2021 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

SCOTTON PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD AT SCOTTON VILLAGE HALL NORTHORPE ROAD DN21 3RB THURSDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2021 AT 6PM

Present: Councillors R. Walker (Chairman), J. Robinson, A Robinson, P. Kulleseid, Robert Littlewood and A. Ramsay

In attendance: Leticia Cooper (Clerk & RFO), District Councillor M. Snee, Susan Walker and one member of the public.

The chairman opened the meeting with the public forum at 18:00. There were no comments from the public.

• 55/9/21 Chairman’s welcoming remarks
  The chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
• 56/9/21 To receive apologies and ratify reason for absence
  There were none.
• 57/9/21 Disclosure of interests in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and consider any requests for dispensation

It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to award dispensation to Cllr. Walker to continue chairing the meeting.

• 58/9/21 To receive and approve as Minutes the notes of the meeting on 2nd September 2021

It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to accept the notes as a correct record and signed as Minutes.

• 59/9/21 To receive written application/s for the office of Parish Councillor and to co-opt a candidate/s to fill the existing vacancy

a) One application had been received from Mrs S. Walker and circulated to all, prior to the meeting. Cllr. R. Walker led the discussion but abstained from commenting and voting. Mrs S. Walker was invited to speak.
b) There were no questions from the Council.
c) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to co-opt Mrs S. Walker to the Council. Cllr. S. Walker was invited to join the Council at the table and signed a ‘Declaration of acceptance of office’ before business continued.

• 59/9/21 To consider policies for approval
• It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to approve the Electronic Banking Policy, Financial Regulations update and the Councillor Code of Conduct 2021-22.
• 60/9/21 Finance matters

a) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to approve accounts paid or for payment August and September 2021.

b) Balances against budget expenditure up to 9th August 2021 were noted. The financial record and bank statement were signed. Invoices and the monthly reconciliation were available for Councillors to view and check.

• 61/9/21 Grant awards – Councillor Initiative Fund (CIF): Speed Indicator Signs (SIDs)

a) It was confirmed that a total of £260.00 had been received from District Councillors L. Clews, M. Snee and L. Rollings from CIF.
b) Cllr. J. Robinson reported that the total cost of purchasing a SID sign would be £2,995.00, with possible additional costs of installation or yearly maintenance. There was a brief discussion about the types of SIDs available and the software which captured vehicle information. Cllr. J. Robinson suggested the SID signs which flashed up with a message like ‘too fast’ might be a more effective deterrent to speeding.
c) The funds of £2,558.72 carried over from the precept of 2020-21 together with the CIF grant totalled £2,818.72 leaving a shortfall of £176.28, if costs remained the same. The shortfall could be taken from reserves. Total costs of the project to be confirmed.
d) Cllr. Robinson will confirm locations for the SID with Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership. Cllrs J & A Robinson offered to move the SID as needed around the village, once purchased.

62/9/21 Village Maintenance
a) To consider the grass cutting schedule regarding the bank of land at Westgate held by ACIS with specific reference to:
i. the request by a resident on Westgate that the Council cease cutting near their property.
ii. to consider the views of other residents on Westgate
iii. to consider if the Council has permission from ACIS to cut this area and / or if this should be clarified before commencing work at Westgate
b) To approve request by a resident to allow the creation of an entrance on Highview on a section of land owned and maintained by the parish council.

It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to defer items (a)i,ii,iii and (b) for discussion in private session owing to the sensitive nature of the business.

c) Confirmation had been received that the Jubilee Tree would be removed within the next couple of months and that the road would need to be temporarily closed for work to be conducted.
d) The searches department at Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) confirmed it would be possible to produce an A3 map illustrating the location of adopted verges in the village but there would be a cost of £54.30. It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to pay costs for the purchase ofthe A3 plan.
e) The village name sign had become worn, and it was suggested it could be replaced and an additional notice of ‘Welcome to the village’ added to the sign. Additionally, the sign reading ‘Scotter Road’ was missing. Clerk to make enquires with LCC about permission to vary the village sign and to contact West Lindsey District Council about the missing street sign.

• 63/9/21 Defibrillator
  It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to accept the quote of £55+ VAT for replacement pads and battery for the defib and to allow the Clerk delegated authority to purchase as needed in the coming months.
• 64/9/21 Update on the Eastgate Development

a) The Council had received concerns from a resident that hedging near the new Eastgate development had been cut back during the nesting season. The resident’s concerns were investigated by the Council. It was ascertained that the hedge had been cut back due to concerns for the safety of pedestrians and to improve visibility for drivers.The hedge had been checked for evidence of nesting birds prior to the cut. The owner of the hedging had not complained about the work to the Council, but a site visit was made to see the extent of the work. The Council considered the reasons for cutting the hedge to be reasonable and the work appeared proportionate.
b) Following discussion about the design of the new pavement near the Eastgate development it was noted that nearby hedging would grow over the pavement obstructing pedestrians and reducing visibility for vehicles. It was unanimously RESOLVED that the Clerk should write to LCC to make them aware of the situation.

• 65/9/21 Allotments

a) There was a brief update on the allotment visit in August 2021.
bi) Following discussion it was noted that parts of the area would make an ideal site for a small orchard, but it would be advisable to keep the project as simple as possible. It would be necessary to design an outline plan which would consider the area to be developed; the preparation work needed prior to planting and any maintenance work that might be needed after planting. It was further suggested that Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust (LWT) could be approached for advice, as it managed nearby Scotton Common. It was unanimously RESOLVED to ask  village residents if they would like to form a ‘Community Group’ to work on the project.
It was unanimously RESOLVED that Cllr. A. Ramsay investigate the cost of fruit trees and discuss the ideas with Mr R. Ramsay, (Hon. Tree Advisor). Cllr. Walker to contact LWT for advice.
ii) Funding was available for developing Community spaces and planting trees. Cllr. Snee helpfully suggested a funding stream. The clerk advised that the Council should consider what the overall costs might be so that funding streams could be investigated in more detail.
c) There were no other allotment matters.

• 66/9/21 Re-organisation of Parish Information

a) Cllr. Walker had obtained keys to the two filing cabinets stored in St. Genewys church. Some of the paperwork had been damaged by damp and could not be saved. Surviving Minute books, financial information and allotment documents had been moved into the filing cabinet stored in the village hall. The clerk would check remaining paperwork and shred any papers no longer needed. Older planning applications produced before digital access was available did not need to be stored but Cllr. Walker suggested that they could be given back to applicants as they contained detailed drawings, which would no longer be available. It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to allow Cllr. Walker to contact applicants to offer return of planning paperwork.
b) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to allow the Clerk to store the spare filing cabinet in her home. The remaining broken and rusty cabinet would be disposed of.
c) It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to allow the Clerk to repurpose the old Parish laptop and donate it to a good cause.

18:43 Cllr. Ramsay joined the meeting.

• 67/9/21 Planning

a) Applications approved:
142258 Laughton Croft Nursing Home, Scotter Road, Scotter Common, DN21 3JF
143138 Plot 3 Land south of Eastgate DN21 3QR
142373 Noor House, Gainsborough Road, Scotter Common, DN21 3JF
b) Applications refused
143045 – Bleak Farm, Northorpe Road DN21 3RB - 16.07.21

• 68/9/21 Parish Councillors reports

• Cllr. Walker spoke about the pond on the Westfield Road housing development. Maintenance of the area is paid for by residents and arranged by a management company. There is a life safety device, but the area is overgrown and does not have a warning sign indicating there is a pond nearby. Cllr. Ramsay will seek out the details for the management company. To be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.
• Cllr. Littlewood indicated there was a need to widen the footpath to Scotter, upgrading it to a cycle path. Issue could be raised with County Councillor C. Perraton-Williams with a view to including Scotter Parish Council.
• Cllr. Walker indicated there had been no response from Scotter or Northorpe Councils to the proposed letter to Martin Hill, LCC.
• 69/9/21 Date of next meeting
• 7th October 2021
• 70/9/21 Closed Session
  It was voted upon and unanimously RESOLVED to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 for the following items on the grounds that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.
• Items 62(a)i,ii,iii & (b)
  a) The complaint was received and heard by the Council.
  b) The Council had no objection to the proposals. Clerk to write to resident.

The meeting ended at 19:19.