November 2019 Minutes

MINUTES of the Meeting of DEEPING ST NICHOLAS PARISH COUNCIL held on Monday 18th November 2019 at 7:00pm, at Deeping St Nicholas Church

(Recorded by the Clerk)

Present:          William Rodwell (Chairman) David Branton (Vice Chairman), Andy Croyle, Deborah Croyle, Nicholas Watts, Louise McGuiness,Charles Sly, Paul Barrett, Richard Ivatt, Barry Hopkins

Angela Harrison (Clerk)

County & District Cllr Nigel Pepper

County Cllr Elizabeth Sneath

District Cllr Bryan Alcock

2 members of the public

1.     Apologies

At the time of the meeting, apologies had been received from:

Carol Mackenzie

District Cllr Jim Astill

Winston Brown (Press Officer)

2.     Declarations of Interest (in accordance with the LGA 2000)

None

3.     Public Speakers (Max 3 mins each)

None

4.     Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting held on Monday 30th September 2019

Proposed:       R Ivatt

Seconded:       D Croyle

It was resolved to formerly adopt the Minutes and for the Chairman to sign them as a true record.

5.     Matters Arising from the Minutes

Item 13. Sentence should read; Post Box from end of ‘village’

Item 6.

a. Re: Churchyard grass cutting

-      Costs £750 per cut

-      N Watts offered to do one cut per year

-      Volunteers to cut the open areas, as the graveyard is the part that is difficult to do

-      D Branton stated that he has cut the open areas in the past but was told that they had a groundsman to do this and therefore his services were not needed

-      Difficulty arises when there are plastic flowers, toys, solar lights, etc left at the graves, which need to     be moved before the grass can be cut

-      Wet weather has also caused a problem with cutting

It was agreed that this would be discussed at the next Parish Meeting           

b. Planting of Wild Flowers

-      Suggested areas away from the sides of Main Roads

-      Open area in the Churchyard

-      Edges of the triangular piece of land

-      Outside of the grass verge down Campain’s Lane

-      Grass verges on Harrow Road and off Elizabeth Crescent

c. Defibrilators

-      3rd one to be sited at Vine House Farm

-      Need to find a suitable site in Tongue End

Item 13.

Tongue End Playing Field

-      The Chairman confirmed that there is nothing in the deeds that states that the land needs to go back to anyone

-      2 strips purchased at £100 per strip

-      Far side was 30th Jan 1973

-      11th Jan 1960 Welby Everard

-      The PC gave the school a license to use the land for 10 years

Grow & Share Allotments - End of Chappell Road

-      Only one allotment in use there

-      No other allotments allowed as the land is earmarked by SHDC for development

-      Clerk to ask SHDC

6.     Reports from County & District Cllrs

Cllr Sneath

•  Information in Tongue End Notice Board

•  Keep in touch via the Village News

Cllr Pepper

•  New bin on the bus shelter

•  Overgrown land that was reported will be cleaned up by the Pride in South Holland team

Cllr Alcock

•  Boundary Commission will be coming to look at the District Ward boundaries

•  Be aware and make views known as and when required

7.     Wind Farm Committee Update (Chairman)

•  New footpath looks good at the school

•  The school seem to be trying really hard and need our support

•  Breakfast and Afternoon clubs are seen as a real positive with parents of existing and prospective pupils

8.     Update from Community Trust (AC)

•  Previous date on the application, was 31st October but is still showing as undecided

•  New date is now 23rd December, which is one year from when it was submitted

•  Cllr Alcock stated that there is a new potential builder involved, which may delay things

9.     New Bus Service & Call Connect Update (LM)

•  Problems with siting a couple of the Bissell poles

•  Waiting for the Senior Highways Officer to return from leave, to reach a decision

10.  Signal Box Update (DB)

•  Some responses from Network Rail, stating that they’d lost all their correspondence, details, etc

•  Latest email states that it was to be ‘kept as a welfare unit for Network Rail staff’

•  After the General Election enlist the help of our MP

•  L McGuinness suggested that in the meantime, we press them for some maintenance on the box

11. Report from the Playing Fields & Bus Shelters Committee

•  Campain’s Lane Bus Shelter - we put down hardcore and gravel which caused some upset with Highways

•  People are now using this as an additional parking area

•  We will send a letter to all residence of Campain’s Lane explaining that it is an emergency pull-off area

•  Erect 2 signs to state No Parking by order of Deeping St Nicholas Parish Council

•  Thanks to our County Councillor who assisted in sorting out the situation with the County Council

New piece of equipment for Hop Pole playing field

•  Ask for a contribution from the 3 District Councillors and look into the email received today regarding Government Funding

12. Report from the Finance Committee

•  Parish Precept will need to be set at the next Parish meeting

•  LCC underpaid us for Highways Grass Verge Cutting in 2017/18 and 2018/19 but will credit the outstanding amount in the 20/21 agreement

13. Report from the Planning Committee

•  No new applications to comment on

14. Correspondence

1.  Letter from Lincolnshire One Venues: Creative Project happening in South Holland based around the stories of people living in rural Lincolnshire.  Looking for a local community to take part in a variety of workshops, to make a work of art based on the stories of people who live in South Holland. Passed to Cllr Watts

2.  Deepings First Neighbourhood Plan Group: Email reminder that the final date for submissions is 2nd December.

•  L McGuinness P.112 disappointed that they haven’t included the reopening of Littleworth Station.  Cllr McGuinness will take this up

3.  List of Polling Stations and Candidates for the Parliamentary Election on 12th December 2019

4.  Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Local Plan consultation. No comments

5.  Email from Senior Transport Assistant (Capital Projects), LCC regarding issues installing the bus stop pole adjacent to Campain’s Lane due to utility services in the footway and visibility problems with the poles sited at Hop Pole and Banks Drove.  LM will take this forward when the Highway Officer returns from annual leave.

6.  Email from LCC: Urban Highway Grass Cutting 2020/21.  Contribution offered is £409.91 for 55741m2, plus a one-off payment of £126.56 which covers the underpayments of £49.15 for 2018/19 and £77.41 for 2019/20.

15. To discuss any information which the Chairman may legally bring to the Council’s attention

•  Road sweeper request for Haywain and Hay Barn due to leaves clogging the drains

•  Drains blocked along the Main Road - LCC Highways

•  Extremely wet weather and flooding - Water Resources East looking at a new reservoir in Southern Lincolnshire

•  Saturday 30th, 11am - 3pm is Christmas Fair in the Church - thank you on behalf of the PCC to the Cllrs who have helped out

•  Damage to grass verges - can we take action on corporate vehicles - Report to Highways

16. To add Agenda items for the next meeting

•  Churchyard maintenance

•  Setting the Precept

Meeting ended at 8:28pm

Next meeting 20th January 2020