May 13th 2020 Minutes
Caythorpe and Frieston Parish Council
Notes from Parish Council Meeting via Zoom held on 13th May 2020
Present:
Councillors: N Fritzsche (Chairman), R Brooke, C Linforth, A Crawley, J Betts, A Graham, M Budden
Clerk: M Stevens
Copies: All CFPC Councillors
Item 1 Apologies for Absence.
Apologies were received and noted from Cllrs. Carpenter, Maughan and Milnes.
It was noted that the intention was for Cllrs Roberts, Sandy, and Allen to attend the meeting via Zoom at the Village Hall whilst maintaining the social distancing rules, however this plan was thwarted by internet connection problems and had to be aborted. As a result of this Cllr Fritzsche had to delegate chairmanship of the meeting to Cllr Brooke and attended the meeting from home at a later stage.
Item 2 Declaration of Interests under the Local Government Act
Cllr Crawley expressed an interest as a committee member of the Playing Fields.
Item 3 Election of members of the Planning Committee
3.1 The motion was put forward that Cllr Brooke should continue to be Chairman of the Planning Committee for the coming year and that Cllr Crawley would continue as Vice Chairman. Other members attending the meeting who are existing members of this committee would continue to on the committee.
Decision: It was agreed that Cllr Brooke would be Chairman of the committee with Cllr Crawley as Vice Chairman for 2020/21. It was agreed that subject to confirmation from Cllr Roberts and Sandy that the committee members for 2020/21 would be Cllrs. Graham, Linforth, Sandy, Roberts
Item 4 Election of members of the Finance Committee
4.1 The motion was proposed that Cllr Budden should continue to be Chairman of the Finance Committee for the coming year and that as Cllr Carpenter had resigned from the Parish Council that Cllr Graham should be appointed as Vice Chairman. Other members attending the meeting who are existing members of this committee would continue to be on the committee.
Decision: It was agreed that Cllr Budden would be Chairman of the committee with Cllr Graham as Vice Chairman for 2020/21. It was agreed that subject to confirmation from Cllr Roberts and Allen that committee members for 2020/21 would be Cllrs Crawley, Betts, Roberts and Allen.
Item 5 Confirmation of Portfolio Holders
5.1 Cllr Brooke referred the meeting to a document that had been circulated in advance of the meeting that proposed a revised structure to portfolio responsibilities for 2020/21.
Decision: It was agreed that in general most positions would remain as currently held. Exceptions to the this were that Cllr Allen had expressed an interest in taking over the Neighbourhood Plan responsibility from Cllr Carpenter. It was agreed that subject to agreement from Cllr Allen to adopt the Neighbourhood Plan portfolio that she would vacate her responsibilities for Emergency Plan, Dog Fouling and Shops and Businesses. It was agreed that the vacant positions would be assigned to the new Councillor joining the Parish Council once appointed. It was agreed that a full listing of the new portfolio positions would be published as an appendix to theses minutes.
Action MS
Item 6 Confirmation of the postponement of the Annual Parish Meeting
6.1 Cllr Brooke informed the meeting that although the Annual Parish Council Meeting (APM) would have normally been held this evening that it had been postponed due to the current lockdown regulations.
Decision: It was agreed that once the lockdown regulations have been relaxed so that the general public can be invited to attend the meeting a new date would be announced. Cllr Brooke reminded the meeting that the format/agenda of the meeting had previously been agreed and that each councillor would briefly present a summary of their portfolio highlights of the year with plans in place for future.
Item 7 Approval of minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 11th March 2020
7.1 These minutes were presented to the meeting and had been circulated to all members prior to the meeting. Although recognising that as this was a remote/zoom meeting the minutes could not be physically signed at the time.
Decision: The minutes were proposed by Cllr Crawley, seconded by Cllr Budden and agreed unanimously by all other members It was agreed that the minutes would be physically signed at the next the earliest opportunity by Chairman Fritzsche.
Item 8 Parish Clerk Appointment Announcement
8.1 Cllr Brooke confirmed that the vacancy for the Parish Clerk/RFO position had been advertised and following an interview process that the position had been accepted by Mrs Debbie Manderfield who was also attending this meeting.
Decision: It was agreed that the appointment start date was 1st June on a probationary period of 12 months and that a contract of employment had been issued and subsequently signed. It was agreed that a handover procedure was in place to ensure a smooth transition and that communication would be maintained over future weeks.
Item 9 Parish Clerk’s Report - Update on matters occurring since the last meeting not otherwise on the agenda
9.1 MS reported that there were no additional items to report.
Cllr Fritzsche joined the meeting at this Stage
Item 10 Financial Matters
10.1 Approval of the Parish Council Internal Audit 2019/20
It was confirmed that a satisfactory internal audit had been concluded on 29th April by Bruce Nelson (FCA). This section of the Annual Return AGAR page 3 had been completed, dated, and signed on this date by the auditor and would be submitted to PKF Littlejohn for external auditing.
Copy of the AGAR had been circulated for review to all members in advance of the meeting.
Decision: It was proposed by Cllr Crawley that this section of the AGAR was approved by the council and this motion was seconded by Cllr Budden and unanimously agreed by all members. It was agreed that the completed AGAR document would be sent to the external auditor PKF Littlejohn.
10.2 Approval of Governance Statement for 2019/20.
Copy of the AGAR (page 4) had been circulated for review to all members in advance of the meeting.
Decision: It was proposed by Cllr Crawley that this section of the AGAR was approved by the council and this motion was seconded by Cllr Brooke and unanimously agreed by all members. It was agreed that this approval would be recorded on page 4 of the AGAR as minute 10.2 and signed by the Parish Clerk and Chairman of the Parish Council. It was agreed that the completed AGAR document would be sent to the external auditor PKF Littlejohn.
10.3 Approval of End of Year Accounts 2019/20 – statement
Again, MS confirmed that this section of the AGAR had been previously issued prior to the meeting for review by the members.
Decision: It was proposed by Cllr Fritzsche that this section of the AGAR was approved by the council and this motion was seconded by Cllr Betts and unanimously agreed by all members. It was agreed that this approval would be recorded on page 4 of the AGAR as minute 10.3 and signed by the Parish Clerk and Chairman of the Parish council. It was agreed that the completed AGAR document would be sent to the external auditor PKF Littlejohn.
10.4 To obtain acceptance of – CFPC Standing Orders
The document had been issued to all members prior to the meeting and it was confirmed that no anomalies had been identified.
Decision: It was agreed that this document would be adopted for use by all members for the forthcoming year 2020/21. It was agreed that individual Councillors should continue to examine the documents and forward any concerns to the Parish Clerk for review. It was proposed by Cllr Brooke that this plan is agreed, and this motion was seconded by Cllr Linforth and unanimously agreed by all members.
Action: All
10.5 To obtain acceptance of – CFPC Financial Regulations
The document had been issued to all members prior to the meeting and it was confirmed that no anomalies had been identified.
Decision: It was agreed that this document would be adopted for use by all members for the forthcoming year 2020/21. It was agreed that individual Councillors should continue to examine the documents and forward any concerns to the Parish Clerk for review. It was proposed by Cllr Crawley that this plan is agreed, and this motion was seconded by Cllr Graham and unanimously agreed by all members.
Action: All
10.6 To obtain acceptance of – CFPC Risk Management Assessment
The document had been issued to all members prior to the meeting and that one amendment had been made relating to VAT procedures. Additionally, it was proposed that an additional entry should be made relating to meetings due to the recent experiences of the lockdown regulations.
Decision: It was agreed that Cllr Brooke would provide the additional wording to added to the meeting section on page 5 of the document. Subject to the amendment it was agreed that this document would be adopted for use by all members for the forthcoming year 2020/21. It was agreed that individual Councillors should continue to examine the documents and forward any concerns to the Parish Clerk for review. It was proposed by Cllr Fritzsche that this plan is agreed, and this motion was seconded by Cllr Graham and unanimously agreed by all members.
Action: RB/ All
10.7 To obtain acceptance (signature) of – CFPC Disclosure of Personal Interests
This document had been circulated to all members prior to the meeting. Although recognising that as this was a remote/zoom meeting the document could not be physically signed at the time. However, those attending the meeting confirmed they had no personal interests affecting their role as Parish Councillor
Decision: It was agreed that the document would be physically signed at the earliest opportunity by all members. The document and plan for signing at a later date was proposed by Cllr Brooke, seconded by Cllr Budden, and agreed unanimously by all other members.
Action: All
10.8 Authorisation of BACS/cheque payments.
MS confirmed that a summary of this document had been circulated to all members prior to the meeting. Due to the nature of this remote/zoom meeting the document could not be physically signed at the time however the sum of £8035.42 was recorded.
Decision: It was agreed that the document would be physically signed at the earliest opportunity by Cllr Fritzsche. The document and plan for signing at a later date was proposed by Cllr Crawley, seconded by Cllr Linforth, and agreed unanimously by all other members.
10.9 End of Year Accounts and Audit Requirements – Submission of Public Rights
Copy of this document had been circulated for review to all members in advance of the meeting.
MS confirmed to the meeting that this document had been completed and that a copy would be sent to PKF Littlejohn the External Auditor, in due course. This document would be published on the Parish Website and on the main village notice board for the period 15th June – 24th July (30-day period) having announced this fact on the 14th June 2020.
In addition to this document a copy of the accounts for the year end will be published on the Parish Website.
Decision: It was proposed by Cllr Brooke that this plan of action is approved and that this motion was seconded by Cllr Brooke and unanimously agreed by all members. It was agreed that the completed document would be sent to the external auditor PKF Littlejohn. It was agreed that the document would be amended to contain the details of the new Parish Clerk and that the websi website and noticeboard deadlines would be adhered too.
Action: DM
Item 11 The Parish Environment
11.1 New Applications
• S20/0324 - Mr P Fletcher, PF International Carting, Stragglethorpe Lane, Brandon, NG32 3JE Full Planning Permission - New Garage/Workshop , replacement Scrutineering bay and Canopy over Inspection Area
Responded 4 May 20: no objection
• Planning Application S20/0098 - Brandon Wood Clay Pigeon Shooting, Brandon Road, Stubon, NG23 5DA Applying for a continuation of shooting of up to 150 days per annum. Amended Noise Management Plan received dated 23/03/20
Responded 4 May 20: majority against
11.2 Decision Notices
S19/2173 - Mr Stephen Osborn, 60 High Street, Caythorpe, NG32 3DN Single storey extension to existing dwelling, replacement storage building, new garage and conversion of existing barn to form living area for main dwelling (amendments to application re S18/1963 for Single storey extension to existing dwelling, replacement storage building, new garage and conversion of existing barn to form living area for main dwelling).
Approved by SKDC - 17.03.20
• S20/0089 - Mr & Mrs Armstrong. 17 Church Lane, Caythorpe, NG32 3DU New dwelling on land at rear of existing
Approved by SKDC - 26.03.20
• S20/0268 - Mr Fish, 22 High Street, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire, NG32 3BS
T1 Sweet Chestnut - Reduce western canopy to 3.5m, reduce northern canopy to 3m, reduce eastern canopy to 3m, reduce southern canopy to 4m and reduce crown by 2m
Work Allowed by SKDC - 31.03.20
• S20/0340 - Dr S Marshall, Holly Cottage , 43 High Street, Caythorpe, NG32 3DR
Erection of bespoke conservatory
Approved by SKDC - 23.04.20
11.3 Other Planning Issues
• S17/1611 ANESCO 7.2 MW Energy Storage Facility
Awaiting their response
• S19/2044 – erection of dwelling 27 Old Lincoln Road
SKDC not yet determined
• S19/2107 – Erection of dwelling land adjacent to St Vincents’ House 47 Old Lincoln Road
SKDC not yet determined.
• S19/2223 – Caythorpe Hall Lodge / Gate House
Correspondence ongoing with SKDC regarding demolition of existing outbuildings and location of waste-water vent pipe through wall into church yard.
Item 12 Items of urgent business
12.1 Face masks for Residents
Cllr Fritzsche referred to a document that had been previously issued to members prior to the meeting and had also been championed by a member of the public earlier in the meeting.
Cllr Fritzche summarised the proposal to make available to the residents on the parish a face mask that would be provided free of charge. The plan would be to source a supply of masks on a supply by demand basis and that the cost would be in the region of £1.00 per mask up to a total of 1800 required in total. These would be supplied locally and would not impinge on the supply to other NHS or other public health organisations. Manufacture would not commence before the end of May.
Decision: It was agreed that the source would not impact on supply to other health departments. That the mask would include a filter but the quality or guarantee of effectiveness would not be the responsibility of the Parish Council. Supply would be governed by demand to ensure that CFPC are not funding unwanted or surplus stocks. Based on the agreed conditions it was proposed by Cllr Fritzsche seconded by Cllr Brooke and approved unanimously by all the other 5 members attending the meeting It was agreed that although the project has been agreed in principle that Cllr Fritzsche would clarify the finer details of the plan and publish details to other members of the parish council. It was agreed that once details have been obtained a share of the costs would be sought from LCC as part of the Covid-19 Grant Scheme that had been recently circulated form Cllr Maughan.
action: NF
12.2 Record of the Caythorpe Lockdown
Cllr Fritzsche referred to a document that had been previously issued to members prior to the meeting.
Cllr Fritzche summarised the proposal for CFPC to subsidise the cost of production of a booklet that recorded by photographs those parishioners that had participated in the project.
The photographs had been taken of approximately 175 families at their doors during the lockdown period and the booklet would be available to purchase at a non-profit price on request.
Cllr Fritzsche proposed that the sum of up to £50 was approved by the council for the purchase of 2 booklets to be held on file for future generations, and secondly that the council approve the sum of up to £450 as a subsidy to the project allowing a discount to the price paid by residents for a personal booklet.
Decision: Based on the first proposal for the Council to purchase 2 copies of the booklet this motion was seconded by Cllr Brooke and agreed unanimously by all other members attending. Based on the second proposal for the Council to subsidise the cost of the production of books for residents this motion was not seconded and was rejected by 6 members with I abstention and therefore was not approved.
Item 13 Arrangements for next meeting
13.1 Due to current on-going lockdown restrictions the next meeting was not scheduled.
Open Forum
County Councillor: Apologies Received
District Councillor: Apologies Received
Public Attendance
The meeting was attended by 4 local residents and the following points were raised:
1. Parish Council Thanks
Thanks were gratefully received from a member of the public who wished to express gratitude for the efforts Parish Councillors had made throughout the year. Special mention was also made of the contributions and articles in News and Views that keep the parishioners informed of PC activities and additionally to the excellent work that had been done by volunteers during these difficult times.
2. Face Masks for Village Residents.
Reference was made to the possibility of the Parish Council sourcing and funding the provision of face masks for residents who requested one. Cllr Brooke stated that this item was on the agenda later in the meeting and subsequently this matter has been discussed in section 12 of these minutes.
Appendix 1 – Portfolio Holders
Portfolio Description
Litter Picking &The Big Clean - Cllr Crawley
Environmental Sustainability - Cllr Crawley
Playing Field committee - Cllr Budden
Chairman Finance committee - Cllr Budden
Chairman Planning committee - Cllr Brooke
Village Hall committee - Cllr Brooke
News & Views - Cllr Fritzsche
Footpaths - Cllr Graham
Public Transport - Cllr Graham
The Neighbourhood Plan - Cllr Allen (TBC)
Highways - Cllr Sandy
Emergency Plan - Vacant
Dog Fouling - Vacant
Shops Business and Employment - Vacant
Facebook Page - Cllr Betts
Housing - Cllr Betts
Volunteering and skill sharing - Cllr Betts
Community Heartbeat - Cllr Linforth
Hospital Car Scheme - Cllr Linforth
LIVES - Cllr Linforth
Children and Childcare - Cllr Linforth
Burial Ground - Cllr Roberts
Allotment committee - Cllr Roberts
War Memorial & Remembrance Day - Cllr Roberts
Community Safety - Cllr Roberts
Appendix 1 - Accounts authorised and paid since the last meeting