2023 Parish Council Minutes

SCOTTON PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SCOTTON PARISH COUNCIL HELD AT SCOTTON VILLAGE HALL NORTHORPE ROAD DN21 3RB
THURSDAY 6th July 2023 AT 6.00PM
 

Present: Councillors R. Walker (Chairman), S. Walker, H. Alexander, Dr. M. Johnson and R. Littlewood

In attendance: Cllr. K. Carless (District Councillor) and Leticia Cooper (Clerk & RFO) 

Item 52/07/23 Chairman’s welcome
All were welcomed to the meeting.
Item 53/07/23 Public session
There were no members of the public present.
Item 54/07/23 To hear reports from County or District Councillors
Cllr. Carless spoke briefly to report that WLDC had refused permission for the remains of Guy Gibson’s dog to be removed from RAF Scampton, and that human remains had also been found on the gravesite.
Item 55/07/23 To hear apologies and receive reasons for absence
There were none.
Item 56/07 23 To receive any declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and to consider any requests for dispensation
Cllrs. R. & S. Walker declared an interest in item 67/07/23. Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to grant dispensation to Cllrs. R. & S. Walker to remain in the meeting to discuss the item but not to allow a vote on any subsequent resolution.
Item 57/07/23 To receive and approve notes of meeting held 1st June 2023
Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to accept the notes of 1st June 2023 as a correct record and signed as Minutes.
Item 58/07/23 Finance
a. Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to vire £668.52 from carried over funds 2022-23 to miscellaneous expenses, to cover purchase of the planter.
b. Monthly and overview budget reports received and noted. All invoices and bank statements were available for scrutiny. Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to approve the payments and expenses for July and August:-

• Clerk’s salary – July & August 2023
• Clerk’s mileage July - £24.75
• Printing -  July £4.49
• Grass cutting – June £200.00 (£180.00 + additional two hours £20.00)
• July TBC on receipt of invoice
• Stationary £6.75 purchase of lever arch file & A4 copier paper
• Community Orchard:-
• £67.46 substrate & grounding weed suppressant
• £668.52 Amberol self-watering stone planter
• MS software renewal - £59.99

Item 59/07/23 Community Orchard
a. All the stone substrates had been placed on the weed suppressant fabric.
b. Following last month’s meeting it had been agreed to ask residents if there would be interest in providing raised beds at the Orchard for community groups. Cllr. R. Walker had subsequently been approached by a local youth worker who had displayed interest, but nothing further had been heard.
c. Cllr. R. Walker had refurbished the plaque at the orchard, at no cost to the Council. A new plaque, paid for by a resident had been placed near a donated tree.
It was agreed that further plaques could be placed at the Community Orchard, but residents would need to donate a tree.
Item 60/07/23 General allotment matters
There were no residents on the waiting list for an allotment.
Item  /07/23 To discuss hedging at the Pinfold, junction of Crapple Lane
The clerk reminded the Council of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981, part 1 Protection of wild birds, their nests and eggs, section.1 (1) making it an offence to  take, damage or destroy the above.
Council discussed the overgrown hedge and all were keen to remove the hedge entirely in August, to tidy the area before installation of the planter. There had been a site visit and no evidence were found of nesting birds.
Actions recommended by the clerk:
- to check the hedge again in August for any evidence of nesting birds prior to starting work on the hedging.
- to check with County Council Highways that hedging may be removed by the Council.
Item 62/07/23 To hear any updates about the Commemorative planter project on Crapple Lane and to consider further actions re. installation, siting, purchase of plants etc.
Following discussion Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to allocate a further £2,123 to cover the purchase of a second planter (to balance the existing planter), an additional plaque to commemorate 50 years since the formation of Scotton Parish Council, an entrance gateway and installation costs, including setting down a concrete base for each planter.
Actions recommended by clerk: To obtain permission from County Council Highways before purchasing further street furniture. Clerk to be forwarded pictures and dimensions of planter and entrance gateway by lead Cllr. R. Walker.
Council agreed to wait for permission from Highways before proceeding.
Item 63/07/23 To discuss condition of benches at Kirton Road and Dooks Close and to consider any actions
Cllr. R. Walker gave a quick overview of the condition of both benches. Following discussion, it was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED: -

• to allocate £550 + VAT to replace the worn bench on Kirton Road, reclaiming the existing plaque which would be fixed on the replacement bench.
• To replace the bench with hardwearing, recycled plastic seating (information of bench circulated during the meeting)
• If the bench were to become unsafe over the summer to arrange its removal pending replacement and a notice placed in prominent places as an explanation to residents.

The bench at Dooks Close was in an adequate condition and did not need immediate work.
Item 64/07/23 Tree matters
a. Council received the clerk’s report.
b. Following discussion Council agreed to ask allotment wardens to survey the allotment land which bisected parts of PROW Scotton 4/1 Beck Lane to East Ferry and report back on the general health of trees and vegetation along the route, to better inform future maintenance requirements.
Actions recommended by the clerk: To ask a member of Highways to walk the site with a member of the Council who could advise of any statutory requirements or make suggestions for future management.
Council agreed that the clerk could contact Highways to see if anyone would be available. To be returned to the agenda in September.

At 6.44pm a member of the public came into the meeting to ask for a car to be moved in the car park as it was obstructing the removal of a broken-down vehicle. Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to suspend standing orders, adjourning the meeting for 5 minutes to deal with the matter.

The meeting resumed at 6.49pm

Item 65/07/23 Emergency Planning  
Following discussion the Council agreed it would be helpful to establish an emergency plan and to find out about funding. The clerk and Cllr. R. Walker had attended Emergency Planning training.
Actions: Clerk to investigate funding options and find out about any future Emergency Planning training.
Item 66/07/23 Employment matters
a. Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to form an Employment Committee.
b. Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to appoint Cllr. S. Walker and Cllr. Dr. Johnson to the newly formed Employment Committee.
c. The clerk would draft and circulate the Terms of Reference for the Employment Committee for discussion and approval in September. It was agreed to enrol Cllrs. Walker and Dr. Johnson on any upcoming employment training and circulate links to Employment podcasts by Chris Moses to all Council members.
Item 67/07/23 Resolution – To create a Trustee Agreement between  Scotton Village Hall and Scotton Parish Council
Cllr. S. Walker discussed the reasons for suggesting the resolution – which was to ensure the village hall continued to function and remain available to residents, in the event that the Village Hall Committee became inoperative.
The clerk spoke about the different types of Trustee Agreements the Council could legally enter into with the Village Hall, and advised that the Village Hall Committee would need to research which type of Trusteeship would be best for furthering their objectives, and to check the charity’s governing documents provided for this change. The clerk advised that if governing documents did not give permission for a Trustee agreement, changes to the governing document could be made but advice should be sought from ACRE and the Charity Commission before proceeding with the resolution, as any changes would need to be accepted by the Charity Commission.
Cllr. S. Walker had read ACRE’s fact sheet no.36 ‘Village Halls run by Parish Councils as Sole Trustees.’
b. Councillors entitled to vote on the resolution agreed to defer a decision until the matter had been researched further by the Village Hall Committee.
Item 68/07/23 To consider ideas for commemorating 50 years since the formation of Scotton Parish Council (formed 22nd June 1973)
Following discussion, it was agreed to place a plaque commemorating the formation of the Council on the 2nd planter at the Pinfold.
Item 69/07/23 To discuss powers and duties of the Parish Council
Cllr. R. Walker had shared information received from training outlining the powers and duties of the Council prior to the meeting. These were discussed.
Item 70/07/23 To hear any reports from the Village Hall Management Committee (Cllr. S. Walker)

• Village Fete was an enormous success and raised £2,722. Planning for the next fete had begun.

Item 71/07/23 To review Planning Applications and agree any actions
a. Decisions pending
146715 Plot 1 Land south of Eastgate DN21 3QR
GRANTED 04.07.23 Granted time limits + conditions
b. Determined – None
c. Modification Order PROW Beck Lane to East Ferry Scotton 4/1
No updates
Item 72/07/23 Training
All councillors who attended Induction & Refresher training found it very useful and recommended it. Cllr. Dr. Johnson expressed an interest in training. Clerk would look out for next available training dates.
Clerk was given permission to attend VAT training.
Item 73/07/23 Parish Councillors Reports – Information Only
Cllr. Alexander gave a brief progress update on the current state of the roads and explained that any work would be dependant on available finance. There followed a general discussion. Cllr. Alexander would continue to monitor the situation and keep the council updated.
Item 74/07/23 To approve listed policies:-
Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to approve the policies below:
Accessibility statement
Privacy policy
Data Protection Policy
Online banking policy – Agreed subsequent to amendment
Grievance policy
Operation London Bridge – Clerk to liaise with Scotton Parochial Church Council

The following policies were deferred until the next meeting:
SAR (Subject Access Request)
Data Breach policy
Item 75/07/23 Date of next meeting
Thursday 7th September 2023 – 6pm Full Parish
Item 76/07/23 To resolve whether to move into closed session and exclude the public and press, in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960, due to the sensitive nature of the business to be discussed
Council voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to go into closed session.
There was a general discussion and it was agreed to continue liaising with ACIS to resolve matter of accumulated rubbish and debris in the car park to the rear of Westgate.

Following the end of discussion on the last item the chairman closed the meeting at 7.30pm.