Parish Council Minutes|

DRAFT MINUTES: CORBY GLEN PARISH COUNCIL

Draft Minutes of the meeting held on Wednesday November 11th 2020 at 7.30pm using video conferencing.

Present: Cllrs Lamming (Chair), Collins, Cook, Fox, Hargreaves, Muir & Walsingham

In attendance: Cllr N Robins, Cllr M Hill, Mrs. S. Woodman (Parish Clerk) and 2 residents

Open Forum:

A resident outlined the advantages for the village in ensuring that the land in the centre of Mussons Close remains on the SKDC Register of Assets of Community Value. The current entry will expire on March 15th 2021, and re-application is necessary to keep the entry on the register. The impact is that should the current owner wish to sell, they are obliged to notify the nominator of the entry, in this case the Parish Council, and allow them 6 months to raise the money to purchase the land before it can be offered on the open market. It may possibly also encourage SKDC and / or LCC to pursue compulsory purchase.

The case has been updated from the previous application but is otherwise largely unchanged. There were no questions from councillors and the matter will be discussed as part of the agenda.

Cllr Collins suggested that residents be asked to ‘decorate’ their gardens over the Christmas period which would support the Advent Windows initiative. She is happy to handle the publicity. This is a similar idea to the fireworks initiative and sits well within the Council’s drive for community cohesion.

1.     Apologies for absence: None.

2.     District and County Councillors’ Reports:
District Council: 
Cllr Robins reported that most of the District Council’s current activity is centred around the response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Sadly, cases and deaths are increasing in Lincolnshire. SKDC is attempting to maintain services whilst council offices are locked down and staff working from home.

A Housing Audit has been carried out by an independent auditor. The final report is expected soon but it is understood that the findings indicate the very poor state of the housing stock which has been allowed to deteriorate over the last 10 – 20 years. An Action Plan has been formulated to correct the situation over the next 2 – 3 years.

The adoption of Adcock’s Close is still being pursued.

Cllr Robins has contacted the resident with concerns regarding a recent bonfire. As the bonfire is on private land, little action is possible, but the resident was advised to monitor the situation, to contact the fire brigade if they are concerned the fire is out of control, or Environmental Health if the nature of the smoke causes concern.

The Council was reassured that SKDC has a specialist researcher who is looking into all available grants eg the Green Homes grant.

County Council:  The Chairman welcomed Cllr Hill to the meeting. Cllr Hill reported that the Covid situation understandably dominates LCC activities. When we come out of lockdown on December 2nd, it is hoped that the county will return to its previous Tier 1 status. Discretionary grants are available to local small traders to assist with the economic recovery. He also stressed that the county had received a substantial sum of money from central government to help with the situation. If any remains, it will be channelled into the cultural and tourist strategies.

Currently most services, with the exception of museums & galleries, are operational, including recycling centres. Cllr Hill welcomed the hope that a vaccine will soon be available and outlined the logistics for its administration within the county.

Although council tax in the county remains low, it is set to increase by the national average.

3.     The minutes of the meeting of the Council held on Wednesday 14th October 2020 were approved unanimously and signed by the chairman as an accurate record.

4.     Councillors’ Declarations of Interest: None declared

5.     Review of Action Log:
07/20 Councillors were requested to ensure their new email addresses are operational by the January meeting.

43/20 Signage on Laxton’s Lane: Cllr Walsingham has been informed by LCC Highways that there is currently no official ban on motor vehicles on Laxton’s lane so in line with cost reduction (the current sign is illuminated) the current sign will be removed and not replaced. The council will consider applying for pedestrian only status in future. Clerk to add to the agenda for the next meeting

58/20 Cllr Walsingham reported that LCC are aware that roads in Lincolnshire are included in the “Rutland TT”, but as the route is informal, no action can be taken.

60/20 Skips: Appreciation expressed by many residents. Consider 1 larger skip next time to reduce cost.

6.     Clerk’s & Chairman’s reports on matters outstanding:

77/19 & 18/20 Lighting for Art Gallery (reduce wattage of bulbs) / Barleycroft: Cllr Fox has instructed electricians.

39/20 War Memorial Restoration: All work complete and invoices paidGrant application has been submitted. Clerk to write to Mr Green to thank him and his colleagues for all their efforts.

40/20 Water Pump: The type of paint to be used was discussed. Mr Walsingham is to be asked to reconsider his views on the suitability of Hammerite – their gloss product is believed to be excellent and was used satisfactorily by Irnham in renovating their pumps. Cllr Walsingham to ask Mr Walsingham for an estimate of cost. A decision is awaited on the planning application, but the date for comments has now passed.

51/20 Good Neighbours Scheme: Ongoing. The council expressed their gratitude to Mr Astley for his work in co-ordinating this.

64/20 Coronation Road: see District Councillor’s report. Now assigned to the Interim Assistant Director of Housing.  Updates to be fed back directly to Cllr Robins. Future formal communications to Cllr Robins to be backed up by email. Noted.

09/16 Neighbourhood Plan: The draft plan has been circulated to councillors. All comments by email to Cllr Walsingham. One further new member has joined the group. Cllr Hargreaves requested that the needs of horse riders be taken into account

Matters to be resolved:

71/20 Councillor vacancies: The Chairman expressed her disappointment that a by-election has been requested by 10 residents; over the last 10 years the main May elections in 2011, 2015 & 2019 were all uncontested and a similar by-election request in 2014 was uncontested so no current councillor has been elected onto the council.  This by-election cannot be held now because of the pandemic, so the Parish Council is reduced to only 7 members until May 2021. The main effect of this is the cost to the village of £900 – £1,200, money which could otherwise have been spent on the community. The cost would have been even greater were it not that the costs will be shared with elections for other parties at the same time.

Cllr Robins was asked to ascertain how many Parish Council contested elections have actually been held in SKDC recently.

The Chairman also stressed how much she valued the current councillors and the breadth of background and experience / knowledge of the local community which they bring. They should in no way feel any less worthy because they had not been directly elected.

78/20 Review signatories on bank account: With the resignation of Cllr Fowler, only 2 councillors are now signatories on the bank account. It was agreed unanimously that all councillors should be added as signatories. The clerk will inform councillors of the information needed to achieve this.

It was resolved unanimously that Cllr Fowler be removed as a signatory for Nat West bank account 07640552 and Cllrs Collins, Cook, Fox, Hargreaves & Walsingham be added as signatories for the above account.

79/20 Budget for 2021/2022: A draft budget had been circulated. The calculations have now been checked. The precept was last increased in 2013. Since then, inflationary cost increases have been absorbed but it is possible that an application to increase the precept may now be needed. Councillors to examine the budget in preparation for a decision at the next meeting.

7.     Reports from:  

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

S20/0627 W Wass 1 Station Road – Demolition of existing garage and the erection of new dwelling:
After some discussion it was agreed by a majority (5 for, 1 against, 1 abstention) to object to this planning application on the following grounds:

·       Increase in vehicular traffic on Laxton’s lane which is primarily used by pedestrians;

·       Concern that construction vehicles will impact the surface and access to Laxton’s Lane

·       The size of the proposed dwelling is considered out of keeping with other dwellings

·       The development is considered to be out of keeping with the conservation area

S20/1765/6 R Lynch Wheelwright’s Cottage, High St – Alterations & extension; change of use to holiday let.
Concern was expressed regarding the adequacy of the parking facilities for the holiday tenants, and increased pressure on the already congested High Street. The council raised no objection but requested that the clerk feed their concerns back to SKDC Planning.

Greens Working Group:
It is not considered that the state of the Toddler Tower currently poses a safety hazard. Cllr Collins reported that the cost of replacing the Toddler Tower could be around £3,500 – £5,000. The situation will be reviewed again in March. Clerk to add to March agenda.

8.     Payments and Accounts

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

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

Opening Bank balance from 1st October 2020£16,687.08
Income received on bank statementCommunity Cleaner Grant £453.44
Invoices cleared on bank statementS. Woodman – clerk’s wagesS. Woodman – clerk’s expensesHMRC – clerk’s PAYECDPC – Community cleanerMCS grass cuttingLALC NewsD Fowler – FlagsHurst – War Memorial Renovation (grant awaited) £236.96£8.60£59.40£149.73£434.00£4.50£15.00£2,436.00
Closing Bank Balance 31st October 2020£13,796.33
Cheques to be authorised/cleared:S. Woodman – clerk’s wages (including back pay)S. Woodman – clerk’s expensesHMRC – clerk’s PAYECDPC – Community cleanerMCS grass cutting (invoice awaited)St John’s Church – churchyard upkeep donationBourne Skip HireBourne Skip HireD Couture – War Memorial Railings (grant awaited) £283.09£14.60£70.60£149.73 £150.00£228.00£228.00£918.00
Estimated remaining NatWest bank balance(excluding Defibrillator, Play Equipment & War Memorial funds – awaiting receipt of grant)£11,754.31£12,498.84
  
Defibrillator FundTotal banked to date (inc. VAT refunds):        Purchases to date (inc. VAT):Fund remaining: £2,383.80
£2,412.88£249.86
  
Play Equipment FundTotal banked to date (inc. VAT refunds):        Purchases to date (inc. VAT):Fund remaining: £41,425.44£40,808.43£509.61
  
War Memorial FundTotal banked to date (inc. VAT refunds):        Purchases to date (inc. VAT):Fund remaining: (pending receipt of grant) £1,850.00£3,354.00-£1,504.00
  
Neighbourhood Plan Costs (to be repaid on receipt of grant funding)Costs to date £504.79

9.     Matters to be further discussed at this meeting:

55/20 Speeding on Bourne Road near school / 47/20 Speed of lorries on Swinstead Road / 77/20 Consider purchase of speed camera:
It was suggested that there were 3 basic options:
         1 Do nothing, or just replace the plastic ‘30’signs – approx. cost £50
         2 Initiate a Community Speed Watch – approx. cost £100
         3 Purchase a portable flashing sign – approx. cost £2,000

It was decided that a working group should be set up involving councillors and interested residents to research options. This would have the added benefit of engaging the community. Cllrs Walsingham, Muir and Hargreaves agreed to be involved to facilitate the meetings. The group should consider speeding on all roads on the village, including Irnham Road, Tanners’ Lane & Swinstead Road, not just the A151.

An initial meeting is to be set up on Zoom on Wednesday December 2nd at 7.30pm. Clerk to inform PCSO Bowden and residents who have already expressed concern. Publicity to be arranged (see Action Log).

27/20 Local Covid Response: Discussed in Open Forum.

61/20 Christmas Tree: Adrian Baines & Alan Luscombe (Bulby nursery) visited Mrs Boother’s plantation with the Chairman and selected a Christmas tree. Adrian has kindly offered to cut down the tree and deliver it to Trevor Kiely ready for erection the first weekend in December. A donation of £100 is to be made to Mrs Boother’s chosen charity, Cancer Research.

68/20 Consider ‘Green Initiative’: To be removed from future agendas. 

73/20 Review of Assets (re bench at the bottom of St John’s Drive): The bench at the bottom of St John’s Drive is not listed on the Council’s Asset Register. Cllr Robins was asked to establish the ownership of the land at the bottom of St John’s Drive. The family of Eric & Barbara Dyde have expressed a wish to install a bench in the village in her memory. The possibility of suggesting that they replace the broken bench at the bottom of St John’s was considered. Clerk to respond to the family.

74/20 Green Homes Grant – re Social Housing: Discussed in District Councillor’s report. 

75/20 Superfast Broadband: Cllr Cook was pleased with the good response. A total of 80 people had expressed an interest and this has been passed on to BT. This figure includes 5 residents who made contact after the deadline but whose details were nevertheless allowed. BT will now produce a cost.

76/20 Consider reducing the number of BT wires in the Market Place: The cost of putting the wires underground is expected to be excessive. Not to be pursued. 

80/20 Local Recognition: Clerk to arrange for cards for recently resigned councillors thanking them for their services.

81/20 Retention Policy Amendment – meeting recordings: It was agreed unanimously that future meetings will not be recorded, and that the recordings of this and previous meetings will be deleted. All requests for information must be passed via the Clerk.

82/20 Mussons Close Land – renewal of Asset of Community Value status: See Open Forum. Councillors had received the draft of the application and were happy with the content. It was resolved unanimously that the application be submitted.

83/20 Use for the phone box by the Co-op eg community pantry: Cllr Hargreaves had been contacted by a resident about this via Next Door, but her enquiry for more information had received no reply. The phone box is listed on the Council’s Asset Register, but it is not known who pays for the electricity. At one time it was proposed to move the Defibrillator here. To be included on the agenda for the next meeting

10.   Next meeting:

The next meeting will take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 9th December 2020, venue to be agreed depending upon the circumstances prevailing at the time.

Meeting closed at 9.30 pm.                                                                                                           Mrs. Sue Woodman – Parish Clerk

Action Log 11th November 2020

RefActionResponsibilityDate by
07/20Activate new email addressesAll13/01/21
07/20Communicate councillors’ new email addresses to SKDC;
update CG web site
Clerk
Cllr Fox
10/02/21
18/20Arrange for work on lights between Barleycroft / PridmoreCllrs Fox11/11/20
77/19Arrange for work to reduce wattage of bulbs in Gallery LightingCllrs Fox11/11/20
40/20Water pumps: Ask Mr Brian Walsingham for an estimate of costCllr Walsingham09/12/20
43/20Usage of Laxton’s Lane: Clerk to add to December AgendaClerk09/12/20
09/16Neighbourhood Planning: Email comments on plan to Cllr Walsinghamall09/12/20
71/20Ascertain how many Parish Council contested elections have actually been held in SKDC recentlyCllr Robins09/12/20
27/20Community Spirit: Publicise Christmas Initiative in The LinkMrs Woodman09/12/20
55/20;
77/20
Speeding in the village:
Set up Zoom Meeting for Wed Dec 2 & put link on web site
Contact PCSO Bowden & interested residents
Draft Notice
Advertise in The Link
Advertise on Next Door
Produce large notice for A Board
Notices on Council Notice Board, Lily’s & March Hare

Cllr Fox
Clerk
Clerk
Mrs Woodman
Cllr Fox
Cllr Cook
Clerk

19/11/20
69/20Remembrance Day: Thank Mr Adcock for the use of his ride-on mower to help clear leaves from The Green in preparation for the Remembrance Day Service.Clerk 09/12/20
39/20War Memorial Restoration: Write to Mr Green to thank him and his colleagues for all their efforts.Clerk 09/12/20
51/20Good neighbour scheme: Recognition for Mr Astley’s effortsClerk 09/12/20
78/20Signatories on Bank Account: Remove Cllr Fowler and add all councillors as signatories.Clerk 09/12/20
 Planning:
S20/1783: Feed back objections to SKDC Planning
S20/1766: Feed back comment to SKDC Planning

Clerk

23/11/20
26/11/20
56/20Play equipment: Add to agenda for March 2021Clerk 03/21
61/20Christmas Tree: Donation of £100 to cancer research re Mrs BootherClerk09/12/20
73/20Bench at the bottom of St John’s Drive: Respond to family of Mrs Dyde re benchClerk09/12/20
73/20Ascertain ownership of land at the bottom of St John’s DriveCllr Robins09/12/20
80/20Local Recognition: Cards for recently resigned councillors to thank them for their services.Clerk09/12/20
82/20Mussons Close Land – renewal of Asset of Community Value status: Submit applicationClerk09/12/20
83/20Phone Box: Add consideration of moving the defibrillator here to the agenda for the next meetingClerk09/12/20

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