A22/055 PRESENT
Cllrs Coan, Forbes, Houghton, Malloy and McCulloch.
In attendance: A Keppel-Green (Town Clerk).
A22/056 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Cllrs Beswick and Gray (personal business)
A22/057 DECLARATIONS OF MEMBERS’ INTERESTS
Cllr Forbes declared a personal interest in A22/061, A22/062 and A22/064 on the grounds of being disabled.
Cllr McCulloch declared a personal interest in A22/063 on the grounds of being a committee member of Friends of the Heath and A22/064 on the grounds of being a trustee of The Welcome.
A22/058 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
No members of the public were present.
A22/059 CONFIRMATION OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
It was RESOLVED to confirm the minutes of the meeting held 21st November 2022 subject to a typographical correction to A22/047.
A22/060 REVIEW OF YEAR TO DATE INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
The year-to-date income and expenditure was noted.
A22/061 PUBLIC TOILETS CASHLESS PAYMENTS AND USAGE FEE
Cllr Forbes prefaced discussions to note the history of the council acquiring public toilets, explaining that Cheshire East Council has presented town councils with the option of either acquiring public toilets or them being closed; that the Town Council had recognised the importance of public toilets in a tourist town and that many demographics disliked using toilets in businesses as an alternative. It was noted that the council had undertaken a major tendering process to appoint Danfo as the best and cheapest solution for renovating and operating the public toilets for Knutsford with a contract that places all repair/maintenance obligations on the company. It was noted that the substantial improvements to the public toilets changed them from being the subject of frequent complaints to receiving quality accreditation. It was also noted that there was an arrangement with Cheshire East Council for the borough council to provide a parking permit for the council van at no cost in return for permission for parking wardens to use the public toilets for free, saving the town council approximately £1,000.
It was RESOLVED to increase the public toilet usage fee to 30p and, subject to it remaining possible to operate the toilet with a RADAR key, that card payment terminals be installed at both accessible toilets and usage of the toilets be monitored.
A22/062 MARKET HALL REFURBISHMENT
It was RESOLVED to commission the architect to develop a reduced scheme based on a priority list of improvements and within a specified budget set by the Town Clerk.
A22/063 FREEHOLDERS HUT
It was RESOLVED to recommend to Full Council that it approve acquisition of the freehold of the Freeholders Hut.
A22/064 LONGRIDGE DEVELOPMENT ALLOTMENTS AND COMMUNITY BUILDING
It was RESOLVED to recommend to Full Council that it approve the principle of a freehold transfer of allotments at the Longridge development site and authorises the Assets and Operations Committee to determine the detail of the transfer.
It was RESOLVED[1] to recommend to Full Council that it approve the principle of a freehold transfer of a community building at the Longridge development site, subject to the council being involved in the design of the building and not bring restricted as to how the building is used, to any particular tenant nor terms, and that it authorises the Assets and Operations Committee to determine the detail of the transfer.
[1] Cllr McCulloch voted against this resolution.
A22/065 QUESTIONS TO THE TOWN CLERK
No questions were raised.
A22/066 OUTSTANDING MATTERS LOG
The log was noted.
A22/067 DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
It was noted that the next scheduled meeting would be held on 27th March 2023 at 7:30pm.