March 2023 Minutes
KEXBY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of a meeting held on 8th March 2023
Present; Cllrs. R. Gore (Chair), S. Farrow, L. Hoggarth, C. Cuckson, D, Strollo, D. Forrest.
In attendance; Chris Akrill, Quickline Manager (item 09/23 only)
Apologies; had been received from Cllr. Edwardson
09/23 Quickline fibre installation – complaints had been received regarding the quality of finish both on the pavements, particularly around manholes, and on the grass verges. There had also been complaints regarding delayed installation to some properties. Quickline had agreed to send a manager to the meeting to discuss these concerns which were also being expressed on social media. Quickline had inspected the work in the village and agreed that some of the work was below the standard required. They agreed to arrange for their contractors to return and to improve the finish where required, this would include re-seeding some grass areas. Quickline were required to guarantee their work for two years as part of their agreement with Lincolnshire Highways. They agreed contact the Clerk to confirm a timescale for connections to the properties concerned the following day.
10/23 Minutes of the meeting held on 11th January – these had been circulated, were approved as a true record and signed off by the Chairman.
11/23 Matters arising
a) Email addresses – Cllr. Strollo had looked into this and requested a meeting with the Clerk to check requirements, this would be arranged as soon as possible.
Action DS/GP
b) Youth activities – there had not been a meeting of the village hall committee since the last meeting but the clerk would raise the issue at their meeting the following week. There was considerable discussion about the need to try and offer something for the younger members of the community; it was acknowledged that legal requirements placed some constraints on organising events for minors but these were not insurmountable. It was noted that some family events were now being organised and the suggestion of a film night was raised. It was thought that such events were organised at Ingham and the Clerk was asked to investigate this.
Action GP
12/23 Correspondence
a) Village Hall request for funding – the floor of the main hall was in need of renovation for which a quote of £3,345 had been received. Because it was in a poor state it would need sanding off and several new coatings applied, this would result in closure of the hall for five days. Although the village hall had money in a savings account this was being saved with a view to creating a new committee room. The general feeling of the meeting was that upgrading of current facilities should be given a higher priority than new build, particularly as the kitchen was also in need of modernisation. However, it was agreed that the Parish Council would make a contribution to the floor work, Cllr. Cuckson proposed £500, this was seconded by Cllr. Hoggarth and agreed unanimously with the proviso that a maintenance regime was put in place.
13/23 Financial Report – the Clerk reported a healthy balance, there had been no expenditure on the cottage in the current financial year which was often a cause for major expenditure.
14/23 Local elections 4th May – elections for both District Councillor and Parish Councillors were due on the 4th May. The current councillor’s term of office was due to end on the 9th May but all existing councillors were eligible to stand for re-election. Nomination forms were available and the Clerk had agreed to collect completed forms and deliver them to WLDC providing they were returned to him by 24th March. The deadline for submitting nomination papers to WLDC was 4pm on 4th April and they had to be delivered by hand. If more nominations were received than the seven places available on the Parish Council an election would be held, if not candidates would be returned uncontested.
15/23 Coronation 6th May – it was felt that it was too late to organise an event for the Coronation weekend but there were two spare trees from the Jubilee event and it was decided that these should be planted to mark the event. WLDC had provided a plaque with the original Jubilee tree and the Clerk was asked to investigate having a similar one made for the Coronation trees.
Action GP
16/23 Jubilee tree – this had been presented by WLDC but had been too small to plant out at the time so Cllr. Hoggarth had maintained it in a pot. It had reached the stage where it was thought big enough to survive planting but would require protection, particularly from rabbits. The Bloomers group had planted a horse chestnut and had a guard made by Nev. Barnes at Upton. It was agreed to ask them if they would be prepared to plant both the Jubilee and Coronation trees and arrange similar protection.
Action LH/CC
17/23 Solar Farms – two of the proposed projects, Cottam Solar Project and Gate Burton Energy Park had been accepted for pre-examination by the Planning Inspectorate and the 7,000 acre group was encouraging all affected parishes to complete a Relevant Representation for each project. By doing so they would be registered as an “Interested Party” and would then be able to engage throughout the examination process. The deadlines for this were 30th March and 12th April respectively.
It was suggested that a collective approach, through the 7,000 acre group, would carry much more weight than individual parishes but the approaches were not mutually exclusive so both should be followed. Individuals could also make personal representations should they wish to do so. Members were asked to each consider drafting out a Parish Council response which the Clerk could then co-ordinate and circulate for approval before submitting.
Action all
18/23 Clerk’s pay and expenses – these had been circulated, they were approved by the meeting and signed off by the Chairman.
19/23 Annual Parish Meeting 18th May – Jack Bowles, who had been volunteering as a litter picker and co-ordinator as part of his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, had offered to speak at this meeting; the offer was gratefully accepted. No other suggestions were forthcoming so this would be the only item in addition to the annual reports. Since no-one had stayed for refreshments the previous year it was decided to discontinue with this.
There being no further business the chairman closed the meeting at 8:20pm
The next meeting would be the Annual Parish Council Meeting, at which the Chair and Vice Chair would be elected, at 6:30pm on Thursday 18th May. It would be followed by the Annual Parish Meeting at 7:30pm