October 2023 minutes
The Parish Council meeting was held on Monday 9th October 2023 at 7.00pm in the Jubilee Hall, High Street, Heighington.
Present:
Councillor Buckley-Jones
Councillor Catlow
Councillor Catterson
Councillor Craig
Councillor Farrington
Councillor George
Councillor Rushby (Vice Chair – chair for the meeting)
Councillor Trafford
Councillor Watkinson
Clerk – Elaine Atkin
Responsible Finance Officer - Nikki Briscoe
NKDC Councillor Reece Harrington
NKDC & LCC Councillor Ian Carrington
Absent:
Councillor Sockell (Chair)
Councillor Sowerby
NKDC Councillor Carola Goodwin
There were 7 members of the public present.
Public participation
Members of the Christmas Market Committee had been asked to attend by a councillor, but it was explained that this was not the right forum for a discussion of the Market arrangements and the Clerk took an action to arrange a separate meeting with them.
112/M/23 To receive apologies for absence, these having been submitted to the Clerk prior to the meeting
Apologies for absence had been received from Cllrs Sockell and Sowerby. Apologies had also been received from NKDC Cllr Goodwin.
Two members of the public left (7:04pm).
113/M/23 To receive Declarations of Interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and receive Requests for Dispensations
Cllr Buckley-Jones declared an interest in agenda item 15 (minute reference 126/M/23).
114/M/23 To approve the draft notes of the Parish Council meeting held on Monday 11th September 2023 for these to be signed as the agreed minutes
It was proposed by Cllr Catlow, seconded by Cllr George and resolved to approve the Parish Council minutes, which the Vice Chair duly signed.
115/M/23 To receive reports from County and District Councillors (for information only)
A summary of the County and District Council reports:
- NKDC have reviewed the success of their purple-lidded (paper and cardboard) bin scheme, with a 98.62% rate of correct items in these bins
- An £8.9million investment is providing much-needed extra-care housing for independent living in Sleaford and is also making room for more wildlife habitat and biodiversity gain
- NKDC households which have not yet responded to the annual household canvas will be contacted
- Two North Kesteven building projects (a windmill conversion in Scopwick and a school extension at Norton Disney) have been singled out as among the best in the East Midlands and put forward for national recognition in the Local Authority Building Control Awards
- Community Energy Fund has been launched
116/M/23 To note the list of correspondence and meetings since the September council meeting
This was noted.
Financial matters:
117/M/23 To approve the monthly accounts for September, including List of Payments, List of receipts, Net Position and Bank Reconciliation
The RFO confirmed that the September bank reconciliation had been approved by Cllr Trafford prior to the meeting.
The bank balances as shared with council for September 2023 were: Unity Trust current account - £109,700.59, Co-op current account - £30,015.24, PSDF (Public Sector Deposit Fund account) - £48,000.
It was proposed by Cllr Catlow, seconded by Cllr Rushby and resolved to approve the monthly accounts for September.
118/M/23 To note overtime worked in August and paid in September
The overtime report was noted.
Planning Matters and Tree Works:
119/M/23 To consider tree works applications received from NKDC
None received.
120/M/23 To note tree decision notices from NKDC
a. 23/0980/TPO. Application to do works to trees subject to Tree Preservation Order. T3 Maple – Reduce back to boundary on Hudson’s Lane side including height and canopy by approximately 3m. Crown thinning by up to 30%. 18 Park Lane, Heighington, LN4 1RF. Decision – TPO modified approval.
b. 23/0984/TCA. T1 – Whitebeam – Crown reduction by approximately 2m. Crown thinning by no more that 30%. T2 Lime – Crown reduction and height reduction by 3m. Crown thinning by no more than 30%. Decision – TPO not served.
Tree decisions were noted.
121/M/23 To note the planning applications received from NKDC
a. 23/0929/HOUS. Erection of summer house (retrospective). 48 Park Lane, Heighington, LN4 1RF
Council had no comments.
b. 23/1058/HOUS. Proposed side and rear flat roof extensions. 81 Washingborough Road, Heighington, LN4 1QP.
Council had no comments.
c. 23/1142/LBC. Minor amendments to previously approved scheme 21/1406/HOUS (Proposed alterations and extension of existing outbuilding to form residential annex to include erection of carport). Change Crittal door to window. The Manor House, Potterhanworth Road, Heighington.
Council had no comments.
22/M/23 To note planning decision notices from NKDC
None received.
123/M/23 To ratify the council’s vision statement, as agreed at an informal workshop
The proposed vision was: “At Heighington Parish Council, our vision is to cultivate a community that is both a vibrant and attractive place for people to live in, work in, and visit. We are committed to preserving our rich cultural character while embracing sustainability and fostering a welcoming, safe, and friendly environment for all.”
This was proposed by Cllr Catterson, seconded by Cllr Catlow and resolved.
124/M/23 To approve an outline action plan, as agreed at an informal workshop, and for this to input into a draft Four Year Plan
This was proposed by Cllr Watkinson, seconded by Cllr Farrington and resolved.
125/M/23 To review the Grant Awarding Policy
There was a discussion regarding the timing of applications.
It was proposed by Cllr Watkinson, seconded by Cllr Catlow and resolved to approve the policy with the following amendments to section 4.1:
- Applications for the current financial year must be submitted by 30th June
- Applications will be reviewed at July’s Full Council meeting
Cllr Buckley-Jones left the room (7:26pm)
126/M/23 To consider a grant application from A Good Yarn towards the structure for the knitted Christmas Tree
The RFO confirmed there were grant funds available in the budget. It was proposed by Cllr George, seconded by Cllr Craig and resolved to award a grant of £150 toward this project.
It was confirmed that representative from the council would meet with representatives of A Good Yarn to discuss the logistics of siting the knitted tree.
Cllr Buckley-Jones returned to the room (7:30pm).
127/M/23 To consider a request to contribute to the Slow Ways national walking network by checking and verifying local walks
Cllr George volunteered to investigate this further, see if there are actually any Slow Ways in the vicinity, and report back to the next meeting.
128/M/23 To consider speed issues in the village and potential solutions:
a. Procurement of a solar-powered interactive speed sign
This was proposed by Cllr George, seconded by Cllr Farrington and resolved. The Clerk has chased NKDC to confirm whether this would be a permitted use of our Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds. If not, then the RFO confirmed that it could be funded from reserves.
b. Signing up to the Community Speed Watch initiative
It was proposed by Cllr Watkinson, seconded by Cllr George and resolved to agree to this in principle but to put out communication to parishioners to determine whether there is likely to be sufficient appetite from people to volunteer for this scheme before we actually sign up. Cllr Watkinson volunteered to lead on any engagement events.
c. Acknowledgement of concerns raised about speeding on Park Lane
A member of the public was invited to speak about the issues on Park Lane. Whilst there is not the volume of traffic the issue is the speed of vehicles particularly when travelling on Low Park Lane, and the subsequent risk to walkers and horse riders.
LCC Cllr Carrington contributed that Highways may be able to improve the signage to warn drivers of these dangers.
Council is aware that Lincs Road Safety Partnership have agreed to a traffic survey of this location and will await the results and any recommendations.
129/M/23 To note the litter pick quarterly report for July – September 2023
The report was noted. The Vice Chair reminded everyone of the upcoming community litter pick on Sunday 15th October at 10:00am.
130/M/23 To receive an update on the Zero Carbon Parishes project
Cllr Buckley-Jones provided the following update:
- The trees are due to arrive between 5th and 17th November
- The community tree and bulb planting event has been proposed for 25th November
- The plan is for 150 trees to be planted at Station Road and 50 at Potterhanworth Road
- Various community groups including Brownies, WI and the school have been approached to help with the planting
- If anyone has any bulb planters we can borrow, that would be appreciated
- We will be publicising the event wider once all the arrangements have been planned
131/M/23 To receive the latest update regarding Chafer bugs on council land (standing agenda item)
Cllr Trafford reported that there was no apparent damage at the moment. Application of nematodes on the bowling green was imminent.
132/M/23 CLOSED SESSION. To resolve to move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 for the following items on the grounds that publicity would be prejudicial to the public interest by reason of the confidential nature of the business to be transacted.
It was proposed by Cllr Buckley-Jones, seconded by Cllr George and resolved to move into closed session.
Members of the public and district councillors left the meeting (7:50pm).
133/M/23 To consider quotes for Station Road loft insulation (to be considered under the Zero Carbon Parishes grant)
Three quotes had been obtained (two of which resulted from a contractor site visit, one from a desk-based exercise). Based on the feedback received from the contractors it was proposed by Cllr George, seconded by Cllr Catterson and resolved that the works were not required and that we could utilise the spare insulation rolls we have at the Jubilee Hall for any small areas of the Station Road loft insulation which required patching. It was further resolved to instead obtain quotes for thermal blinds for the large window/door in the bowls lounge at Station Road, to be funded from the zero carbon parishes grant.
134/M/23 To consider a staffing recommendation from the Employment Committee
Cllr George gave a verbal update on proposed actions from the Employment Committee meeting and this was resolved.
The meeting closed at 8:06 pm.
Please be advised that these are notes of the meeting taken by the Clerk and cannot in any way be regarded as the official minutes of Council proceedings until they are approved and signed at the next meeting.
Correspondence and meetings since the September 2023 meeting