Hemingby Parish Council Meeting Thursday 18Th March 2021 Held Remotely Via Zoom at 7.30 Pm

NOTES Please be advised that these are notes of the meeting taken by the Clerk and cannot in any way be regarded as the official minutes of Council proceedings until they are approved and signed at the next meeting Hemingby Parish Council Meeting Thursday 18th March 2021 Held remotely via Zoom at 7.30 pm

Present: Cllr D Rodwell (Chair), Cllr J Fairchild, Cllr J Mac Innes-Morton, Cllr J Harrison, Cllr C Bryant and Cllr J Sullivan

In Attendance: Mrs. A. Bushell (Parish Clerk), District Councillor D Andrews (until item 6) and County Councillor Patricia Bradwell

1. Chairman’s remarks The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting, he gave a special welcome to Cllr Sullivan because it was her first meeting. The Chairman remarked that he hoped that the Parish Council would be able to meet face to face before long.

2. Apologies for absence and reasons given. No Apologies were received. Cllr Bryant was absent.

3. Declarations of Member’s interests in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and requests from members for a dispensation on any items on the agenda

Cllr Bryant arrived at 7.38pm and apologised for arriving late.

Cllr Rodwell declared an interest in item 12 regarding superfast broadband. There were no other disclosable pecuniary interests declared in matters on the agenda, which had not already been declared to the Monitoring Officer at ELDC. There were no requests for a dispensation.

4. Notes of the meeting held on 10th December 2020 to be approved as the minutes It was proposed by Cllr Harrison, seconded by Cllr Fairchild and unanimously RESOLVED to accept the notes as a true record of the meeting. The Chairman signed the minutes.

5. Report from the Clerk and Councillors on matters outstanding. It was reported that adding Cllr Fairchild as a bank signatory was still ongoing. The form would be taken into the bank in the next couple of days.

Michael Read arrived at 7.42pm and was invited to speak about the reason for him not being able to cut the lanes for herbages anymore. He explained that it was a very serious issue and a sad day when he had to make this decision as his family had cut the verges for over 100 years. Cllr Rodwell explained that an article would be included in the next issue of the village magazine informing residents. Mr Read was thanked for attending the meeting.

Cllr Bradwell arrived at 7.45pm and apologised for arriving late.

6. Reports from District, County Councillor and the Police

District Councillor: Cllr Andrews gave an update on Wayside. He explained that it was still a live investigation but it had been slowed down due to Covid. The Enforcement Officer was waiting to meet the owner to do a survey of the grounds and was hoping to complete this in the next two weeks. Cllr Andrews was asked to keep the Jones family updated. Cllr Andrews also reported that ELDC was going to plant ten community orchards across the district; it was currently short of funding for the Horncastle Hub, but still hoped to start work this year and complete next year; it was discussing what to do when coming out of lockdown; Skegness & Mablethorpe had been awarded £40million from the town funds; and ELDC was still supporting small businesses with government funding. Cllr Andrews was thanked on behalf of the village hall for funding received, and he confirmed that the district councillors would be getting a small amount of Councillors Community grant this year, so any organisations wanting funds for projects should let him know.

Cllr Andrews left at 7.55pm

County Councillor: Cllr Bradwell reported that she had been in contact with Cllr Rodwell about potholes in the village, and she had done some investigations and discovered that the jobs had not been allocated with job numbers. The community gang has been in the village but not sure they had done all the work on the list, so she would be getting an update from the Highways Manager the following day and would keep the Parish Council informed. The Recycling Centre at Kirkby-on-Bain was moving further down the road, not far from current location. Highways gangs were busy doing pothole repairs and resurfacing following the cold weather which had caused damage. Schools were back and hoping to move back to some form of normality in the near future. Cllr Bradwell was asked when the drains would be jetted in the village, and Cllr Bradwell assured the Council that this work would be done, but she had not yet received the schedule. She was also asked about the sign which was needed outside the Coach and Horses to stop drivers turning down Church Lane instead of going around the bend; and about the policy for reducing speed limits. Cllr Bradwell explained that the policy would be addressed by the new Council in June because there would need to be a consultation on moving the speed limit further out of the village, and the Highways Manager was on the case but it was a lengthy process. Cllr Bradwell was informed that the issue with Horsemoor Lane was not just potholes, the road had now deteriorated and subsided and was really dangerous.

There was nobody present from the Police.

7. Reports from the Village Hall and Play Area Committees Village Hall Committee: Not much to report because the hall had been closed. The Committee was looking into the possibility of getting an energy survey carried out to make the hall more energy efficient and help reduce bills. Play Area Committee: The ground had suffered from the bad weather and become quite waterlogged. There was nothing which could be done until the ground had dried out. The Committee did consider closing the play area but decided against it.

8. Update on the issues already reported to Highways, and receive any new issues to be reported The Highways issues list had been circulated to councillors and nothing on the list had changed. Highways issues had been discussed during the County Cllr’s report (agenda item 6).

9. To agree how to proceed with addressing the issue of speeding traffic through the village

The Chairman explained that things were quieter than normal at the current time due to the country still being in lockdown, applications had been submitted for grant funding but unfortunately had been unsuccessful as grant funders felt that speed signs were a duty of the statutory authority. Unfortunately, Hemingby was not high on LCC’s list of priorities. The Chairman agreed to continue to look for funding, and it was clarified that he was looking for around £6,000 to fund 3 reactive signs. Cllr Bradwell suggested that it might be best to purchase one sign and move it around rather than keep it in the same location. This was noted.

10. Planning Matters a. To review and determine response to ELDC Issues and Options consultation Cllr Rodwell reported that he had gone through the very lengthy document, and he suggested that two councillors should go through the document and circulate the proposed response. It was proposed, seconded and RESOLVED that Cllr Rodwell and Cllr Sullivan would go through the consultation document and submit the response on behalf of the Parish Council. b. To consider writing to ELDC regarding the planning application from Egdon for oil drilling activities at Biscathorpe The Clerk explained that ELDC was one of the statutory consultees, it was LCC that would determine the application, so if the Parish Council wished to submit concerns about Egdon’s planning application they would be best addressed to LCC. The Chairman ran through concerns raised by Action Group. Councillors didn’t feel that they knew enough to submit any meaningful comment on the application, and questioned what the community would benefit from this application. Councillors discussed their concerns and spoke about the impact on the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB. Cllr Bradwell reported that Egdon had applied for planning permission in the past which was turned down, she agreed to find the planning reference and send it to councillors so that they could study it and then decide whether to comment further. c. To receive any updates regarding the complaint about untidy land at Wayside, Main Road Cllr Andrews had given an update in his District Councillors report earlier in the meeting. It was agreed that even though the Parish Council supported the complaint from residents, the only people that could improve the situation was the ELDC Enforcement team. The Parish Council had been registered as an interested party and would be kept informed.

11. Update on the project to create car parking for the village and events in the village, and to approve the next steps to be taken It was reported that the Parish Council’s solicitor had finally received the legal document from Mr Read’s solicitor this week, and would be looking over them and would then get in touch with the Clerk. The Chairman had been looking into signage for the car park and spinney area and had received feedback from councillors on the suggested wording for the signs. It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to order the signage for the car park and spinney from Sprint Signs at a cost of £55.00 + VAT. The signs would be ordered after 1st April and be paid for from Car Park project earmarked reserve. The Chairman spoke about the idea of holding a post Covid celebration using Covid-19 funds as a way of bringing the village back together and thank those people who helped residents and this could tie in with officially open the car park and spinney area. It was AGREED that the balance of any money in the car park project would be used to contribute to legal fees as no further costs for the project were envisaged.

12. To consider extending superfast broadband to the whole village The Chairman reported that he had been speaking to a lady from Quickline who had Local Authority and Government funding to bring superfast broadband to rural villages. He explained

19 that individual residents needed to register an interest in the Connected Lincolnshire scheme. The Chairman had spoken to Steven Brookes from LCC to check the legitimacy of company, and he had confirmed that it was legitimate, so an article would go in the next parish magazine informing residents about the scheme and how they could express an interest.

13. To review winter preparations Cllr Bryant confirmed that the bag of salt was still on his driveway, but it was rock solid. It was AGREED that during the summer councillors would attempt to move the salt into the village grit bins.

14. To consider declaring a Climate Emergency The Chairman explained that the Parish Council had already declared a Climate Emergency at the meeting in March 2020, but both he and the Clerk had thought the matter had been deferred due to Covid. The Parish Council had yet to come up with an action plan of changes to be made. There were many documents available on-line showing what other Parish Councils were doing following declaring a Climate Emergency and the Clerk agreed to share the Horncastle Town Council list of actions.

15. To appoint an internal auditor for Financial Year ending 31 March 2021 It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to appoint Helen Jones to carry out the internal audit again this year. The Chairman confirmed that Mrs Jones was happy to carry out this role again.

16. To consider items of correspondence received since the last meeting The Council noted the following items of correspondence which had been received since the last meeting and were available to read on request: From Details Action agreed ELDC Full Planning Permission Noted Clerks and Councillors March 2021 issue Available to read on Direct Magazine request LALC Weekly E-News E-mailed to councillors Community Lincs Update E-mail E-mailed to councillors LCC Engagement team Town & Parish e-news letter E-mailed to councillors Biscathorpe Community Update on oil Drilling E-mailed to councillors Liaison Group Environment Agency Routine Maintenance Fact Sheet E-mailed to councillors Victoria Atkins MP Invite to Inspiring Women’s Webinar on 9th March E-mailed to councillors LCC Household waste recycling centre update E-mailed to councillors Safer Together Team Introduction E-mailed to councillors Agreed to invite to a future meeting when able to meet in person LCC Schools Consultation on amendments to boarding provision Agreed not to respond. Admissions team at Skegness Grammar School Inspector Constantine NPA Quarterly briefing – Jan 2021 E-mailed to councillors

17. Financial Matters a) To resolve to pay the Clerk’s wages for the period of 1st December 2020 to 31st March 2021 It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to pay the Clerk’s wages of £277.60. b) To resolve to pay HM Revenue and Customs for PAYE It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to pay HMRC £69.40 c) To resolve to pay the Clerk for expenses incurred

It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to pay the Clerk’s expenses of £11.78. d) To retrospectively approve the payment of £27.00 to LALC for the E-learning course for Cllr Sullivan It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to retrospectively approve the payment of £27.00 to LALC e) To resolve to pay Page Paper for ink for the village magazine It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to approve the payment of £31.55 to Page Paper. f) To approve the payment to LALC for 2021/22 annual subscription It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to pay LALC £75.96 for the annual subscription for 2021/22 financial year. g) To approve the payment to LALC for 2021/22 Annual Training Scheme It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to pay LALC £90.00 for the annual training scheme for 2021/22 financial year. h) To receive a financial report and confirm which funds were to be earmarked at the year-end The Council received a financial report and the Chairman signed the bank reconciliation and bank statement. It was confirmed that the 2020/21 Bus Shelter Repairs budget (£70) and the Covid-19 Grant (£350) would be earmarked. It was confirmed that the balance of the Car Park Project earmarked reserve would be £1,055.37 at the year-end, and there was also an Election costs earmark reserve of £551.50.

18. To review the Parish Council’s risk assessment The Parish Council reviewed the risk assessment and approved the changes suggested. It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to approve the risk assessment.

19. To co-opt a new councillor to fill the vacancy The Chairman read out the application from Sue Senyszyn. It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to co-opt Sue Senyszyn onto the Parish Council. The clerk would send her a welcome pack with the forms to sign and her first meeting would be in May.

20. To confirm whether the Annual Parish meeting will go ahead this year The Chairman explained that the APM had been scheduled to take place in April, but the village hall wouldn’t be able to accommodate numbers until later in the year, and it wasn’t appropriate to hold the APM by Zoom as not all residents would be able to attend. It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED not to hold an APM again this year, but ask organisations who usually gave a report to provide a report and publish it in the village magazine. The magazine would also include a survey to get feedback from residents which could be considered by the Parish Council at a future meeting.

21. To approve the schedule of agenda items and suggest items for the next agenda It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to accept the schedule of agenda items. The next Parish Council meeting would take place on 20th May, but as yet it was unsure whether this would be remote or in person meeting.

22. To resolve on whether the Council will move into closed session to consider staffing matters It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to move into closed session.

Members of the public left the meeting 8.57pm.

23. To review the Clerk’s salary and agree the new rate of pay for 2021/22 It was proposed, seconded and unanimously RESOLVED to: a) Amend the Clerk’s contract of employment and appoint her to salary point SCP13 (£11.76/hr) from 1st April 2021 for 2.5 hours per week; b) Approve that if there was an increase to the Spinal Column Points agreed by NJC later in the year, the Clerk would automatically receive any increase appertaining to SCP13 from the date of the increase; c) take the additional amount for the Clerk’s pay from general reserves

The Chairman declared the meeting closed at 9.00pm

Notes from the Public Forum (7.30pm – 7.45pm)

No comments from members of the public.

The Chairman reported that there wouldn’t be an annual auction of the herbages any longer and he explained the reason for this. This meant that the Parish Council would no longer receive this source of income and it was even more disappointing that this tradition would no longer continue. A piece has gone in the magazine about this.