December
Date/ Time: Tuesday 13 December 2022 at 7.00 pm.
Location: The Parish Office @ The Venue, Navenby.
Present (Cllrs): Mr M Burt (Chairman); Mr S Woollas; Mr K Lamyman; Mrs E Carless; Mr A Watts; Mrs H McFaul; and Mrs E McRitchie.
Absent/Apologies: Mrs G Delves; Mr C East; Mr K Gunning; and Ms S Letham (Parish Clerk).
1. Chairman’s Welcoming Remarks. The Chairman welcomed all present.
2. Public Session. Mrs Kay Parker asked that the Parish Clerk thank Mrs Gaskin for organising this year’s Christmas trees along the High Street, which looked very good. She also asked for an update on addressing the regular flooding on Green Man Road; the Chairman explained that the County Council’s Highways Department are still intending to address the issue, but have been hampered by a change of sub-contractor and dealing with higher priority locations.
3. Apologies for Absence and Declarations of Interest. Apologies were acknowledged as per the list above.
4. To Consider and Sign the Minutes from the Previous Parish Council Meeting, Held on Tuesday 1 November 2022.
a. Cllr Woollas expressed concern that the Minutes did not record the number of votes for and against each motion. It was proposed my Cllr McRitchie, seconded by Cllr Watts, and thereafter AGREED unanimously that future Minutes will record the number of votes for and against each motion.
b. It was then proposed by Cllr McRitchie, seconded by Cllr Watts and thereafter AGREED unanimously that the Minutes from the previous Parish Council meeting, held on Tuesday 1 November 2022, should be accepted as a true record of the meeting.
5. To Consider the Financial Report and Authorise Payments (Appendix A). It was proposed by Cllr Carless, seconded by Cllr McRitchie and thereafter AGREED unanimously that all expenses listed in Appendix A were authorised.
6. To Consider Updates from District/County Councillors.
a. Cllr Hagues – was not in attendance.
b. Cllr Overton – was not in attendance, but had already submitted her written monthly report on the 1 December 2022.
7. To Consider Updates from Local Police. No comments were offered.
8. To Consider Planning Matters.
a. Planning Applications – no comments were offered.
b. Correspondence – no comments were offered.
c. Tree Conservation – no comments were offered.
9. To Consider Correspondence.
a. Police Briefing. The offer by the local police to provide a briefing to Parishioners about local scams was discussed but no decision was made on whether to accept it because it was unclear what the agenda would be and who would pay to provide a meeting room for the event.
(1) Action: the Parish Clerk is to contact Lincolnshire police to discuss what the agenda would be and whether the police have a budget to pay for a meeting room.
b. Donation to LIVES. LIVES’ request for a donation to support their pan-Lincolnshire life-saving activities was discussed, including the principle of whether we should support charities from within the Parish Council’s budget. Following this discussion, it was proposed by Cllr McFaul, seconded by Cllr Carless and thereafter AGREED by 4 votes to 3 that a donation of £80.00 be made to LIVES (a figure suggested by LIVES in their request).
(1) Action: the Parish Clerk is to transfer £80.00 to the LIVES charity.
10. To Consider & approve the latest 2022 revision of the NPC Financial Regulations. It was proposed by Cllr Watts, seconded by Cllr Carless and thereafter AGREED unanimously that the 2022 revision of the NPC Financial Regulations were approved.
11. To Consider and Approve the Purchase of the 13th Edition of Arnold-Baker on Local Council Administration @ a Cost of £131.99 through LALC. While it was acknowledged that this document could become out of step with changes to legislation, it was recognised that it still provides a valuable source of reference to the Parish Clerk and Councillors. It was therefore proposed by Cllr Carless, seconded by Cllr Watts and thereafter AGREED unanimously that the Council should buy a copy of the 13th Edition of the Arnold-Baker reference.
a. Action: the Parish Clerk is to purchase a copy of the 13th Edition of the Arnold-Baker reference via the LALC at a cost of £131.99.
12. Updates from Portfolios Holders:
a. Highways
(1) Community Speed Watch (CSW) – Cllr Burt advised that a meeting was imminent with the LRSP to agree initial CSW sites and that he would check on when the CSW equipment would be delivered for the team to start operations.
(2) Wider Issues. Cllr Woollas advised that:
(a) Bus Stops. The LRSP had identified 2 x bus stop sites on the A607 adjacent to the Top Farm development, but there might be a significant wait for them to be installed as there is a County-wide list of applications.
(b) 40-mph Speed Limit. Highways are considering whether recent housing development and changing traffic volume justify a reduction of the 40-mph speed limit on the A607 between Navenby and Wellingore.
(c) Parking Restrictions. Highways have advised that there is no requirement for double yellow lines in Clint Lane or on the South side of East Road.
(d) Kerbing. The pot holes close to the cross roads of the High Dyke and Green Man Road have been repaired and the contractor’s parking area adjacent to the junction has been levelled, but there is no hard kerb, which might encourage drivers to park on it and to allow the earth and grass to encroach on the carriageway over time.
i. Action: the Parish Clerk is to contact Highways to ask if a kerb can be installed along the edge of this patch of grass.
b. Navenby Car Scheme. Cllr McRitchie reported that access to the scheme’s bank account needs to be changed and that an individual has expressed interest in becoming a volunteer driver, but will need DBS clearance to be arranged.
c. Play Areas. In Cllr East’s absence, there was general discussion about how the gate extension at the North Street playpark might best be achieved and the need for it to be done by a contractor with appropriate liability insurance.
(1) Action: the Parish Clerk is to approach Newby Leisure for a design and quote to conduct the work.
d. Schools House Trust (SHT). Cllr Lamyman advised that there was nothing to report.
e. Library. Cllr Watts advised that there was nothing to report.
f. Website/IT. Cllr Carless advised that there was nothing to report.
g. Venue Trustee Chairman. The Navenby WI’s request to construct a herb garden for Parishioners’ use adjacent to the Venue was discussed. In light of the WI’s willingness to provide and manage the raised beds required, and their acceptance of the risk of vandalism, it was proposed by Cllr Carless, seconded by Cllr McFaul and thereafter AGREED unanimously that the Parish Council were happy to support the project in principle, but wanted to see a detailed proposal.
(1) ACTION: the Parish Clerk is to approach the WI to request a detailed proposal for what they want to install and where, how maintenance of the herb garden will be managed, and what will happen if the facility isn’t successful for whatever reason.
h. Community Wellbeing. Cllr McRitchie advised that there was nothing to report.
i. Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs).
(1) Statistics. Cllr Watts advised that now the northern A607 SID had been relocated further south and data was not being affected by traffic in the adjacent 40-mph zone, it can be stated with confidence that 82% of vehicles are complying with the 30-mph limit. On a less positive note, data from the movable SID currently deployed towards the northern end of the High Dyke shows that 89% of vehicles are travelling faster than 35 mph.
(2) New Batteries. Because the lead acid batteries in the movable SID are now providing shorter periods of life between charges and are heavy to transport and change, it was proposed by Cllr Watts, seconded by Cllr Carless and thereafter AGREED unanimously that one set of lithium-ion batteries be bought at a cost of £235.08. These offer the benefits of being lighter in weight and providing longer periods of use between charge.
(a) Action: the Parish Clerk is to order one set of lithium-ion batteries at a cost of £235.08.
j. Defibrillators. Cllr Gunning had not provided any points about the defibrillators.
k. Street Lamps. Cllr Gunning had not provided any points about street lamps.
13. Meeting Closure. The Chairman thanked all present for their participation and declared the meeting closed at 21.00 hrs.
14. Arrangements for Next Meeting. The next meeting will be held 10 January 2023 at 7pm.
Minutes Accepted: Original Signed M J Burt Chairman Date: 10th January 2023
