2018 Parish Council Meetings

6th March 2018 Minutes

Notes of the Meeting of the Parish Council held at The Chapel, Little Hale on Tuesday 6th March 2018 at 7.30pm.

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

16/18 Cllr Rooke welcomed all to the meeting, wishing everyone a happy new year.

17/18 Apologies for Absence - Cllr Sally Tarry and Cllr Stewart Ogden (NKDC)

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

19/18 Co-option – it was noted that NKDC Democratic Services team accepted the forms and Steve Poulton’s co-option took effect from the end of January.

20/18 The notes of the Parish Council Meeting, held on 2nd January 2018: Proposed by Cllr Cox, seconded by Cllr Stapleton and agreed unanimously, that these were an accurate record.

21/18 Finance 2017-18

  1. The Clerk circulated updated financial statements and it was noted that the bank balance stood at £1411.44, including receipt of transparency grant of £111.60,
  2. It was proposed by Cllr Ireland, seconded by Cllr Rooke and agreed unanimously, that the following payments be made: HMRC £34.60 (mth 12 due 19/4/18) (to be made by transfer), Clerk £158.17 (February and March, plus expenses (reimbursement of travel, etc)), LALC – it was agreed that the membership subscription and the Training Scheme fee be paid, therefore £148.14.
  3. Donations - CAB - a thank you letter had been received.
  4. External Auditors – the Clerk reported on her attendance at a PKF Littlejohn webinar and the process for the 2017-18 audit. Mrs Gascoyne would be carrying out the Internal Audit as agreed and the annual governance and accounting reports would still need completing, signing (before 2nd July) and publishing under the Transparency Code, although not submitting for External Review as the Council would certify itself as exempt from the process, having a turnover of less than £25,000. The Clerk also planned to attend a LALC training session on 7th March for any further information.

22/18 Finance 2018-19. It was noted that the precept forms had been submitted to NKDC by the due date.

23/18 Clerk’s Report and Correspondence.

  1. LCC update on Fairer Funding for Lincolnshire - noted
  2. NALC via LALC – DEFRA Consultation on Crime and Poor Performance in waste sector - noted
  3. Lincs Rural Housing Association – Affordable Housing Need? Councillors felt that it was not appropriate to build affordable housing in the parish, due to the lack of services, including reliable cheap transport, in the village.
  4. EA- Rationalising the Main River Network – update on previous consultation - noted
  5. Enquiry from member of public re ‘One Small Corner’ - noted
  6. Keep Britain Tidy – GB Spring Clean – noted. The Clerk was asked to request bags and pickers and a date(s) would be chosen. It was noted that the new bin was being used and emptied.
  7. LCC – Extreme Weather update - noted
  8. NALC – GDPR Toolkit – noted. Cllrs discussed their obligations under GDPR and awaited further updates from LALC, etc.
  9. NKDC – revised bin collections following snow disruptions – noted
  10. Currys PC World – offer of extended warranty for the laptop – after discussion Cllrs agreed to pay £131 for a 4 year warranty: a cheque was authorised.
  11. Lloyds Bank statement

24/18 Policing Update – there was no report.

25/18 Highways Matters

  1. Other matters reported but still outstanding: Broken concrete cover on Chapel Lane – no action yet, Potholes on Fen and Main Road – continuing to increase in number, size and depth, despite odd repairs. It was agreed that individuals continue to report the largest ones and point out that there were major problems generally.
  2. Streetlight no 3 on Fen Road had been fixed.
  3. Community Speedwatch – LCC had updated on their staffing issue.

26/18 Broadband – There was no update

27/18 Flooding - No major issues reported

28/18 WWI Anniversary 1918 – 2018. Information had been received on ‘Battle’s Over’ After discussion, it was agreed that an event be organised, on 11th November, with a bonfire, hot soup, music, etc., to raise donations towards the restoration of the inscriptions on the War Memorial in the cemetery, in conjunction with the Burial Board. DS to look into costings, Cllr Ireland to contact Landowners for permissions, Cllr Poulton to look at entertainment, etc, for further discussion at the next meeting.

29/18 Planning Matters:

  1. None

Planning Inspectorate Matters

  1. Viking Link Interconnector Project – no update.
  2. Triton Knoll – no update

30/18 Community Defibrillator – Cllr Cox was thanked for his work in replacing the light bulbs. It was noted that the task would be easier in future. It was noted that Red Cross had offered some free First Aid training. The Clerk was asked to find out more about availability and requirements.

31/18 Dog Fouling – odd instances but much improved

32/18 Policies – Standing Orders, Financial Regulations, Equal Opportunities Policy and Publication Scheme.

It was proposed by Cllr Rooke, seconded by Cllr Cox and agreed unanimously that the above polices be re-adopted, subject to noting that the Publication Scheme may need revising under the forthcoming GDPR.

33/18 Dates of Next Meetings:8th May (Annual Parish Meeting and Annual Meeting) – a week later than originally scheduled.

The meeting closed at 8.30 pm

8th May 2018 - The Minutes were agreed as a true record and signed by Cllr Nicki Rooke