August 2022 Minutes
MINUTES OF OLD SOMERBY PARISH COUNCIL MEETING DRAFT
HELD TUESDAY 9 August, 2022 7.15 PM AT THE FOX AND HOUNDS OLD SOMERBY
PRESENT: Cllrs: Vicky Lowndes (Chairman) Nigel Percy (Vice-Chairman), Veronica Stephens, Peter Burrows, Betty North and Parish Clerk David Holmes.
Also present Cllr Sarah Trotter SKDC, Cllr Charlotte Vernon LCC and 7 members of the public.
Prior to the meeting at 7pm a Public Forum was held. Issues raised included: a)S18/2247 Old Quarry development-the removal of trees, the proposed footpath, loss of daffodils, and lack of notification regarding road works; b) the new Roundabout and the turn into Old Somerby from Cold Harbour; c) the Objection to the recent Audit and possible costs to the Council.
1. APOLOGIES: There were no apologies.
2. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTERESTS OR APPLICATIONS FOR DISPENSATIONS.
None were declared.
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Cllr Burrows proposed the minutes of the meeting held 17 May, 2022 be accepted as a correct record; Seconded Cllr North –CARRIED and signed by the Chairman: ACTION THE CLERK
4. CLERK AND COUNCILLORS' ACTIONS AND UPDATES/LATEST:
a) Speed Indicators: The clerk reported the new Indicator had been delivered but we are awaiting the erection of the necessary post by the LCC which will hold the indicator.
b) TREE PLANTING: The clerk reported the good news that having received the necessary application from the clerk, the LCC Arboricultural Officer had made a bid for funding for 1050 trees and plants to be planted on the site near to Ropsley Rise within the parish boundary. The land was owned by Ropsley Farms Ltd who had very kindly agreed to the land being used for that purpose and they had offered to plant and maintain. ACTION: CLERK.
c) PIECE OF LAND BEHIND THE BUNGALOWS: The Chairman made a proposal that “At this stage of the negotiations it would be prejudicial to public interest to deal with the issue in Open Session and that the meeting goes in Closed Session later“; Seconded Cllr Burrows and carried with one vote against. ACTION THE CLERK.
d) Village Signs: Cllr Stephens had made contact with the LCC in March and had heard nothing since. A reminder email had been sent: ACTION: Cllr Stephens
e) Parish Jubilee – Reflections: Cllr Stephens had organised the event and around 100 people attended the street party in the Cul De Sac. She indicated she was very proud of the effort put in by her committee. The scare-crow competition had been very well supported. Cllr Stephens was thanked for her efforts and those of the committee and it was hoped it would be possible to build on the success for future events. Cllr Stephens to report back on a lasting tribute such as a bench, village sign or tree. ACTION: Cllr Stephens
f) Proposed 40 mph limit at Cold Harbour: Cllr Percy reported there had been no further news. He reiterated the local view was that the real problem was not necessarily the speed
but the junction with High Dyke. The clerk had raised that with LCC Highways and suggested that a roundabout at that junction should be considered with a view to reducing accidents.
g) Broadband: Cllr Stephens reported that there had been some 21 responses from residents etc to her publicity to try and bring fibre into the village. She had been into touch with the Officer in charge. It was noted that that response was likely too low to attract interest by the Supplier. Anyone who has not registered their interest can still do so. To be further discussed at a future meeting. ACTION: Cllr Stephens.
h) Dog Bins: The Clerk reported that the 3rd bin had been erected and a volunteer had been found. It was noted that all 3 bins were in regular use and all of the volunteers were to be thanked for their services.
5. LCC COUNCILLOR UPDATE: Cllr Vernon LCC reported concerning i) Tree Planting that the LCC had as target of 750,000 trees to be planted in the county over the next few years. There is a” tree counter” on the LCC Website and residents/parish councils etc can register any trees planted.(see attached report for the link)
ii) Electric Vehicle Charging Point Plan: A bid had been made for Government funding by 3 local county councils. (see fuller report attached) ;
iii Updating the Minerals and Waste Local Plan The LCC is an important producer of
Minerals and the largest producer of sand and gravel in the East Midlands. Nominations for potential sites for sand and gravel and limestone aggregate are being sought. (see report)
iv) Collection amnesty for unwanted medical equipment is extended to county recycling centres. Locally unwanted perching stools, bed sticks, commodes, crutches or rolators etc can be taken to Grantham Recycling Centre to be passed on to the NHS for re-use..
v) Awareness of Fires: The have been 607 wildfires recently in the county. Extra care must be taken by everyone just now especially.
Cllr Vernon was thanked for her report. A copy is attached.
6. SKDC LOCAL COUNCILLOR UPDATE: Cllr Sarah Trotter also reported:
i) Fire Risk with batteries; when disposing of any item with a battery, it is vital the battery is removed first as there had been fires in bin lorries from overheated batteries: Batteries can be disposed of at the local Recycling Centre.
ii) SK Community Awards: Cllr Trotter is one of the judges and anyone can put forward names of people for consideration. ii) Green Flag Awards: The award of a green flag for Wyndham Park was a notable local success. All Green Areas have a positive benefits for mental health issues. Iv) Hello SK: An App is now available for mobile phones to enable current free offers from local businesses to be instantly picked up by passers-by.
v) The Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner has launched the “Strong Voices Project” which provides free sessions to give young people a voice raising policing and crime issues from their communities. Contact the PCC on www.lincolnshire-pcc.gov.uk
Cllr Trotter was thanked for her report.
7. FINANCE: i) Financial Statement - Each Councillor had a copy which gave details of the Bank Reconciliation, all Income Received and all Payments Made for the current financial year. The Financial Statement had been countered-signed by Cllr Burrows as Lead Councillor – Finance after his inspection on 5 August 2022 which he confirmed verbally. The Financial Statement was ACCEPTED unanimously.(Copy attached) ii) Internal Audit: It was noted that the Internal Auditor at his regular Interim Inspection earlier this year had recommended that when signatories are signing cheques and inspecting the relevant invoice that they also sign and date it. That practice had been in force since March 2022.
Iii)Annual Audit/ Objection: The Council was required to prepare a response for the External Auditor. The Chairman PROPOSED: “In order to prepare the Parish Council’s response to the External Auditor regarding this Objection to the Audit 2021-2022, it would not be conducive to an orderly discussion if the Objector was present and I propose this item is discussed in Closed Session later" Seconded Cllr Burrows and carried unanimously.
vi) Asset Register: The Clerk handed out to Councillors an amended version of the Asset Register to include the new Dog Bin and the new Speed Indicator. The previous total of £14,620 was now uplifted to £17,536. (Copy attached to these minutes and on the Website) The clerk to seek a re-evaluation of the insurance cover. An Annual Risk Assessment of all Assets would be carried out with Cllr Stephens later this year. The amended version was Approved unanimously. ACTION: the Clerk. NB The figure on the recent Audit form Section 2 of £18,350 was later found to be incorrect and was amended to £14,620 as above on 3 June 2022 prior to publication of the Public Rights Notification.
A ii) Review: Investment – The clerk referred to the current bank balance as shown on the Financial Statement of £11,057.82 and to the regulatory requirement to consider whether or not to invest. It was noted that interest rates have only risen recently having been so low for a long period. Also noted was the requirement to have regard to the Budget and have funds available to meet expected expenditure for the year. In addition there could also be legal fees in respect of any purchase of land and possible expenditure for any associated equipment. AGREED the clerk to investigate and bring a report regarding interest rates for the next meeting for the whole issue of investment to be further considered. Approval was given for the clerk to attend the AGM for LALC later this year and for fees -£10
and travelling to be paid. Approval was also given for the purchase of daffodils for infill etc purposes - £40. ACTION: The Clerk
8. CORRESPONDENCE: i) Parking on Farm Gateway: The clerk reported recent email correspondence with the land owner. The Clerk had not heard from the Highways Dept LCC as had been promised. ACTION: the Clerk to pursue the matter with Highways. Ii) SKDC Election staff – the clerk reported recent staff changes. iii) An email from the LALC Webmaster regarding Homepage Banners, Parish Council Logo etc was to be passed to Cllr Percy for attention. Iv) Police and Crime Commissioner – Strong Voices Project see 5 above; v) Street sign down on the Cul de Sac – the clerk had reported it to FIX MY STREET and the matter was progressing. The posts supporting it were also in need of repair.
ACTION THE CLERK.
9 PLANNING APPLICATIONS
i) S22/0867 Full planning permission for 2 x 3 bedroom dwellings within existing gardens on Grantham Road. Still pending a decision. Ii) S21/2506 Application to vary conditions –approved by the Planners on 5 August 2022. During the discussion in the Public Forum it was noted a) there had been no prior notification of the recent partial road closure with traffic lights on School Lane; b) there had also been local concerns about the above approval which include the removal of road side trees and that there seemed to be no requirement to plant replacement trees. Concerns were also expressed as to the possible effect upon the proposed footpath in front of the development which is scheduled to be undertaken before the properties were constructed. It was also noted that the whole site had been inactive for many months. AGREED the clerk to write to the Contractors and or LCC to ask for assurances in relation to these issues. ACTION: the Clerk
10. REPORT FROM THE POLICE REGARDING LOCAL ISSUES: The Clerk had received a reply from the Police indicating there was nothing of note to report. Any incidents can always be reported to the Police on 101.
11. Date and time of next Meeting. The next meeting was fixed for Tuesday 8 November, 2022 at 7.15pm with a Public Forum at 7pm.
Meeting Closed.
MEETING HELD IN CLOSED SESSION
PIECE OF LAND MIDDLE PATH: After a discussion it was agreed i) to contact the SKDC with a view to the transfer to go ahead with modification; ii) to engage Aide Pepperdine as the parish council solicitors and appraise them of the current situation and ask for advice.
Annual Audit 2021/2022 OBJECTION – The Parish Council’s Response: All Councillors had been copied in on emails. A draft Response had been approved by two councillors. The proposed Response was considered in detail and with some alterations there was a unanimous vote in favour of accepting the draft proposal as amended. ACTION: The clerk to email the response to the external auditors with a copy to the Objector.
OLD SOMERBY PARISH COUNCIL
Financial Statement for Parish Council Meeting 9 August, 2022
1. BANK RECONCILIATION:
Temporary Bank Statement 4 August, 2022 11057.82
The above balance includes £250 ring fenced donation
From Mitchells and Butlers to be used for a village project.
Used so far: £73.53 for Bus Shelter refurbishment –Balance £176.47
2. INCOME SINCE 1 April 2022:
Precept 3500.00
HMRC VAT Refund 84.56
SKDC 231.66
3816.22
PAYMENTS since 1 April 2022:
D. Warden grass cutting 45.00
LALC Annual subscription 180.00
Unipart Rail repair of Speed Indicator 361.87
D. Warden grass cutting 90.00
DJ Holmes refund Jubilee Party 11.97
Bank charges To 4 Apl 2022 6.20
Bank charges “ 10.00
Elan City Speed Indicator 2700.00
Jubilee Expenditure 48.90
Jubilee 39.90
Zurich Annual Insurance 249.04
Grass Cutting 90.00
Jubilee Expenditure 221.72
Dog Bin 196.44
*Dog Bin fittings 20.79
Dog Bin secure fittings 40.00
*Grass Cutting 90.00
Bank Charges to 4 May 2022 6.60
Bank Charges to 4 June 2022 6.60
Bank Charges 7.80
4422.83
Original signed 5 August, 2022
David J Holmes Cllr Peter Burrows
Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer Lead Parish Councillor
August 2022 August, 2022
AUGUST 2022 - Report from Charlotte Vernon, County Councillor for Colsterworth Rural Division
County Council Wide Matters
Tree Planting
Lincolnshire want to see 750,000 trees planted around the county over the next few years.
The ambitious target is linked to the national 25-year Environment Plan, which aims to create or restore 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat. Despite its reputation for being a green and rural county, Lincolnshire actually has one of the lowest tree coverage rates in the country at just four per cent, compared to an England average of 10 per cent. Lincolnshire County Council has started to respond to this by supporting tree planting projects around the county. In the 2021/22 tree planting season we planted over 30,000 trees across
To keep track of our progress, we’ve installed a tree counter on our website. We also have a map so you can see where in Lincolnshire trees have all been planted so far.
If you plant a tree in your garden or on your land that you control, you can register it on the tree counter and it have it count towards the county’s tree planting target.
Register your trees on the tracker now. Visit: www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/green-masterplan/lincolnshire-climate-summit/2
Any trees planted within Lincolnshire over the last 12 months can be registered and added to the total.
If you have a site that would be suitable to plant 300 or more trees and are interested in looking at tree planting options, then please register your interest on our website at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/xfp/form/744 or contact us on sustainability@lincolnshire.gov.uk.
Electric Vehicle Charging Point Plan
Five local authorities, led by Lincolnshire County Council and Midlands Connect, have submitted a joint bid for £935,355 Government funding as part of the Government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Pilot which would deliver an extra 101 standard and 8 rapid charging points across Lincolnshire
If successful, the £935,355 will be distributed between Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Herefordshire, Rutland and Stoke-on-Trent Councils.
It is expected that this support from Government will attract an additional £2.8million of private sector investment, with the cumulative funds being used to install a total of 322 standard and 27 rapid public EV chargers across the Midlands.
The majority of these will be on-street chargers in residential areas with the remainder being placed in council-owned carparks and other council-owned land. It is hoped that this pilot could pave the way for a larger, region-wide installation scheme.
Last year, analysis by Midlands Connect found that Lincolnshire needs 1,404 new public EV charging points by the end of 2025 to meet the needs of the growing EV market.
At present, 93% of electric vehicle owners have access to off-road parking.
It’s hoped that increasing the number of public charging stations will make it easier for those without a driveway to make the switch to an electric vehicle, while also increasing the ease of travel and charging for all EV users in the county.
As part of the bid, LCC has drawn up key areas that could benefit from some of the 43% increase in the number of chargers outlined in the bid.
These areas are: Grantham, Boston, Gainsborough, Skegness, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Sleaford, Hemswell Cliff, Spalding and Louth.
Updating the Minerals and Waste Local Plan
Lincolnshire County Council has begun the process of updating the statutory Minerals and Waste Local Plan which is used by developers when putting forward proposals, and by the council when dealing with planning applications.
Lincolnshire is an important producer of minerals and is currently the largest producer of sand and gravel in the East Midlands. Limestone, chalk, and hydrocarbons are also extracted in the county.
Waste management facilities are essential to ensure the wastes generated by households, businesses and industry are dealt with in the most efficient and sustainable ways possible.
As the first stage of updating the plan, we have produced an issues and options consultation document which sets out the main issues affecting how we plan for minerals and waste in Lincolnshire together with potential options for improving the plan. We’ve then posed a range of questions to seek local views on the most appropriate way forward.
In parallel with the issues and options consultation, we are carrying out a ‘call for sites’ exercise to give landowners, the industry and other interested parties an opportunity to nominate potential sites for allocation in the updated plan. At this stage, we are only inviting nominations for potential sites for sand and gravel and limestone aggregates.
Collection amnesty for unwanted medical equipment extended across recycling centres
If you have any unwanted medical equipment, the pandemic has meant there is a shortage of equipment such as perching stools, bed sticks and commodes, as well as smaller items like crutches or rollators. These can now be taken to Grantham Recycling Centre to be given to the NHS and reused.
Fixmystreet – Please do continue to report concerns regarding potholes, or damage to the roads via this website.
Awareness re Wild Fires
The latest figures for the county show that during April – July there were 607 wildfires – 314 of these in July.
Last year, the same 4-month period saw 286 wildfires.
In these periods of prolonged dry weather, please take extra care to try and avoid the risk of a wildfire… and if you do see a fire, ensure you are safe and call 999 as quickly as possible.
Freedom Never Gets Old (Bus Passes)
Freedom Never Gets Old is a campaign to encourage everyone who is entitled to a free bus pass to either get theirs now or be thinking about getting one when they get to their 66th birthday. The campaign is aimed at getting people to use their local bus service in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
Rolling out in August, Freedom Never Gets Old is targeted at all those who have suffered the longest and most severe restrictions during the pandemic and are now in need of support and encouragement to reconnect with bus services in Lincolnshire. How to get your FREE bus pass - there are only two stipulations for getting the bus pass; you must be of national retirement age 66, and be eligible for a state pension. The best way to find out if you’re eligible is to check locally. At the LCC website, lincsbus.info/freedom, there are details on how to phone or apply online. Once you have, you apply online or by telephone on 0345 456 4474. You should then receive your FREE bus pass within 10 working days (it might take a bit longer at peak times). Your FREE bus pass gives you free travel on off-peak scheduled bus services. In Lincolnshire you get the extra benefit of free local journeys before 9.30am as long as the journey started in the county.
OLD SOMERBY PARISH COUNCIL
FIXED ASSET REGISTER
Purchased/donated (Current value Source Location Insurance after depreciation) Valuation
Bus Shelter - Unknown Unknown School Ln £5,000
Unknown (£5,000)
Notice Board Unknown £0 Donation School Ln £250
Resident (£50)
Notice Board Unknown £0 Donation Main Road £250
Unknown (£100)
Millennium Seat Unknown £0 Donation School Ln £500
Resident -2000 (£100)
2 Troughs 2007/08 Resident £0 each Donation Main Road £2,000
Resident (£1,000 each)
Active Speed Sign Funded by Charity £0 Parish Council Main Road £3,000
Parish Council 2015 (£500)
Defibrillator Funded by Charity £0 Parish Council Fox & Hounds £2,500
2014 (£500)
Bench 2020 Resident £0 Donation School Ln £850
(£250)
2 Dog Bins & £270 PC and part Well Field path £270
Fittings 2020 (£175) donation
Dog Bin/Fittings £215.43 Parish Council Cul de sac £216
June 2022
Speed Sign etc £2,700.00 Parish Council Main Rd £2,700.00
Total Insurance Valuation £14,620
£17,536
Notes:
Revalued at Parish Council Meeting 10 August 2021 to remove The Well Head.
Further revalued at Parish Council Meeting 15 November, 2021 with updated insurance value. Further revalued PC meeting 9 August, 2022 to include 3rd Dog bin and 2nd Speed Indicator
I