July 2020

WELBY PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of meeting of the Welby Parish Council (WPC) held via webinar on:

Thursday 8th July 2020 at 7.00pm.

Present

Cllr John Fisher (Chairman)          Cllr Michael Priestley (Vice)           Cllr Ian Shippey

Cllr Ivan Jones             Cllr James Pask                       

 In Attendance  

Richard Houghton (Clerk)       Cllr Sarah Trotter (SKDC)             Cllr Martin Hill  (LCC)

1. Apologies for absence        

Stuart Bowden

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

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

The requirement for all councillors to submit their latest individual DPI (Disclosed Pecuniary Interest) forms to LCC was raised, and all agreed to action this accordingly.   

3. Public Representations

Due to Covid-19 it was not possible for the public to be in attendance on the webinar. The villagers were offered the opportunity to raise questions prior to the meeting and one response was received – see 11. Village Matters below.

4.  Minutes from previous meeting.

It was resolved that the minutes of the previous meeting dated 20th May 2020 is an accurate record of the parish council meeting and was signed off by The Chairman.

5. Reducing speeding through Welby 

a) Update from Welby Speedwatch

• Speedwatch team had ceased operations due to the Coronavirus issues and have now started again, following discussions with Roel, and due to the increased (and speeding) traffic through our village.
• The social distancing rules and the latest Government guidance should be followed by the Speedwatch team, and a check will be undertaken to ensure this is so, for the benefit and safety of all involved. The numbers of speeding motorists have already reduced since they re-started.

b) Fundraising strategies for Speed Indicator Devices (SID). 

It was agreed at previous meetings that WPC would support fundraising for a SID device for Welby. A review of fund-raising firms’ accounts and the charges applicable, was completed by the Clerk in December 2019 and notification sent to councillors for review.

• It has continued to be difficult to make any progress with HSBC on opening a new account to receive the funding donations. In addition, other banks have now also been approached by Cllr Ian Shippey and have been met with a similar set of issues, as we are not a charity or a business. 
• As a consequence, an alternative solution has been considered, whereby the donations are paid into the existing Welby Parish Council HSBC bank account and kept listed separately for accounting purposes. This can therefore allow donations to be raised and collected for the village SID system and associated equipment, without any further delays. If you wish to make a donation please contact the Clerk.

6. Lincolnshire County Council and South Kesteven District Councillor Representation

LCC Councillor Martin Hill was in attendance and advised there is a small Covid-19 fund available for local villages and agreed WPC could submit a claim for a contribution towards the SID device. He also advised there have been very few cases of Covid-19 within the county, especially when compared to other regions of the country. The key areas for infections appear to be food factory locations, possibly due to the temperatures. In other news, the county libraries will be opening next week. Plus, in January 2021, the highways department will be working on road systems within the Welby area to repair and improve the surface and safety.

District Councillor Sarah Trotter was in attendance and confirmed the on-going delays in the appeal hearing for the Land at Cold Harbour and the proposed development of a traveller’s site. Due to Coronavirus issues this has been postponed and until further notice. Sarah also confirmed that there is a Covid-19 fund available for local villages and has also requested notifications of any good causes within the communities which could benefit from small contributions. In addition, Sarah mentioned the fly tipping that although much reduced (possibly due to the local tips now reopening) it is still happening – one case on the outskirts of Welby was identified and has been registered. If local villagers had any concerns regarding matters associated with housing or related items, to contact Sarah at SKDC. Tel: 07500 705508.

7. Lincolnshire Police Report.

PCSO Stuart Bowden was unable to join the meeting but his report advised there have been far fewer thefts and incidence in the past few weeks in the surrounding area of Welby. However, villagers need to remain vigilant and should report immediately if they see vehicles with anyone behaving suspiciously or any actual dumped waste. It was also identified the good work the regions Speedwatch teams are doing and how the previously increased number of speeding motorists had recently been reducing. He requested the teams maintain their social distancing and government rules for operating. Finally, please ensure you lock your outbuildings and try not to leave out or on open display items of value, including: bicycles, power tools, quadbikes etc.

8.  Correspondences

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

Sarah Trotter (SKDC) advised the situation is waiting for the Covid-19 rules to allow for the meetings to continue before any further discussions can be considered. The councillors sought an explanation as to precisely what the reasons given for the appeal were, for it to now be re-considered again? Sarah will try and source the latest position if possible, and let us know.

10. Highways

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

b) Other Highway matters

Councillors to consider other highway matters within Welby including – see 11. Village Matters below

11. Village Matters

a)  The Councilors Surgery’s are cancelled for at least another two months due to Covid-19. It is intended, subject to Covid-19 rules & requirements, these meetings, together will the WPC bi-monthly meetings, will recommence at the St Bartholomew’s Church in September 2020.

b)   Update on condition of derelict property on Main Street. This is currently being actioned and Chairman John Fisher confirmed that some work has been completed already, and he will again check on the latest position and report back by the next meeting.

c)   Resident pointed out the bench at the hand pump needs a rub down and re-treating. Colin Hewitt will be asked to quote on this job, if an alternative source is not available as it will be quite a labour-intensive job to complete properly to achieve the desired result. A quote will be supplied if appropriate, in due course.

d)  Fly tipping just outside Welby village on Main Street has been reported to SKDC & they aim to get this removed.

e)  A villager reported the amount of grass cuttings left by the road side in Blacksmiths Lane and it was agreed to respond to this request.

f) Resident pointed out the tree plaque marking a specific millennium tree located in Saxondale needs repairing or replacing as it is in a very poor state. It was agreed this would be looked into.

12.  Finance

a) Cash Book: The Clerk reported that the cashbook shows a balance of £3213.90 as of 3/6/20. Note: Until I receive the bank statements direct I am unable to confirm the very latest figures.

Since last meeting the following income has been received:

Since last meeting payments made from the bank: 

b) Cheques raised during meeting:

The petty cash shows 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:

* It was identified the electric meter readings for the village green are based on ‘estimates’ and the Clerk agreed to obtain the key to verify their actual readings and pass this on to E-On accordingly.

14.  Date of next meetings of the parish council on: 9th September 2020 at 7pm

Note: Due to the gradual reduction in lockdown requirements associated with the Coronavirus issues, it is hoped the next meetings from September 2020 can return to St Bartholomew’s Church between councillors and with public access – social distancing is still likely to remain. Please ensure you submit any questions and points to be raised by at least seven days before this meeting – thank you.

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.