2024 Annual Parish Meeting

http://parishes.lincolnshire.gov.uk/ScopwickandKirkbyGreen/

 

 

 

Chairman of Scopwick and Kirkby Green Parish Council Cllr M Williams presided over the meeting, with the Clerk to the Council taking the minutes. Six Parish Councillors, the County Councillor and sixteen members of the public were in attendance. Apologies were submitted by District Cllr Amelia Bailey.

 

1. Welcome from the Chairman.

Cllr Williams opened the meeting, welcoming everyone and thanking them for their attendance, reminding everyone of safety protocols and emergency exits. Cllr Williams asked attendees to turn their phones off or put them on silent.

 

2. To approve the minutes of the previous Annual Parish Meeting, held on Tuesday 30th May 2024.

With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to adopt the minutes from the Annual Parish Meeting, held on Tuesday 30th May 2024 as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

 

3. To receive an un-audited statement of income and expenditure for the financial year 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024.

The Clerk provided an un-audited statement of income and expenditure for information purposes. No questions were raised. 

 

4. To receive annual reports from:

a. The Chairman.

Cllr Williams introduced himself as the Chairman of the Parish Council and mentioned how grateful he was for the support he’s received. Cllr Williams noted the role had been a big learning curve.

 

Cllr Williams commented that Scopwick and Kirkby Green is a beautiful village, that the residents should be extremely proud and thanked residents for the support they give to the Parish Council. Cllr Williams also thanked members of the community who are involved in groups such as the speedwatch and village fate. Cllr Williams thanked Councillors for their efforts in the community. 

 

In 2023, the County Council’s contractors provided some volunteer days to undertake some tasks in the community such as maintaining benches and clearing the Beck. Cllr Williams acknowledged some issues that occurred during the work on the Beck and advised that valuable lessons were learned. Feedback was provided to LCC on ways to improve the service. 

 

Cllr Williams reported that flooding issues are a major concern for many in the community particularly as planning for more housing has been submitted to NKDC, and the Springwell Solar Farm continues to be a major issue to the Parish and surrounding communities. Cllr Williams confirmed that the Parish Council will voice the concerns of the community and campaign for the best for the village.

 

Issues with grass cutting were also raised, and Cllr Williams reassured attendees that the Parish Council are working to see improvements at the earliest opportunity to get the village looking better. 

 

Cllr Williams concluded by thanking Councillors and residents for their support and contributions in making the community a better place.

 

Cllr Davies thanked Cllr Williams for his efforts as Chairman and being active in the community. 

 

b. Lincolnshire County Councillor for Scopwick and Kirkby Green

Cllr Williams invited Lincolnshire County Councillor R Kendrick to provide a report. Cllr Kendrick reported that the County Council’s budget balanced and remain financially sound, with external audits going well. Cllr Kendrick mentioned that the County Council is 50 years old in 2024 and will be having a celebration to mark the anniversary.  

 

Cllr Kendrick advised that more funds will go towards flood prevention and maintenance of the highways, particularly minor roads. Cllr Kendrick recommended that residents report issues such as potholes to the fixmystreet website, which provides updates on the progress. 

 

Cllr Kendrick sits on the scrutiny committee for children’s services, having received an outstanding report from Ofsted and has been assisting other Councils with advice. Cllr Kendrick explained the improvements that have been made in this area such as cutting down travel times for students and providing hydrotherapy pools.

 

Cllr Kendrick spoke of the impressive training facilities at Waddington for the Fire Service which is used by other Fire Services from around the country. Cllr Kendrick also spoke of other services provided by the County Council, such as adult social care, the coroners, and registration office for births, deaths and marriages. 

 

Tourism and heritage are being championed by the County Council due to their huge economic impact on the area, and the County Council are encouraging film and TV companies to use Lincolnshire as a destination for filming. 

 

Cllr Kendrick acknowledged that speeding issues are prevalent in the county and will work with communities and the Highways Department to make improvements, raise awareness and to adjust speed limits where required. 

 

Cllr Flett thanked Cllr Kendrick for his attendance at many events in the Parish and support to the community. 

 

c. North Kesteven District Councillors for Scopwick and Kirkby Green

North Kesteven District Councillor Amelia Bailey provided a brief written report detailing ongoing meetings with Springwell Solar Farm, and examples of help provided to members of the community. Cllr Bailey provided contact information: cllr_amelia_bailey@n-kesteven.gov.uk where residents can get in touch regarding any issues in the ward.

 

d. Lincolnshire Police

Lincolnshire Police did not send a representative or issue a report but provided posters to the Clerk prior to the meeting with a QR code on, where residents can access the latest community newsletter issued by the Police. The Clerk acknowledged that not all in the community might be able to access the newsletter through the QR code and could provide the link.

 

e. Village Hall Management Committee

Cllr Williams invited Cllr Janet Flett, Chair of the Village Hall Management Committee, to provide a report on the village hall. Cllr Flett stated that the Village Hall is a registered charity, run completely by volunteers and thanked all those volunteers for their help. Cllr Flett stated that the hall is not run for a profit but provides a valuable facility to the community. The management committee often receive feedback on how good the village hall is and are very proud of it.

 

The village hall committee are very pleased to work closely with the Parish Council to put on events, such as commemorating national landmarks including the King’s coronation. The Parish Council provided a grant to pay for insurance and website costs. 

 

The hall is used for a variety of events such as life events including weddings, christenings, funerals and birthdays, entertainment such as the orchestra, military wives’ choir, barn dance and well being events such as coffee mornings. The Village Hall Committee received a grant from YMCA which was used to put on events including a magician and morris dancers. 

 

Cllr Flett encouraged attendees to check the website and noticeboard for events and bookings.  

 

f. The Playing Field Committee

Cllr Williams invited David Nelson to provide an annual report on the playing field. Cllr Nelson advised that the playing field was very well used by children in the community and many travel from outside of the village to enjoy the facility. Cllr Nelson thanked members of the playing field committee and those who helped with the maintenance, with special thanks to Jane and Steve Drury. Cllr Nelson thanked the Parish Council for purchasing additional bark for the toddler area. 

 

Cllr Nelson suggested that some items might need replacing in the next couple of years, but the initial investment 4 years ago has seen a good return. 

 

g. Scopwick’s Parochial Church Council

Cllr Williams invited Owen Davies to provide a report on the Church. Cllr Davies advised the Church is used for traditional ceremonies but doesn't have a very strong following; it’s used once every 6 weeks due to sharing a Vicar with other parishes. Cllr Davies thanked the Parish Council for a contribution the grass cutting costs and the District Council for their help with grass cutting. 

 

The Church dates back roughly 1,000 years and inside the Church there is a coffin lid of a medieval knight. Cllr Davies spoke of the difficulties in maintaining an incredibly old building and assured the attendees they were trying their best to keep the building in good shape. 

 

h. Update on roads and speeding.

Cllr Williams invited Paul Frost to provide a report on the community speedwatch team and speeding issues in the parish. Cllr Frost reported that the community speedwatch team are affiliated with Lincolnshire Police and the Road Safety Partnership, where the group use the speed gun to monitor vehicle speeds 2 - 3 times a week at various locations around the parish; the group always welcome new volunteers. Cllr Frost thanked all the volunteers involved with the speed watch team, especially Debra Heeney.

 

Cllr Frost reported on attempts to find a location for the police van in Scopwick to monitor speeding but advised there have not been enough accidents on the roads through Scopwick to get a visit.

 

A review of the 30mph speed limit is being conducted with a view to extended up the 30mph zone up to Bloxholm Lane, the results of survey are due soon.

 

The Parish Council have invested in flashing speed sign and stationery reminder signs and the Parish Council will consider purchasing another flashing speed sign, as the first sign seems to have been a success in reducing the speed of vehicles passing through the village. The speed signs also produce plenty useful data which is given to the police. Additional reminder signs have also been posted around the village.

 

i. A representative from the National Flood Forum

Sanjay Johal from the National Flood Forum was invited by Cllr Williams to provide a brief report. Sanjay reported that Project Groundwater is a collaborative project between the County Council, the Environment Agency and the National Flood Forum to investigate new and innovative ways to tackle longstanding flood risks within communities. The Government have committed £200 million to the project to include 25 pilot areas across England, with 3 areas in Lincolnshire, including Scopwick.

 

Sanjay spoke of the difficulties in justifying spending public money, advising that part of the project focuses on resilience and innovation. Sanjay acknowledged that Scopwick has experienced various types of flooding, but Project Groundwater focuses solely on flooding from a groundwater perspective with the intention of collecting information and data from residents and members of the community to then look at different ways of combating groundwater flooding.

 

Sanjay was given a tour of the parish by Cllr Baumber and commented that tapping into local knowledge was crucial in the early stages of building up the information. 

 

In addition to the groundwater flood risk, Sanjay advised that residents in Scopwick who have suffered from different types of flooding, the National Flood Forum would be looking to support those residents.

 

Sanjay reported that the project’s duration is 6 years and that they are now halfway through, with completion in 2027 and advised attendees that he would have regular communication and regular meetings to build up more knowledge, to find suitable solutions.

 

Cllr Williams thanked Sanjay for his presentation and asked for questions to be put to Sanjay during the public forum.

 

5. Public Forum

Resident 1 questioned why the Police won’t come to Scopwick to perform roadside speed check when they are in nearby villages. 

 

Cllr Nelson suggested that there isn’t a safe place in the parish for the Police to park up on the roadside and suggested that Police presence in neighbouring villages could have a knock-on effect to those driving through Scopwick and Kirkby Green. 

 

Cllr Williams reassured the resident that data collected from the speed sign will be given to the Police and will be asked to find a suitable location within the parish to conduct speed checks.

 

Resident 2 requested more benches to be installed around the village for walkers to rest and asked the Parish Council to seriously consider the request. Resident 3 supported the request for more benches. 

 

Cllr Williams thanked the residents for their input and advised that if locations can be found, this could be considered at full Council.

 

Resident 4 spoke of the benefits of the flashing speed that the Parish Council recently installed and was pleased to see the effects it has on vehicles. The resident praised the work of the speed watch team, but suggested that speeding is still a big issue, particularly with quarry lorries that seem to be speeding and asked the Parish Council to write to the local quarry to remind drivers to adhere to the speed limits in the village. The resident also requested speed signs at other locations within the village. A member of the speedwatch team advised the flashing speed sign can be moved to other locations in the village. 

 

Resident 5 spoke about uneven surfaces on Beckside and on footpaths around the parish which can be particularly difficult for elderly residents and people with disabilities, and questioned how you report large areas to the fixmystreet website. Councillor Kendrick advised taking pictures of the areas and writing a description of the issue when reporting on the website. The resident mentioned that the street lighting is also quite poor. 

 

Cllr Nelson commented on the works done to Vicarage Lane, which was resurface 4-5 years ago, was not requested and did not seem as high a priority as other areas such as Brookside, which is more well used by residents. Cllr Nelson suggested that works that have been requested are not being done including installing kerbing to protect the village green. 

 

Resident 6 asked Sanjay Johal about the timescale of Project Groundwater and the delivery of the solutions. Sanjay advised that the aim is to deliver the solutions, and to go back to central government to report the findings and establish a legacy. Sanjay advised that there would be a trial-and-error aspect, however, they would be looking at providing physical solutions within that timeframe. Sanjay asked to take the residents details, who had experienced flooding, to be able to provide updates and share details of future meetings. 

 

Cllr Baumber queried whether the 7-year period will be completed if there is no project lead appointed. Sanjay advised that the legacy of the project will be completed and followed through, particularly if anything that needs to be continuously monitored. Cllr Baumber also commented on other bodies not engaging and asked if pressure could be put on these to encourage better co-operation. Sanjay advised that that are ways to overcome this by creating a flooded residents group and liaising with his contacts to bring all partners to the table.

 

Resident 2 questioned the likelihood of devolution in Lincolnshire and the amount of additional funds, whether the community or Parish Council would benefit from the additional funding. Cllr Kendrick advised that the funding from Government would come to the combined authorities if devolution goes ahead. One of the outcomes would mean that a Mayor would need to be elected, however, it depends on whether proposals are accepted by Government. 

 

Resident 7 queried the work of the grass cutting contractors. Cllr Williams advised that Cllr Baumber will meet with the contractors to explain what is expected of them in the work around the parish. 

 

Cllr Nelson questioned that the funding seemed to be focused on innovative solutions and suggested that issues could be with sewers and drains. Sanjay advised that innovative solutions will be at the heart of the project but not the sole focus. 

 

Resident 8 asked Sanjay how to get Anglian Water to work with him rather than against. Sanjay reiterated that he would try to work with partners, and different types of flooding is managed by different organisations which is why it’s important to bring all bodies to the table for discussions. 

 

Cllr Williams commented that it’s important to get all bodies involved to find a solution to the different types of flooding, which has impacted many members across the community. 

 

Resident 9 queried speeding issues with quarry vehicles and asked to make contact with the businesses to remind them of speed limits in the parish. A member of the speed advised that large vehicles can often be deceptive and are monitored at going to the speed limit when it might appear they are speeding. 

 

Cllr Williams suggested that the Parish Council would write to the businesses to remind them of speeding issues and speed limits in the parish. 

 

Resident 10 stated his disappointment at the state of the grass and the standard of the grass cutting in the parish. 

 

Cllr Baumber mentioned that he has engaged with the contractor and the standard did not meet those required and remind the contractor of the terms of the contract. 

 

Cllr Flett thanks Phil Neill for his work on maintaining the benches and noticeboards.

 

Resident 11 requested better access to a bench on the village green, possibly a tarmac path, with health and safety in mind. Cllr Williams advised it is something the Parish Council could consider at a future meeting.

 

 

Cllr Williams thanked all those who attended, with no further comments Cllr Williams closed the meeting at 8:30pm.