Minutes

 

05/25-1 Election of Chair. Cllr Gillian Pollard was proposed and seconded for the appointment.  There being no other nominations, it was RESOLVED to reappoint Cllr Gillian Pollard as Chair and duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

P: NGB; S: AM, All in favour

 

05/25-2 Election of Vice-Chair. Cllr Mervyn Counter was proposed and seconded for the appointment.  There being no other nominations, it was RESOLVED to appoint Cllr Mervyn Counter as Vice-Chair and duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

P: NGB; S: TC, All in favour

 

a) Report from ELDC Ward Member. Cllr E Mossop was not in attendance.

b) Report from LCC Ward Member.  Cllr Nick Hastings attended the meeting and brought with him Cllr Sean Matthews, LCC Council Leader.  Parish issues concerning LCC were discussed at this session but documented in their relevant sections.  The Council Leader reported that a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board discussed a report outlining the proposals for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) in Lincolnshire.  A decision to withdraw from the Community Partnership will be decided at the Executive Meeting next week.  It was also reported that a new food waste bin will be rolled out later this year or early next year.  The food waste collected will be sent to a local anaerobic digestion facility. LCC will continue to oppose the Pylons infrastructure and will impose charges on the National Grid which may impact on the costs and reconsider other options.

c) Public Forum.  No resident attended the meeting.

 

Present: Cllr Gillian Pollard (GP) (Chair), Cllr Mervyn Counter (MC) (Vice Chair), Cllr Anne McCready (AM), Cllr Nicky Gulley-Brown (NGB), Cllr Tony Coultas (TC) and Cllr Lesley Jackson (LJ) who arrived at 7:30pm

Also present: LCC Leader Cllr Sean Matthews, LCC Ward Member Cllr Nick Hastings and Mrs Nadine Must (Parish Clerk/RFO) 

Apologies accepted: Cllr Ian Appleby (IA) and Cllr Terry Aldridge (TA) 

 

05/25-4 Chair’s Remarks.  Cllr GP welcomed everyone and thanked her fellow councillors for voting her back in as Chair. She welcomed the two Lincolnshire County Councillors for their attendance.

 

05/25-5 To receive any Declarations of Interest on any item on the agenda.  Cllrs NGB and LJ were given dispensation on item 05/25-8 relating to the Parish Rooms.

 

05/25-6– Minutes from 28 March 2025 – It was resolved that the draft minutes were accurate and was duly signed by the Chair.

P: MC; S: TC, Passed

 

a) Annual Review of all Council policies.  The Council reviewed and agreed no changes to most of the policies except for:

i. The recommended changes by the National Association of Local Council to the Standing Orders were considered and the Council resolved to accept that contracts below £60,000 will be exempt from going to tender, the previous value being £25,000.  The other recommendation agreed was to remove the first three sub-paragraphs on the Code of Conduct Complaints. 

ii. a new Safeguarding Policy which was adopted and the Council agreed that all Councillors should be mindful of safeguarding needs and there was no need to appoint a dedicated Safeguarding Officer.

P: NGB; S: AM, All in favour

b) Actions from previous meeting.  The Clerk’s report was noted.

c) Communications Received.  This was noted.

d) Annual Parish Meeting actions. The LCC Ward Member agreed to look into the open ditch by Ambleside property and explore options to mitigate vehicle incidents on the bend.

e) Parish Council insurance.  It was noted that the Council had an outstanding three-year long-term agreement with Zurich which expires in 2026.

f) No Pylons banner.  The Council approved purchasing three banners to be placed at each end of the parish and one for outside the parish rooms, cost of which will be split with CVV.  Cllr LJ will action and be reimbursed.  The LCC Leader agreed to attend when the banners are put up to show support.

g) Performance Appraisal.  The completed form was agreed and the Council approved payment of 28.97 extra hours worked by the Parish Clerk during FY2024/25.

P: MC; S: LJ, All in Favour

 

a) Deed Of Release of Restrictive Covenant.   The final version from the Methodist Trustees has not been received. 

b) ELIF and National Lottery Grant application.  The Council agreed the completed application forms drafted by the Parish Clerk.  It was agreed to add £500 for decorating materials.  The total project cost of £44,958 will be submitted for ELIF Funding of £24,999 and the remaining balance of £19,959 for the National Lottery’s Awards for All.

 

LCC Council Leader Sean Matthews left the meeting at 8 pm.

 

a) Payments. The following payments were agreed for May 2025

P: TC; S: NGB, All in Favour

b) Receipts.  Noted

c) PAYE Bill by Direct Debit.  The Council resolved to pay HMRC by direct debit.  All other expenses and payments will be approved at scheduled parish council meetings.

d) Receipts and Payments FY 2024-2025.  All transactions were noted.

e) 2024/25 AGAR Internal Auditor’s report.  The Council noted the comment from the Internal Auditor stating the Council’s records had a good audit trail and congratulated the Parish Clerk for keeping the records in good order.

f) 2024/25 AGAR Annual Governance Statement.  The Council agreed there was a system of internal control and the Chair signed the form.

g) 2024/25 AGAR Accounting Statements.  The bank reconciliation, explanation of variances and assets register were noted and the Chair signed the form.  The Assets Register for the current year will be reviewed.

h) 2024/25 AGAR Certificate of Exemption.  The Council certified itself Exempt from a limited assurance review and the Chair signed the form for submission to the External Auditors.

P: TC; S: AM, All in Favour

 

a) Covenham Reservoir DMMO application.  It was noted that there was only one user evidence form completed and it was agreed to persuade as many residents to write their recollections of using the steps which will be collated for submission.  Both LCC Councillors were informed of the history behind the application and made suggestions on gathering more evidence.

b) St Mary’s Church Quinquennial Inspection. The report was noted and there was no action required from the Parish Council except for supplying a new garden contractor.

c) Gardening services for St Mary’s Church closed churchyard.  The gardening contractor has not attended to the grass cutting and not replied to any communications despite the number of occasions the Chair and Cllr AM contacted him.  It was resolved to use Building Internals Garden as a temporary measure until quotes from gardening contractors are considered at the next meeting.

 

The Vice Chair left the meeting at 8:15 pm.

 

a) Grange Lane foul smell.  The report from ELDC Environment Officer was noted.  The LCC Ward Member will take up this issue with the relevant department.  The blocked drains cause flooding in the area and deemed a health and safety hazard.

b) New Bin for Grange Lane.  The Council agreed to buy a Fido 25 to be put on the ELDC lamp post Number 3 which is on the Main Road opposite Grange Lane in Covenham St Bartholomew.  The Clerk will confirm with the Cleansing Team.  

c) Footpath between Grange Lane and Birketts Lane.   The LCC Council Leader and the LCC Ward Member will discuss with the relevant department to fast-track the repair of the rotted bridge.

 

a) 02083/25/FUL Planning Permission Parish Rooms - Extension and alterations to existing parish rooms to provide an accessible toilet, access and car parking.  The Council supports this application which will enhance the facilities in the Parish Rooms and provide a Fire Exit to comply with regulations.

b) Any received between agenda close and meeting. None

 

 

The meeting closed at 9pm.