August 2021
Rippingale Parish Council
Minutes of the Meeting of Rippingale Parish Council, held in the Village Hall on Thursday 12th August 2021
Present: Cllrs C. Charlton (Chairman), J. Petch, & Parish Clerk L Davies
In Attendance: Kevin Martin & Derek Diess
There were no Press in attendance.
Public Forum
1. Chairman’s Opening remarks. All were welcomed to the meeting. He advised that a quorum was not present.
2. Comments, Questions & Queries from Press & Public
Raised by Derek Diess, in regard to the Anglian Water investigation on Station Street. Anglian Water had replaced foul water pipework but some question remained regarding flow through rainwater drains. This had been passed to SKDC to resolve. Anglian Water had not addressed foul water flooding on East Street and Doctor’s Lane. Cllr Charlton will continue to take this forward
The Chairman closed the Public Forum and opened the Council Meeting at 7.08pm
Agenda
1. To receive Apologies for Absence
672. Cllr A Vaughan and Cllr J Howard sent their apologies; due to personal reasons there were unable to attend.
2. To receive any new Declarations of Interest.
673. There was no new Declarations of Interest to be recorded.
3. To approve the Minutes of the last meeting held on 8th July 2021 (All).
674. The previously circulated draft minutes from the meeting of the Annual General Meeting 8th July 2021 were considered and the Council unanimously resolved to accept them. The draft minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting were considered accurate for approval at the next meeting in 2022.
4. Receive External & Community Group Updates:
4.1 County & District Council Reports.
675. No further updates received at this point
4.2 Community Groups & Organisations – as available (NP; RGAG; Feast; HCS; VHMC; PCC; etc).
676. Neighbourhood Plan – Cllr Charlton briefed that minor changes were to be made as raised during the consultation process. For example green areas were overestimated in size in the draft plan and there were some minor typing errors. These will be amended and the consultant has agreed discounted costs to allow commencing drafting supporting documentation to allow the Plan to be forwarded to SKDC.
677. RGAG – Their AGM was attended by Cllr Charlton; it was raised that the padlock to the entrance had been damaged. Replacement has been actioned at a cost of £37.50 to the Chairman of the RGAG, which has been met by the Parish Council. Parish Clerk is looking at helping RGAG chase outstanding subscriptions by providing the email addresses where possible. Investigation of the costs of mains water connection by the Clerk continues; ground survey costs need to be obtained. The RGAG have agreed to fund and lay an internal feed system and will liaise with its members to gain agreement to equally apportion annual water costs to individual ground rents.
678. HCS – Looking to recruit two more voluntary drivers; the HCS will be up and running in September with the first appointment scheduled then.
679. PCC – Roof repair complete and spare sheeting to be offered to the RGAG, Cllr Petch to liaise between parties.
5. Parish Matters:
5.1 Tennis Court refurbishment update.
680. Refurbishment is now complete and actioned to a suitable standard. The entrance combination lock is slipping, and the door is not always being closed correctly. Looking into the cost to have a spring closing gate with number combination.
5.2 To review Coronavirus Impact & Resolve any changes.
681. Restrictions lifted.
5.3 To receive updates & resolve comments on Planning Applications:
5.3.1 S21/1069 Demolition of garage and erection of extension at 4 Doctor’s Lane. Planning has been granted.
5.3.2 S21/1463 Outline for 3 house residential development 83 Station Street. No objection from one Councillor; another view was that the front house was too large and out of proportion to the adjoining properties and on a constricted frontage. Comments from one resident had highlighted tight housing density on site, closeness of housing to neighbours and a farm complex. As no quorum existed, a decision on comments could not be made, to be decided after consultation with other Councillors.
5.4 To review requirement for updated Defibrillator Training
682. Ongoing, reviewing due to COVID restrictions lifting.
5.5 To receive update on water supply connection for RGAG (Clerk). 683. Charges depend on location of mains pipe work and any highway work: this needs to be confirmed by survey. Provisional costs range from £944 to £1400(plus VAT)
5.6 To receive an update on Bus Shelters (Chairman)
684. There has been interest from various quarters in the Village over a number of years in the provision of bus shelters, mainly to provide cover during inclement weather for parents and children using the school bus service. The Parish Council have been asked to look at the feasibility of providing bus shelters. Local Government grants towards bus shelter costs have been withdrawn. It would seem there are several factors which will influence a decision to provide bus shelters:
• Positioning, including regulatory requirements
• Number required
• Size
• Cost
Positioning. It appears there are two bus stops in the Village used by the bus operators. One at the Dovecote junction with Station Street; the other by the Church. There is a requirement to ensure there is sufficient space and hardstanding to take a bus shelter at each position. Such positions should not obstruct highway visibility. It is assumed that the pavement is owned by Lincolnshire County Council and a licence to erect any shelter will be required from LCC. Planning Permission will also be needed from SKDC.
Number required. Logically to ensure all bus users are afforded cover in the event of inclement weather two bus shelters will be required.
Size. The number of villagers, children, and attendant parents, using the bus service has still to be ascertained. But it would be prudent to base the requirement on two large shelters (2.5 metres high, 1.4 metres wide and 5.2 metres long).
Cost. Investigation has revealed the following provisional costs based on two shelters:
• Purchase of shelters - £7,200
• Groundworks and fitting - £2,000
• Planning permission - £400
• Total- £9,600
As this is a large sum, a complicated project which needs refinement and numbers and support have to be ascertained, this proposal will need to be subject to further investigation, full Village consultation and budget consideration before an objective decision can be made to take any project forward. Chairman to consult through the Newsletter.
5.7 To review Hedge cutting Tender 2022
685. Contractors have until the 31st August to return tender proposals
6. Financial Matters:
6.1 FY2020/21 Update on Audit.
686. There has been one query raised on the inclusion of the Rippingale Playing Field Trust within the audit process. This was clarified and removed as the Trust is administered by the Charity Commission.
6.2 FY2021/22 (Accounts to Date & Approval of Expenditure – All).
687. Payments, which included the Clerk’s salary and the Tennis Court refurbishment costs were processed. The quarterly forecast of outturn was reviewed; this was seen as satisfactory and the year-end position viable. A bank reconciliation, once the mandate was updated, was required to confirm the accounts position.
6.3 To received update on Bank Mandate (Clerk)
688. Parish account; all Councillors’ names have been updated and Clerk is now requesting online access. The RJPFT account has not been updated due to signatory rules. Agreed that 2 signatures would be sufficient. All Councillors to resign mandate.
7. Admin Matters
7.1 Clerk Report & Correspondence.
689. Covered in meeting.
8. To Receive any Urgent Reports.
690. None.
9. Items for Inclusion on next Meeting Agenda.
691. None
Next Meeting: Parish Council Meeting 16th September 2021 in Village Hall at 7.00pm
To download a copy of the minutes click here.