2024 Meetings

NORTH SCARLE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING

Minutes of the Meeting held on

16 May 2024 at 7.00pm in the Village Hall

Cllr David Jennings welcomed everyone to the meeting.

0 parishioners attended the meeting.

The Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on 17 May 2023 were signed as a true record.

Councillor Jennings read out his Report for 2023/24

First of all, I would like to thank our Clerk, Hayley, for her continued help and advice through the year and for being a sounding board when problems have arisen. I would also like to thank Vice-Chair Sue for stepping in when I was not available. I also thank her and all Parish Councillors for your contribution through the year. We also welcomed a new Parish Councillor, Bill Tucker, and his previous experience is appreciated and has proved very useful.

My thanks also to our County Councillor Alan Briggs and our District Councillors Chris Goldson and Richard Johnston for their support throughout the year.

My thanks also to those village residents who help the Parish Council in some way particularly the Village Handymen and those who deliver North Scarle Matters.

This time last year we organised a talk on ‘Emergency Planning’ with a view to involving residents, but this did not happen until Mother Nature threw Storm Babet and Storm Henk at us resulting in the traumatic issue for some residents of having their homes inundated with floodwater - a very unwelcome occurrence. The very heavy rain was obviously a factor in this, but a contributor was the lack of maintenance of Mill Dam Dyke by the Environment Agency although work has been requested on numerous occasions by the Parish Council.

The positive outcome from this is that we now have an active Emergency Planning Group. Additionally, a group of residents, mainly those affected by the floods, are independently corresponding with and meeting the Environment Agency and other involved bodies. Hopefully their hard work succeeds in ensuring Mill Dam Dyke is cleared and properly maintained.

Again, we had a major fire on the site on Chapel Lane, the third in just over twelve months, but following our reporting the issue another branch of the Environment Agency are involved and are now monitoring the site. We also had our own problem in that our cemetery mower was destroyed by fire.

Storm Babet also destroyed a culvert on Spalford Road and although the road was closed for a long time Lincolnshire Highways used that closure to both re-instate the culvert and to re-surface Spalford Road having earlier re-surfaced a section of Eagle Road. My thanks to them for this and other work in the parish.

To conclude I would ask that you let the Parish Council know of any problem in order that we can deal with it or pass it on to the appropriate authority.

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.

Since our last report given by myself with a balance of £18,406.02 on 20 April 2023

Income is:

Rent in £550

Interest and dividends £492.09

Wayleave rental 28.54

Expenditure: £9.99

Bank charges £5.65

No monies requested.

Balance on 25 March 2024 is £19,461.01

Parish Councillor Karen Coram reported on the Playing Field

It has been another busy year for the few volunteers running the village hall. 

The hall and supporting rooms have been decorated.  The caravan facilities have been renovated and are also newly decorated.

In September Frank Lomas resigned as Chairman. 

The car boot sales continued throughout the year.  They were a good source of income for the village hall and the clubs which helped with them.

Due to a leaking roof in the Hall work was carried out which revealed wet rot in a support beam and unfortunately asbestos was exposed.  The asbestos has been sealed and the area around it cleaned.  The wet rot is still to be dealt with, but the Hall is safe for use.

The flooding in the village revealed our community spirit; with everyone helping each other to deal with the situation.  The village hall now has a store of sandbags outside next to the garages.  Hopefully they will not be needed.  The village hall is part of planning that is underway looking at how the village will respond to a serious local emergency, such as flooding.

Early on in the year there were a lot of requests to update the children’s play park. Unfortunately, funds may be needed to repair the village hall roof, but the safety of the play park has been maintained after a ROSPA inspection and recommendations were completed.

The playing field which is leased by the village hall from the parish council, for a peppercorn rent, is used by the cricket, football and Lincoln and District model engineering clubs.  The cost of maintaining this, in particular the mowing of the grass, is a drain on finances.  Yet it is a village amenity for dog walkers and walkers.  The village hall would like to liaise with the Parish Council to explore ways in which the two organisations can co-operate more closely in future.

Questions/comments:

On behalf of the Parish Councillors, Cllr Susan Walsh thanked Cllr David Jennings for all his hard work during the year.

Cllr Jennings asked Cllr Coram to write to the Clerk regarding the grass cutting so that it can be an agenda item at a future meeting.

Parish Councillor S Walsh asked if the Parish Council could see the latest VH accounts to take the figures into account once an official request is received regarding the cost of the grass cutting. Also asked if future reports could include opening and closing balances and income and expenditure totals.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 7.25pm