SPC Minutes January 2020
SWAYFIELD PARISH COUNCIL
Cllrs: Mr S Frere Cook (Chairman), Mr D Metcalfe (Vice Chair)
Mrs J Geeson, Mr R Green, Mrs A Roberts, Ms M Johnson, Mr K Holden
Clerk: Mr J.S.Williams. Telephone: 01476 552110 Email: swayfieldpc@outlook.com
Minutes of a Meeting of Swayfield PC
28th January 2020 at 7pm in the Village Hall
There were no members of the public present. District Cllr Nick Robins was in attendance. The meeting began at 7pm
1.0 Apologies for absence Cllr Green had sent his apologies.
2.0 Declarations of interest in accordance with the 2011 Local Government Act. None.
3.0 The Notes of the Meeting held on November 26th 2019 were unanimously approved as the Minutes.
4.0 Councillors' and Clerk's Reports
The Chairman invited Mr Robins to speak. A new Chief Executive had been appointed, Karen Bradford. She is a specialist in town centre regeneration. The budget is still subject to increasing constraints; the original plan for four new leisure centres was being scaled back (among other economies).
4.1 Recreation Ground. Wildlife area. Cllr Roberts said that the funding was in place. We had to complete by March and have a formal opening on the afternoon of April 5th (suggested by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust). The Chairman had recycled much of the old fencing to create a number of compost bins around the perimeter. The project will include a hedgehog house and a bug house. The opening would be advertised in The Link and local press. It was observed that someone unknown had cut down and removed a shrub without permission, leaving considerable debris behind. The Clerk reported that Miracle would undertake a formal safety inspection sometime in the spring, at their convenience (in view of their heavily discounted fee). The Chairman had purchased keys for the new padlock 4.2 Phone Kiosk. No problems, though the large number of books being donated meant selection and recycling were necessary. 4.3 Highways and hedges. Prior to the meeting, Cllr Green had circulated his correspondence with I-CC regarding Pingle Lane. Its regular maintenance would be dependent on forming a link with existing footpaths. To create a change to the Definitive Map maintained by I-CC, an extensive set of forms has to be submitted. This must be done by 2026. It was agreed to bring this to a future meeting for a vote. Other highways issues discussed included drainage in the High Street, the poor state of verges throughout the area, and the condition of the road surface by Church Lane 4.4 Defibrillator. The monthly check showed it to be in good order. 4.5 Public Events. The Wildlife Park opening. It was agreed to provide light refreshments for those attending. A series of Clean-Up occasions, noted in I-ALC news was noted.
5.0 Speeding Signs. Cllr Robins advised us that we would benefit from the collection of data on the extent of speeding vehicles through the village. Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership offer a free service in this regard, and the Clerk and Chairman would liaise with them to discuss positioning.
6.0 Purchase of a dedicated mobile phone. Changes introduced by the Council's bank mean that two-factor authentication is necessary for on-line banking. This requires a mobile phone. The Clerk suggested that a simple pay-as-you-go model would serve the purpose. It was agreed that he should proceed to organise this, with a cost in mind of approximately £50
7.0 Financial Matters 7.1 Position at the bank. The Clerk had prepared a spreadsheet which was accepted as a true record. 7.2 It was resolved to pay Cllr Holden £66.09 for painting costs relating to the now refurbished village coat of arms. Also, the £16.75 for keys (see 4.1 above) to reimburse the Chairman. 7.3 Cheques were signed as follows: New fencing: £ 1407 (as per estimate), £66.09 to Cllr Holden. The Chairman was reimbursed from petty cash.
8.0 Planning applications. None had been notified that had not already been circulated. The position regarding The Barn's change of use application was discussed, with a helpful intervention from Cllr Robins, who said that if we wished he was empowered to ensure that the application would be heard in committee at which members of the pubiic would be able to present very brief statements of objections or support. This was warmly welcomed.
9.0 Correspondence None not already circulated via email.
10.0 Items of Urgency for discussion. The Chairman asked whether Councillors thought it was worthwhile for Swayfield to join a cluster of Parish Councils. The feeling was that it was not.
Date of next meeting: 31/03/2020
J S Williams, Clerk