2024 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

MINUTES POINTON & SEMPRINGHAM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

Tuesday 17th December 2024 at 7.30pm in St Gilbert Primary School

Councillors Present: Cllr Green, Greenwood, Keeley and Wesley (Chair)

In attendance: C. Cllr Hill, Parish Clerk Boden and 21 members of public.

To be noted that the meeting may be recorded for the purpose of transparency.

AGENDA 

Chairman’s Welcome and Housekeeping Arrangements.

24128. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SESSION

To receive reports from outside bodies.

Report from C. Cllr Hill. The new government have stated that more housing will be needed and built but at present this is not likely to effect Pointon. Lincolnshire will have a mayor from next year with the police and fire services coming under their jurisdiction. District councils are likely to come under Unitary control. 

Section 19 reports have been carried out, by government approved investigators, on each house that was flooded. These reports are at the moment not redated but once they are they will go on the LCC website.

Recommendations are that the relief drain owned by SKDC to be cleaned and tidied. LCC to carry out more jetting around the village and whilst some work has been carried out on West Road more will be needed. 

Work with land owners and Black Sluice to help get the water away and out of the village.

Report from D. Cllr Dixon-Warren. Apologies had been received. No report given

A member of public asked if the public participation could be moved to the end of the council meeting as questions regarding the meeting may arise. There is nothing to state where the public participation session is held and is up to individual councils.

A resident asked if the District Council or LCC could take charge over allowing the pavilion refurbishment to proceed. This is a PC matter and neither can override the council on this subject.

The chair of the pavilion group stated that the group now had a constitution, a bank account and that they had decided to take charity status and register as a CIO.

A member of public wanted to know why the playing field was suddenly being registered. This is something that should have been done a number of years ago and it was being done to protect the future of the land.

COUNCIL SESSION

24129. To receive Declarations of Pecuniary or Non-Pecuniary Interest. No Declarations of Pecuniary or Non-Pecuniary Interest had been received.

24130. To receive and accept Apologies for Absence. It was resolved to accept the apologies of Cllrs Christie and Clarke.

24131. To approve the clerk’s notes for the meeting held on the 22nd October 2024 and for the chair to sign. It was resolved to approve the clerk’s notes for the meeting held on the 22nd October 2024 and for the chair to sign.

24132. Finances:

a) To receive the clerk’s report on payments between meetings

It was resolved to accept the clerk’s report on payments made between meetings

b) To approve payments as list below.

It was resolved to approve payments as listed above.

c) To note payment received from SKDC (Community cleaner grant) of £463.32. It was noted that the payment of £463.32 had been received from SKDC (Community cleaner grant).

d) To approve the bank reconciliation and for the Vice-Chair to sign. It was resolved to approve the bank reconciliation and for the Vice-Chair to sign.

e) To approve LALC as the Internal Auditor for financial year 24/25. It was resolved to approve LALC as the Internal Auditor for the financial year 24/25.

24133. Playing Field

a) To receive an update on the new equipment installed. As Cllr Clark could not attend the clerk read out a statement.

b) To receive an update of the ROSPA inspection and for Cllrs to discuss the outcome. All Cllrs had been given a copy of the ROSPA report. Cllr Green had spoken to the workers installing the play equipment and had found them helpful.

The roundabout needs digging out and a new adequate floor reinstating and any rotten boards replacing. The mounting posts of the rocket are completely rotten and these along with the rocket need professional work. Once completed this will need risk assessments writing and a further inspection carried out by a ROSPA trained company.

Costings are to be sort.

24134. Policies - To review and accept the following policies:

a) Subject Access Request Procedure (SAR). It was resolved to accept the Subject Access Request Procedure (SAR).

b) Equality Policy. It was resolved to review and accept the amended Equality Policy.

c) Disciplinary Policy. It was resolved to review and accept the Disciplinary Policy.

d) Financial Risk Assessment. It was resolved to review and accept the Financial Risk Assessment.

24135. Training – To receive a report on the recent training events. Cllr Keeley had attended training on H&S and writing risk assessments. She had also attended an evening with the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum looking at Emergency Plans.

The clerk had attended a day’s CiLCA training with LALC and continues to work through the learning outcomes.

24136. Clerk’s Report – To receive an update of developments between meetings. Risk assessments had been completed for the laying of the matting, following the installation of the play equipment.

The tractor shed is now empty and has a new lock with keys given to a number of Cllrs. A key log will be created.

24137.  Emails – To consider the Council changing to .gov emails for security and best practice (JPAG). After discussion it was resolved for the clerk to obtain quotes for .gov emails.

24138. Telephone – To consider the Council purchasing a mobile phone to enable the clerk not to use her own, up to the value of £15.00 a month. It was resolved to defer the item to the next meeting.

24139. Pavilion & Playground –

a) To ratify the spend of up to £1,000, for registering the land with Land Registry. The clerk had tried to gain a certified copy the deeds for the playing field to find that they had been removed in 2018 by Cllr Greenwood. 

The clerk had spoken to the Vice Chair, as the Chair was unavailable, and following financial regulations the clerk contacted the solicitors to retrieve the deeds. The solicitors had written to Cllr Greenwood to ask for them to be given to the clerk.

Cllr Greenwood admitted that he had taken the deeds but couldn’t remember why he had taken them out or who he had given them to.

A further email has been sent by the solicitors giving the date of the 2nd January 2025 for the deeds to be returned. The solicitors have stated that costs will be the responsibility of Cllr Greenwood.

Once the deeds are returned then the clerk will register the land. 

b) To receive an update on the progress made allowing the Cllrs to discuss future progression. There have been no further meetings with the Pavilion group and the clerk is still waiting for information that the Cllrs asked for at the previous meetings. The group will not give out names, have not shared a business plan nor confirmed that they can access further funds if the £60,000 is not enough. The council have to show diligence and without this information a lease should not be signed.

With there being no deeds it also slows the progression down.

24140. Planning Application

24141. Freedom Of Information – To receive an update regarding the number of FOI received. The clerk had received two Freedom and Information requests and had acted accordingly acknowledging the requests and then providing the information. The clerk suggested that these requests be added to the website to provide information for others. It was resolved 

24142. To discuss the land (allotment) behind Queensway. A member of public (A) would like to look after and use the land to train her dogs. She has been to LCC and SKDC to try and find out who owns the land. Each have said it does not belong to them but the PC. The PC do not have any paperwork to show this.

The clerk had been trying to find the relevant information but would contact the D. Cllr to see if they could be of use.

A member of public (B) said she had relevant paperwork and gave it to another resident (C) and not the clerk. They (B &C) stated that they would help resident (A) to gain use of the land.

The clerk had been trying to find the relevant information but would contact the D. Cllr to see if they could be of use.

24143. Date and time of next Parish Council Meeting Tuesday 14th January at 7.30pm.

CLOSED COUNCIL SESSION

Items of a confidential nature to be debated in the absence of the press and public. Under the Public Bodies (Admission to the Meetings) Act 1960 (due to the confidential nature of the business).

Cllr Green proposed that the council enter closed session due to the confidential nature of the business. It was seconded by Cllr Wesley. It was resolved for the council to enter closed session.

24144. To note the NALC pay settlement for financial year 24/25. It was noted that the NALC pay awards for the financial year 2024-25 was a rise of £0.63 an hour.

The meeting closed at 8.55pm