July 2023 Minutes
KEXBY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 26th July 2023
Present; Cllrs. D. Strollo (Chair), S. Farrow, C. Cuckson, L. Hoggarth
Apologies; were accepted from Cllrs. D. Forrest and R. Gore
27/23 Minutes of the meeting held on 18th May – these had been circulated, they were accepted as a true record and signed off by the Chairman.
28/23 Matters arising
a) Email addresses – due to holidays and other commitments no further progress had been made, it was agreed that DS should go ahead and arrange for the Parish Council specific emails to be set up. Provision would be required for 8 addresses, 7 councillors plus the Clerk.
Action DS
b) Youth activities - Cllr. Bailey had looked into this and provided some leads but it was decided that there was insufficient interest to justify the Clerk spending more time on this issue.
c) Tree planting – the trees were progressing well in their pots and, as it had got too late for planting them out, it was decided that it would be best to plant them in the autumn.
September agenda
d) Dog walking area – the playing field committee had considered this at their last meeting but had rejected the proposal. They had concerns about the initial cost, maintenance costs, disturbance to neighbours and the fact that they had viewed similar facilities and found that some owners failed to clear up after their dogs. Cllr. Strollo felt it was a shame that, having raised the issue, the young parishioner would be disappointed but Cllr. Cuckson had explained the reasons to her and she understood. The issue of dogs still being exercised on the playing field was raised and it was noted that one of the restriction signs was missing and another obscured. The Clerk was asked to contact the playing field committee to see if this could be rectified.
Action GP
e) Community Speed Watch – no volunteers had come forward for training onto the scheme organised by Cllr. Bailey so Kexby would be unable to join the scheme.
29/23 Co-option of new member – no progress had been made.
30/23 Planning Application 146944 – plans had been submitted for new build on land to the south of Tennyson House on Willingham Road. Two options had been proposed, two large dwellings or 5 low cost dwellings. WLDC had sought the Parish Council’s preference. There was unanimous agreement that the low cost dwellings were what was required as it was difficult for young people to afford housing in the village or for older residents to downsize without moving away from the village. Option 1 (with the dwellings parallel to the road) was the preferred option but concern was expressed about the current layout. It was felt that the road to the north west of the dwellings could open up the option of further development in the field to the east which would be undesirable. It was suggested that it would be better to set the dwellings further back from the road and provide parking between them and the road. The Clerk was asked to respond accordingly.
Action GP
31/23 Post Office – the post office service provided in the village hall had been withdrawn without notice leaving a considerable sum of back rent still owing. The Post Office had refused to provide a new service and Upton Parish Council had organised a petition to get a new reliable service provided.
32/23 Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance – the annual “Ride of Thanks” biker event had been organised for 3rd September 2023. This was a charity event for motorcyclists to raise money for the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance, Lincolnshire Emergency Blood Service and Nottinghamshire Blood Bikes. They were scheduled to pass through Kexby at 11:26am on 3rd September. Provision of refreshments and ways of helping to raise money were discussed but, as it was likely to clash with the produce show, it was felt that this would be very difficult.
Cllr. Hoggarth suggested that the Parish Council make a donation of £50 to the event instead, seconded by Cllr. Cuckson and agreed unanimously, Clerk to organise cheque.
Action GP
33/23 Financial Report
a) Current Position – current account £5,836, Business Reserve account £12,097, this was a healthy balance largely due to the fact that there had been no recent expenditure on the parish cottage.
b) Draft budget for 23/24 – a draft budget had been circulated and was accepted.
34/23 Correspondence
a) LCC litter picking kits – kits and training had been offered and a response was required by 31st July, since the Parish Council already had the equipment it was agreed that this was unnecessary
b) Facebook – the village site, Kexby News Forum, now had 296 followers and Claire Hunt, who still managed the site, was looking at ways to continue to increase this.
c) Community Infrastructure Fund (CIF) – Cllr. Bailey (WLDC) had been awarded £4,000 over four years for Lea ward, no immediate needs were identified.
d) LCC Survey – the Parish Council had been invited to complete a survey into the state of the road and drain infrastructure around Kexby. It was felt that they should already have this information so the Clerk was advised to ignore the request.
e) Funds for Neighbourhood Plans – WLDC had notified the council that funding had been extended into 23/24 financial year. A recent attempt to get these off the ground had failed due to lack of interest so it would not be pursued.
35/23 Solar Farms update – Cllr. Strollo had attended two days of meetings regarding the Gate Burton project and found the second day quite useful when asked if all four projects could be considered together the inspector said that there would be at least nine projects in total.
36/23 Any Other Business
a) Glentworth Road drains – these were blocked once again and had been reported to LCC by the Clerk
b) Village Hall minutes – minutes of the previous meeting had been received, Cllr. Strollo took these and would try to attend their next meeting on 7th August.
c) Playpark development – a request for a letter of support from the Parish Council had been received from the playing field committee which was required in order for them to apply for grants. Cllr. Hoggarth said that they would need to see the proposals and full costings before this would be possible but, after discussion, it was agreed that a letter stating that they agreed in principle to the upgrade could be provided as long as it made clear that the Parish Council would need to see detailed proposals and costings before they could fully endorse it.
Action GP
Date of next meeting – provisionally Wednesday 13th September at 6:30