November 2021

WELBY PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of meeting of the Welby Parish Council (WPC) held in St Bartholomew’s church on:

Tuesday 23rd November 2021 at 7.30pm.

Present

Cllr John Fisher (Chairman)                 Cllr Ian Shippey                       Cllr James Pask

Cllr Ivan Jones                                                            

In Attendance 

Roel van Aken (Clerk)                         Cllr Sarah Trotter (SKDC)

1. Apologies for absence      

Cllr Michael Priestley (Vice)               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 14th September 2021 were an accurate record of the parish council meeting and were signed off by The Chairman.

5.

a) Reducing speeding through Welby

Speedwatch: although a number of people in the village have been trained, for various reasons availability for actual sessions has been limited. Currently, due to Covid, it is still not possible to train any new people. For that reason it would not be appropriate to organise a recruitment drive at this point in time. Once this changes it will be reconsidered.

SID: the SID device produces a number of reports which summarise the results over a given time period. These reports for the periods that the SID has been in operation (27 Sep – 6 Nov near East end of Main Street and 8 Nov – 22 Nov near the bus stop) were reviewed. The SID records speeds in both directions and the reports show a marked difference: cars coming towards the SID and facing the display side are travelling at a much lower average speed then cars then cars approaching the SID from the back. This is presumably because in one direction the drivers see their speed displayed and in the other direction probably don’t even notice the device. Whilst the average speed for both locations is below 30mph, most of the maximum speeds recorded fall between 30-40 mph for the East end of Main Street location and slightly lower for the bus stop location but still above 30mph. Top speeds recorded for East end of Main Street were 51mph coming towards the display side and 50mph approaching it from the back. For the bus stop location these maximum speeds were 61mph and 55mph respectively. This is worrying as both locations are well into the village so drivers had ample opportunity to slow down after entering the village.

The SID device will be moved between the 3 locations (East end of Main Street, bus stop and Church Lane) on a monthly basis. The next location will be Church Lane.

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.

progress and remaining work: SID device is now up and running and results are being collected. The white gates have been purchased and are currently being painted. Once completed they will be erected near the 3 entrances to the village. A quote for £215.00 for the steel supports of the gates was approved. Cllr Sarah Trotter will verify if an official needs to be present when the gates are erected.

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: update provided wrt approval of S18/0944 (use of land near Cold Harbour for traveller’s site).

Despite assurances that a public hearing would be arranged prior to any decision being made, it came as a complete surprise to SKDC to learn that approval had been granted by the Planning Inspectorate. Our local MP, Gareth Davies MP, Member of Parliament, Grantham and Stamford, has been contacted and his office is investigating how this was allowed to occur and any avenues open for appeal. Cllr Sarah Trotter is following this up with Gareth Davies.

The various parish councils affected by this decision are in contact to try and coordinate a common approach. Any legal courses of action are likely to be costly and chance of success may be slim however these will be explored.

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 by Patrick Welby-Everard who temporarily stands in for Stuart Bowden who is expected to be back again next year.

Over the summer we had a series of shed burglaries where high value bicycles were targeted. However this was mainly to the west and South of Grantham. The MO was to unscrew the shed hinges so we would recommend that any items of high value are not kept in sheds. If you do not have a choice but to keep them in a shed, then drill out the screw tops or fit a shed bar. We currently have persons in custody with regard to this but the investigation is on going.

This time of year we are mindful of Hare coursing and also the associated crime that comes along with it. We have now a dedicated rural crime team working from Sleaford who will target these individuals. The also deal with Heritage crime (Lead thefts) and other rural matters.

We have had a few number plates stolen in the local area. Please call any suspicious activity in 101 or 999 if you believe it to be urgent.

Halloween and Bonfire night passed with no major incidents and as we move into winter and the colder weather please be mindful of vulnerable residents.

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

1. New Clerk has been appointed.
2. Clarify remit of Welby Parish Council and associated communications in light of recent events (car parking, fireworks). Perception of WPC powers may not reflect reality and villagers may perhaps expect involvement outside WPC’s proper remit. Current text on WPC website will be reviewed by Cllr James Pask to see if any further clarifications would be helpful. It was also decided that WPC communication via the WPC website alone of village matters should be sufficient. WPC recognise and value the work that HNW do, and to support them WPC communications will be sent directly via the WPC website. This will allow villagers to approach WPC in the first instance if they have any queries about any issues raised.
3. Highway Verge Parish Agreement Scheme 2022-23: it was agreed to continue this for next year.

12.  Finance

a)   Cash Book: The Clerk reported the Bank statement shows the following balances as of 9 November 2021:

• Current a/c:    £2,715.74
• SID a/c:           £   150.00

Since the last meeting the following income has been received:

Since the last meeting payments made from the bank:

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 the Cashbooks as a true record after agreement from councillors that both bank statements and cash books were accurate.

b) next year’s budget

The request for the annual Precept for 2022/23 was set at £1,571.27 – unchanged from last year.

13. Urgent/any other business

To consider any urgent business: nothing raised.

14.  Date of next meeting of the parish council is on: 23 Jan 2022 at 19:00 @ Barn View, Church Lane.

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.