Minutes

Meeting of Greatford Parish Council on Tuesday 8th September 2020 via zoom, following guidance for safe practice during the Covid19 pandemic.

Present

Parish Councillors Jon Workman (Chair), Phil Britton (Vice chair), David Anderson (Finance) DA, and Gemma Taylor GT. Councillor Rosemary Trollope-Bellew, Helen Britton (Clerk) . Dani Wheeler , Chris Granville-White , Bob French , Nigel Ashby , Elizabeth Ashby, Martin Brebner, Lois Webb, Elaine Hawkins, Stephanie O’Flaherty, Alison Horton, Richard McDermott.

20/21 - 15 Apologies for absence

Cllr Ibis Channell, Cllr Kelham Cooke

20/21 - 16 Approval of Minutes from 27th July 2020

Proposed by Phil Britton, seconded by Gemma Taylor

20/21 - 17 Reports from County and District Councillors

Cllr Rosemary Trollope-Bellew reported on the successful meeting at the site of the proposed development to extract and process sand and gravel and to progressively restore the site to a mixture of agricultural land, nature conservation area and an agricultural water reservoir on land at King Street, Greatford. (planning reference PL/0082/20) .

One parish council representative from each adjacent village was present and Rosemary thanked Cllr Jon Workman and the others for attending. The main concern was the highway/ King Street.

Rosemary has a meeting planned for 21st September 2020 with Cllr Dobson, the Planning Officer and Case Officer, to discuss the responses from the parishes.

Rosemary has asked Lincolnshire CC Highways department for a copy of the guidance regarding weight limits for villages.

Cllr Jon Workman thanked Rosemary for arranging the meeting. He also thanked Rosemary for extending the period of consultation by three weeks.

Jon noted strong agreement between the village representatives and a desire to share information between the villages. He reported that traffic and road safety were the main concerns.

Bob French suggested that extraction-only is asked for and that the processing could take place at another site to avoid the site becoming ’industrialised’. Jon suggested that if permission were granted, further extraction would become inevitable. As the applicant is a private person as

opposed to an extraction company, it is not possible to know which company would be doing the extraction and processing. Bob French said , therefore, that Dr Lane, the applicant, ought to declare who will be doing teh processing.

Richard McDermott raised questions about the width of King Street and whether an independent study could be carried out. Bob went on to say that private lorries associated with the processing would be at liberty to turn out of the site in either direction as they so choose.

Once Rosemary is privy to the date of the Planning Committee meeting at which application PL/0082/20 is to be discussed, she will convene a meeting of village representatives to prepare for that. Parishioner Jason Johnson (erstwhile district councillor in Lincolnshire) has offered to be the representative objecting on behalf of Greatford. Rosemary will ascertain how many people may speak and also if a deputation of none-speaking objectors may attend. Chris Granville-White described how previous deputations contributed to a successful outcome. Martin Brebner asked whether Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership have commented or if they may be lobbied.Rosemary responded by saying that she believes that they have concerns and will be supplying a report. She also suggested that parishioners supply details about HGVs travelling through the village as there can be positive outcomes when she passes this information onto the different companies involved.

Richard McDermott asked whether supply of gravel is required by the central government. Rosemary will look into this.

Cllr Phil Britton thanked Sam Taylor for his contribution, with his expertise in road safety, to the letter which had been written by Cllr Phil Britton.

Cllr Rosemary Trollope-Bellew passed on apologies from Cllr Kelham Cook, leader of SKDC. He emailed his Update to parishes September 2020:

“I hope you have had a good summer. Life continues to be busy at SKDC as we work with our partners to support our local communities in recovering from Covid-19.

As we all know from the news, the virus is still very much with us, but here in Lincolnshire, we continue to be in a good position in terms of controlling the spread of coronavirus. That doesn’t mean we have taken our foot off the pedal, there cannot be any room for complacency, but I am pleased that the work we have all done is putting us in good stead.

Over the past few weeks, we have consulted on two issues which I know are important to you. Firstly, we consulted on how we deliver customer services. As you know, we did consult at the beginning of the year. However, we then went into lockdown, and how we work and live changed. Therefore, it seemed prudent to revisit the consultation process so that we could take account of the changes to how people have been accessing council customer services during lockdown.

The consultation has now closed, the analysis has been done, and a report was presented to Cabinet today. The recommendations, which will now go to full council will modernise how we deliver these services, increasing accessibility and convenience, whilst still supporting our most vulnerable residents.

The other topic of consultation was public space protection orders. We have to consult on these orders every three years. It is a bit of a dry topic but covers issues such as drinking in public spaces and ensuring that dog owners behaviour responsibly, not only clearing up after their pets, but also ensuring they are kept under control. This consultation closes on Friday.

Another issue which I know is of interest to you, is our Local Plan. The plan was adopted in January, when we also agreed to an early review to take account of any changes and enable further consideration and debate about sites for gypsies and travellers. Our review is due to start next week, hopefully the 14th September, so please do check our website, watch our social media channels, or look out for notification in our local papers. The Local Plan is our blueprint for South Kesteven for decades to come, so your input is vital and invaluable.

We have had a couple of shocking incidents of large-scale fly tipping in our district over the past few weeks. We are quite clear at the council that this is never acceptable, and we will take action to bring those responsible to book.

We are proud of the work that we do at SKDC to keep our neighbourhoods clean and tidy. Some of this work had to be paused earlier in the year, but our Street Scene teams have been back out in force over the summer cleaning up reported grot spots and generally ensuring that our towns and villages have the higher street average we are committed to delivering.

Ordinarily, we would have been looking forward to our Gravity Fields Festival. Like everyone else, we have had to postpone so much this year. But our commitment to arts and culture remains steadfast. Since lockdown, we have discovered and opened up a whole new world of online activity to keep our audiences engaged and entertained. Our arts and culture work keeps our communities connected and plays a key part in the health and wellbeing of our residents. We do not underestimate the importance of this sector to our economy as well. But we have to balance any phased and gradual reopening with protecting the health of our staff, those who work in the sector, and our residents. So our approach to reopening is measured and cautious and will remain so. The same applies to the reopening of our leisure centres, a programme which has been underway for a couple of weeks.

Looking forward, between now and when we next meet, we have two full council meetings. There is much to discuss at these meetings, but the key topics will inevitably be our new Corporate Plan, our amended budget, and our corporate restructure.

These three documents, together, will set out our purpose and our promise to you and our communities over the coming years. We have one vision: To make South Kesteven the best district in which to live, work and visit. There are five clear priorities to support our vision covering:

● Housing - to meet the needs of all residents

● A clean and sustainable environment

● Healthy and strong communities

● Growth and our local economy

● A high performing council

You will have seen reports in the media that I have been very open about our need and determination to cut our cloth accordingly. That has always been my approach, and it is even more important now, as we look at a forecasted shortfall of about £2million. Our Corporate Plan will ensure we remain focused on key deliverables; our corporate restructure will align our resources to meet our priorities; and our amended budget will ensure that our financial footing remains strong.

We went into the coronavirus pandemic in a strong position because of our past track record on efficient management of resources. Our job now is to ensure that as we recover, we do so well and come back stronger than ever.

Lastly, I want to touch on the subject of devolution and local government reorganisation. As we know, this subject is firmly back on the Government’s agenda, but we will need to wait for the publication of its White Paper on this issue, which is due sometime in October, to see the detail.

However, we are not resting on our laurels while we wait. Work continues to ensure that when the White Paper is published, if necessary, we can present an option to the Government that is evidence-based and offers the best solution for the people of South Kesteven, and wider Lincolnshire.

You don’t need me to tell you of the importance of that grassroots connection, of being able to truly understand the needs of residents, business and communities. My fellow district council leaders and I are not opposed to change, we are open to how things can be done better. But timing is crucial, and any change must put those we serve at the centre of all that we do. For now, we need to recover and restart from Covid-19, learn what the new normal truly means for us all, and continue to support our communities in the aftermath of what has been the most unprecedented of years.

I look forward to continuing to work with all of you to do just that, and, as always, I remain grateful for your support and your friendship. Thank you.

20/21 - 18 Financial matters

Cllr David Anderson gave a report of the state of the PC finances. The closing current account balance on 13th July was £10058 as reported in the last minutes.

We have since received £350 from LCC being the donation for the Playing Field Project from Rosemary Trollope Bellew. We have paid out £1534, including £174 for grass cutting, £250 for clerks fees, £346 for the annual insurance, £78 LALC subs and £686 for the playing field trees and shrubs etc. The balance on 1st September was therefore £8874 excluding any receipts on the next bank statement.

Receipts to come soon amount to £1690 for playing field grants / donations and the BKV award.

£2530 is still payable for the playing field, £407 to Bob French for the play equipment poles etc.and probably £300 for the slide repairs. Adjusting for these would leave us with a balance of £7327. As things stand it is likely that our year end balance will be circa £7000, close to the budget of £7247.

David also mentioned that John Czarnota at Greatford Hall is happy for the railings to be painted and bulbs to be planted by parishioners. Cllr David Anderson suggested rolling that work and expenditure on to next year.

20/21 - 19 Planning matters

With the exception of the Category A planning matter discussed in item 20/21 - 17, there was none to discuss.

20/21 - 20 Ward Member Grant Scheme feedback

Nothing to discuss.

20/21 - 21 Playing Field Orchard project progress & forward work plan

Cllr Gemma Taylor remonded parishioners that there is to be a village afternoon for wildlife-lovers and families this Saturday 12th September. Details have been circulated. The Village Hall committee had confirmed that some bird boxes may be positioned on the walls of the village hall with the exception of the front wall. David Anderson has drawn up a plan of the lectern. The trees and hedges will be trimmed in line with advice from Matthew Davey, Lincolnshire Environment and Community Projects Officer, and in accordance with the plan drawn up by David Anderson., prior to fruit tree-planting in the late autumn.

20/21 - 22 Playing Field slide.

Dani Wheeler met parishioner Jim Coulam, who has offered to weld and polish the slide donated by Ross Dykes. The parish council is awaiting the quotation of the cost and feel that this will be a good way to get the slide ready and safe for adding to the playing field. Jon Workman thanked Dani for all that she has done to make these arrangements.

20/21 - 23 - Flood wardens report

Chris G-White gave a short overview of current issues with flood risk-reduction activities

Overview

With the mostly dry weather the river level is still very low, with just 4-5cms height of water for the past week at the Shillingthorpe gauge.

However, some very strong winds recently have brought down a number of branches in the area, some of which have been cleared from the church path and small bypass stream upstream of Carlby Road bridge - and east of Carlby Road downstream of Meadowcourt.

Watercourse around Greatford Gardens

There is the usual summer growth of vegetation within the watercourse to be cleared by property owners or volunteers ahead of autumn rains.

During recent years volunteers have helped with clearing vegetation and fallen branches from parts of the small but important watercourse around Greatford Gardens, and east of Carlby Road along the borders of the Old Rectory and Meadowcourt to where it discharges into the river.

Hopefully, most of the vegetation will be cleared by property owners with riparian responsibility for keeping their sections clear, but I will discuss with volunteers about some weekend clearing during Sep (within the limitations of social distancing for pandemic protection).

The River between Shillingthorpe and Greatford

Late information: there is a large fallen Willow branch across the river from the north (farmland) bank to be cleared away.

20/21 - 24 SKDC small villages 2020 Best Kept Village Competition

The Clerk had received notification to say that Greatford came third and had won £200.

20/21 - 25 Any other business

DA has looked into switching from NatWest but found that it is not a better option.

Holding face-to-face meetings parish council was discussed. It was decided to continue to pay the Village Hall £120, which they would have received for meetings there. The Chair suggested that the venue of the next meeting will be chosen 1-2 weeks prior.

BF mentioned that the village hall is in need of exterior paint and that he will approach the committee for a report in requirements and costs and take that report back to the PC.

The Vice Chair, PB, thanked Bob French and everyone involved for the repairs and refurbishment to the play equipment. DA suggested that the play equipment ought to be checked by the parish councillors and other interested parishioners prior to the official inspection and that this ought to be diarised.

The meeting closed at 9:40pm.

Date of next meeting - November 17th 2020