February 2023 Minutes
STUBTON PARISH COUNCIL
Welcome from Chairperson
Welcome to the Open Forum. Good to see so many of you here. This is your chance to give us your views, have a conversation, ask questions primarily to support us in putting together the agenda for the next meeting, and to ensure community involvement. This Open Forum should not be filmed as it does not form part of the formal meeting. That will open after the report from Cllr Maughan.
Please see Appendix 1 for notes
Update from Local Councillors
UPDATE FROM LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Cllr Maughan updated the meeting with information regarding the current work and priorities of Lincolnshire County Council
Please see Appendix 2
UPDATE ON SOUTH KESTEVEN DISTRICT COUNCIL
Councillor Penny Milnes, sent her apologies, as she could not attend the meeting. In her absence her written report was read out by the chairperson.
Please see appendix 3
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Minutes for Stubton Parish Council on Thursday 23rd February 2023 at 7:30pm
Council members in attendance:
Geoffrey Dorrity [Chair]
Jennifer Taylor [Vice Chair]
Teri England [Councillor]
Zoe J North [Councillor and Acting Clerk]
And Cllr Alex Maughan (LCC)
Residents in attendance: 12
Opening of Formal Parish Council Meeting
Chairperson’s Opening remarks
This may be filmed and recorded. The clerk will be making an audio recording to help with accuracy when writing the draft minutes. This recording will be wiped after the minutes are adopted at the next meeting as a true and accurate record.
1.0 Apologies for Absence
All Parish Councillors were present during the meeting. Apologies received and accepted regarding Cllr Penny Milnes.
2.0 Conflicts
No conflicts of interest were expressed.
2.1 Disclosures of Interest
No disclosures of interest were received.
3.0 Minutes of Last Meeting
Motion: to adopt the draft minutes as a true record of the previous meetings of 18th January 2023 and 7th December 2022.
Proposed by the Chairperson and seconded by Cllr North. It was agreed by the rest of the council.
4.0 Report on any matters outstanding
The clerk declared there are currently no outstanding matters.
5.0 Co-option of new councillor
No applicants within timescale. Council members have agreed to create an additional short term deadline date for any candidate to apply within the deadline date of March 3rd
6.0 Adoption of policies
Please see a list below of the newly adopted policies at appendix 4
Motion: to adopt the policies listed and backdate to 07/12/22. Proposed by the Chairperson, seconded by Cllr England and agreed with the rest of the council.
Finances
7.0 Finance
7.1 Finance Report
Current balance £3668.91
Spend in February as agreed at last meeting.
7.2 Budget for 23/24
See appendix 5
Urgent motion: to adopt Budget Version 2. Proposed by the Chair, seconded by Cllr North and agreed by the rest of the council.
7.3 Confirmation regarding Precept
Please see Appendix 5 for details
8.0 Use of Parish Magazine
Correspondence has been received regarding a potential charge proposal for Stubton PC and Village to use the parish magazine. A resident and representative of PCC has said there is currently discussions regarding the future of the magazine. Cllr England requested more information of income and revenue regarding expenditures. It was agreed to write back to the Parish Magazine Editor requesting these details and an update on PCC discussions.
9.0 Website update and joining LALC for 23/24
Cllr Taylor informed the meeting that the website has been updated by LALC and is now fully working. Training has been offered to members of the council. This training course has been funded by the chair and is at no cost to the Parish Council.
As members of LALC we can access
• continued website support for only £50 per year, this allows for the consultant to help troubleshoot any questions or queries as well as provide overall support.
• Access to the training programme
Without membership then all charges would be doubled.
Motion: To renew membership of LALC for 23/24 and continue website support. Proposed by Cllr Jenny Taylor, seconded by the Chair, agreed by other members.
Business Items
10.0 Assets Register
10.1 Condition of Assets Report
Thanks to the group of willing volunteers who joined the vice-chair and chair on inspecting the assets of the village. Most assets were found to be in good order and only need light maintenance. A team may be required to raise and lower the flagpole twice.
10.2 Maintenance Plan
Volunteers have come forward to do most of the jobs, more may be required as we move into 23/24. The works that have no cost have been identified in the Village Spring Clean in March. Jobs where there is a cost will be undertaken in the next financial year.
The grit bins were found to be either empty or only half full. The Chair has contacted LCC to get these refilled. (Update: St Martins Close has been refilled by the council, Cherry Lane however is still completely empty – the PC is currently awaiting a response regarding this.)
The Chairperson expressed special thanks to the resident who has recently carried out tree maintenance on both Brandon Road and Cherry Lane. A quote is being sought regarding the large Cherry tree on the village green, however the Clerk has offered to do this should it exceed the budget.
Please see appendix 6 for asset register, maintenance plan and budget
Motion: To accept the condition report and maintenance budget for 23/24, this was proposed by the Chair, second by Cllr Teri England, and agreed by the rest of the council.
11.0 Complaints and Compliments
To note complaints and compliments received since 07/12/22.
Please see appendix 7.
Action: We will be responding to all these in writing as per our newly adopted policy
12.0 Planning Applications.
No planning application had been received at the writing of the agenda, however since then a withdrawal of planning has been submitted regarding Home Farm Cottage, as mentioned earlier. Please see Cllr Milnes report at appendix 3.
13.0 Correspondence
Clare Mills: Kart Track 2023 environmental policy, and review for 2022 has been received the Chair. This is not a public document, however if public want or have any queries are urged to contact Clare at: Clare@tvkc.co.uk
VIP Passes for the Kart Track have been made available for Parish Councillors; these are in possession of the Chair should anyone wish to borrow.
Parish Council Updates
14.0 CATTS
An update was received by the council from the resident leading this work. Following discussion it was decided to research the installation of electronic speed warning signs including a breakdown of cost, damage, insurance, upkeep considerations needed, investigation into these costs, to ensure the idea is sustainable before going forward.
Cllr Maughan highlighted he can raise with the County Council the need for additional markings on the road to reduce speed into villages. He also highlighted that there has only been one report of minor injury / traffic collisions in the last five years, therefore may not warrant strong action, despite speed concerns through the village.
Motion: To accept report from CATTS and future actions. Proposed by the Chairperson seconded by Cllr Teri England agreed by the rest of the council.
15.0 Flag flying
Suggestions had included: Union Flag to fly on New Year’s Day: St Andrews Flag to fly on Burn Nights if there is an organised activity in the village; The chair suggested the flag be flown on D-Day marking its 80th Anniversary (2024).
The chair requested a flag flying calendar or list be published on the website, and in the bus shelter for residents to view.
Motion: To agree and accept new flag flying calendar. The motion will be passed once the calendar has been provided and council can review.
16.0 Village Spring Clean
This will take place on Sunday March 12th. Residents wanting to take part should meet at village hall at 2pm. It has been proposed that work around the village will take place over the following hour, meeting back at the hall for much needed tea, coffee, and cake. The Chair has kindly bought and donated the bags and PPE at no cost to the council. As mentioned during the maintenance of assets, general maintenance including wiping and strimming of speed gates at the entrance of the village have been proposed for this day, this also includes cleaning of flagpole and bus shelter.
17.0 Coronation Events
A joint planning committee as proposed at the last meeting has been created with membership from the Parish Council, two members of the Stubton Hub committee and two members of the Parochial Church Council. Cllr Taylor is the representative for the parish council. An initial meeting has been held to discuss plans and ideas as to how the village can celebrate the coronation. After discussion it was proposed that an amount of £125 should be approved for the group to purchase a tree and memorial plaque as a fitting way for the parish council proportion of the requested funding to be spent.
Urgent Motion: To agree a donation of £125 to the joint committee towards the coronation celebrations, to be spent on a tree and plaque, but to be used as match funding in the grant application. Proposed by the Chairperson, seconded by Cllr England, agreed by the other members of council.
18.0 Best Kept Village 2023/4 Working Party
A big thank you to Lynn Crooks for her sterling efforts over the years. As she is now moving on, we suggest a working group is established, including those directly affected by the planting schemes, to plan new planting, increase volunteering and develop a sustainable approach, as there is likely to be no further cash prizes from SKDC. (See report from Cllr Milnes at Appendix 2) As a start the £300 second prize is attached to this activity in the proposed budget. There is some talk around the village of setting up a gardening club – perhaps if this goes ahead links could be established between the two groups.
Motion: to progress the establishment of a working group for BKV. Proposed Chairperson, seconded by Cllr Jenny Taylor, agreed by the other members of the council.
19.0 1:1 Visits to elderly, infirm and housebound in a safe environment.
Cllr North highlighted there may be a number of residents in the village who may not be able to attend meetings and may wish to meet councillors face to face and potentially discuss any concerns, ideas or issues they have regarding the village. Cllr North urged residents to ask anyone they know or may think would like to speak with the council, and that we would work with them to facilitate a visit. For safeguarding and safety concerns it was highlighted that a third party be present to ensure residents feel comfortable. If you would like to arrange a meeting, or discuss this further, please email the clerk.
Motion: that the parish council will offer updates those residents on the business of the council through accompanied visits – Proposed Cllr North seconded by the Chair agreed by remaining members of the council
20.0 May Local Elections – information from the Local and National Associations of Local Councils
- Local Council Elections 2023 Publicity
All parish and town council seats are up for election on 4th May 2023. The publication of election notices will be issued by the District Council election teams for display in all parishes by Monday 27th March 2023 (at the latest) and nomination papers for all candidates will need to be submitted by 4th April 2023.
- Clarification from NALC on when a new council takes office
Annual council meeting dates for councils with elections and the Coronation bank holiday: Further to our guidance in the October 2022 legal bulletin, we now know that Monday 8 May will be an additional bank holiday to mark the coronation of HM King Charles III. The 2023 local election date is Thursday 4 May and councillors would ordinarily take office on Monday 8 May. Our view is that councillors will now take office on Tuesday 9 May making the relevant 14-day meeting period for the purposes of paragraph 7 (2) of Schedule 12 to the Local Government Act 1972 Wednesday 10-Thursday 25 May inclusive. This an area where we are aware there have been different interpretations of the computation of days and we have not counted Sundays in our 14-day calculation. Based on this NALC advice, the latest date you can hold the Annual Meeting of the (Parish or Town) Council is therefore 25 May.
The Chair, Clerk and Cllr Taylor, will attend an election briefing on the 6th March where they will also be able to collect nomination papers
21.0 AOB
A resident raised concerns over the number of complaints the council were receiving and questioned the nature of these complaints and how much time had been consumed responding, seeking relevant guidance and advice in order to resolve these.
22.0 Date and Time of Next Meeting
The Annual Parish Meeting will be on Wednesday 12th April at 7:30pm.
Motion: The next Parish Council meeting to take place after the May elections. Proposed by the Chair, seconded by Cllr England agreed by other members of the council. With the exception that an Extraordinary Parish Council meeting will be called should circumstances require.
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Notes from Open Forum
A vociferous discussion took place reflecting the strong opposition from residents regarding the filming of meetings.
Appendix 2 Notes on report from Cllr Maughan LCC
The council budget has now been approved, there are a couple of changes which have been incorporated including the creation of a £8 million development fund, this fund has been released to create a development fund pot for projects to benefit local communities.
£7 Million pounds of additional funds are going into highway maintenance, aimed at reducing backlogs in traffic regulation orders, for example, reductions of speed limits requests and pedestrian crossings. PCSO (Police Community Support Officers) are going to be cut by 45% next year, with the current staff force of 91 being decreased to 40. Cllr Maughan expressed his concerns regarding rural crime and a further blow to local people, there has been a request put forward to the county council to fund PCSO’s, however current budgets will not allow for this, without incurring a large council tax precept. Residents and councillors were urged to share their thoughts and comments regarding this.
The Fire fighters’ union have come to an agreement with the county council and employment bodies regarding a 7% back dated pay rise and a 5% increase in pay, with no strikes necessary. Furthermore 4 Lincolnshire fire fighters have been out to Turkey as part of a rescue mission following the devastating earthquake.
Lincoln Christmas market has sadly been cancelled.
National highways, A1 safety improvement, is due to take place this current financial year between Blyth and Stamford. Work will also be undertaken on Tollbar Road (Marston, A1 junction), with potential measures to extend slip road and provide additional signage to reduce accidents.
Appendix 3 Notes on report from Cllr Milnes SKDC
Elections: The District Council, including some Parish Council elections will take place on 4th May 2023. Photo ID is required to vote.
Planning: s22/1933 Home Farm Cottage, a Lawful Development Certificate for an extension to the garage, linking the garage and the house has been withdrawn in lieu of a new application for Section 73 variations, which will be submitted soon.
South Kesteven Local Plan Review: Public consultation will start soon, with the understanding that Stubton will remain a smaller village with the new spatial policies regarding infill and edge of village impacting on any consideration of planning applications. The current Neighbourhood plan does not address these.
Best Kept Village: In order to maintain the competition, save money and to move forward there will be changes:
· It will come under SK Volunteer Awards and rebranded Best Village Community Award
· Villages will need to apply and pay a fee
· Initially, photographs will be submitted prior to a shortlist to be judged on the ground
· There will be no cash prizes but a form of recognition for the winners – maybe a staked sign or certificate.
· The presentation will be combined with the Community Awards
Changes will ensure the Council and communities to continue to celebrate community pride and achievement, whilst balancing this against the financial challenges.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund: an opportunity for the parish council, including other community groups to apply for grant money to fund the whole of minor and or more major projects which they can cost and deliver within the criteria. SKDC have been allocated over £3 million by the government to be spread over 3 years. A board has been created to examine and approve applications. Year 1 ends imminently with £64k allocated – however, projects had to be ready to roll and deliverable by the end of April. Years 2 and 3 have £465k allocated. First come first served applies as applications will be dealt with as they are submitted.
Community Ownership Fund:
Prospectus: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-ownership-fund-prospectus
Appendix 4 Adopted Policies
a) Financial Regulations
b) Asset Register and Maintenance Plan
c) Complaints Procedure
d) GDPR policy
e) GDPR compliance checklist
f) FOI policy
g) Publication Scheme
h) Privacy Policy
i) Recording and Filming Meetings Policy
j) Councillor Co-option Policy
k) Dignity at Work Policy
l) Communication Policy
m) Code of Conduct for Meetings policy
n) Vexatious Complaints Policy
Appendix 5 : Finances
Indicative Budget 23/24 v2
Revenue Expenditure items
Revenue income items
Estimated total net expenditure 1550
Add in: any other contingencies 3000
Plus: Working balance required 4550
Less: Expected balance at 31/3/2024 (end of next financial year ) 5069
Therefore 519 not predicated in spend
Current account as at 23 Feb 23
Info for calculations above
AGM Start of year 2021/2 = £4386.49 Balance = £2836.83 Total expenditure 2021/2 = £1549.66 Precept for 2022/3 will be £1400.
July Minutes Balance at end of 2021-2 £2836.83 Precept £1400.00 Total at start of year £4236.83 Payments/outgoings: Insurance Zurich £190.06 Green Bins St Martin’s £ 66.00 Key for noticeboard £ 8.00 Total outgoings to date £394.06 Balance to date £3842.77
Mrs Crooks said that there is still a sum of £50 to pay for this year’s planting.
August Minutes
Finance 7.1.1 Current financial position Bank balance £4046.77- £239.28 (uncashed cheques) = £3807.49 7.1.2 Payments since last meeting Paint for gates – Hugh Wilson - £35.28 7.1.3 Forthcoming Payments – Painting of phone box ~~£400 Maintenance of assets tbd Village sign + Planning tbd
Jan minutes
Agreed spend on Ukrainian Flag replacement, election posters, website review.
Appendix 6: Asset Register, Maintenance Plan and Budget
Appendix 7: Compliments and complaints
Compliments from a number of residents
• The Village in general are 100% behind you and the new PC
• A corner has finally been turned and we are entering a period of stability, unification, positivity and real progress
• the PC is cracking on with what is needed of it
• Good to see community involvement in the small working party that you’ve pulled together to appraise the Village’s assets,
• Pleased to see that the required policies are written and on the website
Complaints
Resident A
Complaint 1 – Dec - Not responding to email quickly enough
Complaint 2 – Jan - a) Council is unprofessional b) not following the Nolan Principles
Complaint 3 – Feb – PC is putting up barriers to requested changes
Complaint 4 – Feb – PC is not responding to requests to remove auto generated reports being sent
Complaint 5 – Feb – Parish Council is acting unlawfully
Resident B
Complaint 1 – Jan 7th website not updated
Complaint 2 – Jan 12th agenda not laid out properly
In addition there has been one Freedom of Information request