Hartley-Kent - Hartley-Kent: The Website for Hartley

  
Parish   Council: Councillors
8 members attended the   meeting        
Finance:   Donations
Council agreed 8-0 with recommendation to   give £150 to Citizen's Advice in Swanley and Sevenoaks.  In the last 12 months they had helped 50   residents of Hartley with 135 issues.    They also agreed unanimously to give £75 to West Kent Mediation, Cllr   Oxtoby said they do work in Hartley       
Finance:   Precept
Council agreed 8-0 with recommendation to put   up prscent by £4,000 or a 3% increase in council tax.  Mr Mayer asked why the council always quote   band D charge when the average band in Hartley is band F, Cllr Oxtoby said   that was down to Sevenoaks.       
Parish Council:   Computers
They agreed 7-0 with 1 apparent absention   to buy 2 new PCs and 1 laptop for the parish office.   Cllr Driscoll suggested buying 2 laptops   instead.       
Amenities:   Playgrounds
Council agreed to pay the additional   premium of £6.45 for the new equipment at Longfield Hill       
Roads: Village   Gate
Following agreement at May meeting, the cost of   the gates will be £2,700 which all councillors attending supported.  Cllr Abraham wondered if it could be paid   from the Community infrastructure money.    Cllr Bennett said they are due to get £10,000 from this source.       
Northfield:   
They agreed to accepted quote from Mr Westwood of   £510 to cut grass for 5m field boundary, 3m footpaths and horse riding path   for 2020/21, and quote from Mr Munday of £1,200 to cut strip of land by   Milestone Academy and play area.  They   accepted Glover's quote of nil to cut the hay in 2020/21.  Still complaints about ragwort treatment,   council to give detailed explanation - it is a legal requirement, dangerous   to animals that eat hay with ragwort in it.    The weedkiller dries within half an hour and is safe for animals   within 2 weeks, dogs unlikely to eat the grass.  Skylarks more likely to be disturbed by   dogs that people let run free.    Payments of £3,400 were authorised, including £1,170 for ragwort   removal, £595 for tree survey, insurance £330, dog bin emptying £343, grass   cutting play area £318.  For next   year's budget they still only need a £10 contribution from each parish   council.       
Finance:   Payments
Payments of £13,097 were authorised,   including £3,443 on the submission for the new District Plan and £1,658 for 2   new plinths

Parish  Council: Councillors

Just 5 councillors attended this  meeting, plus Cllr Brazier (KCC) and one member of the public.  Councillors are to be given council email  addresses so they don't get official data mixed up with personal email  addresses.  

Amenities:  Cricket

Manor Field club said numbers had fallen and  they may only play on Saturdays next season.  Family fun day was successful but didn't get any new members.  

Amenities:  Gorsewood

Member of public at meeting reported broken  fence panels, fly tipping, broken gate allowing motor bikes to get into wood  and anti-social behaviour in the car park was noted.  Mr Munday to be asked to deal with fence  panels, gate and a tree shading light in car park.  Council refused further request to prune  tree near Porcheser Close.  Reguarding  flytipping, West Kent Housing have said they are unable to help other than  providing anti-flytipping posters.  

Amenities:  Football

Problems with the goal post sockets were  raised by the football club, and alternatives and grants were discussed.  

Amenities: Manor  Field Pavilion

Hartley Players had booked the  Pavilion from September to November and asked for a discount because they  said the profits from their shows are donated to charity, this time the  Wellfield Carers Cafe.  Committee said  they were already getting the lower regular hirers fee of £9 per hour, and  they only waive fees for one off events, so recommend the request be  rejected.  Full council ratified the  recommendation.  They also decided to  change electricity supplier from British Gas to SSE.  

Amenities:  Playgrounds

Mr Munday to be asked to fix self closing  gates at Woodland Avenue and Chantry Avenue, which are closing too quickly  and several other items raised in the recent inpsection.  He has also repaired the safety surface at  Longfield Hill.  They decided to get a  metal bin for Woodland Avenue to replace the current sack bin.  This had been installed some years ago  because the old metal bin kept being set alight.  The sacks have prevented this, but they  regularly break and scatter litter across the field.  Complaints have been received about dog  mess on Woodland Avenue ground and even the playground.  

Amenities:  Hoselands Green

Council to spend £1,420 with Down to  Earth Trees Limited removing ivy from Ash trees there  

Burial Grounds:  Hartley Burial Ground

Council to write again to  adjoining landowner about overhanging tree, to say matter is urgent  

Amenities: Grass  Cutting

Quotations from Landscape Services of £8,648  to cut the amenity land and open spaces 2020-22, and £2,509 to cut Manor  Field and Longfield Hill 2020-22.  

Amenities:  Allotments

Council refused request to cut elder tree  near Larksfield entrance, and they decided to find out how much Sevenoaks  will charge to remove some rubbish.  

Amenities: Rectory  Meadow

Only quote from North West Kent Countryside  Project of £1,680 for spring and summer cuts of grass.  

Food Bank:  

Representative from prospective food bank addressed  General Purposes Committee.  They said  there was a need for one in Hartley.  They had been offered a site in New Ash Green but it was not ideal  because of lack of disabled access.  The committee said the parish council's buildings were unsuitable but  they supported the idea.  

Roads: Ash  Road

Following an accident outside their property, a  member of the public had requested more action on speeding on Ash Road.  Council said they had sent their Speed  Indicator statistics to the County Council, but had been told it was not bad  enough for a fixed camera, but mobile cameras would be located here on  occasion.  They also mentioned Speed  Watch, but it was felt people were nervous of doing this.  Committee agreed to make another request  for a fixed camera.  Council also  discussed the gates they want to put at either end, they decided they wanted  the larger size and had got agreement of neighbours to site of southern gate.  

Youth Services:  

Report said attendees for youth provision had held  up well, but West Kent Housing Association said they would no longer be able  to provide it.  They had lost 2 youth  workers and were having trouble recruiting new staff.  Council to look at joint provision with Ash  and West Kingsdown, as Ash were experiencing similar problems.  

Roads: Everglade  Close

Request from resident for no parking sign  referred to Sevenoaks Council  

Roads: Old  Downs

No through road sign shortly to be installed.  

Roads: Church  Road

KCC have agreed to install signs warning of no  footpath and possibility of horses  

Health: Urgent  Care Centre

Council have written to say they prefer  Gravesend Hospital to be the site over Darent Valley Hospital  

Elections:  

They have written to Sevenoaks to say they don't  want any changes to location of polling stations  

Remembrance  Sunday:

Council agreed on arrangements and thanked  the WI for providing refreshments  

Parish Council:  Emergency Plan

They are satisfied the emergency plan  is up to date  

Transport:  Buses

Cllr Graeme reported on a new "Taxi  Bus" service which runs from Fairseat to Sevenoaks, using existing bus  stops and fares, Cllr Brazier said he was involved in it and it may be extended  to Hartley and New Ash Green if there is a demand.  It had 8 seats but company were contracted  to put more buses on if full.  

Finance:  Payments

Payments for October of £13,470 were agreed.  

Planning: District  Plan

Council agree to pay planning consultant to  attend 3 days of the examination of the plan.  They will be representing the No Hartley Expansion group as well as  the council   

 

Report of inquest on engineer Corporal Jonathan Bayliss, who grew up in Hartley and went to Longfield School, who was a passenger on the plane that crashed.

(Dartford Messenger, 14.10.2019)