Minutes for March 2023

Download a PDF copy of the minutes here

MINUTES: CORBY GLEN PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday March 8^th 2023 at 7.00pm in the Willoughby Gallery, Corby Glen.

Present: Cllrs Lamming (Chair), Cook, Evans, Fowler, Harwood & Walsingham.

In attendance: Cllrs Robins & Hill. 1 resident, Mrs. S. Woodman (Parish Clerk).

Open Forum:

Councillors introduced themselves to the resident, Mr Ellam.

Cllr Fowler informed the meeting that Dr Elder is retiring. The clerk was instructed to send a card to thank him for his care of the village.

The question of archaeological ‘finds’ on the land being developed by Allison Homes & DWH was discussed. It is not known whether any ‘finds’ were retained. The council has had sight of the report from Allison Homes, but not DWH.

1. Apologies for absence: Cllr Andrew. Reasons given and accepted.
2. District and County Councillors’ Reports:

LCC: Cllr Hill informed the council that key roads in the village have been scheduled for total resurfacing during
FY 2024-25, and possibly earlier if the increased funds allow. The chairman thanked Cllr Hill for his help in this.

The recent closure of the High Street was for the installation of electric cables; Anglian Water are installing a new pipeline in the region.

As outlined at the previous meeting, Cllr Hill continues a dialogue re road safety near the Primary School and speeding on the Hight Street, and his offer of 2 days labour is still open.

SKDC: Cllr Robins is aware that the streetlights on Coronation Road are still out. He will email his report to the clerk, to be appended to these minutes.

3. The minutes of the meeting of the Council held on Wednesday February 8^th 2023 were approved unanimously and the minutes of the EGM held on Tuesday February 28^th 2023 were approved by all those present at that meeting.
4. Councillors’ Declarations of Interest:
5. Review of Action Log: See log.
6. Clerk’s & Chairman’s reports on matters outstanding:

75/20 Superfast Broadband: Despite information from workmen, it is expected that the work will not be completed until October 2023, which is in line with contracted obligations.

12/22 Consider state of benches, bins, phone box, noticeboards & options to fix: The phone box area has now been cleared of leaves, the bench is built and in place, and the planters planted. There was discussion about parking here. In the past, nearby residents have not wanted this prevented as drivers could otherwise park more inconsiderately.

Clerk requested to contact Rowan Smith re refreshing the white line denoting the pedestrian refuge area (with photo).

Clerk to add the new bench/planters to the Assets Register.

The chairman thanked Cllr Andrew for all her hard work.

Phone box: Alan does not wish to build the internal structures. The designs for the interior are to be printed. Cllr Lamming expressed concern about damp if the bottom of the phone box remains open.

57/22 Community Congress: ‘Warm Space’ meetings will now be held once a month in the Church Street Rooms on Saturdays 10.30am – 12.30pm until September. WI’s Knitter Knatter Group Meetings will be funded for 3 months.

03/23 Maintenance of village web site: Clerk to put Mr Miles in touch with Cllr Cook to arrange training & access. Clerk to invite Mr Miles to the next CGPC meeting. There was a discussion about how to make people aware of the web site – a stand at Sheep Fair or an information card was suggested. An information sheet on the village is also required for residents of the new developments. Cllr Walsingham to draft.

15/21 CG Gardening Club update: Cllr Walsingham is in touch with other local gardening clubs.

09/16 Neighbourhood Planning: It is disappointing that there will not be a referendum on May 4^th (Cllr Robins suggested that expectations of this were overly optimistic). Mr Wakerley will make the village aware of the delay. The remains of the grant funding will need to be returned and a new grant applied for.

Cllr Walsingham raised the concern that the 6 months delay could result in significant planning applications being agreed without taking the Neighbourhood Plan into account. Cllr Robins assured the meeting that this was unlikely as the current developments would normally need to ‘settle’ before further major development is contemplated.

7. Matters to be resolved:

02/23 Consider how best to make use of Cllr Hill’s offer of 2 days labour: The following were proposed:

• Erect shelving in the phone box
• Install extra panels at the bottom of sides / door of the phone box to keep the weather out
• Re-concrete pump in Market Place
• Renovate benches & play equipment – sand & stain benches + toddler tower (note: Alan has offered to quote for this). Estimated 10 benches (Clerk to establish stain used previously).

When the work is scheduled, the council will purchase the required materials.

18/23 Bench cleaning / renovation: See 02/23 above

06/23 Tree Survey – report: Cllr Walsingham has already removed some basal growth from tree T058; Mr Franklin has offered to complete. Clerk to get 3 quotes for remaining work, and to provide & attach tags from trees where they are missing. Cllr Fowler will determine which these are.

19/23 New number tags for trees: See 06/23 above.

16/23 Local Council Elections: All councillors present except Cllr Fowler wish to continue on the Council. Cllr Fowler wishes to step down (Post meeting note: Cllrs Andrew & Clink, who were unable to attend the meeting, are also happy to continue.) The clerk provided Election packs to all councillors present who are continuing and will deliver packs to Cllrs Andrew & Clink. Mr Ellam is also considering joining the Council and was provided with a pack.

Completed forms must be delivered by hand (but not necessarily in person) by latest 4.00pm on April 4^th 2023. It was agreed that papers would be completed by March 20^th 2023 and delivered to Cllr Harwood. Cllr Walsingham kindly offered to deliver them to SKDC.

8. Reports from:

Planning: to consider planning applications received prior to & after publication of the agenda:

S22/2480 re S20/0687 The Larches, Tanners’ Lane, Mr R Adcock, 1 dwelling (reserved matters): No objection.
S22/0217 – Pole in the Barleycroft: No objection
S23/0404 – DWH Signage: No objection

Greens Working Group:

07/21 Playground Equipment Maintenance:

Swing uprights: As a result of cost query from a resident, Cllr Cook had obtained and shared the cost breakdown for the manufacture of the metal swing uprights with all Cllrs. This was further reviewed in the meeting. At the recent EGM 3 options had been considered. The council had not necessarily chosen the cheapest, but the one it considered the most robust, its prime consideration being the safety of the children using the equipment.

The council voted unanimously to purchase the uprights at the agreed price (see minutes of EGM 28^th Feb 2023) and for them to be installed by a suitably qualified and insured local tradesman at a cost of £50. Cllr Cook had obtained a quote for £250 for the installation from a structural engineer for comparison purposes.

The chairman thanked Cllr Cook for all his efforts on the council’s behalf.

Cllr Evans had secured a contribution of £350 towards the cost from his employer, British Sugar. The chairman thanked both Cllr Evans and British Sugar. Cllr Lamming is to investigate additional funding, and if necessary, some of the S106 money could be used.

9. Payments and Accounts

(i) Bank balances – monthly update approved unanimously as set out below.

(ii) Invoices for payment – Councillors resolved unanimously to approve payments as set out in schedule below.

10. Matters to be further discussed at this meeting:

19/22 Use of S106 funds from DWH development / residents’ consultation:

The clerk provided Cllrs with the list compiled previously. The items were discussed, including ‘tactile’ footpaths at key road crossings. Cllr Fowler requested that outside gym equipment be added to the list. Matters which would come under the jurisdiction of Highways were to be considered separately as even if the Council were to decide to fund them, they are still subject to approval by Highways. The list was then prioritised as follows:

Highways-related items:

1. Improvements to assist pedestrians crossing the A151 near the Woodhouse
2. Traffic calming measures on the A151 eg ‘Chicanes’

Cllr Lamming had raised these matters at the Village Congress but will canvas opinion again at the next Warm Space meeting. Cllr Robins suggested that village groups be contacted also, and their opinion sought. He will contact the clerk in connection with this,

56/22 Emergency Planning: Deferred til next meeting.

04/23 Celebration of King Charles III coronation: A further meeting is scheduled for Saturday March 11^th 2023.
Cllr Walsingham agreed to promote this via Next Door.
Cllr Lamming has applied for lottery funding for leaflets etc and for a Road Closure for the ‘Big Lunch’. It is hoped to arrange entertainment for this event.
The Bowls Club has requested a donation of £50 (as per the Jubilee) to provide refreshments for their event. This was agreed unanimously. It is hoped to be able to provide similar funding to other local organisations.

11/23 Empty plinth by War Memorial ideas: Deferred til next meeting.

13/23 Reduction in PCSOs: The clerk had forwarded the response from the local MP.

14/23 Town & Parish Community Fund: To be discussed at next meeting.

17/23 Refurbishment of Market Place: see 19/22 above.

11. Next meeting:

The next regular meeting will take place on Wed 12^th April 2023 at 7.00pm in the Willoughby Gallery, Corby Glen

Meeting closed at 8.52pm.                                                                                                            Mrs. Sue Woodman – Parish Clerk

Action Log 8^th March 2023

Appendix to Draft Minutes of the CGPC meeting held on Wednesday March 8^th 2023

District Councillor’s Parish Update – March 2023

Parish Update – March 2023 South Kesteven Prosperity Fund

I’m delighted to say that South Kesteven District Council has £1 million available for community projects across the district through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Applications can now be made now by town and parish councils, parish meetings, charter trustees and community groups to finance projects that deliver community improvements and build pride in place.

There are four project categories: building improvements; green space and outdoor improvements; culture, arts, and heritage; and heritage initiatives.

Applicants will need to show a need for their project, as well as demand and the ultimate benefit it will have for the community. The applications will then be considered by our UKSPF Board.

Full details – and an application form – are available on the South Kesteven website. I would urge you to share this news with all the community groups you are involved with so that we can make the best use of this opportunity.

Digital upgrade for CCTV

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is also helping to make our District a safer and more secure place. A £284,000 project will see ageing CCTV technology upgraded, with a digital line installed and existing analogue cameras replaced with digital equipment.

We will have much clearer imaging and better picture and video sharing capabilities, far superior to analogue, and the new functionality could als9 allow us to deploy mobile CCTV in the future m- good news all-round.

I will update you on our plans for investing the remainder of our £3.89 million UKSPF allocation as decisions are taken.

Tourism matters

As you know, we are all committed to supporting tourism, which is incredibly important to the local economy.

Around 40 tourism venues and visitor businesses from right across the district came along to share ideas at a networking event in Bourne to explore how the sector can promote itself and work together better.

All the statistics point to the sector recovering well after Covid. In 2021 tourism contributed £168m to the South Kesteven economy, recovering from the £90m economic contribution during the pandemic lockdown and restrictions.

We are waiting for the 2022 figures but that’s very positive progress. It shows the sector is bouncing back and we are here to help.

Council support for Deepings Literary Festival

This year’s Deepings Literary Festival, on May 27th and 28th, is being supported by South Kesteven District Council with a £2,179 Community Fund grant.

This donation will help facilitate a book-themed weekend of activities specifically for young families, involving local children’s authors and performers.

Preparations are well under way for this year’s festival, where free activities will add to the high- quality educational opportunities already scheduled.

As usual, events will take place at the Deepings Library and Community Centre and other venues.

This is one of the first awards from our Community Fund for 2023/24 and we are looking forward to supporting many more throughout year. If you would like to see if any groups you are involved with can apply, simply visit the South Kesteven District Council website and search for Community Fund.

Supporting the arts centres

Stamford Arts Centre has been celebrating the great work of the venue and its creative contribution to the district.

In an event funded by Arts Council England, visitors enjoyed some family-friendly entertainment, performances from local and professional groups, plus displays of illuminating artwork.

We have a vibrant and diverse creative industry here in South Kesteven and Stamford Arts Centre is one of the Lincolnshire One Venues – a network that develops the cultural and creative landscape across our county.

There were live performances from the historian, Phillipa Massey, singer-songwriter Chloe Lorentzen and the Stamford Poet Laureate, Scott Coe. In addition to the performance work, workshops have been held with schools, community groups and residents to create the artwork that was put on display.

Award nomination for SKDC

I am absolutely delighted that South Kesteven District Council is in the running for a prestigious national award, having been shortlisted in the Most Improved Council category in the Local Government Chronicle Awards 2023.

These awards share best practice across the local government community, promoting and sharing work to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local government services across the UK.

Simply being shortlisted for an award is recognition of the hard work and dedication, on a daily basis, of all those striving to provide the best possible service to our residents and businesses, and we should all take pride in it.

SKToday has landed!

Your latest edition of SKDC’s community magazine, SKToday should be with you by now.

This issue is another important one as it contains the bin collections details for the various upcoming Bank Holidays.

Our editorial team has also put together advice on how households can better cope with the cost of living, facts and figures on the Council Tax and what we do with your payments – and it also features our vital homelessness prevention work and highlights some inspirational women of South Kesteven.

May local elections

Finally, an important reminder that photo ID will be required to be able to vote at a polling station in May, when local elections take place across South Kesteven.

Accepted forms of photo ID include a passport, driving licence, Blue Badge, Older Person’s bus pass, and identity cards with the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram. Most voters will already have an accepted form of ID – and those who haven’t can apply online or via SKDC. Full details are on our website.