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 08 July 2024.

Present:  Chair:  Jenny Bailey

Councillors:  Angie Adams, Graham Arnold, Frances Franklin, Steven Milligan (Vice-Chair) and Susan Waring

Also in attendance:  North Kesteven District Councillors Jim Clark and Andrew Hagues.

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

No members of the public were in attendance.

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

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

80.  To receive declarations of interest and to consider dispensation applications in relation to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.
Cllr Milligan and Cllr Adams declared an interest in minute ref: 93.c. page 32-2024.

81.  Public Forum.
C/Cllr Hagues asked if anybody might be interested in attending an Osbournby Parish Council Meeting to give them the “pros and cons” of starting a Neighbourhood Plan.  Cllr Adams  would ask the other remaining members of the Leasingham Neighbourhood Plan Team to see who might wish to attend.

82.  Notes of the ordinary meeting of Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council held at the Community Building at the Playing Field on Monday 10 June 2024 to be approved as Minutes.
Action: The Council RESOLVED that the notes of the ordinary meeting of Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council held at the Community Building at the Playing Field on Monday 10 June 2024 be approved as Minutes.
Proposed by Cllr Adams, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

83.  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 the 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 to request online banking and these had been submitted to Lloyds Bank and actioned.  The Clerk now had sight of the accounts online but would need to wait until all other signatories received their Authority card and Reader.

Celebration Tree Plaques – the two plaques had been received and Council agreed that they would be installed next to the trees when a suitable day, weather wise, could be expected.

War Memorial – the new path had been installed by Mr Anderson, making it safer for people to enter and exit the War Memorial via the gate.

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Councillors.

Cllr Arnold raised a concern over the overgrown hedges/bushes on the first corner of the B1209 near the Hall.  The Clerk would look to get photos and report the matter to LCC via Fix My Street.

Cllr Milligan raised a similar concern near Gorse Lane/Moor Lane.

Cllr Milligan had also attend (online) Councillor Induction Training, and despite having been on the Council for a number of years, found the training both informative and enlightening and encourages others to attend if available.

84.  Financial Matters
a.  Approve payments made since the last meeting.
There were no payments made since the last meeting.

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 Arnold and approved unanimously.

c.  Approve the bank reconciliation for May 2024 and June 2024.
The Clerk reported that at the end of June, the bank accounts stood at £43,043.31, which included £586.31 on behalf of the Neighbourhood Plan fund raising Village Fayre (Aug-2017) and £11,285.55 on behalf of the Community Benefit Fund.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the bank reconciliation for May 2024 and June 2024.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

d.  Consider the cost for 3 people, to attend the LALC Summer Conference on Wednesday 24 July 2024, at Belton Woods Hotel, Belton, Grantham (09:30 to 16:00.
Cllr Adams asked if she could attend also.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the cost of £160 (ex-VAT) for three Councillors (Adams, Bailey, Franklin) and the Clerk to attend.
Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Bailey and approved unanimously.

e.  Consider the purchase of a Legionella Testing kit for the Community Building.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to purchase a Legionella Testing kit for the Community Building, for 4 hot water outlets at a cost of no more than £60.00, excluding VAT.
Proposed by Cllr Bailey, seconded by Cllr Milligan and approved unanimously.

f.  Consider new signage for the play area and playing field entrance.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED approve the signage at a cost of no more than £180.00, excluding VAT, but remove the “school age children” comment and replace it with “please use this area responsibly”.
Proposed by Cllr Milligan, seconded by Cllr Waring and approved unanimously.

85.  Planning Matters.
a.  24/0779/HOUS – Erection of a carport at 14A The Square, Leasingham, Sleaford, NG34 8LA.  The Council had no comments or objections to this application.

86.  Correspondence.
a.  LALC e-news update.  Circulated 24-Jun-2024.

b.  NKDC Parish and Town Council Newsletter.  Circulated 24-Jun-2024.

c.  LALC e news and Training Bulletin.  Circulate 01-Jul-2024

d.  Leasingham Village Trustee meeting Minutes.

e.  Manor Farm Shop Tourism Sign application.  As this was original supported in July 2022, it was felt appropriate that Manor Farm Shop re-submit their request for Parish Council support again.  The Clerk would contact the applicant.

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87.  Confirm, what if any, title deeds or Land Registry documents are held by the Council and where they are located.
The previous Clerk had confirmed the following;

Leasingham and Roxholm Parish Council are the owners of the burial ground on the Roxholm Road first burial recorded on 4th June 1973, the Land Registry documents are possibly held in a local Solicitor’s archive.  The Clerk would prepare a letter for enquiry to each local Solicitor’s office.

The Parish Council also own the Playing Field Site at the end of Spring Lane.  Both this area and the burial ground as far as they are aware, were purchased from Roxholm Estates (now Dyson Farming), but cannot recall seeing any Land Registry Documents for either site.  Councillors and the Clerk would look to review the contents of the Council Archive filing cabinets, currently held in the Community Building, during the school summer holiday.

88.  Consider the introduction of Legionella Control Policy.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the introduction of a Legionella Control Policy and flushing regime (weekly) once the results of the Legionella Testing had been received (minute ref: 84.e. page 30-2024.
Proposed by Cllr Bailey, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

89.  Consider the safety issues of cars using the play area car park at School drop off and pick up and the Busy Bees children walking on Spring Lane.
Cllr Milligan reminded everybody that part of the grant funding application for the new play equipment insisted that the area was ‘accessible to all’ and the closing of the barrier during the day could lead to other issues as vehicles try to reverse back down the lane.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to write to the school asking them to remind parents that if parking at the play area, be mindful of pedestrians, especially young children using the lane and to Busy Bees asking them to remind their parents to be vigilant of vehicular traffic when using the lane and to report any near misses to Busy Bees and the Council.
Proposed by Cllr Waring, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

90.  Confirm the Councillor Areas of Responsibilities and Membership of Committees.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to approve the following;
Village Hall Committee (external) – Cllr Adams and Cllr Milligan.

Villager of the Year (external) – Cllr Adams, Cllr Milligan and Cllr Hibberd.

Emergency and Resilience Committee – Cllr Adams, Cllr Bailey and Cllr Franklin.

Footpath Footway Working Group – as required.
Proposed by Cllr Bailey, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

91.  Consider whether to have signage on Community Building and if so, the wording.
Action:  The Council RESOLVED to defer this item to a later time.
Proposed by Cllr Bailey, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

92.  Confirm the date of the next meeting.
The next meeting date was confirmed as Monday 12 August 2024.
The Clerk reminded the Council that due to a family matter the September meeting would be moved from Monday 09 September 2024 to Wednesday 11 September 2024.

93.  To resolve to go into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies (Admissions to Meetings) Act  1960, as amended by Section 100 of the Local Government Act 1972 to discuss the following matters.

a.            Consider the terms of contract for the hiring of the Community Building.

b.            Consider the terms of contract for the hiring of the Playing Field.

c.            Discuss the proposed granting of land at the Village Hall.

Proposed by Cllr Franklin, seconded by Cllr Bailey and approved unanimously.

This part of the meeting closed 8:25pm.

The meeting continued in the absence of press and public at 8:25pm.

(Not for publication by virtue of section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the items being of a confidential nature.)

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Confidential Minutes

a.  Consider the terms of contract for the hiring of the Community Building.
Action: The Council RESOLVED increase the length of the agreement to 5 years, with an annual rent review, which for this year raised the current rent of £6.50 per hour, for Busy Bees, to £7.25 and remove the COVID 19 reference from the hiring agreement.
Proposed by Cllr Waring, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

b.  Consider the terms of contract for the hiring of the Playing Field.
There were no changes suggested for the hiring agreement, other than a rent increase.
Action: The Council RESOLVED increase the current rent of £300.00, for Leasingham Junior Football Club to use the Playing Field to £400.00.
Proposed by Cllr Waring, seconded by Cllr Adams and approved unanimously.

c.  Discuss the proposed granting of land at the Village Hall.
Action: The Council RESOLVED to support the Village Hall in the acquisition of land being gifted to them.
Proposed by Cllr Bailey, seconded by Cllr Franklin and approved unanimously.

The meeting closed at 8:40 pm

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