2020 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

HECKINGTON PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting of Heckington Parish Council held in the Council Chambers, St Andrews Street, Heckington on Monday 27th January 2020 commencing at 1900hrs 

Attendance: 

Chairman -  P/Cllr Mrs J Palmer 

Parish Councillors – Mr T Atkinson, Mr D Couzens,  Mr R Higgs, Mr M Jones, Mr R Kemmett, Mrs S Tucker and Mr M West

County Councillor – Mr B Young

District Councillors –Apologies received

Minute Taker – Clerk, Ms J Hudson

Police Representative – None present

Press Representative – None present

Members of the Public – 2    

1.    Chairman’s Welcome and Opening Remarks

i.    The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

2.    To receive apologies for absence

Apologies received from the D/Councillors Mr S Ogden and Mrs S Tarry and P/Cllrs Mr R Doughty, Mr A Garlick and Mr R Woods

3.    To receive any declarations of  interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011

i.    None received

4.    To consider any written requests for dispensations received at or before the start of the meeting.

i.    None received

5.    a. Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Monday 25th November 2019, the Extraordinary Meeting held on Friday 13th December 2019 and the Precept Meeting held on 20th January 2020 to be approved as minutes and signed.

Proposed by Cllr Mr M West, seconded by Cllr Mr R Higgs

Vote results – unanimous

Resolved – to approve and sign minutes as detailed above.

b. Matters arising - None

    With Councillors agreement, the Chairman moved to suspend the formal meeting for five minutes, in order to introduce Anna Giles as the new Tenant/Steward of the Pavilion and Playing Fields, who had just entered the meeting.  

6.    Public Speaking Time – 15 minutes allocated in total. Members of the public are each allowed 3 minutes to make representations.

No public comments made

7.    Financial Matters

a.    To approve January 2020 payments as listed separately. The Chairman pointed out that the entry at 15th January on the provided sheet was in fact a credit.  (amended in the below figures)

Proposed by Cllr Mrs S Tucker, seconded by Cllr Mr R Higgs

Vote results – unanimous

Resolved to approve the payments as listed above

To receive a report from the Police representative

None received.

To receive a report from the County and District Councillors

County Councillor Mr B Young reported the following – 

i.    Due to the disproportionate expenditure, the mobile CCTV camera initiative placed outside of Lincolnshire schools to reduce traffic congestion had been scrapped by LCC.  However, Parking Patrol Officers will be monitoring school entrances on a rota basis, and, after a period of grace, will be able to issue tickets to motorists for inappropriate parking/waiting.

ii.    Following previous requests by HPC regarding the implementation of double yellow lines in various locations, and the more recent reports of traffic issues particularly on Eastgate, the County Councillor suggested the Clerk to contact the Highways Officer to discuss in person.  The officer would then be able to advise on feasible solutions that might help address the issues, thereby enabling a fully detailed formal public survey to be carried out.  

iii.    He reported that the introduction of a filter turning lane off the A17 to Abbey Farm Shop is unlikely to proceed due to the cost involved in widening the road.  However, he suggested that a reduction in speed limit along this stretch of road might be viewed more sympathetically.  (This was not a Parish Council submission)

iv.    He requested from the Clerk, copies of emails from a resident who had highlighted the potential lack of continuous footpath around the Boston Road development.

v.    The County Councillor and the Clerk confirmed that neither had had any recent correspondence about Carter Plot layby and therefore the conclusion was that responsibility had been established.

vi.    He confirmed that the Executive Brief had been published.  Clerk to check correct email address is held by LCC.

vii.    Finally, he confirmed that the additional allocation from Central Government to address potholes should be received soon and that a new contractor was starting in April.

C/Cllr Mr B Young left the meeting at 1932hrs 

There were no District Councillors present, however the Clerk updated the meeting with the information provided by NKDC in response to the Freedom of Information request submitted. The cost of the external Aspinall Verdi report amounted to £ 9,480.  
During discussions it was asked ‘who had agreed to, and therefore commissioned the report’, ‘could it have been carried out by trained members of NKDC planning to save costs’ and ‘why had certain documents been removed from the planning portal’.

The Clerk to make further enquiries of the District Council(lors) 

To receive a report from the Clerk

i.    The Clerk confirmed that Councillors had been issued forms to sign to obtain a copy of the electoral register

ii.    She also confirmed to councillors that the relevant declaration had been made to the Pensions Regulator on behalf of Heckington Parish Council, as employers.

To receive reports from Councillors relating to their affiliation to local organisations.

No resolutions may be passed under this item.

i.    On behalf of Heckington Community Swimming Pool rep (Cllr Mr R Doughty), Cllr Mr R Higgs reported for information, that due to a loss of power at the school, a trench had been required to be dug along the front of the swimming pool entrance.

Planning Matters

(1)    Applications to be ratified 

a.    19/1576/HOUS – Replacement fascias, soffits and guttering from timber to UPVC – 18 Cameron Street, Heckington, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 9RW

b.    19/1742/FUL – Erection of new office building – Fenside Farm, Star Fen, East Heckington, Sleaford, Lincolnshire

(2)    Applications approved

a.    19/1576/HOUS – Replacement fascias, soffits and guttering from timber to UPVC – 18 Cameron Street, Heckington, Sleaford

(3)    Applications rejected

None

(4)    Applications withdrawn

None

Cllr Mrs J Palmer to discuss NKDC Housing Services

Cllr Mrs J Palmer reported that she had wished to raise issues regarding service levels of the Housing department to the District Councillors.  In their absence, she mentioned again that vulnerable residents appeared to not be receiving correct information.  One applicant reported that he had been verbally told he was going to be assigned a particular property, but then it was allocated to someone else.  The clerk to monitor other occasions of concern to be raised as and when appropriate.    

Cllrs Mrs J Palmer and Mr R Higgs to provide update on Playing Field and Pavilion Tenancy

It was reported that the handover between tenants went smoothly and the previous tenant, Mr D Couzens, had been kindly assisting Anna Giles to ‘learn the ropes’. Cllr Mr Higgs confirmed that it is still intended to hold the car boot sales and the camping pitches (for the Heckington Show).

To discuss grass cutting provision

Due to the notification that NKDC will no longer be doing contracted grass cutting work on behalf of LCC, it was agreed to monitor the situation for this season within Heckington to establish a plan for the following year. 
To discuss tree planting

Cllr Mrs J Palmer reported that ‘Trees for Heckington’ (a local group hoping to plant trees/woodland in Heckington) were continuing to try and source land for this purpose.  It was stressed by Cllr Mrs S Tucker that this group is NOT in any way part of the ‘Best Kept Blooming Village’ group.  Cllr Mrs J Palmer continued by reporting that she and the caretaker had done a number of site visits around the village (of areas suggested by Trees for Heckington) to ascertain suitability.  She suggested that the green area adjacent to the footpath leading from High Street to Laxton Close, currently has an invasive and untidy elder tree stump which could be replaced with 3 small apple trees.  She further explained that the green area on Godson Avenue/Mulberry Walk was not suitable due to the gradient (the Nilfisk mowing machine would be unable to navigate the gradient around trees).  Concerns were also raised about potential underground cables and pipes, as there is a sub-station nearby.  There is a community meeting of Trees for Heckington being held at the Pavilion on 12th February 2020 where the group will update progress.

With the Chairman’s permission, the Clerk brought forward related item 18a – a letter from resident suggesting tree planting at the top of the Playing Field.  Initial research undertaken by the Clerk suggested that due to contract and legal restrictions, trees cannot currently be planted on the playing fields.  It had been established from Sport England that it would likely constitute a change of use.  The Clerk to write to the resident with full details.

To consider entry to Best Kept Village 2020 and Best Kept Cemetery 2020

The Clerk confirmed that the previous year’s entry cost of Best Kept Village was £24.00 and that it was free to enter Best Kept Cemetery.  Cllr Mrs S Tucker had accepted the nomination to be the Parish Councillor liaison with Dawn Phillips, the lead for 
Best Kept Blooming Village team.

Proposed by Cllr Mr M West, seconded by Cllr Mr R Higgs

Vote results – unanimous

Resolved – to pay for entry to Best Kept Village 2020 and to enter Best Kept Cemetery 2020
 
To receive general correspondence

a.    Letter from resident suggesting tree planting ideas – as reported in item 16.  Clerk to respond.

b.    Receipt of credit note from KOMPAN (play park) for outstanding balance of £500.00 net – it was confirmed that the £500.00net held back by HPC due to the dispute with the gates, had now been credited to HPC.  Local ironworker Nick Marshall was working on a solution for the self-closing gates.  

To confirm the date of the next Full Council meeting as Monday 24th February 2020

Date confirmed

To resolve to go into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act 1960 (if required) – Proposed by Cllr Mr R Higgs, seconded by Cllr Mr R Kemmett.  Vote results unanimous. 

Resolved – to go into closed session. Members of the public left at 8.08pm

i.    To discuss potential small claims court action

The details of the potential claim were discussed.  Following an avoidable incident, a financial cost of circa £500.00 had been incurred by the Parish Council.  Being public money, it was proposed by Cllr Mr R Higgs and seconded by Mr R Kemmet, that the process to recoup this cost is required.  A full itemised bill of the final cost to the Council will be served, giving the respondent 7 days to pay.  In the event that this has no result, further Court action process will be followed.

Vote results – majority (subsequently Cllr Mrs S Tucker abstained due to her uncertainty of the historic details of the case in question – the Clerk went through the details at her request)

Meeting concluded at 8.18pm