Draft Minutes - 26 September 2024
Minutes of the meeting held Thursday, 26 September 2024 at 7pm in the Parish Rooms
Public Forum
There were three members of the public present at the meeting. There were no matters raised that were not on the agenda.
Report from Outside Bodies.
a) ELDC Ward Member Cllr Edward Mossop sent his apologies.
b) LCC Ward Member. Cllr Alex Hall reported on the following:
i. Missing manhole cover. Both Anglian Water (AW) and LCC have denied liability to replace a cover. Cllr AH will arrange replacement by end-November if no agreement is resolved.
ii. There is no further progress on the potholes
iii. The footpath by The Thimbles had been cleared.
Cllr AH was requested to get the Highways Team to provide better information and signage on road closures. There were no clear signs where access was still permissible.
08/24-1 Record of Members Present and Apologies
Present: Cllr Gillian Pollard (GP) (Chair), Cllr Ian Appleby (IA) (Vice-Chair), Cllr Anne McCready (AM), Cllr Angela Quinton (AQ), Cllr Lesley Jackson (LJ) and Cllr Mark Waller (MW)
Also present: Cllr Alex Hall (LCC), Mrs Nicky Gulley Brown (CVV), Mr Terry Fairburn and Mrs Nadine Must (Parish Clerk/RFO)
Apologies accepted: Cllr Terry Aldridge (TA), Cllr Anna Smith (AS) and Cllr Edward Mossop (ELDC)
09/24-2 Declarations of Interest on any item on the agenda. The Vice Chair, Cllrs AQ and LJ declared their interests on all agenda items relating to issues involving Covenham Village Volunteers (CVV).
09/24-3 Minutes from 1 August 2024. It was resolved that the draft minutes from the meeting were accurate and was duly signed by the Chair.
P: AQ; S: IA, All in favour
09/24-4 Council Matters
a) Chair’s Remarks. Cllr GP welcomed attendees to the meeting and reported that
i. CVV have now taken over the lease of the Parish Rooms and renovations have started and facilities now improved.
ii. The footpath opposite the Thimbles had been cleared and is accessible again.
iii. The Parish Council is hosting a short Remembrance Day Service at the memorial in St. Barts on Sunday, 10 November and CVV will once again put on refreshments afterwards. More details to follow.
iv. Councillors are available to hear any concerns residents have in the two villages.
b) Clerk’s Report. Noted.
i. No further update from ELDC on taking on rubbish collection for a new bin in Grange Lane
ii. The CPR Training from EMAS went well. There were 13 attendees.
c) Communications Received. Noted
i. Available Grit tonne bag. The solidified salt grit in the bin outside St Mary’s Church had been resolved and refilled. The grit bin in St Barts is also full. There is no need to request for extra grit. It was noted that the grit bin situated near Thomas Centre had disappeared. Cllr AQ to investigate and report back.
ii. PSPO Consultation. The Council resolved to make no comments.
d) To consider setting up a Finance and Resource Committee. This agenda item has been deferred again. Cllr TA was not in attendance and no information was submitted for consideration. If there is no further update at the next meeting, this item will no longer be considered.
P: IA; S: AQ, All in favour
e) Local Council Records and Documents. The Council resolved to look at other options to store the parish council records including small metal storage cases which can be stored underneath the floorboards, researching businesses in Louth that provide scanning services and secure disposal. A storage space may also be available when a disabled toilet facility is built.
f) Poors Allotment (The Ecclesiastical and Eleemosynary Charities). There were no nominations received for the vacancy of Treasurer/Trustee. The vacancy need not be filled by a parish councillor, so it was resolved to put out an advertisement in the newsletters sent out.
g) May 2025 Elections. It was resolved to recommend St Mary’s Church as the new polling station for local and national elections. CVV has regular bookings in the Parish Rooms and will no longer be available. The Parish Clerk to notify ELDC.
P: IA; S: LJ, All in favour
The Council did not need to go into closed session for the next item as stated on the agenda. The interested parties were amenable to discuss the issue with all the attendees in the room.
09/24-5 Parish Rooms adjacent building offer. The owner of the adjacent property has offered to sell the brick outbuilding at the back of the Parish Rooms for £1,500 and the Parish Council has agreed in principle and will cover all the costs of the purchase agreement. The owner was happy to be paid in two instalments: one half this financial year and the remaining balance in the next financial year. The Parish Clerk will instruct Bridge McFarland to deal with the contract.
P: GP; S: AM, All in favour
09/24-6 Parish Rooms
a) Restrictive Covenants. The draft deed of release has not been received despite the emails sent by the Parish Clerk.
b) Electricity and water supply. The direct debit instructions with EDF Energy has been cancelled and the billing has been transferred to CVV. The Anglian Water account is still ongoing until the switch to the new supplier contracted by CVV has completed the switchover.
c) CVV. Nicky Gulley Brown (NGB) reported that
i. Volunteers had been very busy with decorating and working on the improvements to the Parish Rooms which were completed by 30th August as stipulated in the grant criteria. NGB thanked the GrassRoots team, AMS and YMCA and all the CVV volunteers which made it happen.
ii. Air bricks have been installed as well as central heating and Wi-Fi is now available.
iii. Fabric suspended ceiling in the main hall is work in progress
iv. A funding bid for replacement doors was submitted on 1st September and had to take into account new building rules and regulations. Both front and rear doors need to be wider to be accessible to all and building a pair of double doors in the front of the building as a fire exit were included in the bid as well as planning permission, architect and builders’ fees. CVV will find out by End-October if their application is successful. If so, then works will be carried out early next Spring.
09/24-7 Finance and Budgets
a) Defibrillator Guardianship Agreement. The Council resolved to accept the quote from LIVES to provide an annual guardianship for the defibrillator for £200 a year.
b) Payments. The Council accepted payments for September 2024 detailed below.
| To | Amount | VAT Element | |
| 1 | Parish Clerk Salary and expenses - August/September 24 | 1076.41 | - |
| 2 | HMRC PAYE Income Tax | 5.80 | - |
| 3 | LALC AGM and Summer Conference | 48.00 | 8.00 |
| 4 | Bridge McFarland Professional Fees - Lease agreement | 1080 | 180 |
| Total | 2210.21 | 188.00 |
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P: LJ; S: IA, All in favour
c) Latest Receipts and Payments Monitoring. Expenses against budgets were noted.
09/24-8 Community Amenities and Groups
a) Covenham Reservoir Steps. It was unanimously agreed to apply and the steps as a public right of way. The Parish Clerk had requested for the relevant forms to complete. Cllr AH mentioned that the processing time will be lengthy as there were already several applications being considered. A petition was suggested which will hopefully create a more rapid response.
b) St Barts Church. NGB reported that the required survey has been completed and remedial report and funding are work in progress.
c) St Mary’s Church. Cllr AM reported that the post of treasurer is still vacant. A Quinquennial inspection is being arranged as well as the five-yearly electrical inspection and certificate prior to a Fire Risk Assessment. The fire extinguishers have been checked and have their own stands. An application for a licence from ELDC to hold the annual Christmas Draw is required as sale of tickets are being sold outside of Church premises. Attendance at the August events were down as people were on holiday. Forthcoming events include Charity Bingo Night on 25 October in aid of Sense, Why Return to the Moon on 8th November and a Christmas Fair on 16th November. The hedge round the church desperately need cutting and will hopefully be done shortly. The cemetery hedge is also due for pruning in October/November and some tree work by the entrance.
d) Covenham Village Volunteers. CVV held its first Treasure Hunt which was well attended and sold out of food. A repeat will be held in2025. The CVV Committee has increased from seven to 10 members and micro-volunteers as gone up to a record 26 which will help put on more events and continue to achieve their mission. There is now a DIY (Bring your own drink) pub night on a Friday and includes free tea, coffee, nibbles and games. St Mary’s hosted all the other exercise classes except the yoga while the Parish Rooms were being renovated. The café and yoga have now been relaunched in the Parish Rooms. 11 of the volunteers have achieved their Level 2 Food Hygiene in Catering. An Archery Group for beginners starts on 7th October. Further events include a Macmillan Coffee Morning on the 3rd October, October Fest on the 26th, Alternative Bonfire Night on the 2nd November and a Pie and Peas Night on 16th November. Weekly events include Family Fitness Yoga on Tuesdays, Boxer fit on Wednesdays and the Craft Club on Thursday mornings. Future plans for the next year include a camera/photography club and a reading/book club.
e) Monthly lunches. Cllr GP reported that the lunches continue to be well attended and slightly increasing. The menu has reverted to home-made soups. There is no lunch in October as the organisers will be busy preparing for a Harvest Supper. Next lunch is 6th November and will welcome old and new faces. There is no charge but a donation to cover costs is always appreciated.
09/24-9 ELDC/LCC Services
a) Fixmystreet reports. The fallen tree branches outside Blenheim House had been reported but eventually cleared by the landowner.
b) Highways Issue. The blind bends along the Main Road especially along the junction with Birketts Lane were discussed. A mirror was not an option that LCC Highways approves of. Cllr AH will liaise with the Highways Team on alternative safety measures.
09/24-10 Planning Matters.
a) Updates on applications. None
b) Applications for consideration
(i) N/037/00667/24 | Outline erection of 1no. dwelling. | The New Plough, Main Road, Covenham St Bartholomew LN11 0PF. The Council resolved to maintain its objection on the same grounds as previously submitted which were (1) the increase in traffic generation and consequent highways safety and (2) the capacity of local infrastructure, i.e., public drainage or water systems, being inadequate. There is already an ongoing issue with the drains and flooding in the area.
(ii) Tree Preservation Order works| Sycamore House Main Road, Covenham St Mary. The Council resolved to support the works outlined in the consultation leter.
09/24-11 Date of Next Meeting – Thursday, 28 November 2024, 7pm Parish Rooms
The meeting closed at 9:10pm.