January 2022

WELBY PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of meeting of the Welby Parish Council (WPC) held in Barn View, Church Lane on:

Tuesday 25th January 2022 at 7.00pm.

Present

Cllr John Fisher (Chairman)                 Cllr Michael Priestley (Vice)               Cllr James Pask

Cllr Ivan Jones                                     Cllr Ian Shippey                      

In Attendance 

Roel van Aken (Clerk)                        

1. Apologies for absence      

Cllr Sarah Trotter (SKDC)                    Cllr Martin Hill (LCC)

2. Confirmation of eligibility, quorum and declaration of interests.

All councillors present remained eligible, the meeting was quorate and no declaration of interests declared.

3. Public Representations

The public were allowed to be in attendance, but on this occasion no parishioners attended, and there were no questions raised prior to the meeting.

4.  Minutes from previous meeting.

It was resolved that the minutes of the previous meeting dated 23rd November 2021 were an accurate record of the parish council meeting and were signed off by The Chairman.

5.

a) Reducing speeding through Welby

Speedwatch:

No activity to report.

SID:

Results from operations near bus stop: when device was turned around facing the village centre it still had a significant effect in slowing down cars coming through the village and leaving towards High Dyke. Most cars slowed down even if they were already travelling below the 30mph speed limit. The visual impact of the actual speed being displayed is immediate and significant.

Results from operations near the village entrance on Church Lane: significant speeds were recorded for cars entering the village even though there is still an obstruction due to the damaged manhole cover. As the device is located on the 30mph edge some increased speeds are to be expected as cars slow down before entering the village. Notwithstanding this the recorded speeds are still very significant.

b) Fundraising strategies & updates for Speed Indicator Device (SID) & White gates Projects:

financial position: funds raised to date are expected to cover all costs. As WPC can reclaim VAT paid on purchases this should cover any remaining works to be completed. A full reconciliation will be provided once all works are complete. The invoice for the postcrete for the white gates will be reimbursed when submitted.

progress and remaining work:

All works are essentially complete. The white gates have been installed on the locations marked out following a joint inspection of WPC and LCC Highways (Michael Foster) on 20 December 2021. LCC Highways confirmed that we were allowed to erect the gates ourselves on the approved locations.

Furthermore we are also allowed to move the village name signs and mount them on the white gates if so desired. The new location for the 30mph signs in the east end of the village were also marked out and LCC Highways will arrange the relocation.

It may be beneficial to plant some shrubs etc near the white gates to increase the effect without obscuring them. Minimum clearance from the road edge (1 metre) would have to be maintained. This would have to be such that regular maintenance is kept to a minimum as well as avoid any need for watering during the summer months which would be very impractical. This could be achieved e.g. by some form of hedging / dwarf conifers / bulbs etc. Cllr Ian Shippey to investigate suitable options.

The mounting of village signs on the white gates will be considered as part of the overall signage requirements for the village (agenda item 11c).

6. County and District Councillor Reports (if Councillors present at meeting)

• To receive an update from the County Councillor Martin Hill on Lincolnshire County Council matters: no update available.

• To receive an update from the District Councillor Sarah Trotter on South Kesteven District Council matters: no update available.

7. Lincolnshire Police Report (if PCSO present at meeting)

To receive an update from PCSO Stuart Bowden in regards to local police matters. The following update was provided via email:

I have reviewed incidents and reports in the Welby and surrounding areas, since Oct 2021, rather pleasingly very little has occurred.

We have received a few reports of suspicious vehicles parked at field gates and away from village centres, on each occasion a registration number was provide there were no reasons for concern recorded on the police systems.

Hare coursing has been reported both locally to Grantham’s farmland and across the wider Lincolnshire area, any concerns about coursing activity taking place, should be reported to police. Use 101 if suspicious about vehicles / people or dogs, 999 if dogs are seen to be chasing prey.

Crime prevention:

Across the rural area theft is a rare event, historically it appears that a group of thefts will occur over a short period in neighbouring villages then cease. It is easy to be complacent about protecting homes and possessions when the likelihood of being the victim of theft is low. Most thefts happen on an opportunist basis when someone passing through sees a chance to exploit.

Habit is an easy and effective preventative measure, always lock doors and windows, a visit next door is still long enough to lose a wallet or handbag. If a village looks secure and opportunities rare, an offender passing through will go elsewhere to seek easier targets.

What Three Words:

Please take time to familiarise yourselves with the on-line ‘what three words’, which gives very accurate location details. If you have need to report any issues when out and about, try to make use the ‘what three words’ location.

Living in villages it can be a challenge to find houses, sequential house numbers are easier to locate than Oak House or Ivy Cottage, as there’s not pattern to which house is next, in an emergency knowing the ‘what three words’ location for your home could save valuable time. As an example the front door to the pub would be: remix.words.opened (very enjoyable few meals there over the last few months)

Police staffing:

PCSO numbers are lower than they have been and a few absences for various reasons has further reduced staff availability. I have returned post-surgery (broken collar bone and unexpected complications) currently restricted to office work for a few more months, so Patch (PCSO Welby-Everard) will continue to do the best he can for you whilst covering his normal duties.

Please do report issues via 101 and emergencies on 999, you can always let me know of village issues that I would probably hear about if I were able to be out and about to see some of you in person via my e-mail.

8.  Correspondence:

The clerk reported to the meeting below, relevant correspondences received since last meeting;

This information was received by councillors and agreed that appropriate action taken.

9. Planning Applications

Current planning applications to consider:

10. Highways

The Clerk updated on previous highway faults reported by WPC to LCC Highways and SKDC.

11. Village Matters

a). Clarify remit of Welby Parish Council and associated communications in light of recent events (car parking, fireworks)

Cllr James Pask reviewed best practice from other parish councils as well as information available from government websites. Trying to clarify the current description on the WPC website would likely involve adding a lot of unnecessary detail to ensure completeness and would likely be counterproductive as it would become very verbose. The best solution would therefore be to leave the text unchanged for now and deal with any individual issues if and when they arise.

b). Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: discussion on ways Welby can participate in national celebrations:

Nation-wide festivities will take place long weekend of 2-5 June 2022. There are 2 types of event the village could participate in:

• Beacon / bonfire (evening Thursday 2 June): as there is no suitable location within the village it was felt this would not be appropriate. Locations outside the village would be less attractive as due to long daylight the actual event would take place late in the evening.

• The Big Jubilee Lunch (Sunday 5 June): the village green could be a good location for this. Cllr Michael Priestley to check with the pub to see what is planned and if activities can be coordinated.

c). Signage in village: refresh of 30mph speed signs, dog-fouling signs, NHW signs:

All dog-fouling signs have been replaced and a few additional ones put up as well.

30mph signs are available at £10 ea. The village could also benefit from new NHW signs as well as village name signs which could be mounted on the white gates.

Cllr Michael Priestley to investigate availability of suitable signs and provide proposal to WPC for consideration.

d). Dog-waste bin Red Lane: currently being emptied by councillors on a rota basis. Clerk to investigate if the council can empty this as part of their regular waste collection rounds.

12.  Finance

a)   Cash Book: The Clerk reported the Bank statement shows the following balances as of 23 January 2022:

• Current a/c:    £2,745.97
• SID a/c:           £   142.00

Since the last meeting the following income has been received:

Since last meeting payments made from the bank:

Clerk to investigate EON charges as very little electricity should have been used and only for the Christmas tree.

Cheques raised during meeting:

The petty cash has a balance of £7.06 as of today’s date.

Since last meeting payments made from Petty Cash:

The Chairman signed off Cashbooks as a true record after agreement from Councillors that both bank statement and cash books were accurate.

13. Urgent/any other business

To consider any urgent business: none raised.

14.  Date of next meeting of the parish council is on: 22nd Mar 2022 at 19:00 @ Sycamore Cottage.

Signed: …………………………………………………………  Chairman                     Dated: ……………………………

It is important to understand that the information this document contains represents notes of the meeting which took place and do not become Minutes of Welby Parish Council until accepted or otherwise at the following meeting.