2020 Parish Council Meeting Minutes

On 4 April2020,the government brought The Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority Meetings) (England) Regulations 2020 into force to allow local authorities to conduct meetings remotely.

Notes for the Edenham Parish Council Meeting on Tuesday 08th Sept 2020 at  19:30 hrs via virtual Zoom platform

Attendees Mr R Biggs (Chairman) Mrs P Cranfield (Vice Chairman), Mrs A Whadcock, Mr D Bradley, Mr T Clarke, Mr A Wilson, Mrs C Sands (Parish Clerk), Mrs M Marshall. Cllr N Robins(SKDC).

20/21 1.0 Open Forum

20/21 1.1 Councillor Casual Vacancy - Co-option - Following the retirement of Cllr A Martin earlier this year, Councillors unanimously voted to accept Mrs Marion Marshall as a co-opted Councillor  to the Parish Council. Declaration of Acceptance of Office to be progressed by the Parish Clerk.       

20/21  1.2 Resignation - Chairman Cllr Biggs announced that due to a change in personal circumstances he is to resigning from the Parish Council. Cllr Biggs said it is with great sadness that this will be his last meeting as a Parish Councillor and Chairman of the Parish Council.

Vice Chairman Cllr P Cranfield proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Biggs for all of his support and involvement in the community over the last 16 years both as a Councillor and a well known figure in the Parishes. Ray and his wife Kim will be leaving Edenham, they will both be sorely missed by the Parish Council and the many friends that they have made in the area. Cllr Robins (SKDC) also thanked Mr Biggs, Cllr Robins said ' having worked together for over 10 years, it has been a pleasure, you have always been very professional and you will be missed'.

Cllr Robins SKDC Update - Employees are starting to return to the Council offices following the national lockdown and home working arrangements. Many local businesses have now re-opened, SKDC are continuing to support businesses. In January the Local Plan was adopted. A review of the plan will commence 14th September to consider changes in local housing needs and provide an update on the provision of employment land and gypsy and traveller accommodation. There is currently work ongoing in relation to keeping dogs on leads and dog fouling.

20/21 1.3 Topics/Discussions (as raised by members of the public).

With no members of the public being present the chairman closed the open forum and commenced the main meeting.

All parishioners are reminded that the Open Forum at each Parish Council meeting is their opportunity to voice concern/raise local issues with their councillors. Details can be obtained by contacting the parish clerk at edenham.pc@gmail.com – or contacting any of your current councillors.

20/21 2.0 Commencement of Parish Council Meeting

20/21 2.1 Apologies for absence - Des Bradley

20/21 2.2  Approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 14th July 2020 - Cllr Cranfield proposed, seconded by Cllr Wilson, that the minutes be signed as a true record.

20/21 3.0 Request for Dispensation, none requested.

20/21 4.0 Declarations of Interest, none requested.

20/21 5.0 Coronavirus Pandemic Support

Information from Edenham and Grimsthorpe Steam Action - Lucie Wilson (Chairman)

Steam action are still shopping and offering support within the villages, however, this has reduced considerably in the last few weeks. The team remain on alert in case there is a second wave of Covid 19. The team received a certificate from the Lincolnshire Resilience team for the help and support they have offered during the pandemic.

The team are now starting to focus on Christmas, it will be very different this year due to the required Covid 19 controls. 

The Parish Council Chairman said that he hoped that the Parish Council in conjunction with Steam Action would be able to hold the annual Carol Singing event around the Christmas Tree.

20/21 6.0 Parish Matters & Update from Previous Meeting

20/21 6.1 - Parish Council Meetings - Looking forward requirements for face to face meetings (Coronavirus Controls) - The Village Hall is now open, however, there are certain controls in place due to Covid19 which will prevent the Parish Council from holding meetings in this venue for the foreseeable future. Parish Clerk has looked for

alternative venues and has made enquires about the potential use of Edenham Regional House. It was agreed that the Vice Chairman Cllr P Cranfield and the Parish Clerk look into the possibility of having a face to face meeting in November, using the guidance and suggested controls from Local Association of Local Councils (LALC).

20/21 6.2 Street Cleaning Update - Following on from the last meeting, signage has been placed in the area by the field entrance near Elm Terrace, also the litter has been cleared from the area. In recent weeks  there have been some rather unpleasant signs of human excrement on grass verges/roadside lay-bys between Edenham & Grimsthorpe. The Parish Clerk has introduced a risk assessment to ensure the health and safety of Mr Alder when carrying out litter picking.  Cllr Cranfield proposed the risk assessment, this was seconded by Cllr Clarke. Mr Alder will be taken through the risk assessment and the controls within it by the Parish Clerk.

20/21 6.3 - SID  Update - the unit is now in place near Copy Lawn Farm. Nothing to report from the recent download, increase in traffic noted. Residents in Elsthorpe have raised concerns about the speed of contract vehicles near their homes. Parish Clerk to contact residents to gain more information, further discussions to take place at the next meeting.

20/21 6.4 - Tumblerow Farm/Scottlethorpe Road -Update from Highways Dept investigation into potential collapsed drain in this area - The Parish Clerk received a reply from the Highways Dept, stating that, following investigation a job has been passed to Alliance Partners. It is anticipated that this drainage investigation will be completed by 21/11/20. Works are prioritised Countywide and although we will endeavour to complete works by the date given there are times when this is not possible due to weather events or unprecedented demand."

Cllr Whadcock raised concerns about potholes that have not been repaired on Scottlethorpe Rd, a fix my street report will be raised again.

A polite reminder that anyone can raise issues of potholes in the local areas via the 'Fix My Street' App.

20/21 6.5 - Gigabyte Voucher Scheme & Quantum Air Fibre Optic - Cllr Clarke reported that progress is very slow with BT/Openreach. Cllr Clarke contacted Mr S Brookes from Onlincolnshire to see if he can help to speed up the process. Quantum Air is no longer being progressed as there was limited interest in this option from residents and therefore it is no longer considered viable.

20/21 6.6 Hedge/Tree trimming near the BT Exchange in Grimsthorpe - The Parish Clerk is waiting for further feedback on expected dates for the works and will continue to chase the contractor.

20/21 6.7 - Local Security - implementation of a 'No Cold Calling Zone' - Letters explaining the scheme were delivered to every residential property throughout the Parishes on Friday 4th & 5th September. Residents have until 25th September to register any objections to the scheme to the Parish Clerk. Next steps will be discussed at the November meeting.

20/21 6.8 - Flower Beds by the village signs - Cllr Bradley originally raised this item, due to his absence it was agreed to roll this over to the next meeting. The Parish Clerk agreed to contact Cllr Bradley to ask that he arrange a site visit for Cllrs to assess areas for the proposed flower beds. The Parish Clerk has made enquiries with Swinstead Parish Clerk, for details of the contractor used and potential costs. The Chairman asked Cllr Robins if there were any grants available towards the costs if progressed. Cllr Robins agreed to look at this and confirm to the Parish Clerk.

20/21 6.9 New Parish Website - Work is ongoing, completion is required by December 2020.

20/21 6.10 Road Sign damage near Grimsthorpe (west side) - The Parish Clerk has raised this with the Highways Dept, photos and exact location have been provided. 

20/21 6.11 Play Area Inspections and Risk Assessment for Re-opening - Cllr Whadcock carried out the bi-monthly inspection on 30th August 2020.  It was noted that there is an hairline crack on one of the large swing seats. The Parish Clerk has contacted Wicksteed Leisure Limited to ask for a quote for the replacement seat, this is currently awaited.

The annual inspection is due in November and the cost for this is £60, an increase of £15 from 2019. Parish Clerk to go back to the service provider to ask why the cost has increased by such a large amount.

20/21 6.12 Review and approval of Standing Order Document - The updated document was accepted by Cllr Clarke and Cllr Cranfield seconded it.

20/21 6.13 Review and approval of Financial Regulations Document- The updated document was accepted by Cllr Clarke and Cllr Cranfield seconded it.

20/21 7.0 Planning Matters

20/21 7.1 Application S20/0383 - The Piggery, Grimsthorpe Estate, Swinstead - this is still pending consideration by SKDC planning committee. Parish Clerk to continue to monitor SKDC website for any updates on this application and inform Cllrs if this appears on the agenda for the planning committee online meeting.

20/21 7.2 Application S20/0832 -  Brook Farm , Main Road, Elsthorpe, PE10 0NQ,

Construction of a slurry lagoon 30m x30m 3m depth and associated works. Parish Council notification form has been signed and returned to the planning committee with no objections from the Parish Council.

Full details for all planning applications can be found on South Kesteven planning application website - http://www.southkesteven.gov.uk

20/21 8.0 Financial Matters

20/21 8.1 Receipts

Nothing to report

20/21 8.2 Expenditure - 2020/21

HMRC 2nd Qtr 2020/21 - £45.40

Community Street Cleaning 2nd Qtr (Mr Alder) - £181.32

Parish Clerk 2nd Qtr salary (Mrs Sands)  - £162.36

20/21 9.0 Correspondence

20/21 9.1 Welland Rivers Trust Community Engagement - Cllr Biggs has been carrying out  the tasks associated with the monitoring of the water quality of the East Glen river local to the Parishes. Cllr Whadcock will continue doing this going forward. Cllr Biggs will contact the Trust and arrange a hand over with Cllr Whadcock.

20/21 10.0 Confirmation of next meeting date

The next meeting of Edenham Parish Council will take place on Tuesday, 10th Nov 2020, 19.30hrs. Confirmation on location or if this will be a virtual meeting via zoom will be confirmed in due course.

With there being no further business the Vice Chairman closed the meeting at 20.38hrs.