Thrybergh Parish Council

Held On Thursday 2nd Novemberr 2023

At the Parish Hall, Park Lane, Thrybergh (6.30pm start)

Present: - Councillors G Trickett (Chair), A Martin, D Bates, J Parsons, T Knapton, J Chambers, M Senior (part-time), N Jackson (part-time) & B Shaw (part-time).

Also present Ward Councillor Baker-Rogers.

There were no members of the public.

138/23.  Apologies For Absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor R Thomas.

139/23. Approval of Reason Given for Absence.

Mover: Councillor A Martin                                        

Seconder: Councillor D Bates

Resolved: That the councillor’s apologies be accepted by the Parish Council.

140/23. Declaration Of Interest

There were no declarations of interest.

141/23. Questions From The Public.

There were no questions from the public.

142/23. Minutes of the Previous Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday 5th October 2023.

Mover: Councillor J Chambers                                   

Seconder: Councillor A Martin

Resolved: That the minutes of the previous meeting of Thrybergh Parish Council held on Thursday 5th October be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

143/23. Matters Arising from Previous Meetings of the Parish Council.

The following matters arising were discussed:-

394/22 - The Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III Coronation – The clerk advised that the plaque for the Rowan Tree has been ordered and will be put in place when delivered and the plaque base has now been erected. The artwork for the Rowan tree is now with the Frame gallery and will be ready next week. The clerk confirmed that a letter of thanks and flowers have been sent to the producer of the artwork.

Mover: Councillor A Martin                                          

Seconder: Councillor J Parsons

Resolved: That the parish council pass the invoice at £34 for framing the artwork.

121/23. HSBC Bank – The clerk updated the parish council on a meeting with HSBC to amend our account and problems remain but documentation has been submitted to allow the changes to be made. It was decided that should HSBC remain uncooperative then the account would be cancelled and business moved to the Co-op Bank and this will be finalised at the December parish council meeting.

Councillor M Senior then joined the meeting.

113/23. Remembrance Sunday Service at the Parish Hall on Sunday 12th November - Revd Helen Terry will take the service, Liz Bentley will play keyboards and Jennie Ogden will play the bugle and Councillor Chambers will collect the keyboard player from Sheffield.

Councillor B Shaw then joined the meeting.

Lamp post poppies have been given to our local schools and will be put up around Thrybergh by the clerk. Some are already in place with the Soldier street furniture signs at all four entry roads into Thrybergh. We had passed for 8 of these at the October meeting at a cost of £39.60 but were only in packs of 10 so the revised cost is £43.99 plus £8.60 for VAT for £51.59. The hall is to be decorated on Saturday 11the November.

Mover: Councillor A Martin                                          

Seconder: Councillor D Bates

Resolved: That the invoice at £250 (£200 for poppies & £25 for the wreath) be passed for payment.

Mover: Councillor M Senior                                          

Seconder: Councillor A Martin

Resolved: That the parish council agree £25 expenses to be paid to the bugle player and keyboard player.

114/23. Event to Commemorate the Cenotaph Centenary to be held Friday 15th December 2023.

All is now in place with RBL, Rotherham MVCV and Royal Signals all contacted about the event. The evening to commence at 7:30pm with Rvd Terry (St Leonard’s) and Fr Sexton (St Gerards) conducting a short service of dedication followed by hymns, Remembering, Last Post, Two Minutes Silence, Reveille, Gresford (The Miners Hymn), Kohima Exhortation and the National Anthem with accompaniment from Maltby brass band concluding with a Blessing from Fr Des & Rev Helen. We then move back into the hall for a hot drinks, mince pies etc and remainder of the brass band set and then a seasonal sing-along from the Lost Chord team with the parish hall bar being open throughout. Poster have been put out and the Advertiser will be contacted after Remembrance Sunday.

107/23. Visit by Becky Dickinson, Trees & Woodland Engagement Officer at Thrybergh Country Park – The planting of dwarf fruit trees has been agreed by RMBC and these will be located along the path behind the parish hall and on Fullerton field beside the stone wall on Vale Road. The planning application for this is in process and we will receive further details when the application has been approved.

Councillor N Jackson then joined the meeting.

144/23. Police Report.

The police statistics for August & September were distributed and discussed by council. Statistics for August show 51 incidents for Thrybergh and 856 across Rotherham North with statistics for September showing 43 incidents for Thrybergh and 713 across Rotherham North. The damage to the Tommy statuette on the Cenotaph has been repaired and a meeting held with SYP with footage of the incident given to them for review. The main offender has not yet been identified and investigations continue.

145/23. Various Works to the Parish Hall.

Several issues that needed attending to were raised at the October meeting and the council gave permission to proceed with repairs to the toilet flushing system, vandalised Cenotaph and building of a plinth for the Coronation tree. All now completed by West Joinery & Building at a total cost of £763.00.

Mover: Councillor A Martin                                          

Seconder: Councillor T Knapton

Resolved: That the council pass the invoice from West Joinery & Building at a cost of £763.00.

146/23. Thrybergh Parish Council Pantomime December 2023.

The clerk updated council on plans for the Christmas pantomime with current sales being 30 comprising 15 adults and 15 children. The usual light refreshments will be available with the children also receiving a small selection box.

147/23. RMBC Planning Application RB2023/0952.

The parish council considered the planning application to install Solar PV panels to roof at Thrybergh Academy. No issues raised or comments made.

148/23. RMBC Planning Application RB2023/0949.

The parish council considered the planning application to install Solar PV panels to the roof at the former schoolhouse at Thrybergh Primary, Oldgate Lane. No issues raised or comments made.

149/23. RMBC Planning Application RB2023/1424.

The parish council considered the planning application to erect a detached bungalow on a former garage site on St Leonard’s Avenue/Palmer Place. No issues raised or comments made.

150/23. Grant Request from Marie Curie Rotherham Rapid Response Nursing Service.

A request has been received from the Marie Curie Rotherham Rapid Response Nursing Service to consider a grant towards health care provision in the Rotherham area. There were two proposals from council.

Mover: Councillor A Martin                                          

Seconder: Councillor T Knapton

Proposing a grant of £500.

Mover: Councillor B Shaw                                           

Seconder: Councillor D Bates

Proposing a grant of £250.

The second proposal received 7 votes and the first proposal received 2 votes.

Resolved: That the council award a grant of £250 to the Marie Curie Rotherham Rapid Response Nursing Service.

151/23. Correspondence.

The following items of correspondence were made available to the parish councillors:-

YLCA White Rose Bulletins.

YLCA Training Programme

NALC Chief Executives’ Bulletins.

Dalton & Thrybergh Neighbourhood News

Letter of thanks received from members of the public for the planter and winter flowers outside St Leonard’s Church.

 152/23. Items of Report.

The chair in his role as hall secretary gave a report on the bookings position with events for children’s parties and similar were doing well but evening events for the bar were down on previous years. It was discussed that this was particularly due to the cost-of-living crisis and concerns about health issues such as Covid etc. A new weekly booking has been taken from Connect Healthcare and the National Fostering Agency has enquired about a booking in April for a small animal zoo for children and the parish council gave permission for this.

Ward Council Bennet-Sylvester could not attend the meeting and his report was read by the chair:-

Bill Winder Play Area - The money is through from the Chesterhill developers and we had our first meeting with Green Spaces who told us that they just don’t have the capacity to look at the project until next year. This is unfortunately becoming too typical where projects across Rotherham are having to be cut back in scale or delivered at higher cost because RMBC just doesn’t have the capability to deliver.

Thrybergh Country Park - I expressed my frustration at the scaling back of developments at the park. I raised questions at the last full council which is down to a lack of current funding for not doing the play area or path. I did point out that at the same meeting as approving the scaled back country park the ruling cabinet approved funding for Wentworth Woodhouse and Gulliver’s Kingdom and argued my belief we’re a ’Cinderella park’ compared to Rother Valley.

116 Bus Service - I’ve been at two meetings about the evening and Sunday service change to a two hourly service and am convinced the South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority have done all they can to protect services and that blame for the cuts lies squarely with a lack of central government funding. I have contacted them over the timetable as the X78 and 116 timings make for a fifteen-minute gap between buses then a forty-five-minute gap from town at night and if better spaced should hopefully make a better service.

Ward Councillor Baker-Rogers commented that many projects are increasing in costs due to the ever-increasing cost-of-living crisis and huge increases seen in the cost of materials etc. She has attended meetings and committees as well as local surgeries as part of her councillor duties and is also governor at the hospital and is in the process of becoming a governor at Numan School. She also went to the very well attended Halloween Discovery Day at Thrybergh Country Park on Thursday 26th October. She also advised on upcoming redecoration of the Wootton Court community Centre.

The clerk reported that he attended the CAP meeting earlier in the day at Dalton along with our Ward Councillors. It was reported that, in general, this year’s crime statistics for our area are lower than the same time last year and a lot of work has gone into reducing local vagrancy. Recent police activity has focussed on drug investigations and the high-profile chop shop raids in our area. As usual, off roaders remain an issue. There has been further vandalism at the park in Dalton with a swing having to be removed for repairs and a worrying fly tipping incident on Vale Avenue with 10 large cannisters of nitrous oxide being dumped. The next CAP meeting is planned for 7th December.

It was then reported by the Chair that several local children had caused a nuisance around the hall on 27th October at 5pm by banging on doors and throwing stones and mud at the windows. This has been captured on CCTV and the clerk will show the footage to the local schools to ascertain the identity of those involved.

The clerk also attended an on-line meeting of the YLCA South Yorkshire Branch meeting on Wednesday 25th October 2023 with items discussed being D-Day commemorations, planning policy and the recent Government decision that parish council meetings must be live and not on-line. There was a clerk’s meeting at Aston Parish Hall 10th October with representatives from RMBC attending to discuss customer services, IT services and the precept. Friday 20th October also saw 3 on-line flood defence meetings in response to the heavy rains seen across our area.

153/23. Requested by Councillors and/or AOB.

It was reported that Silverwood Heritage are holding their annual Christmas ‘Remembering Silverwood’ event at the Colliery Wheel on 16th December at 5:30pm (with kind permission from the Ogden Group).

The Heritage group is also looking to host a public screening of the film Brassed Off as part of their commemorative 84-85 Miners strike exhibition which will be on display at Clifton Park Museum from 27/01/24. The screening is expected to take place March 2024 with a short talk on the 40th anniversary strike exhibition, a short talk on the film and a musical performance from a member of the film's cast. Brassed Off will then be shown on a cinema style screen with refreshments available before and after the screening. The event is a collaboration between Silverwood Colliery Heritage Group, Flux Rotherham, Clifton Park Museum, Park Circus in association with Film 4 and MiraMax Films. 

Mover: Councillor A Martin                                          

Seconder: Councillor N Jackson

Resolved: That the use of Thrybergh Parish Hall be made available free of charge for this important event.

The council has received a request from a Thrybergh resident to consider a scarecrow festival and there was interest from the council so it was agreed that this item will be considered for 2024.

THE PRESS AND PUBLIC WERE THEN INVITED TO LEAVE THE MEETING.

154/23. Accounts For Payment.

The Council considered the schedule of accounts for payment for October.

Mover: Councillor B Shaw                            

Seconder: Councillor A Martin

Resolved: That the schedule of accounts for payment be approved and signed by the Chair.

155/23. To Notify The Clerk Of Matters For Inclusion On The Agenda Of The Next Meeting.

No matters were raised.

Date Of Next Meeting

The date of the next parish council meeting will be Thursday 7th December starting at 6:30pm.

Closure of Meeting at 8:29pm.