July 2022 Minutes
Londonthorpe & Harrowby Without Parish Council
Clerk; Peter A. Armstrong 27 Belton Ave Grantham Lincs NG31 9JE
Tel 07929 321426
E-mail londonthorpeharrowby@ntlworld.com
Clerks Notes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 6th July 2022 at Belmont school.
Meeting started at 7.02pm. Held under Covid 19 Regulations at the time.
Public Open Session: two parishioners present. Items raised were motorcycles using the pathway from Sandringham Close to the BHMS & Jubilee Mount sites. They are believed to be using it to access the tracks leading to Harrowby Hall etc. The police have been informed and it is being classed as Anti-Social Behaviour. The other matter was about the progress on the BHMS site, they were informed that this is still being held up because of the non-acceptance of the Method Statement supplied.
22/20 Councillors present: John Anderson, Richard Keeler, Paul Bakker, Geoff Parnham, Alan Bowling, Avril Gregory, Roland Wright, Paul Bavin and Paul Nesbitt. 9 members were present.
Roland Wright took the Chair. Pete Armstrong the Clerk took the notes.
Apologies: Carol Markwell, George Chivers both on holiday and Y Martin family reasons agreed as acceptable absence. LCC Cllrs L Wootten & A Stokes also sent their apologies and asked for any problems requiring their input to be forwarded.
22/21 Casual Vacancy: No applications received.
22/22 Acceptance of Office: N/A.
22/23 Declarations of Interest; None declared.
22/24 Clerks Notes: those of the 11th of May 2022 meeting were accepted as a true record and therefore became the minutes. Proposed by P Bakker seconded J Anderson, all members were fully in agreement.
22/25 Clerks Update on Matters Arising: As usual all matters fall within the full agenda.
22/26 Financial Statement No 2 of 22-23. Councillors as usual now had received the reports taken off the Scribe system prior to the meeting. Payments made via HSBC:
Salaries £843.85. C/C quarterly exp £50. Insurance now with BHIB: £941.20. Memberships: CPRE £36, ICO £35, SLCC £136, Rent £125. Jubilee Events: £300 Sunningdale toilets includes £50 VAT. Jubilee Mount, seat paid for previously. The costs of the opening etc £51.61 VAT £9.45. Bank Charges: £13. Audit postage costs £1.67. Newsletter Stamps £77.78, Finance Working Party Meeting Costs £10.83 VAT £2.17, Cleaning Materials £12.52 VAT £1.75. Total £2714.20 VAT £72.50.
The current account with NatWest was successfully opened by Switch overnight on the 30th and all but for £3 charges for cheques used during June was received. Accounts at both banks checked on the 1st July. It was discovered the Money Manager account remains open at the HSBC, the paperwork to enable this to be transferred was completed at this meeting.
The Clerk then went through the rest of the report in the detail explaining all the payments via NatWest.
These included Rent £25, WACS-Repairs/ Seat Fitting £360, LRS-Chainsaw Repair £61.61 VAT £10.27, Salaries £808.22, HMRC £352.20, Paint etc £39.30 VAT £6.55, Stamps £7.60, Audit £1.77.
Total expenditure for the 2-month period was £4369.90 Inc £89.32 VAT. (items purchased for cash in the last four months were reimbursed to the Clerk by Cheque, £11.57. All payments made on the card by the Clerk were agreed by and signed off accordingly.
The grass cutting invoice to Streetwise has not been paid due to the Clerk spotting that we were being charged for work not done, we await a new invoice.
All payments made on the card by the Clerk were agreed by and signed off accordingly.
Income was .73p Interest HSBC and C/Cleaner payment from SKDC £694.98 Melton Interest £62.52 total £758.23
Items known due for payment before the next meeting are, Grass Cutting, Newsletter, Repairs, BHMS, Parish-online, Jubilee Projects, and Salaries plus anything relating to any of the other ongoing projects already agreed within the parish.
Agreement to accept the Financial Statement No 2 for 2022/23 plus the normal expected payments for up to the July meeting was proposed by P Bakker seconded by J Anderson. Agreed Unan. Cllrs J Anderson & P Bavin signed off the account.
22/27 Leisure & Outdoor Committee:
Cllr R Keeler the Committee Chairman reported that there has been no of the committee meeting since the last Council Meeting. One is to be arranged after the Parish Tours have taken place.
a. Playground Safety: No major issues.
b. Covid items: no change.
c. Community Cleaner: working well, now moving on to do some maintenance jobs.
d. Withambrook Play Area: Willow tree that fell during some high winds as been cut and taken away from the stream. This may have been done by some residents.
e. Belfry: no known problems.
f. Londonthorpe Play Area: The Plum Tree also damage in high winds was tidied up by P Bakker & the Clerk. A slightly dangerous Ivy-covered tree on the roadside looks as if it should be removed. P Bavin will look when passing
g. Hills & Hollows: The Clerk reported on an e-mail received the day before the meeting from LCC Public Rights Way department stating a tree on our land had been set alight and was now in a dangerous condition and requires immediate felling. On investigation by our Clerk, it was found to be 30mts outside our boundary. LCC have been informed No other known problems but with schools breaking up soon we may see some anti-social behaviour. A look out must be kept for Barbecue fires etc.
h. Bridge End Grove: No known safety issues. We do though have problem with the landlord wanting to quadruple our rent for the site. This notification came through only five days before the meeting, the Clerk has left a n answerphone message for Buckminster but as of yet no response. The Clerk was delegated to negotiate with them to get it reduced. He will report back to council by email after he has spoken with them.
i. Working Parties: A Woodland Trust one required to attend to the trees planted at the rear of McCanns last winter. A new person is now in charge of volunteer liaison (Aaron Benson) he wants to join in with our group. (Jubilee Mount group to complete footpath route and assist with the drainage from the current path, Paul Bakker has strimmed and sprayed this or us.)
j. Five Gates update: the toilets have not yet been replaced, query with WT. Woodland Trust & National trust are leading some walks and other events in the area during the summer.
k. Jubilee Mount: A gathering of Cllrs, residents and guest attended the opening ceremony in June just prior to the official Jubilee date. Seat is being well used; the councillors were disappointed though to hear that youths were going through the area on motorcycles. The Working Group have been looking at designs for the information lectern. A quote from Print Bureau for the Artwork and Board seems very reasonable. £100 for Artwork, £175 for Sign, £225 for Lectern although this is possibly not quite the right design being made of Aluminium. The Arien Signs design chosen by the Working Group would be in the region of 5 to 6 hundred pounds. These Information Stands being looked at by the Working Group were shown to members and a discussion followed and the suggestion of having two, but smaller ones was deemed worth looking into. They would require having two legs though. The Clerk will investigate and report back. Working Party to improve the access from Sandringham across to it needed. Cllr Paul Bakker was thanked for the work he has done strimming and spraying on site
l. To Set Parish Tour Date: several items to be viewed as mentioned within this report. The 19th or 20th July was agreed, one to be an afternoon one and the other in the evening. Members to let the Clerk know their preference.
m. Best Kept Gardens: some nomination sheets already received others requested ASAP to allow judging to start.
n. Other Items: Cllr Alan Bowling was thanked for his work in getting the protected tree maps from SKDC, these also showed some of the grass areas within the Sunningdale area of the parish.
Belton Park Closure for Filming: The clerk contacted Ian Cooper as soon as we heard about it let him know about our disappointment that this was happening at the busiest time of year. We did though and get an immediate response. It is all about the income that will be received for this closure assisting NT Belton funds.
22/28 Queens Platinum Jubilee Update; Jubilee Events: report backs from any attendees. The Clerk stated he would like to receive any stories and photos for the Newsletter and Open Evening. We know of two events held on Sunningdale and another at Londonthorpe.
22/29 BHMS Site; This is still proving to be exceedingly difficult, as I still don’t have what I would call a satisfactory Method Statement. I have tried to see if I can get another quote, but everyone is tied up with backlogs of work. I have sent off the latest M/S to the Solicitor, but I still feel it will not be accepted. (Not detailed enough) The Clerk is continuing dialogue with the Solicitor. The latest dialogue now including Gareth Dawkins at SKDC.
22/30 Planning: Still awaiting any further Planning information re PWOG and the Garden Village developments.
Planning: Motion put forward by Cllr J Anderson.
This Council recognises that our reliance on Fossil Fuel must be reduced to achieve the aim of being carbon neutral by 2050.To this aim we suggest that all new planning applications must include
1) Solar Panels 2). Deep Heat Pumps 3) Electric Car Charging Points.
As there was no seconder, this motion was lost. It was noted though that some of these factors are already used in our replies for any new build applications.
Holscot app: members very disappointed by the decision by planning to allow the changes to the landscaping to only two Hydrangea bushes and in pots at that!
Ropsley Farms, Hill Top Farm buildings new application received, there still concerns about this, but nothing that would constitute a planning reason for objection. Other application dealt with as arising.
Kenilworth application just circulating with members has so far raised the question about the suitability of the colour grey for the cladding as all others are white. All others dealt with as required.
22/31 Highway Matters: SLRR; a shock announcement had been made that day that the whole project will come in at least a year late and cost an extra £15m due to ground failure not picked up by the surveyors.
Galliford Try’s latest newsletter was passed onto members when it arrived the new one will be interesting!
Areas of the parish such as Kenilworth Road have been top dressed. The standard of work and materials delivered was much better than on Sunningdale. Members are requested to report any problems on Fixmystreet.com.
Five Gates Lane, exit onto Londonthorpe Road now very dangerous due to the hedgerow growth, the same applies on Newgate Lane/Harrowby Lane. Road closures in the parish; Hall Lane will be closed from the 11th July for 5 days and Newgate Lane for two weeks from the 18th July.
22/32 Newsletter: Due to the printers late August. Suggested items Invitation to the Open Evening, Calendar, contact details, Chairman, BHMS, Jubilee Mount etc, WT, Highways, Community Cleaner, Belmont Wildlife area, PCSO, CSW, Working Parties etc. To be delivered in early September.
22/33 Open Evening: Wednesday September 21st. Items very much as listed above with additional content added on any ongoing projects
22/34 Policies: Standing Orders have been amended to change all mention of chairman. Both this and Finance policy to be reviewed considering the change of banks and the way of working regarding payment of invoices.
22/35 Working Groups: A working group to be set up to look at the policies and the Jubilee Mount group will continue with their work. Other groups are also required. Some Cllrs have already offered to assist.
22/36 Correspondence: As usual all relevant correspondence has been passed on as it arrived or in this case brought up in the actual agenda heading.
22/37 Matters for the September Agenda etc. At this juncture, Cllr J Anderson resigned forthwith. The clerk thanked him for his service to the parish since March 2006, when he was co-opted on. The Clerk was endorsed in what he said by the councillors present with others also making similar statements. This leaves us with two vacancies. These to be advertised in the newsletter although there are only a few months to the next election.
Meeting closed 8.50pm Diary Dates are as per these minutes and the Calendar passed to members and available on the Website and Noticeboards.
Next meeting: @ Belmont School Wednesday September 14th, 2022, at 7.00pm.
Signed as a true copy of the meeting held 6th July 2022