2020 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

Scotton Parish Council

Minutes Of The Meeting Of The Parish Council Held On Friday 10th January 2020 At 6pm, Village Hall, Northorpe Road, Scotton DN21 2RB

Present: Councillors: R. Walker (Chairman), R. Littlewood (Vice-chairman), P. Kulleseid, Mrs J. Robinson, A. Ramsay and R. Ramsay (Tree advisor)

In attendance: Mrs. L. Cooper (Parish Clerk) and 5 members of the public

The meeting began at 6.00pm with the 15 minutes public forum

The following concerns were raised by residents: -

- The issue of rubbish between the villages of Scotton and Scotter was raised and it was asked if a bin could be placed somewhere in the worst affected area, and if a Community litter pick could be arranged later in the year, when weather improved. There was brief discussion and the Chairman advised the resident that the Parish Council would include this in the agenda later in the year, and in the meantime would ask West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) about placing an additional bin in the village.

- A resident mentioned silting of the Beck near Crapple Lane and there was a general discussion about the difficulties there may be with de-silting. The Parish Council would need to evaluate the situation and contact riparian owners of affected sections of the Beck and work towards an organised response. - A resident who had attended the RTC at Laughton Wood Corner gave the Council a copy of the inquest report, and talked generally about the difficulties on the roads in that area and what actions they had taken to raise awareness of the issue. The suggestion was made that signage was misleading and it would be better if it was re-phrased. This was noted by the Clerk. The resident was thanked for attending the meeting and was advised it would be discussed again, later in the meeting.

001/20 To receive and accept apologies for absence There were no apologies.

002/20 To receive declaration of interests in accordance with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011 and to consider any requests for dispensations There were none.

003/20 To receive and approve the notes of the Full Parish meeting on 5th December 2020 as Minutes. Proposed and Resolved that the above notes be approved as a correct record and signed as Minutes.

004/20 To hear Police, District and County Councillor reports (if any) There were no reports

005/20 Clerk’s report

i) Update on training for Gmail The Clerk reported that the volunteer would be willing to offer free training most afternoons. However, many Councillors were unavailable during afternoons. To be deferred until further notice.

ii) LALC Training The Clerk discussed the Training report which had been circulated prior to the meeting and encouraged all Councillors to attend ‘Councillor Training’ either for an evening or day session.

006/20 Village allotment update There had been a meeting with Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust (LWT) to view the disused allotment site with the aim of transforming it into a wild life area for the community. The warden identified a diversity of species and expressed interest in developing this further. The warden would check if a survey of the area had previously been done. ACTION: Chairman to keep the committee updated.

007/20 Trees update

i) Millennium tree The dead Millennium tree had been replaced with a Yellow False Acacia and planted before the end of December 2019.

ii) Jubilee tree The tree advisor was waiting to hear from the arborist to arrange a visit. ACTION: Cllr. Ramsay to keep committee updated.

iii) Christmas tree The Christmas tree was purchased and placed on site at the rear of the village hall before Christmas. Further work was needed to fence it off. The Village Hall Committee (VHC) suggested it might be able to offer some funding towards fencing. It was suggested that a manger could be included near the tree next Christmas. Action: Chairman to keep the committee updated and liaise with the VHC regarding possible funding.

008/20 Phone kiosk

i) Update on defib unit The phone kiosk had been moved to the Village Hall in December. The chairman thanked members of the VHC present for allowing it to be relocated to the Village hall. ii) Future of phone kiosk The chairman invited ideas and there was a discussion about what uses the kiosk could be put to, now the defib had been moved. It was suggested that it could be converted into a book exchange. The idea of selling the kiosk was raised and discussed. It was generally agreed that the community should decide what to do with the kiosk. The motion to sell the kiosk was voted on and it was Resolved not to sell it.

009/20 Location of No Vehicles sign on Beck Lane update The area is still very damp and the sign could not be moved.

010/20 Parishioners concerns

i) Dook Close The chairman advised the committee that the issue had been raised with Cllr. Perraton-Williams but no response had been received.

ii) Pavements and Highways around the village The chairman would be writing to Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) Highways to complain about the poor state of the pavements and highways.

iii) RTC Fatality – Laughton Wood Corner Correspondence from a concerned resident about the road traffic collision that resulted in a fatality at Laughton Wood Corner was circulated prior to the meeting. It was noted that the Coroner had asked the County Council to act and it had a statutory duty to respond to the Coroner’s recommendations within 47 days. Action: Council to stay informed of any further actions or developments at Laughton Wood Corner.

011/20 Road Safety Partnership scheme Cllr. J. Robinson reported that possible sites for placing any necessary poles were being considered. The clerk was in contact with LCC Highways to enquire about the procedure for installing street furniture on the Highway. It was suggested that it would be helpful for an officer from LCC Highways to visit Scotton to make recommendations. Action: Clerk to contact LCC Highways to enquire if they could come for a site visit. Cllr. Kulleseid arrived at this point of the meeting. The time was 6.42pm.

012/20 Use of CCTV to deter anti-social behaviour The chairman began by explaining the procedures that should be followed before installing CCTV and that the Parish Council would need a policy describing the details of usage. Additionally, any camera would need to be of a high specification so that images could be forwarded to WLDC for possible prosecutions. Permission would be needed to site it on private land. Action: Chairman to investigate camera specifications and costs.

013/20 Helping residents in the village The chairman had been approached for help from residents, and there had been incidences of residents experiencing dementia, wandering in the village alone. This prompted the suggestion that a Village Help Group could be started. The subject was opened for further discussion and it was Resolved to form a Village Help Group. Action: Chairman to investigate further.

014 Finance

a) Discussion and approval of budget 2020-21

i) To include up to £500 in the budget for training There was general discussion around the budget. Reserve funds for larger projects would be ringfenced. The largest costs in the budget were the Clerk’s salary and maintenance work in the village. It was Resolved not to include an additional sum for training in the 2020-21 budget.

b) Agreement of Final Precept amount The precept estimate for £10,500 was discussed and it was Resolved to request this amount from WLDC. The Final Precept demand form was duly signed in the presence of other Councillors. Action: Clerk to send to WLDC

c) Changes to bank account

i) To discuss and approve addition of another signatory to the account The matter was discussed but after consideration it was agreed that at the present time, this was not necessary.

ii) To approve and apply for internet banking It was Resolved to approve the use of internet banking and to apply for this service. The clerk had obtained forms from the bank and these were signed by the authorised signatories.

iii) To approve request to bank, to send statements directly to Clerk’s home address It was Resolved to approve the request that bank statements would be sent to the Clerk’s home address.

d) Payments for approval A schedule of payments for approval was circulated to the committee before the meeting. It was proposed and Resolved to approve the following payments:

015/20 Policies for approval The following policies were circulated prior to the meeting. It was Resolved to approve all of the following policies: -

- Asset Management Register 2019-20 - Complaints Procedure update 2019

- Data Protection Notice

- Freedom of Information Publication schedule update 2019

- Freedom of Information policy 2019

- Privacy Statement

- Financial Regulations update

- Risk Management update 2019

- Privacy Policy

016 Future agenda items There were none.

017 Date of next meeting 6th February 2020 at 6pm

There being no other business the meeting ended at 7.10pm.