2024 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

May 2024 Minutes

Scopwick and Kirkby Green Parish Council

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

 

The minutes of the full Council meeting of Scopwick and Kirkby Green Parish Council, held on Tuesday 28th May 2024 at 7:00 pm. The meeting was held in Scopwick Village Hall. These are notes of the meeting until approved by the Council as a true record.

 

Present: 

Cllrs M Williams (Chair), J Flett (Vice-Chair), P Baumber, O Davies, P Frost, C Kerrigan, and D Nelson; and Parish Clerk - J Sargent.

 

There were no members of the public in attendance. 

 

  1. Chairman’s Welcome

Cllr Williams opened the meeting welcoming everyone, thanked Councillors for their attendance, reminded Councillors to turn phone off or on silent and of emergency exits.

 

  1.  Apologies.

County Cllr R Kendrick and District Cllr A Bailey.

 

  1.  Declaration of Interest.

None received.

 

  1.  To approve as a correct record the minutes of the full Council meeting held on 26th March 2024.

With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to adopt the minutes as a true and accurate record

 

  1. To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Council meeting held on 7th May 2024.

With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to adopt the minutes as a true and accurate record

 

  1.  To approve the record of accounts for:
    1. March
    2. April

With no matters arising, it was resolved unanimously to accept the accounts for March and April.

 

  1.  To receive the bank reconciliation for:
    1. March
    2. April

The Clerk provided the bank reconciliation to keep Councillors up to date with the financial status of the Council, for information purposes only. 

 

  1. To consider 2024-25 grant applications:
    1. Village Hall Committee
    2. Parochial Church Council

Cllr Flett advised that applications for 2024-25 were submitted in November 2023 so they could be included in the 2024-25 budget and were therefore already approved. Clerk to arrange payment of 2024-25 grants.

 

  1. To receive reports:
    1. Village Hall Committee

Cllr Flett report that regular bookings have taken place as usual as well as a wedding and a christening. Some repairs and maintenance to the lights has been carried out. Other events hosted in the hall include Local elections and Flood Forum Meeting. Upcoming events include a barn dance on Saturday 22nd June.  

 

The King’s portrait has been put up by Cllr Kerrigan, which was provided to the Parish Council free of charge. Further maintenance works have been carried out on the noticeboards. Cllr Flett commented on how much better they look.

 

A D-Day commemoration event will be held in the Village Hall on Thursday 6th June, with authentic snacks, free drinks, 1940’s music, displays and the beacon to be lit at 9:15pm. £250.00 has been allocated to the commemoration event which will go towards hosting the event. Cllr Davies queried the time to ring the bells. Cllr Flett advised 8:30.

 

Cllr Flett mentioned an issue with nettles around the village hall and intends to have the gutters cleared. Cllr Baumber offered to get this done.

 

  1. Playing Field Committee

Cllr Nelson reported that additional bark has been laid out in the toddler area. Maintenance checks continue to be carried out by the volunteers. The main issue is the grass, but some areas have been cut by Cllr Williams, making it look much tidier.

 

Cllr Williams mentioned meeting with the grass cutting contractor, who apologised for the condition of the grass and spoke of requiring additional machinery to getting the maintenance back under control, which will take a couple of weeks due to the availability of the equipment.

 

  1. Community Speed Watch

Cllr Frost reported that the group have been out 9 times recently. Cllr Frost would prefer to conduct more sessions but are limited by the number of volunteers and appealed to Councillors for encourage anyone interested in volunteering to contact the speed watch group.

 

The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership published their first newsletter which was circulated with Councillors. Cllr Frost reported the statistics for Scopwick and Kirkby Green were encouraging. The data from the speed sign has been provided to the Clerk to share with the LRSP and the Police.

 

Cllr Nelson queried the speed of the southbound traffic being higher than northbound traffic. Cllr Frost suggested that the sign could be having an effect and when a speed sign is installed for southbound traffic, it might slow down traffic. Cllr Frost also noted increased Police activity in the area. Speed limits have been altered elsewhere, which could be having a knock-on effect.

 

  1. Environmental Report

Cllr Davies reported removing a tree in Kirkby Green churchyard for safety reasons. A tree on the Beck is due to be removed in the next couple of weeks. Cllr Davies has also been considering how to encourage the installation of solar panels in the parish.

 

Cllr Flett queried whether some trees were due to be trimmed in the parish. Cllr Baumber offered to send an email following this up and mentioned that there should be a survey done on the trees every three years for safety. Cllr Baumber suggested some lower branches need removing for safety and will contact the Tree Officer at NKDC.

 

  1. The Chairman

Cllr Williams reported attending the Annual RAF Digby reception which included a tour around the museum and mentioned how impressive it was. Cllr Williams also mentioned that viewing the plans for RAF Digby’s expansion and improvements.

 

Cllr Frost questioned whether any items could be loaned for display on D-Day. Cllr Flett offered to contact the Station Commander. Cllr Nelson suggested inviting a representative from the base to give a short presentation.

 

  1. The Clerk

The Clerk reported attending training with further training to attend over the next couple of months. The Clerk also mentioned missing a signature on the annual return so was unable to submit, however, still within the deadline to get the documents signed by the Chair and submitted after the meeting.

 

The Clerk mentioned a number of policies that need updating and will be circulated once edited; and has been in contact with a number of companies regarding the grass cutting contract.

 

  1. To receive a copy of the internal audit report.

The Clerk advised the report was compiled by Victoria Clark - Clark’s Clerical Services, who conducted the internal audit. The report is essentially a jobs list for the Clerk. The Clerk to update Councillors at a later date on progress.

 

Cllr Frost mentioned that the report recommends a Staffing Committee and Grievance Committee. The Clerk to bring policies and terms of reference for the two committees, to be considered at the July meeting as well as appointing members to each committee. Cllr Frost also noted that the report mentioned keeping the website updated and offered to help.

 

Cllr Kerrigan offered to review the Staffing Committee and Grievance Committee documents prior to the July meeting. The Clerk to liaise with Cllr Kerrigan.

 

  1. To consider the grass cutting contract.

Cllr Williams mentioned the difficulty over the current issues with the current contractor and queried whether to continue with the contractor or find another solution.

 

Cllr Baumber mentioned that the issue has been ongoing since March when the previous contractor did not return to complete a final cut, which made the first cut for the new contractor difficult. Cllr Baumber advised that communication had been poor with the contractors and their approach had been in a haphazard manner, with the criteria of the contract not fulfilled. Cllr Baumber criticised the standard of the work. Cllr Baumber advised keeping a paper trail of communication and noted a lack of engagement.

 

Cllr Baumber advised that the Clerk should have met with the contractor on site to discuss the requirements, which was not done. Additionally, the contractor has perhaps taken on too much work, with over 40 contracts and cannot attend to them all as required.

 

Cllr Davies also mentioned areas of the village that had been missed and areas that had been tended to were done poorly.

 

Cllr Baumber met with the contractor to show him the areas of the village detailed in the contract and advised of the standard required, cut every fortnight, and advised the contractor to get in contact if there are any issues. Cllr Baumber also criticised the contractor for not having the correct equipment, having known the details of the contract prior to submitting the quote.

 

Cllr Flett queried whether the contractor was notified in a timely manner. Cllr Baumber requested copies of the correspondence. Cllr Flett suggested seeking clarification from the other company who submitted a quote and queried whether the contractor had been paid. No payments had been made.

 

Cllr Nelson also suggested contacting the other company who submitted a quote to find out if they are interested in the work and advise the contractor that contract has been breached as none of the criteria has been fulfilled satisfactorily. Cllr Baumber requested that all Councillors are included in email correspondence. If the second company declined the contract, it would have to go back out to tender.

 

Cllr Williams clarified the two actions, to contact the second contractor who submitted a quote and contact the current contractor to discuss the standard of work, being in breach of contract, standards are not being met, and communication has not been satisfactory. Cllr Baumber suggested offering 7 days to complete an entire cut as per the contract and then review, possibly appoint a new contractor. Cllr Williams recommended asking the second contractor of the earliest possible start date.

 

Cllr Frost queried an overgrown hedge on Heath Road and who was responsible for it as this was limiting access to cut the grass. Cllr Baumber advised the responsibility is the owner of the hedge.

 

Cllr Kerrigan advised of a local resident who had offered to take on the contract, being passionate about the upkeep. Cllr Baumber advised the size of the contract means it would need to be tendered for, and recommended the contract is given to an expert who has the correct equipment and insurances, and possibly comes with recommendations.

 

The Clerk queried further action if the second contractor declines the work. The Clerk advised contacting neighbouring parishes for information on local contractors.

 

Cllr Davies mentioned issues with the playing field having extremely long grass containing ragwort. Cllr Baumber advised on the difficulties of cutting this long grass and its disposal and offered to look into it.

 

Cllr Williams reiterated the priority of send two emails. Cllr Flett thanked Cllr Baumber for his efforts.

 

  1. To consider the purchase of a second flashing speed sign.

Cllr Frost reported potentially siting a new flashing speed sign to the north of the village, however, a new pole will need to be installed. The Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership recommended a location near Vicarage Lane. However, with the 30-mph speed limit under review for extension, it may be possible to have the location further north. Cllr Frost mentioned that the survey for the extension has taken a long time despite numerous follow ups. Cllr Davies advised contact Cllr R Kendrick to follow this up with LCC Highways as the current speed sign has made an impact.

 

Cllr Nelson queried the lead time for the speed sign. Cllr Frost suggested it would be a few weeks. Cllr Baumber queried whether a new post would require approval from LCC Highways and advised using a pole already in place. The Clerk to confirm with the LRSP.

 

It was resolved unanimously to approve the purchase of a flashing speed sign.

 

  1. To consider options to protect the Brookside green, such as fencing or bollards.

Cllr Frost wanted to discuss options available to the Parish Council to protect the Brookside green from damage from vehicles.

 

Cllr Flett praised the work already done by Cllr Davies. Cllr Baumber cautioned that items put on Brookside which could be collided with raise liability issues and noted that the green is listed on the asset register.

 

Cllr Kerrigan suggested an area that is constantly driven on could have hardcore put down.

 

Cllr Baumber mentioned that this was considered previously with LCC Highways, however, they wanted the Parish Council to contribute to the scheme but did not provide any specification to the proposed road improvement scheme. Cllr Baumber mentioned that LCC have suggest no raised curbs and what’s in place needs to be hardwearing however advised that it should look like a village green rather than a car park.

 

Cllr Flett mentioned possibly having the previous emails regarding this from LCC and mentioned a grill effect to let the water drain through.

 

Councillors spoke about issues of parking around the village green and vehicles getting stuck in the meadow, and therefore being reluctant to park there.

 

Cllr Nelson recommended asking LCC Highways to review the kerbing project and bringing in Cllr Kendrick to help push it along. Cllr Baumber recommended including the efforts of Cllr Davies continually trying to maintain the grass. The Clerk to follow up.

 

  1. To receive notification of any planning permissions, refusals, withdrawals, or amendments.

No comments to be submitted to NKDC.

 

  1. To receive the correspondence log since the previous meeting.

The Clerk provided a record of the correspondence log for Councillors information.

 

Cllr Kerrigan requested clarification over the Spilsby invoice. The Clerk clarified that this was for the laptop’s software licence and printing costs.

 

  1. To receive a record of previous resolutions and action points.

The Clerk provided a record of previous resolutions and action points that were ongoing and complete.

 

  1. To confirm the date of the next meetings as Tuesday 30th July 2024.

It was resolved unanimously to hold the next Full Council meeting on Tuesday 30th July 2024.

 

 

 

Cllr Williams closed the meeting at 8:29pm.