March 2024 DRAFT Minutes
TORKSEY PARISH COUNCIL
MINUTES
AN ORDINARY MEETING OF THE PARISH COUNCIL held on Monday 18th March 2024 beginning at 7.30 pm. St Peter’s Church, Main Street, Torksey
27. Those Present.
Cllr Large.
Cllr Levitt.
Cllr Scawthon.
Cllr Ford.
Mr Pilgrim. Parish Clerk District Councillor Torksey Ward.
Revd J. Foster-Smith.
Mrs. E. Rose. Church Warden.
Members of the Public 4.
Election of a Chairman.
Resolved. That Cllr L. Levitt be elected Chairperson for this meeting only.
Proposed Cllr Scawthon. Seconded Cllr Ford. Carried unanimously.
28 Apologies for absence.
Cllr Burke. Having been informed of the reason for his absence, Council approved his apologies for absence.
29 Declarations of Interest.
None received.
30 Approval of the Minutes of the last Meeting.
Resolved. That the |Minutes of the last meeting, held on Monday 19th February 2024, be approved as a true record.
Proposed Cllr Large. Seconded Cllr Ford. Carried unanimously.
31 Matters arising from the Minutes of the last meeting and not included in this agenda.
None received.
32 Amendments to the agenda by Resolution.
It is now two years since the three bus shelters owned by the Parish Council were painted.
Resolved. That Cllr Levitt purchase 1 five litre can of Sikkens filter 7 Teak. Anticipated spend is likely to be approximately £100.00.
Proposed Cllr Scawthon Seconded Cllr Ford. Carried unanimously.
33 Emergency Plan.
a. Contact with Cove Communities.
Cllr Scawthon has volunteered to chair the working group in completing the new format template.
The Clerk will contact Mr R. Turner of Cove Communities for a possible meeting and to pass on Cllr Scawthon’s contact details.
34 Church refurbishment. Visit from the Priest in charge and Church Warden.
Revd Jane Foster-Smith explained that the Church authorities were looking at a managed decline leading to closure. However, if the community were willing to come forward and form a Friends of St Peter’s management committee, the Church could remain open as a village amenity for the use of residents. The committee would manage the process independently of the Church and would be able to attract the necessary funding to finance the project Revd Jane will produce a factsheet which the Parish Council will distribute around the Parish in hopes that an open meeting during a weekend afternoon could be organised to help with the formation of the committee.
35. Purchase of Land for the Cemetery Extension. Report.
The Change of Use from Agricultural to Burial Ground has been submitted to West Lindsey District Council Planning Department.
Hopefully the application will be approved, and Council can move on with the purchase.
36. Condition of the Railway Embankment.
No further information has come to light concerning the ownership of the bank.
Council has therefore decided that the item will be removed from the agenda,
37. CSW Group.
The Clerk will ask Fred Bridges for a list of the names of those who are part of the group and may still be willing to carry on with the Community Speed Watch work.
38. Events in St Peter’s Church.
Organising events in the church is very difficult without a servery and bathroom.
This item will be removed from the agenda for the time being.
39. Information Kiosk.
Ongoing.
40. Installation of a Defibrillator. Torksey Surgery.
A letter asking for permission to site a defibrillator on an outside wall of the Surgery at Torksey has been sent to the practice manager. No reply has been received as yet.
The Clerk will write again in an attempt to get a reply before the next meeting. Monday 15th April 2024
41. Village Green.
a. Monthly Inspection. After some discussion it was decided that in future inspections would be done Bi - Monthly only.
Cllr Ford will complete an inspection during March, for discussion at the April meeting.
b. EIBE: Play Fort maintenance. The Clerk has contacted EIBE for confirmation that the last quotation received is still accurate in terms of price and work needing to be done. A reply should be received before the April meeting.
The Clerk suggested that funding of up to £10,000.00 be sought to cover the majority of the work. The remaining finance would come from Reserves.
A member of the Council suggested that the portion earmarked from reserves could be spent initially on selected work whilst the application for funding was being completed and submitted. This was generally accepted by Councillors.
c. Issues with the fencing around the bridge. The general condition of the fence seems fine. A member of the Council will inspect the fence before any action is taken. He will report back before the April meeting.
d. Pond. Maintenance of the water level. The Clerk is trying to contact a responsible director at Cove Communities about the occasional use of one of the sites pumps to raise the water level of the Pond.
e. Damage to the Village Green. Now that the weather is becoming drier, the Clerk will ask the Pest Controller to begin work to lower the rabbit population.
f. Provision of a Pedestrian Shelter.
The quotation from IN Sheds was generally accepted although not officially approved.
The Clerk will consult with IN Sheds for a quotation for the installation of a concrete base.
Once all is in place a formal decision for completing the project will be made.
The Clerk will look for a possible funding source.
42. Waste bin at the Play Area.
An elector has written to the Clerk concerned that the waste bin, which was sited next to the Play Fort, has been removed. This seems to have caused a rise in the incidence of dog fouling and general waste around the Play Fort picnic area.
The bin was removed because it was being used principally for the disposal of dog waste and this was considered dangerous and unhealthy bearing in mind its proximity to the Play Area.
The Clerk will reply to all concerns, giving reasons for the removal of the bin and quoting a decision made at the February meeting, that the situation would be monitored until May 2024. If necessary, a decision would then be made as to the re-siting of a new bin.
43. Highways Issues.
Grass cutting along the A156. Western Verge, Torksey Bridge to Torksey Village.
It is essential that the growth experienced during 2023 should not be allowed to develop again. West Lindsey District Council has said that their contractor will be asked to strim back the growth when it begins to look untidy and affects the width of the pathway. Council decided that the situation should be monitored to see if this plan works before considering further action to keep the bank looking tidy.
44. Traffic Calming.
Street Furniture. Gateways. North end of the village.
There is small issue concerning the design of the Gates, the width of the verge, and siting of the Gates on the verge.
Cllr Scawthon is to contact Glasdon for more design information.
Cllr Scawthon will also contact Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership for details of recommended speed cameras.
45. Health and Safety.
a. Village Green. No issues reported.
b. Cemetery. No issues reported.
c. Play Area. RoSPA Play Safety Reports August 2023. Noted.
46. Facebook Page.
Bin Removed please use bins at either end of the village Green.
Gate removed. ineffective.
47. Finance.
a. Financial Statement February 2024.
Resolved. That the Financial Statement for February be approved as a true record.
Proposed Cllr Scawthon Seconded Cllr Ford. Carried unanimously.
b. Clerk’s Salary and Expenses. February 2024. ………………………£324.90
Proposed Cllr Ford Seconded Cllr Scawthon. Carried unanimously.
c. Invoices for payment March 2024.
HMRC PAYE £70.20
Torksey Parochial Church Council. £80.00
Torksey Parochial CHURCH Council. £250.00
West Lindsey Planning Change of Use. £353.00
WAVE £13.94
Resolved. That the above expenditure at 47.c be approved for payment.
Proposed Cllr Ford. Seconded Cllr Levitt. Carried Unanimously.
d. Pre-Quotation Questionnaire Gallagher Insurance.
Increase the insurance for the Play Area to £35000.
This will attract an additional £100 on the insurance premium.
48. Correspondence.
a. Electric Vehicle Charging Locations. After due consideration Council was not able to put forward any area suitable for Electric Charging Points
b. Container roof leaking. Contact supplier. Cleveland Containers.
49. Future Agenda Items.
Clothes Bank.
50. Dates for Future Meetings.
Monday 15th April 2024.
Monday 20th May 2024.
Monday 17th June 2024.
51. Closure of the meeting.
There being no further business Madam Chairman closed the meeting at 2130 hrs. (09.30 pm)
R. Pilgrim.
Clerk to Torksey Parish Council.