July 2025 DRAFT Minutes
MINUTES OF THE SCOTTON PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY 3RD JULY 2025 AT 6PM IN SCOTTON VILLAGE HALL
1) PRESENT – Cllr R Walker(Chair), Cllr S Walker (Acting Clerk & RFO), Cllr K Ibbeson, Cllr H Alexander & Cllr Y Huddleston.
ALSO PRESENT – District Cllr K Carless, Mr C Holland, Mrs C Mallia, Mrs K Johns, Mrs F Clarke & Mr D Clarke
2) OPENING REMARKS – Cllr R Walker opened the meeting at 6pm
3) PUBLIC SESSION – The residents of Westfield present at the meeting opened the discussion regarding the pond on Westfield and the following points were raised.
a) Of the 17 properties on Westfield 14 are freehold and the remaining 3 are thought to be either rented/housing association/part ownership. 12 households are so far “onboard” with the dispute with Greenbelt.
b) It was stated that Greenbelt are very evasive with any complaints many of which have been ignored or passed over as insignificant
c) Their management structure appears to be very “top heavy” with more staff in these positions than any other.
d) There appears to be no monitoring of Greenbelt from any quarter. The annual fee for maintenance work has steadily risen and now stands at around £450 per household. The maintenance is non-existent.
e) Several residents expressed concern about possible flooding that may occur. This would make the houses harder, if not impossible, to sell and would significantly alter the price and availability of insurance.
4) The following points were raised by the Parish Council.
a) District Cllr Carless suggested examining the bill to ascertain the % of money spent on admin.
b) The residents were advised to check ownership of the conduits serving their drainage system. Permission to use these in the future could be refused rendering the entire system useless.
c) A suggestion was made for households to install soakaways to deal with surface water. Mr Clarke stated that they had done this at their property, but it had failed to drain satisfactorily and needed pumping out during periods of heavy rainfall.
d) Cllr Carless suggested requesting a visit from a manager at Greenbelt to point out the failings of the company. The residents stated that this had already been done, and Greenbelt concluded that the site was satisfactory.
e) A further suggestion was made that an expert in the environmental sphere be engaged to provide a second opinion.
IN CONCLUSION THE WESTFIELD RESIDENTS WERE ADVISED TO
a) Form a committee with every household involved and hold a meeting at the village hall.
b) Engage with a solicitor knowledgeable in this field to obtain advice.
c) Set up a financial fund to cover future spending. Undoubtably solicitors will need to be engaged for Greenbelt, Parish Council and the residents themselves.
d) A teams/zoom meeting with a similar group/groups who have been through or who are engaged in this process of leaving a maintenance company may prove useful.
5) APOLOGIES - County Cllr C Reeve
6) COUNTY/DISTRICT COUNCILLORS - Cllr Carless stated that the armed forces flag raising ceremony had taken place on the 27th of June. It had been decided that, in future years, a space during the ceremony would be available for veterans to speak.
The parish council agreed that they would be part of the Armed Forces Covenant, and the symbol would be displayed on their website.
The WLDC grant windows are now open for applications.
The new cinema in Gainsborough opens on the 18th of July 2025
The proposed local government reorganisation is still be debated and the outcome is not yet clear.
Car parking charges in Gainsborough including Marshalls Yard have changed giving motorists some free parking time.
7) DECLARATION OF INTEREST - Remains unchanged
8) MINUTES OF THE PC MEETING 5TH JUNE 2025 – The minutes were accepted as a true and accurate representation of the proceedings.
9) FINANCE – Councillors agreed to pay the grass cutting invoice for June to the sum of £200 (Mr C Williams)
10) VILLAGE HALL UPDATE – The fete had been very successful, and a record amount had been raised.
11) PINFOLD UPDATE - £50 was agreed for new summer plants to be purchased by Cllrs R Walker and H Alexander. The existing conifers in the planters to be re-planted in the ground either on the pinfold or in the orchard.
12) ORCHARD UPDATE – The saplings obtained by Cllr Alexander have now been planted out as have some lavender plants by the seat (Provided by Cllr Huddleston). The plaque is now in situ on the seat.
13) FOOTPATH BETWEEN SCOTTER AND SCOTTON – Potholes both on the path and the road have been marked for repair. Speed monitoring will not go ahead at the present time.
14) Training – Regarding the LALC training for playground inspections this only takes place once a year in May so deferred till 2026.
15) WESTFIELD POND – See public session
16) PLANNING APPLICATION WESTFIELD – The Parish council intend to object to WLDC on the following grounds.
a) The proposed entrance/exit to the site is not suitable.
b) Outline planning permission was granted for 4 properties. Also, the proposed dwellings do not comply with the Scotton Neighbourhood Plan
Both District Cllr Rollings and County Cllr Reeve to be contacted for support to this proposal.
17) CLLRS REPORT - Cllr R Walker stated that a new scheme is being provided by WLDC for both supply and maintenance of defibrillators. To be applied for.
NEXT MEETING THURSDAY 4th SEPTEMBER 2025 6PM SCOTTON VILLAGE HALL