Minutes 2024

Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council

Minutes of a meeting of Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council held at the Community Building, Spring Lane Playing Field on Monday 11 March 2024.

Present:  Chair:  Jenny Bailey (Vice-Chair)

Councillors:  Angie Adams, Frances Franklin, Colin Hibberd, Steven Milligan and Susan Waring

In attendance:  Mr Eddie Findlay, Clerk to Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council

Also in attendance:  LCC Councillor Richard Wright and NKDC Councillor Andrew Hague

No members of the public were in attendance.

Due to Cllr Graham Arnold’s absence, the Vice Chair, Cllr Jenny Bailey became Chair.

At 7:00 pm the Chair welcomed everybody and declared the meeting open.

30.  To receive apologies for absence and reasons given, i.a.w. Local Government Act 1972, Sch 12, para 40.
Cllr Arnold and Cllr Chambers were unable to attend and their reasons were made known to the Council.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the reasons for absence from Cllr Arnold and Cllr Chambers.
Proposed by Cllr Adams, seconded by Cllr Bailey and approved unanimously.

31.  To receive declarations of interest and to consider dispensation applications in relation to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.
None declared at this time.

32.  Public Forum.
No members of the public were in attendance.

33.  Notes of the ordinary meeting of the Parish Council held at the Community Building at Spring Lane Playing Field on Monday 12 February 2024 to be approved as Minutes.
Action: The Council RESOLVED that the notes of the ordinary meeting of the Parish Council held on Monday 12 February 2024 to be approved as Minutes.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

34.  Receive reports from the Clerk and Councillors in relation to the minutes and other Council matters.
No resolutions may be passed under this item but requests for matters to be placed on the next agenda can be made.
Bench – minute ref; 6.f. page 3-2024.  Bench received and now awaiting installation.
.GOV.UK – minute ref; 15.g. page 6-2024.  New .GOV.UK email addresses set up for all Cllrs and email address and password sent to each individual Cllr.  The Clerk is aware that not everyone has logged in yet and it is strongly recommended all Cllr should start using the @leasinghamroxholm-pc.gov.uk email address as soon as possible, to continuing receiving Council related correspondence.
Building roof –roof and gutter cleaned and remedial work on the roof carried out.  Photographs of work circulated to all Cllrs 19-Feb-2024.
Football Club rent.  Payment has now been received and confirmed via the bank statements.
Play area.  Photographs circulated of mud smeared rocking horse and logs used as steps.
War Memorial path proposal.  The Parish Operative left some prices to carry out the work to lay slabs alongside the War Memorial, as discussed at February meeting under minute ref: 25.d. page 10-2024
Training.  The Clerk had circulated some of the upcoming training available via LALC.   Internal Controls Training – attended online with Cllr Arnold on Wednesday 06-Mar-2024.  Very informative session, covering risk (financial), risk areas, risk management, and the Internal Controls in place to mitigate those risks.  The Annual Governance and Accountability Report (AGAR) for 2023/2024 will be received week commencing 18-Mar-2024 and part of that will be the Annual Governance Statements.  Each statement should be read out and Councillors should verbalise an answer Yes or No.  Risk Strategy and Risk Management Plan being updated.

Councillors
Cllr Milligan update the meeting that the remainder of the new play equipment should be installed, week commencing 18-Mar-2024, weather permitting, as all items were now in stock.
He had also attend the Village Hall Committee meeting and they had sought information on the Community Benefit Fund application process as they were looking to replace the 8 wooden planters outside the Village Hall.  They were having some success with a Facebook campaign for sponsorship, but were considering applying to the Community Fund if they fall short in sponsors.

35.  Financial Matters
a.  Approve payments made since the last meeting.

Action: The Council RESOLVED to approve the payments made since the last meeting.
Proposed by Cllr Milligan, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

b.  Approve the payments of invoices etc. as listed on the Payments to be Authorised sheet.

Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the Payments to be Authorised.
Proposed by Cllr Milligan, seconded by Cllr Hibberd and approved unanimously.

c.  Approve the bank reconciliation from the previous months.
The Clerk reported that the bank accounts had been reconciled for the month of February 2024.
Outstanding rent from the Junior Football Club had been finally been received and a VAT refund of £9,596.86 had been received from HMRC.  The current overall bank balance is at £35,282.90, which includes £586.31 held on behalf of the Neighbourhood Plan fund raising Village Fayre (Aug-2017) and £11,285.55 on behalf of the Community Benefit Fund, leaving £23,411.04 as “Council” money.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the bank reconciliation for February 2024.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

d.  Consider the purchase of a D-Day 80 – Official Flag of Peace, as per LALC e-news circulated 26-Feb-2024.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the purchase of a 5’ x 3’ (rope & toggle) D-Day 80 – Official Flag of Peace, costing no more £30.00.
It is recommended that the flag is flown from 9:00am on 6th June and it can be left flying for one week.
Proposed by Cllr Milligan, seconded by Cllr Hibberd and approved unanimously.

e.  Consider the purchase of a leaving gift for the outgoing Clerk under LGA1972, s.111.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the purchase of a crystal vase, costing no more than £90.00, to recognise Elizabeth Kennedy’s 49 years of service as Clerk to the Parish Council.
Proposed by Cllr Bailey, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

36.  Planning Matters.
a.  23/1119/CCC – Removal of an existing classroom unit and construction of a single storey extension.  Application approved by LCC as of 16-Feb-2024.

b.  24/0215/PNH – Single storey rear extension 5.95m in length from the original wall, eaves height of 3.06m and maximum height of 3.59m at 38 Lincoln Road, Leasingham, Sleaford.  Permitted development.

c.  23/1439/HOUS – Proposal: Erection of extensions to rear elevation and installation of dormer windows Location: Pear Tree Farm Moor Lane Leasingham.  Application approved by NKDC 19-Feb-2024.

d.  24/0117/FUL – Proposal: Creation of new access into grazing field off Moor Lane.  Location:  Land Adjacent To Peartree Farm Moor Lane Leasingham.
The Council had no comments or objections to the application.

37.  Correspondence.
a.  Emergency Planning response from Village Hall Committee re use of VH as a respite shelter, in an emergency situation, such as flooding.
b.  LALC e-news and Training Bulletin.  Circulated 08-Mar-2024.
c.  The NK Plan 2024-27.  Circulated 11-Mar-2024.

38.  Consider the suggestion to have the Parish Council name attached to the Community Building.
Action:  The Council agreed to defer the matter to the next meeting to allow time to investigate what if anything could be attached directly to the building, or, the cost of a sign near the entrance to playing fields area.

39.  Consider the adoption of the following documents as circulated 20-Feb-2024 and 28-Feb-2024.
a.  Standing Orders 2018 (England), updated April 2022.
Action:  The Council agreed to defer the matter to the next meeting to allow time for a Working Group (Cllrs Adams, Bailey and Waring), to convene to review the suggested amendments.
b.  Financial Regulations (England) July 2019.
Action:  The Council agreed to defer the matter to the next meeting to allow time for a Working Group (Cllrs Adams, Bailey and Waring), to convene to review the suggested amendments.

The Working Group would meet Monday 25-Mar-2024 at 6:30pm.

40.  Review the insurance Pre-renewal Questionnaire to ensure Council fully covered.

Due to the derelict nature of a couple of the buildings listed above and the newly installed play equipment, including a zip line, the Clerk would submit the Pre-renewal Questionnaire once costing for the play equipment was available.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to submit the questionnaire once costings were made known.
Proposed by Cllr Bailey, seconded by Cllr Milligan and approved unanimously.

41.  Confirm the date of the next meetings, to include;
a.  Ordinary April Meeting.
The ordinary April meeting was confirmed as Monday 8 April 2024 starting at 7:00pm.
b.  Annual Parish Meeting (APM)
It was suggested that the Annual Parish Meeting be held 10 June 2024 before the June Ordinary meeting.  The APM is open to all electors of the parish, who have the right not only to attend but also to speak on any matter of local interest and would normally cover items such as an opening address from the Chair of the Council, the notes of the previous year’s APM, an Annual Report for 2023-2024, then Annual Reports on behalf of North Kesteven District Council and Lincolnshire County Council.

This is an ideal time to receive questions from the public regarding Council business between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, and to receive ideas for future village projects.  Then Guest speakers could be invited to give short presentations.
* Post Meeting Note:  It was confirmed by the Clerk that the APM must be held between 1st March and 1st June and not the 30th as he’d originally stated.  The APM would therefore need to be before either the April meeting, or the May (AMPC) meeting.

c.  Annual Meeting of the Parish Council (AMPC).
The Annual Meeting of the Parish Council was confirmed as Monday 13 May 2024, starting at 7:00pm.

The meeting closed at 8:30 pm

Signature:           Original signed

Printed Name:  G L Arnold

Date:                    15 April 2024