2022 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

Minutes of an ordinary meeting of Hemswell Parish Council, held on Monday 26th September 2022, 7.15 pm at Hemswell and Harpswell Village Hall, Hemswell.

This meeting replaced that scheduled for the 19th September 2022, postponed due to the national mourning period for Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Present:  Parish Councillors: Cllr. B. Mander (Chair), Cllr. J. Roberts (Vice-Chair), Cllr. C. Black, Cllr. P. Watkinson, Cllr. M Sheppard. Clerk: E. Raymond Member(s) of the Public (MOP): 6 members

Public Forum Start 7:15 PM

i. Member of public:

· Welcomed the new clerk to Hemswell.

· Expressed frustration at the non-attendance at PC meetings by the County Councillor to responds to issues regarding roads and pavements. The chair advised the PC had emailed the County Cllr. to relay these views, but no reply had been received from the County Cllr.

· Bunkers Hill. MOP stated that tree branches were covering 30 mph signage and felt this to be a safety issue. The chair advised that Limestone are responsible for hedging along that area and requested the clerk to contact Limestone to discuss pruning of the branches.

· The MOP requested the clerk to contact WLDC Planning Officer(s) to attend a PC meeting to discuss issues regarding building works on The Forge. The MOP reported he had been in touch with WLDC Conservation Officer, but had received conflicting information on the development.  

ii. Member of public

· Offered an update on The Forge, being aware of concern regarding the development. An appeal against a revised planning submission was unsuccessful and the MOP has subsequently employed an independent consultant. The MOP has had numerous meetings with WLDC including the conservation officer, planning enforcement officer and building control at various stages of the work. The MOP summarised the outcome explaining that as the building could not be converted as per the original intention, the owner had been authorised to ‘deconstruct parts of the building’. The MOP felt that differences of opinions and inaccurate reports within WLDC regarding the development had created unnecessary delays, difficulties and conflict and the MOP has requested further meetings, inc. with Building Control. The MOP has used Freedom of Information requests to access historical emails, which he believes are the root cause of the problem. The chair thanked the MOP for sharing the update, which included information not previously known to the public or council. A local resident also thanked the MOP for sharing the information and for attending the meeting.

iii. Member of public

The MOP brought the Village ‘Memory Books’ to the meeting to show the extent of the collection with a request that the books be copied for archive records. The MOP stated the books are available to view on Saturday 1st October during the Macmillan Coffee Morning. The chair thanked the MOP and explained this is an ongoing action with the clerk to liaise regarding cost/copyright issues.  The MOP also raised concerns over the state of pavements and speeding vehicles.

Public Forum concluded 7.35 PM.

The chair thanked the public for their contributions and convened the Parish Council Meeting.

CHAIRPERSON REMARKS – The meeting was opened by Chair, Cllr. Mander who welcomed all to the meeting, including the new clerk.

047-22/23 Apologies for absence – Cllr. Foster had a previously arranged commitment and submitted an apology. District Cllr P. Howitt-Cowan had a previously arranged commitment and submitted an apology. County Cllr. Peratton-Williams and PCSO Julie McFaul sent apologies.

048-22/23 Members declarations of interest in accordance with the localism act 2011 and to receive any applications for dispensation in relation to disclosable pecuniary interest – None.

049-22/23 Minutes of the Previous Meeting - To consider and resolve to accept notes of the previous meeting, RESOLVED that Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held Monday 16 July be approved and signed as a correct record. Proposed Cllr. Roberts, Seconded Cllr. Sheppard. Minutes signed by the chair.

050-22/23 Review of Action Items – To review the action list and receive updates from those responsible for the actions. Cllr. Mander read items completed.  Items outstanding included completion of online banking process. Cllr. Watkinson enquired about the procedures for online banking and Cllr. Mander explained the process is the same for payment by cheque, i.e., multiple signatories completed independently online.

ACTION: Cllr. Black, Cllr. Foster and Cllr. Roberts to complete outstanding matters to complete online banking process.  RESOLVED to NOTE the ‘Action List’ to continue as a running item for all meetings.

051-22/23 Clerk’s Report – The clerk reported the correspondence/communications received for the period mid-Aug to date and noted those items included on the agenda for discussion.  

RESOLVED to NOTE adoption of similar format for future meetings.

052-22/23 Business Matters for Consideration

a. To review actions necessary to ensure the safety of persons using the Beck footpath.

Cllr. Mander indicated that the view taken by the PC regarding safety of the footpath is in line with the professional guidance given to the Council. Although a falling branch would present a high risk, the probability is low, therefore Cllr. Mander believed it acceptable to keep the Beck footpath open. Proposed Cllr. Black, Seconded Cllr. Sheppard.

RESOLVED to NOTE that Beck footpath be kept open subject to regular reviews to determine risk to the public from overhanging trees until the planned remedial work on the damaged trees is completed.

b. To review quotations for the tree maintenance work in the Beck and resolve to appoint a contractor.

Cllr. Mander had forwarded two quotations prior to the meeting for review by members. Cllr. Mander summarised the two quotations and proposed schedule of works.  Both quotations are from known local traders. Motion carried unanimously to award the contract to commence works. Payment will be subject to satisfactory completion and works to be inspected by Cllr. Mander.

RESOLVED to appoint Hilltop Tree Services to undertake tree work as per email and text correspondence.  ACTION: Clerk to contact Hilltop Tree Services and award contract subject to satisfactory undertakings.

c. To consider the request from Springthorpe PC for collaboration to oppose the proposals for the solar farm proposed by Tillbridge Solar Ltd Development. (Email correspondence Cllr. Mander 21.8.2022)

Cllr. Mander read the email from Cllr. Gillian Procter, Chair of Springthorpe PC, inviting Hemswell PC to ‘collaborate with other councils to oppose the proposals’ and attend a meeting at Springthorpe during October. Cllr. Mander invited comments from council members. Cllrs. Black, Watkinson and Sheppard expressed views that as the development lay outside Hemswell Parish, residents should be encouraged to give their individual views/responses rather than a response by Council. Cllr. Roberts suggested the issue was important with wider implications for developments in and around the parish, and therefore council should request more information as it became available, but it was not necessary for members to attend meetings at this stage.

RESOLVED to RESPOND to Chair of Springthorpe PC expressing thanks for the invitation and asking to be kept informed of developments.  ACTION: Clerk.

d. To accept for review the Hemswell Cliff Neighbourhood Plan (NHP).

Given the proximity of Hemswell Cliff and the possible impact of the proposed NHP, Cllr. Mander asked members to review and comment on the submitted documents via the WLDC website. Link to the Hemswell Cliff submission to be added to PC website.

RESOLVED to add link on the PC website to the WLDC page for the Hemswell Cliff NHP submission and share with members. ACTION: Clerk.

e. To consider the frequency of data collection and reporting mechanisms for the Speed Indicator Device (SID)

Cllr. Mander updated members on the last seven weeks of data collection that indicated > 1200 counts captured with av. speed of 32.1 mph. Majority of counts indicate up to 33 mph, with four counts up to 51 mph. Cllr. Mander explained the difficulty caused by the lack of patterns in the data making it harder to argue the need for local police presence on any specific day/time. Cllr. Mander encouraged members of the public to note details of suspected incidences of speeding including date/time/car that may support captured data. Cllr. Mander suggested recent data was similar to the first tranche in that the presence of the SID is not producing behavioural change – i.e., causing approaching drivers to reduce speed.  Cllr. Mander sought members' view on how data should be used. Cllr. Sheppard suggested more should be done on speed reduction and Cllr. Black suggested sharing a summary of the data with the village Facebook pages/notice board. Members discussed options, including writing to highways and the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership to investigate the lowering of the speed limits on the A631 (Gainsborough Road and the B1398 (Middle Street) adjacent to the village entrances/exits and look at other resources, e.g., RoSPA for resources highlighting the consequences of speeding.

RESOLVED to produce notice/infographics for PC website, Village FB/Newsletter & Parish groups summarising SID data and to contact Highways/LRSP/RoSPA for resources.  ACTION: The chair to provide an accessible summary of data to the clerk for infographics/notices.

Items 7f deferred for discussion after 055-22/23 Newsletter

f. To consider Parish Council Governance documents and policies to include: 

i. Grant and Donation Policy

Cllr. Mander discussed the need for the policy and invited comments from members. Unanimously carried as a suitable policy for future financial planning and for adoption by council.

RESOLVED to adopt Grant and Donation policy subject to approved amendments for publishing to the PC website.  ACTION: Clerk to publish amended policy to PC website.

ii. Hemswell Burial Policy

Cllr. Mander expressed a need for a policy as only the fees are currently available on the PC website. However, Cllr. Mander proposed that from his experience as Burial Clerk, the policy could be streamlined to better suit the requirements of Hemswell Civil Cemetery. All members agreed.

RESOLVED to AMEND Burial policy to better suit requirements of Hemswell Civil Cemetery.  ACTION: Cllr B. Mander to amend and forward to Clerk as an agenda item for next meeting.

iii. Model Scheme of Delegation Policy

Cllr. Mander explained the purpose of a Delegation Policy being to avoid calling extraordinary meetings for resolving certain PC matters, e.g., planning applications, emergency payments. Cllr. Mander outlined how the delegation scheme would be implemented. Some sections (i.e., staffing) of the policy were not appropriate and the chair proposed amendment and submission to council for adoption at the next meeting.

RESOLVED to AMEND Scheme of Delegation Policy and submit at next meeting.  ACTION: Cllr B. Mander to amend and forward to Clerk as an agenda item for next meeting.

iv. Civility and Respect Policy and Pledge

Cllr. Mander summarised the NALC Civility and Respect pledge believing that existing Hemswell PC policies, procedures and behaviours did not require additional ‘pledges’.

Cllr. Mander explained that Hemswell PC does not currently meet some criteria for adopting the pledge, which would require additional policies to be written, i.e., Training policy, Dignity at Work Policy. Cllr. Mander felt the principles expressed in the pledge are adequately covered by existing PC documents e.g., Standing Orders, Code of Conduct. Members discussed and agreed not to adopt the pledge at this time. Cllr. Mander proposed Clerk investigates cost-benefit of additional work needed to meet all criteria.  

RESOLVED to NOTE the NALC Civility and Respect Policy and Pledge but not to adopt at this time.

v. Adoption of @gmail.com in line with best practice

Cllr. Mander explained the role of the Information Commissioner Officer’s Office (ICO) and the Freedom of Information Act (FIA) and regarding council business, emails, correspondence, etc. Cllr. Mander reminded members of the PC Communication Policy regarding point of contact and correspondence via the clerk. The ICO recommended best practice is for councils to adopt a dedicated email format. Cllr. Mander explained that .gov.uk email addresses are an expensive option, as are specific domain names, but Gmail accounts can be used as a standardised alternative. Cllr. Roberts sought assurance that Gmail accounts would work with Microsoft Outlook and the clerk assured they do.

RESOLVED to create standardised @gmail.com accounts for members.  ACTION: Clerk to advise members and provide technical assistance if required.

053-22/23 Financial Reports – To receive the financial report and approve payments. 

a. Financial Report - Cllr. Mander presented a financial report showing strict adherence to good accounting practices.

b. Cheques to Authorise - None

c. Payments to Ratify

Financial matters approved without comment.

Cllr Watkinson gave apologies for having to leave the meeting at 20:25.

054-22/23 Planning Matters

a. Application 145358 Millfield, Middle Street, Hemswell. Hemswell PC had responded unanimously to agree to offer no objection. RESOLVED to NOTE.

b. Update on the Forge, Brook Street, Hemswell. The clerk read the email correspondence from Andy Gray (21.9.2022 @9:39 AM) as follows:

“Dear Elizabeth,

I have been asked to contact you by Councillor Paul Howitt-Cowan to update you on the Council’s position regarding the Forge at Hemswell.

As you will be aware the Council has received further complaints in relation to this building and the works undertaken at the site. We currently have an open investigation to look at any breaches of planning that have occurred, which we are currently seeking legal advice on. We are in contact with the site owner on these matters and have advised that no further works to take down or demolish the remaining structure should occur until the Council have looked further into the matter. 

I cannot be more specific in regards to the above as this is an ongoing investigation, however I hope that the above provides reassurance that the Council are aware of and are dealing with the concerns that have been raised about the site.

This update can be provided at the next meeting of your Parish Council and I would ask that any further concerns about the site or any activity that is occurring upon it be reported in the usual way to the Council by e-mailing enforcement@west-lindsey.gov.uk

Many Thanks

Andy Gray, Housing and Environmental Enforcement Manager”

No comments were made in response to the email.

055-22/23 Representative Reports - To receive reports from external agencies (and sub-committees). For information only. Verbal reports are to be limited to 5 minutes duration.

Invitations to attend/submit reports had been extended to County, District and PCSO, the Village Hall Committee and Church Wardens.

· County Councillor C Peratton-Wiliams (via email 26.9.2022) offered apologies, no report but requested any questions to be forwarded to her.

· District Councillor P. Howitt-Cowan’s report was distributed before the meeting. The report can be found on the PC website via: https://hemswell.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/74/district-cllr-newsletter-sept2022

· Police Report – PCSO Julie McFaul (via email 26.9.2022) offered apologies and following report:

o   2 x report that is not in the public’s interest, 1 x report suspicious circumstances, 1 x report concern for safety.

o   I [PCSO] have spoken to Graham Prestwood and Paul at the community centre and they have mentioned Quad bikes have been seen near to the ball park. No reports have been called to the police at the time of any sightings however, CCTV has provided excellent images – we  have visited  the owner and this has been addressed. Please call 101 if the Quads are seen being driven on the estate again.

· Village Hall Events Oct-Dec 2022 (via email 21.9.2022).

Regular bookings

Future events

Children’s Halloween Crafts- Sunday 30th Oct- 2pm. Small fee of £3 per child inc. resources & refreshments. Some of the decorations will be used to create an extra spooky Hemswell village on Halloween itself!

December Craft night special- Christmas wreath making Thurs 8th Dec 7pm £10pp includes festive refreshments. Everything is provided, so just bring yourselves!

Christmas Carols around the Christmas tree Sun 18th Dec 5pm- details TBC

Hall Hire Private or business events, chairs/tables/marque hire. Contact: hemswellandharpswellvillagehall@outlook.com   or one of our committee members: Tina Ramsay, Paul Watkinson, Rosemary Jackson, Marlene Jackson, Steph Franklin, Ingrid Langton, Mark Tatam and Sally Everatt.

056-22/23 Newsletter – To consider items for publication, including preferred format and issue date.

A newsletter could be produced under LGA Act S134 (power not a duty). Cllr. Mander asked members for ideas/contributions. Cllr. Roberts indicated the duty of the PC is to publish the minutes and was concerned that ‘news’ quickly becomes out of date, issues of printing costs and means of circulation.  Cllr. Mander suggested a newsletter could be an opportunity/format to engage with residents. Cllr. Black suggested combination of print and digital format might be explored with residents choosing to ‘Opt-in’ for digital access. Discussion occurred around the lack of access /difficulty of accessing digital media for many residents. Members discussed whether a poll or survey would be an appropriate way to determine the interest in regular newsletters.

RESOLVED to investigate local interest topics or information for inclusion in joint newsletter or incorporation with Village Hall, Trent Cliff Gazette.  ACTION: Clerk

Outstanding Items:

The chair advised that on the morning of the 8th August 2022, emergency services attended a burnt-out car on Hemswell Lane, just below (west of) the cemetery. The car has been removed, but the road surface remains damaged and coned off with road narrowing signs in place.

ACTION: Clerk to contact highways to enquire when the damaged road surface will be repaired.

057-22/23   DATE OF NEXT MEETING – RESOLVED TO NOTE the date of the next meeting as 21st November 2022, 7.15 PM. 

Meeting Closed: 9:06 PM

MINUTES ADOPTED 21.11.2022