October 2022 Minutes
Kettlethorpe Parish Council
Minutes of the meeting of the Parish Council held on Tuesday 3rd October 2022 at 7pm in Kettlethorpe Village Hall
PRESENT:
Cllr Catherine Turner, Chair
Cllr Richard Barnard
Cllr Paul Bussoopun
Cllr Tim O’Callaghan
Cllr Jez Willis
Mr Geoff Cleworth, Clerk
APOLOGIES
Cllr Richard Elliott
D/Cllr Jane Ellis
MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING
The minutes of the meeting held on 4th September had been circulated to all councillors and were proposed, seconded and approved by all Councillors.
PROGRESS REPORTS
Jubilee Park
There had been no progress on the new Springies and Soft Pour tarmac. Cllr Elliott had contacted the contractor about these jobs and the making good of loose bricks in the park walls, and he will be able to carry out the work in early October. This will have to be done after the return of Cllr Elliott from holiday, as the springies are currently securely stored at his house.
Highways
The council was unaware of any progress on arranging a meeting with WLDC to press for resolution to the issue of HGVs using the private road to Park Farm outside permitted hours.
Flower troughs
These had now been treated by Cllr Bussoopun. The planting would require review/renewal. Cllr Elliott will be asked if he wished to be involved in this.
Christmas lights
Cllr Barnard had had little success in powering the lights. The meeting discussed the use of domestic electricity from a nearby house. Clrr Willis will ask the landlord of the Friendship Inn if there is still a mains source close to the flagpole.
Parish notice boards
There had been no progress. Cllrs Barnard and Willis will inspect the notice boards and report back regarding their condition.
New Clerk’s access to bank accounts
New Council laptop
New Clerk’s domain address
printer/scanner/photocopier for Clerk’s use
all these matters were now resolved
Appeal to HMRC against fine for late payment of PAYE
The outcome of this was not yet known
New internal auditor
Cllr Barnard’s business partner had agreed to act as internal auditor.
The Clerk informed the meeting that LALC offered an audit service. It was quite costly, but offered an audit of policies and procedures as well as the accounts. He was asked to consider which option would be the best.
LOCAL POLICING ISSUES
The Police crime report for September listed 3 burglaries, 7 thefts, 2 instances of vehicle crime and 4 instances of criminal damage in the Gainsborough Rural South districts. Two matters affected the Parish, these being the theft of 300 litres of red diesel from a field in Kettlethorpe and the theft of a motor home in Laughterton.
TREE WALK
The meeting was pleased to hear that the grant application had been authorised. Cllr Turner will arrange to acknowledge the grant. Cllr Willis will liaise with Mr C Fowler on progressing the project and will obtain quotations for various species of tree. Cllr Barnard will securely weld the iron surrounds for the trees after planting. The National Lottery places strong emphasis on acknowledging the grant and requires that we involve local schools and community groups in the project. A list of such organisations will be drawn up and Cllr Turner will work on an appropriate flyer. The delivery timescale was discussed and it was felt that an opening ceremony to co-incide with the Coronation of the King would be appropriate> It was felt appropriate to site a memorial plaque on the wall of the lych gate at the Church. The meeting expressed its sincere thanks to Messrs Brownlow and Fowler for their input into this project.
CORRESPONDENCE
Correspondence for September had been distributed to all Councillors.
PLANNING
Application reference 145381
The applicant had submitted an amended application and outlined his plans to the meeting. On the basis of this, it was resolved that we would have no further comment to make.
Application reference 144120
Nothing further had been heard with regard to this application.
Application reference 145465
The meeting gave this consideration. The major area of concern was the storage of mixed fertilisers in the same building. This practice increased the likelyhood of explosions, as mixed fertilisers can be volatile and the proposed building is 100 metres from residential housing. Additionally, there was no mention of reference to the Fire Service or Environment Agency regarding these dangers. The meeting wished to be reassured about whether a sprinkler system will be installed or other fire-fighting equipment. Lastly, the project should be subject to adherence to usual working hours by vehicles as per previous applications.
FINANCE
The meeting resolved that in cases where the council authorises expenditure by Counsellors or the Clerk, they may be reimbursed upon production of a receipted invoice without the need for further ratification by a meeting.
The payment of the following invoices for September were agreed by the Council:
F5 COMPUTING – invoice 11137 Microsoft monthly sub - £40.86; invoice 11218 set up of new laptop £72.00
CLERK – reimbursement for printer and ink supply total £143.97
PAYE AND SALARY
These items were ratified by the meeting
PARISH ACCOUNTS
end of September – balance £13631.75; expenditure £8430.49
These were agreed and accepted by the meeting
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION
It was decided that the fence panels in Jubilee Park would require treatment in Spring 2023
Cllr O’Callaghan reported that he still had no access to his council domain address. He will attempt to rectify this with F5 Computing.
There was discussion of how the Council might find a way to recognise the long service of Mr Ron Gee as Clerk. It was resolved to ask Mr Gee and his wife to be our guests at the Parish Dinner. He will also be offered the option of deciding on the venue. Cllr Elliott as Chairman will be asked to approach Mr Gee personally in this regard.
Cllr Bussoopun offered his apologies for the next meeting.
It was decided that after being unsuccessful in 2021, we should purchase a wreath for Remembrance Day early. The Clerk will pursue this.
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
This will take place in Kettlethorpe Village Hall at 7pm on Tuesday 8th November 2022.
The Chair closed the meeting at 8.55pm.