Minutes of the Bi-Monthly Meeting of Knaith Parish Council held in the
Village Hall on Monday 14th March 2022 at 7.00pm
Present: Councillor D. Belton (Chairperson)
Councillor A. Morphet
Councillor S. Breeze
Councillor D. Randall
Councillor E. Bailey
Councillor S. Bowdler
Councillor W. Stanser
District Councillor J. Milne
Mrs E. Coulson (Clerk)
1/3/22. Apologies for absence
No apologies.
2/3/22. To receive any declarations of interest in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and to receive any applications for Dispensation. Members may make declarations at this point but also make them at any point during the meeting
There were no declarations at this time
3/3/22. To approve the Minutes of the last meeting on 24th January and 10th February 2022
Two amendments made to the Minutes 10th February 2022.
- Item 06/02/22 ‘replacement of radiators’ amended to ‘repair of radiators’
- Item 12/02/22 ‘Snapchat’ amended to ‘WhatsApp’
Approval as a true record was then proposed by Councillor Bowdler and seconded by Councillor Randall. RESOLVED that the Chairperson sign them as a true record.
4/3/22. Clerk’s report on Outstanding Matters
- Salt Bin – Scoring with location submitted to LCC Winter Care Team. Waiting to hear of the outcome.
- Notice Board Knaith Park – Councillor Belton and the Clerk have reached out to two local tradespeople for quotes for a new notice board. To report back to the council once both quotes have been obtained.
5/3/22. Correspondence
- Crime Reports for January and February – Circulated. Noted the theft of Batteries in Knaith and that crime has risen. This is probably due to COVID restrictions being lifted. Concerns that oil, diesel and petrol crimes may increase due to their spiralling cost.
- General Correspondence – List circulated. Items noted:
- Draft Waste Plan – Not all councillors have seen this email. The Clerk to find the original email and re-send.
6/3/22. Financial Matters
- Clerk Rates of Pay – Following the guidance from LALC with regards the revaluation of clerk rates of pay from April 2021. It was agreed that the Clerk’s salary would be adjusted to reflect this revaluation.
- Financial Statement – With payments totalling £432.88 and £0.04 in receipts (interest), this was approved and signed.
7/3/22. Planning 144350 - Request for Scoping Opinion for the Gainsborough Southern SUE development
This is an application for an extension to existing outline planning permission which is due to expire in 2023. Councillor Bailey brought this application to the Parish Councils attention as there is mention of the A156 and Willingham Road within the transport aspect of the application.
The application is not just for housing but for light/general industry, doctors etc.
It was the Parish Council’s view that no comment needs to be made at present but to monitor this application and its progress.
8/3/22. Stag Wood and Woodland Trust
Councillor Morphet, with the aid of District Councillor Milne, contacted Ian Knowles with regards the Parish Council’s concerns at not being informed of Felling Applications from the Forestry Commission.
WLDC informed us that nothing can be done to change this procedure and information on such applications can be found through the WLDC Planning Portal.
Concerns/points raised by the Parish Council are as follows:
- It is the Parish Council’s view that we should be informed, just as we are with housing applications.
- Comments made by WLDC may be made by someone who does not know the area.
- What is the point of a Parish Council if it is not be involved in such applications?
It was agreed that Councillor Morphet would draft a response from the Parish Council, raising the points/concerns above.
9/3/22. Gate Burton Energy Park
Councillor Stanser has been approached by Gate Burton Energy Project for availability of the Village Hall for the second stage of consultations between Tuesday 5 July and Saturday 23 July.
The Clerk received correspondence from the project as they would like to brief the Parish Council on the main issues and concerns that have been raised, as well as suggestions for community initiatives and projects that could be supported.
The Parish Council feel that a meeting, at this time, would be too soon given the current global issues and that full plans need to be seen before any such meeting can take place. It was agreed that the Clerk would draft a response on behalf of the Chairperson.
10/3/22. Village Hall – General and Repairs
Councillors Bailey and Stanser declared an interest as they sit on the Village Hall Committee.
Councillor Stanser has had one company visit with a view to quote for the new fencing around the Village Hall. JCM have submitted two quotes. 1: Wooden fence with 3 struts across which was quoted at £3,820. 2: Concrete post with gravel boards quoted at £4,950.
A second company is due to visit 15 March.
The 2nd option of the JCM quotes appears to be the most favourable as the gravel boards, if need replacing, can be done so with ease. It was also noted that wood is currently priced higher than concrete.
Councillor Bowdler – Another large project is also up for discussion later in the Agenda and if the Parish Council approve full funding of this project the Speed project may not be viable.
It was proposed the following:
- If the legal status of the Village Hall is clarified and the Village Hall Committee is responsible, the Parish Council will wait until after the next VH Committee meeting and may consider a donation to the fence.
- If it is determined the fence is the Parish Council’s responsibility, a proposal may be sought to approve the expenditure and ask the Village Hall Committee to consider making a donation to the Parish Council.
It was agreed that the legal status of the Village Hall needs to be resolved before a final decision can be made.
11/3/22. Village Hall – Legal Status
Councillors Bailey and Stanser declared an interest as they sit on the Village Hall Committee.
After a lengthy discussion and various documents circulated and quoted, the following became apparent:
- Councillor Stanser read a quote that stated that Village Hall Committee are responsible for everything involved in the maintenance, running and upkeep etc. of the Village Hall and that the Parish Council are just the Custodial trustees.
- It was agreed that the Parish Council would seek specialised legal advice to confirm, for definite, the legal relationship and responsibilities of the Parish Council and the Village Hall Committee. The Clerk to liaise with Chairperson to create legible documents to submit to LALC for advice from NALC and the Chairperson to seek a specialised solicitor. This is with a view to resolving the current issues and revision of said documents to be legally relevant in today’s society.
With this new information coming to light, it was agreed that the fencing would have to go for approval through the Village Hall Committee and that if the VH Committee asked for a donation towards this cost, this would be considered.
12/3/22. Broadband
Councillor Bowdler has not heard back from Hayley at Quickline, as promised, so he has contacted WLDC for assistance.
13/3/22. Speeding/Vehicle Noise Issues
Councillor Bailey – after attending the full WLDC Council Meeting, Councillor Rollings is keen on introducing 20mph schemes locally. Could we reach out to her with regards the speeding issues we are having in the village?
Councillor Randall asked if it was possible that a police speed van visit the village. The Parish has approached this subject before and it is not an option as no data exists to prove speeding is an issue and no serious accidents have occurred within the village.
It was agreed that the Clerk would make contact with everyone that attended the Speed Gun training with a view to moving this project forward. Refresher training may be required
Councillor Bowdler proposed that a decision on the speed indicator(s) be made at the next Parish Council meeting. This would be after clarity has been sought over the village hall and that of the Speed Gun training.
No Noise issues reported.
14/3/22. Highways/Ditches
The Clerk has re-opened the blocked drains issues as LCC Highways had closed the report despite this being an ongoing issue. Recent photographs were submitted with the report clearly showing the drains completely blocked.
Councillor Bailey has submitted photographs to the Clerk with regards the ongoing issues with the un-cleared ditches. It was agreed that the Chairperson contact the land owner again with a view to them being cleared.
15/3/22. Councillor Interactions
Councillor Bowdler has successfully set-up a WhatsApp Parish Council group which has been used positively since creation.
16/3/22. Queens Jubilee Grant
WLDC are offering a Grant of up to £700 to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. It was agreed that Councillor Bowdler would draft a flyer for distribution to gauge Parishioners interest. Once drafted, Councillor Belton will print the flyers for distribution.
When responses have been gathered, the Parish Council will decide on whether it is viable to apply for the grant.
17/3/22. Stag’ Head Pub
It has been brought to the Parish Council’s attention that viewings of the Stag’s head Pub have been blocked by the owner.
The advert on Rightmove now has it advertised as a residential house and not a Public House. Councillor Jessie Milne advised that it cannot be advertised as a house unless a change of use has been approved and neither the Parish Council nor District Councillor Milne is aware of such an application.
District Councillor Milne explained that Parish Councils now have the authority to ask for any planning application, in there Ward, to be brought in front of the Planning Committee.
Councillor Bowdler has drafted an email to WLDC Planning to address the above issues. It was agreed for this to be submitted.
18/3/22. Items of information to be noted and if necessary dealt with at the next meeting
- New Edition of the Code of Conduct
- Parish Meeting to be held for the first time since COVID.
- Annual Parish Council Meeting to be held in May which will include Year End Financials
19/3/22. Date for next meeting
A date for the Parish Meeting and the Annual Parish Council Meeting is Monday 9 May 2022 at 6.00 pm.
With all business concluded the meeting closed at 9.10pm.
Signed ………………………………………. Dated ………………………………