Property & Services Committee
Meeting Summary
Meeting Agenda
Apologies for Absence
To receive apologies for absence and note apologies not received.
Declarations of Interest
Pecuniary Interests: To receive any Declarations of Pecuniary Interests as declared on the Register of Interests.
Non-registerable Interests: To receive Declarations of Non-registerable Interests.
Dispensations: The Clerk will consider and report on any requests for dispensation in line with the Council’s Code of Conduct.
Gifts & Hospitality: To declare any gifts or hospitality in line with the Council’s Code of Conduct.
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Public Participation[1]
To hear from members of the public who wish to make representations, answer questions and give evidence in respect of the business on the agenda. A question shall not require a response at the meeting nor start a debate on the question. The chairman of the meeting may direct that a written or oral response be given.
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Previous Committee Meeting Minutes
To resolve to adopt the minutes of the Property & Services Committee meeting held on Wednesday 20th August 2025 to allow the presiding Chairman to duly sign.
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Biodiversity Sub Committee
To receive the minutes of the subcommittee meeting held on 24th September and to consider any recommendations therein.
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Operations Manager Report
To receive and note an update report from the Operations Manager.
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Clerk’s Report
To receive a report from the Clerk on any matters arising from previous minutes, meetings attended by officers and future dates for the diary. For information only.
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Parish Councillor’s Reports
To include an update on any meetings attended by Members as representatives of the Parish Council and future dates for the diary. For information only.
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Speed Indication Devices (SIDs)
- To receive the latest data reports and resolve any action required.
- To receive an update on additional SID pole locations at Goonamarris and to resolve action required.
- To note that the damaged pole in Treviscoe has been re-installed by Highways, to note the lack of support from the DVLA in providing the vehicle owner details, and to resolve any action required.
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Air Quality Monitoring (AQM)
To receive the latest data report and to resolve any action required.
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Salt Bins
To receive a request from a resident for a salt bin to be sited in Coombe and to resolve action required.
12.Brannel Room Building
To ratify the emergency works authorised by the Clerk under delegated authority and to resolve any further action required.
To consider a quotation for additional floor works and to resolve action required.
To receive a quotation for a replacement heater and to resolve any action required.
13. Defibrillators
To discuss the access and visibility of all the defibrillators in the parish and to resolve any action required.
14.Grass Cutting Agreement
To review the 2026/27 grass cutting agreement and to resolve any action required.
15.Tree Survey
To receive the tree survey reports for Nanpean Cemetery, St Stephen Allotments and St Stephen Cemetery & Churchyard and to resolve any action required.
16.Confidential Matter(s)
To resolve that under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, the public and representatives of the press and broadcast media be excluded from the meeting, and that the live streaming and any recording cease, during the consideration of the following item(s) of business as publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted –
- Landlord/Tenant Obligations update
- Brannel Room Hire update
- Cemetery Extension update – CDS report and quote
[1] Standing Order 3f: Total time allowed will be 15 minutes (limit of 5 minutes per person) which may be varied at the discretion of the Chairman.
Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of St Stephen in Brannel Parish Council Property & Services Committee held in the Brannel Room, 22 Fore Street, St Stephen on Wednesday 25th February 2026 starting at 6.30pm.
Present:
Cllr Mike Berryman, Cllr Julie Broad, Cllr David Coles, Cllr Debby Hussey (Vice Chairman), Cllr Tina Patterson, Cllr Shelagh Tasker, and Cllr Keith Truscott (Chairman).
In attendance:
Linda Ranger – Clerk & Responsible Finance Officer, Mel Best – Office Admin Assistant & Cornwall Cllr Elaine Kist (6.35pm).
Cllr Keith Truscott welcomed everyone to the meeting. He ran through housekeeping procedures and advised everyone present that if they intended to participate in the meeting, they could be recorded, photographed, filmed, or otherwise reported about especially as the meeting was being live streamed on social media.
P&S01/26 Apologies:
None received.
P&S02/26 Declarations of Interest:
- There were no declarations of registerable interests.
- There were no declarations of non-registerable interests.
- There were no dispensation requests.
- There were no declarations of gifts or hospitality.
P&S03/26 Public Participation:
There were no members of the public present, and no questions had been received.
P&S04/26 Previous Committee Meeting Minutes:
It was
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday 20th August 2025 be adopted and signed as a true and accurate record.
Proposed by Cllr David Coles. Seconded by Cllr Mike Berryman. All voted in favour.
The Chairman duly signed the minutes.
P&S05/26 Biodiversity Sub Committee Meeting Minutes:
It was
RESOLVED to receive the minutes of the subcommittee meeting held on 24th September 2025 and to recommend the following to Full Council –
BD06/25 Biodiversity Policy:
That
- The Planning & Licensing (P&L) Committee should reference biodiversity in responses to relevant planning applications.
- The P&L Committee should support applications that protect sensitive habitats.
- The pre-application advice policy should be reviewed to reflect these recommendations.
- The biodiversity sections of the Neighbourhood Development Plan should be adhered to.
- The P&L Committee should encourage the use of sustainable drainage systems where appropriate.
- A biodiversity audit should be undertaken, with a budget allocated for every four years.
- The Operations Manager should provide a report at each sub-committee meeting, highlighting any changes or additional funding required to ensure project completion.
- Consideration of biodiversity should be included in Service Level Agreements with contractors.
- Biodiversity considerations should be added to contractor job specifications and tenders.
- A section on biodiversity should be included in the new quarterly e-newsletter.
- Social media posts from the Unitary Authority supporting biodiversity should be shared.
- Closer links with local schools should be developed to support initiatives such as garden clubs.
- Investigations into establishing a community garden should be undertaken.
- Promotion of biodiversity should be included at Councillor Meet and Greet events.
- The Council should lead by example in promoting biodiversity.
- The Council’s grant policies and associated forms should be reviewed to include biodiversity considerations.
- A dedicated page on the Council website should be created to highlight biodiversity and local success stories.
BD07/25 Biodiversity Action Plan
That the Property & Services Committee update the cemetery memorial policy to discourage single-use plastics, encourage recycling, and promote biodiversity through the use of more sustainable materials.
Proposed by Cllr Julie Broad. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
P&S06/26 Operations Manager Report
It was
RESOLVED to receive and note the update report from the Operations Manager.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
P&S07/26 Clerk’s Report:
The Clerk’s report had been circulated prior to the meeting and contained the following items –
Barriers, Nanpean Short Stay Car Park
Further to the Operations Manager’s report, the risk assessment has been reissued to all delivery drivers via the Spar transport team. The assessment clearly states that delivery vehicles must not enter the car park. However, this instruction is not being adhered to; vehicle details are being recorded and forwarded to the area manager when breaches are observed. Despite repeated requests, insurance details have not been provided. It therefore appears the council will need to proceed with replacing the barriers and subsequently submit an insurance claim, including officer administration time.
Once the barriers are replaced, the Clerk will explore options for establishing a designated delivery zone.
Bus Shelters
Due to the work required to the bank to allow the installation of a bus shelter at Foxhole, this project has now been taken on by Cornwall Council.
The repair works to the bus shelter in Whitemoor have been authorised.
Allotment Inspection
An allotment inspection took place earlier in the month, there were no concerns. New agreements will be issued in April to reflect the increase in rent.
It was
RESOLVED to receive and note the Clerks report.
Proposed by Cllr David Coles. Seconded by Cllr Tina Patterson. All voted in favour.
P&S08/26 Parish Councillor’s Reports:
Cllr Tina Patterson gave feedback on the Tregargus Trust AGM Meeting she had attended.
Cllr David Coles gave feedback on the Tregargus Trust AGM Meeting he had attended.
Cllr Debby Hussey gave feedback on the NPPF training she had attended.
P&S09/26 Speed Indication Devices (SIDs):
- The latest reports had been circulated prior to the meeting, uploaded onto the website, and sent to the appropriate outside agencies It was
RESOLVED no further action was needed at this time other than to continue to monitor.
Proposed by Cllr Debby Hussey. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
- Members were advised that the installation of two new additional SID poles at Goonamarris had been authorised and a date for Cormac to start the works was awaited.
- It was noted that the damaged pole in Treviscoe had been re-installed by Highways. It was further noted that the DVLA had not provided the vehicle owner details as requested.
P&S10/26 Air Quality Monitoring (AQM):
The latest report had been circulated prior to the meeting. It was
RESOLVED to note the report and that no further action was required at this time.
Proposed by Cllr David Coles. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. All voted in favour.
P&S11/26 Salt/Grit Bin Request – Coombe:
It was
RESOLVED to install and maintain a salt/grit bin in Coombe subject to permission being given by Cornwall Council and the monies being released from the CIL funding ear marked reserve by the Finance & Policy committee.
Proposed by Cllr Debby Hussey. Seconded by Cllr Keith Truscott. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
P&S12/26 Brannel Room Building:
It was
RESOLVED to ratify the emergency works authorised by the Clerk under delegated authority.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
It was
RESOLVED to defer consideration of the additional floor works quote until a response to the CIL grant application for a new building had been received.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
It was
RESOLVED to defer consideration of the heater quote until a response to the CIL grant application for a new building had been received.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
P&S13/26 Defibrillators:
It was
RESOLVED to employ Duchy Defibrillators to evaluate each site for access and lighting.
Proposed by Cllr Julie Broad. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
P&S14/26 Grass Cutting Agreement 2026/27:
It was
RESOLVED to approve the grass cutting agreement as amended by the Operations Manager
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
P&S15/26 Tree Survey:
The tree survey report had been circulated prior to the meeting.
It was
RESOLVED that the necessary works be carried out with the support of the tree surgeon.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Tina Patterson. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
P&S16/26 Confidential Matter(s):
It was
RESOLVED that under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, the public and representatives of the press and broadcast media be excluded from the meeting, and that the live streaming and any recording cease, during the consideration of the following item(s) of business as publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest because of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr David Coles. All voted in favour.
Cllr Elaine Kist left the meeting.
The live stream was stopped.
Landlord/Tenant Obligation Update
It was
RESOLVED to note that all health and safety works had been carried out or were in progress.
Proposed by Cllr Julie Broad. Seconded by Cllr Debby Hussey. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
Brannel Room Hire
It was
RESOLVED to defer making a decision on continuing the free hire and support offered until a response to the CIL grant application for a new building had been received.
Proposed by Cllr Keith Truscott. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
Cemetery Extension update
It was
RESOLVED to send one final letter via a solicitor and to hold off on the additional testing required at both sites until a response had been received.
Proposed by Cllr David Coles. Seconded by Cllr Julie Broad. All voted in favour.
Action: Clerk
The meeting ended at 7:45pm
Signed as a true and accurate record –
Chairman ………………………………….…
Date …………………………………….
RECOMMENDATIONS:
BD06/25 Biodiversity Policy:
That
- The Planning & Licensing (P&L) Committee should reference biodiversity in responses to relevant planning applications.
- The P&L Committee should support applications that protect sensitive habitats.
- The pre-application advice policy should be reviewed to reflect these recommendations.
- The biodiversity sections of the Neighbourhood Development Plan should be adhered to.
- The P&L Committee should encourage the use of sustainable drainage systems where appropriate.
- A biodiversity audit should be undertaken, with a budget allocated for every four years.
- The Operations Manager should provide a report at each sub-committee meeting, highlighting any changes or additional funding required to ensure project completion.
- Consideration of biodiversity should be included in Service Level Agreements with contractors.
- Biodiversity considerations should be added to contractor job specifications and tenders.
- A section on biodiversity should be included in the new quarterly e-newsletter.
- Social media posts from the Unitary Authority supporting biodiversity should be shared.
05/26
- Closer links with local schools should be developed to support initiatives such as garden clubs.
- Investigations into establishing a community garden should be undertaken.
- Promotion of biodiversity should be included at Councillor Meet and Greet events.
- The Council should lead by example in promoting biodiversity.
- The Council’s grant policies and associated forms should be reviewed to include biodiversity considerations.
- A dedicated page on the Council website should be created to highlight biodiversity and local success stories.
BD07/25 Biodiversity Action Plan
That the Property & Services Committee update the cemetery memorial policy to discourage single-use plastics, encourage recycling, and promote biodiversity through the use of more sustainable materials.