SOUTH TARRANT VALLEY PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF AN ORDINARY MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, 27th September 2022
at 7.15pm in The Anne Biddlecombe Hall, Tarrant Keyneston
Present: Councillors Cossins (Chairman), Beale, Deketeleare, Eaton, Garland, Parker, Thomson and Thompson.
In attendance: Clerk Mrs Huck
This meeting, postponed from 8th November, commenced with a minute’s Silence to commemorate the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
1. Apologies for absence
Apologies were received from Cllrs Harding, Munford and Sweetland.
2. Declarations of interest not previously disclosed and to grant dispensations as requested
The Chairman declared an interest in item 8 and planning application 02977.
3. Minutes of the meeting held on 12th July 2022
It was:
RESOLVED the minutes of the previous meeting be accepted as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
4. Report from the County Councillor
County Councillor Brown was not present at this meeting.
5. Open discussion
There were no items for discussion.
6. Financial statements for July and August 2022 and approval of cheques scheduled
The financial statements had previously been emailed showing full details of income and expenditure set against budget, together with a bank reconciliation. The Clerk reported expenditure in connection with Standing Order 3.4 for the repair of the noticeboard posts, expedited to allow for the refurbished board to go back up. It was:
RESOLVED (a) the July and August statements be approved and signed; (b) the cheques shown in the schedules be approved and signed.
7. Council laptop
Councillors considered replacement of the Council’s laptop and printer having received information from the Clerk on the age and performance of both and that reserves had been ringfenced for the previous 9 years at £50 per year (£450). Cllr Thompson volunteered to assist in researching for replacements and it was AGREED a report come back to the next meeting.
8. Planning application updates
Councillors thanked Cllr Thomson for the monthly update and received the following:
| Reference | Address | Decision | Notes |
| Tarrant Keyneston | |||
| 04420 | Little Thatch | Pending | No objection |
| 03590 LBC | Marriotts | Granted | No objection |
| 03589 | Marriotts | Granted | No objection |
| 05270 | Kings Ransome | Refused | No objection |
| Tarrant Rushton | |||
| 02997 | Ashton | Pending | No objection |
| 05438 | Ashton | Granted | No objection |
| 03115 | Tarrant Rushton House | Granted | No objection |
| Tarrant Rawston | |||
| 03227 | Addison Cottages | Pending | No objection |
Application 04420: Councillors reported on their site visit, highlighting that the building known as ‘Little Thatch’ was not part of the application and they had no further information as to its future.
Concern was expressed around what may be considered infilling and any precedent set by this.
Comments also included the desire to provide smaller more affordable homes needed by the community.
9. Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
The Chairman and Cllr Eaton confirmed the sale of a number of the remaining commemorative mugs and the Clerk would report the amount received in the Council account in due course. It was:
RESOLVED the remaining mugs be offered to the local Community Speedwatch Team, potentially to be used for fundraising.
10. Queen’s Green Canopy:
(a) Tree at the War Memorial site
It was reported the tree appeared to be in good health heading into the Autumn.
Councillors thanked Mr Kelly for his care for the tree and the site, given the drought
conditions of the summer months.
(b) Proposed tree planting alongside B3082
The Clerk reported on an update received from the Dorset Council team, highlighting the
need for them to prioritise damaged areas of trees following the storms earlier in the year
and therefore reducing the available budget. Councillors discussed options around the way forward and it was:
RESOLVED tree planting alongside the B3082 would not be progressed.
(c) Queen’s Copse – wildflower area
The seasonal planting of Rattle was briefly discussed in preparation for wildflower seeding. The Chairman would discuss with Cllr Munford and report back to the November meeting.
11. Provision of a new waste bin in Tarrant Keyneston and \ or Tarrant Rushton
Tarrant Keyneston – Councillors were advised the purchase of a bin would come from reserves at £181.65 plus a £50 installation fee and that an amount of £125 had been allocated in the 22\23 budget for the cost of collection twice monthly.
Tarrant Rushton – the overflowing bin at The Splash was discussed and considered to be an ongoing problem which could be resolved by the purchase of a further replacement bin with collection costs to be added to the 23\24 budget.
The lead in time for both would be 6 to 8 weeks. It was:
RESOLVED two new bins be purchased via Dorset Waste Partnership and twice weekly collections arranged.
12. Emergency \ Resilience Plan
Councillors considered the development of a Plan, with resilience being defined by the Cabinet Office as ‘communities and individuals harnessing local resources and expertise to help themselves in an emergency, in a way that complements the response of the emergency services.’
Learning from Storm Eunice earlier in the year was part of the discussion and it was AGREED a plan, potentially on a more local level, was required. The Clerk was asked to put this on the next agenda and to circulate the template provided by Dorset Council.
13. Bus shelter – St Richard’s Close
The Chairman had not been able to assess the shelter and the Clerk was asked to obtain a quote for its repair, reporting back to the next meeting.
14. Villages website development and launch
The Clerk reported the Tarrant Keyneston village site had gone live and suggested the working party consult on the way to further its launch. This was AGREED.
Discussion on the other villages’ sites took place and it was AGREED the development of these be delayed until the Tarrant Keyneston site was seeing more activity.
15. Community Speedwatch and SID fundraising
Councillors reflected on the CSW update provided to the Annual Parish Meeting earlier in the evening and were grateful for the continuing voluntary work. The group had given details of a fundraising event taking place in December and highlighted the Council’s willingness to financially support the purchase of a SID by a means to be confirmed.
The Clerk confirmed contact with the Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner and his office and their awareness of the Parish’s situation with regard to a SID.
The use of a crowd funding platform was discussed though no agreement reached and the item was to be placed on the next agenda.
16. Noticeboards
(a) Tarrant Crawford – Cllr Parker would report back on this item to the next meeting.
(b) Tarrant Keyneston – this had now been refurbished by Blandford Men’s Shed, the posts replaced and erected with the help of Cuff Building Services. Payment for the project costs were shown in the July August schedule, together with cheques for the same.
17. DAPTC
There had been no further meetings or initiatives to report to the Council.
18. Items for next agenda
Villages website
Queen’s Copse Wildflower planting
Tarrant Crawford noticeboard
Community Speedwatch
SID fundraising
Emergency \ Resilience Plan
Bus shelter, St Richards Close
Speed Indicator Device
Dog waste bin
Council IT hardware
19. Date of next meeting
This was confirmed as 8th November 2022.