Parish Council Meeting Minutes 14th January 2025
Parish Council Meeting Minutes 14th January 2025
Present: Parish Councillors: Mrs P Cranfield (Chairman), Mr D Hawes (Vice Chair), Mr A Wilson, Mrs A Treacy, Mrs M Marshall, Mrs M Avis & Mrs E Unwin.
In Attendance: Mrs Carole Sands (Parish Clerk)
Public Open Forum: As there were no other members of the public present the Chairman closed the open forum.
National & District Council Updates: Not in attendance.
Commencement of the Parish Council Meeting
2425/1 Apologies for Absence: None required
2425/2 Approval of the Minutes: It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the Parish Council meeting 12th November 2024 as a true and accurate record. Proposed by Councillor A Treacy and seconded by Councillor A Wilson.
2425/3 Request for Dispensation: If applicable
2425/4 Declaration of Interest: Councillor Mr A Wilson Agenda item 2425/8
2425/5 Parish Clerk & Councillors Update from Previous meeting:
5/1 Councillor Email addresses: The Parish Clerk has received a quote from a provider for setting up the Gov.uk email addresses of £260 ex VAT with an annual subscription of £360 ex VAT. The funding (£100) that was available has now been fully allocated; therefore, this is no longer available. It was RESOLVED that in the interim the Parish Clerk continue to set up Gmail accounts with a view to moving to Gov.uk emails in the loner term.
5/2 Coal Yard Parking: No further work has taken place currently. Review in the new Financial Year.
5/3 Drains A151 and water issue: The Parish Clerk reported that drain cleaning was carried out 3rd December 2024. The Chairman confirmed that prior to the recent flooding improvements had been noted along this stretch of the road. The water issue near the junction of the School Lane has not been resolved. Review again at the next meeting.
5/4 Christmas Tree & Carol Singing: The Parish Council would like to thank, Sarah Young for leading the singing, Grimsthorpe Castle Estate for donating the Christmas tree, Steam Action for providing the Carol song sheets and Heath Cranfield for the use of the field. The event was a real success, and it was fabulous to see so many people on the night. The collection for Steam Action raised £42.75.
2425/6 New Parish Council Matters:
6/01 Flooding: Some properties were affected by the recent heavy rain, which resulted in residents being evacuated from their homes. The villages were effectively cut off due to flood water and road closures, rescue efforts were hampered by drivers trying to drive through the flood water, getting stuck and then abandoning their cars. The Five Bells Public House and some residents were on hand to offer support to stranded drivers and the rescue teams. A local 4x4 rescue team helped to get Edenham primary school children home safely after they were stranded on the school premises. Pillarwood Farm Pre-school escaped flooding this time.
It was RESOLVED that the Parish Council attempt to engage with the Environment Agency to see what support they can offer with regards to the river environment, the Parish Council also report into the flooding resilience team.
2425/7 Play Area: The play area will remain sealed off until mid-April to allow the re-seeded grass areas to fully recover. The play area is a substantial financial cost to the Parish Council with £3,585.76 being spent on refurbishment during the Financial Year (FY) 2024/25. The Parish Council RESOLVED to set aside £1,500 for ongoing maintenance in FY 2025/2026, it was also agreed that the viability of the current material and design of the play area will need to be reviewed in the longer term due to escalating costs.
2425/8 Village Hall Lease: It was agreed that a meeting be arranged with Grimsthorpe Castle Estates, Village Hall Chairman and Parish Council Chairman to gain an understanding of the progress of the lease. Parish Clerk to progress this.
2425/9 Planning Matters: S25/0007/DAG/VROSSG/PC1 Home Farm, Grimsthorpe, PE10 0ND, this relates to prior approval regarding replacement cattle buildings. The Parish Council RESOLVED that they do not propose to enter any representations with regards to the application.
Financial Management.
2425/10 Income:
10/1 Play Dale Limited Refund 0.01p this was due to the rounding up error by the Parish Clerk on the first invoice paid June 2024.
2425/11 Expenditure: to be agreed for January, February & March 2025. It was RESOLVED by the Parish Council Members to accept the expenditure as detailed below.
11/1 Carol Singing costs: £53.32
11/2 Salaries & HRMC: 4th Quarter payments
2425/12 Bank Account Reconciliation: As of 13th January 2025, It was RESOLVED to approve the Bank Reconciliation
12/1 Treasurers Account: £2573.42
12/2 Business Account: £497.32
2425/13 Budget & Precept Requirements for 2025/26
13/1 Budget: The Parish Council Members RESOLVED to approve the budget figures as detailed by the Parish Clerk.
13/2 Precept: Based on the details provided in the budget the Parish Council RESOLVED to confirm a precept figure for 2025/26 of £3,200.00 Parish Clerk to complete the necessary forms and confirm this to SKDC before 17th January 2025.
Full details of the budget and precept can be found on the Parish Council Website
2425/14 Parish Council Policies & Procedures: The Members RESOLVED to accept the updated documents as listed below. Parish Clerk to publish these on the Parish Council website.
14/1 PC Risk Assessment:
14/2 Data Map GDPR:
14/3 Freedom of Information:
2425/15 Mid-Year Internal Audit Report: Parish Clerk has worked to close out actions raised.
2425/16 Correspondence:
16/1 SKDC Various communications: relating to the recent flooding in local area
16/2 LCC: relating to the recent flooding in local area and road issues.
2425/17 Next Meeting Date: 8th April 2025.
There being no other agenda items the Chairman closed the meeting at 8:10pm