March 22 - Parish Council Meeting Minutes
Minutes of Carlby Parish Council Meeting held on 22 March 2022 which commenced at 19:30 in the Village Hall
Agenda
21/22-124 Chairman Welcome. Cllr. John Bavister opened the meeting and welcomed everyone.
21/22-125 Open Forum for members of the public.
- A member of the public brought up the bin issue, again.
- A member of the public asked when LCC Highways will complete the work at the Carlby cross roads. No road markings accident waiting to happen.
21/22-126 Present. Cllrs. Chair: John Bavister. Vice-Chair: Pete Holland, Ian Dair, Angela Cardew & Sue Robinson. District Councillor Penny Robins, 3 members of the public and Sarah Gresty-Parish Clerk.
21/22-127 Apologies for absence. None received.
21/22-128 Declarations of Pecuniary interests. There were none declared.
To approve Minutes.
21/22-129 a) Parish Council Meeting Minutes of 18 January 2022 were presented as a true and accurate record of events. Proposed acceptance Cllr. Pete Holland, Seconded Cllr. Ian Dair and unanimous voted in favour-RESOLVED.
b) Extra Ordinary Parish Meeting 01 March 2022 were presented as a true and accurate record of events. Proposed acceptance Cllr. Pete Holland, Seconded Cllr.Ian Dair and unanimous voted in favour-RESOLVED.
21/22-130 Reports from District Councillor Penny Robins.
Mallard Pass submitted a scoping report. The Local authorities have 28 days to give feedback to the PI (Planning Inspectorate) The PI has a further 14 days to form their opinion of it. SKDC are responding as a Council using a lot of the very valid points that the Mallard Pass Action Group have brought up. Then a planning application will likely be lodged with the Planning Authority. Because it is classed as a major infrastructure, the Council is only a statutory consultee. There are discussions surrounding who will be the best voice for the Council as a formal consultee. I believe the best option is to let Full Council decide and this is the option that is currently favoured. Interestingly, I have heard a Green Party Candidate has just won a Rutland By-Election opposing Mallard Pass. This is a good barometer of the feelings of the residents both here and across the border. A member of the Planning Committee has produced a report on comparison between wind and solar to nuclear – if you require this information, I am happy to pass this on. I would suggest the Parish Council continue to keep feeding comments into the Mallard Pass Action Group. Sad news that Keith Busfield passed away last week. His wife Sue will continue with the good work Keith was doing.
Budget news: The Government has confirmed the extension of the business rate relief to the Hospitality, Leisure and Retail Sector. From April parking in SKDC owned car parks will increase by 10p per hour. An increase of £5 for annual collection on the green bins
The Platinum Jubilee waste collections will be as normal on the Thursday and Friday even though they are Bank Holidays.
SKDC are offering support for refugees including Afghan Nationals. We currently have 19 Afghan refugees still in 2 Hotels in the district who are being supported by Local Teams.
Homes for Ukraine opened on 18th March 2022 for Visa applications from Ukrainians and immediate family members who already have named people they are willing to sponsor. People wishing to sponsor who do not know anyone personally fleeing from Ukraine are able to register their interest at homesforukrainecampaign.go.uk
Boundary Change: The Council Tax will still be under SKDC NOT RUTLAND. The reason for the Boundary change is that there is a disparity between the number of residents in each Parliamentary Constituency. It needs to be roughly equal constituents for each MP. Gareth Davies has over 100,000 – it should be between 69,000 – 77,000. We will be known as Stamford and Rutland Constituency and Gareth Davies will be Grantham Constituency. The only difference will be if you want an audience with your MP – ours will be Alicia Kearns.
Local News I am still dealing with the bins issue. I have escalated this to the Chief Executive and will continue to give this my full attention to get the issue resolved. I currently am helping 2 residents in Carlby with housing issues.
St Stephens Church in Carlby is having a photographic exhibition of life and changes in the village over the past 70 years. If anyone has any information or photographs of housing developments in Manor Road, The Avenue, Farriers Way and the High Street the church would welcome this. SKDC is checking the archives to see if they have anything of interest that they can pass onto the Church for the exhibition.
Financial matters
21/22-131 Financial Report for the period 01 April to 28 February 2022 were presented as a true and accurate record of the financial position. Proposed acceptance. Cllr. John Bavister, Seconded Cllr. Ian Dair and unanimous in favour-RESOLVED.
21/22-132 Section 137 limit for 2022/23 has been set at £8.41 of the local Government Action 1972. This was noted.
21/22-133 Resolutions:
- Clerk additional hours and holiday pay for 2021/22. Proposal to pay Clerk additional hours work and holiday pay with her Qtr 4 salary totalling £899.15
- Currently Clerk is paid 3.5 hours per week Proposal to increase clerk’s hours to 4 hours per week.
Proposed acceptance of both resolutions above. Cllr. John Bavister, Seconded Cllr. Pete Holland and unanimous in favour-RESOLVED.
To Approve Payments as follows:
21/22-134 S Gresty – Clerk salary Qtr4 and To resolve extra hours due
21/22-135 HMRC Qtr 4 Tax and Nic payment
21/22-136 Community Heartbeat defibrillator battery £223.20
21/22-137 Double Yew Nursery Jubilee tree £360.00
21/22-138 Double Yew Nursery delivery charge £24.00
21/22-139 B Haines – Councillor expenses for SSD drive on laptop £108.99
Proposed acceptance of the above payments. Cllr. Angela Cardew, Seconded Cllr. Sue Robinson and unanimous in favour-RESOLVED.
21/22-140 Conservation area - Local listing. There was discussion of the open meeting, held the week previously, about Local Heritage Listing. Councillor Dair said that at least two things were evident from this:
a. support for the principle that our stone walls and buildings are an asset to the village (maybe our current exercise has re-awoken this awareness). This was underlined by the examples given where homeowners go to some lengths to maintain their property, particularly their walls
b. strong dislike for and suspicion of the process of ‘listing’, even in the innocuous form taken by Local Heritage Listing.
It was also pointed out that Local Listing was at an early stage of development throughout the country; and that other means of underlining the importance of local heritage assets were available, such as Neighbourhood Plans.
Accordingly, Councillor Dair proposed the following motion:
Carlby Parish council continues to regard Carlby’s old stone walls and buildings as important in contributing to the village’s heritage and character and the Parish Council acknowledges that this view is widely shared by villagers, many of whom take steps to maintain their property with this in mind. Equally, the Parish Council is aware that support for Local Heritage Listing, as a means of furthering the conservation of the old walls and buildings, is not evident to any great degree. Therefore, the Parish Council will suspend any such action currently but will seek other ways in which the conservation of our old walls and buildings can be assisted e.g. by this becoming a material consideration in planning through the Neighbourhood Plan revision; and ad hoc via comment on planning applications.
Proposed adoption of this motion. Cllr. Ian Dair, Seconded Cllr. Sue Robinson and unanimous in favour-RESOLVED.
21/22-141 Playing Field Cllr. Angela Cardew reported on the installation this week of 2 new pieces of equipment hopefully ready for the easter holidays. The equipment is expensive to install but is guaranteed for approx. 20 years. Confirmed that all equipment is safety inspected annually.
21/22-142 ‘what practical actions Sustainable Carlby could we take’. – c/f to next meeting.
21/22-143 Planning: Received applications since the last meeting:
- S22/0466 Wren House, 5 Templeman Drive. Proposal: Erection of a single storey rear extensions and external alternations.
Response: No objections. Carlby Parish Council recognises the world is in a state of climate emergency and acknowledges we must act now to reduce our carbon footprint.
We request all property development work is built to high environmental and energy efficient standards (insulation, drought-proofing, efficient heating/cooling systems, rainwater harvesting) and that this be stipulated through planning approval.
Carlby Parish Council believe that it is important that any new materials match existing finishes, particularly on the front elevation. The building work should conform to the Village Design Statement 2013.
SKDC's Economic Development Portfolio Holder has approved, with effect from the 26th June 2013, the Carlby Village Design Statement and the Neighbourhood Development Plan for Carlby as accepted by the Cabinet member on the 12th March 2019. Who has made the decision that SKDC will make the Carlby Neighbourhood Plan part of the development plan for South Kesteven, a material planning consideration in the determination of planning applications.
Proposed submission of response: Cllr. Ian Dair, Seconded Cllr. Sue Robinson and unanimous in favour-RESOLVED.
21/22-144 Village Bins. CPC expressed thanks to Cllr. Penny Robins for her persistence in chasing the replacements of the 3 open bins in Carlby.
Resolution: To write to the CEO of SKDC complaining of the lack of response with the request to purchase 3x SKDC covered bins for replacement of the open bins in the village.
Action: Chair to write draft letter for the Clerk to send to SKDC
Cllr. Penny Robins to source additional dog fouling signs
Cllr. Penny Robins to report back after a meeting with SKDC on 28 March to see if this issue can be finally resolved.
Proposed action to write letter of complaint. Cllr. Angela Cardew, Seconded Cllr. Ian Dair and unanimous in favour-RESOLVED.
21/22-145 Mallard Pass Solar Farm
A member of the Mallard Pass Action Group gave an update on the response submitted to the scoping report and what the Action group are working on at present. She advised that the Planning Inspectorate response was now available on their website and the Action Group are working through this document.
Public Consultation. CPC will campaign residents to respond to this process.
Actions: CPC to produce newsletters for all residents to encourage their responses individually in the next public process
CPC representative to attend public meeting to be held by Alicia Kearns MP on 7Apr at Essendine
Clerk to write to Gareth Davies MP to request him hosting a public meeting in Carlby.
21/22-146 Persimmon land within the Templeman Dive Estate
a)Resolution: CPC to take ownership of land marked red on the plan below and to undertake its maintenance in perpetuity and to give the Chair and Clerk authority to sign conveyance documents on behalf of CPC for the completion of this transaction. Cost are to be covered by Persimmon Homes
- Clerk to sign solicitors’ authority to act on behalf of CPC
- CPC to define with (Knee/Ascot rail) fencing the footpath from the private driveways – material quotes to be presented at the CPC meeting following completion (approx. 11 posts and rails will be required).
- Chair to present his expenses for adjacent title plans and other costs at the next meeting
- Hire of skip to clear remaining rubbish to be presented to CPC meeting following exchange and completion of conveyance.
- Management maintenance and landscape committee to be formed. Open to all residents
- Register space as a village green.
- Persimmons requested to issue covenants on footpath area.
b)Grass cutting quote.
- To accept quote from Richard Flowers of £35 + VAT per cut. Proposed Cllr. John Bavister, Seconded Cllr. Pete Holland and unanimous in favour-RESOLVED.
21/22-147 Queens Platinum Jubilee 2-5th June 2022- Final decisions on activities to be held in the village to celebrate this event will take place at the Annual Parish Meeting on 26 April.
Decision to order 72 jubilee mugs was confirmed.
Action: CPC will advertise the Annual Parish Meeting widely for maximum attendance.
Clerk to order mugs
21/22-148 Correspondence was noted from the agenda
21/22-149 Items for future meetings
May meeting: revision of Standing orders regarding Planning.
Targets
Date of next meetings 26 April (parish meeting), 3 May, 26 July, 27 Sept and 29 Nov.
Meeting Closed at 21:23