Hassocks Parish Council

Minutes

Minutes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held on 10 September 2024

Attendees: Parish Councillors Frances Gaudencio (Chair) Kristian Berggreen, Angus Neil, David Bunting, Ian Weir, Peter Richardson, Paul Shepherd, Sue Hatton, Bill Hatton and Alex Simmons.

Visiting Members: None

Clerk: Ian Cumberworth

MINUTES

PC24/64        APOLOGIES. Cllrs Robert Brewer, Lesley Cruikshank-Robb and Kate Bailey.

WSCC – Cllr Kirsty Lord

PC24/65        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. There were no disclosures of interest.

PC24/66        MINUTES.

The minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on the 9^th July 2024 were accepted as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

PC24/67        PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. No members of the public were present.

PC24/68        MINUTES.

PC24/68.1     Planning Committee – Members agreed the minutes for the meetings held on 15^th July 2024 and 5^th August 2024 and noted the minutes for Planning Committee meeting held on the 27^th August 2024.

68.2    Policy Resources & Communications Committee –Members noted the minutes for the meeting held on 16^th July 2024.

68.3    Grounds & Environment Committee – Members noted the minutes for the meeting held on the 25^th July 2024.

PC24/69        FINANCE

69.1    Members considered the finance reports and the supporting bank statements and reviewed the payment list for payments totalling £48,606.60 for the period ending 30^th June 2024 set out in Appendix 1.

Members asked a number of questions regarding specific transactions which the Clerk responded to, Members were content with the explanations provided.

Members APPROVED the payments list totalling £48,606.60 for the period 1^st to 30^th June 2024.

69.2      Members considered the finance reports and the supporting bank statements and reviewed the payment list for payments totalling £21,942.31 for the period ending 31^st July 2024 set out in Appendix 2.

Members APPROVED the payments list totalling £21,942.31 for the period 1^st to 31^st July 2024.

PC24/70        Reports

PC24/70.1    West Sussex County Councillor report – Cllr Lord had sent her apologies but had produced a report which the Clerk read out:

Highways 

Ockley lane will be resurfaced 30^th September – 4th October. I am not sure of the precise details around road closures and how quickly they will move up the road but I expect we should prepare for delays with a diversion through the village.

Clayton hill – work is due to start on 23^rd September to install new pipes and manhole covers between New Road and just south of Underhill Lane as phase one of the plan to fix the drainage problems here which have caused significant problems with the road surface. This will be disruptive with 24/7 lights for a period of up to 3 weeks although they hope to complete sooner. There will be letter drops to local residents as well as online comms, and static and digital messaging at strategic locations.

Keymer Road between the Railway Bridge and Station Approach West. 

The vegetation has finally been cut back significantly after much lobbying of network rail by the WSCC highways steward and it is now much safer for pedestrians.

London  Road – following a number of complaints, WSCC were requested to inspect the vegetation along London Road and as a result 4 jobs have been raised: west side between Stonepound Crossroads and Hassocks Gate, east side between Stonepound Crossroads and Stanford Avenue, east side layby just north of the garage, east side around Friars Oak pub.

Schools – Secondary school applications have opened for current year 6 moving to secondary with a deadline of 31^st October.  Primary applications do not open until 7^th October.

Devolution – WSCC is preparing an expression of interest for government based on the devolution agenda proposed by the deputy prime minister.  Details will be discussed with neighbouring authorities and the West Sussex districts and boroughs.

Budgets – The WSCC budget process gets underway in earnest this autumn, starting with a review of the medium term financial strategy at performance & finance scrutiny committee on Friday. The current predicted budget gap for 2025/6 is an eye watering £30m-£48m depending on the council tax increase assumed.

Although no details are yet being shared, savings of this level cannot be delivered through efficiencies alone and it is likely that very difficult decisions will need to be made about services over the coming months.

Members affected by the Ockley Lane works confirmed they had received notification from WSCC regarding the pending works.

PC24/70.2     District Councillor report: – Cllr S Hatton presented a paper on behalf of Cllr Hobbs to update Members on matters relating to Mid Sussex District Council.

District Plan – The District plan 2021-2039 was submitted for inspection in early July and the inspector has now announced the stage 1 dates for the hearing, being 22^nd-24^th October and 29^th-31^st October inclusive, to be held at the Oaklands campus.

https://www.midsussex.gov.uk/planning-building/mid-sussex-district-plan/district-plan-review/

Members will no doubt have seen that housing targets are to be made mandatory by the new government, and there are some amendments proposed to the National Planning Policy Framework. These should not influence MSDC’s current plan, but the requirement to support neighbouring authorities under the “duty to co-operate” is strengthened and, of course with neighbouring districts who either don’t have district plans, or can’t accommodate the housing targets that they have today, pressure will remain on Mid Sussex to help.

Car Parking – MSDC outlined plans for extending car-parking hours until 8pm on weekdays in their paid-for carparks and introducing a flat rate “all day: charge in MSDC carparks on Sundays. This is the 2^nd part of the implementation of the carpark strategy agreed by the council in 2020 but only implemented this year, and is coupled with an investment in three additional civil enforcement officers working across the whole of the district, plus new technology investment in the carparks. The proposal comes to Cabinet on Monday, 16^th September with some alterations – a standard £1 all day Sunday charge, and the costs only being applicable during Sunday trading hours.

123 Waste trial – By March 2026, all households in the UK will benefit from a weekly food waste collection, by government decree under the “simpler recycling” service. Mid Sussex District Council (as the collection authority) have been running a trial in 3,000 homes, with West Sussex County Council (the disposal authority) called 1-2-3 and in September, the trial rolls out to a further 2,000 homes including a number in Hassocks for the first time.

The 1-2-3 trail relates to the food waste collection weekly, blue bin (recycling) every 2 weeks, and black bin every 3. Residents will receive a household “caddy’ – a small bin for collecting the food waste which can be kept in the kitchen, and a new bin for storing the waste outside. The waste is collected by separate vehicle and then processed meaning it doesn’t go to landfill. So far the trial has been successful and the additional 2,000 homes will allow MSDC to validate their learnings so far before the full scheme rolls out in late 2025 and early 2026.

PC24/70.3    Police Report – no report submitted

PC24/70.4     Rail matters – Rail group meeting is scheduled for 25^th September.

PC24/70.5    Youth Initiatives – Cllr Gaudencio informed Members that she had recently attended a meeting with a Hurstpierpoint Councillor to discuss anti-social behaviour and youth matters. Cllr Gaudencio also mentioned that youth activities are scheduled to commence shortly in Adastra Hall run by the Church together with further activities at Age Concern.

PC24/70.6     Report from Councillors on meetings of outside bodies where the Council is represented.

Cllr Bunting advised that he attended a meeting for Oldland Mill but there was nothing to report.

Cllr Richardson briefly updated Members on a public meeting he attended run by Greener Hassocks & Ditchling (formerly HKD) where they focused on environmental initiatives in respect of Drainage etc.

PC24/71        CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

Staffing Panel

Cllr Gaudencio invited more members to join the Staffing Panel which will be involved in future    recruitment processes. The panel is made up of five members – current members are Cllr Gaudencio, Weir, Berggreen and Bunting therefore at least one more person is sought. Experience of interviewing for recruitment would be required or would have to be learned. Members were invited to contact the Clerk if they would be interested in joining the Staffing Panel.

Members sought clarification on the level of time commitment required and the role of the panel. It was indicated that there would be some daytime attendance/meetings involved in relation to interviews etc., appraisals and anything to do with staff issues.

Members were requested to give further consideration and liaise via the Clerk if they were interested in joining this panel.

Committee Membership

The Chair raised concerns that some Committees were made up of low numbers and therefore from time to time were at risk of them not being quorate if members are unable to attend; this particularly applied to the Planning Committee.

Although Standing Orders did permit reserves to attend in place of a committee member not able to attend, this has not generally been utilised.

Members were encouraged to consider joining the Planning Committee, although it was acknowledged the frequency of meetings was difficult for some.

It was re-iterated that members should notify the Planning Committee Clerk at the earliest opportunity if they are unlikely to be able to attend as there have been some occasions where this information has not been provided until late on, which can impact on the ability to ensure the Committee will be quorate.

The Chair re-iterated that Members need to be committed to attending meetings, and if some Committees frequency is not suitable then alternative committee membership should be considered.

Members had an extended discussion on potential options with regards to the Planning Committee as to how resilience could be improved, although most were unfortunately not viable. In conclusion Members were encouraged to consider joining the Planning Committee or for those members on the Committee when unable to attend to utilise the use of reserves where practical as set out in Standing Orders.

Hassocks on Show

Cllr Gaudencio advised Members that the ‘Hassocks on Show’ event is being held on Saturday 26^th October in Adastra Hall and the Parish Council has been invited to have a presence. A stand will be available as last year and Members are encouraged to attend to represent the Council on the day.

PC24/72       CLERK’S REPORT

72.1     Councillor Vacancies. Co-option – the Clerk advised Members that the Council had now received confirmation from MSDC that they can now co-opt onto the council for our recent vacancy, therefore we currently have two vacancies.

The Council have had a number of individuals express an interest in becoming a Councillor, however at this point none have submitted a formal application.

Further details have been sent out to the individuals about the Council and the role of a Councillor.

If no applications are forthcoming it would be proposed that the posts will be re-advertised.

72.2      Grants – Members were requested to review the grant applications received for consideration as phase one of the grant process this year. Only two applications have been received

• Air Ambulance
• 4 Sight Vision Support

The grants scheme conditions were set out in Appendix 3 of the agenda with the supporting information for the individual grants detailed in Appendix 4.

Although documents were sent out to other organisations they did not return a completed application as part of phase 1 of the grants scheme.

Members are requested to consider each application in turn.

The Clerk advised that the scheme currently stipulates that a maximum of £600 would be considered although on occasions this has been varied in previous years of application.

No.	Applicant	Funding Sought
1	Air Ambulance	£500
Members RESOLVED to award the sum of £500
2	4 Sight Vision Support	£650
Members RESOLVED to award the sum of £600
Total awarded phase 1 – Grants £1,100

 

Members therefore RESOLVED to award £1,100 as part of phase 1 of the grant scheme leaving up to £4,150 for consideration in February (phase 2 grants).

72.3         Safety Tree Works – Members were informed that the tree works previously reported to Grounds & Environment Committee in respect of Parklands Copse relating to the removal of two ash trees for safety reasons had been completed.

As insufficient funds were available within the Parklands Copse tree budget, funds have had to be drawn from general reserves.

Members were requested to note the action taken and ratify the use of general reserves to fund these works. Members NOTED the action taken and APPROVED the use of General Reserves to fund the works.

72.4        Parish Centre – One of the Councils priorities identified within the emerging business plan is to improve the insulation energy efficiency/condition of the parish centre. The building currently has timber framed window panels and porch with timber fascia /bargeboards which have been in place for approx. 20 years.

One of the options for Members to consider is whether they would support the replacement of the current windows/barge boards etc. with a more energy efficient product to improve working conditions and reduce ongoing heating costs together with reduction of future maintenance costs.

Members were advised that some indicative costs have been obtained and dependent on the level of replacement/material to be used the estimated costs are £18,000 – £29,000.

The Council currently holds £18,785 (R & R sinking fund) in Earmarked reserves for this type of eventuality. However it is unlikely to cover the full costs depending on the element of works undertaken.

The indicative cost estimates provided are based on UPVC with a wood effect foil finish. It is understood aluminium cost would be significantly higher.

The lower cost estimate would exclude the porch area whereas the higher cost would include the porch area.

Member’s views were therefore sought on potentially releasing reserves to cover any additional shortfall and whether they would support a proposal to replace the existing panels etc.

Members discussed the options and expressed the view that the porch area should be retained as is, but consideration should be given to replacing the current windows and bargeboards subject to obtaining detailed prices, and members viewing the respective window profiles.

Members also indicated that the Council should consider commissioning a building condition survey to inform future maintenance regimes with regard to the Councils buildings and to establish the level of insulation efficiency within the parish centre.

Members AGREED to seek detailed prices for the replacement windows and bargeboards in the Parish Centre but to retain the current porch area as is.

Members also APPROVED that the Clerk obtain a building condition survey for Council owned properties to establish planned maintenance programmes and the level of energy efficiency within each building.

PC24/73          URGENT MATTERS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE CHAIR for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.  Cllr Gaudencio proposed that the Draft Business Plan be brought forward to the next Council meeting for consideration.

PC24/74          DATE OF NEXT MEETING. Tuesday 8 October 2024.