July 2023 Minutes
Timberland and Thorpe Tilney Parish Council Meeting Minutes (Draft)
Date Monday, 17th July 2023
Start time: 19:00
Close: 21:31
Meeting Location Timberland Village Hall
Attendees:
Councillors Lenton (Chair), Kornat, Audis, Slater, Sharplin, J Hollingsworth and G Hollingsworth
County Councillor Rob Kendrick
Apologies for Absence: K Harvey - Clerk
0. Parishioner open forum
No parishioners were present.
1. Apologies for absence
Apologies for absence were received from the Clerk.
2. Declarations of interest
None
3. Minutes of previous meeting
Cllr Audis clarified that he had rescinded a declaration of interest in the Scopwick Solar Farm, not the Bio-digestion plant as previously recorded. The May meeting minutes should be amended to ensure this is clear.
Subject to the above change being made it was agreed that the minutes of the PC Meeting held on 15th May 2023 are a true and accurate record of the meeting.
Proposed: Cllr. Audis, Seconded: Cllr. Sharplin. All agreed.
4. District & County Councillor remarks
• Martin / Woodhall Spa road would be resurfaced to Kirkstead Bridge and the work would lead to traffic disruption and some overnight closures. The work will commence on the 24th July and continue until end of October 2023.
• Cllr Kendrick advised on traffic calming measures that had been effective in other parishes. These included white-line chicanes, 30 MPH stickers being attached to bins and lamp posts etc, and the flashing signs. These will be considered by the PC.
5. Planning
• Nothing to report
6. Highways
• The Bird flu signs have been removed. The outstanding action is closed and removed.
• Cllr Audis reported that the signs at Timberland crossroads are damaged. Cllr Kendrick advised that this should be reported using FixMyStreet.
• Clerk has reported that LCC have been approached to move the 30MPH signs at each entrance to the village, ideally alongside the Timberland village signs. This will require the support of Cllr Kendrick.
Action: Clerk to contact Cllr Kendrick with details.
• To implement Speed Watch the PC will need to procure speed-guns, high-viz jackets for all volunteers ad signage advertising the speed trap. Total cost will be around £350 which will rise depending on the quantity of high-viz jackets procured. PC have no budget for this in the current year. Clerk also reported that volunteers in local parishes where this has been implemented have been subjected to abuse from local drivers. It was agreed that no further progress will be made on this at the current time. The outstanding action on this is closed.
• Flashing speed signs will cost in the region of £2,000-3,000 per unit. A minimum of 2 will be required. The PC has no budget for these items and this option will not be progressed. The outstanding action on this is closed.
7. Parish items
7.1 Community Market
• Cllr. Kornat reported that the next Community Market would take place on Thursday 20th July.
7.2 Timberland Green
• Cllr. Kornat reported that a 46% rent increase has been proposed for leasing the village green. This would take the rent from £250 to £365 a year. Cllr. Kornat will contact Kier Group to challenge this increase. Cllr. Rob Kendrick will be copied on the communications to enable assistance to be provided.
Action: Cllr Kornat to report back on progress at the next PC meeting.
• Cllr. Slater confirmed work on grant applications for village green equipment is on-hold until a lease extension has been agreed. Item will remain in minutes pending progress on lease negotiation.
• ROSPA will be visiting in August to inspect the green. A discounted price of £75 plus VAT has been agreed. The outstanding action is closed and removed.
• It was agreed that the shed is in beyond repair and should be demolished ahead of the ROSPA visit to avoid any issues that may arise and to ensure that any risk to parishioners using the green is removed.
7.3 Grounds Maintenance
• Cllr. Audis reports all ok, grass cuts being done fortnightly as agreed. No issues.
7.4 Village Hall
• Sky bill has been clarified as being £16.95 plus VAT per month. Village Hall will be charged 50% of the pre-VAT costs per month. PC will claim full VAT amount as refund during annual accounting. Outstanding action is closed.
Action: Cllr Kornat to notify VHC of charges
• Cllr. Kornat reported that she had been in contact regarding the maintenance issues identified with the building and gardens. It was confirmed that these are being addressed.
• Replacement tables are currently being purchased. The replacement chairs have already been delivered.
7.5 Emergency Warden
• Cllr Slater reported on the progress and on the meeting with LCC Emergency Planning Team. Following discussion, it was agreed that adopting the plan would be beneficial.
Proposed: Cllr G Hollingsworth, Second: Cllr J Hollingsworth, All agreed.
• Cllr G Hollingsworth was proposed and elected as Emergency Planning Officer for the parish.
Proposed: Cllr Sharplin, Second: Cllr Audis, All agreed.
• Cllr Slater will make any final changes required to the draft Emergency Plan and hand over to Cllr G Hollingsworth for implementation.
• Action: Cllr Slater to perform handover to Cllr J Hollingsworth
7.6 Parish Dykes
• Parish dykes within the village remain an ongoing concern as a number of residents refuse to accept riparian responsibility for clearing and maintenance as a result of which flood risks to local residents in bad weather conditions are increased.
• Church Lane dyke remains the main area of concern and it was agreed that another attempt would be made to ensure that the dyke is cleared by those responsible. Although it is recognised that a number of parishioners fulfil riparian obligations, all will be contacted to encourage clearance of vegetation.
Action: Cllr Lenton to amend the previous letter issued to householders and share for approval before issue.
• Ryan Davies visited the village to inspect the dykes and has responded to the PC by email, but it is not fully clear whether the PC can expect support. The clerk will contact Ryan Davies for clarification.
Action: Clerk to reply to Ryan Davies asking clarification of email contacts.
• Clerk has reported that the option of reviewing house deeds to understand riparian responsibilities of householders with regards to dyke maintenance could be expensive and time-consuming. No further action will be taken, and the outstanding action is closed.
7.7 Parish Council Vacancy
• New councillors are in post and have been sent and signed all appropriate paperwork. The outstanding action has been closed.
• Training. Clerk has been looking into training courses for new and existing councillors and will provide details when available.
Action: Clerk to provide update at next PC meeting
7.8 Parish Council Documents
• Cllr Kornat provided all councillors with a revised and updated set of documents. The Financial Regulations document remains pending and will be updated and approved in due course. This document must be proposed and accepted by the PC.
Action: Cllr Kornat to update the Financial Regulations for review and approval at next PC meeting
7.9 Notice Boards
• Cllr J Hollingsworth reported that the Fen Road notice board was in poor repair and the Perspex was cracked and cloudy and difficult to read. The PC agreed that the board would not be replaced due to cost.
Action: Cllr J Hollingsworth will investigate how the perspex can be replaced.
7.9 Family Fun Day
• It was agreed that the Family Fun Day would be reinstated for 2024. Cllr J Hollingsworth volunteered to lead the planning activities and was unanimously approved by all councillors. All councillors volunteered to support. Immediate requirement will be to agree a date for the FFD to be held.
7.10 Social Media
• The use of social media as a method of communicating with parishioners was discussed. Following a robust discussion, it was agreed that an investigation on how social media could be utilised as a positive communication channel should be undertaken.
Action: Cllr J Hollingsworth will mock-up a Facebook site to show how it would be used by the PC
Action: Cllr J Hollingsworth to investigate how other PCs use FB for communication purposes
8 Clerk Update
8.1 Bank Balance / Finance
Clerk confirmed the financial position on 29th June 2023 was as follows:
Community Account £10,071.47
Business Account £1,972.23
8.2 Payments / Cheques
Payments for approval:
100782 T Audis Mower fuel £31.80
100784 Litter Picker Salary £68.40
100786 Clerk Salary £453.60
100787 Clerk Consumables £33.98
Proposed: Cllr. Audis, Seconded: Cllr. Sharplin. All agreed.
Destroyed cheques:
100783
100785
8.3 Audit
• Following audit completion, notices will be displayed in parish notice boards advising parishioners of the timeline for inspection of parish accounts.
Actions: Cllr Audis to place notices in notice boards.
8.4 Correspondence
• Correspondence has been received from Charlie Foulds on 18th May regarding speeding in the village. This has been acknowledged and a full response will be issued following this meeting.
• Correspondence has been received from Tara McCulloch on 20th June regarding speeding on the B1189 between Thorpe Tilney and Walcott. Investigations have shown that this person lives outside the boundary of the parish and has been advised to contact Walcott PC.
Action: Cllr Lenton will draft a communication to be shared with all parishioners who have contacted the PC recently regarding speeding in the village. This will be shared for approval before issue.
8.5 Clerk Post
• Clerk has now been in post for approximately 6 months and the probationary period is coming to an end.
Action: Cllr Lenton to arrange meeting to review progress and decide next steps. Meeting will be attended by clerk, chair and deputy chair.
• Issue of contract to clerk remains pending and will be performed following outcome of probation review.
Action: Cllr Lenton to ensure that clerk contract to be completed and signed by both parties.
8.6 Asset List
• Revision of current asset list to take place. Need to ensure that correct amounts are on for the village assets (also included in the audit each year). This matter will be taken up by the Finance Committee who will review the purpose of the Asset List and how the valuation of each item can be accurately determined. Finance Committee to report back at the next PC meeting.
Action: Cllr Lenton to ensure Finance Committee reviews Asset List.
9. Agenda item for the next meeting
Nothing requested
9 Meeting Closure
Meeting closed at 21.31.