2023 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

CAYTHORPE AND FRIESTON PARISH COUNCIL
MEETING NUMBER 6
MINUTES OF THE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING HELD WEDNESDAY 8th March 2023
Present:
Councillors: Fritzsche (Chairman), Crawley, Allen, Sandy, Linforth, Graham & Hall 
There was 1 member of the public
Clerk:  Mrs D Manderfield

Item 1 – Apologies for absence
Councillors: Lee, Spackman, Roberts & Betts. All councillors had notified the clerk and the council Resolved to accept the reasons for absence.

Item 2 – Declaration of Interests under the Local Government Act
Cllr Crawley expressed a declaration of interest as a committee member of the Playing Field Committee  

Item 3 –  Approval of Minutes of meeting number 5 held on 11th January 2023
It was Resolved to accept the minutes as  a true record of events. They were signed by the chairman, Cllr Fritzsche
    
Item 4 – Parish Clerk’s Update on Matters Arising Since Last Meeting  
Parish Clerks Report for meeting 8.3.23
A video was forwarded to Cllr Betts from a parishioner showing the amount of litter that gathers around his gate on the A607
A lot of time was spent analysing the asset register and liaising with the client director at Gallaghers to try and keep the premiums at a reasonable price. Updated quote should be available to be resolved at the meeting
Notification of Elections have been received and I will be attending a briefing meeting on 6/3 when I will collect the nomination packs. I have added Elections to the project register FYI. Photo ID will be required for voting at the elections. I have forwarded the info to Cllr Betts for inclusion on the PC Facebook page and I have added it to the website
Cllr Lee has expressed his wish to stand down after the elections
The precept has been received by SKDC
The 2017 declaration to the Pensions Regulator had never been completed, so the re-declaration for 2020 hadn’t either. I have completed both and will submit the 2023 re-declaration by 29/9/23
Frieston Path letters have been completed and posted. Thank you letters have been sent on behalf of Cllr Graham via PC to certain parishioners
There have been 4 funerals so far, this year
The Coronation accounts are not looking good. We were not eligible for the £2000 grant from SKDC that had been set aside specifically for the Coronation. SKDC suggested the lottery but we would be too late for that. I am trying other SKDC avenues. With the quotes that have come in the accounts are way over budget
I have re-jigged the management accounts for the next year in the hope that they will be easier to read and understand 
I have received a 2023 Environment Policy and assessment from PF Karting which I forwarded to you all
Cllr Spackman and I attended a zoom planning training meeting
I have completed and submitted a grant application for the church clock project to the South Kesteven Prosperity Fund, hopefully I will receive a decision prior to the meeting

Item 5 - Financial Matters
5.1 Authorisation of BACS/Cheque payments. 
Councillors considered the list, previously circulated, and Resolved to accept the payments
Please see Appendix A below

5.2 Review and Approval of CFPC accounts 
Councillors considered the bank reconciliations and the management accounts, previously circulated, and Resolved to approve both reports
Please see Appendix B below for management accounts 

5.3 Insurance Renewal
The Clerk and Cllr Crawley (on behalf of the Playing field Committee) had spent some time in discussions with Gallagher with respect to what Hiscox could offer. It transpired that Hiscox were happy to insure the 5K & 10K races organised by the PFC, but not the half marathon. After discussion it was RESOLVED that the PC felt the cost of this should be offset from the funds raised by the PFC
There were also a couple of issues on the statement of fact:
1    Is any premises to be insured 25% or more of non-standard construction - i.e. constructed with external walls of brick, stone or concrete with a pitched roof of slate, tiles or profile metal?  The council feel this should be NO
2    Are all premises to be insured heated by a conventional electric, gas, oil, or solid fuel central heating system? The council feel this should be YES
3    The use of any pyrotechnics or black powder for which a license is required? We are planning a fireworks display in November. This will be run by a professional company. The statement of fact says NO
The clerk has since contacted Gallagher and the response was: ‘Fireworks are fine, it tells you what needs to be followed in the schedule and I’ll send you a copy of what it is later’ 
Points 1 & 2 refer to the 2 containers on the Playing field, therefore the forms are correct

The original quote for the insurance was £3814, this was initially revised to £3571. Although the council RESOLVED to pay the renewal in full the clerk will hold off until a response has been received from the underwriters. The new schedule is due to start on 17/3/23 and so should be paid in full by then.
Action: Clerk

Item 6 Registers 
6.1 Risk Register – this was distributed previously.
It was Resolved to approve this document

6.2 Maintenance Register – this was distributed previously and reviewed.
Cllr Sandy requested that the Burial Ground paths be swept on a monthly basis and that the gates will need cleaning quarterly. This will be added to the maintenance register, and the clerk will contact the contractor. 
Action: Clerk

Item 7 -  Project Register Update 
7.1 EV Charging Points
There was nothing to add to this project

7.2 Frieston Path
The Clerk had posted letters out to all parishioners effected on 1/3. Cllr Graham reported that he had received a very nice email congratulating the PC on the way this has been handled.

7.3 Sunrise Club Bench
It is understood that the bench has been delivered the contractors will place the bench when weather permits
Action: NF

7.5 Kings Coronation Celebrations
Cllr Fritzsche summarised the recent meetings of the News & Views Caythorpe Community Group, and that this was a new committee supported by News & Views but separate from the Parish Council. The PC had already Resolved in the recent budget to donate £1000 towards the celebrations. The Clerk will transfer this into the News & Views bank account for transparency. The treasurer for the N&VCCG will monitor the budget along with the editors of News & Views. Cllr Fritzsche is in the process of submitting a grant application to SKDC for £2000 and letters of sponsorship help have been sent out to local businesses. The expected spend is around £3750, so the committee is hopeful that funding will be sufficient.
However if this is not the case then the Parish Council has RESOLVED to cover the shortfall
NB: due to the change in insurance companies the bands due to play at this event will need their own insurance to cover, for example, accidents concerning their own equipment, effecting the public. The committee has been made aware of this
Action: Clerk & N&VCCG

7.6 Ownership of the Village Hall
Cllr Spackman explained the following:
‘To explain briefly, if we agree to a voluntary registration, (VR) the charge is related to the value, and between £500,000 - £1M that cost is £495. If we did not proceed via the VR route, it would cost £600.00. To explain further, If the value was perceived to be under £500,000 the VR charge would be £250.00, but we would need to pay for a valuation which I suspect would cost more to commission. Therefore I propose we instruct Chatterton’s to proceed on our behalf to register the hall via VR, using the insurance valuation in hand’

The Parish Council RESOLVED to accept this proposal. The Clerk will contact Chattertons 
Action: Clerk

7.7 Referendum version of the Neighbourhood Plan
Cllr Allen explained that before the Neighbourhood Plan could be submitted for referendum it needed to be accepted by the Parish Council.  It has to be submitted to SKDC by March 13, and will be posted on their website on March 25th, and put to a referendum alongside the council elections on May 4th. The examiner has extensively re-written the Policies, though the intensions remain the same.
This version had previously been circulated to all councillors prior to the meeting.
The Parish Council RESOLVED to accept this proposal. 
Action: JA

Item 8 - New Proposals. 
8.1 Electrification of the Church Clock
The Parish Council discussed the 3 quotes and the clerk confirmed that a £1500 grant had already been received from the Benefact Trust and that a second more substantial grant application had been submitted to SKDC, the result of which will not be known until the new financial year. It was RESOLVED to approve this project

Item 9 – The Parish Environment

9.1 Other Planning Issues
MID UK continues to be an area for discussion. Cllr Crawley is representing the village at the forth coming hearing

9.2 Report from Cllr Spackman – Planning Committee Chair
S22/2406  14 Old Lincoln Road  Work Allowed  Sycamore remove branch going over driveway towards property, reduce branches away from telephone lines 

S23/0017  Land Adj. 9 Waterloo Road, Caythorpe  Pending Consideration  Erection of detached dwelling and associated garage and home office block

S23/0173  Robinsons Farm Caythorpe Heath Lane   Pending Consideration  Change of use of agricultural building to dwelling houses

S23/0060  The Old Bells , 61 High Street, Caythorpe  Work Allowed  Removal of a single apple tree.

S23/0353  Caythorpe County Primary School  Pending Consideration  T1 Lime - Remove to ground level.

Item 10 - Neighbourhood Plan – Report by Cllr Allen
Please see 7.7 above
The Parish Council would like to thank Cllr Allen and the steering committee whole heartedly for all their hard work throughout the process.

Item 11 -  Community Safety. 
In the months November to January there have been 2x violence and sexual offence crimes, 2x theft and 3 classed as ‘other’ crimes reported to the police

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

12.1  Report by Cllr Crawley
12.1.1 Litter Picking and the Big Clean
The litter picker employed by the Council continues to assist in keeping the villages clean.
I organized a litter pick on Gorse Hill on Saturday 4th March that was well attended with 14 volunteers. A total of 28 bags of litter, two tyres, a number of cooking oil containers and three concrete fence posts were collected and SKDC have been notified to collect and dispose of this.
I have been in contact with Mid Uk following a report of a lot of litter along the A607. They stated they would continue to send out litter picking details. I plan to call for volunteers to clear the A607 on the Monday of the Kings Coronation weekend in May.
12.1.2 Environmental Sustainability
I have met with representatives of the company who run the battery storage facility on Caythorpe Heath Lane and discussed with them, proposals for replacing the trees that have not taken. This should be carried out shortly, before the planting season finishes and will include a maintenance provision with their contractor. A new gate to the site access has been fitted.
Sites for new tree planting are sought as I have a number of trees that have been raised by myself and volunteers that currently have no destination once the rest of the A607 verges and Millfield Crescent green have been planted.
Sam Barrel has kindly donated a quantity of wood chippings that will be used to mulch around the newly planted trees around the village.
12.1.3 Playing Fields
The new trees will be maintained and watered as necessary and I have pruned some of the hedging trees planted last year to keep them in check and encourage lateral growth. The Queens Platinum Jubilee hornbeam appears to have taken well.
The next fundraiser is the DASH on 26th March which at the time of writing has 100 competitors signed up.

12.2  Report by Cllr Hall
Nothing new to report

12.3  Report by Cllr Fritzsche
Nothing new to report

12.4 Report by Cllr Graham
Nothing new to report

12.5  Report by Cllr Sandy
Nothing new to report 

12.6  Report by Cllr Lee
Nothing new to report

12.7  Report by Cllr Betts 
Nothing new to report

12.8  Report by Cllr Linforth
12.8.1 Update on Defibrillators
All defibrillators in full working order.
Defibrillators are checked weekly by myself and I liaise with the Community Heartbeat Team who ensure the ambulance service are aware of the nearest working defibrillator, should it be needed. When 999 are called, they will decide as to whether a defibrillator is needed. If it is deemed that it is required, the caller will be advised of the nearest one, and be given the code to get into the cabinet to retrieve the defibrillator. The cabinet cannot be opened without the code. 
12.8.2 LIVES – No change – still no lives representative 
At present we do not have a LIVES representative in Caythorpe. If this is something that a member of the community would be interesting in doing, it is something that the parish council can support with training etc and would urge them to contact me. 
12.8.3 Hospital Car Scheme – No change
The Parish Councils involvement is more a stamp of approval and the passengers themselves arrange with the driver details regarding collection/payment/pickup times etc.
There is a call connect service that can be used. Residents can contact the company who will advise what service they can offer.
12.8.4 Children and Childcare
Caythorpe Primary School is fully open. The Headteacher has raised concerns that due to lack of affordable housing for young families, they are moving away from the village as they cannot afford to buy property here. The school can accommodate 140 children but currently have 85.
Caythorpe Preschool remains open. They are very appreciative of the yellow lines and signage. They still have a few regular parkers but have seen an improvement.
Sure start centre is open with regular face to face sessions happening

12.9  Report by Cllr Roberts
Nothing new to Report

Item 13 -  Items of Urgent Business
Cllr Fritzsche announced that after 24 years he would not be re-standing in the upcoming elections  the clerk would like to thank Cllr Fritzsche for all his help and support over the last few years

Item 14 - Arrangements for Next Meeting 
The next Parish Council Meeting Number 1 of the new council 2023/24
will be held on Wednesday 10th May 2023 commencing at 7.30 p.m. in the village hall.  

Open Forum
Report from Penny Milne - SKDC
This will be the last meeting before the District Elections. 4 years has passed, we have been through a lot and I hope you feel that I have served you well and that you can support me for re-election.
Elections
The District Council, and some Parish Council, elections will take place on the 4 May 2023. 
Please spread the word that this year, for the first time, a photo ID is required to vote at the polling stations. It has been confirmed to me that this is to be publicised in many ways, but local word of mouth and reminders are useful. Information is available on the SK website.
Neighbourhood Plan
Congratulations on passing the Examination and look forward to the Neighbourhood Plan being adopted.
South Kesteven Local Plan Review
Public consultation on the review has been delayed, until new dates are established in June, in order to fully understand new government changes to the NPPF. 
I haven’t seen any of the proposals yet! When consulted, please take care to look at the proposals carefully and respond accordingly. I understand that Caythorpe will remain a larger village with the current spatial policies regarding infill and edge of village impacting on any consideration of planning applications, having only a ‘light touch’ review.
Best Kept Village
This competition was jointly run and funded by the CPRE until 2019. Many neighbouring local authorities stopped the competition at that point.
SKDC agreed to provide the funding and run it. Whilst this has kept the competition going, funds are now being limited with the latest pressures on the Councils budget together with the loss of the inspecting officer.
In order to maintain the competition, save money and to move forward there will be changes:
It will come under SK Volunteer Awards and rebranded Best Village Community Award
Villages will need to apply and pay a fee
Initially, photographs will be submitted prior to a shortlist to be judged on the ground
There will be no cash prizes but a form of recognition for the winners – maybe a staked sign or certificate.
The presentation will be combined with the Community Awards
It is hoped these changes would enable the Council and communities to continue to celebrate community pride and achievement whilst balancing this against the financial challenges.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
This is great opportunity for the parish council and other community groups to apply for grant money to fund the whole of minor and or more major projects which they can cost and deliver within the criteria. I am keen that the rural area claim a fair share.
I have forwarded a briefing paper – attached as an appendix to this report – and SK website details of this new enabling fund.
SKDC have been allocated over £3 million by the government to be spread over 3 years with £1million earmarked for local projects. A board has been created to examine and approve applications.
Year 1 ends imminently with £64k allocated – however, projects had to be ready to roll and deliverable by the end of April.
Years 2 and 3 each have £465k allocated.
First come first served applies as applications will be dealt with as they are submitted.
Road shows are also being planned to promote the fund.
A great chance to put your thinking caps on and create some projects. It is not essential to have match funding.
Community Ownership Fund
I have forwarded details, recently announced by the DLUHC, of this latest round of funding to support voluntary and community groups who wish to take ownership of assets and amenities at risk of being lost and run them for the benefit of the community
£150 million is available over 4 years - until 2024/5 with 3 bidding windows a year. Match funding is required.
The deadline for applications for this funding round is 14 April 2023 at 11:59am. DLUHC will aim to communicate outcomes of applications in summer 2023. 
That will be a tight timescale for the moment but gives a heads up for the future planning of any such projects.
Guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-ownership-fund-round-2-application-form-assessment-criteria-guidance
Prospectus: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-ownership-fund-prospectus
Please share this information with other relevant community groups in the parish.

{Electronically signed}
D Manderfield 
Parish Clerk 
Appendix A

Appendix B
Caythorpe & Frieston Management Accounts as at 28.2.23