2023 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

SWINDERBY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF SWINDERBY PARISH COUNCIL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING held on 9th October 2023 held at Swinderby Village Hall

Present:  Cllr G Lloyd (Chair), Cllr. L Carter (Vice Chair), Cllrs N Marris, S Longson, R Hodgson and G Beales.

Clerk: S Aikman

Also in attendance:  Cllr Alan Briggs (LCC) and Cllr P Overton (NKDC) Cllr Mitch Elliott (NKDC) had sent his apologies. 

Public Forum

No comments were made.

1.   To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies had been received and were accepted from Cllr J Gagg. 

2.   To receive any declarations of interest

In accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and consider any requests for dispensation in relation to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or any other interests as outlined in the Council’s Code of Conduct.

None.

3.   To receive and approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting 11th September 2023, previously circulated to members and published in draft to the website as required under the Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities. 

Following a vote it was resolved unanimously that the minutes from 11th September 2023 were an accurate record of the meeting.

Progress reported on matters discussed:

- It was noted that a new draft S106 agreement had been received for the development on the Produce World site.  All Councillors to review this draft and discuss.

ACTION: All Cllrs

- The Clerk would send Cllr Overton the original S016 agreement and the new draft S106 agreement.

ACTION: Clerk

- Tree name signs were still to be installed.

ACTION: Cllrs Lloyd and Longson

- Cllr Lloyd to arrange details with replacement mole contractor

ACTION Cllr Lloyd

- Minutes to be checked for agreements and amounts

ACTION: Clerk

- Grass cutting maps needed updating by hand

ACTION Cllr Lloyd

- Golf range finders were to be given to the Church

ACTION: Cllr Longson

- Neighbourhood Plan Funds to be added to expenditure budget

ACTION: Clerk

4.   Finance   

a.   To formally note Items of Income

b.   To formally approve items of expenditure

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

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

d.   To review spend against budget.

Reviewed.

5.   Planning

a)    Received

b)   Applications Decided

6.   To report on any updates to the development of the Neighbourhood Plan.

This was moving forward.

7.   To consider information required to apply for the litter picking grant from NKDC.

Cllr Lloyd would write a brief report for the litter picking grant and send letters to local businesses.

ACTION: Cllr Lloyd and Clerk

It was noted that fly tipping was still an issue on Green Lane, just off the A46. An additional bin was needed between Kisimul School and the Station on Station Road.  Cllrs Longson and Lloyd would check the most suitable location and ask NKDC to install a bin.

ACTION: Cllrs Longson and Lloyd 

8.   To consider ideas for the triangular island in the village.

Cllrs Longson and Beales were looking at ideas to bring back to the Council.

ACTION: Cllrs Longson and Beales

9.   To consider updating the grass cutting contract including a schedule for cutting the games area on the Playing Field. 

Cllr Lloyd and the Clerk would look at the contract and advertise the grass cutting contract for next year.

ACTION: Cllr Lloyd and Clerk

10.   To consider ideas for the development of the Jubilee Play Area.

Cllr Lloyd was meeting a firm regarding the installation of a Monkey Challenge on the Jubilee Play Area and the funding application to support this.

The small multi play area was in need of replacement.  Areas that had been caught with the strimmer needed treating.

11.   To receive feedback from meetings regarding the Fosse Energy Solar Park and formulate a draft response.

It was reported that the company did not expect the site to be operational until 2031.  It was then planned to be in place for 40 years.

The draft response was agreed as follows:

A summary of the initial feedback to the Non-Statutory Consultation Information Booklet. 

1.   Swinderby Parish Council has received no positive feedback from our community regarding this development. 

2.   The Council is concerned that:

-   vast areas of Lincolnshire will become solar parks changing the character not only of the local area but also further afield;
-   the size of this development;
-   the loss of productive agricultural land thereby increasing our dependency on importing food and/or material for the bio power station at Sleaford; 
-   the connection to the National Grid and the extra infrastructure required will add further complications and have a visual impact.

3.   Questions were raised regarding what happens to the land when the solar park is decommissioned.

Councillors would give the report further consideration and advise the Clerk of any additional concerns before the response was submitted.

ACTION: All

12.   To report any updates on the conversion of the speed indicator devices to solar power.

Awaiting return from supplier.

13.   To consider requirements from the Practitioners’ Guide 2023 which is mandatory for the 2023/24 accounting period. Paragraph 1.26, Assertion 3 and states ‘Email management - every authority should have an email account that belongs to the council and to which the council has access – this ideally would be a .gov.uk or .org.uk address or could be an address linked to the council website.’

Following a vote it was resolved not to change Council emails at this current time.

14.   To arrange the Clerk’s annual review.

The Clerk would agree a date and time with Cllr Carter.

ACTION: Cllr Carter and Clerk

15.   Clerk and Councillors Reports (for information only), including a review of actions from minutes and matters that Councillors wish to be brought to the next or subsequent meetings.

No decisions may be made under this section, but councillors may wish to use this to flag up issues.

Cllr Hodgson was awaiting repayment for the postage of the SIDs.

ACTION: Clerk

Cllr Carter had attended the NKDC Community Engagement meeting to look at the draft plan.  Further consultation would be taking place.

Cllr Beales reported on the challenges of heavy goods vehicles through the village when the A46 was shut.  It was felt that drivers ignored diversion signs until the last minute and were then using the village as a cut through which led to speeding 2-way traffic through the village.  Cllr Briggs would write to Richard Fenwick at LCC. The item would be added to the next agenda. 

Cllr Lloyd would be attending the Remembrance service at 11am on 10th November.  The wreath was still serviceable and therefore a donation would be sent to the Royal British Legion in lieu of purchasing a new wreath.  This would be added to the November agenda.

ACTION: Clerk

Cllrs Lloyd and Longson would put the poppies up around the village.  Cllr Carter would ask the school what their plans were for the Remembrance.

ACTION: Cllrs Lloyd, Longson and Carter

Cllr Lloyd reported that land had now been transferred from The Swinderby Trust to the Parish Council.   

16.   Correspondence

To note correspondence received.

17.   Date of next meeting 

Swinderby Parish Council meeting 7.30pm Monday 13th November 2023.

Meeting closed at 9.27 pm