(Parish Council Details)

Burwash Parish Council Officers

Mrs. Sylvia Franklin The Wheel Inn,
Clerk. Burwash Weald,
Tel. 01435-882758 Etchingham,
Fax: 0870 1383186 East Sussex.
e-mail: parishclerk@thewheel.co.uk TN19 7LA

PARISH COUNCIL 2001/2002
CHAIRMAN: Cllr. D. A. Hedges The Forge, High St, Burwash 883422
VICE CHAIRMAN: Cllr. Mrs. J. E. de Bene. 10, Rosemary Gardens, Burwash 882448
COUNCILLORS: Cllr. Mrs. A. Aitken 3, Broads Cottages, High St, Burwash 882499
Cllr. D. R. Appleyard. Green Farm Cottage, 882131
Heathfield Rd, Burwash Weald
Cllr. R. N. Franklin The Wheel Inn, Burwash Weald 882758
Cllr. D. Green 9, Dawes House, High Street 882795
Cllr. N. J. L .Harris Bay Tree House, Heathfield Rd 882793
Burwash Weald.
Cllr. I. E. Jenner 51, Shrub Lane, Burwash 882045
Cllr. E. F. Le Besque Novar, High St, Burwash 882415
Cllr. P. Pope 17, Beechwood Close, Burwash 882566
Cllr. C. D. Roberts Oast Cottage, Ham Lane, Burwash 882038
Cllr. D. W. L. M. Vereker. Holton House, Spring Lane, 882621
Burwash
Cllr. G. Woodhouse Burnt House, Heathfield Rd, 883547
Burwash

District Councillor: Cllr. D. W. L. M. Vereker.

Burwash Parish Council Minutes

MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD IN THE PARISH ROOM OF THE VILLAGE HALL ON 11th DECEMBER 2001 at 7.30pm

PRESENT Vice Chairman Cllr. Mrs. J. DeBene, Cllrs. E. Le Besque, D. Green, R.N. Franklin, I. E. Jenner, P. Pope, D.W. Vereker and G. Woodhouse.

APOLOGIES. Apologies were received from Cllrs. D. Hedges (business commitments), N. Harris (business commitments) and Cty. Cllr. Barnes.

In the absence of Chairman Cllr. Hedges, Cllr. Mrs. deBene took the chair.

Letters of resignation had been received from Cllrs. Ms. A. Aitken and D. A. Appleyard. The clerk had written to Cllr. Ms. Aitken thanking her for her work as a Councillor and posted the Notice of Casual Vacancy on the notice board. The members were also sorry to receive Cllr. Appleyard’s resignation, as it was understood he had been a Parish Councillor for nearly 10 years. The Clerk would write to Cllr. Appleyard.

MINUTES The minutes of the last meeting were approved and signed as a correct record and that all decisions and resolutions had been specified in the summons (Agenda).

MATTERS ARISING:

There were none.

FINANCE

Statement of Accounts. Cllr. Woodhouse advised that the balances of the bank accounts were as follows:

Barclays Current A/C £7,626.37

The other Bank balances remained unchanged.

Signing of cheques. The following payments were approved:

The Rural Rother Trust £50.00 (This was to replace a previous cheque

which had not been sent)

Gregory Rowcliffe & Milners £381.87 (Legal Advice re Auditors Report)

Final Approval of Budget for Year 2002/3 Cllr. Le Besque advised that at a recent meeting of the Village Hall Committee, Mrs. Barkshire had advised that the hall had recently been surveyed and the report had indicated there were serious rising damp problems, along the corner of the building by the Parish Room, and to the Gents toilets. The estimate for the remedial work was in the region of £4,000.00. There were also problems with the roof, but a more detailed assessment was being carried out. The Village Hall Committee felt that since the Hall was probably used by all the Village at one time or other by the various clubs and societies etc, then the funds required should come from the rates, and therefore paid by all the residents in the Parish. Cllr. Vereker considered this sum far too large to add to the precept, and that there are other opportunities for funding, which should be investigated. Cllr. Franklin reminded the members that the Council had paid £4,000.00 to the Village Hall for external decoration and repairs in 2000/1, and the arrangement had been that this represented the contribution from the PC for the next three years. However, it was understood that many other Parish Councils were directly responsible for their Village Hall, whilst in the case of Burwash, it was managed as a Charity. The members decided that the precept would not be increased to cover this request, but Cllr. Vereker would speak to Mrs. Barkshire, regarding other possibilities of grants, and that if the Village Hall still required additional funds, then the Council would look at moving funds within the budget. The allocation for the Playing Fields Inspection Fee in the budget was also increased by £50.00, to cover the risk assessment offered by RoSPA if the Playing Field committees decide to take up the option.

The Chairman then called for a vote by show of hands to accept the budget, which set the precept for the year 2002/3 at £18,095.00. The vote was carried with one dissenter. Cllr. Vereker voted against the precept as he considered the figure too high.

Invoices received from District Audit. The clerk advised that two more invoices had been received from District Audit, bringing the total outstanding to £5,700.00. A letter had been sent to District Audit, stating that the amounts charged were considered excessively high, and that a complete breakdown was required. Cllr. Franklin argued that District Audit had gone back over a previous years audit, when the books had been closed, in their report.

War Memorial. The memorial was not quite finished and was still awaiting the final touches by Cllr. Hedges, as the village blacksmith. The funding from the various sources could not be claimed until the final certificate had been issued; in the meantime the various contractors were awaiting payment. One particular contractor, who had erected the scaffolding, was pressing hard for payment. It was understood that the Lottery funding in particular could take 3 months to come through. Cllr. Mrs. deBene advised she would contact Cllr. Hedges, regarding the delay in completion. Cllr. Le Besque was concerned that the delay in completing the dome would allow the weather to ingress and possibly damage the electrics. The Parish Council was holding over £3,000.00 in the War Memorial Restoration Reserves, and it was agreed that if Sir Frank Sanderson would release a letter stating that the work was complete, then £600.00 could be released from the Reserves to settle the most pressing account, the scaffolding. Cllr. Pope voted against this motion, as he considered that all the accounts should be settled at the same time.

Approval of Accounts for the year 2000/1. The Audit has been set for Monday 28th January 2002. Cllr.Mrs deBene asked for a show of hands to approve the accounts – this was unanimous.

RECREATION AND LEISURE:

Footpath No. 16. A resident had written to advise that she had fallen and suffered injury on the uneven surface. A copy of the letter had been sent to ESCC Rights of Way. Cllr. Vereker had contacted a Planning Officer at Rother, Mr. Rowlands, who would look into it.

Footpath Maintenance. There was concern that, now the footpaths were being walked on a regular basis, problems highlighted on the footpaths together with missing signposts/waymarks were not being rectified, as Mr. Sibree of the Ramblers Association was no longer able to effect repairs. Cllr. Woodhouse said he would speak to Mary Moult of Rights of Way, ESCC, to see what help she could offer. Cllr. Mrs. deBene also mentioned the offers of assistance received as a result of the Parish Appraisal. Cllr. Woodhouse offered to contact these volunteers.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Draft Map information for Parish Councils. The Countryside Agency had issued a draft map for this area, which appears to indicate that there is no registered common land here that could be utilized for the new access rights to walk.

HEALTH & HOUSING

Consultation for Rother District Housing Strategy 2002/07. Mr. M. Poole, the Housing Policy Officer, had asked to attend one of our meetings for a discussion on housing issues. However, the members felt that the report should be read and discussed within the Council, before the invitation can be accepted. Cllr. Franklin took the report to read.

TECHNICAL SERVICES.

The New Role of Parish Councils. The Standards Board for England had sent leaflets entitled ‘A Guide to Part III of the Local Government Act 2000’, setting out the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the new system, and also a quick guide which was aimed at Local Councillors. Copies of the following documents had also been received: from DEFRA a copy of the consultation paper ‘Quality Parish & Town Councils’, and, jointly issued by NALC and The Countryside Agency, ‘A Guide to the National Training Strategy for Town & Parish Councils in England’. Cllr. Mrs. deBene took these documents to read, as these were very relevant to the Modernisation Working Party, which had been set up at the last Parish Council meeting.

Willingford Lane. ESCC Highways had advised that Willingford Lane would be temporarily closed for 6 months from 10th December for site investigation and repair works. Highways will investigate the area where the road has slipped and estimate the repairs. There is now additional funding from the Government for the repair of small roads, and Highways hope there will be sufficient in the new financial year for the permanent repair of the lane, dependant on cost. Mr. Taylor had assured us that both Brightling and Burwash Parishes will be kept fully informed at all stages. The members were concerned at the time scale involved, and also felt they would like written assurance that Highways did intend to re-open the lane. Cllr. Jenner agreed to liaise with the clerk regarding a letter to Highways. Cllr. Vereker asked that a copy of the letter should be sent to Cty. Cllr. Barnes.

Final Register of Electors 2001. Following new regulations, a draft register is no longer issued, but there would be monthly updates for the following 9 months.

Consultation on the Children’s Fund in East Sussex. The Children’s Fund is a major Government Initiative to improve the well-being and life chances of children aged 5-13. East Sussex had been allocated £2.6million over 2 years from next April, and needs to identify areas, and groups of children, with the greatest need for preventative services, gaps in current services, and priorities for new services. Cllr. Jenner agreed to look into this, to see whether there could be any funding available for the Burwash Youth Project.

Service 318 Uckfield to Hurst Green. Connex did not now wish to take up the contract, so the route is being operated by RDH services on their behalf for the 90-day notice period. ESCC had assured us that the service would continue, and tenders were again being issued for the continuation of the services from end of January until September 2005. Cllr. Franklin agreed to contact Mr. Benn at ESCC, the sender of the letter.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Safer Villages Scheme. In the absence of Cllr. Harris, there was no report.

Burwash Youth & Young Farmers Club. At a meeting, Cllr. Jenner had been advised that the former signatories on the Young Farmers lease had written both to Rother and the Headquarters of the East Sussex YFC, giving notice that they wished the lease to be reassigned to the Parish Council. Nine used computers, in differing states of repair had been donated through PC Mintram, and they planned to use 2 in the Hut at any one time, keeping the others in reserve.

Golden Jubilee. There had been further meetings, and the arrangements were progressing. The application for the £250.00 grant had been sent to Rother

DETR – A new Deal for Rural England. It was believed that the document was with Cllr. Jenner.

PARISH APPRAISAL

The members agreed that copies of the results should be sent to those who had requested them, a copy to each Councillor and also to Cty. Cllr. Barnes. Cllr. Franklin asked the members how the Charity which the respondents had nominated for the £50.00 donation, should be selected. Cllr. Vereker was asked to select a number at random – he selected number 100, which was James House. It was then agreed that a donation for £50.00 should be made to James House. Cllr. Franklin also agreed to write to each of the Parish Magazines.

PARISH DESIGN STATEMENT.

Cllr. Mrs. deBene advised they were still awaiting a response from Mr. Robinson.

MILLENNIUM PROJECTS.

REPORTS OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The Rother Local Councillors Training Day 30th November had been cancelled, due to insufficient response.

CORRESPONDENCE.

A letter had been received from Mr. P. Beauchamp regarding adverse comments made by some members with regard to CPRE. A copy had been circulated to each member, and the contents had been noted

NALC Conference & Exhibition 14-16 June 2002 at Preston Guildhall

Battle Police Community Consultative Group. The next Meeting will be on Thursday 10th January 2002, 7.30pm at St. Marks Church Hall, Staplecross.

Parish Liaison Conference – Battle Abbey on Thursday 11th April 2002 6.45pm – 9.30pm. Cllr. Mrs. deBene agreed to attend.

FWAG – Farming & Wildlife Conservation.

Local Heritage Initiative. A national grant Scheme that helps local groups to investigate, explain and care for their local landscape, landmarks, traditions and culture.

Rother Homes Lifeline Service.

Following the resignation of Cllr. Appleyard, Cllr. Jenner was appointed Chairman of the Planning Committee.

There being no other business, the meeting was closed at 8.55 pm, and opened for public questions.

Concern was expressed that the speed of traffic in the parish is still excessive, and it was agreed that this should be a topic at the next Agenda.

RESOLUTIONS.

During the meeting, the members formally hereby resolved that:

1. Payments should be made, as listed in Finance.

2. The Budget for the year 2002/3 should be approved, and the Precept set at £18,095.00

3. On receipt of a letter stating that the restoration works to the War Memorial had been completed, payment of up to £600.00 could be made against invoice to the firm that had erected the scaffolding, from the War Memorial Restoration Reserves, in advance of the total funding received from other sources.

4. The Accounts for the year 2000/1 had been approved and should be signed by the Chairman.

5. £50.00 should be donated to James House Charity, as the Charity drawn from those given in the responses to the Parish Appraisal.

DATE OF NEXT MEETING: The next meeting will be on Tuesday 8th January 2002 in the Vestry of St. Philips Church.

Burwash Parish Council Meeting Dates

The Council meets on the second Tuesday in each month: in January, April, July and October in the Vestry, St Philips Church, Burwash Common; and in the Parish Room of the Village Hall in all the other months, at 7.30pm.

Press and public are invited to all meetings. The public is not allowed to take part or speak at the meetings. However, at the end of the meeting it is customary for the Chairman to invite the public to raise any matter they may wish.

If any member of the public wishes the Council to consider any particular matter, they can write to the Clerk of the Council (address above) and the item can be added to the Council Agenda for discussion at the next meeting. The Agenda is published each month with the notice of the forthcoming meeting.

Burwash Parish Council General Information