2025 Minutes

In Attendance: Councillor Thomas (Chair), Councillors H Baines, J Baines, Hankinson, Balfe, England, Worrell. The Chair also acted as clerk for this meeting.

 

There were no members of the public in attendance and no apologies were received from the County Councillor or District Councillors.

 

The Chair opened the meeting at 7.30pm.

 

1. WELCOME REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN (25/01)

The Chair welcomed those present and thanked them for their attendance.  

 

2. APOLOGIES:  TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND TO RESOLVE TO ACCEPT REASONS GIVEN (25/02)

No apologies for absence were received.

 

3. DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND REQUESTS FOR DISPENSATION (25/03)

No declarations of pecuniary interest or requests for dispensation were made.  

 

4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (25/04) 

4.1 Councillor England proposed that the Clerk’s notes of the Parish Council meeting held on 26 November 2024 be approved as a true record, which was seconded by Councillor Balfe.

Resolved: The minutes of the meeting held on 26 November were approved and duly signed by the Chair.

 

5. REPORTS FROM DISTRICT AND COUNTY COUNCILLORS (25/04)

5.1 No reports were received from the County Councillor or the District Councillors.

 

6. CLERK’S REPORT (25/05)

6.1 Members noted the Clerk’s report giving updates on actions from the previous meeting.

 

7. FINANCE (25/06)

7.1 Members noted the following income received.

Received From Purpose Amount £

Nat West Business Reserve Interest November 0.02

 

7.2 Councillor Balfe proposed that the following items of expenditure be approved, which was seconded by Councillor Worrell.

Resolved: To approve the following items of expenditure.

 

7.3 Councillor Balfe proposed that the December bank reconciliation be approved, which was seconded by Councillor Worrell and signed by Councillor Worrell. 

Resolved: To approve the December bank reconciliation.

 

7.4 Councillors noted the budget monitoring statement which had been circulated by the Clerk in advance of the meeting. 

 

7.5 Normanton Churchyard.

Councillors discussed the request from Ms Gonzales, on behalf of the Parochial Church Council, for a donation towards the maintenance of the churchyard for 2025/26, noting that a donation of £500 was made in 2024. The person who had maintained the churchyard for many years had retired and no one else had come forward to undertake the work. The Chair had met Ms Gonzales and MCS Grass Cutting Services to survey the work required. The contractor had subsequently returned a quote for each cut of the Churchyard. Based upon an estimate of 12 cuts, this would cost considerably more than the donation made in 2024.

 

Councillor Balfe proposed that the maintenance of the Churchyard should be incorporated in the Parish Council grass cutting contract for 2025/26 in order create a better balance of the cost of the contract across the Parish. This was seconded by Councillor Hands and unanimously agreed by all councillors.

Resolved: To incorporate the maintenance of the Normanton Churchyard within the Parish Council grass cutting contract for 2025/26 and to review the position at the end of the year.

8. PLANNING (25/07)

8.1 Members noted that the Planning Inspector had overturned the District Council’s decision to refuse a planning application for an agricultural building at Pinehill Farm, Main Street, Carlton Scroop. He has therefore approved the erection of an agricultural building 32 meters long, 9 meters wide and 7 meters high on the property.

 

9. HIGHWAYS (25/08)

9.1 Members noted that Councillor Maughan contacted the Clerk on 26th November to advise that he had made a formal request for the section of the Sudbrook Road between the A607 and Charity Street to be reassessed for a reduced speed limit of 30mph and had made the Cabinet Member for Highways aware that the consultation comments on the original application had not been properly collated and communicated to Members.

 

9.2 Highways Reports

The Chair stated that he had still not seen evidence of any routine drain clearing in the parish recently. A broken drain in Charity Street, causing flooding, had been reported to the County Council, but consistently ignored.

 

10. CEMETERY (25/09)

 

10.1 Row Markers and Cemetery Plan 

Councillors noted that the Clerk had circulated a digital copy of the agreed plot layout for section 1 of the cemetery. The new plan allowed a gap of 0.8m between plots to allow for visitors to walk between graves. The Chair suggested that plot markers should be purchased, initially for the top row of section 1 so that future purchasers of plots can see where their plot would be. He also suggested that future plots should be allocated from row A until full.

 

Councillor Balfe stated that he was unable to make any further progress with plot markers, but there didn’t appear to be many options through the internet. The Chair suggested he approach Fineturf  Ltd in the village to ask if they could make the type of marker that was required for the cemetery plots.

Resolved: To adopt the digital copy of the cemetery plan. 

That future plots be allocated from row A of section 1. 

That the Chair approach Fineturf Ltd to ask whether the company can make the plot markers required for the cemetery,

 

 

10.3 Hedge Maintenance

 

Councillor Hankinson stated that the hedge adjacent to the Churchyard would be trimmed with the help of Councillors J & H Baines when the weather improves.

 

11. JUBILEE FIELD (25/10)

11.1 There was no report.

 

12. COMMUNITY UPDATES (25/11)

12.1 Bus shelter repairs

 Councillor Balfe stated that he would use his best endeavours to ensure that the roof of the bus shelter is replaced. Councillors thanked Councillor Balfe for taking on this task.

Action: Councillor Balfe to oversee the repair of the bus shelter roof.

 

12.2 Grass cutting contract 2025/26

Councillors considered the formal quote for grass cutting received from MCS Ground Care and Garden Services.  Councillor Thomas proposed that the quote from MCS be accepted, as it was the cheaper of the two quotes received and the contractor had carried out previous work for the Council to a high standard, which was seconded by Councillor Balfe.  Councillors noted the earlier decision to include the maintenance the Normanton Church Yard in the contract for 2025/26.

Resolved: To award the grass cutting contract for 2025/26 to MCS Ground Care and Garden Services, noting that Normanton Church Yard would be included in the contract.

 

12.4 Community updates

There were no further updates from Councillors.

 

13. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES (25/12)

13.1 Councillor Balfe proposed that the revised Health & Safety Policy be adopted, which was seconded by Councillor J Baines. 

Resolved: To approve the updated Health & Safety Policy.

 

14. CORRESPONDENCE (25/13)

14.1 Members noted all general correspondence circulated for information since the November meeting.  

 

15. STAFFING (25/14)

15.1 Councillor England proposed that the meeting move into closed session in accordance with the Public Bodies Act of 1960 due to the confidential nature of matters to be discussed, which was seconded by Councillor J Baines.

Resolved: To move into closed session.

Councillors discussed progress with filling the vacancy arising from the resignation of the previous Clerk. The Chair stated that he had circulated the advert amongst the village WhatsApp group, but had received no response. There had also been no response from the advert on the LALC website. The advert would not appear in the local “News & Views” until the end of January. The Chair had also contacted Leadenham Parish Council because they appeared to be advertising for a clerk, but had not received any response. Councillor Balfe said he would try and speak with one of the Councillors. It was agreed that all councillors would use their contacts to try and identify a suitable candidate for the Clerk’s post.

 

16. DATE OF NEXT MEETING (25/15)

16.1 Councillors agreed to amend the date of the March meeting as follows:

Tuesday 1st April 2025

Tuesday 20th May 2025

 

The Chair closed the meeting at 8.45pm.