2022 Meetings

NORTH SCARLE PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of a meeting held on 28 September 2022 at 7.30pm in North Scarle Village Hall

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting at 7.30pm.

PRESENT

Cllr D Jennings – Chairman                          Cllr K Coram (part)

Cllr R Pullen                                                  Cllr D Russell

Cllr K Ward                                                    Mrs H Broderick (Clerk)

0 parishioners attended

494        APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from Cllr A Walsh and Cllr S Walsh.

495        TO RECEIVE ANY DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

None.

496        MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 13 JULY 2022

It was resolved to adopt the Minutes as a true record and they were signed by the Chairman.

497        PLANTING OF ROSE IN PINFOLD GARDEN TO COMMEMORATE QUEEN ELIZABETH II

This was proposed by the Chairman, ratified and resolved.

498        STORAGE OF BOOK OF CONDOLENCE FOR THE QUEEN’S PASSING

Chairman proposed that it be kept in the Church safe and this was discussed and resolved.  Cllr Pullen will look into how to get the book bound.

499        DISTRIBUTION OF COMMEMORATIVE JUBILEE MEDALS

Cllrs understood that these would be handed out at school with a decision to be taken on how the remainder should be distributed. However, some confusion has arisen. It was proposed by the Chairman that they should be distributed in school to all pupils followed by a notice in the next North Scarle Matters asking for parents of children (under the age of 18) who attend a different school but live in North Scarle to contact the Clerk so that the remainder can be handed out.  This was discussed and resolved.

500        PLANNING having already been circulated to Cllrs, were read aloud:

Applications - comments submitted to NKDC after collation of email responses

22/1115/TCA – Treeworks – 37 High Street.  Cedar – fell.  No objections. 3 no objections, 4 abstentions. Resolved

22/1125/TCA – Treeworks – 10 High Street.  Various – reductions to 10m or 7m.  No objections.  4 no objections, 3 abstentions. Resolved.

501        FINANCES

A schedule of payments made between 1 July and 31 August 2022 was circulated to the Parish Councillors ahead of the meeting.  There were no queries and it was resolved to agree the payments.  Invoices paid via BACS were signed and countersigned.

Individual payments made in the period which exceeded £100:

502        NKDC REPORT

Cllr Peter Overton had been asked about building grants available from NKDC for the village hall.  He said nothing available from NKDC but Heritage Lottery may be the best option.  Residents can get help with energy bills – income dependent.

He said that the Chairman’s letter of 9 June 2022 regarding Mill Dam Dyke would be raised again at the next meeting on 29 September.  The Environment Agency are the responsible body. Cllr Overton left the meeting.

503        VILLAGE HALL AND PLAYING FIELD

Cllr Coram’s report is attached.

An update on the situation will be included in the September issue of North Scarle Matters. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Chairman proposed that PC should write to VHPF Committee to thank them for their hard work, this was resolved. Cllr Coram left the meeting at 8.11pm.

504        ALLOTMENT TREES

PC had received a request from a tenant for some treeworks to be carried out between plots 1 and 2 and the Chairman has spoken to them.  There are some branches (6-8ft) may need work (not the trunk).  The Chairman proposed that we obtain quotes for this work and this was resolved.

505        PLANTING OF BULBS

The Chairman proposed that daffodil bulbs be planted at the entry signs to the village on Chapel Lane and Swinderby Road where grass cutting allowed.  He had obtained some costs and proposed that a maximum of £100 be spent on around 1000 bulbs (including delivery and VAT).  This was resolved. Chairman will purchase and be reimbursed.

506        GENERAL NOTICEBOARD

The Chairman had found some material with a rubberised finish to refurbish the old noticeboard to create a self-healing board at a cost of approximately £180.  Possible locations for the board were discussed and could not be agreed on, it was therefore resolved that no action will be taken at this time.

507        DEFIBRILLATOR AT THE WHITE HART

The unit is the responsibility of East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS).  Chairman had emailed them.  EMAS have attempted to repair the unit but are currently awaiting replacement parts or they may replace the unit.  The unit is currently out of order.

508        LCC REPORT

LCC Cllr Thompson had sent his apologies but had forwarded his report in advance.  It is attached.

509        DATE OF NEXT MEETING

It was resolved to agree the date of the next meeting as 9 November 2022 at 7.30pm.

510        CLOSED SESSION

It was resolved to move into closed session.

511        HERITAGE ROOM - FINANCES

Electricity bills. The Clerk had provided figures for various Eon schemes to the Cllrs ahead of the meeting. It was proposed and resolved that we would continue to use Eon’s Business Flexible Plan.

Doors. It was proposed and resolved that the new doors would be paid for from the current account providing the balance was still healthy at the end of the year.

512        STAFFING MATTERS

Staffing matters were discussed, proposed and resolved. The Clerk will draft the necessary letters.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 9.19pm

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Report on Village Hall and Playing fields Committee

The Committee is currently meeting on a monthly basis to update documents, procedures and assets.

Frank Lomas has been elected as Chairman till the AGM next April.

Reports commissioned from ROSPA (playground equipment), building surveyors and asbestos surveyors have all now been received.  Legionella and fire risk assessments have been completed/updated. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue have also inspected the hall.  Specialist contractors are due to inspect/test the electrics later this week and some plumbing work will be undertaken shortly.  A list of work that needs to be done arising from the surveys and risk assessments is/has been compiled and is being acted on.  Wherever possible the remedial work is being done by the trustees on a self-help basis.

Extensive work is ongoing to clear, tidy and clean the village hall.

The Committee has joined the ACRE organisation for guidance with policies and information on the running of a village hall and amenities.

After a lot of time and effort there is now an insurance policy in place covering the trustees, car boot sales and fixed assets except for the tennis courts and the bowling green (due to the cost of the premiums).  The individual clubs and societies using the facilities carry their own insurance for their activities.

Discussions have taken place with a developer over a new website that will have an on-line booking system, an annual calendar and links to sporting and recreational areas plus lots more.

The Cricket club is looking to establish a second team for the league.  They are also looking to erect a new pavilion.  The plans are at an early stage and the Parish Council will be informed and have the opportunity to comment at a later stage.

The car boots have now finished and whilst the income they generate is very welcome it is down on that generated pre-pandemic.

There will be an update in the next issue of North Scarle Matters, on the Village Hall and Playing fields.

The Committee will also be organising an event for villagers to meet up and be updated on the plans for the village hall.

The Village Hall and Playing field Committee working very hard to establish the village hall as legal, ready, safe and up to date for use and hire. 

Karen Coram

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The full Council meeting was rescheduled to 4 October 2022.

Fix my street updated

Our website content on highways faults has been increased and improved making it easy for customers to access online. We have also taken the opportunity to add content to divert faults that are not for LCC to deal with.

Fixed and closed reports have been removed from the default map. This provides a clearer view allowing precise pinpointing of faults.

Using feedback, we worked to create a set of new messages that are more conversational in style which also keep the customer informed about what is happening with their report.

Specific text has been added to each fault type, prompting customers to let us know key location information and details of the fault they are reporting. This will help to respond more quickly. Another improvement on the platform has been the addition of completed photo’s when we have them available.

North Hykeham Relief Road

Public engagement is now taking place on the project which will link the Lincoln Eastern Bypass with the existing Western Bypass to create a ring road. It will also form part of the Lincolnshire Coastal Highway.

Anyone interested in meeting the project team or finding out more about the North Hykeham Relief Road was encouraged to attend one of the information events which took place recently.  Further meetings will be scheduled in due course.  People will have the opportunity to ask questions and will be invited to share their views about particular aspects of the project.

Please note that all are drop-in events and are from 3-8pm.

The project aims and benefits are to:

Assist the sustainable economic growth of Lincoln and Lincolnshire

Reduce congestion in and around North Hykeham, Lincoln and the surrounding villages

Improve the quality of life in the Lincoln area

Maximise accessibility to central Lincoln

Improve road safety in central Lincoln and nearby settlements

An online survey will be available for people to complete from Monday 12th September at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/nhrr.  The Survey remains open.

Freedom Never Gets Old

The campaign is to encourage everyone who is entitled to a free bus pass to get one and is aimed at getting people to use local bus services in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Freedom Never Gets Old is targeted at all those who have suffered the longest and most severe restrictions during the pandemic and are now in need of support and encouragement to reconnect with bus services in Lincolnshire. Bus services need passengers to survive and although bus pass holders do not pay fares, journeys are subsidised by the local transport authority which supports the bus operators.

What does the FREE bus pass get me?

Your FREE bus pass gives you free travel on off-peak scheduled bus services. In Lincolnshire you get the extra benefit of free local journeys before 9.30am as long as the journey started in the county.

How to get your FREE bus pass

There are only two stipulations for getting the bus pass; you must be of national retirement age 66 and be eligible for a state pension. To find out if you are eligible check the LCC website, lincsbus.info/freedom, where there are details on how to apply online or by telephone on 0345 456 4474.