September 2019 Minutes
KEXBY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 5th September 2019
Present; R. Gore (Chair), S. Farrow, C. Cuckson, L. Hoggarth, D. Forrest
44/19 Apologies; were accepted from C. Hunt who was on holiday
45/19 Minutes of the meeting held on 11th July were approved and signed
46/19 Clerk’ Report on progress since last meeting had been circulated but an updated version was presented to include details of a Neighbourhood Plan meeting held the previous evening.
- Telephone box painting was almost complete and an excellent job had been made of it. The toughened glass had been ordered and, once the glazing had been completed it would be ready for siting. It would need to be sited in wet concrete, hence the delay in preparing the base.
- A Neighbourhood Plan meeting had been held the previous evening but turnout of the working group had been disappointing. The designation application (area to be covered by the Plan – which included the whole of Kexby and Upton parishes) was completed and had been submitted to WLDC. A drop-in session was to be arranged for Wednesday 6th November late afternoon, early evening to encourage residents to have their say about what should be included in the Neighbourhood Plan.
- Data from the Speed Indicator Device was still proving difficult to analyse and the Chairman would speak to the providers. However, it was felt that the use of the device was having some effect on road speeds.
Action RG
- A letter had been sent to WLDC regarding poor Broadband speeds, the reply acknowledged that it was still a problem in many rural areas. WLDC had set up a forum for representatives of relevant communities to meet with officers to discuss issues and keep abreast of developments. The Council agreed that the Clerk should accept the offer to join this forum.
Action GP
- The Burial Ground committee had met since the last meeting in particular to address issues of the seats, gates and notice board. One of the seats had been made from softwood and was beyond repair, the other, made from hardwood, would benefit from wood treatment before winter. The loose plastic coating would be removed from the gates and the paintwork patched up. A new notice board would be ordered, an application had been made to the Community Fund for support towards this and it was likely that they would be able to give some support but not to fully fund it. Another new plinth (foundation for memorial stones) was being laid.
- Newsletter – the Parish Council expressed their appreciation to Mrs Forrest for compiling this once again.
47/19 Outstanding Issues
a) Former site of phone box – the soil from the preparation of the new site would be used to level the old site and the turf re-used if possible to make good the old site.
b) VE Day 75 celebrations – a working group led by Cllr Hoggarth supported by Cllr Cuckson and Carol Wells had already begun work on this, it was agreed that an afternoon event on Friday 8th May would be appropriate. The May Day Bank Holiday had been moved to Friday 8th May in 2020 for the purpose of these celebrations. An event involving children and culminating in afternoon tea for all residents was envisaged.
The Parish Council agreed to support the event financially but it was not possible to agree an amount until the likely costs and involvement of Upton were known. The Clerk was asked to book the village hall and to contact Upton PC and request that, if they agreed to a joint event, someone from Upton make contact with Cllr Hoggarth to determine the composition of the working group.
Action GP
48/19 Correspondence
a. Upton Parish Church had requested a donation towards the cost of the Christmas lights, a donation of £50 was agreed Action GP
b. A request had been made for a defibrillator to be installed in the telephone box once it had been relocated.
The Clerk had made enquiries and been told that there was currently no affordable way of supporting a defibrillator where there was no power supply. WLDC’s Community Engagement Officer had offered to come out to advise on use of the phone box and potential sites for a defibrillator in the centre of the village and the Clerk was authorised to go ahead and arrange this.
Action GP
c. WLDC had initiated a consultation on travel and transport in Gainsborough, the Clerk had put up posters as requested and details were available at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/gainsborough-transportstrategy.
An invitation to stakeholder consultations had been sent to Parish Councils and the Clerk would circulate details to the Parish Councillors.
Action GP
49/19 Financial Report
The budget was reviewed, there had been less expenditure on the parish cottage and telephone box than predicted to date so it was showing a healthy end of year balance. The Parish Council agreed that, given the age of the cottage, expensive repairs could occur at any time which justified having a good level of reserve. However, the state of the finances meant that expenditure on VE Day 75 celebrations would be affordable.
50/19 Website – this still required some attention, the Clerk had spoken to the Clerk of Upton Parish Council who had offered some support if required. No further action was required at this time.
51/19 Any Other Business
a. Hedgerows encroaching onto the road – concerns had been raised with the Parish Council about this and the Clerk was asked to write to the property owner concerned. Action GP
52/19 Date and time of next meeting – Thursday 14th November 7:30pm downstairs committee room, Clerk to book.
Action GP
There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 20:30