April 2022
SCOTTON PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD AT SCOTTON VILLAGE HALL NORTHORPE ROAD DN21 3RB
THURSDAY 7 APRIL 2022 AT 6PM
Present: Councillors R. Walker (Chairman), S. Walker, A. Ramsay, R. Littlewood
In attendance: Leticia Cooper (Clerk & RFO)
The chairman opened the meeting at 6pm. There were no members of the public.
Item 001/4/22 Chairman’s welcoming remarks
The chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
Item 002/4/22 To receive apologies and reasons for absence
Apologies were received from Councillors. J. & A. Robinson. It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to accept apologies and reasons for absence.
Item 003/4/22 Disclosure of interests in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and consider any requests for dispensation
There were none.
Item 004/4/22 To receive and ratify as Minutes the notes of the meeting on 3rd March 2022
It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to accept the notes as a correct record and signed as Minutes.
Item 005/4/22 Clerk’s Report
The clerk had advised West Lindsey District Council of Peter Kulleseid’s resignation and would be notified if an election were to be called, otherwise the vacancy would be filled by co-option.
Item 006/4/22 Finance Matters
a) The precept of £11,000 had been credited to the account on 1st April. It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to approve expenses of £657.00 for April 2022.
The breakdown of expenses comprised the following:
Clerk’s salary
Printing costs £1.99
Stationery – purchase of copier paper £3.25
LALC Annual Subscription £173.41
Clive Williams - grass maintenance £180.00.
b) The clerk was granted retrospective approval to attend training on website maintenance.
c) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to approve the following grant payments:
Scotton Parochial Church Council £900.00 for purposes of grass cutting and maintenance of the graveyard. (LGA 1972 s.137(4)(a)
Scotton and District W.I. £150.00, a partial grant towards purchase of notice boards. (LGA 1972 s.137(4)(a)
Scotton Village Hall £1,600 for maintenance of grounds. (LGA 1972 s.133)
Grant payments totalled: £2,650.00
d) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to certify the council as EXEMPT from a limited assurance review having neither gross income nor gross expenditure of £25,000.00, under section 9 of the Local Audit (Smaller Authorities) Regulations 2015.
Item 007/4/22 Banking update
Cllr. A. Robinson’s application for internet banking had been approved. Cllr. R. Walker and the clerk had successfully applied for debit cards. TSB were unable to issue one card for the account, as its policy was to issue named cards so that each named person was individually responsible for spending. Cards would be held securely by the clerk until all financial policies had been updated and approved by the full council.
Item 008/4/22 Allotment matters
a) There had been no tenders received for maintenance of the allotment. Cllr. A. Ramsay offered to help with maintenance in the interim.
b) Allotment wardens would be asked if they wished to stand for re-election in May.
c) Cllr. Walker reported that the trees had been fed, watered, and appeared to have taken well.
d) The clerk had written to all allotment holders advising of the increase in rental fees for 2022-23.
Item 009/4/22 Updates on the Speed Indicator Device (SID)
a) There was a brief discussion about the latest statistics and the speeds recorded.
b) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to approve the purchase of a dongle to process the statistics from the SID.
Item 010/4/22 To hear any updates on the bench, which is to be sited near the Kiosk, Westgate
Cllr. R. Walker had met with the resident and fully discussed siting of the bench.
Item 011/4/22 Village Environment Matters
a) The stump had been ground down, but the replacement tree had not been planted. Clerk to ask WLDC when the work is scheduled to take place.
b) The discussion about the refurbishment of the kiosk was deferred to the next meeting, due to absence of Cllr. A. Robinson.
c) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to approve the revised wording for the village name plates. The clerk would let WLDC know.
Item 012/4/22 WLDC Grant application – Benches Project
The Council had been awarded the full amount of £700 towards the project but it had not been received to date. Discussion had taken place with the village hall, who were keen to site one of the benches outside the hall. The location and angle of the bench had been suggested. It would be placed on a secure concrete foundation outside the front of the village hall, along the line of the hedge nearest the playpark looking towards the church and not facing the street, to protect the privacy of nearby residents.
b) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to allocate the balance required, after the grant had been spent, to purchase benches from the precept carried over from 2021-22. The outstanding balance approximated to £881.00.
c) There was a discussion about the makes and models of benches and which type were to be placed in each location. Quotes had been obtained but it was observed that it might be necessary to substitute a similar make or model, depending on what was available. It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to allow substitutions on makes and models, while keeping within the total costs for the project at just under £1,600.
Item 013/4/22 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebrations – to discuss proposal received to hold a street party
Information about how to apply for a road closure and specific information about holding street parties were emailed to the resident. Cllr. R. Walker had offered to help organise the event, as a private resident, not as a member of the Council.
Item 014/4/22 To discuss preparations for the Annual Parish Meeting in May and consider any action
The clerk had invited PC Ian Shaw from Gainsborough Rural North Policing Team to speak at the meeting, who had subsequently confirmed attendance. It was agreed that Scotton Parochial Church Council and the W.I. would be asked if they would like to be present at the meeting. Clerk to send invitations.
Item 015/4/22 To hear any reports from the Village Hall Management Committee – Cllr. S. Walker
Income from bookings was considerably down, due to the pandemic, but they were beginning to increase again. There was no further news about the MUGA project.
Item 016/4/22 Planning Applications
a) Decisions Pending
- Application No.144232 – Land south of Eastgate Scotton DN21 3QR
Amended plans had been received since the previous meeting but it appeared that these plans were still not properly to scale. There were concerns about the safety of pedestrians and road users due to the design of the new pavement, as visibility could be dangerously reduced due to vegetation encroaching over the path. It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to object to the application on the grounds noted above. - Application No.144558 – Plot 8 Land south of Eastgate Scotton DN21 3QR
There were no objections to this application.
b) Applications determined – None to report
c) Appeals pending
- Application No.143045 – Bleak Farm Northorpe Road DN21 3RB
Appeal date 01.02.2022. It was noted that the 5-week consultation period would close soon. There was nothing further to report.
Item 017/4/22 Parish Councillors’ Reports – Information only
There were none.
Item 018/4/22 Date of next meeting
5th May – The Annual Parish Assembly to be held at 6pm followed by the Annual Meeting of the Parish at 7pm.
There being no other business the meeting ended at 6.30pm.