July 2022 Minutes
STICKFORD PARISH COUNCIL
PARISH COUNCIL STATUTORY MEETING at STICKFORD Community Centre
Tuesday 12 July 2022 @ 7.30pm
The MINUTES
No. of Residents present 2 Official attendees read Y for attending, N for non-attendance
Chairman Councillor Mrs Lesley Reeson Y Councillor vacancy
Vice Chairman Councillor Mr John Howlett Y Councillor vacancy
Councillor Mr Clive Kingswood Y Councillor vacancy
Councillor Mrs Pam Bryant Y Parish Clerk Mrs Nicki George Y
Lincs C C Councillor Mrs W Bowkett Y ELDC Councillor Mr Terry Taylor N
1. The Chairman opened the meeting and welcomed all present.
2. Apologies for absence – no apologies received
3. There were no declaration of interest
4. Residents’ issues:
1) one resident questioned the result of the Best Dressed House at the Jubilee Celebrations in June. Photos were given out of one particular house in Church Road and it was agreed by all councillors to give this resident a prize along with the other 3 runners up.
2) one resident that lives along Catchwater Bank raised the issue of the new sign being erected by LCC and that the deeds of their property, the Land Registry & Council Tax all have Drain Bank as the name of the lane. Only Ordnance Survey seem to have it named as Catchwater Bank and the concern is that post and documents in the future may be confused with the 2 different names. Cclr Bowkett will investigate the issue further.
5. ELDC report: No report as Cllr Taylor not present but reminders from the clerk :
1) The £1000 ELDC grant scheme is in operation again this year. Each parish council can claim a portion of the £1000. -application to be submitted for the annual maintenance of the clock once it has been mended. Clerk to submit application.
2) Email received previously from Cllr Taylor re caravans on airfield was read out. Appendix 1 .
3) Queen’s Jubilee grant needs to be applied for by end of July. Request a replacement bench on Hagnaby Road side of A16. Clerk to submit application.
6. LCC report : Councillor Bowkett read out her report. Appendix 2.
7. Lincolnshire Police Report: July NPT newsletter. This is emailed around to each councillor when received and a copy is put on the Noticeboard and the website.
8. The Minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 14th June 2022 were read and approved. Proposed by Councillor John Howlett , Seconded by Councillor Clive Kingswood.
9. Matters Arising from the Minutes.
1) Clerk has resent an email to ELDC requesting a new/replacement litter bin by the bus shelter on A16 by Peachwood Motors. No reply to date.
2) Request for Bench on bridleway – see No 17
3) The Horse chestnut tree by the noticeboard on junction of A16 and Fen Road has been cut back a little but its not known by whom ? the cut down branches have been left on the grass under the tree. Clerk will follow up on Fix My Street. Clerk has spoken to resident that lives in house on corner where the tree overhangs their garden as they are asking for the tree to be cut/trimmed and has given them details of Fix my Street to report it too.
10. Financial Report
A) Authority for Payment :
1) £140.00 Jayne Bonsor – Internal Audit
All Councillors agreed to pay.
2) £625.00 Clerks salary - April to June 2022
All Councillors agreed to pay
3) £60.00 Lesley Reeson : £29.95 strimmer cord , £30.05 petrol for strimmer & mower
All Councillors agreed to pay.
4) £207.64 John Howlett : Jubilee expenses - £61.80 bunting, £29.44 refreshments & sweets, £19.50 packaging for coins, £18.90 labels for packages for coins, £23.00 thank you gifts x 2 , £55.00 gift vouchers prizes for Best Dressed House.
All Councillors agreed to pay.
5) £45.00 Keals Club Grant, agreed in Precept
All Councillors agreed to pay.
6) £45.00 Stickford Ladies Social Circle Grant, agreed in Precept
All Councillors agreed to pay.
B) Bank balances as at 30.6.22 when last statement received : Current a/c £17,452.96, Savings a/c £8095.49 No o/s cheques previously issued and not yet cashed
Budget Report update All councillors were given a report to read .
11. Financial Regulations, Standing Orders & Code of Conduct. All have been proof read by all councillors and now that typing errors have been corrected on each of the Financial Regulations and the Standing Orders, All agreed and approved and signed by the Chairman. These can now go onto the website.
12. Risk Management Policy – this will be discussed at the next meeting. All councillors have a copy sent by email.
13. Jubilee Celebrations for 2022 – update and summary
32 coins have been allocated for the children, leaving 18 that can be sold bringing an income of £180.
14. War Memorial Clock – grant application update:
Grant monies of £8400 have been confirmed by FCC Communities Foundation. Councillor Howlett has made contact with Timeless Solutions, the approved contractors, who have updated their previous report and quotation and have honoured their previous quotation which is now valid for 180 days. The cost of the Timeless work is £13600 excluding the VAT deducting the grant. This leaves £5200 of which there are donations to cover and arrangements are being made for this money to be paid to the Parish Council when required. Timeless will require a 40 % deposit payment of £5440. FCC can pay 20% of the grant £1680 as a deposit so the Parish Council will need to pay the difference from the donations. It was agreed by all councillors that Councillor Howlett will sign the contract when it is received. Work should hopefully get under way in September 2022, and should take between 4-6 weeks.
With the Grant and donations in place and VAT refunded, it is noted that the repairs to the War Memorial Clock will cost the Parish Council nothing.
15. Replace assets i.e. Noticeboard and possible new siting & bus shelters
Clerk to obtain 3 quotes for 3 x new noticeboards. The current one on the junction of A16 and Fen Road to be replaced and re-sited next to the postbox by Peachwood Motors, possibly getting a larger one than the existing. Hagnaby Road and Church Road to be replaced as is. Metal, including wording.
Clerk to obtain 3 quotes to replace the 4 bus shelters, in brick, perspex and wood. Clerk to contact Highways to ask if any grants available. Clerk to contact ELDC to ask if planning permission will be needed if built in brick.
16. Bench by War Memorial
Clerk to obtain 3 quotes for a new bench to be sited by the war memorial. The path in front of the memorial is wide enough to site it on and no permission is needed as the path only goes to the War Memorial. All councillors agreed to spend up to £1000. Plaque to be priced up to dedicate it the Queens Jubilee.
17. Bench along bridleway
Clerk and Chairman have established that the bench will be sited on land that is part of the public footpath, therefore LCC Highways. LCC Councillor Bowkett has advised the Clerk to contact Highways and provided a contact. This is in the process of being done. Clerk will contact the resident who is kindly donating the bench when permission is in place.
18. Audit Report – update , plan of action
All councillors were given a copy of the Audit report at the last meeting on 14th June 2022. The Clerk read out the points that needed attention, mainly website related and confirms that lessons have been learned from the points raised. A supplement / notes will be completed by the Clerk and attached to the AGAR form to put more details in as an explanation as to the plan of action relating to these points raised.
19. Planning: none since last meeting
20. Correspondence received for this meeting but not covered on the Agenda: none
21. Other Business – matters for next agenda:
1) War Memorial Clock funding update
2) replace assets ie. Noticeboard, bus shelters
3) Risk Management policy
4) Bench by war memorial
5) Bench along bridleway
6) Centenary of War Memorial celebrations – 2023
22. The Chairman closed the meeting at 9.15pm.
Date and time of next meeting: 13th September 2022 at 7.30pm.
Further to concerns raised at recent parish meetings regarding caravans sited at Hagnaby Lane, I passed these on to the relevant ELDC officers and below is a reply which I have received today:
'I think this is the Papworth family. They have been there for years. I call there periodically to check the state of the site. I was there two/three weeks ago and there were two adults present, one vehicle and five small touring vans. Two of the caravans are used for occupation and the other three for storage. Occasionally, there grandchildren will stay over for a couple of days with them. They have lived this lifestyle for years predominately in the East Lindsey Area around Horncastle. During lockdown, the site got a little untidy and I believe they were selling lawn mowers from the roadside. This has all stopped following a complaint.
They are what you would call New Travellers but have no intention of moving out the area or accessing housing. I believe past Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments(GTAA) have taken their accommodation needs into account but there has been no move menton accommodation/land provision for New Travellers in the area. I think they do bits of casual work to get by. They source their drinking water from elsewhere and store it. I don’t know how they dispose of their sewerage but in all the years I have visited them at various locations I have never smelt or seen any human waste'
If I receive any further responses, I will forward them to you.
Best regards
Cllr Terry Taylor JP
ELDC Councillor, Halton Ward
M: 07368538099
