2024 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

MINUTES OF POINTON & SEMPRINGHAM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING

Tuesday 24th September 2024 at 7.30pm in St Gilbert Primary School

Councillors Present: Cllr Christie, Clarke, Green, Greenwood, Wells and Wesley (Chair)

In attendance: D. Cllr Dixon-Warren, Parish Clerk Boden and 18 members of public.

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

AGENDA 

Chairman’s Welcome and Housekeeping Arrangements.

24099. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION SESSION

To receive reports from outside bodies.

Report from C. Cllr Hill. No report was received

Report from D. Cllr Dixon-Warren. Cllr Dixon-Warren’s monthly report will be sent shortly but the highlights are:

80th Anniversary of Operation Market Garden. 

Parish / Town Council Forums 

Surplus Council defibrillators to help save lives in Ukraine

A member of the public expressed that the play equipment was looking in an awful state. They were reminded that new equipment had been ordered and the council were waiting for it to be delivered.

A resident asked about the new group and the makeup of them. The council knows as much about the group as the residents and that the statement that they had put on Facebook was the same email that the council had received.

It was stated that the whole of Pointon was starting to look run down and the state of some residents’ gardens were an eye sore. It is not the council’s responsibility on how people keep their gardens.

Cllr Wells had been approached by a number of residents, who could not attend the meeting, regarding the disappearance of the road sign for Sempringham Fen. The clerk advised him that he could report it on ‘Fix my Street’.

COUNCIL SESSION

24100. To receive Declarations of Pecuniary or Non-Pecuniary Interest. No declarations of Pecuniary or Non-Pecuniary Interest were received.

24101. To receive and accept Apologies for Absence. It was resolved to accept the apologies received from Cllr Keeley.

24102. To approve the clerk’s notes for the meeting held on the 23rd July 2024 and for the chair to sign. It was resolved to accept the clerk’s notes for the meeting held on the 23rd July 2024 and for the chair to sign.

24103. 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 the meetings.

b) To approve payments as list below.

It was resolved to approve the payments as listed above.

c) To approve the bank reconciliation. It was resolved to approve the bank reconciliation.

24104. To note that the 12-month contract with British Gas has ended. The 12-month contract has ended and the contract that the council has been moved to is dearer on pence per unit but the standing charge remains the same. The clerk will look for a better deal.

24105. To consider the purchase of extra hours for the website maintenance as 22 mins remaining. The clerk asked for this item to be deferred due to death of the webmaster.

24106. To review the following policies:

a) Abusive, Persistent and Vexatious policy. It was resolved to approve the Abusive, Persistent and Vexatious policy.

b) Records retention policy. It was resolved to accept the Records retention policy.

c) Expenses policy. It was resolved to accept the expenses policy.

24107. To receive an update on the hedging along the playing field driveway (deferred from July meeting). Cllr Wesley reported that the Crown Estate are planning to plant hedging along the playing field driveway this autumn and now would be a good time to tidy up the council’s side. It was resolved that the clerk writes a letter to the agent explaining to them what the council are planning to do and asking if they could liaise with the PC.

24108. To consider the planting of a community orchard, with at least 5 fruit trees, funded by SKDC. It was resolved to leave this offer, as the council has plenty on the go at the present time.

24109. To consider the creation of a Bio-diversity space, funded by UKSPF and administered by SKDC. It was resolved to leave this offer, as the council has plenty on the go at the present time.

24110. Planning Application

24111. Pavilion

a) To receive a report of the open day held on Saturday 14th September. Both the clerk and Cllr Greenwood had attended for the full 3 hrs on the 14th September, with Cllr Wesley and Christie calling in.

Fifteen people attended and the majority of the responses was to go towards design 2 but that further developments would be needed before finalising the design.

24112. To propose that the Council proceeds with the tender process to gain costings for a ‘Design & Build’ project based on the findings of the open day. Cllr Wells had withdrawn his drawings from the council using them and the clerk advised the Council that they could go for a ‘Design & Build’ project based on the findings of the open day.

Cllr Wells stated that the council could use his drawings as a sketch to move the project forward but he wanted it to be known that the dimensions and measurements should not be taken as accurate as he had used a previous application after not accessing the building.

It was resolved that the Council proceeds with the tender process to gain costings for a ‘Design & Build’.

24113. Correspondence. To note correspondence from Pointon Sports & Social Club – CIC. It was noted that correspondence had been received from Pointon Sports & Social Club – CIC. As already explained the council do not have any names regarding the group and everything that they had received was the same as the group had posted on Facebook.

After taking advice from LALC it was resolved that a working party be set up to arrange talks between both sides. This working party will collect information and report back to full council. It was resolved that the working party be made up of Cllrs Christie, Green, Greenwood, Keeley and Wells. The clerk would add this to the next agenda due to the requests by Cllr Christie, Greenwood and Wells.

24114. To arrange future dates for Parish Council meetings. It was resolved for the future dates of 22nd October, 19th November and 13th January.

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).

24115. Cllr Wesley proposed that the council enter closed session due to the confidential nature of the business. It was seconded by Cllr Green. It was resolved for the council to enter closed session.

24116. Staffing Outcomes. 

 a) To note the outcome of the recent appraisal of the clerk, conducted by the staffing committee, (deferred from July meeting). To note that the staffing committee had concluded the appraisal of the clerk at the Staffing Committee meeting held on the 24th September at 7.00pm

b) To note the employment of the lengthsman. To note the council have employed a lengthsman and both the Written Statement of Employment Particulars and Risk Assessment are in place.

The meeting closed at 8.25pm.