2020-21 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

February 2021 Minutes

MINUTES OF THE HOGSTHORPE PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

 HELD AT 6.45pm ON WEDNESDAY 3RD FEBRUARY 2021 VIA ZOOM

 

Present: Cllrs L Wildman (Chairman), M Culley, P Smith, M Banks, V Worley, A Green, T Smith and K Stafford (Clerk)

Also present: County Cllr C Davie, District Cllr P Hibbert- Greaves and 5 members of the public

 

PUBLIC FORUM

CCllr Colin Davie spoke first as he had another meeting to attend.  He discussed:

  • Central government has a clear plan to reopen the economy going forward but will take a bit of time
  • A £12 million support package for the economy launched yesterday.  Grants will be available on the County website from 23 February to support and help businesses develop.  Money will also be spent on advertising and promoting Lincolnshire.
  • £10 million is earmarked for road maintenance and in particular, for the small, minor unclassified roads of which there are lots in Hogsthorpe
  • A green masterplan has also been announced to provide a road map for Lincolnshire to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Cllr P Smith raised concerns about the system in place for the household waste disposal site in Skegness which causes long delays.  CCllr Davie said a new system is being put in place in the next two weeks which should alleviate the delays.

Cllr T Smith raised a question but it was difficult to understand what was being said due to echoing.  Clerk to contact him to put his concern to CCllr Davie in an email for him to address.

A member of the public raised concerns over the situation of dog mess in the village and stated she had placed signs on telegraph poles which the Vice Chair confirmed was not permitted but the Chair agreed that they be left in place to see what happens.

A member of the public mentioned the parish noticeboard needed to be cleaned as it was covered in algae making it difficult to read notices.  The Clerk to ensure this is carried out.

 

 

  1. CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME – The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting commencing at 6.41 pm
  2. TO APPOINT A STAFFING COMMITTEE – The Chair pointed out that the Council needed to appoint a staffing Committee with 3 members.  Cllrs T Smith, M Banks and M Culley volunteered to be committee members.  The first meeting was agreed for Wednesday 10 February via zoom at 6pm.
  3. APOLOGIES – None, all in attendance
  4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – The Chairman declared his interest in the allotments
  5. CLERK’S REPORT ON MATTERS OUTSTANDING
    1. Conclusion of the Monitoring Officer’s investigation into the Parish Clerk appointment.  The Clerk confirmed the Monitoring officer had found no wrongdoing in the appointment of the Parish Clerk following the issues raised in the Parish Council meeting in October 2020.  Cllr Green stated the Clerk had broken governance addressing the matter in a public meeting. The Clerk stated that as the concern had been raised in a public meeting it should be answered in a public meeting. Cllr Green disagreed, The Chair stated the matter was now dealt with and closed and asked the meeting be moved on.  Cllr Banks stated she was unhappy with the animosity that was evident within the Council now.  Cllr Green blamed it on the ex Parish Clerk leaving it like this
    2. Confirm the Parish Council’s new website is now set up.  The Clerk confirmed the website is now operational and has received a green light from the County Council
  6. TO RECEIVE REPORTS FROM OUTSIDE BODIES & OTHER MEETING
  1. The Chairman stated he is arranging a meeting with the County Council’s Highways Officer to discuss the public footpath that runs through the allotments but it has been put on hold for now due to lockdown restrictions.
  2. DCllr P Hibbert-Greaves confirmed that he has been chasing the District Councillor’s grant the Playing Fields was awarded at the end of last year.  He will ensure that we do get the award but will need to make a fresh application as the District Council have lost the original application.  He also stated that the vaccination programme was going well and there is no shortage of vaccines so the situation is looking promising.  He also offered his support to help the Council and to take up any issues that may arise on their behalf.

 

  1. FINANCIAL MATTERS
    1. Payment of Accounts. - Chair’s Training Course and Refuse Removal invoices
    2. To receive Financial Statement to 31 December 2021.   
      1. Cllr T Smith questioned a missing advert income.  The Clerk confirmed this will be on January’s Accounts as it was paid in, in January.
      2. Cllr T Smith asked whether the Clerk’s expenses were being monitored with bills and receipts being sent in to the accountant as no one ever sees the bills.  The Chair confirmed this was being done as required by law and that the invoices were seen and matched up to the cheque before the cheques were signed.
      3. Cllr T Smith questioned what the £119.99 for Computer Support was for.  The Clerk stated she believed it was for the Especkle computer support that the Council signed up for prior to her starting work for the Council but would check and confirm with Cllr Smith tomorrow.
      4. Cllr T Smith complained about the format of the accounts and stated it had made it very difficult to read and asked if they could they be done as they should be done.  The other Councillors confirmed that their copies were fine and perhaps it was Cllr T Smiths alignment that was out.
    3. Propose using Jen Cooper as Internal Auditor. – It was resolved to Use Jen Cooper
  2. PLANNING – N/084/02112/20 amendment Plot 1, The Holdings, Thames Street, Hogsthorpe.  Cllr Culley informed the Council that the amendment was for a garage with a storey on top to be built.  He stated the work had already been commenced by the Landowner without the relevant planning permission and the garage was outside the building line and encroaching on the preservation land.  The Clerk confirmed an objection had been put in and the confirmation email sent out to the councillors that day.
  3. CORRESPONDENCE
    1. The thank you letters were  acknowledged
    2. Streetlighting email received of work to be done in the village.
  4.  TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE WAYS OF DEALING WITH THE DOG MESS ISSUES IN THE VILLAGE

There was a lengthy discussion about ways of dealing with the issue.  The Clerk confirmed that the Enforcement Team require a witness statement, with or without a photo or video, to bring a prosecution. It was agreed more dog bins are unlikely to resolve the issue as mess is left right next to available bins. The Chairman stated that he will look into the costs of more permanent signs and report back at the next Council Meeting

  1. TO RESOLVE THE SETTING UP OF A FACEBOOK PAGE FOR THE PARISH COUNCILTO INCREASE CONNECTIVITY WITH THE COMMUNITY – The Chairman proposed setting up two facebook pages – one for the Councillors only and one for the Community – Cllr Banks abstained.  It was agreed by a majority of committee members
  2. SUGGESTIONS FOR A SPEAKER FOR THE ANNUAL COMMITTEE MEETING IN MAY – The Chairman proposed asking a local PCSO to do it.  This was resolved by the Council
  3. TO DISCUSS A REPLACEMENT CHAIRMAN WHEN THE CURRENT CHAIRMAN STANDS DOWM

Cllr Culley asked the Councillors if they would ask the Chairman if he would stay on until the AGM in May. It was resolved to do this and the Chairman agreed to stay in position until May 2021.

  1. Cllr Banks asked if there was any outstanding money due to the Council from the caravan Park.  The Chairman said he would confirm and update at the next meeting.
  2. DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The date of the next meeting was agreed for 3 March 2021 at 6.45pm

Meeting closed at 1932