2018 Parish Council Meetings

Notes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held at The Chapel, Little Hale on Tuesday 2nd January 2018 at 7.32pm.

Present: Cllrs N Rooke, P Ireland, J Stapleton and D Cox, Mrs D Scott (Clerk).

1/18 Cllr Rooke welcomed all to the meeting, wishing everyone a happy new year.

2/18 Apologies for Absence -  Steve Poulton (post meeting), Cllr Sally Tarry and Cllr Stewart Ogden (NKDC)

3/18 Declarations of Interest and Applications for Dispensation – none

4/18 The notes of the Parish Council Meeting, held on 7th November 2017: Proposed by Cllr Stapleton, seconded by Cllr Ireland and agreed unanimously, that these were an accurate record.

5/18 Finance 2017-18

1. The Clerk circulated updated financial statements and it was noted that the bank balance stood at £1507.61,
2. It was proposed by Cllr Rooke, seconded by Cllr Cox and agreed unanimously, that the following payments be made: HMRC £34.80 (mth 9 due 19/1/18) (to be made by transfer), Clerk £147.97 (December and January, plus expenses (reimbursement of travel, etc))
3. The Clerk reported that the Parish Council was eligible to apply for funding for 2017-18 through the Transparency Fund, towards website running costs. It was proposed by Cllr Rooke, seconded by Cllr Cox and agreed unanimously, that the Clerk submit an application.
4. Donations -CAB- a request had been received and it was proposed by Cllr Ireland, seconded by Cllr Cox and agreed unanimously, that a donation of £25 be made and a cheque was signed. It was noted that the donation towards HAVCS had already been made in July.
5. External Auditors – it was noted that PKF Littlejohn had been appointed by SAAA as the External Auditor for Lincolnshire Parish Councils.

6/18 Clerk’s Report and Correspondence.

1. NKDC Plan Priorities Survey - noted
2. NKDC Bin collections over Christmas - noted
3. HMRC – advance notification of new VAT claim process - noted
4. Registers of Electors – distributed
5. GDPR information from LALC – noted
6. Lloyds Bank statements - noted

7/18 Policing Update – there was no report, but it was noted that the Police Operation Galileo re hare coursing had been active since the last meeting.

8/18 Highways Matters

1. Grass Cutting – information had been received from LCC regarding Parish Agreements, including the amount of grant available for Parishes willing to take responsibility for the ‘safety cuts’ and the option to provide a more comprehensive grass cutting service. It was noted that the funding available was derisory and therefore no further action would be taken.
2. Burton Road – no update
3. Footpath – the legal documents confirming the completion of the footpaths had been displayed for the statutory time period and now returned to LCC.
4. Other matters reported but still outstanding: Broken concrete cover on Chapel Lane – no action yet, Blocked Gully on Main Road – now visible on LCC fault tracking map, Potholes on Fen and Main Road.
5. Cllrs agreed to report the potholes, including one in a footpath, and a faulty streetlight via the LCC website, with photos taken in daylight.
6. Community Speedwatch – information had been received about volunteers using handheld devices and this had been shared in the Parish Newsletter. Only one volunteer had expressed an interest. After discussion it was agreed that no further action be taken. The Clerk was asked to contact the volunteer to thank him for his offer.

9/18 Budget 2018-19. The Clerk circulated updated draft figures of the projected expenditure to 31st March 2018 and a draft Budget. She explained that the provisional information from NKDC showed the grant reducing from £8.95 to £4.21, and the tax base increasing from 74.25 to 75.55. It was noted that these figures should be confirmed by NKDC Exec Board and Full Council this month. After discussion, it was proposed by Cllr Ireland, seconded by Cllr Cox and agreed unanimously, that an income of £1700 would be sufficient for 2018-19 and the Clerk would complete the necessary forms and submit to NKDC.

10/18 Broadband – There was no update as such but Cllr Ireland had mentioned Broadband as a possible project in the Triton Knoll Community Fund consultation survey and Cllr Rooke had also talked about it to company representatives at the Public Consultation event.

11/18 Flooding

No major issues reported

12/18

Planning Matters:

1. Central Lincolnshire Local Plan Policy LP4 Monitoring– remaining growth data - noted
2. County Minerals and Waste Local Plan – adoption of site locations document - noted

Planning Inspectorate Matters

1. Viking Link Interconnector Project – no update.
2. Triton Knoll – Community Fund Consultation – As above, Cllrs had discussed Broadband and also road repairs. Company representatives were quite positive about Broadband and were considering support for road repairs as so many people had mentioned them even though they were an LCC responsibility.

13/18 Community Defibrillator –Cllr Ireland reported that the Phone Box light was proving inaccessible. It was agreed that he contact Ray Butler to carry out the repair, if necessary. Cllr Cox agreed to carry out the annual defib check

14/18 Dog Fouling – It was noted that the new bin near the Bus shelter was being used for dog mess and general litter. Its emptying had been added to the NKDC round.

15/18 Matters for the next meeting:

Dates of Next Meetings: 6th March, 1st May (Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Meeting).

The meeting closed at 8.26 pm

6th March 2018 - The Minutes were agreed as a true record and signed by Cllr Nicki Rooke