Minutes 2024

Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council

Minutes of an ordinary meeting of Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council held at the Community Building, Spring Lane Playing Field on Monday 10 June 2024.

Present:  Chair:  Jenny Bailey

Councillors:  Angie Adams, Frances Franklin and Steven Milligan (Vice-Chair)

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

6 members of the public were in attendance.

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

67.  To receive apologies for absence and reasons given, i.a.w. Local Government Act 1972, Sch 12, para 40.
Cllr Arnold, Cllr Chambers, Cllr Hibberd and Cllr Waring 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, Cllr Chambers, Cllr Hibberd and Cllr Waring.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

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

69.  Public Forum.
MOP 1.  As a representative from the Junior Football Club spoke about an upcoming meeting item (minute ref: 76. page 27-2024).  He gave in depth detail on the issues with areas of the pitches being water logged and how if successful, this grant would be used to help alleviate and improve the drainage and general condition of the pitch.  Funding include the training of team staff to monitor the areas.
MOP 2.  Wished to raise a concern over the lack of a barrier along the A15, for pedestrians walking from Leasingham to Sleaford.  Council would bring the matter to the County Councillor’s attention.
They also praised the Council for all there hard work in obtaining grants which has allowed for a greatly improved play area to be created.
MOP 3.  Concerned over the condition of a number of PROW and overgrown hedges, mainly the one between The Square and St. John’s Close.  The Council would look to write to the owner and ask to have the hedge trimmed back.
MOP 4. Raised a query over the work, recently started to create a works entrance for the development on land off Spring Lane.  They were worried that despite this entrance, HGV would use the village to access the site.  It was pointed out that planning conditions stipulated the new entrance, which was directly on to the A15 with a turn left in and a turn left out policy and any vehicles using the village would be against planning conditions and if reported could get the development closed down until they complied.

D/Cllr Hague highlighted that with the upcoming election, he was unable to give political comment but was available to take back any areas of concern from Council or residents present.

70.  Notes of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council held at the Community Building at the Playing Field on Monday 13 May 2024 to be approved as Minutes.
Action: The Council RESOLVED that the notes of the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council held at the Community Building at the Playing Field on Monday 13 May 2024  be approved as Minutes.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

71.  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 awaiting installation when weather improves.
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.
Online banking – the Clerk had now received all applications forms from Cllr Arnold, Cllr Bailey and Cllr Milligan, to register for online banking.  These would now be passed on to Lloyds bank for actioning.

Councillors
Cllr Bailey had been approached by a member of the Village Hall Committee, looking to arrange a meeting to discuss the possible acquisition of a parcel of land bordering the Village Hall.  Cllr Adams and Cllr Milligan who sit as Council representatives of the Village Hall Committee would look to attend and report back.

Membership of Committees would be reviewed at the next meeting.

72.  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 Franklin, seconded by Cllr Milligan 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 Franklin and approved unanimously.

c.  Approve the bank reconciliation for May 2024.
The Clerk reported that the bank statements were not available so he had been unable to carry out a bank reconciliation for May 2024.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to defer this item until the next meeting.
Proposed by Cllr Milligan, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

d.  Consider the Internal Auditor Report at Section 1, the Annual Internal Audit Report in relation to the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2023/24 Form 3, page 3.
A copy of the Internal Auditors report had been circulated and Council thanked the Internal Auditor for a thorough and in depth report.  They noted their areas of concern and had already started to implement a number of the points raised.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the Internal Auditors report.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Milligan and approved unanimously.

e.  Consider acknowledgement of Section 1, the Annual Governance Statements in relation to the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2023/24 Form 3, page 4.
The Councillors gave the required response to all the Assertions.  Where Council answered NO, an explanation would be submitted to the External Auditor.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to accept the responses Annual Governance Statements in relation to the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2023/24 Form 3, page 4.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Milligan and approved unanimously.

f.  Consider of Accounting Statements, Section 2, in relation to the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2023/24 Form 3, page 5.

Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the Accounting Statements, Section 2, in relation to the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2023/24 Form 3, page 5 and that all the variances outside the accepted amounts were correctly quantified.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Milligan and approved unanimously.

g.  Consider the purchase of a bench for outside the children’s play area, at the playing field.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED the purchase of a Marmax Traditional Bench, to match other benches through the village, at a cost of no more than £500.00 (ex-VAT), to allow for a plaque to be inserted to thank the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group.  Wording for the plaque to be confirmed.
The cost will be taken from the £586.31 monies held on behalf of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group.
Proposed by Cllr Adams, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

h.  Consider the adoption of the recently reviewed and amended Financial Regulations (May 2024).
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the Financial Regulations (May 2024) as amended for Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council.
Proposed by Cllr Milligan, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

73.  Planning Matters.
a.  24/0637/HOUS – Proposed 1.5 storey garage extension to replace existing garage and store, single storey extension to east elevation, 2 storey extension to north elevation, porch extension to south and west elevations, new windows, roof and rendered external skin and internal alterations.
Location: 16 Rookery Lane Leasingham Sleaford Lincolnshire NG34 8JJ.
The Council had no comments or objections.

74.  Correspondence.
a.  LALC e-news update.  Circulated 22-May-2024.  Summer Conference – 24-Jul-2024 at Belton Woods Hotel Grantham.
b.  NKDC Parish and Town Council Newsletter.  Circulated 22-May-2024.
c.  LALC Training Bulletin.  Circulated 03-Jun-2024.
d.  LALC Pre-Election Briefing.  Circulated 03-Jun-2024.
e.  LCC Rights of Way Survey.  Circulated 07-Jun-2024.
f.  NKDC Licensing Policy Review.  Circulated 07-Jun-2024.

75.  Confirm, what if any, title deeds or Land Registry documents are held by the Council and where they are located.
It is hoped that they can be found within the filing cabinets, or that Cllr Arnold my be able to shed some light on their whereabouts when he returns.

76.  Consider the request from Leasingham Junior Football Club with regard to support from Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council in their efforts to obtain grants from the Football Foundation to help improve the drainage of the football pitch and training area.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to support the Junior Football Club in their Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund grant application as long as the granting of funds did not bar or restrict other local residents from using the grassed areas, as first and foremost, they are a village playing field and a football pitch second.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Milligan and approved unanimously.

77.  Consider whether to have signage on Community Building and if so, the wording.
Due to the absence of Cllr Hibberd this item was not discussed.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to defer this item until the next meeting.
Proposed by Cllr Milligan, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

78.  Confirm the date of the next meeting.
The next meeting date was confirmed as Monday 08 July 2024.
The Clerk advised that due to a family matter he would look to change the date of the September meeting from Monday 09 September 2024 to Wednesday 11 September 2024.

The meeting closed at 8:30 pm