July 2021 Minutes
Minutes of a meeting held on 22nd July 2021
Present; Cllr R. Gore (Chair), Cllr. D. Forrest, Cllr. L. Hoggarth, Cllr. S. Farrow
Apologies; had been received from Cllr. C Cuckson, Cllr. C. Hunt
12/21 Minutes of meeting held on 19th May were approved and signed
13/21 Clerk’s Report on progress since last meeting had been circulated and was accepted.
14/21 Matters outstanding
a) Banking arrangements – the Chairman had been in touch with Barclays about progressing an on-line banking account with them. On each occasion personnel appeared to have changed and no progress had been made. The Chairman agreed to continue to chase this up.
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b) Support with website – Peter Langford, who had supported the development of the new website had offered on-going support on a paid basis. This was likely to cost around £12 per month (£144 per year) but would save the Clerk a considerable amount of time. Councillors had expressed support via emails and confirmed that Kexby should join when the scheme was launched. The Clerk would enquire about the progress of the scheme.
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c) Fibre Broadband – no further communication had been received from Quickline following their attendance at the Annual Parish Meeting. The Clerk had requested an update from Hayley Silvester a week before the meeting but no response had been forthcoming. He was asked to continue to follow this up.
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d) Upton & Kexby Playing Field financial support – a request had been received for the annual maintenance grant of £700. This had been missed in 2020/21 due to the difficult situation created by the Covid pandemic so it was agreed that this should be paid along with the 21/22 contribution. The Clerk would arrange for a cheque for £1,400 to be made out.
The playing field committee was currently raising funds to completely refurbish the children’s play area. It was necessary to raise a substantial deposit in order to apply for grants to fund the investment. The council agreed that improvement was urgently required and the Clerk was asked to find out how much the deposit would need to be and to invite the playing field committee to apply for further funding for this specific purpose at the September meeting should they wish to do so.
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e) Quotes for repairs to bus shelter - L.R. Hutchinson Ltd had provided a quote to replace some missing ridge shingles, replace rotting woodwork and re-decorate the shelter on the corner of Kexby Lane and Willingham Road. Other local contractors had been approached but had either declined to provide a quote or failed to respond. On the basis that Hutchinsons had proved both reliable and competitive for earlier work it was agreed to proceed before the weather deteriorated.
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f) Village notice board – this was in need of treatment to the woodwork to improve the appearance and prevent deterioration. There was some discussion about whether it was the most appropriate site for the notice board but it was agreed that, because it was structurally sound, there was little point in replacing it. Cllr. Hoggarth agreed to undertake the work along with treatment of the seat on the village green. The Chairman thanked her for the offer and said that the Parish Council would reimburse the cost of any materials.
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15/21 Financial Report – the balance in the current account was £12, 678 and in the business reserve account £2,017. Although income had been maintained during the 2020/21 financial year (through precept and cottage rent) there had been very little expenditure due to the Covid lockdowns. The Clerk would prepare a budget and the council would consider likely items of expenditure for discussion at their September meeting.
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16/21 Correspondence
a) Tree pruning – an arboriculture surveyor, working on behalf of Northern Powergrid, had identified some trees on the village green requiring “a small amount of pruning” to ensure minimum safety distances from the power lines. There would be no cost to the Parish Council but they did require permission from them. It was agreed that the surveyor should check which of the trees were the responsibility of the County Council and the Parish Council granted their permission for any trees within their jurisdiction.
b) Defibrillator service – WLDC were offering a maintenance package at a cost of £100 per unit per year. Maintenance requirements were minimal, the Clerk currently checked them periodically as required by LIVES and the pads and batteries should last for about four years. It was agreed that the cost of the service could not be justified so Kexby would decline the offer at the present time.
c) Pension regulator – the Clerk had been notified of the need for re-enrolment into a pension scheme. This was a legal requirement (since salary payment was through PAYE) despite the fact that the role did not provide any pension entitlement. The Clerk would clarify the situation prior to the September meeting.
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d) Central Lincolnshire Plan consultation – details had been circulated and it was up to individual councillors to respond independently should they wish to do so.
e) Police and Crime Commissioner consultation – details had been circulated and it was up to individual councillors to respond independently should they wish to do so.
17/21 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – in 2022 the May Bank Holiday would be moved to Thursday 2nd June and Friday 3rd would be an additional Bank Holiday providing a four-day weekend for national celebrations. The Clerk was asked to contact Upton Parish Council with a view to joint working and to put an article in the next newsletter seeking ideas around marking this unique occasion.
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18/21 Standing Orders – LALC had recommended that Parish Councils adopt the most recent version, this had only recently been circulated so the Chairman suggested that this item be deferred to the next meeting to give members more time to study them.
19/21 Any Other Business
a) Parish cottage – concern was expressed that the garden hedge planted last autumn was badly overgrown with weeds and the garden was generally untidy. The Chairman agreed to look into the tenancy agreement to see what the obligations upon the tenant were and take the necessary steps.
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Date and time of next meeting – since bowling may well have resumed on Thursday evenings by September it was decided that Wednesdays would be a better evening for meeting so that the main hall could be used giving more room. The date of Wednesday 22nd September at 7:30 was proposed, the Clerk would check with members not present and confirm in due course.
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There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 7:50pm (the start time of this meeting had been brought forward to 6:45pm)