November 2023 DRAFT Minutes
Londonthorpe & Harrowby Without Parish Council
Clerk; Peter A. Armstrong 27 Belton Ave Grantham Lincs NG31 9JE
Tel 07929321426 E-mail londonthorpeharrowby@ntlworld.com
The Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Wednesday 8th November 2023 at Belmont school. Meeting started at 7.00pm
Councillors present: Paul Bakker, Alan Bowling, Avril Gregory, Geoff Parnham, Carol Markwell, Paul Nesbitt, R Keeler, and Yolanda Martin 8 members were present. LCC Cllr L Wootten & SKDC Cllr P Gadd in attendance.
22/52 Apologies: Paul Bavin (w), & Elvis Stooke (w). apologies received from LCC Councillor A Stokes. Pete Armstrong the Clerk took the notes.
23/53 Declarations of Interest; None declared.
23/54 Casual Vacancies: the prospective councillor decided not to go ahead for family reasons. Three vacancies still remain even after being advertised at the Open Evening and on the Website.
23/55 Co-opted to sign declaration: N/A
23/56 Clerks Notes: those of the 13th September 2023 meeting were accepted as a true record and therefore became the minutes. Proposed by A Gregory seconded G Parnham, all members were fully in agreement.
23/57 Clerks Update on Matters Arising: As usual most matters fell within the very full agenda.
23/58 Financial Statement No 4 of 23-24. Councillors as usual had received the reports taken off the Scribe system prior to the meeting. The Clerk went through the report in the detail explaining all the payments.
Payments to Nov 6th:
Community Cleaner & Clerk Salaries Sept-Oct £1769.63, HMRC £518.24, Chatterton’s Legal £1005 (VAT£160). Audit £252 (VAT £42). Open Evening £62.94 (VAT£ 10.49). Signs £144 (VAT £24.00), S137 £950. BKG Vouchers £180 + £24.96 (VAT £4.15), for photo-frames, Grass Cutting £ 949.20 (VAT £158.20), Cloud Next £59.99 (VAT £10.00), Bank Charges £ 9.10, BHMS £37.90 (VAT £6.31), Gardens £15.16 (VAT £2.53)
Income: Interest £88.89, Precept £16500
All payments made on the card by the Clerk were agreed by and signed off accordingly.
Items known due for payment before the next meeting are, Grass Cutting, Repairs, BHMS, remainder of the Jubilee Projects, Salaries, Working Parties, HMRC, Gardens. Plus, anything else relating to any of the other ongoing projects within the L&O section including ROSPA report. A total possible outlay of up to £13000 before the next meeting. Agreement to accept the Financial Statement No 4 for 2023/24 plus the normal expected payments for up to the January meeting was proposed by A Bowling seconded by P Nesbitt. A Gregory and P Nesbitt signed off the statements for this period. Agreed Unan.
Staff PayScale’s: these have just come forward from NALC albeit 7months late, members agreed to increase both employers pay to the new scale range and pay the backpay due from April. The clerk will do this in the December HMRC reckonings. Proposed Y Martin Sec R Keeler, all agreed.
23/59 Leisure & Outdoor Committee:
a. See October Meeting Report, all things covered under the sections below:
b. Playground Safety Report: ROSPA Inspection requested. Awaiting a date.
c. Belfry: The C/C has reported a vandalised seat on the fitness equipment. Fresh-air Fitness have been asked to quote for the replacement as it is one of their items. it will be fitted ASAP.
d. Bridge End Grove: Equipment ordered hopefully be fitted by the end of the Year!
e. Londonthorpe including the Amenity Area: Village Gates have been washed down. Planters to be re-potted when we have had a frost, plants in are continuing to flower. Hedge, date to be set to cut back, it will be stacked and then left until Paul BV has the opportunity to come in and chip it. Volunteers required! In the new year start to look for what replacement equipment to put in.
f. Hills & Hollows: Date confirmed for a Midweek Working Party 14th November 9:30 to 11:30 Approx. clearing self-sets will be the priority task. A couple of replacement trees required to replace those that succumbed during the dry spell of the summer. New warning signs in place.
g. Blessed Hugh More Site, Leased Land & Jubilee Mount: see L&O report for full details. We are hoping that the ASB measures to be taken on by the local police team should help with this. The Ropsley Farms Manager informed the Clerk of the problems caused by the motorcyclists etc. Cllr A bowling will reiterate this at the Police Forum Meeting he is to attend on our behalf. We were still waiting for any sort of response to the request for the SKDC Cllrs to let us know about any possible developments on the equipment front. An email was received just prior to the meeting suggesting it be arranged for early 2024.Contractor has been back and made some amendments to the flow of the water to the drainage system, this has slightly improved things. Clerk has produced an item about Bl High More.
h. Orphan land: Lease complete, awaiting response from Land Registry
i. Grass Cutting: no problems reported may need further financing in 24-25.
j. Woodland Trust Working Party; Two have now been held and another is due to take place on Sunday 3rd Dec weather permitting. This will again be clearing self-sets in the Alma wood ready for replanting with Oak & Beech in the spring.
k. Millennium Garden: Belmont Gardening Club will be clearing on the 14th Nov to ready it for planting up with Winter Pansies and possibly Primulas. This will complement the Wallflowers & sweet Willliam they have grown. Cllrs P Bakker & G Parnham will assist the Clerk. The pupils are to also plant some Acorns which hopefully can be used in the local woods.
l. L&O Precept for 2024-25: the committee worked through the figures with the Clerk/RFO and came to conclusion that there is no need to ask for more in the following Council Precept.
23/60 Planning: Applications dealt with as arising, these are sent to all councillors with at least five of the councillors expected to comment/reply including those on the Planning Group. The Clerk reiterated the need to reply if you are one of the five nominated. Several smaller applications mainly with no comments received. It’s been a busy two months mainly taken up with Solar Farms. We were informed very late of a Consultation Meeting re the “Low Carbon- Ash Farm” possible application, several members attended the Consultation having the chance to talk with residents. We then heard about the North Welby one which is being proposed. We are waiting for Arcadis to come back to us with a date for a joint meeting with us and Welby. The Clerk as consequently heard about another in Welby on Church Lane. If all were to go ahead this would mean three within about 3miles of each other all expecting to feed into the Newgate Lane Substation. The total MW/h would be well over 100. The Ash farm one being the one that would cause us most concern as it is on our doorstep and the planned cable route at present is through the village. A reply to the consultation was sent, this was forwarded to all. It has since come to light that another one at Oasby may be coming forward in the near future again feeding into Newgate Lane. The main concerns are all based around the disruption to the village. This will be stressed strongly in any applications received.
Manor Farm: our Comments sent, and we received a response from the applicant which explained some of the information missing from what we saw. There is apparently considerable land being purchase alongside the barn. This has now been refused at the first stage as the application does not give sufficient information.
Nothing heard on the Bloor Homes Site. It is though believed that the landowners have now purchased the adjoining field!
23/61 Highway Matters: CSW held two events in October the remainder cancelled due to extreme weather.
The Police Van has been out on Belton Lane and Harrowby Lane. SLRR: A visit to the site was arranged and Cllrs. Bowling, Parnham & Bakker plus the clerk visited the site, and heard a lot of detail about how it is being developed. It is expected to take at least two more years to complete. The Clerk has now shown the works video to members.
Water Flooding is flooding over the drain on Harrowby Hill reported to LCC Highways. it is hoped that this only spring and rainwater not another leak from the reservoir.
We are trying the get to the bottom of the mystery of the moved 30mph signs on Belton/Londonthorpe Lane Corner. Cllr L Wootten Has taken it up with the Highways manager for us.
Cllr L Wootten also informed us of plan to widen the road entrance at High Road/High Dyke junction.
23/62 Open Evening: this was deemed to be a success, but some thought to be put into what we can do the get more parishioners interested next year.
23/63 Tom Childs Award: Noted as a worthy winner and the award was duly paid to St Barnabas on her behalf.
23/64 Set Precept for 2024-25:
After discussion it was proposed By R Keeler seconded by G Parnham that the figures provided and recommended by the Clerk be adopted. This will mean no increase from the £33000 precept which in actual terms means a .5% decrease to Council Taxpayers. There is sufficient time before the January deadline for its submission if anything changes that it could be amended.
23/65 Policies: Standing Orders. A number of policies are to be looked at by the Policies Group ready to present to the next meeting, several are due for reaccepting in 2024.
23/66 Councillor Area of Responsibilities: Cllrs comments Defibrillator updated, Play area notes, Flooding.
23/67 Correspondence: As usual all relevant correspondence has been passed on as it arrived or in this case brought up in the actual agenda heading. Except item from LCC Cllr Richard Davies which Cllr L Wootten brought to our notice. This involves three of the councils’ suppliers offering Volunteers to do certain tasks.
It was decided to request that they could paint the Belfry Play Area fence. We supply the materials they supply the manpower. Cllr P Gadd offer to pay for the paint, making good on his offer of earlier in the year. He was thanked for this. Cllr L Wootten is to put our project forward for consideration by LCC.
23/68 Matters for the 10th January 2024 Agenda. etc. Review of the projects still in abeyance. Hold meeting with Ian Cooper at Belton prior to this meeting.
Meeting closed 8.45pm
Next meeting: @ Belmont School Wednesday January 10th, 2024, at 7.00pm.