December 2019
Approved Minutes of the Meeting of Rippingale Parish Council, held on Tuesday 10 December 2019 in the Village Hall
Present: Cllrs C. Charlton (Chairman), S. Goode, S. Charlton, E. Field-Lucas & S. Warcup.
In Attendance: Michelle Free (Clerk/RFO) & 11 Members of Public (incl HCS Co-ord, RGAG Reps, VHMC Chair & residents for item 6.3).
Public Forum: The Chairman opened the Public Forum at 7.30pm and gave an overview of the process. The following items were raised:
- Concern was raised regarding the smell of sewage from the blocked drains on Station Street towards B1177. The Chairman confirmed that this had been reported to Anglian Water; Cllr Moseley was undertaking a survey of the issues.
- Concern was raised regarding a resident repeatedly speeding through the village. Reporting options were confirmed as through the Neighbourhood Policing Team or calling 101 but the vehicle details would be required; if required, the Clerk could report on their behalf.
1. Chairman’s Opening Remarks.
210. The Chairman opened the Meeting at 7.34pm.
2. Apologies for Absence.
211. Apologies were received from Cllrs Vaughan & Moseley, due to personal reasons.
3. To receive any new Declarations of Interest.
212. There were no new Declarations of Interest to be recorded. The Clerk stated that, as an Allotment Holder, Cllr Vaughan would have been excluded from item 7.2.2 (234).
4. Approve Minutes of the previous Council Meeting.
213. The DRAFT Minutes had been published and previously circulated to all Cllrs. Cllr Goode abstained from the vote as he had not been present at the Meeting. The Council resolved to accept the Minutes of the Meeting on 14 November 2019 as a true and accurate record. The Chairman signed the file copy. Clerk to publish the approved Minutes.
5. External & Community Group Updates.
5.1 Police, County & District Councillors’ Reports
214. No Police, LCC or SKDC reports had been received.
5.2 Community Groups & Organisations.
215. RJPFT. The Chairman stated that the Grant of £1,500 from the Rank Foundation Fund, and the remaining balance of £426.90 from the Village Design Cttee had been received. Another funding application for £5,000 was being explored.
216. In response to a query from the Public, the Council clarified that the planned new equipment should cover a wider range of ages and disabilities; the details were on the website. The original plan may have to be reviewed to account for an expected final balance of £30-34,000 and should hopefully start in the Spring. Refer to item 6.2 (228) for more details.
217. Neighbourhood Plan. Cllr C. Charlton confirmed that the Consultant was currently reviewing the drafted policies and legal and procedural aspects of the Plan. The recent Business Breakfast Meeting had been well received. There would be a Public Consultation in both Rippingale & Dowsby ahead of the referendum.
218. RGAG. Cllr S. Charlton confirmed that he had received an invitation to the Group AGM. A copy of the Draft Minutes had been received by the Council.
219. Feast. Cllr Warcup confirmed that the Grand Draw had gone ahead as planned, despite the recent Committee resignations. The event income had been given to the Clerk for banking; the event profit was approx. £850. The Chairman thanked Cllr Warcup and the volunteers who had come forward to make the event a success.
220. HCS. The Co-ord confirmed that no new drivers had come forward, but the appeal would be included in the January Newsletter.
221. VHMC. Cllr Field-Lucas had not been invited to the last Meeting and AGM; the VHMC Chair stated that she was uncertain of who was the Council Rep for a personal invite but that the details had been published in the Newsletter and VH Noticeboard. The Council had received a copy for the Draft Minutes for both Meetings; publication on the VH website was pending some updates. The VHMC Chair agreed to invite Cllr Field-Lucas to future meetings.
222. PCC. Cllr Warcup confirmed that there had been no PCC Meeting.
5.2.1 Feast Constitution Feedback
223. Cllr Warcup stated that, due to the Cttee resignations, the revised Constitution had not been discussed. Item deferred until the new Feast Cttee was in place. Next Meeting 15 January; Meeting dates to be included in the Newsletter.
5.2.2 Feast Officials
224. The Chairman stated that, following the short-notice resignations of the majority of the former Feast Cttee, volunteers had come forward for Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The Chairman role was still vacant. Formal Council endorsement of the new Cttee deferred until outcome of next Feast Meeting was known.
225. Cllr Warcup to notify the VHMC if the booking for the February Quiz Night was still required.
5.2.3 RGAG Cttee Issues
226. No written details of the apparent issues had been received by the Council. The RGAG Chairman stated the he had been informed by Cllr Moseley that he was unable to cut back the boundary hedge; Cllr Moseley had not notified the Council. The Council Chairman gave reassurances that the Council would still honour the commitment to cut back the hedge. Quotes for the hedge maintenance would be required.
6. Parish Matters.
6.1 Woodland Trust Tree Scheme
227. Due to the absence of Cllr Moseley, item deferred.
6.2 JPF Play Equipment Project & RJPFT Grant Funding Update
228. Further to the discussion at item 5.2 (215), the RFO confirmed that the current funding balance was £11,089.90. It was hoped that the realisation of the planned new equipment at the JPF would stop the area becoming a haven for anti-social behaviour.
229. Discussed under item 9.3 (239) and resolved under urgent works, the inclusion of a dog waste bin at the corner of the Field near the public footpath was proposed. Although the JPF was a ‘No Dogs’ area, most of the rubbish in the play area litter bin was bagged dog poo. Given the H&S implications, the Council unanimously resolved to install a Dog Waste at the eastern corner of the JPF. Funds may be available from the Ward Cllr Community Grant Fund to purchase the bin.
6.3 Bus Shelters Request
230. The Chairman invited the VHMC Chairman to propose her request. Although the recent wet weather was an extreme occurrence, school pupils waiting at the Dovecote & Church bus stops were frequently drenched and arrived at school in wet clothing with no facilities to dry off. The proposal had received support from LCC C.Cllr Hill and SKDC D.Cllr Moseley and had been previously considered by the Parish Council but the outcome was unknown. The Council unanimously supported the proposal of bus shelters in principle, subject to Highways approval, available funds and a ‘vandal proof’ design. Clerk to include project as a standard Agenda item to allow for frequent updates.
7. Finance Matters
7.1 FY2019/20 Accounts to date
231. The RFO gave an update of the previously circulated Accounts Summary to 30 November; the current balance of £31,627.48 included the earmarked reserves for the Feast, Play Equipment Project and Community Chest funds. Cllr Goode reviewed the reconciled bank statements, invoices and receipts. There were no questions.
7.1.1 Approval of Income & Expenditure
232. The previously circulated list was presented for approval. An additional expenditure for the reimbursement of the Feast Grand Draw expenses was also included; receipts were available. The breakdown for the October Grass Cutting, Newsletter and Welcome Pack Invoices were still outstanding. The Council unanimously resolved to approve the expenditure, including the purchase of the ‘Thank You’ Gift Card for the Newsletter and Website volunteers. Cllrs S. Charlton & Field-Lucas signed the cheque and payments sheet. Clerk to submit BACS payments, pending receipt of the outstanding invoices.
7.2 FY2020/21 Funding
7.2.1 LCC Grass Cutting Offer for FY2020/21
233. The Clerk stated that the option to carry out the 3 safety cuts of the previously highlighted areas on behalf of LCC required consideration. There was no change to the area to be cut but the price per sqm pa had increased to 2.38p. Although the exact figures for 2020/21 were not known, the income was expected to cover the costs. The Council unanimously resolved to accept the offer from LCC to carry out their grass cutting requirements. Clerk to inform LCC.
7.2.2 Row Garden Allotment Annual Rent Review
234. The RFO stated that the current charge was £0.12/sqm pa. A cost of £0.13/sqm was proposed in line with the previous decision to increase the charge by 1p/sqm pa until it reached the national average; Cllr Field-Lucas confirmed that this was £0.18/sqm for a like-for-like plot in 2018. The increase would equate to £13.65 (from £12.60) for a 105sqm plot. The Council unanimously resolved to increase the Allotment Rent by £0.01/sqm pa (£0.13/sqm).
8. Planning Updates
235. The Clerk confirmed that there were no updates on the pending applications.
8.1 S19/1868 – Retention of the Portacabin at the JPF.
236. The Clerk confirmed that correct Ref No. for the Application was S19/1868 not S19/1898 as stated on the Agenda. This was a Parish Council Application. The Chairman briefed the attending public on the background of the application. The Council unanimously resolved to have no objections to the retention of the Portacabin. Clerk to notify SKDC.
9. Admin Matters
9.1 Parliamentary Election Arrangements
237. The Clerk confirmed that Polling Station would be at the Village Hall on Thursday 12 December and open for voting from 7am to 10pm.
9.2 Recording of Council Meetings
238. The Chairman had previously circulated a Draft Policy for the Recording of Council Meetings; Cllr Moseley had only recently circulated some additional comments and there seemed to be a conflict in the interpretation of the regulations regarding the protection of children and vulnerable adults and the powers to stop a recording. Due to the absence of Cllr Moseley and to enable Cllrs to properly consider the matter, item deferred to next Meeting.
9.3 Clerk Report & Correspondence
239. The Clerk gave an overview of the previously circulated Report. Dowsby PC had requested Council support to install a gate style entrance sign at the village boundary, which was within the Rippingale Parish. Refer to item 10 (241) for more details.
9.4 Matters Arising Matrix.
240. There were no additional items to be discussed
10. Urgent Reports.
241. Subject to the approval of LCC Highways, the Council unanimously agreed to support the request from Dowsby PC to install a gate style entrance sign at the village boundary prior to Ashby Cottage.
11. Items for Next Agenda
242. The Clerk stated that the approval of the Precept & Budget was carried out at the next Meeting; the proposed Draft would be published following this Meeting. A review to the layout of the Newsletter to be include on the next Agenda.
There being no more business, the Chairman closed the Meeting at 8.17pm
Following the Meeting, the Chairman opened a short Post Meeting Public Forum. The points raised were:
- A resident queried if one dog poo bin would address the dog fouling issue. It was confirmed that the bin was purely for the corner of the JPF to stop dogs coming into the childrens’ play area to dispose of the bagged waste.
- Residents were encouraged to report dog fouling incidents to SKDC to highlight the issue to the County Warden.
- The RGAG Chairman stated that the Allotment walkaround by Council representatives (May 2019) had upset a number of Tenants and that the Group should deal with non-compliance matters; due to this, 5 plot holders were apparently not renewing their tenancy. Although the Council had not been invited to some Meetings, the Group wanted to work together. The Council Chairman welcomed this but stated that it had a duty to check the area; the timescales and seasonal pruning requirements for the overgrown trees were also reiterated. Members of the RGAG Cttee were welcome to accompany the Council on the next inspection.