Meetings 2023

Minutes of the Annual Rippingale Parish Meeting, held on the Thursday 9th May 2023 in Rippingale Village Hall.

Present Cllrs. C. Charlton (Chairman), J. Petch, B Ross, K Manley & Parish Clerk L. Davies.

In Attendance: D Diess, I Anderson, L Pancutt & W Gray.

Annual Parish Meeting 

1.    Welcome by the Chairman & Annual Report. 
1092. I am delighted to deliver the Parish Council Annual Report. I see that the Parish Council has
functioned successfully in the past year. I record my appreciation for the admirable
endeavours of the Parish Councillors and our Parish Clerk Laura Davies who have carried
out their duties diligently, so the Council has efficiently carried out its role. Having had a full
complement of Councillors for the majority of the year, we are in the process of recruiting
two new Councillors to get back to full strength. Focussing on Finance. Our income through the Precept has been set at the same level for over 6 years. The Parish Council’s finances are solvent; they meet the Village’s needs, be it the Clerk’s salary, grounds and general maintenance and other requirements. We also uphold a practical contingency to meet unforeseen occurrences. Oversight and governance of the accounts is properly scrutinised by the Council on a monthly basis and through internal and external Auditors. We have upgraded the play equipment and maintained the sports court on the Jubilee Playing Field in conjunction with the Jubilee Playing Field Trust. We have fenced off the play equipment to protect children, as we, after a successful trial, now allow dogs on the playing field. We should shortly fit a further bench on the playing field. We are currently refurbishing the M2000 Village information board. The Parish Council continues to support a project to replace the delipidated changing cabin on the playing field with a purpose-built sports
pavilion with storage facilities for Council and Feast equipment. I will cover this when I detail
the Jubilee Playing Field Trust news. I must sincerely thank the Feast Committee for their hard work running very successful events last year, the first for a number of years, which included a hugely popular dog show. The Parish Council is responsible for the majority of the grass and hedge cutting on the public areas in the village, which we have to undertake through our budget. We endeavour
to administer this cost effectively, through competitive tendering to appoint an outside
contractor. As we strive to ensure our village is as presentable as possible, I am grateful for
the efforts of many residents who maintain grassed areas outside their properties. Productive communication is fundamental to the continuity of the Village and we are decisively aided in this regard by our Newsletter, the Village Website and the Village Facebook page. For the former, Jamie Petch as editor deserves thanks, along with his delivery volunteers. This essential media conduit continues to inform the Village of many aspects of its life. Additionally, no community nowadays can operate realistically without a website and I thank Helen Martin and Laura, the Clerk, who have kept ours as updated as possible. Finally thanks the Bea Maskery for administering the Facebook page.
The Hospital Car Service remains popular and Chris Ross has administered this with verve
and dedication. Acknowledgement is also given to the RGAG for assisting us in dependably
managing the allotments. The Parish Council has also sponsored the Rippingale Neighbourhood Plan, which I will cover later. In conclusion, the Village remains an agreeable community, well supported in in many ways, an enjoyable place to live.
2.    To approve Minutes of last Annual Parish Meeting
1093. The Council unanimously approved the draft minutes of the meeting held on the 16th June 2022, as circulated. 
3.    Receive Reports from Police, County & District Councils
    1094. None received. 
4.    Receive Reports from Community Groups & Organisations
a.    Neighbourhood Plan - Cllr C Charlton.
1095. The completion of the Neighbourhood Plan to influence Village housing development has been achieved with the recent Village referendum voting 249 votes for the Plan, with only 37 against. Adoption by SKDC is underway. Future developments in the Village will be considered against the adopted Plan.
b. Feast Organising Committee - K Manley.
1096. Preparations for the 2023 Feast are well underway, driven by an incredibly
hard-working team. Monthly and sometimes twice monthly meetings have allowed them to plan and organise the day on Saturday 1st July. This will be preceded by a Dog Show on Friday 30th June. There are a good number of performances planned – including The Tuneless Choir, a display by the Bourne Judo Club and The Folkingham Ukelele band to name but a few. There will also be a flypast by the BBMF Lancaster. The Feast will start with a procession through the Village culminating in arrival at the Jubilee Playing Field. At the venue there will be a number
of stalls, a tea tent, competitions and games. The work setting this all up has fallen to a small group of dedicated Villagers who have worked busily and who are preparing to visit every house in the Village with Raffle tickets and programmes. They are to be congratulated and thanked for their efforts on behalf of the Village.
c. Hospital Car Service – C Ross.
1097. The Hospital Car Service is running well and steadily under the new coordinator, C Ross, now controlled by a computerised system. In the past month for example there have been 18 requests for the HCS, with 12 being completed, unfortunately 4 were rejected as no drivers were available. There is an ongoing recruitment push for additional volunteer drivers.
d. Parochial Church Council – Cllr J Petch.
1098.  As part of the Church of England re-organisation, the Village Church been designated as a Festival Church. Regular services have ceased but the Church can still be used for weddings, baptisms and funerals, with certain limited services still celebrated.  The Coronation Quiz was well received raising in excess of £300. These funds will go towards the maintenance of the building, with future events planned.  
e. Row Garden Allotment Group - D Knibbs (apologised for absence)
1099. Cllr Ross has initiated regular meetings with the RGAG, which has been some refinement of the annual allotment contract and there is a drive to encourage all allotment holders to be members of the RGAG. The Clerk and Cllr Ross are liaising to ensure an up-to-date record of plot occupation is maintained, to ensure regular vacant plot maintenance is undertaken.
f. Village Hall Management Committee – W Gray.
1100. The Village Hall is doing well and income levels have improved on last year.  As a result, activity has seen an upgrade to the security cameras underway. Additionally, a new floor polisher has been purchased. Bingo is undertaken both on Friday and Sunday nights and bookings for the Hall are increasing. Financial Year End in July should confirm the financial performance, with an audit due.
g. Rippingale Jubilee Playing Field Trust – Cllr C Charlton.
1101. The Trust has been endeavouring to manage a project to replace the temporary cabin on the playing field through the purchase of a new sports pavilion. It is intended to encompass catering facilities, changing rooms, toilets and Village storage; the aim is to attract team and other sports on the playing field, and support Village events such as the Feast. There is so far £33,515 committed from Wherry Seed merchants, The Feast, the UK Shared Prosperity fund, Tesco’s, and the Parish Council, against a revised target of £50,000. At the end of May the SKDC Community Fund will be tapped.  Additionally, a case has been produced to send to various trusts and organisations requesting charitable funds. It hoped to commence the project this year.
Questions & Proposals from the Public
1102. None