BRINDLEY HEATH PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING  

HELD ON TUESDAY 22 JULY 2025

AT THE WHITE HOUSE, MARQUIS DRIVE, BRINDLEY HEATH

PRESENT: Parish Councillors:

P. Adams (Chairman)

A. Pearson

D. Cotton

M. Sutherland

IN ATTENDANCE:   Mrs T. Williams (Clerk)

1. APOLOGIES
   • Apologies and reasons for absence were received, accepted and approved under S85(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 from Councillor Mrs S. Pearson, R. Turville and Mrs M. A. Turville.
   • Apologies were also received from County Councillors J. Pendleton and P. Jones.
2. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

3. POLICE REPORTS
   • The Council received the Neighbourhood Policing Report for the month of June 2025.
   • The incidents occurring in Brindley Heath and Etching Hill were categorised as follows:
   • Anti-Social Behaviour – 5, Concern for Welfare – 8, Criminal Damage – 2, Domestic Incident – 8, Harassment – 3, Missing Person Report – 4, Other Notifiable Incident – 1, Road Traffic Collision – 6, Suspicious Incident – 8, Transport Related Incidents – 12, Violence against Person – 3.
   • Councillors noted the information with thanks to the Neighbourhood Policing Team.
4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

No members of the public were present.

5. MINUTES OF LAST MEETINGS
   • Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting of the Annual Meeting held on 27 May 2025 be approved as a correct record.
   • The draft minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 27 May 2025 were noted.
6. UPDATES FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES
   • There were no updates to report that were not covered by the agenda items listed.

7. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT/ANNOUNCEMENTS
   • The Chairman had no report on this occasion.

8.                CORRESPONDENCE

1. Items of Post
   • Support Staffordshire notice of funding opportunities    
   • The Parish Council noted an email (dated 4 July 2025) from Support Staffordshire detailing grant aid opportunities available through: Staffordshire County Council’s Community Fund 2025, Home Instead Charities, 7Stars Foundation, SASHA Foundation, Screwfix, Masonic Charitable Foundation, Community Radio Fund and others (all detailed on Support Staffordshire’s website).
   • Councillors will disseminate the information to their contacts and hold for future reference.
   • Email from Honorary Secretary of Cannock Chase
   • The Parish Council noted an email from the Honorary Secretary of Friends of Cannock Chase (dated 4 July 2025) informing the Parish Council that the Friends had purchased a photograph album of the former Brindley Hospital from 1921. It was reported as a local history find of a lifetime and included images of inside and outside of the buildings, never seen before.
   • The Honorary Secretary included a link to the auction house and said the images could be made available to the Council if it was interested in using them.
   • The Parish Council expressed its thanks for the offer of the images which it would display on the website if possible.
   • The meeting was suspended and reconvened following an invitation from Rugeley Community First Responders to take part in photographs, following installation of a publicly accessed bleed kit the Council had funded through CIL.
   • Woodland Trust – Information Pack for Free Trees
   • An email from the Woodland Trust’s External Affairs Officer for the Central Region (dated 4 June 2025) is offering communities, including town and parish councils, an opportunity to apply for free trees. Two deliveries a year are arranged in March and November. A link to the application for was included.
   • Although the parish council has nowhere to plant trees, Councillors said they would share the information with interested contacts.
   • Severn Trent Councillor Newsletter
   • The Council noted a Severn Trent Water Authority Newsletter with information about water services including ways of conserving water during the summer months. Information was also available on the Severn Trent Community Fund which supported local charities and community groups.
2. Consultations
   • No consultations
3. PARISH WARD ISSUES – CHASE SIDE

New Car Parking for Forest Concert events

Parish Councillors referred to a new field that had been brought into use to serve the Forest Concert events held in the summer. The land, located on the corner of Penkridge Bank Road and Shooting Butts Road, had been given a new vehicular access point on Shooting Butts Road and was used as a car park by attendees to the concerts.

The Parish Council assumed the use met the requirements of the Town and Country Planning General Permitted Development Order allowing temporary car parking to support the license extension granted by Cannock Chase Council in December 2024.

The license extension raised the permitted number of event days from 4 to 8 per annum (within the months of June to September), increased capacity under the Premises Licence from 8,300 to 9,999, included film exhibitions as a regulated entertainment activity, revised the event site plan for an enlarged footprint (around 20%) to accommodate the additional capacity, and amended some of the existing licence conditions.

The Parish Council expressed concern about the licensing process as the application had been approved without a widely publicised public consultation involving direct communication with residents and stakeholders. The Parish Council and many residents had not picked up on the notices on display in the locality or notice of the application on Cannock Chase Council’s website.

Councillor Sutherland said that he had not heard any negative comments from local people following the Forest Concerts so far, this year.

Permitted Development and Campervans

The Parish Council expressed concern about the impact on the SAC of the recent relaxation of permitted development rules allowing extended pop-up camping use with newly introduced campervan pitching. This planning relaxation was in addition to the effects of the temporary car park associated with Forestry England and their new license.

The Cannock Chase SAC Project Officer said she expected that Forestry England had assessed the impact on the SAC. She also said she raised no objections (some months ago) as there were no watercourses at the site leading to the SAC and the visitors were attending Forestry England events and leaving the following day, not visiting the SAC. She concluded that increased mitigation was not necessary at that time.

The Parish Council suggested enquiring about the planning position on camping within the Cannock Chase National Landscape with an enquiry as to whether Natural England had undertaken an environmental impact assessment since the new permitted development rules had been introduced.

The Parish Council were concerned Forestry England would make their own enquiries to Natural England. The Council were also concerned about planning creep and Cannock Chase Council’s under resourcing of planning enforcement.

Councillor Sutherland offered to follow up an enquiry to the Senior Planning Officer about permitted development in sensitive landscapes.

The Council asked for clarification on the definition, treatment and use of campervans, motorhomes and caravans under the Town and Country Planning Legislation as there seemed to be differences in their treatment.

10. PARISH WARD ISSUES – BRINDLEY VILLAGE
    • The following item was considered:
    • Land off the Rugeley Road
    • Councillor Peason advised the Council that he was awaiting clarification from Cannock Chase Council on planning law in respect of the use of agricultural land for commercial purposes – when incorporating large numbers of greenhouses/structures – and whether the activity is permitted development.
11. CANNOCK CHASE
    • The following items were considered:

• Cannock Chase National Landscapes Annual Conference on 19 June 2025
• Councillor Peason advised the Council that he had attended the Cannock Chase National Landscapes Conference along with Councillor Mrs Pearson, Councillor R. Turville and Councillor Mrs M. A. Turville.
• The National Landscapes team had given a presentation on their work and their plans for the future. He observed that representatives were present who didn’t appear connected with Cannock Chase directly and if local voices are not heard there is something fundamentally wrong.
• Cannock Chase National Landscapes are planning to do some work on land off the Rugeley Road where trees have been cut down without permission.
• The Chairman shared his view that visitor numbers to Cannock Chase were at capacity. The visitor centre is earmarked for improvement, but car parking will continue to be a big issue.

12. HONORARY TITLES

Councillor Turville was not available to give a report.

The Clerk informed the Council that she had received advice from Staffordshire Parish Councils Association on the authority held by parish councils to award honorary titles and the distinction between this and the titles awarded by the District Council. The advice was distributed to parish councillors.

13. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING
    • The Parish Council considered correspondence from a collective of Local Council Associations who had produced a Neighbourhood Plan Campaign Pack in response to the Government’s decision to withdraw support for Neighbourhood plans.
    • The associations were encouraging parish councils to add weight behind the drive and calling the Government to return the support.
    • The Council discussed neighbourhood plans and acknowledged their interconnection with the District’s Local Plan which would only extend to devolution. The Chairman suggested waiting until there was more insight into the local government reorganisation and how the final structure will look.
    • In contrast, Parish Councillors also believed that a campaign to restore funding for Neighbourhood Plans should be supported.

Resolved:   

1. To call upon His Majesty’s Government to provide increased and sustained funding to support the development, review, and implementation of Neighbourhood Plans.
2. To request that the Government ensures funding is accessible to all communities, to promote inclusivity and fairness in the planning process.
3. To write to Josh Newbury MP and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government to communicate this resolution and advocate for enhanced support for neighbourhood planning

14. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION

The Parish Council noted an email from the Communications Manager at Cannock Chase Council (dated 9 June 2025) with a feedback letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) regarding their interim plan for Local Government Reorganisation.

Cannock Chase Council along with East Staffordshire Borough Council, Lichfield District, South Staffordshire District, Stafford Borough and Tamworth Borough Councils had submitted a proposal on 21 March 2025 for a combined ‘Southern and Mid Staffordshire’ unitary authority.

The letter from MHCLG (addressed to the Chief Executives of: Cannock Chase Council, East Staffordshire District Council, Lichfield District Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, South Staffordshire District Council, Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire County Council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Tamworth Borough Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council) stated that their feedback was guidance to support the development of final Staffordshire wide plans and not approval for the interim proposal put forward. A full business case must be submitted by 28 November 2025.

15. INVITATION TO MEETINGS/EVENTS
    • The Council noted the following forthcoming (external) meetings with no specific members nominated as Parish Council representatives:
    • Cannock Chase Council’s Armed Forces Day Flag Raising on Monday 23 June 2025.
    • Councillor Sutherland reported that he had attended the flag raising event.
16. REPORTS ON MEETINGS ATTENDED
    1. To share information on meetings attended:

• SPCA Asset Transfer Briefing on Tuesday 22 July 2025 – The Parish Clerk advised the Council that she had attended the briefing which was informative and useful for reference.
• The Parish Council questioned whether a small parish council such as Brindley Heath would be able to cope with new services requiring the cost of additional staff. It was not clear how devolution would impact Brindley Heath who wouldn’t be in a position to entertain local assets such as Cannock Chase Enterprise Centre or Marquis Drive Visitors Centre. The only new assets/services would relate to bus shelters and playing fields.

17. REPORTS FROM PARISH REPRESENTATIVES ON MEETINGS OF OUTSIDE BODIES
    1. The parish representatives to outside bodies gave reports on meetings they had attended:

Slitting Mill Village Hall (M. Sutherland)

Councillor Sutherland said that a recent open day had gone well. The Village Hall was going from strength to strength and now had a presence.  He commented that it was disappointing the little church next door had closed, a decision made by the Lichfield Diocese.

• Etching Hill Village Hall (D. Cotton)
• Councillor Cotton advised the Council that the Etching Hill Village Hall was going well but they needed a new booking secretary after retirement of the post holder.
• Chetwynd Charity (P. Adams)
• Councillor Adams advised the Council that the future of the Charity was still uncertain. The money was still held in investments. No applications for grants from young people were coming forward despite publicity. The eligibility criteria were that applicants needed to be young people living in the old ancient parish of Rugeley, be enrolled at college or university, and meet the definition of financial hardship.
• Charity for the Recreation Ground (P. Adams & D. Cotton)

Councillor Adams reported that he and Councillor Cotton had attended a meeting with partner representatives.

Councillor Adams said he was hoping a meeting would be set up with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust who were hoping to get a ten-year grant to look after the lowland part of the Hill. The Charity will be left to deal with the rest of the site requiring expenditure on costly tree work.

Councillor Cotton reported that a police presence or patrol was needed as there was low level anti-social behaviour in the form of dumping – bottles, cans and broken glass – and the odd fire.

Advice was needed on the writing of policies, procedures and plans for the charity which would be costly and time consuming.

• Charity for an Allotment for the Labouring Poor (P. Adams & D. Cotton)
• Councillor Cotton advised the Committee that he was in consultation with an allotment holder on several matters. There has been the suggestion that the allotment site be extended into the football field, the area that brings funding to keep the allotments running. The implications would include loss of income from the District Council, legal fees, groundwork and fencing costs with the allotment charges having to go up. There were just two people on the allotment waiting list.
• Longdon Cotton Alms-Houses (P. Adams to 2028)
• Councillor Adams advised the Council that he had recommended calling in a fire officer to undertake an inspection of one of the homes.
• Cannock Chase Council’s Standards Committee (R. Turville)
• Councillor Turville was not available to give a report.
• SPCA Executive Committee (M. Sutherland)
• Councillor Sutherland advised the Council that SPCA was very active with particular focus on its training programmes and the devolution of local government.

18. COUNCILLOR REPORTS
    • There were no reports.
19. CESSATION OF COUNTY EMAIL SERVICE

The Parish Clerk reported that Parish Online was offering a free Gov.UK domain, an email service with secure Gov.UK email addresses for staff and councillors and 5GB cloud storage.

While it may not be a strict legal requirement for councillors to use council provided email addresses, it was best practice and highly recommended for good governance and professionalism.

Other suppliers, such as Microsoft and Google, provide similar services at much higher cost with automated rather than personal customer service.

Resolved: That the Clerk is authorised to purchase the Parish Online email service at a cost of £260 plus vat per year for both Gov.UK domain and the email service (for up to 20 named accounts) to replace the email service that is being withdrawn by Staffordshire County Council in May 2026.

20. BLEED KITS

The Chairman confirmed that the bleed kit was now installed at the White House with the Council’s grateful thanks extended to the Rugeley Community First Responders.

The Council considered other locations that might benefit from a bleed kit, but these appeared to be covered by other bodies such as Forestry England and Staffordshire County Council.

Councillor Pearson informed Councillors that he had looked at locations on the Brindley Village side of the Chase, but it was difficult to identify places that were not too remote and had enough footfall.

21. FINANCIAL MATTERS
22. Financial Position of the Council
    • A breakdown of income and expenditure for the financial year to date was given in the Clerk’s Report (dated 17 July 2025). The budget statement showed the current financial position of the Council with reserves totalling £13,767.05.
    • The bank account balance on 2 July 2025 (taken from bank statement 170) was £14,322.05
    • A bank reconciliation (to 22 July 2025) included unpresented cheques totalling £555.00 (Bleed kit and website subscription) and net bank balances totalling £13,767.05
    • Resolved: That the financial position of the Council is noted.
23. Projects for CIL funds
    • The Council reviewed the income and expenditure figures for the Community Infrastructure Levy and noted that the last award had been received in 2019. As the timeframe for spending the Levy was set at five years (with a notional extension for the Covid 19 Pandemic) the Council recognised the need to identify community projects to earmark the balance of £2,066.25 as soon as possible.
    • Councillor Pearson suggested a bus shelter as a possible project.

1. c) To authorise cheques for payment

Resolved: To approve the following cheque payments:

• Resolved: To authorise payment of the cheques listed.

22. ANY OTHER ITEMS FOR INFORMATION AND ITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA

No items

23. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Council will be held on 23 September 2025 at The White House, Marquis Drive.

• Date……………………………………………………