2022 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

CLERK’S NOTES SILK WILLOUGHBY PARISH COUNCIL

ANNUAL PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

Tuesday 31st May at 7.30pm in Silk Willoughby Village Hall

22001. Election of Chairman: To elect the Chairman of the Council and to receive the Chairman’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

It was resolved that Cllr Roberts be elected as Chair for the civic year 2022-2023.

22002. Election of Vice-Chairman: To elect the Vice-Chairman of the Council.

It was resolved that no body was willing to stand as Vice Chair for the civic year 2022-2023

22003. To receive: Declarations of Acceptance of Office and Members’ Disclosable Pecuniary and other interests of all parish councillors. 

NIL

22004. Apologies for Absence: To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting.

NIL

22005. To approve and accept as a true record the notes of the meeting of the Parish Council held on 21 April 2022 and to authorise the Chairman to sign the official minutes.

It was resolved to accept the clerk’s notes.

22006. County Councillor and District Councillor reports: 

Cllr Hagues reported that LCC have a £12 million short fall on the Highways budget, equating to around 25%.

Highways have been and assessed London Road and concluded that everything was at a satisfactory level, however they would monitor the situation. The Southern Relief Road around Lincoln has gone to planning and it is hoped that it will be finished by 2027.

22007. To approve and amend (if necessary) the Standing Orders – circulated to all Cllrs.

It was resolved to accept the Standing Orders

22008. To approve and amend (if necessary): The Financial Regulations – circulated to all Cllrs. 

It was resolved to accept the Financial Regulations.

22009. To approve and adopt the updated Code of Conduct, (updated by NKDC).

It was resolved to approve and adopt the updated Code of Conduct.

22010. To review the Asset Register.

It was resolved to remove the tractor and mower, as they had been sold or scrapped.

22011.To review and accept policies

a) Health & Safety policy. It was resolved to accept the Health & Safety Policy

b) Equality and Diversity Policy. It was resolved to accept the Equality and Diversity Policy

c) Publication Scheme. It was resolved to accept the Publication Scheme.

d) Freedom of Information Request. It was resolved to accept the Freedom of      Information Request Policy.                       

e) Data Protection Policy. It was resolved to accept the Dara Protection Policy.

f) Data Breach Policy. It was resolved to accept the Data Breach Policy.

g) Complaints Policy. It was resolved to accept the Complaints Policy.

h) Social Media Policy. It was resolved to accept the Social Media Policy.

i) Records Retention Policy. It was resolved to accept the Records Retention Policy.

22012. Finance: 2021/22

a) End of Year: Cash book and bank reconciliation as of March 2022. It was resolved the figures were correct and the cash book and bank statements reconciled.

b) Certificate of Exemption: AGAR 2021/22. To approve and give permission for Chairman and Responsible Finance Officer to sign. It was resolved that the Certificate of Exemption: AGAR 2021/22 could be signed by the Chair and RFO.

c) To receive Internal Auditors reports. It was resolved to accept the Internal Auditors report and the explanations by the clerk.

d) Annual Governance and Accountability Return: Section 1, Governance Statement. To approve and give permission for the Chairman and Clerk to sign. It was resolved to approve and give permission for the Chair and Clerk to sign.

e) Annual Governance and Accountability Return: Section 2. To approve and give permission for the Chairman and Responsible Finance Officer to sign. It was resolved to approve and give permission for the Chair and Responsible Financial Officer to sign.

f) Analysis of Variances. To approve the variances. It was resolved to approve the variances that have arisen this year.

g) Notice of the period for the exercise of public rights and other information required by Regulation 15 (2), Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015. To approve the dates Monday 13 June – Friday 22 July 2022. It was resolved to accept the dates, 13 June – 22 July 2022, as recommended by PKF Littlejohn (External Auditor) .

22013. Finance: 2022/23 

1. To approve and accept Bank Reconciliation and Cashbooks to 30th April. It was resolved to approve and accept the Bank Reconciliation and Cashbooks.

2. To approve delegation of power for the RFO to complete the work. It was resolved to approve delegation of power to the RFO to complete the work.

3. To approve payments as list below

4. To accept village hall accounts and rental increase. It was resolved to accept the village hall accounts and the rental increase.

22014. Chair’s Report:

1. Solar Farm. Mytilineos has reported that they will honour the £5k per MW.

2. Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The Council gave a £200 donation to the Village Hall last month and Aswardby Estate are happy for a tree to be planted by the public footpath in the pasture field, so that everybody can enjoy it’s growth.

3. Topping/ Removal of tree on Rowan Drive. Previously these trees had been planted by the Parish Council. A meeting is to be arranged between the Cllrs to examine the trees and discuss appropriate action.

22015. Clerk’s Report:

a) Traffic along Gorse Lane. This subject had already been covered in the Public Forum

b) Website Maintenance. It was resolved that the clerk would now pick up this role.

c) Notification of Road Closure for maintenance – Walks Road, 8/6/22. 

22016. Planning: To consider and make any comments on planning applications

22/0508/FUL – Four Seasons Garden Centre, London Road, Silk Willoughby. It was resolved to move this into closed session at the end for Councillors to discuss. The final decision will be made public.

22017. Insurance. To approve insurance for the year. It was resolved that as the tractor had been sold that the insurance with NFU will be cancelled.

22018. Training: 

a) Chair’s Workshop. Cllr Robert did not attend the workshop due to having Covid.

b) Accounts Training. It was agreed at the previous meeting that the Clerk should receive training for the account’s package being used. However, the clerk has found a more appropriate accounting package. It was resolved to purchase this accounting system instead.

22019.To consider items for inclusion on the agenda for next meeting.

Items for the next agenda to include: The footpath on School Lane, Village Hall Ramp, Overgrown Hedges, Adopting a Vexatious Policy. 

22020. Date of Next Meeting:

a. To note the next meeting as 28 July 2022 at 7.30pm in the village hall.

Items of a confidential nature to be debated in the absence of the press and public, under the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 (due to the confidential nature of the business).

22016. Planning. To consider and make any comments on planning applications

22/0508/FUL – Four Seasons Garden Centre, London Road, Silk Willoughby.

It was resolved for the clerk to write to NKDC with the comments expressed.

Meeting closed at 9.25pm

Planning Application: 22/0505/FUL, Four Seasons Garden Centre, London Road, Silk Willoughby, Sleaford.

Silk Willoughby Parish Council held a public meeting on Tuesday 31st May to consider the above application. A number of electors attended the meeting and expressed their views to the Council, with the Council taking the comments on board.

The main consideration of the Council is the access road onto the site. Travelling from Sleaford the Council would like to see a separate lane for the vehicles to turn right into the garden centre. At the present, vehicles waiting to turn into the garden centre can hold up the flow of traffic and with a larger garden centre that is expecting larger volumes of vehicle movement this will be exacerbated.

It has also been noted that both pedestrians and delivery lorries will also be using this joint access entrance. The National Planning Policy, Paragraph 112 states that applications for development should give priority to pedestrian and cycle movements, address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility, create places that are safe, secure and allow for the efficient delivery of goods.

Any pedestrians or those using a ‘mobility’ scooter will have to navigate from the main road, using this same entrance, and then proceed across the carpark to gain a safe route to the store.

Also, a concern is the need for the delivery lorries to enter the eastern carpark to gain access to delivery area. The Council agree that this turning area is much more adequate than present, as the lorries have to reverse out onto London Road with no guidance, but are concerned that the area may become ‘clogged up’ and the delivery vehicles have to reverse the length of the car park and then swing 90 degrees onto the road.

The electors are concerned over the extra traffic and the potential speeding between the site and the village and it has been noted that the Pre- application advice, of September 2020, asked for an extension of the 30mph speed limit from Silk Willoughby to the north to cover the site access.

It has been noted that the proposal will not increase the wider range of 'non-gardening goods' currently sold and it is hoped that this remains and not expanded on. The Pre-application advice expressed ‘the impact assessment should include a health check of Sleaford Town’ and exiting a time of economic uncertainty the Council hope that this is held to. The Central Lincolnshire Local Plan (2017) Policy LP1: A Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development highlights the strategic objective for Central Lincolnshire and its desire to promote and deliver development in a sustainable manner that brings forward benefits for a range of stakeholders within the area. 

Silk Willoughby Parish Council is in favour of the development but hope that the above concerns are acknowledged.