December 20 Minutes
HELPRINGHAM PARISH COUNCIL (Approved Minutes)
Draft Minutes of the Meeting held by Zoom at 7.30pm on Wednesday 09 December 2020
PRESENT
Councillors Geoff Hotchkin, Julie Frizzell, Mark Robinson, George Frizzell, Malcolm Ternouth, Robert Spencer and William Watts. Parish Clerk Julie Dixon and District Councillors’ Sally Tarry. and Stewart Ogden.
PUBLIC SPEAKING TIME
There were no members of the public in attendance.
1. WELCOME REMARKS BY CHAIRMAN
The Chairman welcomed everybody to the last meeting of 2020 and thanked them for their attendance.
2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
There were no apologies.
3. SIGNING OF THE MINUTES
It was resolved to adopt the minutes of the meeting of 11 November 2020 as a true and correct record.
4. MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
There were no matters arising from the minutes, aside from those being discussed later in the meeting.
5. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST & DISPENSATIONS
None.
6. REPORT FROM DISTRICT COUNCILLORS
6.1 Cllr Sally Tarry, asked the clerk if she had received the Cycling infrastructure survey. This has been received and would be completed by Councillor Robert Spencer on behalf of the PC.
6.2 Following a question at the last PC meeting which Councillor Sally Tarry offered to look into, regarding the widening of the road due to the George Street development, she reported that it did not form part of the planning permission.
7. PLANNING APPLICATIONS
7.1 Revised plans for 14 Shepherds Lane Helpringham were discussed prior to the meeting, due to the closing date being 03/12/2020 . The response to both applications for this site and the site at 16 Shepherds Lane have been submitted to NKDC.
7.2 Planning permission is sought to erect a porch at 7 Church Lane Helpringham , after discussion it was resolved to approve the application.
8. FINANCE
8.1 The financial report presented by the Vice Chairman was accepted.
8.2 The bank reconciliation was accepted.
8.3 The year-to-date financial report was accepted.
8.4 The 2021 budget and precept were discussed prior to finalising at the January meeting
8.5 It was reported that the Parish Council has received notification of refund of stolen funds through the Judiciary system. Once confirmed, details will be released but the full amount stolen is expected to be reimbursed. Notwithstanding this notification, the PC remains extremely disappointed with Lloyds Banks, who processed cheques that did not meet essential and necessary criteria, yet they were paid. The PC is exploring options to follow this up with the Financial Ombudsman and the Vice Chair will brief the PC in due course.
The Chairman extended his thanks to Councillor Will Watts and to Councillor Julie Frizzell for her hard work and several weeks of audit work, liaison with Police, other PCs, LALC and external specialists. The PC recognises and appreciates the endless hours of work this has created.
8.6 The Grass Cutting contract for 2021 was discussed and it was resolved to accept the tender of £5478.00 from CJP Garden Services, subject to the signing of the contract and providing a copy of his insurance certificate. Councillor George Frizzell offered to tidy up in between cuts with the Parish Councils lawnmower if necessary; if, for instance there is a funeral.
8.7 A timeline for local groups to apply for a grant from the Parish Council were discussed and a template will be produced and advertised on the website.
8.8 A discussion re the photocopier was had and it was confirmed that the contract with ISL digital has been terminated. It was agreed that we would offer the machine to a charity in the first instance before looking to sell.
8.9 Approval had been sought, and was confirmed by email, for the following cheque:
|
Julie Dixon |
Clerks Salary |
£176 |
It was discussed and approved for the clerks wages for December to be agreed in advance due to the bookkeepers holidays being at the end of the month.
9.0 CEMETERY MATTERS
9.1 There has been 1 interment.
9.2 One memorial has been erected.
9.3 It was discussed to leave the painting of the War Memorial railings until the better weather in the Spring and maybe look to attaining quotes for the painting of the railings on the High Street Cemetery at the same time.
10.0 HIGHWAYS
Nothing to report as yet regarding the progress on the potholes, Councillor Julie Frizzell is to follow up again. There has been correspondence from Councillor Barry Young but there is no date advised for a work plan to commence. Councillor Watts commented how dangerous it is for cyclists.
11.0 MATTERS AFFECTING THE VILLAGE/CORRESPONDENCE.
11.1 Update on Church Clock by Councillor George Frizzell.
The church clock is now running true to time.
11.2 The road closure at Blotoft Level Crossing on 05/01/2021 is posted on the Helpringham Parish Council website.
11.3 The recent spate of criminal activity in the village was discussed. The PC wished to extend their sympathies to all involved and also acknowledge the exceptional response of community spirit to support the affected families. Furthermore, the PC would actively engage with Lincolnshire Police to seek updates on increased patrols and how rural policing could support Helpringham. Councillor George Frizzell would put the contact details for the Neighbourhood Policing Team on the website (found under Newsletter November 2020).
12.0 CONFIRMATION OF CLERK APPOINTMENT
The appointment of the Clerk was ratified and the pay rate agreed.
13.0 DATE OF THE NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 13 January 2020 via Zoom. It was noted that following Government guidance, it was likely that all meetings for the foreseeable future would be via Zoom.
Topic: Helpringham Parish Council Meeting - 1930 start
Time: January 13, 2020 19:15 London
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Meeting ID: 980 055 2536