February 2022
CLAXBY PARISH COUNCIL
Minutes of Meeting of Parish Council held on Tuesday 8th February 2022
Present: Chairman B Hunter, Cllrs J Lindley-Baker, P Strong, H Wilson, M Reeves, J Pilbrow.
Also present: D Beer (Parish Clerk), Cllr S Bunney, Cllr Regis and 5 members of the public.
No-one spoke at the public forum so the meeting commenced immediately
1. Apologies for Absence: I Cumber
2. Declarations of Interest – None
3. To approve minutes of the meeting held 16th November 2021.
It was resolved to approve the minutes and they were duly signed.
4. Chairman & Council’s Comments:
· The chairman reported that Normanby Rise had been closed for repairs on 24th January.
· On 23rd January the water mains had burst in 2 places and Anglian Water had attended in good time to rectify, but the water was shut off for several hours.
· An enquiry had been made by a resident to rent the village hall for an event. The chairman had turned it down saying that the hall was undergoing repairs, but it was suggested the resident be contacted again and shown the hall so she can make up her mind as to whether she wants to rent it in its current condition.
5. Clerk’s Report on outstanding matters.
- Christmas Tree: Susannah Boulton had sent an email saying she was very pleased with the donation towards the Christmas tree. Cllr Strong suggested that this be an annual donation, and the clerk agreed to put it on the November agenda for approval.
- Planning application 143410: The clerk had spoken at the Planning Meeting on behalf of the Council. After representations from the architects, the application was rejected by the Planning Committee on the basis that it was seen as an over-development and the design was not in keeping with other properties in the village.
- Broken gate: A resident has reported a broken gate on the bridleway between Mulberry Rd and St Mary’s Lane. This has been reported to the Countryside Service and given a priority 2 status.
- Defibrillator – there has been a delay in supply but they will supply and fit as soon as possible.
- Banking: A new bank account has been opened with Unity bank, the HSBC account has been closed and all funds transferred to Unity. An on line facility has been set up. The PC received £100 compensation from HSBC for giving such poor service.
- Cllr Strong asked about the progress of the request for a dog bin and the clerk agreed to chase this up.
6. Finance:
Accounts for Payment:
- D D Beer (on line) £537.01 (Note: Clerk’s payment covered 22 weeks to bring up to year end.)
- HMRC (cheque) £118.60
- LALC subscription: £69.96
It was RESOLVED to pay these invoices.
Current balance is £23,008.72 of which £10,000 is ring-fenced for the village hall.
7. Planning – a new application for a development on Normanby Rise. No 144217 consisting of 2 dormer bungalows.
Planning approved. Cllr Regis agreed to keep in touch with the planning officer to make sure there were no further alterations to the plans.
Cllr Lindley-Baker reported she had spotted a planning notice on a pole on Boggle Lane. Clerk to investigate.
15. Fly tipping. This item was moved forward to allow discussion with Cllr Regis, who gave a number of someone who will collect items that have been illegally dumped. Cllr Bunney reported that the policies for refuse and recycling centres are under review, and a change to the price structure and opening hours may reduce the amount of fly-tipping.
8. Correspondence:
LALC eNews – all forwarded by email.
9. Village Hall. The newly-formed village hall committee gave a report of its first meeting. David and Jenny Lofthouse had recently joined the committee and were thanked for their knowledge and input, but it was felt still more people were needed to help drive the project. It was suggested that there was a need for an all-village community group. Discussion was had as to whether the village hall committee should form a charity to run the hall, or whether it should remain under the control of the Parish Council. There were advantages to both positions in terms of the funding. More research was suggested to consider charitable status. Cllr Strong felt that improving access should be a priority.
Cllr Regis left the meeting at 8.15.
10. Grass cutting: It was RESOLVED to accept Alastair Williams’ tender on a year’s trial.
11. Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. An application had been made to the £700 Jubilee fund. It was suggested that the villagers be asked for their ideas as to what they would like to see happen during the celebrations.
Cllr Lindley-Baker left the meeting at 20.41.
12. Village sign
Cllr Strong reported that he was looking into funding from Lincolnshire Wolds Countryside Service and will present designs at the next meeting.
13. Wold View Sign. As one of the properties is still owned by ACIS the clerk agreed to email them to see if it can be replaced.
14. Normanby Rise: The recent road repairs were discussed. Cllr Bunney reported that the patching that was done came out of a specific budget but a major repair/resurface would come out of different budget and this has not yet been allocated but it is unlikely that the necessary works would happen until 2023 at the earliest. The clerk agreed to keep putting pressure on Highways to prioritise this work. Speed restrictions/traffic calming ideas were suggested, including a traffic survey and a stop sign at the Mulberry Rd junction. The clerk suggested sharing an electronic Speed Indicator sign with other villages to share the cost and he agreed to approach other nearby villages.
16. The water supply – Cllr Strong updated council re his contact with Anglian Water.
They had identified the need to replace part of the water main and these works are planned in the near future. Residents were to be encouraged to apply for the Customer Care Package in the event of the water being shut off for a period of time. Clerk to include this information on WhatsApp, website and newsletter.
17. Third party insurance claim. An accident had occurred at the playing field entrance when the Chairman was transporting the goalposts. A goalpost had grazed a parked car, resulting in a claim of £494, which has been approved by our insurance company. The excess is £250. Council RESOLVED to pay this.
Other business – the clerk was requested to chase up the redesigning of the posters in the village notice boards.
18. Date of next meeting was set for Thursday 12th May 2022.
The meeting closed at 21.19.