March 2025 Minutes
Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on 19th March 2025
Present: R. Gore (Chair), D. Strollo, J. Scott, D.Forrest L. Hoggarth
In attendance: Cllr. Bailey (WLDC) Cllr. Butroid (LCC), G. Payne (Clerk)
Apologies: had been received from C. Cuckson
25/07 Approval of minutes of meeting held on 15th January 2025 – these had been circulated and were approved as a true record, (proposed DS, seconded JS) and signed off by the Chairman.
25/08 Matters arising from the minutes;
a) Email addresses – DS was not available for this item so it was deferred until he was present.
b) Parish Cottage – Chairman still awaiting third estimate which he would chase up. Action RG
c) Vacancy on the Council – CC had agreed to speak to her neighbour regarding co-option, he was still out of the country but she would speak to him on his return. No other people had come forward to express an interest.
d) Footpath on village green – it was unclear who was responsible for replacing the broken fence but it was decided that it was not really needed so the Clerk agreed to remove the broken section and leave it with just the half fence. Action GP
e) Drains at end of Britannia Mill drive – Cllr. Butroid had not been updated recently, it was understood that LCC had accepted that remedial work was needed but it was not a high priority. The Clerk would seek an update prior to the next meeting if the work had not been completed. Action GP
25/09 Financial Report
a) Current position – current account £1,117.47, Business Reserve £1,362.59, Liquidity Manager £16,099.09. The planned work on the parish cottage would deplete the reserves considerably.
b) Transactions since last meeting – details had been circulated, this included a VAT refund of £366.42, there being no questions arising the update was accepted as a true record.
c) Invoice for defibrillator battery and pads – the Clerk was asked to check that the invoice had been received. Action GP
25/10 Annual Parish Meeting – this had been scheduled for Wednesday 21st May, the hall was normally used for Bingo on the third Wednesday of the month but notification had recently been received that Bingo had been discontinued due to poor attendance. JS booked the main hall on the 21st May for the meetings, the Annual Parish Council meeting at 6:30pm followed by the Annual Parish meeting at 7:30pm. The Clerk would produce a newsletter to publicise the event. Action GP
25/11 Correspondence
a) National Spring Clean – this national initiative was scheduled to take place in April, there had been a poor turnout last year but the Parish Council expressed their thanks to those that did take part. After discussion it was agreed that there was very little litter around the village so it did not justify organising an event this year.
b) Mission Statement – Cllr. Bailey had recommended that the Parish Council consider creating a Mission Statement in relation to environment and sustainability for the village. This could prove very useful should the Parish Council wish to apply for grant aid. The Clerk was asked to prepare a draft to be circulated prior to the next meeting at which an agreed format would be adopted. Action GP
c) Draft Public Rights of Way Improvement Plan – this had been circulated on 10th March for councillors to consider. There was some doubt about whether all councillors had received it so the clerk agreed to re-sent the email containing the link. Action GP
d) Defibrillators – a warning had been received regarding a potential error code, this appeared to be occurring where the devices were housed in a damp environment. Since the two devices in Kexby both had mains electricity supply to prevent this it was unlikely to be a problem. The Clerk was asked to bear it in mind when carrying out the routine checks.
25/12 Clerk’s Pay & Expenses – these had been circulated in advance of the meeting, they were accepted as a true record and signed off by the Chairman.
25/13 Any Other Business
a) Newsletter – Mrs Forrest had been ill and unable to put this into the booklet format, the Chairman offered to do this and the Clerk agreed to prepare the information and forward to him with the aim of getting it out in April. Action GP/RG
b) Trees – LH still had some trees for planting out which had been donated by WLDC to mark the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. (They had been too small to survive initially and had been maintained in pots ever since). There was some landscaping work to be carried out in the new play park and it was suggested that they might be incorporated into this. The Clerk was asked to contact Paul Mann of the playing field committee to see whether this would be possible. Action GP
Date of next meeting confirmed as Wednesday 21st May 6:30 in the village hall, to be followed at 7:30 by the Annual Parish Meeting