Annual Parish Meeting May 2021
Draft Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting
Swayfield, Lincolnshire
held on 4th May 2021 in the Village Hall, Corby Road, Swayfield
preceding the Annual Meeting of the Parish Council
The Meeting began at 7:00pm. Present were the members of the Parish Council and one member of the public, and the Parish Clerk. Apologies received from Cllr Green.
- The draft Minutes of the 2019 meeting were approved as an accurate record (Prop. Cllr Geeson, Sec. Cllr Holden, accepted unanimously).
- The Chairman's Annual Report. The Chairman presented his annual report for the benefit of members of the public attending the meeting. The report had been posted on the Parish website prior to the Meeting and it remains there https://swayfield.parish.lincolnshire.gov.uk/.
- District & County Councillors Reports. LCC & SKDC Councillors were not in attendance.
- Financial Report. The Clerk presented the Annual Accounts Statement for 2020/21. There were no questions from the Councillors. The report can be seen at the end of these Minutes.
- Electors’ Concerns. A new resident to the village thanked the Councillors for an informative meeting.
The next meeting will be held in May 2022, date to de confirmed.
SWAYFIELD PARISH COUNCIL – CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT MAY 2021
As we are unable to hold an Annual Parish Meeting except by zoom conference call because of the covid-19 lockdown restrictions this Annual Report is presented as a written document only. All the Council’s meetings in the past year have been held by zoom conference calls in accordance with government guidelines, but hopefully we will be able to return to face-to-face meetings very soon.
We have 7 Parish Councillors and I am grateful to Derek Metcalfe, Kevin Holden, Amy Roberts, Jenny Geeson, Maria Johnson and Richard Green for the work that they have put in to conducting Parish Council business.
After 4 years of excellent service to the Council our Clerk, Stuart Williams, retired from the position at the end of last year – we are very grateful to him for his commitment and diligence and for his guidance to us as Councillors. He has been replaced by Chris Hatch from Swinstead where he is the Parish Clerk.
Each Councillor has a specific role within the Council as well as being involved in general matters and the Council’s finances. Until such time as we are able to meet as a Council to review these roles they will continue to be -
Derek Metcalfe is the Vice Chairman
Kevin Holden looks after the defibrillator and issues relating to Pingle Lane.
Richard Green looks after highways, bye ways, footpaths, and street lighting.
Jenny Geeson keeps an eye on the Call Connect bus service.
We all have responsibility for Community Events.
Maria Johnson looks after the telephone kiosk which contains a book exchange and a daily delivery of newspapers and periodicals
Amy Roberts keeps an eye on the play equipment on the Recreation Ground while I look after the fabric of the Ground
The Parish Council’s accounts are in the process of being audited– a copy of the audited accounts will be placed on the Village Notice Board and on the website for your perusal in due course.
The Parish Council has been very well supported throughout the year by Councillor Nick Robins who is our local District Councillor and Councillor Bob Adams who is our local County Councillor – we are very grateful for their support and the efficiency with which our concerns are followed up and hope that Bob is re-elected at the elections later this week.
Without going in to too much detail, the main issues that we have dealt with this year have been
- – our liaison with a representative from LCC Highways has continued and the Council will continue to monitor all matters that require attention, but we must all be aware of budgetary constraints. However the quality of some of the work in the recent past has been a matter for concern, and this has been drawn to the attention of our local Councillors. I would though like to encourage all Parishioners to use the SKDC or LCC websites to report matters as they occur as the more reports that those Councils receive perhaps the more likely they are to react – or is that wishful thinking …...
However, one encouraging note is that the Parish Council is this year again expecting to receive about £340 from LCC in lieu of them cutting some of the grass verges within the village. The Parish Council appreciates the efforts that parishioners make to keep our verges looking tidy.
The Council has submitted a Definitive Map Modification Order Application to have Pingle Lane re-established as a footpath and marked appropriately. On behalf of the Parish Council and with a generous grant of £500 from Lincolnshire County Council an ecological survey of the lane and the Recreation Ground will be conducted on 11th May in an effort to determine the flora and fauna that exist in both areas and to enhance the wildlife and environmental aspects of them – we will wait in anticipation for the report and recommendations. The Parish Council will meet the balance of £61.90 for the cost of the survey.
- Community Events – we have had a quiet year with regard to community events because of the covid restrictions, but if anybody feels that there is a need for a community event in the future then please do speak to us in good time.
- Call Connect Bus Service – do please speak to Jenny Geeson about the LincsBus Call Connect Service should you need to know any details.
- Planning Applications – several planning applications have been considered by the Parish Council during the year and our comments where applicable have been passed to the District Council.
- Telephone Kiosk – the kiosk continues to be used as a book exchange and newspaper/periodical collection point. It also contains a noticeboard on which any Parishioner may post a notice that is relevant to his/her business or village life.
- Grants Policy – as the Council has money within its funds that is available to be spent for the benefit of the community, we introduced a Grants Policy in November 2017, details of which are posted on the Village Notice Board. Please do consider applying for a Grant if you think it appropriate.
- Parish Council Website – in compliance with the Transparency Code the Parish website is maintained by the Parish Clerk.
- Dog Fouling – while it is lovely to see so many people walking their dogs around the village and along the footpaths, the proliferation of dog fouling is a cause for concern. Could all dog owners please ensure that they clear up after their dogs and either take the waste home with them or put it in the bin at the High Street end of the Recreation Ground. And when walking across farmland please ensure that your dogs are under close control or on leads
- – unfortunately the proliferation of litter along the verges and around the village continues unabated, and the Council is grateful to those people who collect it and put it in their own bins. Should anybody wish to use SKDC’s orange sacks for this task, I have a supply of them so please do ask for them – they can be put out with your normal waste (either grey or black bin) for collection on a Friday. Unfortunately, SKDC is not providing any more litter bins for public places, so within the village there is only the one on the Recreation Ground. It is though possible for the Parish Council to purchase bins from a variety of suppliers, but they will have to be emptied by volunteers – should any parishioners wish to volunteer to do this then please let the Parish Clerk know who you are.
And finally,
- – our accounts are shown in the financial statement and they remain in a healthy state.
23 April 2021
Simon Frere-Cook
Chairman, Swayfield Parish Council