2021 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

CAYTHORPE AND FRIESTON PARISH COUNCIL
MEETING NUMBER 3
MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING ON WEDNESDAY 15th SEPTEMBER 2021 IN CAYTHORPE VILLAGE HALL
Present:
Councillors: Crawley (Chairman), Linforth, Roberts, Sandy, Graham, Allen, Hall, Betts, Lee
Other Attendees: Mrs Crawley, Mr & Mrs Leeds
Clerk:  Mrs D Manderfield

ITEM 1 – Apologies for absence
Cllrs Fritzsche, Maughan, Milnes
Cllr Budden absent without reason

ITEM 2 – Declaration of Interests under the Local Government Act
Cllr Crawley declared an interest as a member of the Playing Field Committee

ITEM 3 - Approval of Minutes of Meeting 2 held on 14th July 2021 
Copies of the minutes were circulated prior to the meeting. The minutes were amended to read that meeting 2  was held in the Village Hall and not on Zoom
It was agreed unanimously that they are a true record of events and were signed by the chairman; Cllr Crawley 

ITEM 4 – Parish Clerk’s Report  
4.1 Nigel Sardeson was instructed to complete the tree survey on all the village trees.
4.2 The Village Hall committee will instruct the council on any materials they need to purchase for refurbishment. This means that the PC will be able to claim the VAT back on all building materials.
4.3 The bench for Frieston Green was delayed due to a delay in production 
4.4 Cllr Roberts requested that I contact LALC in relation to his worry about maintaining social housing. I also contacted NALC and the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government and Caroline Johnson. I have not received any replies at this time
4.5 A local resident donated £200 towards new trees. A letter of thanks was sent and the budget adjusted.
4.6 I have received 1 quote from Simpsons for the work required at the allotments, for £800 (ex vat)
4.7 I am chasing up the owner of the land on Arnhem Drive but have not yet managed to get through. Penny and her team have been very helpful in this regard but I have still requested Nigel Sardeson survey the cherry tree on this small piece of land.
4.8 I have had to reissue an EROB due to the large tree in the corner of the burial ground
4.9 I was contacted by a resident with concerns about the Glebe Field, Cllr Crawley is now dealing with this
4.10 I had some Appraisal Training via zoom
4.11 I would like to thank Cllrs Crawley, Linforth and Graham with their help in completing the survey for SK village services and facilities
4.12 I spent quite a while completing a draft standing order for all councillors to read and accept
4.13 I have instructed LALC that I would like to be included for the Website Management Services basic package. This is £5 per month (paid annually) + vat. This means that although I will continue to run the website and post the material, I will have access to Pete Langford for help and support.
4.14 The litter picker has resigned and so the PC are recruiting

ITEM 5 – Financial Matters:        
5.1 Authorisation of BACS payments
Documents containing invoices approved and paid since the last meeting and up to 31.8.21 were previously distributed. 
Please see Appendix A below
Decision: Approved unanimously

5.2 Review and Approval of CFPC accounts
Bank Reconciliations as at 31.8.21 were previously distributed. 
Please see Appendix B below for management accounts
Decision: Approved unanimously

5.3 Update from Cllr Budden – Finance Committee Chair
Cllr Budden was absent from the meeting. Councillor Crawley updated the meeting with current account balances – News and Views - £1761.46 and CFPC £44459.25 - both at 31st August 2021

ITEM 6 – Registers
6.1 Risk Register – this was distributed previously.
Decision: it was agreed unanimously to approve this amended document

6.2 Maintenance Register – this is available to be viewed on Parish Online
Decision: it was agreed unanimously to approve this document

6.3 New Standing Orders - this was distributed previously.
Decision: it was agreed unanimously to adopt the amended New Standing Orders
Action: Clerk

ITEM 7 -  Project Register Update – this is available to be viewed on Parish Online
7.1 No Parking Line Markings 
LCC have received some objections from residents. Some of the objections relate to minor reductions of the proposed double yellow lines at the South Parade/ High Street junction, others asking for the proposals to be extended southwards on High Street. The objections will be reported to a future meeting of the Planning and Regulation Committee.

7.2 Back Lane Street Lighting
Since Western Power are no longer in the village it has been difficult to get an answer with respect to caballing up South Parade. Cllr Roberts requested that the Clerk contact Western Power
Action: Clerk

7.3 Road Repairs
Please see Cllr Maughan’s report below

7.4 EV Charging Points
Please see Cllr Crawley’s report below

7.5 Frieston Bench
Bench has been delivered and building materials have been ordered. Cllr Lee will organise placement of the bench. There is £150 in the budget for purchase of a conifer tree.
Decision - Agreed unanimously to approve the progress of this project

7.6 A607 Speed Limit
Cllr Betts is waiting for the speeding equipment to become available to borrow again from Carlton Scroop.
Decision - Agreed unanimously to approve the progress of this project

7.7 Eastcliffe Square Bus Shelter
LCC have instructed contractors to carry out works including extending the existing canopy. Time and date to be confirmed.

7.8 Village & Playing Field Trees
Nigel Sardeson has been instructed to complete the survey and this will be carried out on all village trees in September. The clerk requested that as soon as the report came in that quotes could be sought from tree surgeons to begin the more urgent work.
Decision - Agreed unanimously to approve the progress of this project

Item 8 – New Proposals
8.1 Allotment Hedging 09/21/1
Cllr Roberts reported that the overhanging south boundary hedge needed maintenance.
There were 2 quotes attached from Simpsons for £800+vat and from Paul Bavin at £1200+vat.
Following a discussion as to who was responsible for financing the work, Cllr Lee wondered if the church or Savills had been approached or if the allotment committee were able to donate towards this. After the meeting the clerk found the lease between the PC and the church. The PC are responsible for maintenance of the allotment surroundings.
Decision: to contact Savills and the allotment committee with regard to financing the work, and also to locate the agreement between the PC and the allotment committee
Action: Clerk/AR

8.2 Glebe Field – Waterloo Close 09/21/2
Cllr Crawley has submitted a tender with the intention of providing a space for reflection and wildlife for the residents of Caythorpe & Frieston. A tender of £750 has been submitted, and acknowledged as being received, as the deadline has passed. Cllr Crawley pointed out that there were residents interested in supporting the scheme financially and that the initial tender was to rent the land for one year. There was a general feeling that the field may not just be used for the reasons intended and that this could lead to disruption and nuisance. Cllr Crawley also pointed out that the tender may not be successful and he agreed that the financial implications had not been considered by the finance committee.
Cllr Crawley proposed  that if the tender is successful then the PC would lease for a year
Decision: 6 in support, 2 against and 1 abstention. 

8.3 Remembrance Sunday 09/21/3
Cllr Roberts requested a sum of £60 for the bugler and £60 for 2 wreaths (at the meeting it was thought £30 for 2 wreaths but in the previous year the PC paid £60 for 2 wreaths) from the British Legion.
Decision: it was agreed unanimously to support this request
Action: Clerk/AR

8.4 Cllr Roberts was also concerned that there wasn’t a parade or church service organised this year. He is hoping to arrange for a parade of the local scouts and guides, and to make a request to the church wardens  to organise a church service after the parade.
Decision: it was agreed unanimously to support
Action: AR

8.5 Playing Field Grant 09/21/4
Cllr Crawley proposed to provide the Playing Field Committee with a grant of £3500. The treasurer has made an application for the grant and has provided a set of audited accounts for the previous year. 
Decision: it was agreed unanimously to grant the Playing Field Committee £3500
Action: Clerk

8.6 Queens Platinum Jubilee Celebrations 09/21/5
Cllr Fritzsche had submitted a paper requesting £1000 to be allocated for funding the celebrations in June 2022.
Decision: it was agreed unanimously that £1000 be budgeted
Action: Clerk 

8.7 Meeting Times
Cllr Roberts requested that the start time be reviewed. After discussion it was agreed that the Parish Council meeting would begin at 7.30 and that it was not necessary for all Cllrs to be there previously for the open forum. It is understood that other commitments might make it difficult for Cllrs to attend before 7.30.
Action: All

Item 9 – The Parish Environment

9.1 Planning – this is available to be viewed on Parish online
S21/1541
Middlefield House Casement Windows – council were in support of this application. 

9.2 Other Planning Issues
9.2.1 Cllr Roberts reminded the clerk that a letter had been requested to be sent to  the fire service expressing his concerns at the battery storage farm.
Action NF/Clerk

9.2.2 Cllr Roberts and Cllr Allen have reported a damaged wall in need of repair on the footpath (17) between Old Lincoln Road and High Street. The response from LCC is that they have spoken with SKDC Building Control to chase the issue and confirm that they are taking action in respect of the structure. Cllr Maughan has suggested that Cllr Milnes get involved as it is his belief that it sits within planning to enforce repairs.
Action: PM

Item 10 – Neighbourhood Plan – Report by Cllr Allen
The draft sections of the background info. for plan have been sent to Clive Keeble for review. Apart from a couple of suggested additions, he said they were fine.
Forty external bodies that might be interested parties have been contacted. 30 failed to reply, 6 sent automated acknowledgements of receipt of the email and 4 sent a more detailed reply. So far it appears that there are no issues we need to be concerned about.
The survey closed on Sept 5th, with a total of 278 responses received. Gordon Grant, who also organised the Parish Plan survey, estimates that about 40% of households sent in at least 1 reply, which is good for an exercise of this sort. He has run a quick analysis  of the data, which I attach as a separate document. Questions that invited comment rather than a tick-box answer will take longer to analyse.
Re the future of the Village Hall, 3 choices were offered, to be put in order of preference. A  weighted average was calculated for each (3 points for a first choice,2 for second, 1 for third), and the number of first choices counted. The results were:

The next stage is to produce a plan for the future based on the survey results, the SKDC local plan and national planning regulations. Please could we have a brief discussion on who should be involved in this in addition to the working party (currently just 4 people).
Cllr Allen added that a list of policies would be drawn up by the working party for approval by the council.

ITEM 11 -  Community Safety.  – there is a Crime Register that can be viewed on Parish Online
During June there were a total of 4 crimes reported and during July there were 7.

ITEM 12– Community Activities by Portfolio Councillor – the following are reports written by the individual councillors.

12.1 Cllr Crawley

12.1.1 Litter Picking and the Big Clean
The litter picker employed by CFPC has handed in his notice as he is due to resume his degree course. Adverts have been placed for a replacement with a closing date of 25th September. To date, two expressions of interest have been received.
A litter pick was carried out along the A607 on 16th July with local volunteers helping out, and 13 bags and some loose debris were gathered and subsequently collected by SKDC.
The Big Clean Team were due in Caythorpe on 7th September 2021 but did not turn up. I have not been able to contact them to date, to find out why.
Mid UK continue to conduct litter picks along Caythorpe Heath Lane and the A607

12.1.2 Environmental Sustainability
There are no updates on the provision of electric charge points. Still awaiting update from LCC
Awaiting result of Neighborhood Plan survey to see if sustainable energy plan for Village Hal and Hammond Pavilion is supported.
W.I are planning to plant a tree. A location of the green on Back Lane / Chapel Lane has been agreed. Margaret and Gordon Grant will also be planting a memorial tree at this location.
Saplings being raised by various villagers for planting in the autumn and trees planted earlier in the year have been maintained and watered, through the summer
Tim and Carol Almond have donated £200 from their plant sales, towards tree planting in the villages.
Works to the Battery Storage facility on Caythorpe Heath Lane due in the autumn.
Bid submitted for the Paddock at the back of Waterloo Close (see separate paper).

12.1.3 Playing Fields
Tree survey due imminently
Gala was successful with many people attending and a greater number of stalls and attractions than previously. Despite their nonattendance, the army did manage to organize a fly past by a spitfire which was greatly appreciated, and many veterans attended.
New benches and picnic tables expected imminently.
Preparations for next DASH on 24th October proceeding.
Claypole Cricket Club will not be using our facility next year onwards as their own pitch has been repaired.
Planning permission for container storage awaited.
A request for a grant has been received from the Playing Field (See separate paper)
Sports and Social Club continuing to trade at selected times.

12.2 Cllr Hall – Village Hall Committee
The village Breakfasts start back on Sunday

12.3 Cllr Fritzsche – News & Views
Cllr Fritzsche reported that the editors work extremely hard and the following is their report:
News & Views supported the Caythorpe Gala again this year and offered sponsorship of £500 which paid for the hugely successful ABBA Tribute Act and also provided the information tent at the entrance of the event.  The information tent was manned by volunteers who also helped us sell out of raffle tickets. We have again entered into the Parish Magazine of the Year Awards, we will hear the results towards the end of November, we came 21st out of 300 magazines when we entered in 2019, so fingers crossed for a good result. We are hoping that magazine content will pick up now we are coming out of lockdown and have already had a much increased influx of upcoming events to advertise.  Advertising revenue remains constant.

12.4 Cllr Graham
Nothing to Report
Cllr Roberts made reference to the bus shelter on Eastcliffe Square. Please see 7.7 above

12.5 Cllr Sandy
Nothing to Report

12.6 Cllr Lee
Nothing to Report

2.7 Cllr Betts
12.7.1 Volunteering : No update 
12.7.2 Speed Sign : Organising speed sign to be installed on the A607 northbound next week
12.7.3 Facebook : Usual messages and notices have been published

12.8 Cllr Linforth

12.8.1 Update on Defibrillators
We now finally have the 4th defibrillator housed in Frieston
All the other defibs are in FWO, however we will soon need to purchase new batteries for these. They have been installed since 2018, and at present the levels are fine, but something to bear in mind in the not-so-distant future that new ones will be required. Again, I will update on costs when we get to this stage. 

12.8.2 LIVES
No change - At present we do not have a LIVES representative in Caythorpe. Training is available for anyone that would like to become a representative and will continue to ask for this throughout the village. 

12.8.3 Hospital Car Scheme
No further update on this, however, this is something we can now move forward with and ask residents of the parish who can help and then promote their service. The Parish Councils involvement is more a stamp of approval and the passengers themselves arrange with the driver’s collection/payment/pickup times etc. 

12.8.4 Children and Childcare
Caythorpe Primary School is open for all pupils. The new headteacher Mrs Hunt has started her role.
Caythorpe Preschool remains open. Numbers remain exceptionally low at present.
Sure start centre now open.

12.9 Cllr Roberts

12.9.1 Burial Ground. 
Nothing to Report

12.9.2 Remembrance Day Parade
Please see 8.3 above

12.9.3 Allotments. 
Please see 8.1 above

ITEM 13 -  Items of Urgent Business
The Clerk referred to an email from the Village Hall Committee asking for volunteers to hang Poppy Wreaths around the roads adjacent to the church. Cllrs Hall, Linforth, Lee and Betts volunteered.

ITEM 14. Arrangements for Next Meeting 
The next Parish Council Meeting Number 4 of 2021 will be held on Wednesday 10th November 2021 commencing at 7.30pm and will be in the village hall. 
Open Forum

2 local residents and members of the Playing Field Committee spoke eloquently with regard to the hard work that had been done by the committee during a difficult year. It was pointed out that although the bank balance was healthy, the funds available had been earmarked for various projects and purchases.

Report by Cllr Alexander Maughan (LCC)
Lincolnshire road improvements mapped out
We've launched a new interactive map to let residents see the work happening across the county to improve the roads. The map shows upcoming resurfacing, surface dressing, footway works, bridge works and more, and allows you to filter works by type, town or division.

You can find the map online by visiting www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/worksprogrammes and clicking 'view the map'.

It doesn't show reactive repairs, such as pothole filling, and problems like this should still be reported to us through fixmystreet.lincolnshire.gov.uk.
In the past year, the county council's maintenance work has included; resurfacing 44 miles of road, surface dressing 248 miles of road, and repairing 95 miles of footway.

Lincolnshire County Council scrap booking system at Household Waste Recycling Centres
From Wednesday 1st September residents will no longer need to book a slot to access Lincolnshire's Household Waste Recycling Centres. Permits will still be required, however, for vans and trailers. Scrapping the booking system was an election promise and will make it easier for residents to dispose of their waste.

Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue offer free advice and guidance to county businesses
As part of the National Fire Chiefs Council's (NFCC) Business Safety Week (6-12 September), businesses are being made aware of their fire safety responsibilities. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue can provide free help, advice and guidance to county businesses to minimise the risk of fire in the workplace

You can get in touch with Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue's community fire protection team for free advice at fire.safety@lincoln.fire-uk.org or by calling 01522 555 777.

Bus Back Better in Lincolnshire
In the government's new National Bus Strategy, they want the country to 'Bus Back Better' after the pandemic, with more frequent services, increased passenger numbers, and simpler timetabling and fares. In their strategy, they've called on all local councils to create a plan to improve bus services in their area, with £3bn of funding being made available. To help shape our improvement plans for Lincolnshire and support our bid for funding, the County Council carried out a public consultation throughout August to get your views on local bus services.

Report by Cllr Penny Milnes

SK Housing Issues
In reply to your concerns regarding Housing Allocations, Andrew Cotton, Director for Housing says:
In relation to checks on applicants, that is covered by our Allocations Policy (full policy here:  http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=13696&p=0 ).  Page 12 of the Policy covers exclusion from rehousing on the grounds of unacceptable behaviour – I’ve cut and pasted from the policy the key point in terms of exclusion: Carrying out the unacceptable behaviour test
SKDC will carry out a two-stage test to decide whether an applicant is ineligible for an
allocation of accommodation. The first stage is to decide whether the two statutory conditions
have been met. The statutory conditions are:
1. that the applicant, or a member of his/her household, has been party to past unacceptable behaviour serious enough to make him/her unsuitable to be a tenant of
SKDC; and
2. in the circumstances at the time his/her application is considered, he/she is unsuitable
to be a tenant of SKDC by reason of that behaviour.

In relation to the overgrowth from 1 Eastcliffe Square:
Will ask the team to follow up with an inspection of 1 Eastcliffe Sq, this is not likely to be in the next few days I’m afraid as we’ve a number of Housing Officer vacancies that are pending recruitment.
In relation to 19 and 6 Wheatgrass Lane, 8 Templeway and 3 Templeway:
Recent report today: 

19 Wheatgrass Lane:
Alleged ASB emanating from this address. Property was believed to be abandoned and was recently recovered and is now with repairs. Property possibly broken into, and Housing Officer attended last week with joiner and carpenter to secure.

6 Wheatgrass Lane:
ASB emanating from this address. We looked at appropriate action as currently on introductory tenancy but insufficient evidence to do this – however no recent reports of ASB coming from that property. If we do have further complaints and/or evidence to support further enforcement action, then consideration will be given to an introductory tenancy extension or termination. SK served a notice that allows them to take legal action at 6 Wheatgrass Lane, this remains in place, and we keep under review as currently the ASB has ceased, but we have options as should it reoccur

6 Templeway, Caythorpe:
Residents/neighbours were complaining about rat problem stating that this was due to the number of animals being kept at property – primarily chickens and ducks. Housing Officer visited property last month and referred tenants into Tenancy Support who will be support them. Tenant also advised that they were going to be removing several ducks and giving them to a relative. We have not received any further complaints.
SK tenancy agreement allows pets if they are well cared for and don’t cause a nuisance. 
I have re sent a further complaint and am awaiting any further comments/actions.

3 Templeway:
This property is currently empty following the death of former tenant, Mr Rigby. As part of the lettings process, we complete a suitability assessment for the incoming nomination. This hasn’t come through yet as property still with repairs – however we could consider a sensitive let if it is deemed to be necessary.  
Whilst retaining our duty to those on the housing register, we can make sensitive lettings and when applied will mean that some people will not be offered a particular property because of a Risk Based Assessment that indicates such an offer would run a high and unacceptable risk of the new tenancy failing. This requires senior level approval.

.Footpath 17.
Enforcement aware and update awaited

Waste Bins – reply awaited

SKDC News
Planning
Cratus Planning Report on Processes and Protocols in relation to the operation of the Planning Committee and changes to the Constitution.
This will be presented and debated in a public meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday 27 September at 1pm in the Council Chamber. This will also be streamed on you tube and the link for the meeting will be on the SK website 5 days prior. 

A new Assistant Director for Growth and Planning, Emma Whittaker, has started working with SK this week.

The Downtown application for a designer outlet centre was approved at the planning committee on 9 September.

[Neighbourhood Planning
I note that the process towards making your Neighbourhood Plan is proceeding. Caythorpe is classed as a larger village in SP2 of the SK Local Plan January 2020 where proposals which promote the role and function of the village and will not compromise the settlements nature and character will be supported.  The Plan can address those new issues of the new spatial policies – namely SP3 Infill and SP4 Edge of Village It will be important to consider how and where this could impact on Caythorpe 
Other policies nationally have changed – for example the need for housing and in our district that included affordable housing and there is an exemption under SP4 for Rural Exemption Sites.

Leisure SK
The Leisure Centres are now being run by Leisure SK. There is a problem with the Deepings Leisure Centre which is currently closed as being unsafe. An extraordinary full council meeting held on September 2 debated ways forward and it was agreed that a £100,000 report be commissioned for a full survey of the building to assess whether it could be restored. The costs of that will be discussed by Christmas and a decision taken whether to proceed or permanently withdraw form using the building – owned by LCC. 
A review of the other centres in Grantham, Stamford and Bourne is being arranged. 
The debate on restoring/replacing centres is ongoing with location and costs uppermost as issues. It is a discretionary service albeit much valued by residents.

Appendix A

Appendix B