2020 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

SWINDERBY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE SWINDERBY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

held on 9 November 2020

Held remotely online

Present: Councillors G Lloyd (Chair), J Gagg, R Hodgson, N Marris, G Beales and S Longson

Clerk: S Aikman

Also in attendance:  Cllr M Thompson (LCC) and Cllr P Overton (NKDC) and 1 member of the public.

1. Public Forum
   Cllr Overton reported that :
   - The NKDC Tree Policy was out for discussion until 4 December 2020.  He would like to see mature trees and others integrated into the Climate Change policy.
   - There is a link on the NKDC website for accepting claims from small businesses.
   - Questions were to be raised about the Government’s plans to reform the planning regime including: does it support local input into planning control, it seems to start from the premise that the planning process is inefficient and this thought is not supported by NKDC,  Cllr Overton will provide details of the deadline for replies.

Cllr Thompson reported that:
- LCC staff were still working remotely.  Services for the vulnerable, elderly and children remained open.
- The LCC Covid hotline was open to provide support for the public and for businesses, telephone number 01522 782189.
- Lincoln Castle grounds were open, other facilities were closed.

2.To receive any apologies for absence
Apologies were received and accepted from Cllr L Carter (Vice Chair)

3.To receive any declarations of interest
Cllr Lloyd declared an interest in the planning matter to be raised under correspondence and would not be taking part in decisions on this matter.

4.To receive the minutes of the Parish Council Meeting 13th October 2020 previously circulated to members
Following a vote it was resolved unanimously that the minutes from 13th October 2020 were an accurate record of the meeting.

5.Finance

1. To formally note Items of Income

2. To formally approve Expenditure since last meeting:

         Expenditure including Clerk’s salary, PAYE and pension approved unanimously

3. To approve Items of Expenditure

Expenditure approved unanimously

4. Bank reconciliation for the year to date was approved unanimously.

5. To review spend against budget
   Reviewed

6. To consider purchasing 3 additional litter bins
   Following a vote it was resolved unanimously to purchase 3 additional litter bins and the required fixings for a total cost of £573.77

7. To consider the grass cutting quote for 2021
   Following a vote it was resolved unanimously to accept the quote for grass cutting during 2021.  The Clerk would ask the company about their capacity for additional cuts on an as needed basis.  A discussion was also held about Councillors using the Parish Council mower for the additional cuts required.

8. To identify any anticipated additional budget requirements for 2021-22 and arrange a pre-budget meeting.  2021 budget to be agreed at the December Parish Council meeting.
   Following a discussion it was agreed that the Clerk would prepare a draft budget to be sent to Councillors prior to the December meeting.  The draft budget to include an additional 4 cuts for the playing field grass.  It was noted that discussions would be needed on grass cutting and trees prior to final budget setting.                                                                              ACTION: Clerk

6. Planning
   a. Applications Received

b. Applications Decided

7. To consider items for inclusion on the new website, ensuring that updated accessibility requirements are met.
   It was agreed to keep the information provided easy to use and to obtain links for external groups where possible to ensure that information was up-to-date.

8.To consider any plans for the Christmas period in the parish.
Cllr Longson suggested decorating the phone box during the 1st week in December.  The Church had a tree donated and were opening the churchyard for anyone to decorate any of the trees.  Plans were being made to provide a Christmas trail and the church tower would be lit for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Following a vote it was resolved unanimously to purchase an additional tree for the Churchyard for up to £50.  A provisional date of 11th December was suggested for turning on the lights.
A resident had offered to go round the village with her horse and trap, which would be decorated for the event.  Parish Councillors agreed to marshal the route (not traffic control). Both events would be advertised in the Linkup and on social media.  The Clerk would check for any insurance requirements for the Council.                                                   ACTION: Clerk

9.To consider any further short and longer-term plans of support and recognition in the parish in relation to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Ideas were discussed for a spring event in the hope that the event could mark a new start.  Further discussions would take place in January and February.

10.To receive any updates on the development of the brownfield site
A clear mandate had been given to the Parish Council from residents that they were not in favour of additional houses or an increase in area from the original approved plans.  Following a vote it was unanimously resolved that the Parish Council did not agree to the extension of the brownfield site or any additions to the original application that had been approved.

11.To receive any updates on the proposed Rendering Plant
No further updates at this time.

12.To receive updates on the biodiversity plan.
The Environmental plan now includes the biodiversity plan.  Following a vote it was unanimously resolved to adopt the Environmental Plan.  This plan and the associated action plan would be added to the website.

It was reported that:
- Further planting was planned for March.
- The Village Hall already had an Air Source Heat pump and planned to move to LED lighting.

13.To receive updates on the replacement noticeboard.
The noticeboard had a replacement unit and was now fully useable.

14.To consider the need for Trustees for the Bowls Club
All information had been sent to the solicitors and Cllr Carter was awaiting a response.

15.To receive updates on funding donated towards the defibrillator
£445 had been donated by residents (£383 received after Go Fund me costs) and £545.06 had been donated from Kisimul School.  A total of £928.06 towards the £950 target.  The Parish Council thanked all those involved in raising the funds and ensuring that a suitable defibrillator was available in the parish.

16.To receive updates on the Emergency Plan
A draft Emergency Plan would be sent out to residents with the Linkup. A remote meeting was being held with the Lincolnshire Emergency Planning team.
It was noted that the Village Hall has a connection socket for a generator and is listed as a designated rest centre for emergencies  There is a centralised Emergency Centre in the county with access to pumps , generators etc .

17.To consider plans for the footpath to the railway station.
Cllr Marris had a map showing the proposed route, he was still to speak to the relevant landowners.  Cllr Thompson suggested putting an expression of interest into some potential funding for the footpath.  There was a short time limit on the funding deadline, Cllrs Lloyd and Marris would look into this.                                                       ACTION: Cllrs Marris and Lloyd

18.To consider ideas for replacement equipment on the play area and to make plans for consultation with residents
This item was to be moved to the December meeting.
It was reported that 2 swing seats had been replaced.  Lateral movement on a toddler swing was being monitored.  No more broken glass had been found on the play area.
A consultation was still needed for the development of the play area.  It was agreed that a good balance of play equipment and open space needed to be kept.

19.To consider a response to NKDC’s Public Consultation on their Draft Tree Strategy
It was noted that the policy did not seem overly ambitious and questions were raised about how it would be monitored.  Cllr Lloyd would reply to NKDC.                ACTION: Cllr Lloyd

20.Clerk and Councillors Reports (for information only).
Cllr Longson reported that he would install the new bins.  The Clerk would check the required height for the bins with NKDC.                                                                        ACTION: Clerk

Cllr Gagg had noticed fly tipping of a fridge freezer and would report this on fix-my-street.

Cllr Lloyd ask for an agenda item for December to look at the ‘rhythm’ of Parish Council work.

21.Correspondence
 

22.Date of next meeting and future agenda items
Parish Council meeting 7.30pm Monday 14th December 2020. This meeting to be held online.

 

Meeting closed at 9.35pm

Signed…………………………………………          Date……………………………..