2022 Meetings

NORTH SCARLE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

Minutes of the Meeting held on

11 May 2022 at 7.00pm in the Village Hall

Cllr David Jennings (Chairman) welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 12 May 2021 were signed as a true record.

Councillor Jennings read out his Report for 2021/22

I am pleased to say that the North Scarle Parish Council is again at its normal quota with the appointment of Kate Ward who is a very welcome younger member with fresh ideas.

I would like to thank Hayley Broderick our Clerk for her continuing support and advice through the year which again has had plenty of queries and problems.

Thank you also to all our Parish Councillors, particularly Vice-Chairwoman Sue who continues to Chair the Sewerage Working Party.  Sue will give an update in the main Parish Council meeting later.

Thank you also to County Councillor Mike Thompson and District Councillor Peter Overton for their support of the Parish Council.

Although the Women’s Institute are not meeting at the moment the ladies from the WI who worked on the ‘Pinfold’ will carry on and I thank them for that.

Our two handy men have been available when called for and have proved an asset to the Parish Council, it is good to have them aboard.

The Platinum Jubilee Celebration will be a major event next month and although it is being supported by the Parish Council the organisation has been carried out by a separate committee whose members Tarnia, Sue, Sarah, Lisa and Brian are working very hard to make it a success.  I thank them sincerely for their efforts which I hope will result in a successful event.

Finally, a thank you to all the volunteers who have helped the Parish Council in some way throughout the year particularly those who distribute the North Scarle Matters.

Planning applications have reduced slightly in number and have been mainly in the parish rather than in the village.  We continue to look at them with hopefully an open mind and being democratic, a decision is made by a majority vote.

The new surface to part of the cemetery car park has not been straightforward but I hope this will not be a problem for much longer and the work can soon be started.

Speeding traffic has been a concern and as a result of various surveys the Parish Council decided to purchase four Speed Indicator Devices (SID’s) and these have been installed by the Parish Council on the main village routes.  I hope they are having the desired effect.  Hives Lane has a different, but no less concerning, problem in that it is a straight road with a 60mph limit and apparently does not meet the criteria for a reduced speed limit.  We will continue to work to try and change the situation.

The condition of roads, etc. in the parish have been an ongoing problem and recently David Russell and myself had the opportunity to show a Local Highways Manager and our County Councillor the problems at first hand.  Various works have since been carried out, but pressure still needs to be applied.

The Village Hall and Playing Field has suffered an aberration this year but with a new forward-looking committee I am sure it will bounce back.

Finally, some may have noticed the work carried out by Parish Councillors and other volunteers to prepare an area of the cemetery as a wildflower meadow.  We await its development with interest.

David Jennings

11 May 2022

Parish Councillor Susan Walsh reported on the Banks Charity Trust which is registered with the Charity Commission

There are four trustees of the Banks Charity

Reverend Canon Andrew Vaughan, by virtue of office

Mrs Josie Worrell

Mrs Charlene Dixon

Mrs Susan Walsh appointed by the Parish Council

It is actually The Charity of Hirgo Badger and others:

In 1701, Hirgo Badger bequeathed one house and garden, a close of approximately 4 acres and one close of approximately 11 acres and five pounds ‘to the use of the poor of North Scarle forever.’

The house which became derelict was condemned by the District Council in 1936 and subsequently in 1967 was demolished. The land was sold in 1968 for £425 and the money received was invested in shares of the Charities Official Investment Fund for which investment dividends are received quarterly.

The Banks Charity still holds the assets of the land, which is in the form of two fields, and these are rented out.

Joseph Banks donated £100 in 1827.

At one time the Charity Commissioners required the charity be distributed as gifts of coal or clothing. It was then interpreted that gifts to the poor should be noted as gifts to persons who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress. The Charity is to help parishioners who have fallen on hard times due to, for example, illness or unemployment

In June 2021 Lindsey Marsh Drainage Board contacted the Charity with a view to carry out some work in the village and needed permission for access to Banks Charity land on Meadow Lane. A meeting was held between Banks Charity representatives and an Internal Drainage Board member on 19th July 2021. Upper Witham IDB subsequently agreed at their meeting to take on the maintenance of the open section of watercourse on the northern boundary of the field and the section along Meadow Lane. This will be adopted by the Board and afforded the protection of Upper Witham IBD bylaws. This will guarantee the future maintenance as the Trustees requested.

Since our last report given by me with a balance of £14,400.53:

Income is:

Rent in £1,650

Interest and dividends £179.60

Wayleave rental and backpay £228.27

Expenditure:

Bank charges £2.00

No monies requested.

Balance to 20/03/22 is £16,456.40

Parish Councillor Karen Coram reported on the Playing Field

The first meeting I attended was 28 September 2021. The previous meeting was dated 7 January 2020.  The Lockdown due to COVID stopped all activities on the field and in the village hall.

The AGM held on Tuesday 22 February 2022 was not well attended.  Several positions needed to be filled due to retirements and long service.  No positions were filled.

An extraordinary AGM was called on Thursday 24 February 2022 to discuss the future of the Committee and the use of the facilities.  It was decided to launch an appeal.  A letter would go to all residents in the village highlighting what the village would lose if the village hall/playing field Committee ceased to operate. A date was set for a meeting for those interested in volunteering. 

Following the drafting of the appeal sent to all households in the Parish to save the North Scarle Village Hall charity a meeting was held in late March 2022 in the Village Hall.  A number of the then current members of the Village Hall Committee attended that meeting as did members of the public.  The turnout was thin.  No minutes were produced for this meeting.  At the meeting Collen Vickers asked for volunteers to come forward to serve on the committee in order to save the charity from being dissolved.  A number of attendees indicated their willingness to either serve as a trustee or simply as a volunteer to assist in the activities associated with the Hall.

There was a subsequent meeting at which those people who had indicated their willingness to serve as trustees were duly appointed as such and signed a sheet of paper to confirm their intention.  No minutes were produced from this meeting.

A meeting of the management committee was then arranged for 7 April 2022 at which the new appointees assumed their role as Trustees.  The members of the Committee are now investigating the current status of the Charity, and the associated processes in order to take the Charity forward.  They intend to seek ideas from those living in the parish as to what they want from the Village Hall and are updating documents and processes in parallel with this fact-finding initiative.

The next Committee meeting is this Friday, 13 May 2022.

Church matters

The Reverend Andrew Vaugh had been invited to attend but was not present at the meeting.

Parishioner comments etc

No parishioners attended the meeting.

Cllr Overton commented that it was sad that Parish Councils and Committees struggled to gain interest from parishioners.

There was some discussion regarding ownership of the village hall/land/playing field. The trustees own the hall, the land it stands on was gifted to the Trustees in 1963.  Parish Council is not involved in it’s running except that we have a representative on the committee.  Many of the “organisations” that use the hall and field are represented on the committee. The playing field was gifted to the Parish Council.  Car boot numbers are down – hopefully the new committee with publicise more often.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 7.27pm