BRINDLEY HEATH PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING
HELD ON TUESDAY 24 MARCH 2026
AT THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,
MOUNT ROAD, ETCHING HILL
AT 7.30PM

PRESENT:

Parish Councillors: P. Adams (Chairman)
R. Turville (Vice Chairman)
D. Cotton
M. Sutherland
A. Pearson
Mrs M. A. Turville
Mrs S. Pearson

IN ATTENDANCE:

County Councillor Jon Pendleton
Mrs T. Williams (Clerk)

Prior to the start of the meeting, Cannock Chase SAC Project Officer, Georgina Sharp, joined Parish Councillors to deliver a presentation on the management of Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation.

Notes on the presentation are appended to the minutes.

1. APOLOGIES
There were no apologies

2. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS

None

3. POLICE REPORTS
No representatives from the Neighbourhood Policing Team were available to attend the meeting.

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
No members of the public were present.

5. MINUTES OF LAST MEETINGS
Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held on 27 January 2026
be approved as a correct record.

The draft minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 27 January 2026 were noted.

6. UPDATES FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES
All updates were covered by the agenda items listed.

7. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT/ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Chairman had no reports or announcements on this occasion.

He thanked Parish Councillors once again for his framed freedom scroll that had been presented at the last meeting of the Council.

8. CORRESPONDENCE

a. Items of Post
Letter from Severn Trent Water
The Parish Council noted an email from the Community Flood Officer at Severn Trent Water (dated 17 March 2026) who wishes to build connections with parish councils across Staffordshire. She wishes to hear about any drainage or sewer related matters and explore where closer collaboration would be beneficial (for example through information sharing, attending meetings or providing community focussed support).

The role focuses on supporting communities in understanding how the sewer network operates, helps improve resilience to sewer related flooding and strengthening communication between local areas and Severn Trent Water’s technical teams.

Contact details were provided along with an expression to attend parish meetings or events in support of the community.

The Council discussed the regular flooding on Brindley Heath Road (in front of the flats) but it was concluded that this was a County Highways issue rather than a Severn Trent one.

Cannock Chase District Council Elections
The Parish Council noted (from a press release issued on 17 March 2026) that people wishing to vote on 7 May 2026 needed to be registered with the District Council. A link to the online registration process was provided along with information about applying for a postal vote. A valid form of ID was also needed if people plan to vote in person. The deadline for registering to vote is Monday 20 April 2026 and 5pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026 for a postal vote. The deadline for applying for a proxy vote is 5pm on Tuesday 28 April 2026.

Weekly Food Waste Collections in Staffordshire
The Parish Council noted that from 27 April 2026 Cannock Chase Council would be collecting food waste in line with government requirements. Householders are invited to use a small kitchen caddy to collect food waste indoors and to present a larger kerbside caddy for weekly collection (on their normal collection day), outdoors.

Cannock Chase Local Plan has reached adoption stage
The Parish Council noted (from an email dated 17 March 2026) that Cannock Chase Council had approved the Cannock Chase Local Plan 2018 – 2040 and was recommending its adoption by Full Council on Monday 23 March 2026.
The current Local Plan (Part 1) adopted in 2014 covered development needs between 2006 and 2028. Work on Part 2 began in 2016 but following changes to national planning policy and a significant housing shortfall, the Council chose to pause the work and undertake a full review.
The final Inspector’s Report (received on 5 March 2026) confirms the Plan is sound and legally compliant, subject to the previously consulted modifications. Cannock Chase Council said that adoption of the new Local Plan would bring certainty from a guaranteed five-year housing land supply (through identification of specific sites) as well as protection from speculative and unplanned development.
An electronic link to the Inspector’s Report was provided.

Illegal Vapes and Counterfeit Tobacco

The Council noted correspondence that had been forwarded by County Councillor Pendleton.

b. Consultations
Local Government Reorganisation

A discussion took place about the different models that had been put forward to the Government by County, Borough and District Councils for adoption by the new unitary authorities in Staffordshire.

The Parish Council agreed there was uncertainty about the best option, a situation that was likely to continue through most of this year. It expressed a leaning to the County Council’s preferred option while acknowledging that more information needed to be made available.

9. PARISH WARD ISSUES – CHASE SIDE

Permitted Development and Campervans

The Council was hoping to receive clarification on permitted development rules and their application to the use of Cannock Chase National Landscape land for camping and campervan use.

The Cannock Chase SAC Project Officer indicated in her presentation on the management of the SAC (prior to the start of the meeting) that she did not have direct involvement with the planning process in relation to permitted development.

The view was expressed by Councillors that when the 60-day rule had been expended the use of land should revert back to defined agricultural uses.

Councillors expressed concern about Forest Concert attendees camping overnight.

10. PARISH WARD ISSUES – BRINDLEY VILLAGE
The following item was considered:

Land off the Rugeley Road
Cannock Chase Council has advised the Parish Council that the green houses on land off the A460 had been investigated and the conclusion drawn that the whole area including the fishing lake was part of an allotment site established in the beginnings of the 1960s. Confirmation was received that the operation was considered to be part of the eco system and the case would be closed.

Councillor Pearson in recalling his local knowledge of the area disagreed with the findings. He was able to recall that the National Coal Board owned the fishing pools and when it ceased to exist, an individual had informally taken over the management of the pools. He said the numbers of greenhouses had started to grow at the time of the Covid 19 lockdown from 2020. He believed that allotments should also have rules.

11. CANNOCK CHASE
The Chairman invited matters relating to Cannock Chase Forest and no issues were raised by Councillors.

12. LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION
The Council had considered the Local Government Reorganisation earlier in the agenda.

It agreed that challenge would begin when the County or District Council began looking to delegate services to the parishes. Parishes may also be asked to consider merging.

The Council concluded that more information needed to come through before an opinion could be expressed.

13. NEIGHBOURHOOD GOVERNANCE
The Council considered a briefing paper received from Staffordshire Parish Councils’ Association (who is join working with West Midlands CALCs) on Neighbourhood Governance.

The Council noted that the concept of Neighbourhood Governance was one of the items referenced in the proposal documentation for Local Government Reorganisation. It was intended that when developed neighbourhood governance would provide a localised form of governance built into the new authorities.

The Council concluded that more information was needed before an opinion could be formulated to
the Member of Parliament which was recommended course of action by Staffordshire Parish Councils’ Association.

14. INVITATION TO MEETINGS/EVENTS
The Council noted the following forthcoming (external) meetings:

• Cannock Police Community Role-Play Tabletop Event ‘Community Solutions – Testing Ideas, Building Trust’ on 31 March 2026 in the Ballroom at Cannock Chase Council from 12:30 to 15:00 or 15:30 to 18:00

Councillor Mrs Turville volunteered to represent the Parish Council at one of the sessions.

• SPCA ‘Health & Wellbeing’ free online session on 26 March at 7:00pm

• Cannock Chase National Landscape Annual Conference will be held on Wednesday 3 June 2026 at the Aquarius Ballroom in Hednesford from 10.30am to 3.30pm

Councillor Turville and Councillor Mrs Turville volunteered to attend the Annual Conference. Councillor Pearson and Councillor Mrs Pearson would also attend as representatives of Hednesford Town Council.

15. REPORTS ON MEETINGS ATTENDED
Parish Councillors noted reports on the following meetings attended:

• Cannock Chase Parish Forum on 3 March 2026 at Hayes Green Community Centre (Cllrs R. Turville & Mrs M. A. Turville)

Councillor R. Turville and Councillor Mrs Turville reported on this session which had been informative.

• SPCA Local Government Reorganisation presentation on Friday 6 March 2026.

Cllr M. Sutherland & T. Williams had attended the presentation and advised councillors that a YouTube recording of the presentation was available online.

• Flag Raising for Commonwealth Day at the Civic Centre in Cannock on Monday 9 March 2026

No parish council representatives had attended the Flag Raising.

• Cannock VCSE Forum on Tuesday 10 March 2026 at St Stephen’s Church, Cannock

No parish council representatives had attended the Forum.

16. REPORTS FROM PARISH REPRESENTATIVES ON MEETINGS OF OUTSIDE BODIES

a. The parish representatives to outside bodies gave reports on meetings they had attended:

Slitting Mill Village Hall (M. Sutherland)
Councillor Sutherland advised the Council that money had been spent very well on the village hall’s refurbishment and it was well used and being enjoyed.

Etching Hill Village Hall (D. Cotton)
Councillor Cotton advised the Council that Etching Hill Village Hall was running smoothly with no issues of note.

Chetwynd Charity (P. Adams)
Councillor Adams advised the Council that Chetwynd Charity was giving money to Citizens Advice and other charities as a result of too few students coming forward for support with their studies.

Charity for the Recreation Ground (P. Adams & D. Cotton)
Councillor Adams reported that the Recreation Ground Charity had an agreement with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust to have a ten-year contract with English Nature to maintain the flat level around Etching Hill. They are unable to support the wooded part of the site. The Recreation Ground Charity must maintain this area at its own cost.

The area is looking acceptable. There are small signs that heather is coming back.

Charity for an Allotment for the Labouring Poor (P. Adams & D. Cotton)
Councillor Cotton advised the Council that the allotments were all taken with some people on the waiting list. He said the allotments were looking superb.

The ongoing issue with an Oak tree was now resolving. The independent surveys undertaken had praised the trustees on the way they had managed the enquiries. Any future proposals to undertake work on the tree must go through Cannock Chase Council for TPO approval. The cost of this exercise would fall on the residents as the survey confirms there is no need to undertake any TPO work. The tree is in good health. The likelihood of root work being approved was thought to be slim.

Longdon Cotton Alms-Houses (P. Adams to 2028)
Councillor Adams advised the Council that minor complaints were being dealt with, and the reported fire issue was resolving.

Cannock Chase Council’s Standards Committee (R. Turville)
Councillor Turville advised the Council that no meeting had been held.

SPCA Executive Committee (M. Sutherland)
Councillor Sutherland advised the Council that SPCA were sharing information on the Local Government reorganisation and had organised several briefings.

17. COUNCILLOR REPORTS
The Chairman invited Councillors to give reports.

Flooding in Jones Lane
Councillor Sutherland advised the Council that the flooding on Jones Lane was programmed for treatment by the County Highways Department.

Councillor Pendleton said he would learn more at his next meeting with County Officers.

Rugeley Town Centre
Councillor Pendleton informed the Council that he had attended a presentation on ‘Rugeley Town Centre, Vision and Spatial Framework’. The initiative is about upgrading Rugeley as a town with the benefit of a grant that had been secured. The purpose of the framework was to set out a long-term plan to regenerate Rugeley Town Centre, support economic growth and improve its identity as a place to live, work and visit.

He outlined the key opportunities which included: strong rail connectivity, regeneration of the former power station site, natural assets such as the canal and river Trent and good parkland. The town is compact with a historic town centre.

Councillor Pendleton listed several key opportunity sites which included: market hall, bus station, major redevelopment and better links to Elmore Park and the Forge Road car park, improvements to street frontages and pedestrian friendly routes, Leathermill Lane and canal gateway, enhanced canal sidings and better road bank configuration. In Albion and Brewery Street there was focus on reinstating historic street patterns and active frontages. Work to the telephone exchange was proposed and repairing the Market Street frontage with support for intensive town centre use.

Councillor Pendleton said the project was a positive thing and it addressed many residents’ views that Rugeley was a forgotten town.

Bus Improvement Trial
Councillor Pendleton provided information on proposals to improve the bus services in Rugeley. The County Council aims to improve bus reliability, accessibility and equality of passenger information to include Armitage and Handsacre. Rugeley has been chosen as a pilot study which if successful could be rolled out to the rest of Staffordshire. The aim was to test what works and apply the learning county wide. The trial was due to begin in April 2026.

Councillor Pendleton kindly offered to produce a written briefing for future presentations that he attends and to forward them to the parish council for information.

Councillor Cotton expressed his view that Rugeley had a lot going for it but one concern which applies to all towns is the closure of shops.

18. IT POLICY & DATA PROTECTION POLICY
IT Policy
The Parish Council considered a draft IT Policy based on the NALC draft IT policy which had been circulated electronically by email.
The Clerk advised the Council that the there was a new requirement to document digital and data compliance. In addition to the requirements related to email management and website accessibility, there was a new requirement for smaller authorities to document their IT Policy.
To assist authorities in meeting this new requirement, the Government Digital Service had issued a template IT policy to be personalised for individual use.
Data Protection Policy
The Parish Council considered a draft Data Protection Policy which had been enclosed with the electronic version of the agenda for the meeting.
Resolved: That the IT Policy and Data Protection Policy be adopted by the Parish Council.

19. RISK ASSESSMENT
The Council considered the Risk Assessment and Management Plan for the year 2026-27 which had been enclosed with the electronic version of the agenda for the meeting.
Resolved: That the risk assessment be approved.

20. FINANCIAL MATTERS
a) 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 19 March 2026). The budget statement showed the current financial position of the Council with reserves totalling £13,587.27.

The bank account balance on 2 March 2026 (taken from bank statement 178) was £15,097.95. A bank reconciliation (to 19 March 2026) included two unpresented cheques for the Clerk’s salary (£1,263.70) and reimbursement for poppy wreaths, freedom scroll and picture frame totalling (£246.98).

Resolved: That the financial position of the Council be noted.

b) Projects for CIL funds
The Clerk provided a summary of the Community Infrastructure Levy that had been received and spent by the Parish Council to date:

CIL awarded on 30 April 2018 £2,262.06
CIL awarded 28 October 2019 £4,080.14
£6,342.20

Less
Notice Board (purchase) £3,210.96
Notice Board (Installation) £480.00
Defibrillator (Consumables) £179.99
Bleed Kit Installation (White House) £405.00
£4,275.95

Available funds £2,066.25

The Council considered community projects for spending the outstanding CIL money and acknowledged the need to use the balance.

A new community notice board was suggested for the side of the bus shelter in Stafford Brook Road. The possibility of a bench was also made.

The Chairman asked that Councillors to give the matter some thought by the next meeting.

c) Request for a charity grant from Staffordshire Search & Rescue Team

The Council considered an email from Staffordshire Search and Rescue Team (dated 28 February 2026) asking for a contribution towards its fundraising activities in support of its work locating missing and vulnerable people across the county. A copy of the charity’s accounts had been enclosed with the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors acknowledged that they knew little about the work of Staffordshire Search and Rescue and suggested representatives be invited to attend a future meeting of the Council. It was also suggested the cause was more directly aligned to Forest England.

d) National Pay Award 2025-26

The National Joint Council for Local Government had agreed new pay scales for 2025-26 be implemented/backdated from 1 April 2025. The Clerks current hourly rate of £13.50 per hour (SCP 11 under NJC pay scales 2023-24) was now set at £14.59.
The hourly rate is now calculated using the NJC agreed formula: annual salary divided by 52.143 weeks (which is 365 days divided by 7) (the standard working week).
Historically the calculation of hourly pay had been reached by dividing the annual salary by 52 and then by 37 hours.
Resolved: That the National Joint Council for Local Government pay scales 2025-26 are applied to the Clerk’s salary (SCP 11) from 1 April 2025.

e) To authorise cheques for payment
Resolved: To approve the following cheque payments:

100269  Trudy Williams  £150.00 Reimbursement for Staffordshire County Council website template, and

100269  Trudy Williams  £100.00 Contribution towards printer cartridge Laser Jet Pro 400, printer paper, envelopes & postage

100270  Church of the Holy Spirit  £30.00 Use of hall for parish meeting on 27 January 2026

100271  Trudy Williams  £1,467.56 Salary Quarters 3 & 4: October 2025 to March 2026 with pay award backdated to 01-04-25

D/D       HMRC £454.38 PAYE

Resolved: To authorise payment of the cheques listed.

21. ANY OTHER ITEMS FOR INFORMATION AND ITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA
Councillor Cotton advised the Council that the Rugeley Community First Responders had serviced the defibrillator at the White House and replaced the consumable items.

22. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the Council will be the Annual Meeting to be held on Tuesday 26 May 2026 at The White House, Marquis Drive, Rugeley.

Date……………………………………………………