January 2024 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 10th January 2024 at Belmont school. Meeting started at 7.00pm
Councillors present: Paul Bakker, Alan Bowling, Avril Gregory, Geoff Parnham, Carol Markwell, Paul Nesbitt, R Keeler, Elvis Stooke and Yolanda Martin 9 members were present. LCC Cllr L Wootten & SKDC Cllr P Gadd in attendance. Resident M Ash was also present.
22/69 Apologies: Paul Bavin (w), apologies received from LCC Councillor A Stokes. Pete Armstrong the Clerk took the notes.
23/70 Declarations of Interest; None declared.
23/71 Casual Vacancies: One prospective councillor Darren Thorpe was present. He was duly co-opted prop by A Bowling, sec by P Bakker he was duly co-opted. Two vacancies remain and are being advertised in the Newsletter and on the Website.
23/72 Co-opted to sign declaration: Darren Thorpe duly signed the papers required.
23/73 Clerks Notes: those of the 8th November 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.
23/74 Clerks Update on Matters Arising: As usual all matters fell within the very full agenda.
23/75 Financial Statement No 5 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 Jan 8th 2024: Employees £3049.32 Inc Back Pay and HMRI. Grass Cutting £474.60 (V £79.10), Repairs £310.06 (V£19.18), Gardens £89.88 (V£14.98), Meeting Expenses £9.47 (V£1.58), Working Parties £11.00. Bank Charges £8.75, Stamps for Newsletter £93.98
Income: SKDC Re C/C £894.89, N/W Interest £86.19
Due before the next meeting Bridge End Grove works £12000, Salaries, Repairs, Working Parties, Annual Expenses payment.
A request has been received for a donation to the “Sunnifest” to be held on Sunningdale on 22nd June. The Clerk will liaise with the organisers for the order to be placed through the Council as Section 137 Grant payment.
Agreement to accept the Financial Statement No 5 for 2023/24 plus the normal expected payments for up to the March meeting was proposed by P Nesbitt seconded by E Stooke and signed off the statements for this period. Agreed Unan.
23/76 Leisure & Outdoor Committee:
a. Playground Safety Report: Belfry Seats replaced, no other known problems.
b. Belfry: The vandalised seat on the fitness equipment has been replaced. The Clerk met with the LCC Officer and two of Balfour Beaty’s people to look at the fencing which is to be painted by them as a volunteer project. We will be paying for the materials etc, Cllr P Gadd has offered a donation towards the project, this was gracefully accepted. We also thank Cllr Wootten for putting us forward.
c. Bridge End Grove: Equipment was ordered in October and expected delivery was for December and fitting by the end 2023! This unfortunately did not happen due a failure by the suppliers ordering from the manufacturers. We now have delivery date of February with ASAP after that. Our contractor was most apologetic about this but was out of his hands, he has paid for the equipment already so had no reason to believe there was a problem. The Clerk has been in contact with the UKSPF managers at SKDC and as long as we have it in and paid for by the end of our financial year, we will be ok. Our contractor has offered us two small items of equipment that he’s clearing from his warehouse, we would only have to pay for the fitting etc. it was agreed to accept and pass to the L&O Com. to work on the possibility of fitting at Londonthorpe to add to next financial years project of replacing the adult swings.
d. Withambrook: No known Problems.
e. Londonthorpe including the Amenity Area: Hedge, date to be set after seeing what dates the volunteers can assist. A letter will go to Mrs Kathel prior to starting to cut back, it will be stacked and then left until Paul BV has the opportunity to come in and chip it. See above about replacement equipment.
f. Hills & Hollows: Tony Parker has continued with the trimming of the hedges. A midweek working party was undertaken with P Bakker, four volunteers and I involved in clearing some self-set sycamore and opening up the ROW footpath. R Keeler has continued pruning back the Hawthorn.
g. Blessed Hugh More Site, Leased Land & Jubilee Mount: Working Party needs to be organised!! Clerk will send out some possible dates. Donated Cherry Tree to be planted. The excessive rain we have had has caused problems with water run off down the footpath from the ROW footpath at the top. Contractor has been back on his on oblation and done some more remedial work. New side run-offs needed. Other works as required including replacing a broken stake. Reports of motorcycles on the field.
h. Grass Cutting: all agreed works done during the was good, no problems reported.
i. Woodland Trust Working Party; Two have now been held and another is due to take place on Sunday 11th Feb weather permitting. This will be planting a new hedgerow on Thorpe Fields in conjunction with the reconnecting Grantham Project.
j. Millennium Garden: Winter/Spring planting completed in November by the Belmont Gardening Club; they will be growing some plants for the summer planting when they start the Club back up in March. Repairs to the edging are required, around 75% of the current poles will need replacing. It may be better to replace all possibly with a recycled plastic alternative. Members agreed and the Clerk will get quotes ready for the L&O committee.
k. Projects Still in the Pipeline: this was requested at the last meeting as an item to be revisited. The outstanding items are the Bridge to Connect Third Ave to the Withambrook Amenity Area and a Fence around the Fifth Ave Play Equipment.
Originally £20000 was put away for the Third Ave project this pot has been added to over the years and now stands at approx. £30k. The reason for non-completion is that we are waiting for Jelsons to hand over the land to SKDC for adoption. There has been no movement on this as Jelsons appear to be happy to keep all these areas around the estate and maintenance of them. There is another option which was looked at but that involves crossing the Withambrook and EA approval would be required, that is hinder by the fact they wished to put in containment pond where we would need to cross. EA are to be contacted to see what the present situation is.
£5000 was put aside for the Fencing off, of Fifth Ave, this we have been unable to complete as there has still been no agreement with SKDC and the Woodland Trust to sell off the entrance approach to the Alma Park Fields.
23/77 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.
Ash Tree Solar Farm: some compiled details have been sent under separate emails to councillors, these will form part of the discussion before sending in our objections. A meeting will be held on the fifteenth to put this together separate meeting to consider the response in detail. Residents have been sending in their own response and have organised a petition. All agreed there are many negatives to this application. It is felt that this and the other nearby applications will overwhelm the area. Objections surrounding many of the SKDC Local Plan objectives EN1to EN6 which are relevant. Cllr Stooke has called it in so it will go to committee.
Welby North Solar Farm, Consultation Meeting 24th Jan at Heydour 3-7pm.
52 Saltersford Road, possible change to Childrens Care Home. A lot of objections from neighbours. Many around the siting of it, also the parking and noise to next door neighbours. All the residents in the bungalow nearby are elderly retired people. A photo of the present mayhem with parked vehicles blocking up the area.
All others dealt with during the month, using the replies from councillors.
Nothing heard on the Bloor Homes Site.
23/78 Highway Matters: Turnor Road Restricted Highway-Access, considerable correspondence has been going backwards and forwards on this. It was raised by a resident on the road with Cllr Stooke. Cllr L Wootten became involved as it would be an LCC matter. Residents are asking for signage, but it all becomes very complicated because of the designation of the road it must allow access to certain modes of transport along with pedestrians and horse riders. LCC must pass off as correct any signage used. Cllr Wootten showed a sample of the sign that may be used.
Harrowby Lane Running Water: apparently an attempt was made to clear the drains but to no avail a specialist machine will have to be brought in to perform the task. This has become treacherous on frosty mornings! Complaint about the building site brushing muddy water out on to the road and causing further drainage problems.
SLRR: first section of the bridge is now being built on site.
23/79 Cllr A Bowling Report on Police Parish Council Engagement Session
Big challenges for Lincolnshire with lowest funding in England and Wales, 2.10 officers per 1000 pop vs 3.69 average. Reality is that 531 officers for whole of Lincolnshire on duty in a 24-hr period or 177 on average at any one time or 1 for every 13 sq. miles! For SK neighbourhood policing we get 1 inspector, 3 Sgts, 6 community-based officers and 7 PCSO’s so 17 for all SK, this of course also covers Stamford & Bourne. Also, other specialised units, Rural Crime, Road Policing etc. Sharing of various operations such as Retail Crime (large increase), Sleaford Young people drug grooming, and Grantham Town Centre Drug activities and stolen goods.
For us speeding: Has a priority as one of the fatal 5 issues, Nighttime work can be set up on request, suggestion that we contact Inspector Mark Hillson for discussion on this. There was a suggestion that they could employ Road Policing Unit and perhaps Armed Police units on Harrowby lane as the nighttime speeding might also be linked to County Lines activities. For us Parking: Now a civil offence so no longer enforced by Police a county council responsibility. For us ASB: Focus on motorcycles with some improvements, and suggested use of drones over places like Hills and Hollows.
23/80 Newsletter: this will be going out to residents by the third week of February. The indicated where he hoped councillors would become involved in doing the bit for the publication. Outside articles have been requested from National Trust, Woodland Trust, Rev S Parsons. The District and County Councillors were also invited to have a small article. Vacancies will be well advertised, the requirement of residents to comment on planning applications will also be stressed. Cllr P Bakker has already contacted several of the regular advertisers and got their agreements. An agreement to run a Defib Training course was agreed this will be advertised, we will need at least 8 participants.
23/81 Confirm Set Precept for 2024-25:
The clerk explained the changes to our anticipated expenses for 2024-25 and the possible carry forwards from 2023-24. After discussion it was proposed By A. Bowling seconded by Y Martin 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.
23/82 Policies: Standing Orders. Several policies are to be looked at by the Policies Group ready to present to the next meeting, several are due for reaccepting in 2024.
23/83 Councillor Area of Responsibilities: Defibrillator checks completed Clerk will update system. Flooding from BHMS was mentioned. As all councillors will be aware the land around our parish is usually below a hill with different substrates of materials, including Limestone and Clay. This means it does not seep through very well.
23/84 Correspondence: As usual all relevant correspondence has been passed on as it arrived.
23/85 Matters for the 13th of March 2024 Agenda. Hold meeting with Ian Cooper at Belton prior to this meeting.
Meeting closed 8.45pm
Next meeting: @ Belmont School Wednesday March 13th, 2024, at 7.00pm.
C Markwell