October 2019 Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Cherry Willingham Parish Council held on 21st October 2019 at 7.30pm in the Millennium Hall, High Street, Cherry Willingham
Present: Cllr. Byrlewski (Chairman), Cllr. Fleetwood (Vice-chair), Cllr. Mellor, Cllr. Scott, Cllr. Bucke, Cllr. Burge, Cllr. Bates, Cllr. Robinson, Cllr. Houghton
In attendance: Cllr. Welburn, Christine Hodgson (RFO), Leticia Cooper (Clerk) and 1 member of the public.
Absent: Cllr. Baker, Cllr. Palmer, Cllr. Allen and Cllr. Langley The meeting began with the Public Forum at 7.30pm.
The resident raised concerns about the condition of the road on the Parade. There were large potholes on the road itself and near the junction of the Parade and the High street, creating a potential danger for cyclists. Cllr. Fleetwood responded to the concern raised and advised he would investigate the matter. The resident then enquired how much had been spent on Cherry Fields over the last 3 years, and in the current year. The resident was advised this would be discussed later in the meeting. There being no further questions the meeting began at 7.40pm
2019/53 Apologies, welcome and attendance, including to accept apologies and the reasons for absence were given.
Apologies were received from Cllr. Bates, Cllr. Palmer and Cllr. Langley. It was proposed and RESOLVED to accept apologies and reasons given. Cllr. Brylewski advised that Cllr. Allen had resigned due to family commitments.
2019/54 Members’ disclosure of pecuniary interests.
There were none.
2019/55 To receive reports from outside bodies, including the Police, District and County Councillors (if any) and agree actions as required.
There was no Police report. Cllr. Fleetwood gave a brief overview of the report circulated to members before the meeting. Cllr. Welburn advised that a District Council Facebook page had been set up and would be used to provide information.
2019/56 Chairman’s remarks
The Chairman had met with students at the Priory Pembroke Academy and two students had been appointed Parish Council Ambassadors. The students had been invited to the Autumn Parish meeting and would be willing to present in the evening. Cllr. Scott was asked if she would be willing to be their mentor. Cllr. Scott agreed.
The Chairman explained that more volunteers were needed to help with the Speed watch Scheme and enquired if Councillors present could give some time to it and encourage neighbours and friends to become involved.
The Summer Fair next year would be held on 4th July and it would have an American theme. A provisional booking had been made at the Priory Pembroke Academy and some entertainment had been booked in advance. The Chairman asked if this met with the Council’s approval. It was proposed and RESOLVED to accept the theme and continue with planning arrangements.
Cllr. Mellor offered to store donations for the Tombola Stall after the Christmas holidays.
It was confirmed that the Planning meeting with Fairview would take place on November 12th at 7.00pm.
2019/57 To receive the notes of the Council meeting held on 23rd September 2019 and agree for them to be signed as a true record.
The notes of the previous meeting were approved as minutes and signed as a true record.
2019/58 To receive the schedule of receipts and payments for September 2019. The RFO briefly discussed the Receipts and Payments schedule, the bank schedule and electricity quotes obtained. All reports were circulated before the meeting. The Receipts and Payments schedule was signed by the Chairman and the quarterly bank reconciliation was signed by Cllr. Houghton. The RFO gave a brief comparison of the electricity quotes and recommended the three year deal from e.on, which would save on costs in the long-term.
There was a brief discussion and it was proposed and RESOLVED to accept the quote from e.on.
2019/59 To approve the Agenda and format of the Autumn Parish Meeting on 28th October 2019.
The draft agenda for the Autumn Parish Meeting was circulated before the meeting. The Chairman initiated a brief discussion and it was asked if mention would be made of the photography competition. The chairman confirmed this would be mentioned in her closing comments. It was proposed and RESOLVED to approve the agenda for the Autumn Parish Meeting.
2019/60 To receive reports and recommendations (if any) concerning the business of the Council and its Committees and agree any actions accordingly.
a) Planning Matters
There were no actions for approval.
b) Village Improvement Committee (VIC) – Chairman Cllr. Fleetwood
i) To receive, for information any notes of the meeting held on 10th October 2019.
Cllr. Fleetwood gave a brief summary of the meeting on 10th October 2019. One of the main points was that responsibility of Cherry Fields had moved from the Leisure & Amenities committee to the Village Improvement Committee.
ii) To consider any issues arising from CFMG meeting on 17th October 2019 including possible proposal to take over Cherry Pastures (Top Field) in August 2020, when current lease expires.
Cllr. Robinson spoke about this and described the work that the volunteers had accomplished. The lease on Cherry Pastures was due to expire in August 2020 and the tenant had indicated that continued rental would depend on a few factors. There was no clear decision to report yet.
The meeting moved on to a general discussion of the number of residents who were aware of Cherry Fields and made use of it for recreational purposes. There followed discussion about budget allocation and how ongoing projects would be funded. Cllr. Robinson explained that grants were always being sought to mitigate costs.
A recent grant from the Co-op Champions scheme had yielded over £1,800. The discussion moved on to parking provision and access to the site. It was observed that there was limited parking at the site and those residents living further from the site might find access difficult. Cllr. Robinson mentioned there were plans to open the locked gate into Cherry Fields over the weekends, for a trial period. Cllr. Welburn commented that it was her belief that Cherry Fields had been purchased with a promise to residents that the precept rate would not be raised to fund it. Cllr. Brylewski advised that funding for Cherry Fields would be considered at the Finance Committee, later in the month.
c) Leisure & Amenities Committee (L&A) – Chair Cllr. Robinson
Cllr. Robinson indicated that the safety surface on the roundabout at Laburnum Drive play area needed to be renewed, which would mean any new projects would have to wait. The budget to complete this work would be discussed at the meeting of the Finance Committee.
Cllr. Brylewski mentioned that she had met with Rev. Green to discuss making another entry into the cemetery by cutting through the hedge near Gilbert’s Pond. There were no immediate objections and Rev. Green would take the proposal to the diocese.
d) Employment Committee – Chair Cllr. Palmer Deferred due to the absence of Cllr. Palmer.
e) Parish Council website – Chair Cllr. Baker Deferred due to the absence of Cllr. Baker.
f) Finance & General Purposes (FG&P) – Chair Cllr. Brylewski
The committee would be meeting on 30th October after the Annual Parish Meeting. There was nothing further to report.
g) Clerk’s report: Any correspondence and approved actions as required
-The Clerk had received an email alert from Gainsborough Police that there had been a spike in car thefts, notably of Mitsubishi’s. The clerk would post this alert on the village Facebook to raise awareness.
-A letter had been received from an elderly couple complaining of cars parking on a grass verge, opposite their house. The clerk had written to the residents advising the matter had been reported to Lincoln County Council Highways department and the Chairman had been made aware of the complaint. The Parish Council had no powers or duties to act but would continue to report these issues to the County Council.
2019/61 To discuss the Councillor Vacancies
There were still two vacancies on the Parish Council and no applications had been received to fill them. The chairman had received an email of resignation from Cllr. Allen, creating a Casual Vacancy. Vacancies would continue to be advertised and mentioned at the Autumn Parish Meeting.
2019/62 Future agenda items
There were no future agenda items.
2019/63 Approval of future dates
Approval of future dates was deferred to check they did not coincide with meetings at West Lindsey District Council.
2019/64 Date of next meeting
The next meeting of the Parish Council was agreed as 18th November 2019 (agenda items to be submitted by noon Friday 8th November 2019). Cllrs. Houghton and Scott gave apologies in advance of next month’s meeting.
The meeting ended at 8.15pm.