May 2022 Minutes Annual Parish Meeting
TIMBERLAND AND THORPE TILNEY PARISH COUNCIL
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Monday 16th May 2022 7pm
Timberland Village Hall
Minutes DRAFT
Parishioners in attendance - One
Questions Raised:
Fences in need of repair between Martin and Timberland one of which is near the footpath.
Footpath sign missing for the public footpath from Thorpe Tilney Fen to Timberland Fen.
Fen Road Repairs – The parishioner raised the recent incidents on what is a ‘dangerous’ road.
Despite the Parish Council raising the issue on many occasions, repairs are still outstanding. Recently a Highways Officer has been out to assess the condition of the road with Parish Councillors.
The parishioner expressed serious concerns that although the condition of the road has been reported on many occasions, action has not been taken to make the road safe to drive.
Cllr. Kendrick explained the financial restraints and under resourcing for Lincolnshire.
He will raise the issues again with Highways
Those present at the meeting:
Parish Councillors Stirling, Audis, Kornat, Sharplin, Lenton and County Cllr. Kendrick.
1. Apologies for Absence
District Councillor Ogden, Cllrs. Sharman, Slater, and the Parish Clerk.
2. Declarations of Interest
None
3. Chair’s Report 2021-2022
Cllr. Stirling read the full report and it is attached to the end of these minutes.
Cllr. Stirling confirmed his resignation from the Council.
Cllr. Stirling was thanked for his report
Cllr. Lenton read out a sincere note of thanks to Cllr. Stirling for his outstanding contribution to the Council for the endless list of good deeds and contributions to the work of the Council.
4. Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Cllr. Lenton was nominated for the post of Chair, and he was duly unanimously elected.
Cllr. Kornat was nominated for the post of Vice-Chair, and she was duly unanimously elected.
Acceptance Forms were signed and retained for the Clerk on her return.
Cllr. Stirling thanked the Parish Council, Cllr. Kendrick and the Clerk for all the support given over the years. He wished them all the best for the future, and he left the meeting.
Cllr. Lenton took the Chair.
5. Agree Representation
Village Hall Committee
Defibrillator
Agreed: Cllr. Kornat agreed to continue to represent the Council on the Village Hall Committee.
Cllr. Sharplin to discuss inspection of the Defib with Cllr. Stirling
On going
6. Declaration of Interest
None
7. Minutes of the previous meeting on the 5th May 2021 and 28th March 2022
On the minutes dated the 28th March 2022 the date of the Family Fund Day to be changed to the 16thJuly 2022.
The AGM minutes of 2021 were approved at the July 2021 meeting and were for information only.
Minutes accepted as an accurate record of the meetings with the above update on the March 2022 minutes.
Proposed: Cllr. Kornat Seconded: Cllr. Audis
All agreed
8. Asset List
Agreed: Clerk to present updated list at the next meeting.
Ongoing
9. Standing Orders
Agreed: All Standing Orders are up to date and do not need amending.
To be confirmed at the next meeting by the Clerk.
Ongoing
10. County and District Councillor Remarks
Cllr. Kendrick’s report has been sent out and is on the public website
He gave the new chair best wishes for the future in his new role.
He also requested a note of references numbers when reporting on Fixmystreet.
Cllr. Kendrick left the meeting.
11. Planning
None discussed.
12. Highways
Church Lane is due to have some work completed.
Agreed: Clerk to report again the potholes outside of 25 Fen Road.
Clerk to make another request to cut the hedge on Bayfield footpath.
13. Parish Items
13.1 Community Market Update
The markets continue monthly, raising £50-£80 for the village hall.
13.2 Timberland Green
Cllr. Audis continues to maintain this area.
The condition of the shed is deteriorating. A replacement shed would be around £1200 but unfortunately the Council cannot afford to replace this.
It may be possible to buy a second hand shed at a much cheaper price.
A parishioner may have an old shed he is prepared to donate.
Agreed: Cllr. Audis to buy the paint for ten posts for approximately £20.
Cllr. Audis to follow up the possible offer on the shed with the Parishioner
Proposed: Cllr. Kornat Seconded: Cllr. Sharplin
All agreed
Ongoing
13.3 Bayfield Maintenance
Cllr. Audis continues to maintain this land and cuts it on a regular basis.
It has been confirmed via the Clerk that the contract for payment has been renewed.
13.4 Family Funday 16th July 2022
Plans are ongoing. Cllr. Slater has offered his support to replace Ian on the day and Cllr. Lenton will be present and is happy to help where needed.
13.5 Timberland Village Hall
Cllr. Kornat reported that recent events have been highly successful.
Cllr. Audis raised concerns about access to a key in the event of an emergency.
The Village Hall has agreed to contribute 50% of Broadband for the Village Hall.
Agreed: Clerk to write to the Village Hall Committee and request a key.
Clerk to check with Cllr. Slater and the Village Hall Chair for an update on the filing cabinet.
Clerk to update quotes for the Broadband with a 50/50 share of the cost with the Village Hall. The CIL will pay for Council’s contribution
Ongoing
13.6 Parish Meeting 2023
The Council decided not to hold a Parish Meeting in 2023
All Agreed
13.7 Jubilee Celebration June 2022.
The weekend starts on the Thursday with the lighting of the beacon and various events are planned throughout the long weekend.
These include a treasure hunt, cream teas, flower festival and an event in the Penny Farthing on the Saturday.
It has not been possible to plant a tree in the Parish but there is a jubilee shrub rose which can be planted in a tub outside the Village Hall.
A discussion took place about purchasing a brass plaque for the Timberland sign.
Agreed: Cllr. Kornat to investigate purchasing a rose on behalf of the Jubilee Committee to be paid for by the Parish Council.
Cllr. Audis to investigate purchasing a brass plaque and agree this through emails due to the timing of the Jubilee.
All Agreed
14. Clerk’s Update
14. Finance
14.1 Audit 2021-2022
14.1.1 Local Audit
This has been completed and signed off by the Local Auditor.
14.1.2 Governance Statement
Agreed: Governance Statement was agreed and signed off by the Chair.
Clerk to send Exemption Certificate to the External Auditor by the 2nd of July.
14.3 Correspondence
None
14.4 Insurance Renewal
Agreed: Clerk to renew the Insurance on her return
14.5 Finance Discussion Group
Agreed: Discussion to take place on Thursday 16th June 6.30 at a venue to be confirmed.
14.6 Meeting Dates
18th July 2022
19th September 2022
21st November 2022
16th January 2023
20th March 2023
15th May AGM 2023
Agreed: Cllr. Audis to display the dates on the Notice Boards
14.7 Donation Request
Agreed: To donate a sum of £100 if the funding is available once the finance discussion has taken place.
Proposed: Cllr. Audis Seconded: Cllr. Lenton Ongoing
15. Agenda Items for the next meeting
Church Lane Dyke Donation Request Asset List Defib
16. Date of the Next Meeting
Monday 18th July 2022 at 7pm
Next AGM meeting is to be held on the 15th May 2023
Meeting closed at 9.05pm
Chair’s Report 2021-22
The Parish Council has worked hard for the Parish over the last 12 months in what has been a another challenging time for all.
Covid19 continues to affect parishioners and populations across the world to a lesser degree but still remains an issue. Responding to the pandemic has led to a period of great uncertainty and each of us individually has had to come terms with the reality of the situation. As a community we continue to act responsibly protecting each other and supporting individuals and groups when necessary.
Meetings fortunately are now held in the Village Hall be held and zoom is no longer an option.
I am pleased to report that the 2021-22accounts have been sent to and signed off by the Local Auditor.
The Council took the decision not to increase the precept in2020-20 but after long and serious deliberation the Council agreed to increase precept for the first time in 9 years for the year 2022-2023.
The Clerk who joined on a temporary basis in July 2020 will continue to support the Council until a replacement is found. Thank you to Cheryl for her commitment and hard work.
The litter picker continues to work 1 hour per week keeping the litter under control. The Council successfully applied for a grant towards the litter picker salary in 2021.
Fortunately, the annual Family Fun Day and Community Markets, which are supported by the Council, are now able to continue after Covid. Many thanks to Cllr. Kornat and the volunteers who help to support these events.
Cllr. Audis is the lead Councillor for the maintenance and upkeep of the Timberland Green and continues to maintain the space to a high standard. May thanks to Councillor Audis for all his hard work.
The Timberland Green is an attractive and calming space for Parishioners and visitors to the Parish to enjoy. The ROSPA inspection was undertaken in August 2021 and will continue on an annual basis to ensure the safety of all users.
The Church wall is currently being repaired.
Walk around regular safety inspections are also undertaken and recorded by a Parish Councillor.
The secure storage continues to be used for storing the mower and equipment.
Posters have been displayed requesting all users to be respectful and considerate to neighboring properties and to use the equipment safely to avoid damage and personal injury.
The Parish Council website has been replaced by a new system and managed by the Clerk with the LALC support worker.
The council is committed to producing a welcoming and informative platform for use by parishioners and anyone with an interest in the work of the Council and the Parish of Timberland and Thorpe Tilney.
The notice boards and locations have been beneficial to the Council and Parishioners to ensure transparency and access to council business. Community Infrastructure Levy monies has been set allocated to replace the old notice boards in front of the Village Hall and the work on these has been completed.
Standing Orders including Financial Regulations, complaints procedure, planning, media policy and Code of Conduct are available via the Clerk and will also be accessible in the public file online.
The renovation of the Village Hall has been completed and with grateful thanks to Village Hall Committee for their hard work over the last 18 months. The official opening by Cllr. Kendrick was very successful and a welcome opportunity at last for the parishioners to come together.
The parish council continues with the responsibility of maintaining the land on access to Bayfield for which the council receives payment from LCC Estates. Throughout the summer Cllr. Audis cuts the grass on a regular basis.
Potholes continue to be a concern across the Parish and although some work has been completed there is still work to be done.
Some new speed signs will be erected soon on Fen Road and some work is due to be completed on Station Road.
Dog Fouling continues to be a concern for the Parish on occasions and further dog fouling signs have been put up. An additional bin has also been purchased by the Parish Council and located on Bayfield Road.
The Council intends to ensure that access to green space is seen as a priority for all and support has been offered by County Councillor Kendrick.
Sadly, over recent years the Parish has lost various facilities including the shop, post office, bowling green, walking paths and the cricket pitch.
The Parish has some time ago submitted an application to re-instate previously walked paths to the rear of the Church. We await the outcome of this.
The Parish Council has successfully applied for the Timberland Green to be designated as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).
The Penny Farthing listing of ACV was successfully re-applied for in 2020.
The Parish Council, whilst welcoming planning developments to improve and welcome new parishioners, continues to seek assurances that the existing infrastructure of sewerage and drainage is sufficient to cope with the pressure on the system.
Finally, the Parish Council continues to demonstrate its commitment to the quality of life in the Parish and will always listen to concerns of parishioners, acting when needed.
As Chair I thank everyone for the hard work and commitment over the year.
Cllr. Ian Stirling
Chair 2022
Timberland and Thorpe Tilney Parish Council