2023 Parish Council Minutes of Meetings

OSBOURNBY PARISH COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 11th JANUARY 2023 IN THE VILLAGE HALL

Public Forum:  One member of the public attended

No declarations of interest

69.   Apologies received from County Cllr Andrew Hagues.

70.   In attendance:  Cllrs Jackson (Chair), Wright, Baldwin, Baker, Bide, North and McClurg.  Mrs King (Clerk)

71.   Minutes of the previous meeting, held on 2nd November 2022 and already circulated, were approved.  Proposed Cllr Wright, Seconded Cllr Baldwin.

72.   Chairman’s Report/District Council Report:  District Council report attached to these notes.  

The Chairman’s report advised that there were still ongoing problems with the residents in the High Street with regard to the their dogs, both noise and fouling. Cllr Jackson had not received any recent information from NKDC on this matter.  The bush on the corner of North Street will now be cut back.  Cllr Jackson to inform the residents of this.  Cllr Jackson had received complaints from some residents regarding horses churning up the footpath on the entrance to The Mickling.  Horse riders are only allowed on footpaths if they have the permission of the land owner.  Aswarby Estate have not been asked for any permissions so it was agreed that if horse owners are seen riding down the footpath they will be advised that permission needs to be sought from the Estate.   There are still problems regarding overgrown shrubs on the footpath leading to the school and bungalows on the High Street.  Cllr Jackson will speak to the home owner again.   Cllr Jackson also reported that the request for the speed signs to be moved at the north end of the village had been received by Highways and decisions will be made in due course.

73.   County Council Report:  As Cllr Hagues unable to attend he had sent the following report: Visit England has named Lincoln Castle and The Collection and the Usher Gallery one of the best visitor attractions in England.   LCC has been selected as one of 75 local authorities to benefit from the governments Family \hub programme.  It aims to adapt how and when we deliver information, advise and help to make it more acceptable for all families when they need it most.  Importantly, it will also mean additional investment.
Phase 2 of the Grantham Southern Relief Road is now complete.  The third and final section is due to be completed in 2025.
At the moment there are quite a few highway gullies that are blocked due to fallen leaves.  If there are any flooding issues in Osbournby, can you let me know and I’ll report it to Highways.    For people who use the Aldi store in Sleaford, I’m afraid that road resurfacing will not happen until June this year.  If the PC are aware of any other issues in the Osbournby area, please let me know.

74.   Clerk’s report:  Mrs King reported the following:  Register of Electors papers were handed out to all councillors and Mrs King asked that they destroy their old copies.  
The Village Hall committee would like to put a sign on the green outside pointing to the VH as many people are not aware of its position.  As the Parish Council owns the land permission was sought for a sign to be put up.  This was agreed so Mrs King will now contact Highways asking for permission. 
Website:  Some hours are left over with the man who administers the website on our behalf.  Mrs King suggested that some old photos of Osbournby are put on the website, she will contact Ian Neville asking for his help in this.  Also if anybody has any ideas for any information to be placed on the website please let Mrs King know.
There was a discussion regarding the seat on the green outside the village hall.  Mrs & Mrs  Richardson believe that it is repairable and have already started work on it.  Hope to continue in the spring.

75.     Mrs King reported that following Chris Pell being unable to cut the grass in the village, she was contacted by two local grass cutting contractors.  She met them both on different occasions and walked around the village with them, showing what grass needed cutting and what was expected of them.    Both contractors were extremely efficient in getting quotes back and in the end it was purely down to costings that Tidy Gardens and Grounds was chosen.
Mrs King also reported that over the Christmas break she had received a letter from Alan Drury informing her that he would no longer be cutting the churchyard and cemetery grass.  I contacted both of the companies who had given me quotes for grass cutting in the village, asking them to give me a quote for the cemetery and churchyard, plus additional works as specified on the tender document.
Again both quotes were received quickly and efficiently and the Parish Council looked at them both.  Again it was decided purely on costings and Tidy Gardens and Grounds was successful.  Mrs King to inform both contractors.

76.   Budget Setting and setting the Precept:  Mrs King had sent out a budget against spend for 2022/23 and a proposed budget for 2023/4.  A discussion was held regarding this, Cllrs were advised that the sums proposed for the phone box, defibrillator and litter bins were all contingency sums.  A sum of £2,000 has to be included in case of a contested election, although to date this has rarely been used.  Cllr McClurg asked whether or not the speed watch is still going and Cllr Jackson advised that he had tried to get a new co-ordinator and volunteers but with no luck.  Cllr McClurg said that she would think about putting herself forward as a co-ordinator and liaise with Cllr Jackson on this.  Cllr Baker asked whether or not the bus stop was going to be refurbished.  Unfortunately there is not much leeway in the budget so it was suggested that perhaps a volunteer party could be set up to revamp the bus stop.   The budget was approved and it was agreed that a Precept of £5,300, the same as last year, would be requested.

77.   Land on the Drove:  The architect and/or developer had asked whether they could attend tonight’s meeting, however it was felt that as they had not approached Planning at NKDC asking if the planners were happy with the proposed new development, it was not appropriate at this time.   They had also not responded to the comments that the Parish Council had sent in following sight of the proposed new plans.   Mrs King had been informed that consultation papers and information would be posted through all homes and businesses in the village this week and she had informed them that once this had been done and residents had responded, a meeting could be held with all interested parties attending.  

78.   Update from Aswarby Estate:  Allotments – Still waiting to hear about the The Drove scheme.       Pub – looking very good but still a bit to be done. Really pleased with the work to date. Lorna & Adam have taken on a massive project and I’m sure it will be a success.   Fern House –  submitting a pre-application to the local authority for advice in the coming months. A copy to the PC will be sent in due course. Similar to what we discussed at a meeting late last year – 2 new build in the gardens and the renovation of the existing buildings.

79   Internet banking payments:   Bank balances:  As at today:  £3818.24 and Cemetery Account  £36,556.56.  

BACS payments  made since the last meeting on 2nd November:
BSH Recycling:   £394 on 18th November
P J Walker: £2,450 on 5th December
Osbournby District Church Council : £16.71 on 5th January
Community Lincs £48.00 on 5th January 
Payment by cheque:  Mrs E King:   £642.74

80.   Donations:  A request had been received from LIVES asking for a donation towards the upkeep of defibrillators across Lincolnshire.  It was greed that sum of £80 would be paid.

81.   Correspondence:  No correspondence had been received which had not already been discussed.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 7.55 p.m.

District Councillors Report Osbournby Jan 23

Elections Act 2022 – Voter (photo) identification– legislation laid

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has now laid legislation on voter registration and the requirement for voters to bring accepted photographic ID to vote. This will apply at the District and Parish Council elections on 4 May 2023.

For voters who do not have an acceptable form of photographic ID to vote in person at the polling station, they can apply for free voter ID. This is called a Voter Authority Certificate and will use personal identifiers, their full name, National Insurance number and date of birth.

There will be national and local awareness-raising campaigns about this change to the voting system. We will continue to share more information with you over the coming months.

Tree planting opportunities

Financing your community wood - Woodland Trust – this is a guide to funding community woodlands.

Free Trees for Schools and Communities - Woodland Trust – this is a link to the application for free trees for schools and communities.  The current round of funding closes on 11th January, for trees being released for planting in March.

England Woodland Creation Offer - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) – this is a woodland creation scheme that may be of interest to local councils and local land owners, possibly with larger land holdings.

Trees for Landowners and Farmers - Woodland Trust – this is mostly of use to farm holdings, however it could still be useful to given the links that you might have with local councils.

Village halls funding

The government has announced that the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund had opened for applications.

The fund is managed by the charity Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and village halls in England can now apply for grants to improve and modernise their facilities.

Village halls interested in applying can request grants from £7,500 to £75,000, and up to a maximum of 20 per cent of eligible project costs. Capital grants will be allocated to support infrastructure improvements, the refurbishment of facilities, such as kitchens and toilets, and measures to improve energy efficiency.

Please note that to be eligible the village hall must serve a community with a population below 10,000 people and must be registered as a charity with community management.

The application window will close on 20 January 2023, with successful applicants being able to draw on the funding from April 2023.

More information, including how to apply for the fund, can be found linked below. Councillors are encouraged to share this information as appropriate.

Announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/village-halls-to-see-major-revamp-as-platinum-jubilee-fund-opens
https://acre.org.uk/platinum-jubilee-village-halls-fund/

TV Licence scam warning

According to Government figures for 2022, fraud is the most experienced crime in the UK, accounting for around 40% of all crimes. As the cost-of-living crisis puts pressure on people’s finances, it is more important than ever that people know how to spot potential fraudsters to minimise the risk of becoming a victim.

TV Licensing is working to help customers protect themselves against being scammed. They are continuing to ask people to STOP – CHECK – ASK if they receive any suspicious communications that appear to be from TV Licensing.

•   STOP – Scammers will attempt to trick you into giving away your personal or bank details. Always be wary of letters, emails, texts or phone calls that promise you money or a refund.
•   Check: Has the sender spelt your name correctly, and are there any grammatical errors? You should also make sure they have included the correct licence number, which you can check on the TV Licensing website.
•   ASK – If you are ever unsure about a communication you have received, it is always best to ask someone – perhaps a friend or trusted advisor. You can go to the TV Licensing website and sign in to your licence at www.tvl.co.uk/yourlicence to check if anything is wrong or call TV Licensing on 0300 303 9695 to speak with someone who can help.

Charitable and community organisations within North Kesteven are encouraged to apply for grants to move forward projects that promote health and wellbeing within the District.

Grants of up to £5,000 are available to charitable, voluntary and community organisations, church groups, community interest companies, non-statutory agencies etc, that are based in the District and either already delivering crucial services, or those able to clearly demonstrate where there is a gap and have a workable solution to address and support the emotional wellbeing of local residents.

The North Kesteven District Council Health, Wellbeing and Resilience Fund is being administered by the Lincolnshire Community Foundation. Bids will be considered from existing and new organisations and can be to extend ongoing services or create new initiatives.

To access the North Kesteven District Council Health, Wellbeing and Resilience Fund speak with Lincolnshire Community Foundation grants officer Helen Carter at the Foundation on 01529 305825 or see www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk  

In order to build a further fund to support organisations delivering frontline services to those in greatest need across Lincolnshire, the Community Foundation is operating an appeal called Thrive, based on people giving together in times of crisis, which seeks to build up an appeal fund of £1m.

See www.lincolnshirecf.co.uk for information on all available grants.

Review changes – changes to wards

Just a reminder that the District Council was subject to a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) which comes into effect at next year’s elections.

The overall number of district councillors will remain at 43 but the number of District wards is reduced to 24.  This will result in changes to 18 current District ward boundaries and therefore your parish may now fall within a different District ward. There are some consequential changes to North Hykeham and Sleaford parish wards. A list of the new District Wards with effect from 4 May 2023 can be found below. For further details visit North Kesteven | LGBCE Site

New District wards and parishes in alphabetical order from 4 May 2023.