HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL
You are summoned to a meeting of the Parish Council on Tuesday 13 September 2022 at 7.30 pm in the Council Chamber, Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks.
Parish Clerk 6th September 2022
Members of the public are encouraged to come to the meetings and there is an opportunity for them to address the Council relating to the non-confidential items on the published agenda. A period of 15 minutes will be set aside in item 4 Public participation.
AGENDA
1. APOLOGIES
2. DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS
2.1 To deal with any disclosure by Members of any disclosable pecuniary interests and interests other than pecuniary interests, as defined under Hassocks Parish Council’s Code of Conduct and the Localism Act 2011, in relation to matters on the agenda.
3. MINUTES
3.1. To accept the minutes of the Parish Council meeting 12th July 2022
4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Up to fifteen minutes will be available to allow for the public to make representations, answer questions or give evidence in respect of any items of business included in the agenda, in accordance with Standing Orders.
5. TO ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING MINUTES
5.1 Planning Committee – 11th July 2022 and 1st August 2022 (for acceptance) and to note the minutes for 22nd August 2022.
5.2 To note the Grounds & Environment Committee minutes for the 6th July 2022
5.3 To note the minutes of the Neighbourhood Plan Committee for the 27th July 2022.
6. FINANCE
6.1 To approve the Financial Report and authorise the list of payments in the sum of £17,935.13 issued between 1 June 2022 and 30th June 2022. (Appendix 1) (to view Appendix 1 please click here) and payments in the sum of £38,298.44 issued between 1 July 2022 and 31st July 2022 (Appendix 2)(to view Appendix 2 please click here)).
7. CO-OPTING ONTO THE COUNCIL. The Council currently has one vacancy and is now able to consider co-opting a suitable person onto the Council. The vacancy was advertised and attracted one resident who completed the application process to join the Council. The resident meets the requirements to become a Councillor therefore Members are invited to consider the interested party’s representation and invite them to join the Council at this time. The Council should RESOLVE to co-opt that person onto the Council.
8. REPORTS
8.1. West Sussex County Councillor
8.2. Mid Sussex District Councillors Report
8.3 Police Report
8.4. Rail Matters – oral Report (Leslie Campbell)
8.5. Youth Initiatives – presentation (Frances Gaudencio)
8.6. Reports from Councillors on meetings outside bodies where the Council is represented.
9. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
9.1 Current matters (oral report)
10. CLERK’S REPORT
10.1 Grants
The purpose of this report is to inform the Council of the Grant applications received this year. The Council agreed a total budget of £4,500 for grants and donations to local groups and organisations for 2022/23. The current grant application process is set out for Members information in (Appendix 3 below) which involves the consideration of applications twice each year in September and February.
Appendix 3 Hassocks Parish Council Community Grants Scheme 2022/23
Hassocks Parish Council is pleased to announce that it is now inviting applications for community grants for 2022/23. Projects must be achievable within a year and grants are for a maximum of £600 each.
The Council has powers to give financial aid under various statutes, notably the Local Government Act 1972:
There is a limited budget each year for grants and the amounts requested can sometimes exceed the fund available. It is therefore important that all questions on the application form are answered as fully as possible to provide a detailed description of your proposed project/activity.
All grants are at the discretion of the Council. The Council is not bound by previous decisions, and retrospective grants will not be considered.
Once awarded the Council will require written confirmation of how the grant has been spent. This may include a report, photographs, copies of receipts etc. This must be provided by the end of the financial year.
Applications will be considered twice yearly by Council in September and February.
The Council supports voluntary and charitable organisations that provide services of direct benefit to the residents of the parish. The granting of funds will be considered in line with the aims and priorities set out within the Council’s Business Plan:
Applications should consider:
Each award is considered as a ‘one off’ grant and are therefore limited. However, this should not deter groups from applying. Applications will be particularly welcome from:-
GRANT CONDITIONS.
The Council made the following donations in 2021/22
Phase 1
| No.
|
Applicant
September 2021 |
Funding sought |
| 1 | Air Ambulance – Kent Surrey Sussex | 400 |
| 2 | Hassocks Christmas Day Lunch Committee | 100 |
| 3 | 4 Sight Vision
|
400 |
| 4 | South Downs Refugee Group | 600 |
| 5 | Age Concern | 200 |
| 6 | Victim Support
|
250 |
| 7 | Sussex Clubs for Young People | 380 |
| Total allocated – phase 1
|
£2,330 |
Phase 2
| No.
|
Applicant
February 2022 |
Funding applied for |
| 1
|
Hurstpierpoint Gymnastics Club | 600 |
| 2 | Life Centre | 200 |
| 3
|
Community May day event within Adastra Park | 550 |
| 4 | Hassocks & Hurst Little Bees | 300 |
| 5
|
Total allocated – phase 2 | 1,650 |
| 6
|
Total allocated for year 2021/22 | £3,980 |
Members are requested to consider the following grant applications for
2022/23 – Phase 1. The overall budget allocation for the year stands at £4,500
| No.
|
Applicant | Purpose | Funding sought |
| 1
|
Arklight Youth Group | Acquire new Table Tennis Table | £500 |
| 2
|
4 Sight Vision ** | Supporting operating costs | £500 |
| 3 | Victim Support** | Supporting operating costs | Unspecified |
| 4
|
Hassocks Community Organisation – Adastra Hall |
Contribution to upgrading lighting within the hall | £600 |
| 5 | Keymer & Hassocks FC | Contribution to winter training costs | £500 |
| 6 | Age Concern | Community Garden | £600
|
| Grants applied for phase 1.
|
£2,700 plus unspecified funding bid |
Supporting documents for each of the above applications are attached as (Appendix 4) (to view Appendix 4 please click here) setting out the purpose of grant sought. ** indicates formal application forms have not been submitted.
RECOMMENDATION: The Council is invited to consider the above applications, and determine the grant awards for 2022/23 phase 1 taking into account the contents of the applications and the available budget.
10.2 Insurance Property valuations – The Council recently commissioned a review of the re-instatement valuations of the Council property assets:
This has resulted in the insured values of the properties being increased to reflect the revised valuations. At July’s Council meeting members agreed to release up to £1,000 from General Reserves (PC22/58.1) to cover any increase in insurance premium. The properties for insurance purposes have been increased in-line with the revised valuations and additional coverage sought resulting in an increase in premium of £754.51 (pro rata), therefore as approved, in consultation with the Chair funds have been released to pay the increased premium.
Property insurance valuations are increased annually by our insurer in line with the Royal Institute Chartered Surveyors (RICS) model index however a full reassessment should be programmed in for 2025 to ensure insurance valuations remain realistic in the event of a significant incident.
Members are asked to note the action taken.
10.3 Consultancy Support – Community Led Plan/Neighbourhood Priority Statement – The Neighbourhood Plan Committee recently sought expressions of interests from external bodies to support the Council in undertaking a consultation initiative with a view to delivering a Community led Plan (Neighbourhood Priority Statement ) which will aim to set out and identify a vision/ infrastructure/ aspirations for the village over the next 5 -10 years.
It had proved difficult to identify suitable organisations with the appropriate skills /experience to deliver this type of project, however the Council did receive a costed submission for consideration offering a range of options that could be tailored to meet the needs of the Council.
Under the Levelling up and Regeneration Bill the government is seeking to introduce a new simpler neighbourhood planning tool called a “neighbourhood priorities statement.” This will allow communities to identify their key priorities for their local area, including their development preferences, and will provide a simpler and more accessible way for them to participate in neighbourhood planning.
In the 2022/23 Budget setting process an allocation of £2,500 was set aside to support this initiative, however this has proved to be insufficient to cover the cost of the various options recently considered by the Neighbourhood Plan Committee. The consultant was invited to attend a recent meeting where members had the opportunity to discuss and clarify elements of the proposal(s).
Members were then able to clarify and confirm the elements they wished to progress subject to funding and remained keen to progress this project but with a more streamlined approach.
Members therefore revisited the initial proposals based on the original project brief and suggested an amended brief setting out a more streamlined approach to be provided to the consultant to revisit and for them to come forward with a revised costed proposal to deliver the project based on the amended requirements.
The revised costed proposal has now been received and is estimated to cost circa £7,000 which is significantly reduced from the initial proposal, however if this initiative is to progress further funding will need to be released from General Reserves.
Member’s views are sought as to whether they would support the release of a further £5,000 funding from General Reserves to support this initiative subject to final approval of the revised proposal by the Neighbourhood Plan Committee. This would provide a total allocation of £7,500 to deliver this project.
10.4 Committee Membership Members are requested to consider Cllr Neil’s request to join the Grounds & Environment Committee.
10.5 Hassocks & Keymer Village Action Plan – To note the report (Appendix 5) (to view Appendix 5 please click here) produced by the Retail Group on behalf of MSDC to support safe reopening of the High street following Covid. The study was funded from grant monies received as part of the governments Welcome Back Fund. Members are requested to consider the actions identified and agree how and if members wish to take any of these forward. Some of the suggested actions sit outside of the parishes responsibilities or are already in place.
10.6 Grounds and Environmental Committee (Planting initiative) were scheduled to consider a report (7th September) proposing to introduce a winter/spring planting scheme for the planters in front of Orion Parade and at the entrance to Adastra Park to provide a year round display. At present funding has only been allocated (budgeted) for a summer scheme.
A costed proposal incorporating the planting and maintenance of a winter/spring scheme in the sum of circa £1,000 was being considered by the Committee on 7th September to approve the release of further funding from General Reserves subject to Council approval. At the time of drafting this item due to the requirement to publish this agenda the G & E Committee had not met to consider the item, however this will have occurred prior to this scheduled Council meeting.
Subject to Grounds & Environment Committee approving the proposal, Council are requested to consider releasing up to £1,000 from General reserves to fund this initiative. If Grounds & Environment do not support this proposal this item would not need to be considered as part of this agenda.
The rationale for incorporating the item on this agenda is that a decision and any approval would need to be made in a timely manner to afford sufficient lead in time for the contractor to secure suitable plants and programme in the display installation.
Members are therefore requested to consider the recommended actions of the Grounds & Environment Committee to determine whether additional funding should be released from General Reserves. Member’s views are sought.
10.7 Replacement Server The council purchased its current server in 2016 and is currently running Microsoft Server 2012 r2 operating software which is now reaching the end of its life. Although Microsoft have currently extended their support and updates until October 2023 our IT support provider is suggesting that the Council consider replacing this well in advance of the support being withdrawn.
In light of the ongoing supply issues with IT hardware and the performance of the pound against the dollar it is anticipated that the price will continue to rise and in turn supply issues may impact on availability if the Council defers renewal until nearer the October 23 deadline.
Our provider has supplied a quote to supply and install a new server which should meet the current and future needs of the Council in the sum of £4,733.48 (net) which includes server/hard drive/licences and installation and transfer of data.
Although the current software is to be supported until October next year due to the uncertainties regarding supply and cost members are invited to consider releasing funds from General Reserves at this time to replace and upgrade the current hardware and existing server software
Member’s views are sought to release the sum of £4,733.48 (net) from General reserves at this time to enable for the system upgrade to be undertaken.
11. URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIRMAN for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.
12. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
To note that the date of the next Council meeting is Tuesday 11th October 2022 at 7.30pm.
EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC AND PRESS
In view of the confidential nature of the business about to be transacted Councillors will be referred to the Confidential Agenda. If any members of the public or press are in attendance they will be requested to withdraw from the meeting in the public interest.
FILMING, RECORDING OF COUNCIL MEETINGS AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
During this meeting members of the public may film or record the Committee and officers from the public area only providing it does not disrupt the meeting. The Confidential section of the meeting may not be filmed or recorded. If a member of the public objects to being recorded, the person(s) filming must stop doing so until that member of the public has finished speaking. The use of social media is permitted but members of the public are requested to switch their mobile devices to silent for the duration of the meeting
Please Note
All members of the public are welcome to attend to attend meetings of the Parish Council and its Committees.
Item 4 – a period of 15 minutes will be set aside for the public statements and questions relating to the published non-confidential business of the Meeting.
It may be necessary to consider particular items in confidential session and where this arises, these items will be considered at the end of the agenda.
Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held on 13th September 2022 at 7.30pm in Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks
Prior to the meeting start, the Chair Cllr Weir indicated he wished to say a few words.
‘I want to acknowledge the Life of Queen Elizabeth II and the huge role she has played in this country.
Queen Elizabeth has become almost universally loved and respected throughout the world as well as at home and thus many of us find ourselves feeling a huge sense of loss.
Right from the start she declared “My whole life, whether it be short or long, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong”.
As we have all seen she stayed committed to that ideal throughout the many challenges that both she and the country faced. She showed nerves of steel through both national and personal events including wars and family difficulties and by communicating heartfelt emotions through both Christmas Messages and special broadcasts she helped to keep people upbeat and able to carry on.
Whilst politicians come and go Queen Elizabeth has endured through the very act of “being there for us”. She will be greatly missed’
Members then observed a two-minute silence in remembrance of the Queen.
Attendees: Parish Councillors Ian Weir, Jane Baker, Sue Hatton, Leslie Campbell, Bill Hatton, Frances Gaudencio, Carolyn Barton, Alex Simmons, Claire Tester, Angus Neil, Kate Bailey and Robert Brewer.
Parish Clerk: Ian Cumberworth
MINUTES
PC22/61 APOLOGIES Cllr Kristian Berggreen, Cllr David Bunting
Visiting Member(s): – County Councillor Kirsty Lord
PC22/62 DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS
Disclosure by Councillors of personal interests in matters on the agenda, and whether the Councillor regards their interest as prejudicial under the terms of the Code of Conduct. –
Non Pecuniary interests
Cllr Barton, Cllr Sue Hatton (item 10.1 grant 4)
Cllr Bill Hatton (item 10.1 grant 2)
Cllr Bailey, Cllr Simmons (10.1 grant 1)
PC22/63 MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on the 12th July 2022 were accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.
PC22/64 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
No members of the public were present.
PC22/65 MINUTES
65.1 Members accepted the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting on the 11th July and 1st August and noted the minutes of the meeting on 22nd August 2022.
65.2 To agree the minutes for the Grounds & Environment Committee 6th July 2022.
65.3 To note the minutes of the Neighbourhood Plan Committee for the 27th July 2022.
PC22/66 FINANCE
66.1 Members considered the finance reports and the supporting bank statements and reviewed the following payment lists.
The Finance report and payments totalling £17,935.13 (Appendix 1) for the period 1st June to 30th June 2022 were considered and APPROVED.
The Finance report and payments totalling £38,298.44 (Appendix 2) for the period 1st July to 31st July 2022 were considered and APPROVED.
66.2 Co Opting onto the Council Members were invited to consider co-opting Dan Sewell onto the Council. Dan was invited to briefly introduce himself and provide some brief background of his experience and potential skill sets he could bring to the Council and any areas of particular interest.
Members then asked a series of questions which Dan responded to.
Members were then invited to vote and approve the co-option of Dan Sewell onto the Council.
Members voted and RESOLVED to APPROVE the co-option of Dan Sewell onto the Council. The declaration of acceptance was then duly signed.
PC22/67 Reports
67.1 County Councillors reports: – Cllr Kirsty Lord (KL) – had sent her apologies – no report was submitted
67.2 District Councillor Report (Cllr Sue Hatton) Cllr Hatton advised members that the District Plan review that was originally published in February this year and then deferred for further review by a working group of members and officers has now been concluded. It’s anticipated that the amended drafts will be considered by MSDC in October over two meetings of the Scrutiny Committee of Planning Economic Growth and Net Zero. Its expected the first meeting will consider the policy elements with the second meeting considering the allocations. Cllr Hatton encouraged members to view these documents when the agendas are published to assess any impacts on Hassocks and assist the Council in making any informed responses if required.
MSDC have looked at ways of improving the Council’s move to net zero and setting targets for achievement. Although they appointed a consultant to advise on this it was acknowledged that due to the heavy use of contractors, over whose working practices the Council has limited control, the Council would work towards the government target timeframe rather than set local targets.
67.3 Police Report – The Police recently held a Police surgery meeting in the parish offices which provided the opportunity for members of the public to meet and speak to the police. The intention is that future sessions will be scheduled. Members expressed the view that the police could make the purpose of the meeting clearer within their publicity material to avoid the confusion that some attendees experienced. The Clerk and Cllr Weir attend quarterly police liaison meetings with the police commissioner’s office and agreed to feedback these comments.
67.4 Rail Matters –nothing to report
67.5 Youth Initiatives – Cllr Gaudencio indicated that she proposed to hold over the planned presentation until the next meeting but advised that Hassocks Youth Projects were unlikely to be seeking further funding in the near future as they are yet to expend fully the award received last year.
67.6 Report from Councillors on meetings of outside bodies where the Council is represented – The Clerk advised members that Cllr Bunting had attended a meeting of Oldland Mill recently however he was not present today to update members.
PC22/68 CHAIRMANS REPORT – Cllr Weir informed members that historically the Council had a staff panel which comprised of the Chair of the Council, Vice Chair, Chair of the Policy Resources & Communications Committee together with two other members. The primary role of the panel was to meet periodically to consider Clerks appraisal, receive reports from the clerk to consider job descriptions, pay scales, recruitment and other general staff matters where necessary.
Cllr Weir then sought whether there would be any further members interested in joining this group. Cllr Simmons and Cllr Neil indicated they would be happy to join this group. Members duly APPROVED the appointment of Cllr Simmons and Neil to be representatives on this group.
Cllr Weir advised members that the Councils Policy Resources & Communications Committee could benefit from some additional members to provide further resilience and encouraged members to consider this and approach the Clerk directly if they were interested in taking up this role.
Cllr Gaudencio indicated that as a former chair of this committee it should be viewed as a key committee at the core of the business of the Council and inform the strategic direction of the council and provides the governance framework the Council works within, therefore it is a really important committee. It also oversees the Councils communications therefore would encourage more members to consider joining this committee.
Cllr Weir echoed Cllr Gaudencio’s sentiments and requested that any interested members contact the Clerk directly.
PC22/69 CLERK’S REPORT
69.1 Grants
The Clerk introduced the report and informed Members that the report represented the first phase of applications being considered for this financial year.
The overall budget for the year is £4,500, and the Council had received specific funding bids of £2,700 and one unspecified sum for this round of grants. Members were requested to consider the table set out on page 3 of the agenda and to also have regard for potential funding bids that may be received later in the year in phase 2 in February.
To assist members in their deliberations the grant application process/conditions were set out in Appendix 3 of the report and the six current grant applications and supporting information were detailed in Appendix 4. Members were advised that the grant in relation to 10.1 (4) should read Hassocks Community Association and not Organisation.
The Chair indicated that as the Councils grants scheme was now considered in two phases and he wished to obtain a consensus of the level of members would consider allocating as part of the first phase. A suggested level of £2,500 was deemed acceptable by members as a reasonable allocation for consideration.
The Council carefully considered each of the following grant applications taking into account the purpose of the funding request and the level of support being sought together with the content set out within the respective submissions. Members held detailed discussions on each submission and debated and deliberated on each one in turn.
Members indicated that it might be worth revisiting some of the current grant conditions to ensure there is greater consistency in the submission of supporting papers from the applicants. The Clerk agreed to revisit this prior to the February tranches of applications.
The following grant requests were considered for phase 1 of the 2022/23 grant scheme.
| No. | Applicant | Funding sought |
| 1 | Arklight Youth Group – To acquire a new table tennis table | £500 |
| Members RESOLVED to award the sum of £500
(Cllr Kate Bailey and Cllr Alex Simmons had declared an interest and therefore did not vote on this item) |
||
| 2 | 4 Sight Vision – supporting operating costs | £500 |
| Members RESOLVED to award the sum of £500
(Cllr Bill Hatton had declared an interest and therefore did not vote on this item) |
||
| 3 | Victim Support – supporting operating costs | Unspecified |
| Members RESOLVED to award the sum of £250 | ||
| 4 | Hassocks Community Association – Adastra Hall – Contribution to upgrading lighting within the hall | £600 |
| Members expressed concern that some of the works had commenced prior to the grant approval however in light of the level of work yet to be undertaken they were content to use their discretion within the grant policy and support an award all be it at a reduced amount.
Members RESOLVED to award the sum of £400 (Cllr Sue Hatton and Carolyn Barton had declared an interest and therefore did not vote on this item) |
||
| 5 | Keymer & Hassocks FC – contribution to winter training costs – hire of all-weather facilities and purchase of some equipment | £500 |
| Members RESOLVED to award the sum of £500 | ||
| 6 | Age Concern – Community garden | £600 |
| Members RESOLVED to award the sum of £500
The award was also conditional that the appropriate lease/licence agreements were formalised and entered into between MSDC and Age Concern for the proposed site. |
||
Based on the proposed recommended allocations of grant Members were advised that this would exceed their initial proposed allocation of £2,500 for the first phase of allocations, however members expressed the view that there could be some flexibility in this and therefore Members AGREED to allocate £ 2,650 from the 2022/23 grants budget in relation to the phase 1 grant applications.
This would leave a remaining budget of up to £1,850 for consideration for use at the time of phase 2 applications in February
PC22/70 Insurance Property Valuations
Members were advised that the Councils properties have been revalued for insurance purposes and the level of cover increased accordingly to reflect the revised valuations which has increased the current premium.
The Clerk indicated that some of the valuations had increased significantly and although the Councils property values were adjusted annually in line with the RICS index it demonstrated the importance of having the properties formally valued periodically possibly on a three year cycle to ensure the Councils assets are fully covered for insurance purposes.
In accordance with Councils previous decision (PC22/58.1) funds have been released from General reserves in the sum of £754.51 to cover the additional premium cost.
Council had previously approved the release of up to £1,000 from General reserves.
Members NOTED the action taken.
PC22/71 Consultancy Support – Community Led Plan/Neighbourhood Priority Statement.
Members were requested to consider releasing further funding to support an initiative proposed by the Neighbourhood Plan Committee. Although funds had been allocated for this project in the 2022/23 budget (£2,500), after receiving a costed submission it became clear that this allocation was insufficient.
Neighbourhood Plan members reviewed the initial proposal and sought to streamline the approach with a view to realising cost savings based on the original submission. Members were advised that the initial submission was constructed in such a way to enable the Council to tailor the level of service to the needs of the Council. On this basis the initial proposal was reviewed and a revised proposal sought. This has now been received with an overall cost of £7,000 plus travel expenses, it is therefore estimated the cost will be circa £7,500.
Members were therefore requested to consider whether they would consider releasing a further £5,000 from General Reserves to support this initiative, without this funding the scheme will not be able to progress.
Prior to considering the allocation of additional funds members discussed further elements of the proposed study and its potential value in light of the risk to any government change in policy and any impact it may have on the emerging district plan.
The Clerk and the Chair of the Neighbourhood plan committee (Cllr Tester) provided further clarification to members on the various elements.
Members were also reminded that the primary purpose of the paper was to consider the release of additional funding as the consultancy approach had previously been considered and approved by the Neighbourhood Plan Committee.
After consideration of the potential risks and the benefits of undertaking this piece of work members RESOLVED to APPROVE the release of £5,000 from General reserves to enable the project to progress.
PC22/72 Committee Membership
Members were requested to consider Cllr Neil’s request to join the Grounds & Environment Committee.
Members RESOLVED to AGREE Cllr Neil’s appointment to the Grounds & Environment Committee.
PC22/73 Hassocks & Keymer Village Action Plan
The report set out in Appendix 5 was produced by the Retail Group on behalf of Mid Sussex District Council and was funded as part of Governments Welcome Back Fund (Post Covid recovery initiative). The group undertook a consultation with the trade, members of the public and some stakeholders and produced a range of suggested actions which are set out on pages 63 – 68 of the agenda. It was acknowledged that a number of these proposals were not within the Parishes remit and some of which were already in place prior to the study. The Clerk advised the group had undertaken this review on behalf of five other local villages and there appeared to be a number of common factors in the respective villages action plans. Members were requested to consider whether they wished to take any of the actions forward and how they wish to approach this.
Members AGREED that this report should be considered by the High Street Working Group which is made up of representatives from the Parish Council and Hassocks Community Organisation with a further report being brought back to Council with any proposed action plan recommendations for consideration.
PC22/74 Grounds & Environment Committee (Planting Initiative)
Members were requested to consider the proposed recommendation to release up to £1,000 from General reserves to fund a winter/spring planting scheme in the six planters outside Orion parade and the planter at the entrance to Adastra Park to enhance the village’s street scene. At present funding is only provided for the summer scheme.
Member’s where informed that this initiative would also support one of the recommended actions within the village action plan above in respect of enhancing the street scene.
Members RESOLVED to APPROVE the release of up to £1,000 to support the introduction of a winter/spring planting scheme to enhance the look of the street scene.
PC22/75 Replacement Server
Members were informed that the Councils IT provider had advised the Council to consider replacing its current server which is six years old. The server is currently running Microsoft Server 2012 r2 operating system which will not be supported by Microsoft beyond October 2023.
They have indicated that they would recommend the Council considers replacing its current server sooner as they anticipate the cost will continue to increase and there maybe supply issues further down the line.
Members were requested to consider the release of £4,733.48 (net) from General reserves to fund the replacement which will include the supply of server, hard drives, licences, installation and transfer of data.
Member’s views were sought. A discussion took place amongst members which included exploring ‘Cloud’ options in more detail before committing to the proposal recommended by the Council’s IT support provider. It was AGREED that Cllr Simmons would liaise with the Clerk and provide some further technical information. Further discussions will then be held by the Clerk with the Councils IT provider to determine the most suitable solution to take forward and a report will be brought back to full council for consideration at a future time.
PC22/76 URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIRMAN – none.
PC22/77 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
To note that the date of the next Parish Council meeting is Tuesday 11th October 2022 at 7.30pm.
See full list of 2024/25 meetings, minutes and agendas here >
26/11/2024
Policy, Resources & Communications
05/12/2024
Grounds & Environment Committee
See full list of 2024/25 meetings, minutes and agendas here >
The Council Office is located at:
Parish Centre, Adastra Park,
Hassocks, West Sussex, BN6 8QH.
Opening Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m.
Wednesday CLOSED
Friday
10.00 a.m. to 12 noon.
