2023 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

SILK WILLOUGHBY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

Thursday 27th July 2023 at 7.30pm in Silk Willoughby Village Hall

Councillors Present: Cllr Bell, Thackray, Roberts (Chair), J Wright and K Wright.

In attendance: Parish Clerk Boden and 8 members of the public.

AGENDA

Chairman’s Welcome and Housekeeping Arrangements. 

23077. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SESSION

To receive reports from outside bodies.

Report from C. Cllr Hagues – Ofsted have again rated LCC Childrens Services as outstanding for another year. LCC has announced that it’s support for independent living to residents across the county. This will enable people to remain at home, longer, by offering to provide and fix safety aids around their homes.  Further information can be obtained by going on-line to our website. Finally, this area is seeing quite a few road repairs at the moment.

Report from D. Cllr Jackson – Report attached.

Questions or Points raised by residents and members of the public. A member of the public was upset as he thought that a meeting held between the Council and LCC Rowan Smith was about the trench on London Road. The meeting was about the village pond. A few words were expressed about the trench but this was only to confirm what had been already stated – Notes of meeting attached.

It was commented about the state of the road on Gorse Lane and the new repairs. It is hoped that these are a temporary fix. Part of the agreement of the Solar Farm was that the road was repaired to a good standard. The PC will contact Aswarby Estates.

A member of public asked if the subject of White Gates could be placed on the next agenda.

COUNCIL SESSION

23078. Apologies for Absence: To receive and accept apologies where valid reasons for absence have been given to the Parish Clerk prior to the meeting. There were no apologies.

23079. Declarations of Interest: To receive Declarations of Pecuniary Interests of all parish councillors. There were no Declarations of Interest.

23080. Approval of Minutes - To approve and accept as a true record the notes of the meeting of the Parish Council held on 22nd June 2023 and to authorise the Chairman to sign the official minutes. It was resolved to accept the minutes from the meeting held on the 22nd June and to authorise the Chairman to sign.

23081. Silk Willoughby Roads - To receive an update on the ongoing Traffic concerns. 

• 30/5/23 – Notice to all residents on London Road re parking on the road

• CSW – 30mph signs placed on the appropriate sign posts and bin stickers given out to members of the public 

• 6/7/23 – Cllr Hagues email regarding a resident’s request for the SID to face into the village

• 17/7/23 – LCC meeting, see notes attached. LCC have previously agreed to patch the trench and will contact the resident. The SID will not be moved and will stay as it is.

• 24/7/23 - A meeting with a representative of Mountains was held. This is purely information gathering so that the PC have the facts. A member of public asked if this information would be made public. It will be attached to the minutes but some information needs to be redacted.

• A member of public also asked for the PC to request planning applications for Mountains yard regarding buildings. This is not in the remit of the PC and this information can be requested direct from NKDC.

23082. Grant Applications – To receive an update on current grant applications. It was resolved that as the application contains quotes it would be placed in closed session. 

It had also been asked by a resident if a hearing loop could be placed in the Church. The PC can not give money to individuals nor could they give money to the Church or PCC due to the Local Government Act 1894 S.8(1)(i)

23083. Queen’s Memorial Bench - To receive an update on the Memorial Bench. 

• Cllr Bell has put the bench together and is storing it at his house until the pond work is complete.

• Some research will need to be completed to make the bench secure when sited.

23084. Village Pond - To receive an update on the Village Pond. 

• 5/7/23 – Meeting postponed due to illness. 

• 17/7/23 – Meeting held in VH. See Note for outcome

• Once this work has been completed the PC need to look into dredging the pond and look at completing work to the trees that surround the pond. It is noted that they have a TPO on them. The outlet pipe needs planning so that water can be controlled into the stream and the pond reinstated to its former glory.

23085. Insurance - To review and consider the insurance policy for year 23-24. The PC were given the 3 quotes and after a discussion on the options it was resolved to go with BHIB Insurance this year at a cost of £397.94

23086. Garden Centre Voucher - To receive an update on the remaining vouchers.

• At present there are 108 vouchers left from the Coronation, giving the Council £540 to be spent at Pennells. 

• It was resolved to save and use them in the village but mainly around the pond when it is complete

23087. Correspondence - To receive a list of correspondence received.

• The PC wrote to Cllr Davies, 25/5/23, expressing an interest in more information on the Sleaford Transport Strategy. C Cllr Hagues will be our contact.

• LCC had offered a scheme for free litter picking sticks, vests and bags. The Council had applied and received 8 packs.

• Emails re overgrown garden on School Lane. Cllr Roberts contacted the owner and it has now been sprayed

• A resident had asked about the long grass on the verge outside the new build on School Lane. Cllr Roberts had contacted he grass cutting contractor and he had cut it at no extra cost.

• A member of public contacted Cllr Roberts regarding an abandoned vehicle on School Lane. It was reported on Fix My Street and the local Facebook page. The vehicle has now been moved.

• An email had been received regarding the traffic on London Road. The clerk will respond to the email stating everything the Council had done.

23088. LALC Awards – To receive a report on the LALC awards that took place.

• Cllr Thackray had been nominated for a long service award (36 years) and Cllr of the Year

• Cllr F Wright had been nominated for a long service award (35 years) and Cllr of the Year.

• A Cllr from Methringham had won the Cllr of the Year but certificates had been given.

23089. Bank Accounts for Grant Deposits.

a) To review and accept the Investment Policy. It was resolved to accept the Investment Policy.

b) To review and consider other bank accounts for both the grant and CIL deposits. The clerk had done research and produced a report showing a number of banks that would give the PC different returns on the money. Accounts with Unity and Lloyds are already in the process of being opened. It was resolved to open an account with CCLA and once open then transfer the funds out of HSBC so that it is protected and earning a higher interest rate.

23090. Documents Handover. To receive an update of the handover of documents held by previous Cllrs. Documents from the ex-Cllr have been collected.

23091. Planning Applications. To receive and discuss the following applications

a) 23/0558/HOUS – 7 London Road. To ratify comment of ‘No comment’ submitted. It was ratified that the clerk had submitted a comment to NKDC.

b) 23/0819/TCA – St. Deny’s Church. Tree reduction and crown uplift. It was resolved to submit a response of ‘No Comment’.

23092. Neighbourhood Plan. To review and consider the need of a Neighbourhood plan. A plan for having an area designated was approved on 18/09/14 by NKDC, nothing has been sorted since. Cllr K Wright stated that the next steps had been looked into before and at the time it was felt that there was not manpower to move it forward.

It was resolved to defer the item to the next meeting to allow Cllrs time to look into it.

23093. Finances.

a) To receive the clerk’s report on payments between meetings

It was resolved to accept the clerk’s report on payments between meetings.

b) To note the payment of £267.78 from HMRC for the VAT reclaim. It was noted that the payment of £267.78 had been received from HMRC for the VAT reclaim for financial year 2022/23.

c) To consider and approve the bank reconciliation. It was resolved to approve the bank reconciliation.

d) To consider and approve the quarterly budget spend. It was resolved to approve the quarterly budget spend.

23094. To review the Standing Orders. It was resolved to accept the review of the Standing Orders.

23095. To review the Financial Regulations. It was resolved to accept the review of the Financial Regulations.

23096. To review and consider the Asset Register. The dog bin needs the road changing from Gorse Lane to School Lane. The Defibrillator and cabinet need to be checked as Cllr K Wright is sure that they were purchased by a member of public as a gift. They could be given a value of £1 as the PC maintain the unit.

23097. To review and consider the following policies.

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

b) Equality & Diversity policy. It was resolved to accept the review of the Equality & Diversity Policy.

c) Data Protection policy. It was resolved to accept the review of the Data Protection Policy.

d) Data Breach policy. It was resolved to accept the review of the Data Breach Policy.

23098. Date and Time of next meeting. To note the next meeting as 28th September 2023 at 7.30pm in the village hall.

A member of public asked to speak regarding the potential closure of the ticket office at Sleaford Train Station. The closure will affect many users and there is a petition if anybody wants to sign it.

 CLOSED COUNCIL SESSION

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

23099. Grant Applications – To receive an update on current grant applications. It was resolved that as the application contains quotes it would be placed in closed session.

A grant application had been received regarding the Parish Clock to change it from manual winding to auto winding. Two quotes had been received and the Parish Council considered both. 

The PC resolved to accept the quote from Time Assured for £6,800. VAT and any prior work will not be paid to the applicant. Yearly servicing and maintenance must be carried out to maintain the guarantee. The clerk will write to the applicant.

The meeting closed at 9.15pm. 

Notes of Meeting held on the 17th July 2023 at Silk Willoughby Village Hall, to discuss 

Silk Willoughby Village Pond.

In attendance: R. Smith (LCC Highways), C. Cllr Hagues, Cllrs Roberts (Chair), Thackray, J Wright and R. Boden (Clerk).

A meeting was held between LCC and representatives of the Parish Council to establish an outcome for the Village Pond, following a number of emails between the relevant bodies.

The Village Pond is owned by the Parish Council and it is believed that a parcel of land around the pond is also owned by the PC. It is not clear who owns the ditch (riparian) but it was last cleared by LCC and Pennells Garden Centre a number of years ago. The trees were set by a previous Cllr when trees were being given for free yearly. The utility man holes on the green in front of the bench gives mains water access to the garden centre.

It has been established that contaminated water is entering the pond from inlets connected to the road drainage system. LCC can not establish where the contaminants have originated from but agree that as the water is entering the pond via their drainage system but they are willing to work with the Parish Council.

Bungs will be placed in the both inlets from the road side, rather than the pond side. Unfortunately, this will also stop any spring water entering the pond. This will cause the water to flow down the road instead but LCC Highways do not have an issue with this, especially during the summer months.  Water may pool and collect on the lowest corner of the pond and sand bags may be needed to stop this water entering the pond.

It was also pointed out that though LCC Highways are willing to infill the trench on London Road it does not meet the Intervention Criteria on both the Street Works Act and LCC policies. This will be a good will gesture with them carrying the work out once only and it may make the road noise worse due to the trench having 2 joints.

District Councillor Jackson’s Report Silk Willoughby - July 2023 

A new vision being shaped for Sleaford’s Market Place

Plans to reinvigorate Sleaford’s Market Place as an enhanced public space without car parking have been put forward for consideration.  If successful, the scheme will be funded by more than £1m from a government grant for economic renewal. Work would take place over the second half of 2024 into spring 2025.

Main aspects of the plan are to:

• End parking in the market square, but retaining limited provision in connection with church activity;

• Retain the market, which would operate in a safer car-free location. The market is operated by the town council and would be temporarily moved during the period of the works;

• Prioritise the space for pedestrian use;

• Install planted areas surrounded by extensive seating;

• Create a space well suited to public events similar to last year’s River Light displays;

• Introduce new paving, lighting of the war memorial and improvements to the setting;

• Bring more vibrancy to the area.

Central Lincolnshire Local Plan

Members can access the new Central Lincolnshire Local Plan which is being used to make planning decisions across the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee partnership area of City of Lincoln, North Kesteven, West Lindsey District and Lincolnshire County Councils. 

It represents the joint visions for how Central Lincolnshire should evolve between now and 2024. It is pioneering in placing climate change at its core and will help ensure Central Lincolnshire is a net zero carbon area. This trailblazing approach will also lead the way for other areas to follow in tackling climate change.

Customer Service Centre at Sleaford

Open for face-to-face interaction on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays (except bank holidays) – 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm. If customers need to speak to a specific officer this should ideally be by an arranged, booked appointment.

Closed to drop-ins and appointments on Thursday and Friday, but access remains (apart from 1pm to 2pm) for Job Centre Plus services that are also on site.

A proposal to lift the restriction on cars older than 10 years to be used as taxis and for private hire is under consideration.

Currently, the policy is not to licence any Hire Vehicle once it reaches its 10th anniversary of registration, unless it meets the exceptional condition criteria detailed within the policy. This age policy was previously introduced to offer some flexibility for the trade when licensing cars, balanced against the increased emissions concerns around older diesel vehicles.

But now, following the tightening of emissions criteria under the VOSA MOT requirements, along which future proposals to further tighten the national emissions standards, the committee believes that a relaxation of the current age policy will offer more flexibility for the trade, whilst ensuring that hire vehicles, (which require testing to MOT standard every 6 months) still meet the strict national emissions criteria.   

If passed hopefully it will hopefully make a difference to the number of taxis in Sleaford!

Voter ID Initial Analysis

The Electoral Commission has completed their initial analysis on the impact of introducing Voter ID at the May local council elections

To learn more about the early analysis and local information please follow this link HERE.

Grants for Rural Businesses

You may have read in my recent newsletter Local Businesses can apply for capital funds to expand their business or business products. The fund is the “UK Prosperity Fund” from some of the money that is no longer going to Europe.  It is rather small, so over-subscribed, but worth applying in case!  Please share with your local businesses. This link is for North Kesteven, but all Councils will have some funds.

Rural England Prosperity Fund business grant | North Kesteven District Council (n-kesteven.gov.uk)