a brief for design content, speak to alternative suppliers, review other local Boards for example Elham Parish.
Chairman Councillor Phillips agreed to liaise with Beech Grove about the bench and location. Following investigation into land ownership of the triangle of land opposite Short Street Councillors agreed to pursue agreement that this land can be utilised for the bench and Information Board.
Clerk had made enquiries about Dover District Council Funding from Welcome Back Initiative. Councillors agreed this should be investigated for funding towards the project. However it was noted that any successful bid is only payable post expenditure.
MINERS WAY INFORMATION BOARD
Clerk reported a letter had been received from The Whitecliffes Countryside Project requesting financial support of £350 for the refurbishment of the Miners Way Information Board at the entrance to Goodnestone Park.
Councillors voted on a proposal to support the application for funding of £350 towards the refurbishment of The Miners Trail Board at Goodnestone Park.
1 vote FOR Councillor Hawksworth2 Votes AGAINST Councillor Turner Brown, Councillor Phillips
1 ABSTENTION Councillor Aldington
MOTION NOT CARRIED
Clerk requested to respond accordingly to the project Administrator that the Parish Council cannot support funding at this time.
ACTION : CLERK TO RESPOND
HIGHWAYS
Pot holes in the Parish remain a problem. Clerk requested to follow up the programme of works with Kent County Council and Councillor Sue Chandler.
Councillors discussed the maintenance of the Fire Hydrant in Chillenden. As a statutory hydrant responsibility lies with the local water authority and maintenance issues reported to Kent County Council.
ACTION : CLERK TO ACTION EMAIL TO KENT COUNTY COUNCIL
SPEED CONTROLS GOODNESTONE AND CHILLENDEN
Speed Indicator Device
Following investigation by the manufacturer of the device it was reported that the Speed Indicator Device is not faulty and will be returned, Postage costs to be paid. Councillor Phillips will charge batteries and it is anticipated the Device will work.
Councillor Turner Brown agreed to maintain and change the
location every 4 weeks.
Speed limits
Following agreement at the meeting in July 2021 to proceed with the 20 mph project in The Street Goodnestone and The High Street Chillenden. Councillors put forward the following motion.
To approve the survey costs of £200 per site which will lead to a detailed quotation for the works to change the Speed Limit to 20 mph In The Street Goodnestone and The High Street Chillenden.
Unanimous vote by Councillors in favour
MOTION CARRIED
STREET LIGHTING
ACTION: CLERK
DEFIBRILLATOR SERVICING
Clerk to order the service of both Defibrillators and request invoices accordingly. Councillor Turner Brown to be invoiced directly.
ACTION : CLERK TO PROGRESS
MILLENNIUM FIELD FLOWER MEADOW
The project to make the lower area of the field into a wild flower meadow was discussed and supported by Councillors. It was agreed to gain further information to put in place for the coming spring.
SADDLERS HILL VISIBIITY AND HEDGE MAINTENANCE
Councillors agreed to investigate the hedge maintenance at the site in order to improve visibility.
ACTION : CLERK TO APPROACH RESIDENT AND KCC HIGHWAYS
GOODNESTONE WEB SITE COMPLIANCE
Councillor Aldington reported that the site has been reviewed and is now compliant with the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines. Clerk to liaise with Councillor Aldington to update the website with Parish Council documents as approved by National Association of Councils.
FINANCES
PAYMENTS FOR APPROVAL
- Kent County Council INVOICE NO 900132776 £200 survey 20 mph project cheque no 432. Proposed Councillor Hawksworth seconded Councillor Phillips
- Kent County Council Invoice No 900132777 £200 cheque no 433. Proposed Councillor Turner Brown seconded Councillor Aldington
- Roger Austin Mowing August £133.20 cheque no 431. Proposed Councillor Hawksworth seconded Councillor Phillips
PLANNING
APPLICATIONS
- Park Cottage 21/01091 no objection
- Orchard Court 21/01144 no objection
Dover District Council Settlement Confines Consultation
Councillors discussed the proposals and maps that had been distributed during the consultation process. It was agreed the Historical Boundary should be retained. Councillor Hawksworth agreed to submit a response accordingly to Dover District Council following agreement of the document by all Councillors.
ACTION : COUNCILLOR HAWKSWORTH TO SEND RESPONSE
WRITTEN CORRESPONDENCE
COUNCILLOR REPORTS ON PARISH MATTERS
No reports
PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION TIME
No requests
NEXT MEETING 29TH SEPTEMBER 2021 GOODNESTONE VILLAGE HALL