2023 Minutes of Parish Council Meetings

Minutes of the Annual Hemswell Parish Council meeting held Monday 15th May 2023, 7.30pm at Hemswell and Harpswell Village Hall, Hemswell.

Present: Parish Councillors: Cllr. B. Mander (presiding Chair), Cllr. J. Roberts (presiding Vice-Chair), Cllr. M. Sheppard, Cllr. M. Foster Clerk: E. Raymond. District Councillor: P. Howitt-CowanMember(s) of the Public (MoP): 2 members

Public Forum Start 7:05 PM

i. Member of public:

• MoP asked about the ongoing poor state of the roads. The MoP had reported issues to LCC on numerous occasions and was assured action would be taken on 16.5.2023. The blocked/flooded drains situations have also been reported via FixMyStreet and MoP asked council to follow up on the reports. The MoP suggested council members issue an invite to walk around the village with a member from Highways team. The MoP also suggested members regularly walk the village to take note and identify items that need addressing. A member assured the MoP this suggestion had been taken on board and would be actioned.

Duly elected councillors signed their Declaration, Code of Conduct and Register of Interest forms prior to the start of the Parish Council Meeting.

The presiding Chair thanked the public for their contributions and formally convened the Annual Parish Council Meeting at 19:15 PM.

CHAIRPERSON REMARKS – The meeting was opened by the presiding Chair who welcomed everyone to the Annual Parish Council meeting and first since the Parish Elections of 4th May 2023. The Chair thanked the returning councillors on their re-election. Mr Chris Black did not stand for re-election and members expressed their thanks to Mr Black for his long service to the Parish Council, having previously taken on the role of Chair and council member.

AGENDA

001-23/24    To elect the Chair of the Parish Council and to receive the Chair’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

Cllr. Mander was proposed and seconded for the position of Chair. Unanimous vote.  Cllr. Mander accepted the position but asked that going forward Council consider rotating the position of Chair on an annual basis. Declaration and Acceptance of Office forms duly signed.

002-23/24    To elect the Vice Chair and to receive the Declarations of Acceptance of Office. Cllr. Roberts was proposed and seconded to stand as Vice-Chair. Unanimous vote. Cllr. Roberts accepted the position. Declaration and Acceptance of Office forms duly signed. ACTION: Clerk to copy and return appropriate post-election paperwork for elected councillors to WLDC.

003-23/24    Apologies for absence - None received.

004-23/24    Declarations of interest and dispensation requests in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 concerning matters in this agenda – None received.

005-23/24    To consider and resolve to approve the notes of the previous meeting.  RESOLVED that Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held Monday 20 March 2023 be approved and signed as a correct record. Proposed and signed.

006-23/24    Review of Action Items – The action sheet was shared with members and two ongoing items identified:

i. Issue of dog fouling remains a problem in the village as reported by grass cutting contractor and residents.

ii. Village meeting to be organised to promote the preservation of Memory Books and engage residents to create local group.

007-23/24    Clerk’s Report – The clerk summarised correspondence/communications and tasks completed for the period from 20.03.2023 to date and noted those items dealt with under the Scheme of Delegation and those on the agenda for discussion:

• Writing and publication of first issue Parish Council newsletter.
• Supporting Chair and work of council re: policies, website updates and meeting preparation, financial, general correspondence with VH, contractors.
• Preparations and documentation for Parish Elections – notices, issue of paperwork, correspondence with WLDC.
• Preparations for the Annual Parish Council meeting including review of all policies and procedures.
• Dealings with insurance companies for renewal quotes of Parish Council insurance.
• Requests to companies to undertake cleaning of the Maypole. The outcome was not as good as hoped for and therefore agreed to a reduced payment.
• Revision of burial fees and various policies uploaded to the website. Contact with local funeral directors to advise of new policies and fees. Ongoing correspondence with the Diocese of Lincoln regarding Faculty for cemetery works.
• Updates/amendments to Parish Council policies and website.
• Receipt and forward of application for Grant from Village Hall committee to members.  
• Emails requesting external reports to County, District, PCSO, Village Hall and Church.
• Planning applications dealt with under Scheme of Delegation: 2 x planning matters returned to WLDC (20 Church St ) with council comments and objections. 1 x planning matter received after issue of agenda (145843, 20 Weldon Road), resubmission.

RESOLVED to ACCEPT clerks report.

008-23/24    BUSINESS MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION

a. To review and approve the following governance documents:

i. Standing Orders (V2.0 Adopted May 2022)

ii. Financial Regulations (V1.1 Adopted Jan 2023)

iii. Code of Conduct (WLDC V1.0 Adopted March 2022)

RESOLVED to update version control records and adopt policies for publication to the Parish Council website. ACTION: Clerk.

009-23/24    To review and approve the Parish Council’s Asset List (V3.0 Adopted May 2022)

RESOLVED to adopt the Asset List (V3.0) without changes and update version control records. ACTION: Clerk.

In reviewing items on Asset List (V3.0), council discussed budget and arrangements to renovate/replace some benches on the list. ACTION: Clerk to identify benches in need of attention and arrange quotations for renovation/replacement of benches.

010-23/24    To review and approve the Parish Council Policies listed below:

i. Scheme of Delegation (V1.1 Adopted Nov 2022)

ii. Co-Option Policy & Procedure (V1.1 Adopted Jan 2023)

iii. Health & Safety Policy (V1.0 Adopted March 2022)

iv. Accessibility Statement – Retested May 2023. Some minor issues including contrast of text that cannot be resolved due to template provided by website provider. Others to be resolved on on-going basis.

v. Privacy Policy (Reviewed Dec 2022)

vi. Risk Management (V1.1 Adopted March 2022)

vii. Equal Opportunities (V1.0 March 2022) [amend to diversity and inclusion]

viii. Training and Development (V1.0 Adopted Nov 2022)

ix. Complaints Procedure (V1.0 Adopted March 2022)

x. Grant and Donation Policy V1.0 Adopted Sept 2022)

xi. Document Retention & Disposal (V1.2 Adopted Nov 2022)

xii. Data Protection (V1.1 Adopted March 2022 Reviewed Dec 2022)

xiii. Communications Policy (V1.0 Adopted March 2022)

xiv. Data Breach Policy (V1.1 Adopted March 2022) (Reviewed Dec 2022)

xv. Media Policy (V1.1 Adopted March 2022) (Reviewed Dec 2022)

xvi. Social Media Policy (V1.1 Adopted March 2022) (Reviewed Dec 2022)

xvii. Handling Freedom of Information Requests (V1.0 Adopted March 2022)

xviii. Whistle Blowing Policy (V1.0 Adopted March 2022)

xix. Publication Scheme (V1.1 Adopted March 2022)

x. Burial Authority Policies and Procedures (Adopted March 2023)

RESOLVED to adopt the policies listed above without changes and update version control records. ACTION: Clerk.

RESOLVED to NOTE that documents: xiii, xv and xvi. were identified as being appropriate for combining into one overarching document at future date but accepted without changes at this time.

011-23/24       To agree to review and approve any new arising Parish Council policies according to date written or date approved including those produced under the Scheme of Delegation in line with Parish Council Policy Schedule checklist.

RESOLVED to NOTE.

012-23/24       Council agreed to review the structure of the Personnel Committee and its associated Terms of Reference [Agenda item 5. EOM 4th June 2022 refers].

RESOLVED to review Personnel Committee structure and Terms of Reference for consideration and adoption by council at the next meeting. ACTION: Clerk.

013-23/24       To review and agree on the date, time and place of forthcoming Parish Council meetings. 

RESOLVED to retain existing arrangement of calling meetings on the third Monday every other month, commencing at 7.00pm, to be held Hemswell and Harpswell Village Hall.

014-23/24       To review the Parish Council insurance cover and resolve to implement a new policy.

RESOLVED to seek 3 year deal with Gallagher to renew policy provided it is within £80.00 of existing proposal. ACTION: Clerk.

015-23/24       To discuss and consider a Grant Application received from the Hemswell & Harpswell Village Hall Trust for contribution toward the cost of grass cutting for the 2023/24 season. Council considered the application against the FY 2023/4 budget allocation and agreed to award 50% of the grant total requested being £500.00. Motion proposed and seconded.

RESOLVED to contribute 50% of the cost of grass cutting being £500.00 total. ACTION: Clerk to contact Village Hall Committee and arrange Grant as per conditions stated in the Parish Council Grant and Donation Policy.

016-23/24       FINANCIAL MATTERS

To receive the financial report and approve payments.Financial report presented to members showing expenditure, income and running balances via Spreadsheet. Summary table provided below.

RESOLVED to accept as accurate record of sound financial practice.

017-23/24       To review and amend the existing banking mandate as per current council members.

RESOLVED to remove retiring councillors from the mandate and add all current members. ACTION: Chair to obtain and circulate bank mandate form to councillors for completion and signatures and submission to bank.

018-23/24       To receive and agree approval of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2022/23 documents:

018-23/24 i. Annual Internal Audit Report

The internal Auditor Report was received and noted. RESOLVED to publish document. ACTION: Clerk.

018-23/24 ii. Annual Governance Statement (Sct 1)

The statement presented by the RFO was unanimously approved. Chair and clerk signed the document. ACTION: Clerk to publish document.

018-23/24 iii. Accounting Statements (Sct 2)

The statements presented by the RFO were unanimously approved. RFO signed the document before presenting to council. Chair signed the document after council approval. ACTION: Clerk to publish document.

018-23/24 iv. Bank Reconciliation

The bank reconciliation presented by the RFO was unanimously approved. ACTION: Clerk to publish document.

018-23/24 v. Explanation of Variances

The explanation of variances presented by the RFO was unanimously approved. ACTION: Clerk to publish document.

018-23/24 vi. Exercise of Public Rights

Unanimously resolved to accept the proposal by the RFO that dates for the Exercise of Public Rights run from Monday 5 June 2023 to Friday 14 July 2023 inclusive. ACTION: Clerk to publish 'Excercise of Public Rights Notice' and 'Local Authority Accounts: A Summary of Your Rights' document on Parish Council website and Village Hall notice board.

018-23/24 vii. Certificate of Exemption Form 2.

Unanimously resolved to declare that the authority is exempt from the requirement for a limited assurance review for the purposes of the Annual Governance and Accountability Return 2022/2023 and approved the signing of the Certificate of Exemption Form 2. The Chair and RFO signed the Certificate of Exemption. ACTION: Clerk to return the Certificate of Exemption to external auditor no later than 30th June 2023 and to publish on Parish Council website.

019-23/24       Planning Matters – Planning Application 145843, Weldon Road received from WLDC after issue of agenda. RESOLVED to deal with Planning Application 145843, Weldon Road under the Scheme of Delegation. ACTION: Clerk to circulate to members in accordance with Scheme of Delegation.

020-23/24       Representative Reports - Invitations to receive reports extended to County & District Cllrs., PCSO, Village Hall Committee (and external agencies and sub-committees as appropriate). For information only.

No reports were received from County Councillor or PCSO.

• Report from Village Hall Committee Member received and read by the clerk who also advised members of the date of the Hemswell and Harpswell Village Hall Annual General Meeting as Thursday 1st June 2023. See below.
• District Cllr. Paul Howitt-Cowan provided electronic copy of his report which had been circulated to members. Cllr Howitt-Cowan elaborated on some elements of his report and updated the members on the impact of local elections upon WLDC. The District Councillor report is available to view on the Parish Council website at: https://hemswell.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/downloads/download/37/district-cllr---annual-report-2023?downloadID=37

021-23/24      Date of Next Meeting – Resolved to note the date and time of the next Parish Council Meeting as Monday 17th July 2023, 7:00 pm. 

Meeting closed 20:49

VILLAGE HALL REPORT:

Hemswell and Harpswell Village Hall May 2023.
We had a tidy up day on April 15th , this was to be a village tidy up but due to lack of help we just concentrated on the village hall and the bus stop area. We would like to thank the clerk and her
family for the help they gave on the day.

We had a successful May Day, raising a total of £xxx, we would like to thank Elizabeth for the help and support she gave with the advertising campaign, this was seen far and wide on social media and we feel helped to increase attendance. We were lucky with the weather, and lots of folk from the village and beyond (from Willoughton to the USA!) came to help.

Since the last report the village hall has been repointed by Lincoln Lime Ltd at a cost of £5,742.00. David of Lincoln Lime will return to plaster the middle room wall, which is very damp caused by inefficient guttering on the schoolhouse side of the building, the guttering will also be sorted. A quote has been obtained to decorate all rooms in the hall – this is around £1900 plus the cost of hiring a scaffolding tower and the paint.
The hall remains a significant building in a conservation area and help is needed to allow the hall to remain open for use. We plan to canvas the residents of Hemswell and Harpswell to ask what they want.

Village Hall Committee