Minutes of the Meeting of the Clawson Hose and Harby Parish Council
Monday 4th December 2023
7.00 pm at Hose Village Hall
Present: Cllrs Mike Foulds (Deputy Chair), Mike Dunn, Nigel Hodges, Jo Towle, Jacob Wilkinson
County Councillor Bryan Lovegrove
Borough Councillor Simon Orson
Clerk: Helen Glaves
Members of the Public: 5
23/108 Public questions and remarks
A resident requested an update on the culvert issues in Long Clawson, which were addressed in agenda item 23/114.
A resident informed the Parish Council of an incident that occurred at a property at the East End, Long Clawson which resulted in serious injuries to at least one horse, which was caused by dogs owned by a resident living in that area. This matter is pertinent to the Parish Council since the property where the incident concerned is being accessed across the village green.
23/109 Apologies for absence: Cllr Nicola Draper (Chair), Cllr Jonathan Neale, Cllr Chris Evans (MBC),
23/110 Declarations of interest and consider any requests for dispensation None received.
23/111 Borough and County Councillor reports
Cllr Lovegrove (LCC) reminded the Parish Council that there was a need to find a suitable location for the MVAS to be funded through the LCC Members Highways Fund. The location previously proposed in Harby was rejected. It was suggested that a site visit would allow a suitable position to be identified. ACTION Clerk
Cllr Lovegrove also indicated that investigations into the flooding issues in Redmile could be extended to include those around The Sands in Long Clawson. Further information will be provided at a later date (see also item 23/114).
Cllr Orson (MBC) reported that the planning application 22/01339/FUL for siting of a mobile home on land adjacent to the village green at East End, Long Clawson has been rejected by MBC.
23/112 Approval of minutes from Parish Council meeting held on 20 November 2023
Page 104
Approved by the Council and will be signed by the chair at the next meeting due to the absence of Cllr Draper (Chair of the Parish Council). Proposed: Cllr Wilkinson; Seconded: Cllr Hodges. APPROVED
23/113 Clerk and RFO reports to the Council
/1 Clerk reported that the overdue tree survey had been completed. The Handyperson has identified a number of issues with the play equipment in all three villages that are due to poor maintenance in recent years. A planned schedule of maintenance for the playgrounds is needed. The Clerk reported that the swings in Harby will be reinstated sometime in early January 2024.
/2 RFO (Cllr Hodges) confirmed that he now has full access to the Unity Bank account.
23/114 Matters arising from previous meetings
/1 Cllr Dunn asked about the replacement of the damaged wooden bollard on The Sands, Long Clawson. The Clerk informed Cllr Dunn that a quote had been sought from a local contractor.
/2 Investigation of culvert issues in Long Clawson Cllr Towle commented that the culvert was around 70% blocked in 2018 based on observations made via the inspection covers along its length at that time. It was also observed that MBC had previously allocated funding to resolve the issues with the culvert, but these had not been used. Questions were raised about the exact location of the culvert under The Sands. It was stated that the exact route was unclear and has led to a discussion about which authority is responsible for remediating the problems with the culvert that appear to be causing surface water flooding in the area. Cllr Lovegrove (LCC) commented that there was no agreement on responsibility for these issues and an action plan was needed to confirm the exact location of the culvert along its length. Plans of the culvert suggest that approximately 14% of it lies under Parish Council land but this needs to be confirmed. Cllr Towle commented that there is also a need to keep the trash screens and ditches clear to minimize the potential flood risk on The Sands, Long Clawson. Agreed that the Clerk will get quotes from contractors who can clear the culvert and carry out a further survey. ACTION: Clerk
Cllr Towle asked about the role of the Local Flood Authority as the culvert in Long Clawson should be on their asset register.
23/115 Councillors reports
Cllr Hodges noted that proposed new departure routes from East Midlands Airport will pass over either Long Clawson or Harby. A consultation process has started and the PC would like a meeting between residents and the airport authority to be organized if possible.
ACTION: Clerk
23/116 Reports from representatives on outside bodies and meetings
None
23/117 Planning
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None
The Clerk noted that recent requests to MBC Planning Department for an extension to the standard consultation period have not received a response. Cllr Orson will follow up on this matter with MBC.
23/118 Correspondence received
Emails:
27/11/2023 Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner: invitation to inaugural parish council surgery event at Police Headquarters on 15 January 2024
It was noted that this date clashes with the Parish Council meeting on that day. It was agreed that the Clerk will request more information and suggest that a representative attends a future meeting. ACTION: Clerk
27/11/2023 Report on Harby Community Speed Watch activity
Data from the Harby Community Speed Watch initiative has been provided to the Parish Council. This can be used for planning future actions for traffic calming programmes.
24/11/2023 MBC request for contact persons (2) in the event of an emergency situation The Parish Council agreed that Cllr Towle and the Parish Clerk should be identified as the first points of contact in the event of an incident. MBC will be notified of the relevant contact information. It was also noted that Bottesford have a fully developed emergency plan than could used as model for a similar plan covering Clawson, Hose and Harby. ACTION: Clerk
23/11/2023 LCC Advance notice of roadworks: Canal Lane, Hose
20/11/2023 MBC Melton Borough Council – Employment Land Study consultation process. It was agreed that the Parish Council should request further information as this represents a significant amount of effort for the Parish Council when this information should already be on record at MBC. ACTION: Clerk
23/119 Matters for Discussion and/ or Approval
/1 Parish tree survey: report and actions
Routine survey of the trees where the Parish Council has a responsibility for maintenance was carried out on 31 October and 1 November 2023.The resulting reports identified as being of high priority: one at the East End, Long Clawson and two at Harby nature reserve. A second opinion will be sought on all three trees as none are identified as being a risk to the public. Issues raised pertain to overhead telecoms cables. ACTION: Clerk
/2 Wildflower verge initiative (update)
Page 106
Cllr Hodges reported that the application for a wildflower verge to be created in Hose has been submitted. The LCC Highways department will now do a health and safety assessment to determine the suitability of the proposed location, which must be within the 30MPH speed limit and the verge must be at least 2 metres wide.
23/120 Finance
/1 To approve the following payments:
Payee Amount Purpose
Melton Borough Council
£256.00
RoSPA playground inspection
Melton Borough Council
£997.57
Contested election expenses
H. Woodhouse
£468.00
Salary
Jocelyn Dodd
£29.03
Harby Littler Pick support Total £1750.60
Accounts were checked and approved and will be signed off by the Chair at the next meeting. (Cllr Draper was absent from the meeting.) Proposed Cllr Hodges; Seconded: Cllr Foulds
23/121 Items for next agenda
• Request from Long Clawson Village Hall for grant to support floor replacement
• Appointment of tree warden
• Parochial charities: parish council responsibilities
• Belvoir Angels initiative
23/122 Date of next meeting: Monday, 15 January 2024 at Long Clawson Village Hall
Meeting closed at 20:50
Signed:
Chair – Clawson, Hose and Harby Parish Council
