November 2020

Draft Notes of the Ropsley & District Parish Council Meeting held virtually via Zoom Video Conference on Monday, 9 November 2020

There were no members of the public in attendance.  The meeting commenced at 7.31pm.

1. WELCOME REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN (20/54)

The Chairman welcomed Members to the meeting and thanked them for their attendance.  Those in attendance, the Vice-Chair Councillor Marshall, Councillors Gosbee, Leslie, Rowbotham, Porter and Reeves, District Councillor Trotter and the Clerk Mrs Gascoigne. 

2. APOLOGIES:  TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND TO RESOLVE TO ACCEPT REASONS GIVEN (20/55)

The Chairman gave apologies on behalf of Councillor Sentance, the reasons for which were accepted.

3. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATION (20/56)

No declarations of pecuniary interest or requests for dispensation were made.

4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (20/57)

4.1  The Chairman proposed that the Clerk’s notes of the meeting held on 14 September 2020 be approved as a true record.

Resolved: The Clerk’s notes of the meeting held on 14 September 2020 were approved and duly signed by the Chairman.

5.  DISTRICT AND COUNTY COUNCILLORS’ REPORTS (20/58)

5.1  District Councillor Trotter referred to an email she had sent to Members regarding organising a Christmas meal for parishioners in her area.  Following general discussion, Members agreed that there was significant overlap with the Women’s Institute activity proposed at item 7.6, and Councillor Trotter proposed to use her funding in other areas to prevent duplication.  The Chairman moved to agenda item 7.6 to allow discussion of the use of reserves.  Councillor Marshall reported that she had received a request for funds from the Women’s Institute to provide Christmas packages to the community, which she proposed be funded from reserves in the amount of up to £1,000.  Councillor Reeves asked that the criteria for deciding recipients of the parcels be circulated to Councillors for approval before payment was made.

Resolved: To approve a payment of up to £1,000 to the WI for the distribution of care parcels to the community, subject to the approval of decision criteria.

Action: The Clerk to make payment to the WI following Council’s approval of the decision criteria.

The Chairman proposed that the Council make a contribution of up to £1,000 to the school PTA whose fundraising efforts had been hampered by the pandemic, to allow them to arrange a Christmas event and/or gifts for the children.

Resolved: To provide funding for a Christmas event for children at the local school, subject to confirmation and approval of costings provided by the PTA             

Members discussed the following items for which reserves should be earmarked:

Ropsley Village Sign and Bench:  £1,500 for Ropsley

Sapperton and Braceby Phone Boxes:  Amount to be confirmed.

Ropsley Village Gates:  Amount to be confirmed.

Meals for Vulnerable People During Lockdown:  £250

Resolved: to approve the payment of £250 from reserves towards the cost of providing meals for vulnerable people during lockdown.

Action: The Clerk to make payment.  Councillor Marshall to report back to the next meeting regarding the cost for village gates, Councillor Buckley to report back regarding the cost of the village sign, and Councillor Porter to report back regarding the costs of sandblasting the phone boxes.  The Clerk to contact BT to confirm ownership of the phone box at Braceby.

6. CLERK’S REPORT (20/59)

6.1  Members noted the contents of the Clerk’s report, providing updates on actions taken since the last meeting.

6.2  The Clerk asked that Members approve overtime of up to ten hours to allow her to undertake the additional work required to transfer content from the old to the new website before the deadline of December.  The Chairman proposed that the request be granted.

Resolved: To approve the overtime as requested.               

7. FINANCE (20/60)

7.1 Members noted income received as follows.

7.2 The Chairman proposed that the items of expenditure listed below be approved.

Resolved:  To approve the proposed items of expenditure.

7.3 The Chairman proposed that Members approve the bank reconciliation previously circulated by the Clerk.

Resolved:  To approve the October bank reconciliation.

7.4 Members noted the budget monitoring statement showing expenditure and income against the 2020/21 budget to date previously circulated by the Clerk.

7.5 This matter was discussed at item 5.1 above.

7.6 The Chairman proposed that S137 applications received from Ropsley Baboons requesting £350 and the Village Hall requesting £1,200 be approved.

Resolved:  To approve the applications from Ropsley Baboons and the Village Hall as requested.

Action: The Clerk to contact the organisations and to make payment.

8. PLANNING (20/61)

8.1 The following planning applications and decisions were noted.

Application No: S20/1147 Red House Farm

8.2 Application No: S20/1497 40 High Street, Ropsley

8.3 Application No: S20/1591 Rectory Cottage, Ropsley

8.4 Application No: S20/1680 9 The Chase, Ropsley

8.5 Application No: S20/1688 10 Church Lane, Ropsley

8.6 Application No: S20/1706 23 - 25 The Ropsley Fox, Ropsley

8.7 Application No: S20/1732 Rectory Cottage, Ropsley

Location: Rectory Cottage, 42 High Street, Ropsley, Lincolnshire, NG33 4BE

8.8 Application No: S20/1779 5 - 7 Chapel Hill, Ropsley

8.9 Application No: S20/1724

Proposal: Proposed chalet bungalow & associated site works

Location: 23-25 The Ropsley Fox, Grantham Road, Ropsley, NG33 4BX

Members considered the above application and had no comments.

8.10 Members noted correspondence regarding the SKDC Local Plan consultation circulated by the Clerk and had no comments at this time.

9. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN (20/62)

9.1 The Chairman reported that the Local Plan was currently out for consultation for 6 weeks ending on 9 December.  Responses received would be presented to the examiner by SKDC during the examination period between December and January.  Subject to the outcome of the examination, the Plan could proceed to referendum on 6 May at the earliest.  The advertising and administrative costs for the referendum would be borne by SKDC.

10. HIGHWAYS (20/63)

10.1 Members considered correspondence from Lincolnshire County Council and a parishioner regarding drainage, particularly at Crown Hill.  Correspondence from a parishioner had indicated that the drains had collapsed, and the road was subsiding, with the manhole cover being forced up during heavy rain and causing flooding.  The parishioner had indicated that he had written several times to both Lincolnshire County Council Highways and Anglian Water, with ongoing issues around responsibility.  Councillors discussed the matter, referencing related issues with the age of the drains, land drains, the possibility of conducting an independent survey and connectivity to the main drain.  The Chairman proposed that the Parish Council contact both Anglian Water and Highways to arrange a site visit to attempt to resolve the issue.

Resolved:  To request a meeting with Anglian Water and Highways.

Action: The Clerk to write to both parties to request a meeting.

10.2 Members noted that work had been scheduled on the bulging tree roots on High Street, and that a response had been received from LCC indicating that no further action would be taken regarding the damaged culvert barriers.  Members also noted correspondence from County Councillor Hill indicating that potholes on Risewood Lane/Grantham Road had been patched, but Councillor Marshall noted that several significant    potholes remained and driving conditions were treacherous.  Member discussed County Councillor Hill’s report of overgrown hedges obscuring road signs on the A52.

Action: The Clerk to write to Ropsley Farms to make them aware of the issue.

Councillor Gosbee reported an ongoing issue with the grass triangle near the Village Hall which had previously been damaged by contractors working on the Village Hall and had now been reduced in size by tarmac.

Action: The Clerk to write to the Village Hall committee to ask that they ensure the area was reinstated by the contractors.

The Chairman informed Members that the litter picker had reported fly tipping on the A52 and along Long Hollow.

Action: The Clerk to report to SKDC.

10.3 Members considered correspondence from a parishioner regarding speeding traffic, and although they were sympathetic to his concerns, agreed that the purchase cost of speed indicator devices was prohibitive.

Action: The Clerk to write to the parishioner to inform him of the Council’s discussion.

11. CEMETERY (20/64)

11.1 Members considered correspondence from family members regarding the maintenance of a grave at the cemetery.  Members received a report from Councillor Gosbee regarding the events referred to in the correspondence, discussed the cemetery regulations indicating that flower vases should be integral to the headstone and acknowledged that the Council should respond sensitively in dealings with bereaved families.

Resolved: The Chairman and Councillor Gosbee to attend a meeting with family members.

Action: The Clerk to contact the family to make arrangements.

11.2 The Vice-Chair proposed that the existing Burial Ground policy be approved.

Resolved: To approve the Burial Ground Policy.

Action: The Chairman to sign the policy and the Clerk to post on the website.

12. COMMUNITY UPDATES (20/65)

12.1 The Chairman reported that there had been no further motor sport activities since the beginning of October, when there had been a number of objections and concerns expressed by parishioners.  The Chairman had written to the landowner and had held an informal discussion with him regarding local concerns.  Several residents had submitted noise reports to the District Council, and there was discussion regarding the use of noise monitors if further events were arranged.  Councillor Gosbee reported that officers from the Rights of Way and Countryside Access department of Lincolnshire County Council had arranged to visit the site, and members discussed the dispensations within planning law for a limited number of activities to be held each year.

12.2 Councillor Marshall reported that she had received orders for 118 calendars, which would raise over £400 for the community.  The first 30 had been delivered and the remaining order would arrive on 17 November.  The Chairman congratulated Councillor Marshall on the success of the scheme, and thanked her for her hard work.  Members discussed a suitable recipient of the funds, in view of the funding previously agreed to the WI and PTA.  The Chairman proposed that the funds be donated to the Village Hall to purchase items from their “Wish List” following the refurbishment, as this would benefit the whole community through the variety of groups using the Hall.

Resolved: To donate the funds raised from calendar sales to purchase items for the Village Hall.

12.3 Councillor Buckley reported that Mr Whinney was producing technical drawings of the proposed Village Sign to allow accurate pricing to be calculated.

Action: The Clerk to add to the next agenda.

12.4 The Chairman proposed that the Council sign a wayleave agreement with Western Power which would generate an income of £20 per year, which would be backdated for six years.

Resolved: To enter into a wayleave agreement with Western Power regarding Little Humby Green.

Action: The Chairman to sign the agreement.  The Clerk to add the income to the budget monitoring spreadsheet.

12.5 The Chairman informed Members that an issue with fly tipping between Ropsley and Old Somerby, reported by the litter picker, had been resolved.

12.6 Correspondence from District Councillor Trotter regarding a Christmas event had been covered under item 5 above.

12.7 Consideration of quotes for sandblasting and painting the phone boxes at Sapperton and Braceby was deferred to the next meeting.

12.8 Councillor Reeves reported that work on the Village Hall had been completed and partial completion certificates had been issued.  The remaining work to finish the car park and access would be completed in ten days then full completion certificates would be issued.  Due to the lockdown, the opening date had been pushed back to the first week in December.  Councillor Rowbotham asked if there was a defibrillator at the site, and since there was not, offered to help to obtain one.              

12.9 Councillor Marshall reported that volunteers delivering calendars would sanitise their hands between deliveries and wear masks, and that the work was allowed during lockdown as it was voluntary work.  She added that 4,000 daffodil bulbs had now been planted in Ropsley.  Councillor Leslie added that bulbs had also been planted in Braceby.  Councillor Rowbotham reported that the defibrillators were being sanitised, and that new signage from the Community Heartbeat Trust had been installed.

13. CORRESPONDENCE (20/66)

13.1 Members noted general correspondence circulated for information since the September meeting.

14. STAFFING (20/67)

14.1 The Chairman proposed that the meeting move into closed session at 9.21pm, in accordance with the Public Bodies Act 1960, due to the confidential nature of matters to be discussed, which proposal was passed by resolution of the Council.

14.2 The Chairman provided Councillors with an update regarding the former Clerk.

15. DATE OF NEXT MEETING (20/68)

15.1 Monday 11 January 2020 in the Village Hall if allowed by Coronavirus rules in place at the time, otherwise via Zoom.

The Chairman closed the meeting at 9.35pm