2022 Minutes

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Minutes of the meeting of Sutton Bridge Parish Council, held 19:00hrs Tuesday, 22 February 2022, in the Curlew Centre Diamond Hall, Sutton Bridge.

Present: Cllr Simon Booth (chairman), Cllr M Booth, Cllr Chris Brewis, Cllr David Bruch, Cllr Kim Davies, Cllr Rachael Goodwin, Cllr Ray Perkins, Cllr Michelle Pitt, Cllr Colin Robinson, Cllr Anne Scarlett (vice-chair), Cllr Terry York, Mr. Robert Smith (clerk), Mrs K Croxford (admin assistant), County Councillor Jack Tyrrell, Ms Victoria Fear (Press), four members of the public.

Unless otherwise stated, actions to be undertaken by the clerk.

22.029. All members were present.

22.030. There were no declarations of pecuniary or other interests, or requests for dispensation.

22.031. It was resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held 25 January 2022. 

22.032. There were no representations from members of the public.

22.033. Police matters.

01. The Chief Constable’s Office had been asked again for its view on allegations of abusive and threatening communications being made to councillors, copied to the Police & Crime Commissioner. No response or acknowledgment had been received from the Chief Constable.

02. Cllr M Booth reminded councillors that complaints could be made up to six-years from occurrence.

03. The clerk, Cllr Brewis, and Cllr Robinson had attended meetings about a Community Budgeting Event scheduled to take place in the Curlew Centre Saturday 23 April 2022. This would allow members of the community to bid for part of a £15,000 pot for money for Sutton Bridge sponsored by Lincolnshire Police. Further information would be published in due course.

22.034. There was no Chairman’s report

22.035. The clerk reported the following matters not otherwise covered on the agenda.

01. The website had been updated.

02. Internal bank transfers had been actioned to cover this month’s payments.

03. The Precept requirement had been submitted to the District Council.

04. The purchase of ID cards was pending.

05. Information was being provided to the internal auditor for a preliminary review.

06. The ‘Story of the Fens’ sign had been repaired.

07. The litter bin the car park had been replaced but needed resetting, as it had been moved by vandals whilst the concrete was still wet.

08. A quote for a replacement fence post at the Garden of Rest was awaited.

09. Cllr Pitt had undertaken new councillor training.

10. Glass on the children’s slide had kindly been cleared up by the Admin Assistant.

11. The servicing of the electric utility vehicle was awaiting the receipt of pricing from local garages.

12. Work on mole control in the Memorial Park was awaiting the return to work of the contractor.

13. Subject to ground conditions, the fair would be in the Memorial Park 28 March to 04 April 2022.

14. A cherry tree in the Memorial Park had been blown down in the recent storms. It had fallen into the Church yard. Cllr York has kindly agreed to clear the tree. Any damage to memorial stones would be rectified and the hole from the tree’s root ball would be filled.

15. As already included in the budget, it was intended for a tree report to be undertaken by the Lincolnshire County Council’s Arboricultural Officer.

22.036. District Council (SHDC) & County Council (LCC) matters 

01. County Councillor Tyrell was invited by the chairman to report on LCC matters.

i. Cllr Tyrell had paid the public liability insurance for Long Sutton and Sutton Bridge Wombles. 

ii. The Butterfly Park in Long Sutton and the Wingland Enterprise site had been bought for development.

02. Cllr Brewis reported on SHDC matters.

i. Above inflationary increases in Internal Drainage Board (IDB) charges, due to the required change from red to white diesel, were having to be absorbed within the District Council’s own budget. Government was being lobbied to treat IDB precepts separately from District Council tax. 

ii. Cllr Brewis had been appointed as a governor at the King’s Lynn Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The Care Quality Commission’s report was due out shortly. 

03. Cllr M Booth reported on SHDC Matters:

i. A meeting was to take place with Boston Borough Council and East Lindsey and South Holland District Councils, to lobby the government regarding the IDB precept.

ii. A Boundary Commission consultation was occurring between 22 February and 04 April 2022. Further details would be provided when available.

iii. The Association of Democratic Services Officers (ADSO) had launched a petition calling on councils in England to be given the option to hold meetings remotely.

iv. The Local Government Association had reported growing concerns about abuse and intimidation of councillors. A councillors’ guide to handling intimidation had been published.

22.037. Finance

01. It was resolved to approve the January bank reconciliation and cash book.

02. It was resolved to approve the payments to 22 February 2022 as below. Cllr Goodwin and Cllr Scarlett would authorise bank payments.

03. A late receipt of a minimum charge invoice for £15.00 + VAT from XBM Ltd had been received, which was not applicable under the contract. As this had been a recuring event, it was resolved to delegate to the clerk any appropriate action, including whether to terminate the agreement.

04. There was no delegated expenditure.

05. The following receipts were noted: bank interest £68.17; Garden of Rest £890.00; Allotments £14.00.

06. It was resolved not to renew Zoom meetings subscription and instead use Microsoft Teams for remote meetings, where permitted

07. It was resolved to approve the revised Employer’s Discretion Statement as circulated, in line with Guide to LGPS Employer Discretions.

08. There were no grant applications

22.038. Correspondence 

01. Painting of the Crosskeys Bridge would be taking place between 28 February to 07 July 2022.

02. Complaint about car parked on verge in village was noted.

03. It was resolved to approve an offer to add Sutton Bridge as a location for the Rock School Bus. 

04. It was resolved to support the Great British Spring Clean 2022

05. It was resolved to accept an offer of help from the Lincolnshire Co-op for the Great British Spring Clean 2022.

06. Information on Lincolnshire Co-op’s Community Champions Fund was noted.

07. Information on Heritage Lincolnshire’s local listings was noted. Any ideas for listings were to be passed directly to the clerk before the end of March.

08. LALC e news as previously circulated to councillors was noted.

09. NALC Civility and Respect Campaign update was noted.

10. NALC CEO Bulletin was noted.

11. It was resolved to consider a complaint from an allotment tenant under closed session.

22.039. Planning applications, including any late received.

01. H18-0082-22: 31 Wright’s Lane. Front single storey extension, garage conversion and internal alterations. It was resolved to comment that neighbouring properties should be consulted.

02. H18-0141-22: Whitehouse Farm, Grange Road. Single storey rear extension, conversion of garage to bedroom and construction of detached cart shed. It was resolved to support the application.

03. H18-0059-22: The Villa 83, New Road. Proposed swimming pool building (previously approved under H18-0569-20), garage and plant room. It was resolved to support the application.

22.040. To note District Council planning decisions.

01. H18-1175-21: Land North of Nightingale Way. 60 dwellings. Removal of Conditions. Approved.

02. H18-1328-21: 338 Bridge Road, PE12 9SH. Details of external materials. Approved.

03. H18-1329-21: 340 Bridge Road, PE12 9SH. Details of external materials. Approved.

04. H18-1343-21: Sutton Bridge Golf Course. Proposed change of use of land from D2. Approved.

05. H18-1344-21: Sutton Bridge Golf Course. Proposed Green Keepers Hut. Approved. 

22.041. Highways & footways:

01. Update on outstanding matters.

i. The faulty light on Royal Close had again been reported the District Council.

ii. The reported pothole on East Bank / Chalk Road had been reported to highways.

02. No new matters were reported.

22.042. To receive Committee and Working Party reports.

01. New Pavilion project management proposals for new build were to be discussed in closed session.

02. Open spaces - nothing to report 

03. Garden allotments - nothing to report

04. CCTV Working Party

i. A meeting had taken place between the working party and a CCTV provider looking at upgrades and reactive speed signs. Proposals were awaited. 

ii. Cllr M Booth and Cllr Robinson had other CCTV contacts, which they would pass to Cllr Bruch.

05. Platinum Jubilee Celebrations

i. It was resolved to approve a Platinum Jubilee application to hold an event in the Memorial Park on the 04 June 2022.

ii. Members expressed thanks to the working party for getting the project to this point. It was resolved to make budget transfers of £2,000 from Twinning and £2,000 from Contingency, currently within earmarked reserves, to provide support from the budget for the event 

19:52hrs standing orders were suspended to allow County Cllr Tyrell to speak

iii. Cllr Tyrell reported that he had in the past set up events in Long Sutton and advised the working party to plan a route in association with the emergency services and complete a SHDC Safety Advisory Group Event Notification Form. Cllr Perkins stated that this was in hand, and it was noted that committee members were taking full health and safety responsibility for the event.

19:56hrs standing orders were resumed.

iv. District Councillors M Booth and C Brewis offered £1,000 from their district budget to help with the celebrations.

22.043. To receive outside body representative reports.

01. Community Speed Watch 

i. Cllr Davies reported that five people had carried out the Community Speed Watch training on the 07 February 2022.

02. There were no other outside body representative reports.

22.044. Requests for publications/link to be added to the Parish Council’s website and noticeboard.

Cllr Robinson declared an interest in the following item as a member of the Sutton Bridge News and did not take part in the vote.

01. Sutton Bridge News poster.

i. It was resolved not to display the poster on the notice board, due to the limited space,

ii. It was resolved to display the poster on the website without any active link.

02. County Cllr Jack Tyrrell’s newsletter and LCC ‘Fix our funds to fix our roads’ poster.

i. It was resolved not to display the newsletter or poster on the notice board.

ii. It was resolved to display the newsletter & poster on the website without any active link.

22.045. Dates were awaited from the Football Club for a meeting to discuss pitch and pavilion fees.

22.046. Cllr York would undertake an inspection of the Parish’s roads and pavements and provide a report for the next meeting. A copy of the report would be passed to County Cllr Tyrell.

22.047. For future meetings, it was resolved to continue to use the Diamond Hall and to keep the existing Covid 19 risk measures in place, with the following changes:

• Remove the request for a rapid lateral flow test.

• Set the safe capacity for the number of public participants to fifteen.

22.048. To receive requests from members for items to be included on the agenda of a future meeting.

01. To consider the condition of the walkway along the old A17 (Cllr Scarlett)

02. To consider improvements to the play equipment in Princes Street Park (Cllr Scarlett – April).

03. To consider the interpretation of the Council’s previous resolution minute 21.268. It was resolved to record on the agenda how many months any repeated item had been carried forward. (Cllr Robinson).

04. To consider repairs to the gate at the end of the old A17 (Cllr Brewis).

05. To consider the use of microphones at Council meetings (Cllr Robinson).

22.049. It was resolved to move into closed session on the grounds of confidentiality in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960 s.1(2).   

Four members of the public, Ms Fear, and Cllr Tyrrell left the meeting.

22.050. A further quote for mole work in the Memorial Park was noted

22.051. It was resolved to appoint Ridge & Partners as project managers for the new pavilion build. The arrangements for the appointment of staged progress was delegated to the clerk to be undertaken in consultation with the chairman or vice chair.

22.052. Following an update from the clerk on matters relating to the Garden of Rest, the Parish Council resolved appropriately. 

22.053. Complaint from allotment tenant.

01. Following a debate on the matter, the Parish Council resolved appropriately

02. Cllr Perkins resigned his position on the allotment working party. 

22.054. Staffing & administration.

01. The clerk reported that he had resigned as clerk to Tilney St Lawrence Parish Council (TSLPC), finishing 31 March 2022. Equipment belonging to TSLPC, on which shared use had previously been agreed, would no longer be available. Its replacement would need to be considered at a future meeting.

21.34hrs Cllr Robinson left the meeting

02. The chairman of the Personnel Committee reported that a meeting would be arranged to discuss staff appraisal forms received from councillors.

The chairman closed the meeting at 21:48 hrs.