March 2021
Minutes of Parish Council Meeting.
Held at 7pm on 09/03/2021 virtually on zoom due to COVID-19
Present: Mrs S Fraser (Chair), Mr P Inskip (Vice), Mrs E Inskip (Clerk), Mr S Smith, County Councillor Mr B Adams
Several members of the public were also present virtually at the start of the meeting.
Apologies: Mr J Sharpe
Chair’s Introduction: Cllr Fraser welcomed everyone to the meeting, and apologies were accepted and recorded.
At the start of the meeting Tom & Meg Reeve introduced themselves and were there representing Mr J Cooper & Mrs S Cooper to discuss a pre planning application regarding the field just outside Little Bytham to the west of St Medards. They discussed the potential plan to build four properties and stated that this was at a very early stage. Concerns were raised from members of the public and the Parish Council stated that they could not comment at this point.
Several parishioners left at the end of the public forum and one remained, leaving during section 2 prior to the vacant councillor position being discussed.
Cllr Inskip wished it to be noted that he declared a Prejudicial Interest regarding the land to the west of St Medards Close.
1. Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on the 12/01/2021 were presented and approved (wet signatures to be obtained in the future)
2. Actions from Matters Arising from previous meeting:
• Slip hazard of footbridges: County Cllr Adams stated that there is no date as yet but that the footbridges will be repaired. Cllr Fraser asked that some remedial action at very least is needed as the base post on one of the footbridges is broken and ‘hanging on by a thread’. Cllr Fraser also requested that County Cllr Adams send the repair reports out to the Clerk again as this was not happening at present. (BA)
• Roads and speed issues in Little Bytham: Thanks were given by Cllr Fraser to Mr F Hughes for his work on the SID data report. It is understood that the data is not a true reflection at this time due to COVID 19, however it can be seen that the main speeding issues at present in the village are by the Spinney and by St Medards. Clerk Inskip has driven past the Spinney both ways on several occasions to confirm the 30mph on the GPS Sat Nav and so will send a letter of thanks to County Cllr Adams to forward to Highways thanking them for this change. (EI)
• COVID-19 response update: No Cllr had been contacted to date. Cllr Fraser stated that Little Bytham was a community before Covid and the community has held fast. There is a very positive atmosphere in the village with the Covid jabs being done so well by Lincolnshire and the Cllrs wanted to note their thanks for this. (SF, PI, SS)
• Sidewalk at the end of the village to Creeton: Cllr & Clerk Inskip had driven up to look at this and at that time it was dry and looked to be no issue therefore it will need be checked in the future after a rainfall. (All Cllr’s)
• State of roads and drains in Little Bytham: County Cllr Adams has received no update from Highways regarding when the second phase of the drains will be cleared in the village and will look into this. (BA)
• Details of interest for the Vacant Cllr position from 2020 and co-opting procedure: Cllr Fraser shared the great news that there is a parishioner interested in joining the Parish Council. They cannot however attend meetings on a Monday or Tuesday and it was therefore agreed that the bi monthly meetings would now take place on the first Wednesday in a month at 7.30pm. Clerk Inskip discussed the co-opting procedure which will be undertaken in the public forum at the next meeting. It was also discussed if some form of handbook was available for new Parish Cllrs. Clerk Inskip will look into this and prepare the paperwork for co-opting. (EI)
• Anglian Water & Environment Agency: Cllr Fraser has had a lot of interaction with Anglian Water (AW) and the Environmental Agency. There has been an Local Enforcement Position statements (LEPs) in place since 31st January to allow AW to pump into the river, as the system is not coping. AW do not have enough tankers and therefore it seems to be an economic reason that they are discharging into the river (testing the water twice a day). Cllr Fraser will prepare a letter to AW, EA and MPs highlighting the issue and refer to the new bill that is going through Parliament at the moment (Sewage Inland Water Bill 2019-2021). Cllr Fraser also thanked Mrs J Murray and Mr J Turner for their advice, information and input. Cllr Smith re iterated that the problem is arising as it is both foul water and surface water that are going in together and the system is just not capable of operate properly. Cllr Fraser will question AW regarding their money put aside for infrastructure and the work that was due to be done. Little Bytham is not alone in these issues but action should be taken. County Cllr Adams suggested that Cllr Fraser copied him in too so that he could share the letter with the Flood Risk and Water Management Committee. (SF)
• De-fib: Cllr Fraser has checked the de-fib and it is working. Cllr Fraser will ensure that she becomes the contact, removing the previous person. (SF)
3. Ongoing issues to be aware of:
• Parish Room (ongoing after COVID-19 restrictions ease)
• Vehicle issues on the High Street (on a Highways list, so there’s a need to stay aware of this): It is hoped that we will soon get more information on the app that is being set up to report bad driving etc.
• Village Entrances. (ongoing in Spring)
• Pathway to Spinney (on a list to be actioned, again need to stay aware of this)
• Health & Safety policy (All Cllrs)
4. Finance as of 12/02/2020:
Current Account Balance: £18,826.22
Savings Account Balance: £254.90
5. Planning: All planning decisions had been sent to Cllr’s prior to the meeting.
• Application S21/0125, Chimneys, Creeton Road. Proposed discharge of condition 3 of planning permission S20/0616, details sent to Cllrs on 01/02/2021 and confirmation requested from LBPC that oversight of this planning app is required.
This application has been accepted with conditions. Sent to Cllrs on 26/02/2021.
• Application S20/0963, Jones, Station Road, detached dwelling. Permission in Principle has been granted. Decision sent to Cllr’s on 01/02/2021.
• Application S21/0074, Industrial Estate, Station Road. S73 application for a variation to condition 2 of planning permission S19/1508, details sent to Cllrs on 26/01/2021, no representations made.
This application has been granted with conditions. Sent to Cllrs on 26/02/2021.
6. Other Matters:
• Resignation of Mr F Hughes & subsequent vacant Cllr position: Cllr Fraser wished to make known LBPC’s thanks and gratitude to Mr F Hughes for his time as a Cllr and his work on the SIDs and the report he produced. Clerk Inskip has informed SKDC of Mr Hughes resignation and the required Parish Council Notice of Vacancy has been posted in the Village Hall and on the noticeboard. (EI).
• Website updates: Cllr Inskip stated that the new website was far improved and fully compliant. A much better representation of the village. The company that did the transfer of data has put together a maintenance package and would charge £25 per month to maintain the site for LBPC. All Cllrs agreed that especially for the first year this would be a good option. All Cllrs voted in favour to pilot this for approach. Payment will be broken down into two £150 payments paid on 01.03.2021 and 01.09.2021. Cllr Inskip will get in touch with the company to go ahead with this. Clerk Inskip will action the cheque accordingly. (PI & EI)
• SID maintenance and data analysis: Mr Hughes has given all keys and information for the SIDs to Cllr Inskip. Cllr Inskip agreed to charge and download the information this month and then a plan of action for going forward would be discussed at the next meeting. (PI)
• Cllr Lohmann Bond to take extended absence for health reasons: Cllr Lohmann Bond has been granted a six month leave of absence due to ill health. Cllr Lohmann Bond is a valued member of LBPC and Cllrs wish him well and a hope he has a speedy recovery.
• Glenside contribution: Clerk Inskip discussed with the Cllrs the drop in contributions/donations given to the Glenside this year due to Covid (around £550). The Glenside has been an invaluable asset for LBPC to ensure all parishioners are kept up to date with meeting dates, any Covid information and Cllrs details to call if they need any assistance etc. The Glenside is also a wonderful asset to all parishioners too, and has kept spirits up during these times. It was agreed by all Cllrs that the deficit of £550 should be given as a contribution from LBPC, utilising the Covid grant money received, in order to ensure this valuable asset continues to operate. LBPC would like to thank all involved in publishing the Glenside and all the volunteers that distribute it, to ensure it gets to every home in the village. All Cllrs voted in favour of sending a contribution of £550 to the Glenside and so Clerk Inskip will action accordingly. (EI)
• Parish Council Flood Prevention Offer: An offer has been made of sand and bags for flood prevention. It was agreed by all Cllrs that this would be worth having and Cllr Fraser agreed to talk to Mr S Wright in the village to see if it would be possible to store this. Cllr Fraser will confirm if this is possible. (SF)
• SKDC community grants: These grants were only available for specific purposes and LBPC does not qualify, therefore these grants will not be applied for.
• Change of meeting days: It was confirmed that the bi monthly meetings will now take place on the first Wednesday in a month at 7.30pm.
• Annual Parish Council Meeting to take place in May: This will take place on Wednesday 5th May 2021.
• Neighbourhood Plan: Cllr Fraser is planning to look into this after May once restrictions have eased. Mrs J Murray will also help as she has knowledge of the special ecological diversity in the area which needs to be reflected in the plan and has an impact on planning. (SF)
7. Cheques agreed prior and during the meeting:
• £138.21 cheque to LALC for Annual Membership 21/22.
• £500 cheque to clerk for work from 01.09.2020 to 01.03.2021.
• £550 contribution to the Glenside.
• £150 cheque to Intellitech Services Limited for web site maintenance.
Date of Next Meeting: Wednesday May 5th 2021 at 7.30pm. The location will be determined closer to the time dependent on the Government guidelines in operation at that point but is expected to be conducted virtually.
Signed Chair
Signed Clerk